integrative view
Recently Published Documents


TOTAL DOCUMENTS

404
(FIVE YEARS 139)

H-INDEX

51
(FIVE YEARS 9)

Metabolites ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
Seyed Babak Loghmani ◽  
Nadine Veith ◽  
Sven Sahle ◽  
Frank T. Bergmann ◽  
Brett G. Olivier ◽  
...  

Genome-scale metabolic models are frequently used in computational biology. They offer an integrative view on the metabolic network of an organism without the need to know kinetic information in detail. However, the huge solution space which comes with the analysis of genome-scale models by using, e.g., Flux Balance Analysis (FBA) poses a problem, since it is hard to thoroughly investigate and often only an arbitrarily selected individual flux distribution is discussed as an outcome of FBA. Here, we introduce a new approach to inspect the solution space and we compare it with other approaches, namely Flux Variability Analysis (FVA) and CoPE-FBA, using several different genome-scale models of lactic acid bacteria. We examine the extent to which different types of experimental data limit the solution space and how the robustness of the system increases as a result. We find that our new approach to inspect the solution space is a good complementary method that offers additional insights into the variance of biological phenotypes and can help to prevent wrong conclusions in the analysis of FBA results.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chia-Chien Chen ◽  
Joshua C. Brumberg

Cellular structures provide the physical foundation for the functionality of the nervous system, and their developmental trajectory can be influenced by the characteristics of the external environment that an organism interacts with. Historical and recent works have determined that sensory experiences, particularly during developmental critical periods, are crucial for information processing in the brain, which in turn profoundly influence neuronal and non-neuronal cortical structures that subsequently impact the animals’ behavioral and cognitive outputs. In this review, we focus on how altering sensory experience influences normal/healthy development of the central nervous system, particularly focusing on the cerebral cortex using the rodent whisker-to-barrel system as an illustrative model. A better understanding of structural plasticity, encompassing multiple aspects such as neuronal, glial, and extra-cellular domains, provides a more integrative view allowing for a deeper appreciation of how all aspects of the brain work together as a whole.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Shoshi Keisari ◽  
Silvia Piol ◽  
Talia Elkarif ◽  
Giada Mola ◽  
Ines Testoni

Creative arts therapies (CAT) provide a safe and creative environment for older adults to process life experiences and maintain personal growth while aging. There is a growing need to make creative arts therapies more accessible to the aging population, as many have limited access to these services. This need has been catalyzed by the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tele-CAT offers a possible solution. This study explored the experiences of older adults who participated in an online creative process of digital photocollage based on CAT. Twenty-four Italian and Israeli community-dwelling older adults aged 78 to 92 participated in this research through Zoom teleconferencing software. Transcriptions of the sessions and the art produced through the photocollage were qualitatively analyzed through Thematic Analysis. The findings show that the projective stimuli of digital photographs supported older adults’ narratives and engaged them in a more embodied emotional experience. Participant experiences involved artistic enjoyment within a positive and safe interaction with therapists. The creation of digital photocollages allowed the participants to process their life experiences and create an integrative view of their life, a vital developmental task in late life. These results point to the advantages and challenges of tele-CAT for older adults.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Berg ◽  
Matthias Feldmann ◽  
Tobias Kube

Rumination is a widely recognized cognitive deviation in depression. An integrative view that combines clinical findings on rumination with theories of mental simulation and cognitive problem-solving could help explain the development and maintenance of rumination in a computationally and biologically plausible framework. In this review, we connect insights from neuroscience and computational psychiatry to elucidate rumination as repetitive but unsuccessful attempts at mental problem-solving. Appealing to a predictive processing account, we suggest that problem-solving is based on an algorithm that generates candidate behavior (policy primitives for problem solutions) using a Bayesian sampling approach, evaluates resulting policies for action, and then engages in instrumental learning to reduce prediction errors. We present evidence suggesting that this problem-solving algorithm is distorted in depression: Specifically, depressive rumination is regarded as excessive Bayesian sampling of candidates that is associated with high prediction errors without activation of the successive steps (policy evaluation, instrumental learning) of the algorithm. Thus, prediction errors cannot be decreased, and excessive resampling of the same problems occur. This then leads to reduced precision weighting attributed to external, “online” stimuli, low behavioral output and high opportunity costs due to the time-consuming nature of the sampling process itself. We review different computational reasons that make the proposed Bayesian sampling algorithm vulnerable to a ruminative „halting problem”. We also identify neurophysiological correlates of these deviations in pathological connectivity patterns of different brain networks. We conclude by suggesting future directions for research into behavioral and neurophysiological features of the model and point to clinical implications.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Sophie Thelisson

Purpose Coopetition includes cooperation and competition, sometimes simultaneously, among firms from a specific industry involved in a merger and acquisition (M&A) operation. However, despite their high number, most mergers end in failure. Therefore, looking at how firms cooperate and compete when planning a merger operation can be a key to better understand post-merger integration, set achievable synergies for both parties and better understand the organizational culture of both companies. Also, external events in a rapidly changing environment can affect the global strategy of organizations and impact the desire for firms to engage in mergers and acquisitions. Design/methodology/approach The author investigates how merger negotiations were conducted and influence coopetition among two firms engaged in such an operation. The author describes the project merger of two French companies using longitudinal data. Findings This in-depth case study provides new insights into coopetition dynamics during merger negotiations and the influence of a global crisis on the overall strategy of two firms. The authors specifically detail how cooperation and competition were present in M&A negotiations and how the rapidly changing environment influenced the planned operation. First, cooperation was privileged as companies enhanced information sharing and communication for their joint strategy. Then, with the evolution of the environment, new opportunities were given to the target company, which decided to quit the merger project. Therefore, both firms engaged in a competitive context as the crisis helped the target company (in difficulty at the beginning of negotiations) to develop new projects and to become a real rival of the acquiring company in its local ecosystem. Research limitations/implications The limitations are those concerning a single case study. Practical implications The study highlights the complexity of merger negotiations and the unexpected events faced by integration stakeholders. The analysis, thus, contributes to an inclusive and integrative view of the challenges in the merger process. The study questions coopetition issues in regional clusters as both firms operate in the same industry in the same region. For practitioners, the study questions how to balance the risks and rewards of coopetition activities over time. The case addresses information sharing in coopetition projects and the fear that the data and information revealed during negotiations will affect the company’s competitive advantage once the merger plan is abandoned. In the context of the rapidly changing environmental crisis, managers will reflect on continuing to cooperate with their competitors or pursuing their activities on their own. Social implications Despite their high number, M&A failures remain surprisingly high. This study explores how stakeholders deal with merger negotiations and how external events impact such negotiations and merger projects by raising coopetitive tensions among firms. Originality/value The case provides a vivid illustration of firms’ adaptation to a rapidly evolving context due to a global crisis. The research questions coopetition in business ecosystems and the unexpected in merger processes. The study addresses critical risks in knowledge exchange during merger negotiations and coopetitive dynamics among stakeholders over time. Theoretical concepts and empirical findings from the literature are combined to present a single consistent picture.


Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2878
Author(s):  
Javier Vicente ◽  
Eva Navascués ◽  
Fernando Calderón ◽  
Antonio Santos ◽  
Domingo Marquina ◽  
...  

The interest in Lachancea thermotolerans, a yeast species with unusual characteristics, has notably increased in all ecological, evolutionary, and industrial aspects. One of the key characteristics of L. thermotolerans is the production of high quantities of lactic acid compared to other yeast species. Its evolution has mainly been driven by the influence of the environment and domestication, allowing several metabolic traits to arise. The molecular regulation of the fermentative process in L. thermotolerans shows interesting routes that play a complementary or protective role against fermentative stresses. One route that is activated under this condition is involved in the production of lactic acid, presenting a complete system for its production, showing the involvement of several enzymes and transporters. In winemaking, the use of L. thermotolerans is nowadays mostly focused in early–medium-maturity grape varieties, in which over-ripening can produce wines lacking acidity and with high concentrations of ethanol. Recent studies have reported new positive influences on quality apart from lactic acid acidification, such as improvements in color, glutathione production, aroma, malic acid, polysaccharides, or specific enzymatic activities that constitute interesting new criteria for selecting better strains. This positive influence on winemaking has increased the availability of commercial strains during recent years, allowing comparisons among some of those products. Initially, the management of L. thermotolerans was thought to be combined with Saccaharomyces cerevisiae to properly end alcoholic fermentation, but new studies are innovating and reporting combinations with other key enological microorganisms such as Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Oenocous oeni, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, or other non-Saccharomyces.


Toxicon ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tristan D. Schramer ◽  
Rhett M. Rautsaw ◽  
Juan David Bayona Serrano ◽  
Gunnar S. Nystrom ◽  
Taylor R. West ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 988-1005
Author(s):  
Michele Girotto ◽  
Andrés De Andrés Mosquera ◽  
Albert Arisó

While research on competence-based assessment has grown, scholars have conducted fewer studies on an integrative view of competence acquisition, in the context of the final year project, that have particularly addressed the meta-competence approach. This paper examines undergraduate business students’ perceived acquisition of competencies during the development of their final year project and tries to determine relevant differences among the set of competencies students’ value most. The study gathered quantitative data by using a questionnaire applied to students after their presentation of the final degree project at a Spanish Business School. The findings show the emergence of three profiles of students based on their competencies acquisition. The profiles display an interconnected relation and put forward some shortfalls in competence acquisition as well as propose an emerging profile of the meta-competent student.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriana Alzate ◽  
Renske E. Onstein

AbstractUnderstanding what drives the vast variability in species range size is still an outstanding question. Among the several processes potentially affecting species ranges, dispersal is one of the most prominent hypothesized predictors. However, the theoretical expectation of a positive dispersal-range size relationship has received mixed empirical support. Here, we synthesized results from 84 studies to investigate in which context dispersal is most important in driving species range size. We found that dispersal traits – proxies for dispersal ability – explain range sizes more often in temperate and subtropical regions than in tropical regions, when considering multiple components of dispersal, and when investigating a large number of species to capture dispersal and range size variation. In plants, positive effects of dispersal on range size were less often detected when examining broad taxonomic levels. In animals, dispersal is more important for range size increase in ectotherms than in endotherms. Our synthesis emphasizes the importance of considering different aspects of the dispersal process -departure, transfer, settlement-, niche aspects and evolutionary components, like time for range expansion and past geological-environmental dynamics. We therefore call for a more integrative view of the dispersal process and its causal relationship with range size.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document