The Grape Gene Reference Catalogue as a Standard Resource for Gene Selection and Genetic Improvement

Effective crop improvement, whether through selective breeding or biotech strategies, is largely dependent on the cumulative knowledge of a species’ pangenome and its containing genes. Acquiring this knowledge is specially challenging in grapevine, one of the oldest fruit crops grown worldwide, which is known to have more than 30,000 genes. Well-established research communities studying model organisms have created and maintained, through public and private funds, a diverse range of online tools and databases serving as repositories of genomes and gene function data. The lack of such resources for the non-model, but economically important, Vitis vinifera species has driven the need for a standardised collection of genes within the grapevine community. In an effort led by the Integrape COST Action CA17111, we have recently developed the first grape gene reference catalogue, where genes are ascribed to functional data, including their accession identifiers from different genome-annotation versions (https://integrape.eu/resources/genes-genomes/). We present and discuss this gene repository together with a validation-level scheme based on varied supporting evidence found in current literature. The catalogue structure and online submission form provided permits community curation. Finally, we present the Gene Cards tool, developed within the Vitis Visualization (VitViz) platform, to visualize the data collected in the catalogue and link gene function with tissue-specific expression derived from public transcriptomic data. This perspective article aims to present these resources to the community as well as highlight their potential use, in particular for plant-breeding applications.

Walking Backwards on Uneven Ground

<p>All place has embedded meaning – it is a reflexive method for understanding ourselves through existence in space. We create meaning in place by associating it with (personal and/or collective) memory. As we frame our worlds in context of our places and spaces, architects have an ethical responsibility to their clients, and to the wider society whom they serve. This thesis posits that contemporary architecture in Aotearoa must respond to a need to diversify views on aesthetic preference. This research investigates memory and meaning creation as considered through nostalgia, and subsequently, the cumulative knowledge gained through impressions or experiences. This research utilises an auto-ethnographic methodology to explore personal experience – through memory – as the building blocks of the self. This self-construction is inextricably related to the development of personal aesthetic preferences and is extrapolated out to the collective aesthetic preference or norm. This work reflects on - and moves us towards - a critique of form, function, and meaning-making processes, that claim objectivity; in support of subjectivities.</p>

Walking Backwards on Uneven Ground

<p>All place has embedded meaning – it is a reflexive method for understanding ourselves through existence in space. We create meaning in place by associating it with (personal and/or collective) memory. As we frame our worlds in context of our places and spaces, architects have an ethical responsibility to their clients, and to the wider society whom they serve. This thesis posits that contemporary architecture in Aotearoa must respond to a need to diversify views on aesthetic preference. This research investigates memory and meaning creation as considered through nostalgia, and subsequently, the cumulative knowledge gained through impressions or experiences. This research utilises an auto-ethnographic methodology to explore personal experience – through memory – as the building blocks of the self. This self-construction is inextricably related to the development of personal aesthetic preferences and is extrapolated out to the collective aesthetic preference or norm. This work reflects on - and moves us towards - a critique of form, function, and meaning-making processes, that claim objectivity; in support of subjectivities.</p>

The investigation survey of inguinal hernia operation techniques preferred by pediatric surgeons in Turkey

In inguinal hernia, standard procedure has been considered open repair for a long time, the number of pediatric surgeons who prefer laparoscopic techniques is increasing day by day. In this study, it was aimed to determine how pediatric surgeons in our country approach patients with inguinal hernia and manage the treatment process. Controversial issues on inguinal hernia repair were identified and a questionnaire was prepared to reveal the current situation. The questionnaire was delivered to members of Turkish Association of Pediatric Surgery on the official website of the association. The survey was directed to 420 people, 92 people returned with the answers to the questionnaire. Thirty-six of the surgeons prefer the laparoscopic method for inguinal hernia repair. The reason for choosing open surgery was questioned, the most frequent answer was to be more experienced and to have more cumulative knowledge on open repair method. According to survey, the greatest advantage of laparoscopy was stated to be the better evaluation of the contralateral inguinal canal (n=16, %44.4). Twelve of surgeons who performed laparoscopic treatment in the selection of patients stated that gender is important and prefer laparoscopic surgery for female patients. Thirty percent (n = 11) of the participants stated that they prefer laparoscopy in patients between 3 months and 13 years old, while the rest prefer laparoscopy at all ages. In conclusion thirty nine percent of surgeons in Turkey prefer laparoscopic repair. Open repair is still preferred in our country. There is still no consensus on perfect method and patient selection yet.

Intergenerational Mentorship on Character Traits Among Disadvantaged Primary School Students: A Controlled Pretest–Posttest Study

Purpose: “Teach with Fun After-School Care Service (TWF)” was an educational mentoring program developing character traits among primary school students in the form of school-based mentorship, provisioned under a wider intergenerational project. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of the program on character traits development among primary students. Methods: Two multi-school controlled pretest–posttest trials were conducted in primary one through three across two school years between 2016 and 2018. Among students, 37 (34.6%) were of ethnic minority and with special educational needs. Treatment group of 107 students were compared with 53 in comparison group on traits of self-control, responsibility, cooperation, kindness, and courtesy. Results: Results demonstrated interaction effects between time and group for self-control ( p = .026), responsibility ( p = .038), and courtesy ( p = .042). Discussion: This research provides evidence for TWF’s intervention model and offers implications for intergenerational programs. Findings enrich cumulative knowledge about desirable social outcomes in education setting.

Vocabulary Interventions for Young Emergent Bilingual Children: A Systematic Review of Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Studies

Vocabulary plays a critical role in later reading achievement of emergent bilingual children (EBC) who are learning two languages. Given emerging vocabulary intervention research for EBC, we synthesize studies on vocabulary interventions designed for preschool and kindergarten EBC to provide the cumulative knowledge on the following dimensions: (a) EBC’s characteristics, (b) features of selected target words and books, (c) critical components of vocabulary interventions, and (d) the overall effectiveness of the interventions as reflected by the percentage of studies reporting a significant increase on proximal measures of EBC’s target words. Through a systematic search, we identified 19 articles using experimental or quasi-experimental designs. Overall, EBC increased their knowledge of words taught through vocabulary instruction, and the use of bilingual or family heritage instructional language increased EBC’s vocabulary knowledge in both languages.

Abstraction, Validation, and Generalization for Explainable Artificial Intelligence

Neural network architectures are achieving superhuman performance on an expanding range of tasks. To effectively and safely deploy these systems, their decision-making must to be understandable to a wide range of stakeholders. Methods to explain AI have been proposed to answer this challenge, but a lack of theory impedes the development of systematic abstractions which are necessary for cumulative knowledge gains. We propose Bayesian Teaching as a framework for unifying explainable AI (XAI) by integrating machine learning and human learning. Bayesian Teaching formalizes explanation as a communication act of an explainer to shift the beliefs of an explainee. This formalization decomposes any XAI method into four components: (1) the inference to be explained, (2) the explanatory medium, (3) the explainee model, and (4) the explainer model. The abstraction afforded by Bayesian Teaching to decompose any XAI method elucidates the invariances among them. The decomposition of XAI systems enables modular validation, as each of the first three components listed can be tested semi-independently. This decomposition also promotes generalization through recombination of components from different XAI systems, which facilitates the generation of novel variants. These new variants need not be evaluated one by one provided that each component has been validated, leading to an exponential decrease in development time. Finally, by making the goal of explanation explicit, Bayesian Teaching helps developers to assess how suitable an XAI system is for its intended real-world use case. Thus, Bayesian Teaching provides a theoretical framework that encourages systematic, scientific investigation of XAI.

Social impact scaling strategies in social enterprises: A systematic review and research agenda

Social enterprises have attracted increased attention from both researchers and practitioners around the world. In the social enterprise context, scaling social impact is considered the main currency or key performance metric. Two overarching social impact scaling strategies are organizational growth strategy and ecosystem growth strategy. However, to date, little cumulative knowledge exists on these two social impact scaling strategies. To address this issue, this article conducts a systematic review of 111 peer-reviewed articles. It identifies and discusses key insights into organizational growth strategy and ecosystem growth strategy as a means to scale social impact in social enterprises. Based on these findings, the current article also develops a framework to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of social impact scaling strategies in social enterprises. Finally, the review identifies gaps in the existing literature and discusses a comprehensive agenda for future research. JEL Classification: L26, L31, O35, M13

Special Issue “Fundamentals and Recent Advances in Epitaxial Graphene on SiC”

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide a scientific platform for recognized experts in the field of epitaxial graphene on SiC to present their recent studies towards a deeper comprehension of growth mechanisms, property engineering and device processing. This Special Issue gives readers the possibility to gain new insights into the nature of buffer layer formation, control of electronic properties of graphene and usage of epitaxial graphene as a substrate for deposition of different substances, including metals and insulators. We believe that the papers published within the current Special Issue develop cumulative knowledge on matters related to device-quality epaxial graphene on SiC, bringing this material closer to realistic practical applications.

Are we speaking the same language? Call for action to improve theory application and reporting in behaviour change research

Inconsistencies are evident in definitions and interpretations of theory, application of theory, and reporting of theory use within the behaviour change field impeding cumulative knowledge advancement. Standardised frameworks and methods are needed to support the definition, application, and reporting of theory, and to assist researchers in understanding how theory should be applied to build cumulative knowledge over time. Progress is being made with the development of ontologies, taxonomies, methods for mapping interventions, and coding schemes; however, consolidation is needed to improve levels and quality of theory use, and to facilitate the translation of theory-driven research in practice. This paper discusses the importance of rigorous theory application and reporting in health-related behaviour change research and outlines the need for a standardised framework that supports both researchers and practitioners in designing, implementing, and evaluating theory-driven interventions in a concrete and consistent manner. To this end, several recommendations are provided to facilitate the development of a standardised framework that supports theory application and reporting in the behaviour change field. Concrete and consistent theory application and reporting will permit critical appraisal within and across studies, thereby advancing cumulative knowledge of behaviour change over time.