A Business Performance Management Framework

Pereira, A. C. B., & de Castro Neto, M. (2020). A Business Performance Management Framework. In Á. Rocha, H. Adeli, L. P. Reis, S. Costanzo, I. Orovic, & F. Moreira (Eds.), Trends and Innovations in Information Systems and Technologies: WorldCIST 2020 (Vol. 1, pp. 312-323). (Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing; Vol. 1159 AISC). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45688-7_32In an increasingly competitive market, companies need to look not only at results, but also at how they can improve their performance to achieve them. Knowing the factors that influence business performance allows to identify initiatives that lead to their improvement or mitigate potential risks, ensuring strategic alignment across the organization. This article presents a Business Performance Management (BPM) framework, where the key components that impact business performance are described, which includes Business Intelligence (BI) as an integral part of the technological framework and a Performance Management (PM) cycle as a methodological approach to its implementation for business performance improvement.authorsversionpublishe

Regional Variation in the Density of Essential Genes in Mice

In most species, and particularly in vertebrates, the percentage of genes absolutely required for survival, the essential genes, has not been estimated. To obtain this estimation, we used the mouse as an experimental model to carry out high-efficiency N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) mutagenesis screens in two balancer chromosome regions, and compared our results to a third previously published screen. The number of essential genes in each region was predicted based on allele frequencies. We determined that the density of essential genes differs by up to an order of magnitude among genomic regions. This indicates that extrapolating from regional estimates to genome-wide estimates of essential genes has a huge variance. A particularly high density of essential genes on mouse Chromosome 11 coincides with a high degree of regional linkage conservation, providing a possible causal explanation for the density variation. This is the first demonstration of regional variation in essential gene density in the mouse genome

Leucine-rich repeat transmembrane proteins instruct discrete dendrite targeting in an olfactory map

Olfactory systems utilize discrete neural pathways to process and integrate odorant information. In Drosophila, axons of first-order olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) and dendrites of second-order projection neurons (PNs) form class-specific synaptic connections at ~50 glomeruli. The mechanisms underlying PN dendrite targeting to distinct glomeruli in a three-dimensional discrete neural map are unclear. We found that the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) transmembrane protein Capricious (Caps) was differentially expressed in different classes of PNs. Loss-of-function and gain-of-function studies indicated that Caps instructs the segregation of Caps-positive and Caps-negative PN dendrites to discrete glomerular targets. Moreover, Caps-mediated PN dendrite targeting was independent of presynaptic ORNs and did not involve homophilic interactions. The closely related protein Tartan was partially redundant with Caps. These LRR proteins are probably part of a combinatorial cell-surface code that instructs discrete olfactory map formation

Gli2 and Gli3 Localize to Cilia and Require the Intraflagellar Transport Protein Polaris for Processing and Function

Intraflagellar transport (IFT) proteins are essential for cilia assembly and have recently been associated with a number of developmental processes, such as left–right axis specification and limb and neural tube patterning. Genetic studies indicate that IFT proteins are required for Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling downstream of the Smoothened and Patched membrane proteins but upstream of the Glioma (Gli) transcription factors. However, the role that IFT proteins play in transduction of Shh signaling and the importance of cilia in this process remain unknown. Here we provide insights into the mechanism by which defects in an IFT protein, Tg737/Polaris, affect Shh signaling in the murine limb bud. Our data show that loss of Tg737 results in altered Gli3 processing that abrogates Gli3-mediated repression of Gli1 transcriptional activity. In contrast to the conclusions drawn from genetic analysis, the activity of Gli1 and truncated forms of Gli3 (Gli3R) are unaffected in Tg737 mutants at the molecular level, indicating that Tg737/Polaris is differentially involved in specific activities of the Gli proteins. Most important, a negative regulator of Shh signaling, Suppressor of fused, and the three full-length Gli transcription factors localize to the distal tip of cilia in addition to the nucleus. Thus, our data support a model where cilia have a direct role in Gli processing and Shh signal transduction

Human Subtelomeric WASH Genes Encode a New Subclass of the WASP Family

Subtelomeres are duplication-rich, structurally variable regions of the human genome situated just proximal of telomeres. We report here that the most terminally located human subtelomeric genes encode a previously unrecognized third subclass of the Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome Protein family, whose known members reorganize the actin cytoskeleton in response to extracellular stimuli. This new subclass, which we call WASH, is evolutionarily conserved in species as diverged as Entamoeba. We demonstrate that WASH is essential in Drosophila. WASH is widely expressed in human tissues, and human WASH protein colocalizes with actin in filopodia and lamellipodia. The VCA domain of human WASH promotes actin polymerization by the Arp2/3 complex in vitro. WASH duplicated to multiple chromosomal ends during primate evolution, with highest copy number reached in humans, whose WASH repertoires vary. Thus, human subtelomeres are not genetic junkyards, and WASH's location in these dynamic regions could have advantageous as well as pathologic consequences

Kingdom come

The tumultuous events of 2020 have prompted many of us to reflect upon the forces that divide us, like pandemics and politics, as well as the commonalities that unite us, like our shared hope for a better future. Scientists often face a similar problem—when to lump or split the things they study. PLOS Genetics has decided that while plants (Fig 1) obey the same fundamental genetic principles as other organisms, their unique qualities, many of which are critically important to human health and welfare, merit special attention in the same way as our other sections: Cancer Genetics, Epigenetics, Evolution, Methods, Natural Variation, and Prokaryotic Genetics. To support this goal, we are creating a new Plant Genetics section for the journal that will be led by the inaugural Senior Editors Claudia Koehler and Li-Jia Qu

Innovation accelerator to make portuguese parishes smarter

Vizela, I., Costa, E., & Santos, V. (2020). Innovation accelerator to make portuguese parishes smarter. In M. Banat, & S. Paiva (Eds.), Smart Technologies for Smart Cities: EAI/Springer Innovations in Communication and Computing (pp. 3-21). (EAI/Springer Innovations in Communication and Computing). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39986-3_1The main motivation behind this study was the need to get citizens and parish councils closer. For this purpose, an innovation accelerator to bring smartness to parishes was built. To get all insight, there was the need to learn more about public administration and smart cities and a bit more on innovation and creativity. During the research process, it was also understood that smartness inside a parish must include an improvement on the relationship with citizens, citizens who feel that their opinions count, and citizens’ training to promote digital inclusion and also for parish employees to make sure that their processes are more citizen-centered and an improvement of citizens’ quality of living inside the parish. Those issues were addressed in the final model. The obtained model was validated by a focus group, and it was concluded that the implementation of the proposed framework in a Portuguese parish is aligned with what parishes want for them in the near future.authorsversionpublishe

COUP-TFII Mediates Progesterone Regulation of Uterine Implantation by Controlling ER Activity

Progesterone and estrogen are critical regulators of uterine receptivity. To facilitate uterine remodeling for embryo attachment, estrogen activity in the uterine epithelia is attenuated by progesterone; however, the molecular mechanism by which this occurs is poorly defined. COUP-TFII (chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factor II; also known as NR2F2), a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, is highly expressed in the uterine stroma and its expression is regulated by the progesterone–Indian hedgehog–Patched signaling axis that emanates from the epithelium. To further assess COUP-TFII uterine function, a conditional COUP-TFII knockout mouse was generated. This mutant mouse is infertile due to implantation failure, in which both embryo attachment and uterine decidualization are impaired. Using this animal model, we have identified a novel genetic pathway in which BMP2 lies downstream of COUP-TFII. Epithelial progesterone-induced Indian hedgehog regulates stromal COUP-TFII, which in turn controls BMP2 to allow decidualization to manifest in vivo. Interestingly, enhanced epithelial estrogen activity, which impedes maturation of the receptive uterus, was clearly observed in the absence of stromal-derived COUP-TFII. This finding is consistent with the notion that progesterone exerts its control of implantation through uterine epithelial-stromal cross-talk and reveals that stromal-derived COUP-TFII is an essential mediator of this complex cross-communication pathway. This finding also provides a new signaling paradigm for steroid hormone regulation in female reproductive biology, with attendant implications for furthering our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie dysregulation of hormonal signaling in such human reproductive disorders as endometriosis and endometrial cancer