Large-scale sequencing identifies multiple genes and rare variants associated with Crohn's disease susceptibility

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified hundreds of loci associated with Crohn's disease (CD). However, as with all complex diseases, robust identification of the genes dysregulated by noncoding variants typically driving GWAS discoveries has been challenging. Here, to complement GWASs and better define actionable biological targets, we analyzed sequence data from more than 30,000 patients with CD and 80,000 population controls. We directly implicate ten genes in general onset CD for the first time to our knowledge via association to coding variation, four of which lie within established CD GWAS loci. In nine instances, a single coding variant is significantly associated, and in the tenth, ATG4C, we see additionally a significantly increased burden of very rare coding variants in CD cases. In addition to reiterating the central role of innate and adaptive immune cells as well as autophagy in CD pathogenesis, these newly associated genes highlight the emerging role of mesenchymal cells in the development and maintenance of intestinal inflammation.Large-scale sequence-based analyses identify novel risk variants and susceptibility genes for Crohn's disease, and implicate mesenchymal cell-mediated intestinal homeostasis in disease etiology.Cellular mechanisms in basic and clinical gastroenterology and hepatolog

Texture-property relations of bioamine crosslinked gellan gum hydrogels

Gellan gum is a hydrogel with potential for soft tissue engineering but a quick and thorough method is needed for screening of different possible compositions for more extensive studies. Here optical projection tomography in bright field mode was used to image nearly transparent hydrogels to record their optical texture in 3D. The gained Haralick’s textural features were then analyzed with multiple discriminant analysis and combined with data from mechanical testing and neuronal cell culturing. We show the usefulness of optical texture analysis in screening of hydrogel compositions when aiming for tissue engineering applications.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Service-dominant logic as a framework for exploring research utilization

© The Author(s) 2018. This article links service-dominant (S-D) logic to the call for better theoretical frameworks to understand research utilization in business and management. It contributes to explaining what happens in cocreating knowledge between researchers and research users and also contributes to the development of midrange theory on S-D logic. A framework is utilized, based on Vargo and Lusch’s (2016) update on S-D logic. To demonstrate application, the framework is applied to an example of the authors’ research on marketing agencies and their clients. Implications for theory and academic practice and policy are put forward. The S-D logic framework is not tied to any particular research method or way of working and has benefits in being applicable to marketing research and across the wider field of business and management. The idea of resource enhancement is put forward as a learning process in explaining what happens to the actors’ resources in the course of resource integration

Managing project success using project risk and green supply chain management

Purpose: The implementation of the risk management in the development of new car models can contribute to the improvement of the project management performance and project success. The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence about whether project risk management (PRM) and green supply chain management (GSCM) are positively related to project management performance and the project success. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 145 project managers in the Malaysian automobile manufacturing industry and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings: The results found that PRM and the GSCM had a positive association with project management performance and the project success