How ‘Zerodha’ Used Technology to Disrupt the Indian Stock Trading Industry?

In this practitioner-oriented research, we describe how “Zerodha” entered and disrupted the Indian stock trading industry through the use of technology by overcoming the challenges of (1) developing a new business offering that is accessible to all, (2) gaining trust across the community, and (3) fostering and growing their business ecosystem. Our case-based research illustrates how an organization can enter a well-established business area and create value by (1) rethinking the business model, (2) treating technology as a business enabler, (3) empowering the end user, and (4) proactively investing in the business and community. Based on Zerodha’s experiences, we provide guidelines and recommendations for other businesses contemplating to enter and disrupt an established industry by leveraging technology

How Schlumberger Achieved Networked Information Leadership by Transitioning to a Product-Platform Software Architecture

To sustain its competitive position as the leader in providing information solutions to the oil and gas industry, Schlumberger transitioned to a cutting-edge product-platform software architecture by embedding a leading geological modeling software product -Petrel - within Ocean, its collaborative open software platform. The practices it used to overcome the challenges of the transition give rise to three principles that can be leveraged by other companies.Click here for podcast summary (mp3)Click here for free 2-page executive summary (pdf)Click here for free presentation slides (pptx

Efficient generation of lower induced motor neurons by coupling Ngn2 expression with developmental cues

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are a powerful tool for disease modeling of hard-to-access tissues (such as the brain). Current protocols either direct neuronal differentiation with small molecules or use transcription-factor-mediated programming. In this study, we couple overexpression of transcription fac-tor Neurogenin2 (Ngn2) with small molecule patterning to differentiate hPSCs into lower induced motor neurons (liMoNes/liMNs). This approach induces canonical MN markers including MN-specific Hb9/ MNX1 in more than 95% of cells. liMNs resemble bona fide hPSC-derived MN, exhibit spontaneous elec-trical activity, express synaptic markers, and can contact muscle cells in vitro. Pooled, multiplexed sin-gle-cell RNA sequencing on 50 hPSC lines reveals reproducible populations of distinct subtypes of cer-vical and brachial MNs that resemble their in vivo, embryonic counterparts. Combining small molecule patterning with Ngn2 overexpression facilitates high-yield, reproducible production of disease-relevant MN subtypes, which is fundamental in propelling our knowledge of MN biology and its disruption in dis-ease.Peer reviewe

Efficient generation of lower induced motor neurons by coupling Ngn2 expression with developmental cues

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are a powerful tool for disease modeling of hard-to-access tissues (such as the brain). Current protocols either direct neuronal differentiation with small molecules or use transcription-factor-mediated programming. In this study, we couple overexpression of transcription factor Neurogenin2 (Ngn2) with small molecule patterning to differentiate hPSCs into lower induced motor neurons (liMoNes/liMNs). This approach induces canonical MN markers including MN-specific Hb9/MNX1 in more than 95% of cells. liMNs resemble bona fide hPSC-derived MN, exhibit spontaneous electrical activity, express synaptic markers, and can contact muscle cells in vitro. Pooled, multiplexed single-cell RNA sequencing on 50 hPSC lines reveals reproducible populations of distinct subtypes of cervical and brachial MNs that resemble their in vivo, embryonic counterparts. Combining small molecule patterning with Ngn2 overexpression facilitates high-yield, reproducible production of disease-relevant MN subtypes, which is fundamental in propelling our knowledge of MN biology and its disruption in disease

Resonant Acoustic Rheometry to Measure Coagulation Kinetics in Hemophilia A and Healthy Plasma: A Novel Viscoelastic Method

Compared with conventional coagulation tests and factor-specific assays, viscoelastic hemostatic assays (VHAs) can provide a more thorough evaluation of clot formation and lysis but have several limitations including clot deformation. In this proof-of-concept study, we test a noncontact technique, termed resonant acoustic rheometry (RAR), for measuring the kinetics of human plasma coagulation. Specifically, RAR utilizes a dual-mode ultrasound technique to induce and detect surface oscillation of blood samples without direct physical contact and measures the resonant frequency of the surface oscillation over time, which is reflective of the viscoelasticity of the sample. Analysis of RAR results of normal plasma allowed defining a set of parameters for quantifying coagulation. RAR detected a flat-line tracing of resonant frequency in hemophilia A plasma that was corrected with the addition of tissue factor. Our RAR results captured the kinetics of plasma coagulation and the newly defined RAR parameters correlated with increasing tissue factor concentration in both healthy and hemophilia A plasma. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of RAR as a novel approach for VHA, providing the foundation for future studies to compare RAR parameters to conventional coagulation tests, factor-specific assays, and VHA parameters

Dealing with the family: CD147 interactions with cyclophilins

CD147 is a widely expressed plasma membrane protein that has been implicated in a variety of physiological and pathological activities. It is best known for its ability to function as extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (hence the other name for this protein, EMMPRIN), but has also been shown to regulate lymphocyte responsiveness, monocarboxylate transporter expression and spermatogenesis. These functions reflect multiple interacting partners of CD147. Recently, interaction of CD147 with proteins of the cyclophilin family has been demonstrated and activity of CD147 as a signalling receptor to extarcellular cyclophilins A and B has been shown. Given that extracellular cyclophilins are potent chemotactic agents for various immune cells, further studies of the role of cyclophilin–CD147 interaction in inflammation followed. They demonstrated that agents targeting CD147 or cyclophilin had a significant anti-inflammatory effect in animal models of acute or chronic lung diseases and rheumatoid arthritis. Here, we review the current knowledge about interactions between CD147 and cyclophilins