Niche Development Research Articles

Which factors determine the success of strategic niche developments?

Purpose – The study ' s purpose is to review and discuss limitations of “strategic niche management” (SNM) success factors in relation to the experiences of an enterprise network to improve niche development for integrated design concepts. Design/methodology/approach – The emergence of a successful passive house innovation network in the Flemish Region is described. The innovation journey of the network is related to success factors detected in SNM literature regarding market niche development. Findings – The study identifies additional success factors for systemic innovation, such as involving small- and medium-sized innovators and demonstration projects and using a dedicated regional enterprise network. Research limitations/implications – The qualitative analysis specifically reflected on SNM success factors such as envisioning, learning, and network composition and formation. The study confirms the importance of these success factors by means of one detailed innovation journey. It identifies additional success factors and discusses opportunities to improve the relation of SNM literature with other seminal fields. Practical implications – Government seed money is important in providing a breakthrough in enterprise network initiatives. A focus on architectural innovation instead of technology innovation is to be preferred for stimulating integrated design concepts. Originality/value – The paper addresses the relevance and limitations of SNM success factors during the formation of enterprise networks. The study shows how an integrated design approach was used to cluster innovation opportunities and to inspire innovation development and collaboration for know-how development between multiple players.

AGRICULTURAL GREEN GAS DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS IN THE NETHERLANDS. A STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS

In the Netherlands green gas is seen as a sustainable alternative to natural gas. However, green gas is still not competitive to natural gas in terms of pricing, and production volumes are remarkably low. Currently, there is a lot of attention to green gas which stems from upgraded biogas, which is produced by manure-based anaerobic co-digestion by livestock farmers. In this article the central question is to understand green gas demonstration projects from stakeholders’ perspectives, and identify barriers accordingly. The results of our analysis show that a disproportionate burden lies with biogas producers, who are therefore unwilling to invest. In large part this is due to juridical-administrative stipulations that provide gas grid operators with little incentives to invest, notably in biogas infrastructure and biogas treatment equipment. However, biogas producers face many more risks and challenges: (production) subsidies not being granted, legal permits to operate biogas plants not being granted, limitative environmental policies that restrict business operations, and price instability regarding co-feedstock. Moreover, access to bank to loans has declined strongly in recent years. Altogether, the risks potential biogas producers face, the lack of regulatory incentives grid operators have to engage in green gas business development, and the lack of market demand among endconsumers, do not favor green gas niche development. This can only change when policy makers design stakeholder specific strategies to solve those barriers; e.g. public investments funds to cover for high upfront costs, and regulatory changes regarding the role and competences of grid operators.

Fibroblast growth factor signaling in mammalian tooth development

In this review, we discuss the central role of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling in mammalian tooth development. The FGF family consists of 22 members, most of which bind to four different receptor tyrosine kinases, which in turn signal through a cascade of intracellular proteins. This signaling regulates a number of cellular processes, including proliferation, differentiation, cell adhesion and cell mobility. FGF signaling first becomes important in the presumptive dental epithelium at the initiation stage of tooth development, and subsequently, it controls the invagination of the dental epithelium into the underlying mesenchyme. Later, FGFs are critical in tooth shape formation and differentiation of ameloblasts and odontoblasts, as well as in the development and homeostasis of the stem cell niche that fuels the continuously growing mouse incisor. In addition, FGF signaling is critical in human teeth, as mutations in genes encoding FGF ligands or receptors result in several congenital syndromes characterized by alterations in tooth number, morphology or enamel structure. The parallel roles of FGF signaling in mouse and human tooth development demonstrate the conserved importance of FGF signaling in mammalian odontogenesis.

A Review of Sound and Vibration Research in Malaysia: Current Trend and Future Direction

The first Noise, Vibration and Comfort (NVC2005) conference started with a humble beginning comprising of thirty technical papers presented. This conference was initially designed to be held bi-annually and continued to grow in numbers with 54 papers presented in 2007 and 57 papers in 2010. At the moment there are 81 papers that have already been accepted for presentation in the NVC2012 conference. This paper presents an analysis of sound and vibration research activities carried out in Malaysia from the papers presented since 2005 till 2012. However the findings might not be comprehensive since only papers presented by Malaysian researchers in the NVC conferences are being considered. It is suffice in giving a glimpse on the progress and development of sound and vibration research theme in Malaysia as most of the key researchers in this field are actively sharing their research findings in these conferences. The trend and development of new research niches in sound and vibration in Malaysia is also reported in this paper. Finally, strategic initiatives to promote research excellence in this field to a greater height are also proposed. These initiatives are presented based on the authors involvement in developing and managing research policies at the national level. Research and development (R&D) eco-system in Malaysia is changing rapidly, subsequently creating a demand for our researchers in this fraternity to realign their efforts in order to promote collaborative and multi-institutional research projects that are relevant for Malaysia.

Sustainable energy transitions in emerging economies: The formation of a palm oil biomass waste-to-energy niche in Malaysia 1990–2011

The economic development in emerging economies in Southeast Asia has significantly increased the use of fossil fuel based energy. This has severe implications for global climate change, and against this background, scholars within the sustainable transition tradition have taken an interest in addressing how transitions towards more sustainable development pathways in this region may be achieved. This paper contributes to the abovementioned literature by examining the conducive and limiting factors for development and proliferation of a palm oil biomass waste-to-energy niche in Malaysia during the period 1990–2011. Rising oil prices, strong pressure on the palm oil industry from environmental groups, and a persisting palm oil biomass waste disposal problem in Malaysia appear to have been conducive to niche proliferation, and on top of this national renewable energy policies and large-scale donor programmes have specifically supported the utilisation of palm oil biomass waste for energy. However, in spite of this, the niche development process has only made slow progress. The paper identifies reluctant implementation of energy policy, rise in biomass resource prices, limited network formation and negative results at the niche level, as the main factors hindering niche development.

Thermal niche for in situ seed germination by Mediterranean mountain streams: model prediction and validation for Rhamnus persicifolia seeds.

Mediterranean mountain species face exacting ecological conditions of rainy, cold winters and arid, hot summers, which affect seed germination phenology. In this study, a soil heat sum model was used to predict field emergence of Rhamnus persicifolia, an endemic tree species living at the edge of mountain streams of central eastern Sardinia. Seeds were incubated in the light at a range of temperatures (10-25 and 25/10 °C) after different periods (up to 3 months) of cold stratification at 5 °C. Base temperatures (Tb), and thermal times for 50 % germination (θ50) were calculated. Seeds were also buried in the soil in two natural populations (Rio Correboi and Rio Olai), both underneath and outside the tree canopy, and exhumed at regular intervals. Soil temperatures were recorded using data loggers and soil heat sum (°Cd) was calculated on the basis of the estimated Tb and soil temperatures. Cold stratification released physiological dormancy (PD), increasing final germination and widening the range of germination temperatures, indicative of a Type 2 non-deep PD. Tb was reduced from 10·5 °C for non-stratified seeds to 2·7 °C for seeds cold stratified for 3 months. The best thermal time model was obtained by fitting probit germination against log °Cd. θ50 was 2·6 log °Cd for untreated seeds and 2·17-2·19 log °Cd for stratified seeds. When θ50 values were integrated with soil heat sum estimates, field emergence was predicted from March to April and confirmed through field observations. Tb and θ50 values facilitated model development of the thermal niche for in situ germination of R. persicifolia. These experimental approaches may be applied to model the natural regeneration patterns of other species growing on Mediterranean mountain waterways and of physiologically dormant species, with overwintering cold stratification requirement and spring germination.

Oxidized alginate hydrogels as niche environments for corneal epithelial cells

Chemical and biochemical modification of hydrogels is one strategy to create physiological constructs that maintain cell function. The aim of this study was to apply oxidised alginate hydrogels as a basis for development of a biomimetic niche for limbal epithelial stem cells that may be applied to treating corneal dysfunction. The stem phenotype of bovine limbal epithelial cells (LEC) and the viability of corneal epithelial cells (CEC) were examined in oxidised alginate gels containing collagen IV over a 3-day culture period. Oxidation increased cell viability (P ≤ 0.05) and this improved further with addition of collagen IV (P ≤ 0.01). Oxidised gels presented larger internal pores (diameter: 0.2–0.8 µm) than unmodified gels (pore diameter: 0.05–0.1 µm) and were significantly less stiff (P ≤ 0.001), indicating that an increase in pore size and a decrease in stiffness contributed to improved cell viability. The diffusion of collagen IV from oxidised alginate gels was similar to that of unmodified gels suggesting that oxidation may not affect the retention of extracellular matrix proteins in alginate gels. These data demonstrate that oxidised alginate gels containing corneal extracellular matrix proteins can influence corneal epithelial cell function in a manner that may impact beneficially on corneal wound healing therapy. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A Published byWiley Periodicals, Inc. Part A: 102A: 3393–3400, 2014.

NOTCH3 is a prognostic factor that promotes glioma cell proliferation, migration and invasion via activation of CCND1 and EGFR.

Using a GWA analysis of a comprehensive glioma specimen population, we identified whole gain of chromosome 19 as one of the major chromosomal aberrations that correlates to patients’ outcomes. Our analysis of significant loci revealed for the first time NOTCH3 as one of the most significant amplification. NOTCH3 amplification is associated with worse outcome compared to tumors with non-amplified locus. NOTCH receptors (NOTCH1-4) are key positive regulators of cell-cell interactions, angiogenesis, cell adhesion and stem cell niche development which have been shown to play critical roles in several human cancers. Our objective is to determine the molecular roles of NOTCH3 in glioma pathogenesis and aggressiveness. Here we show for the first time that NOTCH3 plays a major role in glioma cell proliferation, cell migration, invasion and apoptosis. Therefore, our study uncovers the prognostic value and the oncogenic function of NOTCH3 in gliomagenesis and supports NOTCH3 as a promising target of therapy in high grade glioma. Our studies allowed the identification of a subset of population that may benefit from GSI- or anti-NOTCH3- based therapies. This may lead to the design of novel strategies to improve therapeutic outcome of patients with glioma by establishing medical and scientific basis for personalized chemotherapies.

Innovation and Policy for Bioenergy in the UK: A Co-Evolutionary Perspective

De Laurentis C. Innovation and policy for bioenergy in the UK: a co-evolutionary perspective, Regional Studies. This paper analyses the role of niche innovation and regime interaction in the field of renewable energy in the UK. Adopting a co-evolutionary approach and a dynamic multilevel perspective on system innovation, it investigates niches development in the UK in the field of bioenergy and its interaction with the current energy regime. Contributing to the debate about spatial scales at which sustainability transitions can be conceptualized, the paper utilizes the case of niche development in the region of Wales to provide supporting evidence of the importance of context-specific social and political relations that may foster or hinder regime transformation.

A new take on an old story: chick limb organ culture for skeletal niche development and regenerative medicine evaluation

Scientific research and progress, particularly in the drug discovery and regenerative medicine fields, is typically dependent on suitable animal models to develop new and improved clinical therapies for injuries and diseases. In vivo model systems are frequently utilised, but these models are expensive, highly complex and pose a number of ethical considerations leading to the development and use of a number of alternative ex vivo model systems. The ex vivo embryonic chick long bone and limb bud models have been utilised in the scientific research field as a model to understand skeletal development for over eighty years. The rapid development of avian skeletal tissues, coupled with the ease of experimental manipulation, availability of genome sequence and the presence of multiple cell and tissue types has seen such model systems gain significant research interest in the last few years in the tissue engineering field. The models have been explored both as systems for understanding the developmental bone niche and as potential testing tools for tissue engineering strategies for bone repair and regeneration. This review details the evolution of the chick limb organ culture system and presents recent innovative developments and emerging techniques and technologies applied to these models that are aiding our understanding of skeletal developmental and regenerative medicine research and application.

Transnational linkages and sustainable transitions in emerging countries: Exploring the role of donor interventions in niche development

Recent studies have found that further development of the MLP is needed to conceptualise and empirically assess the role of transnational linkages in niche development. This paper explores the factors that may explain the effect of twenty years of donor interventions as one form of transnational linkage in promoting the development of a palm oil biomass waste-to-energy niche in Malaysia. The paper contributes to the existing literature by a conceptual and empirical examination of this research question. With regard to its empirical findings the paper concludes: (i) that advice on energy policy had a limited impact mainly due to strong opposing interests in maintaining the existing situation; (ii) that creating the necessary conditions for transferring a private-sector model of electricity production to Malaysia remains a challenge; and (iii) that the short duration and unpredictability of interventions generally can be seen as an important impediment for programs in reaching their objectives.

Defective Endochondral Ossification-Derived Matrix and Bone Cells Alter the Lymphopoietic Niche in Collagen X Mouse Models

Despite the appreciated interdependence of skeletal and hematopoietic development, the cell and matrix components of the hematopoietic niche remain to be fully defined. Utilizing mice with disrupted function of collagen X (ColX), a major hypertrophic cartilage matrix protein associated with endochondral ossification, our data identified a cytokine defect in trabecular bone cells at the chondro-osseous hematopoietic niche as a cause for aberrant B lymphopoiesis in these mice. Specifically, analysis of ColX transgenic and null mouse chondro-osseous regions via micro-computed tomography revealed an altered trabecular bone environment. Additionally, cocultures with hematopoietic and chondro-osseous cell types highlighted impaired hematopoietic support by ColX transgenic and null mouse derived trabecular bone cells. Further, cytokine arrays with conditioned media from the trabecular osteoblast cocultures suggested an aberrant hematopoietic cytokine milieu within the chondro-osseous niche of the ColX deficient mice. Accordingly, B lymphopoiesis was rescued in the ColX mouse derived trabecular osteoblast cocultures with interlukin-7, stem cell factor, and stromal derived factor-1 supplementation. Moreover, B cell development was restored in vivo after injections of interlukin-7. These data support our hypothesis that endrochondrally-derived trabecular bone cells and matrix constituents provide cytokine-rich niches for hematopoiesis. Furthermore, this study contributes to the emerging concept that niche defects may underlie certain immuno-osseous and hematopoietic disorders.

Seeing the Light

Cell Biology The ability to visualize live cells using genetically encoded bioluminescent and fluorescent proteins has provided insight into many biological processes. Sellmyer et al. report a strategy to visualize cell-cell interactions in live animals using bioluminescence, which occurs when lucerifase enzymes are activated by a luciferin substrate. One cell population (the reporter cells) expressed luciferase, whereas a different cell population (the activator cells) expressed an uncaging enzyme and luciferin. The uncaging of activator cells allowed the release of luciferin, which could then diffuse into nearby reporter cells, react with luciferase, and cause the emission of light that was dependent on the distance between the activator and reporter cells. The method was shown to assay cellular proximity in cultured cells and was able to identify metastatic sites in a mouse breast cancer model. Further improvements in the technique will likely allow the visualization of many other cellular interactions, which could lead to new insight into processes such as adaptive immunity or stem cell niche development. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 110 , 8567 (2013).

Groengasprojecten: energietransitie in ruraal Nederland?

‘Green gas’ is a sustainable alternative to natural gas. It is produced by converting biomass into biogas, which can consequently be upgraded to natural gas standards. Expectations about green gas are high. According to the long term vision of Netbeheer Nederland, the representative association of gas grid operators, green gas will entail 50 percent of the domestic gas mixture by 2050. In line with this vision national government has adopted a green gas innovation support program. Production of green gas takes place in rural areas with abundant supply of organic production resources, especially manure. It is in demonstration projects that green gas niche development is to be proven. In this paper the central question is how green gas demonstration projects manifest at the local level. By conducting a stakeholder analysis, we take a ‘bottom-up’ research approach, which helps us to identify organizational and institutional barriers key local stakeholders have in relation to green gas demonstration projects. We judge this necessary to further understanding in green gas niche development. The results of the analysis are used to advice policymakers about design and use of policy instruments which can help to solve these barriers.

Emerging innovation niches: An agent based model

The creation of an innovation niche depends on the interaction of three mechanisms involving: converging expectations, networking among the innovation actors, and learning about the novelty through efficient knowledge creation and diffusion. Such mechanisms define the key characteristics of a network of firms (i.e. the innovation niche), and the interaction among them guides the development and diffusion of a new technology. In this paper, we propose an agent-based model to investigate the dynamics characterising such interactions and the role that policy intervention can have in governing the niche development process. Specifically, we consider and assess the impact of two policy actions: (1) increasing actors’ expectations towards the new technology by means of information spreading and (2) providing subsidies aimed at stimulating technological switch. Our results confirm the importance of policy intervention and show the dominance of information spreading activities over subsidies. The former policy action, in fact, preserves a broad consensus around the new technology, a fact which turned out to be fundamental in order to promote efficient knowledge diffusion and the effective use of individual and network resources.

Desperately seeking niches: Grassroots innovations and niche development in the community currency field

The sustainability transitions literature seeks to explain the conditions under which technological innovations can diffuse and disrupt existing socio-technical systems through the successful scaling up of experimental ‘niches’; but recent research on ‘grassroots innovations’ argues that civil society is a promising but under-researched site of innovation for sustainability, albeit one with very different characteristics to the market-based innovation normally considered in the literature. This paper aims to address that research gap by exploring the relevance of niche development theories in a civil society context. To do this, we examine a growing grassroots innovation – the international field of community currencies – which comprises a range of new socio-technical configurations of systems of exchange which have emerged from civil society over the last 30 years, intended to provide more environmentally and socially sustainable forms of money and finance. We draw on new empirical research from an international study of these initiatives comprising primary and secondary data and documentary sources, elite interviews and participant observation in the field. We describe the global diffusion of community currencies, and then conduct a niche analysis to evaluate the utility of niche theories for explaining the development of the community currency movement. We find that some niche-building processes identified in the existing literature are relevant in a grassroots context: the importance of building networks, managing expectations and the significance of external ‘landscape’ pressures, particularly at the level of national-type. However, our findings suggest that existing theories do not fully capture the complexity of this type of innovation: we find a diverse field addressing a range of societal systems (money, welfare, education, health, consumerism), and showing increasing fragmentation (as opposed to consolidation and standardisation); furthermore, there is little evidence of formalised learning taking place but this has not hampered movement growth. We conclude that grassroots innovations develop and diffuse in quite different ways to conventional innovations, and that niche theories require adaptation to the civil society context.

Grassroots innovations in community energy: The role of intermediaries in niche development

Community energy projects are attracting increasing attention as potential sources of innovation to support sustainable energy transitions. Research into ‘grassroots innovations’ like community energy often recognises the difficulties they face in simply surviving let alone in growing or seeding wider change. Strategic niche management theory is potentially helpful here as it highlights the important roles played by ‘intermediary actors’ in consolidating, growing and diffusing novel innovations. This paper presents the first in-depth analysis of intermediary work in the UK community energy sector. New empirical evidence was gathered through interviews with 15 community energy intermediaries and a content analysis of 113 intermediary-produced case studies about community energy projects. Analysis finds intermediaries adopting a variety of methods to try and diffuse generic lessons about context-specific projects, but that trying to coordinate support for local projects that exist amidst very different social and political circumstances is challenging. This is exacerbated by the challenges of building a coherent institutional infrastructure for a sector where aims and approaches diverge, and where underlying resources are uncertain and inconsistent. Applications of relatively simple, growth-oriented approaches like strategic niche management to grassroots innovations need to be reformulated to better recognise their diverse and conflicted realities on the ground.

Correction: Gene Regulatory Networks Controlling Hematopoietic Progenitor Niche Cell Production and Differentiation in the Drosophila Lymph Gland

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0041604.].

Microfabricated Porous Silk Scaffolds for Vascularizing Engineered Tissues

There is critical clinical demand for tissue-engineered (TE), three-dimensional (3D) constructs for tissue repair and organ replacements. Current efforts toward this goal are prone to necrosis at the core of larger constructs because of limited oxygen and nutrient diffusion. Therefore, critically sized 3D TE constructs demand an immediate vascular system for sustained tissue function upon implantation. To address this challenge the goal of this project was to develop a strategy to incorporate microchannels into a porous silk TE scaffold that could be fabricated reproducibly using microfabrication and soft lithography. Silk is a suitable biopolymer material for this application because it is mechanically robust, biocompatible, slowly degrades in vivo, and has been used in a variety of TE constructs. We report the fabrication of a silk-based TE scaffold that contains an embedded network of porous microchannels. Enclosed porous microchannels support endothelial lumen formation, a critical step toward development of the vascular niche, while the porous scaffold surrounding the microchannels supports tissue formation, demonstrated using human mesenchymal stem cells. This approach for fabricating vascularized TE constructs is advantageous compared to previous systems, which lack porosity and biodegradability or degrade too rapidly to sustain tissue structure and function. The broader impact of this research will enable the systemic study and development of complex, critically-sized engineered tissues, from regenerative medicine to in vitro tissue models of disease states.

Natural ECM as Biomaterial for Scaffold Based Cardiac Regeneration Using Adult Bone Marrow Derived Stem Cells

Cellular therapy using stem cells for cardiac diseases has recently gained much interest in the scientific community due to its potential in regenerating damaged and even dead tissue and thereby restoring the organ function. Stem cells from various sources and origin are being currently used for regeneration studies directly or along with differentiation inducing agents. Long term survival and minimal side effects can be attained by using autologous cells and reduced use of inducing agents. Cardiomyogenic differentiation of adult derived stem cells has been previously reported using various inducing agents but the use of a potentially harmful DNA demethylating agent 5-azacytidine (5-azaC) has been found to be critical in almost all studies. Alternate inducing factors and conditions/stimulant like physical condition including electrical stimulation, chemical inducers and biological agents have been attempted by numerous groups to induce cardiac differentiation. Biomaterials were initially used as artificial scaffold in in vitro studies and later as a delivery vehicle. Natural ECM is the ideal biological scaffold since it contains all the components of the tissue from which it was derived except for the living cells. Constructive remodeling can be performed using such natural ECM scaffolds and stem cells since, the cells can be delivered to the site of infraction and once delivered the cells adhere and are not "lost". Due to the niche like conditions of ECM, stem cells tend to differentiate into tissue specific cells and attain several characteristics similar to that of functional cells even in absence of any directed differentiation using external inducers. The development of niche mimicking biomaterials and hybrid biomaterial can further advance directed differentiation without specific induction. The mechanical and electrical integration of these materials to the functional tissue is a problem to be addressed. The search for the perfect extracellular matrix for therapeutic applications including engineering cardiac tissue structures for post ischemic cardiac tissue regeneration continues.