bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cell-specific Bioorthogonal Tagging of Glycoproteins
Authors: Cioce Anna , Calle Beatriz , Rizou Tatiana , Lowery Sarah C. , Bridgeman Victoria , Mahoney Keira E. , Marchesi Andrea , Bineva-Todd Ganka , Flynn Helen , Li Zhen , Tastan Omur Y. , Roustan Chloe , Soro-Barrio Pablo , Wood Thomas M. , Keenan Tessa , Both Peter , Huang Kun , Parmeggiani Fabio , Snijders Ambrosius P. , Skehel Mark , Kjaer Svend , Fascione Martin A. , Bertozzi Carolyn R. , Flitsch Sabine , Malaker Stacy A. , Malanchi Ilaria , Schumann Benjamin
Published: July 2021

Altered glycosylation is an undisputed corollary of cancer development. Understanding these alterations is paramount but hampered by limitations underlying cellular model systems. For instance, the intricate interactions between tumour and host cannot be adequately recapitulated in monoculture of tumour-derived cell lines. More complex co-culture models usually rely on sorting procedures for proteome analyses and rarely capture the details of protein glycosylation. Here, we report a strategy termed Bio-Orthogonal Cell line-specific Tagging of Glycoproteins (BOCTAG). Cells are equipped by transfection with an artificial biosynthetic pathway that transforms bioorthogonally tagged sugars into the corresponding nucleotide-sugars. Only transfected cells incorporate bioorthogonal tags into glycoproteins in the presence of non-transfected cells. We employ BOCTAG as an imaging technique and to annotate cell-specific glycosylation sites in mass spectrometry-glycoproteomics. We demonstrate application in co-culture and mouse models, allowing for profiling of the glycoproteome as an important modulator of cellular function.
Cross-species comparison of human and rodent primary reward consumption under budget constraints
Authors: Hu Yue , Nitsch Felix Jan , van Wingerden Marijn , Kalenscher Tobias
Published: July 2021

Optimal use of resources is of great importance for survival of all species. Previous studies have shown that rats optimize their allocation of a limited number of operant responses (akin to a finite budget) to trade for food rewards. Here, we propose a novel human cost-benefit decision paradigm translated from an economic task initially developed for rodents, to conduct a cross-species comparison of primary reward consumption under budget constraints. Participants had a limited budget of effortful button-presses to obtain the opportunity to drink milk rewards or watch erotic pictures. Like rodents, they adapted their choice allocation when the price (i.e. fixed-ratio requirement for reward) and the budget changed when purchasing milk rewards. However, this was not the case when purchasing the opportunity to watch erotic pictures: compared to the milk and to the rodent task, participants made more internally inconsistent, hence, irrational choices, despite otherwise identical task structures. We found non-linear changes in arousal as a function of reward selection that might underlie the irrationality in the picture task. Our study shows that the type of reward matters not only for capturing the convergence in human and non-human economic decision-making, but also for understanding the factors behind compromised economic rationality.
Modeling habitat suitability of vulnerable Mollucan Babirusa Babyrousa babyrussa in small island of Buru, Indonesia
Authors: Wibowo Andri
Published: July 2021

Babirusa is a mammal belongs to Suidae family. This mammal belongs to Babyrousa genus is known endemic to Indonesia. Recently there are 3 species of Babyrousa, one species is Babyrousa babyrussa, listed as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Babyrousa occurs in Indonesia on Sulawesi island, Togian, Sula islands, and Taliabu, Mangole and Buru islands in the Molucca regions. The Moluccan Babirusa is now restricted to upland forests and mountainous terrain. Then this study aims to assess the suitability of Buru island as habitat for Moluccan Babirusa. The suitability analysis was based on GIS analysis using 4 determinant environmental variables required by B. babyrussa species including NDVI, barren soil, elevation, and river network. The particular location was a Batabual landscape sizing 292.60 km2 located in the east parts of Buru island. Based on NDVI, less vegetation covers were observed in north and east parts of Batabual. In contrast, NDVI values were higher in the central, west, and south indicating that half of the landscape was covered by intact primary forest. Batabual has a hilly landscape surrounded by coastal areas with hilly areas were observed in the south and west. There were 2 river streams in the east parts. The analysis has divided the landscape into several parts based on the habitat suitability levels. About one third of the landscape located in north was considered less and not suitable for Babirusa. Some areas in west were also considered moderate to be inhabited by Babirusa considering a presence of hilly landscape that may limit the vertical distribution of Babirusa. Most suitable habitats were estimated in central parts of the landscape spanning to the south. South parts of the landscape were characterized by high NDVI values and forest covers then these areas were considered as suitable habitats for Babirusa. The size of this suitable habitat was estimated around 188.62 km2 or more than half of the size (64.46%) of Batabual landscape.
The economical lifestyle of CPR bacteria in groundwater allows little preference for environmental drivers
Authors: Chaudhari Narendrakumar M. , Overholt Will A. , Figueroa-Gonzalez Perla Abigail , Taubert Martin , Bornemann Till L. V. , Probst Alexander J. , Hölzer Martin , Marz Manja , Küsel Kirsten
Published: July 2021

The highly diverseCand. Patescibacteria are predicted to have minimal biosynthetic and metabolic pathways, which hinders understanding of how their populations differentiate to environmental drivers or host organisms. Their metabolic traits to cope with oxidative stress are largely unknown. Here, we utilized genome-resolved metagenomics to investigate the adaptive genome repertoire of Patescibacteria in oxic and anoxic groundwaters, and to infer putative host ranges.

Within six groundwater wells,Cand. Patescibacteria was the most dominant (up to 79%) super-phylum across 32 metagenomes obtained from sequential 0.2 and 0.1 µm filtration. Of the reconstructed 1275 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), 291 high-quality MAGs were classified asCand. Patescibacteria.Cand. Paceibacteria andCand. Microgenomates were enriched exclusively in the 0.1 µm fractions, whereas candidate division ABY1 andCand. Gracilibacteria were enriched in the 0.2 µm fractions. Patescibacteria enriched in the smaller 0.1 µm filter fractions had 22% smaller genomes, 13.4% lower replication measures, higher fraction of rod-shape determining proteins, and genomic features suggesting type IV pili mediated cell-cell attachments. Near-surface wells harbored Patescibacteria with higher replication rates than anoxic downstream wells characterized by longer water residence time. Except prevalence of superoxide dismutase genes in Patescibacteria MAGs enriched in oxic groundwaters (83%), no major metabolic or phylogenetic differences were observed based on oxygen concentrations. The most abundant Patescibacteria MAG in oxic groundwater encoded a nitrate transporter, nitrite reductase, and F-type ATPase, suggesting an alternative energy conservation mechanism. Patescibacteria consistently co-occurred with one another or with members of phyla Nanoarchaeota, Bacteroidota, Nitrospirota, and Omnitrophota. However, only 8% of MAGs showed highly significant one-to-one association, mostly with Omnitrophota. Genes coding for motility and transport functions in certain Patescibacteria were highly similar to genes from other phyla (Omnitrophota, Proteobacteria and Nanoarchaeota).

Other than genes to cope with oxidative stress, we found little genomic evidence for niche adaptation of Patescibacteria to oxic or anoxic groundwaters. Given that we could detect specific host preference only for a few MAGs, we propose that the majority of Patescibacteria can attach to multiple hosts just long enough to loot or exchange supplies with an economic lifestyle of little preference for geochemical conditions.
An atlas of healthy and injured cell states and niches in the human kidney
Authors: Lake Blue B. , Menon Rajasree , Winfree Seth , Hu Qiwen , Ferreira Ricardo Melo , Kalhor Kian , Barwinska Daria , Otto Edgar A. , Ferkowicz Michael , Diep Dinh , Plongthongkum Nongluk , Knoten Amanda , Urata Sarah , Naik Abhijit S. , Eddy Sean , Zhang Bo , Wu Yan , Salamon Diane , Williams James C. , Wang Xin , Balderrama Karol S. , Hoover Paul , Murray Evan , Vijayan Anitha , Chen Fei , Waikar Sushrut S. , Rosas Sylvia , Wilson Francis P. , Palevsky Paul M. , Kiryluk Krzysztof , Sedor John R. , Toto Robert D. , Parikh Chirag , Kim Eric H. , Macosko Evan Z. , Kharchenko Peter V. , Gaut Joseph P. , Hodgin Jeffrey B. , Eadon Michael T. , Dagher Pierre C. , El-Achkar Tarek M. , Zhang Kun , Kretzler Matthias , Jain Sanjay ,   for the KPMP consortium
Published: July 2021

Understanding kidney disease relies upon defining the complexity of cell types and states, their associated molecular profiles, and interactions within tissue neighborhoods. We have applied multiple single-cell or -nucleus assays (>400,000 nuclei/cells) and spatial imaging technologies to a broad spectrum of healthy reference (n = 42) and disease (n = 42) kidneys. This has provided a high resolution cellular atlas of 100 cell types that include rare and novel cell populations. The multi-omic approach provides detailed transcriptomic profiles, epigenomic regulatory factors, and spatial localizations for major cell types spanning the entire kidney. We further identify and define cellular states altered in kidney injury, encompassing cycling, adaptive or maladaptive repair, transitioning and degenerative states affecting several segments. Molecular signatures of these states permitted their localization within injury neighborhoods using spatial transcriptomics, and large-scale 3D imaging analysis of ∼1.2 million neighborhoods provided linkages to active immune responses. These analyses further defined biological pathways relevant to injury niches, including signatures underlying the transition from reference to predicted maladaptive states that were associated with a decline in kidney function during chronic kidney disease. This human kidney cell atlas, including injury cell states and neighborhoods, will be a valuable resource for future studies.
PRMT7 ablation stimulates anti-tumor immunity and sensitizes melanoma to immune checkpoint blockade
Authors: Srour Nivine , Villarreal Oscar D. , Yu Zhenbao , Preston Samuel , Miller Wilson H. , Szewczyk Magdelena M. , Barsyte-Lovejoy Dalia , Xu Han , del Rincón Sonia V. , Richard Stéphane
Published: July 2021

Despite the success of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in different cancers, resistance and relapses are frequent. Thus, combination therapies are expected to enhance response rates and overcome resistance to ICIs. Herein, we report that combining protein arginine methyltransferase 7 (PRMT7) inhibition with ICIs triggers a strong anti-tumor T cell immunity and restrains tumor growth in vivo by increasing tumor immune cell infiltration. Consistently, TCGA database analysis showed an inverse correlation between PRMT7 expression and T cell infiltration in human melanomas. Mechanistically, we show that PRMT7 has a two-prong effect on melanoma tumor immunity. On one hand, it serves as a coactivator of IRF-1 for PD-L1 expression by upregulating promoter H4R3me2s levels in melanoma cells. Next, PRMT7 prevents repetitive element expression to avoid intracellular dsRNA accumulation or ‘viral mimicry’. PRMT7 deletion resulted in increased endogenous retroviral elements (ERVs), dsRNA, and genes implicated in interferon activation, antigen presentation and chemokine signaling. Our findings identify PRMT7 as factor used by melanoma to evade anti-tumor immunity and define the therapeutic potential of PRMT7 alone or in combination with PD-(L)1 blockade to enhance ICI efficiency.
Phage co-transport with hyphal-riding bacteria fuels bacterial invasion in water-unsaturated microbial ecosystems
Authors: You Xin , Kallies René , Kühn Ingolf , Schmidt Matthias , Harms Hauke , Chatzinotas Antonis , Wick Lukas Y.
Published: July 2021

Non-motile microbes enter new habitats often by co-transport with motile microorganisms. Here, we report on the ability of hyphal-riding bacteria to co-transport lytic phages and utilize them as ‘weapons’ during colonization of new water-unsaturated habitats. This is comparable to the concept of biological invasions in macroecology. In analogy to invasion frameworks in plant and animal ecology, we tailored spatially organized, water-unsaturated model microcosms using hyphae of Pythium ultimum as invasion paths and flagellated soil-bacterium Pseudomonas putida KT2440 as carrier for co-transport of Escherichia virus T4. P. putida KT2440 efficiently dispersed along P. ultimum to new habitats and dispatched T4 phages across air gaps transporting ≈ 0.6 phages bacteria−1. No T4 displacement along hyphae was observed in the absence of carrier bacteria. If E. coli occupied the new habitat, T4 co-transport fueled the fitness of invading P. putida KT2440, while the absence of phage co-transport led to poor colonization followed by extinction. Our data emphasize the importance of hyphal transport of bacteria and associated phages in regulating fitness and composition of microbial populations in water-unsaturated systems. As such co-transport mirrors macroecological invasion processes, we recommend hyphosphere systems with motile bacteria and co-transported phages as models for testing hypotheses in invasion ecology.
Identification of cells expressing Calcitonins A and B, PDF and ACP in Locusta migratoria using cross-reacting antisera and in situ hybridization
Authors: Veenstra Jan A.
Published: July 2021

This work was initiated because an old publication suggested that electrocoagulation of four paraldehyde fuchsin positive cells in the brain of Locusta migratoria might produce a diuretic hormone, the identity of which remains unknown, since none of the antisera to the various putative Locusta diuretic hormones recognizes these cells. The paraldehyde fuchsin positive staining suggests a peptide with a disulfide bridge and the recently identified Locusta calcitonins have both a disulfide bridge and are structurally similar to calcitonin-like diuretic hormone.

In situ hybridization and antisera raised to calcitonin-A and -B were used to show were these peptides are expressed in Locusta. Calcitonin-A is produced by neurons and neuroendocrine cells that were previously shown to be immunoreactive to an antiserum to pigment dispersing factor (PDF). The apparent PDF-immunoreactivity in these neurons and neuroendocrine cells is due to crossreactivity with the calcitonin-A precursor. As confirmed by both an PDF-precursor specific antiserum and in situ hybridisation, those calcitonin-A expressing cells do not express PDF.

Calcitonin B is expressed by numerous enteroendocrine cells in the midgut as well as the midgut caeca. A guinea pig antiserum to calcitonin A seemed quite specific as it recognized only the calcitonin A expressing cells. However, rabbit antisera to calcitonin-A and-B both crossreacted with neuroendocrine cells in the brain that produce ACP, this is almost certainly due to the common C-terminal dipeptide SPamide that is shared between Locusta calcitonin-A, calcitonin-B and ACP.
Evolutionary dynamics of asexual hypermutators adapting to a novel environment
Authors: Ho Wei-Chin , Behringer Megan G. , Miller Samuel F. , Gonzales Jadon , Nguyen Amber , Allahwerdy Meriem , Boyer Gwyneth F. , Lynch Michael
Published: July 2021

How microbes adapt to a novel environment is a central question in evolutionary biology. While adaptive evolution must be fueled by beneficial mutations, whether higher mutation rates facilitate the rate of adaptive evolution remains unclear. To address this question, we culturedEscherichia colihypermutating populations, in which a defective methyl-directed mismatch repair pathway causes a 140-fold increase in single-nucleotide mutation rates. In parallel with wild-typeE. coli, populations were cultured in tubes containing Luria-Bertani broth, a complex medium known to promote the evolution of subpopulation structure. After 900 days of evolution, in three transfer schemes with different population-size bottlenecks, hypermutators always exhibited similar levels of improved fitness as controls. Fluctuation tests revealed that the mutation rates of hypermutator lines converged evolutionarily on those of wild-type populations, which may have contributed to the absence of fitness differences. Further genome-sequence analysis revealed that, although hypermutator populations have higher rates of genomic evolution, this largely reflects the effects of genetic draft under strong linkage. Despite these linkage effects, the evolved populations exhibit parallelism in fixed mutations, including those potentially related to biofilm formation, transcription regulation, and mutation-rate evolution. Together, these results generally negate the presumed relationship between high mutation rates and high adaptive speed of evolution, providing insight into how clonal adaptation occurs in novel environments.

Significance statement

While mutations are critical source for the adaptation in a new environment, whether or not the elevated mutation rates can empirically lead to the elevated adaptation rates remains unclear, especially when the environment is more heterogenous. To answer this question, we evolvedE. colipopulations with different starting mutation rates in a complex medium for 900 days and then examined their fitness and genome profiles. In the populations that have a higher starting mutation rate, despite faster genome evolution, their fitness improvement is not significantly faster. Our results reveal that the effect of elevated mutation rates is only very limited, and the mutations accumulated in hypermutators are largely due to linkage effect.
Structural basis for recognition of two HLA-A2-restricted SARS-CoV-2 spike epitopes by public and private T cell receptors
Authors: Wu Daichao , Kolesnikov Alexander , Yin Rui , Guest Johnathan D. , Gowthaman Ragul , Shmelev Anton , Serdyuk Yana , Efimov Grigory A. , Pierce Brian G. , Mariuzza Roy A.
Published: July 2021

T cells play a vital role in combatting SARS-CoV-2 and in forming long-term memory responses. Whereas extensive structural information is available on neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, such information on SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell receptors (TCRs) bound to their peptide–MHC targets is lacking. We determined structures of a public and a private TCR from COVID-19 convalescent patients in complex with HLA-A2 and two SARS-CoV-2 spike protein epitopes (YLQ and RLQ). The structures revealed the basis for selection of particular TRAV and TRBV germline genes by the public but not the private TCR, and for the ability of both TCRs to recognize natural variants of YLQ and RLQ but not homologous epitopes from human seasonal coronaviruses. By elucidating the mechanism for TCR recognition of an immunodominant yet variable epitope (YLQ) and a conserved but less commonly targeted epitope (RLQ), this study can inform prospective efforts to design vaccines to elicit pan-coronavirus immunity.
The timescale and magnitude of 1/f aperiodic activity decrease with cortical depth in humans, macaques, and mice
Authors: Halgren Mila , Kang Raphi , Voytek Bradley , Ulbert Istvan , Fabo Daniel , Eross Lorand , Wittner Lucia , Madsen Joseph , Doyle Werner K , Devinsky Orrin , Halgren Eric , Harnett Mark T. , Cash Sydney S.
Published: July 2021

Cortical dynamics obey a 1/f power law, exhibiting an exponential decay of spectral power with increasing frequency. The slope and offset of this 1/f decay reflect the timescale and magnitude of aperiodic neural activity, respectively. These properties are tightly linked to cellular and circuit mechanisms (e.g. excitation:inhibition balance and firing rates) as well as cognitive processes (e.g. perception, memory, and state). However, the physiology underlying the 1/f power law in cortical dynamics is not well understood. Here, we compared laminar recordings from human, macaque and mouse cortex to evaluate how 1/f aperiodic dynamics vary across cortical layers and species. We report that 1/f slope is steepest in superficial layers and flattest in deep layers in each species. Additionally, the magnitude of this 1/f decay is greatest in superficial cortex and decreases with depth. We could account for both of these findings with a simple model in which superficial cortical transmembrane currents had longer time constants and greater densities than those in deeper layers. Together, our results provide novel insight into the organization of cortical dynamics, suggesting that the amplitude and time constant of local currents control circuit processing as a function of laminar depth. This may represent a general mechanism to facilitate appropriate integration of fast sensory inputs (infragranular) with slow feedback-type inputs (supragranular) across cortical areas and species.
An E-cadherin-actin clutch translates the mechanical force of cortical flow for cell-cell contact to inhibit epithelial cell locomotion
Authors: Noordstra Ivar , Hermoso Mario Díez , Schimmel Lilian , Bonfim-Melo Alexis , Currin-Ross Denni , Duong Cao Nguyen , Kalappurakkal Joseph Mathew , Morris Richard G. , Vestweber Dietmar , Mayor Satyajit , Gordon Emma , Cusachs Pere Roca , Yap Alpha S.
Published: July 2021

Adherens junctions allow cell contact to inhibit epithelial migration. But a long-standing puzzle is how locomotion is downregulated when E-cadherin adhesions form at surfaces perpendicular, but not those parallel, to the direction of migration. We now show that this arises from coupling between E-cadherin adhesions and the retrograde cortical flows of leader cells in migrating epithelia. At interfaces perpendicular to the direction of motion, such flows are antiparallel, which generates a tensile signal that induces the actin-binding domain of α-catenin to promote lateral growth of nascent adhesions and inhibit the lamellipodial activity necessary for migration. At interfaces parallel to the direction of motion, by contrast, cortical flows are aligned and no such mechanical inhibition takes place. Therefore, α-catenin mechanosensitivity in the clutch between E-cadherin and cortical F-actin allows cells to interpret the direction of motion via cortical flows and trigger the first signal for contact to inhibit locomotion.
A Topological Data Analytic Approach for Discovering Biophysical Signatures in Protein Dynamics
Authors: Tang Wai Shing , da Silva Gabriel Monteiro , Kirveslahti Henry , Skeens Erin , Feng Bibo , Sudijono Timothy , Yang Kevin K. , Mukherjee Sayan , Rubenstein Brenda , Crawford Lorin
Published: July 2021

Identifying structural differences among proteins can be a non-trivial task. When contrasting ensembles of protein structures obtained from molecular dynamics simulations, biologically-relevant features can be easily overshadowed by spurious fluctuations. Here, we present SINATRA Pro, a computational pipeline designed to robustly identify topological differences between two sets of protein structures. Algorithmically, SINATRA Pro works by first taking in the 3D atomic coordinates for each protein snapshot and summarizing them according to their underlying topology. Statistically significant topological features are then projected back onto an user-selected representative protein structure, thus facilitating the visual identification of biophysical signatures of different protein ensembles. We assess the ability of SINATRA Pro to detect minute conformational changes in five independent protein systems of varying complexities. In all test cases, SINATRA Pro identifies known structural features that have been validated by previous experimental and computational studies, as well as novel features that are also likely to be biologically-relevant according to the literature. These results highlight SINATRA Pro as a promising method for facilitating the non-trivial task of pattern recognition in trajectories resulting from molecular dynamics simulations, with substantially increased resolution.
TREM2 interacts with TDP-43 and mediates microglial neuroprotection against TDP-43-related neurodegeneration
Authors: Xie Manling , Liu Yong U. , Zhao Shunyi , Zhang Lingxin , Bosco Dale B. , Pang Yuan-Ping , Zhong Jun , Sheth Udit , Martens Yuka A. , Zhao Na , Liu Chia-Chen , Zhuang Yongxian , Wang Liewei , Dickson Dennis W. , Mattson Mark P. , Bu Guojun , Wu Long-Jun
Published: July 2021

Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell 2 (TREM2) is a surface receptor that, in the central nervous system, is exclusively expressed on microglia. TREM2 variants have been linked to increased risk for neurodegenerative diseases, but the functional effects of microglial TREM2 remain largely unknown. To this end, we investigated TAR-DNA binding protein 43 kDa (TDP-43)-related neurodegenerative disease via viral-mediated expression of human TDP-43 protein (hTDP-43) in neonatal and adult mice or inducible expression of hTDP43 with defective nuclear localization signals in transgenic mice. We found that TREM2 deficiency impaired microglia phagocytic clearance of pathological TDP-43, and enhanced neuronal damage and motor function impairments. Mass cytometry analysis revealed that hTDP-43 induced a TREM2-dependent subpopulation of microglia with high CD11c expression and higher phagocytic ability. Using mass spectrometry and surface plasmon resonance analysis, we further demonstrated an interaction between TDP-43 and TREM2,in vitroandin vivo,in hTDP-43-expressing transgenic mouse brains. We computationally identified the region within hTDP-43 that interacts with TREM2 and observed the potential interaction in ALS patient tissues. Our data reveal the novel interaction between TREM2 and TDP-43, highlighting that TDP-43 is a possible ligand for microglial TREM2 and the interaction mediates neuroprotection of microglial TREM2 in TDP-43-related neurodegeneration.
Reliability of Mouse Behavioural Tests of Anxiety: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Effects of Anxiolytics
Authors: Rosso Marianna , Wirz Robin , Loretan Ariane Vera , Sutter Nicole Alessandra , Pereira da Cunha Charlène Tatiana , Jaric Ivana , Würbel Hanno , Voelkl Bernhard
Published: July 2021

Animal research on anxiety and anxiety disorders relies on valid animal models of anxiety. However, the validity of widely used rodent behavioural tests of anxiety has repeatedly been questioned, as they often fail to produce consistent results across independent replicate studies using different study populations or different anxiolytic compounds. In this study, we assessed the sensitivity of behavioural tests of anxiety in mice to detect anxiolytic effects of drugs prescribed to treat anxiety in humans. To this end, we conducted a pre-registered systematic review of studies reporting tests of anxiolytic compounds against a control treatment using common behavioural tests of anxiety in mice. PubMed and EMBASE were searched on August 21st2019 for studies published in English and 814 papers were identified for inclusion. Risk of bias was assessed based on Syrcle’s risk of bias tool and the Camarades study quality checklist on a randomly selected subsample of 180 papers. Meta-analyses on effect sizes of treatments using standardized mean differences (Hedges’ g) showed that only two of 17 test measures reliably detected effects of anxiolytic compounds other than diazepam. Further, we report considerable variation in both direction and size of effects of most anxiolytics on most outcome variables, indicating poor replicability of test results. This was corroborated by high heterogeneity in most test measures. Finally, we found an overall high risk of bias. Our findings indicate a general lack of sensitivity of common behavioural tests of anxiety in mice to anxiolytic compounds and cast serious doubt on both construct and predictive validity of most of those tests. The use of animals to model human conditions can be justified only if the expected results are informative, reproducible, and translatable. In view of scientifically valid and ethically responsible research, we call for a revision of behavioural tests of anxiety in mice and the development of more predictive tests.
Anti- SARS-CoV-2 Receptor Binding Domain Antibody Evolution after mRNA Vaccination
Authors: Cho Alice , Muecksch Frauke , Schaefer-Babajew Dennis , Wang Zijun , Finkin Shlomo , Gaebler Christian , Ramos Victor , Cipolla Melissa , Mendoza Pilar , Agudelo Marianna , Bednarski Eva , DaSilva Justin , Shimeliovich Irina , Dizon Juan , Daga Mridushi , Millard Katrina , Turroja Martina , Schmidt Fabian , Zhang Fengwen , Tanfous Tarek Ben , Jankovic Mila , Oliveria Thiago Y. , Gazumyan Anna , Caskey Marina , Bieniasz Paul D. , Hatziioannou Theodora , Nussenzweig Michel C.
Published: July 2021

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection produces B-cell responses that continue to evolve for at least one year. During that time, memory B cells express increasingly broad and potent antibodies that are resistant to mutations found in variants of concern1. As a result, vaccination of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) convalescent individuals with currently available mRNA vaccines produces high levels of plasma neutralizing activity against all variants tested1, 2. Here, we examine memory B cell evolution 5 months after vaccination with either Moderna (mRNA-1273) or Pfizer- BioNTech (BNT162b2) mRNA vaccines in a cohort of SARS-CoV-2 naïve individuals. Between prime and boost, memory B cells produce antibodies that evolve increased neutralizing activity, but there is no further increase in potency or breadth thereafter. Instead, memory B cells that emerge 5 months after vaccination of naïve individuals express antibodies that are similar to those that dominate the initial response. While individual memory antibodies selected over time by natural infection have greater potency and breadth than antibodies elicited by vaccination, the overall neutralizing potency of plasma is greater following vaccination. These results suggest that boosting vaccinated individuals with currently available mRNA vaccines will increase plasma neutralizing activity but may not produce antibodies with breadth equivalent to those obtained by vaccinating convalescent individuals.
Quantitative phase analysis of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x
and competing intergrowth and co-crystallizing phases via a Rietveld refinement study
Authors: Rajak Neeraj K. , Mohan Arya , Jaiswal-Nagar Deepshikha
Published: July 2021

The Rietveld refinement technique has been used to determine the extent of intergrowth of the Bi2Sr2CuO6+x
phase and co-crystallization of competing phases in the high-temperature superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x
(Bi-2212). The refinement was done on powder diffractograms obtained on powders made by grinding single crystals of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x
grown using two different self-flux techniques, namely the pressure technique and the regrowth technique, and ground for either 2 min or 2 h. The Rietveld programs JANA and FULLPROF were used for the refinement and both gave consistent results. The Bi and Sr atom positions were refined in the average structure of centrosymmetric space group Bbmb. To incorporate Bi-atom modulation and extract information about the modulation vector, refinement was done in the centrosymmetric space group N^{Bbmb}_{1\overline 11}(Bbmb(0γ1)). The b* component of the modulation vector decreases with a decrease in the superconducting transition temperature in the pressure-technique sample compared with the regrowth sample, suggesting a better alignment of the CuO2 planes with respect to the Bi–O planes in the pressure-technique sample. All the samples exhibit a strong preferred orientation effect. Values of the March–Dollase parameters corresponding to the preferred orientation function were obtained. Brindley absorption contrast factors t
ϕ were also calculated, together with the effect of microabsorption on the number of phases present in each sample. Rietveld refinements incorporating all the factors resulted in excellent values for the goodness-of-fit parameters for all the samples, with the lowest value of 2.08 for the pressure-technique sample ground for 2 min. Additionally, the powders corresponding to the pressure-technique crystals have no co-crystallizing phase and ∼94% of the Bi-2212 phase, suggesting that crystals grown by the pressure technique are of extremely good quality, much better than those grown by the regrowth flux technique.
N2–O2 icing in single-crystal in-house X-ray diffraction experiments using an open-flow helium cryostat
Authors: Zakharov Boris A. , Miletich Ronald , Bogdanov Nikita E. , Boldyreva Elena V.
Published: July 2021

This note reports a study of the coating of a crystal with `ice' at temperatures below 45 K during single-crystal in-house diffraction experiments when using an open-flow helium cryostat. The `ice' consists mainly of crystalline oxygen and nitrogen. This suggests completely different techniques for avoiding this type of icing compared with water icing. With appropriate choices of crystal mount, crystal position with respect to the nozzle and gas flow conditions, it is possible to avoid detectable condensation. However, sometimes this cannot be achieved in practice (poor diffraction from a smaller crystal, necessity of positioning the crystal in certain orientations to achieve desired data completeness, need to reduce helium consumption etc.). The problem of icing seems to be less common for powder experiments where the laminar gas flow is parallel to the capillary containing the sample, and for synchrotron experiments where the sample is comparatively small and almost continuously rotated, which facilitates the ice covering being removed by the gas flow. This last technique can in principle also be applied to single-crystal X-ray diffraction using laboratory diffractometers – periodic rapid rotation of the crystal can help to minimize any icing, but this technique will not work when the condensation rate is comparable to or faster than one frame of data collection. The coating around a sample crystal reduces the quality of the diffraction data, and the temperature at the sample below the coating may differ significantly from that at the cryostat nozzle reported by the instrument.
A simple gas introduction system for cryogenic powder X-ray diffraction
Authors: Hodyss Robert , Vu Tuan H. , Choukroun Mathieu , Cable Morgan L.
Published: July 2021

A simple system is described for the introduction of gases into standard X-ray diffraction capillaries mounted in situ in the X-ray beam of laboratory X-ray diffraction instruments. This system retains many of the advantages of the standard Norby cell, but does not require custom machining and has less stringent space restrictions. The system has been used to study the crystallization and interaction of volatile organics at cryogenic temperatures, but gas–solid interactions could also be studied at elevated temperatures using this approach.
Self-differentiation as an intermediate variable between anger management and neurotic perfectionism among high achievers “a psychological study of the rights of special education”
Authors: Ali Hossam Mahmoud Zaki
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This study aims to explore the intermediate role of self-differentiation in anger management and neurotic perfectionism for a sample of high achievers at some public universities in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. This increases the chances of these students obtaining their rights.

Design/methodology/approach

The researcher used the microcopy of Drake, Murdock, Marszalek and [(the Differentiation of Self Inventory—Short Form (DSI-SF)] scale, differentiation of self child-adolescent perfectionism scale and Davidson and Munro (2000) scale of neurotic perfectionism in addition to the anger management scale of the current study. The researcher used the appropriate statistical methods and the descriptive design to find the results.

Findings

The results showed that there is no statistically significant difference among male and female students in the positive anger management while three was a statistically significant difference among them in the negative anger management favoring male students. Further, there were no statistically significant differences among the study sample according to the country (Egypt and Saudi Arabia) in anger management (positive and negative). Moreover, there was a correlation matrix between the study variables as shown in the study; The statistical analysis was conducted to identify the suggested constructive model and variables of the study, anger management (positive-negative) as an independent variable, self-differentiation as an intermediate variable and neurotic perfectionism as a dependent variable among high achievers, This explains the necessity of preparing the environment for these students to become more healthy, through which they can enjoy all their rights as a category of special education, where most of the focus is on the handicapped groups from special education more than the high achievers’ students.

Originality/value

The study recommended that higher education courses should focus on anger management skills and the development of self-differentiation and the positive part of perfectionism. Also, the current study provided the educators of higher education with some suggestions to promote it and develop high achievers, which may lead to positive mental and physical health for high achievers and raising awareness of society and obtaining their rights in education and life.
Three paths to e-service availability: a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis among the EU member states
Authors: Marienfeldt Justine
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This study aims to explore under which institutional and organizational conditions the national e-government reform efforts of EU member states lead to very high availability of e-services.

Design/methodology/approach

Following e-government literature of information systems and public administration research, this study applies an analytical framework encompassing characteristics of the national politico-administrative system (state structure, government capacity, managerial innovation orientation and civil service system) to understand why a common policy framework does not lead to convergence but great variety in the degree of e-service availability. A comparative case study approach using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is applied to systematically compare e-service availability in the former 28 EU member states.

Findings

Three configurations of sufficient conditions are identified: government capacity in conjunction with either bureaucratic human resource practices, centralized state structure or managerial innovation orientation. Three country clusters are derived: effective bureaucrats, effective centralists and effective managers.

Originality/value

The results demonstrate the importance of administrative effectiveness for the digital transformation. Rather than mimicking best practices, countries are advised to learn from better performing countries that are most similar in terms of institutional and organizational characteristics of the politico-administrative system.
Does formalization or centralization mitigate uncertainty in knowledge-intensive procurement?
Authors: Prior Daniel D. , Hitihami Mudiyanselage Lakshi Karunarathne , Hussain Omar Khadeer
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This study aims to assess the following question: “which information processing approach, formalization or centralization, responds to procurement complexity and how does this affect procurement performance in knowledge-intensive procurements?”

Design/methodology/approach

This study draws on a survey of 294 Project Managers with recent experience of knowledge-intensive procurement. It uses AMOS version 21 to perform confirmatory factor analysis and structural modeling to assess the hypotheses.

Findings

The findings suggest that procurement complexity directly encourages formalization and that formalization has significant, positive effects on procurement performance. Centralization, on the other hand, appears not to respond to procurement complexity and has negligible effects on procurement performance.

Research limitations/implications

Drawing on information processing theory, this study highlights the importance of two information management approaches in knowledge-intensive procurement, and that such procurement situations share similarities with new product development and other innovation-rich, team-based activities. Knowledge-intensive procurement situations, therefore, require different information management practices than other types of procurement.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that procurement complexity directly encourages formalization and that formalization has significant, positive effects on procurement performance. Centralization, on the other hand, appears not to respond to procurement complexity and has negligible effects on procurement performance.

Originality/value

The study is the first to examine information management approaches (formalization and centralization) in knowledge-intensive procurement as responses to project complexity, and as contributors to procurement performance.
Between a rock and a hard place: publishing issues in public relations and communication management
Authors: Bridge Gemma , Fawkes Johanna , Tench Ralph
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the pressures to publish facing European public relations (PR) and communication management scholars across career stages.

Design/methodology/approach

The Delphi method was used with PR and communication management scholars at associate professor level or higher across Europe. An online survey was then shared with the wider academic community to gather insights from scholars at different career stages.

Findings

The suitability and status of the journal and the language of the outputs are considered. Academics are caught between the rock of publishing inside the field to support its development and the hard place of being required to publish in high-ranking journals for funding and promotion. Scholars are evaluated regularly, with journal articles being the main unit of assessment. Academics, regardless of career stage, feel under pressure to publish.

Research limitations/implications

The wider survey enabled publishing insights to be gathered from academics across the career spectrum, but it was completed by a small sample. Nevertheless, similar concerns emerged from both methods of data gathering, suggesting a clear agenda for discussion and further research.

Practical implications

PR and communications management is an academic discipline without an accepted list of high-impact journals. This study provides an annotated journal list to aid institutional evaluations, aid scholarly journal publishing decisions and support early career researchers navigating the publishing process.

Originality/value

This adds to the somewhat limited discussion regarding how academics in PR and communication management decide where to publish and provides a resource that can be used by scholars, institutions and funders.
An inter-disciplinary perspective on evaluation of innovation to support care leavers’ transition
Authors: Lynch Amy , Alderson Hayley , Kerridge Gary , Johnson Rebecca , McGovern Ruth , Newlands Fiona , Smart Deborah , Harrop Carrie , Currie Graeme
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Young people who are looked after by the state face challenges as they make the transition from care to adulthood, with variation in support available. In the past decade, funding has been directed towards organisations to pilot innovations to support transition, with accompanying evaluations often conducted with a single disciplinary focus, in a context of short timescales and small budgets. Recognising the value and weight of the challenge involved in evaluation of innovations that aim to support the transitions of young people leaving care, this paper aims to provide a review of evaluation approaches and suggestions regarding how these might be developed.

Design/methodology/approach

As part of a wider research programme to improve understanding of the innovation process for young people leaving care, the authors conducted a scoping review of grey literature (publications which are not peer reviewed) focusing on evaluation of innovations in the UK over the past 10 years. The authors critiqued the evaluation approaches in each of the 22 reports they identified with an inter-disciplinary perspective, representing social care, public health and organisation science.

Findings

The authors identified challenges and opportunities for the development of evaluation approaches in three areas. Firstly, informed by social care, the authors suggest increased priority should be granted to participatory approaches to evaluation, within which involvement of young people leaving care should be central. Secondly, drawing on public health, there is potential for developing a common outcomes’ framework, including methods of data collection, analysis and reporting, which aid comparative analysis. Thirdly, application of theoretical frameworks from organisation science regarding the process of innovation can drive transferable lessons from local innovations to aid its spread.

Originality/value

By adopting the unique perspective of their multiple positions, the authors’ goal is to contribute to the development of evaluation approaches. Further, the authors hope to help identify innovations that work, enhance their spread, leverage resources and influence policy to support care leavers in their transitions to adulthood.
Status conflict in family firms: a multilevel conceptual model
Authors: Kubíček Aleš , Machek Ondřej
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to integrate status conflict, as a relatively recent and unexplored phenomenon, to the family business literature.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors follow multilevel theory building to develop a multilevel conceptual model of status conflict in family firms (FFs).

Findings

The authors identify the main antecedents, processes and consequences of status conflict at three levels of analysis (individual, family and firm) unique to FFs. Seventeen theoretical propositions at three levels of analysis are presented.

Originality/value

The authors address the need for multilevel research for organisations and multilevel status research, contribute to the under-researched theory of conflicts in FFs and show that the conflict literature, which has predominantly focussed on the individual- and group-level factors, can borrow from the family business literature, which has primarily been oriented to the group- and firm-level factors.