bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Global ocean resistome revealed: exploring Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARGs) abundance and distribution on TARA oceans samples through machine learning tools
Authors: Cuadrat Rafael R. C. , Sorokina Maria , Andrade Bruno G. , Goris Tobias , Dávila Alberto M. R.
Published: September 2019

The rise of antibiotic resistance (AR) in clinical settings is one of the biggest modern global public health concerns. Therefore, the understanding of AR mechanisms, evolution and global distribution is a priority due to its impact on the treatment course and patient survivability. Besides all efforts in the elucidation of AR mechanisms in clinical strains, little is known about its prevalence and evolution in environmental uncultivable microorganisms. In this study, 293 metagenomic from the TARA Oceans project were used to detect and quantify environmental antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) using machine learning tools. After extensive manual curation, we show the global ocean ARG abundance, distribution, taxonomy, phylogeny and their potential to be horizontally transferred by plasmids or viruses and their correlation with environmental and geographical parameters. A total of 99,205 environmental ORFs were identified as potential ARGs. These ORFs belong to 560 ARG families that confer resistance to 26 antibiotic classes. 24,567 ORFs were found in contigs classified as plasmidial sequences, suggesting the importance of mobile genetic elements in the dynamics of ARGs transmission. Moreover, 4,804 contigs with more than 2 ARGs were found, including 2 plasmid-like contigs with 5 different ARGs, highlighting the potential presence of multi-resistant microorganisms in the natural ocean environment. This also raises the possibility of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) between clinical and natural environments. The abundance of ARGs showed different patterns of distribution, with some classes being significantly more abundant in coastal biomes. Finally, we identified ARGs conferring resistance to some of the most relevant clinical antibiotics, revealing the presence of 15 ARGs from the recently discovered MCR-1 family with high abundance on Polar Biomes. Of these, 5 were assigned to the genus Psychrobacter, an opportunistic pathogen that can cause fatal infections in humans. Our results are available on Zenodo in MySQL database dump format and all the code used for the analyses, including a Jupyter notebook can be accessed on GitHub (https://github.com/rcuadrat/ocean_resistome).
STAT3-dependent systems-level analysis revealsPDK4as an independent predictor of biochemical recurrence in prostate cancer
Authors: Oberhuber Monika , Pecoraro Matteo , Rusz Mate , Oberhuber Georg , Wieselberg Maritta , Haslinger Peter , Gurnhofer Elisabeth , Pencik Jan , Wiebringhaus Robert , Schlederer Michaela , Weiss Theresa , Schmeidl Margit , Haitel Andrea , Brehme Marc , Wadsak Wolfgang , Griss Johannes , Mohr Thomas , Hofer Alexandra , Jäger Anton , Egger Gerda , Pollheimer Jürgen , Koellensperger Gunda , Mann Matthias , Hantusch Brigitte , Kenner Lukas
Published: September 2019

Prostate cancer (PCa) has a broad spectrum of clinical behaviour, hence biomarkers are urgently needed for risk stratification. We previously described the protective effect of STAT3 in a prostate cancer mouse model. By utilizing a gene co-expression network in addition to laser microdissected proteomics from human and murine prostate FFPE samples, we describe STAT3-induced downregulation of the TCA cycle/OXPHOS in PCa on transcriptomic and proteomic level. We identify pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4), a key regulator of the TCA cycle, as a promising independent prognostic marker in PCa.PDK4predicts disease recurrence independent of diagnostic risk factors such as grading, staging and PSA level. Furthermore,PDK4expression is causally linked to type 2 diabetes mellitus, which is known to have a protective effect on PCa. We conclude that this effect is related toPDK4expression and thatPDK4loss could serve as a biomarker for PCa with dismal prognosis.
Metapopulation ecology links antibiotic resistance, consumption and patient transfers in a network of hospital wards
Authors: Shapiro Julie Teresa , Leboucher Gilles , Myard-Dury Anne-Florence , Girardo Pascale , Luzatti Anatole , Mary Mélissa , Sauzon Jean-François , Lafay Bénédicte , Dauwalder Olivier , Laurent Frédéric , Lina Gérard , Chidiac Christian , Couray-Targe Sandrine , Vandenesch François , Flandrois Jean-Pierre , Rasigade Jean-Philippe
Published: September 2019

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat. A better understanding of how antibiotic use and between ward patient transfers (or connectivity) impact hospital AMR can help optimize antibiotic stewardship and infection control strategies. Here, we used metapopulation ecology to explain variations in infection incidences of 17 ESKAPE pathogen variants in a network of 357 hospital wards. Multivariate models identified the strongest influence of ward-level antibiotic use on more resistant variants, and of connectivity on nosocomial species and carbapenem-resistant variants. Pairwise associations between infection incidence and the consumption of specific antibiotics were significantly stronger when such associations represented a priori AMR selection, suggesting that AMR evolves within the network. Piperacillin-tazobactam consumption was the strongest predictor of the cumulative incidence of infections resistant to empirical sepsis therapy. Our data establish that both antibiotic use and connectivity measurably influence hospital AMR and provide a ranking of key antibiotics by their impact on AMR.
Delayed suppression normalizes face identity responses in the primate brain
Authors: Koyano Kenji W. , Jones Adam P. , McMahon David B. T. , Waidmann Elena N. , Russ Brian E. , Leopold David A.
Published: September 2019

The primate brain is specialized for social visual perception. Previous work indicates that recognition draws upon an internal comparison between a viewed face and an internally stored average face. Here we demonstrate that this comparison takes the form of a delayed, dynamic suppression of face averageness among single neurons. In three macaque face patches, spiking responses to low-identity morphed faces met with a synchronous attenuation starting approximately 200 ms after onset. Analysis showed that a late-emerging V-shaped identity tuning was sometimes superimposed on linear ramp tuning. This pattern could not be ascribed to repetition suppression within a given session. The results indicate that the brain’s analysis of faces is enhanced through predictive normalization of identity, which increases sensitivity among face-selective neurons to distinctive facial features known to drive recognition.
Diversity analysis and metagenomic insights into the Antibiotic Resistance and Metal Resistances among Hot Spring Bacteriobiome-insinuating inherent environmental baseline levels of Antibiotic and Metal tolerance
Authors: Najar Ishfaq Nabi , Sherpa Mingma Thundu , Das Sayak , Thakur Nagendra
Published: September 2019

Mechanisms of occurrence and expressions of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in thermophilic bacteria are still unknown owing to limited research and data. The evolution and proliferation of ARGs in the thermophilic bacteria is unclear and needs a comprehensive study. In this research, comparative profiling of antibiotic resistance genes and metal tolerance genes among the thermophilic bacteria has been done by culture-independent functional metagenomic methods. Metagenomic analysis showed the dominance of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria. Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes in these hot springs. ARG analysis through shotgun gene sequencing was found to be negative in case of thermophilic bacteria. However, few of genes were detected but they were showing maximum similarity with mesophilic bacteria. Concurrently, metal resistance genes were also detected in the metagenome sequence of hot springs. Detection of metal resistance gene and absence of ARG’s investigated by whole genome sequencing, in the reference genome sequence of thermophilicGeobacillusalso conveyed the same message. This evolutionary selection of metal resistance over antibiotic genes may have been necessary to survive in the geological craters which are full of different metals from earth sediments rather than antibiotics. Furthermore, the selection could be environment driven depending on the susceptibility of ARG’s in thermophilic environment as it reduces the chances of horizontal gene transfer. With these findings this article highlights many theories and culminates different scopes to study these aspects in thermophiles.
KAKU4-mediated deformation of the vegetative nucleus controls its precedent migration over sperm cells in pollen tubes
Authors: Goto Chieko , Tamura Kentaro , Nishimaki Satsuki , Yanagisawa Naoki , Matsuura-Tokita Kumi , Higashiyama Tetsuya , Maruyama Daisuke , Hara-Nishimura Ikuko
Published: September 2019

A putative nuclear lamina protein, KAKU4, modulates nuclear morphology inArabidopsis thalianaseedlings but its physiological significance is unknown.KAKU4was strongly expressed in mature pollen grains, each of which has a vegetative cell and two sperm cells. KAKU4 protein was highly abundant on the envelopes of vegetative nuclei (VNs) and less abundant on the envelopes of sperm cell nuclei (SCNs) in pollen grains and elongating pollen tubes. VN is irregularly shaped in wild-type pollen. However,KAKU4deficiency caused it to become more spherical. These results suggest that the dense accumulation of KAKU4 is responsible for the irregular shape of the VNs. After a pollen grain germinates, the VN and SCNs migrate to the tip of the pollen tube. In the wild type, the VN preceded the SCNs in 91–93% of the pollen tubes, whereas inkaku4mutants, the VN trailed the SCNs in 39–58% of the pollen tubes.kaku4pollen was less competitive than wild-type pollen after pollination, although it had an ability to fertilize. Taken together, our results suggest that controlling the nuclear shape in vegetative cells of pollen grains byKAKU4ensures the orderly migration of the VN and sperm cells in pollen tubes.

Highlight

The nuclear envelope protein KAKU4 is involved in controlling the migration order of vegetative nuclei and sperm cells in pollen tubes, affecting the competitive ability of pollen for fertilization.
Flagella methylation promotes bacterial adhesion and host cell invasion
Authors: Horstmann Julia A. , Lunelli Michele , Cazzola Hélène , Heidemann Johannes , Kühne Caroline , Steffen Pascal , Szefs Sandra , Rossi Claire , Lokareddy Ravi K. , Wang Chu , Hughes Kelly T. , Uetrecht Charlotte , Schlüter Hartmut , Grassl Guntram A. , Stradal Theresia E.B. , Rossez Yannick , Kolbe Michael , Erhardt Marc
Published: September 2019

The flagellum is the motility device of many bacteria and the long external filament is made of several thousand copies of a single protein, flagellin. While posttranslational modifications of flagellin are common among bacterial pathogens, the role of lysine methylation remained unknown. Here, we show that both flagellins ofSalmonella enterica, FliC and FljB, are methylated at surface-exposed lysine residues. ASalmonellamutant deficient in flagellin methylation was outcompeted for gut colonization in a gastroenteritis mouse model. In support, methylation of flagellin promoted invasion of epithelial cellsin vitro. Lysine methylation increased the surface hydrophobicity of flagellin and enhanced flagella-dependent adhesion ofSalmonellato phosphatidylcholine vesicles and epithelial cells. In summary, posttranslational flagellin methylation constitutes a novel mechanism how flagellated bacteria facilitate adhesion to hydrophobic host cell surfaces and thereby contributes to efficient gut colonization and successful infection of the host.
Sema3A Facilitates a Retrograde Death Signal via CRMP4-Dynein Complex Formation in ALS Motor Axons
Authors: Maimon Roy , Ankol Lior , Weissova Romana , Tank Elizabeth , Pery Tal Gradus , Opatowsky Yarden , Barmada Sami , Balastik Martin , Perlson Eran
Published: September 2019

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with selective dysfunction; it causes the death of motor neurons (MNs). In spite of some progress, currently no effective treatment is available for ALS. Before such treatment can be developed, a more thorough understanding of ALS pathogenesis is required. Recently, we demonstrated that ALS-mutated muscles contribute to ALS pathology via secretion of destabilizing factors such as Sema3A; these factors trigger axon degeneration and Neuromuscular Junction (NMJ) disruption. Here, we focus on the molecular mechanism by which muscle contribute to MNs loss in ALS. We identified CRMP4 as part of a retrograde death signal generated in response to muscle-secreted Sema3A, in ALS-diseased MNs. Exposing distal axons to Sema3A induces CRMP4-dynein complex formation and MN loss in both mouse (SOD1G93A) and human-derived (C9orf72) ALS models. Introducing peptides that interfere with CRMP4-dynein interaction in MN axons profoundly reduces Sema3A-dependent MN loss. Thus, we discovered a novel retrograde death signal mechanism underlying MN loss in ALS.

Maimon et al. identify a novel retrograde death mechanism that contribute to MN loss in ALS, in which CRMP4-Dynein complex is form and retrogradely move along the axon.
Size matters, so does condition: the use of a body condition index reveals the costs and benefits of structural body size in an insect
Authors: Zanchi Caroline , Moret Yannick , Gillingham Mark A. F.
Published: September 2019

Insects are core actors for the balance of many earth ecosystems, as well as an alternative source of food and feed with a low ecological footprint. A comprehensive understanding of their life history requires reliable tools. Body condition constitutes the amount of energy reserves available to a fitness trait after maintenance costs have been accounted for. Body condition is standardly estimated using Body Condition Indexes (BCIs) in vertebrates. In insects the relevance of BCIs is frequently questioned on the basis that they might not accurately reflect neither energy reserves nor fitness.. However, to date no study has tested whether the very concept of body condition is relevant in insects, i.e. whether BCIs accurately reflect the relative energy reserves allocated to fitness traits.

We propose that the relevance of using BCIs in insects depends on whether their structural size has a fitness cost. If on the contrary insects only benefit from a larger body size, a simple measurement of body size or mass will predict fitness, but not a BCI. We experimentally manipulated food availability at the larval and adult stage and used total fecundity of females as a fitness proxy of Tenebrio molitor, an important model in physiology, ecology and evolution, and one of the first insects to be considered as a source of food and feed.

Our results support three key assumptions of the relevance of BCIs in insects: (i) a valid BCI correlated with energy reserves corrected for a given size (i.e. relative energy reserves) and not with absolute measures of energy reserves; (ii) both structural size and body condition positively predict different components of fitness; and, (iii) the effect of body condition was dependent on resource availability, whereby its effect was only apparent and large when food was unrestricted at the larval stage and restricted at the adult stage.

Overall we demonstrate the relevance of using BCIs in insects. Their use should be generalized to improve fitness readouts in evolution, ecological and physiological studies, as well as improve their husbandry for commercial purposes.
Seeing β-arrestin in action: The role of β-arrestins in Histamine 1 Receptor signaling
Authors: Pietraszewska-Bogiel A , Goedhart J
Published: September 2019

ß-arrestins regulate G protein-coupled receptor functions by influencing their signaling activity and intracellular location. Histamine is a major chemical mediator of allergic reactions, and its action is mainly mediated by the Gq/11- and Gi-coupled H1R. Contrary to accumulating insights into G protein-mediated signaling downstream of H1R, very little is known about the function of ß-arrestins in H1R signaling. Here, we describe dynamic, live cell measurements of ß-arrestin recruitment upon H1R activation in HEK293TN cells. Our observations classify H1R as a class A receptor, undergoing transient interactions with ß-arrestin. To investigate the relative contributions of G proteins and ß-arrestins to H1R signaling, we use specific G protein inhibitors, as well as ß-arrestin overexpression and depletion, and quantify various signaling outcomes in a panel of dynamic, live cell biosensor assays. Overall, we link ß-arrestins to desensitization of H1R-mediated signaling and show that ERK activation downstream of endogenous (HeLa, HUVEC) or transiently expressed (HEK293TN) H1R is largely Gq-mediated.
Are trade-offs between flexibility and efficiency in systematic conservation planning avoidable ?
Authors: Drira Sabrine , Lasram Frida Ben Rais , Hattab Tarek , Shin Yunne Jai , Jenhani Amel Ben Rejeb , Guilhaumon François
Published: September 2019

Species distribution models (SDMs) have been proposed as a way to provide robust inference about species-specific sites suitabilities, and have been increasingly used in systematic conservation planning (SCP) applications. However, despite the fact that the use of SDMs in SCP may raise some potential issues, conservation studies have overlooked to assess the implications of SDMs uncertainties. The integration of these uncertainties in conservation solutions requires the development of a reserve-selection approach based on a suitable optimization algorithm. A large body of research has shown that exact optimization algorithms give very precise control over the gap to optimality of conservation solutions. However, their major shortcoming is that they generate a single binary and indivisible solution. Therefore, they provide no flexibility in the implementation of conservation solutions by stakeholders. On the other hand, heuristic decision-support systems provide large amounts of sub-optimal solutions, and therefore more flexibility. This flexibility arises from the availability of many alternative and sub-optimal conservation solutions. The two principles of efficiency and flexibility are implicitly linked in conservation applications, with the most mathematically efficient solutions being inflexible and the flexible solutions provided by heuristics suffering sub-optimality. In order to avoid the trade-offs between flexibility and efficiency in systematic conservation planning, we propose in this paper a new reserve-selection framework based on mathematical programming optimization combined with a post-selection of SDM outputs. This approach leads to a reserve-selection framework that might provide flexibility while simultaneously addressing efficiency and representativeness of conservation solutions and the adequacy of conservation targets. To exemplify the approach we a nalyzed an experimental design crossing pre- and post-selection of SDM outputs versus heuristics and exact mathematical optimizations. We used the Mediterranean Sea as a biogeographical template for our analyses, integrating the outputs of 8 SDM techniques for 438 fishes species.
Coordination of transcriptional and translational regulations in human epithelial cells infected by Listeria monocytogenes
Authors: Besic Vinko , Habibolahi Fatemeh , Noël Benoît , Rupp Sebastian , Genovesio Auguste , Lebreton Alice
Published: September 2019

The invasion of mammalian cells by intracellular bacterial pathogens reshuffles their gene expression and functions; however, we lack dynamic insight into the distinct control levels that shape the host response. Here, we have addressed the respective contribution of transcriptional and translational regulations during a timecourse of infection of human intestinal epithelial cells by an epidemic strain of Listeria monocytogenes, using transcriptome analysis paralleled with ribosome profiling. Upregulations were dominated by early transcriptional activation of pro-inflammatory genes, whereas translation inhibition appeared as the major driver of downregulations. Instead of a widespread but transient shutoff, translation inhibition affected specifically and durably transcripts encoding components of the translation machinery harbouring a 5’-terminal oligopyrimidine motif. Pre-silencing the most repressed target gene (PABPC1) slowed down the intracellular multiplication of Listeria monocytogenes, suggesting that the infected host cell can benefit from the repression of genes involved in protein synthesis and thereby better control infection.
Crossmodal Pattern Discrimination in Humans and Robots: A Visuo-Tactile Case Study
Authors: Higgen Focko L. , Ruppel Philipp , Görner Michael , Kerzel Matthias , Hendrich Norman , Feldheim Jan , Wermter Stefan , Zhang Jianwei , Gerloff Christian
Published: September 2019

The quality of crossmodal perception hinges on two factors: The accuracy of the independent unimodal perception and the ability to integrate information from different sensory systems. In humans, the ability for cognitively demanding crossmodal perception diminishes from young to old age.

To research to which degree impediments of these two abilities contribute to the age-related decline and to evaluate how this might apply to artificial systems, we replicate a medical study on visuo-tactile crossmodal pattern discrimination utilizing state-of-the-art tactile sensing technology and artificial neural networks. We explore the perception of each modality in isolation as well as the crossmodal integration.

We show that in an artificial system the integration of complex high-level unimodal features outperforms the comparison of independent unimodal classifications at low stimulus intensities where errors frequently occur. In comparison to humans, the artificial system outperforms older participants in the unimodal as well as the crossmodal condition. However, compared to younger participants, the artificial system performs worse at low stimulus intensities. Younger participants seem to employ more efficient crossmodal integration mechanisms than modelled in the proposed artificial neural networks.

Our work creates a bridge between neurological research and embodied artificial neurocognitive systems and demonstrates how collaborative research might help to derive hypotheses from the allied field. Our results indicate that empirically-derived neurocognitive models can inform the design of future neurocomputational architectures. For crossmodal processing, sensory integration on lower hierarchical levels, as suggested for efficient processing in the human brain, seems to improve the performance of artificial neural networks.
Differential equation based minimal model describing metabolic oscillations inBacillus subtilisbiofilms
Authors: Garde Ravindra , Ibrahim Bashar , Kovács Ákos T. , Schuster Stefan
Published: September 2019

Biofilms offer an excellent example of ecological interaction among bacteria. Temporal and spatial oscillations in biofilms are an emerging topic. In this paper we describe the metabolic oscillations inBacillus subtilisbiofilms by applying the smallest theoretical chemical reaction system showing Hopf bifurcation proposed by Wilhelm and Heinrich in 1995. The system involves three differential equations and a single bilinear term. We perform computer simulations and a detailed analysis of the system including bifurcation analysis and quasi-steady-state approximation. We also discuss the feedback structure of the system and the correspondence of the simulations to biological observations. We also specifically select parameters that are more suitable for the biological scenario of biofilm oscillations. Our theoretical work suggests potential scenarios about the oscillatory behaviour of biofilms and also serves as an application of a previously described chemical oscillator to a biological system.
How the dual PDZ domain from Postsynaptic density protein 95 clusters ion channels and receptors
Authors: Rodzli Nazahiyah Ahmad , Lockhart-Cairns Michael , Levy Colin W. , Chipperfield John , Bird Louise , Baldock Clair , Prince Stephen M.
Published: September 2019

PSD-95 is a member of Membrane Associated Guanylate Kinase class of proteins which form scaffolding interactions with partner proteins including ion and receptor channels. PSD-95 is directly implicated in modulating the electrical responses of excitable cells. The first two PSD-95/Disks Large/Zona Occludens domains of PSD-95 have been shown to be the key component in the formation of channel clusters. We report crystal structures of the dual domain in both in apo and ligand-bound form; thermodynamic analysis of ligand association and Small Angle X-ray Scattering of the dual domain in the absence and presence of ligands. These experiments reveal that the ligated double domain forms a scaffold in the complete sense of the word. The concentration of the components in this study is comparable to those found in compartments of excitable cells such as the postsynaptic density and juxta-paranodes of Ranvier. The properties of the dual domain explain the basis of the scaffolding function of PSD-95, and provide a more detailed understanding of the integration of key components of neuronal specializations involved in nervous signal transmission.
Fly-QMA: Automated analysis of mosaic imaginal discs inDrosophila
Authors: Bernasek Sebastian , Peláez Nicolás , Carthew Richard , Bagheri Neda , Amaral Luís
Published: September 2019

Mosaic analysis provides a means to probe developmental processes in situ by generating loss-of-function mutants within otherwise wildtype tissues. Combining these techniques with quantitative microscopy enables researchers to rigorously compare RNA or protein expression across the resultant clones. However, visual inspection of mosaic tissues remains common in the literature because quantification demands considerable labor and computational expertise. Practitioners must segment cell membranes or cell nuclei from a tissue and annotate the clones before their data are suitable for analysis. Here, we introduce Fly-QMA, a computational framework that automates each of these tasks for confocal microscopy images ofDrosophilaimaginal discs. The framework includes an unsupervised annotation algorithm that incorporates spatial context to inform the genetic identity of each cell. We use a combination of real and synthetic validation data to survey the performance of the annotation algorithm across a broad range of conditions. By contributing our framework to the open-source software ecosystem, we aim to contribute to the current move toward automated quantitative analysis among developmental biologists.

Author summary

Biologists use mosaic tissues to compare the behavior of genetically distinct cells within an otherwise equivalent context. The ensuing analysis is often limited to qualitative insight. However, it is becoming clear that quantitative models are needed to unravel the complexities of many biological systems. In this manuscript we introduce Fly-QMA, an open-source software framework that automates the quantification of mosaic analysis for Drosophila imaginal discs, a common setting for studies of developmental processes. The software automatically extracts quantitative measurements from confocal images of mosaic tissues, rectifies any cross-talk between fluorescent reporters, and identifies clonally-related subpopulations of cells. Together, these functions allow users to rigorously ascribe changes in gene expression to the presence or absence of particular genes. We validate the performance of our framework using both real and synthetic data. Through its publication, we aim to contribute to the current move toward automated quantitative analysis among biologists.
Establishment ofWolbachiastrainwAlbB in Malaysian populations ofAedes aegyptifor dengue control
Authors: Nazni W. A. , Hoffmann A. A. , Noor Afizah A. , Cheong Y. L. , Mancini M. V. , Golding N. , Kamarul M. R. G. , Arif A. K. M. , Thohir H. , Nur Syamimi H. S. , Nur Zatil Aqmar M. Z. , Nur Ruqqayah M. M. , Siti Nor Syazwani A. , Faiz A. , Irfan M. N. F. R. , Rubaaini S. , Nuradila N. , Nizam M. M. N. , Mohamad Irwan M. S. , Endersby-Harshman N. M. , White V. L. , Ant T. H. , Herd C. , Hasnor H. A. , Abu Bakar R. , Hapsah M. D. , Khadijah K. , Kamilan D. , Lee S. C. , Paid M. , Fadzilah K. , Gill B. S. , Lee H. L. , Sinkins S. P.
Published: September 2019

Dengue has enormous health impacts globally. A novel approach to decrease dengue incidence involves the introduction ofWolbachiaendosymbionts that block dengue virus transmission into populations of the primary vector mosquito,Aedes aegypti. ThewMelWolbachiastrain has previously been trialed in open releases ofAe. aegypti; however thewAlbB strain has been shown to maintain higher density thanwMel at high larval rearing temperatures. Releases ofAe. aegyptimosquitoes carryingwAlbB were carried out in 6 diverse sites in greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with high endemic dengue transmission. The strain was successfully established and maintained at very high population frequency at some sites, or persisted with additional releases following fluctuations at other sites. Based on passive case monitoring, reduced human dengue incidence was observed in the release sites when compared to control sites. ThewAlbB strain ofWolbachiaprovides a promising option as a tool for dengue control, particularly in very hot climates.
A unique mode of nucleic acid immunity performed by a single multifunctional enzyme
Authors: Bari S. M. Nayeemul , Chou-Zheng Lucy , Howell Olivia , Cater Katie , Dandu Vidya Sree , Thomas Alexander , Aslan Barbaros , Hatoum-Aslan Asma
Published: September 2019

The perpetual arms race between bacteria and their viruses (phages) has given rise to diverse immune systems, including restriction-modification and CRISPR-Cas, which sense and degrade phage-derived nucleic acids. These complex systems rely upon production and maintenance of multiple components to achieve anti-phage defense. However, the prevalence and effectiveness of much simpler, single-component systems that cleave DNA remain unknown. Here, we describe a novel mode of nucleic acid immunity performed by a single enzyme with nuclease and helicase activities, herein referred to as Nhi. This enzyme provides robust protection against diverse staphylococcal phages and prevents phage DNA accumulation in cells stripped of all other known defenses. Our observations support a model in which Nhi acts as both the sensor and effector to degrade phage-specific replication intermediates.

Importantly, Nhi homologs are distributed in diverse bacteria and exhibit functional conservation, highlighting the versatility of such compact weapons as major players in anti-phage defense.
Voluntary motor commands are preferentially released during restricted sensorimotor beta rhythm phases
Authors: Hussain Sara J , Vollmer Mary K , Iturrate Iñaki , Quentin Romain
Published: September 2019

Voluntary movement requires motor commands to be released from motor cortex (M1) and transmitted to spinal motoneurons and effector muscles. M1 activity oscillates between brief excitatory and inhibitory states that correlate with single neuron spiking rates. Here, we asked if the motor commands needed to produce voluntary, self-paced finger movements are preferentially released from M1 during restricted phases of this ongoing sensorimotor oscillatory activity. 21 healthy adults performed a self-paced finger movement task while EEG and EMG signals were recorded. For each finger movement, we identified the individual sensorimotor mu (8-12 Hz) and beta (13-35 Hz) oscillatory phase at the estimated time of motor command release from M1 by subtracting individually-defined MEP latencies from EMG-determined movement onset times. We report that motor commands were preferentially released at ~120° along the beta cycle but were released uniformly across the mu cycle. These results suggest that motor commands are preferentially released from M1 near optimal peak phases of endogenous beta rhythms.
Pancreatic cancer cells assemble a CXCL12-keratin 19 coating to resist immunotherapy
Authors: Wang Zhikai , Yan Ran , Li Jiayun , Gao Ya , Moresco Philip , Yao Min , Hechtman Jaclyn F. , Weiss Matthew J. , Janowitz Tobias , Fearon Douglas T.
Published: September 2019

How pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) cells stimulate CXCR4 to exclude T cells and resist T cell checkpoint inhibitors is not known. Here, we find that CXCL12, the ligand for CXCR4 that is produced by the cancer-associated fibroblast, “coats” human PDA and colorectal cancer cells as covalent heterodimers with keratin 19 (KRT19). Modeling the formation of the heterodimer with three proteins shows that KRT19 binds CXCL12 and transglutaminase-2 (TGM2), and that TGM2 converts the reversible KRT19-CXCL12 complex into a covalent heterodimer. We validate this model by showing that cancer cells in mouse PDA tumors must express KRT19 and TGM2 to become coated with CXCL12, exclude T cells, and resist immunotherapy with anti-PD-1 antibody. Thus, PDA cells have a cell-autonomous means by which they capture CXCL12 to mediate immune suppression, which is potentially amenable to therapy.

One Sentence Summary

Cancer cells in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma use transglutaminase-2 to assemble a coating comprised of covalent CXCL12-keratin 19 heterodimers that excludes T cells and mediates resistance to inhibition of the PD-1 T cell checkpoint.
Effects of social defeat stress and fluoxetine treatment on neurogenesis and behaviour in mice that lack zinc transporter 3 (ZnT3) and vesicular zinc
Authors: McAllister Brendan B. , Pochakom Angela , Fu Selena , Dyck Richard H.
Published: September 2019

Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide, in part because the available treatments are inadequate and do not work for many people. The neurobiology of depression, and the mechanism of action of common antidepressant drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), is not well understood. One mechanism thought to underlie the effects of these drugs is upregulation of adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Evidence indicates that vesicular zinc is required for modulation of adult hippocampal neurogenesis, at least under some circumstances. Vesicular zinc refers to zinc that is stored in the synaptic vesicles of certain neurons, including in the hippocampus, and released in response to neuronal activity. It can be eliminated from the brain by deletion of zinc transporter 3 (ZnT3), as is the case in ZnT3 knockout mice. Here, we examined the effects of repeated social defeat stress and subsequent chronic treatment with the SSRI fluoxetine on behaviour and neurogenesis in ZnT3 knockout mice. We hypothesized that fluoxetine treatment would increase neurogenesis and reverse stress-induced behavioural symptoms in wild type, but not ZnT3 knockout, mice. As anticipated, stress induced persistent depression-like effects, including social avoidance and anxiety-like behaviour. Fluoxetine decreased social avoidance, though the effect was not specific to the stressed mice, but did not affect anxiety-like behaviour. Surprisingly, stress increased the survival of neurons born 1 day after the last episode of defeat stress. Fluoxetine treatment also increased cell survival, particularly in wild type mice, though it did not affect proliferation. Our results did not support our hypothesis that vesicular zinc is required for the behavioural benefits of fluoxetine treatment. As to whether vesicular zinc is required for the neurogenic effects of fluoxetine, our results were inconclusive, warranting further investigation into the role of vesicular zinc in adult hippocampal neurogenesis.
The PPP performance based on the co-creation with customers
Authors: Medimagh Safa , Triki Abdelfattah
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to enlighten the position of the customer as a driver to achieve the public–private partnership’s performance. It demonstrates that the customer exceeds being a target.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is a literature review on the value for money, the performance prism in the PPP context, the service quality, the customer experience as well as the co-creation.

Findings

The PPP success goes through the end-users’ satisfaction regarding their experience quality. The improvement of the customer experience goes through the co-creation, conceding so to the customer, already a target and the mission of a co-creator. In this manner the performance of the PPP project is strengthened, the customer’s satisfaction increases to attain the PPP success. The co-creation through the customer experience succeeds in fulfilling the performance prism and hence constitutes a key success factor of the PPP.

Research limitations/implications

The relationships identified from the literature review which build up our conceptual model need to be empirically tested.

Practical implications

It is important that customers, as key stakeholders, appear in the performance measures of the PPP project. This paper can be used as a theoretical base and conceptual framework explaining their integration in such business.

Originality/value

Although the performance measures in the PPP consider the customer satisfaction a priority, its achievement remains a hard task and not as conspicuous for the PPP managers. The paper attempts through the co-creation based on the customer experience to conciliate between the PPP’s performance and the customers’ empowerment. Furthermore, the paper defines a new form of PPP: the public–private customer partnership.
Modeling the impact of employee engagement and happiness on burnout and turnover intention among blue-collar workers at a manufacturing company
Authors: Santhanam Nivethitha , Srinivas Sharan
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of engagement on job burnout and turnover intention (plan to leave the organization) among blue-collar workers in manufacturing facilities. In addition, this study also explores the role of happiness as a moderator in explaining the effect of engagement on burnout and turnover intention.

Design/methodology/approach

The data required to examine the hypothesis were collected using well-established research instruments from 1,197 blue-collar employees working at three manufacturing facilities that are owned and operated by the same company in India. The hypotheses were examined and the conceptual model was validated using structural equation modeling. The statistical analyses were conducted using two statistical packages, namely, SPSS and SPSS–AMOS.

Findings

The results indicate that a disengaged employee is at higher risk of burnout and is likely to leave the organization in the near future. Furthermore, employee burnout was positively associated with turnover intentions. Happiness was established as a significant moderating factor in the relationship between employee engagement and burnout and turnover intention. Besides, the prevalence of happiness and turnover intention was higher in males.

Practical implications

The results showed the importance of engagement and happiness on reducing burnout and turnover intention. Organizations could capitalize on these findings by implementing new and improving their existing quality management initiatives, which, in turn, could improve the employee’s organizational commitment.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the industry and academia by exploring the perceptions of working-class, blue-collar employees, which has received limited attention till date, despite specific negative job characteristics.
Employees as ambassadors: embracing new role expectations and coping with identity-tensions
Authors: Andersson Rickard
Published: September 2019

Purpose

To provide an employee perspective on ambassadorship in the context of corporate communication, the purpose of this paper is to explore how employees relate to and experience ambassadorship.

Design/methodology/approach

The study has a qualitative approach, and the empirical material consists of semi-structured interviews with, and focus groups of, employees of seven organizations in both the public and private sectors. The paper draws on a contemporary understanding of identity where identity is perceived as an ongoing reflexive process in which employees negotiate and construct of their selves through relating to role expectations and interacting with others. Therefore, ambassadorship is understood as a social-identity, or persona, that is referenced by employees in their identity work.

Findings

The findings indicate that employees embrace this persona as they imagine that external stakeholders, colleagues and managers expect it of them. However, the ambassador persona also gives rise to identity-tensions both during work and off work.

Research limitations/implications

The paper contributes a novel way to understand ambassadorship as well as highlighting some of the more problematic aspects of it and furthering the understanding of the concept.

Practical implications

The findings highlight that ambassadorship can have problematic consequences that needs to be addressed. They suggest that the employee perspective should be taken into consideration in internal communication education and training.

Originality/value

The paper contributes a novel employee perspective on ambassadorship.
Ethical leadership, internal CSR, organisational engagement and organisational workplace deviance
Authors: Mohammed Sayed Mostafa Ahmed , Shen Jie
Published: September 2019

Purpose

Drawing on social information processing theory and organisational identity theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine the social and psychological process through which perceived ethical leadership influences employee deviant behaviours towards the organisation. Specifically, a sequential mediation model is developed in which ethical leadership is related to employee perceptions of internal corporate social responsibility (CSR), which, in turn, are related to organisational deviance through organisational engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

Structural equation modeling was performed to fit the proposed model using multi-source data collected from employees and their supervisors in the Egyptian banking sector.

Findings

The results support the hypotheses, as perceived internal CSR and organisational engagement sequentially mediate the relationship between perceived ethical leadership and organisational deviance.

Practical implications

Organisations should emphasise fostering ethical leadership through adopting strategies such as hiring ethical leaders and offering ethics training to current leaders. Organisations should also invest in internal CSR activities and should pay attention to regularly communicating their involvement in CSR initiatives to employees.

Originality/value

By examining the mediating roles of employee internal CSR perceptions and organisational engagement, this study helps advance our understanding of the social and psychological processes of ethical leadership.
Women-friendly policies disclosure by companies in India
Authors: Singh Shlesha , Pandey Mrinalini
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand the significance that companies give to women-friendly policies and practices. Thus, the disclosures on women-friendly policies made in annual reports by top listed companies in India have been examined. This paper also attempts to investigate the disclosure-level changes over a three-year period: 2014–2016.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper investigates the extent of women-friendly policies disclosure made by top 83 Bombay Stock Exchange listed companies in India in their annual report. The content analysis method is used to examine the annual reports of each organisation over a period of three years to determine the extent of disclosure.

Findings

The result points out that the sexual harassment policy is the most disclosed item, followed by a special committee for handling sexual harassment and maternity leave. Most of the companies have ignored policies such as job sharing, cafeteria benefit plan and differential referral payment programme. It was also found that over a period of three years the women-friendly policies disclosure by companies has increased.

Research limitations/implications

The study focuses on the annual reports published by the companies. A broader study can be done by using other reports issued by companies.

Originality/value

In terms of the knowledge of the researchers, this is the first-ever study in the area of women-friendly policies disclosure in the annual report by listed companies in India. Thus, it also adds to the scarce research on women-friendly policies by companies.
Effects of magnetic field on micro cross jet injection of dispersed nanoparticles in a microchannel
Authors: Bagherzadeh Seyed Amin , Jalali Esmaeil , Sarafraz Mohammad Mohsen , Ali Akbari Omid , Karimipour Arash , Goodarzi Marjan , Bach Quang-Vu
Published: September 2019

Purpose

Water/Al2O3 nanofluid with volume fractions of 0, 0.3 and 0.06 was investigated inside a rectangular microchannel. Jet injection of nanofluid was used to enhance the heat transfer under a homogeneous magnetic field with the strengths of Ha = 0, 20 and 40. Both slip velocity and no-slip boundary conditions were used.

Design/methodology/approach

The laminar flow was studied using Reynolds numbers of 1, 10 and 50. The results showed that in creep motion state, the constricted cross section caused by fluid jet is not observable and the rise of axial velocity level is only because of the presence of additional size of the microchannel. By increasing the strength of the magnetic field and because of the rise of the Lorentz force, the motion of fluid layers on each other becomes limited.

Findings

Because of the limitation of sudden changes of fluid in jet injection areas, the magnetic force compresses the fluid to the bottom wall, and this behavior limits the vertical velocity gradients. In the absence of a magnetic field and under the influence of the velocity boundary layer, the fluid motion has more variations. In creeping velocities of fluid, the presence or absence of the magnetic field does not have an essential effect on Nusselt number enhancement.

Originality/value

In lower velocities of fluid, the effect of the jet is not significant, and the thermal boundary layer affects the entire temperature field. In this case, for Hartmann numbers of 40 and 0, changing the Nusselt number on the heated wall is similar.
A sensitivity study of relaxation parameter in Uzawa algorithm for the steady natural convection model
Authors: Li Xianzhu , Huang Pengzhan
Published: September 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to study the sensitivity of relaxation parameter in Uzawa method for the steady natural convection model.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the continuous sensitivity equation method, associated sensitivity system is formed, which is solved by applying finite element method.

Findings

A decrease in sensitivity values of velocity, pressure and temperature is observed as the relaxation parameter increases.

Originality/value

The sensitivity study of relaxation parameter in Uzawa method is the first for the natural convection model, to the best of the authors’ knowledge. In fact, it is difficult to find an optimal relaxation parameter in the Uzawa method for the nonlinear problems. It is therefore important to understand how small changes in the relaxation parameter could affect the numerical solution of the nonlinear equations.