bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A particle-based computational model to analyse remodelling of the red blood cell cytoskeleton during malaria infections
Authors: Jäger Julia , Patra Pintu , Sanchez Cecilia P. , Lanzer Michael , Schwarz Ulrich S.
Published: October 2021

Red blood cells can withstand the harsh mechanical conditions in the vasculature only because the bending rigidity of their plasma membrane is complemented by the shear elasticity of the underlying spectrin-actin network. During an infection by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite mines host actin from the junctional complexes and establishes a system of adhesive knobs, whose main structural component is the knob-associated histidine rich protein (KAHRP) secreted by the parasite. Here we aim at a mechanistic understanding of this dramatic transformation process. We have developed a particle-based computational model for the cytoskeleton of red blood cells and simulated it with Brownian dynamics to predict the mechanical changes resulting from actin mining and KAHRP-clustering. Our simulations include the three-dimensional conformations of the semi-flexible spectrin chains, the capping of the actin protofilaments and several established binding sites for KAHRP. For the healthy red blood cell, we find that incorporation of actin protofilaments leads to two regimes in the shear response. Actin mining decreases the shear modulus, but knob formation increases it. We show that dynamical changes in KAHRP binding affinities can explain the experimentally observed relocalization of KAHRP from ankyrin to actin complexes and demonstrate good qualitative agreement with experiments by measuring pair cross-correlations both in the computer simulations and in super-resolution imaging experiments.

Author summary

Malaria is one of the deadliest infectious diseases and its symptoms are related to the blood stage, when the parasite multiplies within red blood cells. In order to avoid clearance by the spleen, the parasite produces specific factors like the adhesion receptor PfEMP1 and the multifunctional protein KAHRP that lead to the formation of adhesive knobs on the surface of the red blood cells and thus increase residence time in the vasculature. We have developed a computational model for the parasite-induced remodelling of the actin-spectrin network to quantitatively predict the dynamical changes in the mechanical properties of the infected red blood cells and the spatial distribution of the different protein components of the membrane skeleton. Our simulations show that KAHRP can relocate to actin junctions due to dynamical changes in binding affinities, in good qualitative agreement with super-resolution imaging experiments. In the future, our simulation framework can be used to gain further mechanistic insight into the way malaria parasites attack the red blood cell cytoskeleton.
A unique genomic island-governed cannibalism in Bacillus enhanced biofilm formation through a novel regulation mechanism
Authors: Huang Rong , Li Qing , Wang Dandan , Feng Haichao , Zhang Nan , Shao Jiahui , Shen Qirong , Xu Zhihui , Zhang Ruifu
Published: October 2021

Cannibalism is a differentiation strategy and social multicellular behavior in biofilms. The novel factors and mechanisms to trigger the bacterial cannibalism remain scarce. Here, we report a novel bacillunoic acids-mediated strategy for manipulating cannibalism in Bacillus velezensis SQR9 biofilm formation. A subfraction of cells differentiate into cannibals that secrete toxic bacillunoic acids to lyse a fraction of their sensitive siblings, and the released nutrients enhance biofilm formation. Meanwhile, the self-immunity of cannibal cells was induced by bacillunoic acids. A two-component system, the OmpS-OmpR signal-transduction pathway, controls the expression of the ABC transporter BnaAB for self-immunity. Specifically, bacillunoic acids activate the autophosphorylation of OmpS, a transmembrane histidine kinase, which then transfers a phosphoryl group to its response regulator OmpR. The phosphorylation of OmpR activates the transcription of the transporter gene bnaAB by binding its promoter. Thus, bacillunoic acids are pumped out of cells by the ABC transporter BnaAB. Moreover, we discovered that strain SQR9 could use the bacillunoic acids-mediated cannibalism to optimize its community to produce more bacillunoic acids for bacterial competition. This study revealed that bacillunoic acids play a previously undiscovered dual role in both cannibalism during biofilm formation and interspecies competition, which has an important biological significance.
Models of the cardiac L-type calcium current: a quantitative review
Authors: Agrawal Aditi , Wang Ken , Polonchuk Liudmila , Cooper Jonathan , Hendrix Maurice , Gavaghan David J. , Mirams Gary R. , Clerx Michael
Published: October 2021

The L-type calcium current (ICaL) plays a critical role in cardiac electrophysiology, and models of ICaL are vital tools to predict arrhythmogenicity of drugs and mutations. Five decades of measuring and modelling ICaL have resulted in several competing theories (encoded in mathematical equations). However, the introduction of new models has not typically been accompanied by a data-driven critical comparison with previous work, so that it is unclear which model is best suited for any particular application. In this review, we describe and compare 73 published mammalian ICaL models, and use simulated experiments to show that there is a large variability in their predictions, which is not substantially diminished when grouping by species or other categories. We provide model code for 60 models, list major data sources, and discuss experimental and modelling work that will be required to reduce this huge list of competing theories and ultimately develop a community consensus model of ICaL.
Phenotypic diversity created by a transposable element increases productivity and resistance to competitors in plant populations
Authors: Latzel Vít , Puy Javier , Thieme Michael , Bucher Etienne , Götzenberger Lars , de Bello Francesco
Published: October 2021

An accumulating body of evidence indicates that natural plant populations harbour a large diversity of transposable elements (TEs). TEs provide genetic and epigenetic variation that can substantially translate into changes in plant phenotypes. Despite the wealth of data on the ecological and evolutionary effects of TEs on plant individuals, we have virtually no information on the role of TEs on populations and ecosystem functioning. On the example of Arabidopsis thaliana, we demonstrate that TE-generated variation creates differentiation in ecologically important functional traits. In particular, we show that Arabidopsis populations with increasing diversity of individuals differing in copy numbers of the ONSEN retrotransposon had higher phenotypic and functional diversity. Moreover, increased diversity enhanced population productivity and reduced performance of interspecific competitors. We conclude that TE-generated diversity can have similar effects on ecosystem as usually documented for other biological diversity effects.
URMC-099 Prophylaxis Prevents Hippocampal Vascular Vulnerability and Synaptic Damage in an Orthopedic Model of Delirium Superimposed on Dementia
Authors: Miller-Rhodes Patrick , Li Herman , Velagapudi Ravikanth , Terrando Niccolò , Gelbard Harris A
Published: October 2021

Systemic perturbations can drive a neuroimmune cascade after surgical trauma, including affecting the blood-brain barrier (BBB), activating microglia, and contributing to cognitive deficits such as delirium. Delirium superimposed on dementia (DSD) is a particularly debilitating complication that renders the brain further vulnerable to neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, albeit these molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here we have used an orthopedic model of tibial fracture/fixation in APPSwDI/mNos2-/- AD (CVN-AD) mice to investigate relevant pathogenetic mechanisms underlying DSD. We conducted the present study in 6 months-old CVN-AD mice, an age at which we speculated amyloid-β pathology had not saturated BBB and neuroimmune functioning. We found that URMC-099, our brain-penetrant anti-inflammatory neuroprotective drug, prevented inflammatory endothelial activation, breakdown of the BBB, synapse loss, and microglial activation in our DSD model. Taken together, our data link post-surgical endothelial activation, microglial MafB immunoreactivity, and synapse loss as key substrates for DSD, all of which can be prevented by URMC-099.
Inhibition of LRRK2 kinase activity promotes anterograde axonal transport and presynaptic targeting of α-synuclein
Authors: Brzozowski Charlotte F. , Hijaz Baraa A. , Singh Vijay , Gcwensa Nolwazi Z. , Kelly Kaela , Boyden Edward S. , West Andrew B. , Sarkar Deblina , Volpicelli-Daley Laura A.
Published: October 2021

Pathologic inclusions composed of α-synuclein called Lewy pathology are hallmarks of Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Dominant inherited mutations in leucine rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) are the most common genetic cause of PD. Lewy pathology is found in the majority of individuals with LRRK2-PD, particularly those with the G2019S-LRRK2 mutation. Lewy pathology in LRRK2-PD associates with increased non-motor symptoms such as cognitive deficits, anxiety, and orthostatic hypotension. Thus, understanding the relationship between LRRK2 and α-synuclein could be important for determining the mechanisms of non-motor symptoms. In PD models, expression of mutant LRRK2 reduces membrane localization of α- synuclein, and enhances formation of pathologic α-synuclein, particularly when synaptic activity is increased. α-Synuclein and LRRK2 both localize to the presynaptic terminal. LRRK2 plays a role in membrane traffic, including axonal transport, and therefore may influence α-synuclein synaptic localization. This study shows that LRRK2 kinase activity influences α-synuclein targeting to the presynaptic terminal. We used the selective LRRK2 kinase inhibitors, MLi-2 and PF-06685360 (PF-360) to determine the impact of reduced LRRK2 kinase activity on presynaptic localization of α-synuclein. Expansion microscopy (ExM) in primary hippocampal cultures and the mouse striatum, in vivo, was used to more precisely resolve the presynaptic localization of α-synuclein. Live imaging of axonal transport of α-synuclein-GFP was used to investigate the impact of LRRK2 kinase inhibition on α-synuclein axonal transport towards the presynaptic terminal. Reduced LRRK2 kinase activity increases α-synuclein overlap with presynaptic markers in primary neurons, and increases anterograde axonal transport of α- synuclein-GFP. In vivo, LRRK2 inhibition increases α-synuclein overlap with glutamatergic, cortico-striatal terminals, and dopaminergic nigral-striatal presynaptic terminals. The findings suggest that LRRK2 kinase activity plays a role in axonal transport, and presynaptic targeting of α-synuclein. These data provide potential mechanisms by which LRRK2-mediated perturbations of α-synuclein localization could cause pathology in both LRRK2-PD, and idiopathic PD.
Aminoglycosides induce a bacterial senescent state that increases antibiotic tolerance in treatment-naïve cells
Authors: Meyer Christian T. , Bruni Giancarlo N. , Dodd Ben , Kralj Joel M.
Published: October 2021

1.

Bacterial evolution of antibiotic resistance is facilitated by non-genetic resistance that increases drug tolerance, buying time for evolutionary innovation. Escherichia coli treated with aminoglycosides permanently lose the ability to divide within four hours, yet we discovered a majority of cells maintain membrane integrity and metabolic activity greater than two days post treatment - a bacterial senescent-like state. These cells, which we term zombies, exhibit dynamic gene expression and metabolomic profiles, even after irreversible exit from the cell cycle. Our data reveal zombies upregulate the phage shock protein pathway to maintain membrane integrity. Remarkably, though unable to form new colonies, zombies increase the antibiotic tolerance of treatment-naïve cells, implying chemical communication. Chemical supplementation and genetic knockouts show that zombies communicate with treatment-naïve cells by secreting indole. In summary, our study revealed a bacterial senescent-like state, induced by aminoglycosides, that decreases the antibiotic susceptibility of multiple bacterial species. Thus, E. coli zombies utilize paracrine signaling to promote non-genetic antibiotic tolerance.
Sex differences in behavioral responding and dopamine release during Pavlovian learning
Authors: Lefner Merridee J. , Dejeux Mariana I. , Wanat Matthew J.
Published: October 2021

Learning associations between cues and rewards requires the mesolimbic dopamine system. The dopamine response to cues signals differences in reward value in well-trained animals. However, these value-related dopamine responses are absent during early training sessions when cues signal differences in the reward rate. These findings suggest cue-evoked dopamine release conveys differences between outcomes only after extensive training, though it is unclear if this is unique to when cues signal differences in reward rate, or if this is also evident when cues signal differences in other value-related parameters such as reward size. To address this, we utilized a Pavlovian conditioning task in which one audio cue was associated with a small reward (one pellet) and another audio cue was associated with a large reward (three pellets). We performed fast-scan cyclic voltammetry to record changes in dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens of male and female rats throughout learning. While female rats exhibited higher levels of conditioned responding, a faster latency to respond, and elevated post-reward head entries relative to male rats, there were no sex differences in the dopamine response to cues. Multiple training sessions were required before cue-evoked dopamine release signaled differences in reward size. Reward-evoked dopamine release scaled with reward size, though females displayed lower reward-evoked dopamine responses relative to males. Conditioned responding related to the decrease in the peak reward-evoked dopamine response and not to cue-evoked dopamine release. Collectively these data illustrate sex differences in behavioral responding as well as in reward-evoked dopamine release during Pavlovian learning.
Sweet revenge: AtSWEET12 in plant defense against bacterial pathogens by apoplastic sucrose limitation
Authors: Fatima Urooj , Senthil-Kumar Muthappa
Published: October 2021

Depriving bacterial pathogens of sugars is a potential plant defense strategy. The relevance of SUGARS WILL EVENTUALLY BE EXPORTED TRANSPORTERS (SWEETs) in plant susceptibility to pathogens has been established, but their role in plant defense remains unknown. We identified Arabidopsis thaliana SWEETs (AtSWEETs) involved in defense against nonhost and host Pseudomonas syringae pathogens through reverse genetic screening of atsweet1–17 mutants. Double/triple mutant, complementation, and overexpression line analysis, and apoplastic sucrose estimation studies revealed that AtSWEET12 suppresses pathogen multiplication by limiting sucrose availability in the apoplast. Localization studies suggested that plant defense occurred via increased plasma membrane targeting of AtSWEET12 with concomitant AtSWEET11 protein reduction. Moreover, the heterooligomerization of AtSWEET11 and AtSWEET12 was involved in regulating sucrose transport. Our results highlight a PAMP-mediated defense strategy against foliar bacterial pathogens whereby plants control AtSWEET11-mediated sucrose efflux in the apoplast through AtSWEET12. We uncover a fascinating new mechanism of pathogen starvation as a broad-spectrum disease resistance mechanism in parallel with existing immune pathways.

One sentence summary

The transporter AtSWEET12 restricts bacterial pathogen multiplication by regulating sucrose availability to pathogens in the apoplast.
Predicting compound-protein interaction using hierarchical graph convolutional networks
Authors: Bui-Thi Danh , Rivière Emmanuel , Meysman Pieter , Laukens Kris
Published: October 2021

Motivation

Convolutional neural networks have enabled unprecedented breakthroughs in a variety of computer vision tasks. They have also drawn much attention from other domains, including drug discovery and drug development. In this study, we develop a computational method based on convolutional neural networks to tackle a fundamental question in drug discovery and development, i.e. the prediction of compound-protein interactions based on compound structure and protein sequence. We propose a hierarchical graph convolutional network (HGCN) to encode small molecules. The HGCN aggregates a molecule embedding from substructure embeddings, which are synthesized from atom embeddings. As small molecules usually share substructures, computing a molecule embedding from those common substructures allows us to learn better generic models. We then combined the HGCN with a one-dimensional convolutional network to construct a complete model for predicting compound-protein interactions. Furthermore we apply an explanation technique, Grad-CAM, to visualize the contribution of each amino acid into the prediction.

Results

Experiments using different datasets show the improvement of our model compared to other GCN-based methods and a sequence based method, DeepDTA, in predicting compound-protein interactions. Each prediction made by the model is also explainable and can be used to identify critical residues mediating the interaction.

Availability and implementation

https://github.com/banhdzui/cpi_hgcn.git
Predicting the Activities of Drug Excipients on Biological Targets using One-Shot Learning
Authors: Mi Xuenan , Shukla Diwakar
Published: October 2021

Excipients are a major component of drugs and are used to improve drugs attributes such as stability and appearance. Excipients approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are regarded as safe for human in allowed concentration, but their potential interaction with drug targets have not been investigated systematically, which might influence drug’s efficacy. Deep learning models have been used for identification of ligands that could bind to the drug targets. However, due to the limited available data, it is challenging to reliably estimate the likelihood of a ligand-protein interaction. One-shot learning techniques provide a potential approach to address this low-data problem as these techniques require only one or a few examples to classify the new data. In this study, we apply one-shot learning models on datasets that include ligands binding to G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) and Kinases. The predicted results suggest that one-shot learning models could be used for predicting ligand-protein interaction and the models attain better performance when protein targets contain conserved binding pockets. The trained models are also used to predict interactions between excipients and drug targets, which provides a potential efficient strategy to explore the activities of drug excipients. We find that a large number of drug excipients could interact with biological targets and influence their function. The results demonstrate how one-shot learning models can be used to make accurate prediction for excipient-protein interactions and these methods could be used for selecting excipients with limited drug-protein interactions.
Development of coarse-grained model for a minimal stratum corneum lipid mixture
Authors: Shamaprasad Parashara , Moore Timothy C. , Xia Donna , Iacovella Christopher R. , Bunge Annette L. , McCabe Clare
Published: October 2021

Molecular dynamics simulations of mixtures of the ceramide N-(tetracosanoyl)-sphingosine (NS), cholesterol, and a free fatty acid are performed to gain a molecular-level understanding of the structure of the lipids found in the stratum corneum layer of skin. A new coarse-grained model for cholesterol, developed using the multistate iterative Boltzmann inversion method, is compatible with previously developed coarse-grained forcefields for ceramide NS, free fatty acid, and water, and validated against atomistic simulations of these lipids using the CHARMM force field. Self-assembly simulations of multilayer structures using these coarse-grained force fields are performed, revealing that a large fraction of the ceramides adopt extended conformations, which cannot occur in the bilayer structures typically studied using simulation. Cholesterol fluidizes the membrane by promoting packing defects and it is observed that an increase in cholesterol content reduces the bilayer height, due to an increase in interdigitation of the C24 lipid tails, consistent with experimental observations. Through the use of a simple reverse-mapping procedure, a self-assembled coarse-grained multilayer system is used to construct an equivalent structure with atomistic resolution. Simulations of this atomistic structure are found to closely agree with experimentally derived neutron scattering length density profiles. Significant interlayer hydrogen bonding is observed in the inner layers of the atomistic multilayer structure that are not found in the outer layers in contact with water or in equivalent bilayer structures. These results identify several significant differences in the structure and hydrogen bonding of multilayer structures as compared to the more commonly studied bilayer systems, and, as such, highlight the importance of simulating multilayer structures for more accurate comparisons with experiment. These results also provide validation of the efficacy of the coarse-grained forcefields and the framework for multiscale simulation.
Parkes Weber syndrome with lymphedema caused by a somatic KRAS variant
Authors: Eng Whitney , Sudduth Christopher L. , Konczyk Dennis J. , Smits Patrick J. , Taghinia Amir H. , Fishman Steven J. , Alomari Ahmad , Adams Denise M. , Greene Arin K.
Published: October 2021

Parkes Weber syndrome is a vascular malformation overgrowth condition typically involving the legs. Its main features are diffuse arteriovenous fistulas and enlargement of the limb. The condition has been associated with pathogenic germline variants in RASA1 and EPHB4. We report two individuals with Parkes Weber syndrome of the leg and primary lymphedema containing a somatic KRAS variant (NM_004985.5:c.35G > A; p.Gly12Asp). KRAS variants, which cause somatic intracranial and extracranial arteriovenous malformations, also result in Parkes Weber syndrome with lymphatic malformations.
Perceived competition in agricultural lending: stylized facts and an agenda for future research
Authors: Kuethe Todd , Fiechter Chad , Oppedahl David
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This study examines agricultural lending by commercial banks and the competition they face from the Farm Credit System (FCS) and non-traditional lenders, including merchants, dealers and other input suppliers.

Design/methodology/approach

We construct a measure of commercial banks' perceived competition with FCS or non-traditional lenders using the individual responses to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's Land Values and Credit Conditions Survey between 1999 and 2019. Through regression analysis of an unbalanced panel of survey responses, we present a number of stylized facts on the relationship between perceived competition and farm loan rate spreads, collateral requirements, loan delinquencies and expected lending volumes.

Findings

Our analysis shows that the two sources of competition have very different effects on commercial bank lending terms, loan portfolio riskiness and expected loan volumes. With these results in mind, we offer a number of suggestions for future research.

Originality/value

We leverage the unique characteristics of the Land Values and Credit Conditions Survey to examine the competition with non-traditional lenders that cannot be observed using administrative data.
The effects of perceived luxury value on customer engagement and purchase intention in live streaming shopping
Authors: Yu Fan , Zheng Ran
Published: October 2021

Purpose

Nowadays, more and more Chinese consumers purchase luxury goods on live streaming platforms. However, the existing literature rarely focuses on this emerging phenomenon. This article attempts to construct a theoretical model based on the perceived value theory to explain this phenomenon.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 354 online questionnaires are collected, and the partial least square structural equation model is used to analyze the model empirically.

Findings

The results show that consumers' perceived luxury values (financial value, functional value, individual value and social value) have a significant and positive effect on customer engagement, which further leads to purchase intention.

Originality/value

In view of fact that there is a big difference between luxury goods and nonluxury goods, yet the existing literature rarely distinguishes between luxury goods and nonluxury goods in the context of live streaming shopping, this article attempts to use perceived value theory to examine consumers' luxury purchase intentions in live streaming shopping and explores whether customer engagement is a mediating mechanism of perceived luxury values that influences purchase intention in live streaming.
The shape of creaminess: consumers expected and perceived rounded chocolates as creamier than squared
Authors: Yudi Furukita Baptista Iuri , Carvalho Fabiana , Efraim Priscilla , de Souza Silveira Paulo Túlio , Behrens Jorge
Published: October 2021

Purpose

Research on cross-modal sensory interactions has shown that visual aspects of food can influence consumer's expectation and perception of taste, mouthfeel and liking. This paper aims to investigate the effects of a rounded (“bouba”) and a squared (“kiki”) shape on expected and perceived sweetness, bitterness, creaminess and liking of chocolates.

Design/methodology/approach

Brazilian consumers (N = 230) divided into two groups of 115 individuals each evaluated five chocolates containing 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70% of cocoa. One of the groups evaluated all formulations in the rounded shape and the other in the squared shape. Results were analysed with mixed multivariate analysis of variance (mixed-MANOVA) between shapes, repeated-measures MANOVA between pre- and post-tasting and Pearson's correlation analysis was performed between liking ratings and sweetness, bitterness and creaminess confirmation/disconfirmation.

Findings

The study found significant effects (p < 0.05) of shape on expected and perceived creaminess but not on other attributes; of cocoa percentage (30, 40, 50, 60 and 70%) on all four attributes; and time (pre- and post-tasting) on sweetness, bitterness and liking but not creaminess. Finally, it found significant negative correlations between the creaminess difference indices and the liking ratings for the 30, 50 and 60% chocolates.

Originality/value

This study reports that consumers may expect and perceive chocolates as creamier in a rounded shape than in an angular shape and that if the expectation of creaminess is not confirmed by sensory perception, acceptability may be negatively affected.
Impact of I4.0 technologies and their interoperability on performance: future pathways for supply chain resilience post-COVID-19
Authors: Frederico Guilherme F. , Kumar Vikas , Garza-Reyes Jose Arturo , Kumar Anil , Agrawal Rohit
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the impact of I4.0 technologies and their interoperability on supply chains (SCs) performance and how the integration of such technologies and their interoperability can create pathways for SCs resilience post-COVID-19. This is of paramount importance in the context of COVID-19 as the investigation around I4.0 technologies may provide relevant insights on how SCs may better respond to unexpected situations like the current pandemic with the use of digital technologies.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey research method was designed based on some constructs extracted from the literature regarding the main disruptive technologies, interoperability, elements of supply chains processes (SCPs) performance such as integration, collaboration, transparency, efficiency, responsiveness and profitability. The data were collected from March to July 2020 from different regions of the world when the peak of the first wave of the pandemic had occurred. The survey resulted in 115 valid responses. The study used a combination of descriptive, correlation and multiple regression methods to analyse the data.

Findings

The study indicates that disruptive technologies significantly impact SCPs performance (integration, collaboration, responsiveness and transparency) and their resilience. The findings did not support the notion that these technologies improve the efficiency of SCs, a significant contrast to the existing literature. Our findings also refute the existing understanding that interoperability moderates the impact of disruptive technologies on SCPs performance and enhancing the resilience of SCs. However, the findings show that the integration of I4.0 technologies and their interoperability has a positive impact on SCPs profitability.

Research limitations/implications

The findings strongly advocate that this integration plays an important role in improving SC performance, and a future pathway of SC resiliency post-COVID-19. Considering that the I4.0 trend will impact SCs in the coming years, this study brings a relevant contribution to researchers and practitioners.

Originality/value

This study makes a unique contribution by investigating a novel causal relationship between the main elements (I4.0 technologies, interoperability, processes performance and strategic outcomes) related to the SC in this new context.
Experimental research on improving the wear resistance and anti-friction properties of drill pipe joints
Authors: Huang Zhiqiang , Yin Zhongquan , Wu Wei
Published: October 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to solve the oil drill pipe joints and casing excessive wear problems and to improve the drill pipe joint-casing wear resistance and anti-friction properties.

Design/methodology/approach

On the surface of the drill pipe joints using oxyacetylene flame bead weld (BW) wear-resistant welding wire ARNCO-100XTTM prepares welding layer, high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) Cr3C275-NiCr25 prepares coating and subsonic flame spray and remelt (SFSR) Ni60 prepares coating, then comparing and analyzing the friction and wear of the three types of wear-resistant layers and the casing under the condition of 1.8 g/cm3 mud drilling fluid lubrication. The wear resistance and anti-friction performance of the drill pipe joints were evaluated based on the wear situation, finally revealing its friction and wear mechanisms.

Findings

Three types of wear-resistant layers can improve the surface wear resistance of drill pipe joints, the wear-resistant layer and the substrate are well combined and the welding layers and coating are both dense and uniform. The wear resistance of the HVOF-Cr3C275-NiCr25 coating is 10.9 times that of the BW-ARNCO-100XTTM weld layer, and the wear resistance of the SFSR-Ni60 weld layer is 2.45 times that of the BW-ARNCO-100XTTM weld layer. The anti-friction properties of SFSR-Ni60 welding layer is the best, followed by HVOF-Cr3C275-NiCr25 coating, and the anti-friction properties of BW-ARNCO-100XTTM welding layer is the worst among the three.

Originality/value

The research results of this paper have great practical value in the process and material of improving the wear resistance and anti-friction performance of the drill pipe joint casing.
Considering the corporeal to facilitate research to practice transitions
Authors: Goltz Sonia , Sotirin Patty
Published: October 2021

Purpose

The authors suggest that the research-to-practice gap, such as that found in evidence-based management, is due in part to a lack of attention to embodied knowledge. The recommendation is for change agents to bring attention to embodied knowing when implementing change based on research. The purpose of the paper is to address the research-to-practice gap.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual paper that considers limitations of the predominant approach to considering the research-to-practice gap. The literature on phenomenology, feminist theory, and learning theory form the basis for exploring these challenges as well as possible solutions for transcending the research-to-practice gap.

Findings

Strategic opportunities for introducing increased corporeal understanding are advanced. The suggestions address the research-to-practice gap at three critical stages of research-based change initiatives. These include making embodied knowledge integral to change initiatives in framing research, reducing resistance, and increasing acceptance. Among the specific strategies discussed are attending to tacit knowledge when considering the change, embracing the embrained body including attending to kinesthetic resistance and starting with the body to increase acceptance when implementing change.

Originality/value

There has been very little previous attention to the corporeal in management research and practice, including in the organizational change literature. This paper not only increases this discussion significantly but also provides suggestions for how to move forward in practice.
Medical management of GDM: following the evidence on ‘Changing patterns in medication prescription for gestational diabetes during a time of guideline change in the USA: a cross‐sectional study’
Authors: Caughey AB
Published: October 2021

Linked article: This is a mini commentary on K Venkatesh et al., pp. 473–483 in this issue. To view this article visit https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.16960
Far‐right protest mobilisation in Europe: Grievances, opportunities and resources
Authors: CASTELLI GATTINARA PIETRO , FROIO CATERINA , PIRRO ANDREA L. P.
Published: October 2021

What explains far‐right mobilisation in the protest arena? After decades of growing electoral support and policy influence, the far right is experiencing an increase in grassroots mobilisation. Scholars of social movements and political parties have devoted little attention to the determinants of far‐right protest mobilisation in Europe. In this article, we bridge previous research on the far right and social movements to advance hypotheses on the drivers of far‐right protest mobilisation based on grievances, opportunities and resource mobilisation models. We use an original dataset combining novel data on 4,845 far‐right protest events in 11 East and West European countries (2008–2018), with existing measures accounting for the (political, economic and cultural) context of mobilisation. We find that classical approaches to collective action can be fruitfully applied to the study of the far right. Cultural grievances, notably concerns about immigration, as well as the availability of institutional access points in contexts characterised by divided government increase far‐right protest mobilisation. But far‐right protest mobilisation also rests on the organisational resources available to nativist collective actors, that is, the network in which they are embedded, their visibility in the media and elected officials. These findings have important implications to understand far‐right success in advanced democracies. They show that far‐right mobilisation in the protest arena not only rests on favourable circumstances, but also on whether far‐right actors can profit from them. More broadly, the study links party politics and social movement research to grasp the far right's modes of political contestation, locating research on this phenomenon at the intersection of political sociology and comparative politics.
‘It's so fake’: Identity performances and cynicism within a people analytics team
Authors: Jörden Nina M. , Sage Daniel , Trusson Clive
Published: October 2021

This article reports on a participant ethnography of a people analytics (PA) team operating within the human resources (HR) function of a European multinational corporation at the cutting edge of PA development. Despite their analytical expertise, this team experienced significant dissonance between their desired image of PA work and the actualities of PA practice. Our analysis explains this dissonance through two prevalent identity performance scripts: ‘customerization’ and ‘action‐orientation’. Taken together these scripts were identified as having a restrictive impact on the production of more scientifically rigorous PA work. Further, both of these scripts were found to be imbued with cynicism, whereby PA practitioners distance themselves from the commercial presentation of their work outputs. The article reveals how management preferencing of presentational and commercial considerations over those of scientific rigour may result in a failure to generate the level of organisational benefits promoted by the optimistic accounts in current literature, with negative implications for the reputational profile of PA.
Advanced Maternal Age‐associated SIRT1 Deficiency Compromises Trophoblast Epithelial−Mesenchymal Transition through an Increase in Vimentin Acetylation
Authors: Xiong Liling , Ye Xuan , Chen Zhi , Fu Huijia , Li Sisi , Xu Ping , Yu Jiaxiao , Wen Li , Gao Rufei , Fu Yong , Qi Hongbo , Kilby Mark D. , Saffery Richard , Baker Philip N. , Tong Chao
Published: October 2021

Advanced maternal age (AMA) pregnancies are rapidly increasing and are associated with aberrant trophoblast cell function, poor placentation, and unfavorable pregnancy outcomes, presumably due to premature placental senescence. SIRT1 is an NAD+‐dependent deacetylase with well‐known antiaging effects, but its connection with placental senescence is unreported. In this study, human term placentas and first‐trimester villi were collected from AMA and normal pregnancies, and a mouse AMA model was established by cross breeding young and aged male and female C57 mice. SIRT1 expression and activity in HTR8/SVneo cells were genetically or pharmacologically manipulated. Trophoblast‐specific Sirt1‐knockout (KO) mouse placentas were generated by mating Elf5‐Cre and Sirt1fl/fl mice. Trophoblast cell mobility was assessed with transwell invasion and wound‐healing assays. SIRT1‐binding proteins in HTR8/SVneo cells and human placental tissue were identified by mass spectrometry. We identified SIRT1 as the only differentially expressed sirtuin between AMA and normal placentas. It is downregulated in AMA placentas early in the placental life cycle and is barely impacted by paternal age. SIRT1 loss upregulates P53 acetylation and P21 expression and impairs trophoblast invasion and migration. Sirt1‐KO mouse placentas exhibit senescence markers and morphological disruption, along with decreased fetal weight. In trophoblasts, SIRT1 interacts with vimentin, regulating its acetylation. In conclusion, SIRT1 promotes trophoblast epithelial−mesenchymal transition (EMT) to enhance invasiveness by modulating vimentin acetylation. AMA placentas are associated with premature senescence during placentation due to SIRT1 loss. Therefore, SIRT1 may be an antiaging therapeutic target for improving placental development and perinatal outcomes in AMA pregnancies.
Fenjiashu: Economic development in the Chinese countryside based on household division inventories, ca. 1750–1910
Authors: Wang Meimei , van Leeuwen Bas
Published: October 2021

Despite the existence of a rich literature on Chinese partial household division, there is still limited evidence of its effect on land and capital accumulation and well‐being. In this study, contrary to the dominant view, we find that household property size peaked around 1800s–1830s, suggesting that equal‐share system did not necessarily lead to land fragmentation. We find evidence that this rise in farm sizes is related to the opposing forces of increased well‐being and increased inequality.
High Expectations, Cautionary Tales, and Familial Obligations: The Multiple Effects of Family on the Educational Aspirations of First‐generation Immigrant and Refugee Youth
Authors: Leo Aaron
Published: October 2021

This ethnographic study explores the complex influence of family members on the educational aspirations of a group of diverse immigrants and refugees in New York State. Although families fostered high educational aspirations in participants, experiences of economic precarity, high‐stakes exams, and downward mobility constrained youths' capacity to realize their goals. Despite these challenges, participants demonstrated a high level of determination and commitment to families as they sought to balance familial duties with educational success.
Tremendous strides in the rescue of post‐cardiac arrest patients challenge prior notions of futility
Authors: Han Jason J.
Published: October 2021

The treatment paradigm for patients who experience sudden, devastating cardiac arrest continues to evolve toward more precise and personalized care with findings from ongoing clinical trials.
Myopia progression and stabilization in school‐aged children with single‐vision lenses
Authors: Qin Zhuoer , Peng Tingting , Zhang Zicheng , Lou Jiangtao , Wang Chunxiao , Deng Ruzhi , Xu Meiping , Yu Xinping , Chen Wuhe
Published: October 2021

Purpose

To investigate the longitudinal changes in myopia from onset to stabilization in school‐aged children with single‐vison lenses (SVLs).

Methods

The medical records of patients wearing SVLs with long‐term follow‐up data between 2006 and 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients who were 6–10 years old at the initial visit and 16 years old at the last assessment were included and analysed. The periods of progression and stabilization of myopia were evaluated by plotting fitted curves of the changes in spherical equivalent (SE).

Results

Seven hundred and seventy‐three patients (median initial age 9 years) were accessed over an average of 7 years (IQR, 6–7 years). The initial mean SE was −1.92 ± 1.57 D and increased to −6.05 ± 2.14 D at 16 years old. The average age at myopia stabilization was 14.6 years, and girls slightly stabilized earlier than boys. 73.7% of the 6‐year‐olds and 85.7% of the 7‐year‐olds had high myopia at 16 years old, and the risk decreased each year from 7 to 10 years old. Children who had SE greater than −4 D up to 10 years had 89.0% risk of high myopia at 16 years old. Children with SE between −0.5 D and −2 D still had 34% risk of developing high myopia at 16 years old.

Conclusion

This study provides a comprehensive picture of myopia progression from onset to stabilization in school‐aged children with SVLs in China. All children who have myopia onset below 10 years of age were at risk for high myopia, and children who have myopia onset below 8 years of age require more attention.
Randomised controlled trial showed long‐term efficacy, immunogenicity and safety of varicella vaccines in Norwegian and Swedish children
Authors: Casabona Giacomo , Habib Md Ahsan , Povey Michael , Riise Bergsaker Marianne A. , Flodmark Carl‐Erik , Espnes Ketil Arne , Tøndel Camilla , Silfverdal Sven‐Arne
Published: October 2021

Aim

Several countries, such as Norway and Sweden, have not implemented universal varicella vaccination. We present data for Norway and Sweden that were generated by a paediatric multi‐country Phase III study over a 10‐year period. This assessed the efficacy, antibody persistence and safety of two varicella vaccines containing the same Oka strain.

Methods

This was an observer‐blind, controlled trial conducted in 10 European countries. Children aged 12–22 months (n = 5803) were randomised 3:3:1 and vaccinated between 1 September 2005 and 10 May 2006. The two‐dose group received two tetravalent measles‐mumps‐rubella‐varicella vaccine doses. The one‐dose group received one monovalent varicella vaccine dose after a measles‐mumps‐rubella vaccine dose. Control group participants received two measles‐mumps‐rubella vaccine doses. Main study outcomes were vaccine efficacy against confirmed varicella cases and incidence of adverse events.

Results

Vaccine efficacy in the two‐dose group was ≥92.1% in both Norwegian and Swedish children compared to 72.3% in Norway and 58.0% in Sweden in the one‐dose group. Incidences of adverse events and serious adverse events were similar in the Norwegian and Swedish study populations.

Conclusion

Consistent with overall study results, high efficacy against varicella and acceptable safety profiles of the two varicella vaccines were observed in Norwegian and Swedish populations. These findings highlight the benefits of varicella vaccines, particularly when administered as a two‐dose schedule.
Working from home during the COVID‐19 crisis: How self‐control strategies elucidate employees' job performance
Authors: Troll Eve Sarah , Venz Laura , Weitzenegger Fritzi , Loschelder David D.
Published: October 2021

Employees around the globe experience manifold challenges to maintain job performance during the so‐called work‐from‐home experiment caused by the COVID‐19 crisis. Whereas the self‐control literature suggests that higher trait self‐control should enable employees to deal with these demands more effectively, we know little about the underlying mechanisms. In a mixed‐methods approach and two waves of data collection, we examine how self‐control strategies elucidate the link between teleworking employees' trait self‐control and their job performance. Using a qualitative approach, we explored which strategies employees use to telework effectively (N = 266). In line with the process model of self‐control, reported strategies pertained to situation modification (i.e., altering the physical, somatic, or social conditions) and cognitive change (i.e., goal setting, planning/scheduling, and autonomous motivation). Subsequent preregistered, quantitative analyses with a diverse sample of 106 teleworkers corroborated that higher trait self‐control is related to job performance beyond situational demands and prior performance. Among all self‐control strategies, modifying somatic conditions and autonomous motivation was significantly associated with job performance and mediated the self‐control‐performance link. This research provides novel insights into the processes by which employees productively work from home and inspires a broad(er) view on the topic of self‐control at work.
In vitro and in vivo anti‐epileptic efficacy of eslicarbazepine acetate in a mouse model of KCNQ2‐related self‐limited epilepsy
Authors: Monni Laura , Kraus Larissa , Dipper‐Wawra Matthias , Soares‐da‐Silva Patricio , Maier Nikolaus , Schmitz Dietmar , Holtkamp Martin , Fidzinski Pawel
Published: October 2021

Background and Purpose

The KCNQ2 gene encodes for the Kv7.2 subunit of non‐inactivating potassium channels. KCNQ2‐related diseases range from autosomal dominant neonatal self‐limited epilepsy, often caused by KCNQ2 haploinsufficiency, to severe encephalopathies caused by KCNQ2 missense variants. In vivo and in vitro effects of the sodium channel blocker eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) and eslicarbazepine metabolite (S‐Lic) in a mouse model of self‐limited neonatal epilepsy as a first attempt to assess the utility of ESL in the KCNQ2 disease spectrum was investigated.

Experimental Approach

Effects of S‐Lic on in vitro physiological and pathological hippocampal neuronal activity in slices from mice carrying a heterozygous deletion of Kcnq2 (Kcnq2+/−) and Kcnq2+/+ mice were investigated. ESL in vivo efficacy was investigated in the 6‐Hz psychomotor seizure model in both Kcnq2+/− and Kcnq2+/+ mice.

Key Results

S‐Lic increased the amplitude and decreased the incidence of physiological sharp wave–ripples in a concentration‐dependent manner and slightly decreased gamma oscillations frequency. 4‐Aminopyridine‐evoked seizure‐like events were blocked at high S‐Lic concentrations and substantially reduced in incidence at lower concentrations. These results were not different in Kcnq2+/+ and Kcnq2+/− mice, although the EC50 estimation implicated higher efficacy in Kcnq2+/−animals. In vivo, Kcnq2+/− mice had a lower seizure threshold than Kcnq2+/+ mice. In both genotypes, ESL dose‐dependently displayed protection against seizures.

Conclusions and Implications

S‐Lic slightly modulates hippocampal oscillations and blocks epileptic activity in vitro and in vivo. Our results suggest that the increased excitability in Kcnq2+/− mice is effectively targeted by S‐Lic high concentrations, presumably by blocking diverse sodium channel subtypes.