bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A pentameric protein ring with novel architecture is required for herpesviral packaging
Authors: Didychuk Allison L. , Gates Stephanie N. , Gardner Matthew R. , Strong Lisa M. , Martin Andreas , Glaunsinger Britt A.
Published: July 2020

Genome packaging in large double-stranded DNA viruses requires a powerful molecular motor to force the viral genome into nascent capsids. This process appears mechanistically similar in two evolutionarily distant viruses, the herpesviruses and the tailed bacteriophages, which infect different kingdoms of life. While the motor and mechanism as a whole are thought to be conserved, accessory factors that influence packaging are divergent and poorly understood, despite their essential roles. An accessory factor required for herpesviral packaging is encoded by ORF68 in the oncogenic virus Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), whose homolog in Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) is BFLF1. Here, we present structures of both KSHV ORF68 and EBV BFLF1, revealing that these proteins form a highly similar homopentameric ring. The central channel of this ring is positively charged, and we demonstrate that this region of KSHV ORF68 binds double-stranded DNA. Mutation of individual positively charged residues within but not outside the channel ablates DNA binding, and in the context of KSHV infection these mutants fail to package the viral genome or produce progeny virions. Thus, we propose a model in which ORF68 facilitates the transfer of newly replicated viral genomes to the packaging motor.
ShcA promotes chondrocyte hypertrophic commitment and osteoarthritis in mice through RunX2 nuclear translocation and YAP1 inactivation
Authors: Abou-Jaoude A. , Courtes M. , Badique L. , Elhaj Mahmoud D. , Abboud C. , Mlih M. , Justiniano H. , Lemle A. , Awan S. , Terrand J. , Niemeier A. , Barbero A. , Houard X. , Boucher P. , Matz RL
Published: July 2020

Chondrocyte hypertrophic differentiation, a key process in endochondral ossification (EO), is also a feature of osteoarthritis leading to articular cartilage destruction. ShcA (Src homology and Collagen A) is an adaptor protein that binds to the cytoplasmic tail of receptor tyrosine kinases. We found that deletion of ShcA in chondrocytes of mice inhibits hypertrophic differentiation, alters the EO process, and leads to dwarfism. ShcA promotes ERK1/2 activation, nuclear translocation of the master transcription factor for chondrocyte hypertrophy, RunX2, while maintaining the Runx2 inhibitor YAP1 in its cytosolic inactive form. This leads to hypertrophic commitment and expression of markers of hypertrophy, such as Collagen X. In addition, ShcA deletion in chondrocytes protects from age-related osteoarthritis development in mice. Our results reveal that ShcA integrates multiple stimuli which affect the intracellular signaling processes leading to the hypertrophic commitment of chondrocytes and osteoarthritis.
Psychosocial experiences modulate asthma-associated genes through gene-environment interactions
Authors: Resztak Justyna A. , Farrell Allison K. , Mair-Meijers Henriette E. , Alazizi Adnan , Wen Xiaoquan , Wildman Derek E. , Zilioli Samuele , Slatcher Richard B. , Pique-Regi Roger , Luca Francesca
Published: July 2020

Social interactions and the overall psychosocial environment have a demonstrated impact on health, particularly for people living in disadvantaged urban areas. Here we investigated the effect of psychosocial experiences on gene expression in peripheral blood immune cells of children with asthma in Metro Detroit. Using RNA-sequencing and a new machine learning approach, we identified transcriptional signatures of 20 variables including psychosocial factors, blood cell composition and asthma symptoms. Importantly, we found 174 genes associated with asthma that are regulated by psychosocial factors, and 349 significant gene-environment interactions for gene expression levels. These results demonstrate that immune gene expression mediates the link between negative psychosocial experiences and asthma risk.
Drone phenotyping and machine learning enable discovery of loci regulating daily floral opening in lettuce
Authors: Han Rongkui , Wong Andy J.Y. , Tang Zhehan , Truco Maria J. , Lavelle Dean O. , Kozik Alexander , Jin Yufang , Michelmore Richard W.
Published: July 2020

Flower opening and closure are traits of reproductive importance in all angiosperms because they determine the success of self- and cross-pollination. The temporal nature of this phenotype rendered it a difficult target for genetic studies. Cultivated and wild lettuce,Lactuca spp., have composite inflorescences comprised of multiple florets that open only once. Different accessions were observed to flower at different times of day. An F6recombinant inbred line population (RIL) had been derived from accessions ofL. serriolaxL. sativathat originated from different environments and differed markedly for daily floral opening time. This population was used to map the genetic determinants of this trait; the floral opening time of 236 RILs was scored over a seven-hour period using time-course image series obtained by drone-based remote phenotyping on two occasions, one week apart. Floral pixels were identified from the images using a support vector machine (SVM) machine learning algorithm with an accuracy above 99%. A Bayesian inference method was developed to extract the peak floral opening time for individual genotypes from the time-stamped image data. Two independent QTLs,qDFO2.1(Daily Floral Opening2.1) andqDFO8.1, were discovered. Together, they explained more than 30% of the phenotypic variation in floral opening time. Candidate genes with non-synonymous polymorphisms in coding sequences were identified within the QTLs. This study demonstrates the power of combining remote imaging, machine learning, Bayesian statistics, and genome-wide marker data for studying the genetics of recalcitrant phenotypes such as floral opening time.

One sentence summary

Machine learning and Bayesian analyses of drone-mediated remote phenotyping data revealed two genetic loci regulating differential daily flowering time in lettuce (Lactuca spp.).
An automated, high throughput methodology optimized for quantitative cell-free mitochondrial and nuclear DNA isolation from plasma
Authors: Ware Sarah A. , Desai Nikita , Lopez Mabel , Leach Daniel , Zhang Yingze , Giordano Luca , Nouraie S. Mehdi , Picard Martin , Kaufman Brett A.
Published: July 2020

Circulating, cell-free mitochondrial DNA (ccf-mtDNA) and nuclear DNA (ccf-nDNA) are under investigation as biomarkers for various diseases. Optimal ccf-mtDNA isolation parameters, like those outlined for ccf-nDNA, have not been established. Here, we optimized a protocol for both ccf-mtDNA and ccf-nDNA recovery using a magnetic bead-based isolation process on an automated 96-well platform. Using the optimized protocol, our data show 6-fold improved yields of ccf-mtDNA when compared to the starting protocol. Digestion conditions, liquid handling characteristics, and magnetic particle processor programming all contributed to increased recovery and improved reproducibility. To our knowledge, this is the first high-throughput approach optimized for mtDNA and nDNA recovery and serves as an important starting point for clinical studies.

Graphical Abstract
DNA break formation induces Scc2/cohesin-dependent recruitment of condensin to meiotic chromosomes
Authors: Markowitz Tovah E. , Heldrich Jonna , Hochwagen Andreas
Published: July 2020

Meiotic chromosome pairing, recombination, and fertility depends on the conserved loop-axis architecture of meiotic chromosomes. This architecture is modulated by condensin, a structural maintenance of chromosome (SMC) complex that catalyzes chromatin loop formation. Here, we investigated how condensin is recruited to meiotic chromosomes inSaccharomyces cerevisiae. We show that double-strand-break (DSB) formation, the initiating event of meiotic recombination, causes condensin redistribution from the nucleolus to DSB hotspots, pericentromeric regions, and axis attachment sites. Hotspot association of condensin correlates weakly with break probability but does not depend on local DSB formation, whereas association with axis sites and pericentromeric regions depends on the Scc2-associated pool of cohesin, another SMC complex. Intriguingly, Scc2 distribution also changes in response to DSB formation. As condensin and Scc2-cohesin both catalyze chromatin loop extrusion, their redistribution upon DSB formation implies a profound change in chromatin loop dynamics that may help promote proper chromosome pairing and DNA repair.
Hierarchical motor adaptations negotiate failures during force field learning
Authors: Ikegami Tsuyoshi , Ganesh Gowrishankar , Gibo Tricia L. , Yoshioka Toshinori , Osu Rieko , Kawato Mitsuo
Published: July 2020

Humans have the amazing ability to learn the dynamics of the body and environment to develop motor skills. Traditional motor studies using arm reaching paradigms have viewed this ability as the process of ‘internal model adaptation’. However, the behaviors have not been fully explored in the case when reaches fail to attain the intended target. Here we examined human reaching under two force fields types; one that induces failures (i.e., target errors), and the other that does not. Our results show the presence of a distinct failure-driven adaptation process that enables quick task success after failures, and before completion of internal model adaptation, but that can result in persistent changes to the undisturbed trajectory. These behaviors can be explained by considering a hierarchical interaction between internal model adaptation and the failure-driven adaptation of reach direction. Our findings suggest that movement failure is negotiated using hierarchical motor adaptations by humans.
Upper body and ankle strategies compensate for reduced lateral stability at very slow walking speeds
Authors: Best Aaron N. , Wu Amy R.
Published: July 2020

Abstract

At the typical walking speeds of healthy humans, step placement seems to be the primary strategy to maintain gait stability, with ankle torques and upper body momentum providing additional compensation. The average walking speeds of populations with an increased risk of falling, however, are much slower and may require differing control strategies. The purpose of this study was to analyze mediolateral gait stability and the contributions of the different control strategies at very slow walking speeds. We analyzed an open dataset including kinematics and kinetics from eight healthy subjects walking at speeds from 0.1 to 0.6 m/s as well as a self-selected speed. As gait speed slowed, we found that the margin of stability decreased linearly. Increased lateral excursions of the extrapolated centre of mass, caused by increased lateral excursions of the trunk, were not compensated for by an equivalent increase in the lateral centre of pressure, leading to decreased margin of stability. Additionally, both the ankle eversion torque and hip abduction torque at the minimum margin of stability event increased at the same rate as gait speed slowed. These results suggest that the contributions of both the ankle and the upper body to stability are more crucial than stepping at slow speeds, which have important implications for populations with slow gait and limited motor function.
Structures of an intact yeast V-ATPase alone and in complex with bacterial effector VopQ
Authors: Peng Wei , Fernandez Jessie , Casey Amanda K. , Kinch Lisa N. , Tomchick Diana R. , Orth Kim
Published: July 2020

Vacuolar-type ATPase (V-ATPase) is a rotary protein pump involved in proton translocation across various cellular membranes using the energy of ATP hydrolysis. Despite previous studies on bacterial and eukaryotic V-ATPases, information on the intact structure of a eukaryotic V-ATPase is missing. Here we report cryo-EM structures of the intact yeast V-ATPase and this complex bound to a bacterial effector. We reveal the interaction of the elusive regulatory subunit H with its neighboring subunits. Insight for the catalysis mechanism is gained by determining conformations of the catalytic subunits either empty or bound with nucleotides.
Dopamine axons to dorsal striatum encode contralateral stimuli and actions
Authors: Moss Morgane M , Zatka-Haas Peter , Harris Kenneth D , Carandini Matteo , Lak Armin
Published: July 2020

Midbrain dopamine neurons play key roles in decision-making by regulating reward valuation and actions. These roles are thought to depend on dopamine neurons innervating striatum. In addition to actions and rewards, however, efficient decisions often involve consideration of uncertain sensory signals. The functions of striatal dopamine during sensory decisions remains unknown. We trained mice in a task that probed decisions based on sensory evidence and reward value, and recorded the activity of striatal dopamine axons. Dopamine axons in ventral striatum (VS) responded to bilateral stimuli and trial outcomes, encoding prediction errors that scaled with decision confidence and reward value. By contrast, dopamine axons in dorsal striatum (DS) responded to contralateral stimuli and contralateral actions. Thus, during sensory decisions, striatal dopamine signals are anatomically organized. VS dopamine resembles prediction errors suitable for reward maximization under sensory uncertainty whereas DS dopamine encodes specific combinations of stimuli and actions in a lateralized fashion.
Perceptual responses to microstimulation frequency are spatially organized in human somatosensory cortex
Authors: Hughes Christopher L. , Flesher Sharlene N. , Weiss Jeffrey M. , Boninger Michael , Collinger Jennifer L. , Gaunt Robert
Published: July 2020

Microstimulation in the somatosensory cortex can evoke artificial tactile percepts and can be incorporated into bidirectional brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) to restore function after injury or disease. However, little is known about how stimulation parameters themselves affect perception. Here, we stimulated through microelectrode arrays implanted in the somatosensory cortex of a human participant with a cervical spinal cord injury and varied the stimulus amplitude, duration, and frequency. Increasing the amplitude and duration increased the perceived intensity on all tested electrodes. Surprisingly, we found that increasing the frequency evoked more intense percepts on some electrodes but evoked less intense percepts on most electrodes. Electrodes divided into three groups which evoked distinct perceptual qualities that depended on the stimulus frequency and were spatially organized in cortex. These results contribute to our growing understanding of the structure and function of the somatosensory cortex and will facilitate principled development of stimulation strategies for bidirectional BCIs.
Microscopic Chromosomal Structural and Dynamical Origin of Cell Differentiation and Reprogramming
Authors: Chu Xiakun , Wang Jin
Published: July 2020

As an essential and fundamental process of life, cell development involves large-scale reorganization of the three-dimensional genome architecture, which forms the basis of gene regulation. Here, we develop a landscape-switching model to explore the microscopic chromosomal structural origin of the embryonic stem cell (ESC) differentiation and the somatic cell reprogramming. We show that chromosome structure exhibits significant compartment-switching in the unit of topologically associating domain. We find that the chromosome during differentiation undergoes monotonic compaction with spatial re-positioning of active and inactive chromosomal loci towards the chromosome surface and interior, respectively. In contrast, an over-expanded chromosome, which exhibits universal localization of loci at the chromosomal surface with erasing the structural characteristics formed in the somatic cells, is observed during reprogramming. We suggest an early distinct differentiation pathway from the ESC to the terminally differentiated cell, giving rise to early bifurcation on the Waddington landscape for the ESC differentiation. Our theoretical model including the non-equilibrium effects, draws a picture of the highly irreversible cell differentiation and reprogramming processes, in line with the experiments. The predictions from our model provide a physical understanding of cell differentiation and reprogramming from the chromosomal structural and dynamical perspective and can be tested by future experiments.
TMEM180 contributes to colorectal cancer proliferation through intracellular metabolic pathways
Authors: Anzai Takahiro , Saijou Shinji , Ohnuki Yoshitsugu , Kurosawa Hiroshi , Yasunaga Masahiro , Matsumura Yasuhiro
Published: July 2020

TMEM180, a novel colon cancer–specific membrane protein with a 12-transmembrane topology, is upregulated at low oxygen. Previously, we established a humanized monoclonal antibody against TMEM180 aimed at clinical trials. Prior to such trials, it is necessary to clarify the function of this molecule in cancer. To compare SW480 human colon cancer cells and their TMEM180-knockdown derivatives, we analyzed proliferation and oxygen consumption, and also performed phosphorylation proteomics, metabolomics, and next-generation sequencing. The results revealed that TMEM180 promoted the growth of colon cancer but had almost no effect on oxygen consumption or expression of phosphorylated proteins. By contrast, glycolysis differed dramatically between SW480 and TMEM180-knockdown cells. TMEM180 promotes nitric oxide synthesis, suggesting that it promotes glucose metabolism and glutamine metabolism, thereby contributing to cancer growth. Overall, the results of this study support the clinical development of an anti-TMEM180 antibody.
Human Argonaute2 and Argonaute3 are catalytically activated by different lengths of guide RNA
Authors: Park Mi Seul , Sim GeunYoung , Kehling Audrey C. , Nakanishi Kotaro
Published: July 2020

RNA interfering is a eukaryote-specific gene silencing by 20∼23 nucleotide (nt) microRNAs and small interfering RNAs that recruit Argonaute proteins to complementary RNAs for degradation. In humans, Argonaute2 (AGO2) has been known as the only slicer while Argonaute3 (AGO3) barely cleaves RNAs. Therefore, the intrinsic slicing activity of AGO3 remains controversial and a long-standing question. Here, we report 14-nt 3′ end-shortened variants of let-7a, miR-27a, and specific miR-17-92 families that make AGO3 an extremely competent slicer by an ∼ 82-fold increase in target cleavage. These RNAs, named cleavage-inducing tiny guide RNAs (cityRNAs), conversely lower the activity of AGO2, demonstrating that AGO2 and AGO3 have different optimum guide lengths for target cleavage. Our study sheds light on the role of tiny guide RNAs.
Organoid-derived adult human colonic epithelium responds to co-culture with a probiotic strain ofBifidobacterium longum
Authors: Lauder Emma , Kim Kwi , Schmidt Thomas Mitchell , Golob Jonathan Louis
Published: July 2020

In germ-free animals the lack of microbes within the gut results in a propensity to mucosal inflammation among other immune deficits. This suggests microbes are essential for the healthy function of the human gut, but we have lacked a reproducible mechanistic model of interactions between human colonic epithelium and the anaerobic microbes within the gut. To establish the physiological effect of a common anaerobe in the human gut, we co-cultured a probiotic strain ofBifidobacterium longum(35624) with organoid-derived adult human colonic epithelium in asymmetric gas conditions (anoxic apically, 5% oxygen basolaterally) and compared to axenic (‘germ-free’) epithelium. Bacteria proliferated and retained their normal cellular morphology in the presence of the human colonic epithelium. The human colonic mucosa retained trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) consistent with an intact epithelium but lower than in axenic conditions. Changes in TEER corresponded to changes in Claudin-family gene expression. Inflammation was repressed in co-culture as compared to axenic, with reduced expression of executor and pyroptosis caspases; reduced expression of activators and increased expression of inhibitors ofNFKB; reduced expression of toll-like-receptors (TLRs) and increased expression ofTOLLIP(a negative regulator of TLRs). Consistent with the presence of actively fermenting bacteria that produce lactate and acetate but do not produce butyrate,PPARAexpression was increased whilePPARGexpression was reduced. As in germ-free animal experiments, axenic human colonic mucosa is poised for inflammation. Co-culture withBifidobacterium longumresolved the pro-inflammatory state while modulating barrier function (via Claudin genes) and cellular energetics (viaPPARAandPPARGgenes).

Importance

Experiments in animals demonstrate the importance of microbes with the gut for the health of the gut. Many of the microbes within the healthy gut are strictly anaerobic and cannot grow in the presence of oxygen; human tissues require some oxygen to live. Here we observe the effect of growing an anaerobic bacterium -Bifidobacterium longum- typically found in the human gut with human colonic tissue. We observed that the human tissue responded favorably to being cultivated with the microbe as compared to being alone. This experiment confirms human colonic tissues reduce their inflammation in the presence of a bacteria typically found in the gut.
Taxonomic classification of strain PO100/5 shows a broader geographic distribution and genetic markers of the recently describedCorynebacterium silvaticum
Authors: Canário Viana Marcus Vinicius , Profeta Rodrigo , da Silva Alessandra Lima , Hurtado Raquel , Cerqueira Janaína Canário , Sampaio Ribeiro Bruna Ferreira , Almeida Marcelle Oliveira , Morais-Rodrigues Francielly , Oliveira Manuela , Tavares Luís , Figueiredo Henrique , Wattam Alice Rebecca , Barh Debmalya , Ghosh Preetam , Silva Artur , Azevedo Vasco
Published: July 2020

The bacterial strain PO100/5 was isolated from a skin abscess of a pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) in the Alentejo region of southern Portugal. It was identified asCorynebacterium pseudotuberculosisusing biochemical tests, multiplex PCR and Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis. After genome sequencing andrpoBphylogeny, the strain was classified asC. ulcerans. To better understand the taxonomy of this strain and improve identification methods, we compared strain PO100/5 to other publicly available genomes from theC. diphtheriaegroup. Taxonomic analysis reclassified it and three others strains as belonging to the recently describedC. silvaticum, which have been isolated from wild boar and roe deer in Germany and Austria. The results showed that PO100/5 is the first sequenced genome of aC. silvaticumstrain from a domestic animal and a different geographical region, is a putative producer of thediphtheriaetoxin, and has a unique sequence type. Genomic analysis of PO100/5 showed four prophages and eight conserved genomic islands when compared toC. ulcerans. Pangenome analysis of 38C. silvaticumand 76C. ulceranssamples suggest thatC. silvaticumis a clonal species, with 73.6% of conserved genes and a pangenome near to being closed (α > 0.952). 172 conserved genes are unique toC. silvaticumwhen compared toC. ulcerans, with most related to nutrient uptake and metabolism, prophages or immune evasion. These unique genes could be used as genetic markers for species identification. This information can be useful for identification and surveillance of this pathogen, especially in regard to the possibility of zoonotic transmission.
VAE-SNE: a deep generative model for simultaneous dimensionality reduction and clustering
Authors: Graving Jacob M. , Couzin Iain D.
Published: July 2020

Scientific datasets are growing rapidly in scale and complexity. Consequently, the task of understanding these data to answer scientific questions increasingly requires the use of compression algorithms that reduce dimensionality by combining correlated features and cluster similar observations to summarize large datasets. Here we introduce a method for both dimension reduction and clustering called VAE-SNE (variational autoencoder stochastic neighbor embedding). Our model combines elements from deep learning, probabilistic inference, and manifold learning to produce interpretable compressed representations while also readily scaling to tens-of-millions of observations. Unlike existing methods, VAE-SNE simultaneously compresses high-dimensional data and automatically learns a distribution of clusters within the data — without the need to manually select the number of clusters. This naturally creates a multi-scale representation, which makes it straightforward to generate coarse-grained descriptions for large subsets of related observations and select specific regions of interest for further analysis. VAE-SNE can also quickly and easily embed new samples, detect outliers, and can be optimized with small batches of data, which makes it possible to compress datasets that are otherwise too large to fit into memory. We evaluate VAE-SNE as a general purpose method for dimensionality reduction by applying it to multiple real-world datasets and by comparing its performance with existing methods for dimensionality reduction. We find that VAE-SNE produces high-quality compressed representations with results that are on par with existing nonlinear dimensionality reduction algorithms. As a practical example, we demonstrate how the cluster distribution learned by VAE-SNE can be used for unsupervised action recognition to detect and classify repeated motifs of stereotyped behavior in high-dimensional timeseries data. Finally, we also introduce variants of VAE-SNE for embedding data in polar (spherical) coordinates and for embedding image data from raw pixels. VAE-SNE is a robust, feature-rich, and scalable method with broad applicability to a range of datasets in the life sciences and beyond.
Increased alcohol self-administration following exposure to the predator odor TMT in high stress-reactive female rats
Authors: Ornelas Laura C. , Tyler Ryan E. , Irukulapati Preethi , Paladugu Sudheesha , Besheer Joyce
Published: July 2020

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are highly comorbid. Additionally, individual differences in response to stress suggest resilient and susceptible populations. The current study exposed male and female Long Evans rats to the synthetically produced predator odor 2,5-dihydro-2,4,5-trimethylthiazoline (TMT) to examine individual differences in stress-reactive behaviors (digging and immobility) and whether these differences could predict lasting consequences of TMT and increases in alcohol drinking. Male and female Long Evans rats were trained on operant alcohol self-administration. After 9 sessions, rats underwent exposure to TMT or water (Control) in a distinct context. 6 days after TMT exposure, rats underwent re-exposure to the TMT-paired context (without TMT), and a series of behavioral assessments (acoustic startle, zero maze, light/dark box), after which rats resumed alcohol self-administration. Rats were divided into two TMT-subgroups using a ratio of digging and immobility behavior during TMT exposure: TMT-subgroup 1 (low digging/immobility ratio) and TMT-subgroup 2 (high digging/immobility ratio). Digging/immobility ratio scores predicted elevated corticosterone levels during TMT exposure and reactivity during context re-exposure in males and females (TMT-subgroup 2), as well as elevated corticosterone levels after context re-exposure and hyperarousal behavior in females (TMT-subgroup 1). Furthermore, TMT stress reactivity predicted increases in alcohol self-administration, specifically in females. These data show that stress-reactivity can predict lasting behavioral changes which may lead to a better understanding of increases in alcohol drinking following stress in females and that individual differences in stress-reactive behaviors using TMT may be helpful to understand resilience/susceptibility to the lasting consequences of stress.

Highlights

Exposure to the predator odor TMT produces distinct behavioral phenotypes in male and female rats

Male and female high stress reactive rats show enhanced reactivity to the TMT-paired context

Stress-reactivity during TMT predicts increases in alcohol self-administration, in females

Stress-reactivity may help to understand resilience/susceptibility and impact on alcohol drinking
Sensitive imaging of intact microvessels in vivo with synchrotron radiation
Authors: Wang Feixiang , Zhou Panting , Li Ke , Mamtilahun Muyassar , Tang Yaohui , Du Guohao , Deng Biao , Xie Honglan , Yang Guoyuan , Xiao Tiqiao
Published: July 2020

Early stages of diseases, including stroke, hypertension, angiogenesis of tumours, spinal cord injuries, etc., are closely associated with the lesions of microvasculature. Rodent models of human vascular diseases are extensively used for the preclinical investigation of the disease evolution and therapy with synchrotron radiation. Therefore, non-invasive and in vivo X-ray imaging with high sensitivity and clarity is desperately needed to visualize the microvessels in live-animal models. Contrast agent is essential for the in vivo X-ray imaging of vessels and angiomatous tissue. Because of the non-rigid motion of adjacent tissues, the short circulation time and the intermittent flow of contrast agents in vessels, it is a great challenge for the traditional X-ray imaging methods to achieve well defined images of microvessels in vivo. In this article, move contrast X-ray imaging (MCXI) based on high-brightness synchrotron radiation is developed to overcome the intrinsic defects in conventional methods. Experiments with live rodents demonstrate the practicability of the MCXI method for sensitive and intact imaging of microvessels in vivo.
Synthesis, crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface of bis(2-aminopyridinium) hexachloridostannate(IV)
Authors: Ghallab Rochdi , Boutebdja Mehdi , Dénès George , Merazig Hocine
Published: July 2020

In the title molecular salt, (C5H7N2)2[SnCl6], the cation is protonated at the pyridine N atom and the complete dianion is generated by a crystallographic centre of symmetry. In the crystal, N—H...Cl hydrogen bonds link the components into a three-dimensional network built up from the stacking of alternate cationic and anionic layers. The nature of the intermolecular interactions has been analysed in terms of the Hirshfeld surfaces of the cations and the anions. The thermal behaviour and the Raman spectrum of the title compound are reported.
Hexaaquanickel(II) bis[triaqua-μ3-oxalato-di-μ-oxalato-bariumchromate(III)] tetrahydrate
Authors: Mbiangué Yves Alain , Ndinga Manelsa Lande , Nduga Jean Pierre , Wenger Emmanuel , Lecomte Claude
Published: July 2020

The title compound, [Ni(H2O)6][BaCr(C2O4)3(H2O)3]2·4H2O, was obtained in the form of single crystals from the slow evaporation of an aqueous mixture of {Ba6(H2O)17[Cr(C2O4)3]4}·7H2O and NiSO4·6H2O in the molar ratio 1:4. Its structure is made up of corrugated anionic (101) layers of formula [BaCr(C2O4)3(H2O)3]
n
n

− that leave voids accommodating the charge-compensating cations, [Ni(H2O)6]2+ (point group symmetry \overline{1}), as well as the water molecules of crystallization. The anionic layers are built from the connection of barium and chromium atoms through bridging oxalate ligands. The CrIII atom is hexacoordinated by O atoms of three oxalate ligands while the BaII atom is tenfold coordinated by three O atoms of water molecules and seven O atoms of four oxalate ligands. Each NiII atom sits on an inversion center and is coordinated by six water molecules. One of the uncoordinated water molecules is disordered over two sites, with a refined occupancy ratio of 0.51 (5):0.49 (5). In the crystal, extensive O—H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions link the anionic layers, the charge-balancing cations as well as the water molecules of crystallization into a three-dimensional supramolecular network.
(Z)-5-(4-Bromophenyl)-3-{[(3,5-dichlorophenyl)amino]methylidene}furan-2(3H)-one
Authors: Mayorova Oksana A. , Grinev Vyacheslav S. , Yegorova Alevtina Yu.
Published: July 2020

The title compound, C17H10BrCl2NO2, crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c with a large cell volume of 6207 (3) Å3. The asymmetric unit of the title compound investigated at 120 K contains two crystallographically independent molecules (Z′ = 2). Each molecule demonstrates slight non-planarity in the solid state and a Z-configuration for the exocyclic C=C bond. The crystal packing reveals the presence of π-π stacking interactions between the substituted benzene rings [centroid–centroid distances of 3.836 (5) Å, shift distances in the range 1.272–1.843 Å].
Optimisation of archival processes involving digitisation of typewritten documents
Authors: Stančić Hrvoje , Trbušić Željko
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The authors investigate optical character recognition (OCR) technology and discuss its implementation in the context of digitisation of archival materials.

Design/methodology/approach

The typewritten transcripts of the Croatian Writers' Society from the mid-60s of the 20th century are used as the test data. The optimal digitisation setup is investigated in order to obtain the best OCR results. This was done by using the sample of 123 pages digitised at different resolution settings and binarisation levels.

Findings

A series of tests showed that different settings produce significantly different results. The best OCR accuracy achieved at the test sample of the typewritten documents was 95.02%. The results show that the resolution is significantly more important than binarisation pre-processing procedure for achieving better OCR results.

Originality/value

Based on the research results, the authors give recommendations for achieving optimal digitisation process setup with the aim of increasing the quality of OCR results. Finally, the authors put the research results in the context of digitisation of cultural heritage in general and discuss further investigation possibilities.
Do analysts’ recommendations reflect co-opted boards?
Authors: Papangkorn Suwongrat , Chatjuthamard Pattanaporn , Jiraporn Pornsit , Phiromswad Piyachart
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This study aims to examine whether co-opted directors influence analysts’ recommendations. As information intermediaries, financial analysts should incorporate the quality of corporate governance into their valuation because well-governed firms are associated with lower agency costs and better performance. Co-opted directors are those appointed after the incumbent chief executive officer assumes office. The authors investigate whether board co-option has an effect on analyst recommendations.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study uses univariate analysis, multi-variate regression analysis and conduct a natural experiment using the Sarbanes-Oxley as an exogenous shock.

Findings

The results show that firms with fewer co-opted directors tend to receive more favorable recommendations, suggesting that analysts favor firms with strong corporate governance. The results hold even after controlling for various firm characteristics, including the traditional measures of board quality, i.e. board size and independent directors.

Originality/value

The paper is the first of its kind and offers evidence on the effect of co-opted directors on analyst recommendations. The results contribute to the literature both in corporate governance and in financial intermediaries, where analysts play a crucial role in providing information to the various participants in financial markets.
Cyient: enabling innovation through idea tree initiative
Authors: Joseph Nidheesh , Makhecha Upam Pushpak
Published: July 2020

Learning outcomes

The case would help students to learn the concept of high involvement innovation activity and how to apply it in large service organizations to increase innovation involvement. The case will help the students to reflect on the significance of organizing structure and culture of an organization for enabling innovation and innovation process models. The case would further help the students to develop the skill to plan and implement simple, innovative innovation process models which will increase the ideation capabilities of the organization. The students will also be able to understand the role of informal learning in innovation and how to facilitate it.

Case overview/synopsis

Cyient – a global services firm – had always focused on innovation as a key strategic capability winning various annual client awards for over a decade. However, in 2012, Cyient missed the innovation awards which led to the introduction of Idea Tree initiative in Aerospace & Defense (AED) business unit of Cyient. Cyient was able to co-create patents and offer cost savings to its clients through the Idea Tree initiative. This cost-effective and unique initiative resulted in re-organizing the structure (from formal to a quasi-formal), culture (open to new ideas, mistakes and failures) and process (stage-gate) inside Cyient AED business unit. However, Idea Tree also suffers from challenges such as lack of a digital format, lack of corporate presence across Cyient and its highly informal nature. In this context, the CEO wants to review the Idea Tree initiative to decide on its future in Cyient.

Complexity academic level

The case is suitable for teaching multiple facets of innovation for MBA and Executive MBA classes in core Strategy, Managing Organizations and Entrepreneurship and for elective courses such as Innovation Management, Organizing for Innovation or HRM for Innovation. The case is suitable for both fresher and experienced participants.

Supplementary materials

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

Subject code

CSS 6: Human Resource Management.
Cost efficiency and welfare performance of banks: evidence from an emerging economy
Authors: Adeabah David , Andoh Charles
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The study examines the relationship between the consequential social cost of market power (i.e. welfare performance of banks) and cost efficiency using data covering the period 2009 to 2017 from the Ghanaian banking industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopts the ordinary least squares (OLS), fixed effect (FE) panel regression and the quantile regression (QR) approaches to control for heterogeneity and provide increased room for policy relevance. The two-stage least squares instrumental variables (2SLS-IV) regression is used to ensure the robustness of the findings against the problem of possible reverse causality.

Findings

The results indicate a positive relationship between banks' welfare performance and cost efficiency, which suggests that greater cost efficiency hedges welfare losses. In other words, welfare gains and cost-efficient banks are not mutually exclusive. Also, the results show evidence that the sensitivity of welfare gain to cost efficiency depends on the knowledge of local market dynamics. Further, the findings from the QR estimation suggest that, but for welfare loss at low (Q.25) to the median (Q.50) quantiles, cost efficiency is a necessary and sufficient condition to hedge the welfare losses.

Practical implications

The results demonstrate that financial consumer protection cannot be achieved without cost efficiency in the presence of both foreign banks and high market knowledge. Therefore, our paper suggests an integrated cost efficiency policy approach that has the complementary effect of a robust information sharing mechanism and incentives to hedge against welfare losses in the banking sector of emerging economies. Moreover, if welfare gain is synonymous with cost-efficient banks, then the presence of a quiet life is typical of financial consumer protection.

Originality/value

This study provides insight into the importance of cost efficiency to the public policy of financial consumer protection in an era of foreign banks' dominance. From the review of prior literature, this paper is the first to apply the QR estimation technique to examine the effect of cost efficiency throughout the conditional distribution of bank welfare performance rather than just the conditional mean effect of cost efficiency.
The relationship between parenting styles and peace attitudes
Authors: Canegallo Virgina , Broccoli Erika , Cavarra Mauro , Santoddì Erika , Fabio Rosa Angela
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Taking into account previous literature on the role that the parenting styles to which individuals are exposed to during childhood have in shaping prosocial behaviors and attitudes, this study aims to investigate the relationship between parenting styles of parents and peace attitudes.

Design/methodology/approach

The peace attitude and the parenting style questionnaires were completed by 358 adolescent and adult participants. Pearson correlation coefficients were extracted and a stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed.

Findings

The results indicate that individuals with authoritative parents tend to show stronger peace attitudes and open the way to further study what parental characteristics may be responsible for the development of peace attitudes in individuals.

Research limitations/implications

Participants retrospectively assessed their parents’ style. Future research may recruit both the actual parents of participants to collect more accurate data on parenting practices or use observational methods.

Social implications

This work seems to suggest that to achieve a more peaceful society, the ability of parents to raise their children by adopting an authoritative style should be taken into account and – if needed – enhanced. Understanding the developmental pathways that can influence individuals to consistently choose peace is important to promote a stable culture of peace across several levels of observation.

Originality/value

To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the relationship between parenting styles of parents and peace attitudes in their children.
The implications of eWOM adoption on the customer journey
Authors: Ngarmwongnoi Chananchida , Oliveira João S. , AbedRabbo Majd , Mousavi Sahar
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate customers' motives to engage with electronic word of mouth (eWOM), as well as the effect of eWOM on customer behavior, both at the purchase and post-purchase stages.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative approach was adopted, consisting of 30 semi-structured interviews with Thai consumers. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.

Findings

Information validation, product evaluation, purchase and post-purchase validation are key motives for consumers to search for eWOM. Furthermore, eWOM quantity, eWOM credibility and attitudes toward eWOM play a critical role in evaluation of information usefulness and adoption. Moreover, five different types of shoppers were identified according to their purchase behavior after adapting eWOM: prompt shoppers, in-store shoppers, promotion shoppers, conservative shoppers and remedy shoppers.

Originality/value

While the implications of the adoption of eWOM have been explored in previous research, there is limited understanding in terms of the impacts of eWOM on the customer journey. This study addresses this research gap by investigating not only customers' motives to engage with eWOM but also its effect on their behavior at the purchase and post-purchase stages.
Business networking in organisationally thin regions: a case study on network brokers, SMEs and knowledge-sharing
Authors: Leick Birgit , Gretzinger Susanne
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Research on business networks in organisationally thin regions, which are characterised by a low density and quality of business networks, is still in its infancy, while the facilitation of business networks receives increasing interest. The present paper combines both perspectives by investigating how different types of network brokers facilitate business networking and knowledge-sharing in organisationally thin regions.

Design/methodology/approach

Burt's theory on brokers in social networks is applied to knowledge-sharing in business networks for organisational thinness as context. A qualitative case study represents the empirical basis that describes network brokers from various domains in three different German case regions, which are characterised by organisational thinness.

Findings

The network brokers studied facilitate different types of business networks, and they use various levers to increase knowledge-sharing among companies in business networks. Two broker types emerge, private business-driven versus public policy-driven network brokers with distinct approaches to the facilitation of business networking and knowledge-sharing and different limitations due to organisational thinness.

Practical implications

Companies, notably SMEs, in contexts characterised by low networking density and quality may benefit from various types of network brokers that foster business networking and instigate knowledge exchange. Public policy should embed activities of private brokers in existing SME assistance programmes to increase the quantity and quality of business networks.

Originality/value

Network facilitation in regions with weaknesses in their endowment with industry clusters, business networks and innovative knowledge exchange is under-explored, and this paper contributes to shedding light on this topic with a case study.
Assurance service and performance. Effect of CEO characteristics
Authors: Oware Kofi Mintah , Mallikarjunappa T.
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the choice of an assurance service provider on financial and social performance in an emerging economy. The study also examines whether the chief executive officer’s (CEO) characteristics influence the choice of an assurance service provider.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses descriptive statistics, ordinary least square and probit regression to examine the 800 firm-year observations for the period 2010–2019 and with the Indian stock market as a testing ground.

Findings

The study shows that the engagement of assurance service providers reduces financial performance (stock price returns and Tobin’sq). The study also shows that consulting firms and auditing firms improve the social performance disclosure of the firm in an emerging economy. However, consulting firms outweigh auditing firms in improving social performance disclosure. Also, the implementation of mandatory reporting may slightly impede instead of an increase in social performance disclosure in an emerging economy. The study also shows that ageing CEOs prefer consulting firms over auditing firms in assurance service provision. Finally, the study shows that an extended stay in office by a CEO improves the choice of consulting firms, but the effect has a near-neutral significance.

Originality/value

The choice of CEO characteristics as an independent variable adds to the factors or drivers that cause the choice of an assurance service provider in an emerging economy. Also, the measurement variable of stock price returns and Tobin’sqexpands the financial performance measurement in the relationship with assurance service providers.