bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ROS-dependent palmitoylation is an obligate licensing modification for GSDMD pore formation
Authors: Du Gang , Healy Liam B. , David Liron , Walker Caitlin , Fontana Pietro , Dong Ying , Devant Pascal , Puthenveetil Robbins , Ficarro Scott B. , Banerjee Anirban , Kagan Jonathan C. , Lieberman Judy , Wu Hao
Published: March 2023

Gasdermin D (GSDMD) is the common effector for cytokine secretion and pyroptosis downstream of inflammasome activation by forming large transmembrane pores upon cleavage by inflammatory caspases. Here we report the surprising finding that GSDMD cleavage is not sufficient for its pore formation. Instead, GSDMD is lipidated by S-palmitoylation at Cys191 upon inflammasome activation, and only palmitoylated GSDMD N-terminal domain (GSDMD-NT) is capable of membrane translocation and pore formation, suggesting that palmitoylation licenses GSDMD activation. Treatment by the palmitoylation inhibitor 2-bromopalmitate and alanine mutation of Cys191 abrogate GSDMD membrane localization, cytokine secretion, and cell death, without affecting GSDMD cleavage. Because palmitoylation is formed by a reversible thioester bond sensitive to free thiols, we tested if GSDMD palmitoylation is regulated by cellular redox state. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) mildly and LPS plus the NLRP3 inflammasome activator nigericin markedly elevate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and GSDMD palmitoylation, suggesting that these two processes are coupled. Manipulation of cellular ROS by its activators and quenchers augment and abolish, respectively, GSDMD palmitoylation, GSDMD pore formation and cell death. We discover that zDHHC5 and zDHHC9 are the major palmitoyl transferases that mediate GSDMD palmitoylation, and when cleaved, recombinant and partly palmitoylated GSDMD is 10-fold more active in pore formation than bacterially expressed, unpalmitoylated GSDMD, evidenced by liposome leakage assay. Finally, other GSDM family members are also palmitoylated, suggesting that ROS stress and palmitoylation may be a general switch for the activation of this pore-forming family.

One-Sentence Summary

GSDMD palmitoylation is induced by ROS and required for pore formation
Interpreting Generative Adversarial Networks to Infer Natural Selection from Genetic Data
Authors: Riley Rebecca , Mathieson Iain , Mathieson Sara
Published: March 2023

Abstract

Understanding natural selection in humans and other species is a major focus for the use of machine learning in population genetics. Existing methods rely on computationally intensive simulated training data. Unlike efficient neutral coalescent simulations for demographic inference, realistic simulations of selection typically requires slow forward simulations. Because there are many possible modes of selection, a high dimensional parameter space must be explored, with no guarantee that the simulated models are close to the real processes. Mismatches between simulated training data and real test data can lead to incorrect inference. Finally, it is difficult to interpret trained neural networks, leading to a lack of understanding about what features contribute to classification.

Here we develop a new approach to detect selection that requires relatively few selection simulations during training. We use a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) trained to simulate realistic neutral data. The resulting GAN consists of a generator (fitted demographic model) and a discriminator (convolutional neural network). For a genomic region, the discriminator predicts whether it is “real” or “fake” in the sense that it could have been simulated by the generator. As the “real” training data includes regions that experienced selection and the generator cannot produce such regions, regions with a high probability of being real are likely to have experienced selection. To further incentivize this behavior, we “fine-tune” the discriminator with a small number of selection simulations. We show that this approach has high power to detect selection in simulations, and that it finds regions under selection identified by state-of-the art population genetic methods in three human populations. Finally, we show how to interpret the trained networks by clustering hidden units of the discriminator based on their correlation patterns with known summary statistics. In summary, our approach is a novel, efficient, and powerful way to use machine learning to detect natural selection.
Viime-Path: An Interactive Metabolic Pathway Generation Tool for Metabolomics Data Analysis
Authors: OConnell Thomas M , Baumes Jeff
Published: March 2023

Introduction: A primary objective of metabolomics studies is identifying the critical metabolic pathways that are altered under specific conditions. There are a number of tools such as enrichment or over-representation algorithms which can identify pathways, but tools for visualizing these pathways beyond static diagrams are limited. Objectives: Development of an open-source software tool to enable users to generate metabolic pathway diagrams that can be interactively adjusted to allow for the most lucid and meaningful representation of the data. The ability to input and integrate multiple metabolic pathways and interactively adjust could facilitate the identification of novel metabolic pathways. Methods: The Viime-Path software package utilizes the metabolic pathways in the Reactome Database. The initial pathway layouts are generated using the Human-like Orthogonal Network Layout (HOLA) algorithm which was designed to take such datasets and map them onto orthogonal network layouts using aesthetic principles derived from the analysis of human-generated networks. The software is written in TypeScript and Vue, utilizing the WebCola graph layout library and D3.js for visualization primitives. Results: We have created an easy-to-use, web-based, open-source tool to easily import metabolic pathways from the Reactome database. The tool allows for interactive optimization of pathways to best represent the most salient features for a given analysis. The tool is available on GitHub at https://github.com/girder/viime-path. Conclusions: The Viime-Path tool will enable the metabolomics community to interactively draw metabolic pathway networks with options to adjust specific components and layout, thus providing new levels of clarity and focus.
Elastin Recoil is Driven by the Hydrophobic Effect
Authors: Jamhawi Nour M. , Koder Ronald L. , Wittebort Richard J.
Published: March 2023

Elastin is an extracellular matrix material found in all vertebrates. Its reversible elasticity, robustness and low stiffness are essential for the function of arteries, lungs, and skin. It is among the most resilient elastic materials known: During a human lifetime, arterial elastin undergoes in excess of 2x109stretching/contracting cycles without replacement and slow oxidative hardening has been identified as a limiting factor on human lifespan. For over fifty years, the mechanism of entropic recoil has been controversial. Herein, we report a combined NMR and thermomechanical study that establishes the hydrophobic effect as the primary driver of elastin function. Water ordering at the solvent:protein interface was observed as a function of stretch using double quantum2H NMR and the most extensive thermodynamic analysis performed to date was obtained by measuring elastin length and volume as a function of force and temperature in normal water, heavy water and with co-solvents. When stretched, elastin’s heat capacity increases, water is ordered proportional to the degree of stretching, the internal energy decreases, and heat is released in excess of the work performed. These properties show that recoil in elastin under physiological conditions is primarily driven by the hydrophobic effect rather than by configurational entropy as is the case for rubber. Consistent with this conclusion are decreases in the thermodynamic signatures when co-solvents that alter the hydrophobic effect are introduced. We propose that hydrophobic effect-driven recoil, as opposed to a configurational entropy mechanism, where hardening from crystallization can occur, is the origin of elastin’s unusual resilience.

Significance

Elastin, found in tissues that require reversible elasticity, has low stiffness and great resiliency. It is a self-assembled material that has been a target for regenerative medicine. However, the basis for its elasticity has been controversial for more than 50 years. Formed from a hydrophobic protein with an equivalent mass of water, the controversy is whether recoil is driven by entropy gain of the protein and/or the water. We demonstrate that matrix water is progressively ordered upon stretching and that the thermodynamics of elastin recoil are those of the hydrophobic effect and different from those of rubber. We conclude that recoil is primarily driven by the hydrophobic effect and suggest that this accounts for elastin’s low stiffness and high resilience.
Inactivation of phosphodiesterase-4B gene in rat nucleus accumbens shell by CRISPR/Cas9 modulates the motivation to chronically self-administer nicotine
Authors: Sharp Burt M , Jiang Qin , Kim Panjun , Chen Hao
Published: March 2023

Large scale human genome wide association studies (GWAS) have identified a growing pool of genes associated with cigarette smoking. One of the most prominent, phosphodiesterase-4B (PDE4B), has been associated with multiple smoking phenotypes. Although PDE4B modulates the half-life of neuronal cAMP, its precise role in smoking behaviors is unknown. To address this knowledge gap, we used a reverse translational approach. We inactivatedPDE4Bin bilateral medial nucleus accumbens shell (NAcs) neurons by injecting AAV containing a specific gRNA in female transgenic Cas9+ Long Evans rats. These rats then were given 23-hour chronic access to nicotine intravenous self-administration (IVSA) under a schedule of increasing fixed ratios (FR). With the increased effort required at FR7, nicotine SA (i.e. active presses and drug infusions) declined significantly in controls, whereas it was maintained in the mutagenized group. A progressive ratio (PR) study also showed significantly greater cumulative nicotine infusions in the mutant group. Hence, we hypothesized that enhanced PDE4B protein activity would reduce nicotine IVSA. A positive allosteric modulator,2-(3-(4-chloro-3-fluorophenyl)-5-ethyl-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-N-(3,5-dichlorobenzyl)acetamide (MR-L2), was microinfused into NAcs bilaterally at FR3 or FR5; in both cohorts, MR-L2 acutely reduced nicotine IVSA. In summary, these studies show that the activity of PDE4B regulates the capacity of NAcs to maintain nicotine IVSA in face of the cost of increasing work. This finding and the results of the PR study indicate that PDE4B affects the motivation to obtain nicotine. These reverse translational studies in rats provide insight into the motivational effects of NAcs PDE4B that advance our understanding of the smoking behaviors mapped in human GWAS.
Temporal Coordination of the Transcription Factor Response to H2O2stress
Authors: Jose Elizabeth , March-Steinman Woody , Wilson Bryce A. , Shanks Lisa , Paek Andrew L.
Published: March 2023

The p53 and FOXO transcription factors (TFs) share many similarities despite their distinct evolutionary origins. Both TFs are activated by a variety of cellular stresses and upregulate genes in similar pathways including cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. Oxidative stress from excess H2O2activates both FOXO1 and p53, yet whether they are activated at the same time is unclear. Here we found that cells respond to high H2O2levels in two temporal phases. In the first phase FOXO1 rapidly shuttles to the nucleus while p53 levels remain low. In the second phase FOXO1 exits the nucleus and p53 levels rise. We found that other oxidative stress induced TFs are activated in the first phase with FOXO1 (NF-kB, NFAT1), or the second phase with p53 (NRF2, JUN) but not both following H2O2 stress. The two TF phases result in large differences in gene expression patterns. Finally, we provide evidence that 2-Cys peroxiredoxins control the timing of the TF phases in response to H2O2.
POTENTIATION OF CORTICO-SPINAL OUTPUT VIA TARGETED ELECTRICAL STIMULATION OF THE MOTOR THALAMUS
Authors: Ho Jonathan C. , Grigsby Erinn M. , Damiani Arianna , Liang Lucy , Balaguer Josep-Maria , Kallakuri Sridula , Barrios-Martinez Jessica , Karapetyan Vahagn , Fields Daryl , Gerszten Peter C. , Hitchens T. Kevin , Constantine Theodora , Adams Gregory M. , Crammond Donald J. , Capogrosso Marco , Gonzalez-Martinez Jorge A. , Pirondini Elvira
Published: March 2023

Cerebral white matter lesions prevent cortico-spinal descending inputs from effectively activating spinal motoneurons, leading to loss of motor control. However, in most cases, the damage to cortico-spinal axons is incomplete offering a potential target for new therapies aimed at improving volitional muscle activation. Here we hypothesized that, by engaging direct excitatory connections to cortico-spinal motoneurons, stimulation of the motor thalamus could facilitate activation of surviving cortico-spinal fibers thereby potentiating motor output. To test this hypothesis, we identified optimal thalamic targets and stimulation parameters that enhanced upper-limb motor evoked potentials and grip forces in anesthetized monkeys. This potentiation persisted after white matter lesions. We replicated these results in humans during intra-operative testing. We then designed a stimulation protocol that immediately improved voluntary grip force control in a patient with a chronic white matter lesion. Our results show that electrical stimulation targeting surviving neural pathways can improve motor control after white matter lesions.
Prevalence of IgG and IgM to SARS-CoV-2 and other human coronaviruses in The Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and Uganda: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Lawal Bolarinde J. , Gallagher Katherine E , Kitonsa Jonathan , Tindanbil Daniel , Kasonia Kambale , Drammeh Abdoulie , Lowe Brett , Mukadi-Bamuleka Daniel , Patterson Catriona , Greenwood Brian , Samai Mohamed , Leigh Bailah , Tetteh Kevin K. A. , Ruzagira Eugene , Watson-Jones Deborah , Kavunga-Membo Hugo
Published: March 2023

Objectives

We assessed the prevalence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) against four endemic human coronaviruses (HCoVs) and two SARS-CoV-2 antigens, among vaccinated and unvaccinated staff at health care centres in Uganda, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Methods

Government health facility staff who had patient contact in Goma (DRC), Kambia District (Sierra Leone), and Masaka District (Uganda) were enrolled. Questionnaires and blood samples were collected at three timepoints over four months. Blood samples were analysed with the Luminex MAGPIX®.

Results

Among unvaccinated participants, the prevalence of IgG/IgM antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 RBD or N-protein at enrolment was 70% in Goma (138/196), 89% in Kambia (112/126) and 89% in Masaka (190/213). IgG responses against endemic HCoVs at baseline were not associated with SAR-CoV-2 sero-acquisition during follow-up. Among vaccinated participants, those who had evidence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM at baseline tended to have higher IgG responses to vaccination compared to those SARS-CoV-2 seronegative at baseline, controlling for the time of sample collection since vaccination.

Conclusions

The high levels of natural immunity and hybrid immunity should be incorporated into both vaccination policy and prediction models of the impact of subsequent waves of infection in these settings.
A complete digital karyotype of the B-cell leukemia REH cell line resolved by long-read sequencing
Authors: Wiklander Mariya Lysenkova , Arvidsson Gustav , Bunikis Ignas , Lundmark Anders , Raine Amanda , Marincevic-Zuniga Yanara , Gezelius Henrik , Bremer Anna , Feuk Lars , Ameur Adam , Nordlund Jessica
Published: March 2023

The B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cell line REH, with the t(12;21)ETV6-RUNX1translocation, is known to have a complex karyotype defined by a series of large-scale chromosomal rearrangements. Taken from a 15-year-old at relapse, the cell line offers a practical model for the study of high-risk pediatric B-ALL patients. In recent years, short-read DNA and RNA sequencing have emerged as a complement to analog karyotyping techniques in the resolution of structural variants in an oncological context. However, it is challenging to create a comprehensive digital karyotype of a genome with these techniques alone. Here, we explore the integration of long-read PacBio and Oxford Nanopore whole genome sequencing (WGS), IsoSeq RNA-sequencing, and short-read sequencing to create a detailed digital karyotype of the REH cell line. WGS refined the breakpoints of known aberrations and clarified the molecular traits of disrupted ALL-associated genesBTG1andTBL1XR1, as well as the glucocorticoid receptorNR3C1. Several previously underreported structural variants were also uncovered, including deletions affecting the ALL-associated genesVPREB1andNFATC1. Meanwhile, transcriptome sequencing identified seven fusion genes within the genomic breakpoints. Together, our extensive whole-genome investigation makes high-quality open-source data available to the leukemia genomics community.

KEY POINTS

A complete digital karyotype of the REH cell line was produced with short- and long-read DNA and RNA sequencing technologies.

The study enabled precise identification of structural variants, and the fusion genes expressed as the result of these variants.
A toxic ankyrin cysteine protease effector RipBH of brown rot triggered autophagy-associated cell death
Authors: Zheng Xueao , Huang Mengshu , Tan Xiaodan , Wang Bingsen , Li Yanping , Xue Hao , Cheng Dong , Qiu Huishan , Li Wenhao , Song Botao , Chen Huilan
Published: March 2023

Potato brown rot, caused byRalstonia solanacearum, is one of the most destructive diseases of potatoes. The pathogen could hide in the tuber, leading to the rotting tubers. However, few mechanisms of pathogenesis in tubers caused by brown rot were reported. Here, we identified a highly virulent type III effector RipBH, which is not only required for the pathogenesis of potato brown rot but also displays strong cell toxicity in yeast and tobacco. We found RipBH is a novel structural cysteine protease with a large ankyrin repeat domain that contains 10 ankyrin repeats, we named it as an ankyrin cysteine protease. Biochemical analysis showed that all the ankyrin repeats are required for virulence, and the first five ankyrin repeats are indispensable for auto-cleavage site recognition. Further analysis showed that RipBH triggered autophagy-associated cell death. The ankyrin cysteine protease effector existed extensively in plant and animal pathogens suggesting the ankyrin cysteine protease effectors are functionally essential for pathogen pathogenesis. Our study enhances our understanding of this type of cysteine protease and illustrates the pathogenesis of cysteine protease in potato brown rot.
Structures of wild-type and selected CMT1X mutant connexin 32 gap junction channels and hemichannels
Authors: Qi Chao , Lavriha Pia , Bayraktar Erva , Vaithia Anand , Schuster Dina , Pannella Micaela , Sala Valentina , Picotti Paola , Bortolozzi Mario , Korkhov Volodymyr M.
Published: March 2023

In myelinating Schwann cells, communication between myelin layers is mediated by gap junction channels (GJC) formed by docked connexin 32 hemichannels (HCs). Mutations in Cx32 cause the X-linked Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease (CMT1X), a degenerative neuropathy with no cure. A molecular link between Cx32 dysfunction and CMT1X pathogenesis is still missing. Here, we describe the high resolution cryo-EM structures of the Cx32 GJC and HC, along with two CMT1X-linked mutants, W3S and R22G. While the structures of wild-type and mutant GJCs are virtually identical, the HCs show a major difference: in the W3S and R22G mutant HCs, the N-terminal helix partially occludes the pore, consistent with an impaired HC activity. Our results suggest that HC dysfunction may be involved in the pathogenesis of CMT1X.

One-Sentence Summary

Connexin 32 channel structures reveal a gating helix defect in CMT1X disease-associated mutant hemichannels
cell-analysis-tools: an open-source library for single-cell analysis of multi-dimensional microscopy images
Authors: Guzman Emmanuel Contreras , Rehani Peter R. , Skala Melissa C.
Published: March 2023

Single cell analysis of multi-dimensional microscopy images is repetitive, time consuming, and arduous. Numerous analysis steps are required to quantify and visualize cell heterogeneity and trends between experimental groups. The open-source community has created tools to facilitate this process. To further simplify analysis, we created a library of functions called cell-analysis-tools. This library includes functions that can streamline single-cell analysis for faster quality checking and automation. This library also includes example code with randomly generated data for dimensionality reduction [t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE), principal component analysis (PCA), Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP)] and machine learning models [random forest, support vector machine (SVM), linear regression] that scientists can swap with their own data to visualize trends. Lastly, this library includes template scripts for feature extraction that can help identify differences between experimental groups and cell heterogeneity within a group. This library can significantly decrease user time while increasing robustness and reproducibility of results.
Intermittent Fasting induced ketogenesis inhibits mouse epithelial ovarian tumors by promoting anti-tumor T cell response
Authors: Udumula Mary Priyanka , Singh Harshit , Faraz Rashid , Poisson Laila , Tiwari Nivedita , Dimitrova Irina , Hijaz Miriana , Gogoi Radhika , Swenor Margaret , Munkarah Adnan , Giri Shailendra , Rattan Ramandeep
Published: March 2023

Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (EOC) is the most lethal gynecologic cancer with limited genetic alterations identified that can be therapeutically targeted. In tumor bearing mice, short-term fasting, fasting mimicking diet and calorie restriction enhance the activity of antineoplastic treatment by modulating systemic metabolism and boosting anti-tumor immunity. We tested the outcome of sixteen-hour intermittent fasting (IF) on mouse EOC progression with focus on fasting driven antitumor immune responses. IF resulted in consistent decrease of tumor promoting metabolic growth factors and cytokines, recapitulating changes that creates a tumor antagonizing environment. Immune profiling revealed that IF profoundly reshapes anti-cancer immunity by inducing increase in CD4+and CD8+cells, paralleled by enhanced antitumor Th1 and cytotoxic responses, by enhancing their metabolic fitness. Metabolic studies revealed that IF generated bioactive metabolite BHB which can be a potential substitute for simulating the antitumor benefits of IF. However, in a direct comparison, IF surpassed exogenous BHB therapy in improving survival and activating anti-tumor immune response. Thus, our data provides strong evidence for IF and its metabolic mediator BHB for ameliorating EOC progression and as a viable approach in maintaining and sustaining an effective anti-tumor T cell response.
Dissection of the role of a SH3 domain in the evolution of binding preference of paralogous proteins
Authors: Lemieux Pascale , Bradley David , Dubé Alexandre K , Dionne Ugo , Landry Christian R
Published: March 2023

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) drive many cellular processes. Some PPIs are directed by Src homology 3 (SH3) domains that bind proline-rich motifs on other proteins. The evolution of the binding specificity of SH3 domains is not completely understood, particularly following gene duplication. Paralogous genes accumulate mutations that can modify protein functions and, for SH3 domains, their binding preferences. Here, we examined how the binding of the SH3 domains of two paralogous yeast type I myosins, Myo3 and Myo5, evolved following duplication. We found that the paralogs have subtly different SH3-dependent interaction profiles. However, by swapping SH3 domains between the paralogs and by characterizing the SH3 domains freed from their protein context, we find that very few of the differences in interactions, if any, depend on the SH3 domains themselves. We used ancestral sequence reconstruction to resurrect the pre-duplication SH3 domains and examined, moving back in time, how the binding preference changed. Although the closest ancestor of the two domains had a very similar binding preference as the extant ones, older ancestral domains displayed a gradual loss of interaction with the modern interaction partners when inserted in the extant paralogs. Molecular docking and experimental characterization of the free ancestral domains showed that their affinity with the proline motifs is likely not the cause for this loss of binding. Taken together, our results suggest that the SH3 and its host protein could create intramolecular or allosteric interactions essential for the SH3-dependent PPIs, making domains not functionally equivalent even when they have the same binding specificity.
BIRC5 Regulates IGFBP-3-Induced Autocrine Loop in Cancer Stem Cells
Authors: Kahm Yeon-Jee , Jung Uhee , Kim Rae-Kwon
Published: March 2023

Baculoviral inhibitor of apoptosis repeat-containing 5 (BIRC5) is also known as survivin. BIRC5 is overexpressed in various carcinomas and is involved in cell growth and apoptosis. BIRC5, a member of the apoptosis inhibitor (IAP) family, negatively regulates apoptosis or programmed cell death by inhibiting caspase activation. Due to these properties, overexpression of BIRC5 enables specific survival and division associated with cancer malignancies. In addition, BIRC5 is highly expressed in stem cells, but not present at all in terminally differentiated cells. On this basis, there is speculation that BIRC5 may be involved in the regulation of cancer stem cells (CSCs), but few study results have been reported. In addition, the molecular mechanisms of BIRC5 regulation are not yet well understood. Through the present study, it was confirmed that BIRC5 is a key factor regulating CSCs and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenomena. BIRC5 was simultaneously overexpressed in lung cancer stem cells (LCSCs) and glioma stem cells (GSCs), and when the expression was suppressed, the characteristics of CSCs disappeared. In addition, IGFBP-3, a secreted factor regulated by BIRC5, is involved in signaling mechanisms that regulate cancer stem cells and EMT, and IGFBP-3 forms an autocrine chain. Based on these results, BIRC5 is proposed as a novel therapeutic target protein for LCSCs and GSCs.
Deep-learning-based ring artifact correction for tomographic reconstruction
Authors: Fu Tianyu , Wang Yan , Zhang Kai , Zhang Jin , Wang Shanfeng , Huang Wanxia , Wang Yaling , Yao Chunxia , Zhou Chenpeng , Yuan Qingxi
Published: March 2023

X-ray tomography has been widely used in various research fields thanks to its capability of observing 3D structures with high resolution non-destructively. However, due to the nonlinearity and inconsistency of detector pixels, ring artifacts usually appear in tomographic reconstruction, which may compromise image quality and cause nonuniform bias. This study proposes a new ring artifact correction method based on the residual neural network (ResNet) for X-ray tomography. The artifact correction network uses complementary information of each wavelet coefficient and a residual mechanism of the residual block to obtain high-precision artifacts through low operation costs. In addition, a regularization term is used to accurately extract stripe artifacts in sinograms, so that the network can better preserve image details while accurately separating artifacts. When applied to simulation and experimental data, the proposed method shows a good suppression of ring artifacts. To solve the problem of insufficient training data, ResNet is trained through the transfer learning strategy, which brings advantages of robustness, versatility and low computing cost.
In situ X-ray area detector flat-field correction at an operating photon energy without flat illumination
Authors: Weng James , Xu Wenqian , Wiaderek Kamila M. , Borkiewicz Olaf J. , Chen Jahui , Von Dreele Robert B. , Gallington Leighanne C. , Ruett Uta
Published: March 2023

Flat-field calibration of X-ray area detectors is a challenge due to the inability to generate an X-ray flat-field at the selected photon energy the beamline operates at, which has a strong influence on the measurement behavior of the detector. A method is presented in which a simulated flat-field correction is calculated without flat-field measurements. Instead, a series of quick scattering measurements from an amorphous scatterer is used to calculate a flat-field response. The ability to rapidly obtain a flat-field response allows for recalibration of an X-ray detector as needed without significant expenditure of either time or effort. Area detectors on the beamlines used, such as the Pilatus 2M CdTe, PE XRD1621 and Varex XRD 4343CT, were found to have detector responses that drift slightly over timescales of several weeks or after exposure to high photon flux, suggesting the need to more frequently recalibrate with a new flat-field correction map.
Economics as a rhetorical language game
Authors: Almeida Raquel Mesquita
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to argue that Economics is not a neutral science.

Design/methodology/approach

Post-structuralist perspective of Lyotard (1984), alongside the Pragmatics of Searle (1979) and Travis (1981) are useful for analyzing enunciations in mainstream Economics.

Findings

Economists use illocutionary acts expressed in formal language to achieve perlocutionary effects. Because of the importance attached to objectivity in mainstream Economics, the use of artificial languages is preferred to natural language. However, formal language is preferred regarding its perlocutionary effects on economists' community.

Originality/value

This paper puts together the Continental and the Analytical Philosophy and show, in an original manner, how their intersections and how they can be useful to better understand the epistemology of Economics.
Moderators of the effect of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial action
Authors: Ripollés Maria , Blesa Andreu
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The role of entrepreneurship education in promoting entrepreneurial actions remains unclear. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the logic of different types of entrepreneurship education and the effect of learning characteristics in promoting entrepreneurial actions among student entrepreneurs in the higher education setting.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs a quantitative approach involving the use of survey data collected via an Internet tool. The constructs of variables are measured using previously tested scales. The data were analysed using partial least squares modelling because it can handle formative and reflective constructs in the same model and is capable of testing for moderation.

Findings

The findings illustrate that voluntary entrepreneurship education generates learning outcomes in terms of students' entrepreneurial actions, which is important because without action, a venture will never be launched. This is especially so if students show a deep learning orientation, while mastery motivation showed a significant and negative moderating effect. This is not the case for compulsory entrepreneurship education.

Originality/value

Embedded in construal level theory, this paper offers knowledge that can help to advance entrepreneurship education research (1) by uncovering the role of different types of entrepreneurship education interventions, (2) by considering students' entrepreneurial actions as the dependent variable and (3) by unravelling the role of students' learning characteristics in the efficacy of entrepreneurship education interventions. By doing this, the study addresses recent repeated calls for more fine-grained research focused on how university students learn in entrepreneurship in higher education and its effects.
The role of creativity in principals’ leadership practices towards parental involvement
Authors: Keetanjaly A. , Abdul Kadir Suhaida , Su Luan Wong , Abdullah Arnida
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The involvement of parents in schools and their contribution towards their children’s academic learning have been a focal point in educational research. The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that influence parental involvement in secondary schools and subsequently proposed a comprehensive parental involvement model.

Design/methodology/approach

Research articles, reports and dissertations on the factors that influence parental involvement were reviewed to obtain related empirical evidence for the development of a workable model.

Findings

A conceptual framework was proposed to understand the factors that influence parental involvement. The role of creativity in principals’ leadership practices and parental involvement in secondary schools were found to be related. Additionally, this relationship was found to be mediated by school practices and school climate.

Research limitations/implications

A framework on the factors that influence parental involvement guided by literature review and three main hypotheses for testing were proposed, which require further empirical assessment.

Practical implications

The school–parent partnership shares a common understanding of the educational needs and social development of the children. The school administrators, school community, stakeholders and related policymakers can effectively leverage the findings of this study in the effort to enhance parental involvement within the school context.

Originality/value

Only a handful of research-based studies probed into the factors that influence parental involvement in secondary schools within the Malaysian context. This study identified several significant factors that enhance parental involvement in secondary schools.
The influence of spiritual leadership and its impacts on the reduction of workplace deviant behavior
Authors: Mahyarni Mahyarni
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of spiritual leadership toward spirituality, job satisfaction and reduction of deviant behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

A structural model based on WarpPLS (Solimun et al., 2017) is used for data analysis, with the first-order factor analysis based on variables with reflective indicators.

Findings

The research findings show that the sustainability of workplace spirituality can stimulate employees’ job satisfaction. Accordingly, the direct influence of workplace spirituality on workplace deviant behavior (WDB) is quite major (0.296); this indicates the importance of workplace spirituality for employees in working so it can reduce the WDB. An interesting part about this study is the indirect influence of workplace spirituality on workplace deviant behavior through job satisfaction, which also has a major value (0.208), almost equal to direct influence. This circumstance depicts how workplace spirituality influences workplace deviant behavior, as well as the importance of the improvement of employees’ job satisfaction.

Originality/value

The originality of this study is primarily placed on the causal relationship between the variables of spiritual leadership and WDB, other than the direct influence; there is also an indirect influence that has a big value, which is the path of spiritual leadership toward workplace deviant behavior through workplace spirituality (−0.248). In other words, workplace deviant behavior is not only influenced directly by spiritual leadership but also by workplace spirituality.
Psychopathy screening for public leadership
Authors: Boddy Clive Roland
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to re-open a debate as to whether candidates for public leadership should be screened for psychopathy.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual paper which examines the diffuse literature concerning psychopaths in public leadership positions.

Findings

Psychopathy researchers have been divided as to whether psychopathic individuals should be screened out of leadership positions in public and corporate life. Recent evidence from bullying research and historical research into psychopaths in politics sheds new light on this issue.

Practical implications

There is increasing evidence that psychopaths are detrimental to the organisations they work for, to other employees, to the environment and to society. Screening for psychopathy should therefore be considered. This may help to prevent governments entering into illegal wars and committing crimes against humanity. Screening in the corporate sector may also help prevent the worst excesses of greed and fraud that were evident in collapses like Enron and the Mirror Group as well as in the events leading up to the global financial crisis of 2008.

Originality/value

The paper makes a contribution to the literature on public leadership by bringing together the diverse reports on the effects of psychopaths in public organisations like the National Health Service, publicly listed corporations, academia and politics. The paper uses historical and corporate examples to illustrate the initially favourable impression that psychopathic leaders can make but the ultimately disastrous outcomes they engender.
Farmer–trader relationships in the context of developing countries: a dyadic analysis to understand variations in trust perceptions
Authors: Owot Godfrey Moses , Olido Kenneth , Okello Daniel Micheal , Odongo Walter
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyze trust perceptions between farmers and traders from a dyadic context in developing countries using mixed-method with a specific focus on fresh and dry commodities under contracted and non-contracted markets.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed approach was employed. Cross-sectional data were collected from 202 farmers and 188 traders using questionnaires and an interview guide. The Mann–Whitney test was used to assess differences in trust perception. Differences in the excerpts were assessed through content analysis.

Findings

Results show differences in perception of trust between farmers and traders on integrity, benevolence and competence in marketing fresh and dry commodities. No detectable differences in trust perception between contract and non-contract markets were observed.

Research limitations/implications

Data are limited to Northern Uganda and were collected on trust perception. Besides, there is a scarcity of formal contracts and difficulty in having a matched dyad which could affect generalization.

Originality/value

This is the first study to analyze differences in trust perceptions using a mixed approach in a dyadic context between fresh and dry chains in different markets typologies in developing countries.
Unveiling the indigenous art and craft of bakat and its economic significations
Authors: Inocian Reynaldo Bontuyan , Cuestas Niño James P. , Carin Justin Keith L. , Canoy Jhon Daryl E.
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to unveil the intricacies of bakat art of weaving; its origin; processes; uses; primary materials and principles used; the profile of the weavers; and its economic significations in the system of production and trade.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a descriptive–qualitative design with 35 key informants using narrative analysis. The unstructured questions listed in the interview guide were used during the interview. Responses were recorded using an audio–video recorder. Coding sheets were used in the actual transcription of data.

Findings

The results showed dependency on the bakat art of weaving with the available resources found in the environment. Its economic significations showed a sustainable impact on the weavers’ life. The bakat art of weaving represented the values of resiliency to hardships, adaptability to changes, passion to craftsmanship, sense of community and family centeredness. Aspiring craftsmen and artists may enhance continuously their craftsmanship for sustainable development with government support through the creation of the School of Living Traditions.

Research limitations/implications

The study was limited to bakat art of weaving based on the responses of the key informants that were subjected to a point of saturation without sacrificing robustness, brevity, credibility and dependability.

Practical implications

Though the economic side of bakat art of weaving is sustainable within the village, it can create a powerful branding for cultural recognition that would transform the town of Barili into a creative weaving hub in Cebu. This creates the balance of the historical significance of bakat art of weaving and the tourism sector in promoting sustainable development.

Social implications

Bakat art rekindled the spirit of consciousness among the majority of the Cebuano public for preservation and promotion.

Originality/value

The study is original because this has not been published.
A binary integer programming (BIP) model for optimal financial turning points detection
Authors: Yazdani Fatemeh , Khashei Mehdi , Hejazi Seyed Reza
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to detect the most profitable, i.e. optimal turning points (TPs), from the history of time series using a binary integer programming (BIP) model. TPs prediction problem is one of the most popular yet challenging topics in financial planning. Predicting profitable TPs results in earning profit by offering the opportunity to buy at low and selling at high. TPs detected from the history of time series will be used as the prediction model’s input. According to the literature, the predicted TPs’ profitability depends on the detected TPs’ profitability. Therefore, research for improving the profitability of detection methods has been never given up. Nevertheless, to the best of our knowledge, none of the existing methods can detect the optimal TPs.

Design/methodology/approach

The objective function of our model maximizes the profit of adopting all the trading strategies. The decision variables represent whether or not to detect the breakpoints as TPs. The assumptions of the model are as follows. Short-selling is possible. The time value for the money is not considered. Detection of consecutive buying (selling) TPs is not possible.

Findings

Empirical results with 20 data sets from Shanghai Stock Exchange indicate that the model detects the optimal TPs.

Originality/value

The proposed model, in contrast to the other methods, can detect the optimal TPs. Additionally, the proposed model, in contrast to the other methods, requires transaction cost as its only input parameter. This advantage reduces the process’ calculations.
Linking the intrinsic and environmental constraints with PwD tourists' behavioral intentions toward a travel destination: mediating role of learned helplessness
Authors: Sarmah Bijoylaxmi , Kamboj Shampy , Chatterjee Ravi
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The present study examines the antecedents of learned helplessness, i.e. intrinsic and environmental constraints and consequences, i.e. intention to travel and expectation in the context of people with disability (PwD) tourism context by applying the “Theory of Learned Helplessness”.

Design/methodology/approach

The survey method was used to gather data from 209 physically disabled people who had visited/traveled to any tourist destination in the past twelve months. Structural equation modeling technique was used to analyze data.

Findings

The findings reveal that intrinsic and environmental constraints positively influence learned helplessness. Consequently, learned helplessness negatively effects intention to travel and positively affects expectation of PWD tourist' toward a travel destination. Furthermore, learned helplessness contributed as a mediator between intrinsic constraints and intention to travel toward a tourist destination.

Originality/value

Even though the body of literature on associations studied pertaining the conceptual lens of learned helplessness is widely recognized, there is dearth of literature investigating the connections between travel constraints, learned helplessness, PwDs intention and their expectation in travel destination context.
Turkish nurses' leadership orientations and clinical decision-making skills
Authors: Gürsoy Elif , Yeşildere Sağlam Havva , Başaran Fatma , Çetin Atay Emine , Şimal Yavuz Nurgül
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the leadership orientations of nurses and their clinical decision-making skills.

Design/methodology/approach

This descriptive study was conducted between June and December 2018 on nurses working at three hospitals in Turkey. This study was completed with 1,100 nurses. The Personal Information Form, Leadership Orientation Scale and Clinical Decision-Making Scale in Nursing were used for data collection.

Findings

A significant correlation was found between the leadership orientations of nurses and age, sex, institution where they were employed, time spent in the profession, being in a management position and satisfaction with the current unit of employment (p< 0.05), and a significant correlation was found between clinical decision-making skills of nurses and age, sex and occupational status (p< 0.05). Furthermore, a significant correlation was found between the mean scores of the Leadership Orientation Scale and Clinical Decision-Making in Nursing Scale (p< 0.05).

Originality/value

The development of leadership orientations of nurses positively affects their clinical decision-making skills. In this respect, it is important to instill effective leadership orientations in nurses and to incorporate novel training methods in nursing education to develop accurate and timely clinical decision-making skills.
Police stressors and health: a state-of-the-art review
Authors: Violanti John M. , Charles Luenda E. , McCanlies Erin , Hartley Tara A. , Baughman Penelope , Andrew Michael E. , Fekedulegn Desta , Ma Claudia C. , Mnatsakanova Anna , Burchfiel Cecil M.
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a state-of-the-art review on the topic of police stressors and associated health outcomes. Recent empirical research is reviewed in the areas of workplace stress, shift work, traumatic stress, and health. The authors provide a comprehensive table outlining occupational exposures and related health effects in police officers.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of recent empirical research on police stress and untoward psychological and physiological health outcomes in police officers.

Findings

The results offer a conceptual idea of the empirical associations between stressful workplace exposures and their impact on the mental and physical well-being of officers.

Research limitations/implications

A key limitation observed in prior research is the cross-sectional study design; however, this serves as a motivator for researchers to explore these associations utilizing a longitudinal study design that will help determine causality.

Originality/value

This review provides empirical evidence of both mental and physical outcomes associated with police stress and the processes involved in both. Research findings presented in this paper are based on sound psychological and medical evidence among police officers