bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The diallelic self-incompatibility system in Oleaceae is controlled by a hemizygous genomic region expressing a gibberellin pathway gene
Authors: Castric Vincent , Batista Rita A. , Carré Amélie , Mousavi Soraya , Mazoyer Clément , Godé Cécile , Gallina Sophie , Ponitzki Chloé , Theron Anthony , Bellec Arnaud , Marande William , Santoni Sylvain , Mariotti Roberto , Rubini Andrea , Legrand Sylvain , Billiard Sylvain , Vekemans Xavier , Vernet Philippe , Saumitou-Laprade Pierre
Published: December 2023

Sexual reproduction in flowering plants is commonly controlled by self-incompatibility (SI) systems that are either homomorphic (and typically governed by large numbers of distinct allelic specificities), or heteromorphic (and then typically governed by only two allelic specificities). The SI system of the Oleaceae family is a striking exception to this rule and represents an evolutionary conundrum, with the long-term maintenance of only two allelic specificities, but often in the complete absence of morphological differentiation between them. To elucidate the genomic architecture and molecular bases of this highly unusual SI system, we obtained chromosome-scale genome assemblies ofPhillyrea angustifoliaindividuals belonging to the two SI specificities and connected them to a genetic map. Comparison of the S-locus region revealed a segregating 543-kb indel specific to one of the two specificities, suggesting a hemizygous genetic architecture. Only one of the predicted genes in this indel is conserved with the olive treeOlea europaea,where we also confirmed the existence of a segregating hemizygous indel. We demonstrated full association between presence/absence of this gene and the SI groups phenotypically assessed across six distantly related Oleaceae species. This gene is predicted to be involved in catabolism of the Gibberellic Acid (GA) hormone, and experimental manipulation of GA levels in developing buds modified the male and female SI responses in an S-allele-specific manner. Thus, our results provide a unique example of a reproductive system where a single conserved gibberellin-related gene in a 500-700kb hemizygous indel underlies the long-term maintenance of two groups of reproductive compatibility.
VPS13B is localized at the cis-trans Golgi complex interface and is a functional partner of FAM177A1
Authors: Ugur Berrak , Schueder Florian , Shin Jimann , Hanna Michael G. , Wu Yumei , Leonzino Marianna , Su Maohan , McAdow Anthony R. , Wilson Catherine , Postlethwait John , Solnica-Krezel Lilianna , Bewersdorf Joerg , Camilli Pietro De
Published: December 2023

Mutations in VPS13B, a member of a protein family implicated in bulk lipid transport between adjacent membranes, cause Cohen syndrome. VPS13B is known to be concentrated in the Golgi complex, but its precise location within this organelle and thus the site(s) where it achieves lipid transport remains unclear. Here we show that VPS13B is localized at the interface between cis and trans Golgi sub-compartments and that Golgi complex re-formation after Brefeldin A (BFA) induced disruption is delayed inVPS13BKO cells. This delay is phenocopied by loss of FAM177A1, a Golgi complex protein of unknown function reported to be a VPS13B interactor and whose mutations also result in a developmental disorder. In zebrafish, thevps13borthologue, not previously annotated in this organism, genetically interacts withfam177a1. Collectively, these findings raise the possibility that bulk lipid transport by VPS13B may play a role in expanding Golgi membranes and that VPS13B may be assisted in this function by FAM177A1.
How to predict binding specificity and ligands for new MHC-II alleles with MixMHC2pred
Authors: Racle Julien , Gfeller David
Published: December 2023

MHC-II molecules are key mediators of antigen presentation in vertebrate species and bind to their ligands with high specificity. The very high polymorphism of MHC-II genes within species and the fast-evolving nature of these genes across species has resulted in tens of thousands of different alleles, with hundreds of new alleles being discovered yearly through large sequencing projects in different species. Here we describe how to use MixMHC2pred to predict the binding specificity of any MHC-II allele directly from its amino acid sequence. We then show how both MHC-II ligands and CD4+T-cell epitopes can be predicted in different species with our approach. MixMHC2pred is available athttp://mixmhc2pred.gfellerlab.org/.
Metaproteogenomics resolution of a high-CO2aquifer community suggests an active symbiotic lifestyle of groundwater Gracilibacteria
Authors: Figueroa-Gonzalez Perla Abigail , Bornemann Till L. V. , Hinzke Tjorven , Maaß Sandra , Trautwein-Schult Anke , Starke Joern , Moore Carrie J. , Esser Sarah P. , Plewka Julia , Hesse Tobias , Schmidt Torsten C. , Schreiber Ulrich , Bor Batbileg , Becher Dörte , Probst Alexander J.
Published: December 2023

Background

Bacteria of the Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR), constituting about 25% of the bacterial biodiversity, are characterized by small cell size and patchy genomes without complete key metabolic pathways, suggesting a symbiotic lifestyle. Gracilibacteria (BD1-5), which are part of the CPR branch, possess alternate coded genomes and have not yet been cultivated. However, besides genomic evidence, little is known about the lifestyle of Gracilibacteria, their temporal dynamics, and activity in natural ecosystems, particularly in groundwater, where they were initially been genomically resolved. Therefore, we here aimed to investigate Gracilibacteria activityin situand to discern expressed genes involved in their lifestyle, using the metaproteogenome of Gracilibacteria as a function of time in the cold-water geyser Wallender Born in the Volcanic Eifel region in Germany.

Results

We coupled genome-resolved metagenomics and metaproteomics to investigate a cold-water geyser microbial community enriched in Gracilibacteria across a 12-day time-series. Groundwater was collected and sequentially filtered to fraction CPR and other bacteria. Based on 670 Gbps of metagenomic data, 1129 different ribosomal protein S3 marker genes and 751 high-quality genomes (123 population genomes after dereplication), we identified dominant bacteria belonging to Galionellales and Gracilibacteria along with keystone microbes, which were low in genomic abundance but substantially contributing to proteomic abundance. Seven high-quality Gracilibacteria genomes showed typical limitations, such as limited amino acid or nucleotide synthesis, in their central metabolism but no co-occurrence with potential hosts. The genomes of these Gracilibacteria encoded for a high number of proteins related to a symbiotic or even predatory lifestyle,e.g., type IV and type II secretion system subunits and features related to cell-cell interactions and cell motility, which were also detected on protein level.

Conclusions

Coupling metagenomics to metaproteomics enabled us to identify microbial keystone taxa in a high-CO2aquifer, and to reveal microbial dynamics of Gracilibacteria. We posit that Gracilibacteria might be successful microbial predators in this ecosystem, potentially aiding in population control of this highly perturbed microbial geyser community from the deep biosphere.
CD5L associates with IgM via the J chain
Authors: Wang Yuxin , Su Chen , Ji Chengong , Xiao Junyu
Published: December 2023

CD5 antigen-like (CD5L), also known as Spα or AIM (Apoptosis inhibitor of macrophage), emerges as an integral component of serum immunoglobulin M (IgM). However, the molecular mechanism underlying the interaction between IgM and CD5L has remained elusive. In this study, we present a cryo-electron microscopy structure of the IgM pentamer core in complex with CD5L. Our findings reveal that CD5L binds to the joining chain (J chain) in a Ca2+-dependent manner and further links to IgM via a disulfide bond. We further show that CD5L reduces IgM binding to the mucosal transport receptor pIgR, but does not impact the binding of the IgM-specific receptor FcμR. Additionally, CD5L does not affect IgM-mediated complement activation. These results offer new insights into our understanding of IgM and shed light on the functions of the IgM–CD5L complex in the immune system.
RASP: Optimal single fluorescent puncta detection in complex cellular backgrounds
Authors: Fu Bin , Brock Emma E. , Andrews Rebecca , Breiter Jonathan C. , Tian Ru , Toomey Christina E. , Lachica Joanne , Lashley Tammaryn , Ryten Mina , Wood Nicholas W. , Vendruscolo Michele , Gandhi Sonia , Weiss Lucien E. , Beckwith Joseph S. , Lee Steven F.
Published: December 2023

Super-resolution and single-molecule microscopy are increasingly applied to complex biological systems. A major challenge of this approach is that fluorescent puncta must be detected in the low signal, high noise, heterogeneous background environments of cells and tissue. We present RASP, Radiality Analysis of Single Puncta, a bioimaging-segmentation method that solves this problem. RASP removes false positive puncta that other analysis methods detect, and detects features over a broad range of spatial scales: from single proteins to complex cell phenotypes. RASP outperforms the state-of-the-art in precision and speed, using image gradients to separate Gaussian-shaped objects from background. We demonstrate RASP’s power by showing it can extract spatial correlations between microglia, neurons, andα-synuclein oligomers in the human brain. This sensitive, computationally efficient approach enables fluorescent puncta and cellular features to be distinguished in cellular and tissue environments with a sensitivity down to the level of the single protein.
Congress of multiple dimers is needed for cross-phosphorylation of IRE1α and its RNase activity
Authors: Orsi Andrea , Sitia Roberto , van Anken Eelco , Vitale Milena , Bakunts Anush
Published: December 2023

The unfolded protein response can switch from a pro-survival to a maladaptive, pro-apoptotic mode. During endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, IRE1α sensors dimerize, are phosphorylated and activate XBP1 splicing, increasing folding capacity in the ER protein factory. The steps that turn the IRE1α endonuclease activity against endogenous mRNAs during maladaptive ER stress are still unknown. Here we show that although necessary, IRE1α dimerization is not sufficient to trigger phosphorylation. Random and/or guided collisions amongst IRE1α dimers are needed to elicit cross-phosphorylation and endonuclease activities. Thus, reaching a critical concentration of IRE1α dimers in the ER membrane is a key event. Formation of stable IRE1α clusters is not necessary for RNase activity. However, clustering could modulate the potency of the response promoting interactions between dimers and decreasing the accessibility of phosphorylated IRE1α to phosphatases. The stepwise activation of IRE1α molecules and their low concentration at steady state prevent excessive responses, unleashing full-blown IRE1 activity only upon intense stress conditions.
Transcriptional signatures of fentanyl use in the mouse ventral tegmental area
Authors: Fox Megan E , Montemarano Annalisa , Ostman Alexandria E , Basu Mahashweta , Herb Brian , Ament Seth A. , Fox Logan D.
Published: December 2023

Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl contribute to the vast majority of opioid-related overdose deaths, but fentanyl use remains broadly understudied. Like other substances with misuse potential, opioids cause lasting molecular adaptations to brain reward circuits, including neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The VTA contains numerous cell types that play diverse roles in opioid use and relapse, however it is unknown how fentanyl experience alters the transcriptional landscape in specific subtypes. Here, we performed single nuclei RNA sequencing to study transcriptional programs in fentanyl experienced mice. Male and female C57/BL6 mice self-administered intravenous fentanyl (1.5 µg/kg/infusion) or saline for 10 days. After 24 hr abstinence, VTA nuclei were isolated and prepared for sequencing on the 10X platform. We identified different patterns of gene expression across cell types. In dopamine neurons, we found enrichment of genes involved in growth hormone signaling. In dopamine-glutamate-GABA combinatorial neurons, and some GABA neurons, we found enrichment of genes involved in Pi3k-Akt signaling. In glutamate neurons, we found enrichment of genes involved in cholinergic signaling. We identified transcriptional regulators for the differentially expressed genes in each neuron cluster, including downregulation of transcriptional repressor Bcl6, and upregulation of Wnt signaling partner Tcf4. We also compared the fentanyl-induced gene expression changes identified in mouse VTA with a published rat dataset in bulk VTA, and found overlap in genes related to GABAergic signaling and extracellular matrix interaction. Together, we provide a comprehensive picture of how fentanyl self-administration alters the transcriptional landscape of the mouse VTA, that serves for the foundation for future mechanistic studies.
Learning Image Memorability with Feedback-Based Training
Authors: Revsine Cambria , Bainbridge Wilma A.
Published: December 2023

Memorability, or the likelihood that an image is later remembered, is an intrinsic stimulus property that is remarkably consistent across viewers. Despite this consistency in what people remember and forget, previous findings suggest a lack of consistency in what individuals subjectively believe to be memorable and forgettable. We aimed to improve the ability of participants to judge memorability using a feedback-based training paradigm containing face images (Experiment 1) or scene images (Experiment 2 and its replication and control experiments). Overall, participants were fairly accurate at categorizing the memorability of images. In response to the training, participants were able to improve their memorability judgments of scenes, but not faces. Those who used certain strategies to perform the task, namely relying on characteristic features of the scenes, showed greater learning. Although participants improved slightly over time, they never reached the level of ResMem, the leading DNN for estimating image memorability. These results suggest that with training, human participants can better their understanding of image memorability, but may be unable to access its full variance.
DDHD2 is necessary for activity-driven fatty acid fueling of nerve terminal function
Authors: Kumar Mukesh , Wu Yumei , Knapp Justin , Park Daehun , Gupta Kallol , De Camilli Pietro , Ryan Timothy A.
Published: December 2023

HSP54, a hereditary spastic paraplegia associated with cognitive impairment, is caused by mutations in the neuron-specific triglyceride (TG) lipase DDHD2. Loss of DDHD2 function results in lipid accumulation in human brains1and lipid droplets (LDs) in mouse neurons2. In metabolically demanding tissues, TG lipases generate a fatty acid (FA) flux from LDs to fuel mitochondrial ATP production, but neurons are considered unable to use fat as an energy source. Thus, the basis for cognitive impairment driven by DDHD2 loss remains enigmatic. To resolve this paradox, we took advantage of presynaptic sensitivity to metabolic perturbations to determine if FAs derived from LDs could power local β-oxidation to support synaptic functions and whether DDHD2 activity would be required in the process. We demonstrate that nerve terminals are enriched with DDHD2 and blocking its activity leads to presynaptic accumulation of LDs. Moreover, we show that FAs derived from axonal LDs enter mitochondria in an activity-dependent fashion and drive local mitochondrial ATP production allowing nerve terminals to sustain function in the complete absence of glucose. Our data demonstrate that neurons and their nerve terminals can make use of LDs during electrical activity to provide metabolic support when glucose is in short supply.
Mechanics limit ecological diversity and promote heterogeneity in confined bacterial communities
Authors: Ma Tianyi , Rothschild Jeremy , Halabeya Faisal , Zilman Anton , Milstein Joshua N.
Published: December 2023

Multi-species bacterial populations often inhabit confined and densely packed environments where spatial competition determines the ecological diversity of the community. However, the role of mechanical interactions in shaping the ecology is still poorly understood. Here we study a model system consisting of two populations of non-motileE. colibacteria competing within open, monolayer micro-channels. The competitive dynamics is observed to be bi-phasic: after seeding, either one strain rapidly fixates or both strains orient into spatially stratified, stable communities. We find that mechanical interactions with other cells and local spatial constraints influence the resulting community ecology in unexpected ways, severely limiting the overall diversity of the communities while simultaneously allowing for the establishment of stable, heterogeneous populations of bacteria displaying disparate growth rates.

Surprisingly, the populations have a high probability of coexisting even when one strain has a significant growth advantage. A more coccus morphology is shown to provide a selective advantage, but agent based simulations indicate this is due to hydrodynamic and adhesion effects within the microchannel and not from breaking of the nematic ordering. Our observations are qualitatively reproduced by a simple Pólya urn model, which suggests the generality of our findings for confined population dynamics and highlights the importance of early colonization conditions on the resulting diversity and ecology of bacterial communities. These results provide fundamental insights into the determinants of community diversity in dense confined ecosystems where spatial exclusion is central to competition as in organized biofilms or intestinal crypts.
Cell type-specific enrichment of somatic aneuploidy in the mammalian brain
Authors: Mukamel Eran A. , Liu Hanqing , Behrens M. Margarita , Ecker Joseph R.
Published: December 2023

Somatic mutations alter the genomes of a subset of an individual’s brain cells1–3, impacting gene regulation and contributing to disease processes4,5. Mosaic single nucleotide variants have been characterized with single-cell resolution in the brain2,3, but we have limited information about large-scale structural variation, including whole-chromosome duplication or loss1,6,7. We used a dataset of over 415,000 single-cell DNA methylation and chromatin conformation profiles across the adult mouse brain to identify aneuploid cells comprehensively. Whole-chromosome loss or duplication occurred in <1% of cells, with rates up to 1.8% in non-neuronal cell types, including oligodendrocyte precursors and pericytes. Among all aneuploidies, we observed a strong enrichment of trisomy on chromosome 16, which is syntenic with human chromosome 21 and constitutively trisomic in Down syndrome. Chromosome 16 trisomy occurred in multiple cell types and across brain regions, suggesting that nondisjunction is a recurrent feature of somatic variation in the brain.
Anti-cancer drug Tamoxifen interferes withMycobacterium tuberculosisPhoPR mediated signaling and inhibits mycobacterial growth
Authors: Garg Abhishek , Pandit Mansi , Malhotra Vandana , Saini Deepak Kumar
Published: December 2023

Two-component signaling (TCS) systems empower all bacteria, including intracellular pathogens likeMycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb)to regulate key pathways governing growth, physiology and virulence. Amongst allM. tbTCS systems, PhoPR and DevRS have been studied extensively for their roles in regulating persistence and virulence. Here, we report that besides its cognate response regulator PhoP, the PhoR sensor kinase displays several non-cognate interactions that augment its role in pathogenesis. We demonstrate that PhoR phosphorylates the DevR response regulator and furthermore, is itself subjected toO-phosphorylation by PknK, a Ser/Thr protein kinase (STPK), connecting TCS pathways with “eukaryotic-like” STPK driven phosphosignaling. This intersection of non-canonical regulatory pathways and the coregulation of PhoP and DevR regulons makeM. tbPhoR a potentially attractive drug target. We rationalized that disruption of PhoPR signaling cascade and the resulting dysregulation may result in decreased virulence ofM. tb. We tested this hypothesis by performing a high-throughput screen for compounds that inhibit autophosphorylation of PhoR sensor kinase. Screening of pharmacologically active, small molecule libraries yielded 11 potential inhibitors, of which one compound, Tamoxifen was able to attenuate PhoR autophosphorylation at micromolar concentrationsin vitroandin vivo. Tamoxifen not only inhibited growth ofMycobacterium bovisBCG in culture but also interrupted PhoPR-mediated downstream signaling. Quantitative expression analysis revealed suppression of target gene,aprAunder acidic conditions. Our findings highlight TCS sensor kinases as promising drug targets and underscore the applicability of clinically relevant anti-cancer drug tamoxifen as a repurposed anti-TB drug.
GSK3β phosphorylation catalyzes the aggregation of Tau into Alzheimer’s disease-like amyloid strain
Authors: Chakraborty Pijush , Ibáñez de Opakua Alain , Purslow Jeffrey A. , Fromm Simon A. , Chatterjee Debdeep , Zachrdla Milan , Puri Sambhavi , Wolozin Benjamin , Zweckstetter Markus
Published: December 2023

The pathological deposition of proteins is a hallmark of several devastating neurodegenerative diseases. These pathological deposits comprise aggregates of proteins that adopt distinct structures named strains. However, the molecular factors responsible for the formation of distinct aggregate strains are unknown. Here we show that the serine/threonine kinase GSK3β catalyzes the aggregation of the protein tau into an Alzheimer’s disease-like amyloid strain. We demonstrate that phosphorylation by GSK3β, but not by several other kinases, promotes the aggregation of full-length tau through enhanced phase separation into gel-like condensate structures. Cryo-electron microscopy further reveals that the amyloid fibrils formed by GSK3β-phosphorylated tau adopt a fold comparable to that of paired helical filaments isolated from the brains of AD patients. Our results elucidate the intricate relationship between post-translational modification and the formation of tau strains in neurodegenerative diseases.
Rats rely on airflow cues for self-motion perception
Authors: Polat Lior , Harpaz Tamar , Zaidel Adam
Published: December 2023

Self-motion perception is a vital skill for all species. It is an inherently multisensory process, that combines inertial (body-based) and relative (with respect to the environment) motion cues. While extensively studied in human and non-human primates, there is currently no paradigm to test self-motion perception in rodents using both inertial and relative self-motion cues. We developed a novel rodent motion simulator using two synchronized robotic arms to generate inertial, relative or combined (inertial and relative) cues of self-motion. Eight rats were trained to perform a task of heading-discrimination, similar to the popular primate paradigm. Strikingly, the rats relied heavily on airflow for relative self-motion perception, with little contribution from optic flow (performance in the dark was almost as good). Relative self-motion (airflow) was perceived with greater reliability vs. inertial. Disrupting airflow (using a fan or windshield) damaged relative, but not inertial, self-motion perception. However, whiskers were not needed for this function. Lastly, the rats integrated relative and inertial self-motion cues in a reliability-based (Bayesian-like) manner. These results implicate airflow as a dominant cue for self-motion perception in rats, and provide a new domain to investigate the neural bases of self-motion perception and multisensory processing in awake behaving rodents.
Sparse Representation for High-dimensional Multiclass Microarray Data Classification
Authors: Miri Maliheh , Sadeghi Mohammad Taghi , Abootalebi Vahid
Published: December 2023

Sparse representation of signals has achieved satisfactory results in classification applications compared to the conventional methods. Microarray data, which are obtained from monitoring the expression levels of thousands of genes simultaneously, have very high dimensions in relation to the small number of samples. This has led to the weaknesses of state-of-the-art classifiers to cope with the microarray data classification problem. The ability of the sparse representation to represent the signals as a linear combination of a small number of training data and to provide a brief description of signals led to reducing computational complexity as well as increasing classification accuracy in many applications. Using all training samples in the dictionary imposes a high computational burden on the sparse coding stage of high dimensional data. Proposed solutions to solve this problem can be roughly divided into two categories: selection of a subset of training data using different criteria, or learning a concise dictionary. Another important factor in increasing the speed and accuracy of a sparse representation-based classifier is the algorithm which is used to solve the related ℓ1–norm minimization problem. In this paper, different sparse representation-based classification methods are investigated in order to tackle the problem of 14-Tumors microarray data classification. Our experimental results show that good performances are obtained by selecting a subset of the original atoms and learning the associated dictionary. Also, using SL0 sparse coding algorithm increases speed, and in most cases, accuracy of the classifiers.
Big data analytics capability for competitive advantage and firm performance in Malaysian manufacturing firms
Authors: Chong Chu-Le , Abdul Rasid Siti Zaleha , Khalid Haliyana , Ramayah T.
Published: December 2023

Purpose

This study investigated the relationships among big data analytics capability (BDAC), low-cost advantage, differentiation advantage, market and operational performance underpinning the resource-based view (RBV) and the entanglement view of sociomaterialism (EVS) theories.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 191 responses from members of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers were analysed using a structural equation modelling approach.

Findings

This study has conclusively demonstrated that BDAC is indeed a resource bundle comprising human skills, tangible and intangible resources. This study found that BDAC positively influences competitive advantage and firm performance. The differentiation advantage was found to be a key factor in explaining market performance. Theoretically, both RBV and EVS could be used to link BDAC, differentiation advantage and market performance to explain superior firm performance.

Research limitations/implications

First, the sample is restricted to the manufacturers in Malaysia. Second, a single independent variable, BDAC, is used as a higher-order capability to influence competitive advantage, and thus, superior firm performance. Third, this study uses a self-reported survey, which means that only one respondent from each firm answered the questions. Fourth, this study excludes the focused strategy as it aims to investigate the competitive strategy used in the broader industry environment, rather than in a specific segment pursuing a focused strategy.

Practical implications

First, BDAC is a valuable, rare, inimitable and non-substitutable tool for manufacturers to enhance their firm performance. Second, BDAC is crucial for manufacturing firms to reduce costs and differentiate themselves. Third, a low-cost advantage may not help manufacturers achieve greater market and operational performance.

Originality/value

The relationship among BDAC, low-cost advantage, differentiation advantage, market and operational performance within manufacturing industry is empirically tested.
Effectiveness of sponsorship type, sport team identification, team support and congruence
Authors: Mohammadi Sardar , Ghasemi Siani Mojtaba , Alonso Dos Santos Manuel
Published: December 2023

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to investigate the interaction effect that sponsor-team congruence and team fan (home/rival team) have on the influence of different types of sports sponsorship (joint, corporate social responsibility [CSR]-linked and conventional sponsorship) on fans' attitudes and purchase intentions toward the sponsor.

Design/methodology/approach

Two experimental studies were conducted on 391 and 297 participants. The data gathered underwent analysis through five multivariate general linear model analyses.

Findings

The study found that CSR-linked sponsorship had the strongest positive impact and the weakest negative impact on the attitude and purchase intention of home team supporters and the attitude of rival team supporters. Nonetheless, the sponsor-team congruence did not significantly moderate the relationship. Additionally, the research demonstrated that the fan identity of both home and rival teams moderates the impact of sports sponsorships on attitude and purchase intention.

Originality/value

Previous research has studied the effectiveness of sponsorship format types independently. This is the first research comparing sponsorship formats regarding fan type and congruence.
Does emotional intelligence impact service innovation capabilities? Exploring the role of diversity climate and innovation culture
Authors: Jegerson Devid , Jabeen Fauzia , Abdulla Hanan H. , Putrevu Jayaprada , Streimikiene Dalia
Published: December 2023

Purpose

The study examines the impact of emotional intelligence on service innovation capabilities. Furthermore, it explored the mediating role of diversity climate and the moderating role of innovation culture.

Design/methodology/approach

An online questionnaire helped to collect data from 257 public sector employees in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The proposed hypotheses were analysed using structural equation modelling.

Findings

Building on the ability model, the study found that employees' emotional intelligence has a positive impact on diversity climate; that diversity climate does not mediate the relationship between emotional intelligence and service innovation capabilities and that innovation culture has a moderating effect between diversity climate and service innovation capabilities.

Originality/value

The paper clarifies the emotional intelligence of the workforce and its ability to influence innovation culture and diversity climate in public organisations, ultimately benefiting service innovation capability research. As such, the study contributes to the literature by proposing and analysing some antecedents of service innovation capabilities in the context of public organisations. The study also offers policymakers information on what prevents innovation, which they can use to raise the bar on service quality requirements in the public sector.
Factors of success in the change management process of IT programs
Authors: Trzeciak Mateusz
Published: December 2023

Purpose

The purpose of the article is to identify the factors of the success of the change management process in IT programs.

Design/methodology/approach

The article presents the results of quantitative research conducted among 221 managers involved in the process of IT program management. In addition, to achieve the assumed goal, a factor analysis and cluster analysis were carried out on the basis of which a model of the relationship between success determinants and the change management process in the IT program was built.

Findings

Nine factors significant for the change management of IT programs have been identified. What is more, they illustrate 78.23% of all significant variables that may occur and significantly affect the success of the IT change program. In addition, it was indicated which factors have a significant impact on achieving the success of the program in individual sub-processes of the course of change.

Research limitations/implications

The article identified 38 variables determining the success of an IT program as a result of a literature review. Secondly, the article responds to the call of Teubner (2018) for IT programs and Vuorinen and Martinsuo (2018) for programs of change.

Originality/value

The article complements the current theory with identified factors of success in the change management process in IT programs. In addition, the article presents recommendations for managers regarding the importance of the identified factors and their impact on the success of the program.
Place attributes and company names: an empirical and conceptual study into public branding and business strategies
Authors: Bassols i Gardella Narcís , Acevedo Christian , Orjuela Martínez Catalina
Published: December 2023

Purpose

This research finds out to what extent companies’ names are influenced by the place’s attributes versus the official branding policies of a place and, consequently, whether and how local companies “buy into” the place’s strategies put forth by official bodies.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is both conceptual and empirical, as a mixed quantitative and interpretive approach is used. The companies’ names of a tourist industry (the tour and guiding companies) in three destinations are compared and pitched against the branding of these cities. The companies' names are classified into categories to ascertain whether they reflect (or diverge from) the official strategies. Finally, a conceptual model is developed to explain the findings: the strategic naming model (SNM).

Findings

Our main finding is that the overall business features of a place being stronger determinants to the naming strategies than tourist destination branding initiatives. The intrinsic features of a place seem thus to be “above” destination branding policies. The researched features account for different naming strategies, such as highly original names, flat names or non-strategic names.

Research limitations/implications

As the work is based on a convenience sample, it cannot claim strong representativity. The fact that each of the three data sets was processed by a different researcher might bring up personal biases.

Practical implications

This work is a call for a more intensive use of naming strategies to the companies’ advantages, as naming is found out to be strategy used to a very low degree. Thanks to this research, companies will understand the different naming possibilities and be able to apply them to their strategies by choosing names which express “uniqueness” or “belonging”. Practitioners will also be aware of whether they are communicating towards the industry or towards the market.

Originality/value

No works were found that empirically pursue our research goals. Therefore, this research might be considered as a novelty. The proposed SNM model explains and relates the most usual company naming techniques, which were unrelated up to date.
Collective impression management and collective privacy concerns in co-owned information disclosure: the mediating role of relationship support and relationship risk
Authors: Feng Yafei , Zhang Yan , Li Lifu
Published: December 2023

Purpose

The privacy calculus based on a single stakeholder failed to explain users' co-owned information disclosure owing to the uniqueness of co-owned information. Drawing on collective privacy calculus theory and impression management theory, this study attempts to explore the co-owned information disclosure of social network platform users from a collective perspective rather than an individual perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on collective privacy calculus theory and impression management theory, this study explores the co-owned information disclosure of social network platform users from a collective perspective rather than an individual perspective based on a survey of 740 respondents.

Findings

This study finds that self-presentation and others presentation directly positively affect users' co-owned information disclosure. Also, self-presentation, others presentation and relationship presentation indirectly positively affect users' co-owned information disclosure via relationship support. Furthermore, personal privacy concern, others' privacy concern and relationship privacy concern indirectly negatively affect users' co-owned information disclosure via relationship risk.

Originality/value

The findings develop the theory of collective privacy calculus and impression management, which offer insights into the design of the collective privacy protection function of social network platform service providers.
Pay equity perceptions and pay disclosure preferences: the moderating role of pay transparency
Authors: Cragun Ormonde , Kautz Jason , Xiu Lin
Published: December 2023

Purpose

This study aims to explore how individual-level and organizational-level factors interact to influence pay information (PI) seeking and PI sharing preferences in PI conversations (i.e. the face-to-face communications context). The authors examine how an individual’s judgment of their pay relative to others – or pay equity perception – affects their PI seeking and PI sharing preferences and how those relationships are affected by organizationally created pay transparency policies and pay transparency practices.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a 2 × 2 × 2 experimental design on the MTurk platform, the authors used a scenario-based prompt method to manipulate employee perceptions of pay equity and organizational pay transparency and tested those effects on employee pay disclosure preferences. The authors consider both pay policy and pay practice dimensions of pay transparency and both PI seeking and PI sharing dimensions of pay disclosure preferences. The final sample had 597 participants.

Findings

The authors find employees’ pay equity perceptions are negatively related to PI seeking behaviors and are even more so when organizations have restrictive pay transparency policies. Also, both pay transparency policy and pay transparency practice increase PI sharing preferences.

Originality/value

The authors provide insight into how individual perceptions drive pay disclosure motivations and the role of organizational policy and practice in influencing pay disclosure preferences within PI conversations. The authors provide insight into the antecedents that shape pay disclosure preferences, which lead to a both PI conversations among coworkers and an increase in one’s pay understanding. This study shows the contextual nature of PI seeking and PI sharing preferences, which are a motivational antecedent to pay-related sensemaking behaviors.
Equity ownership structure and internationalization of firms: the role of international experience of board chairs
Authors: Xie Henry , Xie Jane
Published: December 2023

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the impact of equity ownership structure (i.e. CEO ownership, board chair ownership and institutional ownership) on internationalization of firms. The moderating role of international experience of board chairs is also examined.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses Compustat-Capital IQ data from Standard &Poor’s. The sample of this study includes 309 US multinational corporations representing different sectors. The parameters were estimated by using the ordinary least squares regression with the SPSS statistical package.

Findings

The finding of this study suggests that CEO ownership and board chair ownership have a significant, positive impact on the degree of internationalization of firms, whereas institutional ownership has a negative impact. The predicted moderating role of international experience of board chairs has found mixed results.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature by taking a holistic approach to examine the impact of equity ownership types (i.e. CEO ownership, board chair ownership and institutional ownership) on firms’ degree of internationalization. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is also the first to investigate the impact of independent board chairs’ equity ownership and international experience on internationalization.
Network‐based cytokine inference implicates Oncostatin M as a driver of an inflammation phenotype in knee osteoarthritis
Authors: Iijima Hirotaka , Zhang Fan , Ambrosio Fabrisia , Matsui Yusuke
Published: December 2023

Inflammatory cytokines released by synovium after trauma disturb the gene regulatory network and have been implicated in the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis. A mechanistic understanding of how aging perturbs this process can help identify novel interventions. Here, we introduced network paradigms to simulate cytokine‐mediated pathological communication between the synovium and cartilage. Cartilage‐specific network analysis of injured young and aged murine knees revealed aberrant matrix remodeling as a transcriptomic response unique to aged knees displaying accelerated cartilage degradation. Next, network‐based cytokine inference with pharmacological manipulation uncovered IL6 family member, Oncostatin M (OSM), as a driver of the aberrant matrix remodeling. By implementing a phenotypic drug discovery approach, we identified that the activation of OSM recapitulated an “inflammatory” phenotype of knee osteoarthritis and highlighted high‐value targets for drug development and repurposing. These findings offer translational opportunities targeting the inflammation‐driven osteoarthritis phenotype.
Labor induction at 41+0 gestational weeks or expectant management for the nulliparous woman: The Finnish randomized controlled multicenter trial
Authors: Place Katariina , Rahkonen Leena , Tekay Aydin , Väyrynen Kirsi , Orden Maija‐Riitta , Vääräsmäki Marja , Uotila Jukka , Tihtonen Kati , Rinne Kirsi , Mäkikallio Kaarin , Heinonen Seppo , Kruit Heidi
Published: December 2023

Introduction

Neonatal and maternal risks increase in term pregnancy as gestational age advances and become increasingly evident post‐term. Management practices of late‐ and post‐term pregnancies vary, and the optimal time point for intervention by labor induction is yet to be determined.

Material and methods

This randomized controlled trial of 381 nulliparous women with unripe cervices compared labor induction at 41+0 gestational weeks (early induction) with expectant management and labor induction at 41+5 to 42+1 gestational weeks (expectant management). This multicenter study included all five university hospitals and the largest central hospital in Finland. The study period was 2018–2022. Participants were randomized to either early induction (48.8%, n = 186) or expectant management (51.2%, n = 195) with equal randomization ratios of 1:1. This was a superiority trial, and the primary outcomes were rates of cesarean section (CS) and composite of adverse neonatal outcomes. The trial was registered at the ISRCTN registry (ISRCTN83219789, https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN83219789).

Results

The rates of CS (16.7% [n = 31] vs. 24.1% [n = 47], RR 0.7 [95% CI: 0.5–1.0], p = 0.07) and a composite of adverse neonatal outcomes (9.7% [n = 18] vs. 14.4% [n = 28], RR 0.7 [95% CI: 0.4–1.2] p = 0.16) did not significantly differ between the groups, but the operative delivery rate was lower in the early induction group than in the expectant management group (30.6% [n = 57] vs. 45.6% [n = 89], p = 0.003). The rates of hemorrhage ≥1000 mL and neonatal weight ≥4000 g were also lower in the early induction group, as was the vacuum extraction rate in women with vaginal delivery. Of the women with expectant management, 45.6% (n = 89) had spontaneous onset of labor. No perinatal deaths occurred, but one case of eclampsia appeared in the expectant management group.

Conclusions

Offering labor induction to nulliparous women at 41+0 gestational weeks may decrease the probability of operative delivery, postpartum hemorrhage, and neonatal weight ≥4000 g. However, this study was underpowered to affirm the trends of rising rates of CS and adverse neonatal outcomes in the expectant management group. Thus, expectant management could remain an option for some, as one in two women with expectant management had a spontaneous onset of labor.
Cumulative effect of high‐resolution silicone moulds on the morphology of cut marks
Authors: Valtierra Noé , Courtenay Lloyd A. , Yravedra José , López‐Polín Lucía
Published: December 2023

The use of high‐resolution silicone moulds for documenting bone surface modifications, such as cut marks, is common. However, it has not been evaluated whether moulding can affect the originals. In this work, the modification level derived from several moulding–demoulding processes on an experimental sample of cut marks has been characterised using geometric Morphometrics. It has been shown that moulds influence the morphology of cut marks, reducing their variability, and making the sample more homogeneous. These modifications do not affect the identification of cut marks, but if not considered, may have an effect on more specialised studies.
Orchestration and theranostic applications of synthetic genome with Hachimoji bases/building blocks
Authors: Sett Arghya , Gadewar Manoj , Babu M. Arockia , Panja Amrita , Sachdeva Punya , Almutary Abdulmajeed G. , Upadhye Vijay , Jha Saurabh Kumar , Jha Niraj Kumar
Published: December 2023

Synthetic genomics is a novel field of chemical biology where the chemically modified genetic alphabets have been considered in central dogma of life. Tweaking of chemical compositions of natural nucleotide bases could be developed as novel building blocks of DNA/RNA. The modified bases (dP, dZ, dS, and dB etc.) have been demonstrated to be adaptable for replication, transcription and follow Darwinism law of evolution. With advancement of chemical biology especially nucleotide chemistry, synthetic genetic codes have been discovered and Hachimoji nucleotides are the most important and significant one among them. These additional nucleotide bases can form orthogonal base‐pairing, and also follow Darwinian evolution and other structural features. In the Hachimoji base pairing, synthetic building blocks are formed using eight modified nucleotide (DNA/RNA) letters (hence the name “Hachimoji”). Their structural conformations, like polyelectrolyte backbones and stereo‐regular building blocks favor thermodynamic stability and confirm Schrodinger aperiodic crystal. From the structural genomics aspect, these synthetic bases could be incorporated into the central dogma of life. Researchers have shown Hachimoji building blocks were transcribed to its RNA counterpart as a functional fluorescent Hachimoji aptamer. Apart from several unnatural nucleotide base pairs maneuvered into its in vitro and in vivo applications, this review describes future perspective towards the development and therapeutic utilization of the genetic codes, a primary objective of synthetic and chemical biology.