bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bacterial catabolic system of acetovanillone and acetosyringone useful for upgrading aromatic compounds obtained through chemical lignin depolymerization
Authors: Higuchi Yudai , Kamimura Naofumi , Takenami Hiroki , Kikuiri Yusei , Yasuta Chieko , Tanatani Kenta , Shobuda Toru , Otsuka Yuichiro , Nakamura Masaya , Sonoki Tomonori , Masai Eiji
Published: May 2022

Acetovanillone is a major aromatic monomer produced in oxidative/base-catalyzed lignin depolymerization. However, the production of chemical products from acetovanillone has not been explored due to the lack of information on the microbial acetovanillone catabolic system. Here acvABCDEF was identified as specifically induced genes during the growth of Sphingobium sp. strain SYK-6 cells with acetovanillone and these genes were essential for SYK-6 growth on acetovanillone and acetosyringone (a syringyl-type acetophenone derivative). AcvAB and AcvF produced in Escherichia coli phosphorylated acetovanillone/acetosyringone and dephosphorylated the phosphorylated acetovanillone/acetosyringone, respectively. AcvCDE produced in Sphingobium japonicum UT26S converted the dephosphorylated phosphorylated acetovanillone/acetosyringone intermediate into vanilloyl acetic acid/3- (4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-oxopropanoic acid through carboxylation. To demonstrate the feasibility of producing cis,cis-muconic acid from acetovanillone, a metabolic modification on a mutant of Pseudomonas sp. strain NGC7 that accumulates cis,cis-muconic acid from catechol was performed. The resulting strain expressing vceA and vceB required for converting vanilloyl acetic acid to vanillic acid and aroY encoding protocatechuic acid decarboxylase in addition to acvABCDEF successfully converted 1.2 mM acetovanillone to approximate equimolar cis,cis-muconic acid. Our results are expected to help improve the yield and purity of value-added chemical production from lignin through biological funneling.

IMPORTANCE

In the alkaline oxidation of lignin, aromatic aldehydes (vanillin, syringaldehyde, and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde), aromatic acids (vanillic acid, syringic acid, and p- hydroxybenzoic acid), and acetophenone-related compounds (acetovanillone, acetosyringone, and 4’-hydroxyacetophenone) are produced as major aromatic monomers. Also, base-catalyzed depolymerization of guaiacyl lignin resulted in vanillin, vanillic acid, guaiacol, and acetovanillone as primary aromatic monomers. To date, microbial catabolic systems of vanillin, vanillic acid, and guaiacol have been well characterized, and the production of value-added chemicals from them has also been explored. However, due to the lack of information on the microbial acetovanillone and acetosyringone catabolic system, chemical production from acetovanillone and acetosyringone has not been achieved. This is the first study to elucidate the acetovanillone/acetosyringone catabolic system, and to demonstrate the potential of using these genes for value-added chemicals production from these compounds.
Elevated CD47 is a hallmark of dysfunctional aged muscle stem cells that can be targeted to augment regeneration
Authors: Porpiglia Ermelinda , Mai Thach , Kraft Peggy , Holbrook Colin A. , de Morree Antoine , Gonzalez Veronica D. , Hilgendorf Keren , Fresard Laure , Trejo Angelica , Bhimaraju Sriram , Jackson Peter K. , Fantl Wendy J. , Blau Helen M.
Published: May 2022

In aging, skeletal muscle strength and regenerative capacity declines due, in part, to functional impairment of muscle stem cells (MuSCs), yet the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here we capitalize on mass-cytometry to identify high CD47 expression as a hallmark of dysfunctional MuSCs (CD47hi) with impaired regenerative capacity that predominate with aging. The prevalent CD47hi MuSC subset suppresses the residual functional CD47lo MuSC subset through a paracrine signaling loop, leading to impaired proliferation. We uncover that elevated CD47 levels on aged MuSCs result from increased U1 snRNA expression, which disrupts alternative polyadenylation. The deficit in aged MuSC function in regeneration can be overcome either by morpholino-mediated blocking of CD47 alternative polyadenylation or antibody blockade of CD47 signaling, leading to improved regeneration in aged mice, with therapeutic implications. Our findings highlight a previously unrecognized age-dependent alteration in CD47 levels and function in MuSCs, which underlies reduced muscle repair in aging.
Decoding violated sensory expectations from the auditory cortex of anaesthetized mice: Hierarchical recurrent neural network depicts separate ‘danger’ and ‘safety’ units
Authors: O’Reilly Jamie A. , Angsuwatanakul Thanate , Wehrman Jordan
Published: May 2022

The ability to respond appropriately to sensory information received from the external environment is among the most fundamental capabilities of central nervous systems. In the auditory domain, processes underlying this behaviour are studied by measuring auditory-evoked electrophysiology during sequences of sounds with predetermined regularities. Identifying neural correlates of ensuing auditory novelty responses is supported by research in experimental animals. In the present study, we reanalysed epidural field potential recordings from the auditory cortex of anaesthetised mice during frequency and intensity oddball stimulation. Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) and hierarchical recurrent neural network (RNN) modelling were adopted to explore these data with greater resolution than previously considered using conventional methods. Time-wise and generalised temporal decoding MVPA approaches revealed previously underestimated asymmetry between responses to sound-level transitions in the intensity oddball paradigm, in contrast with tone frequency changes. After training, the cross-validated RNN model architecture with four hidden layers produced output waveforms in response to simulated auditory inputs that were strongly correlated with grand-average auditory-evoked potential waveforms (r2 > 0.9). Units in hidden layers were classified based on their temporal response properties and characterised using principal component analysis and sample entropy. These demonstrated spontaneous alpha rhythms, sound onset and offset responses, and putative ‘safety’ and ‘danger’ units activated by relatively inconspicuous and salient changes in auditory inputs, respectively. The hypothesised existence of corresponding biological neural sources is naturally derived from this model. If proven, this would have significant implications for prevailing theories of auditory processing.
Cortical tracking of lexical speech units in a multi-talker background is immature in school-aged children
Authors: Niesen Maxime , Bourguignon Mathieu , Bertels Julie , Vander Ghinst Marc , Wens Vincent , Goldman Serge , De Tiege Xavier
Published: May 2022

Children have more difficulty perceiving speech in noise than adults. Whether these difficulties relate to immature processing of prosodic or linguistic elements of the attended speech is still unclear. To address the impact of noise on linguistic processing per se, we assessed how acoustic noise impacts the cortical tracking of intelligible speech devoid of prosody in school-aged children and adults.

Twenty adults and twenty children (7-9 years) listened to synthesized French monosyllabic words presented at 2.5 Hz, either randomly or in 4-word hierarchical structures wherein 2 words formed a phrase, and 2 phrases formed a sentence, with or without babble noise. Neuromagnetic responses to words, phrases and sentences were identified and source-localized.

Children and adults displayed significant cortical tracking of words in all conditions, and of phrases and sentences only when words formed meaningful sentences. In children compared with adults, cortical tracking of linguistic units was lower for all units in conditions without noise, and similarly impacted by the addition of babble noise for phrase and sentence units. Critically, when there was noise, adults increased the cortical tracking of monosyllabic words in the inferior frontal gyri but children did not.

This study demonstrates that the difficulties of school-aged children in understanding speech in a multi-talker background might be partly due to an immature identification of lexical but not supra-lexical linguistic units.

Highlights

Children track the hierarchical linguistic units of clear speech devoid of prosody

This cortical tracking is left-hemisphere dominant as the adult brain

Babble noise reduces cortical tracking of sentences in children and adults

Unlike adults, children are not able to enhance cortical tracking of words in noise
Content-aware image restoration improves spatiotemporal resolution in luminescence microscopy
Authors: Boothe Tobias , Ivanković Mario , Grohme Markus A. , Rink Jochen C.
Published: May 2022

Luminescence microscopy is a powerful tool in biomedical imaging applications due to its intrinsically high signal to noise ratio. However, luminescence signal detection requires longer exposure times than fluorescence imaging and is consequently less suited for applications requiring high temporal resolution or throughput. Here we demonstrate that content-aware image restoration can drastically reduce the exposure time requirements in luminescence imaging, thus overcoming one of the major limitations of the technique.
High fat diet changes bacterial signatures in the murine pancreas
Authors: Scheithauer Torsten P.M. , Davids Mark , Winkelmeijer Maaike , Havik Stefan , Nieuwdorp Max , Herrema Hilde , van Raalte Daniël H.
Published: May 2022

Hyperglycemia is caused by failure of pancreatic beta cells. Beta-cell inflammation contributes to beta-cell dysfunction, however (primary) immunogenic triggers are in large unknown. The gut microbiota is one potential source of pro-inflammatory molecules. A high-fat diet treatment increases pro-inflammatory bacteria in the gut microbiome, parts of which could migrate to the pancreatic beta-cell. In the present study, the bacterial DNA signature in the pancreas and intestine of C57BL6/J mice was analyzed. Mice were fed a high-fat diet (60% kcal fat) or a regular chow diet for 12 weeks. We took several precautions to avoid and map contamination. The gut microbiota was affected by high-fat diet as following: We observed several common intestinal ASVs in the pancreatic tissue. Although the pancreatic ASVs do not correlate exactly with the gut ASVs, our data implicate that the pancreas contains bacterial DNA and that this signature is altered in high-fat diet fed mice (PERMONOVA, p = 0.037; betadisper, p=0.029). Gut derived bacterial DNA might end up in the pancreas at some point in time. Hence, this work supports the concept of translocation of bacterial DNA to the pancreas, which might contribute to inflammation and dysfunction of pancreatic beta-cells.
Off-target integron activity leads to rapid plasmid compensatory evolution in response to antibiotic selection pressure
Authors: Souque Célia , Escudero José A. , MacLean R.Craig
Published: May 2022

Integrons are mobile genetic elements that have played an important role in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance. Under stress, the integron can generate combinatorial variation in resistance cassette expression by cassette re-shuffling, accelerating the evolution of resistance. However, the flexibility of the integron integrase site recognition motif hints at potential off-target effects of the integrase on the rest of the genome that may have important evolutionary consequences. Here we test this hypothesis by selecting for increased piperacillin resistance populations of P.aeruginosa with a mobile integron containing a hard-to-mobilise beta-lactamase cassette to minimize the potential for adaptive cassette re-shuffling. We found that integron activity can both decrease overall survival rate but also improve the fitness of the surviving populations. Off-target inversions mediated by the integron accelerated plasmid adaptation by disrupting costly conjugative genes otherwise mutated in control populations lacking a functional integrase. Plasmids containing integron-mediated inversions were associated with lower plasmid costs and higher stability than plasmids carrying mutations, albeit at a cost of reduced conjugative ability. These findings highlight the potential for integrons to create structural variation that can drive bacterial evolution, and they provide an interesting example showing how antibiotic pressure can drive the loss of conjugative genes.
A Novel Y-Shaped, S-O-N-O-S-Bridged Crosslink between Three Residues C22, C44, and K61 Is a Redox Switch of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease
Authors: Yang Kai S. , Kuo Syuan-Ting Alex , Blankenship Lauren R. , Sheng Yan J. , Sankaran Banumathi , Li Pingwei , Fierke Carol A. , Russell David H. , Yan Xin , Xu Shiqing , Liu Wenshe Ray
Published: May 2022

As the COVID-19 pathogen, SARS-CoV-2 relies on its main protease (MPro) for pathogenesis and replication. During the crystallographic analyses of MPro crystals that were exposed to the air, a uniquely Y-shaped, S-O-N-O-S-bridged posttranslational crosslink that connects three residues C22, C44, and K61 at their side chains was frequently observed. As a novel posttranslational modification, this crosslink serves as a redox switch to regulate the catalytic activity of MPro, a demonstrated drug target of COVID-19. The formation of this linkage leads to a much more opened active site that can be potentially targeted for the development of novel SARS-CoV-2 antivirals. The inactivation of MPro by this crosslink indicates that small molecules that lock MPro in the crosslinked form can be potentially used with other active site-targeting molecules such as paxlovid for synergistic effects in inhibiting the SARS-CoV-2 viral replication. Therefore, this new finding reveals a unique aspect of the SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and is potentially paradigm-shifting in our current understanding of the function of MPro and the development of its inhibitors as COVID-19 antivirals.
New insights from short and long reads sequencing to explore cytochrome b variants of Plasmopara viticola populations collected in vineyard and related to resistance to complex III inhibitors
Authors: Cherrad Semcheddine , Gillet Benjamin , Dellinger Julien , Bellaton Lalie , Roux Pascale , Hernandez Catalina , Steva Hervé , Perrier Lauriane , Hughes Sandrine , Vacher Sébastien
Published: May 2022

Downy mildew is caused by Plasmopara viticola, an obligate oomycete plant pathogen, a devasting disease for grapevine. To preserve plants from the disease, complex III inhibitors are among the widely used fungicides that specifically target the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) of the pathogen to block cellular respiration mechanisms. In French vineyard, P. viticola developed resistance against a first category of these fungicides, the Quinone outside inhibitors, by exhibiting a single amino acid substitution G143A in its cytb mitochondrial sequence. Their usage was restricted and another kind of fungicides, Quinone inside inhibitors, targeting the same gene and highly effective against oomycetes, were used instead. Recently however, less sensitive P. viticola populations were detected after treatments with some inhibitors, in particular ametoctradin and cyazofamid. By isolating resistant single-sporangia strains of P. viticola to these fungicides, we characterized new variants in cytb sequences associated with cyazofamid resistance: a point mutation (L201S) and more strikingly, two insertions (E203-DE-V204, E203-VE-V204). In parallel with classical tools, pyrosequencing and RT-PCR, we then benchmarked both short and long-reads NGS technologies (Ion Torrent, Illumina, Oxford Nanopore Technologies) to sequence the complete cytb with the prospect to detect and assess the proportion of resistant variants of P. viticola at a natural population scale. Eighteen populations collected from French vineyard fields in 2020 were analysed: 12 show a variable proportion of G143A, 11 of E203-DE-V204 and 7 populations of the S34L variant that confers resistance to ametoctradin. Interestingly, long reads were able to identify variants, including SNPs, with confidence and detect a small proportion of P. viticola showing several variants along the same cytb sequence. Altogether, NGS appear promising methods to evaluate pathogen resistance towards fungicides related to cytb modifications at a population scale in the field. This approach could be rapidly a robust decision-support management tool for vineyard in future.
Aβ42 and Aβ40 oligomers form transient and persistent pores with different time evolutions and toxicities
Authors: Shah Syed Islamuddin , Parker Ian , Ullah Ghanim , Demuro Angelo
Published: May 2022

In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), formation of harmful self-gating pores formed by the insertion of amyloid beta oligomers (AβOs) into the plasma membrane have been shown to cause disruption of Ca2+ homeostasis, leading to neuronal malfunctioning and degeneration. Among different isoforms, the most studied Aβ40 and Aβ42 are also believed to be the most toxic ones. Using single channel imaging, we show that both isoforms can form functionally distinct populations of Ca2+ permeable pores, we named transient and persistent pores. The transient pores could be seen only for a few tens of milliseconds, while persistent pores can be observed for more than an hour. However, while the Ca2+-toxicity of pores formed by Aβ42Os tend to increase over time by displaying higher open probability and larger Ca2+ permeability, pores formed by Aβ40Os show opposite time dependent behavior. We conclude that although both isoforms can form Ca2+ permeable pores in the cell’s plasma membrane, pores due to Aβ42Os display worsening Ca2+ toxicity over time.
5’ Untranslated mRNA Regions Allow Bypass of Host Cell Translation Inhibition by Legionella pneumophila
Authors: Lipo Erion , Asrat Seblewongel , Huo Wenwen , Sol Asaf , Fraser Christopher S. , Isberg Ralph R.
Published: May 2022

Legionella pneumophila grows within membrane-bound vacuoles in alveolar macrophages during human disease. Pathogen manipulation of the host cell is driven by bacterial proteins translocated through a type IV secretion system (T4SS). Although host protein synthesis during infection is arrested by the action of several of these translocated effectors, translation of a subset of host proteins predicted to restrict the pathogen is maintained. To identify the spectrum of host proteins selectively synthesized after L. pneumophila challenge, macrophages infected with the pathogen were allowed to incorporate the amino acid analog azidohomoalanine (AHA) during a two-hour time window, and newly synthesized macrophage proteins were isolated by orthogonal chemistry followed by mass spectrometry. Among the proteins isolated were interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) as well as proteins translated from highly abundant transcripts. Surprisingly, a large number of the identified proteins were from low abundance transcripts. These proteins were predicted to be among the most efficiently translated per unit transcript in the cell based on ribosome profiling datasets. To determine if high ribosome loading was a consequence of efficient translation initiation, the 5’ untranslated regions (5’UTR) of transcripts having the highest and lowest predicted loading levels were inserted upstream of a reporter, and translation efficiency was determined in response to L. pneumophila challenge. The efficiency of reporter expression largely correlated with predicted ribosome loading and lack of secondary structure. Therefore, determinants in the 5’UTR allow selected host cell transcripts to overcome a pathogen-driven translation blockade.
Displacement and dissociation of oligonucleotides during DNA hairpin closure under strain
Authors: Ding Fangyuan , Cocco Simona , Raj Saurabh , Manosas Maria , Spiering Michelle M. , Bensimon David , Allemand Jean-François , Croquette Vincent
Published: May 2022

The simple hybridization kinetic of an oligonucleotide to its template is a fundamental step in many biological processes such as replication arrest, CRISPR recognition, DNA sequencing, DNA origami, etc. Although approaches exist that address special cases of this problem, there are no simple general prediction schemes. In this work, we have measured experimentally, with no fluorescent labelling, the displacement of an oligonucleotide from its substrate in two situations: one corresponding to oligonucleotide binding/unbinding on ssDNA and one where the oligonucleotide is displaced by the refolding of a dsDNA fork. In this second situation, the fork is expelling the oligonucleotide thus reducing significantly its residence time. To account for our data in these two situations, we have constructed a mathematical model, based on the known nearest neighbor dinucleotide free energies, and provided a good estimate of the residence times of different oligonucleotides (DNA, RNA, LNA) with various length in different experimental conditions (force, temperature, buffer conditions, presence of mismatches, etc.). This study provides a foundation for the dynamics of oligonucleotide displacement, a process of importance in a number of biological and bioengineering contexts.
Associations of human femoral condyle cartilage structure and composition with viscoelastic and constituent-specific material properties at different stages of osteoarthritis
Authors: Ebrahimi Mohammadhossein , Turkiewicz Aleksandra , Finnilä Mikko A.J. , Saarakkala Simo , Englund Martin , Korhonen Rami K. , Tanska Petri
Published: May 2022

The relationships between structure and function in human knee femoral cartilage are not well-known at different stages of osteoarthritis. Thus, we characterized the depth-dependent composition and structure of normal and osteoarthritic human femoral condyle cartilage (n = 47) and related them to their viscoelastic and constituent-specific mechanical properties. We observed that, in superficial cartilage, the collagen network disorganization and proteoglycan loss were associated with the smaller initial fibril network modulus (collagen pretension). Furthermore, the proteoglycan loss was associated with the greater strain-dependent fibril network modulus (a measure of nonlinear mechanical behavior). The proteoglycan loss was also associated with greater cartilage viscosity at a low loading frequency (0.005 Hz), while the disorganization of the collagen network was associated with greater cartilage viscosity at a high loading frequency (1 Hz). Our results suggest that proteoglycan degradation and collagen disorganization reduce the pretension of the collagen network while proteoglycan degradation also increases the nonlinear mechanical response of the collagen network. Further, the results also highlight that proteoglycan degradation and collagen disorganization increase the viscosity of cartilage, but their contribution to increased viscosity occurs in completely different loading frequencies.
Biomechanics and hydraulics of Opuntia ficus-indica roots exposed to extreme drought
Authors: Barrientos-Sanhueza Cesar , Hormazabal-Pavat Vicente , Cargnino-Cisternas Danny , Cuneo Italo F.
Published: May 2022

Succulent plants possess traits that allow them to complete physiological functions under extreme environments and root are at the frontline of the stress: the drying soil. Previous works in succulent plants have reported the extraordinary reversible mechanism of root shrinkage that disconnects plants from drying soils, reestablishing the hydraulic connection when water availability is restored. Yet, this rectifier-like mechanism would require complex biomechanical and hydraulic control at organ, tissue, and cell level. In here we evaluated the changes in hydraulic and mechanical behavior of Opuntia fine roots under extreme drought stress. Using a combination of techniques, we found that fine roots get more elastic as drought stress gets more extreme, allowing cells to modify their shape while preventing permanent damage. Furthermore, we found abrupt decreases in Lpr, that coincided with increased root shrinkage, suberin deposition and structural damage inside the endodermis via lacunae formation and possibly cell wall folding. Our data suggest that, in drought stressed succulent plants, the biomechanics of organs, tissues, and possibly cell walls are deeply coupled with belowground hydraulics, highlighting the need to continue working on deciphering the physiological mechanism that governs the interplay between mechanics and hydraulics at cell level in fine roots during drought.
Decoding of Speech Information using EEG in Children with Dyslexia: Less Accurate Low-Frequency Representations of Speech, Not “Noisy” Representations
Authors: Keshavarzi Mahmoud , Mandke Kanad , Macfarlane Annabel , Parvez Lyla , Gabrielczyk Fiona , Wilson Angela , Flanagan Sheila , Goswami Usha
Published: May 2022

The amplitude envelope of speech carries crucial low-frequency acoustic information that assists linguistic decoding. The sensory-neural Temporal Sampling (TS) theory of developmental dyslexia proposes atypical encoding of speech envelope information <10 Hz, leading to atypical phonological representations. Here a backward linear TRF model and story listening were employed to estimate the speech information encoded in the electroencephalogram in the canonical delta, theta and alpha bands by 9-year-old children with and without dyslexia. TRF decoding accuracy provided an estimate of how faithfully the children’s brains encoded low-frequency envelope information. Between-group analyses showed that the children with dyslexia exhibited impaired reconstruction of speech information in the delta band. However, when the quality of speech encoding for each child was estimated using child-by-child decoding models, then the dyslexic children did not differ from controls. This suggests that children with dyslexia encode neither “noisy” nor “normal” representations of the speech signal, but different representations.
Longitudinal 7T MRI reveals volumetric changes in subregions of human medial temporal lobe to sex hormone fluctuations
Authors: Zsido Rachel G. , Williams Angharad N. , Barth Claudia , Serio Bianca , Kurth Luisa , Beyer Frauke , Witte A. Veronica , Villringer Arno , Sacher Julia
Published: May 2022

The hippocampus and surrounding medial temporal lobe (MTL) are critical for memory processes, with local atrophy linked to memory deficits. Animal work shows that MTL subregions densely express sex hormone receptors and exhibit rapid structural changes synchronized with hormone fluctuations. Such transient effects in humans have thus far not been shown. By combining a dense-sampling protocol, ultra-high field neuroimaging and individually-derived segmentation analysis, we demonstrate how estradiol and progesterone fluctuations affect MTL subregion volumes across the human menstrual cycle. Twenty-seven healthy women (19-34 years) underwent 7T MRI at six timepoints to acquire T1-weighted and T2-weighted images. Linear mixed-effects modeling showed positive associations between estradiol and parahippocampal cortex volume, progesterone and subiculum and perirhinal Area 35 volumes, and an estradiol*progesterone interaction with CA1 volume. We confirmed volumetric changes were not driven by hormone-related water (cerebral spinal fluid) or blood-flow (pulsed arterial spin labeling) changes. These findings suggest that sex hormones alter structural brain plasticity in subregions that are differentially sensitive to hormones. Mapping how endogenous endocrine factors shape adult brain structure has critical implications for women’s health during the reproductive years as well as later in life, such as increased dementia risk following perimenopause, a period of pronounced sex hormone fluctuations.
Engineering cell morphology by CRISPR interference in Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1
Authors: Luo Jin , Efimova Elena , Volke Daniel Christoph , Santala Ville , Santala Suvi
Published: May 2022

Microbial production of intracellular compounds can be engineered by, for example, redirecting the carbon flux towards products and increasing the cell size. Potential engineering strategies include exploiting clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats interference (CRISPRi)-based tools for controlling gene expression. Here, we applied CRISPRi for engineering Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1, a model bacterium for synthesizing intracellular storage lipids, namely wax esters. We firstly established an inducible CRISPRi system for strain ADP1, which enables tightly controlled repression of target genes. We then targeted the glyoxylate shunt to redirect carbon flow towards wax esters. Secondly, we successfully employed CRISPRi for modifying cell morphology by repressing ftsZ, an essential gene required for cell division, in combination with targeted knock-outs to generate significantly enlarged filamentous or spherical cells, respectively. The engineered cells sustained increased wax ester production metrics, demonstrating the potential of cell morphology engineering in the production of intracellular lipids.
Global mapping of RNA homodimers in living cells
Authors: Gabryelska Marta M. , Badrock Andrew P. , Lau Jian You , O'Keefe Raymond T. , Crow Yanick J. , Kudla Grzegorz
Published: May 2022

RNA homodimerization is important for various physiological processes, including the assembly of membraneless organelles, RNA subcellular localization, and packaging of viral genomes. However, understanding RNA dimerization has been hampered by the lack of systematic in vivo detection methods. Here, we show that CLASH, PARIS, and other RNA proximity ligation methods detect RNA homodimers transcriptome-wide as “overlapping” chimeric reads that contain more than one copy of the same sequence. Analyzing published proximity ligation data sets, we show that RNA:RNA homodimers mediated by direct base-pairing are rare across the human transcriptome, but highly enriched in specific transcripts, including U8 snoRNA, U2 snRNA, and a subset of tRNAs. Mutations in the homodimerization domain of U8 snoRNA impede dimerization in vitro and disrupt zebrafish development in vivo, suggesting an evolutionarily conserved role of this domain. Analysis of virus-infected cells reveals homodimerization of SARS-CoV-2 and Zika genomes, mediated by specific palindromic sequences located within protein-coding regions of N gene in SARS-CoV-2 and NS2A gene in Zika. We speculate that regions of viral genomes involved in homodimerization may constitute effective targets for antiviral therapies.
Architectural language of the Southern Fujianese traditional Chinese temple timber frame structure in West Malaysia: a cultural semiotics analysis
Authors: Koh Jing Hao , Lim Chee Men
Published: May 2022

Purpose

This paper examines the relationship between traditional timber frame structure and the diasporic identity of the Southern Fujianese Chinese community in West Malaysia. It analyses the cultural semiotics of Southern Fujianese traditional Chinese temple timber frame structure architectural language. This study addresses the under-examined domain of Chinese cultural identity representation through the architecture of traditional Chinese temples in Malaysia. It seeks to understand its underlying structure and process involved in revealing its disposition within the cultural phenomena from the perspective of Chinese cultural semiotics.

Design/methodology/approach

Selected Southern Fujianese traditional Chinese temples in West Malaysia built between the 18th to the 19th century that retain the traditional timber frame structure were investigated through field survey and focused publication review. Historical interpretive analysis and typological analysis supplement the cultural semiotics analysis to assess the timber frame structure attributes concerning architectural language expressions.

Findings

Findings reveal that the architectural language signifiers of the structural disposition of the timber framework and its corresponding formal articulation establish a clear statement of the Southern Fujian Chinese cultural identity.

Originality/value

The evaluation of the cultural identity signifiers helps to understand the underlying structure and process of the Chinese cultural semiotics in architecture. Results of this research substantiate the significance of timber frame structure in preserving the architectural heritage of the Southern Fujianese traditional Chinese temples. They provide important references for conservation and cultural studies of such building typology.
Reducing the constraints to school access and progress: assessing the effects of a scholarship program in rural Malawi
Authors: Hunsaker Stephen , Baum Donald R. , Ducos Katy
Published: May 2022

Purpose

The study aims to provide insight on the potential effectiveness of demand-side financing for catalyzing improved educational outcomes in Malawi; and, given the extent of cost-related constraints to school contexts in other low-income countries, the results have relevance for education policy decisions more broadly.

Design/methodology/approach

This study utilizes a non-equivalent groups research design to compare the educational experiences and outcomes of two student groups – those who did and those who did not receive a needs-based scholarship to attend secondary school and college in the Dowa, Kasungu, and Lilongwe Districts of Malawi. The authors assess impacts across a range of short and medium-term outcomes, including: school attendance, withdrawal, attainment, graduation, employment status, employment quality, and post-schooling income.

Findings

The scholarship substantially reduces the household cost of participation in school, and reduces the distance travelled to school. As a result, scholarship recipients attain between 1 and 1.5 years of additional schooling and graduate at higher rates. In terms of post-schooling outcomes, recipients are in higher wage-earning occupations after leaving school. Overall, results suggest that scholarships are an effective demand-side strategy for improving educational attainment, progression, and potentially longer-term labor market outcomes.

Originality/value

The study adds new evidence on policy approaches for expanding access to educational opportunities and increasing labor market outcomes in a context (Malawi specifically and sub-Saharan Africa more broadly) where evidence on such demand-side interventions is still growing.
Critical factors in the innovation adoption of heated tobacco products consumption in an emerging economy
Authors: Lekezwa Siviwe , Zulu Valencia Melissa
Published: May 2022

Purpose

What factors trigger innovation adoption of heated tobacco products (HTPs) in an emerging economy? The study aims to integrate the diffusion of innovation and consumer resistance theory to develop a framework to measure the adoption of HTPs.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a self-administered questionnaire, and the data was collected from 272 respondents. The study used the covariance-based structural equation modelling.

Findings

The findings suggest that relative advantage, compatibility, trialability, observability and perceived cost significantly affect innovation adoption of HTPs.

Research limitations/implications

The study provides theoretical and practical implications for researchers and the tobacco industry.

Originality/value

The study, if not the only, is among the few in an emerging economy that explores heated tobacco products adoption by integrating the diffusion of innovation and consumer innovation resistance theory.
Occupational therapy students’ preferences for teaching and course design across a three-year undergraduate education program
Authors: Edvardsen Even Elias , Dalseth Eline Fjærestad , Johnson Susanne Grødem , Stigen Linda , Mørk Gry , Magne Trine A. , Gramstad Astrid , Småstuen Milada Cvancarova , Bonsaksen Tore
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Understanding students’ preferences for teaching and course design is important for educators in higher education when planning courses and teaching activities. The purpose of this study was to explore changes in occupational therapy students’ preferences for teaching and courses across the three-year study program.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 263 students participated in a longitudinal study, where preferences were measured with the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students. The data were analyzed with linear mixed effect models for repeated measures.

Findings

The results indicated no significant changes in preferences for courses and teaching over the three-year period. Also, there were no significant differences between the six involved study programs. Preferences for the courses and teaching type “supporting understanding” were associated with higher age and higher study effort. Preferences for the courses and teaching type “transmitting information” were associated with lower age and female gender.

Originality/value

In summary, the findings of this study suggest that preferences for teaching and courses are stable and may be challenging to alter during a three-year undergraduate study program.
Consumer behavioral intention to use restaurant, concert and education services online during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from Brazil
Authors: Silva Jorge H.O. , Favoretto Camila , Amancio Igor Roberto , Ganga Gilberto M.D. , Lizarelli Fabiane L. , Mendes Glauco H.S.
Published: May 2022

Purpose

This study aims to examine the determinants of consumer behavioral intention to use the restaurant, concert and education services online during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

A conceptual model based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) was tested via structural equation modeling by using data collected from a sample of 420 Brazilian consumers.

Findings

The results showed that performance expectancy and social influence are the most critical determinants of consumer behavioral intention to use services online during the pandemic. The results also provided evidence that the pandemic has generated significant impacts on future consumer behavior.

Originality/value

This study contributes in a multidisciplinary way to the literature on hospitality, entertainment and education services, by applying the UTAUT theory and testing the model during and after the COVID-19 pandemic context. Moreover, this study provides empirical evidence from Brazil, one of the most affected countries by COVID-19.
The past and beyond of mobile payment research: a development of the mobile payment framework
Authors: Leong Lai-Ying , Hew Jun-Jie , Wong Lai-Wan , Lin Binshan
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Mobile payment (m-payment) has existed for over 25 years; however, there is no standard framework to guide scholars and practitioners in advancing m-payment research in the digital accelerated era. With this, this study aims to develop an m-payment framework and to analyse the evolution of m-payment research from 1997 to 2021. These were achieved by identifying the motor themes, basic and transversal themes, the emerging/declining themes and the highly developed but isolated themes. In addition, the publication trends of m-payment research were also identified.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 1,999 articles of m-payment were identified from the Scopus database and 8,125 keywords were grouped into 483 word groups for the co-word analysis. Thematic networks were generated based on density and centrality. Performance analysis was performed on the themes of the four quadrants in the strategic diagrams. The m-payment framework was then developed based on the evolution map and a practical guide was built from the framework.

Findings

The m-payment framework consists of four dimensions, namely behaviour, technology, risk, and context. Some themes were declining while at the same time, m-payment remains strongly relevant and can stand the test of time. Several new themes have emerged in the 2013–2021 sub-periods.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited in that the study only investigates from the context of m-payment.

Practical implications

This study has provided a research framework (i.e. the m-payment framework) with a practical guide for scholars and practitioners to refer to, thus enabling them to embark on future studies without any hassle. The m-payment framework was developed based on empirical data using science mapping analysis of 1,999 articles.

Social implications

The proposed m-payment research framework contributes towards more understanding of m-payment ten, usage amongst consumers and thus will help to reduce the rate of COVID-19 infection because m-payment is a contactless payment. Hence, the study may help in creating a safer and healthier society amid the unprecedented pandemic.

Originality/value

This study developed the m-payment framework based on empirical co-word analysis. A practical guide to extending the framework is also provided to guide the scholars and practitioners. Moreover, the evolution map for m-payment was created to understand the evolution of m-payment research. Practitioners may conduct market studies to unveil the factors that contribute to consumers' behaviours in m-payment in order to gain more understanding of the reasons behind their behaviours.
Integrating the dialectic perspectives of resource-based view and industrial organization theory for competitive advantage – a review and research agenda
Authors: Nayak Bishwajit , Bhattacharyya Som Sekhar , Krishnamoorthy Bala
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Academic dialogue related to ‘organizational performance’ in strategic management has primarily centred around the industrial organization theory (IO) and resource-based view (RBV). Both perspectives, though conceptually dialectic, have served as primary competing theories governing research studies in the domain of strategic management. However, the confluence of these theoretical perspectives has not been adequately explored to advance a shared view of competitive advantage. This study aims to explore the likelihood of embedded commonalities between RBV and IO.

Design/methodology/approach

A bibliometric analysis was conducted to visualize the intellectual map of studies and knowledge development encompassing these theories. This was followed by a comprehensive literature review to understand how the business environment (BE) and organizational capabilities have contributed towards attaining competitive advantage.

Findings

This study established that connecting the intellectual boundaries of these theoretical perspectives would facilitate better comprehension of the processes and outcomes in organizations. Integrating the knowledge emerging out of this methodological blend, a convergence framework connecting the intellectual boundaries of both theories was presented.

Practical implications

The framework that emerged from this study would help in better understanding of organizational behaviour from a dual theoretical lens. It would also motivate future studies to consider RBV and IO as complementary theories rather than the current narrative of competing theories.

Social implications

This study added to the efforts to achieve equilibrium between the BE and internal capabilities of organizations so as to maximize positive social externalities.

Originality/value

This study contributed to the limited attempts to leverage shared knowledge from a dual perspective using a comprehensive literature review in sequential combination with bibliometric analysis.
Family social capital as a driver to leverage challenged transgenerational entrepreneurship
Authors: Iturrioz-Landart Cristina , Aragón-Amonarriz Cristina , Cabrera-Suárez M. Katiuska
Published: May 2022

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to unveil the key role of family social capital (FSC) as a driver for transgenerational entrepreneurship (TE) in the specific contexts of challenged successor-driven entrepreneurship.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper adopts a multi-case study methodology. Guided by three theoretical propositions, three TE case studies are analyzed. Drawing on ten in-depth interviews with at least three different informants from each intra-family succession case study, evidence about this particularly complex phenomenon was obtained.

Findings

The paper highlights the effect of FSC as the key familiness driver to leverage challenged successor-driven entrepreneurship. The paper underscores the systemic and dynamic network of multiple exchanges required to construct successor’s own pool of knowledge resources and to support familiness and thus the competitive advantage of the family firm (FF).

Practical implications

Different scenarios are illustrated, and specific lessons are provided for successors and families that face TE opposition in intra-family succession, regarding the restoration of damaged FSC and involving non-family stakeholders in the successor-driven entrepreneurship. In these cases, opposition to successor-driven entrepreneurship may help to develop successor’s leadership abilities.

Originality/value

Focusing on a specific intra-family succession context where successor-driven entrepreneurial initiatives face stakeholder opposition, the paper highlights the specific role played by FSC in the successor knowledge construction in specific contexts of challenged intra-family succession.
Board role performance and sustainability reporting practices: managerial perception-based evidence from Uganda
Authors: Tumwebaze Zainabu , Bananuka Juma , Orobia Laura A. , Kinatta Moses Munyami
Published: May 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is threefold: first, to examine among the board role performance attributes, which ones are critical for sustainability reporting practices; second, to establish the relationship between the overall board role performance and sustainability reporting practices; and third, to establish the relationship between board role performance and the three dimensions of sustainability reporting practices.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is correlational as it aims to establish relationships. Data were collected within a period of one year. Usable questionnaires were received from 48 financial services firms in Uganda.

Findings

On average, financial services firms in Uganda follow the Global Reporting Initiative sustainability reporting standards to the extent of 64%. The study results also indicate that board role performance is significantly associated with sustainability reporting practices. Board role performance is more associated with social sustainability reporting than environmental and economic sustainability reporting. In terms of board roles, service role is more associated with the sustainability reporting practices than the control and strategic role of the board.

Practical implications

The board has to provide the necessary support to management by passing decisions aimed at improving sustainability reporting practices and providing the necessary resources such as budgets for training of staff in sustainability reporting standards. Policymakers may require companies to prepare sustainability reports annually.

Originality/value

This study provides insights on the initial understanding of the link between board role performance and sustainability reporting practices. This study sheds more light on the relationship between board role performance and the dimensions of sustainability reporting. The study further enlightens the academic community and practice on which board roles are critical for enhanced sustainability reporting. This study therefore posts that it is no longer a matter of having board members but, rather, the role these board members play.