bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An image processing protocol to extract variables predictive of human embryo fitness for assisted reproduction
Authors: Chéles Dóris Spinosa , Ferreira André Satoshi , de Jesus Isabela Sueitt , Fernandez Eleonora Inácio , Pinheiro Gabriel Martins , Dal Molin Eloiza Adriane , Alves Wallace , de Souza Rebeca Colauto Milanezi , Bori Lorena , Meseguer Marcos , Rocha José Celso , Gouveia Nogueira Marcelo Fábio
Published: February 2022

OBJECTIVE

To study the application of image processing for segmentation of blastocysts images and extraction of potential variables for prediction of embryo fitness.

DESIGN

Retrospective study.

SETTING

Single reproductive medical center. IVI-RMA (Valencia, Spain) between 2017 and 2019.

PATIENTS

An initial dataset including 353 images from EmbryoScope® and 474 images from Geri® incubators was acquired, of which 320 images from EmbryoScope® and 309 images from Geri® incubators were used in this study.

INTERVENTION(S)

None.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Successful segmentation of images into trophectoderm (TE), blastocoel, and inner cell mass (ICM) using the proposed processing steps.

RESULTS

A total of 33 variables were automatically generated by digital image processing, each representing a different aspect of the embryo and describing a different characteristic of the expanding blastocyst (EX), ICM, or TE. These variables can be categorized into texture, gray level average, gray level standard deviation, modal value, relations, and light level. The automated and directed steps of the proposed processing protocol exclude spurious results, except when image quality (e.g., focus) prevents correct segmentation.

CONCLUSIONS

The proposed image processing protocol that can successfully segment human blastocyst images from two distinct sources and extract 33 variables with potential utility in embryo selection for ART.
Plankton energy flows using a global size-structured and trait-based model
Authors: Negrete-García Gabriela , Luo Jessica Y. , Long Matthew C. , Lindsay Keith , Levy Michael , Barton Andrew D.
Published: February 2022

Plankton community models are critical tools for understanding the processes that shape marine plankton communities, how plankton communities impact biogeochemical cycles, and the feedbacks between community structure and function. Here, using the flexible Marine Biogeochemistry Library (MARBL), we present the Size-based Plankton Ecological TRAits (MARBL-SPECTRA) model, which is designed to represent a diverse plankton community while remaining computationally tractable. MARBL-SPECTRA is composed of nine phytoplankton and six zooplankton size classes represented using allometric scaling relationships for physiological traits and interactions within multiple functional types. MARBL-SPECTRA is embedded within the global ocean component of the Community Earth System Model (CESM) and simulates large-scale, emergent patterns in phytoplankton growth limitation, plankton phenology, plankton generation time, and trophic transfer efficiency. The model qualitatively reproduces observed global patterns of surface nutrients, chlorophyll biomass, net primary production, and the biogeographies of a range of plankton size classes. In addition, the model simulates how predator:prey dynamics and trophic efficiency vary across gradients in total ecosystem productivity. Shorter food chains that export proportionally more carbon from the surface to the ocean interior occur in productive, eutrophic regions, whereas in oligotrophic regions, the food chains are relatively long and export less organic matter from the surface. The union of functional type modeling with size-resolved, trait-based modeling approaches allows MARBL-SPECTRA to capture both large-scale elemental cycles and the structure of planktonic food webs affecting trophic transfer efficiency.
Neural network of superiority illusion predicts the level of dopamine in striatum
Authors: Yahata Noriaki , Isato Ayako , Kimura Yasuyuki , Yokokawa Keita , Zhang Ming-Rong , Ito Hiroshi , Suhara Tetsuya , Higuchi Makoto , Yamada Makiko
Published: February 2022

In evaluating the personality attributes and performance of the self, people are inclined to view themselves superior to others, a phenomenon known as superiority illusion (SI). This illusive outlook pervades people’s thoughts, creating hope for the future and promoting mental health. Although a specific cortico-striatal functional connectivity (FC) under dopaminergic modulation was previously shown to be implicated in SI, the underlying whole-brain mechanisms have remained unclarified. Herein, to reveal the neural network subserving individual’s SI, we conducted a data-driven, machine-learning investigation to explore the resting-state FC network across the whole brain. Using the locally-acquired resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data (n = 123), we identified a set of 15 FCs most informative in classifying individuals with higher-versus lower-than-average levels of SI in evaluating positive trait words (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.81). Among the 15 FCs, the contribution level to the classification was 11% by the previously-highlighted cortico-striatal FC alone, but 60% by the encompassing cortico-limbico-striatal network cluster. A newly-identified, cortico-thalamic FC and another FC cluster also demonstrated substantial contribution. The classification accuracy was generalized into an independent cohort (n = 36; AUC = 0.73). Importantly, using the same set of 15 FCs, we achieved prediction on an individual’s level of striatal dopamine D2 receptor availability (Pearson correlation, r = 0.46, P = 0.005). This is the first successful identification of the whole-brain neural network that simultaneously predicts the behavioral manifestation and molecular underpinning of an essential psychological process that promotes well-being and mental health.

Significance Statement

Superiority illusion (SI) is a basic self-referential framework that pervades people’s thoughts and promotes well-being and mental health. An aberrant form of SI has been reported in psychiatric conditions such as depression. Our hypothesis-free, data-driven investigation revealed the spatially-distributed neural network that for the first time achieved prediction on an individual’s levels of SI and the striatal dopaminergic transmission simultaneously. In principle, this multiple-biological-layer framework can be applicable to any behavioral trait to establish a link with its underlying neural network and neurochemical properties, which could quantitatively present the relation of its aberrant form with the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. Future clinical research may aid in deriving a diagnostic biomarker for examining the related behavioral and neurochemical characteristics within individuals.
The extinction time under mutational meltdown
Authors: Lansch-Justen Lucy , Cusseddu Davide , Schmitz Mark A. , Bank Claudia
Published: February 2022

Abstract

Mutational meltdown describes an eco-evolutionary process in which the accumulation of deleterious mutations causes a fitness decline that eventually leads to the extinction of a population. Possible applications of this concept include medical treatment of RNA virus infections based on mutagenic drugs that increase the mutation rate of the pathogen. To determine the usefulness and expected success of such an antiviral treatment, estimates of the expected time to mutational meltdown are necessary. Here, we compute the extinction time of a population under high mutation rates, using both analytical approaches and stochastic simulations. Extinction is the result of three consecutive processes: (1) initial accumulation of deleterious mutations due to the increased mutation pressure; (2) consecutive loss of the fittest haplotype due to Muller’s ratchet; (3) rapid population decline towards extinction. We find accurate analytical results for the mean extinction time, which show that the deleterious mutation rate has the strongest effect on the extinction time. We confirm that intermediatesized deleterious selection coefficients minimize the extinction time. Finally, our simulations show that the variation in extinction time, given a set of parameters, is surprisingly small.
An in vitro method for inducing titan cells reveals novel features of yeast-to-titan switching in the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus gattii
Authors: Saidykhan Lamin , Correia Joao , Romanyuk Andrey , Desanti Guillaume E. , Taylor-Smith Leanne , Makarova Maria , Ballou Elizabeth R. , May Robin C.
Published: February 2022

Cryptococcosis is a potentially lethal fungal infection of humans caused by organisms within the Cryptococcus neoformans/gattii species complex. Whilst C. neoformans is a relatively common pathogen of immunocompromised individuals, C. gattii is capable of acting as a primary pathogen of immunocompetent individuals. Within the host, both species undergo morphogenesis to form titan cells: exceptionally large cells that are critical for disease establishment. To date, the induction, defining attributes, and underlying mechanism of titanisation have been mainly characterized in C. neoformans. Here, we report the serendipitous discovery of a simple and robust protocol for in vitro induction of titan cells in C. gattii. Using this in vitro approach, we reveal a remarkably high capacity for titanisation within C. gattii, especially in strains associated with the Pacific Northwest Outbreak, and characterise strain-specific differences within the clade. In particular, this approach demonstrates for the first time that cell size changes, DNA amplification, and budding are not always synchronous during titanisation. Interestingly, however, exhibition of these cell cycle phenotypes was correlated with genes associated with cell cycle progression including CDC11, CLN1, BUB2, and MCM6. Finally, our findings reveal exogenous p-Aminobenzoic acid to be a key inducer of titanisation in this organism. Consequently, this approach offers significant opportunities for future exploration of the underlying mechanism of titanisation in this genus.
A cell fate decision map reveals abundant direct neurogenesis in the human developing neocortex
Authors: Coquand Laure , Macé Anne-Sophie , Farcy Sarah , Avalos Clarisse Brunet , Cicco Amandine Di , Lampic Marusa , Bessières Betina , Attie-Bitach Tania , Fraisier Vincent , Guimiot Fabien , Baffet Alexandre
Published: February 2022

The human neocortex has undergone strong evolutionary expansion, largely due to an increased progenitor population, the basal radial glial (bRG) cells. These cells are responsible for the production of a diversity of cell types, but the successive cell fate decisions taken by individual progenitors remains unknown. Here, we developed a semi-automated live/fixed correlative imaging method to generate a map of bRG cell division modes in early fetal tissue and cerebral organoids. Through the analysis of over 1,000 dividing progenitors, we show that bRG cells undergo abundant symmetric amplifying divisions, followed by frequent direct neurogenic divisions, bypassing intermediate progenitors. These direct neurogenic divisions are more abundant in the upper part of the subventricular zone. We furthermore demonstrate asymmetric Notch activation in the self-renewing daughter cells, independently of basal fiber inheritance. Our results reveal a remarkable conservation of fate decisions in cerebral organoids, supporting their value as models of early human neurogenesis.
Positive strand RNA viruses differ in the constraints they place on the folding of their negative strand
Authors: Herod Morgan R. , Ward Joseph , Tuplin Andrew , Harris Mark , Stonehouse Nicola J. , McCormick Christopher J.
Published: February 2022

Genome replication of positive strand RNA viruses requires the production of a complementary negative strand RNA that serves as a template for synthesis of more positive strand progeny. Structural RNA elements are important for genome replication, but while they are readily observed in the positive strand, evidence of their existence in the negative strand is more limited. We hypothesised that this was due to viruses differing in their capacity to allow this latter RNA to adopt structural folds. To investigate this, ribozymes were introduced into the negative strand of different viral constructs; the expectation being that if RNA folding occurred, negative strand cleavage and suppression of replication would be seen. Indeed this was what happened with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and feline calicivirus (FCV) constructs. However, little or no impact was observed for chikungunya virus (CHIKV), human rhinovirus (HRV), hepatitis E virus (HEV) and yellow fever virus (YFV) constructs. Reduced cleavage in the negative strand proved to be due to duplex formation with the positive strand. Interestingly, ribozyme-containing RNAs also remained intact when producedin vitroby the HCV polymerase, again due to duplex formation. Overall, our results show that there are important differences in the conformational constraints imposed on the folding of the negative strand between different positive strand RNA viruses.
The Collaborative Cross strains and their founders vary widely in cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization
Authors: Schoenrock SA , Gagnon L , Olson A , Leonardo M , Phillip VM , He H , Jentsch JD , Chesler EJ , Tarantino LM
Published: February 2022

Cocaine use and overdose deaths attributed to cocaine have increased significantly in the United States in the last 10 years. Despite the prevalence of cocaine use disorder (CUD) and the personal and societal problems it presents, there are currently no approved pharmaceutical treatments. The absence of treatment options is due, in part, to our lack of knowledge about the etiology of CUDs. There is ample evidence that genetics plays a role in increasing CUD risk but thus far, very few risk genes have been identified in human studies. Genetic studies in mice have been extremely useful for identifying genetic loci and genes, but have been limited to very few genetic backgrounds, leaving substantial phenotypic and genetic diversity unexplored.

Herein we report the measurement of cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization using a 19-day protocol that captures baseline locomotor activity, acute locomotor response to cocaine and locomotor sensitization across 5 exposures to the drug. These behaviors were measured in 51 genetically diverse yet tractable Collaborative Cross (CC) strains along with their inbred founder strains. The CC was generated by crossing 8 genetically diverse inbred strains such that each inbred CC strain has genetic contributions from each of the founder strains. Inbred CC mice are infinitely reproducible and provide a stable, yet diverse genetic platform on which to study the genetic architecture and genetic correlations among phenotypes.

We have identified significant differences in cocaine locomotor sensitivity and behavioral sensitization across the panel of CC strains and their founders. We have established relationships among cocaine sensitization behaviors and identified extreme responding strains that can be used in future studies aimed at understanding the genetic, biological and pharmacological mechanisms that drive addiction-related behaviors. Finally, we have determined that these behaviors exhibit relatively robust heritability making them amenable to future genetic mapping studies to identify addiction risk genes and genetic pathways that can be studied as potential targets for the development of novel therapeutics.
Temporal and spatial auxin responsive networks in maize primary roots
Authors: McReynolds Maxwell R. , Dash Linkan , Montes Christian , Draves Melissa A. , Lang Michelle G. , Walley Justin W. , Kelley Dior R.
Published: February 2022

Auxin is a key regulator of root morphogenesis across angiosperms. To better understand auxin regulated networks underlying maize root development we have characterized auxin responsive transcription across two time points (30 and 120 minutes) and four regions of the primary root: the meristematic zone, elongation zone, cortex, and stele. Hundreds of auxin-regulated genes involved in diverse biological processes were quantified in these different root regions. In general, most auxin regulated genes are region unique and are predominantly observed in differentiated tissues compared to the root meristem. Auxin gene regulatory networks (GRNs) were reconstructed with these data to identify key transcription factors that may underlie auxin responses in maize roots. Additionally, Auxin Response Factor (ARF) subnetworks were generated to identify target genes which exhibit tissue or temporal specificity in response to auxin. These networks describe novel molecular connections underlying maize root development and provide a foundation for functional genomic studies in a key crop.
Clathrin mediates both internalization and vesicular release of triggered T cell receptor at the immunological synapse through distinct adaptors
Authors: Kvalvaag Audun , Céspedes Pablo F , Valvo Salvatore , Saliba David G , Kurz Elke , Korobchevskaya Kseniya , Dustin Michael L
Published: February 2022

Ligation of the T cell receptor (TCR) to peptide-MHC complexes initiates signaling leading to T cell activation. Regulation of T cell responses also requires mechanisms to stop this signaling and to downregulate surface expression of the receptor. T cells achieve this both by TCR internalization and by releasing TCR loaded vesicles directly from the plasma membrane. How these distinct fates are coordinated is unknown. Here we show that clathrin is recruited to TCR microclusters by HRS and STAM2 and that this process is essential for TCR release. Subsequently, EPN1 recruits clathrin to the remaining antigen conjugated TCRs to enable a late wave of TCR endocytosis. With these results we demonstrate two clathrin-dependent mechanisms and show how the clathrin machinery participates in membrane evagination and invagination depending upon the adaptor recruiting it. These sequential mechanisms mediate bi-directional membrane exchange at the immunological synapse, providing a scaffold for critical communication.
Knock-out of CmNAC-NOR affects melon climacteric fruit ripening
Authors: Bin Liu , Domingo Miguel Santo , Mayobre Carlos , Martín-Hernández Ana Montserrat , Pujol Marta , Garcia-Mas Jordi
Published: February 2022

Fruit ripening is an important process that affects fruit quality. In melon, ETHQV6.3, a QTL involved in climacteric ripening regulation, was previously found to be encoded by CmNAC-NOR, a homologue of the tomato NOR gene. To further investigate CmNAC-NOR function we have obtained two CRISPR/Cas9 mediated mutants (nor-3 and nor-1) in the climacteric Védrantais background. nor-3, containing a 3-bp deletion altering the NAC domain A, resulted in ~8 days delay of ripening without affecting fruit quality. In contrast, nor-1 contained a 1-bp deletion resulting in a fully disrupted NAC domain, which completely blocked climacteric ripening. nor-1 fruits did not produce ethylene, abscission layer was not formed and there was no external color change. Additionally, volatile components were dramatically altered, seeds were not well developed and flesh firmness was also altered. nor-1 allele in heterozygosis showed ~20 days delay of fruit ripening. Our results provide new information regarding the function of CmNAC-NOR in melon fruit ripening, suggesting that it as a potential target to modulate shelf life in climacteric melon commercial varieties.
Parental histone deposition on the replicated strands promotes error-free DNA damage tolerance and regulates drug resistance
Authors: Dolce Valeria , Dusi Sabrina , Giannattasio Michele , Joseph Chinnu Rose , Fumasoni Marco , Branzei Dana
Published: February 2022

Ctf4 is a conserved replisome component with multiple roles in DNA metabolism. To investigate connections between Ctf4-mediated processes involved in drug resistance, we conducted a suppressor screen of ctf4Δ sensitivity to the methylating agent MMS. We uncovered that mutations in Dpb3 and Dpb4 components of polymerase ε result in the development of drug resistance in ctf4Δ via their histone-binding function. Alleviated sensitivity to MMS of the double mutants was not associated with rescue of ctf4Δ defects in sister chromatid cohesion, replication fork architecture, or template switching, which ensures error-free replication in the presence of genotoxic stress. Strikingly, the improved viability depended on translesion synthesis (TLS) polymerase-mediated mutagenesis, which was drastically increased in ctf4 dpb3 double mutants. Importantly, mutations in Mcm2–Ctf4–Polα and Dpb3–Dpb4 axes of parental (H3–H4)2 deposition on lagging and leading strands invariably resulted in reduced error-free DNA damage tolerance through gap filling by template switch recombination. Overall, we uncovered a chromatin-based drug resistance mechanism in which defects in parental histone transfer after replication fork passage impair error-free recombination bypass and lead to up-regulation of TLS-mediated mutagenesis and drug resistance.
MYC overexpression leads to increased chromatin interactions at super-enhancers and MYC binding sites
Authors: See Yi Xiang , Chen Kaijing , Fullwood Melissa J.
Published: February 2022

The MYC oncogene encodes for the MYC protein and is frequently dysregulated across multiple cancer cell types, making it an attractive target for cancer therapy. MYC overexpression leads to MYC binding at active enhancers, resulting in a global transcriptional amplification of active genes. Because super-enhancers are frequently dysregulated in cancer, we hypothesized that MYC preferentially invades into super-enhancers and alters the cancer genome organization. To that end, we performed ChIP-seq, RNA-seq, circular chromosome conformation capture (4C-seq), and Spike-in Quantitative Hi-C (SIQHiC) on the U2OS osteosarcoma cell line with tetracycline-inducible MYC. MYC overexpression in U2OS cells modulated histone acetylation and increased MYC binding at super-enhancers. SIQHiC analysis revealed increased global chromatin contact frequency, particularly at chromatin interactions connecting MYC binding sites at promoters and enhancers. Immunofluorescence staining showed that MYC molecules formed punctate foci at these transcriptionally active domains after MYC overexpression. These results demonstrate the accumulation of overexpressed MYC at promoter–enhancer hubs and suggest that MYC invades into enhancers through spatial proximity. At the same time, the increased protein–protein interactions may strengthen these chromatin interactions to increase chromatin contact frequency. CTCF siRNA knockdown in MYC-overexpressed U2OS cells demonstrated that removal of architectural proteins can disperse MYC and abrogate the increase in chromatin contacts. By elucidating the chromatin landscape of MYC-driven cancers, we can potentially target MYC-associated chromatin interactions for cancer therapy.
Bank profitability in Sub-Saharan Africa: does economic globalization matter?
Authors: Yakubu Ibrahim Nandom , Bunyaminu Alhassan
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of economic globalization on bank profitability in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical analysis is based on panel data of banks spanning 2008–2016. Relying on the KOF Globalization Index, the study uses financial globalization and trade globalization as measures of economic globalization. The authors employ the system generalized method of moments technique to establish the relationship between economic globalization and bank profitability while controlling for the effect of bank-specific and macroeconomic factors.

Findings

The results show a negative significant effect of financial and trade globalization on bank profitability, signifying the intense competition of banks in Sub-Saharan Africa accelerated by globalization. The negative effect of economic globalization holds irrespective of the indicator of bank profitability. Bank size exerts a significant effect on profitability though the impact is negative for return on equity measure. The findings further reveal a positive significant impact of GDP growth and inflation on profitability.

Originality/value

This paper presents a pioneering work on the impact of economic globalization on bank profitability in the Sub-Saharan African context per the researchers' knowledge.
Analysis and comparison of flow velocities and in-cylinder temperature distributions to quantify oxides of nitrogen in a compression ignition engine using diesel and biodiesel fuels
Authors: Ahmed Munir , Shakaib Muhammad , Siddiqui Mubashir Ali
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Combustion of fuel with oxidizer inside a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine forms inevitable oxides of nitrogen (NOx) due to high temperature at different locations of the combustion chamber. This study aims to quantify NOx formed inside the combustion chamber using two fuels, a conventional diesel (n-heptane) and a biodiesel (methyl oleate).

Design/methodology/approach

This research uses a computational fluid dynamics simulation of chemically reacting fluid flow to quantify and compare oxides of nitrogen (NOx) in a compression ignition (CI) engine. The study expends species transport model of ANSYS FLUENT. The simulation model has provided the temperature profile inside the combustion chamber, which is subsequently used to calculate NOx using the NOx model. The simulation uses a single component hydrocarbon and oxygenated hydrocarbon to represent fuels; for instance, it uses n-heptane (C7H16) for diesel and methyl-oleate (C19H36O2) for biodiesel. A stoichiometric air–fuel mixture is used for both fuels. The simulation runs a single cylinder CI engine of 650 cm3 swept volume with inlet and exhaust valves closed.

Findings

The pattern for variation of velocity, an important flow parameter, which affects combustion and subsequently oxides of nitrogen (NOx) formation at different piston locations, is similar for the two fuels. The variations of in-cylinder temperature and NOx formation with crank angles have similar patterns for the fuels, diesel and biodiesel. However, the numerical values of in-cylinder temperature and mass fraction of NOx are different. The volume averaged static peak temperatures are 1,013 K in case of diesel and 1,121 K in case of biodiesel, while the mass averaged mass fractions of NOx are 15 ppm for diesel and 141 ppm for biodiesel. The temperature rise after combustion is more in case of biodiesel, which augments the oxides of nitrogen formation. A new parameter, relative mass fraction of NOx, yields 28% lower value for biodiesel than for diesel.

Originality/value

This work uses a new concept of simulating simple chemical reacting system model to quantify oxides of NOx using single component fuels. Simplification has captured required fluid flow data to analyse NOx emission from CI engine while reducing computational time and expensive experimental tests.
Transferable learning about patient and public involvement and engagement in gambling support services from health and social care: findings from a narrative review and workshop with people with lived experience
Authors: Norrie Caroline , Bramley Stephanie , Lipman Valerie , Manthorpe Jill
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The involvement of patients or members of the public within public health, health and social care and addictions services is growing in the UK and internationally but is less common in gambling support services. The purpose of this study was to explore Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) infrastructures and engagement channels used in health and care services and debate their transferability to the gambling support sector (including research, education and treatment).

Design/methodology/approach

A narrative review examined data from six English language electronic databases, NHS evidence and grey literature covering the period 2007–2019. We identified 130 relevant items from UK literature. A workshop was held in London, England, with people with lived experience of gambling harm to seek their views on and applicability of the review findings to gambling services.

Findings

Synthesis of literature and workshop data was undertaken. Main themes addressed “What works” in relation to: building infrastructures and organising involvement of people with lived experience; what people want to be involved in; widening participation and sustaining involvement and respecting people with lived experience.

Practical implications

Examination of the literature about involvement and engagement of patients, service users and the public in public health, health and social care and addiction services provides potentially useful examples of good practice which may be adopted by gambling services.

Originality/value

The involvement of people with lived experience of gambling harms in gambling support services is under-explored, with little published evidence of what constitutes good practice amongst self-organising groups/networks/grassroots organisations or rights-based/empowerment-based approaches.
Work and non-work life of R&D professionals during Covid-19: a cultural perspective
Authors: Jayaraman Ravisankar , Mishra Sushanta Kumar
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to comprehend the approach and adaptation of research and development (R&D) professionals in managing work and non-work life during Covid-19. Besides, it investigates the influence of organizational culture on extra-role behavior both within and outside the organizational boundaries during uncertainty.

Design/methodology/approach

Being an exploratory study, the data were generated through the in-depth personal interview from 23 respondents of the Indian Space Research Organization. Besides, the study also used data from secondary sources. The authors followed thematic analysis for eliciting themes from the text data.

Findings

Primarily, it found that the organizational culture may influence employees to perform extra-role behavior within and outside the organizational boundaries during the pandemic. Besides, it found that R&D professionals are adaptive toward the work from home culture.

Research limitations/implications

The qualitative study is based on in-depth interviews of 23 R&D professionals during the Covid-19. Future studies may conduct a larger-scale quantitative study to generalize the findings. Implications for future research on hybrid work culture are discussed.

Practical implications

This study hints that employers need to move from a short-term transactional approach to a long-term cultural approach to navigate extreme uncertainty. It also highlights reorientation of human resource professionals in managing workplace evolution.

Originality/value

The study extends the literature on organizational culture by attributing culture for the extra-role behaviors of R&D professionals beyond the organizational boundary and navigating uncertainty.
Stemming the rising tide of anger in the workplace: how to build emotion control among employees before anger spills out
Authors: Smith Brad
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The combined impact of the pandemic together with political and social disruption has led to a rising tide of anger that is impacting the workplace. The purpose of this article is to trace the range and depth of anger among employed adults in 2021 and to identify three practical ways for leaders to reduce the risk of anger in their workforce.

Design/methodology/approach

Web-based survey of 5,475 employed adults aged 18 and older.

Findings

Across the entire sample, 21% of employees report getting angry more easily or more often lately. While there was no significant difference between men and women, younger workers (younger than 30) were 1.4× more likely (31% for <30 vs 20% for 30+) to report getting angry more easily or more often. Managers were slightly more likely to report increases in anger compared to individual contributors (23% vs 21%).

Originality/value

While leaders cannot alter the root causes of the rising tide of anger, they can equip the workforce with the emotional and behavioral skills to improve self-management. Three practical steps for leaders are offered: acknowledge, assess and understand the problem by integrating data that helps identify the scope, scale and root cause of the challenges and frustrations the workforce is facing; adopt innovative strategies proven to support mental health; and empower a more resilient workforce by providing the tools and techniques that improve coping skills.
Boys Go, Girls Go Along: exploring gender and price differences regarding themes present on children’s graphic t-shirts
Authors: Lapierre Matthew A. , Ashtaputre Anjali , Stevens Aubrey Jennifer
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Using gender schema theory, this study aims to explore how children’s graphic t-shirts from clothing retailers in the USA differed on gendered themes for graphic t-shirts targeting boys or girls, in addition to differences for shirts that were higher in cost.

Design/methodology/approach

This content analysis of children’s t-shirts included 866 child-targeted shirts taken from the online retail portals from 11 clothing retailers in the USA. Shirts were coded for gendered themes on the front torso part of the shirt and included traditional boy themes (e.g. aggression, instrumentality) and girl themes (e.g. compassion, passivity). In addition, the retail prices for each shirt were recorded at the time of data collection.

Findings

The results demonstrated that children’s graphic t-shirts starkly differentiate between femininity and masculinity based on their target. Boys’ shirts were significantly more likely to feature active themes, whereas girls’ shirts were more likely to focus on social belonging and interpersonal connection. Boys’ shirts were also more likely to display themes linked to dominance/aggression but not compassion. Girls’ shirts were more likely to tout both shyness and attention seeking. Finally, results generally showed that higher priced t-shirts were less likely to feature gender stereotypes than lower-priced t-shirts.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first known study that has looked at the marketing of children’s clothes in retail environments with a specific focus on gender and gender stereotyping.
Guercino's Saint Petronilla: Saintly Body, Michelangelo, and New St Peter's
Authors: Mangone Carolina , Unglaub Jonathan
Published: February 2022

This essay investigates the visual language of Guercino's monumental altarpiece of St Petronilla for St Peter's (1623), through which he constructs an authoritative image of her sanctity deeply intertwined with the art and fabric of the renewed church, particularly as it pertains to Michelangelo's legacy at the site. The saint's body, almost in tandem with the sculptor's Pietà, circulated throughout the old and new basilica during its gradual demolition and reconstruction. Guercino's imagery consolidates references to Petronilla's relics, her cult and the statue in the configuration of the saint suspended at her grave. A hitherto unnoticed portrait of Michelangelo underscores these associations and renews his exemplarity as a sacred artist in the service of the papacy. The evocations of Michelangelo's sculpture and person, the body of Petronilla, together with the altarpiece's setting and architectural imagery, encourage an interpretation of the altarpiece as a microhistory of St Peter's basilica itself.
Encapsulation: Governing actual uncertainty in the coronavirus pandemic
Authors: Rabi Michael , Samimian‐Darash Limor , Hilberg Eva
Published: February 2022

The coronavirus pandemic has revived scholarly engagement with the concept of biopolitics, with interpretations diagnosing either the widespread adoption of a classic biopolitical regime or the full‐blown emergence of totalitarian repression (or both of these simultaneously). Relying on a close analysis of different interventions taken by Israeli authorities in response to the pandemic, this article argues that, rather than classic biopolitical strategies, such governmental interventions are better understood in relation to a problem of actual uncertainty. The case of Israel demonstrates how state apparatuses responded to actual uncertainty with technologies that are linked to different rationalities and how these technologies enabled the creation and management of a new milieu. The article further argues that, in making and intervening upon this milieu, state apparatuses employed a particular normalisation strategy that is tied to a form of power that we term encapsulation.
In vivo and cellular antiarrhythmic and cardiac electrophysiological effects of desethylamiodarone in dog cardiac preparations
Authors: Kohajda Zsófia , Virág László , Hornyik Tibor , Husti Zoltán , Sztojkov‐Ivanov Anita , Nagy Norbert , Horváth András , Varga Richárd , Prorok János , Szlovák Jozefina , Tóth Noémi , Gazdag Péter , Topal Leila , Naveed Muhammad , Árpádffy‐Lovas Tamás , Pászti Bence , Magyar Tibor , Koncz István , Déri Szilvia , Demeter‐Haludka Vivien , Aigner Zoltán , Ördög Balázs , Patfalusi Márta , Tálosi László , Tiszlavicz László , Földesi Imre , Jost Norbert , Baczkó István , Varró András
Published: February 2022

Background and Purpose

The aim of the present study was to study the antiarrhythmic effects and cellular mechanisms of desethylamiodarone (DEA), the main metabolite of amiodarone (AMIO), following acute and chronic 4‐week oral treatments (25–50 mg·kg−1·day−1).

Experimental Approach

The antiarrhythmic effects of acute iv. (10 mg·kg−1) and chronic oral (4 weeks, 25 mg·kg−1·day−1) administration of DEA were assessed in carbachol and tachypacing‐induced dog atrial fibrillation models. Action potentials were recorded from atrial and right ventricular tissue following acute (10 μM) and chronic (p.o. 4 weeks, 50 mg·kg−1·day−1) DEA application using the conventional microelectrode technique. Ionic currents were measured by the whole cell configuration of the patch clamp technique in isolated left ventricular myocytes. Pharmacokinetic studies were performed following a single intravenous dose (25 mg·kg−1) of AMIO and DEA intravenously and orally. In chronic (91‐day) toxicological investigations, DEA and AMIO were administered in the oral dose of 25 mg·kg−1·day−1).

Key Results

DEA exerted marked antiarrhythmic effects in both canine atrial fibrillation models. Both acute and chronic DEA administration prolonged action potential duration in atrial and ventricular muscle without any changes detected in Purkinje fibres. DEA decreased the amplitude of several outward potassium currents such as IKr, IKs, IK1, Ito, and IKACh, while the ICaL and late INa inward currents were also significantly depressed. Better drug bioavailability and higher volume of distribution for DEA were observed compared to AMIO. No neutropenia and less severe pulmonary fibrosis was found following DEA compared to that of AMIO administration.

Conclusion and Implications

Chronic DEA treatment in animal experiments has marked antiarrhythmic and electrophysiological effects with better pharmacokinetics and lower toxicity than its parent compound. These results suggest that the active metabolite, DEA, should be considered for clinical trials as a possible new, more favourable option for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias including atrial fibrillation.
Cancer metabolism challenges genomic instability and clonal evolution as therapeutic targets
Authors: Takeda Yu , Chijimatsu Ryota , Ofusa Ken , Kobayashi Shogo , Doki Yuichiro , Eguchi Hidetoshi , Ishii Hideshi
Published: February 2022

Although cancer precision medicine has improved diagnosis and therapy, refractory cancers such as pancreatic cancer remain to be challenging targets. Clinical sequencing has identified the significant alterations in driver genes and traced their clonal evolutions. Recent studies indicated that the tumor microenvironment elicits alterations in cancer metabolism, although its involvement in the cause and development of genomic alterations has not been established. Genomic abnormalities can contribute to the survival of selected subpopulations, recently recognized as clonal evolution, and dysfunction can lead to DNA mutations. Here, we present the most recent studies on the mechanisms of cancer metabolism involved in the maintenance of genomic stability to update current understanding of such processes. Sirtuins, which are NAD+‐dependent protein deacetylases, appear to be involved in the control of genomic stability. Alterations of deleterious subpopulations would be exposed to selective pressure for cell survival. Recent studies indicated that a new type of cell death, ferroptosis, determines the survival of clones and exert cancer‐restricting or ‐promoting effects to surrounding cells in the tumor microenvironment. Suppressing genomic instability and eliminating deleterious clones by cell death will contribute to the improvement of cancer medicine. Furthermore, the elucidation of the mechanisms involved is seen as a bridgehead to the pharmacologic suppression of such refractory cancers as pancreatic cancer.
Measuring optimal ultrasound speed using endoscopic ultrasound in patients with chronic pancreatitis, including early stage
Authors: Minaguchi Takahito , Yamamiya Akira , Tominaga Keiichi , Kashima Ken , Kunogi Yasuhito , Sakuma Fumi , Fukushi Koh , Nagashima Kazunori , Izawa Naoya , Yamabe Akane , Hoshi Koki , Iijima Makoto , Goda Kenichi , Haruyama Yasuo , Irisawa Atsushi
Published: February 2022

Objectives

Ultrasound speed (USS) correction improves image quality by estimating the optimal USS correcting the deviation from a predetermined USS. This study assessed USS differences between chronic pancreatitis (CP), early CP (ECP), and normal pancreas when using endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). The usefulness of measuring optimal USS was evaluated for patients with CP, including early stage patients.

Methods

This study enrolled 116 consecutive patients for whom USS was measured using an EUS system. The USS correction principle is generation of a B‐mode image by changing the USS in all ranges while correcting the delay in the received data. Final diagnoses were made according to the Japanese diagnostic criteria for CP in 2019. They were classified as CP, ECP, or normal. We compared USS applied for these three groups.

Results

The medians and ranges of USS values for patients in the normal, ECP, and CP groups were 1506.0 (1407–1600) m/s, 1580.0 (1520–1630) m/s, and 1574.0 (1537–1610) m/s, respectively. The USS values of the ECP and CP groups were significantly higher than those of the normal group (P < 0.001). Analyses of the receiver operating characteristic curve in the normal pancreas, ECP, and CP revealed the area as 0.957, with specificity and sensitivity of 95.9% and 87.5%, respectively, using the USS of 1535 m/s as a cut‐off.

Conclusion

Measurement of USS might be particularly useful for distinguishing between normal and ECP imaging.
Law enforcement spillover effects in the financial sector
Authors: Agarwal Shivam , B. Muckley Cal
Published: February 2022

Recipient firms but also comparable peer firms exhibit a sizeable negative capital market reaction to United Kingdom's regulatory enforcement actions. This result is invariant to the identification of peer firms as belonging to the same industry classification or as having comparable propensity scores to attract a sanction. Indiscriminate regulatory contagion, however, is ruled out. As per expectation, enforcement actions which pierce the ‘corporate veil’, that is, target an individual within a firm, are related to no significant firm‐level market reactions. These findings, in the financial sector, indicate that sanctions are associated with a material spillover effect consistent with informed regulatory contagion.
SARS‐CoV‐2 variants preferentially emerge at intrinsically disordered protein sites helping immune evasion
Authors: Quaglia Federica , Salladini Edoardo , Carraro Marco , Minervini Giovanni , Tosatto Silvio C.E. , Le Mercier Philippe
Published: February 2022

The SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic is maintained by the emergence of successive variants, highlighting the flexibility of the protein sequences of the virus. We show that experimentally determined intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are abundant in the SARS‐CoV‐2 viral proteins, making up to 28% of disorder content for the S1 subunit of spike and up to 51% for the nucleoprotein, with the vast majority of mutations occurring in the 13 major variants mapped to these IDRs. Strikingly, antigenic sites are enriched in IDRs, in the receptor‐binding domain (RBD) and in the N‐terminal domain (NTD), suggesting a key role of structural flexibility in the antigenicity of the SARS‐CoV‐2 protein surface. Mutations occurring in the S1 subunit and nucleoprotein (N) IDRs are critical for immune evasion and antibody escape, suggesting potential additional implications for vaccines and monoclonal therapeutic strategies. Overall, this suggests the presence of variable regions on S1 and N protein surfaces, which confer sequence and antigenic flexibility to the virus without altering its protein functions.
Micromorphological analysis of loose deposits: from magnifier to tomography
Authors: Kut Anna A.
Published: February 2022

This article highlights key moments in the history of the development of loose material micromorphological analysis, analysing its current position in the context of lithological facies studies. This method was developed to reconstruct the conditions of transport and deposition of Quaternary deposits. Since the 1970s, the study of grain surfaces has been used to study the features of cryogenesis formation in deposits. The development of the method was facilitated by the technical progress of the twentieth century, and the development of electron microscopy has brought the method to a completely new level. Currently, micromorphological analysis remains the most widely used method of analysing the surface of grains. However, modern methods for studying the surface of particles, such as computed tomography, are now being introduced into the research methodology. This in turn significantly expands the research scope: in recent years, the shape and degree of roundness of grains has been used to analyse the properties of soils for construction. As of today, the volume of publications abroad significantly exceeds the number of publications in Russia.
Minerals explained 61: Melilites
Authors: Brooks Kent
Published: February 2022

The melilites are a group of little‐known silicate minerals. In nature, the commonest are rock‐forming minerals found in the igneous rocks characterized by a low silica content (undersaturated rocks), in contact metamorphic rocks formed where igneous rocks invade impure limestones. They are also found in artificial slags and primitive meteorites, where they are an important component of the oldest material in the Solar System.
Performative Finitude: Theological Language and the God–World Relationship in Nicholas of Cusa’s De Non Aliud
Authors: Aspray Silvianne
Published: February 2022

In Christ the Heart of Creation, Rowan Williams regrets that he cannot explore Nicholas of Cusa’s ‘uniquely lucid insights’ concerning the relationship between God and the world. This article takes up the challenge, enquiring how Cusanus approaches this relationship in his treatise De Non Aliud. First, the article attends to how Cusanus understands theological language, arguing that he invites his readers into a self‐reflective process, taking seriously the finite mode of our knowing and speaking. Secondly, it is shown how this same attention to human finitude, and to the performative aspect of attempting to understand a relationship which defines our very being, is evident in Cusanus’ approach to theological metaphysics.