bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Voting Behaviour
Authors: Lago Ignacio
Published: November 2022

This chapter examines the factors that shape voting behaviour in Portugal. It is structured in three stages. The first stage provides an overview of the determinants of voting behaviour, in particular the impact of voters’ long- and short-term predispositions when it comes to elections. The second stage explores the correlates of voting behaviour in the 2019 Portuguese election using data from the corresponding National Election Study. Findings illustrate the relevance of variables that increase the homogeneity of voting behaviour across districts, namely the role of the economy and party leader ratings. Finally, the chapter examines the degree of nationalization of electoral politics in Portugal in comparative perspective. It aims to clarify the question of why Portugal is the country in the European Union with the most homogenous party system across districts, when the electoral system offers very strong incentives for heterogeneous electoral results.
Plus Ça Change?
Authors: van Biezen Ingrid , Casal Bértoa Fernando
Published: November 2022

This chapter discusses the legal regulation of political parties in Portugal since the democratic transition in 1974 until the present day. We provide an overview of the legal parameters and changes over time in three key types of laws: the national constitution, party laws, and party finance laws. Our analysis shows that Portugal stands out in a relatively high level of party regulation compared to other European democracies, and also that political parties have been granted a privileged position in legal terms, a benefit that has generally been reinforced following various legislative revisions. In addition, we find that party regulation in Portugal tends to have a clear partisan character, either responding to the interests of the particular party in power or protecting the interests of the ‘insiders’ (PSD, PS, and CDS/PP) vis-à-vis the ‘outsiders’ (PCP and BE).
Emigration and Immigration in Portugal
Authors: Carvalho João
Published: November 2022

Portugal has a long history of emigration dating back to the fifteenth century, with large-scale immigration having only developed by the late twentieth century. Within the European context, Portugal shows the second highest rate of emigrants in proportion to the resident population. By contrast, the immigrant population legally settled in Portugal only surpassed half a million individuals in the late 2010s. This chapter presents a historical overview of Portuguese waves of emigration and the public policies that have supported this social phenomenon. Against a background of low attractivity for inflows, the chapter will also assess the waves of immigration, the policies related to immigration control and immigrant integration, and the levels of politicization of this social phenomenon. In short, this investigation will highlight the interdependence between Portugal’s net migration and its positioning as a semi-peripheral country in the world economy.
Education Policies
Authors: Balcão Reis Ana
Published: November 2022

Over the last 45 years, Portugal has witnessed a huge expansion of enrolment rates in secondary and higher education. In addition, the country’s participation in international assessments like PISA since 2000 shows an improvement in Portuguese results. Until 2015, there was a trend to extend external evaluation to lower levels of education (in addition to secondary education), which contributed to stronger school accountability, namely through the publication of school rankings. In 2015, some national exams were eliminated, and the future of external evaluation in Portugal is uncertain. Teachers’ training, evaluation, and remuneration have probably been the main factors of dispute in the political arena regarding the educational system. The renewal of the teaching staff that will be required in the next decade is one of the major challenges facing the educational system and will depend greatly on the redefinition of these policies.
Social cognitive and interactive abilities in autism
Authors: Thaler Hanna , Albantakis Laura , Schilbach Leonhard
Published: November 2022

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties in social perception, cognition, and interaction. Differences to non-autistic peers start appearing early in development and are associated with altered brain structure and functioning. This chapter begins with an overview of research on theory of mind and empathy, discussing how skills in these domains present in high-functioning autism. Findings indicate that, across development, a sizable portion of autistic people learns to compensate for specific difficulties. Yet, challenges in social interaction continue to impact their level of functioning in everyday life throughout adulthood. We describe how research has attempted to introduce more interactive experimental settings, and how this interactive turn has improved our understanding of autism in contexts closer related to real life. Finally, we discuss the Bayesian brain account of autism as a computational framework that explains social difficulties in terms of domain-general perceptual, cognitive, and biological mechanisms. We conclude by pointing to recent developments such as participatory research and the mining of larger longitudinal datasets as ways to make autism research more effective in improving autistic people’s lives.
Protectors in Liechtenstein: protecting or threatening trust and foundation assets?
Authors: Gasser Johannes
Published: November 2022

When setting up trusts and foundations, settlors and founders struggle with giving away assets and control to professional trustees in Liechtenstein whom, in many cases, they have never met. At first, to bridge that gap, settlors’ confidants accepted roles as protectors and the settlor conferred powers on them aimed at policing and, if necessary, firing the trustee. In the absence of enforceable rights to information and locus standi in Liechtenstein courts, discretionary trust beneficiaries greatly rely on the assistance of such protectors, especially when trusts are in crisis or dispute. More recently, however, protectors have undergone sophisticated (re-)structuring and adopted new identities, e.g. as corporate entities, thus not necessarily facilitating governance, but sometimes adding complexity. Increasingly, the international regulatory framework has impacted that structure, as the threat of being considered a controlling protector might lead to undesired effects, including protectors being registered and exposed in BO Public Registers, or, even worse, being reported as beneficial owners of trusts and foundations to their local tax authorities. As is the case with any legal concept, structuring provides protectors with both opportunities and pitfalls. This article wishes to set out how protectors can save trusts and foundations from collapsing and how to protect assets from the onslaught of the settlors’ creditors. That said, there are some downsides: a very recent Supreme Court case shows that using protectors might doom the trust or foundation to failure unless pristine standards and principles are followed.
Characterisation and prevalence of community-associated MRSA among horses, dogs, cats and their human handlers: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Abdulkadir Aliyu , Kabir Junaidu , Mohammed Bello , Olayinka Busayo
Published: November 2022

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as an infectious organism of public health significance has evolved to a genetically distinct community-acquired MRSA with extended resistance to other than β-lactams. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 149 participants handling 446 animals (240 horses and 206 companion animals). The isolates were characterised as S. aureus and MRSA based on polymerase chain reaction detection of the nuc, mecA and mecC genes and the pvl gene for differentiation as community associated/livestock associated or hospital associated. The isolation rate of S. aureus from the human handlers’ samples was 26 (17.4%) and 170 (38.1%) from the animal samples. The prevalence of MRSA among the isolates was 7 (4.7%) from the human handlers and 19 (4.3%) from the animals. Dogs and dog handlers had the highest isolation rates and were more likely to be colonized by S. aureus and MRSA compared with horses, cats and their handlers. The highest prevalence of MRSA was from horses (5.0%) and dog handlers (10.6%). This study has demonstrated a high prevalence of community associated MRSA in apparently healthy animals and their human handlers. This has important implications for antibiotic selection and use as well as infection control measures.
Hepatic Dry Copper Weight in Pediatric Autoimmune Liver Disease
Authors: Nayagam Jeremy S. , Joshi Deepak , Thompson Richard J. , Dhawan Anil , Hadzic Nedim , Mestre-Alagarda Claudia , Deheragoda Maesha , Samyn Marianne
Published: November 2022

Objectives:

Elevated hepatic dry copper weight is recognized in adults with autoimmune liver disease (AILD) and chronic cholestasis. We aim to review hepatic dry copper weight in pediatric AILD.

Methods:

Retrospective review of pediatric AILD managed at our institution from 1999 to 2018, and 104 patients with hepatic dry copper weight assessment were included.

Results:

Median age at presentation was 13.4 years (interquartile range, IQR, 11.7–14.9), 60% female, 54% autoimmune hepatitis, 42% autoimmune sclerosing cholangitis, and 4% primary sclerosing cholangitis. Histological features of advanced liver fibrosis in 68%. Median hepatic dry copper weight was 51.1 µg/g dry weight (IQR, 28.0–103.8). Elevated hepatic dry copper weight (>50 µg/g dry weight) was present in 51%, and was not associated with AILD subtype (P= 0.83), age at presentation (P= 0.68), or advanced fibrosis (P= 0.53). Liver transplantation (LT) was performed in 10%, who had higher hepatic dry copper weight (148.5 µg/g dry weight [IQR, 39.5–257.3] vs 47.5 [IQR, 27.8–91.5],P= 0.04); however this was not associated with LT on multivariate analysis (hazard ratio 1.002, 95% CI 0.999–1.005,P= 0.23). In 8 (7.7%) patientsATP7Bwas sequenced and potentially disease causing variants were identified in 2 patients, both who required LT.

Conclusions:

Elevations in hepatic dry copper weight are common in pediatric AILD. Unlike in adults, it is not associated with AILD subtypes with cholestasis. Higher dry copper weight was detected in patients who required LT. While further work is needed to identify the significance of copper deposition in pediatric AILD, we recommend close monitoring of patients with elevated levels for progressive liver disease.
Pseudomonas aegrilactucae sp. nov. and Pseudomonas morbosilactucae sp. nov., pathogens causing bacterial rot of lettuce in Japan
Authors: Sawada Hiroyuki , Fujikawa Takashi , Satou Mamoru
Published: November 2022

Phytopathogenic bacterial strains (MAFF 301350T, MAFF 302030T and MAFF 302046), isolated from lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. capitata) with bacterial rot disease in Japan, were subjected to polyphasic characterization to determine their taxonomic affiliations. The cells were Gram-reaction-negative, aerobic, non-spore-forming, motile with polar flagella and rod-shaped. The results of similarity searches and phylogenetic analyses based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences, as well as the analysis results of the cellular fatty acid composition and genomic DNA G+C content indicated that these strains belong to the genus

Pseudomonas

. Phylogenetic analyses using the rpoD gene sequences and phylogenomic analyses of the whole genome sequences grouped them into the

Pseudomonas putida

group (MAFF 301350T) and the

Pseudomonas fluorescens

group (MAFF 302030T and MAFF 302046), but the phylogenetic positions of the strains did not match those of any known

Pseudomonas

species. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA–DNA hybridization values between the strains and their closely related species were lower than the thresholds for prokaryotic species delineation (95–96 and 70 %, respectively). Phenotypic characteristics, pathogenicity toward lettuce, cellular fatty acid composition and whole-cell MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry profiles could differentiate the strains from their closest relatives. The phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genotypic data obtained in this study showed that the strains represent two novel species of the genus

Pseudomonas

, Pseudomonas aegrilactucae sp. nov. for MAFF 301350T and Pseudomonas morbosilactucae sp. nov. for MAFF 302030T and MAFF 302046. The respective type strains are MAFF 301350T (= ICMP 23989T) and MAFF 302030T (= ICMP 24377T).
Mapping the convergence of genes for coronary artery disease onto endothelial cell programs
Authors: Schnitzler Gavin R. , Kang Helen , Lee-Kim Vivian S. , Ma X. Rosa , Zeng Tony , Angom Ramcharan S. , Fang Shi , Vellarikkal Shamsudheen Karuthedath , Zhou Ronghao , Guo Katherine , Sias-Garcia Oscar , Bloemendal Alex , Munson Glen , Guckelberger Philine , Nguyen Tung H. , Bergman Drew T. , Cheng Nathan , Cleary Brian , Aragam Krishna , Mukhopadhyay Debabrata , Lander Eric S. , Finucane Hilary K. , Gupta Rajat M. , Engreitz Jesse M.
Published: November 2022

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have discovered thousands of risk loci for common, complex diseases, each of which could point to genes and gene programs that influence disease. For some diseases, it has been observed that GWAS signals converge on a smaller number of biological programs, and that this convergence can help to identify causal genes1–6. However, identifying such convergence remains challenging: each GWAS locus can have many candidate genes, each gene might act in one or more possible programs, and it remains unclear which programs might influence disease risk. Here, we developed a new approach to address this challenge, by creating unbiased maps to link disease variants to genes to programs (V2G2P) in a given cell type. We applied this approach to study the role of endothelial cells in the genetics of coronary artery disease (CAD). To link variants to genes, we constructed enhancer-gene maps using the Activity-by-Contact model7,8. To link genes to programs, we applied CRISPRi-Perturb-seq9–12to knock down all expressed genes within ±500 Kb of 306 CAD GWAS signals13,14and identify their effects on gene expression programs using single-cell RNA-sequencing. By combining these variant-to-gene and gene-to-program maps, we find that 43 of 306 CAD GWAS signals converge onto 5 gene programs linked to the cerebral cavernous malformations (CCM) pathway—which is known to coordinate transcriptional responses in endothelial cells15, but has not been previously linked to CAD risk. The strongest regulator of these programs isTLNRD1, which we show is a new CAD gene and novel regulator of the CCM pathway.TLNRD1loss-of-function alters actin organization and barrier function in endothelial cellsin vitro, and heart development in zebrafishin vivo. Together, our study identifies convergence of CAD risk loci into prioritized gene programs in endothelial cells, nominates new genes of potential therapeutic relevance for CAD, and demonstrates a generalizable strategy to connect disease variants to functions.
The Effect of Node Features on GCN-based Brain Network Classification: An Empirical Study
Authors: Wang Guangyu , Zhang Limei , Qiao Lishan
Published: November 2022

Brain functional network (BFN) analysis has become a popular technique for identifying neurological/mental diseases. Due to the fact that BFN is a graph, graph convolutional network (GCN) can be naturally used in the classification of BFN. Different from traditional methods that directly use the adjacency matrices of BFNs to train a classifier, GCN requires an additional input — node features. To our best knowledge, however, there is no systematic study to analyze their influence on the performance of GCN-based brain disorder classification. Therefore, in this per, we conduct an empirical study on various node feature measures, including 1) original fMRI signals, 2) one-hot encoding, 3) node statistics, 4) node correlation, and 5) their combination. Experimental results on two benchmark databases show that different node feature inputs to GCN significantly affect the brain disease classification performance, and node correlation usually contributes higher accuracy compared to original signals and manually extracted statistical features.
A Type 2 Innate Lymphoid Cell-Interleukin 9 Circuit Induces Paneth Cell Metaplasia and Small Intestinal Remodeling
Authors: Yuan Cheng-Yin , Rayasam Aditya , Moe Alison , Xu Wenwen , Szabo Aniko , Hayward Michael , Wells Clive , Salzman Nita , Drobyski William R.
Published: November 2022

Paneth cell metaplasia (PCM) typically arises in the setting of pre-existing gastrointestinal (GI) diseases; however, the mechanistic pathway that induces metaplasia and whether PCM is initiated exclusively by disorders intrinsic to the GI tract has not been delineated. Herein, we describe the development of PCM in a murine model of inducible bcr/abl oncogene-driven chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in which metaplasia is causally and temporally linked to the development of leukemia. Mechanistically, CML induced a proinflammatory state within the GI tract that resulted in the production of epithelial-derived IL-33. Binding of IL-33 to ST2 led to the production of IL-9 by type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) which was directly responsible for the induction of PCM in the colon and Paneth cell hyperplasia in the ileum. In addition, IL-9 directed remodeling of the small intestines characterized by goblet and tuft cell hyperplasia along with the expansion of mucosal mast cells. Thus, we identify that an extra intestinal disease can trigger an ILC2/IL-9 immune circuit which induces PCM and regulates epithelial cell fate decisions in the GI tract.
IPSILESIONAL HIPPOCAMPAL GABA IS ELEVATED AND CORRELATES WITH COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT AND MALADAPTIVE NEUROGENESIS AFTER CORTICAL STROKE IN MICE
Authors: Torres-López C , Cuartero MI , García-Culebras A , de la Parra J , Fernández-Valle ME , Benito M , Vázquez-Reyes S , Jareño-Flores T , Hurtado O , Buckwalter MS , García-Segura JM , Lizasoain I , Moro MA
Published: November 2022

Background

Cognitive dysfunction is a frequent stroke sequela but its pathogenesis and treatment remain unresolved. Involvement of aberrant hippocampal neurogenesis and maladaptive circuitry remodelling has been proposed but their mechanisms are unknown. Our aim was to evaluate potential underlying molecular/cellular events implicated.

Methods

Stroke was induced by permanent occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCAO) in 2-month-old C57BL/6 male mice. Hippocampal metabolites/neurotransmitters were analysed longitudinally byin vivomagnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Cognitive function was evaluated with the contextual fear conditioning test. Microglia, astrocytes, neuroblasts and interneurons were analysed by immunofluorescence.

Results

Approximately 50% of mice exhibited progressive post-MCAO cognitive impairment. Notably, immature hippocampal neurons in the impaired group displayed more severe aberrant phenotypes than those from the non-impaired group. Using MRS, significant bilateral changes in hippocampal metabolites such asmyo-Inositol (mIns) or N-acetylaspartic acid (NAA) were found that correlated, respectively, with numbers of glia and immature neuroblasts in the ischemic group. Importantly, some metabolites were specifically altered in the ipsilateral hippocampus suggesting its involvement in aberrant neurogenesis and remodelling processes. Specifically, MCAO animals with higher hippocampal GABA levels displayed worse cognitive outcome. Implication of GABA in this setting was supported by the amelioration of ischemia-induced memory deficits and aberrant hippocampal neurogenesis after blocking pharmacologically GABAergic neurotransmission. These data suggest that GABA exerts its detrimental effect, at least partly, by affecting morphology and integration of newborn neurons into the hippocampal circuits.

Conclusions

Hippocampal GABAergic neurotransmission could be considered a novel diagnostic and therapeutic target for post-stroke cognitive impairment.
(Z, Z, Z)-3,6,9-nonadecadiene, a potential inhibitor of sex pheromone ofEctropis grisescensWarren (Lepidoptera: Geometridae): electroantennogram test, wind tunnel, and in silico study
Authors: Lu Hao , Yang Yun-Qiu , Yu Jie , Li Qian-Kun , Huang Yan-Zhang , Li Yuan-Chuan , Chen Qiao-Zhi , Wan Xiao-chun , Guo Feng
Published: November 2022

Application of sex pheromone is the most environmental-friendly technique to control pests. Moreover, it has been discovered that pheromone analogs can disturb or inhibit mating communication in some species of moths.Ectropis grisescensWarren (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), is the most severe tea defoliator in China. Thus, in our study, an analog of the pest sex pheromone component, (Z, Z, Z)-3,6,9-nonadecadiene (Z3Z6Z9-19:Hy), was selected to determine its potential activity in controlling the pest. Electroantennogram (EAG), Y-tube olfactometer, and wind tunnel experiments separately showed potential inhibition of Z3Z6Z9-19:Hy. The response elicited by Z3Z6Z9-19:Hy displayed a dose-dependent way in EAG test. Furthermore, in Y-tube olfactometer, percentage of positive response ofE. grisescensmales was significantly (P<0.01) reduced by Z3Z6Z9-19:Hy up to 70%. In wind tunnel, all types of behavioral response were significantly (P<0.01) inhibited by Z3Z6Z9-19:Hy, percentage of contacting source was utterly inhibited at the lowest dose tested. Based on these results, the combination of the analog and SNMP1 protein was also studied. Our study revealed the potential of Z3Z6Z9-19:Hy as a sex pheromone inhibitor, which would provide new perspectives in monitoring and mating disruption ofE. grisescensin pest-control strategies.
Environmental modulation of global epistasis is governed by effective genetic interactions
Authors: Diaz-Colunga Juan , Sanchez Alvaro , Ogbunugafor C. Brandon
Published: November 2022

Interactions between mutations (epistasis) can add substantial complexity to genotype-phenotype maps, hampering our ability to predict evolution. Yet, recent studies have shown that the fitness effect of a mutation can often be predicted from the fitness of its genetic background using simple, linear relationships. This phenomenon, termedglobal epistasis, has been leveraged to reconstruct fitness landscapes and infer adaptive trajectories in a wide variety of contexts. However, little attention has been paid to how patterns of global epistasis may be affected by environmental variation — both from external sources or induced by the population itself through eco-evolutionary feedbacks — despite this variation frequently being a major driver of evolution. By analyzing a four-mutation fitness landscape, here we show that patterns of global epistasis can be strongly modulated by the concentration of a drug in the environment. Using previous theoretical results, we demonstrate that this modulation can be explained by how specific gene-by-gene interactions are modified by drug dose. Importantly, our results highlight the need to incorporate potential environmental variation into the global epistasis framework in order to predict adaptation in dynamic environments.
Bio-friendly long-term subcellular dynamic recording by self-supervised image enhancement microscopy
Authors: Zhang Guoxun , Li Xiaopeng , Zhang Yuanlong , Han Xiaofei , Li Xinyang , Yu Jinqiang , Liu Boqi , Wu Jiamin , Yu Li , Dai Qionghai
Published: November 2022

Fluorescence microscopy has become an indispensable tool for revealing the dynamic regulations of cells and organelles in high resolution noninvasively. However, stochastic noise inherently restricts the upper bonds of optical interrogation quality and exacerbates the observation fidelity in encountering joint demand of high frame rate, long-term, and low photobleaching and phototoxicity. Here, we propose DeepSeMi, a self-supervised-learning-based denoising framework capable of increasing SNR by over 12 dB across various conditions. With the introduction of newly designed eccentric blind-spot convolution filters, DeepSeMi accomplished efficacious denoising requiring no clean data as references and no compromise of spatiotemporal resolution on diverse imaging systems. The computationally 15-fold multiplied photon budget in a standard confocal microscope by DeepSeMi allows for recording organelle interactions in four colors and high-frame-rate across tens of thousands of frames, monitoring migrasomes and retractosomes over a half day, and imaging ultra-phototoxicity-sensitiveDictyosteliumcells over thousands of frames, all faithfully and sample-friendly. Through comprehensive validations across various cells and species over various instruments, we prove DeepSeMi is a versatile tool for reliably and bio-friendly breaking the shot-noise limit, facilitating automated analysis of massive data about cell migrations and organelle interactions.
Learning low-dimensional generalizable natural features from retina using a U-net
Authors: Wang Siwei , Hoshal Benjamin , de Laittre Elizabeth A , Marre Olivier , Berry Michael J , Palmer Stephanie E
Published: November 2022

Much of sensory neuroscience focuses on presenting stimuli that are chosen by the experimenter because they are parametric and easy to sample and are thought to be behaviorally relevant to the organism. However, it is not generally known what these relevant features are in complex, natural scenes. This work focuses on using the retinal encoding of natural movies to determine the presumably behaviorally-relevant features that the brain represents. It is prohibitive to parameterize a natural movie and its respective retinal encoding fully. We use time within a natural movie as a proxy for the whole suite of features evolving across the scene. We then use a task-agnostic deep architecture, an encoder-decoder, to model the retinal encoding process and characterize its representation of “time in the natural scene” in a compressed latent space. In our end-to-end training, an encoder learns a compressed latent representation from a large population of salamander retinal ganglion cells responding to natural movies, while a decoder samples from this compressed latent space to generate the appropriate future movie frame. By comparing latent representations of retinal activity from three movies, we find that the retina has a generalizable encoding for time in the natural scene: the precise, low-dimensional representation of time learned from one movie can be used to represent time in a different movie, with up to 17 ms resolution. We then show that static textures and velocity features of a natural movie are synergistic. The retina simultaneously encodes both to establishes a generalizable, low-dimensional representation of time in the natural scene.
Metabolic clearance rate modeling: A translational approach to quantifying cerebral metabolism using hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate
Authors: Grist James T. , Bøgh Nikolaj , Hansen Esben Søvsø , Schneider Anna M. , Healicon Richard , Ball Vicky , Miller Jack J.J.J. , Smart Sean , Couch Yvonne , Buchan Alastair , Tyler Damian J. , Laustsen Christoffer
Published: November 2022

Hyperpolarized carbon-13 MRI is a promising technique forin vivometabolic interrogation of alterations between health and disease. This study introduces a model-free formalism for quantifying the metabolic information in hyperpolarized imaging.

This study investigated a novel model-free perfusion and metabolic clearance rate (MCR) model in pre-clinical stroke and in the healthy human brain.

Simulations showed that the proposed model was robust to perturbations in T1, transmit B1, and kPL. A significant difference in ipsilateral vs contralateral pyruvate derived cerebral blood flow (CBF) was detected in rats (140 ± 2 vs 89 ± 6 mL/100g/min, p < 0.01, respectively) and pigs (139 ± 12 vs 95 ± 5 mL/100g/min, p = 0.04, respectively), along with an increase in fractional metabolism (26 ± 5 vs 4 ± 2 %, p < 0.01, respectively) in the rodent brain. In addition, a significant increase in ipsilateral vs contralateral MCR (0.034 ± 0.007 vs 0.017 ± 0.02 s-1, p = 0.03, respectively) and a decrease in mean transit time (MTT) (31 ± 8 vs 60 ± 2, p = 0.04, respectively) was observed in the porcine brain. In conclusion, MCR mapping is a simple and robust approach to the post-processing of hyperpolarized magnetic resonance imaging.
Decipher macrophage-fibroblast-cardiomyocyte signaling interactions associated with heart failure using deep graph neural network models and single-cell RNA-seq data
Authors: Li Wenyu , Feng Jiarui , Payne Philip , Chen Yixin , Li Fuhai
Published: November 2022

Heart failure is a major cause of mortality. In these recent studies, novel evidence, using single-cell transcriptomic data, was reported to indicate that macrophages and fibroblasts play important roles in heart failure. The involvement of macrophages in inflammation and the relationship between inflammation and fibrosis has been established. However, the underlying molecular targets and signaling pathways mediating signaling interactions among macrophages, fibroblasts, and cardiomyocytes remain unclear. In this study, analyzing the scRNA-seq datasets using deep learning models, we ranked the cell-type specific molecular targets; and uncovered the dysfunctional intra- and inter-cellular signaling pathways that are potentially associated with heart failure. The signaling targets and pathways could be helpful in identifying effective medications for heart disease inflammation management to prevent heart failure.
A Model of High-Speed Endovascular Sonothrombolysis with Vortex Ultrasound-Induced Shear Stress to Treat Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis
Authors: Zhang Bohua , Wu Huaiyu , Kim Howuk , Welch Phoebe J. , Cornett Ashley , Stocker Greyson , Nogueira Raul G. , Kim Jinwook , Owens Gabe , Dayton Paul , Xu Zhen , Shi Chengzhi , Jiang Xiaoning
Published: November 2022

This research aims to demonstrate a novel vortex ultrasound enabled endovascular thrombolysis method designed for treating cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). This is a topic of significant importance since current treatment modalities for CVST still fail in as many as 20-40% of the cases and the incidence of CVST has increased since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Compared with conventional anticoagulant or thrombolytic drugs, sonothrombolysis has the potential to remarkably shorten the required treatment time owing to the direct clot targeting with acoustic waves. However, previously reported strategies for sonothrombolysis have not demonstrated clinically meaningful outcomes (e.g., recanalization within 30 minutes) in treating large, completely occluded veins or arteries. In this paper, we demonstrated a new vortex ultrasound technique for endovascular sonothrombolysis utilizing wave-matter interaction-induced shear stress to enhance the lytic rate substantially. Ourin vitroexperiment showed that the lytic rate was increased by at least 64.3 % compared with the nonvortex endovascular ultrasound treatment. A 3.1 g, 7.5 cm long, completely occludedin vitro3D model of acute CVST was fully recanalized within 8 minutes with a record-high lytic rate of 237.5 mg/min for acute bovine clotin vitro. Furthermore, we confirmed that the vortex ultrasound causes no vessel wall damage overex vivobovine veins. This vortex ultrasound thrombolysis technique potentially presents a new life-saving tool for severe CVST cases that cannot be efficaciously treated using existing therapies.
POGZ suppresses 2C transcriptional program and retrotransposable elements
Authors: Sun XY , Zhang TZ , Cheng LX , Jiang W , Sun YH
Published: November 2022

ThePOGZgene has been found frequently mutated in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID). We have recently shown that POGZ maintains mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) as a chromatin regulator and a transcription factor. However, the exact mechanisms remain unclear. Here we show that POGZ plays important role in the maintenance of ESCs by silencing theDuxgene and certain endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). POGZ directly binds to theDuxgene and ERVs, and its depletion leads to up-regulation of 2C genes and the repetitive elements such as RLTR9E and IAP (the intracisternal A-type particles), resulting in transition to a 2C-like (2CLC) state and genome instability. POGZ regulates ESC heterochromatin state by association and recruiting TRIM28 and SETDB1, and its loss leads to increased H3K4me3 and H3K27ac, and decreased H3K9me3 at local chromatin. Activation of POGZ-bound ERVs is associated with up-regulation of nearby neural genes. Chimeric transcripts that are initiated within ERVs and spliced to genic exons are highly expressed inPogz−/−ESCs. Our findings establish that POGZ is required for the maintenance of ESCs by repressingDuxand silencing ERVs, which may provide important insights into the disease pathology caused by POGZ dysfunction.

Highlights

POGZ depletion leads to activation of 2C genes

POGZ depletion leads to deregulation of ERVs

POGZ directly binds and repressesDux

POGZ associates with TRIM28/SETDB1 to maintain heterochromatin state to silence ERVs

Activation of POGZ-bound ERVs is associated with up-regulation of nearby neural genes
Seeing our hand or a tool during visually-guided actions: different effects on the somatosensory and visual cortices
Authors: Mathieu Benjamin , Abillama Antonin , Moré Simon , Mercier Catherine , Simoneau Martin , Danna Jérémy , Mouchnino Laurence , Blouin Jean
Published: November 2022

The processing of proprioceptive information in the context of a conflict between visual and somatosensory feedbacks deteriorates motor performance. Previous studies have shown that seeing one’s hand increases the weighting assigned to arm somatosensory inputs. In this light, we hypothesized that the sensory conflict, when tracing the contour of a shape with mirror-reversed vision, will be greater for participants who trace with a stylus seen in their hand (Hand group, n=17) than for participants who trace with the tip of rod without seen their hand (Tool group, n=15). Based on this hypothesis, we predicted that the tracing performance with mirror vision will be more deteriorated for the Hand group than for the Tool group, and we predicted a greater gating of somatosensory information for the Hand group to reduce the sensory conflict. The participants of both groups followed the outline of a shape in two visual conditions. Direct vision: the participants saw the hand or portion of a light 40 cm rod directly. Mirror Vision: the hand or the rod was seen through a mirror. We measured tracing performance using a digitizing tablet and the cortical activity with electroencephalography. Behavioral analyses revealed that the tracing performance of both groups was similarly impaired by mirror vision. However, contrasting the spectral content of the cortical oscillatory activity between the Mirror and Direct conditions, we observed that tracing with mirror vision resulted in significantly larger alpha (8-12 Hz) and beta (15-25 Hz) powers in the somatosensory cortex for participants of the Hand group. The somatosensory alpha and beta powers did not significantly differ between Mirror and Direct vision conditions for the Tool group. For both groups, tracing with mirror vision altered the activity of the visual cortex: decreased alpha power for the Hand group, decreased alpha and beta power for the Tool group. Overall, these results suggest that seeing the hand enhanced the sensory conflict when tracing with mirror vision and that the increase of alpha and beta powers in the somatosensory cortex served to reduce the weight assigned to somatosensory information. The increased activity of the visual cortex observed for both groups in the mirror vision condition suggests greater visual processing with increased task difficulty. Finally, the fact that the participants of the Tool group did not show better tracing performance than those of the Hand group suggests that tracing deterioration resulted from a sensorimotor conflict (as opposed to a visuo-proprioceptive conflict).
Hospitality enterprises’ revival through crowdfunding: a cross-country study
Authors: Baber Hasnan , Ramkissoon Haywantee , Salem Islam Elbayoumi , Ghasemi Vahid , Munim Ziaul Haque
Published: November 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to suggest a reward-based crowdfunding approach and test customers’ financial contribution behaviour (FCB) as a fundraising strategy for hospitality enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

To investigate this initiative, a conceptual model motivated by the theory of planned behaviour, integrating economic, emotional, social and altruistic values, perceived risk and electronic word of mouth has been considered. Partial least square structural equation modelling is applied to test the model. Data was collected from 263 respondents across three regions – Europe, Asia and Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Findings

Findings revealed that attitude, self-efficacy and subjective norm of the customers positively influence their financial contribution intention. Further, Asian customers demonstrate significantly higher FCB in comparison to MENA.

Research limitations/implications

This study will be helpful for the hospitality players to raise the funds during the crisis and survive to pay the reward back to the customers. This study will be helpful to the crowdfunding platforms to understand the factors which influence the contribution behaviour.

Practical implications

The results of this study can encourage hoteliers and other hospitality players looking to approach their funding needs through crowdfunding by providing them a guide to maximise their possibility and level of success.

Originality/value

Hospitality businesses demand new approaches and strategies to keep operating during COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 time. This research is original to provide insights into customer contribution intentions during COVID-19.
Between quandary and squander: an analysis of preservation practices of vernacular literature at university libraries
Authors: Pandya Chintan , Gohil Jasmine
Published: November 2022

Purpose

Vernacular materials present stories of different cultures and people. Management of these resources is not just about storing records for history and research; they also represent the democratic credentials of the government. Libraries play a crucial role here. The purpose of this study is to look into the existing preservation practices at university libraries, such as digitisation.

Design/methodology/approach

This study has applied descriptive research methods for the systematic literature analysis along with structured questionnaires for the primary data collection. The research sample was 50 university libraries spread in different provinces in India.

Findings

The analysis critically describes the strategies of implementing the preservation practices and factors of deterioration of the old and rare materials. The findings of the study revealed that the majority of the university libraries are using digitisation of rare materials, and binding, de-acidification and pest control were common practices of restoration.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, based on the literature analysis, the primary investigation and research gap indicated that no attempts have been made to explore the digitisation practice and other restoration approaches among university libraries. Preservation practices vary from case to case; however, such common practices at these university libraries provide evidence-based examples which is useful for the larger group of people to choose more suitable conservation techniques. This study will help researchers of conservationists to identify the factors of preservation and conservation practices at university libraries in India in special respect to the rare vernacular literature.
Permanent layoff and consumer credit card loss forecasting
Authors: Liu Zilong , Liang Hongyan
Published: November 2022

Purpose

The unemployment rate (UR) is the leading macroeconomic indicator used in the credit card loss forecasting. COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented level of volatility in the labor market variables, leading to new challenges to use UR in the credit risk modeling framework. This paper examines the dynamic relationship between the credit card charge-off rate and the unemployment rate over time.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses quarterly observations of charge-off rates on credit card loans of all commercial banks from Q1 1990 to Q4 2020. Univariate, multivariable, machine learning, and regime-switching time series modeling are employed in this research.

Findings

The authors decompose UR into two components – temporary and permanent UR. The authors find the spike in UR during COVID-19 is mainly attributed to the surge in temporary layoffs. More importantly, the authors find that the credit card charge-off rate is primarily driven by permanent UR while temporary UR has little predictive power. During recessions, permanent UR seems to be a stronger indicator than total UR. This research highlights the importance of using permanent UR for credit risk modeling.

Originality/value

The findings in the research can be applied to the credit card loss forecasting and CECL reserve models. In addition, this research also has implications for banks, macroeconomic data vendors, regulators, and policymakers.
Cognitive job crafting: an intervening mechanism between intrinsic motivation and affective well-being
Authors: Kilic Eren , Kitapci Hakan
Published: November 2022

Purpose

Employees often reframe their work roles and ascribe meaning to their jobs, which is called cognitive job crafting (CJC). Although scholars have identified the importance of CJC, there remains a lack of evidence on what motivational characteristics affect initiating such cognitive changes and how these cognitive changes affect one’s well-being. Drawing on job design and self-determination theories, this study aims to investigate how intrinsic motivations affect CJC and, thus, optimize affective well-being (AWB) through cognitive changes.

Design/methodology/approach

The cross-sectional data were collected using online questionnaires from 327 white-collar employees working in various organizations. The validity of the hypothesized model was tested by using structural equation modeling. Hypotheses were tested using Process analysis.

Findings

The findings showed that intrinsic motivations (i.e. self-determination and meaning) were positively related to CJC, which resulted in increased positive affection and decreased negative affection, reflecting a mediating mechanism.

Practical implications

The authors suggest that practitioners can enhance employee well-being by implementing policies that value proactive job redesign strategies (e.g. job crafting training). Thus, the practitioners may motivate employees to craft their jobs, which leads employees to engage and perform well.

Originality/value

The results of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of job crafting initiatives by providing evidence for the role of motivational and cognitive mechanisms that help optimize well-being at work.
Applicability of the source–sink population concept to marine intertidal macro‐invertebrates with planktonic larval stages
Authors: Tamaki Akio
Published: November 2022

Local populations of marine benthic macro‐invertebrates with planktonic larvae are believed to be in source–sink relationships via larval dispersal in a regional population complex. Practically, such a region is definable only after connectivity of constituent local populations is explored. Numerical simulations abound for hydrodynamic connectivity by larvae between local/regional populations. Empirical studies have scarcely integrated inter‐local connectivity and intra‐local population dynamics into demographic connectivity analysis. I review the current research and indicate fundamental and technical problems to demonstrate that some source–sink systems in intertidal shores, which are most accessible among benthic habitats, are a good model. The challenge in benthic source–sink research comes from that existent local populations may not be self‐sustaining because of low larval self‐seeding rates and/or low benthos' survival rates and yet can persist as latent sinks. They may receive larvae leaking from sources at good‐quality habitat patches with stationary larval retention areas for self‐recruitment. On an intertidal sandflat in an estuary–coastal ocean region, Kyushu, Japan during 1979–2019, the population of a trochid gastropod with 3‐ to 9‐day larval duration became extinct and recovered. The extinction was caused by sediment destabilization by a callianassid shrimp population which increased in the early 1980s. The gastropod recovery was owing to the shrimp decline by stingray predation and the transport of larvae from some self‐sustainable populations with lower shrimp densities 30 km away. It was estimated that the gastropod population before the shrimp proliferation on that sandflat might be a latent sink requiring allochthonous larval subsidy due to epi‐benthic predation on juveniles.
Primary sources of health care among LGBTQ+ veterans: Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Authors: Hahn Hunter , Burkitt Kelly H. , Kauth Michael R. , Shipherd Jillian C. , Blosnich John R.
Published: November 2022

Objective

This study examined the primary source of health care between veterans with lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and similar identities (LGBTQ+) and non‐LGBTQ+ veterans.

Data Sources and Study Setting

Veterans (N = 20,497) from 17 states who completed the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from 2016 to 2020, including the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Health Care Access modules.

Study Design

We used survey‐weighted multiple logistic regression to estimate average marginal effects of the prevalence of utilization of Veteran's Health Administration (VHA)/military health care reported between LGBTQ+ and non‐LGBTQ+ veterans. Prevalence estimates were adjusted for age group, sex, race and ethnicity, marital status, educational attainment, employment status, survey year, and US state.

Data Collection Methods

Study data were gathered via computer‐assisted telephone interviews with probability‐based samples of adults aged 18 and over. Data are publicly available.

Principal Findings

Overall, there was not a statistically significant difference in estimated adjusted prevalence of primary use of VHA/military health care between LGBTQ+ and non‐LGBTQ+ veterans (20% vs. 23%, respectively, p = 0.13). When examined by age group, LGBTQ+ veterans aged 34 and younger were significantly less likely to report primary use of VHA/military health care compared to non‐LGBTQ+ veterans (25% vs. 44%, respectively; p = 0.009). Similarly, in sex‐stratified analyses, fewer female LGBTQ+ veterans than female non‐LGBTQ+ veterans reported VHA/military health care as their primary source of care (13% vs. 29%, respectively, p = 0.003). Implications and limitations to these findings are discussed.

Conclusions

Female and younger LGBTQ+ veterans appear far less likely to use VHA/military for health care compared to their cisgender, heterosexual peers; however, because of small sample sizes, estimates may be imprecise. Future research should corroborate these findings and identify potential reasons for these disparities.