bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Basal type I interferon signaling has only modest effects on neonatal and juvenile hematopoiesis
Authors: Li Yanan , Yang Wei , Wang Helen C. , Patel Riddhi M. , Casey Emily B. , Denby Elisabeth , Magee Jeffrey A.
Published: July 2022

Type I interferon (IFN-1) regulates gene expression and hematopoiesis both during development and in response to inflammatory stress. We previously showed that during development, hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and multipotent progenitors (MPPs) induce IFN-1 target genes shortly before birth in mice. This coincides with the onset of a transition to adult hematopoiesis, and it drives expression of genes associated with antigen presentation. However, it is not clear whether perinatal IFN-1 modulates hematopoietic output, as has been observed in contexts of inflammation. We have characterized hematopoiesis at several different stages of blood formation, from HSCs to mature blood cells, and found that loss of the IFN-1 receptor (IFNAR1) leads to depletion of several phenotypic HSC and MPP subpopulations in neonatal and juvenile mice. Committed lymphoid and myeloid progenitor populations simultaneously expand. These changes had surprisingly little effect on production of more differentiated blood cells. Cellular Indexing of Transcriptomes and Epitopes by sequencing (CITE-seq) resolved the discrepancy between the extensive changes in progenitor numbers and modest changes in hematopoiesis, revealing stability in most MPP populations in Ifnar1-deficient neonates when the populations were identified based on gene expression rather than surface marker phenotype. Thus, basal IFN-1 signaling has only modest effects on hematopoiesis. Discordance between transcriptionally- and phenotypically-defined MPP populations may impact interpretations of how IFN-1 shapes hematopoiesis in other contexts, such as aging or inflammation.

KEY POINTS

Loss of type I Interferon signaling in neonatal mice depletes immature blood progenitors without compromising postnatal hematopoiesis

Progenitor populations remain intact when measured by single cell transcriptomes rather than surface marker phenotypes
Canonical Wnt Signaling Maintains Human Mesenchymal Progenitor Cell Multipotency During Adipose Tissue Development
Authors: Loureiro Zinger Yang , Joyce Shannon , Solivan-Rivera Javier , Desai Anand , Skritakis Pantos , Yang Qin , DeSouza Tiffany , Nguyen Tammy , MacDougald Ormond A , Corvera Silvia
Published: July 2022

Tissue development and repair throughout life depends on the availability of multipotent mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells capable of differentiating into specialized cell types. How an appropriately sized pool of such multipotent progenitors is maintained under varied signals for tissue growth and repair is unknown. We addressed this question by monitoring fate trajectories of human adipose tissue-derived multipotent progenitor cells using single-cell transcriptomics. Homogenous multipotent progenitors underwent two distinct fate trajectories rapidly upon induction of adipose differentiation– one toward the adipocyte fate, and the other towards a distinct, non-differentiated state characterized by up-regulation of canonical Wnt target genes. Upon isolation, this latter cell population was able to resume proliferation and display multipotency. Using canonical Wnt agonists and antagonists we find Wnt signaling is required for the maintenance of this multipotent pool under differentiation stimulus.In vivo, these cells are retained in adipose tissue developed from human multipotent progenitor cells in immunocompromised mice, and their transcriptomic signature is detected in human adult adipose tissue. Our study reveals a previously unrecognized mechanism for maintaining a functional pool of human mesenchymal progenitor cells under conditions of differentiation pressure, driven by Wnt signaling.
SRSF6 balances mitochondrial-driven innate immune outcomes through alternative splicing of BAX
Authors: Wagner Allison R. , Weindel Chi G. , West Kelsi O. , Scott Haley M. , Watson Robert O. , Patrick Kristin L.
Published: July 2022

To mount a protective response to infection while preventing hyperinflammation, gene expression in innate immune cells must be tightly regulated. Despite the importance of pre-mRNA splicing in shaping the proteome, its role in balancing immune outcomes remains understudied. Transcriptomic analysis of murine macrophage cell lines identified Serine/Arginine Rich Splicing factor 6 (SRSF6) as a gatekeeper of mitochondrial homeostasis. SRSF6 orchestrates this by directing alternative splicing of the mitochondrial pore-forming protein BAX. Loss of SRSF6 promotes accumulation of BAX-κ, a variant that sensitizes macrophages to undergo cell death and triggers upregulation of interferon stimulated genes through cGAS sensing of cytosolic mitochondrial DNA. Upon pathogen sensing, macrophages regulate SRSF6 expression to control the liberation of immunogenic mtDNA and adjust the threshold for entry into programmed cell death. This work defines BAX alternative splicing by SRSF6 as a critical node not only in mitochondrial homeostasis, but also in the macrophage’s response to pathogens.
X chromosome factor Kdm6a enhances memory independent of its demethylase function in the aging XY male brain
Authors: Shaw Cayce K. , Abdulai-Saiku Samira , Marino Francesca , Wang Dan , Davis Emily J. , Panning Barbara , Dubal Dena B.
Published: July 2022

Males exhibit shorter lifespan and more cognitive deficits in aging human populations. In mammals, the X chromosome is enriched for neural genes and is a major source of biologic sex difference, in part, because males show decreased expression of select X factors. While each sex (XX and XY) harbors one active X due to X chromosome inactivation in females, some genes, such asKdm6a, transcriptionally escape silencing in females – resulting in lower levels in males. Kdm6a is a known histone demethylase (H3K27me2/3) with multiple functional domains that is linked with synaptic plasticity and cognition. Whether elevatingKdm6acould benefit the aging male brain and whether this requires its demethylase function remains unknown. We used lentiviral-mediated overexpression of the X factor in the hippocampus of aging male mice and tested their cognition and behavior in the Morris water maze. We found that acutely increasingKdm6a– in a form without demethylase function – selectively improved learning and memory, without altering total activity or anxiety-like measures, in the aging XY brain. Further understanding the demethylase-independent downstream mechanisms of Kdm6a may lead to novel therapies for treating age-induced cognitive deficits in both sexes.
Proteome coverage after simultaneous proteo-metabolome liquid-liquid extraction
Authors: van Pijkeren A , Egger AS , Hotze M , Zimmermann E , Grander J , Gollowitzer A , Koeberle A , Bischoff R , Thedieck K , Kwiatkowski M
Published: July 2022

Proteo-metabolomics is essential in systems biology and simultaneous proteo-metabolome extraction by liquid-liquid extraction (SPM-LLE) allows extraction of the metabolome and proteome from the same sample. Since the proteome is present as a pellet in SPM-LLE it must be solubilized for quantitative proteomics. Solubilization and proteome extraction is a critical factor in the information that can be obtained at the proteome level. In this study, we investigated the performance of two surfactants (sodium deoxycholate (SDC), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)) and urea with respect to proteome coverage and extraction efficiency of an interphase proteome pellet generated by methanol-chloroform based SPM-LLE. We also investigated the extent to which the performance differs when the proteome is extracted from the interphase pellet or by direct cell lysis. Our study reveals that the proteome coverages between the two surfactants and urea for the SPM-LLE interphase pellet were very similar, but the extraction efficiencies differed significantly. While SDS led to enrichment of basic proteins, which were mainly ribosomal and ribonuclear proteins, urea was the most efficient extraction agent for simultaneous proteo-metabolome analysis. The results of our study also show that the performance of surfactants (SDC, SDS) for quantitative proteomics is better when the proteome was extracted by direct cell lysis and not from an interphase pellet. In contrast, the performance of urea for quantitative proteomics was significantly better when the proteome was extracted from an interphase pellet and by direct cell lysis.
Optimal mating ofPinus taedaL. under different scenarios using differential evolution algorithm
Authors: Goda Khushi , Isik Fikret
Published: July 2022

A newly developed software, AgMate, was used to perform optimized mating for monoeciousPinus taedaL. breeding. Using a computational optimization procedure called differential evolution (DE), AgMate was applied under different breeding population sizes scenarios (50, 100, 150, 200, 250) and candidate contribution scenarios (max use of each candidate was set to 1 or 8), to assess its efficiency in maximizing the genetic gain while controlling inbreeding. Real pedigree data set from North Carolina State University Tree Improvement Co-op with 962Pinus taedawere used to optimize objective functions accounting for coancestry of parents and expected genetic gain and inbreeding of the future progeny. AgMate results were compared with those from another widely used mating software called MateSel (Kinghorn, 1999). For the proposed mating list for 200 progenies, AgMate resulted in an 83.7% increase in genetic gain compared with the candidate population. There was evidence that AgMate performed similarly to MateSel in managing coancestry and expected genetic gain, but MateSel was superior in avoiding inbreeding in proposed mate pairs. The developed algorithm was computationally efficient in maximizing the objective functions and flexible for practical application in monoecious diploid conifer breeding.

Study implications

A dataset from a breeding population of loblolly pine (Pinus taedaL.) was analyzed using an optimal mating software, AgMate (developed by the authors), to optimize the selection, contribution, and mating of candidates simultaneously. The software helps breeders make decisions on which tree to cross with which tree and how many times, such that the trees are not related to each other and would result in the best performing progenies. AgMate is effective in meeting the breeding objectives for monoecious species. The open-source, easy-to-use, and flexible AgMate software, also available as a website, is invaluable in helping breeders to create optimal matings for future generations, which balance the pursuit of maximizing genetic gain while maintaining genetic diversity.
A comprehensive prediction of transcript isoforms in 19 chicken tissues by Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing
Authors: Guan Dailu , Halstead Michelle M. , Islas-Trejo Alma D. , Goszczynski Daniel E. , Cheng Hans H. , Ross Pablo , Zhou Huaijun
Published: July 2022

To comprehensively identify and annotate transcript isoforms in the chicken genome, we generated Nanopore long-read sequencing data from a diverse set of 19 chicken tissues comprising 68 samples collected from experimental line 6 × line 7 F1 adult males and females. More than 23.8 million reads with mean read length of 790 bases and average quality of 18.2 were generated. The annotation and subsequent filtering resulted in identification of 55,382 transcripts with mean length of 1,700 bases at 40,547 loci, representing ∼1.4 transcripts per locus. Among them, we predicted 30,967 potential coding transcripts at 19,461 loci and 16,495 potential lncRNA transcripts at 15,512 loci. Compared to reference annotations, we found 52% of annotated transcripts could partially to fully match while 47% were novel and potentially transcribed from lncRNA loci. Based on our annotation, we quantified transcript expression across tissues and found brain tissues (i.e. cerebellum, cortex) expressed highest number of transcripts and loci. The further tissue specificity revealed that ∼22% of the transcripts displaying tissue specificity. Of them, the reproductive tissues (i.e. testis, ovary) contained the most tissue-specific transcripts. Despite sequencing 68 transcriptomes derived from 19 tissues, still ∼20% of Ensembl reference loci were not detected. This suggests that including additional samples from different cell types, developmental and physiological conditions, is needed to fully annotate the chicken genome. The application of Nanopore sequencing transcriptomes in this study demonstrated the usefulness of long-read data in discovering additional novel loci (e.g., lncRNA loci) and resolving complex transcripts (e.g., the longest transcript for the TTN locus).
The transcriptional landscape of plant infection by the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae reveals distinct families of temporally co-regulated and structurally conserved effectors
Authors: Yan Xia , Tang Bozeng , Ryder Lauren S. , MacLean Dan , Were Vincent M. , Eseola Alice Bisola , Cruz-Mireles Neftaly , Foster Andrew J. , Osés-Ruiz Miriam , Talbot Nicholas J.
Published: July 2022

The rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae causes a devastating disease which threatens global rice production. In spite of intense study, the biology of plant tissue invasion during blast disease remains poorly understood. Here we report a high resolution, transcriptional profiling study of the entire plant-associated development of the blast fungus. Our analysis revealed major temporal changes in fungal gene expression during plant infection. Pathogen gene expression could be classified into 10 modules of temporally co-expressed genes, providing evidence of induction of pronounced shifts in primary and secondary metabolism, cell signalling and transcriptional regulation. A set of 863 genes encoding secreted proteins are differentially expressed at specific stages of infection, and 546 were predicted to be effectors and named MEP (Magnaportheeffector protein) genes. Computational prediction of structurally-related MEPs, including the MAX effector family, revealed their temporal co-regulation in the same co-expression modules. We functionally characterised 32 MEP genes and demonstrate that Mep effectors are predominantly targeted to the cytoplasm of rice cells via the biotrophic interfacial complex (BIC), and use a common unconventional secretory pathway. Taken together, our study reveals major changes in gene expression associated with blast disease and identifies a diverse repertoire of effectors critical to successful infection.
Genital tract microbiome dynamics are associated with time of Chlamydia infection
Authors: Zhao Lihong , Lundy Stephanie R. , Eko Francis O. , Igietseme Joeseph U. , Omosun Yusuf O.
Published: July 2022

Background: We have previously shown that the time of Chlamydia infection was crucial in determining the chlamydial infectivity and pathogenesis. This study aims to determine whether the time of Chlamydia infection aﬀects the genital tract microbiome. This study analyzed mice vaginal, uterine, and ovary/oviduct microbiome with and without Chlamydia infection. The mice were infected with Chlamydia at either 10:00 am (ZT3) or 10:00 pm (ZT15).

Results: The results showed that mice infected at ZT3 had higher Chlamydia infectivity than those infected at ZT15. There was more variation in the compositional complexity of the vaginal microbiome (alpha diversity) of mice infected at ZT3 than those mice infected at ZT15 throughout the infection within each treatment group, with both Shannon and Simpson diversity index values decreased over time. The analysis of samples collected four weeks post-infection showed that there were significant taxonomical differences (beta diversity) between different parts of the genital tract---vagina, uterus, and ovary/oviduct---and this difference was associated with the time of infection. Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the most abundant phyla within the microbiome in all three genital tract regions for all the samples collected during this experiment. Additionally, Firmicutes was the dominant phylum in the uterine microbiome of ZT3 Chlamydia infected mice.

Conclusion: The results show that the time of infection is associated with the microbial dynamics in the genital tract. And this association is more robust in the upper genital tract than in the vagina. This result implies that more emphasis should be placed on understanding the changes in the microbial dynamics of the upper genital tract over the course of infection.
Role of EnvC and the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system in resistance to MreB disruption
Authors: Sloan Ryan , Surber Jacob , Roy Emma , Hartig Ethan , Morgenstein Randy M.
Published: July 2022

Cell wall synthesis in bacteria is determine by two protein complexes: the elongasome and divisome. The elongasome is coordinated by the actin homolog MreB while the divisome is organized by the tubulin homolog FtsZ. While these two systems must coordinate with each other to ensure that elongation and division are coregulated, this cross talk has been understudied. Using the MreB depolymerizing agent, A22, we found that multiple gene deletions result in cells exhibiting increased sensitivity to MreB depolymerization. One of those genes encodes for EnvC, a part of the divisome that is responsible for splitting daughter cells after the completion of cytokinesis through the activation of specific amidases. Here we show this increased sensitivity to A22 works through two known amidase targets of EnvC: AmiA and AmiB. In addition, suppressor analysis revealed that mutations in the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS) can suppress the effects of A22 in both wild-type and envC deletion cells. Together this work helps to link elongation, division, and metabolism.
ZER1 contributes to the carcinogenic activity of high-risk HPV E7 proteins
Authors: Nouel Joangela , White Elizabeth A.
Published: July 2022

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) E7 proteins bind to host cell proteins to facilitate virus replication. Interactions between HPV E7 and host cell proteins can also drive cancer progression. We hypothesize that HPV E7-host protein interactions specific for high-risk E7 contribute to the carcinogenic activity of high-risk HPV. The cellular protein ZER1 interacts with the E7 protein from HPV16, the genotype most frequently associated with human cancers. The HPV16 E7-ZER1 interaction is unique among HPV E7 tested to date. Other E7 proteins, even from closely related HPV genotypes, do not bind ZER1, which is a substrate specificity factor for a CUL2-RING ubiquitin ligase. In the present study, we investigated the contribution of ZER1 to the carcinogenic activity of HPV16 E7. First, we mapped the ZER1 binding site to specific residues on the C-terminus of HPV16 E7. We showed that the mutant HPV16 E7 that cannot bind ZER1 is impaired in the ability to promote the growth of primary keratinocytes. We found that ZER1 and CUL2 contribute to but are not required for HPV16 E7 to degrade RB1. Cancer dependency data shows that ZER1 is an essential gene in most HPV-positive, but not HPV-negative, cancer cell lines. Depleting ZER1 impaired the growth of primary keratinocytes expressing HPV16 E7 or HPV18 E7 and of HPV16 and HPV18-positive cervical cancer cell lines. Taken together, our work demonstrates that ZER1 contributes to HPV-mediated carcinogenesis and is essential for the growth of HPV-positive cells.

IMPORTANCE

HPV16 is highly carcinogenic and is the most predominant HPV genotype associated with human cancers. The mechanisms that underlie differences between high-risk HPV genotypes are currently unknown, but many of these differences are likely attributable to the activities of the oncogenic HPV proteins, including E7. The HPV E7 oncoprotein is essential for HPV-mediated carcinogenesis. A large number of HPV E7 targets have been identified. However, it is unclear which of these many interactions contribute to the carcinogenic activity of HPV E7. Here, we characterized the interaction between HPV16 E7 and the host cell protein ZER1, testing whether this genotype-specific interaction could enable the enhanced carcinogenic activity of HPV16 E7. We found that ZER1 binding contributes to the growth promoting activity of HPV16 E7 and to the growth of HPV-positive cervical cancer cells. We propose that ZER1 makes an important contribution to HPV-mediated carcinogenesis.
Phenotypic response of yeast metabolic network to availability of proteinogenic amino acids
Authors: Simensen Vetle , Seif Yara , Almaas Eivind
Published: July 2022

Genome-scale metabolism can best be described as a highly interconnected network of biochemical reactions and metabolites. The flow of metabolites, i.e., flux, throughout these networks can be predicted and analyzed using approaches such as flux balance analysis (FBA). By knowing the network topology and employing only a few simple assumptions, FBA can efficiently predict metabolic functions at the genome scale as well as microbial phenotypes. The network topology is represented in the form of genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs), which provide a direct mapping between network structure and function via the enzyme-coding genes and corresponding metabolic capacity. Recently, the role of protein limitations in shaping metabolic phenotypes have been extensively studied following the reconstruction of enzyme-constrained GEMs. This framework has been shown to significantly improve the accuracy of predicting microbial phenotypes, and it has demonstrated that a global limitation in protein availability can prompt the ubiquitous metabolic strategy of overflow metabolism. Being one of the most abundant and differentially expressed proteome sectors, metabolic proteins constitute a major cellular demand on proteinogenic amino acids. However, little is known about the impact and sensitivity of amino acid availability with regards to genome-scale metabolism. Here, we explore these aspects by extending on the enzyme-constrained GEM framework by also accounting for the usage of amino acids in expressing the metabolic proteome. Including amino acids in an enzyme-constrained GEM of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we demonstrate that the expanded model is capable of accurately reproducing experimental amino acid levels. We further show that the metabolic proteome exerts variable demands on amino acid supplies in a condition-dependent manner, suggesting that S. cerevisiae must have evolved to efficiently fine-tune the synthesis of amino acids for expressing its metabolic proteins in response to changes in the external environment. Finally, our results demonstrate how the metabolic network of S. cerevisiae is robust towards perturbations of individual amino acids, while simultaneously being highly sensitive when the relative amino acid availability is set to mimic a priori distributions of both yeast and non-yeast origins.
WITHDRAWN: Mitochondrial genome variation affects humoral and cell-mediated innate immune responses and infection outcomes
Authors: Salminen Tiina S. , Vesala Laura , Basikhina Yuliya , Kutzer Megan , Tuomela Tea , Lucas Ryan , Monteith Katy , Prakash Arun , Tietz Tilman , Vale Pedro F.
Published: July 2022

Withdrawal Statement

The authors have withdrawn version 2 of this manuscript due to the erroneous revision with a related but different manuscript, which can now be found under doi: 10.1101/2024.03.28.587162. Note that version 1 of this preprint is correct and has now been published as doi: 10.1186/s12915-024-01858-5, which should be used for citation purposes. If you have any questions, please contact the corresponding author (Tiina S. Salminen,tiina.s.salminen@tuni.fi).
Monovalent and trivalent VSV-based COVID-19 vaccines elicit potent neutralizing antibodies and immunodominant CD8+ T cells against diverse SARS-CoV-2 variants
Authors: Parham Kate A. , Kim Gyoung Nyoun , Saeedian Nasrin , Ninkov Marina , Richer Connor G. , Li Yue , Wu Kunyu , Rashu Rasheduzzaman , Barr Stephen D. , Arts Eric J. , Haeryfar S.M. Mansour , Kang C. Yong , Troyer Ryan M.
Published: July 2022

Recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) vaccines expressing Spike proteins of Wuhan, Beta and/or Delta variants of SARS-CoV-2 were generated and tested for induction of antibody and T cell immune responses in mice. rVSV-Wuhan and rVSV-Delta vaccines and a rVSV-Trivalent (mixed rVSV-Wuhan, -Beta, -Delta) vaccine elicited potent neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) against live SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan (USAWA1), Beta (B.1.351), Delta (B.1.617.2) and Omicron (B.1.1.529) viruses. Prime-boost vaccination with rVSV-Beta was less effective in this capacity. Heterologous boosting of rVSV-Wuhan with rVSV-Delta induced strong nAb responses against Delta and Omicron viruses, with rVSV-Trivalent vaccine consistently effective in inducing nAbs against all the SARS-CoV-2 variants tested. All vaccines, including rVSV-Beta, elicited a spike-specific immunodominant CD8+ T cell response. Collectively, rVSV vaccines targeting SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern may be considered in the global fight against COVID-19.
Genomewide basis for nitrogen use efficiency in contrasting genotypes of rice
Authors: Sharma Narendra , Jaiswal Dinesh Kumar , Kumari Supriya , Dash Goutam Kumar , Panda Siddharth , Anandan Annamalai , Raghuram Nandula
Published: July 2022

Rice is an ideal crop with huge germplasm diversity and post-genomic resources for improvement of nitrogen (N) use efficiency (NUE). There is a paucity of comparative studies on rice genotypes contrasting for NUE, especially with urea, the predominant fertilizer in rice growing countries. In this study, low urea-responsive transcriptomes of contrasting rice genotypes namely Nidhi (low NUE) and Panvel1 (high NUE) were compared. They were based on whole plants grown for 21 days in pots containing nutrient-depleted soil fertilized with normal (15 mM) and low urea (1.5 mM) media. There were 1497 and 2819 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in Nidhi and Panvel1, respectively, of which 271 were common. Though 1226 DEGs were genotype-specific in Nidhi and 2548 in Panvel1, there was far higher commonality in underlying processes. High NUE is associated with the urea-responsive regulation of other nutrient transporters, miRNAs, transcription factors and better photosynthesis, water use efficiency and post translational modifications. Many of their genes co-localized to NUE QTLs on chromosomes 1, 3 and 9. Field evaluation of the contrasting genotypes under different doses of urea revealed better performance of Panvel1 in different agronomic parameters including grain yield, transport/uptake efficiencies and NUE. Comparison of our urea-based transcriptomes with our previous nitrate-based transcriptomes from the same contrasting rice genotypes revealed many common processes despite large differences in their expression profiles. Our model proposes that differential involvement of transporters and transcription factors among others contributes to better urea uptake, translocation, utilization, flower development and yield for high NUE.

Rice genotypes with contrasting urea use efficiency differ in the role of transporters, transcription factors, miRNAs, post-translational modifications, photosynthesis and water use efficiency
Synthesis and structure of hexaaquacobalt bis(2-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium) tetraaquabis(benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylato-κO)cobalt
Authors: Velazquez-Garcia Jose de Jesus , Techert Simone
Published: July 2022

The title compound, (C4H7N2)2[Co(H2O)6][Co(C9H3O6)2(H2O)4] (1), was synthesized from cobalt(II) chloride, 1,3,5-benzene tricarboxylic acid (Hbtc) and 2-methyl-imidazole (H-2mIm) under ambient conditions. The structure of 1 is here reported and compared with the parent complex hexaaquacobalt bis(1H-imidazol-3-ium) tetraaquabis(benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylato)cobalt (2).
Research on the propagation and governance of public opinion information under the joint action of internal and external factors
Authors: Wang Jiakun , Li Yun
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Under the new media environment, while enjoying the convenience brought by the propagation of public opinion information (referred to as public opinion), learning the evolution process of public opinion and strengthening the governance of the spreading of public opinion are of great significance to promoting economic development and maintaining social stability as well as effectively resisting the negative impact of its propagation.

Design/methodology/approach

Thinking about the results of empirical research and bibliometric analysis, this paper focused on introducing key factors such as information content, social strengthening effects, etc., from both internal and external levels, dynamically designed public opinion spreading rules and netizens' state transition probability. Subsequently, simulation experiments were conducted to discuss the spreading law of public opinion in two types of online social networks and to identify the key factors which influencing its evolution process. Based on the experimental results, the governance strategies for the propagation of negative public opinion were proposed finally.

Findings

The results show that compared with other factors, the propagation of public opinion depends more on the attributes of the information content itself. For the propagation of negative public opinion, on the one hand, the regulators should adopt flexible guidance strategy to establish a public opinion supervision mechanism and autonomous system with universal participation. On the other hand, they still need to adopt rigid governance strategy, focusing on the governance timing and netizens with higher network status to forestall the wide-diffusion of public opinion.

Practical implications

The research conclusions put forward the enlightenment for the governance of public opinion in management practice, and also provided decision-making reference for the regulators to reasonably respond to the propagation of public opinion.

Originality/value

Our research proposed a research framework for the discussion of public opinion propagation process and had important practical guiding significance for the governance of public opinion propagation.
Using data mining technology to analyse the spatiotemporal public opinion of COVID-19 vaccine on social media
Authors: Li Tingting , Zeng Ziming , Sun Jingjing , Sun Shouqiang
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The deployment of vaccines is the primary task in curbing the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this paper is to understand the public’s opinions on vaccines and then design effective interventions to promote vaccination coverage.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper proposes a research framework based on the spatiotemporal perspective to analyse the public opinion evolution towards COVID-19 vaccine in China. The framework first obtains data through crawler tools. Then, with the help of data mining technologies, such as emotion computing and topic extraction, the evolution characteristics of discussion volume, emotions and topics are explored from spatiotemporal perspectives.

Findings

In the temporal perspective, the public emotion declines in the later stage, but overall emotion performance is positive and stabilizing. This decline in emotion is mainly associated with ambiguous information about the COVID-19 vaccine. The research progress of vaccines and the schedule of vaccination have driven the evolution of public discussion topics. In the spatial perspective, the public emotion tends to be positive in 31 regions, whereas local emotion increases and decreases in different stages. The dissemination of distinctive information and the local epidemic prevention and control status may be potential drivers of topic evolution in local regions.

Originality/value

The analysis results of media information can assist decision-makers to accurately grasp the subjective thoughts and emotional expressions of the public in terms of spatiotemporal perspective and provide decision support for macro-control response strategies and risk communication.
Drivers behind the accuracy of self-reported home valuations: evidence from an emerging economy
Authors: Tomal Mateusz
Published: July 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the drivers behind the accuracy of self-reported home valuations in the Warsaw (Poland) housing market.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to achieve the research goal, firstly, unique data on subjective residential property values estimated by their owners were compared with market-justified ones. The latter was calculated using geographically weighted regression, which allowed for taking into account spatially heterogeneous buyers' housing preferences. An ordered logit model was then used to identify the factors influencing the probability of the occurrence of bias towards over or undervaluation.

Findings

The results of the study revealed that, on average, homeowners overvalued their properties by only 1.94%, and the fraction of interviewees estimating their properties accurately ranges from 20% to 68%, depending on the size of the margin of error adopted. The drivers of the valuation bias variation were the physical, locational and neighbourhood attributes of the property as well as the personal characteristics of the respondents, for which their age and employment situation played a key role.

Originality/value

In contrast to previous studies, this is the first to examine drivers behind the accuracy of self-reported home valuations in a Central and Eastern Europe country. In addition, this work is the first to consider heterogeneous housing preferences when calculating objective property values.
The emergence of e-learning and online-based training during the COVID-19 crisis: an exploratory investigation from Bangladesh
Authors: Shahriar Shamsul Huq Bin , Arafat Sayed , Islam Intijamul , Nur J. M. Ekram Hossain , Rahman Saifur , Khan Syful Islam , Alam M. Sayeed
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The extreme measures that have been taken by governments across the globe to minimize the spread of COVID-19 have had significant impacts on almost all the public sectors, especially on the economy and education. This study aims to address the approaches and prospective of online-based training and e-learning for employee learning and development during this COVID-19 crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

With an emphasis on the qualitative approach and considering the complex COVID-19 emergency, required data were collected from in-depth interviews to interpret the experiences of the respondents.

Findings

The findings suggested that the digital learning ecosystem offered flexibility of time, place and pace, which provided essential convenience during the COVID-19 crisis. From the human resource (HR) perspective, the e-learning culture has enabled the organizations to quickly adopt the new normal, secure sustainable continuity of organizational development and ensure decent work and growth within and across organizations. The adoption of e-learning and flexible working conditions following the setback has enabled the organizations to quickly cope up with the new normal, causing a significant paradigm shift in the organizational culture and corporate sector of Bangladesh.

Research limitations/implications

The study will assist the HR of any organization to contemplate e-learning systems as effective alternative training methods. Also, the study will be suggestive to traverse new dimensions and skillsets for the pedagogues.

Originality/value

This study offers new evidential scenarios regarding the emergence of effective e-learning initiatives and online-based learning programs for developing the workforce to be efficient and productive even in distressful and inconvenient COVID-19 situations.
Empirical evidence of practical considerations in local government tax portfolio composition: consequences of SPLOST taxes
Authors: Ambrosio Fabio
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore and explain, through practical considerations, the ever-increasing presence of local option sales taxes and “special purpose” local option sales taxes (SPLOST) in the composition of the tax portfolio of local governments.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is designed as a case study of county-level fiscal trends in Washington counties between 1990 and 2018. Data were collected for all 39 Washington counties for 29 years in three domains: revenue, crime and society. Observations were fitted to longitudinal models for tests of cointegration or trend, or to cross-sectional regression models for tests of predictive quality.

Findings

This study shows that the stated “special purpose” does not influence a county’s decision to impose a SPLOST. Furthermore, this study finds that indicators of educational attainment, income, poverty, unemployment and rural areas are the largest predictors of a county’s propensity to change the composition of its revenue portfolio in favor of the sales tax.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to explore whether indicators of a stated “special purpose” are statistically related to a county’s propensity to adopt a particular SPLOST. This study concludes that a county’s decision to adopt a SPLOST does not depend on the stated “special purpose.” In addition, it shows that urbanized counties with higher per capita income and education levels, but lower unemployment and poverty, can predictably import sales tax revenue from neighboring jurisdictions. This is a significant finding as it may explain why SPLOST is gaining popularity.
Co-patenting, co-ownership, and co-ideation as drivers for university business innovation: the case of public universities in Spain
Authors: Quero María José , Díaz-Méndez Montserrat , Ventura Rafael , Gummesson Evert
Published: July 2022

Purpose

This paper explores whether, in the context of university–industry (U–I) collaboration, new innovation strategies can be developed through actors' interactions, the exchange of resources and the co-creation of value for and within the system. In the context of the U–I relationship, the innovation perspective can highlight the need to develop strategies that elicit new formulas of value co-creation, which then facilitate innovation as a result of actor collaboration.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 45 public universities in Spain, representing 95% of the total, participated in qualitative research. Personal in-depth interviews with technology transfer officers (TTOs) were conducted by an external firm; in a second phase, two of the researchers conducted eight interviews with the directors of TTOs in those universities with higher rates of transfer.

Findings

Findings reveal that enterprises with a technological focus are strengthening their relationships with universities and attempting to build a university business ecosystem by designing strategies for value co-creation such as co-ownership, co-patenting, and co-invention.

Research limitations/implications

The empirical research is conducted in Spain, and results should be interpreted according to this context. Future research should examine new contexts (other countries) to improve the robustness of the data and enrich the results, thus enabling generalization of the management consequences.

Originality/value

The results provide a means to design strategies under a new collaborative and innovating logic. The theoretical framework contributes to theory, with implications for management.
The external cost of prostitution: Evidence from shutting down red light districts in the Netherlands
Authors: Giambona Erasmo , Ribas Rafael P.
Published: July 2022

This article examines the value of externalities created by the presence of sex workers in the city. Although a legal paid‐sex industry might contribute to the economy, it may also generate negative externalities. To identify the net impact of overt prostitution, we estimate changes in housing prices following the sudden closure of the two red light districts (RLDs) in the Dutch City of Utrecht. Our results show that the capitalization effect of RLDs is spatially heterogeneous. While some areas are unaffected, others are up to 12% more expensive if far from operating brothels. Interestingly, though, evidence also shows that RLDs increase local employment in a variety of sectors. All the aversion to living near RLDs is instead explained by petty crimes.
Quantitative prey species detection in predator guts across multiple trophic levels by mapping unassembled shotgun reads
Authors: Paula Débora P. , Timbó Renata V. , Togawa Roberto C. , Vogler Alfried P. , Andow David A.
Published: July 2022

Quantifying species trophic interaction strengths is crucial for understanding community dynamics and has significant implications for pest management and species conservation. DNA‐based methods to identify species interactions have revolutionized these efforts, but a significant limitation is the poor ability to quantify the strength of trophic interactions, that is the biomass or number of prey consumed. We present an improved pipeline, called Lazaro, to map unassembled shotgun reads to a comprehensive arthropod mitogenome database and show that the number of prey reads detected is quantitatively predicted from the prey biomass consumed, even for indirect predation. Two feeding bioassays were performed: starved coccinellid larvae consuming different numbers of aphids (Prey Quantity bioassay), and starved coccinellid larvae consuming a chrysopid larvae that had consumed aphids (Direct and Indirect Predation bioassay). Prey taxonomic assignment against a mitochondrial genome database had high accuracy (99.8% positive predictive value) and the number of prey reads was directly related to the number of prey consumed and inversely related to the elapsed time since consumption with high significance (r2 = .932, p = 4.92E‐6). Aphids were detected up to 6 h after direct predation plus 3 h after indirect predation (9 h in total) and detection was related to the predator‐specific decay rates. Lazaro enabled quantitative predictions of prey consumption across multiple trophic levels with high taxonomic resolution while eliminating all false positives, except for a few confirmed contaminants, and may be valuable for characterizing prey consumed by field‐sampled predators. Moreover, Lazaro is readily applicable for species diversity determination from any degraded environmental DNA.
Experiences and perspectives of cancer stakeholders regarding COVID‐19 vaccination
Authors: Bartley Nicci , Havard Polly , Butow Phyllis , Shaw Joanne ,   COVID‐19 Cancer Stakeholder Authorship Group
Published: July 2022

Aim

The risk of dying from COVID‐19 is higher for those who are older, immune‐compromised, or chronically ill. Vaccines are an effective strategy in reducing mortality and morbidity from COVID‐19. However, for COVID‐19 vaccination programs to reach full potential, vaccines must be taken up by those at greatest risk, such as cancer patients. Understanding the perspectives of all stakeholders involved in cancer patient COVID‐19 vaccine uptake will be critical to ensuring appropriate support, and information is provided to facilitate vaccination. The aim of this research was to explore the longitudinal views of cancer stakeholders regarding COVID‐19 vaccination.

Methods

Semistructured interviews were conducted with cancer patients (n = 23), family members (n = 10), cancer health professionals (n = 19), and representatives of cancer nongovernment organizations (n = 7) across Australia 6 and 12 months postrecruitment. Transcripts were thematically analyzed, using an inductive approach.

Results

All stakeholder groups expressed mostly positive attitudes toward COVID‐19 vaccination, with the following key themes identified: (1) high motivation—vaccination perceived as offering health protection and hope; (2) hesitancy—concern about vaccine hesitancy among the general population, with a minority hesitant themselves; (3) confusion and frustration—regarding the vaccine rollout and patient eligibility; (4) uncertainty—about vaccination in the context of cancer; (5) access to vaccination; and (6) desire for expert individualized advice—on vaccine interaction with cancer treatments.

Conclusion

These findings highlight the COVID‐19 vaccine concerns and information needs of cancer stakeholders. Policymakers need to provide clear tailored information regarding vaccine eligibility, accessibility, benefits, and risks to facilitate vaccine uptake.
Postpartum anaemia in three New Zealand district health board regions: An observational study of incidence and management
Authors: Calje Esther , Marriott Joy , Oyston Charlotte , Dixon Lesley , Bloomfield Frank , Groom Katie
Published: July 2022

Background

The incidence of postpartum anaemia (PPA) in New Zealand, and the extent of intravenous iron (IV‐iron) use in its treatment, are unknown.

Aims

To report the incidence of PPA in three district health board (DHB) regions and describe current management of moderate to severe PPA, including by ethnicity.

Materials and Methods

Retrospective observational study of PPA (haemoglobin (Hb) <100 g/L) in three DHBs from July–December 2019. Cases with moderate to severe PPA (Hb <90 g/L) were reviewed and management compared to local and national guidance. Logistic regression examined demographic associations of PPA.

Results

There were 8849 women who gave birth during the study period: 4076 (46%) had postpartum Hb testing and 1544 (38%) had PPA. Of those tested, and after adjusting for deprivation and region, European women had lower adjusted odds ratios compared to Māori for being identified as having PPA (0.46, 95% CI 0.37–0.57, P < 0.01). Of 681 women with Hb <90 g/L, 278 (41%) received IV‐iron only, 66 (10%) red blood cell transfusion (RBC‐T) only and 155 (23%) both. Of those receiving RBC‐T, 40/221 (18%) were actively bleeding. Māori (92/138, 67%) and Pacific (127/188, 68%) women with Hb <90 g/L had the highest incidence of IV‐iron use. No guidelines provided recommendations for haemodynamically stable women without active bleeding.

Conclusion

The incidence and management of PPA differs by ethnicity but fewer than half of the women had Hb testing, making precise determination of incidence impossible. The majority of women with Hb <90 g/L received IV‐iron, with or without RBC‐T.
Brand artification beyond luxury: Evidence from Russian brand‐and‐artist collaborations
Authors: Zelenskaya Elena , Druzhinina Evgeniya , Berezina Alexandra
Published: July 2022

This paper explores the artification process from three perspectives: the brand, the artist or art institution and the consumer. The paper is based on three Russian cases of brand‐and‐artist collaborations in the spheres of fashion and hospitality. The study consists of two phases. Phase 1 uses in‐depth expert interviews to investigate the benefits and risks of artification for brands and artists. Phase 2 uses an online survey to measure the art‐infusion effect along the five dimensions of consumer experience: sensory, affective, behavioural, intellectual and social. The results show that both partners of brand‐and‐artist collaboration receive marketing benefits and create new meanings for their brands. Values fit, target audience fit and careful consideration of the artificated product concept are the main premises of successful collaboration. The findings demonstrate that the sensory, affective and behavioural dimensions of consumer experience are mostly affected by the art‐infusion effect. The interest of a person in art affects the intellectual dimension of the consumer experience. The study confirms that the perception of the product as art is a prerequisite for the art‐infusion effect and shows a significant impact on the art‐infusion effect of consumer awareness of the fact that a famous artist participates in the product creation.