bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Colonoscope “Looping” During Ileo‐Colonoscopy in Children is Significantly Different to that Observed in Adult Practice
Authors: Thomson Mike , Belsha Dalia , Nedelkopoulou Natalia , Sharma Shishu , Campbell David , Narula Priya , Rao Prithvi , Urs Arun , D'Ambrosio Angelo , Isoldi Sara
Published: February 2022

Objectives:

Ileo‐colonoscopy (IC) can be technically challenging because of unpredictable colonoscope loop formation. Aims of this study were to assess the risk of loop formation and to attempt to understand which factors were likely to predispose to which subtype of loop.

Methods:

Prospective study conducted on children referred for an IC at Sheffield Children's Hospital. Presence and type of loop was objectively assessed using the magnetic endoscope imaging tool.

Results:

Three hundred procedures were prospectively evaluated. Only 9% of paediatric ICs were loop‐free. Alpha loops were the most common loop in children older than 5, whereas reverse alpha loops and a wider variety of complex and repetitive loops were observed in younger patients. Once a specific type of loop has formed, the risk of re‐looping in a different way or in a different position of the colon is reduced. Left lateral starting position was found to increase the risk of reverse alpha loops and re‐looping. Challenging loops, such as reverse alpha, were more frequent in males. Higher body mass index (BMI) was associated with an increased risk of alpha and deep transverse loops formation, while lower BMI with a higher incidence of reverse alpha and N loop. Loop formation did not prevent 100% ileal intubation.

Conclusions:

This study represents the first attempt to describe loop formation according to patient characteristics in a large paediatric series. Further studies are needed in order to establish if these findings could be helpful in simplifying the execution of IC procedures in children and facilitate the learning curve during endoscopy training programs.
Two Cases of Mesonephric-like Carcinoma Arising From Endometriosis: Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Chang Connie Shinru , Carney Michael E. , Killeen Jeffrey L.
Published: February 2022

Endometriosis is a common condition in reproductive age women that is defined as the presence of endometrial tissue (epithelial and/or stromal) outside the uterine corpus. While not a premalignant lesion, it is a condition with a potential for malignancy, especially in the ovaries. Notable endometriosis-associated neoplasms include clear cell carcinoma and endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the ovaries. There have been recent reports of mesonephric-like adenocarcinoma (MLA) of the ovary, a very rare neoplasm with similar morphologic and immunophenotypic characteristics as mesonephric adenocarcinoma, however, without an association with mesonephric remnants. Some of these cases have been associated with endometriosis. Here, we describe 2 cases of MLA arising directly from endometriosis. In both cases, there was evidence of endometriosis contiguous with the tumor and invasion from other sources was excluded. The immunophenotypes of both tumors were typical of mesonephric adenocarcinoma except PAX-8 was strongly positive suggesting a Mullerian origin. Molecular testing on one of the cases revealed KRAS and P53 mutations. We review published findings of MLA and associated endometriosis. This report describes the sixth and seventh reported cases of MLA associated with endometriosis and the first reported cases of MLA arising directly from endometriosis and associated with other forms of epithelial proliferation within endometriosis. These 2 cases provide potential evidence that MLA should be considered an endometriosis-associated neoplasms.
Combined Surgical-Orthodontic Treatment of Patients With Severe Parry-Romberg Syndrome
Authors: Cui Ya , Zhao Jinglei , Hu Xiangying , Fang Bing , Mao Lixia
Published: February 2022

Parry-Romberg syndrome (PRS) refers to a relatively rare dysfunction disease that is characterized by chronic progressive maxillofacial atrophy, especially one side of facial skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscle, and bone. According to the atrophy degree of skin, subcutaneous tissue, and skeleton in the area innervated by the trigeminal nerve, PRS can be classified into mild, moderate, and severe. In general, cases with different severity have specific treatment regimens. For mild and moderate cases, soft tissue augmentation techniques are the optimal strategy for aesthetic reconstruction. In this study, the authors report a 19-year-old female with severe PRS. Considering the severity of the case, a combined surgical and orthodontic treatment was performed, which was involved in alveolar bone augmentation, preoperative and postoperative orthodontic treatment in combination with orthognathic surgery, medpor filling of zygomatic and maxillary complex, free fat grafting, as well as angulus oris and lip trimming. Comprehensive treatment is recommended for severe cases with extensive atrophy of soft tissue and craniofacial bone, obvious deviation of the chin and occlusal plane.
Successful Repair of a Forehead Depression Deformation due to En Coup de Sabre Using Costal Cartilage Transplantation
Authors: Numahata Takao , Kitamura Yutaro , Okazaki Mutsumi
Published: February 2022

The authors report a successful repair of a case of en coup de sabre using costal cartilage for depression deformation of the forehead. A 23-year-old woman was diagnosed with linear scleroderma at age 10 and underwent a dermal fat transplant at another hospital when she was 18. However, after surgery, the graft began to atrophy. In about 2 years, the deformation was almost the same as before surgery. Therefore, she visited our hospital for surgical intervention. The authors treated the deformity with costal cartilage transplantation. There were no postoperative complications, and the deformation did not recur during a one-year follow-up period after surgery. As far as the authors know, this is the first report of repairing a forehead deformity due to en coup de sabre using costal cartilage. The authors suggest that costal cartilage grafting is a good surgical option because costal cartilage can be easily carved and maintain its shape without absorption.
Quantitative genetic study suggests sex-specific genetic architecture for fetal testosterone in a wild mammal
Authors: Fishman Ruth , Kralj-Fišer Simona , Marglit Sivan , Koren Lee , Vortman Yoni
Published: February 2022

Testosterone plays a critical role in mediating fitness-related traits in many species. Although it is highly responsive to environmental and social conditions, evidence from several species show a heritable component to its individual variation. Despite the known effects that in utero testosterone exposure have on adult fitness, the heritable component of individual testosterone variation in fetuses is mostly unexplored. Furthermore, testosterone has sex-differential effects on fetal development, i.e., a specific level may be beneficial for male fetuses but detrimental for females. The above mentioned may lead to a different genetic structure underlying the heritability of testosterone between the sexes. Here, we used a wild animal model, the feral nutria, quantified testosterone using hair-testing and estimated its heritability between parent and offspring from the same and opposite sex. We found that in utero accumulated hair testosterone levels were heritable between parents and offspring of the same sex. However, there was a low additive genetic covariance between the sexes, and a relatively low cross-sex genetic correlation, suggesting a potential for sex-dependent trait evolution, expressed early on, in utero.
Quantifying variability in population abundances
Authors: Schlemmer Mario
Published: February 2022

The variability in population abundances is of central concern for the quantification of evolutionary patterns and an indispensable tool for ecological analysis. Standard measures of population variability are often biased, insensitive to population crashes, and exhibit other pathological behavior. Here I introduce new measures based on the proportional difference between all pairs of abundances and describe a computationally efficient method for their calculation. The new measures are compared to standard measures of population variability. The findings reveal that they have appealing properties and advantages over standard measures. They can provide a common ground for evaluating the variability of populations undergoing very different dynamics.
Steering clear of the confusion effect: aerial predators target fixed points in dense prey aggregations
Authors: Brighton Caroline H. , Kloepper Laura N. , Larkman Lucy , Zusi Lillias , McGowan Kathryn , Taylor Graham K.
Published: February 2022

Collective behaviours are widely assumed to confuse predators, but empirical support for a confusion effect is often lacking, and its importance must depend on the predator’s targeting mechanism. Here we show that raptors steer attacks on swarming bats by turning towards a fixed point in the swarm, rather than by using closed-loop pursuit of an individual. Any prey that the predator is on a collision course with will appear on a constant bearing, so target selection emerges naturally from the geometry of a collision. Our results show how predators can simplify the demands on their sensory system by decoupling steering from targeting when grabbing prey from a dense swarm. We anticipate that the same tactic will be used against flocks and schools across a wide range of taxa, in which case a confusion effect is paradoxically more likely to occur in attacks on sparse groups, for which steering and targeting cannot be decoupled.
Soluble extracts from amnion and chorion membranes improve hMSC osteogenic response in a mineralized collagen scaffold
Authors: Kolliopoulos Vasiliki , Dewey Marley J. , Polanek Maxwell , Xu Hui , Harley Brendan A.C.
Published: February 2022

Craniomaxillofacial (CMF) bone injuries present a major surgical challenge and cannot heal naturally due to their large size and complex topography. Approximately 26% of injured Iraq war veterans sustained CMF injuries in the form of blast wounds, and 0.1% of births involve CMF defects like cleft palate. We previously developed a class of mineralized collagen scaffolds designed to mimic native extracellular matrix (ECM) features of bone. These scaffolds induce in vitro human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) osteogenic differentiation and in vivo bone formation without the need for exogenous osteogenic supplements. Here, we seek to enhance cellular bioactivity and osteogenic activity via inclusion of placental-derived products in the scaffold architecture. The amnion and chorion membranes are distinct components of the placenta that individually have displayed anti-inflammatory, immunogenic, and osteogenic properties. They represent a potentially powerful compositional modification to the mineralized collagen scaffolds to improve bioactivity. Here we examine introduction of the placental-derived amnion and chorion membranes or soluble extracts derived from these membranes into the collagen scaffolds, comparing the potential for these modifications to improve hMSC osteogenic activity. We report structural analysis of the scaffolds via mechanical compression testing, imaging via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and assessments of various metrics for osteogenesis including gene expression (Nanostring), protein elution (ELISA), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP) for mineralization, and cell viability (AlamarBlue). Notably, a post fabrication step to incorporate soluble extracts from the amnion membrane induces the highest levels of metabolic activity and performs similarly to the conventional mineralized collagen scaffolds in regard to mineral deposition and elution of the osteoclast inhibitor osteoprotegerin (OPG). Together, these findings suggest that mineralized collagen scaffolds modified using elements derived from amnion and chorion membranes, particularly their soluble extracts, represent a promising environment conducive to craniomaxillofacial bone repair.
Efficient recall of Omicron-reactive B cell memory after a third dose of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine
Authors: Goel Rishi R. , Painter Mark M. , Lundgreen Kendall A. , Apostolidis Sokratis A. , Baxter Amy E. , Giles Josephine R. , Mathew Divij , Pattekar Ajinkya , Reynaldi Arnold , Khoury David S. , Gouma Sigrid , Hicks Philip , Dysinger Sarah , Hicks Amanda , Sharma Harsh , Herring Sarah , Korte Scott , KC Wumesh , Oldridge Derek A. , Erickson Rachel I. , Weirick Madison E. , McAllister Christopher M. , Awofolaju Moses , Tanenbaum Nicole , Dougherty Jeanette , Long Sherea , D’Andrea Kurt , Hamilton Jacob T. , McLaughlin Maura , Williams Justine C. , Adamski Sharon , Kuthuru Oliva , Drapeau Elizabeth M. , Davenport Miles P. , Hensley Scott E. , Bates Paul , Greenplate Allison R. , Wherry E. John
Published: February 2022

Despite a clear role in protective immunity, the durability and quality of antibody and memory B cell responses induced by mRNA vaccination, particularly by a 3rd dose of vaccine, remains unclear. Here, we examined antibody and memory B cell responses in a cohort of individuals sampled longitudinally for ∼9-10 months after the primary 2-dose mRNA vaccine series, as well as for ∼3 months after a 3rd mRNA vaccine dose. Notably, antibody decay slowed significantly between 6- and 9-months post-primary vaccination, essentially stabilizing at the time of the 3rd dose. Antibody quality also continued to improve for at least 9 months after primary 2-dose vaccination. Spike- and RBD-specific memory B cells were stable through 9 months post-vaccination with no evidence of decline over time, and ∼40-50% of RBD-specific memory B cells were capable of simultaneously recognizing the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants. Omicron-binding memory B cells induced by the first 2 doses of mRNA vaccine were boosted significantly by a 3rd dose and the magnitude of this boosting was similar to memory B cells specific for other variants. Pre-3rd dose memory B cell frequencies correlated with the increase in neutralizing antibody titers after the 3rd dose. In contrast, pre-3rd dose antibody titers inversely correlated with the fold-change of antibody boosting, suggesting that high levels of circulating antibodies may limit reactivation of immunological memory and constrain further antibody boosting by mRNA vaccines. These data provide a deeper understanding of how the quantity and quality of antibody and memory B cell responses change over time and number of antigen exposures. These data also provide insight into potential immune dynamics following recall responses to additional vaccine doses or post-vaccination infections.

Graphical Summary
Microbial electrochemical systems for enhanced degradation of glyphosate: Electrochemical performance, degradation efficiency, and analysis of the anodic microbial community
Authors: Rafieenia Razieh , Mahmoud Mohamed , El-Gohary Fatma , Rossa Claudio Avignone
Published: February 2022

Glyphosate, one of the most used herbicides worldwide, is known as an aquatic contaminant of concern, and can present adverse impacts in agroecosystems. In this study, we investigated the degradation of glyphosate in microbial electrochemical systems (MESs), and analysed the microbial composition of enriched anodic biofilms, and comparing them with microbial communities of non-MESs enriched cultures. MESs supported higher glyphosate degradation (68.41 ± 1.21 % to 73.90 ± 0.79 %) compared to non-MESs cultures (48.88 ± 0.51 %). The Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV) analysis showed that MESs operated at +300 mV, produced a maximum current of 611.95 μA, which was the highest among all the applied voltages. 16S amplicon sequencing revealed a significant difference in microbial community composition of MESs anodic biofilms and non-MESs enriched communities. The anodic biofilms were dominated by Rhodococcus (51.26 %), Pseudomonas (10.77 %), and Geobacter (8.67 %) while in non-MESs cultures, methanogens including Methanobrevibacter (51.18 %), and Methanobacterium (10.32 %), were the dominant genera. The present study suggested that MESs could be considered as a promising system for glyphosate degradation.
Microglial TNFα controls synaptic GABAARs, sleep slow waves and memory consolidation
Authors: Pinto Maria Joana , Bizien Lucy , Fabre Julie M.J. , Ðukanović Nina , Lepetz Valentin , Henderson Fiona , Pujol Marine , Sala Romain W. , Tarpin Thibault , Popa Daniela , Triller Antoine , Léna Clément , Fabre Véronique , Bessis Alain
Published: February 2022

Microglia sense the changes in their environment. How microglia actively translate these changes into suitable cues to adapt brain physiology is unknown. We reveal an activity-dependent regulation of cortical inhibitory synapses by microglia, driven by purinergic signaling acting on P2RX7 and mediated by microglia-derived TNFα. We demonstrate that sleep induces microglia-dependent synaptic enrichment of GABAARs in a manner dependent on microglial TNFα and P2RX7. We further show that microglia-specific depletion of TNFα alters slow waves during NREM sleep and blunt memory consolidation in sleep-dependent learning tasks. Together, our results reveal that microglia orchestrate sleep-intrinsic plasticity of synaptic GABAARs, sculpt sleep slow waves and support memory consolidation.
The Impact of Protection Measures and Treatment on Pneumonia Infection: A Mathematical Model Analysis supported by Numerical Simulation
Authors: Teklu Shewafera Wondimagegnhu , Kotola Belela Samuel
Published: February 2022

Pneumonia has been a major airborne transmitted disease and continues to pose a major public health burden in both developed and developing countries of the world. In this study, we constructed and analyzed a nonlinear deterministic compartmental mathematical model for assessing the community-level impacts of vaccination, other protection measures like practicing good hygiene, avoiding close contacts with sick people and limiting exposure to cigarette smoke, etc. and treatment on the transmission dynamics of pneumonia disease in a population of varying size. Our model exhibits two kinds of equilibrium points: pneumonia disease-free equilibrium point, and pneumonia endemic equilibrium point(s). Using center manifold criteria, we have verified that the pneumonia model exhibits backward bifurcations whenever its effective reproduction number ℛP < 1 and in the same region, the model shows the existence of more than one endemic equilibrium point where some of which are stable and others are unstable. Thus, for pneumonia infection, the necessity of the pneumonia effective reproduction number ℛP < 1, although essential, it might not be enough to completely eradicate the pneumonia infection from the considered community. Our examination of sensitivity analysis shows that the pneumonia infection transmission rate denoted by β plays a crucial role to change the qualitative dynamics of pneumonia infection. By taking standard data from published literature, our numerical computations show that the numerical value of pneumonia infection model effective reproduction number is ℛP = 8.31 at β = 4.21 it implies that the disease spreads throughout the community. Finally, our numerical simulations show that protection, vaccination, and treatment against pneumonia disease have the effect of decreasing pneumonia expansion.
Comparison of two sampling, quenching and extraction methods for quantitative yeasts metabolomics
Authors: Li Xiang , Rovetta Mattia , van Dam Patricia T.N. , Pabst Martin , Heinemann Matthias
Published: February 2022

Knowing intracellular metabolite concentrations is important for fundamental metabolism research as well as for biotechnology. The first steps in a quantitative metabolomics workflow, i.e., sampling, quenching, and extraction, are key to obtaining unbiased quantitative data. A qualified quenching and extraction method not only needs to rapidly terminate the in vivo biochemical reaction activities to preserve the endogenous metabolite levels but also has to fully extract all metabolites from cells. Recently, two different filtration-based sampling, quenching, and extraction methods have been proposed and used for quantitative yeast metabolomics. One method integrates the quenching and extraction into one step using a methanol-acetonitrile-water solution after a filtration step, while the other —more conventional— method quenches with cold methanol and extracts with boiling ethanol. In this study, we tested whether these two methods are equally well suited for quantitative metabolome analyses with yeast. Using isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) with GC-MS and LC-MS as analytical methods, in combination with precise quantification of cell volumes, we determined absolute concentrations of 63 intracellular metabolites covering amino acids, organic acids, phosphorylated sugars, and nucleotides in two S. cerevisiae strains with different physiology. By analyzing the data from samples generated with the two methods, we found that while both methods yielded essentially identical concentrations for amino and organic acids, the cold-solvent extraction yielded significantly lower concentrations for particularly phosphorylated sugars and nucleotides, presumably because of lower quenching or extraction efficiency of this method. Our results show that methanol-quenching combined with boiling-ethanol-extraction is the more accurate approach when aiming to quantify a broad range of different metabolites from yeast cells. The significant discrepancy observed between both common metabolite extraction methods demonstrates the importance of method optimization for quantitative studies in particular when working with microbes with rigid cell walls such as those found in yeast.
Structural insights into the peptide selectivity and activation of human neuromedin U receptors
Authors: You Chongzhao , Zhang Yumu , Xu Peiyu , Huang Sijie , Yin Wanchao , Xu H. Eric , Jiang Yi
Published: February 2022

Neuromedin U receptors (NMURs), including NMUR1 and NMUR2, are a group of Gq/11-coupled G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) related to pleiotropic physiological functions. Upon stimulation by two endogenous neuropeptides, neuromedin U and S (NMU and NMS) with similar binding affinities, NMUR1 and NMUR2 primarily display distinct peripheral tissue and central nervous system (CNS) functions, respectively, due to their distinct tissue distributions. These NMU receptors have triggered extensive attention as drug targets for obesity and immune inflammation. Specifically, selective agonists for NMUR1 in peripheral tissue show promising long-term anti-obesity effects with fewer CNS-related side effects. However, the mechanisms of peptide binding specificity and receptor activation remain elusive due to the lack of NMU receptor structures, which hamper drug design targeting NMU receptors. Here, we report four cryo-electron microscopy structures of Gq chimera-coupled NMUR1 and NMUR2 bound with NMU and NMS. These structures present the conserved overall peptide-binding mode and reveal the mechanism of peptide selectivity for specific NMURs, as well as the common activation mechanism of the NMUR subfamily. Together, these findings provide insights into the molecular basis of the peptide recognition selectivity and offer a new opportunity for designing selective drugs targeting NMURs.
Cigarette smoke induces pulmonary arterial dysfunction through an imbalance in the guanylyl cyclase redox status
Authors: Sevilla-Montero J. , Pino-Fadón J. , Munar-Rubert O. , Villegas-Esguevillas M. , Climent B. , Agrò M. , Choya-Foces C. , Martínez-Ruiz A. , Balsa E. , Muñoz C. , Gómez-Punter RM. , Vázquez-Espinosa E. , Cogolludo A. , Calzada MJ.
Published: February 2022

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), whose main risk factor is cigarette smoking (CS), is one of the most common diseases globally. Many COPD patients also develop pulmonary hypertension (PH), a severe complication that leads to premature death. Evidence suggests reactive oxygen species (ROS) involvement in COPD and PH, especially regarding pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC) dysfunction. However, the effects of CS on the pulmonary vasculature are not completely understood. Herein we provide evidence on the effects of CS extract (CSE) exposure on PASMC regarding ROS production, antioxidant response and its consequences on vascular tone dysregulation. Our results indicate that CSE exposure promotes mitochondrial fission, mitochondrial membrane depolarization and increased mitochondrial superoxide levels. However, the increase in superoxide did not parallel a counterbalancing antioxidant response in human pulmonary artery (PA) cells. Interestingly, the mitochondrial superoxide chelator mitoTEMPO reduced mitochondrial fission and membrane potential depolarization caused by CSE. As we have previously shown, CSE reduces PA vasoconstriction and vasodilation. In this respect, mitoTEMPO prevented the impaired nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation, while vasoconstriction remained reduced. Finally, we observed a CSE-driven downregulation of the Cyb5R3 enzyme, which prevents soluble guanylyl cyclase oxidation in PASMC. This might explain the CSE-mediated decrease in PA vasodilation. These results provide evidence that there might be a connection between mitochondrial ROS and altered vasodilation responses in PH secondary to COPD, and strongly support the potential of antioxidant strategies specifically targeting mitochondria as a new therapy for these diseases.

Graphical abstract
Mechanical competition promotes selective listening to receptor inputs to resolve directional dilemmas in neutrophil migration
Authors: Hadjitheodorou Amalia , Bell George R. R. , Ellett Felix , Irimia Daniel , Tibshirani Robert , Collins Sean R. , Theriot Julie A.
Published: February 2022

As neutrophils navigate complex environments to reach sites of infection, they may encounter obstacles that force them to split their front into multiple leading edges, raising the question of how the cell selects which front to maintain and which front(s) to abandon. Here we challenge chemotaxing HL60 neutrophil-like cells with symmetric bifurcating microfluidic channels, enabling us to probe the cell-intrinsic properties of their decision-making process. Using supervised statistical learning, we demonstrate that cells commit to one leading edge late in the decision- making process, rather than amplifying early pre-existing asymmetries. Furthermore, we use optogenetic tools to show that receptor inputs only bias the decision similarly late, once mechanical stretching begins to weaken each front. Finally, optogenetic attempts to reverse cell decisions reveal that, once an edge begins retracting, it commits to this fate, with the kinase ROCK limiting its sensitivity to inputs until the retraction is complete. Collectively our results suggest a “selective listening” model in which both actively protruding cell fronts and actively retracting cell rears have strong commitment to their current migratory program.
Brassinosteroids modulate autophagy through phosphorylation of RAPTOR1B by the GSK3-like kinase BIN2 in Arabidopsis
Authors: Liao Ching-Yi , Pu Yunting , Nolan Trevor M. , Montes Christian , Guo Hongqing , Walley Justin W. , Yin Yanhai , Bassham Diane C.
Published: February 2022

Macroautophagy/autophagy is a conserved recycling process that maintains cellular homeostasis during environmental stress. Autophagy is negatively regulated by TARGET OF RAPAMYCIN (TOR), a nutrient-regulated protein kinase that in plants is activated by several phytohormones, leading to increased growth. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms by which TOR integrates autophagy and hormone-signaling are poorly understood. Here, we show that TOR modulates brassinosteroid (BR)-regulated plant growth and stress-response pathways. Active TOR was required for full BR-induced growth in Arabidopsis thaliana. Autophagy was constitutively up-regulated upon blocking BR biosynthesis or signaling, and down-regulated by increasing the activity of the BR pathway. BRASSINOSTEROID-INSENSITIVE 2 (BIN2) kinase, a GSK3-like kinase functioning as a negative regulator in BR signaling, directly phosphorylated Regulatory-Associated Protein of TOR 1B (RAPTOR1B), a substrate-recruiting subunit in the TOR complex, at a conserved serine residue within a typical BIN2 phosphorylation motif. Mutation of RAPTOR1B serine 916 to alanine, to block phosphorylation by BIN2, repressed autophagy and increased phosphorylation of the TOR substrate autophagy-related protein 13a (ATG13a). By contrast, this mutation had only a limited effect on growth. We present a model in which RAPTOR1B is phosphorylated and inhibited by BIN2 when BRs are absent, activating the autophagy pathway. When BRs signal and inhibit BIN2, RAPTOR1B is thus less inhibited by BIN2 phosphorylation. This leads to increased TOR activity and ATG13a phosphorylation, and decreased autophagy activity. Our studies define a new mechanism by which coordination between BR and TOR signaling pathways helps to maintain the balance between plant growth and stress responses.
Functional noncoding SNPs in human endothelial cells fine-map vascular trait associations
Authors: Toropainen Anu , Stolze Lindsey K. , Örd Tiit , Whalen Michael B. , Torrell Paula Martí , Link Verena M. , Kaikkonen Minna U. , Romanoski Casey E.
Published: February 2022

Functional consequences of genetic variation in the noncoding human genome are difficult to ascertain despite demonstrated associations to common, complex disease traits. To elucidate properties of functional noncoding SNPs with effects in human endothelial cells (ECs), we utilized our previous molecular quantitative trait locus (molQTL) analysis for transcription factor binding, chromatin accessibility, and H3K27 acetylation to nominate a set of likely functional noncoding SNPs. Together with information from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) for vascular disease traits, we tested the ability of 34,344 variants to perturb enhancer function in ECs using the highly multiplexed STARR-seq assay. Of these, 5711 variants validated, whose enriched attributes included: (1) mutations to TF binding motifs for ETS or AP-1 that are regulators of the EC state; (2) location in accessible and H3K27ac-marked EC chromatin; and (3) molQTL associations whereby alleles associate with differences in chromatin accessibility and TF binding across genetically diverse ECs. Next, using pro-inflammatory IL1B as an activator of cell state, we observed robust evidence (>50%) of context-specific SNP effects, underscoring the prevalence of noncoding gene-by-environment (GxE) effects. Lastly, using these cumulative data, we fine-mapped vascular disease loci and highlighted evidence suggesting mechanisms by which noncoding SNPs at two loci affect risk for pulse pressure/large artery stroke and abdominal aortic aneurysm through respective effects on transcriptional regulation of POU4F1 and LDAH. Together, we highlight the attributes and context dependence of functional noncoding SNPs and provide new mechanisms underlying vascular disease risk.
Impacts of corporate announcements on stock returns during the global pandemic: evidence from the Indian stock market
Authors: Pandey Dharen Kumar , Kumari Vineeta , Tiwari Brajesh Kumar
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The authors examine the impacts of corporate announcements on stock returns during the pandemic stress.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors employ the event study methodology with the market model on a sample of 90 events (announcement and ex-date).

Findings

The authors find that all the corporate announcements do not impact the stock returns in a similar pattern. While the bonus announcement, ex-bonus and ex-split events led to positive significant abnormal returns on the event date, the rights issue and stock-split announcements failed to influence the stock returns. The findings suggest that before making such announcements, the corporates should wait until the market recovers because even the positively impacting events result in negative market responses during pandemic stress.

Practical implications

This study will guide the policymakers to stimulate share prices during such pandemics with the help of various corporate announcements. The investors will be assisted in understanding the stock market mechanism and making wise decisions before reacting to corporate actions during a pandemic or emergency period. While the policymakers are concerned with influencing the share prices, the investors are concerned with the composition of the risk-return parameters in their portfolio. This study will act as an essential investment tool for both.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the authors conduct the first-ever study to examine the impacts of corporate announcements during a pandemic stress period that significantly contributes to the literature. The authors examine the announcement effects in India and accurately anticipate that this study will be a pioneer in this field. This study also paves the way for future researches in this area.
Economic policy uncertainty, bank nonperforming loans and loan loss provisions: are they correlated?
Authors: Ozili Peterson K.
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This paper examines the correlation of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) with nonperforming loans and loan loss provisions for 22 major developed countries over the 2008–2017 period.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used the Pearson correlation methodology to assess the correlation between EPU, bank nonperforming loans and loan loss provisions.

Findings

The findings reveal that EPU is negatively correlated with nonperforming loans and loan loss provisions in the banking sector of EU countries but not for non-EU countries. Also, EPU is negatively correlated with nonperforming loans in the banking sector of the most advanced economies – the G7 countries, while loan loss provisions are more responsive to changes in EPU than NPLs in EU countries.

Practical implications

The implication of the findings is that the correlation of EPU with loan loss provisions and nonperforming loans is influenced by regional characteristics.

Originality/value

This study is the first to analyze the association of EPU with bank nonperforming loans and loan loss provisions under regional classifications such as the EU, non-EU and the G7 countries. This study provides insights on how regional differences might explain the co-movement of EPU with bank nonperforming loans and loan loss provisions.
Application of the principle of transparency in processing of European national libraries patrons' personal data
Authors: Katulić Anita , Katulić Tihomir , Hebrang Grgić Ivana
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the legal obligation of European libraries to ensure the transparent personal data processing and respect for user privacy. This paper will examine how libraries use privacy notices on websites to communicate with patrons about the processing of personal data and in what manner have libraries been guided by applicable transparency guidelines.

Design/methodology/approach

The method used is the analysis of privacy policies and other privacy documents found on the websites of national libraries. The analysis sample includes documents of 45 European national libraries, 28 out of those being national libraries of European Union (EU) Member States. The elements for this analysis are derived from the mandatory elements of the General Data Protection Regulation and the recommendations of the WP29/EDPB Transparency Guidelines.

Findings

The findings suggest that European national libraries largely adhere to EU data protection standards. In total, 60% libraries use a separate privacy page, and 53% of the EU Member State national libraries websites managed to comply with publishing all necessary data protection information in a way recommended by the Guidelines, compared to 47% of non-Member State national libraries.

Originality/value

The research contributes to the understanding of the importance of the principle of transparency and its operationalization.
Mediating effects of employees' eudaimonic and hedonic well-being between distributed leadership and ambidextrous innovation: does employees' age matter?
Authors: Berraies Sarra
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Drawing upon the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, this research examines the contribution of distributed leadership (DL) to ambidextrous innovation and the mediating roles of employees' eudaimonic well-being (EWB) and hedonic well-being (HWB) in this link. It also investigates the moderating effect of employees' age in the relationship between DL and EWB and HWB.

Design/methodology/approach

The author formulated a series of hypotheses that we tested based on a survey of 329 middle managers working in Tunisian ICT firms and through the partial least square-structural equation modelling method.

Findings

This research provides empirical evidence of the mediating effects of EWB and HWB between DL and ambidextrous innovation. The multi-group analysis performed shows that employees' age moderates the links between DL and EWB and HWB. These relationships are significant and positive for Generation X and Generation Y and not for Baby-Boomers.

Originality/value

Despite the importance of the DL style, this variable has been studied mainly within educational institutions. This research pioneers the investigation of the mediating effect of HWB and EWB between DL and ambidextrous innovation in the business context. A major implication is that, through a DL style, managers can nurture the well-being of employees of different ages and promote ambidextrous innovation.
Analysis of the poor-quality in building elements: providers' perspectives
Authors: Olanrewaju AbdulLateef , Lee Hui Jing Alice
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Poor quality in building projects is high and increasing. Poor quality can increase the cost of a building by up to more than 50% and can delay a project by up to 50%. This research investigated the poor quality of building elements/components.

Design/methodology/approach

The site operatives were requested to rate the frequency of poor quality in 25 building elements/components. The frequencies of the poor quality were scored on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from least often to extremely often. The survey forms were administered to construction site operatives by hand delivery.

Findings

The data revealed that poor quality occurred in more than 80% of the building projects completed. Approximately 40% of the cost of a building project is attributed to poor quality. In total, 70% of the respondents measured the poor quality of building elements as being high and frequent. The size and frequency of poor quality are higher in concrete, plaster, brick, foundations and roof trusses.

Practical implications

The research findings would help to reduce claims, disputes, maintenance costs and waste on sites.

Originality/value

This research provides fresh information on poor quality in building projects and provides a systemic process for anticipating poor quality in building projects. The findings also provide an option to increase maintenance span and a means to reduce claims and disputes in the construction sector.
University lecturers acceptance of moodle platform in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Taamneh Abdallah , Alsaad Abdallah , Elrehail Hamzah , Al-Okaily Manaf , Lutfi Abdalwali , Sergio Rommel Pilapil
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This study aimed at determining factors which affect university lecturers’ adoption of the Moodle platform under the conditions of COVID-19. In considering the condition of the COVID-19 pandemic, the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model was applied and extended by adding two additional variables of learning demand and time pressure to assess their influence on Moodle platform adoption.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were obtained from the 226 participants through an online structured questionnaire. The covariance-based approach of structural equation modeling was used to examine the proposed model. The structural model was tested using the maximum likelihood method of analysis of a moment structures to analyze the study’s hypotheses.

Findings

Results suggest that performance expectations have a substantial influence on behavioral intent. The effort expectancy, social effect and facilitative factors have no effects on behavioral intentions. Facilitating conditions directly and significantly affect the actual use of Moodle. The results also reveal that learning demands, which is a salient predictor of perceived time pressure, in turn directly and significantly affects the actual use of Moodle. Finally, the behavioral intention has a strong influence on Moodle’s actual usage.

Originality/value

Although the UTAUT 2 model is considered to be a new and updated version of UTAUT, it has not been used since newly added variables, namely, price, habit and hedonic motivations, are less related to the context and to avoid respondents’ paradox. Moreover, using the Moodle platform in the researched context is compulsory for both students and instructors. Discussion, insights, limitations and recommendations for future studies are suggested.
Al amanah in al qur’an vs trust: a comparative study
Authors: Herijanto Hendy
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to find out the similarities and differences in meaning between the word “al amanah” and trust.

Design/methodology/approach

As a qualitative research, a content analysis is used in three stages. First, to elaborate the exegesis of the related Qur’anic verses together with the background narration orasbab un-nuzulif any and the Prophetic hadith where the word amanah is and to analyse and conclude its meanings. Second, the word “trust” is analysed based on the discussions in the literature which will lead to its specific meanings. Third, the concluded meanings ofamanahand trust are to be compared to find out their similarities and differences.

Findings

Amanahand trust have the similar meanings: safe, confident, ability to fulfil the expectation of the person who trust, having competence or expertise to perform duty, deliver commitments, keep promises, work with a full of responsibility, integrity or obedient to moral principles. Differences:Amanahis not only oriented to humanity and responsibility in human’s relations but also, more importantly, to GodAllahthe Almighty, obeying His commands to make it asibadahor acts of worshippingAllahthe Almighty formaslahahor welfare for society.

Practical implications

The findings are considered important for companies or organisations. Before doing a commercial transaction or entering a contract or hiring an employee, they must study the quality of the counterparty whether they are capable to do the job as expected or not. In addition, the findings indicate that Islamic teachings concerningmuamalator Islamic rules for social dealings is universal in nature.

Originality/value

Being the first time to compare the word alamanahto trust, the findings point out the important elements to be evaluated when assigning a certain duty to an agent.
Diagnosing of human resource performance management based on lack of ambidextrous learning themes: a case study of public Iranian banking system
Authors: Hadji Sanaz , Gholizadeh Peyman , Naghavi Neda
Published: February 2022

Purpose

With drastic changes in the external environment, many organizations today cannot continue their activities and create sustainability in achieving long-term goals without having carefully designed and coordinated systems with each other. The human resource performance management system is considered as one of the most important process pillars of any organization that without any specific strategic mechanism, such as inclusive learning, faces challenges and harmful conflicts. The purpose of this study is to diagnose human resource performance management based on the lack of ambidextrous learning themes in the banking system.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, theoretical screening based on similar research was used to identify the components (diagnosing of human resource performance management) and research propositions (ambidextrous learning themes). Then, Delphi analysis was used to determine the reliability of research components and propositions by the participation of 13 management specialists and experts. In the quantitative part, the components and propositions identified in the form of matrix questionnaires were evaluated by interpretive analysis by 18 managers of banking system.

Findings

The results showed that the proposition of lack of strategic tendencies in learning is considered as the most effective theme of ambidextrous learning in reinforcing the damage of strategic incompatibility in the performance functions of human resource management (HRM).

Originality/value

This result shows that the lack of strategic orientations due to the ineffectiveness in identifying environmental capacities in the banking system in the field of HRM performance is a new challenge.
A literature review on the strategies implemented by higher education institutions from 2010 to 2020 to foster pro-environmental behavior of students
Authors: Bertossi Alberto , Marangon Francesco
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Changing the present behavior of individuals toward a more sustainable lifestyle is a complex task requiring a well-established strategy and institutional commitment. The purpose of this paper is to understand the strategic steps, as proposed by Steg and Vlek (2009), that has been mostly focused on by higher education institutions (HEIs) in the past decade (2010–2020) to foster pro-environmental behavior (PEB) of students.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review was conducted following the approach given by Denyer and Tranfield (2009). Subsequently, the results of 147 articles from 22 journals were discussed using the seven-element system proposed by Lozano et al. (2013).

Findings

In the past decade, HEIs have increased their efforts to improve their understanding of the determinants of PEB of students and methods to foster PEB. However, the results indicated that the classification was similar to previous studies, with HEIs focused mainly on assessing students in terms of personal factors (assessment and reporting category), understanding the relationships among psychological determinants and their influence on student behavior (research category) and planning educational interventions (education category).

Originality/value

This is the first study that reviewed the role of HEIs in fostering PEBs of students using the approach proposed by Lozano et al. (2013) as a theoretical framework and the strategy proposed by Steg and Vlek (2009) as a guideline.
The innovative practices carried out in the collaborative complex of the city of Caruaru-PE
Authors: Silva Wilma Lucineide da , Mélo Letícia Barbosa de , Fernandes Nelson da Cruz Monteiro
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The study aims to analyze the innovative practices carried out in the collaborative complex in the city of Caruaru-PE.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is qualitative, carried out through a single-case study to analyze the innovative practices of Plural Colab. In data analysis, the authors have used the content analysis technique.

Findings

The results demonstrate the explanatory strength of the approach to innovative practices, highlighting people's daily engagement in the real work of innovation, which usually goes unnoticed in traditional approaches and models.

Originality/value

This study becomes essential given the need to research innovative management practices research. In addition, studies focused on innovation are generally directed to large companies, leaving aside the reality of micro and small business (MSBs) managers.