bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Active monomer RTR-1 derived from the root of Rhodomyrtus tomentosa induces apoptosis in gastric carcinoma cells by inducing ER stress and inhibiting the STAT3 signalling pathway
Authors: Zhang Xiangqiang , Cheng Jinxia , He Peiyan , Zhu Jinyan , Chen Zhixian , Miao Shenyu , Wang Guocai , Jiang Jianwei , Wang Yuechun
Published: December 2019

Objective

Rhodomyrtus tomentosa, a flowering plant belonging to the Myrtaceae family, is considered an antitumour substance with versatile biological and pharmacological activities.

And RTR-1 is an active monomer purified from the root of Rhodomyrtus tomentosa. However, the detail of the mechanisms of anti-cancer activity of RTR-1 remains to be elucidated and the effect on gastric cancer cells is unknown.

Methods

Cell proliferation was determined by MTT and clone formation assay. The effect of RTR-1 on cell cycle and apoptosis was analyzed utilizing flow cytometry, respectively. Moreover, western blotting was used to detect the expression of cell cycle- and apoptosis-related protein.

Results

Based on MTT and clone formation assay, we noticed that RTR-1 inhibited the proliferation of gastric carcinoma (BGC823 and SGC7901) cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, the results of flow cytometry and western blotting showed that RTR-1 induced cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase through the ATM-Chk2-p53-p21 signalling pathway and induced cell apoptosis by inhibiting the signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway and activating the endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) pathway.

Conclusion

Taken together, these results demonstrate that RTR-1 induces cell cycle arrest and promotes apoptosis in gastric carcinoma, indicating its potential application for gastric cancer therapy.
Comparative In-Vitro Physicochemical Evaluation and Dissolution Profiling of Glibenclamide 5mg tablet Marketed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Authors: Kebede Selass , Abuye Habtamu , Abraham Woldemichael , Suleman Sultan , Belew Sileshi
Published: December 2019

The safety of medicines is an essential part of patient safety. Global drug safety depends on strong national systems that monitor the development and quality of medicines. Poor quality medicines do not meet official standards for strength, quality, purity, packaging and labelling. Hence, this study determinesin-vitroquality attributes of glibenclamide 5mg tablet marketed in Addis Ababa according to USP-38 drug monograph specifications. All tested brands meet the requirements for physical inspection & complied specification for friability and hardness. Besides, the tested brands met USP 38 specification for assay (99.96% to 108.85%) and for content uniformity (AV values ranges from 3.35 to 10.04).In-vitrorelease tests were carried out in phosphate buffer of 7.5 and 8.5 pH and showed drug release of ≥ 75%, met USP 38 requirements. However, significant difference with respect to dissolution profile among tested brands GL4 and GL6 were confirmed with comparator product through model independent approach. Moreover, DE values were studied and confirmed that GL4 and GL6 were not therapeutically interchangeable with innovator product.
Is vectorial transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi an efficient route to support high infection rates in sylvatic hosts?
Authors: Cordovez Juan Manuel , Santos-Vega Mauricio , Erazo Diana , Sanabria Camilo , Rendón Lina María , Guhl Felipe
Published: December 2019

Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and it is transmitted to humans by the triatomine bug Rhodnius prolixus. The main insect vector in the Andean countries presents sylvatic and domestic cycles involving humans, insects and reservoirs (e.g small mammals). It is commonly assumed that vectorial transmission is the main route for parasite spread between hosts. Recent studies have reported high percentages (21-80%) of infected opossums (Didelphis marsupialis) in the sylvatic cycle, raising the question of whether such a high proportion of infected could be only maintained by vectorial transmission, a seemingly inefficient pathway. To address this question, we formulated a mathematical model that describes the sylvatic transmission dynamics considering vectors and hosts and parametrized with field data. Our results show that vectorial transmission it is not sufficient to explain such high percentages of infected host-mammals reported in the literature. Here we propose oral transmission as an alternate route of transmission that may increase the number of infected individuals found in field studies.
Species, causes, and outcomes of wildlife rehabilitation in New York State
Authors: Hanson Melissa , Hollingshead Nicholas , Schuler Krysten , Siemer William F. , Martin Patrick , Bunting Elizabeth M.
Published: December 2019

Wildlife rehabilitation is a publicly popular though highly controversial practice. State wildlife agencies frequently debate the ecological impact of rehabilitation. Analysis of case records could inform that debate by clarifying and quantifying the causes for rehabilitation, species involved, and treatment outcomes. This information could aid in the ability of regulatory agencies and rehabilitators to make informed decisions and gain insight into causes of species decline. In New York, rehabilitators are licensed by the Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and thus, are required to submit annual reports. Between 2012-2014, 59,370 individual wildlife cases were seen by licensed rehabilitators comprising 31,229 (52.6%) birds, 25,490 (42.9%) mammals, 2,423 (4.1%) reptiles, and 73 (0.1%) amphibians. We identified patterns among taxonomic representation, reasons for presentation, and disposition. Major causes of presentation were trauma (n = 22,672, 38.2%) and orphaning (n = 21,876, 36.8%), with habitat loss (n =3,746, 6.3%), infectious disease (n = 1,992, 3.4%), and poisoning or toxin exposure (n = 864, 1.5%) playing lesser roles. The overall release rate for animals receiving care was 50.2%; 45.4% were either euthanized or died during the rehabilitation process. A relatively small number (0.3%) were permanently non-releasable and placed in captivity, and 4.1% had unknown outcomes. In comparison to data from 1989, wildlife submissions have increased (annual mean 12,583 vs 19,790), as has the release rate, from 44.4% to 50.2%. Utilizing a large data set allowed us to fill knowledge gaps, which can help inform management by both the rehabilitators and the state agencies that regulate them, deepening understanding of the scope and impacts of wildlife rehabilitation.
Deletion of mouseSetd4promotes the recovery of hematopoietic failure
Authors: Feng Xing , Lu Huimei , Yue Jingyin , Shettigar Megha , Liu Jingmei , Denzin Lisa K , Shen Zhiyuan
Published: December 2019

Acquired hematopoietic failure is commonly caused by therapeutic and accidental exposure to toxic agents to the bone marrow (BM). Efficient recovery from the BM failure is not only dictated by the intrinsic sensitivity and proliferation capacity of the hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, but also nourished by the BM environment niche. Identification of genetic factors that improve the recovery from hematopoietic failure is essential. Vertebrate SETD4 is a poorly characterized, putative non-histone methyl-transferase whose physiological substrates have not yet been fully identified. By inducingSetd4deletion in adult mice, we found that loss ofSetd4improved the survival of whole body irradiation induced BM failure. This was associated with improved recoveries of long-term and short-term hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), and early progenitor cells. BM transplantation analyses surprisingly showed that the improved recovery was not due to a radiation resistance of theSetd4deficient HSC, but thatSetd4deficient HSC were actually more sensitive to radiation. However, theSetd4deficient mice were better recipients for allogeneic HSC transplantation. Furthermore, there was an enhanced splenic erythropoiesis inSetd4deficient mice. These findings not only revealed a previously unrecognized role of theSetd4as a unique modulator of hematopoiesis, but also underscored the critical role of the BM niche in the recovery of hematopoietic failure. These studies also implicatedSetd4as a potential target for therapeutic inhibition to improve the conditioning of the BM niche prior to allogeneic transplantation.

Key points

Deletion ofSetd4in adult mice improved the survival from hematopoietic failure.

Setd4deficiency sensitized HSCs to radiation, but improved bone marrow environment niche.

The study suggests that SETD4 as a potential inhibitory target to improve bone marrow niche function for recovery of bone marrow failure.
A new analytical pipeline for the study of the onset of mammary gland oncogenesis based on mammary organoid transplantation and organ clearing
Authors: Lagoutte Emilie , Villeneuve Clémentine , Fraisier Vincent , Krndija Denis , Deugnier Marie-Ange , Chavrier Philippe , Rossé Carine
Published: December 2019

Metastasis formation is a multi-step process starting from the dissemination of transformed carcinomatous cells from the primary tumor and could occur at a very early stage of oncogenesis, before primary tumor detection. The adult mammary gland provides a unique model to investigate epithelial cell dissemination processes. Tissue clearing techniques allow imaging samples of large volume. uDSICO clearing, one of the latest tissue clearing technique developed, provides optical imaging of whole organ due to organ clearing and tissue size reduction. We wanted to take advantage of this technique to study rare events occurring in vivo.

Here, we have established a new analytical pipeline exploiting the regenerative properties of the mammary epithelium following orthotropic transplantation of organoids together with the uDISCO organ size reduction and clearing method to study early cell dissemination in the mammary gland. As proof of concept, we analyzed the localization of epithelial cells overexpressing the oncogenic protein atypical protein kinase C iota (aPKCi+) in the normal mammary gland and we were able to visualize epithelial aPKCi+ cells, surrounded by normal epithelial cells, escaping from the normal mammary epithelium and disseminating into the surrounding stroma.
Demand for Multiplatform and Meta-analytic Approaches in Transcriptome Profiling
Authors: Tombácz Dóra , Torma Gábor , Gulyás Gábor , Moldován Norbert , Snyder Michael , Boldogkői Zsolt
Published: December 2019

In a recent article, Depledge and colleagues reported a study of the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) transcriptome using direct RNA sequencing (dRNA-Seq) on nanopore arrays. The authors provided a useful dataset on full-length viral and host RNA molecules. In this study, we reanalyzed the published dataset and compared it with data generated by our group and others. Our comparative study clearly demonstrated the need for multiplatform and meta-analytic approaches for transcriptome profiling to obtain reliable results.
Antibody responses to immunization require sensory neurons
Authors: Tynan Aisling , Tsaava Téa , Gunasekaran Manojkumar , Snee Isabel , Mak Tak W. , Olofsson Peder , Andersson Ulf , Chavan Sangeeta S. , Tracey Kevin J.
Published: December 2019

Mammals store memories in the nervous and immune systems. Sensory neurons have been implicated in enhancing neurological memory, but whether neurons participate during immunity to novel antigens is unknown. Here, mice rendered deficient in transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1)-expressing sensory neurons, termed “nociceptors,” fail to develop competent antibody responses to KLH and hapten-NP. Moreover, selective optogenetic stimulation of TRPV1 neurons during immunization significantly enhanced antibody responses to antigens. Thus, TRPV1 nociceptors mediate antibody responses to novel antigen, and stimulating TRPV1 nociceptors enhances antibody responses during immunization. This is the first genetic and selective functional evidence that nociceptors are required during immunization to produce antigen-specific antibodies.

The first genetic and selective functional evidence showing that TRPV1-expressing nociceptors are required for competent antibody responses to novel antigen, and stimulating TRPV1 nociceptors enhances antibody responses to novel antigen.
Taxonomical and functional diversity ofSaprolegnialesin Anzali lagoon, Iran
Authors: Masigol Hossein , Khodaparast Seyed Akbar , Mostowfizadeh-Ghalamfarsa Reza , Rojas-Jimenez Keilor , Woodhouse Jason Nicholas , Neubauer Darshan , Grossart Hans-Peter
Published: December 2019

Studies on the diversity, distribution and ecological role ofSaprolegniales(Oomycota) in freshwater ecosystems are currently receiving attention due to a greater understanding of their role in carbon cycling in various aquatic ecosystems. In this study, we characterized severalSaprolegnialesspecies isolated from Anzali lagoon, Gilan province, Iran, using morphological and molecular methods. Four species ofSaprolegniawere identified, includingS. anisosporaandS. diclinaas first reports for Iran. Evaluation of the ligno-, cellulo- and chitinolytic activities were also measured using plate assay methods. Most of theSaprolegnialesisolates were obtained in autumn and nearly 50% of the strains showed chitinolytic and cellulolytic activities. However, only a fewSaprolegnialesstrains showed lignolytic activities. This study has important implications for better understanding the ecological niche of oomycetes, and to differentiate them from morphologically similar but functional different aquatic fungi in freshwater ecosystems.
Phylogenetic inference identifies two eumetazoan TRPM clades and an 8th family of TRP channel, TRP soromelastatin (TRPS)
Authors: Himmel Nathaniel J. , Gray Thomas R. , Cox Daniel N.
Published: December 2019

TRP melastatins (TRPMs) are most well-known as cold and menthol sensors, but are in fact broadly critical for life, from ion homeostasis to reproduction. Yet the evolutionary relationship between TRPM channels remains largely unresolved, particularly with respect to the placement of several highly divergent members. To characterize the evolution of TRPM and like channels, we performed a large-scale phylogenetic analysis of >1,300 TRPM-like sequences from 14 phyla (Annelida, Arthropoda, Brachiopoda, Chordata, Cnidaria, Echinodermata, Hemichordata, Mollusca, Nematoda, Nemertea, Phoronida, Priapulida, Tardigrada, and Xenacoelomorpha), including sequences from a variety of recently sequenced genomes that fill what would otherwise be substantial taxonomic gaps. These findings suggest: (1) The previously recognized TRPM family is in fact two distinct families, including canonical TRPM channels, and an 8th major, previously undescribed family of animal TRP channel, TRP soromelastatin (TRPS); (2) two TRPM clades predate the last bilaterian-cnidarian ancestor; and (3) the vertebrate-centric trend of categorizing TRPM channels as 1-8 is inappropriate for most phyla, including other chordates.
Enhanced nitric oxide synthesis through nitrate supply improves drought tolerance of sugarcane plants
Authors: Pissolato Maria D. , Silveira Neidiquele M. , Prataviera Paula J. , Machado Eduardo C. , Seabra Amedea B. , Pelegrino Milena T. , Sodek Ladaslav , Ribeiro Rafael V.
Published: December 2019

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important signaling molecule associated with many biochemical and physiological processes in plants under stressful conditions. Nitrate reductase (NR) not only mediates the reduction of NO3− to NO2− but also reduces NO2− to NO, a relevant pathway for NO production in higher plants. Herein, we hypothesized that sugarcane plants supplied with more NO3− as a source of N would produce more NO under water deficit. Such NO would reduce oxidative damage and favor photosynthetic metabolism and growth under water limiting conditions. Sugarcane plants were grown in nutrient solution and received the same amount of nitrogen, with varying nitrate:ammonium ratios (100:0 and 70:30). Plants were then grown under well-watered or water deficit conditions, in which the osmotic potential of nutrient solution was −0.15 and −0.75 MPa, respectively. Under water deficit, plants exhibited higher root [NO3−] and [NO2−] when supplied with 100% NO3−. Accordingly, the same plants also showed higher root NR activity and root NO production. We also found higher photosynthetic rates and stomatal conductance in plants supplied with more NO3−, which improved root growth. ROS accumulation was reduced due to increases in the activity of catalase in leaves and superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase in roots of plants supplied with 100% NO3− and facing water deficit. Such positive responses to water deficit were offset when a NO scavenger was supplied to the plants, thus confirming that increases in leaf gas exchange and plant growth were induced by NO. Concluding, NO3− supply is an interesting strategy for alleviating the negative effects of water deficit on sugarcane plants, increasing drought tolerance through enhanced NO production. Our data also provide insights on how plant nutrition could improve crop tolerance against abiotic stresses, such as drought.

Highlights

Nitrate supply improves sugarcane growth under water deficit.

Nitrate supply stimulated nitrate reductase activity and NO synthesis in sugarcane roots facing water deficit.

Leaf gas exchange was increased by nitrate supply as well as root growth under water limiting conditions.

Antioxidant responses were also improved in plants supplied exclusively with nitrate.

Nitrogen management may be an interesting strategy for improving drought tolerance in sugarcane fields.
A Compact Quadrupole-Orbitrap Mass Spectrometer with FAIMS Interface Improves Proteome Coverage in Short LC Gradients
Authors: Bekker-Jensen Dorte B. , del Val Ana Martínez , Steigerwald Sophia , Rüther Patrick , Fort Kyle , Arrey Tabiwang N. , Harder Alexander , Makarov Alexander , Olsen Jesper V.
Published: December 2019

State-of-the-art proteomics-grade mass spectrometers can measure peptide precursors and their fragments with ppm mass accuracy at sequencing speeds of tens of peptides per second with attomolar sensitivity. Here we describe a compact and robust quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometer equipped with a front-end High Field Asymmetric Waveform Ion Mobility Spectrometry (FAIMS) Interface. The performance of the Orbitrap Exploris 480 mass spectrometer is evaluated in data-dependent acquisition (DDA) and data-independent acquisition (DIA) modes in combination with FAIMS. We demonstrate that different compensation voltages (CVs) for FAIMS are optimal for DDA and DIA, respectively. Combining DIA with FAIMS using single CVs, the instrument surpasses 2500 unique peptides identified per minute. This enables quantification of >5000 proteins with short online LC gradients delivered by the Evosep One LC system allowing acquisition of 60 samples per day. The raw sensitivity of the instrument is evaluated by analyzing 5 ng of a HeLa digest from which >1000 proteins were reproducibly identified with 5 minute LC gradients using DIA-FAIMS. To demonstrate the versatility of the instrument we recorded an organ-wide map of proteome expression across 12 rat tissues quantified by tandem mass tags and label-free quantification using DIA with FAIMS to a depth of >10,000 proteins.
pSpatiocyte: a high-performance simulator for intracellular reaction-diffusion systems
Authors: Arjunan Satya N. V. , Miyauchi Atsushi , Iwamoto Kazunari , Takahashi Koichi
Published: December 2019

Background

Studies using quantitative experimental methods have shown that intracellular spatial distribution of molecules plays a central role in many cellular systems. Spatially resolved computer simulations can integrate quantitative data from these experiments to construct physically accurate models of the systems. Although computationally expensive, microscopic resolution reaction-diffusion simulators, such as Spatiocyte can directly capture intracellular effects comprising diffusion-limited reactions and volume exclusion from crowded molecules by explicitly representing individual diffusing molecules in space. To alleviate the steep computational cost typically associated with the simulation of large or crowded intracellular compartments, we present a parallelized Spatiocyte method called pSpatiocyte.

Results

The new high-performance method employs unique parallelization schemes on hexagonal close-packed (HCP) lattice to efficiently exploit the resources of common workstations and large distributed memory parallel computers. We introduce a coordinate system for fast accesses to HCP lattice voxels, a parallelized event scheduler, a parallelized Gillespie’s direct-method for unimolecular reactions, and a parallelized event for diffusion and bimolecular reaction processes. We verified the correctness of pSpatiocyte reaction and diffusion processes by comparison to theory. To evaluate the performance of pSpatiocyte, we performed a series of parallelized diffusion runs on the RIKEN K computer. In the case of fine lattice discretization with low voxel occupancy, pSpatiocyte exhibited 74% parallel efficiency and achieved a speedup of 7686 times with 663552 cores compared to the runtime with 64 cores. In the weak scaling performance, pSpatiocyte obtained efficiencies of at least 60% with up to 663552 cores. When executing the Michaelis-Menten benchmark model on an eight-core workstation, pSpatiocyte required 45- and 55-fold shorter runtimes than Smoldyn and the parallel version of ReaDDy, respectively. As a high-performance application example, we study the dual phosphorylation-dephosphorylation cycle of the MAPK system, a typical reaction network motif in cell signaling pathways.

Conclusions

pSpatiocyte demonstrates good accuracies, fast runtimes and a significant performance advantage over well-known microscopic particle simulators for large-scale simulations of intracellular reaction-diffusion systems. The source code of pSpatiocyte is available at https://spatiocyte.org.
RNA-Seq Analysis Reveals Localization-Associated Alternative Splicing across 13 Cell Lines
Authors: Zeng Chao , Hamada Michiaki
Published: December 2019

Alternative splicing, a ubiquitous phenomenon in eukaryotes, is a regulatory mechanism for the biological diversity of individual genes. Most studies have focused on the effects of alternative splicing for protein synthesis. However, the transcriptome-wide influence of alternative splicing on RNA subcellular localization has rarely been studied. By analyzing RNA-seq data obtained from subcellular fractions across 13 human cell lines, we identified 8720 switching genes between the cytoplasm and the nucleus. Consistent with previous reports, intron retention was observed to be enriched in the nuclear transcript variants. Interestingly, we found that short and structurally stable introns were positively correlated with nuclear localization. Motif analysis reveals that fourteen RNA-binding protein (RBPs) are prone to be preferentially bound with such introns. To our knowledge, this is the first transcriptome-wide study to analyze and evaluate the effect of alternative splicing on RNA subcellular localization. Our findings reveal that alternative splicing plays a promising role in regulating RNA subcellular localization.
BoxCar Assisted MS Fragmentation (BAMF)
Authors: Jenkins Conor , Orsburn Ben
Published: December 2019

A recent study described the utilization of complex quadrupole isolation schemes to reduce high abundance ion saturation in Orbitrap systems. The BoxCar technique effectively democratizes MS1 scans by restricting high abundance ions from consuming as much space in the trap. This restriction allows lower abundance ions more acquisition time and can increase the signal to noise by a full order of magnitude. While effective at the MS1 level, BoxCar does not show an improvement in MS/MS acquisition as ions selected for fragmentation must come from an additional MS1 full scan in the method. In this study we describe BoxCar Assisted MS Fragmentation (BAMF), wherein ions for fragmentation are selected directly from the BoxCar scans. When utilizing BAMF, we observe the identification of ions by MS/MS that are not at all detectable in the MS1 scans of identical concentrations of peptides analyzed by standard data dependent acquisition experiments.

Abstract Graphic
Females don’t always sing in response to male song, but when they do, they sing to males with higher pitched songs
Authors: Kirschel Alexander N. G. , Zanti Zacharo , Harlow Zachary T. , Vallejo Edgar E. , Cody Martin L. , Taylor Charles E.
Published: December 2019

The long-held view that bird song is exclusively a male trait has been challenged recently by a number of studies and reviews highlighting the prevalence of female song. In spite of that, there remains a lack of knowledge on the function of female song, with most evidence thus far focusing on females performing duets with males in courtship displays, typically for joint territory defence or mate guarding purposes. Here we show in a tracheophone suboscine passerine Formicarius moniliger, a sexually monomorphic species in which both sexes sing, that females may participate in both intrasexual and intersexual territory defence. Females sing more in response to females than to males, suggesting they consider females more of a threat to their territory. Yet, females also demonstrate an unexpected pattern of singing back to playback of males singing higher frequency song than themselves. Unlike males, who respond indiscriminately to playback of any song performed by either sex, females appear to discern not only the sex, but perhaps also the size of the presumed intruder. There is a strong negative relationship between body mass and frequency, and females responding only to higher frequency male song suggests they will only engage in territory defence with males when they expect those males to be weaker than they are. While our results are consistent with expectations of a shared ancestral function of song in territory defence, they also suggest females may suffer greater costs in engaging in territorial disputes and thus limit their vocal contribution according to the perceived threat.
Melatonin reduces GSK3β expression and tau phosphorylation via Nrf2 nuclear translocation
Authors: Das Rashmi , Balmik Abhishek Ankur , Chinnathambi Subashchandrabose
Published: December 2019

Alzheimer’s disease is a neuropathological condition with abnormal formation of extracellular Amyloid-β plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) of Microtubule-associated protein Tau (Tau) in brain. In pathological condition, MAP-Tau can undergo various post-translational modifications such as hyperphosphorylation by the activity of cellular kinases which eventually leads to protein aggregation in neurons. Melatonin is a hormone which mainly secreted from pineal gland, functions to modulate cellular kinases. In our study, we elucidated that Melatonin has inhibited the Tau aggregates mediated cytotoxicity and membrane leakage by MTT and LDH assay respectively in neuro2A cells. Melatonin has found to reduce the GSK3β mRNA expression and protein level by western blot and immunofluorescence assay. Melatonin has also decreased phospho-Tau level (pThr181 and pThr212-pSer214) in neuron cell line upon OA induction as seen by microscopic analysis.. Melatonin treatment has associated with ROS quenching by DCFDA assay, reduced caspase 3 activity in neuronal cells. Further, Melatonin has increased Nrf2 level and nuclear translocation as oxidative stress response in Tauopathy. Together, these findings clearly signifies that Melatonin remediate the Tau-induced neuronal cytotoxicity and reduce Tau hyperphosphorylation via downregulating GSK3β expression. Melatonin can combat oxidative damage by Nrf2 activation and nuclear translocation in AD condition.
Effect of Melatonin on Tau aggregation and Tau-mediated cell surface morphology
Authors: Das Rashmi , Balmik Abhishek Ankur , Chinnathambi Subashchandrabose
Published: December 2019

Tau is the major neuronal protein involved in the stabilization of microtubule assembly. In Alzheimer’s disease, Tau self assembles to form intracellular protein aggregates, which are toxic to cells. Various methods have been tried and tested to restrain the aggregation of Tau. Most of the agents tested for this purpose have limitations in their effectiveness and availability to neuronal cells. We tested melatonin against in vitro Tau aggregation and observed its effect on membrane topology, tubulin network and Tau phosphorylation in neuro2a and N9 cell lines. The aggregation and conformation of Tau was determined by ThT fluorescence and CD spectroscopy respectively. The morphology of Tau aggregates in presence and absence of melatonin was studied by transmission electron microscopy. Melatonin was found to reduce the formation of higher order oligomeric structures without affecting the overall aggregation kinetics of Tau. Melatonin also modulates and helps to maintain membrane topology as evidenced by FE-SEM analysis. Overall, melatonin administration shows mild anti-aggregation and cytoprotective effects.
The human nucleolus organizer regions
Authors: Gall Joseph G.
Published: December 2019

Although the nucleolus was first described in the early 19th century from both animal and plant cells, human nucleoli and particularly the five human nucleolus organizers have not been well characterized. In this issue of Genes & Development, van Sluis and colleagues (pp. 1688–1701) present a detailed molecular analysis of these organizers, which occur on the short arms of five human chromosomes. The near identity of these arms suggests extensive interchromosomal exchange during evolutionary history.
Investigation of growth characteristics and semimetal–semiconductor transition of polycrystalline bismuth thin films
Authors: Wang Nan , Dai Yu-Xiang , Wang Tian-Lin , Yang Hua-Zhe , Qi Yang
Published: December 2019

The preferred orientation growth characteristics and surface roughness of polycrystalline bismuth (Bi) thin films fabricated on glass substrates using the molecular beam epitaxy method were investigated at temperatures ranging from 18 to 150°C. The crystallization and morphology were analyzed in detail and the polycrystalline metal film structure-zone model (SZM) was modified to fit the polycrystalline Bi thin film. The boundary temperature between Zone T and Zone II in the SZM shifted to higher temperatures with the increase in film thickness or the decrease of growth rate. Furthermore, the effect of the thickness and surface roughness on the transport properties was investigated, especially for Bi thin films in Zone II. A two-transport channels model was adopted to reveal the influence of the film thickness on the competition between the metallic surface states and the semiconducting bulk states, which is consistent with the results of Bi single-crystal films. Therefore, the polycrystalline Bi thin films are expected to replace the single-crystal films in the application of spintronic devices.
Numerical investigation of the unsteady aerodynamics of NACA 0012 with suction surface protrusion
Authors: Bodavula Aslesha , Yadav Rajesh , Guven Ugur
Published: December 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of surface protrusions on the flow unsteadiness of NACA 0012 at a Reynolds number of 100,000.

Design/methodology/approach

Effect of protrusions is investigated through numerical simulation of two-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations using a finite volume solver. Turbulent stresses are resolved through the transition Shear stress transport (four-equation) turbulence model.

Findings

The small protrusion located at 0.05c and 0.1c significantly improve the lift coefficient by up to 36% in the post-stall regime. It also alleviates the leading edge stall. The larger protrusions increase the drag significantly along with significant degradation of lift characteristics in the pre-stall regime as well. The smaller protrusions also increase the frequency of the vortex shedding.

Originality/value

The effect of macroscopic protrusions or deposits in rarely investigated. The delay in stall shown by smaller protrusions can be beneficial to micro aerial vehicles. The smaller protrusions increase the frequency of the vortex shedding, and hence, can be used as a tool to enhance energy production for energy harvesters based on vortex-induced vibrations and oscillating wing philosophy.
Implementation of a new inlet protection system into HEMS fleet
Authors: Przybyła Bartosz Stanisław , Przysowa Radoslaw , Zapałowicz Zbigniew
Published: December 2019

Purpose

EC-135P2+ helicopters operated by Polish Medical Air Rescue are highly exposed to environmental particles entering engines when performing helicopter emergency medical services. This paper aims to assess the effectiveness of inlet barrier filters installed to protect the engines, including their impact on maintenance.

Design/methodology/approach

The organisation adopted a comprehensive set of measures to predict and limit the impact of dust ingestion including visual inspections, health management and engine trend monitoring based on ground power checks’ (GPC) results. Three alternative particle separation solutions were considered. Finally, helicopter inlets were modified to allow the selected filter system to be installed, which reduced the number of particles ingested by the engine and prevented from premature overhauls.

Findings

The analyses carried out enabled not only the selection of the optimal filtration solution and its seamless implementation into the fleet but also confirmed its efficiency. After installing the filters, engines’ lifetime is extended from 500 to 4,500 flight hours while operating costs and the number of maintenance tasks was reduced significantly.

Originality/value

Lessons learned from operational experience show that a well-matched particle separation system can mitigate accelerated engine deterioration even if the platform is continuously exposed to environmental particles. The remaining useful life of engines can be predicted using performance models and data from GPC.
The determinants of accounting comparability around the world
Authors: Ross Jonathan , Shi Linna , Xie Hong
Published: December 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate country-level and firm-level determinants of within-country accounting comparability for 16 European Union countries plus the USA in the post-International Financial Reporting Standards adoption period.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use ordinary least squares regression to test the hypotheses with a correction for heteroscedasticity.

Findings

The authors find that firms in countries with rules-based accounting, higher quality public auditor work environments, stricter enforcement of accounting standards and more reliance on equity-market financing have higher within-country comparability with each other. At the firm-level, the authors find that firms which are larger, engage in less earnings management, and have lower return-on-asset volatility have higher within-country comparability with each other.

Research limitations/implications

The authors use one measure of accounting comparability. Alternative measures of accounting comparability could test the hypotheses more completely.

Practical implications

The findings of the paper may help the regulators make more efficient policies to establish an efficient financial market within their country.

Originality/value

The paper is the first, to the authors’ knowledge, to identify country-level and firm-level determinants of within-country accounting comparability. It contributes to the accounting literature by completing the theory of international accounting comparability from the within-country perspectives, as prior literature focuses on the cross-country perspective of international accounting comparability.
Does strategic orientation influence strategy formulation and organisational design in Italian food medium sized enterprises? The role of the family
Authors: Penco Lara , Torre Teresina , Scarsi Roberta
Published: December 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of strategic orientation (defined using the Miles and Snow’s paradigm) on the processes of strategic decision-making and organisational design in medium-sized firms (MEs) operating in the Italian family food and beverage industry (F&B). It answers the following research questions: Does the orientation towards market development lead to different strategic formulation styles and developing innovative approaches towards organisational design?

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on five cases of Italian family MEs operating in the F&B industry with a focus on premium segments, following the Mediobanca and Unioncamere criteria.

Findings

The strategy formulation process and the organisational design are affected by strategic orientation, highlighting the relevance of the “prospector” orientation in modifying the behavioural models among the selected companies.

Research limitations/implications

The limitations concern the number of examined case studies and the geographical location of firms.

Practical implications

The attitude to plan and develop new organisational designs is required by a more “prospector” strategic orientation due to the increasing level of work complexity and the process of innovation to manage the market share. Thus, the emergence of a prospector attitude must be reinforced with specific managerial competencies and suggested as necessary support for development strategies.

Originality/value

This study focusses on strategic and organisational profiles of MEs operating in the F&B context, where literature is still fragmented. It explores the relationship between strategic orientation, strategic formulation and organisational design by analysing all constructs simultaneously, thereby bridging the theoretical gap in the existing literature.
Investigating young adults’ perceived effectiveness of textual information about food-related nudging
Authors: Djupegot Ingrid Laukeland
Published: December 2019

Purpose

Perceived effectiveness of nudging has been established as one of the most reliable predictors of acceptance of nudging. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how source credibility and argument strength influence the perceived effectiveness of textual information about food-related nudging in order to provide a better understanding of how acceptance of nudging may be facilitated.

Design/methodology/approach

A 2 × 2 scenario-based between-subjects factorial experiment with source credibility (high vs low) and argument strength (high vs low) as factors was applied. Data on respondents’ level of involvement in food-related behaviour were also collected.

Findings

Argument strength had a positive main effect on the perceived effectiveness of nudging, and there was a significant positive interaction effect of source credibility × argument strength on the perceived effectiveness of nudging.

Practical implications

The findings of this paper provide policy makers and other decision makers with a better understanding of how information about nudging should be communicated to consumers in order to facilitate acceptance.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first to investigate how information about nudging should be communicated to consumers in order for nudging to be perceived as an effective and thus acceptable measure to influence food-related behaviour.
Demystifying the concept of offsite manufacturing method
Authors: Ayinla Kudirat Olabisi , Cheung Franco , Tawil Abdel-Rahman
Published: December 2019

Purpose

This study aims to develop a more inclusive working definition and a formalised classification system for offsite construction to enable common basis of evaluation and communication. Offsite manufacturing (OSM) is continuously getting recognised as a way to increase efficiency and boost productivity of the construction industry in many countries. However, the knowledge of OSM varies across different countries, construction practices and individual experts thus resulting into major misconceptions. The lack of consensus of what OSM is and what constitutes its methods creates a lot of misunderstanding across Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry professionals, therefore, inhibiting a global view and understanding for multicultural collaboration. Therefore, there is a need to revisit these issues with the aim to develop a deep understanding of the concepts and ascertain what is deemed inclusive or exclusive.

Design/methodology/approach

A state-of-the-art review and analysis of literature on OSM was conducted to observe trends in OSM definitions and classifications. The paper identifies gaps in existing methods and proposes a future direction.

Findings

Findings suggest that classifications are mostly aimed towards a particular purpose and existing classification system are not robust enough to cover all aspects. Therefore, there is need to extend these classification systems to be fit for various purposes.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the body of literature on offsite concepts, definition and classification, and provides knowledge on the broader context on the fundamentals of OSM.
Street foods: contemporary preference of tourists and its role as a destination attraction in India
Authors: Gupta Vikas , Sajnani Manohar , Gupta Raj Kumar
Published: December 2019

Purpose

The study aims to assess and find out the preference of street-foods amongst the foreign tourists visiting India. It will also discuss in detail the important factors that lead to the selection of street-foods outlining the relevance of food as a destination attraction.

Design/methodology/approach

The study applied the use of location intercept technique through one to one interview using a structured survey scale to take the responses from 586 outbound foreign tourists at the departure gates of International Airport at New Delhi. The street-food preference of foreign tourists was analysed using the analytical hierarchical process model and Chi-square statistics.

Findings

This study resulted in identification of 18 street-foods which were preferred mostly by the foreign tourist in India, with Tandoori Chicken tikka being the most favoured and Kathi Kebab being least preferred. This study also confirmed that amongst the all factors which were considered to have an influence on the street-food preference of foreign tourists only marital status was found to be insignificant.

Practical implications

This study suggested that street-food vending can be considered to be a strategic management instrument that can (re)create a destination image and sustain or rejuvenate tourist movements towards a gastronomically rich destination like India. It might help the shareholders in the street-food vending businesses across India to devise strategies to showcase India on a global gastronomic platform.

Originality/value

It is the first study which has tried to exploit the foreign tourists’ emotions through their street-food preference which can be used by the local street vendors to attract, reconnect and increase their repeat visits in India. It will also help sensitising the local street-food vendors including restaurants, catering joints and hotels to include the preferred delicacies in their operational menus for maximising the earnings from tourists.
Recruit firefighters: a longitudinal investigation of mental health and work
Authors: Wagner Shannon , Pasca Romana
Published: December 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the contribution of work to self-reported mental health symptoms in fire service members.

Design/methodology/approach

In 2004, the first wave of this data collection was completed with all members of a fire department in a small northern center in British Columbia. The members completed a series of questionnaires measuring mental health, personality and satisfaction. Since 2004, all recruit members entering the department have also completed the same set of questionnaires shortly after hiring. Subsequently, in 2016–2017, the full sample, including recruit members, were invited to complete the Wave 2 data collection cycle, which included a set of questionnaires very similar to that collected in Wave 1.

Findings

The recruit sample reported significantly fewer mental health symptoms, as compared to career firefighters, at Time 1 (prior to workplace exposure). However, at Time 2 (after workplace exposure), no difference between the groups was evident.

Research limitations/implications

It is possible that recruit firefighters reported more positive mental health because of social desirability bias upon beginning a new job.

Practical implications

These results suggest that service as a firefighter could potentially have an impact on mental health and efforts should be made to mitigate this impact.

Originality/value

To the authors’ knowledge, the current research is the first study that has followed recruit firefighters longitudinally in an effort to prospectively evaluate the impact of workplace exposure on mental health.
An analysis ofmaṣlaḥahbased resolutions issued by Bank Negara Malaysia
Authors: Eldersevi Suheyib , Haron Razali
Published: December 2019

Purpose

This study aims to examine the resolutions issued by the Sharīʿah Advisory Council of Bank Negara Malaysia (SAC-BNM), which have recognizedmaṣlaḥah(public interest) as the basis of ruling to see the extent of its usefulness to the public and the extent of its adherence to themaṣlaḥahparameters. The study will also look into the opposing opinion to identify the basis of rejection and overall implication on Islamic finance based on opposing opinions of SAC-BNM and other bodies of collectiveijtihād(juristic interpretation).

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a qualitative approach by analyzing the SAC-BNM resolutions, which have been resolved based onmaṣlaḥah. The study also applies the comparative approach by comparing the fatwa (Sharīʿah pronouncement) issuing bodies of Malaysia and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Furthermore, the secondary data is obtained from sources such asuṣūl al-fiqh(theory of Islamic jurisprudence) books, papers and relevant internet sources.

Findings

The study found that SAC-BNM’s resolutions are in line with some of the majormaṣlaḥahparameters mentioned in theuṣūl al-fiqhsources i.e. must not contradict with the Qurʾān and the Sunnah. While looking at the other two criteria of being in line withijmāʿ(consensus) and having a general impact, such resolutions might not fulfill the criteria of validmaṣlaḥahconsidering, respectively, the stand of collectiveijtihādor the impact on the group of customers and institutions.

Originality/value

Most available shari’ah (Islamic law) research considers the perspective of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) while analyzing the issue ofmaṣlaḥah. This study aims to conduct analysis based onuṣūl al-fiqh. Moreover,maṣlaḥahitself is a broad concept, which can be abused. Hence, this study discusses the parameters ofmaṣlaḥahto understand the validity of an important juristic tool in Sharīʿah.