bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pontibacter pamirensis sp. nov., isolated from saline-alkaline soil
Authors: Liu Fang , Liu Yang-Yang , Li Yu-Qian , Lei Rui-Feng , Ma Qin , Abudourousuli Dilireba , Rouzi Zulihumaer , Aosiman Muyesaier , An Deng-Di , Li Wen-Jun
Published: January 2022

A novel bacterium, designated TRT317T, was isolated from saline-alkaline soil collected from the Pamir plateau in northwest China. Cells of this strain were Gram-stain-negative, aerobic rods and red-pink-coloured. Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain TRT317T showed the highest sequence similarity to the type strains of

Pontibacter diazotrophicus

(96.3 %) and

Pontibacter yuliensis

(96.2 %). Growth was observed at 4–40 °C, pH 6.0–10.0 and in the presence of up to 7 % (w/v) NaCl. The major fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0 and summed feature 4 (iso-C17 : 1 I/anteiso-C17 : 1 B). The polar lipids included phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, one unidentified phospholipid, four unidentified glycolipids and five unidentified lipids. The whole-cell sugars of strain TRT317T were mannose, rhamnose, glucose, galactose, xylose, arabinose and four unidentified sugars. The sole respiratory quinone was MK-7. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain TRT317T was 47.7 mol%. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) value of strain TRT317T with

P. diazotrophicus

was 88.3 %, which is below the standard ANI threshold for species identification (95–96 %). Combined results of physiological, genotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic analyses demonstrated that strain TRT317T represents a novel species within the genus

Pontibacter

, for which the name Pontibacter pamirensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is TRT317T (=CGMCC1.18690T=KCTC 82818T).
Life-long effects of malnutrition using semi-quantitative EEG analysis
Authors: Razzaq Fuleah A. , Reyes Ana Calzada , Tang Qin , Guo Yanbo , Liu Yujie , Galan-Garcia Lidice , Gallagher Anne , Virues-Alba Trinidad , Suarez-Murias Carlos , Rabinowitz A. Arielle , Miranda Ileana , Lagomasino Vivian Bernardo , Galler Janina R , Bringas-Vega Maria L. , Valdes-Sosa Pedro A.
Published: January 2022

1

The non-linear spatiotemporal features in the continuing EEG recordings could be helpful to infer the physio and pathological significance of early insults on the brain, such as early malnutrition and their long-term effects. A unique opportunity is opened with the Barbados Nutrition Study (BNS) dedicated to studying Protein-Energy Malnutrition (PEM) with two groups, children suffering an early PEM episode and their controls. We evaluated the resting-state EEG (N=108, PEM=46) in 1978, and we repeated the EEG (N=97, PEM=46) in 2018. We did a qualitative analysis of the EEG using a semi-quantitative scale (Grand Total EEG (GTE)) and an item response theory (IRT) approach to estimate a latent variable that is able to explain the subjacent neurophysiological status (NPS). Finally, we applied a mixed-effects model with a sensitivity index for ignorability to test differences between the controls and PEM groups while accounting for the missing data mechanisms (nlme (Pinheiro J. 2020) and the ISNI package in R(Xie et al., 2018). The fixed effects were group, age, gender, and socioeconomic status; the random effect was the variability inherent to each participant and evaluator.

Results

The simple visual inspection of the 1978 EEG recordings detected 39 participants with abnormalities (28 PEM and 11 Controls; p<0.05); in 2018, a total of 63 participants showed abnormalities in the EEG recordings (35 PEM and 28 Controls; p<0.01)).

The polytomous IRT analysis revealed that all items had been loaded well onto the latent factor, and the highest value of the Focal abnormality reached 0.97. The fixed effect of the groups (PEM vs. Control) was highly significant, with a p-value of 0 and the c index of 5.27. Age was also significant with a p-value of 0.0093 and the c index of 14.793, whereas Gender and SES were not significant. The contrasts at the two different time points (childhood (1978) mean age= 8.45, adulthood (2018) mean age=48.30) also showed highly significant differences between groups with a p-value of 0.

Conclusions

EEG abnormalities were seen in both PEM and control groups during the school years and later in middle adulthood, with a higher proportion of abnormalities in the previously malnourished BNS participants at both ages. The statistical significance of these differences was confirmed through a latent variable approach and a linear mixed-effect model, which discriminated successfully against the long-term effects of early malnutrition on the brain up to 50 years after the onset of malnutrition in the first year of life.
Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Against COVID-19 Associated Hospitalizations among Lebanese Adults ≥75 years- Lebanon, April-May 2021
Authors: Farah Zeina , Haddad Nadine , Naja Hala Abou El , Saleh Majd , Mrad Pamela , Ghosn Nada
Published: January 2022

Introduction

In Lebanon, the nationwide vaccination against COVID-19 was launched in February-2021 using Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and prioritizing elderly, persons with comorbidities and healthcare workers. Our study aims to estimate the post-introduction vaccine effectiveness (VE) of Pfizer-BioNTech in preventing COVID-19 hospitalization among ≥75 years in Lebanon.

Methods

A case-control study design was used. Cases were Lebanese, ≥75 years and hospitalized with positive PCR result during April-May 2021. Cases were randomly selected from the COVID-19 database of the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit(ESU) at the Ministry of Public Health(MOPH). Each case was matched by age and locality to 2 controls. Controls were hospitalized, non-COVID-19 patients with negative PCR result, randomly selected from the MOPH hospital admission database. VE was calculated for fully and partially vaccinated, using multivariate conditional logistic regression analyses.

Results

345 cases and 814 controls were recruited. Half were females, with a mean age of 83 years. 14 cases(5%) and 143 controls(22%) were fully vaccinated. Bivariate analysis showed significant association with: gender, month of confirmation/admission, general health, chronic medical conditions, main income source and living arrangement. After adjusting for month of admission and gender, multivariate analysis yielded a VE of 82% (95%CI = 69%-90%) against COVID-19 associated hospitalization for those fully vaccinated and 53% (95%CI = 23%-71%) for those partially vaccinated (≥14 days of first or within 14 days of second dose).

Conclusions

Our study showed that Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is effective in reducing risk for COVID-19– associated hospitalization in Lebanese elderly(≥75 years). Additional studies are warranted to explore vaccine effectiveness in reducing hospitalization in younger age groups, as well as in reducing covid-19 infections.
The influence of sex steroid treatment on insular connectivity in gender dysphoria
Authors: Reed Murray B , Handschuh Patricia A , Klöbl Manfred , Konadu Melisande E , Kaufmann Ulrike , Hahn Andreas , Kranz Georg S , Spies Marie , Lanzenberger Rupert
Published: January 2022

The influence of sex hormones on brain function has been investigated in multiple neuroimaging studies. Sexually dimorphic characteristics were found for the insular cortex, though little is known about hormonal effects on sex-specific functional connectivity patterns and insular functions ranging from emotion regulation to interoception and higher-level cognition. Thus, better understanding of direct sex steroid effects on insular connectivity remains essential. Thereby, gender-dysphoric individuals receiving gender-affirming hormone therapy represent an interesting cohort to address this gap in available knowledge.

To analyze the potential effect of sex steroids on insular connectivity at rest, 14 transgender women, 19 transgender men, 24 cisgender women, and 15 cisgender men were recruited. All participants underwent two magnetic resonance imaging sessions involving resting-state acquisitions separated by a median time period of 4.5 months. Between scans, transgender subjects received gender-affirming hormone therapy.

A seed based functional connectivity analysis revealed a significant 2-way interaction effect of group-by-time between right insula, cingulum, left middle frontal gyrus and left angular gyrus. Post-hoc tests revealed an increase in connectivity for transgender women when compared to cisgender men. Furthermore, spectral dynamic causal modelling showed reduced effective connectivity from the posterior cingulum and left angular gyrus to the left middle frontal gyrus as well as from the right insula to the left middle frontal gyrus.

These findings suggest a considerable influence of long-term estrogen administration and androgen suppression on brain networks implicated in interoception, own-body perception and higher-level cognition. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to shed light on the underlying mechanisms.
Significance of the RBD mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron: from spike opening to antibody escape and cell attachment
Authors: Hossen Md Lokman , Baral Prabin , Sharma Tej , Gerstman Bernard , Chapagain Prem
Published: January 2022

We computationally investigated the role of the Omicron RBD mutations on its structure and interactions with ACE2. Our results suggest that, compared to the WT and Delta, the mutations in the Omicron RBD facilitate a more efficient RBD opening and ACE2 attachment. These effects, combined with antibody evasion, may contribute to its dominance over Delta. While the Omicron RBD escapes most antibodies from prior infections, epitope analysis shows that it harbors sequences with significantly improved antigenicity compared to other variants, suggesting more potent Omicron-specific neutralizing antibodies.
The N764K and N856K mutations in SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 S protein generate potential cleavage sites for SKI-1/S1P protease
Authors: Maaroufi Halim
Published: January 2022

Spike (S) protein is a key protein in coronaviruses life cycle. SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 variant of concern (VoC) presents an exceptionally high number of 30 substitutions, 6 deletions and 3 insertions in the S protein. Recent works revealed major changes in the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron biological properties compared to earlier variants of concern (VoCs). Here, these major changes could be explained, at least in part, by the mutations N764K and/or N856K in S2 subunit. These mutations were not previously detected in other VoCs. N764K and N856K generate two potential cleavage sites for SKI-1/S1P serine protease, known to cleave viral envelope glycoproteins. The new sites where SKI-1/S1P could cleave S protein might impede the exposition of the internal fusion peptide for membrane fusion and syncytia formation. Based on the human protein atlas, SKI-1/S1P protease is not found in lung tissues (alveolar cells type I/II and endothelial cells), but present in bronchus and nasopharynx. This may explain why Omicron has change of tissue tropism. Viruses have evolved to use several host proteases for cleavage/activation of envelope glycoproteins. Mutations that allow viruses to change of protease may have a strong impact in host range, cell and tissue tropism, and pathogenesis.
Evaluation of gonadal function in transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia patients of Bangladesh
Authors: Chowdhury Romana , Hasan Mohammad Mehedi , Ahmed Mushfiq Newaz , Iktidar Mohammad Azmain , Hoque Tapan Md. Mazharul , Islam Shaheen Sheikh Saiful , Rahman Atiar , Khatun Ayesha
Published: January 2022

Background

Hypogonadism is one of the most frequent complications in transfusion-dependent thalassemia patients, and early recognition and treatment is the core element to restore impaired gonadal function. Despite the high burden of disease, relevant studies are scarcely addressing the gonadal function of such patients. The pattern of gonadal function in transfusion-dependent thalassemia patients must be picturized before planning a generalized management plan; therefore, this study was conducted.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Transfusion Medicine of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. According to inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 94 patients were enrolled in this study. A detailed history and thorough clinical examination were carried out in each patient and recorded using a pretested structured questionnaire. In addition, laboratory assessment of LH, FSH, testosterone and estradiol in serum were also done. Data were analyzed using STATA (v.16).

Results

The mean age of the patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia was 18.81±4.65 (SD), with 53.3% of the patients being male. The most common symptoms of gonadal dysfunction among males were loss of body hair (6%) followed by fatigue (4%), and among females were slow or absent breast growth, hot flashes and amenorrhea (6.82% each).

Conclusion

The overall prevalence of hypogonadism was 35.11%, 18.1% being normogonadotropic, 11.7% being hypogonadotropic, and 5.3% being hypergonadotropic. Therefore, gonadal hormone analysis of transfusion-dependent thalassemia patients can be considered a screening tool for assessing gonadal function and early detection and prevention of hypogonadism.
Death review caused by Covid 19 in Bangladesh
Authors: Roy Biswas Rajat Sanker , Nath Jishu Deb , Nisha Fatema Emrose
Published: January 2022

Introduction

COVID-19 pandemic had taken away lots of human life prematurely worldwide and death laid its icy hands also on Bangladesh. So, objectives of this study were to explore the monthly distributions, age, sex, co-morbidities, localities and duration of hospital stay among the COVID death cases.

Methods

In this observational study six months hospital death files were collected and explored for monthly distributions, age, sex, co-morbidities, localities and hospital stay. RT-PCR positive confirmed 113 COVID deaths were enrolled and suspected COVID deaths were excluded. Ethical clearance from the hospital authority was taken before hand. Data was compiled and analyzed by SPSS-20.

Results

There was a low frequency of death in May-2021 and October-2021(7.1% and 2.7% respectively) but more during June -2021 to September 2021 (12.4%, 16.8%, 42.5% and 18.6% respectively). Female deaths were little more than male deaths(53.1% vs 46.9%). Age more than 51 years were the most vulnerable where 26(23%) deaths were at age group 51-60 years, 39(34.5%) deaths were at 61-70 years and 22(19.4%) deaths were more than 71 years. Mean age of death was found 60.66 years and mean duration of hospital stay was found 9.45 days. Maximum duration of hospital stay was 45 days for one patient. Co-morbidities of death cases revealed 52(46.00%) patients had DM and HTN both, 17(15.0%) patients had HTN, 16(14.1%) had DM, 3(2.6%) had BA and COPD, 4(3.5%) had CKD, 2(1.7%) had cancer, 3(2.6%) had CVD, 19(16.8%) had IHD and 16(14.1%) patients had no co-morbidities. Locality of the death cases revealed 44(38.9%) came from rural areas and 69(61.1%) came from urban areas.

Conclusion

Higher age group and multiple co-morbidities specially DM, HTN and IHD were related with COVID deaths mostly found in our study.
Regional Mutational Signature Activities in Cancer Genomes
Authors: Timmons Caitlin , Morris Quaid , Harrigan Caitlin F.
Published: January 2022

Cancer genomes harbor a catalog of somatic mutations. The type and genomic context of these mutations depend on their causes, and allow their attribution to particular mutational signatures. Previous work has shown that mutational signature activities change over the course of tumor development, but investigations of genomic region variability in mutational signatures have been limited. Here, we expand upon this work by constructing regional profiles of mutational signature activities over 2,203 whole genomes across 25 tumor types, using data aggregated by the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) consortium. We present GenomeTrackSig as an extension to the TrackSig R package to construct regional signature profiles using optimal segmentation and the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm. We find that 426 genomes from 20 tumor types display at least one change in mutational signature activities (changepoint), and 257 genomes contain at least one of 54 recurrent changepoints shared by seven or more genomes of the same tumor type. Five recurrent changepoint locations are shared by multiple tumor types. Within these regions, the particular signature changes are often consistent across samples of the same type and some, but not all, are characterized by signatures associated with subclonal expansion. The changepoints we found cannot strictly be explained by gene density, mutation density, or cell-of-origin chromatin state. We hypothesize that they reflect a confluence of factors including evolutionary timing of mutational processes, regional differences in somatic mutation rate, large-scale changes in chromatin state that may be tissue type-specific, and changes in chromatin accessibility during subclonal expansion. These results provide insight into the regional effects of DNA damage and repair processes, and may help us localize genomic and epigenomic changes that occur during cancer development.
Super-Resolution of Magnetic Resonance Images Acquired Under Clinical Protocols using Deep Attention-based Method
Authors: Li Bryan M. , Castorina Leonardo V. , Valdés-Hernández Maria del C. , Clancy Una , Wiseman Stewart J. , Sakka Eleni , Storkey Amos J. , Garcia Daniela Jaime , Cheng Yajun , Doubal Fergus , Thrippleton Michael T. , Stringer Michael , Wardlaw Joanna M.
Published: January 2022

Abstract

Vast quantities of Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI) are routinely acquired in clinical practice but, to speed up acquisition, these scans are typically of a quality that is sufficient for clinical diagnosis but sub-optimal for large-scale precision medicine, computational diagnostics, and large-scale neuroimaging research. Here, we present a critic-guided framework to upsample low-resolution (often 2D) MRI scans. In addition, we incorporated feature-importance and self-attention methods into our model to improve the interpretability of this work. We evaluate our framework on paired low- and high-resolution brain MRI structural full scans (i.e. T1-, T2-weighted and FLAIR sequences are simultaneously input) obtained in clinical and research settings from scanners manufactured by Siemens, Phillips and GE. We showed that the upsampled MRIs are qualitatively faithful to the ground-truth high-quality scans (PSNR = 35.39; MAE = 3.78E −3; NMSE = 4.32E −10; SSIM = 0.9852; mean normal-appearing grey/white matter ratio intensity differences ranging from 0.0363 to 0.0784 for FLAIR, from 0.0010 to 0.0138 for T1-weighted and from 0.0156 to 0.074 for T2-weighted sequences). The automatic raw segmentations of tissues and lesions using the super-resolved images have fewer false positives and higher accuracy than those obtained from interpolated images in protocols represented with more than three sets in the training sample, making our approach a strong candidate for practical application in clinical research.
Sex differences in the influence of toxoplasmosis on stress and perceived anxiety: Evidence for the stress-coping hypothesis
Authors: Flegr Jaroslav , Kaňková Šárka
Published: January 2022

Life-long infection with Toxoplasma, which affects 30% of the human population, has specific behavioral effects. The stress-coping hypothesis explains why the toxoplasmosis-associated behavioral changes go in opposite directions in men and women. It suggests that toxoplasmosis impairs the health of humans, which results in chronic stress. Men and women are known to cope with stress in opposite ways. The first presumption of the hypothesis, impaired health, was confirmed in many studies. The second, higher level of stress, was tested only rarely. Levels of stress and anxiety, measured with the Perceived Stress Scale, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory X-2, respectively, were compared in a population of 614 Toxoplasma-free and 162 Toxoplasma-infected subjects. Higher stress was detected in the infected men, but not women. We also found that physical health had a positive rather than negative effect on stress when mental health is controlled, which seems to contradict the prediction of the stress-coping hypothesis. No differences were found in the anxiety of infected and noninfected subjects. Subjects who have objective reasons for stress (those with worse physical health) are less stressed than those without such reasons.
Mathematical Modeling of Thyroid Homeostasis: Implications for the Allan-Herndon-Dudley Syndrome
Authors: Wolff Tobias M. , Veil Carina , Dietrich Johannes W. , Müller Matthias A.
Published: January 2022

Objective

A mathematical model of the pituitary-thyroid feedback loop is extended to deepen the understanding of the Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome (AHDS).

Background

The AHDS is characterized by unusual thyroid hormone concentrations and a mutation in theSLC16A2gene encoding for the monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8). This mutation leads to a loss of thyroid hormone transport activity. One hypothesis to explain the unusual hormone concentrations of AHDS patients is that due to the loss of thyroid hormone transport activity, thyroxine (T4) is partially retained in thyroid cells.

Methods

This hypothesis is investigated by extending a mathematical model of the pituitary-thyroid feedback loop to include a model of the net effects of membrane transporters such that the thyroid hormone transport activity can be considered. Two modeling approaches of the membrane transporters are employed: on the one hand a nonlinear approach based on the Michaelis-Menten kinetics and on the other hand its linear approximation. The unknown parameters are identified through a constrained parameter optimization.

Results

In dynamic simulations, damaged membrane transporters result in a retention ofT4in thyroid cells and ultimately in the unusual hormone concentrations of AHDS patients. The two different modeling approaches lead to similar results.

Conclusion

The results support the hypothesis that a partial retention ofT4in thyroid cells represents one mechanism responsible for the unusual hormone concentrations of AHDS patients. Moreover, our results suggest that the retention ofT4in thyroid cells could be the main reason for the unusual hormone concentrations of AHDS patients.
A retroviral origin of vertebrate myelin
Authors: Ghosh Tanay , Almeida Rafael G. , Zhao Chao , Mannioui Abdelkrim , Martin Elodie , Fleet Alex , Ginez Gonzalez M , Rowitch David H , Stott Katherine , Adams Ian , Zalc Bernard , Goldman Nick , Lyons David A. , Franklin Robin JM
Published: January 2022

Myelin, the insulating sheath that surrounds neuronal axons, is produced by oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS). This evolutionary innovation, which first appears in jawed vertebrates, enabled rapid transmission of nerve impulses, more complex brains and greater morphological diversity. Here we report that RNA level expression of RNLTR12-int, a retrotransposon of retroviral origin, is essential for myelination. We show RNLTR12-int-encoded non-coding RNA binds to the transcription factor SOX10 to regulate transcription of myelin basic protein (Mbp, the major constituent of myelin) in rodents. RNLTR12-int like sequences (which we nameRetroMyelin) are found in all jawed-vertebrates and we further demonstrate their function in regulating myelination in two different vertebrate phyla (zebrafish and frogs). Our study therefore suggests that retroviral endogenization was a key step in the emergence of vertebrate myelin.
The sowing date changed the temperature and light conditions in the field modified the cadmium content of brown rice (Oryza sativa L.) by regulating the expression of Cd-related genes
Authors: Rang Zhongwen , Xiao Huan , Yi Zhenxie , Wang Xuehua , Chen Qiaomao , Kuang Yu , Ao Hejun
Published: January 2022

Cadmium (Cd) contamination in rice is a potential health hazard when ingested through the food chain worldwide. Reducing the Cd content in rice through agronomic measures is an effective way to reduce the risk of Cd contamination to human health. In order to clarify the correlation between temperature and light conditions and Cd accumulation (Cd-A) and Cd content of brown rice (CdBR) during the field growth period (FGP) of rice, consequently provide a theoretical basis for the selection of sowing date (SD) for “Low-Cd-Rice” production, field experiment with different SDs was carried out by using two rice varieties with different Cd accumulation characteristics (Luliangyou 996, V1, a high Cd accumulation variety; Zhuliangyou 819, V2, a low Cd accumulation variety). The results showed that the temperature and light factors such as mean soil temperature (ST), mean air temperature (AT), soil accumulation temperature (SAT), air accumulation temperature (AAT), ultraviolet radiation accumulation (UR), photosynthetic radiation accumulation (PR), light intensity accumulation (I) and sunshine hours accumulation (SH) varied to different degrees under different SDs; The difference in CdBR in two varieties could be up to 2.82 and 8.48 times respectively among SDs, with the CdBR of S4 and S5 of V2 being lower than the national standard of 0.2 mg/kg. The relative expression of OsIRT1 in the root system was significantly positively correlated with ST, SAT, AT, AAT, and SH, while OsNramp5, OsNramp1, and OsHMA3 showed significant negative correlations with ST, SAT, AT, AAT, and SH in relative expression in the root system; OsIRT1 expressed in the roots of V1 was significantly negatively correlated with CdBR, while OsHMA3 expression was significantly positively correlated with CdBR; OsLCD, OsNramp1, and OsHMA3 expression in the roots of V2 were significantly positively correlated with Cd-A and CdBR, while OsIRT1 in the roots of V2 and OsLCT1 in the leaves were significantly negatively correlated with Cd-A; The expression of OsNramp5 in roots was significantly negatively correlated with Cd-A and CdBR in both V1 and V2. Bias correlation analysis showed that ST, SAT, AT, and AAT were significantly negatively correlated with both Cd-A and CdBR; SH was significantly negatively correlated with CdBR in V1. Summarily, the temperature and light conditions during the FGP of rice and their regulation of the expression levels of related genes could be changed by sowing selection, so as to achieve safe production of rice under Cd-contaminated fields.
Self-rectifying magnetoelectric metamaterials enable precisely timed remote neural stimulation and restoration of sensory motor functions
Authors: Chen Joshua C. , Bhave Gauri , Alrashdan Fatima , Dhuliyawalla Abdeali , Robinson Jacob T.
Published: January 2022

Magnetoelectric materials convert magnetic fields to electric fields and have applications in wireless data and power transmission, electronics, sensing, data storage, and biomedical technology. For example, magnetoelectrics could enable precisely timed remote stimulation of neural tissue, but the resonance frequencies where magnetoelectric effects are maximized are typically too high to stimulate neural activity. To overcome this challenge, we created the first self-rectifying magnetoelectric “metamaterial.” This metamaterial relies on nonlinear charge transport across semiconductor layers that allow the material to generate a steady bias voltage in the presence of an alternating magnetic field. This “self-rectification” allows us to generate arbitrary electrical pulse sequences that have a time-averaged voltage in excess of 1 V. As a result, we can use magnetoelectric nonlinear metamaterials (MNMs) to remotely stimulate peripheral nerves with repeatable latencies of less than 5 ms, which is more than 120 times faster than previous neural stimulation approaches based on magnetic materials. These short latencies enable this metamaterial to be used in applications where fast neural signal transduction is necessary such as in sensory or motor neuroprosthetics. As a proof of principle, we show wireless stimulation to restore a sensory reflex in an anesthetized rat model as well as using the MNM to restore signal propagation in a severed nerve. The rational design of nonlinearities in the magnetic-to-electric transduction pathway as described here opens the door to many potential designs of MNMs tailored to applications spanning electronics, biotechnology, and sensing.
A system-wide quantitative map of RNA and protein subcellular localisation dynamics
Authors: Villanueva Eneko , Smith Tom , Pizzinga Mariavittoria , Elzek Mohamed , Queiroz Rayner M. L. , Harvey Robert F. , Breckels Lisa M , Crook Oliver M. , Monti Mie , Dezi Veronica , Willis Anne E. , Lilley Kathryn S.
Published: January 2022

Existing methods to analyse RNA localisation are constrained to specific RNAs or subcellular niches, precluding the cell-wide mapping of RNA. We present Localisation of RNA (LoRNA), which maps, at once, RNAs to membranous (nucleus, ER and mitochondria) and membraneless compartments (cytosol, nucleolus and phase-separated granules). Simultaneous interrogation of all RNA locations allows the system-wide quantification of RNA proportional distribution and the comprehensive analysis of RNA subcellular dynamics. Moreover, we have re-engineered the LOPIT (Localisation Of Proteins by Isotope Tagging) method, enabling integration with LoRNA, to jointly map RNA and protein subcellular localisation. Applying this framework, we obtain a global re-localisation map for 31839 transcripts and 5314 proteins during the unfolded protein response, uncovering that ER-localised transcripts are more efficiently recruited to stress granules than cytosolic RNAs, and revealing eIF3d is key to sustain cytoskeletal function. Overall, we provide the most exhaustive map to date of RNA and protein subcellular dynamics.
Does the impact of cultivar mixtures on virulence dynamics in Zymoseptoria tritici populations persist after interseason sexual reproduction?
Authors: Orellana-Torrejon Carolina , Vidal Tiphaine , Saint-Jean Sébastien , Suffert Frédéric
Published: January 2022

This study follows on from a previous study showing that binary mixtures of wheat cultivars affect the evolution of Zymoseptoria tritici populations within a field epidemic from the beginning (t1) to the end (t2) of a growing season. Here, we focused on the impact of interseason sexual reproduction on this evolution. We studied mixtures of susceptible and resistant cultivars (carrying Stb16q, a recently broken-down resistance gene) in proportions of 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75, and their pure stands. We determined the virulence status of 1440 ascospore-derived strains collected from residues of each cultivar by phenotyping on seedlings. Virulence frequencies were lower in mixtures than in pure stands of the resistant cultivar, as at t2, revealing that the impact of mixtures persisted until the beginning of the next epidemic (t3). The frequency of virulence was lower in the offspring population on the susceptible cultivar and, more surprisingly, the frequency of avirulence on the resistant cultivar increased after sexual reproduction. Our findings highlight two epidemiological processes in mixtures: selection within the local pathogen population between t1 and t2 driven by asexual cross-contamination between cultivars (previous study) and sexual crosses between avirulent and virulent strains between t2 and t3 driven by changes in the probabilities of physical encounters (this study). Mixtures therefore appear to be a promising strategy for the deployment of qualitative resistances, not only to limit the intensity of Septoria tritici blotch epidemics, but also to reduce the erosion of resistances by managing evolution of the pathogen population at a pluriannual scale.
Types of cis- and trans-gene regulation of expression quantitative trait loci across human tissues
Authors: Kvamme Jarred , Badsha MD Bahadur , Martin Evan A. , Wu Jiayu , Wang Xiaoyue , Fu Audrey Qiuyan
Published: January 2022

Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) have been identified for most genes in the human genome across tissues and cell types. While most of the eQTLs are near the associated genes, some can be far away or on different chromosomes, with the regulatory mechanisms largely unknown. Here, we study cis- and trans-regulation by eQTLs on protein-coding genes and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) across nearly 50 tissues and cell types. Specifically, we constructed trios consisting of an eQTL, its cis-gene and trans-gene and inferred the regulatory relationships with causal network inference. We identify multiple types of regulatory networks for trios: across all the tissues, more than half of the trios are inferred to be conditionally independent, where the two genes are conditionally independent given the genotype of the eQTL (gene 1 ← eQTL → gene 2). Around 1.5% of the trios are inferred to be mediation (eQTL → mediator → target), around 1.3% fully connected among the three nodes, and just a handful v-structures (eQTL → gene 1 ← gene 2). Unexpectedly, across the tissues, on average more than half of the mediation trios have the trans-gene as the mediator. Most of the mediators (cis and trans) are tissue specific, and cis-gene mediators are significantly enriched for protein-coding genes, whereas trans-gene mediators have a similar distribution of protein-coding genes and lncRNAs to the whole genome.
Light-controlled phosphorylation in the TrkA-Y785 site by photosensitive UAAs activates the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway
Authors: Zhao Shu , Liu Dong
Published: January 2022

TrkA is a membrane receptor that upon ligand binding, induces autophosphorylation of tyrosine residues in the intracellular domain, and this process includes sites in the kinase activation loop (Y670, Y674, Y675) and two direct sites involved in downstream signaling pathways (Y490, Y785). At present, researchers cannot fully elucidate the regulatory mechanism of TrkA phosphorylation because TrkA signaling is a highly dynamic process, and a strategy with high temporal and spatial resolution will be beneficial to the mechanism research. Our previous study proposed a design scheme for photosensitive TrkA, which utilizes a new molecular light control technology to target TrkA-Y490 and three kinase domain sites (Y670, Y674, and Y675) through Genetic Code Expansion (GCE) technology combined with site-directed mutagenesis. We chose two light-controllable unnatural amino acids (UAAs) to introduce at the specific phosphorylation sites of the target protein TrkA. We focused on the regulation mechanism of these sites on the MAPK/ERK pathway downstream of TrkA. However, this method has not yet been validated for the TrkA-Y785 site. Therefore, this paper will continue to test the light-controlled method we established earlier in the Y785 site. We aim to improve further the experimental model of light-controlled phosphorylation of TrkA that we have established and finally lay the foundation for the comprehensive analysis of kinase-related pathways.
Mendelian randomization analyses implicate biogenesis of translation machinery in human aging
Authors: Javidnia Sara , Cranwell Stephen , Mueller Stefanie H. , Selman Colin , Tullet Jennifer M.A. , Kuchenbaecker Karoline , Alic Nazif
Published: January 2022

Reduced provision of protein translation machinery promotes healthy aging in a number of animal models. In humans, however, inborn impairments in translation machinery are a known cause of several developmental disorders, collectively termed ribosomopathies. Here, we use casual inference approaches in genetic epidemiology to investigate whether adult, tissue-specific biogenesis of translation machinery drives human aging. We assess naturally occurring variation in the expression of genes encoding subunits specific to the two RNA polymerases (Pols) that transcribe ribosomal and transfer RNAs, namely Pol I and III, and the variation in expression of ribosomal protein (RP) genes, using Mendelian randomization. We find each causally associated with human longevity (β = −0.15 ± 0.047, P = 9.6 × 10−4, q = 0.015; β = −0.13 ± 0.040, P = 1.4 × 10−3, q = 0.023; β = −0.048 ± 0.016, P = 3.5 × 10−3, q = 0.056, respectively), and this does not appear to be mediated by altered susceptibility to a single disease. We find that reduced expression of Pol III, RPs, or Pol I promotes longevity from different organs, namely visceral adipose, liver, and skeletal muscle, echoing the tissue specificity of ribosomopathies. Our study shows the utility of leveraging genetic variation in expression to elucidate how essential cellular processes impact human aging. The findings extend the evolutionary conservation of protein synthesis as a critical process that drives animal aging to include humans.
Integrated fault detection for industrial process monitoring based on multi-dimensional Taylor network
Authors: Li Chen-Long , Yuan Chang-Shun , Ma Xiao-Shuang , Chen Wen-Liang , Wang Jun
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to provide a novel integrated fault detection method for industrial process monitoring.

Design/methodology/approach

A novel integrated fault detection method based on the combination of Mallat (MA) algorithm, weight-elimination (WE) algorithm, conjugate gradient (CG) algorithm and multi-dimensional Taylor network (MTN) dynamic model, namely, MA-WE-CG-MTN, is proposed in this paper. First, MA algorithm is taken as data pre-processing. Second, in virtue of approximation ability and low computation complexity owing to the simple structure of MTN, MTN dynamic models are constructed for each frequency band. Furthermore, the CG algorithm is used to discipline the model parameters and the outputs of MTN model of each frequency band are gained. Third, the authors introduce the WE algorithm to cut down the number of middle layer nodes of MTN, reducing the complexity of the network. Finally, the outputs of MTN model for each frequency band are superimposed to achieve outputs of MTN model, and fault detection is proceeded by the residual error generator based on the difference between the output of MTN model and the actual output.

Findings

The novel proposed method is used to perform fault detection for industrial process monitoring effectively, such as the Benchmark Simulation Model 1 wastewater treatment process.

Originality/value

The novel proposed method has generality and provides considerably improved performance and effectiveness, which is used to perform fault detection for industrial process monitoring. The proposed method has good robustness, low complexity and easy implementation.
Airbnb: what determines a memorable experience?
Authors: Sthapit Erose , Björk Peter , Coudounaris Dafnis N.
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a new model of memorable Airbnb experiences that was tested by examining the effects of the novelty of the experience, experience co-creation, hospitableness and facility service quality on memorable Airbnb experiences. This study also examined the impact of such experiences on hedonic well-being.

Design/methodology/approach

Using an online survey questionnaire on Amazon Mechanical Turk, we gathered data from 214 international tourists who stayed in an Airbnb rental property during the three months preceding the time of data collection (November 2020–January 2021).

Findings

This study confirmed that novelty of the experience, experience co-creation, hospitableness and facility service quality are key variables in the formation of tourists’ memorable Airbnb experiences and that the latter further influences tourists’ hedonic well-being.

Practical implications

Airbnb guests should not be viewed as passive agents but as active producers of their own consumption experiences. Airbnb hosts should, thus, be highly involved when their guests want to co-create their experiences by actively interacting with them. For example, hosts should make recommendations for dining and sightseeing.

Originality/value

This study contributed to the existing literature on memorable tourism experiences and Airbnb by furthering the understanding of the antecedents of memorable Airbnb experiences and of the mediating effect of memorable Airbnb experience on hedonic well-being.
Menopause-related medication use among women age 45-75 experiencing incarceration in North Carolina 2015-2016
Authors: Jaffe Elana , Rosen David , Palmquist Aunchalee , Knittel Andrea K.
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This study aims to estimate the prevalence of individuals receiving hormone therapy for menopause management and the prevalence of underlying conditions that may constrain options for pharmacologic menopause management in the prison context.

Design/methodology/approach

This study reviewed all prescriptions dispensed by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016, for relevance to menopause management. Relevant medications were those either recommended for menopause management or those indicated for management of conditions that may complicate menopause management, as per the 2015 clinical decision-support algorithm tool developed by the North American Menopause Society. Analysis was restricted to women between the ages of 45 and 75.

Findings

Of 1,120 women, a majority (77.8%) were between the ages of 45 and 54. Less than 5% of individuals in this study were prescribed estrogen-containing therapy. The most commonly prescribed medications that may constrain options for menopause treatment were related to hypertension and other cardiovascular disease or mental health conditions.

Research limitations/implications

The retrospective nature of this data set limits the findings, given that researchers did not have access to diagnoses or data on polypharmacy. Still, this study indicates that many women over 45 experiencing incarceration are living with health conditions that may complicate menopause symptom management with hormone therapy. Future research in carceral settings must examine the prevalence of menopause-related symptoms as well as access to and quality of comprehensive menopause management.

Originality/value

There is a paucity of literature around the menopause-related needs of individuals experiencing incarceration. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no other research has examined prevalence of pharmacologic menopause management among women who are incarcerated.
The effect of social innovation education on sustainability learning outcomes: the roles of intrinsic learning motivation and prosocial motivation
Authors: Wang Hongxin , Jiang Xin , Wu Wenqing , Tang Yuchen
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to reveal the influence mechanism of social innovation education (SIE) on sustainability learning outcomes and analyze the roles of intrinsic learning motivation and prosocial motivation.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 322 undergraduates from one higher education institution in Tianjin was used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

This study found that SIE positively affected sustainability learning outcomes, and intrinsic learning motivation mediated the relationship between them. The results showed that prosocial motivation positively moderates the positive effect of SIE on intrinsic learning motivation and the overall mediation model.

Practical implications

The findings have important practical implications for higher education institutions to carry out SIE. Higher education institutions should focus on integrating social innovation and sustainability into top-level design. Furthermore, higher education institutions should focus on stimulating students’ intrinsic learning motivation and cultivating their prosocial motivation.

Originality/value

This study identified the relationship between SIE and sustainability learning outcomes and clarified the influence mechanism of SIE on sustainability learning outcomes. Moreover, this study emphasized the importance of prosocial motivation as a key boundary condition of SIE.
Effects of surface topography on cavitation evolution of liquid film lubricated mechanical seals
Authors: Li Zhen-Tao , Zhou Yangli , Yin Xiaoli , Hao Muming , Meng Dechao , Ren Baojie
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of surface topography, including surface roughness, waviness and taper, on the cavitation of liquid film lubricated mechanical seals (LFL-MS).

Design/methodology/approach

A universal governing equation considering cavitation is established, and an equivalent relative density is defined to characterize the cavitation degree. The equation is discretized by the finite volume method and solved by the Gauss–Seidel relaxation scheme.

Findings

Results indicate that both radial length and a circumferential width of the cavitation zone and cavitation degree are affected significantly by the waviness amplitude and taper, but the effect of surface roughness is limited.

Originality/value

Effect mechanism of surface topography on the cavitation of LFL-MS is investigated and cavitation degree is reflected by an equivalent relative density. The results further help to comprehensively explore the cavitation mechanism.
Corporate financial disclosures and the importance of readability
Authors: Smaili Nadia , Gosselin Anne Marie , Le Maux Julien
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This paper draws on prior studies on the readability of corporate financial disclosures to discuss why readability should be a concern for firms. Guidance and recommendations are offered to help firms improve their financial disclosures.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors base their analysis on the management and accounting literature on readability.

Findings

This paper presents the main causes and consequences of complexity in corporate disclosures and identifies four disclosure writing styles: obfuscation, informativeness, deception and avoidance. This paper suggests that firms concerned about the readability of their communications use a balanced strategy and proposes some practical actions for its implementation.

Originality/value

This paper makes several contributions by offering insights into questions that should be raised by top management and the board of directors, including: Why care about readability? What are the causes and consequences of low readability? What strategies can we adopt and how should we implement them?
Co-production: a source of psychological well-being for consumers?
Authors: Abaidi Ibtissame , Cottet Patrice , Abaidi Jamila
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This research aims to examine the co-production of a product as a source of psychological well-being for consumers.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative experimental study on the theme of cosmetics products was conducted using a sample of 844 women. It comprised three scenarios corresponding to low (finished products), intermediate (products sold in kits) and high (the purchase of cosmetic ingredients) co-production.

Findings

The results show that co-producing an offer is a source of psychological well-being. This effect can be explained by an increase in perceived benefits and perceived value.

Originality/value

The finding of interest for management is the identification of factors that improve individuals’ psychological well-being.