bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Imaging meningeal inflammation in CNS autoimmunity identifies a therapeutic role for BTK inhibition
Authors: Bhargava Pavan , Kim Sol , Reyes Arthur Anthony , Grenningloh Roland , Boschert Ursula , Absinta Martina , Pardo-Villamizar Carlos , Van Zijl Peter , Zhang Jiangyang , Calabresi Peter A 
Published: August 2020

AbstractLeptomeningeal inflammation in multiple sclerosis is associated with worse clinical outcomes and greater cortical pathology. Despite progress in identification of this process in multiple sclerosis patients using post-contrast FLAIR imaging, early trials attempting to target meningeal inflammation have been unsuccessful. There is a lack of appropriate model systems to screen potential therapeutic agents targeting meningeal inflammation. We utilized ultra-high field (11.7 Tesla) MRI to perform post-contrast FLAIR imaging in SJL/J mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis induced using immunization with proteolipid protein peptide (PLP139-151) and complete Freund’s adjuvant. Imaging was performed in both a cross-sectional and longitudinal fashion at time-points ranging from 2 to 14 weeks post-immunization. Following imaging, we euthanized animals and collected tissue for pathological evaluation, which identified dense cellular infiltrates corresponding to areas of contrast-enhancement involving the leptomeninges. These areas of meningeal inflammation contained B cells (B220+), T cells (CD3+) and myeloid cells (Mac2+). We also noted features consistent with tertiary lymphoid tissue within these areas – presence of peripheral node addressin (PNAd) positive structures, CXCL13 producing cells and FDC-M1+ follicular dendritic cells. In the cortex adjacent to areas of meningeal inflammation we identified astrocytosis, microgliosis, demyelination and evidence of axonal stress/damage. Since areas of meningeal contrast enhancement persisted over several weeks in longitudinal experiments, we utilized this model to test the effects of a therapeutic intervention on established meningeal inflammation. We randomized mice with evidence of meningeal contrast enhancement on MRI scans performed at 6 weeks post-immunization, to treatment with either vehicle or evobrutinib (a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor) for a period of 4 weeks. These mice underwent serial imaging and we examined the effect of treatment on the areas of meningeal contrast enhancement and noted a significant reduction in the evobrutinib group compared to vehicle (30% reduction versus 5% increase;P= 0.003). We utilized ultra-high field MRI imaging to identify areas of meningeal inflammation and to track them over time in SJL/J mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and then utilized this model to identify Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibition as a novel therapeutic approach to target meningeal inflammation. The results of this study provide support for future studies in multiple sclerosis patients with imaging evidence of meningeal inflammation.
eQTpLot: a user-friendly R package for the visualization and colocalization of eQTL and GWAS signals
Authors: Drivas Theodore G. , Lucas Anastasia , Ritchie Marylyn D. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractGenomic studies increasingly integrate expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) information into their analysis pipelines, but few tools exist for the visualization of colocalization between eQTL and GWAS results. Those tools that do exist are limited in their analysis options, and do not integrate eQTL and GWAS information into a single figure panel, making the visualization of colocalization difficult.To address this issue, we developed the intuitive and user-friendly R package eQTpLot. eQTpLot takes as input standard GWAS and eQTL summary statistics, and optional pairwise LD information, to generate a series of plots visualizing colocalization, correlation, and enrichment between eQTL and GWAS signals for a given gene-trait pair. With eQTpLot, investigators can easily generate a series of customizable plots clearly illustrating, for a given gene-trait pair: 1) colocalization between GWAS and eQTL signals, 2) correlation between GWAS and eQTL p-values, 3) enrichment of eQTLs among trait-significant variants, 4) the LD landscape of the locus in question, and 5) the relationship between the direction of effect of eQTL signals and the direction of effect of colocalizing GWAS peaks. These clear and comprehensive plots provide a unique view of eQTL-GWAS colocalization, allowing for a more complete understanding of the interaction between gene expression and trait associations.In summary, eQTpLot provides a unique, user-friendly, and intuitive means of visualizing eQTL and GWAS signal colocalization, incorporating novel features not found in other eQTL visualization software. We believe eQTpLot will prove a useful tool for investigators seeking a convenient and customizable visualization of eQTL and GWAS data colocalization.Availability and Implementationthe eQTpLot R package and tutorial are available athttps://github.com/RitchieLab/eQTpLot
Cortical Magnification in Human Visual Cortex Parallels Task Performance around the Visual Field
Authors: Benson Noah C. , Kupers Eline R. , Barbot Antoine , Carrasco Marisa , Winawer Jonathan 
Published: August 2020

AbstractHuman vision has striking radial asymmetries, with performance on many tasks varying sharply with stimulus polar angle. Performance is generally better on the horizontal than vertical meridian, and on the lower than upper vertical meridian, and these asymmetries decrease gradually with deviation from the vertical meridian. Here we report cortical magnification at a fine angular resolution around the visual field. This precision enables comparisons between cortical magnification and behavior, between cortical magnification and retinal cell densities, and between cortical magnification in twin pairs. We show that cortical magnification in human primary visual cortex, measured in 163 subjects, varies substantially around the visual field, with a pattern similar to behavior. These radial asymmetries in cortex are larger than those found in the retina, and they are correlated between monozygotic twin pairs. These findings indicate a tight link between cortical topography and behavior, and suggest that visual field asymmetries are partly heritable.
Furin Cleavage Site Is Key to SARS-CoV-2 Pathogenesis
Authors: Johnson Bryan A. , Xie Xuping , Kalveram Birte , Lokugamage Kumari G. , Muruato Antonio , Zou Jing , Zhang Xianwen , Juelich Terry , Smith Jennifer K. , Zhang Lihong , Bopp Nathen , Schindewolf Craig , Vu Michelle , Vanderheiden Abigail , Swetnam Daniele , Plante Jessica A. , Aguilar Patricia , Plante Kenneth S. , Lee Benhur , Weaver Scott C. , Suthar Mehul S. , Routh Andrew L. , Ren Ping , Ku Zhiqiang , An Zhiqiang , Debbink Kari , Shi Pei Yong , Freiberg Alexander N. , Menachery Vineet D. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractSARS-CoV-2 has resulted in a global pandemic and shutdown economies around the world. Sequence analysis indicates that the novel coronavirus (CoV) has an insertion of a furin cleavage site (PRRAR) in its spike protein. Absent in other group 2B CoVs, the insertion may be a key factor in the replication and virulence of SARS-CoV-2. To explore this question, we generated a SARS-CoV-2 mutant lacking the furin cleavage site (ΔPRRA) in the spike protein. This mutant virus replicated with faster kinetics and improved fitness in Vero E6 cells. The mutant virus also had reduced spike protein processing as compared to wild-type SARS-CoV-2. In contrast, the ΔPRRA had reduced replication in Calu3 cells, a human respiratory cell line, and had attenuated disease in a hamster pathogenesis model. Despite the reduced disease, the ΔPRRA mutant offered robust protection from SARS-CoV-2 rechallenge. Importantly, plaque reduction neutralization tests (PRNT50) with COVID-19 patient sera and monoclonal antibodies against the receptor-binding domain found a shift, with the mutant virus resulting in consistently reduced PRNT50titers. Together, these results demonstrate a critical role for the furin cleavage site insertion in SARS-CoV-2 replication and pathogenesis. In addition, these findings illustrate the importance of this insertion in evaluating neutralization and other downstream SARS-CoV-2 assays.ImportanceAs COVID-19 has impacted the world, understanding how SARS-CoV-2 replicates and causes virulence offers potential pathways to disrupt its disease. By removing the furin cleavage site, we demonstrate the importance of this insertion to SARS-CoV-2 replication and pathogenesis. In addition, the findings with Vero cells indicate the likelihood of cell culture adaptations in virus stocks that can influence reagent generation and interpretation of a wide range of data including neutralization and drug efficacy. Overall, our work highlights the importance of this key motif in SARS-CoV-2 infection and pathogenesis.Article SummaryA deletion of the furin cleavage site in SARS-CoV-2 amplifies replication in Vero cells, but attenuates replication in respiratory cells and pathogenesis in vivo. Loss of the furin site also reduces susceptibility to neutralizationin vitro.
Quorum quenching activity of the PGPRBacillus subtilisUD1022 alters nodulation efficiency ofSinorhizobium melilotionMedicago truncatula
Authors: Rosier Amanda , Beauregard Pascale B. , Bais Harsh P. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractPlant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have enormous potential for solving some of the myriad challenges facing our global agricultural system. Intense research efforts are rapidly moving the field forward and illuminating the wide diversity of bacteria and their plant beneficial activities. In the development of better crop solutions using these PGPR, producers are including multiple different species of PGPR in their formulations in a ‘consortia’ approach. While the intention is to emulate more natural rhizomicrobiome systems, the aspect of bacterial interactions has not been properly regarded. By using a tri-trophic model ofMedicago truncatulaA17 Jemalong, its nitrogen (N)-fixing symbiontSinorhizobium melilotiRm8530 and the PGPRBacillus subtilisUD1022, we demonstrate indirect influences between the bacteria affecting their plant growth promoting activities. Co-cultures of UD1022 with Rm8530 significantly reduced Rm8530 biofilm formation and downregulated quorum sensing (QS) genes responsible for symbiotically active biofilm production. This work also identifies the presence and activity of a quorum quenching lactonase in UD1022 and proposes this as the mechanism for non-synergistic activity of this model ‘consortium’. These interspecies interactions may be common in the rhizosphere and are critical to understand as we seek to develop new sustainable solutions in agriculture.
A new two-lane lattice hydrodynamic model on a curved road accounting for the empirical lane-changing rate
Authors: Wang Qingying , Cheng Rongjun , Ge Hongxia 
Published: August 2020

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how curved road and lane-changing rates affect the stability of traffic flow.

Design/methodology/approach
An extended two-lane lattice hydrodynamic model on a curved road accounting for the empirical lane-changing rate is presented. The linear analysis of the new model is discussed, the stability condition and the neutral stability condition are obtained. Also, the mKdV equation and its solution are proposed through nonlinear analysis, which discusses the stability of the extended model in the unstable region. Furthermore, the results of theoretical analysis are verified by numerical simulation.

Findings
The empirical lane-changing rate on a curved road is an important factor, which can alleviate traffic congestion.

Research limitations/implications
This paper does not take into account the factors such as slope, the drivers’ characters and so on in the actual traffic, which will have more or less influence on the stability of traffic flow, so there is still a certain gap with the real traffic environment.

Originality/value
The curved road and empirical lane-changing rate are researched simultaneously in a two-lane lattice hydrodynamic models in this paper. The improved model can better reflect the actual traffic, which can also provide a theoretical reference for the actual traffic governance.
Managerial aspiration: do gender and gender role identity make a difference in the Chinese context?
Authors: Zhang Ruijuan , Qiu Shaoping , Dooley Larry M. , Choudhury Tamim 
Published: August 2020

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore how gender and gender role identity separately and jointly affect managerial aspirations.

Design/methodology/approach
The study was cross-sectional in nature. Survey data were collected from Chinese Government sectors. Two-way analysis of variance was used to test the research hypotheses.

Findings
The results showed that gender role identity and combination of gender and gender role identity predict management aspirations while gender alone does not affect management aspirations. Androgynous individuals self-reported higher scores of managerial aspirations. Female managers who perceive themselves as androgynous and masculine tend to possess higher management aspirations. However, when they perceive themselves to exhibit feminine traits, they are more likely to hold lower management aspirations. Moreover, male managers with androgynous and feminine traits are inclined to have higher management aspirations.

Research limitations/implications
Due to cross-sectional survey data, research results may be biased by common method variance. In addition, because of a convenient sample, the research results may lack generalizability. Moreover, with participants from different organizations, the percentage of men and women in the organization and participants’ role conflicts between work and family life would impact the gender role identity of individuals. Future research should control for the gender composition of the workplace and participants’ role conflicts between work and family life.

Practical implications
The findings can help narrow the gender gap of managerial aspirations through focusing on gender role identity in selecting managers and designing the leadership training program, ultimately resulting in diminishing disparity in top leadership positions between men and women.

Originality/value
This study examines how gender and gender role identity separately and jointly affects managerial aspirations in the Chinese context.
How to prevent negative online customer reviews: the moderating roles of monetary compensation and psychological compensation
Authors: Liu Jun , Zhang HengJin , Sun JingJing , Li NingXin , Bilgihan Anil 
Published: August 2020

Purpose
This paper aims to clarify the effects of motivations on negative online customer reviews (OCRs) behavior in an integrative framework and to identify the moderating role of monetary compensation and psychological compensation in the Chinese food and beverage industry.

Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 377 consumers who posted a negative review online. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to test the research hypotheses.

Findings
The authors identified some characteristics of the consumers who posted negative online reviews in the Chinese food and beverage industry and found evidence that reveals the positive effects of emotional venting motivation and altruism motivation on posting negative customer online reviews. Economic motivation and self-enhancement motivation were not significantly connected to negative OCRs behaviors. Service recovery strategies can moderate the relationship between certain motivations and behaviors. The absence of psychological compensation will aggravate the influence of emotion venting motivation on consumers’ negative online reviews, while monetary compensation can restrain the influence of altruism motivation on negative online rating behavior.

Research limitations/implications
This paper did not explore the effect of the fairness and timeliness of service recovery on negative OCRs behavior. This paper did not consider the different restaurant types and customers' characteristics, and future research can test similar models with different and more diverse samples.

Practical implications
When implementing service recovery strategies, it is important to consider the psychological component of recovery. The absence of psychological compensation aggravates the influence of high levels of emotion venting motivation on consumers’ negative OCRs, leading to a lower rating, more word comments and negative photos. High levels of monetary compensation can restrain the influence of altruism motivation on negative online rating behavior.

Originality/value
The current paper contributes to the hospitality management literature by investigating the motivations behind consumer decisions to post negative OCRs in a food and beverage context. In addition, the moderating effect that service recovery strategies have on this relationship was also explored in depth.
Antecedents and consequences of organizational commitment in school education sector
Authors: Baksi Maiti Rooprekha , Sanyal Shamindra Nath , Mazumder Rabin 
Published: August 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to study the attitude of the employees toward organizational commitment and its impact on organizational effectiveness and, second, to develop a strategic model for organizational commitment and organizational effectiveness.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual model was suggested to determine the variables influencing school teachers’ organizational commitment and the role of organizational commitment to organizational efficiency with prosocial behavior as the moderating variable. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate the relationship between suggested factors using a sample of 298 state and private school teachers in and around a metropolitan city of India.FindingsThe results of this study showed that, except performance appraisal and assessment of the employees, employee personality and relationship with coworkers, all other constructs significantly affected organizational commitment. The positive influence of organizational commitment to organizational effectiveness was also moderated by prosocial behavior. Demography exerted a significant impact on organizational commitment.Originality/valueOrganizational commitment is comparatively a new topic of research, and in the school education sector, little work was conducted. Hence, the results can be generalized to gain the future direction of organizational commitment in educational research, and it can also be improvised in the corporate sector.
Enhancing supply chain learning and innovation performance through human resource management
Authors: Haq Muhammad Zia Ul , Gu Minhao , Huo Baofeng 
Published: August 2020

PurposeDespite the importance, no study exists which investigates the role of human resource (HR) in supply chain (SC) learning. This study aims to investigate the effects of high-performance human resource management (HRM) practices on different types of the SC learning (i.e. supplier, customer and internal learning) and innovation performance.Design/methodology/approachThis study applies structural equation modeling to test the conceptual model based on data collected from 213 manufacturing firms in China.FindingsThe findings indicate that empowerment improves all three dimensions of SC learning, whereas training improves supplier and internal learning and teamwork is not related to any dimension of SC learning. These HRM practices also interactively influence SC learning dimensions. Moreover, customer and internal learning are directly related to innovation performance, while supplier leaning has a complementary effect with internal leaning but a substitutional effect with customer learning to innovation performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis study only selects training, teamwork and empowerment to manifest high-performance HRM practices. The impacts of high-performance HRM practices on different dimensions of SC learning and innovation performance are tested empirically with cross sectional-data collected only from manufacturing firms in China.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that managers can promote SC learning through the empowerment and training of their employees. Moreover, managers should place more emphasis on customer and internal learning to improve innovation performance.Originality/valueCombining HRM and supply chain management (SCM) fields, this study offers a new framework to understand linkages between high-performance HRM practices, SC learning and innovation performance by using an empirical method.
Traits mediate a trade‐off in seedling growth response to light and conspecific density in a diverse subtropical forest
Authors: Song Xiaoyang , Yang Jie , Cao Min , Lin Luxiang , Sun Zhenhua , Wen Handong , Swenson Nathan G. 
Published: August 2020

Abstract

Understanding tree species responses to biotic and abiotic factors is fundamental for stronger predictions of community assembly and dynamics. However, several challenges remain. These include a failure to investigate whether there is evidence for key hypothesized life‐history trade‐offs and to link these trade‐offs to functional traits.

In this study, we seek to explicitly address the above outstanding challenges by constructing models for individual seedling growth in response to abiotic and biotic factors using 3 years of seedling census data from a 20‐ha subtropical forest dynamics plot in a diverse subtropical forest and correlated these responses with functional traits.

We found that light and conspecific neighbours increase and decrease the RGR of tree seedlings respectively. We also found that the ability of a species to positively respond to canopy openness trades‐off against susceptibility to conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD). This trade‐off was evident across seasons and could be predicted on functional trait—stem and leaf dry matter content.

Synthesis. Our findings indicate species that can grow quickly in high‐light environments also tend to suffer more CNDD. The results highlight that strong evidence of a trade‐off relating to growth and defence widely hypothesized to be of importance in diverse tree communities and that this trade‐off occurs across seasons and can be linked to a commonly measured functional trait.