bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Vascular-Derived SPARC and SerpinE1 Regulate Interneuron Tangential Migration and Accelerate Functional Maturation of Human Stem Cell-Derived Interneurons
Authors: Genestine Matthieu , Ambriz Daisy , Crabtree Gregg W. , Molotkova Anna , Quintero Michael , Mela Angeliki , Biswas Saptarshi , Canoll Peter , Hargus Gunnar , Agalliu Dritan , Gogos Joseph A. , Au Edmund 
Published: February 2020

AbstractCortical interneurons establish inhibitory microcircuits throughout the neocortex and their dysfunction has been implicated in epilepsy and neuropsychiatric diseases. Developmentally, interneurons migrate from a distal progenitor domain in order to populate the neocortex – a process that occurs at a slower rate in humans than in mice. In this study, we sought to identify factors that regulate the rate of interneuron maturation across the two species. Using embryonic mouse development as a model system, we found that the process of initiating interneuron migration is regulated by blood vessels of the medial ganglionic eminence (MGE), an interneuron progenitor domain. We identified two endothelial cell-derived paracrine factors, SPARC and SerpinE1, that enhance interneuron migration in mouse MGE explants and organotypic cultures. Moreover, pre-treatment of human stem cell-derived interneurons (hSC-interneurons) with SPARC and SerpinE1 prior to transplantation into neonatal mouse cortex enhanced their migration and morphological elaboration in the host cortex. Further, SPARC and SerpinE1-treated hSC-interneurons also exhibited more mature electrophysiological characteristics compared to controls. Overall, our studies suggest a critical role for CNS vasculature in regulating interneuron developmental maturation in both mice and humans.
Engineering Functional Pseudo-Islets of Defined Sizes from Primary Murine Cells Using PEG Microwell Devices
Authors: Shekiro Kelly MT , Hraha Thomas H , Bernard Abigail B , Benninger Richard KP , Anseth Kristi S 
Published: February 2020

AbstractA major limitation of islet transplantation as a therapy for treating Type 1 Diabetes is eventual graft failure, which can be partially attributed to islet cell death. When culturedin vitro,cells in the center of large islets show increased necrosis and exhibit decreased viability and insulin secretion compared to smaller islets. Given the necessity of β-cell-to-β-cell coupling for the physiological response to glucose, a technique to re-aggregate primary islet cells or cells derived from progenitor cells into small clusters of defined sizes may prove advantageous for promoting function upon transplantation. Here, hydrogel microwell arrays were utilized to generate 3-dimensional pseudo-islets from primary murine islets. Pseudo-islets ranged from 50 to 100 μm in diameter as controlled through the microwell dimensions, and contained β-, α-, and δ-cells with ratios similar to those in whole murine islets. Over two weeks in culture, pseudo-islets remained highly viable and responsive to glucose. Intracellular calcium flux showed more robust and coordinated dynamics at high glucose and decreased activity at low glucose compared to age-matched wild-type islets. Therefore, microwell devices can control the aggregation of cells isolated from primary islets to produce islet-like clusters that are functionally similar to freshly isolated islets, and may provide a technique to create improved cellular therapies for Type 1 Diabetes.
Brown Adipose Tissue is Associated with Improved Cardiometabolic Health and Regulates Blood Pressure
Authors: Becher Tobias , Palanisamy Srikanth , Kramer Daniel J. , Marx Sarah J. , Wibmer Andreas G. , Del Gaudio Ilaria , Butler Scott D. , Jiang Caroline S. , Vaughan Roger , Schöder Heiko , Di Lorenzo Annarita , Mark Allyn , Cohen Paul 
Published: February 2020

AbstractWhite fat stores excess energy, while brown and beige fat dissipate energy as heat1. These thermogenic adipose tissues markedly improve glucose and lipid homeostasis in mouse models, though the extent to which brown adipose tissue (BAT) influences metabolic and cardiovascular disease in humans is unclear2, 3, 4. Here, we categorized 139,22418F-FDG PET/CT scans from 53,475 patients by presence or absence of BAT and used propensity score matching to assemble a study cohort. Individuals with BAT showed lower prevalences of cardiometabolic diseases. Additionally, BAT independently correlated with lower odds of type II diabetes, coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure. These findings were supported by improved glucose, triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein values. The effects of BAT were more pronounced in overweight and obesity, indicating that BAT can offset the deleterious effects of obesity. Strikingly, we also found lower rates of hypertension among patients with BAT. Studies in a mouse model with genetic ablation of beige fat demonstrated elevated blood pressure due to increased sensitivity to angiotensin II in peripheral resistance arteries. In addition to highlighting a role for BAT in promoting overall cardiometabolic health, this study reveals a new link between thermogenic adipose tissue and blood pressure regulation.
Intracorneal delivery of HSV-targeting CRISPR/Cas9 mRNA prevents herpetic stromal keratitis
Authors: Yin Di , Ling Sikai , Wang Dawei , Yao Dai , Jiang Hao , Paludan Soren Riis , Hong Jiaxu , Cai Yujia 
Published: February 2020

ABSTRACTHerpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a leading cause of infectious blindness. Current treatments for HSV-1 do not eliminate the virus and are incapable of modulating the virus reservoir. Here, we target HSV-1 genome directly using mRNA-carrying lentiviral particle (mLP) that simultaneously delivers spCas9 mRNA and two viral genes-targeting gRNAs (designated HSV-1-erasing lentiviral particles, HELP). We showed HELP efficiently blocked HSV-1 replication in both acute and recurrent infection models, and prevented occurrence of herpetic stromal keratitis (HSK). We further showed retrograde transportation of HELP from corneas to trigeminal ganglia (TG) where HSV-1 established latency and found evidence of HELP modulating herpes reservoir. Additionally, the potent antiviral activity of HELP was also replicable in human-derived corneas. These results strongly support clinical development of HELP as a new antiviral therapy and may accelerate mRNA-based CRISPR therapeutics.
Diverse Arctic lake sediment microbiota shape methane emission temperature sensitivity
Authors: Emerson Joanne B. , Varner Ruth K. , Wik Martin , Parks Donovan H. , Neumann Rebecca B. , Johnson Joel E. , Singleton Caitlin M. , Woodcroft Ben J. , Tollerson Rodney , Owusu-Dommey Akosua , Binder Morgan , Freitas Nancy L. , Crill Patrick M. , Saleska Scott R. , Tyson Gene W. , Rich Virginia I. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractNorthern post-glacial lakes are a significant and increasing source of atmospheric carbon (C), largely through ebullition (bubbling) of microbially-produced methane (CH4) from the sediments1. Ebullitive CH4flux correlates strongly with temperature, suggesting that solar radiation is the primary driver of these CH4emissions2. However, here we show that the slope of the temperature-CH4flux relationship differs spatially, both within and among lakes.Hypothesizing that differences in microbiota could explain this heterogeneity, we compared site-specific CH4emissions with underlying sediment microbial (metagenomic and amplicon), isotopic, and geochemical data across two post-glacial lakes in Northern Sweden. The temperature-associated increase in CH4emissions was greater in lake middles—where methanogens were more abundant—than edges, and sediment microbial communities were distinct between lake edges and middles. Although CH4emissions projections are typically driven by abiotic factors1, regression modeling revealed that microbial abundances, including those of CH4-cycling microorganisms and syntrophs that generate H2for methanogenesis, can be useful predictors of porewater CH4concentrations. Our results suggest that deeper lake regions, which currently emit less CH4than shallower edges, could add substantially to overall CH4emissions in a warmer Arctic with longer ice-free seasons and that future CH4emission predictions from northern lakes may be improved by accounting for spatial variations in sediment microbiota.
A Heat Stress Responsive NAC Transcription Factor Heterodimer Plays Key Roles in Rice Grain Filling
Authors: Ren Ye , Huang Zhouquan , Jiang Hao , Wang Zhuo , Wu Fengsheng , Xiong Yufei , Yao Jialing 
Published: February 2020

AbstractHigh temperature often leads to the failure of grain filling in rice (Oryza sativa) to cause yield loss, while the mechanism is not well elucidated yet. Here, we report that two seed-specific NAM/ATAF/CUC domain transcription factors,ONAC127andONAC129, are responsive to heat stress and involved in the grain filling process of rice.ONAC127andONAC129are dominantly expressed in the pericarp and can form a heterodimer during rice grain filling. CRISPR/Cas9 induced mutants and overexpression lines were then generated to investigate the functions of these two transcription factors. Interestingly, both knock-out and overexpression plants showed incomplete grain filling and shrunken grains, which became more severe under heat stress. Transcriptome analysis revealed thatONAC127andONAC129mainly regulate stimulus response and nutrient transport. ChIP-seq analysis identified that the direct targets of ONAC127 and ONAC129 in developing rice seeds include monosaccharide transporterOsMST6, sugar transporterOsSWEET4, calmodulin-like proteinOsMSR2and AP2/ERF factorOsEATB. These results suggest thatONAC127andONAC129may regulate grain filling through affecting sugar transportation and abiotic stress responses. Overall, this study demonstrates a transcriptional regulatory network involving ONAC127 and ONAC129 and coordinating multiple pathways to modulate seed development and heat stress response at rice reproductive stage.HighlightA NAC transcription factor heterodimer plays vital roles in heat stress response and sugar transportation at rice grain filling stage.
Textile waste and microplastic induce activity and development of unique hydrocarbon-degrading marine bacterial communities
Authors: Girard Elsa B. , Kaliwoda Melanie , Schmahl Wolfgang W. , Wörheide Gert , Orsi William D. 
Published: February 2020

ABSTRACTBiofilm-forming microbial communities on plastics and textile fibers are of growing interest since they have potential to contribute to disease outbreaks and material biodegradability in the environment. Knowledge on microbial colonization of pollutants in the marine realm is expanding, but metabolic responses during substrate colonization remains poorly understood. Here, we assess the metabolic response in marine microbial communities to three different micropollutants, virgin high-density polyethylene (HDPE) microbeads, polysorbate-20 (Tween), and textile fibers. Intertidal textile fibers, mainly cotton, virgin HDPE, and Tween induced variable levels of microbial growth, respiration, and community assembly in controlled microcosm experiments. RAMAN characterization of the chemical composition of the textile waste fibers and high-throughput DNA sequencing data shows how the increased metabolic stimulation and biodegradation is translated into selection processes ultimately manifested in different communities colonizing the different micropollutant substrates. The composition of the bacterial communities colonizing the substrates were significantly altered by micropollutant substrate type and light conditions. Bacterial taxa, closely related to the well-known hydrocarbonoclastic bacteriaKordiimonasspp. andAlcanivoraxspp., were enriched in the presence of textile-waste. The findings demonstrate an increased metabolic response by marine hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial taxa in the presence of microplastics and textile waste, highlighting their biodegradation potential. The metabolic stimulation by the micropollutants was increased in the presence of light, possibly due to photochemical dissolution of the plastic into smaller bioavailable compounds. Our results suggest that the development and increased activity of these unique microbial communities likely play a role in the bioremediation of the relatively long lived textile and microplastic pollutants in marine habitats.Graphical Abstract
Aesthetic preference for art emerges from a weighted integration over hierarchically structured visual features in the brain
Authors: Iigaya Kiyohito , Yi Sanghyun , Wahle Iman A. , Tanwisuth Koranis , O’Doherty John P. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractIt is an open question whether preferences for visual art can be lawfully predicted from the basic constituent elements of a visual image. Moreover, little is known about how such preferences are actually constructed in the brain. Here we developed and tested a computational framework to gain an understanding of how the human brain constructs aesthetic value. We show that it is possible to explain human preferences for a piece of art based on an analysis of features present in the image. This was achieved by analyzing the visual properties of drawings and photographs by multiple means, ranging from image statistics extracted by computer vision tools, subjective human ratings about attributes, to a deep convolutional neural network. Crucially, it is possible to predict subjective value ratings not only within but also across individuals, speaking to the possibility that much of the variance in human visual preference is shared across individuals. Neuroimaging data revealed that preference computations occur in the brain by means of a graded hierarchical representation of lower and higher level features in the visual system. These features are in turn integrated to compute an overall subjective preference in the parietal and prefrontal cortex. Our findings suggest that rather than being idiosyncratic, human preferences for art can be explained at least in part as a product of a systematic neural integration over underlying visual features of an image. This work not only advances our understanding of the brain-wide computations underlying value construction but also brings new mechanistic insights to the study of visual aesthetics and art appreciation.
Impact of CSR news reports on firm value
Authors: Seok Junhee , Lee Youseok , Kim Byung-Do 
Published: February 2020

PurposeThis study clarifies the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) news reports and firm value and identifies the mechanisms that constitute this relationship. Specifically, it identifies the roles of word of mouth (WOM) and traditional advertising in this relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe data set used for the analysis covers 77 firms in Korea from 2012 to 2015. The random-effects model is applied to verify three hypotheses. Using a three-step regression analysis and the Sobel test, this study reveals the roles of WOM and advertising expenditure in the relationship between CSR news reports and firm value.FindingsCSR news reports positively affect firm value, and this relationship is mediated by WOM and moderated by advertising expenditure. Notably, the positive effect of WOM on firm value is stronger for companies that spend less on advertising.Practical implicationsThe evidence implies that marketing managers could benefit from not only conducting CSR activities but also widely publicizing them. CSR news reports could help companies enhance public awareness of and interest in them.Originality/valueThis is the first study to investigate the influence of CSR news reports using empirical data in Korea.
Role of gender and corporate risk taking
Authors: Hurley Dene , Choudhary Amod 
Published: February 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the role of chief financial officers’ (CFOs’) gender in financial risk taking of 58 US companies along with the impact of having women board members.Design/methodology/approachUsing a panel data of 58 selected S&P 500 companies during the period 2012-2016, this paper determines whether the gender of CFOs and having women board members play a role in risk-taking behavior of firms.FindingsFirms led by female CFOs are smaller in size with lower net income and net revenue. The panel data analysis shows that the impact of female CFOs on firms’ financial risk is mixed, depending on risk measures used, whereas increasing female board members reduces that risk.Research limitations/implicationsThe data used is limited to 58 S&P 500 companies, and two of the three risk-taking measures used in the study, specifically investment in property, plant and equipment (PPE) and debt/equity ratio, may not be applicable to some industries.Practical implicationsThe findings provide mixed evidence of risk aversion by females in executive and leadership positions, depending on the measures used and the management responsibilities they undertake (CFO versus board member) with support for the glass cliff phenomenon in which females may be leading financially precarious organizations.Social implicationsFemale CFOs are found to be leading relatively smaller and financially poor-performing firms compared with the male CFO-led firms, thereby giving support to the glass cliff arguments.Originality/valueThe paper examines the role of CFOs’ gender and board diversity in risk taking as measured by the investment in PPE, debt/equity ratio and stock return volatility.
A very lucrative liquid: the emerging trade in human milk as a form of reproductive exploitation and violence against women
Authors: Steele Sarah Louise , Hernandez-Salazar Eduardo E. 
Published: February 2020

PurposeAn emerging market in human milk exists for both nutritional and biomedical research purposes. This commercialisation of human milk, however, raises issues about the exploitation and violence against women.Design/methodology/approachThis paper explores the framing of the issues as one of human rights, and whether the shifting of gender issues away from gender-specific spaces in legal and ethical debates, makes their ethical consideration and the tangible consequences from these considerations, into a potential further sources of exploitation and other forms of violence against women.FindingsThe authors find the commoditisation of human milk as a nutritional product deprives women from the centrality of their roles and, therefore, from the upholding of women rights and the adequate prevention of violence against women. They identify an emerging space where trafficking in women and girls can occur for their milk as part of a broader set of practices of reproductive exploitation. They also identify that existing legal, ethical and research discussions often frame labour or organ trafficking as the appropriate framework but find this inadequate to address the inherently gendered aspect of reproductive exploitation. The current response makes trafficking in women for their milk a potential practice while concealing the structural inequalities that underpin women’s experiences as the buyers and sellers of human milk.Practical implicationsThe regulation of human milk sale should therefore move from a public health paradigm focused on safety to one of health and women’s rights, whereas human trafficking laws around the world should explicitly address reproductive exploitation.Originality/valueEmerging forms of exploitation, such as human milk sale remain underdiscussed alongside other more prominent forms of reproductive exploitation, such as surrogacy. The authors call for explicit consideration of the emerging trade as its burdens fall exclusively on women and existing frameworks for addressing exploitation often overlook these emerging practices and the structural inequalities faced by women that drive these trades.
Comparison of performances of flexible sensors on foil and paper for efficient bacterial concentration measurement
Authors: Kojic Tijana , Radovanovic Milan , Stojanovic Goran M. , Pivas Bojana , Medic Deana , Al-Salami Hani 
Published: February 2020

Purpose
The purpose of this study was to develop flexible sensors for detection of different concentrations of bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, in saline.

Design/methodology/approach
The sensors were fabricated using ink-jet printing technology and they consist of a pair of silver interdigitated electrodes printed on mechanically flexible substrates – foil and paper. In house measurement setup for testing and characterization of sensors has been developed. Structural, electrical and mechanical properties of flexible sensors have been determined and compared.

Findings
The characteristics of sensor – the resonant frequency as a function of different concentrations of each bacteria – are presented. The obtained results demonstrate different resonant frequencies for each dilution of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus in physiological saline.

Research limitations/implications
Both sensors showed accurate measurements of bacterial count, which can be achieved with detection of resonant frequency, and this is reflective of the number of bacterial cells within a sample.

Practical implications
The findings suggest that the newly developed method based on measuring resonant frequency corresponds well with bacterial cell count, thus establishing a new proof-of-concept that such method can have significant applications in bacterial cell counting that are economic and easily maintained.

Social implications
Fast, cost-effective, accurate and non-invasive method for detection of different bacteria from saline was developed.

Originality/value
For the first time, comparison between performances of flexible sensors on foil and paper for bacteria detection is demonstrated. Almost linear dependence between shift of resonant frequency of developed sensors and concentration of bacteria has been obtained.
Senior tourism – a scientometric review (1998-2017)
Authors: Pestana Maria Helena , Wang Wan-Chen , Parreira Artur 
Published: February 2020

Purpose
This study aims to identify intellectual structures, emerging trends and future research opportunities via a bibliometric analysis of senior tourism research from 1998 until 2017.

Design/methodology/approach
A detailed search of 700 core articles and 7,221 citations collated from Web-of-Science and Scopus was implemented and analyzed through CiteSpace.

Findings
The results reveal a slow increase in the amount of research, with six main areas of research. The most cited articles are mainly older. The USA has a solid leadership in publications, followed by Australia and China. The network of journals and institutions show a core peripheral structure where Tourism Management and University of Queensland are ranked first. The identification of structural holes, critical articles and the development of new emerging tendencies highlights the priorities in the senior tourism domain, pointing to new opportunities for research.

Originality/value
The originality of this paper consists in a temporal and dynamic analysis of the past two decades, using CiteSpace for a co-citation and co-occurrence network analysis.