bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Xer activation factor of TLCΦ expands the possibilities for Xer recombination
Authors: Miele Solange , Vergne Justine , Possoz Christophe , Ochsenbein Françoise , Barre François-Xavier 
Published: September 2021

ABSTRACTMany mobile elements take advantage of the highly-conserved chromosome dimer resolution system of bacteria, Xer. They participate in the transmission of antibiotic resistance and pathogenicity determinants. In particular, the toxin-linked cryptic satellite phage (TLCΦ) plays an essential role in the continuous emergence of new toxigenic clones of the Vibrio cholerae strain at the origin of the ongoing 7th cholera pandemic. The Xer machinery is composed of two chromosomally-encoded tyrosine recombinases, XerC and XerD. They resolve chromosome dimers by adding a crossover between sister copies of a specific 28 base pair site of bacterial chromosomes, dif. The activity of XerD depends on a direct contact with a cell division protein, FtsK, which spatially and temporally constrains the process. TLCΦ encodes for a XerD-activation factor (XafT), which drives the integration of the phage into the dif site of the primary chromosome of V. cholerae independently of FtsK. However, XerD does not bind to the attachment site (attP) of TLCΦ, which raised questions on the integration process. Here, we compared the integration efficiency of thousands of synthetic mini-TLCΦ plasmids harbouring different attP sites and assessed their stability in vivo. In addition, we compared the efficiency with which XafT and the XerD activation domain of FtsK drive recombination reactions in vitro. Taken together, our results suggest that XafT promotes the formation of synaptic complexes between canonical Xer recombination sites and imperfect sites.
An adjuvanted SARS-CoV-2 RBD nanoparticle elicits neutralizing antibodies and fully protective immunity in aged mice
Authors: Borriello Francesco , Nanishi Etsuro , Seo Hyuk-Soo , O’Meara Timothy R. , McGrath Marisa E. , Saito Yoshine , Haupt Robert E. , Chen Jing , Diray-Arce Joann , Song Kijun , Xu Andrew Z , Caradonna Timothy M. , Feldman Jared , Hauser Blake M. , Schmidt Aaron G. , Baden Lindsey R. , Ernst Robert K. , Dillen Carly , Weston Stuart M. , Johnson Robert M. , Hammond Holly L. , Yu Jingyou , Chang Aiquan , Hilgers Luuk , Platenburg Peter Paul , Dhe-Paganon Sirano , Barouch Dan H. , Ozonoff Al , Zanoni Ivan , Frieman Matthew B. , Dowling David J. , Levy Ofer 
Published: September 2021

SUMMARYDevelopment of affordable and effective vaccines that can also protect vulnerable populations such as the elderly from COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality is a public health priority. Here we took a systematic and iterative approach by testing several SARS-CoV-2 protein antigens and adjuvants to identify a combination that elicits neutralizing antibodies and protection in young and aged mice. In particular, SARS-CoV-2 receptorbinding domain (RBD) displayed as a protein nanoparticle (RBD-NP) was a highly effective antigen, and when formulated with an oil-in-water emulsion containing Carbohydrate fatty acid MonoSulphate derivative (CMS) induced the highest levels of cross-neutralizing antibodies compared to other oil-in-water emulsions or AS01B. Mechanistically, CMS induced antigen retention in the draining lymph node (dLN) and expression of cytokines, chemokines and type I interferon-stimulated genes at both injection site and dLN. Overall, CMS:RBD-NP is effective across multiple age groups and is an exemplar of a SARS-CoV-2 subunit vaccine tailored to the elderly.
Successful, coasting and low-performing school principals in Israel: an explanatory model
Authors: Tubin Dorit , Farchi Talmor Rachel 
Published: September 2021

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the successful school and principal (SSP) model, which has developed over 13 years of Israeli involvement in the ISSPP study.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper summarizing the findings of more than 20 case studies of successful, coasting and low-performing schools and their principals, into the SSP model. In all the cases, ISSPP protocols were used to collect the data, and the findings were analyzed in accordance with the organizational approach and organizational routine theory.FindingsThe explanatory SSP model comprises three cyclical phases that explain cause–effect relationships and presents intervention points for school improvement toward success. The first phase is an organizational restructuring of two core routines: the school schedule routine and the school tracking routine, which shape and affect school staff behavior. The second phase is the priorities and values revealed in these behaviors and which shape the school as a learning environment. The third phase in school improvement is the institutional legitimacy derived from and reflecting the school’s priorities and values. All these phases are based on the principal as a crucial key player who turns the wheel.Originality/valueTheoretically, the SSP model explains cause–effect relationships and indicates possible interventions and improvements. Practically, the SSP model can influence principal preparation programs, novice principal mentoring and serve as a roadmap for school improvement.
Dubious or decisive? Digging deeper into the unchartered path of academic ghostwriting
Authors: Svirina Anna , Anand Amitabh 
Published: September 2021

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to investigate the journey of academic professors who have engaged in ghostwriting.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts qualitative exploratory methods to investigate the ghostwriters' journey into academic ghostwriting. To achieve the goal, the authors interviewed academic ghostwriters, who were working for a diploma mill company, specifically focused on PhD thesis writing in the NIS setting.FindingsThis study revealed several interesting insights from ghostwriter perspective such as the origins and motivation of ghostwriters, ghostwriters life, ghostwriters' careers and impediments faced by them.Originality/valueGiven the dispersed and sensitive nature of the topic, this is one of the few studies to investigate ghostwriting and offer implications.
Sustainability and its challenges in destinations that highly depend on tourism: a thematic literature review
Authors: Dembovska Iveta , Zvaigzne Anda 
Published: September 2021

PurposeThis article aims to adopt a thematic approach to a review of the literature relating to sustainability and its challenges in destinations that highly depend on tourism.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides a review of scientific and theoretical research studies on the concept and principles of sustainable tourism, the effects of tourism on society and sustainable tourism strategy.FindingsThe basic principles of sustainable tourism development apply to all destinations, including Cyprus. The development of tourism is associated with the observance of the principles of sustainable tourism development, which takes the form of balanced environmental and economic development and involves the observance of public interest.Originality/valueThe paper offers a broad-ranging review-based perspective on sustainable tourism and the principles and development thereof.
Relatedness modulates density‐dependent cannibalism rates in Drosophila
Authors: Fisher Adam M. , Le Page Sally , Manser Andri , Lewis Daniel R. , Holwell Gregory I. , Wigby Stuart , Price Tom A. R. 
Published: September 2021

Abstract

Cannibalism is taxonomically widespread and can have large impacts on individual fitness and population‐level processes. As such, identifying how cannibalism rates vary in response to ecological cues is important for predicting species evolution and population dynamics.

In this study, we aimed to identify several eco‐evolutionary factors that affect cannibalism rate and measure how they interacted with one another.

To do this, we conducted two experiments using complimentary methods to measure how cannibalism rates varied among larval Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans in response to changes in conspecific relatedness, social familiarity and density.

We found that larvae were more likely to cannibalise non‐related larval victims in both species, and that this effect increased at high densities in D. simulans. We found no evidence that Drosophila larvae use social familiarity to assess relatedness. Finally, in D. melanogaster, cannibalistic larvae prefer to cannibalise larvae that are being attacked by a greater number of conspecifics, implying that cues linked to conspecific abundance encourage cooperative cannibalism.

By showing that cannibalism frequency in Drosophila spp. is sensitive to relatedness and several other factors, we reveal the complex relationship between cannibalism frequency and species ecology. Also, by showing that the effect of relatedness on cannibalism frequency is density dependent, we advance the current understanding of how ecological variables interact to affect kin selection.

A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Vascular injury is an infrequent finding following non‐fatal strangulation in two Australian trauma centres
Authors: Williamson Frances , Collins Sarah , Dehn Anja , Doig Shaela 
Published: September 2021

AbstractObjectiveNon‐fatal strangulation assessment is challenging for clinicians as clear guidelines for evaluation are limited. The prevalence of non‐fatal strangulation events, clinical findings, frequency of injury on computed tomography angiogram (CTA) and outcomes across two trauma centres will be used to improve this assessment process.MethodsThis is a retrospective observational study of adult presentations during 2‐year period to two major‐trauma referral hospitals and subsequent 12 months to identify delayed vascular injury. Patients included using standardised search terms. Demographic data, clinical findings, radiological reports and outcomes were included for review.ResultsA total of 425 patients were included for analysis. Self‐inflicted injury comprised 62.1%, with domestic violence (28.5%) and assault (9.4%) the remainder. Manual strangulation events 36.7% of overall presentations and 63.3% following ligature strangulation (ligature strangulation, incomplete and complete hanging). On examination soft signs present in 133 (31.2%) cases, commonly neck tenderness in isolation. No hard signs suggesting vascular damage. Vascular injury was demonstrated in three cases (0.7% of the total cohort and 1.5% of CTA scans completed), and all occurred in ligature strangulation events as a result of hanging. No patients had delayed vascular injury in the 12‐month period post‐initial presentation.ConclusionsIn non‐fatal strangulation presentations, the majority have subtle signs of neck injury on examination with inconsistent documentation of findings. Low rate of vascular injury overall (0.7%), and entirely in hanging events. No longer‐term vascular sequalae identified. Improving documentation focusing on hypoxic insult and evidence of airway trauma is warranted, rather than a reliance on computed tomography imaging to delineate a traumatic event in non‐fatal strangulation.
Measuring Agenda Setting in Interactive Political Communication
Authors: Rossiter Erin L. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractAlthough strategies exist to measure actors' efforts to set policy, media, and lawmaking agendas, political scientists lack a method for identifying and accurately measuring another form of agenda setting that lies under the surface anytime two people talk. Within interactions, such as debates, deliberations, and discussions, actors can set the agenda by shifting others' attention to their preferred topics. In this article, I use a topic model that locates where topic shifts occur within an interaction in order to measure the relative agenda‐setting power of actors. Validation exercises show that the model accurately identifies topic shifts and infers coherent topics. Three empirical applications also validate the agenda‐setting measure within different political settings: U.S. presidential debates, in‐person deliberations, and online discussions. These applications show that successfully setting the agenda can shape an interaction's outcomes, demonstrating the importance of continued research on this form of agenda setting.
In utero exposure to antiretroviral drugs and pregnancy outcomes: Analysis of the French ANRS pharmacovigilance database
Authors: Saint‐Lary Laura , Diallo Alpha , de Monteynard Laure‐Amélie , Paul Christelle , Marchand Lucie , Tubiana Roland , Warszawski Josiane , Mandelbrot Laurent , Rekacewicz Claire , Petrov‐Sanchez Ventzislava , Faye Albert , Sibiude Jeanne , Dabis François , Sommet Agnès , Leroy Valériane 
Published: September 2021

AimsIn 2018, 1.07 million pregnant women received antiretroviral drugs, raising whether this affects pregnancy outcomes. We assessed the adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with prenatal antiretroviral drug exposure, notified to the French ANRS pharmacovigilance system.MethodsAn exhaustive case report series has been performed using the ANRS pharmacovigilance database. All ANRS‐sponsored HIV clinical research studies using antiretroviral drugs either in pregnant women or women of childbearing age were eligible from 2004 to 2019. We analysed the following pregnancy outcomes: abortion, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, prematurity (<37 weeks of gestational age), low birth weight (<2500 g) and congenital abnormalities. A logistic regression was performed to assess the odds ratio (OR) for each outcome separately (if occurrence >50) compared to the outcome observed when exposed to non‐nucleoside‐reverse‐transcriptase‐inhibitor (NNRTI)‐based regimen as the reference.ResultsAmong the 34 studies selected, 918 deliveries occurred, of whom 88% had pregnancy outcomes documented. Pregnant women were mainly exposed to PI (n = 387, 48.6%), NNRTI (n = 331, 41.5%) and INI‐based combinations (n = 40, 5.0%, 18 on dolutegravir). Compared to NNRTI‐based combinations, there was no significant association observed with exposure to other antiretroviral combination for spontaneous abortion, prematurity or low birth weight, except an increased risk of low birth weight in new‐born exposed to exclusive nucleoside‐reverse‐transcriptase‐inhibitor (NRTI) combinations (n = 4; OR 7.50 [1.49–37.83]).ConclusionsOur study, mainly based on protease inhibitor (PI) and NNRTI‐based regimens, is overall reassuring on the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, except for NRTI which should be interpreted cautiously (small number, indication bias). In this study, the number of integrase inhibitor (INI)‐based combinations was too low to draw any conclusions.
Ferroptosis‐related gene signature associates with immunity and predicts prognosis accurately in patients with osteosarcoma
Authors: Lei Ting , Qian Hu , Lei Pengfei , Hu Yihe 
Published: September 2021

AbstractOsteosarcoma has been the most common malignant bone tumor in children and adolescents, while the 5‐y survival of osteosarcoma patients gained no significant improvement over the past decades. This study aimed to explore the role of ferroptosis‐related genes (FRGs) in the development and prognosis of osteosarcoma. The datasets of osteosarcoma patients including RNA sequencing data and clinical information were acquired from the TRGET and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. The identification of molecular subgroups with different FRG expression patterns was achieved through nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) clustering. The prognostic model was constructed using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm and multivariate Cox regression analysis. The ESTIMATE algorithm was applied for determining the stromal score, immune score, ESTIMA score, and tumor purity of osteosarcoma patients. Functional analyses including Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), and Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA) were conducted to explore the underlying mechanisms in the development and prognosis of osteosarcoma. Two molecular subgroups with different FRGs expression patterns were identified. The molecular subgroups with higher immune score and more active immune status showed better prognostic survival. On the basis of FRGs, a prognostic model and a nomogram integrating clinical characteristics were constructed and their prediction efficiency for osteosarcoma prognosis were well validated. Gene functional enrichment analysis showed that these differentially expressed FRGs were mainly enriched in immunity‐related signaling pathways, indicating that FRGs may affect the development and prognosis of osteosarcoma by regulating the immune microenvironment. The expression profiles of FRGs were closely related to the immunity status and prognostic survival of osteosarcoma patients. The interaction between ferroptosis and immunity in the development of osteosarcoma could provide a new insight into the exploration of molecular mechanisms and targeted therapies of osteosarcoma patients.
Kidney transplant recipients vaccinated before transplantation maintain superior humoral response to SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine
Authors: Grupper Ayelet , Katchman Eugene , Ben‐Yehoyada Merav , Rabinowich Liane , Schwartz Doron , Schwartz Idit F. , Shashar Moshe , Halperin Tami , Turner Dan , Goykhman Yaacov , Shibolet Oren , Levy Sharon , Houri Inbal , Baruch Roni , Katchman Helena 
Published: September 2021

AbstractMajority of transplant recipients did not develop an appreciable humoral response following SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine, in contrast to dialysis patients and healthy individuals. We analyzed the serologic response to BNT162b2 (Pfizer‐BioNTech) vaccine in a cohort of 19 kidney transplant recipients, vaccinated prior to transplantation, compare to 109 recipients vaccinated after transplantation, and to 39 healthcare workers, by determining the level of anti‐spike antibodies after transplantation. All controls and 17 of 19 (90%) of recipients vaccinated before transplant were seropositive, while only 49 of 109 (45%) recipients vaccinated post‐transplant had positive serology (P < .001). Median anti‐spike IgG in the group of kidney transplant recipients vaccinated after transplantation (10.7 AU/ml, [IQR 0–62.5]) was lower than the patients vaccinated before transplantation (66.2 AU/ml [21.6–138]), which was significantly lower than in the controls (156 AU/ml [99.7–215.5]). Negative humoral response was associated with vaccination post transplantation (odds ratio 22.4), older age (OR = 1.04), and longer time on dialysis (OR = 1.02), while higher lymphocyte count at time of vaccination was protective (OR = .52). Our findings of sustained superior humoral response to SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine in kidney transplant recipients vaccinated prior to transplantation strongly support the recommendations of SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination of transplant candidates, especially those younger than 60 years.
Lateral preoptic area neurons signal cocaine self‐administration behaviors
Authors: Coffey Kevin R. , Venkat Vaishnavi , West Mark O. , Barker David J. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe lateral preoptic area is implicated in numerous aspects of substance use disorder. In particular, the lateral preoptic area is highly sensitive to the pharmacological properties of psychomotor stimulants, and its activity promotes drug‐seeking in the face of punishment and reinstatement during abstinence. Despite the lateral preoptic area's complicity in substance use disorder, how precisely lateral preoptic area neurons signal the individual components of drug self‐administration has not been ascertained. To bridge this gap, we examined how the firing of single lateral preoptic area neurons correlates with three discrete elements of cocaine self‐administration: (1) drug‐seeking (pre‐response), (2) drug‐taking (response) and (3) receipt of the cocaine infusion. A significant subset of lateral preoptic area neurons responded to each component with a mix of increases and decreases in firing‐rate. A majority of these neurons signal the operant response with increases in spiking, though responses during the drug‐seeking, taking and reciept windows were highly correlated.
Naked mole‐rats (Heterocephalus glaber) do not specialise in cooperative tasks
Authors: Siegmann Susanne , Feitsch Romana , Hart Daniel W. , Bennett Nigel C. , Penn Dustin J. , Zöttl Markus 
Published: September 2021

AbstractIt has been proposed that naked mole‐rat (Heterocephalus glaber) societies resemble those of eusocial insects by showing a division of labour among non‐breeding individuals. Earlier studies suggested that non‐breeders belong to distinct castes that specialise permanently or temporarily in specific cooperative tasks. In contrast, recent research on naked mole‐rats has shown that behavioural phenotypes are continuously distributed across non‐breeders and that mole‐rats exhibit considerable behavioural plasticity suggesting that individuals may not specialise permanently in work tasks. However, it is currently unclear whether individuals specialise temporarily and whether there is a sex bias in cooperative behaviour among non‐breeders. Here, we show that non‐breeding individuals vary in overall cooperative investment, but do not specialise in specific work tasks. Within individuals, investment into specific cooperative tasks such as nest building, food carrying and burrowing is positively correlated, and there is no evidence that individuals show trade‐offs between these cooperative behaviours. Non‐breeding males and females do not differ in their investment in cooperative behaviours and show broadly similar age and body mass related differences in cooperative behaviours. Our results suggest that non‐breeding naked mole‐rats vary in their overall contribution to cooperative behaviours and that some of this variation may be explained by differences in age and body mass. Our data provide no evidence for temporary specialisation, as found among some eusocial insects and suggest that the behavioural organisation of naked mole‐rats resembles that of other cooperatively breeding vertebrates more than that of eusocial insect species.