bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Induction of an immortalized songbird cell line allows for gene characterization and knockout by CRISPR-Cas9
Authors: Biegler Matthew T. , Fedrigo Olivier , Collier Paul , Mountcastle Jacquelyn , Haase Bettina , Tilgner Hagen U. , Jarvis Erich D. 
Published: May 2021

ABSTRACTThe zebra finch is a powerful model for several biological fields, particularly neuroscience and vocal communication. However, this species lacks a robust cell line for molecular biology research and reagent optimization. Here we describe a cell line, CFS414, generated from zebra finch embryonic fibroblasts using the SV40 large and small T antigens. This cell line demonstrates an improvement over previous songbird cell lines through continuous and density-independent growth, allowing for indefinite culture and monoclonal line derivation. Cytogenetic, genomic, and transcriptomic profiling established the provenance of this cell line and identified the expression of genes relevant to ongoing songbird research. Using this cell line, we demonstrated a stress-dependent localization response of the zebra finch song nuclei specialized gene, SAP30L, and disrupted endogenous gene sequences usingS.aureusCas9. The utility of this cell line enhances the molecular potential of the zebra finch and validates cell immortalization strategies in a songbird species.
Targeted chromosomal Escherichia coli:dnaB exterior surface residues regulate DNA helicase behavior to maintain genomic stability and organismal fitness
Authors: Behrmann Megan S. , Perera Himasha M. , Hoang Joy M. , Venkat Trisha A. , Trakselis Michael A. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractHelicase regulation is vital for replisome progression, where the helicase enzyme functions to unwind duplex DNA and aids in the coordination of replication fork activities. Currently, mechanisms for helicase regulation that involve interactions with both DNA strands through a steric exclusion and wrapping (SEW) model and conformational shifts between dilated and constricted states have been examined in vitro. To better understand the mechanism and cellular impact of helicase regulation, we used CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to study four previously identified SEW-deficient mutants of the bacterial replicative helicase DnaB. We discovered that these four SEW mutations stabilize constricted states, with more fully constricted mutants having a generally greater impact on genomic stress, suggesting a dynamic model for helicase regulation that involves both excluded strand interactions and conformational states. These dnaB mutations result in increased DNA damage and chromosome complexity, less stable genomes, and ultimately less viable and fit strains. Notably, while two mutations stabilized fully constricted states, they have distinct effects on genomic stability, suggesting a complex relationship between helicase regulation mechanisms and faithful, efficient DNA replication. This work explores the genomic impacts of helicase dysregulation in vivo, supporting a combined dynamic regulatory mechanism involving SEW and conformational changes and relates current mechanistic understanding to functional helicase behavior.
SARS-CoV-2 inactivation by human defensin HNP1 and retrocyclin RC-101
Authors: Kudryashova Elena , Zani Ashley , Vilmen Geraldine , Sharma Amit , Lu Wuyuan , Yount Jacob S. , Kudryashov Dmitri S. 
Published: May 2021

ABSTRACTSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 is an enveloped virus responsible for the COVID-19 respiratory disease pandemic. While induction of adaptive antiviral immunity via vaccination holds promise for combatting the pandemic, the emergence of new potentially more transmissible and vaccine-resistant variants of SARS-CoV-2 is an ever-present threat. Thus, it remains essential to better understand innate immune mechanisms that are active against the virus. One component of the innate immune system with broad anti-pathogen, including antiviral, activity is a group of cationic immune peptides termed defensins. The defensins’ ability to neutralize enveloped and non-enveloped viruses and to inactivate numerous bacterial toxins correlate with their ability to promote the unfolding of thermodynamically pliable proteins. Accordingly, we found that human neutrophil a-defensin HNP1 and retrocyclin RC-101 destabilize SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein and interfere with Spike-mediated membrane fusion and SARS-CoV-2 infection in cell culture. We show that HNP1 binds to Spike with submicromolar affinity. Although binding of HNP1 to serum albumin is more than 20-fold weaker, serum reduces the anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of HNP1. At high concentrations of HNP1, its ability to inactivate the virus was preserved even in the presence of serum. These results suggest that specific a- and 8-defensins may be valuable tools in developing SARS-CoV-2 infection prevention strategies.
Actin-related protein 5 functions as a novel modulator of MyoD and MyoG in skeletal muscle and in rhabdomyosarcoma
Authors: Morita Tsuyoshi , Hayashi Ken’ichiro 
Published: May 2021

AbstractMyogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) are pivotal transcription factors in myogenic differentiation. MyoD commits cells to the skeletal muscle lineage by inducing myogenic genes through recruitment of chromatin remodelers to its target loci. This study showed that Actin-related protein 5 (Arp5) acts as an inhibitory regulator of MyoD and MyoG by binding to their cysteine-rich (CR) region, which overlaps with the region essential for their epigenetic functions. Arp5 expression was faint in skeletal muscle tissues. Excessive Arp5 in mouse hind limbs caused skeletal muscle fiber atrophy. Further, Arp5 overexpression in myoblasts inhibited myotube formation by diminishing myogenic gene expression, whereas Arp5 depletion augmented myogenic gene expression. Arp5 disturbed MyoD-mediated chromatin remodeling through competition with the three-amino-acid-loop-extension-class homeodomain transcription factors the Pbx1–Meis1 heterodimer for binding to the CR region. This antimyogenic function was independent of the INO80 chromatin remodeling complex, although Arp5 is an important component of that. In rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) cells, Arp5 expression was significantly higher than in normal myoblasts and skeletal muscle tissue, probably contributing to MyoD and MyoG activity dysregulation. Arp5 depletion in RMS partially restored myogenic properties while inhibiting tumorigenic properties. Thus, Arp5 is a novel modulator of MRFs in skeletal muscle differentiation.
Employer brand experience and organizational citizenship behavior: mediating role of employee engagement
Authors: Gupta Sakshi , Bhasin Jaya , Mushtaq Shahid 
Published: May 2021

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how employer brand experience (EBE) impacts organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). In addition, it aims to identify the mediating role of employee engagement (EE) in relationship between EBE and OCB.Design/methodology/approachTo test the research hypotheses, a web questionnaire was developed and data were collected from 426 respondents working in the Indian banking sector. Hypotheses were tested using structural equational modeling.FindingsEBE was positively related to OCB. The predicted mediating role of EE in the relationship between EBE and OCB was also supported.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is confined to the banking sector only, which limits the generalization of the findings.Practical implicationsThe results imply that firms should leverage on various dimensions of employer brand (EB) i.e. compensation, work–life balance, working environment, training and corporate social responsibility to enhance EE and OCB.Originality/valueThe research is among the very few to confirm the role of EBE vis-à-vis current employees especially in a collectivist society like India. The study also confirmed the mediating role of EE between EBE and OCB which have not been studied previously.
Factors influencing caregivers' uncertainty of children undergoing cardiac surgery in Bangkok, Thailand
Authors: Maneekunwong Kunnara , Srichantaranit Arunrat , Thampanichawat Wanlaya 
Published: May 2021

PurposeThis study aims to determine the factors influencing caregivers' uncertainty about children undergoing cardiac surgery in a tertiary hospital in Bangkok, Thailand.Design/methodology/approachA correlational predictive study was conducted among 75 caregivers of children from infancy to fifteen years old who were undergoing first time cardiac surgery in a tertiary hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. Four questionnaires were inquired to evaluate caregivers' uncertainty about the illness, and influential factors included (1) perception of the severity of the illness, (2) credible authority of health-care providers and (3) information and emotional support. The descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data and influential factors.FindingsThe significant influential factors affecting caregivers' uncertainty were (1) perception of the severity of the illness (β = 0.413, p < 0.001), (2) credible authority of health-care providers (β = −0.287, p = 0.004) and (3) information and emotional support (β = −0.223, p = 0.026), and their explanation power was about 33.9 % (R2 = 0.339, F = 13.630, p < 0.001).Research limitations/implicationsA limitation of this study was that the researcher selected the sample group by convenient sampling and only caregivers of children who underwent cardiac surgery in Siriraj hospital were selected. Therefore, the sample group might have lacked variety and was not a good representative of the population. Future studies should be conducted by varying the setting and using randomized sampling.Practical implicationsThis study provides clear recommendations to assess the perception of the severity of the illness by caregivers, build credibility and trust by providing quality care and should develop information and emotional support interventions for reducing the levels of caregivers' uncertainty of children undergoing cardiac surgery.Originality/valueHealth-care providers should develop the appropriate intervention for reducing caregivers' uncertainty by assessing the perception of the severity of the illness, providing information and emotional support and building trust for the caregivers of the children who are undergoing cardiac surgery.
Huawei in Venezuela: a review of 2006–2019
Authors: Baldo Carlos M. , Vail Richard , Seidel Julie 
Published: May 2021

PurposeThe aim of this article is to describe Huawei's internationalization process in Venezuela and show how socio-political and economic conditions helped to expedite the company's development in this Latin American nation between 2006 and 2019. Through this internationalization process, Huawei participated in a large technological transition in Venezuelan telecommunications.Design/methodology/approachThis research uses an integrative approach, developing a quasi-case study from a review of the academic literature, contemporary news stories and institutional and practitioner documents.FindingsThe review indicates that Huawei was engaged in business with the Venezuelan phone company before its renationalization. Secondly, Huawei's internationalization was a beneficiary of the increased relations between the Venezuelan and Chinese governments, mainly through “oil for loans/goods” agreements. Lastly, this internationalization process includes wholly owned subsidiaries, direct export, greenfield and government joint ventures.Practical implicationsThis research provides an understanding to other firms and strategists about the benefits of strong bilateral economic relationships between home and host countries.Originality/valueThis paper is among the first academic articles that describe the internationalization process of Huawei in Venezuela. Considering the host country's changing political and economic conditions during the last 20 years, such research may provide a perspective for considering other Chinese business expansions in Venezuela and Latin America.
Dexmedetomidine attenuates one‐lung ventilation associated lung injury by suppressing inflammatory responses: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Bai Yun‐Xiao , Zhang Jie‐Han , Zhao Bing‐Cheng , Liu Ke‐Xuan , Bai Yao‐Wu 
Published: May 2021

AbstractOne‐lung ventilation (OLV), a common ventilation technique, is associated with perioperative lung injury, tightly connected with inflammatory responses. Dexmedetomidine has shown positive anti‐inflammatory effects in lung tissues in pre‐clinical models. This study investigated the efficacy of dexmedetomidine for suppressing inflammatory responses in patients requiring OLV. We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Ovid, and Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials focusing on dexmedetomidine’s anti‐inflammatory effects on patients requiring OLV without any limitation on the year of publication or languages. 20 clinical trials were assessed with 870 patients in the dexmedetomidine group and 844 in the control group. Our meta‐analysis investigated the anti‐inflammatory property of dexmedetomidine perioperatively [T1 (30‐min OLV), T2 (90‐min OLV), T3 (end of surgery) and T4 (postoperative day 1)], demonstrating that dexmedetomidine’s intraoperative administration resulted in a significant reduction in serum concentration of interleukin‐6, tumor necrosis factor‐α and other inflammatory cytokines perioperatively. By calculating specific I2 index, significant heterogeneity was observed on all occasions, with I2 index ranging from 95% to 99%. For IL‐6 changes, sensitivity analysis showed that the exclusion of a single study led to a significant decrease of heterogeneity (96%–0%; p < 0.00001). Besides, pulmonary oxygenation was ameliorated in the dexmedetomidine group comparing with the control group. In conclusion, perioperative administration of dexmedetomidine can attenuate OLV induced inflammation, ameliorate pulmonary oxygenation, and may be conducive to a decreased occurrence of postoperative complications and better prognosis. However, the results should be prudently interpreted due to the evidence of heterogeneity and the limited number of studies.
Practising legal geography
Authors: Brickell Katherine , Jeffrey Alex , McConnell Fiona 
Published: May 2021

AbstractLegal geography is experiencing a “practice turn.” Understanding the material, spatial, and embodied characteristics of law is illuminating hitherto obscured experiences of justice, injustice, and political practice. It is contributions from scholars at the forefront of these concerns, from geography and cognate disciplines, that comprise the papers in the Practising legal geography special section. Across seven papers we are seeking to explore the ways in which a focus on practice can deepen our understanding of the methods and praxis of legal geography. Following an outline of its conceptual underpinnings and origins of the research, we give a short account of each of the papers and point to areas of future research for which they provide provocation. Practice emerges as much more than empirical detail – it is a perspective through which we can trace the operation of power and struggle in the making of law.
Does learning to code influence cognitive skills of elementary school children? Findings from a randomized experiment
Authors: Özcan Meryem Şeyda , Çetinkaya Esra , Göksun Tilbe , Kisbu‐Sakarya Yasemin 
Published: May 2021

BackgroundCoding has been added to school curricula in several countries, being one of the necessary competencies of the 21st century. Although it has also been suggested to foster the development of several cognitive skills such as computational thinking and problem‐solving, studies on the effects of coding are very limited, provide mixed results, and lack causal evidence.AimThis study aims to evaluate the impact of a learn‐to‐code programme on three cognitive skills in children: computational thinking, fluid intelligence, and spatial orientation, using a randomized trial.SampleOne hundred seventy‐four (n = 81 girls) 4th‐grade children participated in the study.MethodsChildren were randomly assigned to one of the three 10‐week learning programmes: learn‐to‐code (treatment of interest), mathematics (another STEM‐related comparison treatment), and reading (control). Children responded to paper–pencil computational thinking, and spatial orientation measurements, and face‐to‐face matrix reasoning task at pre‐ and post‐tests.ResultsResults showed that children’s computational thinking scores increased significantly only in the learn‐to‐code condition. Fluid intelligence significantly increased in all conditions, possibly due to a practice effect. The spatial orientation did not improve in any of the conditions.ConclusionThese findings suggested that learning to code can be selectively beneficial for the development of computational thinking skills while not effective for spatial reasoning and fluid intelligence.
The role of interferons type I, II and III in myositis: A review
Authors: Bolko Loïs , Jiang Wei , Tawara Nozomu , Landon‐Cardinal Océane , Anquetil Céline , Benveniste Olivier , Allenbach Yves 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe classification of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) is based on clinical, serological and histological criteria. The identification of myositis‐specific antibodies has helped to define more homogeneous groups of myositis into four dominant subsets: dermatomyositis (DM), antisynthetase syndrome (ASyS), sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) and immune‐mediated necrotising myopathy (IMNM). sIBM and IMNM patients present predominantly with muscle involvement, whereas DM and ASyS patients present additionally with other extramuscular features, such as skin, lung and joints manifestations. Moreover, the pathophysiological mechanisms are distinct between each myositis subsets. Recently, interferon (IFN) pathways have been identified as key players implicated in the pathophysiology of myositis. In DM, the key role of IFN, especially type I IFN, has been supported by the identification of an IFN signature in muscle, blood and skin of DM patients. In addition, DM‐specific antibodies are targeting antigens involved in the IFN signalling pathways. The pathogenicity of type I IFN has been demonstrated by the identification of mutations in the IFN pathways leading to genetic diseases, the monogenic interferonopathies. This constitutive activation of IFN signalling pathways induces systemic manifestations such as interstitial lung disease, myositis and skin rashes. Since DM patients share similar features in the context of an acquired activation of the IFN signalling pathways, we may extend underlying concepts of monogenic diseases to acquired interferonopathy such as DM. Conversely, in ASyS, available data suggest a role of type II IFN in blood, muscle and lung. Indeed, transcriptomic analyses highlighted a type II IFN gene expression in ASyS muscle tissue. In sIBM, type II IFN appears to be an important cytokine involved in muscle inflammation mechanisms and potentially linked to myodegenerative features. For IMNM, currently published data are scarce, suggesting a minor implication of type II IFN. This review highlights the involvement of different IFN subtypes and their specific molecular mechanisms in each myositis subset.
Life‐history strategies in salmonids: the role of physiology and its consequences
Authors: Birnie‐Gauvin Kim , Bordeleau Xavier , Cooke Steven J. , Davidsen Jan G. , Eldøy Sindre H. , Eliason Erika J. , Moore Andy , Aarestrup Kim 
Published: May 2021

ABSTRACTSalmonids are some of the most widely studied species of fish worldwide. They span freshwater rivers and lakes to fjords and oceans; they include short‐ and long‐distance anadromous migrants, as well as partially migratory and non‐migratory populations; and exhibit both semelparous and iteroparous reproduction. Salmonid life‐history strategies represent some of the most diverse on the planet. For this reason, salmonids provide an especially interesting model to study the drivers of these different life‐history pathways. Over the past few decades, numerous studies and reviews have been published, although most have focused on ultimate considerations where expected reproductive success of different developmental or life‐history strategies are compared. Those that considered proximate causes generally focused on genetics or the environment, with less consideration of physiology. Our objective was therefore to review the existing literature on the role of physiology as a proximate driver for life‐history strategies in salmonids. This link is necessary to explore since physiology is at the core of biological processes influencing energy acquisition and allocation. Energy acquisition and allocation processes, in turn, can affect life histories. We find that life‐history strategies are driven by a range of physiological processes, ranging from metabolism and nutritional status to endocrinology. Our review revealed that the role of these physiological processes can vary across species and individuals depending on the life‐history decision(s) to be made. In addition, while findings sometimes vary by species, results appear to be consistent in species with similar life cycles. We conclude that despite much work having been conducted on the topic, the study of physiology and its role in determining life‐history strategies in salmonids remains somewhat unexplored, particularly for char and trout (excluding brown trout) species. Understanding these mechanistic links is necessary if we are to understand adequately how changing environments will impact salmonid populations.
Prevalence and distribution of maxillofacial trauma in tertiary care centers before/ after motorcycle helmet use law in Sullia, India—A retrospective study
Authors: Chalathadka Mahabaleshwara , Ram Bhargav , Amudhan CR Thamil , PB Rachana , Pasha Aysha Kaleem , Kulkarni Sneha 
Published: May 2021

AbstractBackground/aimsIn India, motorcycles are commonly involved in accidents and traffic rules negligence, most of which include some type of maxillofacial trauma. In September 2019, the rules for motorcycle and helmet use were modified to compulsory use in the state of Karnataka. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of mandatory helmet use on maxillofacial fractures and injuries in Sullia Taluk, Karnataka.Materials and methodsThe study was based on the information obtained from clinical records in the K.V.G Dental College and the K.V.G Medical College from February 2019 to February 2020. The inclusion criteria were subjects who met with two‐wheeler accidents with complete case records and radiological investigations.ResultsA total of 78 individuals reported with maxillofacial trauma from February 2019 to February 2020. The mean age was 31 ± 14 years. There were 74 (94%) males and 4 (6%) females. Forty‐nine cases reported before the mandatory helmet use rule and 29 cases reported after the helmet use rule. There was a 36.3% decrease in the incidence of maxillofacial trauma, 23.5% decrease in fractures, and an 89% reduction in the number of victims who underwent open reduction and internal fixation during the post‐law period.ConclusionThere was a significant reduction in the incidence and severity of maxillofacial trauma after the implementation of the helmet rule.