bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A contribution to the larval amphibian microbiome: characterization of bacterial microbiome of Ichthyophis bannanicus (Order: Gymnophiona) and comparison with the other two amphibian orders
Authors: Rajput Amrapali Prithvisingh , Zhou Shipeng , Meegaskumbura Madhava 
Published: September 2021

ABSTRACTIt is known that animal-associated microbiomes form indispensable relationships with hosts and are responsible for many functions important for host-survival. Next-gen driven approaches documenting the remarkable diversity of microbiomes have burgeoned, with amphibians too, benefiting from such treatments. The microbiome of Gymnophiona (caecilians), one of the three amphibian orders, constituting of 3% of amphibians, however, remains almost unknown. The present study aims to address this knowledge gap through analysis of the microbiome of Ichthyophis bannanicus. As these caecilian larvae are aquatic and hence exposed to a greater propensity for bacterial microbiomic interchange, we hypothesize that bacterial phyla would overlap between gut and skin. Further, from the host-specificity patterns observed in other vertebrate taxa, we hypothesize that Gymnophiona have different dominant gut bacterial microbiomes at a higher taxonomic level when compared to the larvae of the other two amphibian orders (Anura and Caudata). We used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing based on Illumina Nova sequencing platform to characterize and compare the gut (represented by faecal samples) and skin microbiome of I. bannanicus larvae (N = 13), a species distributed across South-East-Asia and the only caecilian species occurring in China. We compared our gut microbiome results with published anuran and caudate larval microbiomes. For I. bannanicus, a total of 4,053 operational taxonomic units (OTU) across 13 samples were detected. Alpha-diversity indices were significant between gut and skin samples. Non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis suggest that gut and skin samples each contained a distinct microbiome at OTU level. We record significant differences between the bacterial phyla of gut and skin samples in larvae of I. bannanicus. The study provides an overview of gut and skin bacterial microbiomes of a caecilian, while highlighting the major differences between larval microbiomes of the three amphibian orders. We find a partial overlap of gut bacterial microbiomes at phylum level for the three orders; however, the relative abundance of the dominant phyla is distinct. The skin and gut microbiomes are distinct with little overlap of species, highlighting that gut-skin axis is weak. This in turn suggests that many of the microbial species on skin and gut are functionally specialized to those locations. We also show that the skin microbiome is more diverse than the gut microbiome at species level; however, a reason for this could be a portion of the gut microbiome not being represented in faecal samples. These first microbiome information from a caecilian lay the foundation for comparative studies of the three amphibian orders.
The E34 Phage Tailspike Protein: An in vitro characterization, Structure Prediction, Potential Interaction with S. newington LPS and Cytotoxicity Assessment to Animal Cell Line
Authors: Ayariga Joseph A. , Gildea Logan , Wu Honghzuan , Villafane Robert 
Published: September 2021

ABSTRACTThe E34 phage is a member of the podoviridae family of phages, (short non-contractile tailed bacteriophages) that uses Salmonella newington as its host. This phage initiates the infection of its host via a specific interaction between its tailspike protein (TSP) and the lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of the bacterial. The E34 TSP is structurally similar and functionally equivalent to the P22 phage whose TSP has been well characterized and electron micrographs of both phages appear indistinguishable. The crystal structure of P22 phage TSP in complex with the O-antigen of S. typhimurium has been determined; and the active site of the TSP demonstrated to be the residues Asp392, Asp395 and Glu359 of the receptor binding domain. In another phage called E15, a phylogenetic relative of E34 phage, a short polysaccharide consisting of α repeating units is responsible for the interaction between the E15 phage and Salmonella anatum’s LPS leading to the adsorption of the phage to the bacteria. Studies on E34 phage shows that it interacts with Salmonella newington’s O antigen polysaccharide component of the LPS, this polysaccharide consists of mannosyl-rhamnosyl-galactose repeating units joined together by β-galactosyl linkages. However, no data exist regarding the specific residues of E34 TSP that are responsible for LPS binding and hydrolysis. In this study, the tailspike gene was cloned onto vector pET30a-LIC and expressed as a fusion protein termed the extended E34 TSP (EE34 TSP). We characterized the protein based on resistance to heat, SDS, and proteases; showing that the protein is heat resistant, shows aberrant electrophoretic mobility in the presence of SDS gradient, and actively binds to P22 phage heads to form hybrid phages that cannot infect P22 host. We also demonstrate via in silico study that the E34 TSP binds to and hydrolyses the O-antigen of its host via the ALA250, SER279 and ASP280 residues. Finally, testing E34 phage ability to protect Vero cells from Salmonella infection shows highly encouraging results, implying that E34 phage can be used in therapeutic/preventive medicine.
New Insights into the Mechanisms Used by Inhibitors Targeting Glutamine Metabolism in Cancer Cells
Authors: Milano Shawn K. , Huang Qingqiu , Nguyen Thuy-Tien T. , Ramachandran Sekar , Finke Aaron , Kriksunov Irina , Schuller David , Szebenyi Marian , Arenholz Elke , McDermott Lee A. , Sukumar N. , Cerione Richard A. , Katt William P. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractMany cancer cells become dependent on glutamine metabolism to compensate for glycolysis being uncoupled from the TCA cycle. The mitochondrial enzyme Glutaminase C (GAC) satisfies this ‘glutamine addiction’ by catalyzing the first step in glutamine metabolism, making it an attractive drug target. Despite one of the allosteric inhibitors (CB-839) being in clinical trials, none of the drugs targeting GAC are approved for cancer treatment and their mechanism of action is not well understood. A major challenge has been the rational design of better drug candidates: standard cryo-cooled X-ray crystal structures of GAC bound to CB-839 and its analogs fail to explain their potency differences. Here, we address this problem by using an emerging technique, serial room temperature crystallography, which enabled us to observe clear differences between the binding conformations of inhibitors with significantly different potencies. A computational model was developed to further elucidate the molecular basis of inhibitor potency. We then corroborated the results from our modeling efforts by using recently established fluorescence assays that directly read-out inhibitor binding to GAC. Together, these findings provide new insights into the mechanisms used by a major class of allosteric GAC inhibitors and for the future rational design of more potent drug candidates.
Oxidized thioredoxin-1 restrains the NLRP1 inflammasome
Authors: Ball Daniel P. , Wang Alvin E. , Warren Charles D. , Wang Qinghui , Griswold Andrew R. , Rao Sahana D. , Bachovchin Daniel A. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractAt least six human proteins detect danger-associated signals, assemble into complexes called inflammasomes, and trigger pyroptotic cell death. NLRP1 was the first protein discovered to form an inflammasome, but the danger signals and molecular mechanisms that control its activation have not yet been fully established. Here, we report that the NACHT-LRR region of NLRP1 directly binds to oxidized form of thioredoxin-1 (TRX1). We found that NLRP1 requires the ATPase activity of its NACHT domain to associate with TRX1, and that this interaction represses inflammasome activation. Moreover, we discovered that several patient-derived missense mutations in the NACHT-LRR region of NLRP1 weaken TRX1 binding, leading to inflammasome hyperactivation and autoinflammatory disease. Overall, our results establish that oxidized TRX1 binds to and restrains the NLRP1 inflammasome, thereby revealing a link between the cellular redox environment and innate immunity.
Diversity and distribution of sediment bacteria across an ecological and trophic gradient
Authors: Sauer Hailey M. , Hamilton Trinity L. , Anderson Rika E. , Umbanhowar Charles E. , Heathcote Adam J. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractCan we cluster bacterial sediment communities based on lake size, depth, and trophic status? Or, are bacterial microbial communities an emergent property of their geography, integrating regional physical and climatic conditions? Lakes in Minnesota are uniquely situated to address these questions because of their wide geographic range and variability in size and basin land-use. In this study, we selected twenty lakes with varying morphological and chemical properties across four ecological regions of Minnesota. Our objectives were to (i)) evaluate the diversity and spatial variation of the bacterial community at the sediment-water interface and (ii) determine how lake location and watershed land-use impact aqueous chemistry and influence community structure. Our data indicate that sediment communities from similar depth intervals are more likely to cluster by ecological region rather than any individual lake properties (e.g., trophic status, TP concentration, lake depth). However, composition is tied to a given lake, wherein samples from the same core were more alike than samples at similar depths across lakes. Our results illustrate the diversity within lake sediment microbial communities and provide insight into relationships between taxonomy, physicochemical, and geographic properties of north temperate lakes.
Current protein structure predictors do not produce meaningful folding pathways
Authors: Outeiral Carlos , Nissley Daniel A. , Deane Charlotte M. 
Published: September 2021

ABSTRACTProtein structure prediction has long been considered a gateway problem for understanding protein folding. Recent advances in deep learning have achieved unprecedented success at predicting a protein’s crystal structure, but whether this achievement relates to a better modelling of the folding process remains an open question. In this work, we compare the pathways generated by state-of-the-art protein structure prediction methods to experimental folding data. The methods considered were AlphaFold 2, RoseTTAFold, trRosetta, RaptorX, DMPfold, EVfold, SAINT2 and Rosetta. We find evidence that their simulated dynamics capture some information about the folding pathwhay, but their predictive ability is worse than a trivial classifier using sequence-agnostic features like chain length. The folding trajectories produced are also uncorrelated with parameters such as intermediate structures and the folding rate constant. These results suggest that recent advances in protein structure prediction do not yet provide an enhanced understanding of the principles underpinning protein folding.
Audiogmenter: a MATLAB toolbox for audio data augmentation
Authors: Maguolo Gianluca , Paci Michelangelo , Nanni Loris , Bonan Ludovico 
Published: September 2021

PurposeCreate and share a MATLAB library that performs data augmentation algorithms for audio data. This study aims to help machine learning researchers to improve their models using the algorithms proposed by the authors.Design/methodology/approachThe authors structured our library into methods to augment raw audio data and spectrograms. In the paper, the authors describe the structure of the library and give a brief explanation of how every function works. The authors then perform experiments to show that the library is effective.FindingsThe authors prove that the library is efficient using a competitive dataset. The authors try multiple data augmentation approaches proposed by them and show that they improve the performance.Originality/valueA MATLAB library specifically designed for data augmentation was not available before. The authors are the first to provide an efficient and parallel implementation of a large number of algorithms.
Neuropsychological responses of consumers to promotion strategies and the decision to buy sports products
Authors: Izadi Behzad , Ghaedi Ali , Ghasemian Mohammadreza 
Published: September 2021

PurposeNeuromarketing is a science that can examine human subconscious decisions and activities. The study aimed to investigate the neuropsychological responses of consumers to promotion strategies and the decision to buy sports products, in order to determine the more effective strategy.Design/methodology/approachAn experimental design clarifies whether there is a significant difference between the neuropsychological responses resulting from selective promotional strategies (charity, endorsement, advertising and discount). The authors conducted the research with 40 young adults (20 males and 20 females; age range 25–35 years). The Enobio 20-channel electroencephalograph (EEG) is used to record waves, a two-item questionnaire is used to measure purchasing decisions and self-assessment forms are used to measure arousal and pleasure. Data analysis performed by Friedman's statistical methods and logistic regression using SPSS 22 software.FindingsBased on the alpha wave, the results showed the two charity and endorsement strategies had the highest effect on consumer attentions. The pleasure had the highest value in the discount, and the arousal had the highest value in the charity strategy. Neuropsychological responses also explain a significant percentage of the consumer decision to buy.Research limitations/implicationsAccess to research samples is difficult due to the ignorance of the samples as well as the fear of possible harm from imaging and brain scanning methods.Practical implicationsNeuromarketing is a science that can examine human subconscious decisions and activities.Social implicationsThe information obtained neural methods are more accurate than traditional research methods.Originality/valueThis study showed the alpha brainwave (attention), arousal and pleasure explain a significant part of the consumer decision to buy. More scientific data can be obtained through new scientific approaches such as neuromarketing, which has a great impact on understanding consumer behavior. Therefore, marketers and researchers can make their promotional activities more effective in terms of them.
Enhancing the impacts of absorptive capacity on interorganizational collaboration in BIM-enabled construction projects – an SLT perspective
Authors: Zhang Lei , Yuan Jingfeng , Ning Yan , Xia Nini , Zhang Guodong 
Published: September 2021

PurposeThis study employs situated learning theory to elucidate the mechanisms of interorganizational collaboration by analyzing the relationships among absorptive capacity, institutional compensation, task cognitive integration and interorganizational collaboration in BIM-enabled construction projects.Design/methodology/approachAn online questionnaire survey was conducted with managers and professionals involved in building information modeling (BIM-) enabled construction projects, and 220 valid responses were received. Data were analyzed by means of the linear regression models and bootstrap method.FindingsThe results show that (1) absorptive capacity, institutional compensation and task cognitive integration have a positive impact on interorganizational collaboration; (2) institutional compensation partially mediates the effect of absorptive capacity on interorganizational collaboration; (3) task cognitive integration fully mediates the effect of absorptive capacity on interorganizational collaboration; (4) institutional compensation and task cognitive integration serially and fully mediate the relationship between absorptive capacity and interorganizational collaboration and (5) the serial mediating model has a greater indirect effect than the other two models considered in this study.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the body of knowledge by demonstrating the way to break through the three types of organizational boundaries (i.e. syntactic, semantic and pragmatic organizational boundaries) and provide an internal collaborative mechanism from the perspective of situated learning theory. This study presents the critical effects of absorptive capacity, institutional compensation and task cognitive integration on interorganizational collaboration, selects the enhanced mediating model for explaining the effects of absorptive capacity on interorganizational collaboration and enables managers to update the traditional collaborative model in BIM-enabled construction projects.
When value- and experience-related trade promotions influence retailers’ sales: the moderating role of retail format strategy and channel structure
Authors: Claro Danny , Vieira Valter Afonso , Agnihotri Raj , Serer Rafael 
Published: September 2021

PurposeAs manufacturers and retailers aim to increase return on marketing investments, value-vsexperience-related trade promotions gain attention. These two trade promotions become complicated in the presence of different retail format strategies (generalistvsspecialist) and channel structures (direct to retailervsdistributors). Building on trade promotion literature, this study aims to show the main effect of value-related and experience-related trade promotions on retailers’ sales and the moderating role of different retail strategies and channel structures.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use unique panel data from 8 personal care brands with 1,920 observations to test the hypotheses. The authors investigate how consumer goods manufacturer sells products using different channels structures and retail strategies. Estimated panel regressions provide the empirical evidence and robustness analyzes provide extra confidence to the findings.FindingsResults reveal higher retail sales when the manufacturer invests in value-related trade promotions rather than experience-related trade promotions. The results also demonstrate how the manufacturer successfully invests in trade promotion by adequately accounting for channel structure and retail strategy. While temporary price reduction’s positive effect on retail sales is enhanced in generalist retailers (e.g. supermarket stores), shelf display’s positive impact is enhanced in specialist retailers (drug stores).Research limitations/implicationsThe authors used unique panel data accounting for 15 months, limiting the findings. The results supported the investment allocation decisions in each period. However, future research may evaluate the effectiveness over a longer period and thoroughly address each investment’s seasonal effects.Practical implicationsThe authors unveil how retailers achieve higher sales with value-related trade promotions when compared to experience-related trade promotions. The authors also shed light on the way manufacturers design their relationships with generalist and specialist retailers by working in direct and indirect channels. Trade promotions yield better results when the direct channel structure couples with a retailer’s generalist strategy.Originality/valueThe empirical findings help manufacturers achieve success in trade promotions by developing an equitable evaluation to contrast value- and experience-related promotions accounting for generalist and specialist retail strategies and direct and indirect channels.
Evaluating hospitality employees' various relationships and the effects on organizational commitment
Authors: Bae Stephanie 
Published: September 2021

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate how various relationships an employee builds within the organization affect their willingness to stay with the company. Specific research objective was to examine impact of social exchange on organizational commitment in the hospitality industry.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey using Qualtrics' panel database was used to collect data. The target was full-time employees in the hospitality industry. A total of 245 surveys were collected and used for data analysis. The results were analyzed using structural equation modeling.FindingsResults of hypotheses testing showed that internal service quality and perceived organizational support have positive relationships with organizational commitment.Originality/valueThese findings can help hospitality managers develop programs and interact with employees in order to increase commitment and a sense of belonging with the company.
University students involved in a sustainable world: assessing sustainable consumption in Spain
Authors: Margaça Clara , Hernández Sánchez Brizeida , Sánchez-García José Carlos 
Published: September 2021

PurposeTo achieve sustainable development to protect the environment and society, an increasing number of scholars have conducted in-depth research on sustainable and responsible consumption behaviors. The outputs demonstrate that consumers are increasingly concerned and aware of the issues associated with the excessive use of resources. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the validity and reliability of the Sustainable Consumption Scale (SC-S) in the Spanish context.Design/methodology/approachThe adaptation of SC-S to Spanish was carried out in accordance with international methodological standards. The Spanish version of this scale was applied empirically to the research sample was composed of 962 university students (49.1% male and 50.9% female) from 54 Universities in 15 regions of Spain that participated in the study.FindingsThe analyses carried out to verify the psychometric properties retained 16 items from the original proposal, grouped equally in three factors: Cognitive – six items; Affective – seven items; and Conative – four items. The scale presented adequate adjustment indexes, as well as optimal values of the different measures of reliability, recommended by the literature.Originality/valueThis instrument can be used by the Spanish academic community, which will contribute to the assessment and prediction regarding a sustainable consumption attitude. From these screenings, it will be also possible to understand the impact and development of the objectives outlined by Agenda 2030.