bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The endoplasmic reticulum-resident protein TMEM-120/TMEM120A promotes fat storage in C. elegans and mammalian cells
Authors: Li Yan , Huang Siwei , Li Xuesong , Yang Xingyu , Xu Ningyi , Qu Jianan , Mak Ho Yi 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe synthesis of triacylglycerol (TAG) is essential for the storage of excess fatty acids, which can subsequently be used for energy or cell growth. A series of enzymes act in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to synthesize TAG, prior to its transfer to lipid droplets (LDs), which are conserved organelles for fat storage. Here, we report that the deficiency of TMEM-120/TMEM120A, a protein with 6-transmembrane helices, retards TAG synthesis and LD expansion in C. elegans. A missense mutation near the predicted coenzyme A binding site of TMEM-120 confers strong loss of function phenotypes. GFP fusion proteins of TMEM-120, expressed at the endogenous level in live worms, were observed throughout the ER network. Using Stimulated Raman Scattering, we discovered a specific requirement of TMEM-120 in the storage of exogenous fatty acids in LDs. Knockdown of TMEM120A impedes adipogenesis of pre-adipocytes in vitro, while its over-expression is sufficient to promote LD expansion. Pharmacological studies indicate that TMEM120A most likely acts upstream of diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1). Our results suggest that TMEM-120/TMEM120A plays a conserved role in increasing the efficiency of TAG synthesis.
Thrombocytopenia and splenic platelet directed immune responses after intravenous ChAdOx1 nCov-19 administration
Authors: Nicolai Leo , Leunig Alexander , Pekayvaz Kami , Anjum Afra , Riedlinger Eva , Eivers Luke , Hoffknecht Marie-Louise , Rossaro Dario , Escaig Raphael , Kaiser Rainer , Polewka Vivien , Titova Anna , Spiekermann Karsten , Iannacone Matteo , Stark Konstantin , Massberg Steffen 
Published: June 2021

Summary paragraphVaccines against SARS-CoV-2 are based on a range of novel vaccine platforms, with adenovirus-based approaches (like ChAdOx1 nCov-19) being one of them. Recently a rare and novel complication of SARS-CoV-2 targeted adenovirus vaccines has emerged: thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). TTS is characterized by low platelet counts, clot formation at unusual anatomic sites and platelet-activating PF4-polyanion antibodies reminiscent of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. Here, we employ in vitro and in vivo models to characterize the possible mechanisms of this platelet-targeted autoimmunity. We show that intravenous but not intramuscular injection of ChAdOx1 nCov-19 triggers platelet-adenovirus aggregate formation and platelet activation. After intravenous injection, these aggregates are phagocytosed by macrophages in the spleen and platelet remnants are found in the marginal zone and follicles. This is followed by a pronounced B-cell response with the emergence of circulating antibodies binding to platelets. Our work contributes to the understanding of TTS and highlights accidental intravenous injection as potential mechanism for post-vaccination TTS. Hence, safe intramuscular injection, with aspiration prior to injection, could be a potential preventive measure when administering adenovirus-based vaccines.
Control of division and microtubule dynamics in Chlamydomonas by cyclin B/CDKB1 and the anaphase-promoting complex
Authors: Pecani Kresti , Lieberman Kristi , Tajima-Shirasaki Natsumi , Onishi Masayuki , Cross Frederick R. 
Published: June 2021

ABSTRACTIn yeast and animals, cyclin B binds and activates the cyclin-dependent kinase (‘CDK’) CDK1 to drive entry into mitosis. We show that CYCB1, the sole cyclin B in Chlamydomonas, activates the plant-specific CDKB1 rather than the CDK1 ortholog CDKA1. Time-lapse microscopy shows that CYCB1 is synthesized before each division in the multiple fission cycle, then is rapidly degraded 3-5 minutes before division occurs. CYCB1 degradation is dependent on the anaphase-promoting complex (APC). Like CYCB1, CDKB1 is not synthesized until late G1; however, CDKB1 is not degraded with each division within the multiple fission cycle. The microtubule plus-end-binding protein EB1 labeled with mNeonGreen (EB1-NG) allowed detection of mitotic events in live cells. The earliest detectable step in mitosis, splitting of polar EB1-NG signal into two foci, likely associated with future spindle poles, was dependent on CYCB1. CYCB1-GFP localized close to these foci immediately before spindle formation. Spindle breakdown, cleavage furrow formation and accumulation of EB1 in the furrow were dependent on the APC. In interphase, rapidly growing microtubules are marked by ‘comets’ of EB1; comets are absent in the absence of APC function. Thus CYCB1/CDKB1 and the APC mitosis modulate microtubule dynamics while regulating mitotic progression.
Ketamine decreases HPA axis reactivity to a novel stressor in male but not female mice
Authors: Johnston Colin J. , Fitzgerald Paul J. , Gewarges Jena S. , Watson Brendon O. , Spencer-Segal Joanna L. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractKetamine is an antidepressant drug that interacts with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, but whether this interaction is important for its behavioral effect is unknown. The goal of this experiment was to determine whether the behavioral response to ketamine depends on intact HPA axis function. Male and female C57BL/6J mice underwent chronic unpredictable stress prior to ketamine (30 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle treatment, with or without the glucocorticoid synthesis inhibitor metyrapone (20 mg/kg, i.p.) to block adrenal corticosterone production. Mice were tested in the forced swim test (FST) and open field test one and two days after injection, respectively. Fecal corticosterone was measured at select time points. No significant drug effects on behavior were observed. Males consistently had higher fecal corticosterone levels and stress-induced increases than females. Ketamine lowered the fecal corticosterone response to the FST only in males. These data show that ketamine after chronic stress decreases the corticosterone response to a novel stressor (the FST) in males, but not females. Corticosterone levels in all mice correlated with immobility in the FST, suggesting that shared neural circuitry could mediate both endocrine and behavioral responses. This circuitry may be ketamine-responsive only in males.
The NUCKS1-SKP2-p21/p27 axis controls S phase entry
Authors: Hume Samuel , Grou Claudia P. , Lascaux Pauline , D’Angiolella Vincenzo , Legrand Arnaud J. , Ramadan Kristijan , Dianov Grigory L. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractEfficient entry into S phase of the cell cycle is necessary for embryonic development and tissue homeostasis. However, unscheduled S phase entry triggers DNA damage and promotes oncogenesis, underlining the requirement for strict control. Here, we identify the NUCKS1-SKP2-p21/p27 axis as a checkpoint pathway for the G1/S transition. In response to mitogenic stimulation, NUCKS1, a transcription factor, is recruited to chromatin to activate expression of SKP2, the F-box component of the SCFSKP2 ubiquitin ligase, leading to degradation of p21 and p27 and promoting progression into S phase. In contrast, DNA damage induces p53-dependent transcriptional repression of NUCKS1, leading to SKP2 downregulation, p21/p27 upregulation, and cell cycle arrest. We propose that the NUCKS1-SKP2-p21/p27 axis integrates mitogenic and DNA damage signalling to control S phase entry. TCGA data reveal that this mechanism is hijacked in many cancers, potentially allowing cancer cells to sustain uncontrolled proliferation.
Public administration strategies that stimulate reverse logistics within the construction industry: a conceptual typology
Authors: Brandão Rayra , Hosseini M. Reza , Macêdo Alcebíades N. , Melo André C. , Martek Igor 
Published: June 2021

PurposeReverse logistics (RL) is a waste revaluation process aimed at reintroducing once-used materials back into the production cycle. Public administration (PA) plays a strong role in influencing the implementation of RL in the construction industry through policy and laws. While much research identifies PA as an important driver in RL, no research yet describes how this occurs.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review was conducted on the theme PA in RL with 93 relevant publications retrieved.FindingsSix strategies used by PA to promote RL were extracted: (1) legislation, (2) government subsidies, (3) landfill disposal fee, (4) government inspection, (5) use in public construction works and (6) penalties and fines. Moreover, a typology built on these six strategies was developed, mapping 15 interactional relationships between strategies, according to three levels of influence: (1) encouragement (2) requirement and (3) regulation.Practical implicationsIt was found that legislation and government subsidies prove to be the more effective strategies, with the remaining strategies greatly neglected. Importantly, however, this study reveals that a combination of strategies are most effective when appropriately combined.Originality/valueThis study confirms the importance of PA in RL, in construction, while documenting the extent of current research. The resulting proposed typology, along with 15 identified future research priorities, is expected to be of value to academics and policy makers looking to advance understanding in this domain.
Rural women entrepreneurs in Oman: problems and opportunities
Authors: Ghouse Suhail M. , Durrah Omar , McElwee Gerard 
Published: June 2021

PurposeThis paper examines the challenges associated with rural women entrepreneurs in Oman. The study is based on women living in rural and highland areas who aim to move beyond their traditional roles in the family seeking avenues for growth and development. It identifies several problems encountered by rural women entrepreneurs and the impact on their future business opportunities.Design/methodology/approachA mixed research approach involving quantitative and qualitative elements was adopted for the study. The research is based on 183 survey responses and personal interviews with 8 rural women entrepreneurs. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was adopted to analyse the quantitative responses and depict a model featuring the intensity of the problems affecting business opportunities. Seven short cases based upon the interviews with rural women entrepreneurs are also detailed.FindingsSeveral problems experienced by rural women entrepreneurs were identified hampering their business ventures, linked to personality, family, educational, socio-cultural, facilities, legal, financial and economic, organizational and geographical, out of which household, organizational and geographical linked problems were most significant. Entrepreneurial opportunities for rural women entrepreneurs are discussed.Practical implicationsThe research suggests that the policymakers should holistically consider how the rural women engaged in informal business for various means can be better supported and sustained by overcoming associated problems, can achieve business opportunities and contribute to regional socio-economic development.Originality/valueThere is a limited literature available on rural women entrepreneurship in an Arab context. The study provides an overview of the challenges and problems experienced by these women and the support areas required to overcome them for their sustainability in this region.
Country of brand origin positioning and financial performance: effects on internationalized companies from an emerging market
Authors: Porto Rafael Barreiros , Gomes Akitaya Paula Borges , Oliveira Denise Santos 
Published: June 2021

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate whether the internationalization characteristics of companies from an emerging market (internationalized company stage and presence of a sales subsidiary abroad) moderate the influence of country of brand origin positioning over the companies' financial performance.Design/methodology/approachThe authors performed an ex-post-facto study of internationalized companies from Brazil spanning 16 years. Generalized estimating equations in panel data revealed the results with market share, return on assets (ROA) and Tobin's Q as dependent variables.FindingsThe result revealed that country of brand origin positioning is worth doing for internationalized companies from an emerging market, especially for multinationals with sales activity in the destination country. It positively affects all three financial metrics. For exporters, it is effective in increasing market share and returns on assets.Practical implicationsThe research demonstrates the effectiveness of the image positioning of exporting and multinational companies that have internationalization initiatives and allocation of external sales activities.Originality/valueIn emerging markets, country of brand origin positioning is a branding strategy used by companies seeking to internationalize. This research shows that the contexts of the characteristics of internationalization strategies change the results, and therefore the need to be considered for testing the effectiveness of country-of-brand-origin positioning.
Authenticity perceptions in virtual environments
Authors: Mikeska Jamie N. , Howell Heather 
Published: June 2021

PurposeThis paper aims to examine three distinct aspects of authenticity that pre-service teachers (PSTs) experience when they engage with virtual classroom environments to develop their content-intensive instructional practice – task authenticity, student avatar authenticity and performance authenticity – and their perceptions about the usefulness of the simulated teaching experience to support their learning.Design/methodology/approachThis paper explored these conceptions of authenticity and usefulness within a larger research study whose goal was to develop virtual environment tools to help elementary PSTs learn how to engage in one ambitious teaching practice: facilitating discussions that engage students in argumentation. To examine these aspects of authenticity and usefulness, this paper used a general qualitative deductive analysis approach to examine data from 104 interviews with 26 case study teachers and examined patterns in PSTs’ perceptions within and across interviews and authenticity aspects.FindingsWhile these PSTs strongly value the utility of these tools to support their learning, findings point to variation in their perceptions of authenticity. Findings showed that most PSTs perceived the tasks as an authentic representation of the work of teaching. However, their perceptions of task authenticity did not always align with their perceptions of avatar or performance authenticity.Originality/valueThis paper argues that these three aspects of authenticity relate to, but expand upon, the broader notions of presence and plausibility noted in the literature on virtual environments and should be taken up more directly in future studies of users’ perceptions of virtual environments both within and outside of educational contexts.
Intelligent control of quad-rotor aircrafts with a STM32 microcontroller using deep neural networks
Authors: Guan Xiaochun , Lou Sheng , Li Han , Tang Tinglong 
Published: June 2021

Purpose
Deployment of deep neural networks on embedded devices is becoming increasingly popular because it can reduce latency and energy consumption for data communication. This paper aims to give out a method for deployment the deep neural networks on a quad-rotor aircraft for further expanding its application scope.

Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, a design scheme is proposed to implement the flight mission of the quad-rotor aircraft based on multi-sensor fusion. It integrates attitude acquisition module, global positioning system position acquisition module, optical flow sensor, ultrasonic sensor and Bluetooth communication module, etc. A 32-bit microcontroller is adopted as the main controller for the quad-rotor aircraft. To make the quad-rotor aircraft be more intelligent, the study also proposes a method to deploy the pre-trained deep neural networks model on the microcontroller based on the software packages of the RT-Thread internet of things operating system.

Findings
This design provides a simple and efficient design scheme to further integrate artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm for the control system design of quad-rotor aircraft.

Originality/value
This method provides an application example and a design reference for the implementation of AI algorithms on unmanned aerial vehicle or terminal robots.
“Ubiquitous uncertainties”: spillovers across economic policy uncertainty and cryptocurrency uncertainty indices
Authors: Foglia Matteo , Dai Peng-Fei 
Published: June 2021

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to extend the literature on the spillovers across economic policy uncertainty (EPU) and cryptocurrency uncertainty indices.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses cross-country economic policy uncertainty indices and the novel data measuring the cryptocurrency price uncertainties over the period 2013–2021 to construct a sample of 946 observations and applies the time-varying parameter vector autoregression (TVP-VAR) model to do an empirical study.FindingsThe findings suggest that there are cross-country spillovers of economic policy uncertainty. In addition, the total uncertainty spillover between economic policies and cryptocurrency peaked in 2015 before gradually decreasing in the following periods. Concomitantly, the cryptocurrency uncertainty has acted as the “receiver.” More importantly, the authors found the predictive power of economic policy uncertainty to predict the cryptocurrency uncertainty index. This paper’s results hold robust when using alternative measurement of cryptocurrency policy uncertainty.Originality/valueThis study is the first research that deeply investigates the association between two uncertainty indicators, namely economic policy uncertainty and the cryptocurrency uncertainty index. We provide fresh evidence about the dynamic connectedness between country-level economic policy uncertainty and the cryptocurrency index. Our work contributes a new channel driving the variants of uncertainties in the cryptocurrency market.
State legitimacy and tax compliance among small and medium scale enterprises: a case study of Dodowa district, Ghana
Authors: Ababio Abraham Gyamfi , Gnonsio Mangueye Arthur 
Published: June 2021

Purpose
Improving tax compliance would drive the needed development in Ghana. Small and medium scale enterprises (SME) constitute a sizable proportion of the Ghanaian economy but its contribution to tax revenue is below expectation. This study aims to determine whether SME's perception of state legitimacy affects tax compliance.

Design/methodology/approach
A structured questionnaire was administered to 200 SMEs randomly drawn from Dodowa in the Shai-Osudoku District of Greater Accra Region. Descriptive statistics and the Probit model with sample selection were used to analyse the data.

Findings
The study found that SME's perception of government legitimacy exerts a significant negative effect on reducing profit to avoid tax liability (ß = −0.0305, p < 0.05). Other factors such as education and fear of fines and penalties were also found to reduce the likelihood that the firm would reduce profit to avoid high tax liability. Still, tax knowledge had a positive effect on this behaviour.

Practical implications
This study would help deepen policymakers' knowledge of how to improve tax compliance among SMEs in Ghana.

Originality/value
The originality of this work is that it explicitly models the role of fiscal exchange theory in explaining tax compliance among SMEs in Ghana by using robust methodology.
Equity-informative methods of health services research
Authors: Cookson Richard , Robson Matthew , Skarda Ieva , Doran Tim 
Published: June 2021

PurposeWe review quantitative methods for analysing the equity impacts of health care and public health interventions: who benefits most and who bears the largest burdens (opportunity costs)? Mainstream health services research focuses on effectiveness and efficiency but decision makers also need information about equity.Design/methodology/approachWe review equity-informative methods of quantitative data analysis in three core areas of health services research: effectiveness analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis and performance measurement. An appendix includes further readings and resources.FindingsResearchers seeking to analyse health equity impacts now have a practical and flexible set of methods at their disposal which builds on the standard health services research toolkit. Some of the more advanced methods require specialised skills, but basic equity-informative methods can be used by any health services researcher with appropriate skills in the three core areas.Originality/valueWe hope that this review will raise awareness of equity-informative methods of health services research and facilitate their entry into the mainstream so that health policymakers are routinely presented with information about who gains and who loses from their decisions.
A Data-driven project categorization process for portfolio selection
Authors: El bok Ghizlane , Berrado Abdelaziz 
Published: June 2021

Purpose
Categorizing projects allows for better alignment of a portfolio with the organizational strategy and goals. An appropriate project categorization helps understand portfolio’s structure and enables proper project portfolio selection (PPS). In practice, project categorization is, however, conducted in intuitive approaches. Furthermore, little attention has been given to project categorization methods in the project management literature. The purpose of this paper is to provide researchers and practitioners with a data-driven project categorization process designed for PPS.

Design/methodology/approach
The suggested process was modeled considering the main characteristics of project categorization systems revealed from the literature. The clustering analysis is used as the core-computing technology, allowing for an empirically based categorization. This study also presents a real-world case study in the automotive industry to illustrate the proposed approach.

Findings
This study confirmed the potential of clustering analysis for a consistent project categorization. The most important attributes that influenced the project grouping have been identified including strategic and intrinsic features. The proposed approach helps increase the visibility of the portfolio’s structure and the comparability of its components.

Originality/value
There is a lack of research regarding project categorization methods, particularly for the purpose of PPS. A novel data-driven process is proposed to help mitigate the issues raised by prior researchers including the inconsistencies, ambiguities and multiple interpretations related to the taken-for-granted categories. The suggested approach is also expected to facilitate projects evaluation and prioritization within appropriate categories and contribute in PPS effectiveness.