bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Young Adults Recruit Similar Motor Modules Across Walking, Turning, and Chair Transfers
Authors: Carey Hannah D. , Liss Daniel , Allen Jessica L. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractMoving about in the world during daily life requires executing and successfully shifting between a variety of functional tasks, such as arising from a chair or bed, walking, turning, and navigating stairs, etc. Moreover, moving about during daily life requires not only navigating between different functional tasks but also performing these tasks in the presence of mental distractions. However, little is known about underlying neuromuscular control for executing and shifting between these different tasks. In this study, we investigated muscle coordination across walking, turning, and chair transfers by applying motor module (aka muscle synergy) analysis to the Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG) test with and without a secondary cognitive dual task. We found that healthy young adults recruit a small set of common motor modules across the subtasks of the TUG test and that their composition is robust to cognitive distraction. Instead, cognitive distraction impacted motor module activation timings such that they became more consistent. This work is the first to demonstrate motor module generalization across multiple tasks that are both functionally different and crucial for healthy mobility. Overall, our results suggest that the central nervous system may draw from a “library” of modular control strategies to navigate the variety of movements and cognitive demands required of daily life.New & NoteworthyWe demonstrated that healthy young adults recruit a small set of motor modules across subtasks of the Timed-Up-and-Go test (i.e., walking, turning, and chair transfers). Moreover, we showed that motor module composition, but not activation timing, is robust to cognitive distractions. These results support the hypothesis that healthy young adults recruit from a “library” of motor modules and modulate their activation timing to meet the different mechanical and cognitive demands required to navigate daily life.
Combined effect of cell geometry and polarity domains determines the orientation of unequal division
Authors: Godard Benoit G. , Dumollard Rémi , Heisenberg Carl-Philipp , McDougall Alex 
Published: May 2021

AbstractCell division orientation is thought to result from a competition between cell geometry and polarity domains controlling the position of the mitotic spindle during mitosis. Depending on the level of cell shape anisotropy or the strength of the polarity domain, one dominates the other and determines the orientation of the spindle. Whether and how such competition is also at work to determine unequal cell division (UCD), producing daughter cells of different size, remains unclear. Here, we show that cell geometry and polarity domains cooperate, rather than compete, in positioning the cleavage plane during UCDs in early ascidian embryos. We found that the UCDs and their orientation at the ascidian third cleavage rely on the spindle tilting in an anisotropic cell shape, and cortical polarity domains exerting different effects on spindle astral microtubules. By systematically varying mitotic cell shape, we could modulate the effect of attractive and repulsive polarity domains and consequently generate predicted daughter cell size asymmetries and position. We therefore propose that the spindle position during UCD is set by the combined activities of cell geometry and polarity domains, where cell geometry modulates the effect of cortical polarity domain(s).Graphical abstractHighlightSpindle tilting in anisotropic cell shape induces unequal cell divisionCortical polarity domain can exert attractive or repulsive effect on spindleCell geometry and polarity domain cooperate to position the spindleCell geometry modulates the effect of polarity domain
Local rather than global H3K27me3 dynamics associates with differential gene expression inVerticillium dahliae
Authors: Kramer H. Martin , Seidl Michael F. , Thomma Bart P.H.J. , Cook David E. 
Published: May 2021

ABSTRACTDifferential growth conditions typically trigger global transcriptional responses in filamentous fungi. Such fungal responses to environmental cues involve epigenetic regulation, including chemical histone modifications. It has been proposed that conditionally expressed genes, such as those that encode secondary metabolites but also effectors in pathogenic species, are often associated with a specific histone modification, lysine27 methylation of H3 (H3K27me3). However, thus far no analyses on the global H3K27me3 profiles have been reported under differential growth conditions in order to assess if H3K27me3 dynamics governs differential transcriptional. Using ChIP- and RNA-sequencing data from the plant pathogenic fungusVerticillium dahliaegrown in threein vitrocultivation media, we now show that a substantial number of the identified H3K27me3 domains globally display stable profiles among these growth conditions. However, we do observe local quantitative differences in H3K27me3 ChIP-seq signal that associate with a subset of differentially transcribed genes between media. Comparing thein vitroresults to expression during plant infection suggests thatin planta-induced genes may require chromatin remodelling to achieve expression. Overall, our results demonstrate that some loci display H3K27me3 dynamics associated with concomitant transcriptional variation, but many differentially expressed genes are associated with stable H3K27me3 domains. Thus, we conclude that while H3K27me3 is required for transcriptional repression, it does not appear that transcriptional activation requires global erasure of H3K27me3. We propose that the H3K27me3 domains that do not undergo dynamic methylation may contribute to transcription through other mechanisms or may serve additional genomic regulatory functions.
Diversity of funnel plasmodesmata in angiosperms: the impact of geometry on plasmodesmal resistance
Authors: Ostermeyer Grayson P. , Jensen Kaare H. , Franzen Aslak R. , Peters Winfried S. , Knoblauch Michael 
Published: May 2021

AbstractIn most plant tissues, threads of cytoplasm, or plasmodesmata, connect the protoplasts via pores in the cell walls. This enables symplasmic transport, for instance in phloem loading, transport, and unloading. Importantly, the geometry of the wall pore limits the size of the particles that may be transported, and also (co-)defines plasmodesmal resistance to diffusion and convective flow. However, quantitative information on transport through plasmodesmata in non-cylindrical cell wall pores is scarce. We have found conical, funnel-shaped cell wall pores in the phloem-unloading zone in growing root tips of five eudicot and two monocot species, specifically between protophloem sieve elements and phloem pole pericycle cells. 3D reconstructions by electron tomography suggested that funnel plasmodesmata possess a desmotubule but lack tethers to fix it in a central position. Model calculations showed that both diffusive and hydraulic resistance decrease drastically in conical cell wall pores compared to cylindrical channels, even at very small opening angles. Notably, the effect on hydraulic resistance was relatively larger. We conclude that funnel plasmodesmata generally are present in specific cell-cell interfaces in angiosperm roots, where they appear to facilitate symplasmic phloem unloading. Interestingly, cytosolic sleeves of most plasmodesmata reported in the literature do not resemble straight annuli but possess variously shaped widenings. Our evaluations suggest that widenings too small for identification on electron micrographs may drastically reduce the hydraulic and diffusional resistance of these pores. Consequently, theoretical models assuming cylindrical symmetries will underestimate plasmodesmal conductivities.
3-D Vascularized Breast Cancer Model to Study the Role of Osteoblast in Formation of a Pre-Metastatic Niche
Authors: Rimal Rahul , Desai Prachi , Marquez Andrea Bonnin , Sieg Karina , Marquardt Yvonne , Singh Smriti 
Published: May 2021

AbstractBreast cancer cells (BCCs) preferentially metastasize to bone. It is known that BCCs remotely primes the distant bone site prior to metastasis. However, the reciprocal influence of bone cells on the primary tumor is relatively overlooked. Here, to study the bone-tumor paracrine influence, a tri-cellular 3-D vascularized breast cancer tissue (VBCTs) model is engineered which comprised MDA-MB231, a triple-negative breast cancer cells (TNBC), fibroblasts, and endothelial cells. The VBCTs are indirectly co-cultured with osteoblasts (OBs), thereby constituting a complex quad-cellular tumor progression model. MDA-MB231 alone and in conjunction with OBs led to abnormal vasculature and reduced vessel density but enhanced VEGF production. A total of 1476 significantly upregulated and 775 downregulated genes are identified in the VBCTs exposed to OBs. HSP90N, CYCS, RPS27A, and EGFR are recognized as upregulated hub-genes. Kaplan Meier plot shows HSP90N to have a significant outcome in TNBC patient survivability. Furthermore, compared to cancer tissues without vessels, gene analysis recognized 1278 significantly upregulated and 566 downregulated genes in VBCTs. DKK1, CXCL13, C3 protein and BMP4 are identified to be downregulated hub genes in VBCTs. Together, a multi-cellular breast cancer model and culture protocols are established to study pre-metastatic events in the presence of OBs.
Mapping the microbial diversity and natural resistome of North Antarctica soils
Authors: Marcoleta Andrés E. , Varas Macarena A , Costa José , Rojas-Salgado Johanna , Arros Patricio , Berríos-Pastén Camilo , Tapia Sofía , Silva Daniel , Fierro José , Canales Nicolás , Chávez Francisco P , Gaete Alexis , González Mauricio , Allende Miguel A. , Lagos Rosalba 
Published: May 2021

ABSTRACTThe rising of multiresistant bacterial pathogens is currently one of the most critical threats to global health, demanding a better understanding of the origin and spread of antibiotic resistance. In this regard, the resistome hosted by the microbiota from natural and remote environments remains poorly explored. Moreover, little is known about the availability of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) from these environments to be disseminated through horizontal transfer, potentially mediating the rise of novel resistance factors among clinically relevant pathogens. In this context, the North Antarctica soils are attractive ecosystems to study due to the presence of a microbiota naturally adapted to thrive in harsh conditions, including potential factors to resist natural toxic substances. In this work, we evaluated the antibiotic resistance of bacteria isolated from soils collected in humanized and non-intervened areas of North Antarctica. We identified resistance to a wide array of antibiotics, with isolates harboring up to 10 simultaneous resistances, mainly nativePseudomonas. Genomic analysis revealed the presence of a wide array of genes encoding efflux pumps but the lack of genes explaining some of the resistance phenotypes, suggesting novel uncharacterized mechanisms. Also, using 16S rRNA amplicon and shotgun metagenome sequencing, we explored the microbial diversity in the sampled soils and evaluated the presence of ARGs and their host microbiota. High microbial diversity was found in all the sites, with Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, Acidobacteriota, and Verrucomicrobiota being the most abundant Phyla, whileCandidatus Udaeobacter, RB41,Polaromonas, andFerruginibacterthe most abundant genera. We identified hundreds of genes potentially conferring resistance to more than 15 drug classes, both by short reads analyses and ARG detection among assembled contigs and MAGs obtained combining short and long-read sequence data.Polaromonas, Pseudomonas, Streptomyces, Variovorax, Bhurkolderia, andGemmatimonaswere the main host taxa of the identified ARGs. Part of these ARGs was found inside predicted plasmids, including a putative OXA-like beta-lactamase fromPolaromonasharboring the key conserved residues of this kind of enzyme and a conserved predicted protein structure. All this evidence indicates that microbial communities from North Antarctica soil have a highly diverse natural resistome, part of it located inside mobile genetic elements, which would act as a source of novel ARGs.
Interplay between disordered regions in RNAs and proteins modulates interactions within stress granules and processing bodies
Authors: Vandelli Andrea , Samper Fernando Cid , Burgas Marc Torrent , de Groot Natalia Sanchez , Tartaglia Gian Gaetano 
Published: May 2021

ABSTRACTCondensation, or liquid-like phase separation, is a phenomenon indispensable for the spatiotemporal regulation of molecules within the cell. Recent studies indicate that the composition and molecular organization of phase-separated organelles such as Stress Granules (SGs) and Processing Bodies (PBs) are highly variable and dynamic. A dense contact network involving both RNAs and proteins controls the formation of SGs and PBs and an intricate molecular architecture, at present poorly understood, guarantees that these assemblies sense and adapt to different stresses and environmental changes. Here, we investigated the physico-chemical properties of SGs and PBs components and studied the architecture of their interaction networks. We found that proteins and RNAs establishing the largest amount of contacts in SGs and PBs have distinct structural properties and intrinsic disorder is enriched in all protein-RNA, protein-protein and RNA-RNA interaction networks. The increase of disorder in proteins is accompanied by an enrichment in single-stranded regions of RNA binding partners. Our results suggest that SGs and PBs quickly assemble and disassemble through fuzzy-like dynamic contacts modulated by unfolded domains of their components.Research HighlightsWe systematically studied RNA-RNA, protein-protein and RNA-protein interaction networks in stress granules and processing bodies;RNAs enriched in stress granules and processing bodies are more single-stranded and form a large number of contacts with both proteins and RNAs;Proteins in stress granules and processing bodies are less structured and contact larger amounts of single-stranded RNAs.
Binding the acoustic features of an auditory source through temporal coherence
Authors: Rezaeizadeh Mohsen , Shamma Shihab 
Published: May 2021

AbstractNumerous studies have suggested that the perception of a target sound source can only be segregated from a complex acoustic background if the acoustic features underlying its perceptual attributes (e.g., pitch, location, and timbre) induce temporally modulated responses that are mutually correlated, and that are uncorrelated from those of other sources in the mixture. This “temporal coherence” hypothesis asserts that listening attentively to one or a subset of attributes of a target source enhances their neural responses and concomitantly enhances all other coherent responses, thus binding them together while simultaneously suppressing the incoherent responses to the background features. Here we report on EEG measurements in human subjects engaged in various sound segregation tasks that demonstrate rapid binding among the temporally coherent features of the attended source regardless of their identity, harmonic relationship, or frequency separation, thus confirming the key role temporal coherence plays in the organization of auditory scenes.
A Bivalent Chromatin Controls Timing of Expression of Camalexin Biosynthesis Genes in Response to a Pathogen Signal in Arabidopsis
Authors: Zhao Kangmei , Kong Deze , Jin Benjamin , Smolke Christina D. , Rhee Seung Y. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractTemporal dynamics of gene expression underpins the responses to internal and environmental stimuli. In eukaryotes, regulation of gene induction includes changing chromatin states at the target genes, and recruitment of the transcriptional machinery that includes transcription factors. As one of the most potent specialized metabolites inArabidopsis thaliana, camalexin can be rapidly induced by bacterial and fungal infections. Though several transcription factors controlling camalexin biosynthesis genes have been characterized, it remains unknown how the rapid activation of genes in this pathway upon a pathogen signal happens. By combining publicly available epigenomic data within vivochromatin mapping, we found that camalexin biosynthesis genes are marked with two epigenetic modifications with opposite effects on gene expression, H3K27me3 (repression) and H3K18ac (activation), to form a bivalent chromatin. Mutants with reduced H3K27m3 or H3K18ac showed that both modifications were required to determine the timing of gene expression and metabolite accumulation at an early stage of the stress response. Our study indicates that this type of bivalent chromatin, which we name a kairostat, plays an important role controlling the timely induction of gene expression upon stimuli in plants.
STARsolo: accurate, fast and versatile mapping/quantification of single-cell and single-nucleus RNA-seq data
Authors: Kaminow Benjamin , Yunusov Dinar , Dobin Alexander 
Published: May 2021

AbstractWe presentSTARsolo, a comprehensive turnkey solution for quantifying gene expression in single-cell/nucleus RNA-seq data, built into RNA-seq alignerSTAR. Using simulated data that closely resembles realistic scRNA-seq, we demonstrate thatSTARsolois highly accurate and significantly outperforms pseudoalignment-to-transcriptome tools.STARsolocan replicate the results of, but is considerably faster thanCellRanger, currently the most widely used tool for pre-processing scRNA-seq data. In addition to uniquely mapped reads,STARsolotakes account of multi-gene reads, necessary to detect certain classes of biologically important genes. It has a flexible cell barcode processing scheme, compatible with many established scRNA-seq protocols, and extendable to emerging technologies.STARsolocan quantify transcriptomic features beyond gene expression, which we illustrate by analyzing cell-type-specific alternative splicing in the Tabula Muris project.
Electronic nicotine delivery systems exhibit reduced bronchial epithelial cells toxicity compared to cigarette: The Replica Project
Authors: Caruso Massimo , Emma Rosalia , Distefano Alfio , Rust Sonja , Poulas Konstantinos , Zadjali Fahad , Boffo Silvia , Volarevic Vladislav , Mesiakaris Konstantinos , Tobi Mohammed Al , Giordano Antonio , Arsenijevic Aleksandar , Zuccarello Pietro , Ferrante Margherita , Polosa Riccardo , Volti Giovanni Li ,   the Replica Project Group
Published: May 2021

AbstractCigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide. Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) may reduce health risks associated with chronic exposure to smoke and their potential benefits have been the matter of intense scientific debate. Here we replicated three key published studies from the Tobacco Industry on cytotoxic and inflammatory effects of cigarette smoke and ENDS aerosol in an independent multicentric study. We aimed to establish the reliability of results and the robustness of conclusions by replicating the authors’ experimental protocols and further validating them with different techniques. We exposed human bronchial epithelial cell (NCI-H292) to cigarette smoke and to aerosol from ENDS. All the exposure were conducted at air-liquid interface to assess cytotoxicity effects of smoke and aerosol. Moreover, we aimed to assess different inflammatory mediators release (IL-6, IL-8 and MMP-1) from cells exposed to whole smoke and to smoke without particulate matter (vapor phase). We were able to replicate the results obtained in the original studies on cytotoxicity confirming that almost 80% of the cytotoxic effect of smoke is due to the vapor phase of smoke. Moreover, our results substantiated the reduced cytotoxic effects of ENDS aerosol in respect to cigarette smoke. However, our data are significantly different from the original ones in terms of inflammatory and remodeling activity triggered by smoke. Taken all together, the data obtained independently in different laboratories clearly demonstrate the reduced toxicity of ENDS products compared to cigarettes and thus providing a valuable tool to the harm reduction strategies in smokers.
Flexible foraging behaviour increases predator vulnerability to climate change
Authors: Gauzens Benoit , Rosenbaum Benjamin , Kalinkat Gregor , Boy Thomas , Jochum Malte , Kortsch Susanne , O’Gorman Eoin J. , Brose Ulrich 
Published: May 2021

AbstractHigher temperatures are expected to reduce species coexistence by increasing energetic demands. However, flexible foraging behaviour could balance this effect by allowing predators to target specific prey species to maximize their energy intake, according to principles of optimal foraging theory. We test these assumptions using a large dataset comprising 2,487 stomach contents from six fish species with different feeding strategies, sampled across environments with varying prey availability over 12 years in Kiel Bay (Baltic Sea). Our results show that foraging shifts from trait-to density-dependent prey selectivity in warmer and more productive environments. This behavioural change leads to lower consumption efficiency at higher temperature as fish select more abundant but less energetically rewarding prey, thereby undermining species persistence and biodiversity. By integrating this behaviour into dynamic food web models, our study reveals that flexible foraging leads to lower species coexistence and biodiversity in communities under global warming.
Telework operationalization through internal CSR, governmentality and accountability during the Covid-19: evidence from a developing country
Authors: Metwally Abdelmoneim Bahyeldin Mohamed , Diab Ahmed , Mohamed Mostafa Kayed 
Published: May 2021

Purpose
This study aims to examine the impact of Covid-19 on transforming accountability, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and office operation and control. This paper explains how unleashing the rationality of health and safety along with internal CSR made the transformation to telework successfully operable in a periphery of a western multinational corporation.

Design/methodology/approach
The study draws upon the theories of governmentality and social accountability. It adopts an interpretative qualitative research approach and uses the case study method. Data were collected from one of the biggest private sector telecommunication companies in Egypt.

Findings
This study finds that Covid-19 and its related health and safety discourse represented a good rationale for the western home office to accelerate the initiation of its office transformation plan to reach full working from home policy in a less developed country peripheral subsidiary. Under the guise of CSR, the company spent a large budget to make this transformation quickly operable, while its Egyptian subsidiary is financially distressed. Moreover, the company achieved its objectives from this new rationality as employees currently prefer the telework mode which reduces the company costs in the long run.

Practical implications
The study provides practitioners with evidence and practicable knowledge regarding the impact of Covid-19 on office reconfiguration and the ways used to achieve this in the Egyptian telecommunication sector.

Originality/value
The current study extends the governmentality literature by illustrating that transformation to telework in emerging markets is an operational manifestation of cost reduction and efficiency rationality under the guise of CSR. Moreover, it extends the office transformation literature by bringing early evidence regarding office transition plans during COVID-19 in an emerging market.