bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Behavioral phenotyping of Zip8 393T-KI mice for in vivo study of schizophrenia pathogenesis
Authors: Terrillion Chantelle E. , Kang Byung-hak , Melia Joanna M.P. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractGenetic studies have informed on the genetic landscape of schizophrenia, and the next challenge is to link the genetic associations to mechanistic studies. A common single nucleotide polymorphism in the zinc and manganese transporter ZIP8 (rs13107325; ZIP8 A391T) is a top candidate to prioritize for functional studies because it is a missense mutation that results in hypomorphic protein function. With this goal, we have established a mouse model (Zip8 393T-knock-in (KI)), and here, we report the results of brain necropsy and initial behavioral phenotyping experiments in the KI mice using open field testing, elevated plus maze, Y-maze, and trace fear conditioning. Overall, male, homozygous KI mice may exhibit subtle defects in cognition and spatial learning, otherwise the baseline testing supports minimal behavioral differences between wild-type and Zip8 393T-KI mice. There were no genotype-specific alterations of gross or microscopic neuroanatomy. These experiments are important to establish the baseline characteristics of the Zip8 393T-KI mice that may be perturbed in animal models of schizophrenia and position the Zip8 393T-KI mouse as an important model for translational studies of schizophrenia pathogenesis.
A peroxide-responding sRNA evolved from a peroxidase mRNA
Authors: Krieger Madeline C. , Dutcher H. Auguste , Ashford Andrew J. , Raghavan Rahul 
Published: October 2021

ABSTRACTSmall RNAs (sRNAs) are critical regulators of gene expression in bacteria, but we lack a clear understanding of how new sRNAs originate and get integrated into regulatory networks. A major obstacle to elucidating their evolution is the difficulty in tracing sRNAs across large phylogenetic distances. To overcome this roadblock, we investigated the prevalence of sRNAs in more than a thousand genomes across Enterobacterales, a bacterial order with a rare confluence of factors that allows robust genome-scale sRNA analyses: several well-studied organisms with fairly conserved genome structures, an established phylogeny, and substantial nucleotide diversity within a narrow evolutionary space. Using a covariance modeling-based approach, we analyzed the presence of hundreds of sRNAs and discovered that a majority of sRNAs arose recently, and uncovered protein-coding genes as a potential source for the generation of new sRNA genes. A detailed investigation of the emergence of OxyS, a peroxide-responding sRNA, demonstrated that it evolved from a 3′ end fragment of a peroxidase mRNA. Collectively, our data show that the erosion of protein-coding genes can result in the formation of new sRNAs that continue to be part of the original protein’s regulon. This novel insight provides a fresh framework for understanding how new sRNAs originate and get incorporated into preexisting regulatory networks.AUTHOR SUMMARYSmall RNAs (sRNAs) are important gene regulators in bacteria, but it is unclear how new sRNAs originate and become part of regulatory networks that coordinate bacterial response to environmental stimuli. Here, we show that new sRNAs could arise from protein-coding genes and potentially be incorporated into the ancestral proteins’ regulatory networks. We illustrate this process by defining the origin of OxyS. This peroxide-responding sRNA evolved from and replaced a peroxidase gene, but continues to be part of the peroxide-response regulon. In sum, we describe the source from which OxyS, one of the most well-studied sRNAs, arose, identify protein-coding genes as a potential raw material from which new sRNAs could emerge, and suggest a novel evolutionary path through which new sRNAs could get incorporated into pre-existing regulatory networks.
ASF1 activation PI3K/AKT pathway regulates sexual and asexual development in filamentous ascomycete
Authors: Wang Shi , Liu Xiaoman , Xiong Chenlin , Gao Susu , Xu Wenmeng , Zhao Lili , Song Chunyan , Li Zhuang , Zhang Xiuguo 
Published: October 2021

AbstractSexual and asexual reproduction is ubiquitous in eukaryotes. PI3K/AKT signaling pathway can modulate sexual reproduction in mammals. However, this signaling pathway modulating sexual and asexual reproduction in fungi is scarcely understood. SeASF1, a SeH4 chaperone, could manipulate sexual and asexual reproduction of Stemphylium eturmiunum. SeDJ-1, screened from SeΔasf1 transcriptome, was confirmed to regulate sexual and asexual development by RNAi, of which the mechanism was demonstrated by detecting transcriptional levels and protein interactions of SeASF1, SeH4 and SeDJ-1 by qRT-PCR, and Y2H, Co-IP and Pull-down, respectively. SeASF1 coupling SeH4 bound SeDJ-1 to arouse the sexual and asexual activity. In S. eturmiunum genome, SeDJ-1 was upstream while SeGSK3 was downstream in PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Moreover, SeDJ-1 interacted with SePI3K or SeGSK3 in vivo and in vitro. Significantly, SeDJ-1 or SePI3K could effectively stimulate sexual activity alone, but SePI3K could recover the sexual development of SiSeDJ-1. Meanwhile, SeDJ-1-M6 was a critical segment for interaction of SeDJ-1 with SePI3K. SeDJ-1-M6 played a critical role in irritating sexual reproduction in SiSePI3K, which further uncovered the regulated mechanism of SeDJ-1. Summarily, SeASF1 coupling SeH4 motivates SeDJ-1 to arouse SePI3K involved in sexual reproduction. Thus, SeASF1 can activate PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to regulate sexual and asexual development in filamentous ascomycete.
Genetic Diversity of Bundibugyo Ebolavirus from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: Omara Isaac Emmanuel , Kiwuwa-Muyingo Sylvia , Balinandi Stephen , Nyakarahuka Luke , Kiconco Jocelyn , Kayiwa John Timothy , Mboowa Gerald , Jjingo Daudi , Lutwama Julius J. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe Ebolavirus is one of the deadliest viral pathogens which was first discovered in the year 1976 during two consecutive outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan. Six known strains have been documented. TheBundibugyo Ebolavirusin particular first emerged in the year 2007 in Uganda. This outbreak was constituted with 116 human cases and 39 laboratory confirmed deaths. After 5 years, it re-emerged and caused an epidemic for the first time in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the year 2012 as reported by the WHO. Here, 36 human cases with 13 laboratory confirmed deaths were registered. Despite several research studies conducted in the past, there is still scarcity of knowledge available on the genetic diversity ofBundibugyo Ebolavirus. We undertook a research project to provide insights into the unique variants ofBundibugyo Ebolavirusthat circulated in the two epidemics that occurred in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of CongoMaterials and MethodsThe Bioinformatics approaches used were; Quality Control, Reference Mapping, Variant Calling, Annotation, Multiple Sequence Alignment and Phylogenetic analysis to identify genomic variants as well determine the genetic relatedness between the two epidemics. Overall, we used 41 viral sequences that were retrieved from the publicly available sequence database, which is the National Center for Biotechnology and Information Gen-bank database.ResultsOur analysis identified 14,362 unique genomic variants from the two epidemics. The Uganda isolates had 5,740 unique variants, 75 of which had high impacts on the genomes. These were 51 frameshift, 15 stop gained, 5 stop lost, 2 missense, 1 synonymous and 1 stop lost and splice region. Their effects mainly occurred within the L-gene region at reference positions 17705, 11952, 11930 and 11027. For the DRC genomes, 8,622 variant sites were identified. The variants had a modifier effect on the genome occurring at reference positions, 213, 266 and 439. Examples are C213T, A266G and C439T. Phylogenetic reconstruction identified two separate and unique clusters from the two epidemics.ConclusionOur analysis provided further insights into the genetic diversity ofBundibugyo Ebolavirusfrom the two epidemics. TheBundibugyo Ebolavirusstrain was genetically diverse with multiple variants. Phylogenetic reconstruction identified two unique variants. This signified an independent spillover event from a natural reservoir, rather a continuation from the ancestral outbreak that initiated the resurgence in DRC in the year 2012. Therefore, the two epidemics were not genetically related.
Deeper insight into FAC corrosion mechanism
Authors: Liu Yingwei , Wang Zhe , Liu Chuang , Ma Jingming 
Published: October 2021

Purpose
This study aims to reveal the differential concentration corrosion (DCC) mechanism, which has been ignored by researchers for a long time.

Design/methodology/approach
The ionic conductive layer near the pipe wall was extracted and discretized. In the case of DCC, the equations of corrosion potential after polarization in units are derived according to Kirchhoff’s Law. By solving these equations, the corrosion potential and current on situation of DCC are calculated.

Findings
DCC can change origin distribution of (nature) potential and current greatly; it will cause polarization. The positions with original lower corrosion potential will produce anodic polarization; meanwhile, the speed of corrosion also increases; the position with original higher corrosion potential will produce cathodic polarization, and the corrosion current is also decreased. Generally speaking, the potential will be homogenized by DCC mechanism.

Originality/value
This model makes an in-depth analysis of the traditional FAC theory, greatly supplements it and enriches the theory.
Tales of challenge and resolution: narratives of women middle managers in the South African public service
Authors: Chinyamurindi Willie Tafadzwa , Chuchu Tinashe , Maziriri Eugine Tafadzwa 
Published: October 2021

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the challenges and resolution tactics of women middle managers in the South African public service.

Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative research approach using semi-structured interviews was used as a data collection technique. Narrative analysis was used with a sample of 20 women middle managers working within the South African public service.

Findings
Narratives of challenges faced by women middle managers in the South African public service included relational issues, with a subtle undermining of women managers, challenges rooted within the socio-cultural milieu – perversely undermining the experience of being a manager and challenges stemming from public service in general such as corruption, in turn, questioning the ability of women managers to handle such. In addressing these challenges, the women middle managers exercised three individual performative actions in response to the identified challenges. These include using direct confrontation, relying on networks for guidance and relying on indirect confrontation.

Research limitations/implications
Sample size challenges feature as a notable limitation including the research being conducted in only one political province of South Africa. Caution should be exercised when seeking to generalise the findings to other contexts.

Practical implications
Understanding the challenges and resolution tactics of women middle managers can be a useful precursor to management development interventions.

Originality/value
The study answers call for more processual career and management development studies that help understand not only challenges but also resolution strategies. This study illustrates both the difficulty of this and ensures opportunity for the advancement of women in management.
About the change of flow factors during the run-in process of lubricated contacts
Authors: Holzer Achill , Schmitz Katharina 
Published: October 2021

Purpose
This paper aims to increase the knowledge of the run-in process of lubricated contacts in hydraulical pumps. When performing EHL simulations of tribological contacts, the surface influence needs to be taken into account. This experimental measurement wants to investigate the amount of change of the flow factors in the first hour of run of tribological contacts.

Design/methodology/approach
An experimental test bench is used to run-in several samples. After several minutes of running, samples are removed and the surface structure is captured using a digital microscope. With the measured data, flow factors are calculated.

Findings
The findings were clear that flow factors are highly direction-dependent, especially shear flow factors in radial directions experience almost no change. Overall, influence of the surface structure of up to 30% compared to a flat surface can be registered.

Originality/value
This paper helps to choose application-oriented values for the simulation of tribological contacts.
Influence of the air pressure and oil amount to the temperature of the high-speed bearings lubricated by oil mist
Authors: Stanković Miloš , Kolarević Nenad , Davidovic Nikola , Miloš Marko 
Published: October 2021

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to improve the lubrication and remove as much as possible of the heat generated in the bearing assembly, embedded in the jet engine.

Design/methodology/approach
To determine the necessary values of the air pressure and oil amount, an experimental approach is used. For that purpose, a custom made test rig is developed.

Findings
Less amount of oil makes better lubrication conditions, reflected in the smaller temperature of the bearings. Concerning the air pressure, too high and too low air pressure deteriorates the lubrication parameters. An optimum value should be determined experimentally. The influence of oil amount is remarkably bigger than the influence of air pressure.

Originality/value
This experimental investigation provides an easy and fast way to improve the high-speed bearings lubrication parameters.
Do Islamic banks gain from corruption and money laundering (ML)?
Authors: Aish Kinza , Hassan M. Kabir , Zaman Qamar Uz , Ehsan Sadaf , Abbas Khurram , Shah Ijaz Hussain 
Published: October 2021

Purpose
This paper aims to examine the impact of corruption and money laundering (ML) on the profitability and stability of Islamic banks.

Design/methodology/approach
This study used the data of 53 conventional and 19 Islamic banks of Pakistan and Malaysia to have comparative insights. The empirical methods include the fixed effect and random effect regression and generalized methods of moment for robust results.

Findings
The results indicate that Islamic banks gain from corruption and ML. Corruption and ML affect bank profitability and stability positively in a less corrupt environment, i.e. Malaysia; however, corruption hurts Islamic banks’ performance, and ML favours Islamic banking profitability and stability in a more corrupt environment, i.e. Pakistan.

Originality/value
The present study pioneers the debate on corruption and ML related to Islamic banking profitability and stability. This study provides important insights to regulators and Shariah advisors to build a real model of Islamic banking.
CONCEPTUALIZING AFRICAN URBAN PERIPHERIES
Authors: Meth Paula , Goodfellow Tom , Todes Alison , Charlton Sarah 
Published: October 2021

AbstractRecent years have seen a rising interest in peri‐urban spaces, urban frontiers and new suburbanisms, including in African contexts. However, given the scale of urban growth and the extreme diversity of formations emerging on the geographical edges of African city‐regions, a deeper understanding is needed of the drivers of peripheral urbanisms and the lived experiences of urban change in these spaces. Based on a comparative research project in South Africa and Ethiopia, this article draws out the epistemologies of researching African urban peripheries and presents a new conceptual framework. It offers a language for interpreting processes of peripheral development and change, highlighting five distinct but overlapping logics which we term speculative, vanguard, auto‐constructed, transitioning and inherited. Rather than describing bounded peripheral spaces, we argue that these logics can co‐exist, hybridize and bleed into each other in different ways in specific places and at different temporal junctures. Centring our methodological practices of comparative analysis, and privileging the voices of those living in urban peripheries, the article employs critical readings of urban scholarship before exploring how these five logics illuminate the complex processes of urban peripheral evolution and transformation. Formulating these logics helps to fill a lacuna in urban conceptualization with potential relevance beyond African contexts.
The impact of the decomposition process of shallow graves on soil mite abundance
Authors: Rai Jas K. , Pickles Brian J. , Perotti M. Alejandra 
Published: October 2021

AbstractBurial of a cadaver results in a slower decomposition rate, due to more stable below‐ground temperatures and restricted access to necrophagous insects. In such circumstances, analysis of the soil mesofauna, with emphasis on mites (Acari) may be more valuable in time‐of‐death estimations. The production of volatile organic compounds of cadaveric decay results in changes, especially in the soil pH, which in turn would affect the abundance and diversity of the associated mites. In general, the effects of decomposition and the consequently altered pH levels on the abundance of mites in shallow graves, as well as the effects of fluctuating above‐ground environmental parameters (temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation) remain unknown. Here, we found that the decay of three pig cadavers buried in shallow graves (<30 cm below) caused a significant increase in the soil pH throughout decomposition, from neutral to alkaline. Cadaver decay attracted an abundance of mites: with 300 mites collected from the three pig cadavers compared to 129 from the control soil samples at the same depth. Mites rapidly became more abundant in cadaver‐associated soils than in control soils after the fresh stage. Increasing soil pH had a positive impact on the abundance of mites in graves and there was a significant interaction between cadaver body temperature and soil pH. Above‐ground fluctuations in temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation were found to have no significant direct effect on mite abundance in grave or control soils.
Factors associated with racing performance and career duration for Victorian‐born Thoroughbreds
Authors: Flash ML , Crabb HK , Hitchens PL , Firestone SM , Stevenson MA , Gilkerson JR 
Published: October 2021

The number of horses leaving the Australian Thoroughbred (TB) racing industry each year is of concern to animal welfare advocates, public and regulators. A horse's previous athletic performance is a significant driver of retirement from racing. Racehorse performance can be measured in terms of the total number of starts, duration of racing and prize money earned. This study investigated Australian racing records for the 2005 and 2010 Victorian TB foal crops to identify factors associated with total number of starts, racing career duration, prize money earned and age of last race start‐up to the 10‐year‐old racing season. Racing Australia registered 4,577 TB horses born in Victoria in 2005 (n = 2,506) and 2010 (n = 2,071) that raced in Australia. Horses that started racing at 2‐years of age had fewer race starts in their first racing season but an increased total number of starts, prize money and duration of racing. The median age of last start (LS) was five (Q1 4; Q3 7) years. Horses that had won a race, had a maximum handicap rating of 61 or above and those racing over distances of more than 2,400 m had an increased racing career duration and an age of last race start greater than 6‐years of age. Horses participating in jumps races (n = 63) had the longest careers and older age of LS. These horses were more likely to have had a handicap rating over 80 and were just as likely to start their racing careers as 2‐years‐olds.
Innovation and trade in the presence of credit constraints
Authors: Foellmi Reto , Legge Stefan , Tiemann Alexa 
Published: October 2021

AbstractThis paper examines how trade liberalization affects investment in R&D at the firm level. We provide a model with entrepreneurs that differ in their wealth endowments, causing them to rely on external funds to different extents. In the presence of capital market imperfections, this implies heterogeneous access to external financing such that poor entrepreneurs run smaller firms, are less likely to invest in R&D and are more likely to exit the market. Decreasing trade costs resulting from tariff reductions exacerbate these characteristics. Using firm‐level panel data on seven Latin American countries for 2006 and 2010, we find support for our theoretical predictions. While prior research emphasizes a positive impact of trade liberalization on firms’ productivity‐enhancing activities, we provide novel evidence showing that financial constraints can impair the effect on R&D efforts. These results suggest that imperfect capital markets can prevent welfare gains from trade liberalization to materialize.
Tet2 deficiency in immune cells exacerbates tumor progression by increasing angiogenesis in a lung cancer model
Authors: Nguyen Yen T. M. , Fujisawa Manabu , Nguyen Tran B. , Suehara Yasuhito , Sakamoto Tatsuhiro , Matsuoka Ryota , Abe Yoshiaki , Fukumoto Kota , Hattori Keiichiro , Noguchi Masayuki , Matsubara Daisuke , Chiba Shigeru , Sakata‐Yanagimoto Mamiko 
Published: October 2021

AbstractImmune cells harboring somatic mutations reportedly infiltrate cancer tissues in patients with solid cancers and accompanying clonal hematopoiesis. Loss‐of‐function TET2 mutations are frequently observed in clonal hematopoiesis in solid cancers. Here, using a mouse lung cancer model, we evaluated the activity of Tet2‐deficient immune cells in tumor tissues. Myeloid‐specific Tet2 deficiency enhanced tumor growth in mice relative to that seen in controls. Single‐cell sequencing analysis of immune cells infiltrating tumors showed relatively high expression of S100a8/S100a9 in Tet2‐deficient myeloid subclusters. In turn, treatment with S100a8/S100a9 promoted Vegfa production by cancer cells, leading to a marked increase in the tumor vasculature in Tet2‐deficient mice relative to controls. Finally, treatment of Tet2‐deficient mice with an antibody against Emmprin, a known S100a8/S100a9 receptor, suppressed tumor growth. These data suggest that immune cells derived from TET2‐mutated clonal hematopoiesis exacerbate lung cancer progression by promoting tumor angiogenesis and may provide a novel therapeutic target for lung cancer patients with TET2‐mutated clonal hematopoiesis.