bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The consequences of lipid remodelling of adipocyte cell membranes being functionally distinct from global lipid storage during obesity
Authors: Liu Ke-di , Acharjee Animesh , Hinz Christine , Liggi Sonia , Murgia Antonio , Denes Julia , Gulston Melanie K , Wang Xinzhu , Chu Yajing , West James A. , Glen Robert C , Roberts Lee D. , Murray Andrew J. , Griffin Julian L. 
Published: July 2019

AbstractObesity is a complex disorder where the genome interacts with diet and environmental factors to ultimately influence body mass, composition and shape. Numerous studies have investigated how bulk lipid metabolism of adipose tissue changes with obesity, and in particular how the composition of triglycerides (TGs) changes with increased adipocyte expansion. However, reflecting the analytical challenge posed by examining non-TG lipids in extracts dominated by TGs, the glycerophospholipid (PL) composition of cell membranes has been seldom investigated. PLs contribute to a variety of cellular processes including maintaining organelle functionality, providing an optimised environment for membrane-associated proteins and as pools for metabolites (e.g. choline for one-carbon metabolism and for methylation of DNA). We have conducted a comprehensive lipidomic study of white adipose tissue in mice who become obese either through genetic modification (ob/ob), diet (high fat diet) or a combination of the two using both solid phase extraction and ion mobility to increase coverage of the lipidome. Composition changes in seven classes of lipid (free fatty acids, diglycerides, TGs, phosphatidylcholines, lyso-phosphatidylcholines, phosphatidylethanolamines, and phosphatidylserines) correlated with perturbations in one-carbon metabolism and transcriptional changes in adipose tissue. We demonstrate that changes in TGs that dominate the overall lipid composition of white adipose tissue are distinct from diet-induced alterations of PLs, the predominant components of the cell membranes. PLs correlate better with transcriptional and one-carbon metabolism changes within the cell, suggesting the compositional changes that occur in cell membranes during adipocyte expansion have far-reaching functional consequences.
NK cells prevent the formation of teratomas derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells
Authors: Benabdallah Basma , Désaulniers-Langevin Cynthia , Colas Chloé , Li Yuanyi , Guimont Jean V. , Haddad Elie , Beauséjour Christian 
Published: July 2019

ABSTRACTThe safe utilization of induced pluripotent stem cell-derivatives in clinic is tributary to the complete elimination of the risk of forming teratomas after transplantation. The extent by which such a risk exists in immune competent hosts is mostly unknown. Here, using humanized mice reconstituted with fetal hematopoietic stem cells and autologous thymus tissue (Hu-BLT) or following the adoptive transfer of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) (Hu-AT), we evaluated the capacity of immune cells to prevent or eliminate teratomas derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). Our results showed that the injection of hiPSCs failed to form teratomas in Hu-AT mice reconstituted with allogeneic or autologous PBMCs or purified NK cells alone. However, teratomas were observed in Hu-AT mice reconstituted with autologous PBMCs depleted from NK cells. In line with these results, Hu-BLT which do not have functional NK cells could not prevent the growth of autologous teratomas. Finally, we found that established teratomas were not targeted by NK cells and instead were efficiently rejected by allogeneic but not autologous T cells in Hu-AT mice. Overall, our findings suggest that autologous hiPSC-derived therapies are unlikely to form teratomas in the presence of NK cells.
Genomic properties of structural variants and short tandem repeats that impact gene expression and complex traits in humans
Authors: Jakubosky David , D’Antonio Matteo , Bonder Marc Jan , Smail Craig , Donovan Margaret K.R. , Greenwald William W. Young , D’Antonio-Chronowska Agnieszka , Matsui Hiroko ,   i2QTL Consortium, Stegle Oliver , Smith Erin N. , Montgomery Stephen B. , DeBoever Christopher , Frazer Kelly A. 
Published: July 2019

AbstractStructural variants (SVs) and short tandem repeats (STRs) comprise a broad group of diverse DNA variants which vastly differ in their sizes and distributions across the genome. Here, we show that different SV classes and STRs differentially impact gene expression and complex traits. Functional differences between SV classes and STRs include their genomic locations relative to eGenes, likelihood of being associated with multiple eGenes, associated eGene types (e.g., coding, noncoding, level of evolutionary constraint), effect sizes, linkage disequilibrium with tagging single nucleotide variants used in GWAS, and likelihood of being associated with GWAS traits. We also identified a set of high-impact SVs/STRs associated with the expression of three or more eGenes via chromatin loops and showed they are highly enriched for being associated with GWAS traits. Our study provides insights into the genomic properties of structural variant classes and short tandem repeats that impact gene expression and human traits.
Dissection of Catalytic Site in Crucial Gut Microbiome Enzyme: Bile Salt Hydrolase
Authors: Yadav Yashpal , Tiwari Mrityunjay K. , Chand Deepak , Boral Debjoyati , Pundle Archana , Ramasamy Sureshkumar 
Published: July 2019

AbstractBile Salt Hydrolases (BSHs) are enzymes from enteric bacteria that catalyze the hydrolysis of Bile Acids and consequently promote the reduction of cholesterol level in the mammalian body. Out of several reported BSHs, the Enterococcus faecalis BSH (EfBSH) has been reported to have the highest enzymatic activity. Herein, we have investigated the mechanistic details of the EfBSH activity. The study was carried out employing two mutants of EfBSH: E269A and R207A, which shows differential catalytic activity. The mutant E269A exhibits significant loss in the BSH activity with an increased affinity towards the substrate as compared to R207A mutant. Further, R207A was found to be involved in allostery with an increased EfBSH activity towards tauro-conjugated bile acids. The structural and electrostatic force analyses of the active sites of the E269A mutant and the wild type EfBSH (wt EfBSH) revealed that the interaction between Glu21 and Arg207 is the determining factor in maintaining the dynamic allostery and high activity of EfBSH.
Bayesian Correlation is a robust similarity measure for single cell RNA-seq data
Authors: Sanchez-Taltavull Daniel , Perkins Theodore J. , Dommann Noelle , Melin Nicolas , Keogh Adrian , Candinas Daniel , Stroka Deborah , Beldi Guido 
Published: July 2019

AbstractAssessing similarityis highly important for bioinformatics algorithms to determine correlations between biological information. A common problem is that similarity can appear by chance, particularly for low expressed entities. This is especially relevant in single cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) data because read counts are much lower compared to bulk RNA-seq.Recently, aBayesian correlationscheme, that assigns low similarity to genes that have low confidence expression estimates, has been proposed to assess similarity for bulk RNA-seq. Our goal is to extend the properties of the Bayesian correlation in scRNA-seq data by considering 3 ways to compute similarity. First, we compute the similarity of pairs of genes over all cells. Second, we identify specific cell populations and compute the correlation in those populations. Third, we compute the similarity of pairs of genes over all clusters, by considering the total mRNA expression.We demonstrate that Bayesian correlations are more reproducible than Pearson correlations. Compared to Pearson correlations, Bayesian correlations have a smaller dependence on the number of input cells. We show that the Bayesian correlation algorithm assigns high similarity values to genes with a biological relevance in a specific population.We conclude that Bayesian correlation is a robust similarity measure in scRNA-seq data.
Experimental evolution reveals a general role for the methyltransferase Hmt1 in noise buffering
Authors: You Shu-Ting , Jhou Yu-Ting , Kao Cheng-Fu , Leu Jun-Yi 
Published: July 2019

ABSTRACTCell-to-cell heterogeneity within an isogenic population has been observed in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Such heterogeneity often manifests at the level of individual protein abundance and may have evolutionary benefits, especially for organisms in fluctuating environments. Although general features and the origins of cellular noise have been revealed, details of the molecular pathways underlying noise regulation remain elusive. Here, we used experimental evolution ofSaccharomyces cerevisiaeto select for mutations that increase reporter protein noise. By combining bulk segregant analysis and CRISPR/Cas9-based reconstitution, we identified the methyltransferase Hmt1 as a general regulator of noise buffering. Hmt1 methylation activity is critical for the evolved phenotype, and noise buffering is primarily achieved via two Hmt1 methylation targets. Hmt1 functions as an environmental sensor to adjust noise levels in response to environmental cues. Moreover, Hmt1-mediated noise buffering is conserved in an evolutionarily distant yeast species, suggesting broad significance of noise regulation.Author SummaryCell-to-cell heterogeneity within an isogenic population has been observed in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Such heterogeneity often manifests at the level of individual protein abundance and may have evolutionary benefits, especially for organisms in fluctuating environments. Here, we used experimental evolution ofSaccharomyces cerevisiaeto select for mutations that increase reporter protein noise and identified the methyltransferase Hmt1 as a general regulator of noise buffering. Hmt1 is a central hub protein that is involved in multiple basic cellular pathways, including chromatin remodeling/transcription, translation, ribosome biogenesis, and post-transcriptional regulation. Our results show that Hmt1 constrains the noise level of multiple cellular pathways under normal conditions, so the physiology of individual cells in a population will not deviate too much from optimal peak fitness. However, when cells encounter environmental stresses, HMT1 is quickly down-regulated and expression noise is enhanced to increase the likelihood of population survival. Moreover, the noise buffering function of Hmt1 is conserved inSchizosaccharomyces pombethat diverged from the common ancestor ofSaccharomyces cerevisiaemore than 400 million years ago. Since the Hmt1 network is conserved from yeast cells to human, it is quite possible that Hmt1-mediated noise buffering also operates in multicellular organisms.
Stock-production functions resembling Beverton-Holt
Authors: Baker Peter Fritz 
Published: July 2019

AbstractResearchers dissatisfied with the performance of the Beverton-Holt model, in contexts where “Beverton-Holt-like” behavior is expected, have introduced a plethora of alternative model forms. This paper presents a formalization of what constitutes “Beverton-Holt-like behavior” which includes many of these forms, and shows that the class of functions so defined has a coherent and non-trivial mathematical theory. Data from the stock production database assembled by Ransom Myers is used to illustrate why such generalizations have been sought in the first place, and to highlight the difficulties in choosing between model forms on purely empirical grounds. Special attention is given to a parametric family of functions within this class, here called “θ-BH” functions. These functions cover a broad range of shapes, including both the Beverton-Holt and hockey stick functions, and share useful properties with these two widely-used models.
Two-Step Small Scale Purification of Recombinant Adeno-Associated Viruses
Authors: Chen Shih-Heng , Papaneri Amy , Walker Mitzie , Scappini Erica , Keys Robert D. , Martin Negin P. 
Published: July 2019

AbstractRecombinant adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are robust and versatile tools forin vivogene delivery. Natural and designer capsid variations in AAVs allow for targeted gene delivery to specific cell types. Low immunogenicity and lack of pathogenesis also add to the popularity of this virus as an innocuous gene delivery vector for gene therapy. AAVs are routinely used to express recombinases, sensors, detectors, CRISPR-Cas9 components, or to simply overexpress a gene of interest for functional studies. High production demand has given rise to multiple platforms for production and purification of AAVs. However, most platforms rely heavily on large amounts of starting material and multiple purification steps to produce highly purified viral particles. Often, researchers require several small-scale purified AAVs. Here, we describe a simple and efficient technique for purification of recombinant AAVs from small amounts of starting material in a two-step purification method. In this method, AAVs are released into the packaging cell medium using high salt concentration and pelleted by ultracentrifugation to remove soluble impurities. Then, the resuspended pellet is purified using a protein spin-concentrator. The two-step purification consisting of ultracentrifugation and spin-concentration eliminates the need for fraction collection and the time-consuming evaluation of individual fractionated aliquots for titer and purity. In this method, the resulting AAV preparations are comparable in titer and purity to commercially available samples. This simplified process can be used to rapidly generate highly purified AAV particles in small scale, thereby saving resources.
Investigation of the effect of V2O5 and Na2SO4 melted salts on thermal barrier coatings under cyclic conditions
Authors: Ozgurluk Yasin , Doleker Kadir Mert , Karaoglanli Abdullah Cahit 
Published: July 2019

Purpose
Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), which are used in high temperature applications of gas turbines, are damaged due to fuels and airborne minerals under working conditions. Stable zirconia coatings, which are usually used as topcoat materials in TBCs, are damaged by interacting at high temperatures with elements such as vanadium and sulfur from low quality fuels. The purpose of this paper is to see the failure mechanism of TBC systems after hot corrosion damages.

Design/methodology/approach
CoNiCrAlY metallic bond coatings of TBC samples were produced by cold gas dynamic spray method which is a new trend production method and stabilized zirconia ceramic top coating was produced by atmospheric plasma spray method. In total, 50% by weight of V2O5 and 50% Na2SO4 salt mixtures were placed on TBC samples and subjected to hot corrosion test at 1000°C.

Findings
Hot corrosion behaviors of TBC samples were examined by scanning electron microscopy, elemental mapping analysis, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry analysis and X-ray diffraction analysis. TBC samples were damaged at the end of 12-h cycles.

Originality/value
The paper provides to understand the mechanism of hot corrosion of TBCs with cold sprayed metallic bond coat.
Competition in the Spanish domestic airline sector
Authors: Sancho-Esper Franco Manuel , Mas-Ruiz Francisco José 
Published: July 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the role of switching costs (SwCs) on established firm cost behaviour towards a competitive entry in the Spanish domestic airline market, taking into account the entrant profile and airport capacity restrictions.

Design/methodology/approach
The dynamic model is based on information of 193 Spanish domestic routes in which incumbents react to entrants (quarterly data during 10 years, 620 reactions are analysed). The balanced panel used is constructed by setting up a multiple-source database based on accounting and industrial engineering procedures.

Findings
Results show that both entrant profile and regulatory constraints conditions incumbent cost reaction (CR) to entry at the route-level. Regression models show that the relationship between SwCs and incumbent reaction is moderated by the entrant profile and the regulatory conditions of the market.

Practical implications
This study reveals the importance of policy measures aimed at reducing firm market power and increasing consumer protection in the airline industry, in which SwCs are artificially created at the company’s discretion and where operating costs at the route-level need to be evaluated together with the various service elements.

Originality/value
This study complements current literature related to incumbent CR to entry in the airline industry since it analyses the specific reaction performed by a carrier at the route-level. Moreover, it analyses the whole set of routes in the Spanish domestic market rather than a selection of it. It also explicitly includes three alternative measures of SwCs that can influence such incumbent reaction.
An analysis of factors affecting mobile banking adoption
Authors: Elhajjar Samer , Ouaida Fadila 
Published: July 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual model that explains the most important factors affecting mobile banking adoption for Lebanese banking customers.

Design/methodology/approach
Based on the data collected through a survey, structural equations modeling and path analysis were utilized to test the hypotheses. In total, 320 questionnaires were collected from Lebanese customers.

Findings
The results show that digital literacy, resistance to change, perceived risk, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness were found to be the main variables affecting users’ attitudes toward adoption of mobile banking, whereas awareness and compatibility showed no significant impact on adoption. In addition, both subjective norms and personal innovativeness influenced users’ adoption moderated the relationships between usefulness attitude and ease of use attitude.

Originality/value
The study fills a gap in the literature by exploring e-readiness influence on adoption through testing the variable “digital literacy” and by examining the effect of the frequency of branch visits on the intention to adopt mobile banking. Social and individual variables, such as social influence and personal innovativeness, which were rarely examined in past studies, are employed in this research. All of our respondents were actual bank account holders.
Clinical guidelines and patient related outcomes: summary of evidence and recommendations
Authors: de Vasconcelos Luciana Pereira , de Oliveira Rodrigues Luiza , Nobre Moacyr Roberto Cuce 
Published: July 2019

Purpose
Good medical practice, evidence-based medicine (EBM) and clinical practice guidelines (CPG) have been recurring subjects in the scientific literature. EBM advocates argue that good medical practice should be guided by evidence-based CPG. On the other hand, critical authors of EBM methodology argue that various interests undermine the quality of evidence and reliability of CPG recommendations. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate patient related outcomes of CPG implementation, in light of EBM critics.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors opted for a rapid literature review.

Findings
There are few studies evaluating the effectiveness of CPG in patient-related outcomes. The systematic reviews found are not conclusive, although they suggest a positive impact of CPGs in relevant outcomes.

Research limitations/implications
This work was not a systematic review of literature, which is its main limitation. On the other hand, arguments from EBM and CPG critics were considered, and thus it can enlighten health institutions to recognize the caveats and to establish policies toward care improvement.

Originality/value
The paper is the first of its kind to discuss, based on the published literature, next steps toward better health practice, while acknowledging the caveats of this process.
Streamlining and modernising medical workforce governance
Authors: Short Stephanie D. , Hawal Nikhil , Albusaidi Nasser Sai , Purwaningrum Farah 
Published: July 2019

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the elements of effective policies and processes to inform future health professional regulation reforms and practice in the Emirates.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on qualitative exploratory methodology. Methods of data collection and analysis included document analysis of the relevant literature, newspapers (as featured on their online websites), policy documents and official statistics. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders, including employers in the health and higher education sectors in Ras Al Khaimah, human resources managers, regulators and public health professionals and scholars.FindingsThis paper brings to light the issues of maldistribution of the medical workforce, Emiritisation and examines implications for more effective medical workforce governance in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).Originality/valueFirst, the study provides policy recommendations for medical workforce governance in the context of UAE. Next, empirical studies on health workforce governance in the Middle East’s Gulf Cooperation Council are lacking and primarily focus on the international mobility of expatriates. The study addresses the lack of empirical studies on this topic in the UAE. Third, the UAE is a fertile ground for research on medical workforce governance and, more broadly, the mobility of health professionals due to its economic diversification strategy and thriving medical tourism industry.
Shaping city brand strategies based on the tourists’ brand perception: report on Banja Luka main target groups
Authors: Kovačić Sanja , Milenković Nemanja , Slivar Iva , Rancic Milica 
Published: July 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a suggestion for the research framework on tourists as target groups for planning city branding strategies with reference to possible differences for tourists having a different country of origin. This framework was applied to analyze and compare the perception of Banja Luka city brand (Bosnia and Herzegovina) by four main target group by country of origin.

Design/methodology/approach
The suggested research framework combines qualitative generation of tourist’s city brand associations and brand personality with quantitative measurements of city brand perception (scale developed following the framework of Anholts’ (2006) City Brand Index adjusted to tourists as target groups).

Findings
The developed research framework was demonstrated in the example of Banja Luka main target groups. Three dimensions of city brand which largely coincide Anholt’s (2006) dimensions were extracted: tourist attractiveness, life standard and safe and pleasant atmosphere. Differences between analyzed countries were found in city brand perception, brand associations, brand personality, but also in all other analyzed categories.

Research limitations/implications
Possible limitation of the study is the fact that results were interpreted including both those who have visited Banja Luka and those who are not personally familiar with it.

Practical implications
Practical implications of research findings are demonstrated in form of branding suggestions focused on particular target groups.

Originality/value
The study suggests a research framework on tourists as target groups in the city branding process. Also, it contributes to a very scarce research on differences in city brand perception by target groups by country of origin, but also to the literature related to Banja Luka city brand and tourism development.