bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Oxytocin neurons in the paraventricular and supraoptic hypothalamic nuclei bidirectionally modulate food intake
Authors: Rea Jessica J. , Liu Clarissa M. , Hayes Anna M.R. , Ohan Rita , Schwartz Grace M. , Bashaw Alexander G. , Klug Molly E. , Decarie-Spain Lea , Park Yedam , Kao Alicia E. , Grinevich Valery , Kanoski Scott E. 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTOxytocin (OT) is a neuropeptide produced in the paraventricular (PVH) and supraoptic (SON) nuclei of the hypothalamus. Either peripheral or central administration of OT suppresses food intake through reductions in meal size. However, pharmacological approaches do not differentiate whether observed effects are mediated by OT neurons located in the PVH or in the SON. To address this, we targeted OT neuron-specific designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs) in either the PVH or SON in rats, thus allowing for evaluation of food intake following selective activation of OT neurons separately in each nucleus. Results revealed that DREADDs-mediated excitation of PVH OT neurons reduced consumption of both standard chow and a high fat high sugar diet (HFHS) via reductions in meal size. On the contrary, SON OT neuron activation had the opposite effect by increasing both standard chow and liquid sucrose consumption, with the former effect mediated by an increase in meal size. To further examine the physiological role of OT neurons in eating behavior, a viral-mediated approach was used to silence synaptic transmission of OT neurons separately in either the PVH or SON. Results from these studies revealed that PVH OT neuron silencing significantly increased consumption of HFHS by increasing meal size whereas SON OT neuron silencing reduced chow consumption by decreasing meal size. Collectively these data reveal that PVH and SON OT neurons differentially modulate food intake by either increasing or decreasing satiation signaling, respectively.
Mechanistic basis for protein conjugation in a diverged bacterial ubiquitination pathway
Authors: Ye Qiaozhen , Gong Minheng , Chambers Lydia R. , Corbett Kevin D. 
Published: November 2024

SummaryUbiquitination is a fundamental and highly conserved protein post-translational modification pathway, in which ubiquitin or a ubiquitin-like protein (Ubl) is typically conjugated to a lysine side chain of a target protein. Ubiquitination is a multistep process initiated by adenylation of the Ubl C-terminus, followed by sequential formation of 2-3 Ubl∼cysteine thioester intermediates with E1, E2, and E3 proteins before formation of the final Ubl-lysine isopeptide bond1. Ubiquitination is conserved across eukaryotes, and recent work has also revealed at least two related bacterial pathways that perform protein conjugation in the context of antiphage immunity2–5. Bioinformatics analysis has hinted at the existence of additional, as-yet uncharacterized, pathways in bacteria that could perform protein conjugation using ubiquitination-like machinery6–8. Here we describe the architecture and biochemical mechanisms of Bub (bacterialubiquitination-like) pathways, revealing strong structural parallels along with striking mechanistic differences when compared to eukaryotic ubiquitination pathways. We show that Bub operons encode functional E1, E2, and Ubl proteins that are related to their eukaryotic counterparts but function entirely through oxyester, rather than thioester, intermediates. We also identify a novel family of serine proteases in Bub operons with a conserved serine-histidine catalytic dyad. The genomic context of Bub operons suggests that, like other bacterial ubiquitination-related pathways, they also function in antiphage immunity. Overall, our results reveal a new family of bacterial ubiquitination-related pathways with unprecedented biochemical mechanisms in both protein conjugation and deconjugation.
Structural diversity and oligomerization of bacterial ubiquitin-like proteins
Authors: Gong Minheng , Ye Qiaozhen , Gu Yajie , Chambers Lydia R. , Bobkov Andrey A. , Arakawa Neal K. , Matyszewski Mariusz , Corbett Kevin D. 
Published: November 2024

SummaryBacteria possess a variety of operons with homology to eukaryotic ubiquitination pathways that encode predicted E1, E2, E3, deubiquitinase, and ubiquitin-like proteins. Some of these pathways have recently been shown to function in anti-bacteriophage immunity, but the biological functions of others remain unknown. Here, we show that ubiquitin-like proteins in two bacterial operon families show surprising architectural diversity, possessing one to three β-grasp domains preceded by diverse N-terminal domains. We find that a large group of bacterial ubiquitin-like proteins possess three β-grasp domains and form homodimers and helical filaments mediated by conserved Ca2+ion binding sites. Our findings highlight a distinctive mode of self-assembly for ubiquitin-like proteins, and suggest that Ca2+-mediated ubiquitin-like protein filament assembly and/or disassembly enables cells to sense and respond to stress conditions that alter intracellular metal ion concentration.
Description of two novelCorynebacteriumspecies isolated from human nasal passages and skin
Authors: Popowitch Elena B. , Tran Tommy H. , Escapa Isabel Fernandez , Bhatt Eeshta , Sozat Alp K. , Ahmed Nashwa , Deming Clayton , Roberts Ari Q. ,   NISC Comparative Sequencing Program, Segre Julia A. , Kong Heidi H. , Conlan Sean , Lemon Katherine P. , Kelly Matthew S. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractStrains of two novelCorynebacteriumspecies were cultured from samples of human nostrils and skin collected in the United States and Botswana. These strains demonstrated growth on Columbia Colistin-Nalidixic Acid agar with 5% sheep blood and in liquid media (brain heart infusion and tryptic soy broth) supplemented with Tween 80, a source of the fatty acid oleic acid. Cells were Gram-positive, non-spore-forming, non-motile bacilli that showed catalase but not oxidase activity. Major fatty acids in both of these species were 18:1 ω9c (oleic acid), 16:0 (palmitic acid), and 18:0 (stearic acid). Analysis of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences identified these strains as belonging to the genusCorynebacterium(family Corynebacteriaceae). Whole-genome sequencing revealed that these strains formed distinct branches on a phylogenomic tree, withC. tuberculostearicumbeing the closest relative but with average nucleotide identities of < 95% relative to all previously described species. These results indicate that these strains represent novel species ofCorynebacterium, for which we propose the namesCorynebacterium halluxsp. nov., with the type strain CTNIH22T(=ATCC TSD-435T=DSM 117774T), andCorynebacterium nasorumsp. nov., with the type strain KPL3804T(=ATCC TSD-439T=DSM 117767T). We also describe the characteristics of two strains isolated from human nasal passages that are members of the recently named speciesCorynebacterium yonathiae.RepositoriesThe sequencing files supporting the conclusions of this study are available in the Sequence Read Archive (PRJNA804245, PRJNA854648, PRJNA842433). The partial 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences from PCR amplification and Sanger sequencing are available in GenBank forCorynebacterium halluxsp. nov. CTNIH22T(accession number:PQ252679) andCorynebacterium nasorumsp. nov. KPL3804T(accession number:PQ149068) . The annotated genomic sequences for the strains characterized in this study have been deposited in GenBank with the following accession numbers:C. halluxsp. nov. CTNIH22T(GCF_032821755.1),C. nasorumsp. nov. KPL3804T(GCF_037908315.1),C. nasorumsp. nov. MSK185 (GCF_030229765.1),C. yonathiaeKPL2619 (GCF_037908465.1), andC. yonathiaeMSK136 (GCF_022288805.2).
Stimulation of the Frontal Aslant Tract’s origin in the caudal superior frontal gyrus alters ongoing spontaneous rhythmic activity independently from the effector. Evidence from tractography-guided Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Authors: Tagliaferri Marco , Glaubig Lea , DiChiaro Valentina , Cattaneo Luigi 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTthe crown of the human Superior Frontal Gyrus (SFG-crown) is a functionally independent region, nestled between the dorsal premotor and supplementary motor cortices, that supports internally-timed action control. The unique SFG-crown’s connectivity fingerprint by the Frontal Aslant Tract (FAT), suggests a caudal-rostral pattern of increasing abstractness of action representations. Coherently, since the mid-portion of the caudal SFG contains a representation of action strategies that involve internal timing, we hypothesized that the caudal portion of the SFG may be involved in action execution of internally-timed actions. To test this, we asked 21 healthy participants to perform a self-paced tapping movement with the right index finger or a self-paced articulation of the syllable /da/ while applying online single-pulse TMS to the posterior, middle and anterior origins of the FAT in the left SFG-crown. Results showed that effective TMS (compared to sham) impacted rhythm production in both tasks, only when applied to the posterior SFG region, by reducing the probability of motor events in the 200 ms following TMS. The present data support the hypothesis, that the posterior SFG-crown, associated with the most posterior origin of the FAT fibers, is involved in the production of internally-timed actions, in an effector-independent modality, suggesting a domain-general role in the execution of internally-timed movements.
Opposite-sex pairing alters social interaction-induced GCaMP and dopamine activity in the insular cortex of male prairie voles
Authors: Vitale Erika M. , Tbaba Amina H. , Tam Kaitlyn , Gossman Kyle R. , Smith Adam S. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThe prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) is a monogamous rodent species which displays selective social behaviors to conspecifics after establishing a pair bonded relationship, specifically partner-directed affiliation and stranger-directed aggression. This social selectivity relies on the ability of an individual to respond appropriately to a social context and requires salience detection and valence assignment. The anterior insular cortex (aIC) has been implicated in stimulus processing and categorization across a variety of contexts and is well-situated to integrate environmental stimuli and internal affective states to modulate complex goal-directed behaviors and social decision-making. Surprisingly, the contribution of the aIC to the expression of pair bond-induced social selectivity in prairie voles has been drastically understudied. Here we examined whether neural activity and gene expression in the aIC change in response to opposite-sex pairing and/or as a function of pairing length in male prairie voles. Opposite-sex pairing was characterized by changes to calcium and dopamine (DA) transients in the aIC that corresponded with the display of social selectivity across pair bond maturation. Furthermore, D1 and D2 receptor mRNA expression was significantly higher in males after 48 hrs of cohabitation with a female partner compared to same-sex housed males, and D2 mRNA remained significantly higher in males with a female partner compared to same-sex housed males after a week of cohabitation. Together, these results implicate a role for DA and its receptors in the aIC across the transition from early-to late-phase pair bonding.
PFAS Compounds PFOA and Gen X are Teratogenic to Sea Urchin Embryos
Authors: Lion Alexandra T. , Bodine Sophie M. , McCutcheon Kelley R. , Ghogale Mayank , Chandragiri Santhan , Abayawardena Deema , Shrestha Bikram D. , Descoteaux Abigail , Alvarez Kathryn , Balkman J’nesse A. , Cocke Breelyn , Wikramanayake Athula H. , Schlezinger Jennifer , Wong Joyce Y. , Prakash Vivek N. , Bradham Cynthia A. 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTPer-and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals that are used to make fluoropolymer coatings found in many products, such as non-stick pans, clothing, cosmetics, and food packaging. These highly persistent molecules are known as “forever chemicals” since they neither degrade environmentally nor break down enzymatically within biological systems. PFAS compounds readily contaminate water sources, and as a result, certain PFAS molecules have bioaccumulated in exposed species including humans. The purpose of this study was to define the effect of two PFAS molecules, the ostensibly more toxic perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and the more recent, reportedly safer chemical hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (Gen X), on the development ofLytechinus variegatussea urchin embryos. We examined the effects of PFOA and Gen X on development and patterning using morphological analysis, immunostaining, HCR-FISH, and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). The results show that both PFAS compounds are teratogenic to sea urchin embryos. PFOA and Gen X each function at different intervals during development and provoke distinct phenotypic and gene expression outcomes. Despite beliefs that Gen X would be a safer alternative, our findings indicate that Gen X has earlier and more severe effects on endomesoderm and dorsal-ventral axis specification, neural development and function, and pattern formation compared to PFOA. These results illustrate the dangerous teratogenic potential of environmentally accumulating PFAS like Gen X, underscoring the negative ecological implications that accompany continuing commercial and industrial use of PFAS in the absence of remediation strategies.HIGHLIGHTSGen X is more teratogenic in sea urchins than PFOAGen X acts earlier than PFOA and perturbs axial and germ layer specificationEach PFAS reduces neural numbers and perturbs ciliary behavior and swimming
Associated charged Higgs boson production within the 2HDM:
e−e+
versus
μ−μ+
colliders
Authors: Ouazghour Brahim Ait , Arhrib Abdesslam , Cheung Kingman , Ghourmin Es-said , Rahili Larbi 
Published: November 2024

Our goal is to investigate the charged Higgs phenomenology in the framework of 2HDM at the upcoming e+e− and muon colliders. We are primarily concerned with the associated production processes with a fermion pair: ℓ+ℓ−→τ+ντH− and ℓ+ℓ−→tb¯H−, as well as with the W boson and a neutral Higgs boson: ℓ+ℓ−→W±H∓S (S=h, H, A) and ℓ+ℓ−→W±H∓Z. We first update the results for e+e−→{τ+ντH−,tb¯H−} and then discuss our findings for e+e−→{W±H∓S} for various center-of-mass energies 500 GeV, 1 TeV, 1.5 TeV, and 3 TeV. In the case of muon collider, we show that the new s-channel and t-channel diagrams can increase the cross sections by virtue of their Yukawa couplings. We systematically compare our results for the muon collider with those obtained at the International Linear and Compact Linear colliders. We select benchmark points and conduct signal-background analyses, incorporating detector simulations. For a 3 TeV muon collider, our results show an exclusion region at the 2σ level and a discovery region at the 5σ level.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
ω
Meson from Lattice QCD
Authors: Yan Haobo , Mai Maxim , Garofalo Marco , Meißner Ulf-G. , Liu Chuan , Liu Liuming , Urbach Carsten 
Published: November 2024

Many excited states in the hadron spectrum have large branching ratios to three-hadron final states. Understanding such particles from first principles QCD requires input from lattice QCD with one-, two-, and three-meson interpolators as well as a reliable three-body formalism relating finite-volume spectra at unphysical pion mass values to the scattering amplitudes at the physical point. In this work, we provide the first-ever calculation of the resonance parameters of the ω meson from lattice QCD, including an update of the formalism through matching to effective field theories. The main result of this pioneering study, the pole position of the ω meson at sω=(778.0(11.2)−i3.0(5))  MeV, agrees reasonably well with experiment. In addition we provide an estimate of the ω−ρ mass difference as 29(15) MeV.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
The value of corporate digital transformation: evidence from bond pricing
Authors: Jiang Kangqi , Xie Xin , Xiao Yu , Ashraf Badar Nadeem 
Published: November 2024

PurposeThe main purpose of this study is to examine the effect of corporate digital transformation on bond credit spreads. Additionally, it also explores the two potential channels, information asymmetry and default risk, through which digital transformation can influence bond credit spreads.Design/methodology/approachWe use the bond issuance data of Chinese listed companies over the period 2008–2020. Corporate digital transformation of these companies is measured with textual analysis of the management discussion and analysis part of annual reports. We employ a panel regression model to estimate the effect of digital transformation on bond credit spreads.FindingsWe find robust evidence that companies with higher digital transformation experience lower bond credit spreads. We further observe that credit spread reduction is higher for firms that are smaller, non-state-owned, have lower credit ratings and have less analyst coverage. We also find evidence that digital transformation reduces credit spreads by reducing the information asymmetry between firms and investors with enhanced information transformation mechanisms and lowering corporate default risk by strengthening operating efficiency.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, this study is the first attempt to understand the impact of corporate digital transformation on bond credit spreads. Our findings help to understand the effect of digital transformation on firms’ credit worthiness and access to capital.
Performance analysis and benchmarking of general and health insurance companies of India: a three stage DEA study
Authors: Malya Sapna , George Sajeev Abraham 
Published: November 2024

PurposeThis paper analyses and benchmarks the performance of the general and health Insurance companies in India, considering their production, capital allocation and investment efficiencies as three distinct stages.Design/methodology/approachA three stage Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology has been used with three years of data of the health and general insurance companies.FindingsIn addition to production and investment efficiencies, the capital allocation efficiency of an insurance firm significantly impacts its financial performance. The study shows that notwithstanding the efficiency scores in production and investment, general insurance firms with superior capital allocation efficiencies are the ones that have been able to translate their efficiencies into better business performance.Practical implicationsThe study provides deeper understanding of the importance of capital allocation decisions and its linkages to production and investment efficiencies to help insurance firms to make better operational and financial decisions. The standalone health insurance players in spite of their reasonably high capital allocation efficiency scores have not been able to translate their efficiencies into superior financial performance.Originality/valueWhile the existing literature at best has only considered production and investment decisions as the two stages, the present study has added another stage relating to the allocation of financial resources of the insurance firms. The paper is also distinct in terms of its analysis of linkages between efficiency scores of the three different stages with key financial performance measures.
Understanding student sentiments towards an automated awarding DApp: a mixed method approach
Authors: Ibrahim Yasser M. , Hassan Rasha 
Published: November 2024

Purpose
Blockchain (BC) has recently gained attention from educational organizations as a reliable and trustworthy technology for storing crucial data. This study aims to explore the factors that influence the students’ intention to use BC to host an automated reward system that is based on objective criteria of students’ performance and activities. Predefined smart contracts would guarantee unbiased judgements and fair rewards.

Design/methodology/approach
A mixed method approach is used. Based on an iterative rounds of Delphi approach along with a comprehensive literature review, this research proposed an extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model. The model hypotheses relate performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), facilitating conditions (FC), perceived innovativeness (PI), trust (TR), perceived security and privacy (S&P), complexity (CX) and enjoyment (EN) to students behavioural intention to use the reward system. The study tests the hypotheses using survey data from 138 students who are familiar with BC technology and its applications. The data analysis is performed using partial least squares-structural equation modelling method.

Findings
The analysis revealed that PE, EE, PI, TR and EN positively affect students’ intention to use the BC rewarding system, while CX negatively impacts it. Conversely, FC and, interestingly, S&P, which showed a significant influence on trust, were found to be insignificant in influencing students’ intention to use the system.

Originality/value
This study significantly contributes to the educational technology field by addressing research gaps regarding the adoption and acceptance of BC technology in academia. Firstly, it proposes a basic form of a student reward system. Secondly, it introduces an empirically validated model of students’ adoption, pinpointing factors influencing their readiness to embrace a BC reward system and providing practical implementation insights.
Olive oil export competitiveness in leading producing nations: an econometric approach
Authors: Mavrommati Athanasia , Pliakoura Alexandra , Kontogeorgos Achilleas 
Published: November 2024

PurposeThis study aims to identify factors influencing the comparative advantages of leading olive oil exporting countries. It focuses on production, consumption, agricultural capital stock, GDP per capita and export prices.Design/methodology/approachThe paper analyzes data from 10 leading olive oil producing countries around the world. The study period covers the last decade from 2013 to 2022. Panel data analysis was used to assess these variables’ impact on the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) index.FindingsThe results show that higher agricultural capital stock and GDP significantly improve export performance. Domestic consumption and pricing strategies also affect market competitiveness. The study offers insights for optimizing production and enhancing global competitiveness for policymakers and industry stakeholders.Research limitations/implicationsThe main objective of this study was to determine the factors affecting the RCA index in olive oil exports. However, due to limited data for the study period, additional factors that may affect competition, such as regional policies, production costs and agricultural subsidies, were not included.Originality/valueAlthough there are many studies related to the competitiveness of olive oil exports, this work adds originality to the research by studying the dominant olive oil-producing countries as a whole for a multi-crisis decade due to significant economic, environmental and political changes that have changed the parameters of the international trade. This temporal scope enhances the relevance and applicability of the findings.