bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The biotoxin BMAA promotes mesenchymal transition in neuroblastoma cells
Authors: Moore Ellie , Renner Abby , Dowden Taylor , Messer Devin , Hansen Hayes , Mull McKinnely , Goebel Abigail , Mawawa Grace , Burton Bryan , Pawlus Matthew 
Published: November 2024

AbstractMesenchymal-like cancer cells are an indicator of malignant tumors as they exhibit tumorigenic properties including downregulation of differentiation markers, and increased colony-forming potential, motility, and chemoresistance. We have previously demonstrated that the cyanobacterial biotoxin beta-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) is capable of influencing neural cell differentiation state through mechanisms involving the Wnt signaling pathway, suggesting the possibility that BMAA may play a role in influencing other Wnt related differentiation processes including mesenchymal transition. In this study we present evidence characterizing the effects of BMAA on mesenchymal transition in a human neuroblastoma cell line and provide support for the hypothesis that the biotoxin can promote this process in these cells by altering differentiation state, inducing changes in gene expression, and changing cellular function in manners consistent with cellular mesenchymal transition. Results of this study indicate that BMAA exposure may promote carcinogenesis through its effects on cell differentiation state in certain contexts. These results suggest that exposure to the biotoxin BMAA may be an influencing factor in chemotherapy resistance and cancer relapse in neuroblastoma.
Thermosensitivity of TREK K2P channels is controlled by a PKA switch and depends on the microtubular network
Authors: Cordeiro Sönke , Musinszki Marianne 
Published: November 2024

AbstractTemperature sensing is an essential component of animal perception and enables individuals to avoid painful or lethal temperatures. Many temperature sensors in central and peripheral neurons are ion channels. Here, we focus on the thermosensitive TREK/TRAAK subfamily of K2P channels – the only known K+selective thermosensitive channels. The C-terminal domain is essential for the temperature activation of TREK channels, but the mechanism of temperature sensation and the nature of the temperature sensor are unknown. We studied the thermosensitivity of representatives of all K2P channel subfamilies and identified TREK-1 and TREK-2 as the only thermosensitive K2P channels, while TRAAK, the third member of the mechano-gated subfamily, showed no temperature dependence. We transferred the thermosensitivity of TREK-1 to TRAAK channels by exchanging the C-termini, demonstrating that the C-terminal domain is sufficient to confer thermosensitivity. By gradually truncating the C-terminus, we isolated a specific temperature responsive element (TRE) consisting of 18 amino acids that constitutes a unique feature in mammalian thermosensitive channels. Within this TRE lie both the binding domain for microtubule associated protein 2 (MAP2) and the PKA phosphorylation site. Pharmacological disruption of the microtubular network as well as the loss of the MAP2 binding site suppressed the temperature response, and PKA activation completely abolished temperature sensitivity. Thus, the connection to the microtubular network enables the thermosensitivity of TREK channels, which is not intrinsic to the channel itself, while the PKA-mediated phosphorylation status acts as a switch that determines if TREK channels are thermosensitive at all.
Deep Multimodal Representations and Classification of First-Episode Psychosis via Live Face Processing
Authors: Singh Rahul , Zhang Yanlei , Bhaskar Dhananjay , Srihari Vinod , Tek Cenk , Zhang Xian , Noah J. Adam , Krishnaswamy Smita , Hirsch Joy 
Published: November 2024

AbstractSchizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder associated with a wide range of cognitive and neurophysiological dysfunctions and long-term social difficulties. In this paper, we test the hypothesis that integration of multiple simultaneous acquisitions of neuroimaging, behavioral, and clinical information will be better for prediction of early psychosis than unimodal recordings. We propose a novel framework to investigate the neural underpinnings of the early psychosis symptoms (that can develop into Schizophrenia with age) using multimodal acquisitions of neural and behavioral recordings including functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG), and facial features. Our data acquisition paradigm is based on live face-to-face interaction in order to study the neural correlates of social cognition in first-episode psychosis (FEP). We propose a novel deep representation learning framework, Neural-PRISM, for learning joint multimodal compressed representations combining neural as well as behavioral recordings. These learned representations are subsequently used to describe, classify, and predict the severity of early psychosis in patients, as measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores. We found that incorporating joint multimodal representations from fNIRS and EEG along with behavioral recordings enhances classification between typical controls and FEP individuals. Additionally, our results suggest that geometric and topological features such as curvatures and path signatures of the embedded trajectories of brain activity enable detection of discriminatory neural characteristics in early psychosis.
Social information use across trophic guilds
Authors: Muñiz Marie , Meadows Brandon T. , Lopez Pablo , Lichtenberg Elinor M. 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTAnimals use social information gathered by observing other individuals to adjust their behavior to better match the environment and improve fitness. Many insects use social information in various contexts. Bees improve their foraging efficiency by using social information from conspecifics to gauge nectar availability. Bees frequently encounter various heterospecific flower visitors, including different trophic groups such as nectaring predators. These heterospecifics may provide valuable information about nectar availability. We determined how bumble bees (Bombus impatiens) use visual social information from predatory lady beetles (Hippodamia convergens), who consume nectar to increase their reproductive output. Using laboratory-maintained bumble bees freely flying in arenas, we tested if bees could (1) innately recognize lady beetles as sources of social information about nectar, and (2) learn to use lady beetles to gauge nectar availability. Bees did not innately recognize lady beetles as a source of social information. They correctly learned to associate conspecifics with the presence and absence of food, but only learned to associate lady beetles with the presence of food and not the absence. Our results demonstrate social learning across species and trophic guilds, but suggest limits to when and how bees generalize social information from diverse heterospecific flower visitors.
The Mla pathway promotesVibrio choleraere-expansion from stationary phase
Authors: Leitner Deborah R. , Zingl Franz G. , Morano Alexander A. , Zhang Hailong , Waldor Matthew K. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractBacteria have evolved diverse strategies to ensure survival under nutrient-limited conditions, where rapid energy generation is not achievable. Here, we performed a transposon insertion site sequencing loss-of-function screen to identifyVibrio choleraegenes that promote the pathogen’s fitness in stationary phase. We discovered that the Mla (maintenance of lipidasymmetry) pathway, which is crucial for transferring phospholipids from the outer to the inner membrane, is critical for stationary phase fitness. Competition experiments with barcoded and fluorophore labeled wild-type andmlaEmutantV. choleraerevealed that the Mla pathway promotes re-expansion from 48h stationary phase cultures. The mutant’s defect in transitioning out of stationary phase into active growth (culturability) was also observed in monocultures at 48h. However, by 96h the culturability of the mutant and wild-type strains were equivalent. By monitoring the abundances of genomically barcoded libraries of wild-type and ΔmlaEstrains, we observed that a few barcodes dominated the mutant culture at 96h, suggesting that the similarity of the population sizes at this time was caused by expansion of a subpopulation containing a mutation that suppressed themlaEmutant’s defect. Whole genome sequencing revealed thatmlaEsuppressors inactivated flagellar biosynthesis. Additional mechanistic studies support the idea that the Mla pathway is critical for the maintenance ofV. cholerae’sculturability as it promotes energy homeostasis, likely due to its role in regulating outer membrane vesicle shedding. Together our findings provide insights into the cellular processes that control re-expansion from stationary phase and demonstrate a previously undiscovered role for the Mla pathway.ImportanceBacteria regularly encounter conditions with nutrient scarcity, where cell growth and division are minimal. Knowledge of the pathways that enable re-growth following nutrient restriction are limited. Here, using the cholera pathogen, we uncovered a role for the Mla pathway, a system that enables phospholipid re-cycling, in promotingVibrio choleraere-expansion from stationary phase cultures. Cells labeled with DNA barcodes or fluorophores were useful to demonstrate that though the abundances of wild-type and Mla mutant cells were similar in stationary phase cultures, they had marked differences in their capacities to regrow on plates. Of note, Mla mutant cells lose cell envelope components including high energy phospholipids due to OMV shedding. Our findings suggest that the defects in cellular energy homeostasis which emerge in the absence of the Mla pathway underlie its importance in maintainingV. choleraeculturability.
An algal nutrient-replete, optimized medium for fast growth and high triacylglycerol accumulation
Authors: Jeffers Tim L , McCombs Ryan , Schmollinger Stefan , Merchant Sabeeha S , Niyogi Krishna K , Roth Melissa S 
Published: November 2024

SummaryMicroalgae are promising sources to sustainably meet the global needs for energy and products. Algae grow under different trophic conditions, where nutritional status regulates biosynthetic pathways, energy production, and growth. The green algaChromochloris zofingiensishas strong economic potential because it co-produces biofuel precursors and the high-value antioxidant astaxanthin while accumulating biomass when grown mixotrophically. As an emerging reference alga for photosynthesis, metabolism, and bioproduction,C. zofingiensisneeds a defined, optimized medium to standardize experiments during fast growth. Because the interplay of glucose consumption (+Glc) and mineral deficiency influences photosynthesis, growth, and the production of lipids and astaxanthin, we designed a replete nutrient medium tailored to theC. zofingiensiscellular ionome. We combined inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and +Glc growth curves to determine a medium that is nutrient replete for at least 5 days of +Glc logarithmic growth. We found that there are high nutritional needs for phosphorus and sulfur during mixotrophy. Iron was the only element measured for which the cellular concentration correlated with exogenous concentration and was iteratively adjusted until the internal ionome was consistent through the logarithmic growth phase. ThisChromochloris-OptimizedRatio ofElements (CORE) medium supports fast growth and high biomass without causing excess nutrient toxicity. This defined, nutrient-replete standard is important for futureC. zofingiensisinvestigations and can be adapted for other species to support high biomass. The method used to develop CORE medium shows how ionomics informs replicable media design and may be applied in industrial settings to inform cost-effective biofuel production.Significance StatementStudying how carbon sources and mineral nutrients interplay to regulate algal metabolism can be exploited to discover and control pathways in photosynthesis and biofuel production. Here we design a medium from the cellular ionome ofChromochloris zofingiensis, a powerful algal model for photosynthesis, metabolism, and bioproducts, to provide a defined, replete standard for mixotrophic and heterotrophic growth of green algae. These media design principles show how accounting for increased nutritional demands based on carbon substrate can ensure experimental replicability when probing diverse algal metabolisms.
Transmembrane coupling accelerates the growth of liquid-like protein condensates
Authors: Lee Yohan , Yuan Feng , Cabriales Jerry L. , Stachowiak Jeanne C. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractTimely and precise assembly of protein complexes on membrane surfaces is essential to the physiology of living cells. Recently, protein phase separation has been observed at cellular membranes, suggesting it may play a role in the assembly of protein complexes. Inspired by these findings, we observed that protein condensates on one side of a planar suspended membrane spontaneously colocalized with those on the opposite side. How might this phenomenon contribute to the assembly of stable transmembrane complexes? To address this question, we examined the diffusion and growth of protein condensates on both sides of membranes. Our results reveal that transmembrane coupling of protein condensates on opposite sides of the membrane slows down condensate diffusion while accelerating condensate growth. How can the rate of condensate growth increase simultaneously with a decrease in the rate of condensate diffusion? We provide insights into these seemingly contradictory observations by distinguishing between diffusion-limited and coupling-driven growth processes. While transmembrane coupling slows down diffusion, it also locally concentrates condensates within a confined area. This confinement increases the probability of condensate coalescence and thereby enhances the overall rate of growth for coupled condensates, substantially surpassing the growth rate for uncoupled condensates. These findings suggest that transmembrane coupling could play a role in the assembly of diverse membrane-bound structures by promoting the localization and growth of protein complexes on both membrane surfaces. This phenomenon could help to explain the efficient assembly of transmembrane structures in diverse cellular contexts.SignificanceProtein assemblies that span biological membranes are critical to cellular physiology. In the past decade, liquid-like protein condensates, which are flexible, multivalent protein assemblies, have been discovered on diverse membrane surfaces. Recently, we observed that protein condensates on opposite sides of a membrane spontaneously colocalize to form coupled, transmembrane complexes. Interestingly, while transmembrane coupling slows down the diffusion of membrane-bound condensates, it substantially accelerates their growth by strongly localizing interactions between them. These findings suggest that transmembrane coupling of protein condensates may play a role in promoting the robust assembly of membrane-bound protein complexes in crowded, complex cellular environments.
Jade1 and the HBO1 complex are spatial-selective cofactors of Oct4
Authors: Wu Yifan , Manna Asit K. , Li Li , Handa Hiroshi , Chandrasekharan Mahesh B. , Tantin Dean 
Published: November 2024

AbstractOct4 is a master regulator of pluripotency. Potential Oct4 interactors have been cataloged extensively but the manner and significance of these interactions are incompletely defined. Like other POU domain proteins, Oct4 is capable of binding to DNA in multiple configurations, however the relationship between these configurations and cofactor recruitment (and hence transcription output) are unknown. Here, we show that Oct4 interacts with common and unique proteins when bound to DNA in different configurations. One of these proteins is Jade1, a component of the HBO histone acetyltransferase complex. Jade1 preferentially associates with Oct4 when bound toMore palindromicOctamer-RelatedElement (MORE) DNA sequences that bind Oct4 dimers and are associated with strong gene expression. Surprisingly, we find that the Oct4 N-terminal activation domain, rather than facilitating Jade1 binding, serves as an autoinhibitory domain that dampens the interaction. ChIP-seq using HBO1, the enzymatic component of the complex, identifies a preference for binding adjacent to Oct4 at MORE sites. Using purified recombinant proteins and nucleosome complexes, we show that the HBO1 complex acetylates histone H3K9 within nucleosomes more efficiently when Oct4 is co-bound to a MORE site. Histone acetylation is further increased when Oct4 is mutated to favor dimeric MORE binding. Cryo-electron microscopy reveals that Oct4 bound to a MORE near the nucleosome entry/exit site partially unwinds DNA from nucleosome core particles, and identifies additional mass associated with the HBO1 complex. These results identify a novel mechanism of transcriptional regulation by Oct4.
Decoding the Neural Dynamics of Headed Syntactic Structure Building
Authors: Zhao Junyuan , Gao Ruimin , Brennan Jonathan R. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThe brain builds hierarchical phrases during language comprehension; however, the representational details and dynamics of the phrase-building process remain underspecified. This study directly probes whether the neural code of a phrase involves reactivating the syntactic property of a key subcomponent (the “phrasal head”). To this end, we train a part-of-speech sliding-window neural decoder (verb vs. adverb) on EEG signals recorded while participants (N = 30) read sentences in a controlled experiment. The decoder reaches above-chance performance that is spatiotemporally consistent and generalizes to unseen data across sentence positions. Appling the decoder to held-out data yields predicted activation levels for the verbal “head” of a verb phrase at a distant non-head word (adverb); the critical adverb appeared either at the end of a verb phrase or at a sequentially and lexically matched position with no verb phrase boundary. There is stronger verb activation beginning at ∼600 milliseconds at the critical adverb when it appears at a verb phrase boundary; this effect is not modulated by the strength of conceptual association between the two subcomponents in the verb phrase nor does it reflect word predictability. Time-locked analyses additionally reveal a negativity waveform component and increased beta-delta inter-trial phase coherence, both previously linked to linguistic composition, in a similar time window. With a novel application of neural decoding, our findings delineate the temporal dynamics by which the brain encodes phrasal representations by, in part, reactivating the representation of key subcomponents. We thus establish a link between cognitive accounts of phrase structure representations and electrophysiological dynamics.
Covariant formulation of spinodal decomposition in rapidly expanding quark gluon plasma
Authors: Kapusta Joseph I. , Singh Mayank , Welle Thomas 
Published: November 2024

Quantum chromodynamics (QCD) is expected to have a first order phase transition between the confined hadron gas and the deconfined quark gluon plasma at high baryon densities. This will result in phase boundary effects in the metastable and unstable regions. It is important to include these effects in phenomenological models of heavy ion collisions to identify experimental signatures of a phase transition. This requires building intuition on phase separation in rapidly expanding fluids. In this work we present the covariant equations of relativistic hydrodynamics with a phase boundary, provide prescriptions to extend the equation of state to metastable and unstable regions, and show the effects of spinodal separation in a Bjorken flow.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Empirical study of Neo-Chinese fashion consumer behaviour from the perspectives of cultural identity and emotional self-regulation mechanism
Authors: Meng Hu , Xu Xinran , Tian Tianyue 
Published: November 2024

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the influential mechanism of consumer behaviour and identity towards Neo-Chinese fashion from the perspectives of cultural identity and emotional self-regulation mechanism.Design/methodology/approachThrough empirical methods such as questionnaire surveys and regression analysis, nine hypotheses were proposed and tested based on 253 valid samples.FindingsThe results indicate that perceived value has a significant positive impact on pride emotion, anxiety emotion and cultural identity, respectively. Cultural pride (anxiety) emotion also has a significant positive (negative) impact on identity. The study also finds that anxiety emotion plays a significant mediating effect in the relationship between perceived value and cultural identity, which of country-of-origin plays a significant negative moderating role.Originality/valueThis paper reveals the psychological mechanisms and implementation paths through which fashion consumption and Neo-Chinese design drive cultural identity. It provides a theoretical basis for optimizing and innovating strategies to guide the evolution of Neo-Chinese cultural identity in the new context.
Do undergraduate art and design students’ entrepreneurship skill sets influence their intention to own a business?
Authors: Odewole Peter Oluwagbenga 
Published: November 2024

PurposeDrawing on a competency-based approach, this empirical study explores whether art and design students’ entrepreneurship skill sets (technical, managerial and entrepreneurial skills) influence their intention to own a business and whether gender and/or business ownership influence their entrepreneurship skill sets.Design/methodology/approachA total of 204 respondents were selected using a random sampling technique. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including independent sample tests and two-way ANOVA.FindingsThe independent samples test revealed interesting results regarding art and design students’ entrepreneurship skill sets, distinguishing between those who own businesses and those who do not. The two-way ANOVA analysis indicated that certain factors significantly affect art and design students’ entrepreneurship skill sets while others do not.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that higher education institutions should reconsider their curricular frameworks to better equip art and design graduates with not only artistic skills but also robust entrepreneurial competencies based on targeted training programs that could be developed to enhance the managerial and entrepreneurial skills among art and design students.Originality/valueThis study addresses a gap in the literature by empirically examining the impact of entrepreneurship skill sets on the art and design students’ business ownership and investigating whether business ownership and/or gender influence their entrepreneurship skill sets, offering valuable insights for educational institutions and policymakers.