bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Red Fluorescent Lifeact Marker to Study Actin Morphology in Podocytes
Authors: Wiesner Eva , Binz-Lotter Julia , Tröder Simon E. , Unnersjö-Jess David , Rutkowski Nelli , Zevnik Branko , Benzing Thomas , Wedlich-Soldner Roland , Hackl Matthias J. 
Published: September 2024

AbstractF-actin is a major component of the cellular cytoskeleton, responsible for maintaining cell shape, enabling movement and facilitating intracellular transport. In the kidney, glomerular podocytes are highly dependent on their actin cytoskeleton shaping their unique foot processes. Hereditary mutations in actin-binding proteins cause focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, while other organs remain largely unaffected.So far, actin visualization in podocytes has been limited to electron microscopy or indirect immunofluorescent labeling of actin-binding proteins. However, the short F-actin-binding peptide Lifeact enables researchers to study actin dynamicsin vitroandin vivowith minimal interference with actin metabolism.Here we introduce a new mouse model with conditional expression of a Lifeact.mScarlet-I fusion protein providing red labeling of actin. Cre recombinase-mediated activity allows cell-specific and mosaic expression in podocytes, enabling selective labeling of individual cells to contrast with non-expressing neighboring cells. Transgenic mice are born healthy and young animals display no kidney-related phenotype. By intravital imaging and super-resolution microscopy, we show subcellular localization of actin to the foot processes in a resolution previously only obtainable by electron microscopy.Our novel mouse line provides the opportunity to study the actin cytoskeleton in podocytes and other cell types by intravital imaging and other conventional light microscopy techniques.
Metabolite-responsive Control of Transcription by Phase Separation-based Synthetic Organelles
Authors: Jerez-Longres Carolina , Weber Wilfried 
Published: September 2024

AbstractLiving natural materials have remarkable sensing abilities that translate external cues into functional changes of the material. The reconstruction of such sensing materials in bottom-up synthetic biology provides the opportunity to develop synthetic materials with life-like sensing and adaptation ability. Key to such functions are material modules that translate specific input signals into a biomolecular response. Here, we engineer a synthetic organelle based on liquid-liquid phase separation that translates a metabolic signal into the regulation of gene transcription. To this aim, we engineer the pyruvate-dependent repressor PdhR to undergo liquid-liquid phase separationin vitroby fusion to intrinsically disordered regions. We demonstrate that the resulting coacervates bind DNA harbouring PdhR-responsive operator sites in a pyruvate dose-dependent and reversible manner. We observed that the activity of transcription units on the DNA was strongly attenuated following recruitment to the coacervates. However, the addition of pyruvate resulted in a reversible and dose-dependent reconstitution of transcriptional activity. The coacervate-based synthetic organelles linking metabolic cues to transcriptional signals represent a materials approach to confer stimulus-responsiveness to minimal bottom-up synthetic biological systems and open opportunities in materials for sensor applications.
Overabundant endocannabinoids in neurons are detrimental to cognitive function
Authors: Zhu Dexiao , Zhang Jian , Ma Xiaokuang , Hu Mei , Gao Fei , Hashem Jack B. , Lyu Jianlu , Wei Jing , Cui Yuehua , Qiu Shenfeng , Chen Chu 
Published: September 2024

Abstract2-Arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) is the most prevalent endocannabinoid involved in maintaining brain homeostasis. Previous studies have demonstrated that inactivating monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), the primary enzyme responsible for degrading 2-AG in the brain, alleviates neuropathology and prevents synaptic and cognitive decline in animal models of neurodegenerative diseases. However, we show that selectively inhibiting 2-AG metabolism in neurons impairs cognitive function in mice. This cognitive impairment appears to result from decreased expression of synaptic proteins and synapse numbers, impaired long-term synaptic plasticity and cortical circuit functional connectivity, and diminished neurogenesis. Interestingly, the synaptic and cognitive deficits induced by neuronal MAGL inactivation can be counterbalanced by inhibiting astrocytic 2-AG metabolism. Transcriptomic analyses reveal that inhibiting neuronal 2-AG degradation leads to widespread changes in expression of genes associated with synaptic function. These findings suggest that crosstalk in 2-AG signaling between astrocytes and neurons is crucial for maintaining synaptic and cognitive functions and that excessive 2-AG in neurons alone is detrimental to cognitive function.
Decoding polyubiquitin regulation of KV7. 1 functional expression with engineered linkage-selective deubiquitinases
Authors: Shanmugam Sri Karthika , Kanner Scott A. , Zou Xinle , Amarh Enoch , Choudhury Papiya , Soni Rajesh , Kass Robert S. , Colecraft Henry M. 
Published: September 2024

AbstractProtein posttranslational modification with distinct polyubiquitin linkage chains is a critical component of the ‘ubiquitin code’ that universally regulates protein expression and function to control biology. Functional consequences of diverse polyubiquitin linkages on proteins are mostly unknown, with progress hindered by a lack of methods to specifically tune polyubiquitin linkages on individual proteins in live cells. Here, we bridge this gap by exploiting deubiquitinases (DUBs) with preferences for hydrolyzing different polyubiquitin linkages: OTUD1 - K63; OTUD4 - K48; Cezanne - K11; TRABID - K29/K33; and USP21 - non-specific. We developed a suite of engineered deubiquitinases (enDUBs) comprised of DUB catalytic domains fused to a GFP- targeted nanobody and used them to investigate polyubiquitin linkage regulation of an ion channel, YFP-KCNQ1. Mass spectrometry of YFP-KCNQ1 expressed in HEK293 cells indicated channel polyubiquitination with K48 (72%) and K63 (24%) linkages being dominant. NEDD4-2 and ITCH both decreased KCNQ1 functional expression but with distinctive polyubiquitination signatures. All enDUBs reduced KCNQ1 ubiquitination but yielded unique effects on channel expression, surface density, ionic currents, and subcellular localization. The pattern of outcomes indicates K11, K29/K33, and K63 chains mediate net KCNQ1-YFP intracellular retention, but achieved in different ways: K11 promotes ER retention/degradation, enhances endocytosis, and reduces recycling; K29/K33 promotes ER retention/degradation; K63 enhances endocytosis and reduces recycling. The pattern of enDUB effects on KCNQ1-YFP differed in cardiomyocytes, emphasizing ubiquitin code mutability. Surprisingly, enDUB-O4 decreased KCNQ1-YFP surface density suggesting a role for K48 in forward trafficking. Lastly, linkage-selective enDUBs displayed varying capabilities to rescue distinct trafficking-deficient long QT syndrome type 1 mutations. The results reveal distinct polyubiquitin chains control different aspects of KCNQ1 functional expression, demonstrate ubiquitin code plasticity, and introduce linkage-selective enDUBs as a potent tool to help demystify the polyubiquitin code.
How do young-oriented values facilitate conspicuous consumption travel behaviour through information searching and content generation?
Authors: Wang Shan , Lai Ivan Ka Wai , Wong Jose Weng Chou 
Published: September 2024

PurposeThis study explores how the effects of youth-oriented values influence the behavioural attitudes towards online conspicuous activities during travel, leading to their further conspicuous consumption travel behaviour.Design/methodology/approachThis study applied a mixed-methods approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 young tourists to extract the youth-oriented value measurement scale. A systematic survey was conducted in a renovated heritage site in China. PLS-SEM analysis was performed on 322 responses to test the proposed hypotheses.FindingsThe results of semi-structured interviews supplement seven new items and form a measurement scale of youth-oriented values with 16 items in three dimensions (self-identification, peer-identification and eagerness to change). The results of PLS-SEM analysis reveal that all three youth-oriented values significantly influence attitudes towards information searching and content generation, and these two behavioural attitudes are positively related to continuous conspicuous consumption travel. The openness trait moderates the relationship between self-identification and content generation.Originality/valueThe study contributes to youth tourism research in conspicuous consumption travel behaviour. It provides insights to tourism operators to formulate strategies to develop the young tourist market in a cultural heritage tourism context.
Assessing the effects of sustainable supply chain management practices on operational performance: the role of business regulatory compliance and corporate sustainability culture
Authors: Awuah-Gyawu Meshach , Abdul Muntaka Samed , Owusu-Bio Matilda Kokui , Otchere Fianko Alexander 
Published: September 2024

PurposeThis study examines the mediating and moderating effects of business regulatory compliance (BRC) on the association between sustainable supply chain management practices (SSCMP) and operational performance (PERFOP), and how corporate sustainability culture (CSC) serves as a boundary condition to BRC.Design/methodology/approachThis research draws data from 245 firms operating in multiple industries in Ghana. Ordinary Least Square (OLS) was employed to test the direct effects, while Hayes Process Macros was employed to test the indirect and conditional effects among the study variables using a structural equation modelling approach.FindingsThe results showed that SSCMP has a direct positive effect on PERFOP. The study further revealed that BRC mediates the relationship between SSCMP and PERFOP. This study found that BRC negatively moderates the association between SSCMP and PERFOP, suggesting that high levels of BRC generate unintended adverse effect on the SSCMP- PERFOP link. However, the results revealed that CSC serves as a boundary condition to BRC.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that emphasizes how the resource-based view and regulatory focus theory interact to explain how different degrees of CSC and BRC impact SSCMP performance outcomes. This study advances research in the sustainability literature, in response to calls for further research in this domain. This study draws decision-makers attention on the need to make sustainability practices an integral part of corporate culture in order to set a business tone that stimulates easy compliance to sustainability requirements.
Assessing attitudes and impact of AI integration in higher education
Authors: Baca Granit , Zhushi Genc 
Published: September 2024

PurposeThis study aims to examine the integration of AI in student engagement and its benefits in the learning environment.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed a quantitative research method, analyzing data from a sample of 720 students. The econometric data analysis used the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique.FindingsThe results show that facilitating conditions and performance expectations positively affect students’ attitudes toward AI, whereas the negative impact of perceived risk is statistically weak and only marginally significant at the 90% level. On the other hand, the main findings are that attitudes significantly influence the use of AI, which consequently increases students’ productivity, performance, and self-efficacy.Research limitations/implicationsThrough the integration of new variables in the TAM and UTAUT models, steps are suggested for institutions to take to increase the acceptance and efficiency of AI.Originality/valueThis study introduces a novel approach to AI integration within higher education, presenting an innovative model that significantly enhances the discourse on AI’s tangible impacts on educational processes.
Innovators and transformers: a benchmarking study of online carbon emission calculators for freight transport
Authors: Schramm Hans-Joachim , Lehner Michael 
Published: September 2024

PurposeCarbon emissions commonly serve as an indicator for environmental friendliness, and so more and more carbon emission calculators (CECs) are offered that allow an estimation of the environmental footprint of freight transport operations. Unfortunately, their exact measurement is challenging due to the availability or poor quality of necessary input data and a multitude of possible calculation methods that may result in highly inaccurate to very misleading figures.Design/methodology/approachA structured online search was conducted to identify suitable online carbon emission calculators (OCECs) for further assessment in the form of a benchmark case that includes different modes of transport from road and rail to air and sea between China and Europe. Further comparison resulted in a ranking of OCECs along the categories of transparency (routing system, data sources and calculation method), completeness (input options) and accuracy (data output).FindingsDifferent predefined inputs and calculation methods employed by the OCECs assessed inevitably result in a wide spread of more or less reliable carbon footprint measurement results.Practical implicationsAll potential users of CECs, including policymakers, actors from the transport industry and other stakeholders, are well advised to question greenhouse gas (GHG) emission statements that are not backed by transparent procedures and internationally recognized calculation standards.Originality/valueThis study, including a benchmark case and a ranking, offers a guideline for potential users of CEC to avoid major pitfalls coming along with the present carbon footprint measurement of freight transport operations.
Market resilience in turbulent times: a proactive approach to predicting stock market responses during geopolitical tensions
Authors: Maddodi Srivatsa , Kunte Srinivasa Rao 
Published: September 2024

PurposeThe Indian stock market can be tricky when there's trouble in the world, like wars or big conflicts. It's like trying to read a secret message. We want to figure out what makes investors nervous or happy, because their feelings often affect how they buy and sell stocks. We're building a tool to make prediction that uses both numbers and people's opinions.Design/methodology/approachHybrid approach leverages Twitter sentiment, market data, volatility index (VIX) and momentum indicators like moving average convergence divergence (MACD) and relative strength index (RSI) to deliver accurate market insights for informed investment decisions during uncertainty.FindingsOur study reveals that geopolitical tensions' impact on stock markets is fleeting and confined to the short term. Capitalizing on this insight, we built a ground-breaking predictive model with an impressive 98.47% accuracy in forecasting stock market values during such events.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this model's originality lies in its focus on short-term impact, novel data fusion and high accuracy. Focus on short-term impact: Our model uniquely identifies and quantifies the fleeting effects of geopolitical tensions on market behavior, a previously under-researched area. Novel data fusion: Combining sentiment analysis with established market indicators like VIX and momentum offers a comprehensive and dynamic approach to predicting market movements during volatile periods. Advanced predictive accuracy: Achieving the prediction accuracy (98.47%) sets this model apart from existing solutions, making it a valuable tool for informed decision-making.
The relationship between self-efficacy and sustainable Lean management systems within the healthcare arena
Authors: Geiselman Erin L. , Hendricks Susan M. , Swenty Constance F. 
Published: September 2024

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of the social contexts of sustainable Lean culture in healthcare by examining self-efficacy (SE) as a fundamental construct related to the value of perceived readiness, prior education of Lean and the importance of leadership’s system-level support.Design/methodology/approachA descriptive correlational study was conducted to identify the relationships between SE and Lean readiness factors, SE and prior Lean training, SE and clinical vs administrative roles and SE and perceived system-level support in a large health system.FindingsThere was a statistically significant difference in self-reported readiness to use Lean tools between individuals who had received Lean training during their academic education and those who had not; however, their level of education did not impact SE. Lastly, and perhaps most important, the learner who embodies SE also has system-level support.Research limitations/implicationsFuture directions of this research, in addition to assessing team readiness as other studies suggest, would be to evaluate individual team member readiness by gauging SE and addressing deficits prior to the deployment of process improvement (PI) projects to promote success and sustainability.Practical implicationsThis contributes to the ongoing scholarship of Lean management systems, providing clinical and non-clinical leaders with a contextual understanding of their supportive role in the SE of teams.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates the value of understanding SE of individual team members and how it can contribute to overall improved team outcomes, directly impacting the sustainability of Lean change culture and its promotion of improved patient safety, cost efficiencies and access to care.
Business model structuration in Industry 4.0: an analysis of the value-based strategies of smart service providers in Brazil
Authors: Ventura Marcos Antonio de Araujo , Silva e Meirelles Dimária 
Published: September 2024

PurposeThis study examines the use of a dynamic value-based approach to analyze the business model structuration of smart service providers in Brazil, mapping their value creation, configuration and appropriation strategies, and determining how well-defined their current business models are.Design/methodology/approachThis is a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs (or CEOs and directors of technology) of seven business ventures in three different phases of business model structuration: (1) academic: companies or innovation and research centers linked to universities; (2) startups: technology-based companies originating from the technological needs of clients, be they new branches of the traditional business of incumbents or new entrants and (3) autonomous service providers whose offerings are related to master’s or doctoral projects.FindingsWe propose a typology of business model structuration with four stages. At first (individual or initial business model), albeit with high skilling of owners, only manual or adaptation services are offered. In the second stage (platform business model), although services offered are oriented toward the entire process automatization of the client (Factory integrated), technologies are restricted to the client company (or even one department) and these clients' needs are mainly data processing and connectivity. In the third stage (scaling digital business model), although the services offered are oriented toward greater digitalization through an entire array of field devices connected to the internet (IoT) and organized in a more formalized structure, the business model is still being constructed, companies in this stage are mainly startups. In the fourth stage (innovation ecosystem business model), the entire manufacturing process is digitized, with integration and network connectivity, both between service providers and the extended supply chain of their clients, and new technologies are customized and developed through the interaction of a whole innovation ecosystem.Research limitations/implicationsMapping value-based strategies aids in understanding business model structuration in Industry 4.0. Future research should focus on parameterizing the dimensions founded of each value strategy.Originality/valueThis study advances the comprehension of the business model in |Industry 4.0 by providing a value-based strategy perspective of business model structuration. Practically, by focusing on smart service providers, it contributes to a greater understanding of smart service providers in Brazil and their strategic challenges.
Parallels between the Physical Vacuum and concept of Qi in Medical Qigong: comprehending oneness
Authors: Zhu Wanfeng , Sice Petia Venkova , Zhang Wenchun , Krajewska Krystyna , Zhao Zhangyang 
Published: September 2024

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to bring into the public domain converging ways of thinking about reality and human systems, exploring parallels between the theory of Physical Vacuum and the concept of Qi in Medical Qigong science.Design/methodology/approachThe approach adopted in this paper includes: review of the relevant literature; dialogues between the first two authors over an eight-month period; review of the findings and discussion of interpretations by all.FindingsThere is evidence for the existence of an ideal information field. This field is a real space-time torsion structure. Qi is a torsion field. It spreads with superluminal velocity and connects the whole Universe. Any entity is in a constant dynamic connection with everything else in the Universe.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper offers limited discussion of the wider area of scientific discoveries.Social implicationsThe findings may impact future interdisciplinary research, health/well-being practices and public policy.Originality/valueThere is no known to us publication interpreting the parallels between the theory of the Physical Vacuum and the concept of Qi.