bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Premature endocycling ofDrosophilafollicle cells causes pleiotropic defects in oogenesis
Authors: Herriage Hunter C. , Calvi Brian R. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractEndocycling cells grow and repeatedly duplicate their genome without dividing. Cells switch from mitotic cycles to endocycles in response to developmental signals during the growth of specific tissues in a wide range of organisms. The purpose of switching to endocycles, however, remains unclear in many tissues. Additionally, cells can switch to endocycles in response to conditional signals, which can have beneficial or pathological effects on tissues. However, the impact of these unscheduled endocycles on development is underexplored. Here, we useDrosophilaovarian somatic follicle cells as a model to examine the impact of unscheduled endocycles on tissue growth and function. Follicle cells normally switch to endocycles at mid-oogenesis. Inducing follicle cells to prematurely switch to endocycles resulted in lethality of the resulting embryos. Analysis of ovaries with premature follicle cell endocycles revealed aberrant follicular epithelial structure and pleiotropic defects in oocyte growth, developmental gene amplification, and the migration of a special set of follicle cells known as border cells. Overall, these findings reveal how unscheduled endocycles can disrupt tissue growth and function to cause aberrant development.Summary StatementA premature switch to polyploid endocycles inDrosophilaovarian follicle cells caused pleiotropic defects in oogenesis and compromised female fertility, revealing new ways in which unscheduled endocycles cause developmental defects.
Evolution ofRhodopseudomonas palustristo degrade halogenated aromatic compounds involves changes in pathway regulation and enzyme specificity
Authors: Haq Irshad Ul , Christensen Annika , Fixen Kathryn R. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractHalogenated aromatic compounds are used in a variety of industrial applications but can be harmful to humans and animals when released into the environment. Microorganisms that degrade halogenated aromatic compounds anaerobically have been isolated but the evolutionary path that they may have taken to acquire this ability is not well understood. A strain of the purple nonsulfur bacterium,Rhodopseudomonas palustris, RCB100, can use 3-chlorobenzoate (3-CBA) as a carbon source whereas a closely related strain, CGA009, cannot. To reconstruct the evolutionary events that enabled RCB100 to degrade 3-CBA, we selected for and isolated a CGA009 strain capable of growing on 3-CBA, although not as well as RCB100. Comparative whole-genome sequencing of the evolved strain and RCB100 revealed large deletions encompassingbadM, a transcriptional repressor of genes for anaerobic benzoate degradation. It was previously shown that in strain RCB100, a single nucleotide change in an alicyclic acid coenzyme A ligase gene, namedaliA, gives rise to a variant AliA enzyme that has high activity with 3-CBA. When we introduced the RCB100aliAallele and abadMdeletion intoR. palustrisCGA009, it grew on 3-CBA at a similar rate as RCB100. This work provides an example of pathway evolution that includes a variant of a promiscuous enzyme with enhanced substrate specificity and a regulatory mutation that leads to constitutive expression of a pathway that does not regulate the promiscuous enzyme.ImportanceBiodegradation of man-made compounds often involves the activity of promiscuous enzymes whose native substrate is structurally similar to the man-made compound. Based on the enzymes involved, it is possible to predict what microorganisms are likely involved in biodegradation of anthropogenic compounds. However, there are examples of organisms that contain the required enzyme(s) and yet cannot metabolize these compounds. We found that even when the purple nonsulfur bacterium,Rhodopseudomonas palustris, encodes all the enzymes required for degradation of a halogenated aromatic compound, it is unable to metabolize that compound. Using adaptive evolution, we found a regulatory mutation and a variant of promiscuous enzyme with increased substrate specificity were required, but the ability to metabolize a halogenated aromatic compound also resulted in reduced fitness on another aromatic compound. This work provides insight into how an environmental isolated evolved to use halogenated aromatic compounds and the potential ecological trade-offs associated with this adaptation.
Acute and chronic alcohol modulation of extended amygdala calcium dynamics
Authors: Roland Alison V. , Chao Tzu-Hao Harry , Hon Olivia J. , Machinski Samantha N. , Sides Tori R. , Lee Sophia I. , Shih Yen-Yu Ian , Kash Thomas L. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThe central amygdala (CeA) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) are reciprocally connected nodes of the extended amygdala thought to play an important role in alcohol consumption. Studies of immediate-early genes indicate that BNST and CeA are acutely activated following alcohol drinking and may signal alcohol reward in nondependent drinkers, while increased stress signaling in the extended amygdala following chronic alcohol exposure drives increased drinking via negative reinforcement. However, the temporal dynamics of neuronal activation in these regions during drinking behavior are poorly understood. In this study, we used fiber photometry and the genetically encoded calcium sensor GCaMP6s to assess acute changes in neuronal activity during alcohol consumption in BNST and CeA before and after a chronic drinking paradigm. Activity was examined in the pan-neuronal population and separately in dynorphinergic neurons. BNST and CeA showed increased pan-neuronal activity during acute consumption of alcohol and other fluid tastants of positive and negative valence, as well as highly palatable chow. Responses were greatest during initial consummatory bouts and decreased in amplitude with repeated consumption of the same tastant, suggesting modulation by stimulus novelty. Dynorphin neurons showed similar consumption-associated calcium increases in both regions. Following three weeks of continuous alcohol access (CA), calcium increases in dynorphin neurons during drinking were maintained, but pan-neuronal activity and BNST-CeA coherence were altered in a sex-specific manner. These results indicate that BNST and CeA, and dynorphin neurons specifically, are engaged during drinking behavior, and activity dynamics are influenced by stimulus novelty and chronic alcohol.
mTOR inhibits autophagy to facilitate cell swelling and rapid wound repair
Authors: Scepanovic Gordana , Fernandez-Gonzalez Rodrigo 
Published: October 2023

SUMMARYEmbryonic wounds repair rapidly, with no inflammation or scarring. Embryonic wound healing is driven by collective cell movements facilitated by the swelling of the cells adjacent to the wound. The mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is often associated with cell growth. We found that disrupting mTORC1 signalling prevented cell swelling and slowed down wound repair. Catabolic processes, such as autophagy, can inhibit cell growth. Using five-dimensional time-lapse microscopy, as well as pharmacological and genetic manipulations, we demonstrated that the number of autophagosomes decreased during wound repair, suggesting that autophagy must be tightly regulated for rapid wound healing. Quantitative image analysis showed that mTOR inhibition increased autophagy, and that activating autophagy prevented cell swelling and slowed down embryonic wound closure. Finally, reducing autophagy in embryos in which mTORC1 signalling was disrupted rescued rapid wound repair. Together, our results show that mTORC1 activation upon wounding negatively regulates autophagy, allowing cells to increase their volumes to facilitate rapid wound healing.
Inputs to the locus coeruleus from the periaqueductal gray and rostroventral medulla shape opioid-mediated descending pain modulation
Authors: Lubejko Susan T. , Livrizzi Giulia , Patel Janki , Yung Jean C. , Yaksh Tony L. , Banghart Matthew R. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThe supraspinal descending pain modulatory system (DPMS) shapes pain perception via monoaminergic modulation of sensory information in the spinal cord. However, the role and synaptic mechanisms of descending noradrenergic signaling remain unclear. Here, we establish that noradrenergic neurons of the locus coeruleus (LC) are essential for supraspinal opioid antinociception. Unexpectedly, given prior emphasis on descending serotonergic pathways, we find that opioid antinociception is primarily driven by excitatory output from the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) to the LC. Furthermore, we identify a previously unknown opioid-sensitive inhibitory input from the rostroventromedial medulla (RVM), the suppression of which disinhibits LC neurons to drive spinal noradrenergic antinociception. We also report the presence of prominent bifurcating outputs from the vlPAG to the LC and the RVM. Our findings significantly revise current models of the DPMS and establish a novel supraspinal antinociceptive pathway that may contribute to multiple forms of descending pain modulation.TeaserConvergent synaptic activation of noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus drives systemic opioid antinociception.
Substructure of the brain’s Cingulo-Opercular network
Authors: D’Andrea Carolina Badke , Laumann Timothy O. , Newbold Dillan J. , Nelson Steven M. , Nielsen Ashley N. , Chauvin Roselyne , Marek Scott , Greene Deanna J. , Dosenbach Nico U.F. , Gordon Evan M. 
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACTThe Cingulo-Opercular network (CON) is an executive network of the human brain that regulates actions. CON is composed of many widely distributed cortical regions that are involved in top-down control over both lower-level (i.e., motor) and higher-level (i.e., cognitive) functions, as well as in processing of painful stimuli. Given the topographical and functional heterogeneity of the CON, we investigated whether subnetworks within the CON support separable aspects of action control. Using precision functional mapping (PFM) in 15 participants with > 5 hours of resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) and task data, we identified three anatomically and functionally distinct CON subnetworks within each individual. These three distinct subnetworks were linked to Decisions, Actions, and Feedback (including pain processing), respectively, in convergence with a meta-analytic task database. These Decision, Action and Feedback subnetworks represent pathways by which the brain establishes top-down goals, transforms those goals into actions, implemented as movements, and processes critical action feedback such as pain.
Educational Environment and White Matter Development in Early Adolescence
Authors: Roy Ethan , Van Rinsveld Amandine , Nedelec Pierre , Richie-Halford Adam , Rauschecker Andreas M. , Sugrue Leo P. , Rokem Ariel , McCandliss Bruce D. , Yeatman Jason D. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractCoarse measures of socioeconomic status, such as parental income or parental education, have been linked to differences in white matter development. However, these measures do not provide insight into specific aspects of an individual’s environment and how they relate to brain development. On the other hand, educational intervention studies have shown that changes in an individual’s educational context can drive measurable changes in their white matter. These studies, however, rarely consider socioeconomic factors in their results. In the present study, we examined the unique effect of educational opportunity on white matter development, even when controlling other known socioeconomic factors. To explore this question, we leveraged the rich demographic and neuroimaging data available in the ABCD study, as well the unique data-crosswalk between ABCD and the Stanford Education Data Archive (SEDA). We find that educational opportunity is related to accelerated white matter development, even when accounting for other socioeconomic factors, and that this relationship is most pronounced in white matter tracts associated with academic skills. These results suggest that the school a child attends has a measurable impact on brain development for years to come.
How a speaker herds the audience: Multi-brain neural convergence over time during naturalistic storytelling
Authors: Chang Claire H. C. , Nastase Samuel A. , Hasson Uri 
Published: October 2023

AbstractStorytelling—an ancient way for humans to share individual experiences with others—has been found to induce neural synchronization among listeners. In our exploration of the dynamic fluctuations in listener-listener (LL) coupling throughout stories, we uncover a significant correlation between LL and lag-speaker-listener (lag-SL) couplings over time. Using the analogy of neural pattern (dis)similarity as distances between participants, we term this phenomenon the “herding effect”: like a shepherd guiding a group of sheep, the more closely listeners follow the speaker’s prior brain activity patterns (higher lag-SL similarity), the more tightly they cluster together (higher LL similarity). This herding effect is particularly pronounced in brain regions where neural synchronization among listeners tracks with behavioral ratings of narrative engagement, highlighting the mediating role of narrative content in the observed multi-brain neural coupling dynamics. By integrating LL and SL neural couplings, this study illustrates how unfolding stories shape a dynamic multi-brain functional network and how the configuration of this network may be associated with moment-by-moment efficacy of communication.Significance StatementDifferent stories have been found to evoke distinct brain activation patterns in the audience. This study delves into how the storyteller guides the audience through the multi-dimensional space of brain states, reflected in a series of shared activation patterns. We reveal that the listeners follow along the trajectory outlined by the speaker’s brain activity moments before, forming a tighter cluster at the more engaging moments of the story. This phenomenon is localized to high-level cortical areas supporting event representation. Our investigation illustrates how storytelling dynamically sculpts multi-brain neural dynamics in both the listeners and the speaker, shedding light on the potential association between the configuration of this network and communication efficacy.
Cholinergic modulation of motor sequence learning
Authors: Voegtle Angela , Mohrbutter Catharina , Hils Jonathan , Schulz Steve , Weuthen Alexander , Brämer Uwe , Ullsperger Markus , Sweeney-Reed Catherine M. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThe cholinergic system plays a key role in motor function, but whether pharmacological modulation of cholinergic activity affects motor sequence learning is unknown. The acetylcholine receptor antagonist biperiden, an established treatment in movement disorders, reduces attentional modulation, but whether it influences motor sequence learning is not clear. Using a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled crossover design, we tested thirty healthy young participants and show that biperiden impairs production of sequential finger movements following a fixed but not a random sequence. A similar interaction was observed in widespread oscillatory broadband power changes (4-25 Hz) in the motor sequence learning network after receiving biperiden, with greater power in the theta, alpha, and beta bands over ipsilateral motor and bilateral parietal–occipital areas. The reduced theta power during a fixed compared to random sequence, likely reflecting disengagement of top-down attention to sensory processes, was disrupted by biperiden. The alpha synchronization during learned sequences, reflecting sensory gating and lower visuospatial attention requirements for the learned, compared with visuomotor responses to a random sequence, was greater after biperiden, potentially reflecting excessive visuospatial attention reduction following biperiden, also affecting visuomotor responding required to enable sequence learning. Beta oscillations facilitate sequence learning by integrating visual and somatosensory inputs, stabilizing learned sequences, and promoting prediction of the next stimulus. The beta synchronization after biperiden fits with a disruption of the selective visuospatial attention enhancement associated with initial sequence learning. These findings highlight the role of cholinergic processes in motor sequence learning.
Evaluating a social annotation tool for engagement and learning with preservice special education teachers
Authors: Allen Abigail A. , Randall Kristina N. 
Published: October 2023

Purpose
Empirical validation of educational technology is critical for best practice, particularly when courses are delivered online. This study aims to investigate the predictive relationship of usage behaviors on perceptions of 30 preservice special education teachers while reading in an online social annotation reading tool.

Design/methodology/approach
In this single-group quasi-experimental study, participants completed two readings in Perusall, once individually and once in small groups, then took a researcher-created survey after each reading. Descriptive data and paired sample t-tests were calculated. Predictive relationships between usage behaviors and survey results were analyzed with linear regression models.

Findings
Participants thought Perusall was useful for their learning and easier to use in small groups and that guided reading prompts were helpful. Usage behaviors did not significantly account for participant beliefs about Perusall. Instructors may wish to use guided reading prompts and small groups to maximize student learning and engagement.

Originality/value
This study addresses gaps in the literature (Suhre et al., 2019; Sun et al., 2023) by following one group of students over two semesters, using a commercially available tool, measuring actual usage behaviors and not solely student perceptions and analyzing instructor perceptions of the tool. The authors contribute further evidence that group-constructed knowledge is valuable for undergraduate learning (Kalir et al., 2020b). The authors also provide data-based suggestions for the use of social annotation tools that maximize student learning and engagement.
Transparency ideals in online PR: between dialogue, control and authenticity
Authors: Wamprechtsamer Philip 
Published: October 2023

PurposeThis paper aims to systematically unpack the ideal of organizational transparency by tracing the concept's origins in the era of Enlightenment. Based on a genealogical reconstruction, the article explores different transparency understandings in key areas of online public relations (PR) and discusses the opportunities and challenges they present for the field.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper that unfolds a genealogical reconstruction to uncover different transparency ideals of modernity. These perspectives are then transferred to the field of online PR to discuss their ethical and practical implications in the context of digitalization.FindingsClaims for transparency manifest in three distinct ideals, namely normative, instrumental and expressive transparency, which are also pursued in online PR. These ideals are related to associated concepts, like dialogue, control and authenticity, which serve as transparency proxies. Moreover, each transparency ideal inherits an ambivalence that presents unique opportunities and challenges for PR practitioners.Practical implicationsInstead of an unquestioned belief in the ideal of organizational transparency, the paper urges communication practitioners to critically reflect on the ambivalent nature of different transparency regimes in the context of digitalization and provides initial recommendations on how to manage digital transparency in online PR responsibly.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the vivid debate surrounding organizational transparency in the context of digitalization by offering a novel and systematic analysis of the multifaced concept of transparency while opening new research avenues for further conceptual and empirical research.
The effect of the Covid-19 epidemic on auditing quality and the reaction of family vs non-family businesses to Covid-19: the case of Jordan
Authors: Alharasis Esraa Esam , Mustafa Fairouz 
Published: October 2023

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide new scientific knowledge concerning the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on auditing quality as determined by audit fees for both family- and non-family-owned firms in Jordan.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use an ordinary least squares (OLS) regression firm-clustered standard error employing data from 200 Jordanian enterprises between 2005 and 2020 to validate this study's hypotheses.FindingsThe regression findings suggest that enterprises run by families are better able to handle crises and spend less on audits. Companies that are not family-owned have to spend the most on monitoring tasks since they need to take extra steps to prevent the agency problem and make their financial statements stand out from their peers in order to attract more investors. Additional analysis that stretched out throughout 2005–2022 came to the same findings.Practical implicationsThe findings can be beneficial for authorities to better regulate and supervise the auditing sector. Political leaders, legislators, regulators and the auditing industry can all learn important lessons from the findings as they assess the growing concerns in a turbulent economic situation. The results of this research can, therefore, be utilised to reassure investors and assist policymakers in crafting workable responses to Covid-19's creation of financial problems. After the devastation caused by the coronavirus, these findings may be used to strengthen the laws that oversee Jordan's auditing sector.Originality/valueIn emerging nations like Jordan, where there is a clear concentration of ownership and a predominance of high levels of family ownership, and to the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first empirical study to compare the auditing quality of family-owned versus non-family-owned enterprises. Preliminary insights into the crisis management tactics of family and non-family organisations are provided by this first empirical investigation of the consequences of the Covid-19 crisis on family-owned firms.