bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ablation of telomerase reverse transcriptase inLeishmania majorresults in a senescent-like phenotype and loss of infectivity
Authors: Shiburah Mark Ewusi , de Oliveira Beatriz Cristina Dias , Bisetegn Habtye , Silva Débora Andrade , de Castro Assis Luiz Henrique , Barreto Rubem Menna , Batista Marcos Meuser , de Nazaré Correia Soeiro Maria , Menozzi Benedito D. , Langoni Helio , Aoki Juliana Ide , Coelho Adriano Capellazzo , Cano Maria Isabel N. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThe lack of efficient human vaccines and effective nontoxic drugs for leishmaniasis necessitates a search for new therapeutic targets. The telomere environment could provide potential targets against leishmaniasis. TERT, the telomerase reverse transcriptase component, has been on the radar for new therapeutic options against several diseases for more than two decades. In this study, we constructed a full deletion (LmTERT-/-) and an ORF disruption (LmN420) of the gene encoding the TERT component ofLeishmania major.LmTERT-/- andLmN420 parasites showed replicative and proliferative defects, growth impairment, cell cycle alterations, increased DNA damage, and progressive telomere shortening. Blockage of parasite altruism and the presence of autophagosomes characteristic of a senescent-like phenotype were also detected.LmTERT-/- andLmN420 parasites caused either micro lesion development or no visible lesions in mouse footpads and reduced infectivity in macrophages. While our checks to see if telomere erosion had reached theSCGgenes involved in lipophosphoglycan modification showed no changes, our proteomic assessment revealed a downregulation of a metacyclic-associated protein. Complementation of the knockout lineages using the WTLmTERT restored some of the lost phenotypes. Therefore, we speculate that the pleiotropic effects of the loss ofLmTERT advance the case for using it as a drug target against the parasite.
From hot to cold: dissecting lipidome adaptation inMycoplasma mycoidesand the Minimal Cell JCVI-Syn3B
Authors: Safronova Nataliya , Junghans Lisa , Saenz James P 
Published: November 2023

AbstractCell membranes insulate and mediate interactions between life and its environment, with lipids determining their properties and functions. However, the intricacies of how cells adjust their lipidome compositions to tune membrane properties remain relatively undefined. The complexity of most model organisms has made it challenging to characterize lipidomic adaptation. An ideal model system would be a relatively simple organism with a single membrane that can adapt to environmental changes, particularly temperature, which is known to affect membrane properties. To this end, we used quantitative shotgun lipidomics to analyze temperature adaptation inMycoplasma mycoidesand its minimal synthetic counterpart, JCVI-Syn3B. Comparing with lipidomes from eukaryotes and bacteria, we observed a universal logarithmic distribution of lipid abundances. Additionally, the extent of lipid remodeling needed for temperature adaptation appears relatively constrained, irrespective of lipidomic or organismal complexity. Through lipid features analysis, we demonstrate head group-specific acyl chain remodeling as characteristic of temperature-induced lipidome adaptation and its deficiency in Syn3B is associated with impaired homeoviscous adaptation. Temporal analysis uncovers a two-stage cold adaptation process: swift cholesterol and cardiolipin shifts followed by gradual acyl chain modifications. This work provides an in-depth analysis of lipidome adaptation in minimal cells, laying a foundation to probe the fundamental design principles of living membranes.
FBXO24 deletion causes abnormal accumulation of membraneless electron-dense granules in sperm flagella and male infertility
Authors: Kaneda Yuki , Miyata Haruhiko , Xu Zoulan , Shimada Keisuke , Kamoshita Maki , Nakagawa Tatsuya , Emori Chihiro , Ikawa Masahito 
Published: November 2023

AbstractRibonucleoprotein (RNP) granules are membraneless electron-dense structures rich in RNAs and proteins, and involved in various cellular processes. Two RNP granules in male germ cells, intermitochondrial cement and the chromatoid body (CB), are associated with PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) and are required for transposon silencing and spermatogenesis. Other RNP granules in male germ cells, the reticulated body and CB remnants, are also essential for spermiogenesis. In this study, we disrupted FBXO24, a testis-enriched F-box protein, in mice and found numerous membraneless electron-dense granules accumulated in sperm flagella.Fbxo24knockout (KO) mice exhibited malformed flagellar structures, impaired sperm motility, and male infertility, likely due to the accumulation of abnormal granules. The amount and localization of known RNP granule-related proteins were not disrupted inFbxo24KO mice, suggesting that the accumulated granules were distinct from known RNP granules. Further studies revealed that RNAs and two importins, IPO5 and KPNB1, abnormally accumulated inFbxo24KO spermatozoa and that FBXO24 could ubiquitinate IPO5. In addition, IPO5 and KPNB1 were recruited to stress granules, RNP complexes, when cells were treated with oxidative stress or a proteasome inhibitor. These results suggest that FBXO24 is involved in the degradation of IPO5, disruption of which may lead to the accumulation of abnormal RNP granules in sperm flagella.
Understanding the use of travel and restaurant platforms through the UTAUT2 model
Authors: García de Blanes Sebastián María , Azuara Grande Alberto , Sarmiento Guede José Ramón 
Published: November 2023

PurposeReservation of travel and leisure services through the digital environment has gained a growing role in society, influencing the revolution of the sector. It needs to be noted that there is a considerable lack of formal approaches to the identification of factors for the positive reception and use of these digital tools. For this reason, it is necessary to establish the main factors influencing the adoption and use of digital travel and restaurant platforms (TRPs), adding to the theoretical model two new factors: trust and word-of-mouth (WOM). This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned ideas.Design/methodology/approachA theoretical model has been proposed, based on the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2). Data collection was conducted through an online survey, in which 331 responses were compiled. Data obtained were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) with AMOS v27 software.FindingsThe results show that performance expectancy and WOM have a significant impact on the adoption of TRPs. However, it was found that effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, trust and price/value are not significant variables.Social implicationsThis research confirms that WOM communication positively influences the use of TRPs, facilitating various aspects for restaurant customers, including reducing wait times, streamlining the ordering process for allergic and intolerant customers, enhancing loyalty programs, order management and the opportunity to provide a personalised experience.Originality/valueThis study is the first to incorporate WOM variable into the extended UTAUT2 model applied to TRPs. Through a literature review, it has paved the way for significant future research directions that have not been adequately addressed by the scientific community, including the adoption and usage of food delivery platforms and online review platforms, as well as the behaviour of disabled customers towards these platforms.
Can female executives improve employment relations outcomes? Empirical evidence from China with gender implications
Authors: Yuan Fang , Cooke Fang Lee , Fang Xiaozhen , An Fansuo , He Yiming 
Published: November 2023

PurposeDespite the growing research interest in gender diversity, the presence of female executives and organizational outcomes, the relationship between female executives and employment relations outcomes remains under-researched. This study aims to examine the potential relationship between female executives and employment relations outcomes, with the gender gap as a focus.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional survey was used to collect data from 2,682 workers from 119 manufacturing firms in Guangdong Province, southern China.FindingsResults show that firms with female executives are more likely to comply with labor laws and promote staff development. The association between female executives and promotion opportunities is stronger for female employees than for male employees. However, there is no significant association between female executives and employee salaries.Originality/valueThis research contributes to employment relations literature and extends the application of social role theory to studies of employment relations in particular societal contexts. This study also provides possible boundary conditions for the existence of queen bee behavior by using data from Chinese factories.
Determinants of effective instructors in higher education institutions: a cross-cultural comparison
Authors: Alhajeri Salem , AlTameemy Farooq Ahmed 
Published: November 2023

PurposeThe quality of higher education has become a topic of increasing interest to researchers in recent decades. This study, therefore, aims to investigate the comparative effectiveness of instructors at higher education institutions in Kuwait and the USA, while also investigating the parallel differences in student culture and gender.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers employed a quantitative research paradigm, using a questionnaire survey method to examine four dimensions of effective instructorship (teaching skills, human relations, ethics, and assessment). Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data from 254 college students (N = 254), comprising 132 students at Bemidji State University in the USA and 122 students at Kuwait University in Kuwait.FindingsThe findings showed that students ranked “human relations” as the most significant attribute of an effective university instructor. Study results also indicated that culture is an important influencer of student perceptions regarding effective instructor characteristics. Gender also played a role in student perceptions of teacher effectiveness. Cross-culturally, female participants ranked teacher effectiveness dimensions such as human relations, ethics, and assessment, significantly higher than did their male colleagues, while within each culture, male students at the American university showed significantly greater concern for ethics in comparison to their counterparts in Kuwait.Originality/valueThis study offers findings from a cross-cultural comparative perspective. It provides value to administrators, deans, and department chairs at higher educational institutions who are evaluating their current rank, tenure, and promotions criteria and processes for teaching faculty. Additionally, while K-12 education has received significant attention over the past few decades regarding the qualities and practices of effective teachers in that realm, this study extends such research significantly into higher education.
Organizational resilience: unveiling the role of strategic internal crisis management on employee sensemaking and sensegiving
Authors: Adamu Adamu Abbas , Raza Syed Hassan , Mohamad Bahtiar 
Published: November 2023

PurposeCommunication with employees during times of crisis has become a crucial aspect of crisis management for building organizational resilience knowledge. Thus, explaining how internal crisis management promotes positive employee behaviour has become imperative. This study aims to investigate the relationship between internal crisis communication, job engagement, Organizational Citizenship Behaviour towards the Environment, Communicative behaviour for sensemaking and sensegiving and organizational resilience.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was conducted with 483 full-time employees in Pakistan. The structural equation modelling technique was employed to assess the study's hypotheses.FindingsThe findings of this study demonstrate that internal crisis communication can boost employee job engagement, organizational citizenship behaviour towards environment, sensemaking and sensegiving, which will also have a downstream effect on organizational resilience.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study indicated that effective internal communication can aid managers in making well-informed decisions, coordinating response efforts and disseminating vital information to relevant stakeholders. As a result, this study contributes to the literature on internal crisis management by incorporating employee behavioural intention towards the environment. It provides managers and practitioners with knowledge on managing employees during a crisis.Originality/valueSurprisingly, the conservation of resource theory (COR) does not explain communicative conduct (sensegiving) and environmental (e.g. organizational citizenship behaviour towards environment) components. This research combines the tenets of COR theory that have yet to be researched with the employees' environmental responses element. The mechanisms of cognition and communication were also ignored in earlier studies. This study sheds light on the process through which higher levels of job engagement, organizational citizenship behaviour towards environment and the capacity for comprehension (e.g. sensemaking) and meaning-transmission (e.g. sensegiving) ultimately help organizations navigate the crisis successfully.
A revised digital media–arena framework guiding strategic communication in digital environments
Authors: Badham Mark , Luoma-aho Vilma , Valentini Chiara 
Published: November 2023

PurposeThis paper refines the Digital Media–Arena (DMA) framework to address the diversity of stakeholders contributing to the production, (re)appropriation and (re)distribution of organisational messages in digital environments. It also presents a case analysis for the purpose of demonstrating the applicability of the revised conceptual framework to a critical situation.Design/methodology/approachGrounded in key public relations, corporate communication and strategic communication research, this study first extends the DMA framework by introducing six new forms of media-arenas. Next, the study takes a public sector perspective to analyse the revised framework against a critical situation involving the Finnish prime minister in summer 2022.FindingsThe application of the revised DMA framework to analyse the critical situation shows the importance of mapping and understanding diverse discourses across multi-arenas and their communication role in a rapidly unfolding scandal surrounding the prime minister of Finland. Findings also reveal the diversity of stakeholder voices forming their own versions of organisational messages and sometimes converging organisational messages within and across DMAs.Practical implicationsThe DMA framework can offer practical suggestions to guide communicators to make strategic choices in what, where, how and with whom they can communicate.Originality/valueThe revised DMA framework contributes expanding the field's knowledge of the strategic communicative use of the digital environment in typically highly volatile and multi-vocal situations by offering instrumental understanding of the conflicting challenge between subjugating and liberating organisational messages across the digital spectrum.
Severe acute urticaria is associated with elevated plasma levels of D‐dimer
Authors: Chen Lele , Xu Qiuyang , Liu Jingjing , Li Zhiming , Wang Jingying 
Published: November 2023

AbstractEvaluation of the disease severity of acute urticaria (AU) is essential for adequate treatment of patients. However, there are no reliable biomarkers for such an evaluation. In our department, we observed patients with severe AU having elevated plasma D‐dimer levels. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the elevated D‐dimer levels in patients with severe AU in more detail. One hundred and thirty‐nine hospital patients diagnosed with severe AU were enrolled. Clinical laboratory data were collected from electronic medical records. One hundred and seventeen of the patients presented with elevated plasma D‐dimer levels. Compared to the normal group, the elevated group had a significantly higher proportion of patients who were female, younger, febrile, and had a shorter prehospital time (P < 0.05). Univariate regression analysis showed that neutrophil percentage, C‐reactive protein (CRP), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels increased as D‐dimer levels increased, while prehospital time showed the opposite trend. Multiple regression analysis was used to estimate the simultaneous effects of CRP and LDH on D‐dimer levels. Patients who responded to additional antibiotic treatment had higher levels of D‐dimer. The group with highly elevated D‐dimer levels required a higher maximum dose of daily glucocorticoids (GCs) to control the symptoms of AU. In conclusion, patients with severe AU might have elevated plasma D‐dimer levels, which are positively correlated with CRP and LDH levels. Patients with severe AU with dramatically elevated D‐dimer levels might need a higher dose of daily GCs and antibiotics to relieve symptoms. D‐dimer may be a reasonable marker to evaluate the severity of AU and guide treatment.
Incidence rate of alopecia areata in Israel: A 15‐year analysis of population‐based data and the emergence of young male adults as the most at‐risk group
Authors: Wohl Yonit , Mashiah Jacob , Drutin Yarden , Vered Shiras , Ben‐Tov Amir 
Published: November 2023

AbstractIncidence rate and temporal trends in alopecia areata (AA) vary worldwide. As a common disorder with a major impact on life quality, there is a continuous need for comprehensive epidemiological characterization and global updates of the disease burden. We sought to perform an epidemiologic characterization of AA patients and to explore temporal trends across different subgroups using long‐term health data. A retrospective population‐based study was conducted in a large healthcare organization in Israel. Data were analyzed for all patients with AA between 2005 and 2019. A total of 30 805 patients for 29 504 798 person‐years were identified during the study period, representing an overall incidence rate of 104.4 cases per 100 000 person‐years. Young adults and patients of middle socioeconomic status had the highest incidence rate compared to the whole cohort. Incidence rates in females were lower than in males (incidence rate ratio 0.72, 95% confidence interval 0.71–0.74). In a temporal trends analysis, the yearly incidence rate for the whole cohort was stable throughout the study period. Males between the ages of 18 and 30 had a significant increase in incidence during the study years, where the incidence rate increased from 119.54 to 162.36 per 100 000 person‐years. Despite the limitation of lack of analysis by subgroups of disease severity and other personal data, our study clearly indicates that young male adults of middle socioeconomic status emerge as the most at risk associated with AA over a decade and a half. In an effort to delineate risk factors for this gender gap, different stressors are speculated as triggers.
Association between small‐for‐gestational age and poor school performance in 2 500 000 children born 1973–2002
Authors: Gustafsson Alva , Bonnevier Anna , Källén Karin 
Published: November 2023

AbstractAimTo examine the association between infant weight for gestational age and school performance when leaving school at 16 years of age.MethodsOut of 2 525 571 infants born near‐ or at term, between 1 January 1973 and 31 December 2002, identified from the Swedish Medical Birth Register, 65 912 (2.6%) were born small‐for‐gestational age (SGA). Outcomes studied were the risk for the need for education in special school, and the final average grades. Modified Poisson regression analyses and weighted linear regression analyses were performed.ResultsAn association between SGA and the need for a special school was found, irrespective of restrictions or adjustments (RR between 2.47 and 2.25). SGA was associated with final grades below the 10th and 25th percentile (RR 1.49 and 1.18, respectively). A linear relationship between maternal height and the RR for education in special school (p = 0.005), suggested that SGA is a stronger risk factor among children of tall than of shorter women.ConclusionSGA increased the risk for poor school performance, and for the need for a special school. We found an association between maternal height and school performance in relation to birthweight, suggesting that maternal height should be considered when estimating the impact of SGA on later outcomes.
Electroacupuncture promotes the repair of the damaged spinal cord in mice by mediating neurocan‐perineuronal net
Authors: Hu Rong , He Kelin , Chen Bowen , Chen Yi , Zhang Jieqi , Wu Xingying , Shi Mengting , Wu Lei , Ma Ruijie 
Published: November 2023

AbstractAimsThis study aimed to investigate the effect of perineuronal net (PNN) and neurocan (NCAN) on spinal inhibitory parvalbumin interneuron (PV‐IN), and the mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) in promoting spinal cord injury (SCI) repair through neurocan in PNN.MethodsA mouse model of SCI was established. Sham‐operated mice or SCI model mice were treated with chondroitin sulfate ABC (ChABC) enzyme or control vehicle for 2 weeks (i.e., sham+veh group, sham+ChABC group, SCI+veh group, and SCI+ChABC group, respectively), and then spinal cord tissues were taken from the T10 lesion epicenter for RNA sequencing (RNA‐seq). MSigDB Hallmark and C5 databases for functional analysis, analysis strategies such as differential expression gene analysis (DEG), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and protein–protein interaction (PPI). According to the results of RNA‐seq analysis, the expression of NCAN was knocked down or overexpressed by virus intervention, or/and EA intervention. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunofluorescence, western blot, electrophysiological, and behavioral tests were performed.ResultsAfter the successful establishment of SCI model, the motor dysfunction of lower limbs, and the expression of PNN core glycan protein at the epicenter of SCI were reduced. RNA‐seq and PCR showed that PNN core proteoglycans except NCAN showed the same expression trend in normal and injured spinal cord treated with ChABC. KEGG and GSEA showed that PNN is mainly associated with inhibitory GABA neuronal function in injured spinal cord tissue, and PPI showed that NCAN in PNN can be associated with inhibitory neuronal function through parvalbumin (PV). Calcium imaging showed that local parvalbumin interneuron (PV‐IN) activity decreased after PNN destruction, whether due to ChABC treatment or surgical bruising of the spinal cord. Overexpression of neurocan in injured spinal cord can enhance local PV‐IN activity. PCR and western blot suggested that overexpression or knockdown of neurocan could up‐regulate or down‐regulate the expression of GAD. At the same time, the activity of PV‐IN in the primary motor cortex (M1) and the primary sensory cortex of lower (S1HL) extremity changed synchronously. In addition, overexpression of neurocan improved the electrical activity of the lower limb and promoted functional repair of the paralyzed hind limb. EA intervention reversed the down‐regulation of neurocan, enhanced the expression of PNN in the lesioned area, M1 and S1HL.ConclusionNeurocan in PNN can regulate the activity of PV‐IN, and EA can promote functional recovery of mice with SCI by upregulating neurocan expression in PNN.
Against Arguments From Diagnostic Reasoning
Authors: Toorman Jeske 
Published: November 2023

AbstractRecent work in cognitive psychology and experimental semantics indicates that people do not categorize natural kinds solely by virtue of their purported scientific essence. Two attempts have been made to explain away the data by appealing to the idea that participants in these studies are reasoning diagnostically. I will argue that an appeal to diagnostic reasoning will likely not help to explain away the data.