bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The need for hemispheric separation in pairwise structural disconnection studies
Authors: Röhrig Lisa , Rosenzopf Hannah , Wöhrstein Sofia , Karnath Hans-Otto 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThe development of new approaches indirectly measuring the structural disconnectome has recently led to an increase in studies investigating pairwise structural disconnections following brain damage. Previous studies jointly analyzed patients with left hemispheric and patients with right hemispheric lesions when investigating a behavior of interest. An alternative approach would be to perform analyses separated by hemisphere, which has been applied in only a minority of studies to date. The present simulation study investigated whether joint or separate analyses (or both equally) are appropriate to reveal the ground truth disconnections. In fact, both approaches resulted in very different patterns of disconnection. In contrast to analyses separated by hemisphere, joint analyses introduced a bias to the disadvantage of intra-hemispheric disconnections. Intra-hemispheric disconnections were statistically underpowered in the joint analysis and thus surpassed the significance threshold with more difficulty compared to inter-hemispheric disconnections. This statistical imbalance was also shown by a greater number of significant inter-hemispheric than significant intra-hemispheric disconnections. This bias from joint analyses is based on mechanisms similar to those underlying the ‘partial injury problem’. We therefore conclude that pairwise structural disconnections in patients with unilateral left hemispheric and with unilateral right hemispheric lesions exhibiting a specific behavior (or disorder) of interest should be studied separately by hemisphere rather than in a joint analysis.
Electrophysiological indices of hierarchical speech processing differentially reflect the comprehension of speech in noise
Authors: Synigal Shyanthony R. , Anderson Andrew J. , Lalor Edmund C. 
Published: April 2023

ABSTRACTThe past few years have seen an increase in the use of encoding models to explain neural responses to natural speech. The goal of these models is to characterize how the human brain converts acoustic speech energy into different linguistic representations that enable everyday speech comprehension. For example, researchers have shown that electroencephalography (EEG) data can be modeled in terms of acoustic features of speech, such as its amplitude envelope or spectrogram, linguistic features such as phonemes and phoneme probability, and higher-level linguistic features like context-based word predictability. However, it is unclear how reliably EEG indices of these different speech representations reflect speech comprehension in different listening conditions. To address this, we recorded EEG from neurotypical adults who listened to segments of an audiobook in different levels of background noise. We modeled how their EEG responses reflected different acoustic and linguistic speech features and how this varied with speech comprehension across noise levels. In line with our hypothesis, EEG signatures of context-based word predictability and phonetic features were more closely correlated with behavioral measures of speech comprehension and percentage of words heard than EEG measures based on low-level acoustic features. EEG markers of the influence of top- down, context-based prediction on bottom-up acoustic processing also correlated with behavior. These findings help characterize the relationship between brain and behavior by comprehensively linking hierarchical indices of neural speech processing to language comprehension metrics.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTAcoustic and linguistic features of speech have been shown to be consistently tracked by neural activity even in noisy conditions. However, it is unclear how signatures of low- and high- level features covary with one another and relate to behavior across these listening conditions. Here, we find that categorical phonetic feature processing is more affected by noise than acoustic and word probability-based speech features. We also find that phonetic features and word probability-based features better correlate with measures of intelligibility and comprehension. These results extend our understanding of how various speech features are comparatively reflected in electrical brain activity and how they relate to perception in challenging listening conditions.
Activity-dependent constraints on catecholamine signaling
Authors: Li Li , Rana Akshay , Li Esther M. , Feng Jiesi , Li Yulong , Bruchas Michael R. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractCatecholamine signaling is thought to modulate cognition in an inverted-U relationship, but the mechanisms are unclear. We measured norepinephrine and dopamine release, postsynaptic calcium responses, and interactions between tonic and phasic firing modes under various stimuli and conditions. High tonic activityin vivodepleted catecholamine stores, desensitized postsynaptic responses, and decreased phasic transmission. Together this provides a clearer understanding of the inverted-U relationship, offering insights into psychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases with impaired catecholamine signaling.
Targeted genomic sequencing of avian influenza viruses in wetlands sediment from wild bird habitats
Authors: Kuchinski Kevin S. , Coombe Michelle , Mansour Sarah C. , Cortez Gabrielle Angelo P. , Kalhor Marzieh , Himsworth Chelsea G. , Prystajecky Natalie A. 
Published: April 2023

ABSTRACTDiverse influenza A viruses (IAVs) circulate in wild birds, including dangerous strains that infect poultry and humans. Consequently, surveillance of IAVs in wild birds is a cornerstone of outbreak prevention and pandemic preparedness. Surveillance is traditionally done by testing birds, but dangerous IAVs are rarely detected before outbreaks begin. Testing environmental specimens from wild bird habitats has been proposed as an alternative. These specimens are thought to contain diverse IAVs deposited by broad range of avian hosts, including species that are not typically sampled by surveillance programs. We developed a targeted genomic sequencing method for recovering IAV genome fragments from these challenging environmental specimens, including purpose-built bioinformatic analysis tools for counting, subtyping, and characterizing each distinct fragment recovered. We demonstrated our method on 90 sediment specimens from wetlands around Vancouver, Canada. We recovered 2,312 IAV genome fragments originating from all 8 IAV genome segments. 11 haemagglutinin (HA) subtypes and 9 neuraminidase subtypes were detected, including H5, the current global surveillance priority. Recovered fragments originated predominantly from IAV lineages that circulate in North American resident wild birds. Our results demonstrate that targeted genomic sequencing of environmental specimens from wild bird habitats can be a valuable complement to avian influenza surveillance programs.
Identification of culturable fungi and bacteria in mosquito saliva and impact on arbovirus infection in vitro
Authors: Wang Lanjiao , Remue Laure , Trappeniers Katrien , Adriaens Nikki , Soto Alina , Verwimp Sam , Rivas Felipe , van Bree Joyce , Garigliany Mutien , Delang Leen 
Published: April 2023

AbstractMosquito saliva was shown to play a key role in arbovirus transmission and pathogenesis. In this study, we explored the presence of microbiota in mosquito saliva and their effect on mosquito-borne virus infectionin vitro. Culturable fungal and bacterial colonies were isolated and identified from saliva harvested fromAedes aegypti(lab strain) andCulex pipiens(field-collected mosquitoes). For the first time, the fungal speciesPenicillium crustosumwas identified in mosquitoes. Culturable bacteria detected in mosquito saliva includedSerratia marcescens, Serratia nematodiphila,Enterobacterspp. andKlebsiellaspp., which were previously identified as mosquito or insect endosymbionts in the midgut or other organs. Oral treatment of adult mosquitoes with antibiotics or an antifungal drug resulted in a significant reduction of bacteria or fungi in saliva. (Pre)-Incubation of Semliki Forest virus with saliva from antibiotic- or antifungal-treated mosquitoes triggered a decreasing viral infection in human skin fibroblasts compared to non-treated saliva. These results indicate an important role of the mosquito saliva microbiota in mosquito-borne virus replication and furtherin vivostudies are required to better understand its impact on viral transmission.
Uip4 governs growth phase dependent organelle remodeling by modulatingSaccharomyces cerevisiaelipidome
Authors: Deolal Pallavi , Ramalingam Kathirvel , Das Bhaskar , Mishra Krishnaveni 
Published: April 2023

AbstractWhen yeast cells are exposed to nutrient-limiting conditions, they undergo transcriptional and translational reprogramming that results in the remodelling of metabolite utilization and organelle architecture. Organelle membranes and contacts also undergo structural and functional alterations. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, regulated expression of Uip4 is shown to be a critical effector of nuclear shape and function, particularly during the stationary phase. In this work, we demonstrate that the absence of UIP4 affects the morphology of multiple other organelles including mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, vacuole and the distribution of lipid droplets. The results show that modulating carbon source, nitrogen availability and cellular energy state impact Uip4 expression. This expression of Uip4 is controlled by the transcription factor Msn2, downstream of Sch9 signaling pathway. Cells lacking Uip4 have poor survival in the stationary phase of the growth cycle. These cellular changes are concomitant with dysregulation of the global lipidome profile and aberrant organelle interaction. We propose that the dynamic and regulated expression of Uip4 is required to maintain lipid homeostasis and organelle architecture which is ultimately required to survive in nutrient limiting conditions such as stationary phase.
Effect of microstimulation of the inferior temporal cortex on color judgment behavior
Authors: Koida Kowa , Komatsu Hidehiko 
Published: April 2023

AbstractWithin the anterior inferior temporal cortex (AIT) there is a cluster of color selective neurons whose activities correlate with color discrimination behavior. To examine the causal relationship between the activities of these neurons and behavior, we applied electrical microstimulation to modulate neuronal activities within the AIT. We trained monkeys to perform a color judgment task and evaluated the effect of microstimulation in terms of the horizontal shift of the psychometric function. We found large effects of microstimulation on color discrimination behavior, predominantly within a subregion of the AIT. The cortical extent where microstimulation modulated behavior correlated with the presence of color-selective neurons. Unexpectedly, the direction of the modulation of color judgment evoked by microstimulation correlated negatively with the preference of the neurons around the stimulation site. These results support the existence of an anterior inferior temporal color-selective area (AITC) and its causal relationship with the color perception of these animals.
TopBP1 utilises a bipartite GINS binding mode to support genome replication
Authors: Day Matthew , Tetik Bilal , Parlak Milena , Almeida-Hernández Yasser , Räschle Markus , Kaschani Farnusch , Siegert Heike , Marko Anika , Sanchez-Garcia Elsa , Kaiser Markus , Barker Isabel A. , Pearl Laurence H. , Oliver Antony W. , Boos Dominik 
Published: April 2023

AbstractActivation of the replicative Mcm2-7 helicase by loading GINS and Cdc45 is crucial for replication origin firing, and as such for faithful genetic inheritance. Our biochemical and structural studies demonstrate that the helicase activator GINS interacts with TopBP1 through two separate binding surfaces, the first involving a stretch of highly conserved amino acids in the TopBP1-GINI region, the second a surface on TopBP1-BRCT4. The two surfaces bind to opposite ends of the A domain of the GINS subunit Psf1. Mutation analysis reveals that either surface is individually able to support TopBP1-GINS interaction, albeit with reduced affinity. Consistently, either surface is sufficient for replication origin firing inXenopusegg extracts and becomes essential in the absence of the other. The TopBP1-GINS interaction appears sterically incompatible with simultaneous binding of DNA polymerase epsilon (Polε) to GINS when bound to Mcm2-7-Cdc45, although TopBP1-BRCT4 and the Polε subunit PolE2 show only partial competitivity in binding to Psf1. Our TopBP1-GINS model improves the understanding of the recently characterised metazoan pre-loading complex. It further predicts the coordination of three molecular origin firing processes, DNA polymerase epsilon arrival, TopBP1 ejection and GINS integration into Mcm2-7-Cdc45.
CryoET shows cofilactin filaments inside the microtubule lumen
Authors: Santos Camilla Ventura , Rogers Stephen L. , Carter Andrew P. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractCytoplasmic microtubules are tubular polymers that can harbor small proteins or filaments inside their lumen. The identity of these objects and what causes their accumulation has not been conclusively established. Here, we used cryogenic electron tomography (cryoET) ofDrosophilaS2 cell protrusions and found filaments inside the microtubule lumen, which resemble those reported recently in human HAP1 cells. The frequency of these filaments increased upon inhibition of the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ATPase (SERCA) with the small-molecule drug thapsigargin. Subtomogram averaging showed that the luminal filaments adopt a helical structure reminiscent of cofilin-bound actin (cofilactin). Consistent with this, cofilin was activated in cells under the same conditions that increased luminal filament occurrence. Furthermore, RNAi knock-down of cofilin reduced the frequency of luminal filaments with cofilactin morphology. These results suggest that cofilin activation stimulates its accumulation on actin filaments inside the microtubule lumen.
Preservation of co-expression defines the primary tissue fidelity of human neural organoids
Authors: Werner Jonathan M. , Gillis Jesse 
Published: April 2023

AbstractHuman neural organoid models offer an exciting opportunity for studying often inaccessible human-specific brain development; however, it remains unclear how precisely organoids recapitulate fetal/primary tissue biology. Here, we characterize field-wide replicability and biological fidelity through a meta-analysis of single-cell RNA-sequencing data for first and second trimester human primary brain (2.95 million cells, 51 datasets) and neural organoids (1.63 million cells, 130 datasets). We quantify the degree to which primary tissue cell-type marker expression and co-expression are recapitulated in organoids across 12 different protocol types. By quantifying gene-level preservation of primary tissue co-expression, we show neural organoids lie on a spectrum ranging from virtually no signal to co-expression near indistinguishable from primary tissue data, demonstrating high fidelity is within the scope of current methods. Additionally, we show neural organoids preserve the cell-type specific co-expression of developing rather than adult cells, confirming organoids are an appropriate model for primary tissue development. Overall, quantifying the preservation of primary tissue co-expression is a powerful tool for uncovering unifying axes of variation across heterogeneous neural organoid experiments.
Membrane-induced 2D phase separation of focal adhesion proteins
Authors: Litschel Thomas , Kelley Charlotte F. , Cheng Xiaohang , Babl Leon , Mizuno Naoko , Case Lindsay B. , Schwille Petra 
Published: April 2023

AbstractFocal adhesions form liquid-like assemblies around activated integrin receptors at the plasma membrane. Made up of hundreds of proteins, focal adhesions are dynamic structures which can assemble and disassemble quickly, withstand strong actomyosin-applied forces, and form highly stable complexes. How they achieve these flexible characteristics is not well understood. Here, we use recombinant focal adhesion proteins to reconstitute the core structural machineryin vitro, with the goal of understanding the underlying protein dynamics and interactions. We observe liquid-liquid phase separation of the core focal adhesion proteins talin and vinculin for a spectrum of conditions and in combination with several interaction partners. Intriguingly, we show that membrane binding triggers phase separation of these proteins on the membrane, which in turn induces the enrichment of integrin in the clusters. We also introduce a novel experimental setup to probe talin-membrane interactions down to the single protein level. Our results suggest that membrane composition triggers condensate assembly at the membrane, a regulatory mechanism which could widely apply to membrane-localized biomolecular condensates and provide a pathway of how spatial organization of lipids within the membrane can couple into the cytosol.
Unsupervised learning of perceptual feature combinations
Authors: Tamosiunaite Minija , Tetzlaff Christian , Wörgötter Florentin 
Published: April 2023

AbstractIn many situations it is behaviorally relevant for an animal to respond to co-occurrences of perceptual, possibly polymodal features, while these features alone may have no importance. Thus, it is crucial for animals to learn such feature combinations in spite of the fact that they may occur with variable intensity and occurrence frequency. Here, we present a novel unsupervised learning mechanism that is largely independent of these contingencies and allows neurons in a network to achieve specificity for different feature combinations. This is achieved by a novel correlation-based (Hebbian) learning rule which allows for linear weight growth and which is combined with a mechanism for gradually reducing the learning rate as soon as the neuron’s response becomes feature combination specific. In a set of control experiments, we show that other existing advanced learning rules cannot satisfactorily form such multi-feature representations. In addition, we show that networks, which use this type of learning always stabilize and converge to subsets of neurons with different feature-combination specificity. Neurons with this property may, thus, serve as an initial stage for the processing of ecologically relevant real world situations for an animal.
The impact of a social-media-based weight management program: insights from the community campaign “obesity does not suit me”
Authors: Alsaad Areej , Aleid Kawthar , Almadani Layla , Alhaj Omar , Jahrami Haitham , Janahi Abdulrahman 
Published: March 2023

PurposeThis study aimed to assess the influence of the community-based campaign on weight loss and healthy lifestyle adoption among Bahrain's adult population.Design/methodology/approachA cross -sectional self-reported online questionnaire completed in February 2021. The survey evaluated the impact of the community-based campaign health program which includes (exercise, diet plan and psychological eating behavior) weight reduction using social media platforms. The authors employed data from young and middle-aged healthy adults (n = 842) between the ages of 18-55 years, of both sexes. The intervention group (n = 842) was made up of the supporters of the voluntary community initiative called Obesity does not Suit Me (n = 194), and the control group (n = 648) was made up of non-followers of the campaign.FindingsThe study showed a statistically significant difference among the followers of the community-based campaign health program in the following parameters: 3.90-4.23 kg less, 1.46-1.59 difference in BMI and 0.05-0.06 WHR. All changes were of low effect size.Originality/valueDiet and exercise had significant impact on weight, BMI and WHR among the followers of the community campaign. However, more research is required for sponsorship to increase the motivation and rewards for the community campaign.
Exploring the determinants of ice cream purchase intention: a case of emerging economy
Authors: Gao Yue , Tarkar Preeti , Khan Waseem , Haseeb Mohammad 
Published: April 2023

PurposeThis paper aims to examine and discuss the factors affecting consumers' purchase intentions for ice cream in India.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on a primary survey of 340 respondents from India, collected through a well-structured questionnaire. The data has been analysed using partial least square-based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The theory of planned behaviour (TBP) has been used to identify the determinants of the purchase intention of ice cream.FindingsThe measurement model shows that the constructs of the model have adequate convergent and discriminant validity. The findings of the structural model show the positive and significant impact of subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and trustworthiness on attitudes and purchase intentions for ice cream. In addition, estimates also revealed that attitude has significant implications on purchase intention.Practical implicationsThe study provides insight into the factors that influence ice cream purchase intentions in India. Corporate strategy makers and advertising managers who work for ice cream brands can look at the study to figure out how to market their products to get more customers.Originality/valueThe novelty and value of this study lie in choosing an unexplored product (ice cream) whose demand is continuously increasing. Perhaps this is the first study in an emerging economy like India to consider an extended version of the TPB by including health consciousness and trustworthiness to establish the relationship between ice cream purchase intention and health consciousness.