bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Caltubin regulates microtubule stability via Ca2+-dependent mechanisms favouring neurite regrowth
Authors: Barszczyk Andrew , Bandura Julia , Zhang Qi , Wang Haitao , Deurloo Marielle , Ahmed Yasmin , Dong Aiping , Meister Paul , Lee Jeffrey , Sun Hong-Shuo , Tong Yufeng , Feng Zhong-Ping 
Published: January 2023

AbstractMicrotubule regulation is highly controlled in nerve regeneration. Caltubin, a novel Lymnaea stagnalis protein, contains putative EF-hand calcium-binding motifs and promotes neuronal outgrowth in Lymnaea and mouse. Here, we generated cell-permeable caltubin proteins to investigate mechanisms underlying this effect. We observed increased neurite extension and outgrowth following injury in caltubin-treated mouse neurons compared to vehicle controls. Purified caltubin bound α-tubulin between its L391-V405 amino acids and promoted microtubule assembly. Caltubin competitively inhibited binding of tubulin tyrosine ligase, which catalyzes tubulin retyrosination, and increased the ratio of detyrosinated to tyrosinated tubulin. Our crystal structure analysis confirmed that caltubin has four Ca2+-binding EF-hand motifs, like calmodulin but has distinct peptide binding domains. Our work suggests a unique Ca2+-dependent regulatory mechanism of microtubule assembly by caltubin. This may represent an essential mechanism of axonal regulation, which may optimize its activity in response to various calcium states, both physiological and following injury.
N-glycosylation engineering in chimeric antigen receptor T cells enhances anti-tumor activity
Authors: De Bousser Elien , Festjens Nele , Meuris Leander , Plets Evelyn , Van Hecke Annelies , Wyseure Elise , De Munter Stijn , Vandekerckhove Bart , Callewaert Nico 
Published: January 2023

AbstractRecently, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell technology has revolutionized cancer immunotherapy. This strategy uses synthetic CARs to redirect T cells to specific antigens expressed on the surface of tumor cells. Despite impressive progress in the treatment of hematological malignancies with CAR T cells, scientific challenges still remain for use of CAR T cell therapy to treat solid tumors. This is mainly due to the hostile tumor microenvironment and CAR-related toxicities. As the glycans decorating the T cell surface are implicated in T cell activation, differentiation, proliferation, and in the interaction of human T cells with tumor cells, we studied the role of human T cell glycosylation in more depth by manipulating their glycome. In this context, there isin vitroevidence that β-galactoside binding lectins (Galectins) can have a strong impact on the functionality of tumor-infiltrating T cells. The high-affinity poly-LacNAc N-linked galectin ligands are mainly synthesized onto the β1,6-GlcNAc branch introduced by N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (GnTV, encoded byMgat5). We showed that knocking outMgat5in CD70 targeting CAR T cells leads to lower densities of poly-LacNAc modifications on the CAR T cell surface. Most interestingly, our results indicate that MGAT5 KO CD70 CAR T cells show enhanced potency to control primary tumors and relapses.
Pot1 promotes telomere DNA replication via the Stn1-Ten1 complex in fission yeast
Authors: Carvalho Borges Pâmela C. , Escandell Jose Miguel , Matmati Samah , Coulon Stéphane , Ferreira Miguel Godinho 
Published: January 2023

AbstractTelomeres are nucleoprotein complexes that protect the chromosome-ends from eliciting DNA repair while ensuring their complete duplication. Pot1 is a subunit of telomere capping complex that binds to the G-rich overhang and inhibits the activation of DNA damage checkpoints. In this study, we explore new functions of fission yeast Pot1 by using apot1-1temperature sensitive mutant. We show thatpot1inactivation impairs telomere DNA replication resulting in the accumulation of ssDNA leading to the complete loss of telomeric DNA. Recruitment of Stn1 to telomeres, an auxiliary factor of DNA lagging strand synthesis, is reduced inpot1-1mutants and overexpression of Stn1 rescues loss of telomeres and cell viability at restrictive temperature. We propose that Pot1 plays a crucial function in telomere DNA replication by recruiting Stn1-Ten1 and Polα-primase complex to telomeres, thus promoting lagging-strand DNA synthesis at stalled replication forks.
Peptidoglycan remodeling in response to cell wall acting antibiotics inBacillus subtilis
Authors: Cornilleau Charlène , Alvarez Laura , Wegler Christine , Billaudeau Cyrille , Cava Felipe , Carballido-López Rut 
Published: January 2023

AbstractMost bacteria are encased into a load-bearing rigid framework, the cell wall (CW). The peptidoglycan (PG) layer, a network composed of glycan strands cross-linked by stem peptides, is the main component of the CW. During PG synthesis, precursors are first synthetized intracellularly, before being incorporated into the existing PG meshwork by transglycosylation (TG) and transpeptidation (TP) reactions. Covalent modifications of the PG meshwork such as amidation and acetylation participate in PG homeostasis by regulating PG-associated enzymes like PG hydrolases.Because of its essential role, PG synthesis represents a primary target for antibiotic action. Here, we investigated the effect on PG composition of antibiotics targeting intracellular and extracellular steps of PG synthesis: inhibitors of PG precursors synthesis (fosfomycin, D-cycloserine, bacitracin and tunicamycin) and TG/TP inhibitors (vancomycin and penicillin G), respectively. Our study revealed interesting correlations between crosslinking and both de-N-acetylation and amidation of the sacculus. A thorough analysis of muropeptides composition put into light an unexpected anti-correlation between the degree of PG crosslinking and accumulation of de-amidated disaccharide-tripeptide monomer subunit (M3) in the presence of TP inhibitors. We confirmed these observations by analyzing mutants of the PG synthesis pathway.
Nonmotor symptoms associated with progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Radlicka Anna , Jabłońska Judyta , Lenarczyk Michał , Szumiec Łukasz , Harda Zofia , Bagińska Monika , Pera Joanna , Kreiner Grzegorz , Wójcik Daniel , Rodriguez Parkitna Jan 
Published: January 2023

AbstractParkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by three main motor symptoms: bradykinesia, rigidity and tremor. PD is also associated with diverse nonmotor symptoms that may develop in parallel or precede motor dysfunctions, ranging from autonomic system dysfunctions and impaired sensory perception to cognitive deficits and depression. Here, we examine the role of the progressive loss of dopaminergic transmission in behaviors related to the nonmotor symptoms of PD in a mouse model of the disease (the TIF-IADATCreERT2strain). We found that in the period from 5 to 12 weeks after the induction of a gradual loss of dopaminergic neurons, mild motor symptoms became detectable, including changes in the distance between paws while standing as well as the step cadence and sequence. Male mutant mice showed no apparent changes in olfactory acuity, no anhedonia-like behaviors, and normal learning in an instrumental task; however, a pronounced increase in the number of operant responses performed was noted. Similarly, female mice with progressive dopaminergic neuron degeneration showed normal learning in the probabilistic reversal learning task and no loss of sweet-taste preference, but again, a robustly higher number of choices were performed in the task. In both males and females, the higher number of instrumental responses did not affect the accuracy or the fraction of rewarded responses. Taken together, these data reveal discrete, dopamine-dependent nonmotor symptoms that emerge in the early stages of dopaminergic neuron degeneration.
Mechanism of an alternative splicing switch mediated by cell-specific and general splicing regulators
Authors: Yang Yi , Lee Giselle C , Nakagaki-Silva Erick , Huang Yuling , Peacey Matthew , Partridge Ruth , Gooding Clare , Smith Christopher WJ 
Published: January 2023

AbstractAlternative pre-mRNA splicing is regulated by RNA binding proteins (RBPs) that activate or repress regulated splice sites. Repressive RBPs bind stably to target RNAs via multivalent interactions, which can be achieved by both homo-oligomerization and by interactions with other RBPs mediated by intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs). Cell-specific splicing decisions commonly involve the action of widely expressed RBPs that can bind around target exons, but without effect in the absence of a key cell-specific regulator. To address how cell-specific regulators collaborate with constitutive RBPs in alternative splicing regulation we used the smooth-muscle specific regulator RBPMS. Recombinant RBPMS is sufficient to switch cell specific alternative splicing ofTpm1exon 3 in cell free assays by remodelling ribonucleprotein complexes and preventing assembly of ATP-dependent splicing complexes. This activity depends upon its C-terminal IDR, which facilitates dynamic higher-order self-assembly, cooperative binding to multivalent RNA, and interactions with other splicing co-regulators, including MBNL1 and RBFOX2. Our data show how a cell-specific RBP can co-opt more widely expressed regulatory RBPs to facilitate cooperative assembly of stable cell-specific regulatory complexes.
Integration of spatially opposing cues by a single interneuron guides decision making inC. elegans
Authors: Gat Asaf , Pechuk Vladyslava , Peedikayil-Kurien Sonu , Goldman Gal , Lubliner Jazz , Karimi Shadi , Krieg Michael , Oren-Suissa Meital 
Published: January 2023

ABSTRACTThe capacity of animals to integrate and respond to multiple hazardous stimuli in the surroundings is crucial for their survival. In mammals, complex evaluations of the environment require large numbers and different subtypes of neurons. The nematodeC. elegansavoid hazardous chemicals they encounter by reversing their direction of movement. How does the worms’ compact nervous system processes the spatial information and directs the change of motion? We show here that a single interneuron, AVA, receives glutamatergic excitatory signals from head sensory neurons and glutamatergic inhibitory signals from the tail sensory neurons. AVA integrates the spatially distinct and opposing cues, whose output instructs the animal’s behavioral decision. We further find that the differential activation of AVA from the head and tail stems from distinct anatomical localization of inhibitory and excitatory glutamate-gated receptors along the AVA process, and from different threshold sensitivities of the sensory neurons to aversive stimuli. Our results thus uncover a cellular mechanism that mediates spatial computation of nociceptive cues for efficient decision-making inC. elegans.
Religious, contextual and media influence: determinants of the representation of female tour guides in travel agencies
Authors: Mousa Mohamed , Abdelgaffar Hala , Salem Islam Elbayoumi , Elbaz Ahmed Mohamed , Chaouali Walid 
Published: January 2023

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the perceptions of female tour guides’ lower and top levels of management in travel agencies about how misunderstanding Islam and its culture may engender the poor representation of women in the tour guide profession.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research method is used, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 full-time female tour guides working at several travel agencies in Egypt. Thematic analysis helped extract main ideas from the transcripts.FindingsThe representation of female tour guides in travel agencies is shaped by the following three determinants: religious (familial obligations and marital status), contextual (nature of tour guide activities, poor representation of women in senior tourism-related jobs, cronyism, sexual harassment and spread of foreign female tour guides) and media influence. Understanding these three factors may enable a more comprehensive representation of female tour guides.Practical implicationsFemale tour guides could work closely with tourism policymakers in Egypt to shape the media messages about them. This might include elaborating on the main challenges faced by female tour guides. Social support from families and friends may allow female tour guides more freedom and empowerment.Originality/valueThis study contributes by filling a gap in tourism, human resources management and gender studies in which empirical studies on the representation of females in travel agencies have been limited so far.
Analyzing the commonalities between Islamic social finance and sustainable development goals
Authors: Shahid Mohammad , Sulub Yasin Ahmed , Mohtesham Mohammed Meeran Jasir , Abdullah Mohammad 
Published: January 2023

Purpose
This study aims to explore commonalities and differences between Islamic social finance (ISF) and sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Design/methodology/approach
The study has adopted a qualitative library-based research method, and the secondary data is collected through the available literature on the topic.

Findings
This study concludes that the majority of SDGs are compatible with ISF. Moreover, it finds that the global ISF possesses adequate financial resources to assist Muslim majority nations in achieving some of the most critical and urgent SDGs on time.

Research limitations/implications
The scope of this study is confined to examining the possible role of ISF in achieving many of the most pressing development goals aligned with the SDGs. To maintain coherence within the study’s focus, this paper makes no comparisons between the ISF and other types of endowments/charities.

Practical implications
This paper outlines an agenda for the ISF-led development strategy and makes some crucial recommendations on how the global ISF might potentially lead the charge of Islamic charities in achieving the SDGs in Muslim majority nations.

Originality/value
This paper adds original value to the available literature on the potential of ISF and SDGs in the arena of development. The paper analyses the role of ISF in achieving the SDGs.
Civil society organisations counter conduct about the Agyapa deal of Ghana
Authors: Nsor-Ambala Randolph 
Published: January 2023

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to test if activism by civil society organisations (CSOs hereafter) in successfully mobilising resistance to the Government of Ghana “collateralization” of gold resources and other mineral royalties in 2020 (dubbed the “Agyapa deal”) espouse tenets of Foucault’s (2009) “governmentality” and “counter conduct” dispositions.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper draws on Dean’s (1999) discussion of government analytics to highlight how CSO activism can simultaneously challenge government practice and share in it. This paper uses an evidence-based and interpretive qualitative content analysis approach. This paper relied on secondary data sources from 1 January 2020 to 21 August 2021. Data collection involved an extensive review of secondary materials concerning the Agyapa deal, relying on the author's local knowledge to identify the likely sources of information.

Findings
This paper exposes how the counteractions of CSOs, underpinned by the desire for so-called “good governance”, invariably extend governmentality and other neo-liberal ideals. In this case, CSOs' actions espoused the ideals of marketisation, extended governable spaces, engrained subjectivation and treated citizens as incapable of formulating and advancing their desires without overt help. Secondly, it provides evidence that massive deployment of accountability and other calculable practices, however wilful, complement efforts at shaping public opinion.

Practical implications
CSO counter-conduct is merely symbolic rather than substantive. Substantive counter-conduct requires the citizenry to actively lead the problematisation process, holding CSOs accountable for acting on their behalf. The current trajectory where CSO accountability is primarily to their international financiers, predominantly neo-liberal advocates, raises questions about “in whose interest they seek another form of governance?” Practically, the splinter of interests that may emanate from citizenry directly led counter-conduct can affect garnering the critical mass needed to force a policy change. That said, however, there is a case for citizenry “making themselves” rather than “being made” within the governmentality process.

Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first application of the Foucauldian and Dean framework to a data set from Ghana.
Word-of-mouth in business-to-business marketing: a systematic review and future research directions
Authors: Ishii Ryuta , Kikumori Mai 
Published: January 2023

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to review and analyze the status of word-of-mouth (WOM) research in the business-to-business (B2B) context and discuss and identify new possible future directions.Design/methodology/approachA systematic review was conducted and 36 articles on B2B WOM were collected to evaluate the current state of the literature and clarify possible future research directions.FindingsThis thematic analysis categorize these articles into three themes: WOM generation, WOM usage and reference marketing. Under each theme, the authors reveal research findings unique to B2B research and different from business-to-consumer (B2C) WOM research. This study identifies several research questions that should be addressed by future research.Originality/valueBoth academic researchers and business practitioners recognize that WOM plays an essential role in B2B marketing. However, no review paper focuses on WOM in the B2B context. Findings in the B2C WOM literature suggest that WOM substantially influences firms’ performance, but that managers cannot simply attempt to extrapolate B2C findings to the B2B arena. By synthesizing and assessing prior research on WOM in the B2B context, this study contributes to a better understanding of the B2B WOM phenomenon and facilitates future research on this topic.
Does being religious or not matter? A qualitative investigation of community fundraising events
Authors: Kocaman Rıdvan , Özmen Müjdat , Erdoğan B. Zafer 
Published: January 2023

Purpose
In the extant literature, the concepts of charity and philanthropy have been differentiated based on the belief that charity stems from religious motivations and philanthropy is often secular in origin. Accordingly, this paper aims to investigate whether there is a distinction between managerial practices regarding the given concepts as emphasized in the conceptual discussions.

Design/methodology/approach
To see the managerial practices, the authors determined bazaars, community fundraising events organized by nonprofit organizations (NPOs), as the research field. Then, this study followed the general systematic of qualitative research. Accordingly, the authors conducted 44 interviews with experienced bazaar organizers from 10 NPOs in total. Furthermore, four days of participant observation with field notes were made in each bazaar, which lasted from 7 to 10 days. This study also used archival data as a secondary data source and then analyzed all data with a content analysis technique.

Findings
This study found that the field practices mainly do not support the distinction drawn over the conceptual discussions. Both concepts are nouns describing the act of giving and helping the needy. They are actively performed based on different motives (religion-based and secular).

Originality/value
The relevant distinction is limited to the conceptual discussions and has not been supported by the findings obtained from the field. Also, most of the studies on helping were carried out in the Western context. Studies conducted outside these cultures are quite limited. The value of the current study lies in the fact that it was conducted in a cultural context different from the Western cultures and paves the pathway for future research.
Determinants of accounting students' decision to pursue career as ACCA-certified accountants: a case study of Omani students
Authors: Bhat Mohd Abass , Khan Shagufta Tariq 
Published: January 2023

PurposeThe aim of this study was to examine the determinants of accounting students' decision to pursue a career path.Design/methodology/approachQuantitative approach was used to analyze the impact of independent variables (career exposure, self-competence, financial award, work environment, social values and market factors) on dependent variable (career path). Data were collected from 264 students of University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Oman. Structural equation modeling technique was mainly utilized to determine the causal relationship between the variables.FindingsThe most influencing factor is financial award followed by market factors and work environment. However, other variables such as career exposure and self-competence though significantly determine career path of the students but are the least contributors to the model. In addition, social value was found insignificant and negative contributor to the model.Practical implicationsThe findings of the current study confirm the propositions of the theory of planned behavior that student's decision to pursue career as ACCA-certified accountants is shaped by attitudinal factors as well as subjective norms factors and perceived behavior control. This study's theoretical findings can be used to supplement empirical evidence on impact of career exposure, self-competence, financial awards, work environment, social values and market factors to take the ACCA exam (career path). The implications of this research for academic institutions include providing convenience for students, such as ACCA exam scholarship offers if they have graduated with cum laude and obtained work experience because ACCA involves time and money to participate in.Originality/valueThere has been virtually little research in Oman on this subject though. Investigating Omani accounting students' aspirations to work in public accounting adds additional insight into the field.
Use of endoanal ultrasound in detecting obstetric anal sphincter injury immediately after birth
Authors: Huber Malin , Larsson Charlotta , Harrysson Mathilda , Strigård Karin , Lehmann Jan‐P. , Nordin Pär , Tunón Katarina 
Published: January 2023

AbstractIntroductionObstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI) complicates around 5% of deliveries in primiparas. The study objective was to assess the utility of three‐dimensional endoanal ultrasonography (3D‐EAUS) in the diagnosis of OASI.Material and methodsThe present study was designed to mirror screening settings with an unselected cohort of nulliparous women. All enrolled patients underwent clinical examination of the perineum by the caregiver, and 3D‐EAUS was conducted. Post‐processing of ultrasonography volume data was performed by an experienced colorectal surgeon who was blinded to all other data. The sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value of 3D‐EAUS in the diagnosis of OASI was evaluated. The trial is registered at ISCRTN: 18006769.ResultsA total of 680 scans were performed, of which 18.5% were judged as “non‐assessable”, resulting in 554 assessable recordings. Sphincter defects were observed in 12.8% of all assessable recordings on 3D‐EAUS (n = 71). With clinical examination set as the reference standard, ultrasound sensitivity in the diagnosis of OASI was 30.4%, whereas its specificity was 87.9%. The negative predictive value was 96.7% and the positive predictive value was only 9.9%. Comments were left on 175 examinations, of which 74% referred to the management of the examination.ConclusionsUsing 3D‐EAUS in a maternity ward is demanding because staff generally have little experience in endoanal ultrasound, which contributes to difficulties in obtaining good image quality. When 3D‐EAUS is performed to mirror screening settings, it adds no convincing diagnostic power to clinical examination in the diagnosis of OASI.