bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Membrane potential dynamics of excitatory and inhibitory neurons in mouse barrel cortex during active whisker sensing
Authors: Kiritani Taro , Pala Aurélie , Gasselin Célia , Crochet Sylvain , Petersen Carl C.H. 
Published: September 2022

AbstractNeocortical neurons can increasingly be divided into well-defined classes, but their activity patterns during quantified behavior remain to be fully determined. Here, we obtained membrane potential recordings from various classes of excitatory and inhibitory neurons located across different cortical depths in the primary whisker somatosensory barrel cortex of awake head-restrained mice during quiet wakefulness, free whisking and active touch. Excitatory neurons, especially those located superficially, were hyperpolarized with low action potential firing rates relative to inhibitory neurons. Parvalbumin-expressing inhibitory neurons on average fired at the highest rates, responding strongly and rapidly to whisker touch. Vasoactive intestinal peptide-expressing inhibitory neurons were excited during whisking, but responded to active touch only after a delay. Somatostatin-expressing inhibitory neurons had the smallest membrane potential fluctuations and exhibited hyperpolarising responses at whisking onset for superficial, but not deep, neurons. Interestingly, rapid repetitive whisker touch evoked excitatory responses in somatostatin-expressing inhibitory neurons, but not when the intercontact interval was long. Our analyses suggest that distinct genetically-defined classes of neurons at different subpial depths have differential activity patterns depending upon behavioral state providing an important basis for constraining future computational models of neocortical function.
A scalable, Rotating Disc Bioelectrochemical Reactor (RDBER) suitable for the cultivation of both cathodic and anodic biofilms
Authors: Hackbarth Max , Gescher Johannes , Horn Harald , Reiner Johannes Eberhard 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThis study discusses the construction and operation of a membrane-less bioelectrochemical reactor that employs rotating working electrodes with a surface area of up to 1 m2. As a proof-of-principle for an aerobic microbial electrosynthesis process,Kyrpidia spormanniiwas cultivated in the reactor. Optical coherence tomography was used to examine the spatial distribution of the cathodic biofilm. After 24 days 87% of the cathode surface was covered with biofilm that was characterized by a radial increase in its biovolume towards the circumcenter of the electrodes reaching up to 92.13 μm3μm-2. To demonstrate the versatility of the system, we further operated the reactor as a microbial electrolysis cell employing a co-culture ofShewanella oneidensisandGeobacter sulfurreducens. Anodic current densities of up to 130 μA cm-2were measured during these batch experiments. This resulted in a maximum production rate of 0.43 liters of pure hydrogen per liter reactor volume and day.Graphical AbstractHighlightsConstruction of a 10 L membrane-less, pressurizable bioelectrochemical reactorRotating working electrodes with up to 1 m2electrode surfaceElectroautotrophic cultivation and quantification ofK. spormanniibiofilmsInitial cell density crucial for successfulK. spormanniibiofilm formationAnodic operation as MEC withShewanella/Geobactercoculture
Cell adhesion and spreading on fluid membranes through microtubules-dependent mechanotransduction
Authors: Mikhajlov Oleg , Adar Ram M. , Tătulea-Codrean Maria , Macé Anne-Sophie , Manzi John , Tabarin Fanny , Battistella Aude , di Federico Fahima , Joanny Jean-François , van Nhieu Guy Tran , Bassereau Patricia 
Published: September 2022

AbstractDuring cell adhesion, integrins form clusters that transmit mechanical forces to the substrate (mechanotransduction) and regulate biochemical signaling depending on substrate stiffness. Studies on mechanotransduction significantly advanced our understanding of cell adhesion and were mostly performed on rigid substrates. In contrast to rigid substrates, integrins’ ligands on fluid supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) are mobile and adhesive complexes cannot serve as anchoring points promoting cell spreading. Here, we demonstrate that cells spread on SLBs coated with Invasin, a high-affinity integrin ligand. We show that in contrast to SLBs functionalized with RGD peptides, integrin clusters grow in size and complexity on Invasin-SLBs to a similar extent as on glass. While actomyosin contraction dominates adhesion maturation on stiff substrates, we find that integrin mechanotransduction and cell spreading on fluid SLBs rely on dynein pulling forces along microtubules perpendicular to membranes and microtubules pushing on adhesive complexes, respectively. These forces that may also occur on non-deformable surfaces are revealed in fluid substrate set ups. Our findings, supported by a theoretical model, demonstrate a new mechanical role for microtubules in integrin clustering.
ARHGAP18-ezrin functions as an autoregulatory module for RhoA in the assembly of distinct actin-based structures
Authors: Lombardo Andrew T. , Mitchell Cameron A. R. , Zaman Riasat , McDermitt David J. , Bretscher Anthony 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThe location of different actin-based structures is largely regulated by Rho GTPases through specific effectors. We use the apical aspect of epithelial cells as a model system to investigate how RhoA is locally regulated to contribute to two distinct adjacent actin-based structures. Assembly of the non-muscle myosin-2 filaments in the terminal web is dependent on RhoA activity, and assembly of the microvilli also requires active RhoA for phosphorylation and activation of ezrin. We show the RhoGAP, ARHGAP18, is localized by binding active microvillar ezrin, and this interaction enhances ARHGAP18’s RhoGAP activity. We present a model where ezrin-ARHGAP18 acts as a negative autoregulatory module to locally reduce RhoA activity in microvilli. Consistent with this model, loss of ARHGAP18 results in disruption of the distinction between microvilli and the terminal web including aberrant assembly of myosin-2 filaments forming inside microvilli. Thus, ARHGAP18, through its recruitment and activation by ezrin, fine-tunes the local level of RhoA to allow for the appropriate distribution of actin-based structures between the microvilli and terminal web. As RhoGAPs vastly out-number Rho GTPases, this may represent a general mechanism whereby individual Rho effectors drive specific actin-based structures.
Activity-dependent post-translational regulation of palmitoylating and de-palmitoylating enzymes in the hippocampus
Authors: Abazari Danya , Wild Angela R , Qiu Tian , Dickinson Bryan C. , Bamji Shernaz X 
Published: September 2022

AbstractActivity-induced changes in protein palmitoylation can regulate the plasticity of synaptic connections, critically impacting learning and memory. Palmitoylation is a reversible post-translational modification regulated by both palmitoyl-acyl transferases that mediate palmitoylation and palmitoyl thioesterases that depalmitoylate proteins. However, it is not clear how fluctuations in synaptic activity can mediate the dynamic palmitoylation of neuronal proteins. Using primary hippocampal cultures, we demonstrate that synaptic activity does not impact the transcription of palmitoylating / depalmitoylating enzymes, changes in thioesterase activity, nor post-translational modification of the depalmitoylating enzymes, ABHD17 and APT2. In contrast, synaptic activity does mediate post-translational modification of the palmitoylating enzymes ZDHHC2, ZDHHC5, and ZDHHC9 (but not ZDHHC8) to influence protein-protein interaction, enzyme stability and enzyme function. Post-translational modifications of ZDHHC enzymes were also observed in the hippocampus following fear conditioning. Together, our findings demonstrate that signaling events activated by synaptic activity largely impact activity of the ZDHHC family of palmitoyl-acyl transferases with less influence on the activity of palmitoyl thioesterases.
The different effect of pharmacological or low-doses of IFN-γ in endothelial cells are mediated by different intracellular signaling pathways
Authors: Cazzaniga Alessandra , Miranda Vincenzo , Castiglioni Sara , Maier Jeanette A.M. 
Published: September 2022

AbstractInterferon (IFN)-γ is a proinflammatory cytokine with a crucial role in intercellular communication during innate and acquired immune responses. IFN-γ interacts with many cell types, among which endothelial cells. Here, we show that pharmacological and low-dose kinetically activated (SKA) IFN-γ exert different effects on endothelial cells by activating different signal transduction pathways. Pharmacological concentrations of IFN-γ activate JAK/STAT pathway, inducing the overexpression of the CDKN1A p21, which in turn inhibits cell growth. Conversely, low-dose SKA IFN-γ does not activate the canonical JAK/STAT pathway but induces the phosphorylation of ERK. ERK activation is responsible for the induction of endothelial cell migration. Interestingly, ERK activation occurs only in the presence of kinetically activate low-dose IFN-γ, underlying the importance of mechanical forces to potentiate IFN-γ activity.
Further evidence on the effect of financial performance and governance on the Islamic banks' disclosure
Authors: Ben Abdallah Mariem , Bahloul Slah 
Published: September 2022

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of financial performance (FP) and governance on the accounting and auditing organization for Islamic financial institutions (AAOIFI) disclosure for the Islamic banks.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used the generalized least squares (GLS) estimation for 47 MENASA (Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia) Islamic banks (IBs) between 2012 and 2019. In this regression, disclosure is the endogenous variable. The performance and governance measures are the explanatory parameters. The authors use bank's size, leverage and age for control parameters. The robustness of results is verified via generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation method.FindingsThe findings indicate that performance measurement has weak effects on AAOIFI disclosure. Only the net interest margin (NIM) measure has a significant positive impact. The return of assets (ROA) and the return on equity (ROE) have a significant negative impact. Furthermore, all Shariah Governance measures have significant effects. Finally, the findings of this study support the governance's positive contribution to the disclosure in IBs.Practical implicationsThrough including the whole issues allied to AAOIFI and their impacts on the banks' value, this study provides a significant summary for IBs, policymakers, regulators, AAOIFI and connected authorities across countries. In addition, the findings linked powers between jurisdictions with recommendations on growing the present AAOIFI practices.Originality/valueThis paper offers an original contribution to the accounting professionals and stakeholders who investigate the relationship between disclosure, performance and governance. It is considered as a basis for future studies in the simultaneous relation between these variables. It is crucial for accounting professionals, researchers and stakeholders interesting in the financial disclosure (FD) in IBs.
Government subsidization and corporate product strategies: evidence from Chinese exporters
Authors: Lu Xiaodong , Liu Jingjun , Zhang Janus Jian 
Published: September 2022

PurposeThis study aims to take advantage of exporters’ product codes and examine the effects of government subsidization on corporate product strategies by focusing on the dimension of product differentiation.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses harmonized system (HS) product codes to construct a novel measure of product differentiation among a sample of Chinese exporters during 2000–2012. It uses propensity score matching to construct a comparable sample of control firms for exporters receiving government subsidies, and then a difference-in-differences (DID) analysis is conducted.FindingsThis study finds that product differentiation decreases immediately upon receiving a government subsidy. This finding suggests that in an emerging market, firms use their subsidy to imitate competitors rather than increase innovation. Further analyses show that this effect is concentrated among wholly foreign-owned enterprises and firms that focus on general trade rather than processing trade. In addition, the authors find some evidence that government subsidization leads to an increase in the number of product lines and decreases in domestic value added and export product quality.Originality/valueThis study constructs a novel measure of product differentiation for a large sample of Chinese exporters and provides insights that government subsidization can affect corporate product strategies.
Modeling influence mechanism of factors on corporate social responsibility implementation: evidence from Chinese construction firms
Authors: Zhang Qian , Oo Bee Lan , Lim Benson Teck-Heng 
Published: September 2022

PurposeThe interest in corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become burgeoning in the construction industry as firms are under constant pressure from socially conscious stakeholders to demonstrate their efforts to address various CSR issues. This study aims to unveil the key practices and impact factors (KPIFs) of CSR implementation in construction firms and the interrelationships among different key impact factors toward attaining CSR practices.Design/methodology/approachMobilizing the integrated institutional, stakeholder and self-determination theories, a theoretical framework was first developed to elaborate the potential inter-relationships among the key impact factors toward CSR implementation. Data were collected from extra-grade contractors through an online questionnaire survey and was then analyzed by the partial least square structural equation modeling method.FindingsThe results show that construction firms' CSR practices could be classified into eight distinct key dimensions, e.g. shareholders' interests, government commitment and environment preservation. It is found that three groups of key impact factors – external institutional factors (especially coercive-normative factors), intrinsic factors (especially strategic business direction and organizational culture) and identified factors (i.e. the perceived importance of CSR practices) – have statistically significant positive impacts on most key dimensions of CSR practices.Practical implicationsThe research findings have implications for top management to better understand CSR implementation, thereby helping them secure legitimacy to survive and advance in the competitive construction businesses.Originality/valueThe findings contribute to the theoretical body of knowledge in CSR by modeling and empirically demonstrating the influence mechanism of CSR implementation in construction within an integrated model.
Free tumbler in Snapchat vs coffee tasting ticket in Instagram: the impact of gift type and message type on B2C gift-giving on different social media platforms
Authors: Kim Dong Hoo , Lee So Young , Sung Yoon Hi , Um Nam-Hyun 
Published: September 2022

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the differential effects of the type of gift (material vs experiential) offered on Snapchat and Instagram (Study 1) and how the impacts of gift type and message type (informational vs emotional) vary by the two different image-sharing social media platform in a business-to-consumer (B2C) gift-giving context (Study 2).Design/methodology/approachStudy 1 used a two (social media: Snapchat vs Instagram) by two (gift type: material vs experiential) between-subject factorial design, whereas Study 2 used a two (social media: Snapchat vs Instagram) by two (gift type: material vs experiential) by two (message type: informational vs emotional) between-subject factorial design. A series of analyses of covariance was conducted to test the suggested hypotheses.FindingsStudy 1 demonstrated that the promotion of material gifts was more effective on Snapchat than on Instagram, while the promotion of experiential gifts was more effective on Instagram than on Snapchat. Study 2 showed that the impacts of gift type and message type varied by social media platform. The promotion of an experiential gift with an emotional ad appeal was found to be more effective on Instagram than on Snapchat, while the promotion of a material gift using an informational ad appeal was found to be more effective on Snapchat than on Instagram.Research limitations/implicationsThis research used a college student sample for the experiments. However, to extend the generalizability of the results, it is recommended that future experiments be conducted with nonstudent samples. Also, the current research manipulated the two different social media conditions, Snapchat vs Instagram, by enforcing participants to use their social media and then provided experimental stimuli in a different screen from their social media account. If the stimuli were distributed through participants’ real social media account, the external validity of this research could be enhanced. Finally, future research should apply this framework to other countries with different social media platforms to confirm the generalizability of the study’s findings.Practical implicationsThis research can thus contribute to the development of new guidelines for planning social media marketing in the business gift-giving context. By leveraging findings that the fit effect of gift types and advertising appeals differs based on social media platform, practitioners can create a more effective social media plan for their advertising campaigns. Given that copywriting and media plans are among the most important and difficult work in the business of advertising, this study’s findings would assist advertising practitioners in planning and executing the most effective advertising campaigns.Originality/valueThe findings of this study provide valuable insights for the development of effective brand promotion strategies for B2C gift-giving via social media.
Pushing the boundaries: Power, privilege and the problem with inclusion
Authors: Barton Nimisha 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThrough a blend of personal narrative and a survey of recent historical scholarship on gender, race and reproduction, this article asks readers to consider how our own proximity to power, privilege and oppression shapes the ways we approach the study of history. It argues that age‐old disciplinary dogmas exist for a reason and they can unintentionally limit our imaginations. It also suggests how those of us for whom the academy was never intended can help push those scholarly boundaries and perhaps even breathe new life into a disappearing discipline.
Fumarate mitigates disruption induced by fenpropathrin in the silkworm Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera): A metabolomics study
Authors: Wang Xue‐Yang , Zhao Zi‐Qin , Song Cheng‐Xian , Su Zhi‐Hao , Li Mu‐Wang , Wu Yang‐Chun , Jin Byung Rae , Deng Ming‐Jie 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThe silkworm Bombyx mori L. is a model organism of the order Lepidoptera. Understanding the mechanism of pesticide resistance in silkworms is valuable for Lepidopteran pest control. In this study, comparative metabolomics was used to analyze the metabolites of 2 silkworm strains with different pesticide resistance levels at 6, 12, and 24 h after feeding with fenpropathrin. Twenty‐six of 27 metabolites showed significant differences after fenpropathrin treatment and were classified into 6 metabolic pathways: glycerophospholipid metabolism, sulfur metabolism, glycolysis, amino acid metabolism, the urea cycle, and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. After analyzing the percentage changes in the metabolic pathways at the 3 time points, sulfur metabolism, glycolysis, and the TCA cycle showed significant responses to fenpropathrin. Confirmatory experiments were performed by feeding silkworms with key metabolites of the 3 pathways. The combination of iron(II) fumarate + folic acid (IF‐FA) enhanced fenpropathrin resistance in silkworms 6.38 fold, indicating that the TCA cycle is the core pathway associated with resistance. Furthermore, the disruption of several energy‐related metabolic pathways caused by fenpropathrin was shown to be recovered by IF‐FA in vitro. Therefore, IF‐FA may have a role in boosting silkworm pesticide resistance by modulating the equilibrium between the TCA cycle and its related metabolic pathways.
A critical examination of models of annual‐plant population dynamics and density‐dependent fecundity
Authors: Stouffer Daniel B. 
Published: September 2022

Abstract

Mathematical models serve many purposes in biology. Each and every model is a necessary simplification of reality, and, as simplifications, these models are also wrong by definition. And yet there are many ways to be wrong, and some of these are a much greater concern than others. For example, a paradoxical model‐based prediction may simply be puzzling whereas unphysical variables (e.g. negative amounts of time or temperatures below absolute zero) and nonbiological variables (e.g. negative abundances or negative feeding rates) should be avoided altogether.

Here I analyse a discrete‐time model of annual‐plant population dynamics and three phenomenological models for density‐dependent fecundity. These phenomenological models are generally interchanged solely on the basis of their statistical fit to data. On the other hand, I highlight ways in which their phenomenological basis hampers our ability to capture known aspects of annual‐plant biology.

I then demonstrate how to specify a more flexible, biologically appropriate model and illustrate this model's behaviour and interpretation in single‐species and multi‐species contexts. By constructing this generative model for annual‐plant population dynamics, I can also demonstrate how and why emergent phenomena, such as negative density dependence, emerge.

Although my focus is on a model applied to annual plants, the biological implications extend to modelling any species with a discrete life cycle and nonoverlapping generations. More broadly, my exploration here showcases that there are many more criteria with which we could, and arguably should, ground‐truth mathematical models across biology.