bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
NFATc1 negatively determines chondrocyte differentiation in articular cartilage progenitors
Authors: Zhang Fan , Zhao Ying , Wang Manqi , Zhou Bin , Zhou Bin , Ge Xianpeng 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThe origin and differentiation mechanism of articular chondrocytes remain poorly understood. Broadly, the difference in developmental mechanisms of articular and growth-plate cartilage is still less elucidated. Here, we identified that the nuclear factor of activated T-cells cytoplasmic 1 (NFATc1) is a crucial regulator of articular, but not growth-plate, chondrocyte differentiation during development. At the early stage of mouse knee development (embryonic day 13.5), NFATc1-expressing cells were mainly located in the flanking region of the joint interzone. With development, NFATc1-expressing cells generated almost all articular chondrocytes, but not chondrocytes in limb growth-plate primordium. NFATc1-expressing cells displayed prominent capacities for colony formation and multipotent differentiation. Transcriptome analyses revealed a set of characteristic genes in NFATc1-enriched articular cartilage progenitors. Strikingly, the expression of NFATc1 was diminished with articular chondrocyte differentiation, and suppressing NFATc1 expression in articular cartilage progenitors was sufficient to induce spontaneous chondrogenesis while overexpressing NFATc1 suppresses chondrogenesis. Mechanistically, NFATc1 negatively regulated the transcriptional activity of the Col2a1 gene. Thus, our results reveal that NFATc1 characterizes articular, but not growth-plate, cartilage progenitors and negatively determines articular chondrocyte differentiation at least partly through regulating COL2A1 gene transcription.
A Chemical-mechanical Coupled Model Predicts Roles of Spatial Distribution of Morphogen in Maintaining Tissue Growth
Authors: Ramezani Alireza , Britton Samuel , Zandi Roya , Alber Mark , Netmatbakhsh Ali , Chen Weitao 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThe exact mechanism controlling cell growth remains a grand challenge in developmental biology and regenerative medicine. The Drosophila wing disc tissue serves as an ideal biological model to study growth regulation due to similar features observed in other developmental systems. The mechanism of growth regulation in the wing disc remains a subject of intense debate. Most existing models to study tissue growth focus on either chemical signals or mechanical forces only. Here we developed a multiscale chemical-mechanical coupled model to test a growth regulation mechanism depending on the spatial range of the morphogen gradient. By comparing the spatial distribution of cell division and the overall shape of tissue obtained in the coupled model with experimental data, our results show that the distribution of the Dpp morphogen can be critical in resulting tissue size and shape. A larger tissue size with a faster growth rate and more symmetric shape can be achieved if the Dpp gradient spreads in a larger domain. Together with the absorbing boundary conditions, the feedback regulation that downregulates Dpp receptors on the cell membrane allows the further spread of the morphogen away from its source region, resulting in prolonged tissue growth at a more spatially homogeneous growth rate.Summary StatementA multiscale chemical-mechanical model was developed by coupling submodels representing dynamics of a morphogen gradient at the tissue level, intracellular chemical signals, and mechanical properties at the subcellular level. By applying this model to study the Drosophila wing disc, it was found that the spatial range of the morphogen gradient affected tissue growth in terms of the growth rate and the overall shape.
Direct observation of the conformational states of formin mDia1 at actin filament barbed ends and along the filament
Authors: Maufront Julien , Guichard Bérengère , Cao Lu-Yan , Di Cicco Aurélie , Jégou Antoine , Romet-Lemonne Guillaume , Bertin Aurélie 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThe fine regulation of actin polymerization is essential to control cell motility, architecture and to perform essential cellular functions. Formins are key regulators of actin filament assembly, known to processively elongate filament barbed ends and increase their polymerization rate. Based on indirect observations, different models have been proposed to describe the molecular mechanism governing the processive motion of formin FH2 domains at polymerizing barbed ends. Using electron microscopy, we directly identified two conformations of the mDia1 formin FH2 domains in interaction with the barbed ends of actin filaments. These conformations agree with the open and closed conformations of the “stair stepping” model proposed by Otomo and colleagues1. We observed the FH2 dimers to be in the open conformation for 79% of the data, interacting with the two terminal actin subunits of the barbed end, while they interact with three actin subunits in the closed conformation. Further, our data reveal that the open state encompasses a continuum of states where the orientation of the leading FH2 domain with respect to the filament long axis varies from 108 to 135 degrees. In addition, we identified FH2 domains encircling the core of actin filaments, providing structural information for mDia1 away from the barbed end. Based on these direct observations, we propose a model of formin in interaction with the growing filament end, as well as with the core of the filament.
Nucleic acid quantification with amplicon yield in recombinase polymerase amplification
Authors: Valloly Priyanka , Roy Rahul 
Published: June 2022

AbstractAmplification-based qPCR provides accurate and sensitive nucleic acid quantification. However, the requirement of temperature cycling and real-time monitoring limits its translation to different settings. Here, we adapted isothermal Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RPA) reaction to develop a semi-quantitative method that relies on final amplicon yield to estimate initial target nucleic acid copy number. To achieve this, we developed a phenomenological model that captures the essential RPA dynamics. We identified reaction conditions that constrained the reaction yield corresponding to the starting DNA template concentration. We validated these predictions experimentally and show that the amplicon yields at the end of the RPA reaction correlates well to the starting DNA concentration while reducing non-specific amplification robustly. We demonstrate this approach termed here as quantitative endpoint RPA (qeRPA) to detect DNA over five log orders with detection limit of 100 molecules. Using a linear regression model with normalized endpoint intensity (NEI) standard curve, we estimate viral load from the serum of dengue-infected patients with comparable performance to qPCR. Hence, qeRPA can be employed for robust and sensitive nucleic acid estimation at close to room temperature without real-time monitoring and can be beneficial for field-deployment in limited-resource settings.
High-resolution magic angle spinning NMR of KcsA in liposomes: the highly mobile C-terminus
Authors: Howarth Gary S. , McDermott Ann E. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThe structure of the transmembrane domain of bacterial potassium channel KcsA has been extensively characterized, yet little information is available on the structure of its cytosolic N- and C-termini. This study presents high-resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) and fractional deuteration as tools to study these poorly resolved regions for proteoliposome-embedded KcsA. Using 1H-detected HR-MAS NMR, we show that the C-terminus transitions from a rigid structure to a more dynamic structure as the solution is rendered acidic. We make previously unreported assignments of residues in the C-terminus of lipid embedded channels. Further, we also show evidence for hydrolysis of lipid head groups in proteoliposome samples during typical experimental timeframes.
Phase separation of Myc differentially modulates the transcriptome
Authors: Yang Junjiao , Chung Chan-I , Koach Jessica , Liu Hongjiang , Navalkar Ambuja , Zhao Qian , Yang Xiaoyu , He Liang , Mittag Tanja , Shen Yin , Weiss William A. , Shu Xiaokun 
Published: June 2022

AbstractDysregulation and enhanced expression ofMYCtranscription factors (TFs) includingMYCandMYCNcontribute to the majority of human cancers. For example,MYCNis amplified up to several hundred-fold in high-risk neuroblastoma. The resulting overexpression of N-myc aberrantly activates genes that are not activated at low N-myc levels and drives proliferation and cell survival. Whether increasing N-myc levels simply mediate binding to lower-affinity binding sites in the genome or fundamentally changes the activation process remains unclear. One such activation mechanism that could become important above threshold levels of N-myc is the formation of aberrant transcriptional condensates through phase separation. Phase separation has recently been linked to transcriptional regulation, but how strongly it contributes to gene activation remains unclear. Here we characterized the phase behavior of N-myc and showed that it can form dynamic condensates that bear the hallmarks of transcriptional activity. We tested the contribution of phase separation to N-myc-mediated gene expression by using a chemogenetic tool that allowed us to compare non-phase-separated and phase-separated conditions at identical N-myc levels, which both showed a strong impact on gene expression compared to no N-myc expression. However, we found that only a small fraction of <3% of N-myc-regulated genes is further affected by phase separation, but that these events include the activation of key oncogenes and the repression of tumor suppressors. Indeed, phase separation increases cell survival by ∼15% corroborating the biological effects of the transcriptional changes. However, our results also show that >97% of N-myc-regulated genes are not affected by N-myc phase separation, highlighting that transcription can be activated effectively by diffuse complexes of TFs with the transcriptional machinery.
Impact of maternal iron deficiency anaemia on fetal iron status and placental iron transporters in human pregnancy
Authors: Santhakumar Sreenithi , Athiyarath Rekha , Cherian Anne George , Abraham Vinod Joseph , George Biju , Lipiński Paweł , Edison Eunice Sindhuvi 
Published: June 2022

AbstractIron deficiency anaemia is associated with maternal morbidity and poor pregnancy outcomes. Placenta expresses both haem and non-haem iron transport proteins. The aim of the study is to examine the expression of placental iron trafficking molecules and associate them with maternal and neonatal iron status. Pregnant women who received prenatal care at the department of community health and development, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India for childbirth were recruited between 2016-2018. Pregnant women who were 18-35 years old with gestational age (GA) of ≥36weeks were eligible to participate in the study. In a prospective cohort of pregnant women, 22% were iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) and 42% were iron replete. Pregnant women in the different groups were mutually exclusive. Samples were collected (Maternal blood, placental tissue, and cord blood) from pregnant women with gestational age of ≥38 weeks at the time of delivery. Mean gestational age at first visit and delivery was 12.8±2.72 weeks and 39±1.65 weeks, respectively. Hemoglobin (9.3±0.9g/dl) and ferritin (15.4(0.8-28.3) ng/ml) levels at delivery were significantly decreased in IDA as compared to other groups. The foetal haemoglobin and ferritin levels were in the normal range in all groups. We further analysed the expression of iron transport genes in the placenta in the iron replete controls and the IDA group. Under maternal iron insufficiency, the expression of placental iron transporters DMT1 and FPN1 were upregulated at the transcriptional level. There was no correlation of maternal and cord blood hepcidin with foetal iron status in IDA. Thus, placental iron traffickers respond to maternal iron deficiency by increasing their expression and allowing sufficient iron to pass to the foetus.
Examining the digital organizational identity through content analysis of missions and vision statements of Malaysian and Singaporean SME company websites
Authors: Abdullah Zulhamri , Anumudu Chinedu Eugenia , Raza Syed Hassan 
Published: June 2022

Purpose
This study aims to examine the current state of mission and vision statements on the company websites of fast-growing Malaysian and Singaporean small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and analyze how these attributes are functionally used to build a distinct digital organizational identity.

Design/methodology/approach
The content analysis method was used to examine the similarities and differences among 170 Malaysian and Singaporean-selected SMEs based on Aaker’s five brand personality scales.

Findings
The findings demonstrated that there were explicit discrepancies between Malaysian and Singaporean SMEs in the applications of brand personality attributes. The findings also identified an increase in communicating mission and vision statements on the websites of both Malaysian and Singaporean SMEs. This emphasizes the need for Malaysian and Singaporean companies to intensify their efforts to develop a notable digital organizational identity.

Research limitations/implications
This study endeavors to provide novel insights into the digital communication practices of SMEs in building digital organization identity based on brand personality elements. Therefore, this study theoretically advances Aaker’s brand personality framework by incorporating digital organizational identity as a concept of Aaker’s brand personality from the SME perspective. This study contributes to the organizational identity literature by highlighting the need for these SMEs to integrate brand personality dimensions to compete with leading global companies.

Practical implications
The findings indicate that managers of SMEs can develop a unique digital organizational identity by communicating their vision and mission statements on their websites as a strategic asset for sustaining corporate reputation.

Originality/value
To date, little is known about the inevitable adaptation and application of communication that occurs when using digital means to develop a digital organizational identity. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to establish how Asian SMEs communicate their unique brand personality through websites to build their digital organizational identity.
Impact of surface waviness on the static performance of journal bearing with CuO and CeO2 nanoparticles in the lubricant
Authors: Bangotra Arun , Sharma Sanjay 
Published: June 2022

Purpose
This study aims to investigate the impact of surface waviness on the static performance parameters of hydrodynamic journal bearings operating with lubricants containing copper oxide (CuO) and cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles.

Design/methodology/approach
The static performance parameters of bearings with surface waviness and the addition of nanoparticles in lubricants were calculated using the nondimensional form of Reynolds equation and finite element method. Static performance parameters are calculated at different waviness numbers in the circumferential, axial and both directions at various wave amplitudes with variable viscosities of lubricants with nanoparticles using the viscosity equation forming a relationship between the relative viscosity, temperature and weight fraction of nanoparticles in lubricant developed from the experimental results.

Findings
The computed results indicate that the impact of waviness on the bearing surface enhances the load capacity, reduces friction coefficient, and is more effective in the circumferential direction than in the axial direction or in both directions. The addition of CuO and CeO2 to the lubricant enhanced its viscosity which further improved the steady-state parameters of the wave bearing.

Research limitations/implications
This study is based on a numerical technique, which has significant limitations, and the simulated results must be tested experimentally.

Practical implications
The current findings will be beneficial for designers to improve the performance of hydrodynamic journal bearings.

Originality/value
The calculated results demonstrate that the combined effect of the surface waviness on bearings and the addition of nanoparticles to lubricants can greatly increase the performance of hydrodynamic journal bearings.
The impact of business strategy and annual report readability on financial reporting quality
Authors: Arianpoor Arash , Sahoor Zahra 
Published: June 2022

Purpose
This study aims to mainly explore the impact of business strategy and annual reports readability on financial reporting quality in Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE).

Design/methodology/approach
The sample comprised 160 companies listed in TSE from 2014 to 2020. Five proxies (including two accounting-based attributes and two market-based attributes) were used to measure financial reporting quality. In this study, cost leadership and differentiation strategies were considered and Fog index was used to measure the annual report readability.

Findings
The results showed that in all methods of calculating financial reporting quality, cost leadership strategy, differentiation strategy and annual report readability had a positive and significant impact on financial reporting quality. Also, only at the high level of the differentiation strategy, the annual reports readability influenced financial reporting quality. In addition, at all levels of high and low annual report readability, cost leadership strategy affected financial reporting quality, but only in companies with a high annual report readability, the differentiation strategy affected financial reporting quality. Only for companies with a low readability, the annual report readability affected financial reporting quality.

Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no study had examined the impact of business strategy and annual report readability on financial reporting quality at the core of the present study. Furthermore, little was known about the strategic choices made in Iran. So, the research filled this gap in TSE. This study provided insights for policymakers to enhance the readability and reduce the complexity of annual reports.
Examining the influential components of tourists' intention to use travel apps: the importance–performance map analysis
Authors: Fakfare Pipatpong , Manosuthi Noppadol 
Published: June 2022

PurposeThe main objectives of this study are to (1) explore underlying components and attributes of travel applications that influence traveler usage intention and (2) investigate which contents should be prioritized to increase the efficiency of travel apps.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses importance–performance map analysis (IPMA) with an innovative approach (i.e. generalized structured component analysis [GSCA]) to identify components and attributes that have relatively high and low significance for the target construct (i.e. travel app's usage intention).FindingsAn integrated model influenced by three components (i.e. entertainment, travel review and medical and emergency information is proposed to have an impact on travelers' intention to use travel apps). The IPMA results indicate that restaurant and shopping receive the utmost emphasis from Thai domestic tourists who use travel apps, and sports and attraction are regarded as less critical attributes.Practical implicationsThe app content scales identified in this study can be used as a basic framework for app developers, service providers and tourism authorities to design a travel app. The IPMA results also help concerned practitioners to make decisions on which contents/attributes should be incorporated and improved.Originality/valueThis study implements IPMA using a GSCA estimator to present the standard results reporting on the path coefficients of each of the attributes of travel app services. The results not only contribute to the improvement of app features and services, but also suggest an innovative approach for generating pertinent IPMA results with GSCA, thus contributing to the theoretical and methodological advancement in hospitality and tourism areas.
Remote elementary education (Part 2): grade-level comparative analysis with control
Authors: Kleinke Stefan , Cross David 
Published: June 2022

PurposeThe purpose of this two-part research was to investigate the effect of remote learning on student progress in elementary education. Part 2, presented in this paper, is a follow-up study to examine how student progression in the two pandemic-induced environments compared to the pre-pandemic conditions.Design/methodology/approachThe authors expanded the quantitative, quasi-experimental factorial design of the authors' initial study with additional ex-post-facto standardized test score data from before the pandemic to enhance the group comparison with a control: the conventional pre-pandemic classroom environment. Thus, the authors were able to examine in which ways the two pandemic-induced learning environments (remote and hybrid) may have affected learner progress in the two subject areas: English Language (ELA) and Math. Additionally, the authors provided a grade-by-grade breakdown of analysis results.FindingsFindings revealed significant group differences in grade levels at or below 6th grade. In the majority of analyzed comparisons, learner achievement in the hybrid group was significantly lower than those in either the remote or the classroom group, or both.Research limitations/implicationsThe additional findings further supported the authors' initial hypotheses: Differences in the consistency and continuity of educational approaches, as well as potential differences in learner predispositions and the availability of home support systems may have influenced observed results. Thus, this research also contributes to the general knowledge about learner needs in elementary education.Originality/valueDuring the pandemic, remote learning became ubiquitous. However, in contrast to e-learning in postsecondary education, for which an abundance of research has been conducted, relatively little is known about the efficacy of such approaches in elementary education.