bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
BMAL1 and MEX3A co-regulate intestinal stem cell succession
Authors: Chang Fang-Pei , Wang Cheng-Kai , Chou Yu-Chi , Chen Tzu-Jou , Wu Ya-Wen , Sridharan Samyuktha , Hsu Pang-Hung , Hwang-Verslues Wendy W. 
Published: March 2022

SUMMARYChemotherapeutic agents, such as 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), often induce intestinal mucositis due to toxicity to rapidly dividing intestinal stem cells (ISCs). Drug delivery at different times of day can alter 5-FU toxicity; however, the underlying biology is unclear. We found that homeostasis and succession between two ISC types, fast proliferating Lgr5+crypt base columnar (CBC) cells and stress-resistant +4 cells (Bmi1+), are controlled by the circadian clock transcription factor BMAL1 and the BMAL1-regulated RNA-binding protein MEX3A via both direct transcriptional regulation and post-transcriptional control ofLgr5mRNA stability.Bmal1knockout in Lgr5+CBCs reduced MEX3A expression and CBC numbers but increased Bmi1 expression in the crypts. Timing 5-FU delivery when crypt cells had lowLgr5but peak level ofBmi1protected ISCs from apoptosis. Together, these findings identify a novel role of BMAL1 in ISC homeostasis and provide a biological explanation for chronotherapeutic chemoprotection.
Lingering neural representations of past task features adversely affect future behavior
Authors: Rangel Benjamin O. , Hazeltine Eliot , Wessel Jan R. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractDuring goal-directed behavior, humans purportedly form and retrieve so called ‘event files’ – conjunctive representations that link context-specific information about stimuli, their associated actions, and the expected action-outcomes. The automatic formation – and later retrieval – of such conjunctive ‘event file’ representations can substantially facilitate efficient action selection. However, recent behavioral work suggests that these event-files may also adversely affect future behavior, especially when action requirements have changed between successive instances of the same task context (e.g., during task-switching). Here, we directly tested this hypothesis through a recently developed method that allows measuring the strength of the neural representations of context-specific stimulus-action conjunctions (i.e., event files). Thirty-five male and female adult humans performed a task-switching paradigm while undergoing EEG recordings. Replicating previous behavioral work, we found that changes in action requirements between two spaced repetitions of the same task incurred a significant reaction time cost. By combining multi-variate pattern analysis and representational similarity analysis of the EEG recordings with linear mixed-effects modeling of trial-to-trial behavior, we then found that the magnitude of this behavioral cost was directly proportional to the strength of the conjunctive representation formed during the most recent previous exposure to the same task – i.e., the most recent ‘event file’. This confirms that the formation of conjunctive representations of specific task contexts, stimuli, and actions in the brain can indeed adversely affect future behavior. Moreover, these findings demonstrate the potential of neural decoding of complex task set representations towards the prediction of behavior beyond the current trial.
Introducing RELAX (the Reduction of Electroencephalographic Artifacts): A fully automated pre-processing pipeline for cleaning EEG data - Part 1: Algorithm and Application to Oscillations
Authors: Bailey NW , Biabani M , Hill AT , Miljevic A , Rogasch NC , McQueen B , Murphy OW , Fitzgerald PB 
Published: March 2022

AbstractElectroencephalographic (EEG) data is typically contaminated with non-neural artifacts which can confound the results of experiments. Artifact cleaning approaches are available, but often require time-consuming manual input and significant expertise. Advancements in artifact cleaning often only address a single artifact, are only compared against a small selection of pre-existing methods, and seldom assess whether a proposed advancement improves experimental outcomes. To address these issues, we developed RELAX (the Reduction of Electroencephalographic Artifacts), an automated EEG cleaning pipeline implemented within EEGLAB that reduces all artifact types. RELAX cleans continuous data using Multiple Wiener filtering [MWF] and/or wavelet enhanced independent component analysis [wICA] applied to artifacts identified by ICLabel [wICA_ICLabel]). Several versions of RELAX were tested using three datasets containing a mix of cognitive and resting recordings (N = 213, 60 and 23 respectively). RELAX was compared against six commonly used EEG cleaning approaches across a wide range of artifact cleaning quality metrics, including signal-to-error and artifact-to-residue ratios, measures of remaining blink and muscle activity, and the amount of variance explained by experimental manipulations after cleaning. RELAX with MWF and wICA_ICLabel showed amongst the best performance for cleaning blink and muscle artifacts while still preserving neural signal. RELAX with wICA_ICLabel (and no MWF) may perform better at detecting the effect of experimental manipulations on alpha oscillations in working memory tasks. The pipeline is easy to implement in MATLAB and freely available on GitHub. Given its high cleaning performance, objectivity, and ease of use, we recommend RELAX for data cleaning across EEG studies.
The Plasmodium falciparum CCCH zinc finger protein ZNF4 plays an important role in gametocyte exflagellation through the regulation of male gametocyte enriched transcripts
Authors: Hanhsen Borja , Farrukh Afia , Pradel Gabriele , Ngwa Che Julius 
Published: March 2022

AbstractCCCH zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) function mainly as RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) where they play a central role in the mRNA metabolism. Over 27 CCCH-ZFPs are encoded in the genome of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of malaria tropica. However, little is known about their functions. In this study, we characterize one member of the PfCCCH-ZFP named ZNF4. We show that ZNF4 is highly expressed in mature gametocytes where it predominantly localizes to the cytoplasm. Targeted gene disruption of ZNF4 showed no significant effect in asexual blood stage replication and gametocyte development while male gametocyte exflagellation was significantly impaired leading to reduced malaria transmission in the mosquito. Comparative transcriptomics between wildtype (WT) and the ZNF4-deficient line (ZNF4-KO) demonstrated the de-regulation of about 473 genes (274-upregulated and 199 down-regulated) in mature gametocytes. Most of the down-regulated genes show peak expression in mature gametocyte with male enriched genes associated to the axonemal dynein complex formation and cell projection organization highly affected, pointing to the phenotype in male gametocyte exflagellation. Up-regulated genes are associated to ATP synthesis. Our combine data therefore indicate that ZNF4 is a CCCH zinc finger protein which plays an important role in male gametocyte exflagellation through the regulation of male gametocyte enriched genes.Author SummaryCCCH ZFPs have gained significant interest due to their ability to interact with RNA and control different RNA metabolic processes. The role of CCCH ZFPs in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum has not been well studied. In this study we report the functional characterization of a PfCCCH-ZFP named ZNF4. Using mouse anti-ZNF4 antisera and a ZNF4-HA tag parasite line we show that the protein is mainly expressed in the cytosol of mature gametocytes. To determine the function of ZNF4, we generated a ZNF4 knockout parasite line and we found that the asexual blood stages and gametocytes developed normally while the ability of the male gametocytes to exflagellate as well as the further development of the parasite in the mosquito was significantly impaired. Interestingly, when the transcriptome of mature gametocytes of the ZNF4-KO was compared to the WT, down-regulated genes were mainly male gametocyte enriched genes associated to processes involved in gametocyte exflagellation such axonemal dynein complex formation and cell projection organization indicating that ZNF4 plays an important role in male gametocyte exflagellation through the regulation of male gametocyte enriched transcripts.
Sepsis-induced brain state instability
Authors: Kala Annu , Leemburg Susan , Jezek Karel 
Published: March 2022

AbstractSepsis-associated brain dysfunction (SABD) is a frequent severe complication of sepsis and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome. It is associated with high mortality and a majority of survivors suffer long-term neurological consequences. Here, we aimed at better understanding the effects of SABD on oscillatory brain states in an acute rat model of sepsis induced by high dose LPS (10 mg/kg). To focus on intrinsically generated brain state dynamics, we used a urethane model that spares oscillatory activity in REM- and NREM-like sleep states. Soon after the intraperitoneal LPS injection we observed a robust instability of both oscillatory states resulting in tripling amount of state transitions that lasted for several hours, although the overall time spent in either state did not change. Analysis of power spectra showed opposing shifts in low frequency oscillations (1-9 Hz) that resulted in increased similarity between both states in 2-D state space. The described spectral characteristics of sepsis-induced EEG state instability might point to a mechanism underlying severe sleep fragmentation as described both in sepsis patients and in SABD animal models.
A Dynamic Bottom-Up Saliency Detection Method for Still Images
Authors: Sadeghi Leila , Kamkar Shiva , Moghaddam Hamid Abrishami 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIntroductionExisting saliency detection algorithms in the literature have ignored the importance of time. They create a static saliency map for the whole recording time. However, bottom-up and top-down attention continuously compete and the salient regions change through time. In this paper, we propose an unsupervised algorithm to predict the dynamic evolution of bottom-up saliency in images.MethodWe compute the variation of low-level features within non-overlapping patches of the input image. A patch with higher variation is considered more salient. We use a threshold to ignore less salient parts and create a map. A weighted sum of this map and its center of mass is calculated to provide the saliency map. The threshold and weights are set dynamically. We use the MIT1003 and DOVES datasets for evaluation and break the recording to multiple 100ms or 500ms-time intervals. A separate ground-truth is created for each interval. Then, the predicted dynamic saliency map is compared to the ground-truth using Normalized Scanpath Saliency, Kullback-Leibler divergence, Similarity, and Linear Correlation Coefficient metrics.ResultsThe proposed method outperformed the competitors on DOVES dataset. It also had an acceptable performance on MIT1003 especially within 0-400ms after stimulus onset.ConclusionThis dynamic algorithm can predict an image’s salient regions better than the static methods as saliency detection is inherently a dynamic process. This method is biologically-plausible and in-line with the recent findings of the creation of a bottom-up saliency map in the primary visual cortex or superior colliculus.
SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant is more stable than the ancestral strain on various surfaces
Authors: Hong Chin Alex Wing , Yuk Lai Alison Man , Peiris Malik , Man Poon Leo Lit 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe Omicron BA.1 SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern spreads quickly around the world and outcompetes other circulating strains. We examined the stability of this SARS-CoV-2 variant on various surfaces and revealed that the Omicron variant is more stable than its ancestral strain on smooth and porous surfaces.
Dissecting the Role of the Human Microbiome in COVID-19 via Metagenome-assembled Genomes
Authors: Ke Shanlin , Weiss Scott T. , Liu Yang-Yu 
Published: March 2022

AbstractCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), primarily a respiratory disease caused by infection with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is often accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms. However, little is known about the relation between the human microbiome and COVID-19, largely due to the fact that previous studies fail to provide high taxonomic resolution to identify microbes that likely interact with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Here we used whole-metagenome shotgun sequencing data together with assembly and binning strategies to reconstruct metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from a total of 514 nasopharyngeal and fecal samples of patients with COVID-19 and controls. We reconstructed a total of 11,584 medium-and high-quality microbial MAGs and obtained 5,403 non-redundant MAGs (nrMAGs) with strain-level resolution. We found that, thanks to the high taxonomic resolution of nrMAGs, the gut microbiome signatures can accurately distinguish COVID-19 cases from healthy controls and predict the progression of COVID-19. Moreover, we identified a set of nrMAGs with a putative causal role in the clinical manifestations of COVID-19 and revealed their functional pathways that potentially interact with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The presented results highlight the importance of incorporating the human gut microbiome in our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease progression. The genomic content of nrMAGs presented here has the potential to inform microbiome-based therapeutic developments for COVID-19 progression and post-COVID conditions.
Open modification searching of SARS-CoV-2–human protein interaction data reveals novel viral modification sites
Authors: Adams Charlotte , Boonen Kurt , Laukens Kris , Bittremieux Wout 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the causative agent of the COVID-19 disease, has led to an ongoing global pandemic since 2019. Mass spectrometry can be used to understand the molecular mechanisms of viral infection by SARS-CoV-2, for example, by determining virus–host protein–protein interactions (PPIs) through which SARS-CoV-2 hijacks its human hosts during infection, and to study the role of post-translational modifications (PTMs). We have reanalyzed public affinity purification mass spectrometry data using open modification searching to investigate the presence of PTMs in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 virus–host PPI network. Based on an over two-fold increase in identified spectra, our detected protein interactions show a high overlap with independent mass spectrometry-based SARS-CoV-2 studies and virus–host interactions for alternative viruses, as well as previously unknown protein interactions. Additionally, we identified several novel modification sites on SARS-CoV-2 proteins that we investigated in relation to their interactions with host proteins. A detailed analysis of relevant modifications, including phosphorylation, ubiquitination, and S-nitrosylation, provides important hypotheses about the functional role of these modifications during viral infection by SARS-CoV-2.
The moderating role of complaint handling on brand hate in the cancel culture
Authors: Abbasi Amir Zaib , Fayyaz Muhammad Shahzeb , Ting Ding Hooi , Munir Maira , Bashir Shahid , Zhang Chun 
Published: March 2022

PurposeThis study investigates the moderating role of complaint handling between ideological incompatibility, symbolic incongruity, negative past experience and corporate social irresponsibility on brand hate.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs the Duplex Hate theory which assumes that hate is the manifestation of multiple factors. A survey-based self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 400 smartphone users at Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan.FindingsThe findings suggest that ideological incompatibility, symbolic incongruity, negative past experience and corporate social irresponsibility contributes to brand hate. The complaint handling (moderator) weakens the effects of ideological incompatibility and symbolic incongruity on brand hate.Practical implicationsThe research provides insights into the cancel culture and clarifies how brand hate can be controlled.Originality/valueEmpirical study on the antecedents of brand hate remains insufficient. The current study contributes to the brand hate literature by providing an understanding of the phenomenon of brand hate and by empirically examining the different antecedents responsible for causing the behavior. The study has also provided an additional determinant of brand hate, which is corporate social irresponsibility. The role of moderators for controlling brand hate is greatly ignored in the existing literature. The current work also extends previous studies by investigating a moderating factor for reducing brand hate, which is complaint handling.
Fruit-related lifestyles as a segmentation tool for fruit consumers
Authors: Ahmadi Kaliji Sina , Imami Drini , Canavari Maurizio , Gjonbalaj Mujë , Gjokaj Ekrem 
Published: March 2022

PurposeThis study develops a modified food-related lifestyle (FRL) instrument to analyse Kosovo consumers' fruit consumption behaviour and attitudes.Design/methodology/approachThe research study is based on a structured questionnaire designed using a reduced version of the FRL instrument, including evaluation factors related to fruit consumption, which is useful to describe a fruit-related lifestyle. Data were collected through a face-to-face survey with 300 consumers in three main cities in Kosovo. A principal component analysis (PCA) with Varimax rotation and Kaiser Normalisation was performed to interpret and investigate fruit-related lifestyles. Cluster analysis was performed to analyse market segments, using the identified factors obtained from the PCA, a hierarchical clustering algorithm with a Ward linkage method and the K-means clustering technique.FindingsConsumption behaviour is motivated by health concerns (perceived), fruit (nutrition) content and consumption habits. Four distinct consumer clusters were identified based on the fruit-related lifestyle instrument and analysed considering the different fruit purchase and consumption behaviour, attitudes towards health, quality, taste and safety.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors adapted a survey tool based on a reduced FRL instrument to elaborate a specific survey instrument suitable to describe the fruit-related consumer's lifestyles. The instrument was not designed according to the standard scales design procedure, but it is a first step towards creating a fruit-related lifestyle instrument.Originality/valueThe fruit-related lifestyle instrument can be used in studies focused on fruit consumer segmentation. Results provide insight into fruit marketing and distribution companies, which can adjust their marketing strategies and customer-oriented initiatives tailored for specific consumer segments. Results can be useful also for policymakers to promote increased fruit consumption.
Institutional factors and efficiency performance in the global microfinance industry
Authors: Mia Md Aslam , Rangel Gary John , Nourani Mohammad , Kumar Rajesh 
Published: March 2022

PurposeMeasuring the success of microfinance institutions (MFIs) using a single efficiency value and then exploring its determining factors might be misleading. Hence, this study decomposed the efficiency measure into three divisions, namely operational, financial sustainability and social outreach. Subsequently, the authors identified factors affecting these efficiencies in the second stage regression analysis.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed the network data envelopment analysis approach to evaluate each division of efficiency of 90 MFIs from 2013 to 2018 and used second-stage regression techniques (Tobit and Truncated) to examine the effect of institutional factors.FindingsThe authors’ efficiency analysis revealed that financial sustainability and social outreach were responsible for the low overall efficiency. The second stage analysis revealed the negative influence of institutional factors such as efficiency wage (particularly among small MFIs) on financial sustainability, social outreach and overall efficiencies. Staff turnover reduced operational, financial and overall efficiencies, particularly for large MFIs. The presence of female board members and staff improved the efficiency of MFIs, thus highlighting the pivotal role of women in the success of MFIs. Besides, the effects of regional location of MFIs, regulation and legal status on efficiencies were further discussed.Originality/valueThe study has uniquely evaluated three different types of efficiency in MFIs and employed conventional techniques for the second-stage regression to identify the determinants of efficiency. The findings will enable managers to make appropriate decisions to enhance their organisational efficiency.
Development of social work in prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS and HCV in Central Asia
Authors: Stöver Heino , Michels Ingo Ilja 
Published: March 2022

Purpose
This study aims to report on the findings of a pilot study of the prevalence and treatment of infectious diseases among people who inject drugs in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Design/methodology/approach
This study reports on study results based on two data collection methods: quantitative surveys and complimentary qualitative interviews.

Findings
The findings show that the role of social work in the region is crucial for establishing trust between non-governmental and civil society organizations and the state as exemplified by so-called “trust points” and “friendly cabinets.”

Originality/value
Firstly, this study provides an overview of injecting drug use and the prevalence statistics on infectious diseases. Following this, this study focuses on the treatment and prevention of the spread of HIV/AIDS and HCV. Both areas are under-researched and address the gap in the literature on drug policy in Central Asia.
Do human resource management practices boost up employees' impersonal trust? Evidence from the banking sector of Bangladesh
Authors: Sultana Sarmin , Khandakar Md. Shariful Alam 
Published: March 2022

PurposeThe main purpose of the study is to identify the relationship between human resource management (HRM) practices and impersonal trust. The study focuses on five HRM practices, namely training, fair reward and promotion opportunity, employment security and performance appraisal and impact of those on impersonal trust.Design/methodology/approachData for the study have been collected from 384 front line service provider female employees of 39 private commercial banks through non-probability judgmental sampling technique and analyzed by applying structural equation modeling-partial least square (SEM-PLS) method.FindingsThe findings of the study reveals that all the five HRM practices, namely training, fair reward and promotion opportunity, employment security and performance appraisal, are positively and significantly related with impersonal trust.Originality/valuePrivate commercial banks in Bangladesh are rapidly growing and facing huge competition to improve the competitive advantage of employees. Impersonal trust of employees is required for achieving competitive advantage. Due to the lack of research and scanty of knowledge in that field, the study offers a new avenue of existing knowledge to the stakeholders and researchers on how to develop impersonal trust with necessary recommendations.