bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Variation in thermal physiology can drive the temperature-dependence of microbial community richness
Authors: Clegg Tom , Pawar Samraat 
Published: October 2022

AbstractPredicting how species diversity changes along environmental gradients is an enduring problem in ecology. Current theories cannot explain the observation that microbial taxonomic richness can show positive, unimodal, as well as negative diversity-temperature gradients. Here we derive a general empirically-grounded theory that can explain this phenomenon by linking microbial species richness in local communities to variation in their temperature-driven competitive interaction and growth rates. It predicts that richness depends on variation in shape of the thermal performance curves of these metabolic traits across species in the community. Specifically, the shape of the microbial community temperature-richness relationship depends on how the strength of competition across the community and the degree of variation in growth rates changes across temperature. These in turn can be predicted from the variation in thermal performance across the community. We show that empirical variation in the thermal performance curves of metabolic traits across extant bacterial taxa is indeed sufficient to generate the variety of community-level temperature-richness responses observed in the real world. Our results provide a new mechanism that can help explain temperature-diversity gradients in microbial communities, and provide a quantitative framework for interlinking variation in the thermal physiology of microbial species to their community-level diversity.
Dissecting the functional contributions of different neuronal subtypes in the dorsal striatum to perseverative behaviour in ephrin-A2/A5-/-mice
Authors: Tomar Maitri , Rodger Jennifer , Moretti Jessica 
Published: October 2022

AbstractOverreliance on habit is linked with disorders such as drug addiction and obsessive-compulsive disorder and there is increasing interest in the use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to alter neuronal activity in the relevant pathways and reduce relapse or accelerated shift towards habit formation. Here we studied the brains of ephrin-A2A5-/-mice, which previously showed perseverative behaviour in progressive-ratio tasks, associated with low cellular activity in nucleus accumbens. We investigated if rTMS treatment had altered the hierarchical recruitment of brain regions from ventral to dorsal striatum associated with abnormal habit formation in these mice.Brain sections of mice that underwent progressive-ratio tasks with and without low intensity rTMS (LI-rTMS) were taken from a previous study. We take advantage of the previous characterisation of perseverative behaviour to investigate the contribution of different neuronal subtypes and striatal regions. Striatal regions were stained for neuronal activation with c-Fos and for medium spiny neurons with DARPP32. Qualitative analysis was carried out for other neuronal subtypes in the striatum - GABAergic, parvalbumin-expressing and cholinergic interneurons.Contrary to our hypothesis, we found neuronal activity in ephrin-A2A5-/-mice still reflected goal-directed behaviour. However, we saw that the dorsolateral striatum contributed more to total striatal activity in untreated ephrin-A2/A5-/-mice. This supported our hypothesis that ephrin-A2/A5-/-mice have greater c-Fos activity in habit-associated striatal regions. LI-rTMS in ephrin-A2A5-/-mice also appeared to delay the shift from goal-directed to habitual behaviour as suggested by increased activation in dorsomedial striatum and nucleus accumbens.
Autism-related behavioral phenotypes of threeCamk2amutant mouse lines with reduced CaMKIIα expression and/or activity
Authors: Thomas Jessica R. , Spiess Keeley L. , Colbran Roger J. 
Published: October 2022

AbstractCa2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is a key modulator of excitatory synaptic transmission, gene expression, learning and memory. Mutations in theCAMK2Agene, which encodes CaMKIIα and is highly expressed in multiple regions in the forebrain, have been recently linked to neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID). Our lab generated and characterized a knock-in (KI) mutant mouse with a glutamate-183 to valine (E183V) CaMKIIα mutation detected in several children diagnosed with ASD or ID. The E183V mutation reduces CaMKIIα activity and expression levels but the contributions of these two changes to the ASD-related behavioral phenotypes of these mice are unclear. Therefore, we performed side-by-side comparisons of the behavioral phenotypes of CaMKIIα E183V-KI mice with two other mutant mouse lines with either a complete loss of CaMKIIα expression (CaMKIIα Null mice) or reduced kinase activity (due to a threonine-286 to alanine mutation that abrogates autophosphorylation at this site) with no significant change in expression levels (CaMKIIα T286A-KI mice). In all three lines, homozygous mutant mice displayed increased stereotypic jumping behavior and hyperactivity, without alterations in anxiety or social interactions. Interestingly, homozygous mutant mice in all three lines also displayed a substantial reduction in tactile sensitivity using the Von Frey filament test. Together, these data suggest that reductions of either CaMKIIα expression or activity in mice disrupted normal motor and sensory functions.
Variability of wheel running behavior in mice is dependent on housing, sex, and genetic background
Authors: Kanold-Tso Zara , Plenz Dietmar 
Published: October 2022

AbstractEnvironmental enrichment (EE) has been increasingly used to enhance and support the physiological fitness and natural behavior of research animals. For mice, which are known to be highly active nocturnal animals that live in large social groups, the introduction of running wheels is a particularly promising approach in EE. When wheels are introduced to their home cage, mice increase their nocturnal locomotion activity by orders of magnitude. However, little is known about how mice share such a readily adopted EE. Here, we studied wheel running in single-housed and group-housed mice. We hypothesized that group-housed mice will compete over the scarce resource of a running wheel leading to a change in overall wheel usage compared to single-housed mice that have exclusive wheel access. We measured wheel locomotion in two strains of single-housed and group-housed mice over multiple 24h periods at sub-second temporal resolution using a custom-designed data acquisition system. We observed both sex- and housing-specific differences in wheel usage. In single-housed C57Bl/6 mice, mice ran at consistent speeds and females ran larger distances. In group housing, periods of slow locomotion speeds as well as speed transitions emerged with fewer breaks in wheel usage. This group effect was less pronounced in a genetic mouse model (parvalbumin-Cre on C57Bl/6 background).Our results demonstrate a change in wheel usage during group housing which supports competition over EE resources while enhancing overall locomotion in mice.
Protein aggregation and calcium dysregulation are the earliest hallmarks of synucleinopathy in human midbrain dopaminergic neurons
Authors: Virdi Gurvir S , Choi Minee L , Evans James R , Yao Zhi , Athauda Dilan , Strohbuecker Stephanie , Wernick Anna I , Alrashidi Haya , Melandri Daniela , Perez-Lloret Jimena , Angelova Plamena R , Sylantyev Sergiy , Eaton Simon , Heales Simon , Kunath Tilo , Horrocks Mathew H , Abramov Andrey Y , Patani Rickie , Gandhi Sonia 
Published: October 2022

AbstractMutations in theSNCAgene cause autosomal dominant Parkinson’s disease (PD), with progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, and accumulation of aggregates of α-synuclein. However, the sequence of molecular events that proceed from theSNCAmutation during development, to its end stage pathology is unknown. Utilising human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) withSNCAmutations, we resolved the temporal sequence of pathophysiological events that occur during neuronal differentiation in order to discover the early, and likely causative, events in synucleinopathies. We adapted a small molecule-based protocol that generates highly enriched midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons (>80%). We characterised their molecular identity using single-cell RNA sequencing and their functional identity through the synthesis and secretion of dopamine, the ability to generate action potentials, and form functional synapses and networks. RNA velocity analyses confirmed the developmental transcriptomic trajectory of midbrain neural precursors into mDA neurons using our approach, and identified key driver genes in mDA neuronal development. To characterise the synucleinopathy, we adopted super-resolution methods to determine the number, size and structure of aggregates inSNCA-mutant mDA neurons. At one week of differentiation, prior to maturation to mDA neurons of molecular and functional identity, we demonstrate the formation of small aggregates; specifically, β-sheet rich oligomeric aggregates, inSNCA-mutant midbrain immature neurons. The aggregation progresses over time to accumulate phosphorylated aggregates, and later fibrillar aggregates. When the midbrain neurons were functional, we observed evidence of impaired physiological calcium signalling, with raised basal calcium, and impairments in cytosolic and mitochondrial calcium efflux. Once midbrain identity fully developed,SNCA-mutant neurons exhibited bioenergetic impairments, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress. During the maturation of mDA neurons, upregulation of mitophagy and autophagy occured, and ultimately these multiple cellular stresses lead to an increase in cell death by six weeks post-differentiation. Our differentiation paradigm generates an efficient model for studying disease mechanisms in PD, and highlights that protein misfolding to generate intraneuronal oligomers is one of the earliest critical events driving disease in human neurons, rather than a late-stage hallmark of the disease.
The gene expression landscape of the human locus coeruleus revealed by single-nucleus and spatially-resolved transcriptomics
Authors: Weber Lukas M. , Divecha Heena R. , Tran Matthew N. , Kwon Sang Ho , Spangler Abby , Montgomery Kelsey D. , Tippani Madhavi , Bharadwaj Rahul , Kleinman Joel E. , Page Stephanie C. , Hyde Thomas M. , Collado-Torres Leonardo , Maynard Kristen R. , Martinowich Keri , Hicks Stephanie C. 
Published: October 2022

AbstractNorepinephrine (NE) neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) make long-range projections throughout the central nervous system, playing critical roles in arousal and mood, as well as various components of cognition including attention, learning, and memory. The LC-NE system is also implicated in multiple neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Importantly, LC-NE neurons are highly sensitive to degeneration in both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Despite the clinical importance of the brain region and the prominent role of LC-NE neurons in a variety of brain and behavioral functions, a detailed molecular characterization of the LC is lacking. Here, we used a combination of spatially-resolved transcriptomics and single-nucleus RNA-sequencing to characterize the molecular landscape of the LC region and the transcriptomic profile of LC-NE neurons in the human brain. We provide a freely accessible resource of these data in web-accessible and downloadable formats.
GDAP1 binds 4-hydroxynonenal, the toxic end-product of lipid peroxidation, using its GST-like binding pocket
Authors: Googins Matthew R. , Brown Maya , Woghiren-Afegbua Aigbirhemwen O , Kiselyov Kirill I. , VanDemark Andrew P. 
Published: October 2022

AbstractGDAP1 (Ganglioside-induced differentiation-associated protein 1) is a novel member of the GST superfamily of detoxifying enzymes that is anchored to the outer mitochondrial membrane. GDAP1 mutations and changes in expression levels result in the inherited neuropathy Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease, types 2K, 4A and 4H. GDAP1 activity has been associated with many mitochondrial functions however direct molecular interactions underpinning these connections have remained elusive. Here we establish that GDAP1 can bind 4-hydroxynonenal (4HNE), a toxic end-product of lipid peroxidation. 4HNE binding requires the α-loop, a large sequence motif that is inserted within the substrate recognition domain and is unique to GDAP1. In human cells, GDAP1 overexpression plays a cytoprotective role against oxidative stress. This effect is lost upon deletion of the α-loop. Lastly, we demonstrate that a CMT-causing mutant that destabilizes α-loop positioning also results in a decrease in 4HNE binding affinity. Together these results establish 4HNE as the biological ligand for GDAP1, provide mechanistic insight into 4HNE binding, and demonstrate that altered 4HNE recognition is the likely mechanism underlying CMT-causing mutants such as T157P near the 4HNE binding site.
Amygdalostriatal transition zone neurons encode sustained valence to direct conditioned behaviors
Authors: Mills Fergil , Lee Christopher R. , Howe James R. , Li Hao , Shao Shan , Keisler Maria N. , Lemieux Mackenzie E. , Taschbach Felix H. , Keyes Laurel R. , Borio Matilde , Chen Hannah S. , Patel Reesha R. , Gross Alexa L. , Delahanty Jeremy , Cazares Christian , Maree Liezl , Wichmann Romy , Pereira Talmo D. , Benna Marcus K. , Root Cory M. , Tye Kay M. 
Published: October 2022

SUMMARYIn order to respond appropriately to threats in the environment, the brain must rapidly determine whether a stimulus is important and whether it is positive or negative, and then use that information to direct behavioral responses. Neurons in the amygdala have long been implicated in valence encoding and in fear responses to threatening stimuli, but show transient firing responses in response to these stimuli that do not match the timescales of associated behavioral responses. For decades, there has been a logical gap in how behavioral responses could be mediated without an ensemble representation of the internal state of valence that has rapid onset, high signal-to-noise, and is sustained for the duration of the behavioral state. Here, we present the amygdalostriatal transition zone (ASt) as a missing piece of this highly conserved process that is of paramount importance for survival, which does exactly this: represents an internal state (e.g. fear) that can be expressed in multiple motor outputs (e.g. freezing or escape). The ASt is anatomically positioned as a “shortcut” to connect the corticolimbic system (important for evaluation) with the basal ganglia (important for action selection) with the inputs of the amygdala and the outputs of the striatum – ideally poised for evaluating and responding to environmental threats. Fromin vivocellular resolution recordings that include both electrophysiology and calcium imaging, we find that ASt neurons are unique in that they are sparse coding, extremely high signal-to-noise, and also maintain a sustained response for negative valence stimuli for the duration of the defensive behavior – a rare but essential combination. We further show that photostimulation of the ASt is sufficient to drive freezing and avoidance behaviors. Using single-nucleus RNA sequencing andin situRNA labelling we generate a comprehensive profile of cell types and gene expression in the ASt, and find the ASt is genetically distinct from adjacent striatal and amygdalar structures. We also find that the ASt has a greater proportion of neurons expressingDrd2than neurons expressingDrd1a, a unique feature compared to other regions of the striatum. Usingin vivocalcium imaging, we show that that thisDrd2+population robustly encodes stimuli of negative valence, and in loss-of-function experiments find that optogenetic inhibition ofDrd2+ASt neurons causes a striking reduction in cue-conditioned fear responses. Together, our findings identify the ASt as a previously-unappreciated critical missing link for encoding learned associations and directing ongoing behavior.
Assessment of construction professionals' awareness of the smart building concepts in the Nigerian construction industry
Authors: Ejidike Cyril Chinonso , Mewomo Modupe Cecilia , Anugwo Iruka Chijindu 
Published: October 2022

Purpose
The current movement toward digitisation has promoted the adoption of smart building technology globally. Despite its advantages, its usage in developing countries such as Nigeria is still very low. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate construction professionals' awareness of smart building concepts (SBCs) in the Nigerian construction industry and identify the parameters by which SBCs can be measured.

Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative survey was carried out using a questionnaire to gather relevant data in the study area. This paper was conducted on 363 registered construction professionals in the Nigerian construction industry. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Kruskal–Wallis H test analysis.

Findings
This paper indicated that the majority of Nigerian construction professionals are aware of SBCs. Furthermore, the Kruskal–Wallis H test shows no significant difference between the awareness level of the various construction professionals. This paper further revealed energy management systems, IT network connectivity, safety and security management systems and building automation systems as the most significant parameters in which SBCs can be measured.

Practical implications
This paper identified significant parameters influencing SBCs awareness in the Nigerian construction industry. These parameters can be integrated into the building during the design stage and can be incorporated into the policymaking process of construction firms to promote the awareness of SBCs and encourage practices related to construction sustainability.

Originality/value
This paper provides empirical evidence on the awareness of SBCs among construction professionals and significant parameters influencing awareness in the Nigerian construction industry.
Female economic empowerment through tourism training in the United Arab Emirates
Authors: Vij Mohit , Upadhya Amitabh , Agha Kakul , Begum Vazeerjaan , Kashmoola Basma Waleed , Senior John Roy 
Published: October 2022

PurposeThe issue of female economic empowerment in the Middle East and the North Africa region (MENA) has attracted significant attention; however, its potential in the tourism sector has not been fully explored. This study aims to identify the steps involved in conceptualizing, designing, and conducting a customized tourism training program to economically empower women in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).Design/methodology/approachGrounded in stakeholder theory and using a triangulation method of data analysis, the study is an outcome of mixed-method research. The data were collected through focus group interviews, personal interviews and a survey involving women stakeholders from public and private sectors.FindingsThe study revealed that the desired components for tourist guide training among Emirati women include career paths, ways to seek support from family, entrepreneurial and leadership skills development, and destination knowledge.Originality/valueThe study provides theoretical and practical implications for a systematic training approach undertaken by a destination management organization (DMO) in liaison with other stakeholders. The study recommends a series of phases to scientifically design and conduct tourism training in order to empower women.
EDUCATION REFORM AND FINANCIALIZATION: Making the Fiscal Crisis of the Schools
Authors: Farmer Stephanie , Weber Rachel 
Published: October 2022

AbstractOur fiscal analysis of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) from 1990 to 2018 contributes to a growing scholarship on the financialization of urban governance. We advance the concept of ‘recursive austerity’ to show how devolution and cuts at higher scales push local governments into the hands of both growth and debt machines. The use of short‐term and variable‐rate debt to pay for capital projects causes entrepreneurial and austerity strategies to chafe against their limitations and contradictions, which begets more austerity and structural dependence on credit markets. Faced with deficits, CPS undertook crippling austerity measures, such as staffing cuts, pension holidays and school closures, which disproportionately harmed Black students, households, teachers and neighborhoods. We explain how CPS moved from a voluntary high‐leverage strategy to finance capital projects to endemic debt dependency, characterized by habitual borrowing to refinance old loans and sustain operations. We argue that CPS's debt trap and recurring budget ‘crises’ are the outcomes of the fiscal management decisions it made with investment banks and the City of Chicago, and not only the result of secular trends such as declining enrollments.
Renewable Governance: Good for the Environment?
Authors: DYCK ALEXANDER , LINS KARL V. , ROTH LUKAS , TOWNER MITCH , WAGNER HANNES F. 
Published: October 2022

ABSTRACTWe conjecture that board renewal mechanisms—those substantive enough to renew the thinking of the board—are required before investors can address the mismatch between their preferences regarding environmental sustainability and what insiders at firms are actually doing. We identify the adoption of majority voting for directors and the introduction of a female director as two corporate governance mechanisms potentially strong enough to renew a board's thinking on sustainability. Using a sample of 3,293 firms from 41 countries, along with quasi‐exogenous shocks to board renewal mechanisms in Canada and France, we find that both board renewal mechanisms are associated with significantly higher future environmental performance. Further tests provide suggestive evidence that board renewal is more strongly associated with environmental performance in settings with better institutions and more motivated institutional investors. These results suggest the importance of board renewal for alignment of firm policies with investor preferences around the world.
Situational factors and police use of force across micro‐time intervals: A video systematic social observation and panel regression analysis
Authors: Piza Eric L. , Connealy Nathan T. , Sytsma Victoria A. , Chillar Vijay F. 
Published: October 2022

AbstractThe current study analyzes police use of force as a series of time‐bound transactions between officers, civilians, and bystanders. The research begins with a systematic social observation of use‐of‐force events recorded on police body‐worn cameras in Newark, New Jersey. Researchers measure the occurrence and time stamps for numerous participant physical and verbal behaviors. Data are converted into a longitudinal panel format measuring all observed behaviors in 5‐second intervals. Panel logistic regression models estimate the effect of each behavior on use of force in immediate and subsequent temporal periods. Findings indicate certain variables influence use of force at a distinct point in time, whereas others exert influence on use of force across multiple time periods. The most influential variables relate to authority maintenance theoretical constructs. This finding supports prior perspectives arguing that police use of force largely results from officer attempts to maintain constant authority over civilians during face‐to‐face encounters. Nonetheless, a range of additional variables reflecting procedural justice, civilian resistance, and bystander presence significantly affect when police use force during civilian encounters. Results provide nuance to theoretical frameworks considering use of force as resulting from the interplay between officer and civilian actions and reactions.