bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Binary mixtures of choline chloride-based deep eutectic solvents as green extractants for the extraction of benzene from n-hexane
Authors: Usman Mohammed Awwalu , Fagoroye Olumide Kayode , Ajayi Toluwalase Olufunmilayo , Kehinde Abiola John
Published: March 2021

A suitable green solvent for extraction of aromatics from aliphatics must possess good solvation and physicochemical properties, a rare occurrence in a single deep eutectic solvent (DES). Mixture of DESs could enable synergy and provide a good candidate extractant. In this study, DESs of glyceline, ethaline, and reline were synthesized and their binary mixtures (glyceline/ethaline, reline/ethaline, and glyceline/reline) produced by blending in various volume proportions. Twelve of such mixed solvents were prepared and their extraction efficiency for separating benzene from n-hexane investigated in a batch equilibrium process. Liquid–liquid equilibria (LLE) data for the pseudo-ternary systems of n-hexane + benzene + mixed DESs were measured at 303 K and 101.3 kPa. The distribution coefficient (D) and selectivity (S) of each pseudo-ternary system were determined to elicit extraction efficiency. The physicochemical properties of the mixed DESs were also measured. The results show that generally the distribution coefficients, selectivities, and physicochemical properties of the mixed DESs lie between the corresponding values for the constituent DES. The best performance was given by the mixed solvent of glyceline and ethaline in the 80:20 volume ratio, respectively, with D = 0.75 and S = 422.485. This assertion was further corroborated by higher percent recovery of benzene obtained from the said mixed DES (57.88%) relative to other mixed DESs (≤ 49.11%) examined in this study. Furthermore, its separation efficiency is superior to sulfolane but lower than glyceline, though there was a 9.4% reduction in its viscosity relative to glyceline.
AI K–12 Education Service
Authors: Kandlhofer Martin , Steinbauer Gerald
Published: March 2021

This article provides an overview of relevant scientific venues, journals, projects and resources in the context of AI K-12 education.
Ethical Issues in Democratizing Digital Phenotypes and Machine Learning in the Next Generation of Digital Health Technologies
Authors: Mulvenna Maurice D. , Bond Raymond , Delaney Jack , Dawoodbhoy Fatema Mustansir , Boger Jennifer , Potts Courtney , Turkington Robin
Published: March 2021

Digital phenotyping is the term given to the capturing and use of user log data from health and wellbeing technologies used in apps and cloud-based services. This paper explores ethical issues in making use of digital phenotype data in the arena of digital health interventions. Products and services based on digital wellbeing technologies typically include mobile device apps as well as browser-based apps to a lesser extent, and can include telephony-based services, text-based chatbots, and voice-activated chatbots. Many of these digital products and services are simultaneously available across many channels in order to maximize availability for users. Digital wellbeing technologies offer useful methods for real-time data capture of the interactions of users with the products and services. It is possible to design what data are recorded, how and where it may be stored, and, crucially, how it can be analyzed to reveal individual or collective usage patterns. The paper also examines digital phenotyping workflows, before enumerating the ethical concerns pertaining to different types of digital phenotype data, highlighting ethical considerations for collection, storage, and use of the data. A case study of a digital health app is used to illustrate the ethical issues. The case study explores the issues from a perspective of data prospecting and subsequent machine learning. The ethical use of machine learning and artificial intelligence on digital phenotype data and the broader issues in democratizing machine learning and artificial intelligence for digital phenotype data are then explored in detail.
Olive mill wastewater effects on durum wheat crop attributes and soil microbial activities: A pilot study in Syria
Authors: Khalil Jehan , Habib Hasan , Alabboud Michael , Mohammed Safwan
Published: March 2021

Olive mill wastewater is one of the environmental problems in semiarid regions. The main goals of this study were to investigate the impacts of different olive mill wastewater levels on durum wheat (Triticum aestivumvar. Douma1) production and soil microbial activities (i.e., bacteria and fungi). A pot experiment was conducted during the growing seasons 2015/2017 to evaluate the effect of three levels of olive mill wastewater on both growth and productivity attributes of wheat.Vertisolsoil samples were collected from southern Syria. Two months before wheat cultivation, three levels of olive mill wastewater: T5 (5 L/m2), T10 (10 L/m2) and T15 (15 L/m2) were added to pots filled with the collected soil samples. Also, a control (T0) free of olive mill wastewater was considered as a reference.Results showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) in germination rate (%), plant height (cm), ear length (cm), kernels number, kernels weight per ear (g) and grain yield (g/m2) compared to control. However, T5 treatment did not induce a significant increase in terms of ear length, kernels weight per ear or yield (in the second season). On the other hand, T10 treatment had recorded the best results compared with the other two treatments (T5, T15). Similarly, the results showed a significant increase in the number of bacterial and fungi cells by increasing olive mill wastewater concentration. This research provides promising results toward using olive mill wastewater in an eco-friendly way under Syrian conditions.
Geophilosophical realness of risk: a case study in national housing authority resettlement sites in Albay, Philippines
Authors: Abante Ana Marie R.
Published: March 2021

The geophilosophical realness of risk, as introduced in this study, is composed of the risk hotspot or cold spot information which are stored and sorted in hexagonal bins representing the host environment within the 25-km radius from the crater of the Mayon Volcano. The z scores measured from these hexagonal bins mimic the risk realness or risk reality phenomenon happening in Albay Province, Philippines. The objective of the study is to assess risk reality phenomena that generate risk knowledge originated from applying the seven metatheorems based on the Schoen Golden Triangle and the Fibonacci Golden Ratio. Risk assessment in this study uses the stability site selection criteria and hexagonal binning technique to store, sort, and process risk hotspot and coldspot information. This approach led to the disclosure of risk phenomenon on the 14 out of 25 resettlement sites (host environment) that remained at risk and continuously increasing the risk trend. When people are continuously allowed to occupy risk hotspots areas it hints at ineffective risk governance to neutralize the passively exposed population. This study concluded that the risk reality phenomena assessment opens new avenues for scientifically informed land use, nil exposure, and 0-risk policy in addition to the existing 0-casualty goal to get prepared with the right direction, decision and action to sensitively utilize the stable host environments aligned to improve risk governance.
Elements of the Historical Cultural Landscape: Mapping Methods and Results in the District of Augsburg
Authors: Grunenberg Sophie , Hilpert Markus
Published: March 2021

Many traces of human cultures and activities over the centuries have marked the landscape, but they are often not recognisable at first glance. The recording and inventory of these historical cultural landscape elements, and their associated mapping, serve to raise awareness of—and ultimately also protect and maintain—the cultural landscape. Researchers at the Chair of Human Geography and Transition Research at the University of Augsburg have recorded all preserved and visible elements of the historical cultural landscape in the district of Augsburg that are not currently under monument or nature protection, and which consequently have not yet been mapped for the corresponding cadastre. In a first step, old maps, aerial and satellite images, local chronicles, regional books and other writings were examined. Subsequently, through public participation instruments, such as information events, individual interviews with local people and a hotline, further historical cultural landscape elements were recorded, based on the knowledge of local citizens. As a result, the three-year project was able to identify a total of 613 cultural remnants of various functions, and these were visualised and saved through numerous maps.
YouTube as a Patient Education Resource for Male Hypogonadism and Testosterone Therapy
Authors: Warren Christopher J. , Wisener John , Ward Brittany , Behbahani Sara , Shah Tejash , Fano Adam , Paskhover Boris , Sadeghi-Nejad Hossein
Published: March 2021

Introduction

YouTube is an unregulated platform that patients are using to learn about treatment options.

Aim

To assess the reliability of YouTube videos (YTVs) related to male hypogonadism and testosterone therapy.

Methods

Searching on YouTube by relevance and view count, we analyzed the top 10 videos (80 videos total) for the following search terms: low testosterone, testosterone replacement therapy, AndroGel, and hypogonadism.

Main Outcome Measure

We recorded the number of views for each video, evaluated videos using the DISCERN score (DS) criterion, and compared the DS for videos including board-certified physicians and videos without. A second comparison was made between videos with board-certified physicians in urology, endocrinology, other MD, and those without any physician.

Results

The YTVs analyzed received a total of 38,549,090 views, a median of 25,201 and 17.30 views/day. Videos that featured physicians had significantly fewer views/day than videos that did not (39.48 CI 9,72 vs 1,731 CI 330, 3,132; P = .019). Most YTVs studied were unreliable. The median DS across all videos was 2. However, most videos created by physicians were found to be reliable with a median DS of 4. In addition, YTVs that did not feature a physician were found to be significantly less reliable than videos that featured a physician (3.22 CI 3.06, 4.09 vs 1.87 CI 1.56, 2.18; P < .001). There was no significant difference in the reliability or viewership of YTVs stratified by physician type.

Conclusion

Most YTVs related to male hypogonadism/testosterone therapy were unreliable, but there are reliable YTVs available. Reliable videos usually feature a physician and receive fewer views than unreliable YTVs. Physicians and academic societies should work to provide verified videos to provide patients with reliable information about male hypogonadism and testosterone therapy.
Combining Petrology and Seismology to Unravel the Plumbing System of a Typical Arc Volcano: An Example From Marapi, West Sumatra, Indonesia
Authors: Nurfiani D. , Wang X. , Gunawan H. , Triastuty H. , Hidayat D. , Wei S. J. , Taisne B. , Bouvet de Maisonneuve C.
Published: March 2021

Marapi in Sumatra is characterized by frequent short‐lived explosions and small eruptions (Volcanic Explosivity Index 1–2) and in the past 250 years, the volcano has erupted >60 times. Recent volcanic bombs and the presence of broadband seismic stations lead us to reconstruct the plumbing system of the volcano through an interdisciplinary study. A petrologic study of the summit bombs uses pyroxene, plagioclase and glass compositions to obtain pressures and temperatures of magma storage as well as identify pre‐eruptive processes. Two‐pyroxene geothermobarometry provides pre‐eruptive crystallization pressure estimates of 4–7 kbar (∼15–26 km). Compositional and textural analyses of plagioclase and pyroxene crystals indicate that mafic magma recharge was followed by mixing with the resident magma and renewed crystallization prior to eruption. In order to further image the magma reservoir, we performed a joint inversion of teleseismic receiver functions and surface waves (H/V ratio). The inversion reveals a low velocity zone (LVZ) at depths of 15–21 km that has 7 ± 3% shear velocity reduction, corresponding to an estimated melt fraction of 5 ± 2%. The depth of this LVZ overlaps with the depth of magma storage estimated from petrology, constraining it with high confidence. Such a combined interdisciplinary study provides valuable information for evaluating future periods of unrest, laying out a framework for the interpretation of incoming monitoring data and signals to look out for in order to improve eruption forecasts.
Light exposure mediates circadian rhythms of rhizosphere microbial communities
Authors: Zhao Kankan , Ma Bin , Xu Yan , Stirling Erinne , Xu Jianming
Published: March 2021

Microbial community circadian rhythms have a broad influence on host health and even though light-induced environmental fluctuations could regulate microbial communities, the contribution of light to the circadian rhythms of rhizosphere microbial communities has received little attention. To address this gap, we monitored diel changes in the microbial communities in rice (Oryza sativa L.) rhizosphere soil under light–dark and constant dark regimes, identifying microbes with circadian rhythms caused by light exposure and microbial circadian clocks, respectively. While rhizosphere microbial communities displayed circadian rhythms under light–dark and constant dark regimes, taxa possessing circadian rhythms under the two conditions were dissimilar. Light exposure concealed microbial circadian clocks as a regulatory driver, leading to fewer ecological niches in light versus dark communities. These findings disentangle regulation mechanisms for circadian rhythms in the rice rhizosphere microbial communities and highlight the role of light-induced regulation of rhizosphere microbial communities.
The soil microbial food web revisited: Predatory myxobacteria as keystone taxa?
Authors: Petters Sebastian , Groß Verena , Söllinger Andrea , Pichler Michelle , Reinhard Anne , Bengtsson Mia Maria , Urich Tim
Published: March 2021

Trophic interactions are crucial for carbon cycling in food webs. Traditionally, eukaryotic micropredators are considered the major micropredators of bacteria in soils, although bacteria like myxobacteria and Bdellovibrio are also known bacterivores. Until recently, it was impossible to assess the abundance of prokaryotes and eukaryotes in soil food webs simultaneously. Using metatranscriptomic three-domain community profiling we identified pro- and eukaryotic micropredators in 11 European mineral and organic soils from different climes. Myxobacteria comprised 1.5–9.7% of all obtained SSU rRNA transcripts and more than 60% of all identified potential bacterivores in most soils. The name-giving and well-characterized predatory bacteria affiliated with the Myxococcaceae were barely present, while Haliangiaceae and Polyangiaceae dominated. In predation assays, representatives of the latter showed prey spectra as broad as the Myxococcaceae. 18S rRNA transcripts from eukaryotic micropredators, like amoeba and nematodes, were generally less abundant than myxobacterial 16S rRNA transcripts, especially in mineral soils. Although SSU rRNA does not directly reflect organismic abundance, our findings indicate that myxobacteria could be keystone taxa in the soil microbial food web, with potential impact on prokaryotic community composition. Further, they suggest an overlooked, yet ecologically relevant food web module, independent of eukaryotic micropredators and subject to separate environmental and evolutionary pressures.
Minimally invasive supratentorial neurosurgical approaches guided by Smartphone app and compass
Authors: Fernandes de Oliveira Santos Bruno , de Araujo Paz Daniel , Fernandes Victor Miranda , dos Santos José Calasans , Chaddad-Neto Feres Eduardo Aparecido , Sousa Antonio Carlos Sobral , Oliveira Joselina Luzia Menezes
Published: March 2021

The precise location in the scalp of specifically planned points can help to achieve less invasive approaches. This study aims to develop a smartphone app, evaluate the precision and accuracy of the developed tool, and describe a series of cases using the referred technique. The application was developed with the React Native framework for Android and iOS. A phantom was printed based on the patient's CT scan, which was used for the calculation of accuracy and precision of the method. The points of interest were marked with an "x" on the patient's head, with the aid of the app and a compass attached to a skin marker pen. Then, two experienced neurosurgeons checked the plausibility of the demarcations based on the anatomical references. Both evaluators marked the frontal, temporal and parietal targets with a difference of less than 5 mm from the corresponding intended point, in all cases. The overall average accuracy observed was 1.6 ± 1.0 mm. The app was used in the surgical planning of trepanations for ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunts and for drainage of abscesses, and in the definition of craniotomies for meningiomas, gliomas, brain metastases, intracranial hematomas, cavernomas, and arteriovenous malformation. The sample consisted of 88 volunteers who exhibited the following pathologies: 41 (46.6%) had brain tumors, 17 (19.3%) had traumatic brain injuries, 16 (18.2%) had spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhages, 2 (2.3%) had cavernomas, 1 (1.1%) had arteriovenous malformation (AVM), 4 (4.5%) had brain abscesses, and 7 (7.9%) had a VP shunt placement. In cases approached by craniotomy, with the exception of AVM, straight incisions and minicraniotomy were performed. Surgical planning with the aid of the NeuroKeypoint app is feasible and reliable. It has enabled neurological surgeries by craniotomy and trepanation in an accurate, precise, and less invasive manner.
Versatile knowledge guided network inference method for prioritizing key regulatory factors in multi-omics data
Authors: Ogris Christoph , Hu Yue , Arloth Janine , Müller Nikola S.
Published: March 2021

Constantly decreasing costs of high-throughput profiling on many molecular levels generate vast amounts of multi-omics data. Studying one biomedical question on two or more omic levels provides deeper insights into underlying molecular processes or disease pathophysiology. For the majority of multi-omics data projects, the data analysis is performed level-wise, followed by a combined interpretation of results. Hence the full potential of integrated data analysis is not leveraged yet, presumably due to the complexity of the data and the lacking toolsets. We propose a versatile approach, to perform a multi-level fully integrated analysis: The Knowledge guIded Multi-Omics Network inference approach, KiMONo (https://github.com/cellmapslab/kimono). KiMONo performs network inference by using statistical models for combining omics measurements coupled to a powerful knowledge-guided strategy exploiting prior information from existing biological sources. Within the resulting multimodal network, nodes represent features of all input types e.g. variants and genes while edges refer to knowledge-supported and statistically derived associations. In a comprehensive evaluation, we show that our method is robust to noise and exemplify the general applicability to the full spectrum of multi-omics data, demonstrating that KiMONo is a powerful approach towards leveraging the full potential of data sets for detecting biomarker candidates.
Predictive olfactory learning in Drosophila
Authors: Zhao Chang , Widmer Yves F. , Diegelmann Sören , Petrovici Mihai A. , Sprecher Simon G. , Senn Walter
Published: March 2021

Olfactory learning and conditioning in the fruit fly is typically modelled by correlation-based associative synaptic plasticity. It was shown that the conditioning of an odor-evoked response by a shock depends on the connections from Kenyon cells (KC) to mushroom body output neurons (MBONs). Although on the behavioral level conditioning is recognized to be predictive, it remains unclear how MBONs form predictions of aversive or appetitive values (valences) of odors on the circuit level. We present behavioral experiments that are not well explained by associative plasticity between conditioned and unconditioned stimuli, and we suggest two alternative models for how predictions can be formed. In error-driven predictive plasticity, dopaminergic neurons (DANs) represent the error between the predictive odor value and the shock strength. In target-driven predictive plasticity, the DANs represent the target for the predictive MBON activity. Predictive plasticity in KC-to-MBON synapses can also explain trace-conditioning, the valence-dependent sign switch in plasticity, and the observed novelty-familiarity representation. The model offers a framework to dissect MBON circuits and interpret DAN activity during olfactory learning.
Mining The Cancer Genome Atlas gene expression data for lineage markers in distinguishing bladder urothelial carcinoma and prostate adenocarcinoma
Authors: Ch’ng Ewe Seng
Published: March 2021

Distinguishing bladder urothelial carcinomas from prostate adenocarcinomas for poorly differentiated carcinomas derived from the bladder neck entails the use of a panel of lineage markers to help make this distinction. Publicly available The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) gene expression data provides an avenue to examine utilities of these markers. This study aimed to verify expressions of urothelial and prostate lineage markers in the respective carcinomas and to seek the relative importance of these markers in making this distinction. Gene expressions of these markers were downloaded from TCGA Pan-Cancer database for bladder and prostate carcinomas. Differential gene expressions of these markers were analyzed. Standard linear discriminant analyses were applied to establish the relative importance of these markers in lineage determination and to construct the model best in making the distinction. This study shows that all urothelial lineage genes except for the gene for uroplakin III were significantly expressed in bladder urothelial carcinomas (p < 0.001). In descending order of importance to distinguish from prostate adenocarcinomas, genes for uroplakin II, S100P, GATA3 and thrombomodulin had high discriminant loadings (> 0.3). All prostate lineage genes were significantly expressed in prostate adenocarcinomas(p < 0.001). In descending order of importance to distinguish from bladder urothelial carcinomas, genes for NKX3.1, prostate specific antigen (PSA), prostate-specific acid phosphatase, prostein, and prostate-specific membrane antigen had high discriminant loadings (> 0.3). Combination of gene expressions for uroplakin II, S100P, NKX3.1 and PSA approached 100% accuracy in tumor classification both in the training and validation sets. Mining gene expression data, a combination of four lineage markers helps distinguish between bladder urothelial carcinomas and prostate adenocarcinomas.
Poliovirus-nonsusceptible Vero cell line for the World Health Organization global action plan
Authors: Okemoto-Nakamura Yuko , Someya Kenji , Yamaji Toshiyuki , Saito Kyoko , Takeda Makoto , Hanada Kentaro
Published: March 2021

Polio or poliomyelitis is a disabling and life-threatening disease caused by poliovirus (PV). As a consequence of global polio vaccination efforts, wild PV serotypes 2 and 3 have been eradicated around the world, and wild PV serotype 1-transmitted cases have been largely eliminated except for limited regions. However, vaccine-derived PV, pathogenically reverted live PV vaccine strains, has become a serious issue. For the global eradication of polio, the World Health Organization is conducting the third edition of the Global Action Plan, which is requesting stringent control of potentially PV-infected materials. To facilitate the mission, we generated a PV-nonsusceptible Vero cell subline, which may serve as an ideal replacement of standard Vero cells to isolate emerging/re-emerging viruses without the risk of generating PV-infected materials.
Long read, isoform aware sequencing of mouse nucleus accumbens after chronic cocaine treatment
Authors: Estill Molly , Ribeiro Efrain , Francoeur Nancy J. , Smith Melissa L. , Sebra Robert , Yeh Szu-Ying , Cunningham Ashley M. , Nestler Eric J. , Shen Li
Published: March 2021

To better understand the full-length transcriptome of the nucleus accumbens (NAc)—a key brain reward region—in chronic cocaine treatment, we perform the first single molecule, long-read sequencing analysis using the Iso-seq method to detect 42,114 unique transcripts from mouse NAc polyadenylated RNA. Using GENCODE annotation as a reference, we find that over half of the Iso-seq derived transcripts are annotated, while 46% of them harbor novel splicing events in known genes; around 1% of them correspond to other types of novel transcripts, such as fusion, antisense and intergenic. Approximately 34% of the novel transcripts are matched with a compiled transcriptome assembled from published short-read data from various tissues, with the remaining 69% being unique to NAc. These data provide a more complete picture of the NAc transcriptome than existing annotations and can serve as a comprehensive reference for future transcriptomic analyses of this important brain reward region.
Relaxation damage control via fatigue-hydraulic fracturing in granitic rock as inferred from laboratory-, mine-, and field-scale experiments
Authors: Zang Arno , Zimmermann Günter , Hofmann Hannes , Niemz Peter , Kim Kwang Yeom , Diaz Melvin , Zhuang Li , Yoon Jeoung Seok
Published: March 2021

The ability to control induced seismicity in energy technologies such as geothermal heat and shale gas is an important factor in improving the safety and reducing the seismic hazard of reservoirs. As fracture propagation can be unavoidable during energy extraction, we propose a new approach that optimises the radiated seismicity and hydraulic energy during fluid injection by using cyclic- and pulse-pumping schemes. We use data from laboratory-, mine-, and field-scale injection experiments performed in granitic rock and observe that both the seismic energy and the permeability-enhancement process strongly depend on the injection style and rock type. Replacing constant-flow-rate schemes with cyclic pulse injections with variable flow rates (1) lowers the breakdown pressure, (2) modifies the magnitude-frequency distribution of seismic events, and (3) has a fundamental impact on the resulting fracture pattern. The concept of fatigue hydraulic fracturing serves as a possible explanation for such rock behaviour by making use of depressurisation phases to relax crack-tip stresses. During hydraulic fatigue, a significant portion of the hydraulic energy is converted into rock damage and fracturing. This finding may have significant implications for managing the economic and physical risks posed to communities affected by fluid-injection-induced seismicity.
The encoding of stochastic regularities is facilitated by action-effect predictions
Authors: Korka Betina , Schröger Erich , Widmann Andreas
Published: March 2021

Our brains continuously build and update predictive models of the world, sources of prediction being drawn for example from sensory regularities and/or our own actions. Yet, recent results in the auditory system indicate that stochastic regularities may not be easily encoded when a rare medium pitch deviant is presented between frequent high and low pitch standard sounds in random order, as reflected in the lack of sensory prediction error event-related potentials [i.e., mismatch negativity (MMN)]. We wanted to test the implication of the predictive coding theory that predictions based on higher-order generative models—here, based on action intention, are fed top-down in the hierarchy to sensory levels. Participants produced random sequences of high and low pitch sounds by button presses in two conditions: In a “specific” condition, one button produced high and the other low pitch sounds; in an “unspecific” condition, both buttons randomly produced high or low-pitch sounds. Rare medium pitch deviants elicited larger MMN and N2 responses in the “specific” compared to the “unspecific” condition, despite equal sound probabilities. These results thus demonstrate that action-effect predictions can boost stochastic regularity-based predictions and engage higher-order deviance detection processes, extending previous notions on the role of action predictions at sensory levels.
Uncovering genomic regions controlling plant architectural traits in hexaploid wheat using different GWAS models
Authors: Muhammad Ali , Li Jianguo , Hu Weichen , Yu Jinsheng , Khan Shahid Ullah , Khan Muhammad Hafeez Ullah , Xie Guosheng , Wang Jibin , Wang Lingqiang
Published: March 2021

Wheat is a major food crop worldwide. The plant architecture is a complex trait mostly influenced by plant height, tiller number, and leaf morphology. Plant height plays a crucial role in lodging and thus affects yield and grain quality. In this study, a wheat population was genotyped by using Illumina iSelect 90K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assay and finally 22,905 high-quality SNPs were used to perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for plant architectural traits employing four multi-locus GWAS (ML-GWAS) and three single-locus GWAS (SL-GWAS) models. As a result, 174 and 97 significant SNPs controlling plant architectural traits were detected by ML-GWAS and SL-GWAS methods, respectively. Among these SNP makers, 43 SNPs were consistently detected, including seven across multiple environments and 36 across multiple methods. Interestingly, five SNPs (Kukri_c34553_89, RAC875_c8121_1490, wsnp_Ex_rep_c66315_64480362, Ku_c5191_340, and tplb0049a09_1302) consistently detected across multiple environments and methods, played a role in modulating both plant height and flag leaf length. Furthermore, candidate SNPs (BS00068592_51, Kukri_c4750_452 and BS00022127_51) constantly repeated in different years and methods associated with flag leaf width and number of tillers. We also detected several SNPs (Jagger_c6772_80, RAC875_c8121_1490, BS00089954_51, Excalibur_01167_1207, and Ku_c5191_340) having common associations with more than one trait across multiple environments. By further appraising these GWAS methods, the pLARmEB and FarmCPU models outperformed in SNP detection compared to the other ML-GWAS and SL-GWAS methods, respectively. Totally, 152 candidate genes were found to be likely involved in plant growth and development. These finding will be helpful for better understanding of the genetic mechanism of architectural traits in wheat.
Strain-induced yellow to blue emission tailoring of axial InGaN/GaN quantum wells in GaN nanorods synthesized by nanoimprint lithography
Authors: Avit Geoffrey , Robin Yoann , Liao Yaqiang , Nan Hu , Pristovsek Markus , Amano Hiroshi
Published: March 2021

GaN nanorods (NRds) with axial InGaN/GaN MQWs insertions are synthesized by an original cost-effective and large-scale nanoimprint-lithography process from an InGaN/GaN MQWs layer grown on c-sapphire substrates. By design, such NRds exhibit a single emission due to the c-axis MQWs. A systematic study of the emission of the NRds by time-resolved luminescence (TR-PL) and power dependence PL shows a diameter-controlled luminescence without significant degradation of the recombination rate thanks to the diameter-controlled strain tuning and QSCE. A blueshift up to 0.26 eV from 2.28 to 2.54 eV (543 nm to 488 nm) is observed for 3.2 nm thick InGaN/GaN QWs with an In composition of 19% when the NRds radius is reduced from 650 to 80 nm. The results are consistent with a 1-D based strain relaxation model. By combining state of the art knowledge of c-axis growth and the strong strain relieving capability of NRds, this process enables multiple and independent single-color emission from a single uniform InGaN/GaN MQWs layer in a single patterning step, then solving color mixing issue in InGaN based nanorods LED devices.
Arm movement adaptation to concurrent pain constraints
Authors: Kühn Johannes , Bagnato Carlo , Burdet Etienne , Haddadin Sami
Published: March 2021

How do humans coordinate their movements in order to avoid pain? This paper investigates a motor task in the presence of concurrent potential pain sources: the arm must be withdrawn to avoid a slap on the hand while avoiding an elbow obstacle with an electrical noxious stimulation. The results show that our subjects learned to control the hand retraction movement in order to avoid the potential pain. Subject-specific motor strategies were used to modify the joint movement coordination to avoid hitting the obstacle with the elbow at the cost of increasing the risk of hand slap. Furthermore, they used a conservative strategy as if assuming an obstacle in 100% of the trials.
Genetic basis and identification of candidate genes for wooden breast and white striping in commercial broiler chickens
Authors: Lake Juniper A. , Dekkers Jack C. M. , Abasht Behnam
Published: March 2021

Wooden breast (WB) and white striping (WS) are highly prevalent and economically damaging muscle disorders of modern commercial broiler chickens characterized respectively by palpable firmness and fatty white striations running parallel to the muscle fiber. High feed efficiency and rapid growth, especially of the breast muscle, are believed to contribute to development of such muscle defects; however, their etiology remains poorly understood. To gain insight into the genetic basis of these myopathies, a genome-wide association study was conducted using a commercial crossbred broiler population (n = 1193). Heritability was estimated at 0.5 for WB and WS with high genetic correlation between them (0.88). GWAS revealed 28 quantitative trait loci (QTL) on five chromosomes for WB and 6 QTL on one chromosome for WS, with the majority of QTL for both myopathies located in a ~ 8 Mb region of chromosome 5. This region has highly conserved synteny with a portion of human chromosome 11 containing a cluster of imprinted genes associated with growth and metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome. Candidate genes includepotassium voltage-gated channel subfamily Q member 1(KCNQ1), involved in insulin secretion and cardiac electrical activity,lymphocyte-specific protein 1(LSP1), involved in inflammation and immune response.
Total body irradiation causes a chronic decrease in antioxidant levels
Authors: Sun Lue , Inaba Yohei , Sogo Yu , Ito Atsuo , Bekal Mahesh , Chida Koichi , Moritake Takashi
Published: March 2021

Ionizing radiation exposure may not only cause acute radiation syndrome, but also an increased risk of late effects. It has been hypothesized that induction of chronic oxidative stress mediates the late effects of ionizing radiation. However, only a few reports have analyzed changes in long-term antioxidant capacity after irradiation in vivo. Our previous study demonstrated changes in whole-blood antioxidant capacity and red blood cell (RBC) glutathione levels within 50 days after total body irradiation (TBI). In this study, seven-week-old, male, C57BL/6J mice exposed to total body irradiation by X-ray and changes in whole-blood antioxidant capacity and RBC glutathione levels at ≥ 100 days after TBI were investigated. Whole-blood antioxidant capacity was chronically decreased in the 5-Gy group. The RBC reduced glutathione (GSH) level and the GSH/oxidative glutathione (GSSG) ratio were chronically decreased after ≥ 1 Gy of TBI. Interestingly, the complete blood counts (CBC) changed less with 1-Gy exposure, suggesting that GSH and the GSH/GSSG ratio were more sensitive radiation exposure markers than whole-blood antioxidant capacity and CBC counts. It has been reported that GSH depletion is one of the triggers leading to cataracts, hypertension, and atherosclerosis, and these diseases are also known as radiation-induced late effects. The present findings further suggest that chronic antioxidant reduction may contribute to the pathogenesis of late radiation effects.
Alcohol consumption, depression, overweight and cortisol levels as determining factors for NR3C1 gene methylation
Authors: de Assis Pinheiro Júlia , Freitas Flávia Vitorino , Borçoi Aline Ribeiro , Mendes Suzanny Oliveira , Conti Catarine Lima , Arpini Juliana Krüger , dos Santos Vieira Tamires , de Souza Rafael Assis , dos Santos Dirceu Pereira , Barbosa Wagner Miranda , Archanjo Anderson Barros , de Oliveira Mayara Mota , dos Santos Joaquim Gasparini , Sorroche Bruna Pereira , Casali-da-Rocha José Claudio , Trivilin Leonardo Oliveira , Borloti Elizeu Batista , Louro Iuri Drumond , Arantes Lidia Maria Rebolho Batista , Alvares-da-Silva Adriana Madeira
Published: March 2021

The NR3C1 glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene is a component of the stress response system, which can be regulated by epigenetic mechanisms. NR3C1 methylation has been associated with trauma and mental issues, including depression, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and personality disorders. Previous studies have reported that stressful events are involved in NR3C1 gene methylation, suggesting that its regulation under environmental effects is complex. The present study aimed to analyze associations involving stressors such as socioeconomic status, health conditions, and lifestyle in relation to NR3C1 methylation in adults. This study included 386 individual users of the Brazilian Public Unified Health System (SUS), and evaluated socioeconomic and health conditions, body mass index, cortisol levels, and lifestyle. Data were correlated with NR3C1 methylation, determined using DNA pyrosequencing. The results showed that alcohol consumption, overweight, and high cortisol levels were related to NR3C1 demethylation, while depression was related to its methylation. Habits, lifestyle, and health status may influence NR3C1 gene regulation via methylation, revealing the complexity of environmental impacts on NR3C1 methylation.
Paraoxonase 1 concerning dyslipidaemia, cardiovascular diseases, and mortality in haemodialysis patients
Authors: Grzegorzewska Alicja E. , Adamska Paulina , Iwańczyk-Skalska Ewa , Ostromecka Kamila , Niepolski Leszek , Marcinkowski Wojciech , Mostowska Adrianna , Warchoł Wojciech , Żaba Czesław , Jagodziński Paweł P.
Published: March 2021

Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) is known for preventing atherosclerosis through lipid-modifying features, antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis, anti-thrombosis, and anti-adhesion properties. Uremic patients requiring haemodialysis (HD) are especially prone to atherosclerosis and its complications. We analysed the PON1 gene (PON1) polymorphisms and serum PON1 (paraoxonase) activity concerning dyslipidaemia and related cardiovascular diseases and mortality to show how they associate under uremic conditions modified by maintenance HD treatment. The rs662 AA + AG (OR 1.76, 95%CI 1.10–2.80, P = 0.018), rs854560 TT (OR 1.48, 95%CI 1.04–2.11, P = 0.031), and rs854560 AT + TT (OR 1.28, 95%CI 1.01–1.63, P = 0.040) contributed to the prevalence of atherogenic dyslipidaemia diagnosed by the triglyceride (TG)/HDL-cholesterol ratio ≥ 3.8. The normalized serum PON1 activity positively correlated with atherogenic dyslipidaemia (ẞ 0.67 ± 0.25, P = 0.008). The PON1 rs854560 allele T was involved in the higher prevalence of ischemic cerebral stroke (OR 1.38, 1.02–1.85, P = 0.034). The PON1 rs705379 TT genotype contributed to cardiovascular (HR 1.27, 95% CI 1.03–1.57, P = 0.025) and cardiac (HR 1.34, 95% CI 1.05–1.71, P = 0.018) mortality. All P-values were obtained in multiple regression analyses, including clinical variables. Multifaceted associations of PON1 with dyslipidaemia, ischemic cerebral stroke, and cardiovascular mortality in HD patients provide arguments for the consideration of PON1 and its protein product as therapeutic targets in the prevention of atherosclerosis and its complications in uremic patients.
Significant impact of circulating tumour DNA mutations on survival in metastatic breast cancer patients
Authors: Muendlein Axel , Geiger Kathrin , Gaenger Stella , Dechow Tobias , Nonnenbroich Christoph , Leiherer Andreas , Drexel Heinz , Gaumann Andreas , Jagla Wolfgang , Winder Thomas , Mayer Frank , Decker Thomas
Published: March 2021

Mutational analysis of circulating tumour (ct) DNA holds promise as an effective tool to predict the course of metastatic breast cancer (MBC). In the present study we used targeted next generation sequencing of ctDNA to evaluate the impact of cancer driven mutations on the prognosis of MBC. The study included 59 oestrogen receptor-positive (ER+), HER2-negative MBC patients. Sequencing analysis was performed in ESR1, PIK3CA, ERBB2, PTEN, TP53, KRAS, HRAS, NRAS, and AR. At baseline, patients started receiving either chemotherapy (34%; n = 20) or cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor therapy in combination with endocrine therapy (CDK4/6i+ET; 66%; n = 39). Overall, 64.4% (n = 38) of the patients carried at least one pathogenic or likely-pathogenic mutation. Number of ctDNA mutations was significantly linked with worse progression free survival (PFS; p = 0.003) and overall survival (OS; p = 0.007). Furthermore, ctDNA load, defined by the number of mutant ctDNA molecules per mL plasma, significantly correlated with PFS (p < 0.001) and OS (p = 0.001). Furthermore, mutational status of ESR1 and TP53 significantly predicted PFS (p = 0.024 and p = 0.035, respectively) and OS (p < 0.001 and p = 0.035, respectively). These results emphasizes the clinical value of ctDNA mutational analysis in the management of advanced breast cancer.
Comparative transcriptome and metabolome analysis of Ostrinia furnacalis female adults under UV-A exposure
Authors: Su Li , Yang Changli , Meng Jianyu , Zhou Lv , Zhang Changyu
Published: March 2021

Ultraviolet A (UV-A) radiation is a significant environmental factor that causes photoreceptor damage, apoptosis, and oxidative stress in insects. Ostrinia furnacalis is an important pest of corn. To understand the adaptation mechanisms of insect response to UV-A exposure, this study revealed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differently expressed metabolites (DEMs) in O. furnacalis under UV-A exposure. Three complementary DNA libraries were constructed from O. furnacalis adult females (CK, UV1h, and UV2h), and 50,106 expressed genes were obtained through Illumina sequencing. Of these, 157 and 637 DEGs were detected in UV1h and UV2h after UV-A exposure for 1 and 2 h, respectively, compared to CK, with 103 and 444 upregulated and 54 and 193 downregulated genes, respectively. Forty four DEGs were detected in UV2h compared to UV1h. Comparative transcriptome analysis between UV-treated and control groups revealed signal transduction, detoxification and stress response, immune defense, and antioxidative system involvement. Metabolomics analysis showed that 181 (UV1h vs. CK), 111 (UV2h vs. CK), and 34 (UV2h vs. UV1h) DEMs were obtained in positive ion mode, while 135 (UV1h vs. CK), 93 (UV2h vs. CK), and 36 (UV2h vs. UV1h) DEMs were obtained in negative ion mode. Moreover, UV-A exposure disturbed amino acid, sugar, and lipid metabolism. These findings provide insight for further studies on how insects protect themselves under UV-A stress.
Improving the performance of ghost imaging via measurement-driven framework
Authors: Kang Hanqiu , Wang Yijun , Zhang Ling , Huang Duan
Published: March 2021

High-quality reconstruction under a low sampling rate is very important for ghost imaging. How to obtain perfect imaging results from the low sampling rate has become a research hotspot in ghost imaging. In this paper, inspired by matrix optimization in compressed sensing, an optimization scheme of speckle patterns via measurement-driven framework is introduced to improve the reconstruction quality of ghost imaging. According to this framework, the sampling matrix and sparse basis are optimized alternately using the sparse coefficient matrix obtained from the low-dimension pseudo-measurement process and the corresponding solution is obtained analytically, respectively. The optimized sampling matrix is then dealt with non-negative constraint and binary quantization. Compared to the developed optimization schemes of speckle patterns, simulation results show that the proposed scheme can achieve better reconstruction quality with the low sampling rate in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and mean structural similarity index (MSSIM). In particular, the lowest sampling rate we use to achieve a good performance is about 6.5%. At this sampling rate, the MSSIM and PSNR of the proposed scheme can reach 0.787 and 17.078 dB, respectively.
Reduced extrinsic recombination process in anatase and rutile TiO2 epitaxial thin films for efficient electron transport layers
Authors: Kim Yeon Soo , Jin Hye-Jin , Jung Hye Ri , Kim Jihyun , Nguyen Bich Phuong , Kim Juran , Jo William
Published: March 2021

TiO2 is the most widely used material for the electron transport layers (ETLs) because it is characterized by proper band alignment with light absorbers, adequate optical transmittance, and high electron mobility. There are two thermodynamically stable crystal phases of TiO2: anatase and rutile. However, understanding which phase is more effective as the ETL is still required. In this paper, we demonstrate the different effects of using epitaxial anatase TiO2 and epitaxial rutile TiO2 (both grown using pulsed laser deposition) as the ETL material on the electrical and optical properties. Epitaxial Nb-doped TiO2 layers were used as the common electrode material for the both epitaxial ETLs for which the crystalline structural analysis revealed high crystalline qualities and good coherency for both phases. By analyzing the recombination kinetics, the anatase phase shows a preferable performance in comparison with the rutile phase, although both epitaxial phases show remarkably reduced extrinsic recombination properties, such as trap-assisted recombination. This study demonstrates not only a better electron transporting performance of anatase phase but also reduced extrinsic recombination through epitaxy growth.
Reprogrammed intestinal functions in Astragalus polysaccharide-alleviated osteoporosis: combined analysis of transcriptomics and DNA methylomics demonstrates the significance of the gut–bone axis in treating osteoporosis
Authors: Liu Junsheng , Liu Jun , Liu Liu , Zhang Guangwen , Peng Xichun
Published: March 2021

Astragalus polysaccharides reprogram the intestinal functions to alleviate osteoporosis.
Ruthenium(ii) complexes with N-heterocyclic carbene–phosphine ligands for the N-alkylation of amines with alcohols
Authors: Huang Ming , Li Yinwu , Lan Xiao-Bing , Liu Jiahao , Zhao Cunyuan , Liu Yan , Ke Zhuofeng
Published: March 2021

A Ru catalyst with the hetero-bidentate NHC-phosphine ligand, which realizes the N-alkylation of amines with alcohols with improved catalytic activity.
Controllable growth of graphdiyne layered nanosheets for high-performance water oxidation
Authors: Zhao Shuya , Xue Yurui , Wang Zhongqiang , Zheng Zhiqiang , Luan Xiaoyu , Gao Yaqi , Li Yuliang
Published: March 2021

Developing highly active, stable and low-cost electrocatalysts capable of an efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is urgent and challenging.
Engineering the biomimetic cofactors of NMNH for cytochrome P450 BM3 based on binding conformation refinement
Authors: Liu Yao , Cong Yalong , Zhang Chuanxi , Fang Bohuan , Pan Yue , Li Qiangzi , You Chun , Gao Bei , Zhang John Z. H. , Zhu Tong , Zhang Lujia
Published: March 2021

A rational design strategy was proposed to improve the efficient utilization of alternative biomimetic cofactor by P450 BM3 enzyme.
Chitosan-based carbon nanoparticles as a heavy metal indicator and for wastewater treatment
Authors: Wang Panyong , Li Li , Pang Xinpei , Zhang Yan , Zhang Yang , Dong Wen-Fei , Yan Ruhong
Published: March 2021

Removal of heavy metal ions by carbon nanoparticles synthesized from chitosan.
A visible-light phototransistor based on the heterostructure of ZnO and TiO2 with trap-assisted photocurrent generation
Authors: Kim Byung Jun , Jeong Jun Hyung , Jung Eui Young , Kim Tae Yeon , Park Sungho , Hong Jong-Am , Lee Kyu-Myung , Jeon Woojin , Park Yongsup , Kang Seong Jun
Published: March 2021

Visible-light phototransistors have been fabricated based on the heterojunction of zinc oxide (ZnO) and titanium oxide (TiO2).