bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification and quantitative expression of cytokinin regulatory genes during seed and leaf development in wheat
Authors: Song J. , Jiang L. , Jameson P.E.
Published: March 2021

Cytokinins are intimately involved in plant growth and development and their concentration is known to change dramatically during early stages of seed development. We propose that the concentration of active cytokinin may be coordinately regulated by specific member(s) of the multi-gene families encoding biosynthesis (isopentenyl transferase, IPT), catabolism (cytokinin oxidase, CKX), and metabolism (zeatin glucosyltransferases (ZOG) and Î²-glucosidase (GLU)) genes. Our qRT-PCR data for 22 putative genes showed that the expression patterns of individual members of the Triticum aestivum (Ta)IPTs, TaCKXs, TaZOGs, and TaGLUs multi-gene families were tissue and development specific during seed and flag leaf development, with up to 90-fold changes in mRNA level. Key genes that may be involved in seed yield determination have been identified. Keywords: Wheat, flag leaf, cytokinin genes, quantitative expression, qRT-PCR
The development of the New Zealand vegetable seed industry and future opportunities
Authors: Mckay J.
Published: March 2021

Vegetable seed has been produced in New Zealand for over a century. In the late 1900s the potential for global trade was realised and Canterbury has become the major area of vegetable seed production in New Zealand. The main species involved are onion, baby leaf vegetables, sweet corn and brassica. Squash, capsicum, tomato, lettuce and telegraph cucumber are also important. This paper outlines the development of the vegetable seed industry in New Zealand and suggests that future requirements to meet increasing demand for high quality seed will be irrigation and mechanisation.
Chemical composition of seeds from two New Caledonian plants used for re-vegetation: Identification of unusual isomers of C14:1, C16:1 and C18:1 in their oil
Authors: Zongo C. , Fogliani B. , Bombarda I. , Mcgill C.R. , Doumenq P. , BouraÃ¯ma-MadjÃ¨bi S.
Published: March 2021

Two New Caledonian plant species, one belonging to the Rhamnaceae, Alphitonia neocaledonica (AN) and one belonging to the Proteaceae, Grevillea exul var rubiginosa (GER) were investigated in order to characterise their seed chemistry.
Is the flag leaf important in perennial ryegrass seed production?
Authors: Trethewey J.A.K. , Rolston M.P.
Published: March 2021

In cereals, the importance of the flag leaf for contributing carbohydrate during seed fill is well documented. However, in ryegrass this relationship is not so clear. This paper reports on an investigation of the effect on seed yield components of reduced photosynthetic capacity to the flag leaf, stem and head of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne). The hypothesis was that reduced photosynthetic capacity of the flag leaf does not affect seed yield components in perennial ryegrass. Following flowering, photosynthetic capacity was reduced by defoliation or shading the flag leaf, stem, or head of individual tillers. Seed yield components were measured at harvest. Reduced photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) to the flag leaf and stem did not affect thousand seed weight or seed yield when compared with control plants whereas reducing PAR to the head had a significant effect. The seed head itself may be more important than the flag leaf during seed fill, but when the seed head is shaded substantial re-mobilisation of stored carbohydrates can occur. Keywords: flag leaf, green leaf area, Lolium perenne, photosynthetically active radiation, seed fill, seed yield, thousand seed weight, water-soluble carbohydrates
Seed desiccation tolerance and dormancy of three endangered New Zealand species: Carmichaelia williamsii, Clianthus puniceus and Hibiscus diversifolius
Authors: Park M.J. , Mcgill C.R. , Williams W.M. , Mackay B.R.
Published: March 2021

At least one third of New Zealand's indigenous plant species are threatened with extinction and strategies for conserving endangered flora are urgently required. One strategy is to use ex situ seed storage as a complement to in situ conservation. Successful ex situ storage of seed requires knowledge of the seed storage behaviour, optimal storage conditions and germination requirements of the species being stored. For many threatened species, however, this information is either incomplete or unavailable. In this study, preliminary experiments were conducted with three threatened species, Carmichaelia williamsii, Clianthus puniceus and Hibiscus diversifolius, to determine their desiccation tolerance and dormancy status. Seeds were tested for germination following desiccation and dormancy-breaking treatment. Seeds of all three species could be dried to moisture contents of 2.9-3.7% without losing viability. All three species became predominantly hardseeded at approximately 10% moisture content. However, C. puniceus became permeable to water again at moisture contents below 6%. In all species, manual scarification of seeds improved germination to 96-100% compared with 5-20% in untreated seeds. Dormancy in these species is a function of the seed coat preventing water uptake by the dry seed. While seeds of these species are most likely desiccation tolerant and thus can potentially be stored for long periods under conventional conditions, the loss of dormancy of C. puniceus at very low moisture contents is of concern. More work is needed to confirm the long-term storage behaviour of these species. Keywords: ex situ conservation, seed storage behaviour, New Zealand flora
Seed Futures: Biodiversity and the Future Use of Seeds
Authors: Pritchard Hugh
Published: March 2021

The keynote address discussed the opportunities biodiversity provides to humanity, challenges to its conservation and the essential role seeds will play in enabling the future use of this biodiversity.
Seed Quality in New Zealand - Historical and Current
Authors: Melhuish D.
Published: March 2021

The New Zealand seed industry developed from an awareness over 100 years ago that standards were required for sale and purchase of seed. This paper outlines twelve decades of growth, covering seminal moments and major contributors. It also covers important components of physical seed quality.
Plant growth regulators: a success story in perennial ryegrass seed crops
Authors: Chynoweth R.J. , Rolston M.P. , Mccloy B.L.
Published: March 2021

The introduction of the plant growth regulator trinexapac-ethyl (Moddus) has increased seed yields in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) by up to 50% in New Zealand. Application rates from ten trials have confirmed that approximately 1.6 l/ha are optimum. Yield increases are a result of increased harvest index and better dry matter partitioning to the harvested parts. The resulting changes in harvest components include increasing seed head density and seeds per spikelet (better seed retention) associated with delayed lodging. Keywords: Lolium perenne, lodging, Moddus, seeds/spikelet, trinexapac-ethyl
Environmental Education Infographics by Instagram: Digital Learning Material Increasing Motivation During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Authors: Rahmawati Habibah , Ristanto Rizhal H. , Miarsyah Mieke
Published: March 2021

Learning activities during the Covid -19 pandemic were dominated by online learning, so digital learning materials are needed to help increase student learning motivation. The purpose of this development research is to develop digital learning material based infographic by instagram on environmental education that can increase student learning motivation in online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. This development research uses a method that integrates the Borg and Gall models. The data obtained were through documentation, interviews, expert validation and provision of ARCS questionnaires. The results of the validity test based on the analysis of the expert's assessment data stated that this learning material fell into the "very valid" category with an average score of 3.66. During the learning process using infographic learning materials assisted by Instagram, there was an increase in student motivation with an initial percentage value of 54.25% to 83.75% after using the learning materials developed, the magnitude of the increase was obtained from the n gain test with a score of 0.67 in the moderate category.

Keywords: Digital Learning Material, Environmental Education, Infographic b Instagram, Covid-19
KAJIAN STRATEGI PERENCANAAN PEMBANGUNAN DAERAH BERBASIS SOSIAL BUDAYA DI KOTA KENDARI (A Study of The Social-Cultural Based Local Development Planning Strategy in Kendari City)
Authors: Syahrun Syahrun , Hafsah Wa Ode Sitti , Alim Abdul
Published: March 2021

Unavoidable globalization should be anticipated by implementing the social-cultural based local government development to strengthen self identity and local wisdom as a guide to arrange the strategies of government development. Local government development planning strategy based on social culture in Kendari City is one of appropriate and suitable programs. This paper aims to investigate and to describe local government development planning strategy based on social culture as one of efforts to improve the society’s prosperity. This research employed qualitative approach. The data was obtained from several informants selected purposively. Therefore, the data was analyzed qualitatively, using three simultaneous steps: data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion, with local development planning and culture innovation potency theories. The local government development planning strategy based on social culture in Kendari city shows the existence of interaction between global and local culture and economy. Social culture aspect is believed to support the implementation and development of global network, with good quality and capability. Cultural tradition is very important because it can unify different cultural backgrounds, particularly heterogeneous condition in Kendari; in which each ethnic brings unique and different tradition or culture like Muna, Tolaki, Bugus, Buton, and others. The development strategies implementable are involving custom figure and society’s participation, improving social cultural development, and utilizing local wisdom cultural value in development, and culture-based education.
Political Institutions, Punctuated Equilibrium Theory and Policy Disasters
Authors: Fagan E.J.
Published: March 2021

This paper develops a theory of the relationship between policy disasters and political institutions. Policy disasters, defined as avoidable, unintended extreme negative policy outcomes, are important political and historical events above that receive relatively little attention from political scientists and scholars of public policy. Using the predictions of punctuated equilibrium theory, I argue that systems with higher error accumulation will experience more policy disasters. These disasters will take two forms: disasters caused by policymaking negligence and disasters caused by policymaking mistakes. Systems with more veto players and weaker information flows will experience more disasters, but information flows will have a stronger impact than veto players. I test this theory using data on financial crises and natural and technological disasters across seventy countries over sixty years. I find strong evidence that systems with weaker information flows and more veto players tend to have greater disaster risk.
COVID-19 situation in India: Artifact or Fact?
Authors: Mukherjee Kanchan
Published: March 2021

India currently has the second highest number of SARS-CoV-2 cases in the world. Accurate and reliable testing holds the key for effective surveillance and management of this pandemic. In this context, this study analyses the course of the pandemic in India tracing back to the beginning of the national lockdown and the subsequent 11 months. It uses the variables of testing speed and incremental change in cases over time to draw insights into the current situation. The analysis findings are triangulated with the published findings of the second national household serosurveillance from India and the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) of the FELUDA diagnostic test; to understand the nuances with the current data and testing technology for drawing inferences. The study finds that even with the availability of better local testing technology and evidence, the testing policy has failed to incorporate them resulting in inaccurate, unreliable data and spread of infection.
Functional Assessment of Four Novel Immune-Related Biomarkers in the Pathogenesis of Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Lv Daojun , Wu Xiangkun , Wang Ming , Chen Wenzhe , Yang Shuxin , Liu Yongda , Zeng Guohua , Gu Di
Published: March 2021

Background

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common subtype of renal cell carcinoma whose pathogenesis is not well understood. We aimed at identifying novel immune-related biomarkers that could be valuable in the diagnosis and prognosis of ccRCC.

Methods

The Robust Rank Aggregation (RRA) method was used to integrate differently expressed genes (DEGs) of 7 Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets and obtain robust DEGs. Weighted gene co-expression network analyses (WGCNA) were performed to identify hub genes associated with clinical traits in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Comprehensive bioinformatic analyses were used to explore the role of hub genes in ccRCC.

Results

Four hub genes IFI16, LMNB1, RHBDF2 and TACC3 were screened by the RRA method and WGCNA. These genes were found to be up-regulated in ccRCC, an upregulation that could be due to their associations with late TNM stages and tumor grades. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the four hub genes had great diagnostic and prognostic values for ccRCC, while Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) showed that they were involved in immune signaling pathways. They were also found to be closely associated with multiple tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and critical immune checkpoint expressions. The results of Quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemical staining (IHC) analysis were consistent with bioinformatics analysis results.

Conclusion

The four hub genes were shown to have great diagnostic and prognostic values and played key roles in the tumor microenvironment of ccRCC.
Blocking DNA Damage Repair May Be Involved in Stattic (STAT3 Inhibitor)-Induced FLT3-ITD AML Cell Apoptosis
Authors: Luo Yuxuan , Lu Ying , Long Bing , Lin Yansi , Yang Yanling , Xu Yichuang , Zhang Xiangzhong , Zhang Jingwen
Published: March 2021

The FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3)- internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutation can be found in approximately 25% of all acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cases and is associated with a poor prognosis. The main treatment for FLT3-ITD-positive AML patients includes genotoxic therapy and FLT3 inhibitors, which are rarely curative. Inhibiting STAT3 activity can improve the sensitivity of solid tumor cells to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. This study aimed to explore whether Stattic (a STAT3 inhibitor) affects FLT3-ITD AML cells and the underlying mechanism. Stattic can inhibit the proliferation, promote apoptosis, arrest cell cycle at G0/G1, and suppress DNA damage repair in MV4-11cells. During the process, through mRNA sequencing, we found that DNA damage repair-related mRNA are also altered during the process. In summary, the mechanism by which Stattic induces apoptosis in MV4-11cells may involve blocking DNA damage repair machineries.
Cytoskeletal Transport, Reorganization, and Fusion Regulation in Mast Cell-Stimulus Secretion Coupling
Authors: Ménasché Gaël , Longé Cyril , Bratti Manuela , Blank Ulrich
Published: March 2021

Mast cells are well known for their role in allergies and many chronic inflammatory diseases. They release upon stimulation, e.g., via the IgE receptor, numerous bioactive compounds from cytoplasmic secretory granules. The regulation of granule secretion and its interaction with the cytoskeleton and transport mechanisms has only recently begun to be understood. These studies have provided new insight into the interaction between the secretory machinery and cytoskeletal elements in the regulation of the degranulation process. They suggest a tight coupling of these two systems, implying a series of specific signaling effectors and adaptor molecules. Here we review recent knowledge describing the signaling events regulating cytoskeletal reorganization and secretory granule transport machinery in conjunction with the membrane fusion machinery that occur during mast cell degranulation. The new insight into MC biology offers novel strategies to treat human allergic and inflammatory diseases targeting the late steps that affect harmful release from granular stores leaving regulatory cytokine secretion intact.
APOE4 Promotes Tonic-Clonic Seizures, an Effect Modified by Familial Alzheimer’s Disease Mutations
Authors: Lamoureux Lorissa , Marottoli Felecia M. , Tseng Kuei Y. , Tai Leon M.
Published: March 2021

Seizures are emerging as a common symptom in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients, often attributed to high levels of amyloid β (Aβ). However, the extent that AD disease risk factors modulate seizure activity in aging and AD-relevant contexts is unclear. APOE4 is the greatest genetic risk factor for AD and has been linked to seizures independent of AD and Aβ. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the role of APOE genotype in modulating seizures in the absence and presence of high Aβ levels in vivo. To achieve this goal, we utilized EFAD mice, which express human APOE3 or APOE4 in the absence (EFAD−) or presence (EFAD+) of familial AD mutations that result in Aβ overproduction. When quantified during cage change day, we found that unlike APOE3, APOE4 is associated with tonic-clonic seizures. Interestingly, there were lower tonic-clonic seizures in E4FAD+ mice compared to E4FAD− mice. Restraint handing and auditory stimuli failed to recapitulate the tonic-clonic phenotype in EFAD mice that express APOE4. However, after chemical-induction with pentylenetetrazole, there was a higher incidence of tonic-clonic seizures with APOE4 compared to APOE3. Interestingly, the distribution of seizures to the tonic-clonic phenotype was higher with FAD mutations. These data support that APOE4 is associated with higher tonic-clonic seizures in vivo, and that FAD mutations impact tonic-clonic seizures in a paradigm dependent manner.
Electrochemical Fingerprints of Illicit Drugs on Graphene and Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Dragan Ana-Maria , Truta Florina Maria , Tertis Mihaela , Florea Anca , Schram Jonas , Cernat Andreea , Feier Bogdan , De Wael Karolien , Cristea Cecilia , Oprean Radu
Published: March 2021

Illicit drugs use and abuse remains an increasing challenge for worldwide authorities and, therefore, it is important to have accurate methods to detect them in seized samples, biological fluids and wastewaters. They are recently classified as the latest group of emerging pollutants as their consumption increased tremendously in recent years. Nanomaterials have gained much attention over the last decade in the development of sensors for a myriad of applications. The applicability of these nanomaterials, functionalized or not, significantly increases and it is therefore highly suitable for use in the detection of illicit drugs. We have assessed the suitability of various nanoplatforms, such as graphene (GPH), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) for the electrochemical detection of illicit drugs. GPH and MWCNTs were chosen as the most suitable platforms and cocaine, 3,4-methylendioxymethamfetamine (MDMA), 3-methylmethcathinone (MMC) and α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (PVP) were tested. Due to the hydrophobicity of the nanomaterials-based platforms which led to low signals, two strategies were followed namely, pretreatment of the electrodes in sulfuric acid by cyclic voltammetry and addition of Tween 20 to the detection buffer. Both strategies led to an increase in the oxidation signal of illicit drugs. Binary mixtures of illicit drugs with common adulterants found in street samples were also investigated. The proposed strategies allowed the sensitive detection of illicit drugs in the presence of most adulterants. The suitability of the proposed sensors for the detection of illicit drugs in spiked wastewaters was finally assessed.
Factors Associated With MALDI-TOF Mass Spectral Quality of Species Identification in Clinical Routine Diagnostics
Authors: Cuénod Aline , Foucault Frédéric , Pflüger Valentin , Egli Adrian
Published: March 2021

Background

An accurate and timely identification of bacterial species is critical in clinical diagnostics. Species identification allows a potential first adaptation of empiric antibiotic treatments before the resistance profile is available. Matrix assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a widely used method for bacterial species identification. However, important challenges in species identification remain. These arise from (i) incomplete databases, (ii) close relatedness of species of interest, and (iii) spectral quality, which is currently vaguely defined.

Methods

We selected 47 clinically relevant bacterial isolates from 39 species, which can be challenging to identify by MALDI-TOF MS. We measured these isolates under various analytical conditions on two MALDI-TOF MS systems. First, we identified spectral features, which were associated with correct species identification in three different databases. Considering these features, we then systematically compared spectra produced with three different sample preparation protocols. In addition, we varied quantities of bacterial colony material applied and bacterial colony age.

Results

We identified (i) the number of ribosomal marker peaks detected, (ii) the median relative intensity of ribosomal marker peaks, (iii) the sum of the intensity of all detected peaks, (iv) a high measurement precision, and (v) reproducibility of peaks to act as good proxies of spectral quality. We found that using formic acid, measuring bacterial colonies at a young age, and frequently calibrating the MALDI-TOF MS device increase mass spectral quality. We further observed significant differences in spectral quality between different bacterial taxa and optimal measurement conditions vary per taxon.

Conclusion

We identified and applied quality measures for MALDI-TOF MS and optimized spectral quality in routine settings. Phylogenetic marker peaks can be reproducibly detected and provide an increased resolution and the ability to distinguish between challenging species such as those within the Enterobacter cloacae complex, Burkholderia cepacia complex, or viridans streptococci.
Data on an Austrian Company's Productivity in the Pre-Covid-19 Era, During the Lockdown and After Its Easing: To Work Remotely or Not?
Authors: Beno Michal , Hvorecky Jozef
Published: March 2021

The Covid-19 crisis across the world has increased the proportion of e-working. The transition from cubicles to the home office raised many questions in connection with companies adopting the new working conditions. Our paper provides recent evidence on the extent of this move, its impact on workplace evolution, productivity and the future prevalence of the face-to-display workplace after the easing of the lockdown. It uses data from 154 service employees of an Austrian sports and leisure product company obtained using online surveys on employees' opinions on e-working. By a coincidence, we conducted the first of them shortly prior to the epidemic. We decided to modify our planned research goals and decided to study their opinions during different Covid-19 stages. As a result, our findings do not follow all the academic standards. First, they are almost impossible to replicate due to the specific coincidence. Then, the shift in our aims leads us to minor changes in the content of the questionnaire. There are not only significant differences in the proportion of workers in the office and at home during the different periods of the lockdown. After its end, there was a significant increase in the number of those who had started working at home—more than one half. Compared to the period prior to the lockdown, they have a tolerant attitude to their work from home and believe that their productivity might remain the same. For many of them the change was an unavoidable obligation so they would prefer to return to the traditional workplace. The results suggest that more than one fifth want to continue working from home permanently, about one third more frequently than before, more than a quarter sometimes and just one seventh not at all. We studied the issues related to their productivity and its limits during all three stages. There are three important reasons for the fall in productivity related to e-working: (1) Providing childcare/home schooling, pet sitting and/or care for others while working (>one-fourth); (2) Work-from-home routine (>one-fourth); and (3) Having less work to do (>one-fifth).
Role of Neutrophil-Derived S100B in Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients From the Han Chinese Population
Authors: Cheng Minghui , Su Xu , Liu Dan , Tian Xiaoxiang , Yan Chenghui , Zhang Xiaolin , Han Yaling
Published: March 2021

Objective: This study aimed to clarify the novel role of homeostatic calmodulin S100B and determined whether S100B genetic variants affected atherosclerosis progression in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients.

Methods: Plasma levels of S100B were measured systemically in AMI patients, stable angina pectoris patients, and control subjects. S100B was obtained from the human coronary artery thrombi using a thrombectomy catheter and quantified via immunohistochemical analysis, qRT-PCR and Western blot analyse. We also screened for S100B variations (rs9722, rs9984765, rs2839356, rs1051169, and rs2186358) via direct sequencing, and investigated the relationship between these variants and AMI patients in the Chinese Han population.

Results: Plasma S100B levels increased significantly in AMI patients compared to the levels in stable angina pectoris patients and control subjects (119.45 ± 62.46, 161.96 ± 73.30, and 312.91 ± 127.59 pg/ml, respectively). Immunohistochemical staining results showed that S100B expression was increased in the neutrophils of coronary artery thrombi obtained from AMI patients, as compared to that in normal blood clot, and S100B expression was significantly increased in fresh thrombi tissues, as compared to that in organized thrombi tissues. Western blot and qRT-PCR analysis showed that S100B expression increased in coronary artery thrombi, as compared to that in normal blood clots. After pre-treating the neutrophils with siRAGE, the neutrophils migration induced by S100B were abolished through the NFκB-IL1β/IL6 signaling pathway. Compared to their corresponding wild-type genotypes, the S100B rs9722 variant was associated with increased susceptibility to AMI (OR = 1.35, 95%CI: 1.12–1.65, P = 0.02). Individuals with the S100B 9722 A allele had higher plasma S100B levels than those with the G allele in control subjects and AMI patients (141.70 ± 76.69 vs. 107.31 ± 56.05 and 347.13 ± 148.94 vs. 273.05 ± 133.62, respectively).

Conclusions: Levels of neutrophil-derived S100B, a novel homeostatic calmodulin, were elevated in the early stages of myocardial infarction. The S100B rs9722 allele was independently associated with AMI patients in the Han Chinese population.
The Genesis of the Askartor Be-Mo Deposit in the North Xinjiang, Northwest China: Evidence From Geology, Geochemistry, U-Pb, and Re-Os Geochronology
Authors: Yong Tang , Hui Zhang , Zheng-Hang Lv
Published: March 2021

The Askartor Be-Mo deposit is located in the southeastern area of the Chinese Altay orogenic belt in Xinjiang, NW China. Zircon U-Pb data show that there are two periods of magmatic activities in the Askartor Be-Mo ore district, namely, the Devonian granodiorite (386.8 ± 2.6 Ma) and biotite granite (385.4 ± 4.4 Ma), and the Triassic two-mica granite (247.5 ± 2.2 Ma) and muscovite granite (231.4 ± 2.0 Ma). The zircon U-Pb age of pegmatoid orebody is 220.6 ± 1.6 Ma which coincides with the molybdenite Re-Os isochron age of 228.7 ± 7.1 Ma. The two-mica and muscovite granites belong to the high-K Calc-alkaline series with peraluminous features, and are characterized by high SiO2 (71.92–75.41 wt%), and Al2O3 (13.43–15.98 wt%), and low TiO2 (0.01–0.25 wt%), Fe2O3 (0.11–1.14 wt%) and CaO (0.07–0.76 wt%). The highly fractionated element ratios of Y/Ho, Zr/Hf and Nb/Ta, and the rare earth element tetrad effect occur in the muscovite granite, indicating the fluid exsolution occurs at the late stage of magma evolution, and the muscovite granite experienced the strong self-metasomatism. Rayleigh fractional calculations show that the Askartor Be-Mo deposit is the product of multistage fractional crystallization of initial Be-enriched magma.
Valuing the Role of Time in Urban Ecology
Authors: Ossola Alessandro , Cadenasso Mary L. , Meineke Emily K.
Published: March 2021

Cities and towns are complex ecosystems with features that can vary dramatically in space and time. Our knowledge of the spatial structure of urban land and ecological systems is expanding. These systems have been investigated across spatial scales, urban to rural gradients, networks of urban macrosystems, and global megalopolises. However, the temporal dimensions of urban ecosystems – such as those related to ecological cycles and historical legacies – are far less understood and investigated. Here, we outline the main dimensions of time that can shape how events in urban ecosystems unfold, which we categorize as: (i) time flows and duration, (ii) synchrony, lags, and delays, (iii) trends and transitions, (iv) cycles and hysteresis, (v) legacies and priming, (vi) temporal hotspots and hot moments, and (vii) stochastic vs. deterministic processes affecting our ability to forecast the future of cities and the species that live in them. First, we demonstrate the roles of these understudied dimensions by discussing exemplary studies. We then propose key future research directions for investigating how processes over time may regulate the structure and functioning of urban land and biodiversity, as well as its effects on and implications for urban ecology. Our analysis and conceptual framework highlights that several temporal dimensions of urban ecosystems – like those related to temporal hotspots/moments and stochastic vs. deterministic processes – are understudied. This offers important research opportunities to further urban ecology and a comprehensive research agenda valuing the “Urban Chronos” – the change of urban ecosystems through time.
Interannual Nearshore Habitat Use of Young of the Year White Sharks Off Southern California
Authors: Anderson James M. , Burns Echelle S. , Meese Emily N. , Farrugia Thomas J. , Stirling Brian S. , White Connor F. , Logan Ryan K. , O’Sullivan John , Winkler Chuck , Lowe Christopher G.
Published: March 2021

Young-of-the-year (YOY) and juvenile-stage white sharks may use southern California nearshore beach habitats more extensively than previously known, within meters of some of the most heavily used beaches in the world. Such knowledge forms a critical component of species management and conservation plans, in addition to public safety and risk mitigation planning. We used data derived from a combination of satellite tag locations (13 animals over 3 years) and passive acoustic monitoring (34 animals over 8 years) to examine the occurrence, relative abundance, and residency patterns of YOY white sharks in southern California waters. Our results suggest that southern California contains spatiotemporally dynamic centers of primary nursery habitat. Tagged YOY white sharks formed loose aggregations at “hotspot” locations that were interannually variable, where individuals exhibited temporal fidelity, higher levels of residency, and spatially restricted movements, with multiple YOY individuals simultaneously displaying this behavior. While models of biotic and abiotic variables suggested relative abundance of tagged sharks may be predicted by sea surface temperature, salinity and productivity (chlorophyll-A), these predictors were not consistent across all years of the study. Thus, novel approaches that incorporate technologies to derive high resolution environmental data, paired with more comprehensive telemetry datasets are therefore required to better understand the extrinsic factors that drive habitat selection and residency patterns in juvenile white sharks.
Finding Colon Cancer- and Colorectal Cancer-Related Microbes Based on Microbe–Disease Association Prediction
Authors: Chen Yu , Sun Hongjian , Sun Mengzhe , Shi Changguo , Sun Hongmei , Shi Xiaoli , Ji Binbin , Cui Jinpeng
Published: March 2021

Microbes are closely associated with the formation and development of diseases. The identification of the potential associations between microbes and diseases can boost the understanding of various complex diseases. Wet experiments applied to microbe–disease association (MDA) identification are costly and time-consuming. In this manuscript, we developed a novel computational model, NLLMDA, to find unobserved MDAs, especially for colon cancer and colorectal carcinoma. NLLMDA integrated negative MDA selection, linear neighborhood similarity, label propagation, information integration, and known biological data. The Gaussian association profile (GAP) similarity of microbes and GAPs similarity and symptom similarity of diseases were firstly computed. Secondly, linear neighborhood method was then applied to the above computed similarity matrices to obtain more stable performance. Thirdly, negative MDA samples were selected, and the label propagation algorithm was used to score for microbe–disease pairs. The final association probabilities can be computed based on the information integration method. NLLMDA was compared with the other five classical MDA methods and obtained the highest area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.9031 and 0.9335 on cross-validations of diseases and microbe–disease pairs. The results suggest that NLLMDA was an effective prediction method. More importantly, we found that Acidobacteriaceae may have a close link with colon cancer and Tannerella may densely associate with colorectal carcinoma.
Role of Electrostatic Hotspots in the Selectivity of Complement Control Proteins Toward Human and Bovine Complement Inhibition
Authors: Narkhede Yogesh B. , Gautam Avneesh K. , Hsu Rohaine V. , Rodriguez Wilson , Zewde Nehemiah T. , Harrison Reed E. S. , Arantes Pablo R. , Gaieb Zied , Gorham Ronald D. , Kieslich Chris , Morikis Dimitrios , Sahu Arvind , Palermo Giulia
Published: March 2021

Poxviruses are dangerous pathogens, which can cause fatal infection in unvaccinated individuals. The causative agent of smallpox in humans, variola virus, is closely related to the bovine vaccinia virus, yet the molecular basis of their selectivity is currently incompletely understood. Here, we examine the role of the electrostatics in the selectivity of the smallpox protein SPICE and vaccinia protein VCP toward the human and bovine complement protein C3b, a key component of the complement immune response. Electrostatic calculations, in-silico alanine-scan and electrostatic hotspot analysis, as introduced by Kieslich and Morikis (PLoS Comput. Biol. 2012), are used to assess the electrostatic complementarity and to identify sites resistant to local perturbation where the electrostatic potential is likely to be evolutionary conserved. The calculations suggest that the bovine C3b is electrostatically prone to selectively bind its VCP ligand. On the other hand, the human isoform of C3b exhibits a lower electrostatic complementarity toward its SPICE ligand. Yet, the human C3b displays a highly preserved electrostatic core, which suggests that this isoform could be less selective in binding different ligands like SPICE and the human Factor H. This is supported by experimental cofactor activity assays revealing that the human C3b is prone to bind both SPICE and Factor H, which exhibit diverse electrostatic properties. Additional investigations considering mutants of SPICE and VCP that revert their selectivity reveal an “electrostatic switch” into the central modules of the ligands, supporting the critical role of the electrostatics in the selectivity. Taken together, these evidences provide insights into the selectivity mechanism of the complement regulator proteins encoded by the variola and vaccinia viruses to circumvent the complement immunity and exert their pathogenic action. These fundamental aspects are valuable for the development of novel vaccines and therapeutic strategies.
3D-Printed Microfluidics and Potential Biomedical Applications
Authors: Prabhakar Priyanka , Sen Raj Kumar , Dwivedi Neeraj , Khan Raju , Solanki Pratima R. , Srivastava Avanish Kumar , Dhand Chetna
Published: March 2021

3D printing is a smart additive manufacturing technique that allows the engineering of biomedical devices that are usually difficult to design using conventional methodologies such as machining or molding. Nowadays, 3D-printed microfluidics has gained enormous attention due to their various advantages including fast production, cost-effectiveness, and accurate designing of a range of products even geometrically complex devices. In this review, we focused on the recent significant findings in the field of 3D-printed microfluidic devices for biomedical applications. 3D printers are used as fabrication tools for a broad variety of systems for a range of applications like diagnostic microfluidic chips to detect different analytes, for example, glucose, lactate, and glutamate and the biomarkers related to different clinically relevant diseases, for example, malaria, prostate cancer, and breast cancer. 3D printers can print various materials (inorganic and polymers) with varying density, strength, and chemical properties that provide users with a broad variety of strategic options. In this article, we have discussed potential 3D printing techniques for the fabrication of microfluidic devices that are suitable for biomedical applications. Emerging diagnostic technologies using 3D printing as a method for integrating living cells or biomaterials into 3D printing are also reviewed.
A Socially Assistive Robot for Long-Term Cardiac Rehabilitation in the Real World
Authors: Céspedes Nathalia , Irfan Bahar , Senft Emmanuel , Cifuentes Carlos A. , Gutierrez Luisa F. , Rincon-Roncancio Mónica , Belpaeme Tony , Múnera Marcela
Published: March 2021

What are the benefits of using a socially assistive robot for long-term cardiac rehabilitation? To answer this question we designed and conducted a real-world long-term study, in collaboration with medical specialists, at the Fundación Cardioinfantil-Instituto de Cardiología clinic (Bogotá, Colombia) lasting 2.5 years. The study took place within the context of the outpatient phase of patients' cardiac rehabilitation programme and aimed to compare the patients' progress and adherence in the conventional cardiac rehabilitation programme (control condition) against rehabilitation supported by a fully autonomous socially assistive robot which continuously monitored the patients during exercise to provide immediate feedback and motivation based on sensory measures (robot condition). The explicit aim of the social robot is to improve patient motivation and increase adherence to the programme to ensure a complete recovery. We recruited 15 patients per condition. The cardiac rehabilitation programme was designed to last 36 sessions (18 weeks) per patient. The findings suggest that robot increases adherence (by 13.3%) and leads to faster completion of the programme. In addition, the patients assisted by the robot had more rapid improvement in their recovery heart rate, better physical activity performance and a higher improvement in cardiovascular functioning, which indicate a successful cardiac rehabilitation programme performance. Moreover, the medical staff and the patients acknowledged that the robot improved the patient motivation and adherence to the programme, supporting its potential in addressing the major challenges in rehabilitation programmes.
Echo Time Dependency of Local Activity Metrics of Resting-State Functional MRI
Authors: Yuan Li-Xia , Zhao Na , Wang Xiu-Qin , Lv Ya-Ting , He Hongjian
Published: March 2021

Local activity metrics of resting-state functional MRI (RS-fMRI), such as the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), fractional ALFF (fALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and degree centrality (DC), are widely used to detect brain abnormalities based on signal fluctuations. Although signal changes with echo time (TE) have been widely studied, the effect of TE on local activity metrics has not been investigated. RS-fMRI datasets from 12 healthy subjects with eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) were obtained with a four-echo gradient-echo-planar imaging pulse sequence with the following parameters: repetition time/TE1/TE2/TE3/TE4 = 2,000/13/30.93/48.86/66.79 ms. Six representative regions were selected for simulating the spatial feature of TE dependency of local activity metrics. Moreover, whole-brain local activity metrics were calculated from each echo dataset and compared between EO and EC conditions. Dice overlap coefficient (DOC) was then employed to calculate the overlap between the T maps. We found that all the local activity metrics displayed different TE dependency characteristics, while their overall change patterns were similar: an initial large change followed by a slow variation. The T maps for local activity metrics also varied greatly with TE. For ALFF, fALFF, ReHo, and DC, the DOCs for voxels in four TE datasets were 6.87, 0.73, 5.08, and 0.93%, respectively. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that local metrics are greatly dependent on TE. Therefore, TE should be carefully considered for the optimization of data acquisition and multi-center data analysis in RS-fMRI.
Inhibition of the mRNA-Binding Protein IGF2BP1 Suppresses Proliferation and Sensitizes Neuroblastoma Cells to Chemotherapeutic Agents
Authors: Biegel Jason M. , Dhamdhere Mayura , Gao Shuang , Gowda Chethana P. , Kawasawa Yuka Imamura , Spiegelman Vladimir S.
Published: March 2021

Gain at chromosome 17q21 in neuroblastoma is associated with a poor prognosis, independent of MYCN amplification status. Several potential proto-oncogenes have been identified in this region, one of them—insulin-like growth-factor-2 mRNA binding protein (IGF2BP1)—is expressed at high levels in stage 4 tumors, and associated with overall lower patient survival. Here, we demonstrate that down-regulation of IGF2BP1 activity, either by transcript silencing or chemical inhibition, suppresses neuroblastoma cell growth. Furthermore, the combination of IGF2BP1 inhibition along with commonly used chemotherapeutics that broadly affect DNA synthesis, or cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors that disrupt signal transduction, have a synergistic effect on the suppression of neuroblastoma cell proliferation.
Cytotoxic Effects of Arsenite in Combination With Gamabufotalin Against Human Glioblastoma Cell Lines
Authors: Yuan Bo , Xu Kang , Shimada Ryota , Li JingZhe , Hayashi Hideki , Okazaki Mari , Takagi Norio
Published: March 2021

Glioblastoma is a fatal primary malignant brain tumor, and the 5-year survival rate of treated glioblastoma patients still remains <5%. Considering the sustained development of metastasis, tumor recurrence, and drug resistance, there is an urgent need for the novel therapeutic approaches to combat glioblastoma. Trivalent arsenic derivative (arsenite, AsIII) with remarkable clinical efficacy in leukemia has been shown to exert cytocidal effect against glioblastoma cells. Gamabufotalin, an active bufadienolide compound, also shows selective cytocidal effect against glioblastoma cells, and has been suggested to serve as a promising adjuvant therapeutic agent to potentiate therapeutic effect of conventional anticancer drugs. In order to gain novel insight into therapeutic approaches against glioblastoma, the cytotoxicity of AsIII and gamabufotalin was explored in the human glioblastoma cell lines U-87 and U-251. In comparison with U-251 cells, U-87 cells were highly susceptible to the two drugs, alone or in combination. More importantly, clinically achieved concentrations of AsIII combined with gamabufotalin exhibited synergistic cytotoxicity against U-87 cells, whereas showed much less cytotoxicity to human normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells. G2/M cell cycle arrest was induced by each single drug, and further augmented by their combination in U-87 cells. Downregulation of the expression levels of cdc25C, Cyclin B1, cdc2, and survivin was observed in U-87 cells treated with the combined regimen and occurred in parallel with G2/M arrest. Concomitantly, lactate dehydrogenase leakage was also observed. Intriguingly, SB203580, a specific inhibitor of p38 MAPK, intensified the cytotoxicity of the combined regimen in U-87 cells, whereas wortmannin, a potent autophagy inhibitor, significantly rescued the cells. Collectively, G2/M arrest, necrosis and autophagy appeared to cooperatively contribute to the synergistic cytotoxicity of AsIII and gamabufotalin. Given that p38 MAPK serves an essential role in promoting glioblastoma cell survival, developing a possible strategy composed of AsIII, gamabufotalin, and a p38 MAPK inhibitor may provide novel insight into approaches designed to combat glioblastoma.
Modeling Radioimmune Response—Current Status and Perspectives
Authors: Friedrich Thomas , Henthorn Nicholas , Durante Marco
Published: March 2021

The combination of immune therapy with radiation offers an exciting and promising treatment modality in cancer therapy. It has been hypothesized that radiation induces damage signals within the tumor, making it more detectable for the immune system. In combination with inhibiting immune checkpoints an effective anti-tumor immune response may be established. This inversion from tumor immune evasion raises numerous questions to be solved to support an effective clinical implementation: These include the optimum immune drug and radiation dose time courses, the amount of damage and associated doses required to stimulate an immune response, and the impact of lymphocyte status and dynamics. Biophysical modeling can offer unique insights, providing quantitative information addressing these factors and highlighting mechanisms of action. In this work we review the existing modeling approaches of combined ‘radioimmune’ response, as well as associated fields of study. We propose modeling attempts that appear relevant for an effective and predictive model. We emphasize the importance of the time course of drug and dose delivery in view to the time course of the triggered biological processes. Special attention is also paid to the dose distribution to circulating blood lymphocytes and the effect this has on immune competence.