bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Morpho-phytochemical Screening and Molecular Diversity of Pomegranate Accessions Grown in Halabja Governorate, Kurdistan Region-Iraq
Authors: Faraj Jamal Mahmood
Published: May 2023

Halabja governorate in the Kurdistan region-Iraq is famous for having high-quality pomegranate accessions. The current study was conducted to evaluate the morpho-phytochemical amount of pomegranate functional food and the genetic diversity as an important tool for the characterization of the genetic resources for germplasm management and the identification of the best genotypes for genetic improvement. In this study, phenotypical parameter, highly significant morphometric differences (P ≤ 0.05) among 24 genotypes, with the mean values of fruit weight, peel thickness, and weight of 100 Arils, total flavonoid content (TFC) and total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity, total soluble solid content (TSS) 299.21 g, 3.47 mm and 38.59 g, 54.50,47.97 µg/ml, 21.08 µg/ml and 14.59 Brix respectively. In addition, inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) was utilized to assess the genetic diversity of the collected pomegranate genotypes. Twelve random primers of produced products plus a number of the amplified primer bands ranging from 3 to 12 and total number of 83 amplified bands were produced, among which 78 bands were polymorphic and 5 bands were monomorphic. The highest, lowest, and mean values of polymorphic bands were (11, 3, and 6.5), respectively. The PIC values ranged from 0.58 to 0.90. The dendrogram clusters for all the selections showed dissimilarity coefficients ranging between 0.22 to 0.23 (G4 vs. G5) to 0.63 (G13 vs. G14), and five groups (A, B, C, D, and F) with a mean dissimilarity (0.49). According to the results, morphometric and biochemical properties are significant aspects of development, discernment, and classification. Alongside with the ISSR marker, which is a useful technique for allowing the identification of different selections and assessing the genetic similarity among studied pomegranate accessions, this would facilitate their use as identified genetic stock in future breeding programs.
Evaluating the effect of the COVID-19 virus on the wind energy sectors
Authors: Jamali Riaz Hussain , Bughio Amanullah , Tunio Raza Ali , Das Ghansham
Published: May 2023

The purpose of this study is to determine during the COVID-19 epidemic effects on wind and green energy and control the raising the cost of utilizing wind energy to power for country energy plants using the Levelized Cost of Energy methods. Objective 1) The COVID-19 pandemic can be provided through green financial policies such as coal pricing, transferable green certificates, and loans for wind energy markets. Objective 2) examined the cost of wind energy in china before and after the COVID-19 outbreak, using data from 100 wind energy projects constructed between 2014 and 2020. Based on results, wind energy's fixed average cost of electricity fell from 0.98 Chinese yuan in 2014 to 0.79 Chinese Yuan in March 2019, and subsequently to 0.75 Chinese Yuan in 2020, a 13.99 percent increase. Other results average electricity generation price down to 0.79 Yuan, 0.99 Yuan, and 0.79 Yuan and average carbon oxide emissions was 50 Yuan/ton increase. The green fiscal policies will be required during the COVID-19 epidemic to promote wind energy generation investment.
Deep learning model based on CNN-former in the diagnosis and detection of liver fibrosis
Authors: Han Jing-Jing , Zhang Xia , Cai Xiao , Pan Rui , Xiao Li , Nan Yuchen , Zhang Peng-Cheng , Yang Yong-Lin
Published: May 2023

Background: Hepatic fibrosis is a common pathological process in the process of various liver injury and repair. It can develop into advanced cirrhosis or even liver cancer under the stimulation of various factors. Early diagnosis and intervention can significantly improve liver function and even reverse the histopathological process. Accurate non-invasive identification and staging of early liver fibrosis has become the research goal of many scholars.
Objective: This study aimed to propose a model training method and system for liver fibrosis lesion detection based on CNN-Former.
Study design: We first collect the clinical patient data and introduce the setup and data preprocessing of the experimental data, then introduce the experimental process of the feature engineering , the ablation experiment conducted and the evaluation index . Finally, compared this method with traditional method .
Results: By modeling the physiological and biochemical characteristics of patients with liver fibrosis, the pre-detection of liver fibrosis is carried out with high efficiency, high quality and high standard, providing a solution for existing research to rely on image information. In addition, on the basis of the existing CNN-form model, multi-CNN-form adds a multi-task mechanism to enable the model to predict liver fibrosis and related complications at the same time, providing a solution to the problem that traditional models focus on specific diseases and poor transplantation. Also, the accuracy, recall, AUC value, F1 value and other evaluation indexes of the model were calculated based on the test set and confusion matrix to compare the effects of various models in predicting liver fibrosis pre-detection. Finally, the effectiveness of this method compared with the traditional method is demonstrated from many angles. This makes it more suitable in practical application scenarios.
Conclusions: This paper mainly introduces a liver fibrosis pre-detection method based on deep learning, that is, the liver fibrosis pre-detection method based on CNN-former, which provides a solution for the existing research to rely on imaging information. In addition, the pre-detection method of liver fibrosis based on multi-CNN-former provides a solution to the problem of focusing on specific diseases and poor transplantation of traditional models.
Paeonol enhances macrophage phagocytic function by modulating lipid metabolism through the P53-TREM2 axis
Authors: Miao Jifei , Liu Xiaoming , Liao Yuanpin , Li Yiwen , Kuang Yingyan , Zheng Juanxia , Lan Jiao
Published: May 2023

Background The emerging concept of immunometabolism highlights the interplay between lipid metabolism and phagocytosis in macrophages. Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells 2 (TREM2) has been identified as an important modulator of both lipid metabolism and phagocytic function in macrophages. This study aims to investigate the roles of P53 and TREM2 in regulating macrophage lipid metabolism and phagocytosis and to evaluate the potential therapeutic effects of Paeonol on these processes.Methods CRISPR-Cas9 was utilized to generate P53 and TREM2 knockout RAW264.7 cell lines. The dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was performed to assess the interaction between P53 and the TREM2 promoter. A series of functional assays were conducted to evaluate the impact of P53 and TREM2 on macrophage lipid metabolism and phagocytic function. The effects of Paeonol on these processes were also examined.Results Our findings revealed that P53 acts as a transcription factor that upregulates the expression of TREM2, promoting macrophage lipid metabolism, metabolic activity, and phagocytic capacity. Paeonol treatment significantly enhanced the phagocytic function of macrophages. Additionally, the interaction between P53 and the TREM2 promoter was confirmed through dual-luciferase reporter gene assays.Conclusions This study provides novel insights into the roles of P53 and TREM2 in regulating macrophage lipid metabolism and phagocytic function. Furthermore, our findings suggest that Paeonol could be a promising therapeutic agent for modulating macrophage function in various diseases. Further research is warranted to explore the potential applications of Paeonol and to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the observed effects.
Dynamic Topic Modelling for Exploring the Scientific Literature on Coronavirus: An Unsupervised Labelling Technique
Authors: Guillén-Pacho Ibai , Badenes-Olmedo Carlos , Corcho Oscar
Published: May 2023

Purpose: The work presented in this article focusses on improving the interpretability of probabilistic topic models created from a large collection of scientific documents that evolve over time.
Methods: Several time-dependent approaches based on topic models were compared to analyse the annual evolution of latent concepts in the CORD-19 corpus: Dynamic Topic Model, Dynamic Embedded Topic Model, and BERTopic. Then COVID-19 period (December 2019 - present) has been analysed in greater depth, month by month, to explore the evolution of what is written about the disease.
Results: The evaluations suggest that the Dynamic Topic Model is the best choice to analyse the CORD-19 corpus. A novel topic labelling strategy is proposed for dynamic topic models to analyse the evolution of latent concepts. It incorporates content changes in both the annual evolution of the corpus and the monthly evolution of the COVID-19 disease. The generated labels are manually validated using two approaches: through the most relevant documents on the topic, and through the documents that share the most semantically similar label topics.
Conclusions: The labelling enables the interpretation of topics. The novel method for dynamic topic labelling fits the content of each topic and supports the semantics of the topics.
From a trickle to a deluge of Spent EV batteries: Are we prepared?
Authors: Kumar Amit , Huyn Pierre , Vennelakanti Ravigopal
Published: May 2023

The rapid growth in global electric vehicle sales over the past decade has led to unsustainable and unethical extraction of natural resources, broken supply chains for cathodes, and a likelihood of significant environmental hazards from a deluge of spent batteries expected in coming years. Even though it is now technologically feasible to give the spent batteries a second life or harvest critical raw materials, significant challenges remain in tracking spent batteries, optimizing reverse logistics costs, and maximizing value recovery. We propose an ecosystem value optimization approach powered by a digital solution framework to enable five key value drivers for battery circularity – safety, regulatory compliance, carbon footprint reduction, quality, and financials. For example, stakeholders can cut average transportation costs of spent batteries by 11–44% compared to current shipping practices; and improve value recovery by 52–60% by routing batteries with good health to second-life application providers.
Effectiveness of thyroid hormones transporters and deiodinases in skeletal muscle of aging mice
Authors: Zou Yuxin , Wei Lijun , Qi Xinyu , Fang Jia , Zhang Daowen , Shi Runqing , Liu Wei , Fu Yu , Sheng Yunlu , Lv Yifan , Xia Fan , Ding Guoxian , Duan Yu
Published: May 2023

Background and aim Skeletal muscle (SM) has been shown as a target of thyroid hormones (THs). However, the status and effectiveness of thyroid hormones transporters (THTs) and deiodinases in thyroid hormones signaling system (TH signaling) during aging are uncertain. This study aimed to explore the regulated relationships of TH signaling elements in SM of aging mice.Methods Twenty-four C57BL/6J male mice were divided into 6-, 15- and 24-month (6, 15 and 24M) groups according to different ages. The types and expression of THTs and deiodinases were analyzed by mRNA sequencing and proteomic sequencing. qRT-PCR, Western blotting and fluorescence immunoassay were used to compare the key factors of TH signaling in three groups. The ability of transported THs in THTs was analyzed by [125I] T3 and [125I] T4 uptake rate. The regulatory relationship of TH signaling was analyzed in C2C12 cells.Results We identified eight types of THTs in SM of mice, among which the expression of MCT8, MCT10, LAT2, LAT4 and OATP2B1 increased with age. MCT8, MCT10, LAT2 and OATP2B1 had the ability to take up [125I] T3, while MCT8, MCT10 and OATP2B1 possessed the ability to take up [125I] T4 in C2C12 cells. Expression levels of deiodinase type 2 (DIO2) and type 3 (DIO3) also augmented with aging, and the upregulation of DIO3 was regulated by MCT8 and MCT10. Neither deiodinases nor age-related THTs was regulated by TRα.Conclusions The expression of main types of THTs (MCT8, MCT10, LAT2, LAT4 and OATP2B1) and deiodinases (DIO2, DIO3) significantly increased in SM of aged mice, perhaps due to the compensation of age-related decrease of TRα. The expression of DIO3 was regulated by MCT8 and MCT10.
A service provider's experience providing telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic in a community-based opioid substitution clinic in Bangladesh
Authors: SHAFIQ TANVEER KHAN IBNE , Rahman Md. Ferdous , Shaikh Kamruzzaman , Sarwar Golam , Hemel Muhammad Manwar Morshed , Khan Tasdik Hyet , Chowdhury Sujan , Khan Sharful Islam
Published: May 2023

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic incurred numerous impediments on day-to-day emergency medical services including Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) for People Who Inject Drugs (PWID). To prevent treatment cessation and lost to follow-up, we tried to implement an alternate mitigating intervention like telemedicine.Methodology: This research was conducted on a cohort of OST clients during the COVID-19 pandemic (from 1st April 2020 to 31st March 2021, trial registration number 00928, dated 06.08.2018) in Narayanganj, a port city adjacent to the capital Dhaka and one of the most COVID-affected districts, with a high PWID and HIV burden. The participants were male, female and transgender women who were all ex-PWID and were under OST services. A telehealth intervention model was designed and implemented in the OST clinic at Narayangonj. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected during pre and post-intervention of telehealth services.Results A total of 297 OST clients of Narayangonj were provided with telehealth services from April 2020 to March 2021. The participants were predominantly male (98.7%), 37.7% were between 30–39 years of age. 39.4% of the telephone calls were related to COVID-19-related symptoms followed by 21.7% for opioid withdrawal, 12.5% for COVID-19 & vaccine-related information, 11.3% for chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension and asthma, 9.3% for SSTI, and 5.8% for methadone-related effects. There was an improvement in treatment retention (29–87%), loss to follow-up (20–8%), and overdose-related death (1.3–0%) from pre to post intervention of telehealth services.Conclusion From our experience, we found that the telehealth intervention is beneficial for the OST clients and thus ensures treatment continuity and retention, both of which serve as crucial success indicators of the OST programme. Using simply the mobile phone, this intervention can reduce structural and logistical needs like clinic spaces and fewer human resources, ensuring cost-effectiveness and value for money.
Origin and stability of the charge density wave in ScV6Sn6
Authors: Musfeldt Janice , Gu Yanhong
Published: May 2023

Kagom′e metals are widely recognized as versatile platforms for exploring novel topological properties, unconventional electronic correlations, magnetic frustration, and superconductivity. In the RV6Sn6 family of materials (R = Sc, Y, Lu), ScV6Sn6
hosts an unusual charge density wave ground state as well as structural similarities with the AV3Sb5 system (A = K, Cs, Rb). In this work, we combine Raman scattering spectroscopy with first-principles lattice dynamics calculations to reveal the charge density wave state in ScV6Sn6. In the low temperature phase, we find a five-fold splitting of the V-containing totally symmetric mode near 240 cm-1 suggesting that the density wave acts to mix modes of P6/mmm and R-3m symmetry - an effect that we quantify by projecting phonons of the high symmetry state onto those of the lower symmetry structure. We also test the stability of the density wave state under compression and find that both physical and chemical pressure act to quench the effect. We discuss these findings in terms of symmetry and the structure-property trends that can be unraveled in this system.
in vivo mapping of hemodynamic responses mediated by tubuloglomerular feedback in healthy and hypertensive rat kidneys
Authors: Lee Blaire S , Postnov Dmitry D , Sørensen Charlotte M , Sosnovtseva Olga
Published: May 2023

The kidney has a sophisticated vascular structure that performs the unique function of filtering blood and managing blood pressure. Tubuloglomerular feedback is an intra-nephron negative feedback mechanism stabilizing single-nephron blood flow, glomerular filtration rate, and tubular flow rate, which is exhibited as self-sustained oscillations in single-nephron blood flow. We report the application of multi-scale laser speckle imaging to monitor global blood flow changes across the kidney surface (low zoom) and local changes in individual microvessels (high zoom) in normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats \textit{in vivo}. We reveal significant differences in the parameters of TGF-mediated hemodynamics and patterns of synchronization. Furthermore, systemic infusion of a glucagon-like-peptide-1 receptor agonist, a potential renoprotective agent, induces vasodilation in both groups but only alters the magnitude of the TGF in Sprague Dawleys, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.
Interface-Driven Spontaneous Differentiation-Repulsion Behavior in Isochemical Droplet Populations
Authors: Deshpande Siddharth , Appelman Niels , Chen Chang , Gruppen Ivar
Published: May 2023

An important exercise for understanding the emergent behavior in biology is to study it using minimal synthetic systems. Current biomimetic systems involving directed motion and collective migration require at least three components: two immiscible solvents to form an emulsion, and external agent(s), usually surfactants, to give rise to asymmetric interactions and induce transient non-equilibrium conditions. Here, we present the most minimal system thinkable, consisting of only two components, in the form of micron-sized oil (1-decanol) droplets dispersed in a finite water reservoir. We report spontaneous emergent dynamics within chemically identical droplet populations, in the form of physical differentiation of droplets in a stochastic manner leading to an immediate repulsive behavior amongst their neighbors. Using microfluidic production platform, fluorescence microscopy experiments, and modelling, we show that this cyclic phenomenon of differentiation-repulsion is a result of oil droplets entering the air-water interface leading to Marangoni flows and their coupling with evaporative flux of decanol. We illustrate the potential of this platform by demonstrating control over the event frequency, its use as Marangoni tweezers to trap droplet clusters, and proof-of-principle reorganization of multi-component assemblies. The presented collective behavior with exceptional chemical simplicity makes it amenable for developing self-assembled biomimetic and bioengineered structures.
Rationally Designed Potent and Selective CK1α Degraders Exert Antiproliferative Activity Against a Broad Range of Human Cancer Cell Lines
Authors: Rankovic Zoran , Nishiguchi Gisele , Abdelhamed Sherif , Young Sarah , Caine Elizabeth , Mascibroda Lauren , Kooijman Jeffrey , Das Sourav , Miller Darcie , McGowan Kevin , Mayasundari Anand , Shi Zhe , Barajas Juan , Hiltenbrand Ryan , Aggarwal Anup , Chang Yunchao , Mishra Vibhor , Kalathur Ravi , Peng Junmin , Pruett-Miller Shondra , Daniels Danette , Urh Marjeta , Shelat Anang , Mullighan Charles , Riching Kristin , Zaman Guido , Fischer Marcus , Klco Jeffery , Narina Shilpa , Loughran Allister , High Anthony
Published: May 2023

While the PROTAC approach to targeted protein degradation greatly benefits from rational design, the discovery of molecular glue degraders currently relies on screening strategies. Here, we describe screening of a library containing 3,630 cereblon binders against a panel of 9 patient-derived cancer cell lines. This led to the discovery of SJ7590, a potent degrader of CK1α, IKZF1 and IKZF3 proteins. Through a structure-guided optimization strategy we developed SJ3149, a uniquely potent and selective CK1α degrader. The crystal structure of the CK1α+CRBN+DDB1+SJ3149 quaternary complex provided a rationale for the improved degradation properties via direct contacts between SJ3149 and CK1α. In a panel of 115 human cancer cell lines SJ3149 displayed broad antiproliferative activity. This activity profile, which showed statistically significant correlation with MDM2 inhibitor Nutlin-3a, suggests potential for the development of treatments for hematological cancers, as well as solid tumors.
Renoprotective effect of Chrysanthemum coronarium L. extract on adenine-induced chronic kidney disease in mice
Authors: Kim Yiseul , Lee Ae Sin , Hur Haeng Jeon , Lee Sang Hee , Na Hyun Jin , Sung Mi Jeong
Published: May 2023

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive loss of kidney function associated with inflammation and fibrosis. Chrysanthemum coronarium L. (CC), a leafy vegetable, possesses various beneficial properties, including anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative effects. This study aimed to determine the renoprotective effects of CC on adenine-induced CKD in mice. CKD was induced by feeding mice an adenine diet (0.25% w/w) for 4 weeks. Changes in renal function, histopathology, inflammation, and renal interstitial fibrosis were analyzed. The adenine-fed mice were characterized by increased blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, and histological changes, including inflammation and fibrosis; however, these changes were significantly restored on treatment with CC. Additionally, CC inhibited the expression of inflammatory markers, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, interleukins-6 and − 1β, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and cyclooxygenase 2. Moreover, CC suppressed the expression of the fibrotic markers, type IV collagen, and fibronectin. Furthermore, CC attenuated the expression of profibrotic genes (tumor growth factor-β and α- smooth muscle actin) in adenine-induced renal injury mice. These results suggest that CC has the potential to attenuate adenine-induced renal injury and might offer a new option as a renoprotective agent or functional food supplement for moderate CKD.
African rice (Oryza glaberrima) genomic introgressions impacting upon panicle architecture in Asian rice (O. sativa) lead to the identification of key QTLs
Authors: Adam Hélène , Gutierrez Andrés , Couderc Marie , Sabot François , Ntakirutimana Fabrice , Serret Julien , Orjuela Julie , Tregear James , Jouannic Stefan , Lorieux Mathias
Published: May 2023

Background: Developing high yielding varieties is a major challenge for breeders tackling the challenges of climate change in agriculture. The panicle (inflorescence) architecture of rice is one of the key components of yield potential and displays high inter- and intra-specific variability. The genus Oryza features two different crop species: Asian rice (Oryza sativa L.) and the African rice (O. glaberrima Steud). One of the main morphological differences between the two independently domesticated species is the structure (or complexity) of the panicle, with O. sativa displaying a highly branched panicle, which in turn produces a larger number of grains than that of O. glaberrima. The genetic interactions that govern the diversity of panicle complexity within and between the two species are still poorly understood.
Results: To identify genetic factors linked to panicle architecture diversity in the two species, we used a set of 60 Chromosome Segment Substitution Lines (CSSLs) issued from third generation backcross (BC3DH) and carrying genomic segments from O. glaberrima cv. MG12 in the genetic background of O. sativa Tropical Japonica cv. Caiapó. Phenotypic data were collected for rachis and primary branch length, primary, secondary and tertiary branch number and spikelet number. A total of 15 QTLs were localized on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 7, 11 and 12 and QTLs associated with enhanced secondary and tertiary branch numbers were detected in two CSSLs. Furthermore, BC4F3:5 lines carrying different combinations of substituted segments were produced to decipher the effects of the identified QTL regions on variations in panicle architecture. A detailed analysis of phenotypes versus genotypes was carried out between the two parental genomes within these regions in order to understand how O. glaberrima introgression events may lead to alterations in panicle traits.
Conclusion: Our analysis led to the detection of genomic variations between O. sativa cv. Caiapó and O. glaberrima cv. MG12 in regions associated with enhanced panicle traits in specific CSSLs. These regions contain a number of key genes that regulate panicle development in O. sativa and their interspecific genomic variations may explain the phenotypic effects observed.
Trends in recurrence of primary spontaneous pneumothorax in young population after treatment for first episode based on a nationwide population data
Authors: Yi Eunjue , Park Jun Eun , Chung Jae Ho , Ahn Chi Bum , Chung Eugene , Noh O kyu , Lee Sungho
Published: May 2023

The aim of this study is to identifying post treatment recurrence rates in pneumothorax patients under 35 and without any comorbidities according to the treatment types, gender, and age categories based on nationwide population data. Clinical information of pneumothorax patients was extracted from the Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database between January 2002 and December 2020. Enrolled patients were categorized into two groups; (1) Group I, those who underwent conservative management including pain relief, oxygen therapy, and closed thoracostomy, and (2) Group II, surgical intervention. Recurrence rates were compared according to age, gender, and type of treatment. Surgical intervention was performed in 25.6% patients as first treatment. The overall recurrence rate was 20.3%. Male patients showed a higher 5-year recurrence rate than female (20.8% vs. 10.9%, p < 0.001). Those with conservative management showed lower 5-year recurrence rates than those with surgical treatment (7.9% vs. 23.7%, p < 0.001). The 5-year recurrence rates of patients aged 14≤, and < 20 was higher than other age groups. (29.2% vs. 4.5 and 11.9%, p < 0.001). Surgical intervention, male gender and aged under 20 showed association with higher recurrence rates.
Altered sexual reward processing in patients with lifelong premature ejaculation
Authors: Li Yansong , Wang Zixiang , Chen Xi , Sescousse Guillaume , Santtila Pekka , Dai Yutian , Zhang Bing
Published: May 2023

Given that sexual behavior is usually pleasurable and highly rewarding, it is surprising that there is as yet no known research to empirically assess how premature ejaculation (PE) patients respond to the rewarding aspect of sexual behavior. This study was designed to address this issue by evaluating how these men respond to the anticipation and hedonic experience of sexual rewards in comparison to non-sexual rewards. Thirty lifelong PE patients and thirty healthy controls (HCs) performed the incentive delay task manipulating both erotic and monetary rewards. Compared to HCs, lifelong PE patients exhibited significantly faster RTs to erotic cues than to monetary cues during reward anticipation. Meanwhile, hedonic experience ratings after obtaining the actual reward showed that erotic rewards were rated as more pleasant than monetary rewards only by lifelong PE patients. These findings indicate the existence of dysfunctional reward processing in lifelong PE patients, which is characterized by increased incentive motivation elicited by sexual cues and enhanced hedonic impact of sexual rewards. This study may offer an insightful clue regarding how PE is related to the abnormal regulation of the rewarding aspect of sexual behavior.
Abr, a Rho-regulating protein, modulates osteoclastogenesis by enhancing lamellipodia formation by interacting with poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase
Authors: Farhana Fatima , Sakai Eiko , Koyanagi Yu , Yamaguchi Yu , Alam Mohammad Ibtehaz , Okamoto Kuniaki , Tsukuba Takayuki
Published: May 2023

Background: Osteoclasts are multinucleated bone-resorbing cells formed by the fusion of monocyte/macrophage lineage. During osteoclast differentiation, Rho GTPases are involved in various processes, including cell migration, adhesion, and polarity. However, the role of Rho-regulatory molecules in the regulation of osteoclast differentiation remains unclear. In this study, among these genes, we focused on active breakpoint cluster region-related (Abr) protein that is a multifunctional regulator of Rho GTPases.
Methods and Results: We examined using knockdown and overexpression experiments in RANKL-stimulated RAW-D macrophages whether Abr regulates osteoclast differentiation and cell morphology. We observed an increase in Abr expression during osteoclast differentiation and identified expression of a variant of the Abrgene in osteoclasts. Knockdown of Abrsuppressed osteoclast differentiation and resorption. Abr knockdown markedly inhibited the expression of osteoclast markers, such as Nfatc1, c-fos, Src, and Ctsk in osteoclasts. Conversely, overexpression of Abr enhanced the formation of multinucleated osteoclasts, bone resorption activity, and osteoclast marker gene expression. Moreover, Abr overexpression accelerated lamellipodia formation and induced the formation of well-developed actin in osteoclasts. Importantly, the Abr protein interacted with poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) and Rho GTPases, including RhoA, Rac1/2/3, and Cdc42 in osteoclasts.
Conclusions: Taken together, these results indicate that Abr modulates osteoclastogenesis by enhancing lamellipodia formation via its interaction with PARG.
Peculiar Transient Behaviors of Organic Electrochemical Transistors Governed by Ion Injection Directionality
Authors: Yoon Myung-Han , Kim Ji Hwan , Halaksa Roman , Jo Il-Young , Ahn Hyungju , Finn Peter , Lee Inho , Park Sungjun , Nielsen Christian
Published: May 2023

Despite the growing interest in dynamic behaviors at the frequency domain, there exist very few studies on molecular orientation-dependent transient responses of organic mixed ionic–electronic conductors. In this research, we investigated the effect of ion injection directionality on transient electrochemical transistor behaviors by developing a model mixed conductor system. Two polymers with similar electrical, ionic, and electrochemical characteristics but distinct molecular orientations were successfully synthesized by varying the co-monomer unit (2,2’-bithiophene or phenylene) in conjunction with a novel 1,4-dithienylphenylene-based monomer. The comprehensive electrochemical analysis suggests that the molecular orientation affects the length of the ion-drift pathway, which is directly correlated with ion mobility, resulting in peculiar OECT transient responses. These results provide the general insight into molecular orientation-dependent ion movement characteristics as well as high-performance device design principles with fine-tuned transient responses.
Psychological mechanisms of willingness to participate in high-value markets: an eye-tracking experiment
Authors: Liu Chao , Lei Hongzhen , Lan Juanli , Li Fan , Liu Ye
Published: May 2023

The high-value markets (HVMs) plays an important role in facilitating stable incomes and sustainable livelihoods for farmers. However, the existing analysis mostly focus on the external and environmental characteristics, ignoring the internal resource endowment of the information processing ability of farmers. Based on the cognitive resource, eye movement experiments were implemented to investigate the psychological mechanisms underlying the willingness to participate in HVMs. Empirical results suggested that cognitive load increases individual’s preference for earlier consumption and further weakens willingness to participate in the HVMs. Combined with eye movement recorded by eye-tracking, the possible path that cognitive load indirectly affects time preference by distracting farmers' attention and weakening their self-control ability were excluded. This study provides new ideas for deepening the understanding of HVMs development and enhancing the level of vertical cooperation in production and marketing links.
Y4O2(CN2)3Cl2, its relation to the metal-rich Y2Cl3, and the photoluminescence of Y4O2(CN2)3Cl2:Ce
Authors: Brand Catharina-Darine , Ströbele Markus , Enseling David , Jüstel Thomas , Meyer Hans-Jürgen
Published: May 2023

Y4O2(CN2)3Cl2 and some isotypic rare earth (RE) carbodiimides RE4O2(CN2)3Cl2 (RE = Sm, Gd, Tb) were prepared by solid-state metathesis reaction between RECl3, REOCl and Li2CN2. The crystal structure of Y4O2(CN2)3Cl2 was solved and refined from single-crystal XRD data with the monocline space group C2/m. Homologous compounds with RE = Sm, Gd were assigned isotopically by means of XRD powder diffraction. The structure of Y4O2(CN2)3Cl2 is characterized by one-dimensional cluster chains which are showing a striking resemblance to the trans-edge bridging RE6-octahedra in the structures of Y2Cl3, β-Y2Cl3N, and RE2N(CN2)Cl, despite different numbers of cluster electrons. Crystals of RE4O2(CN2)3Cl2 appear as transparent rods. The presence of (NCN)2− ions is confirmed by infrared spectroscopy. Y4O2(CN2)3Cl2, doped with Ce3+, is a photoluminescent material showing an emission band in the orange region (λem = 550 nm) of the visible spectrum.
gmXtal: Cooking crystals with GROMACS
Authors: Buslaev Pavel , Groenhof Gerrit
Published: May 2023

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are routinely performed of biomolecules in solution, because this is their native environment. However, the structures used in such simulations are often obtained with x-ray crystallography, which provides the atomic coordinates of the biomolecule in a crystal environment. With the advent of free electron lasers, x-ray crystallography can also access the dynamics in crystals. Such experiments provide the possibility to directly verify the validity of an MD simulation. A direct comparison requires that the simulation of the biomolecule is also performed in the crystal environment. However, in contrast to simulations of biomolecules in solution, setting up a crystal is challenging. In particular, because not all solvent molecules are resolved in x-ray crystallography, adding an appropriate number of solvent molecules can be difficult and typically is a trial-and-error based procedure requiring manual interventions. Such interventions preclude high throughput applications. To overcome this bottleneck, we introduce gmXtal, a tool for setting up crystal simulations for MD simulations with GROMACS. With the information from the protein data bank rcsb.org gmXtal automatically (i) builds the unit cell; (ii) sets the protonation of titratable residues; (iii) builds missing residues that were not resolved experimentally; and (iv) adds an appropriate number of solvent molecules to the system. gmXtal is available as a standalone tool https://gitlab.com/pbuslaev/gmxtal.
Machinability of Cu-Al-Mn Shape Memory Alloys
Authors: Hong Huanpeng , Gencturk Bora , Araki Yoshikazu , Saiidi Saiid , Kise Sumio
Published: May 2023

Cu-Al-Mn (CAM) shape memory alloys (SMA) are cost effective, have a high low-cycle fatigue life and superelastic limit, and a wide temperature application range compared to other types of SMAs. These characteristics of CAM SMAs have resulted in an increased research interest in their use in civil engineering applications, particularly as reinforcement in concrete structures, and dampers in steel structures. However, these applications could require machining of the CAM SMA bars for connecting with other structural elements. This study presents the methods and results of the first systematic research on the machinability of CAM SMAs. The key machinability characteristics of CAM SMAs, such as chip formation, cutting temperature, tool wear, workpiece surface roughness and diameter deviation were studied and compared with conventional NiTi SMAs, and commonly used steel: mild steel (MS) and 304 stainless steel (SS). Effects of a wide range of cutting parameters, such as cutting speed ranging from 15 to 120 m/min, feed rate ranging from 0.1 to 0.2 mm/rev, and depth of cut ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 mm, were investigated. The results from this study demonstrated that the tool wear from machining CAM SMAs was close to that of SS and slightly higher than that from machining MS but much lower than of that from machining NiTi SMAs. In all the cases considered here, the tool wear from machining CAM SMAs was found to be 0.6 to 1.8 times that from machining SS, 0.8 to 2.4 times that from machining MS, and 1/7 to 1/21 times that from machining NiTi SMAs. After a continuous machining test with a total cutting length of 4.5 m, the nose wear of machining CAM SMAs was found to be 1.6 times that of machining MS, and the average flank wear of machining CAM SMAs was found to be three times that of machining MS; the diameter deviation (relative diameter difference with the first sample) of CAM SMAs was only 10 mm larger than that of MS.
Endophytic Acrocalymma vagum drives the microbiome variations for rice health
Authors: Zeng Yu-Lan , Lu Xuan-Jun , Wang Meng-Rong , Zhu Jia-Nan , Li Qian-Xi , Zhu Qin-Ping , Wang Ling , Bai Zhen-Feng , Liu Xiao-Hong , Su Zhen-Zhu , Lin Fu-Cheng
Published: May 2023

Background: Endophytic fungi are essential members of the plant microbial community, which play a vital role in promoting plant growth and development, and inducing disease resistance. However, little is known about the ecological mechanisms of endophytic fungi impacting the root microbiota community to improve crop health.
Results: An endophytic fungus Acrocalymma vagum (Code A21) isolated from wild rice enhanced rice yield by 5.73% and induced resistance against rice blast with 83.24% control efficiency in the field. The root microbiota community variations were discovered through 16S and ITS metabarcoding methods. A. vagum simplified the complexity of the rice microbiome community, reducing the proportion of the dominant pathogens Burkholderia and Ralstonia, and driving rice to recruit beneficial bacteria (Aquabacterium, Flavobacterium, and Lactobacillus) and fungi (Rhizophagus, Sarocladium, and Nigrospora). The recruited microbes were enriched in nutrient synthesis and stress resistance, especially biosynthesis of lactate, vitamin B12, and thiazole. We further isolated and identified 279 bacteria and 82 fungi from the A. vagum-fertilized rice roots to confirm the probiotic's functions. Among them, 5 Lactobacillus strains and 2 Nigrospora strains possessed significantly inhibitive activity on rice blast pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae. Additionally, 3 fungal strains in Sarocladium and Nigrospora genera promoted rice growth. Mutualistic mechanisms of A. vagum-rice were uncovered by the LC-MS/MS-based label-free quantitative assay. 13 secretory proteins of A. vagum cooperated to evade the host immune response and stimulate the symbiont resistance, such as alkaline phosphatases (ALP) as specific marker enzymes to symbiosis with the host and glycoside hydrolases (GHs) as effectors to colonize the host. Correspondingly, 206 rice proteins were induced to up-regulate, especially families of peroxidase (OsPRX), copper transporter (OsCOPT), and glutathione S-transferase (OsGSTU) related to growth and stress resistance.
Conclusion: Our study verified that endophytic fungi isolated from wild rice had great practical value on cultivated rice. A. vagum reshaped the microbiota community of cultivated rice by enhancing host traits, as the first report of simplification and optimization effect of endophytic fungi on plant recruiting microbes, which offers novel perspectives on using endophytic fungi to increase agricultural productivity.
Clusterization in planted partition model
Authors: Koshelev Mikhail
Published: May 2023

We obtain tight bounds on the modularity of PPM graphs in the case of equally sized parts. Moreover, we provide a general method that can help in obtaining bounds for various other models. We also discuss the applicability of the eigengap heuristic to PPM graphs.
Fecal microbiota transplantation for Parkinson's patients with constipation: A pilot clinical trial
Authors: Qiu Zhibing , Zhang Huilu , Shen Cong , Liu Jie , Wang Jian , Zhang Jun
Published: May 2023

Background Gut dysbacteriosis is closely related to Parkinson's disease. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been proposed as an effective way to reconstruct gut microbiota. We launched a clinical study to examine the safety and efficacy of FMT for Parkinson’s disease.Methods Five Parkinson's patients with constipation aged 55 to 71 years were enrolled in this prospective open-label study. Patients received FMT on 3 consecutive days through nasojejunal tubes and were followed up for 8 weeks after treatment. The UPDRS-III OFF score was used to evaluate the improvement in neurological symptoms, and the Wexner score was used to evaluate the improvement in constipation. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing of fecal samples to compare the microbial communities before and after FMT. Fecal and serum samples from patients before and after FMT at the indicated times were subjected to metabolomics for metabolites.Results FMT improved constipation and neurological symptoms in Parkinson's patients. Bifidobacterium bifidum, Anaerotruncus colihomini, Acinetobacter sp., Proteobacteria bacterium sp., and uncultured Flavonifractor sp. strains were significantly increased after FMT, while Acinetobacter sp. and other strains decreased. FMT impacts amino acid metabolism and unsaturated fatty acid synthesis in Parkinson's patients. Macrogenomic and metabolomic integrated analysis showed that the changes in metabolites in fecal bacteria-transplanted offspring were highly correlated with specific gut strains.Conclusion This pilot study demonstrated that FMT was safe and may have the potential to improve constipation and neurological symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Genome-wide identification and analysis of the WRKY gene family and low-temperature stress response in Prunus sibirica
Authors: Liu Quangang , Wang Shipeng , Wen Jiaxing , Chen Jianhua , Sun Yongqiang , Dong Shengjun
Published: May 2023

Background: WRKY transcription factors are a prominent gene family in plants, playing a crucial role in various biological processes including development, metabolism, defense, differentiation, and stress response. Although the WRKY gene family has been extensively studied and analysed in numerous plant species, research on Prunus sibirica's WRKYgenes (PsWRKY) remains lacking.
Results: This study analysed the basic physicochemical properties, phylogeny, gene structure, cis-acting elements, and Gene ontology (GO) annotation of PsWRKY gene family members using bioinformatics methods based on the whole-genome data of P. sibirica. In total, 55 WRKYswere identified in P. sibirica and were heterogeneously distributed on eight chromosomes. Based on the phylogenetic analysis, these WRKYs were classified into three major groups: Group I, Group II (II-a, II-b, II-c, II-d, II-e), and Group III. Members of different subfamilies have different cis-acting elements, conserved motifs, and intron-exon structures, indicating functional heterogeneity of the WRKY family. Prediction of subcellular localisation indicated that PsWRKYs were mainly located in the nucleus. Twenty pairs of duplicated genes were identified, and segmental duplication events may play an important role in PsWRKY gene family expansion. Analysis of the Ka/Ks ratio showed that the PsWRKY family's homologous genes were primarily purified by selection. Additionally, GO annotation analysis showed that the WRKY gene family was mainly involved in responses to stimuli, immune system processes, and reproductive processes. Furthermore, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that 23 PsWRKYswere highly expressed in one or more tissues (pistils and roots) and PsWRKYs showed specific expression patterns under different low-temperature stress conditions.
Conclusions: Our results provide a scientific basis for the further exploration and functional validation of WRKYs in P. sibirica.
Molecular detection of Sodalis glossinidius, Spiroplasma and Wolbachia endosymbionts in wild population of tsetse flies collected in Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria
Authors: Mfopit Youssouf Mouliom , Weber Judith Sophie , Chechet Gloria Dada , Ibrahim Mahamat Alhadj Moussa , Signaboubo Djoukzoumka , Achukwi Daniel Mbunkah , Mamman Mohammed , Balogun Emmanuel Oluwadare , Shuaibu Mohammed Nasir , Kabir Junaidu , Kelm Soerge
Published: May 2023

Background Tsetse flies are cyclical vectors of African trypanosomiasis. They have established symbiotic associations with different bacteria, which influence certain aspects of their physiology. The vector competence of tsetse flies for different trypanosome species is highly variable and is suggested to be affected by various factors, amongst which are bacterial endosymbionts. Symbiotic interactions may provide an avenue for the disease control. The current study provided the prevalence of 3 tsetse symbionts in Glossina species from Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria.Results Tsetse flies were collected from five different locations and dissected. DNA was extracted and polymerase chain reaction PCR was used to detect the presence of Sodalis glossinidius, Spiroplasma sp and Wolbachia using specific primers. A total of 848 tsetse samples were analysed: Glossina morsitans submorsitans (47.52%), Glossina palpalis palpalis (37.26%), Glossina fuscipes fuscipes (9.08%) and Glossina tachinoides (6.13%). Only 95 (11.20%) were infected with at least one of the 3 symbionts. Among the infected, 6 (6.31%) were carrying mixed infection (Wolbachia and Spiroplasma). The overall symbiont prevalence was 0.88%, 3.66% and 11.00% respectively, for Sodalis, Spiroplasma and Wolbachia. Prevalence varied between countries and tsetse species. No Spiroplasma was detected in samples from Cameroon and no Sodalis was found in samples from Nigeria.Conclusion The present study revealed for the first time, the presence of infection by Spiroplasma in tsetse in Chad and Nigeria. These findings provide useful information to the repertoire of bacterial flora of tsetse flies and incite to more investigations to understand their implication in the vector competence of tsetse flies.
Clinical Lipid Metabolism Correlates with Urinary Calculus: TyG Index Has a Closer Correlation
Authors: Pan Yongdong , Xu Yan , Zhang Liying , Huang Yunteng , Qian Subo , Xu Guofeng
Published: May 2023

Aims:We aimed to assess the association between lipid metabolism and kidney stones in Chinese adults.
Methods:Data were obtained from the clinical data of our center in the past 3 years. The analysis included complete data on blood lipids and kidney stones in participants aged ≥18 years and non-stone controls. Weighted multivariate regression analysis and subgroup analysis were used to estimate the relationship between various lipid indexes and nephrolithiasis and burden and recurrence.
Results: A total of 414 participants were included in the study, and their gender, age and other basic indicators showed no significant differences. In the adjusted logistic regression analysis results, the prevalence of kidney stones increased with the increase of triglyceride (TG), triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and Apolipoprotein A-I (AIP) [TG:
odds ratio (OR)= 2.14; 95% CI: 1.62-2.81; p < 0.001; TyG: OR=4.30; 95% CI: 2.75-6.72; p < 0.001; AIP: OR=10.12; 95% CI: 4.58-22.35; p < 0.001]. There was still a significant correlation with TyG index in the subgroup analysis of burden (OR=1.52; 95% CI: 1.04-2.22; p < 0.05) and recurrence (OR=2.77; 95% CI: 1.08-7.13; p < 0.05).
Conclusions:Lipid metabolism is closely related to urinary system stones, and a higher TyG index is associated with an increased risk of kidney stone incidence, burden, and recurrence. We hypothesize that timely treatment and management of abnormal lipid metabolism may help improve or alleviate the occurrence, burden, and recurrence of urinary system stones. However, further large-scale prospective studies and basic experiments are still needed to clarify the exact causal relationship of this association.