bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Agri-environment nectar chemistry suppresses parasite social epidemiology in an important pollinator
Authors: Folly Arran J. , Koch Hauke , Farrell Iain W. , Stevenson Philip C. , Brown Mark J.F.
Published: February 2021

Emergent infectious diseases are a principal driver of biodiversity loss globally. The population and range declines of a suite of North American bumblebees, a group of important pollinators, have been linked to emergent infection with the microsporidianNosema bombi. Previous work has shown that phytochemicals in pollen and nectar can negatively impact parasites in individual bumblebees, but how this relates to social epidemiology and by extension whether plants can be effectively used as disease management strategies remains unexplored. Here we show that caffeine, identified in the nectar of Sainfoin, a constituent of agri-environment schemes, significantly reducedN. bombiinfection intensity in individual bumblebees and, for the first time, that such effects impact social epidemiology, with colonies reared from wild caught queens having lower prevalence and intensity of infection. Furthermore, infection prevalence was lower in foraging bumblebees from these colonies, suggesting a likely reduction in population-level transmission. Our results demonstrate that phytochemicals can impact pollinator disease epidemiology and that planting strategies, which increase floral abundance to support biodiversity could be co-opted as disease management strategies.
AhNGE: A Database forArachis hypogaeaNodule Developmental Gene Expression
Authors: Shaheen Tarannum , Tembhare Kunal , Singh Ajeet , Raul Bikash , Ghosh Asim Kumar , Torres-Jerez Ivone , Clevenger Josh , Udvardi Michael , Scheffler Brian E. , Ozias-Akins Peggy , Bandyopadhyay Kaustav , Kumar Shailesh , Sinharoy Senjuti
Published: February 2021

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF) inside root-nodules is a primary and sustainable source of soil nitrogen. Understanding nodule development and metabolism in crop legumes may lead to more effective SNF in agriculture. Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is an economically important allotetraploid legume with non-canonical nodule developmental features. Recent genome sequencing of peanut has opened the possibility of making peanut a model for studying atypical nodule development. To help the community of nodule biologists, we have developed a database called AhNGE (Arachis hypogaeaNodule Developmental Gene Expression:http://nipgr.ac.in/AhNGE/index.php). AhNGE contains RNAseq data from six data points of nodule development inA. hypogagea cv. Tifrunner. This data represents a dynamic view of gene expression during peanut nodule development. Research in model legumes has generated a huge knowledgebase in the last twenty years. To streamline comparative genomics among legumes, we performed ortholog analysis among four legumes (Cicer, Glycine, Lotus, and Medicago) and one non-legume (Arabidopsis). This will facilitate the integration of existing knowledge in nodule development with theArachistranscriptome. The available data can be retrieved using a single or batch query or searching using gene ID, from above mentioned five species. The output displays the gene expression pattern in graphical as well as tabular form, along with further options to download the sequence data. The database is linked with PeanutBase, the main genomic resource of peanut. Additionally, the expression level of different splicing variants can be retrieved from the database. In summary, AhNGE serves as an important resource for the scientific community working on nodule development.
Multiplexed live visualization of cell fate dynamics in hPSCs at single-cell resolution
Authors: Kim Sungmin , Ren Edward , Casanova Paola Marco , Piddini Eugenia , Salas Rafael Carazo
Published: February 2021

Live imaging can provide powerful insights into developmental and cellular processes but availability of multiplexable reporters has been limiting. Here we describe ORACLE, a cell fate reporter class in which fluorescent proteins fused with the nucleoporin POM121 are driven by promoters of transcription factors of interest. ORACLE’s nuclear rim localisation therefore enables multiplexing with conventional nuclear reporters. We applied ORACLE to investigate the dynamics of pluripotency exit at single-cell level, using human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) imaged by multi-day time-lapse high-content microscopy. Using an ORACLE-OCT4 pluripotency marker we reveal that G1 phase length and OCT4 level are strongly coupled and that spatial location in a colony impacts the timing of pluripotency exit. Combining ORACLE-OCT4 and an ORACLE-SOX1 early neuronal differentiation marker, we visualize in real-time the dynamics of cell fate transition between pluripotency and early neural fate, and show that pluripotency exit and differentiation onset are likely not tightly coupled in single-cells. Thus ORACLE is a powerful tool to enable quantitative studies of spatiotemporal cell fate control.
Membrane barrels are taller, fatter, inside-out soluble barrels
Authors: Dhar Rik , Feehan Ryan , Slusky Joanna S.G.
Published: February 2021

Up-and-down β-barrel topology exists in both the membrane and soluble environment. However, β-barrels are virtually the only topology that exist in the outer membrane. By comparing features of these structurally similar proteins, we can determine what features are particular to the environment rather than the fold. Here we compare structures of membrane β-barrels to soluble β-barrels and evaluate their relative size, shape, amino acid composition, hydrophobicity, and periodicity. We find that membrane β-barrels are generally larger than soluble β-barrels in with more strands per barrel and more amino acids per strand, making them wider and taller. We also find that membrane β-barrels are inside-out soluble β-barrels. The inward region of membrane β-barrels have similar hydrophobicity to the outward region of soluble β-barrels, and the outward region of membrane β-barrels has similar hydrophobicity to the inward region of the soluble β-barrels. Moreover, even though both types of β-barrel have been assumed to have strands with amino acids that alternate in direction and hydrophobicity, we find that the membrane β-barrels have more regular alternation than soluble β-barrels. These features give insight into how membrane barrels maintain their fold and function in the membrane.
Production of SARS-CoV-2 virus-like particles in insect cells
Authors: Mi Youjun , Xie Tao , Zhu Bingdong , Tan Jiying , Li Xuefeng , Luo Yanping , Li Fei , Niu HongXia , Han Jiangyuan , Lv Wei , Wang Juan
Published: February 2021

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) causes a serious threat to human health. To production of SARS-COV-2 virus-like particles (VLPs) in insect cells for vaccine development and scientific research. The E, M and S genes were cloned into multiple cloning sites of the new triple expression plasmid with one p10 promoter, two pPH promoters and three multiple cloning sites. The plasmid was transformed into DH10 BacTMEscherichia colicompetent cells to obtain recombinant bacmid. Then the recombinant bacmid was transfected in ExpiSf9™ insect cells to generate recombinant baculovirus. After ExpiSf9™ infected with the recombinant baculovirus, the E, M, and S protein co-expressed in insect cells. Finally, SARS-CoV-2 VLPs were self-assembled in insect cells after infection. The morphology and the size of SARS-CoV-2 VLPs are similar to the native virions.
Hydrogen bonds meet self-attention: all you need for general-purpose protein structure embedding
Authors: Chen Cheng , Zha Yuguo , Zhu Daming , Ning Kang , Cui Xuefeng
Published: February 2021

General-purpose protein structure embedding can be used for many important protein biology tasks, such as protein design, drug design and binding affinity prediction. Recent researches have shown that attention-based encoder layers are more suitable to learn high-level features. Based on this key observation, we treat low-level representation learning and high-level representation learning separately, and propose a two-level general-purpose protein structure embedding neural network, called ContactLib-ATT. On the local embedding level, a simple yet meaningful hydrogen-bond representation is learned. On the global embedding level, attention-based encoder layers are employed for global representation learning. In our experiments, ContactLib-ATT achieves a SCOP superfamily classification accuracy of 82.4% (i.e., 6.7% higher than state-of-the-art method) on the SCOP40 2.07 dataset. Moreover, ContactLib-ATT is demonstrated to successfully simulate a structure-based search engine for remote homologous proteins, and our top-10 candidate list contains at least one remote homolog with a probability of 91.9%. Source codes:https://github.com/xfcui/contactlib.
A Facile and Rapid Route to Self-Digitization of Samples into a High Density Microwell Array for Digital Bioassays
Authors: Cui Xu , Hu Tianbao , Chen Qiang , Zhao Qiang , Wu Yin , Xie Tengbao , Liu Pengyong , Su Xi , Li Gang
Published: February 2021

Digital bioassays are powerful methods to detect rare analytes from complex mixtures and study the temporal processes of individual entities within biological systems. In digital bioassays, a crucial first step is the discretization of samples into a large number of identical independent partitions. Here, we developed a rapid and facile sample partitioning method for versatile digital bioassays. This method is based on a detachable self-digitization (DSD) chip which couples a reversible assembly configuration and a predegassing-based self-pumping mechanism to achieve an easy, fast and large-scale sample partitioning. The DSD chip consists of a channel layer used for loading sample and a microwell layer used for holding the sample partitions. Benefitting from its detachability, the chip avoids a lengthy oil flushing process used to remove the excess sample in loading channels and can compartmentalize a sample into more than 100,000 wells of picoliter volume with densities up to 14,000 wells/cm2in less than 30 s. We also demonstrated the utility of the proposed method by applying it to digital PCR and digital microbial assays.
Abundance data applied to a novel model invertebrate host shed new light on parasite community assembly in nature
Authors: Brian Joshua I. , Aldridge David C.
Published: February 2021

Understanding how environmental drivers influence the assembly of parasite communities, in addition to how parasites may interact at an infracommunity level, are fundamental requirements for the study of parasite ecology. Knowledge of how parasite communities are assembled will help to predict the risk of parasitism for hosts, and model how parasite communities may change under variable conditions. However, studies frequently rely on presence–absence data and examine multiple host species or sites, metrics which may be too coarse to characterise nuanced within‐host patterns.

We utilised a novel host system, the freshwater mussel Anodonta anatina, to investigate the drivers of community structure and explore parasite interactions. In addition, we aimed to highlight consistencies and inconsistencies between PA and abundance data.

Our analysis incorporated 14 parasite taxa and 720 replicate infracommunities. Using Redundancy Analysis, a joint species distribution model and a Markov random field approach, we modelled the impact of both host‐level and environment‐level characteristics on parasite structure, as well as parasite–parasite correlations after accounting for all other factors. This approach was repeated for both the presence and abundance of all parasites.

We demonstrated that the regional species pool, individual host characteristics (mussel length and gravidity) and predicted parasite–parasite interactions are all important but to varying degrees across parasite species, suggesting that applying generalities to parasite community construction is too simplistic. Furthermore, we showed that PA data fail to capture important density‐dependent effects of parasite load for parasites with high abundance, and in general performs poorly for high‐intensity parasites.

Host and parasite traits, as well as broader environmental factors, all contribute to parasite community structure, emphasising that an integrated approach is required to study community assembly. However, care must be taken with the data used to infer patterns, as presence‐absence data may lead to incorrect ecological inference.
The (ontological) politics of fog capture in Lima, Peru
Authors: OJANI CHAKAD
Published: February 2021

Fog oasis conservationists in Lima attend to fog as a material possibility for capturing and enfolding in infrastructures of reforestation. Yet, their efforts become deliberately obstructed by the informal squatters whom conservationists perceive to threaten these ecosystems. Fog capture thus raises questions not only about the relation between infrastructure and environment but also the urban inequalities that must be addressed for such more‐than‐human relations to become differently configured.
Death and salvation of refugee women on European borders: Race, gender and class of bodies and power
Authors: PINELLI BARBARA
Published: February 2021

Black Lives Matter, along with the local movements it has generated around the world, has foregrounded how the differential value of bodies and human lives is deeply rooted in the colour line. However, the movement's claims also push us to consider the analytical legacy of past struggles against racial and gender hierarchies. In this article, I will refer to the intersectional perspective – which black feminism systematized in the 1980s – to analyze certain aspects of the ‘salvation’ policies that target refugee women, showing how Mediterranean border regimes are regulated by ethnic‐racial and gender norms. In particular, the article discusses how the sexuality of the racialized body has been constantly recoded by border regimes in order to establish gradations of inclusion and exclusion for migrants arriving in Italy through the Central Mediterranean route. These dynamics are reinforced by a humanitarian discourse depicting refugee women as subjects to be emancipated by the saving arms of the West.
Timing in Opposition Party Support under Minority Government
Authors: Müller Melanie , König Pascal D.
Published: February 2021

Opposition parties under minority governments find themselves in a fundamental dilemma. They are competing with other parties, including the government, for electoral support while also having a common responsibility to make stable government work. This dilemma is especially pronounced for opposition parties signing support agreements with the government. While not formally in a coalition, they nonetheless publicly commit to supporting a government. They may thus be concerned about losing distinctiveness and have an interest in strategically timing cooperation with the minority government. The present paper tests whether this is the case using data on opposition party voting on committee proposals from 23 years of Swedish minority governments between 1991 and 2018. The findings indicate that support parties are less likely to support the government towards the beginning and end of the election cycle, that is, when public attention is intense – a pattern that is not observable for other opposition parties.
Pattern of homicidal burns in Northern Tunisia: An autopsy‐based study over 15 years (2005–2019)
Authors: Belghith Meyssa , Ben Khelil Mehdi , Harzallah Hana , Kebsi Dhouha , Zhioua Mongi , Hamdoun Moncef
Published: February 2021

Data about homicidal burns remain scarce. Intentional burns are a challenging situation in the case of an individual found dead in a fire zone with no witness of the fatal act. This study aimed to analyze the victim profiles of homicidal burns in Northern Tunisia. It was a descriptive cross‐sectional study with a retrospective data collection over 15 years (January 2005–December 2019). In total, 60 cases of homicidal burns were collected. The mean age was 40.22 ± 18.1 years (range 4–82 years). We noted a male predominance (sex ratio M/F = 1.3). Most of the victims were married (48.3%), unemployed (40%), and living in an urban area (63.3%). Homicidal burns occurred most frequently in private homes for female victims (80.8%) and in public places for male victims (31.4%) (p < 0.001). The reported motive varied according to the victim's sex; males were mostly assaulted by an acquaintance in an interpersonal conflict (47.1%), and females were mostly assaulted by an intimate partner while in a dispute (42.3%; p = 0.001). The median total body surface area (TBSA) that was burned was 60.4%, and burn injuries were observed mainly in the anterior part of the body. In 19 cases, the burns were associated with another type of trauma, from which the most common association was burning and stab wounds (12 cases). The identified pattern of homicidal burn casualties was similar to the reported data in Western countries and to homicides in general in Tunisia, suggesting that prevention measures should address those of intentional interpersonal violence.
Impact of the modifiable areal unit problem in assessing determinants of emergency department demand
Authors: Kok Mei Ruu , Tuson Matthew , Yap Matthew , Turlach Berwin , Boruff Bryan , Vickery Alistair , Whyatt David
Published: February 2021

Objective

To examine the impact of the modifiable areal unit problem (MAUP) in an investigation of factors associated with ED demand in Perth, Western Australia, in 2016. Furthermore, to advocate a means of avoiding this impact.

Methods

ED presentations were classified as: urgent medical, non‐urgent medical, urgent trauma or non‐urgent trauma. In each group, sex‐stratified, age‐adjusted multivariate associations with socio‐economic status and distance to the nearest ED and general practitioner (GP) were estimated. Modelling was undertaken using different sets of spatial units: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Statistical Areas Level 1 (SA1s) and numerous aggregate‐level zonations of SA1s (ABS SA2s and others).

Results

Estimates obtained using the different units often varied widely: for seven (30%) of 24 strata defined by combinations of sex, ED type and covariate, the smallest and largest effect sizes differed in terms of direction; further, for 11 (65%) of the remaining 17 strata, the largest effect size was at least twice as high as the smallest. This demonstrates the MAUP's impact and that analyses based on a single set of spatial units are unreliable. To resolve the observed variation, we highlight the SA1‐level estimates.

Conclusions

When formulating interventions targeting reduced ED utilisation, policy planners should be guided by evidence based on analysis of appropriate spatial units. This ideal is undermined by the widespread lack of acknowledgement of the MAUP in studies examining drivers of ED demand using spatially aggregated data. To avoid the MAUP, only estimates obtained through examining a minimal geographic unit should be relied upon.
Prognostic significance of genetic variants in GLUT1 in stage III non‐small cell lung cancer treated with radiotherapy
Authors: Kang Min Kyu , Lee Shin Yup , Choi Jin Eun , Baek Sun Ah , Do Sook Kyung , Lee Jeong Eun , Park Jongmoo , Yoo Seung Soo , Choi Sunha , Shin Kyung Min , Jeong Ji Yun , Park Jae Yong
Published: February 2021

Background

To examine the impact of polymorphisms of glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) gene on the prognosis of patients with stage III non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received radiotherapy.

Methods

Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs4658C>G, rs1385129G>A, rs3820589A>T, rs3806401A>C and rs3806400C>T) in GLUT1 gene were evaluated in 90 patients with pathologically confirmed stage III NSCLC. A total of 21 patients were treated with radiotherapy alone, 25 with sequential chemoradiotherapy, and 44 with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The association of the genetic variations of five SNPs with overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS) was analyzed.

Results

Two SNPs (rs1385129 and rs3806401) were significant risk factors for OS. Three SNPs (rs1385129, rs3820589 and rs3806401) were in linkage disequilibrium. In Cox proportional hazard models, GAA haplotype was a good prognostic factor for OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.57, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.39–0.81, p = 0.002) and PFS (HR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.47–0.99, p = 0.043), compared to variant haplotypes. The GAA/GAA diplotype was observed in 46.7% of patients; these patients showed significantly better OS (HR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.22–0.65, p < 0.001) and PFS (HR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.31–0.85, p = 0.009) compared to those with other diplotypes.

Conclusions

These results suggest that polymorphisms of GLUT1 gene could be used as a prognostic marker for patients with stage III NSCLC treated with radiotherapy.
Jointly estimating spatial sampling effort and habitat suitability for multiple species from opportunistic presence‐only data
Authors: Botella Christophe , Joly Alexis , Bonnet Pierre , Munoz François , Monestiez Pascal
Published: February 2021

Building reliable species distribution models (SDMs) from presence‐only information requires a good understanding of the spatial variation in the sampling effort. However, in most cases, the sampling effort is unknown, leading to biases in SDMs. This study proposes a method to jointly estimate the parameters of sampling effort and species densities to avoid such biases. The method is particularly suited to the analysis of massive but highly heterogeneous presence‐only data.

The proposed method is based on estimating the variation in sampling effort over units of a spatial mesh in parallel with the environmental density of multiple species using a marked Poisson process model. Based on simulations with realistic settings, we examined the performance and robustness of parameter estimations. We also analysed a large‐scale citizen science dataset with highly heterogeneous sampling (Pl@ntNet), including around 300,000 occurrences of 150 plant species.

We found that sampling effort was correctly estimated when the true sampling effort was constant within the cells of a spatial mesh. Estimation bias arose when sampling effort and environmental drivers strongly covaried within cells. Otherwise, the inference was correct and robust to sampling variation within cells. Running the model on real occurrences of 150 plant species provided an estimated map of relative sampling effort for 15% of French territory. We also found that the density estimated for an exotic invasive plant was consistent with prior data.

This is the first method jointly estimating species densities depending on environment, and sampling effort as an explicit spatial function, from occurrence data of multiple species. An asset of the method is that a few frequently observed species greatly contribute to correctly estimate sampling effort, thereby improving density estimation of all other species. This approach can thus provide reliable SDM for large opportunistic presence‐only datasets, with broad spatial variation in sampling effort but also many species, such as datasets from citizen science programmes.
Two‐year migration characteristics of a novel cementless femoral stem: a radiostereometric analysis and clinical outcomes study
Authors: Coffey Simon P. , Sorial Rami M. , Sharma Rahul , Field John R.
Published: February 2021

Background

Radiostereometric analysis (RSA) is an established high precision tool enabling us to detect early implant migration in total hip arthroplasty. The aim of this study is to present the RSA and clinical results of a new cementless hip stem and to compare those with established benchmarks.

Methods

A total of 45 patients (46 hips) undergoing total hip arthroplasty were available for full radiographic and clinical assessment at 2 years post‐operatively. Mean patient age was 69 (range 43–85) years and mean body mass index was 29 (range 21–38) kg/m2. RSA was undertaken at day 1, 6 weeks, 6 months and 1 and 2 years post‐operatively. Oxford hip score and EQ‐5D‐5L scores were recorded preoperatively and at the same other time points. Results were compared to published data of established implants.

Results

At 2 years, mean subsidence and retroversion were 0.61 mm (standard deviation 0.7 mm, range −0.19 to 3.06 mm) and 0.44° (standard deviation 0.81°, range 0.98 to 3.29°), respectively. Stem migration occurred primarily in the first 6 weeks with no detectable subsidence or rotation at 6 months or 2 years. Mean Oxford hip score and EQ‐5D‐5L improved from 18.6 to 44.7, and 69 to 86, respectively. There was one cup‐only revision and no revisions for stem loosening.

Conclusion

RSA serves as an accurate measure of femoral stem stability early in the post‐operative period. Our data confirm that stability occurs as early as 6 weeks and is sustained at 2 years. The Paragon stem demonstrates stability parameters at 2 years that exceed other established benchmark implants.
Imports or imitations?: Scientific and typological analysis of the bronze artefacts at the Moutuo Archaeological Site, Sichuan, China*
Authors: Li H. , Gong Y. , Cui J. , Cai Y. , Cai Q. , Jiang Z. , Zhou Z. , Fan J.
Published: February 2021

The typological and scientific analysis of bronze artefacts has been widely applied to the issue of local production versus important, which can be further linked to the long‐distance trade exchange and movement of raw materials, technology and people. Bronze artefacts bearing stylistic features of different regional origins have been discovered at the site of Moutuo in Sichuan, south‐west China. This study investigates the metal provenance of these artefacts by using the impurity patterns of the Oxford system. By combining the Pb isotopic data, it is feasible to distinguish the locally produced objects from those importations. This study contributes a detailed case study to the wider question of the movement of metal in south‐west China between the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age.
Accumulation of lipofuscin in broiler chicken with wooden breast
Authors: Hasegawa Yasuhiro , Kawasaki Takeshi , Maeda Naoyuki , Yamada Michi , Takahashi Naoki , Watanabe Takafumi , Iwasaki Tomohito
Published: February 2021

Lipofuscin is one of the indicators of oxidative stress. To elucidate the role of oxidative stress in the development of wooden breast, this study investigates lipofuscin accumulation in various parts of wooden breast muscles. Sampling was performed using 46‐day‐old broiler chickens housed at a commercial Japanese poultry slaughterhouse. Fourteen wooden breast fillets and 13 normal breast fillets were collected in the deboning line. The samples used to measure shear force, 2‐thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), and for histological analysis were taken from the six portions of breast muscle fillets. In muscles affected by wooden breast, vacuolated muscle fibers were observed, and connective tissues appearing like perimysium were expanded with fibrosis. TBARS value and accumulation of lipofuscin were significantly higher in the wooden breast than in the normal breasts. A lot of lipofuscin granules were localized in the cytoplasm of collapsed muscle fibers of the wooden breast. The cranial portion of the wooden breast showed the highest shear force. The cranial position had a large amount of connective tissue and lipofuscin granules. The results of the present study strongly suggest that high oxidative stress, especially with a significant accumulation of lipofuscin, is associated with the development of wooden breasts.
A Similarity Heuristic in Children’s Possibility Judgments
Authors: Goulding Brandon W. , Friedman Ori
Published: February 2021

Children often judge that strange and improbable events are impossible, but the mechanisms behind their reasoning remain unclear. This article (N = 250) provides evidence that young children use a similarity heuristic that compares potential events to similar known events to determine whether events are possible. Experiment 1 shows that 5‐ to 6‐year‐olds who hear about improbable events go on to judge that similar improbable events can happen. Experiment 2 shows that 5‐ to 6‐year‐olds more often affirm that improbable events can happen if told about related improbable events than if told about unrelated ones. Finally, Experiment 3 shows that 5‐ to 6‐year‐olds affirm the possibility of improbable events related to known events, but deny that related impossible events can happen.
Synergies and trade‐offs among integrated conservation approaches in Mexico
Authors: Alatorre Andrea , Depenthal Johanna , Shapiro‐Garza Elizabeth
Published: February 2021

Integrated conservation approaches (ICAs) are employed by governments, communities, and nongovernmental organizations worldwide seeking to achieve outcomes with dual benefits for biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation. Although ICAs are frequently implemented concurrently, interactions among ICAs and the synergies or trade‐offs that result are rarely considered during program design, implementation, and evaluation. In support of more deliberate and effective use of ICAs, we examined interactions among four well‐known strategies: biosphere reserves (BRs), voluntary protected areas (VPAs), payments for ecosystem services (PES), and community forest management (CFM). Through a comparative case study, we analyzed interactions among spatially or temporally clustered ICAs implemented on communally held and managed lands in three ecologically and socioeconomically distinct regions of Mexico. Our research methods combined policy analysis with data gathered through participant observation and semistructured interviews (n = 78) and focus groups (n = 5) with government officials, implementers, and participants involved in ICAs in 28 communities. Despite the significant differences among the regions in which they were implemented, we found that key actors at each level of involvement generally perceived interactions among ICAs as synergistic. The PES programs were perceived to strengthen protected areas by reducing forest cover loss in and around BRs, fostering proconservation attitudes, and incentivizing the establishment of VPAs. Communities that invested PES income in CFM were motivated to conserve forests beyond the duration of PES programs, and CFM in buffer zones was perceived to strengthen BRs by maintaining forest cover and generating income for communities. We also identified key social and environmental factors that can influence these interaction effects among ICAs. Based on these findings, we recommend further study of ICA interactions and intentionally complementary policy design to maximize positive environmental and social outcomes.
Growth differentiation factor 5 in cartilage and osteoarthritis: A possible therapeutic candidate
Authors: Sun Kai , Guo Jiachao , Yao Xudong , Guo Zhou , Guo Fengjing
Published: February 2021

Growth differentiation factor 5 (GDF‐5) is essential for cartilage development and homeostasis. The expression and function of GDF‐5 are highly associated with the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). OA, characterized by progressive degeneration of joint, particularly in cartilage, causes severe social burden. However, there is no effective approach to reverse the progression of this disease. Over the past decades, extensive studies have demonstrated the protective effects of GDF‐5 against cartilage degeneration and defects. Here, we summarize the current literature describing the role of GDF‐5 in development of cartilage and joints, and the association between the GDF‐5 gene polymorphisms and OA susceptibility. We also shed light on the protective effects of GDF‐5 against OA in terms of direct GDF‐5 supplementation and modulation of the GDF‐5‐related signalling. Finally, we discuss the current limitations in the application of GDF‐5 for the clinical treatment of OA. This review provides a comprehensive insight into the role of GDF‐5 in cartilage and emphasizes GDF‐5 as a potential therapeutic candidate in OA.
Reducing TGF‐β1 cooperated with StemRegenin 1 promoted the expansion ex vivo of cord blood CD34+ cells by inhibiting AhR signalling
Authors: Zhu Xuejun , Sun Qihao , Tan Wen‐song , Cai Haibo
Published: February 2021

Objective

As an inhibitor of the AhR signalling pathway, StemRegenin 1 (SR1) not only promotes the expansion of CD34+ cells but also increases CD34− cell numbers. These CD34− cells influenced the ex vivo expansion of CD34+ cells. In this work, the effects of periodically removing CD34− cells combined with SR1 addition on the ex vivo expansion and biological functions of HSCs were investigated.

Materials and methods

CD34− cells were removed periodically with SR1 addition to investigate cell subpopulations, cell expansion, biological functions, expanded cell division mode and supernatant TGF‐β1 contents.

Results

After 10‐day culture, the expansion of CD34+ cells in the CD34− cell removal plus SR1 group was significantly higher than that in the control group and the SR1 group. Moreover, periodically removing CD34− cells with SR1 addition improved the biological function of expanded CD34+ cells and significantly increased the percentage of self‐renewal symmetric division of CD34+ cells. In addition, the concentration of total TGF‐β1 and activated TGF‐β1 in the supernatant was significantly lower than those in the control group and the SR1 group. RT‐qPCR results showed that the periodic removal of CD34− cells with cooperation from SR1 further reduced the expression of AhR‐related genes.

Conclusions

Periodic removal of CD34− cells plus cooperation with SR1 improved the expansion of CD34+ cells, maintained better biological function of expanded CD34+ cells and reduced the TGF‐β1 contents by downregulating AhR signalling.
Assessing mammal species richness and occupancy in a Northeast Asian temperate forest shared by cattle
Authors: Feng Jiawei , Sun Yifei , Li Hailong , Xiao Yuqi , Zhang Dandan , Smith James L. D. , Ge Jianping , Wang Tianming
Published: February 2021

Aim

Asian forests are becoming increasingly degraded and fragmented by the extensive intensification of anthropogenic activities; these activities threaten wildlife and ecosystem sustainability. Facing a defaunation crisis, managers need more information on species assemblages to guide conservation efforts. We tested the relative influence of natural and anthropogenic factors on mammalian species richness and occupancy in temperate forests in Northeast Asia.

Location

Northeast China.

Methods

Camera‐trapping data and multispecies occupancy models were used to estimate the species richness of a terrestrial mammal community in a working landscape and assess community‐, group‐, and species‐specific responses to natural and anthropogenic features while accounting for imperfect detection. Species were grouped based on body size, diet and activity pattern.

Results

We deployed 138 cameras and photographed 21 mammalian species over 22,976 trap days across the China–Russia border. Both natural and anthropogenic correlates varied in their importance in predicting the presence of different animals. Vegetation cover and cattle were found to have significantly positive and negative influences on community‐level mammalian occupancy, respectively. The positive relationship with vegetation cover was most evident for large or diurnal species; the negative relationship with cattle was most evident for diurnal and wild ungulate species. Large species occupancy was also negatively associated with human settlements. The predicted richness across each station varied from 5 to 14 unique species, and species had a mean occupancy probability of 0.45 (95% credible interval = 0.09–0.86). Species richness was generally the lowest in livestock grazing areas and close to human settlements. Human influence is more important than the influences of vegetation and environmental variables.

Main conclusions

Our results highlight that livestock grazing was the primary human disturbance that had a negative impact on species occupancy and richness. Multispecies occupancy models helped to identify drivers of biodiversity declines and will inform conservation strategies in human‐dominated landscapes in Northeast Asian forests. We suggest that landscape conservation planning seeks to maximize forest protection and ecosystem services such as biodiversity and carbon storage.
Dysarthria in children and adults with ataxia telangiectasia
Authors: Veenhuis Stefanie J G , van OS Nienke J H , van Gerven Marjo H J C , van Haaften Leenke , Mulder Elisabeth H , Weemaes Corry M R , Willemsen Michèl A A P
Published: February 2021

Aim

To investigate the characteristics and severity of dysarthria in children and adults with ataxia telangiectasia.

Method

All children and adults with ataxia telangiectasia who visited our multidisciplinary outpatient clinic for ataxia telangiectasia were asked to participate in this study, which took place in March 2019. To evaluate dysarthria, we used the Radboud Dysarthria Assessment in adults (older than 18y) and the paediatric Radboud Dysarthria Assessment in children (5–18y), including the observational tasks ‘conversation’ and ‘reading’, and the speech‐related maximum performance tasks ‘repetition rate’, ‘phonation time’, ‘fundamental frequency range’, and ‘phonation volume’. Speech intelligibility was measured using the Intelligibility in Context Scale.

Results

Twenty‐two individuals (15 children [5–17y], seven adults [19–47y]; 14 males and eight females; mean age 19y, SD 15y 2mo) participated. Dysarthria was present in all participants and characterized by ataxic components in adults and similar uncontrolled movements in children. In most participants, speech was mildly to mildly/severely affected. Almost all participants had an abnormal score for at least one maximum performance task.

Interpretation

Dysarthria in ataxia telangiectasia is characterized by uncontrolled, ataxic, and involuntary movements, resulting in monotonous, unstable, slow, hypernasal, and chanted speech.

What this paper adds

Dysarthria in ataxia telangiectasia is characterized by uncontrolled, ataxic, and involuntary movements.

Dysarthria in ataxia telangiectasia results in monotonous, unstable, slow, hypernasal, and chanted speech.

Dysarthria in ataxia telangiectasia can be assessed using the Radboud Dysarthria Assessment and the paediatric Radboud Dysarthria Assessment.
Neurodevelopmental profiles of children with unilateral cerebral palsy associated with middle cerebral artery and periventricular venous infarctions
Authors: Fehlings Darcy , Krishnan Pradeep , Ragguett Renee‐Marie , deVeber Gabrielle , Gorter Jan Willem , Hunt Carolyn , Kim Marie , Mesterman Ronit , McCormick Anna ,   CP‐NET Group
Published: February 2021

Aim

To compare the neurodevelopment of children with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP) with middle cerebral artery (MCA) and periventricular venous infarctions (PVIs).

Method

In this cross‐sectional study, children with unilateral CP completed a neurological exam, unimanual Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test, hand usage questionnaires, and IQ test. Neuroimaging was obtained from health records.

Results

Two hundred and forty‐five participants with unilateral CP had neuroimaging (151 [61.9%] male, ages 2–18y, median=7y 6mo, interquartile range [IQR]=6y 7mo, with 93.6% in Gross Motor Function Classification System level I/II and 78.8% in Manual Ability Classification System level I/II). Ninety‐seven (39.6%) had MCA injuries and 106 (43.3%) had periventricular white matter injuries, of which 48 (45.3%) were PVIs. Median Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test for the MCA group was 49.2 (IQR=55.8), PVI 79.9 (IQR=23.6) (Mann–Whitney U=988.50, p<0.001). Bimanual hand usage (Children's Hand‐use Experience Questionnaire) (Mann–Whitney U=425, p<0.001) and light touch (odds ratio=9.12, 95% confidence interval 1.28–400.76, Fisher's exact test p=0.017) were lower in the MCA compared to the PVI group. Full‐scale IQ median centile score for the MCA group was 18.0 (IQR=35.5) and 50.0 (IQR=30.0) for the PVI group (Mann–Whitney U=382, p<0.001).

Interpretation

Children with unilateral CP and MCA injuries demonstrated lower hand function and usage, decreased light touch, and lower IQs compared to the PVI group. This study aids in defining rehabilitation needs informed by brain injury patterns.
Tonic GABAergic inhibition, via GABAA receptors containing αβƐ subunits, regulates excitability of ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons
Authors: Tossell Kyoko , Dodhia Rakesh A. , Galet Benjamin , Tkachuk Olga , Ungless Mark A.
Published: February 2021

The activity of midbrain dopamine neurons is strongly regulated by fast synaptic inhibitory γ‐Aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic inputs. There is growing evidence in other brain regions that low concentrations of ambient GABA can persistently activate certain subtypes of GABAA receptor to generate a tonic current. However, evidence for a tonic GABAergic current in midbrain dopamine neurons is limited. To address this, we conducted whole‐cell recordings from ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons in brain slices from mice. We found that application of GABAA receptor antagonists decreased the holding current, indicating the presence of a tonic GABAergic input. Global increases in GABA release, induced by either a nitric oxide donor or inhibition of GABA uptake, further increased this tonic current. Importantly, prolonged inhibition of the firing activity of local GABAergic neurons abolished the tonic current. A combination of pharmacology and immunohistochemistry experiments suggested that, unlike common examples of tonic inhibition, this current may be mediated by a relatively unusual combination of α4βƐ subunits. Lastly, we found that the tonic current reduced excitability in dopamine neurons suggesting a subtractive effect on firing activity.
Effect of soil internal forces on fragment size distributions after aggregate breakdown and their relations to splash erosion
Authors: Liu Jingfang , Xu Chenyang , Hu Feinan , Wang Zilong , Ma Rentian , Zhao Shiwei
Published: February 2021

Soil aggregate breakdown is the key step of splash erosion. Recent studies have shown that it is the soil internal forces that induce aggregate breakdown and subsequent splash erosion. However, little is known about the size characteristics of soil aggregate breakdown and corresponding effects on splash erosion. In this study, Cinnamon soil and Heilu soil were adopted to investigate the effects of soil internal forces on the characteristics of aggregate fragments and splash erosion through wet sieving and rainfall simulation. The results showed the following. (1) With a decrease in electrolyte concentration in soil solution, soil net repulsive force increased; meanwhile, aggregate stability decreased and splash erosion rate increased. Additionally, when the electrolyte concentration was less than 10−2 mol L−1, soil net repulsive force hardly changed, and aggregate stability and splash erosion rate accordingly varied very little. (2) With the increase in the soil net repulsive force, the content of fragments <0.053 mm released from aggregates increased, whereas the content of fragments >0.25 mm decreased, thus suggesting that the aggregates tended to break into fine fractions as soil net repulsive forces increased. (3) Regression analyses showed that soil splash erosion rate decreased linearly with increases in the aggregate stability; moreover, correlation analyses showed that splash erosion rate was significantly and positively correlated with the fragments with a diameter of <0.053 mm, and negatively correlated with the fragments with a diameter of >0.25 mm. This study suggests that soil internal forces induce the aggregate crush and determine the size distribution of fragments available for mobilization by the raindrop impact force. Also, the raindrop impact force is the driving mechanism leading to the movement of fragments. This study provides new insights into the mechanism responsible for splash erosion and could be valuable for controlling soil erosion.

Highlights

Soil aggregates breakdown dynamics and splash erosion were quantitatively investigated.

Soil internal forces determined the size distribution of fragments after aggregates breakdown.

The movement of soil fragments largely depended on raindrop impact force.

Splash erosion was driven by the soil internal forces and raindrop impact force.
Further evidence on calendar anomalies
Authors: Hsu Yuan‐Teng , Koedijk Kees G. , Liu Hung‐Chun , Wang Jying‐Nan
Published: February 2021

This study aims to investigate the day‐of‐the‐week effect of cross‐market leveraged exchange‐traded funds (LETFs) in the Taiwanese stock market. We find that Wednesday's overnight returns are significantly positive for bull 2X LETFs tracking major stock indices of the Chinese market, whereas no such an effect is found for ETFs tracking local or other international stock markets. The “T + 1” trading rule and a lagged Monday effect potentially explain this anomaly. Finally, simulation analysis of various simple trading rules further shows that there exist exploitable profit opportunities in cross‐market bull 2X LETF markets.
Coping With Information Style, Self‐Concealment, Internalized Stigma, and Family Burden Among Parents of Children With Psychiatric Disorders
Authors: Sefi Shir , Shoval Gal , Lubbad Nesrin , Goldzweig Gil , Hasson‐Ohayon Ilanit
Published: February 2021

Parents of children with psychiatric disorders who are hospitalized in a psychiatric unit often experience family burden. Family burden has been found to be affected by many variables related to parents' personal traits and ways of reacting to the disorder. The current study examined the association between information coping styles (monitoring and blunting) and family burden, among parents of children who were hospitalized in a day care unit. The possible role of self‐stigma as a mediator between coping style and family burden and the role of self‐concealment as a moderator between coping style and self‐stigma were examined. A total of 41 parents completed questionnaires assessing their levels of self‐stigma, information coping style, self‐concealment, and family burden. Self‐stigma was found to mediate the positive association between the monitoring coping style and family burden. Moreover, a moderation effect of self‐concealment was found, indicating that monitoring parents suffered from higher levels of self‐stigma particularly if they had a high tendency toward self‐concealment. Taking into account parents’ information, coping style, self‐stigma, and self‐concealment can help professionals tailor family interventions according to parents’ diverse needs. A monitoring coping style may not be beneficial especially when combined with concealment, suggesting the need to promote other coping styles.