bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Green bonds & novel financial instruments
Authors: Davis Andrew , Nambiar Anjana , Probst Benedict , Torricelli Costanza , Roy Devika Rose , Agostini Federica , Sannapureddy Mia , Quigley Ellen , Volz Ulrich
Published: June 2021

Green bonds are fixed income financial instruments aimed at supporting investments that encourage sustainability while supporting climate-related or other types of special environmental projects. This session will bring together research investigating green bonds, including issues of regulation and pricing, alongside other novel financial instruments.
Live talk/Debate: Nature-based solutions to address societal challenges
Authors: Seddon Nathalie , Murage Peninah , Buizza Roberto , Henderson Gideon
Published: June 2021

This session will explore the concept of Nature-based Solutions (NbS), and why it is so important to provide clear definitions and guidance for implementing NbS activities at scale that are designed, implemented and adaptively managed with the stewardship of local communities to provide measurable benefits for biodiversity, people and climate.
Opening (Policy): Global perspectives on a responsible green recovery
Authors: Parsons Dan , Skidmore MP Chris , Smith Louise , Loveland Ron , Burrow Sharan , Kemp Simon
Published: June 2021

This panel will open the day's theme with a discussion on global perspectives of a responsible green recovery - environmmental, fiscal and regulatory reforms to build back greener and better following the COVID-19 pandemic. Chaired by Professor Daniel Parsons, the panel will discuss how a succesful green recovery should address aspects of social justice, protection of nature and climate change, as well as the roles of government, trade, industries and academia.
Carbon Dioxide Utilisation: Policy Insights from the Cutting Edge
Authors: Armstrong Katy , Ramirez Andrea , Hills Colin , Styring Peter , Leitner Walter
Published: June 2021

The Royal Society of Chemistry recently held a 3-day symposium on Carbon Dioxide Utilisation (CDU) drawing together international speakers at the forefront of research on this climate mitigation field. CDU is a set of technologies with the potential to connect with many sectors of the economy and, unlike carbon capture and storage, has global relevance in not being reliant on favourable geography and existing hydrocarbon infrastructure. This panel event will summarise and discuss the findings, drawing out the headline conclusions relevant to a policy and multidisciplinary scientific audience. Speakers will present brief summaries rather than extensive presentations to enable time for discussion and questions. The RSC is the UK’s professional body for chemists, a not for profit publisher and trusted voice of the chemical sciences. For further information about the RSC’s forthcoming events and activities please see our website or social media.
You're surrounded! Regionally led, globally relevant, nature-based solutions of water
Authors: Clements Chris , Durance Isabelle , Dyke James , Wenk Jannis , Wimberger Emily
Published: June 2021

The GW4 Alliance brings together the universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter. We are the only research alliance collaborating across England and Wales, benefiting from the context of devolved administration perspectives and giving us a unique position in applying world-leading water research to policy implementation across different industry, governance and healthcare systems. Our GW4 Chair will host a 75-minute panel on research which makes use of the geographical resource our Alliance has in abundance: water. With three brief, engaging, presentations from each panelist, the session will continue to consider how regionally based research can drive international progress. The panel will reflect on their direct experience, inviting audience questions throughout.
Building resilience into the future: Adaptation and Resilience
Authors: Healy Adrian , Haney Aoife Brophy , Vanderwel Christina , McQuaid Katie , Francis Samantha , Siddique Beenish
Published: June 2021

The UK’s ability to prepare and adapt for a secure, safe and sustainable future can only come about through interdisciplinary research into key challenges around adaption and resilience. This panel session will discuss the opportunities and challenges, with a focus on promoting the future research talents in this space.
Autoimmunity as an Etiological Factor of Cancer: The Transformative Potential of Chronic Type 2 Inflammation
Authors: Li Chris M. , Chen Zhibin
Published: June 2021

Recent epidemiological studies have found an alarming trend of increased cancer incidence in adults younger than 50 years of age and projected a substantial rise in cancer incidence over the next 10 years in this age group. This trend was exemplified in the incidence of non-cardia gastric cancer and its disproportionate impact on non-Hispanic white females under the age of 50. The trend is concurrent with the increasing incidence of autoimmune diseases in industrialized countries, suggesting a causal link between the two. While autoimmunity has been suspected to be a risk factor for some cancers, the exact mechanisms underlying the connection between autoimmunity and cancer remain unclear and are often controversial. The link has been attributed to several mediators such as immune suppression, infection, diet, environment, or, perhaps most plausibly, chronic inflammation because of its well-recognized role in tumorigenesis. In that regard, autoimmune conditions are common causes of chronic inflammation and may trigger repetitive cycles of antigen-specific cell damage, tissue regeneration, and wound healing. Illustrating the connection between autoimmune diseases and cancer are patients who have an increased risk of cancer development associated with genetically predisposed insufficiency of cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4), a prototypical immune checkpoint against autoimmunity and one of the main targets of cancer immune therapy. The tumorigenic process triggered by CTLA4 insufficiency has been shown in a mouse model to be dependent on the type 2 cytokines interleukin-4 (IL4) and interleukin-13 (IL13). In this type 2 inflammatory milieu, crosstalk with type 2 immune cells may initiate epigenetic reprogramming of epithelial cells, leading to a metaplastic differentiation and eventually malignant transformation even in the absence of classical oncogenic mutations. Those findings complement a large body of evidence for type 1, type 3, or other inflammatory mediators in inflammatory tumorigenesis. This review addresses the potential of autoimmunity as a causal factor for tumorigenesis, the underlying inflammatory mechanisms that may vary depending on host-environment variations, and implications to cancer prevention and immunotherapy.
Crowdsourcing Ecologically-Valid Dialogue Data for German
Authors: Frommherz Yannick , Zarcone Alessandra
Published: June 2021

Despite their increasing success, user interactions with smart speech assistants (SAs) are still very limited compared to human-human dialogue. One way to make SA interactions more natural is to train the underlying natural language processing modules on data which reflects how humans would talk to a SA if it was capable of understanding and producing natural dialogue given a specific task. Such data can be collected applying a Wizard-of-Oz approach (WOz), where user and system side are played by humans. WOz allows researchers to simulate human-machine interaction while benefitting from the fact that all participants are human and thus dialogue-competent. More recent approaches have leveraged simple templates specifying a dialogue scenario for crowdsourcing large-scale datasets. Template-based collection efforts, however, come at the cost of data diversity and naturalness. We present a method to crowdsource dialogue data for the SA domain in the WOz framework, which aims at limiting researcher-induced bias in the data while still allowing for a low-resource, scalable data collection. Our method can also be applied to languages other than English (in our case German), for which fewer crowd-workers may be available. We collected data asynchronously, relying only on existing functionalities of Amazon Mechanical Turk, by formulating the task as a dialogue continuation task. Coherence in dialogues is ensured, as crowd-workers always read the dialogue history, and as a unifying scenario is provided for each dialogue. In order to limit bias in the data, rather than using template-based scenarios, we handcrafted situated scenarios which aimed at not pre-script-ing the task into every single detail and not priming the participants’ lexical choices. Our scenarios cued people’s knowledge of common situations and entities relevant for our task, without directly mentioning them, but relying on vague language and circumlocutions. We compare our data (which we publish as the CROWDSS corpus; n = 113 dialogues) with data from MultiWOZ, showing that our scenario approach led to considerably less scripting and priming and thus more ecologically-valid dialogue data. This suggests that small investments in the collection setup can go a long way in improving data quality, even in a low-resource setup.
Developing Enhanced TSO-DSO Information and Data Exchange Based on a Novel Use Case Methodology
Authors: Radi Mohammed , Taylor Gareth , Cantenot Jérôme , Lambert Eric , Suljanovic Nermin
Published: June 2021

The growing penetration of renewable energy sources (RES) in the electrical power sector has increased the amount of distributed generation (DG) units connected at the distribution system level. In this context, new balancing challenges have arisen, creating the need for a novel use case methodology to enable an active role at the distribution system level such that transmission system operators (TSOs) can coordinate with distribution system operators (DSOs) with regard to connected resources for balancing purposes. In this study, the exploitation of the DSO-connected resources for balancing purposes in a market environment is proposed and evaluated via a novel business use case (BUC) methodology based on the categorization of IEC 62913-1. More specifically, in order to address different balancing market situations, two scenarios are considered with regard to the BUC. The first one represents the data exchange between the TSO, the DSO, and the balancing service provider (BSP). The second one represents an alternative scenario where data are exchanged directly between the TSO and the DSO, where the DSO also takes on the role of the BSP. The proposed BUC was also developed in order to validate the required data modeling and exchange mechanisms between DSOs and TSOs in order to exploit DSO-connected resources for overall system balancing purposes across different time scales.
Effects of Rock Fragments on the Soil Physicochemical Properties and Vegetation on the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Zheng Ying , Chen Ning , Zhang Cankun , Dong Xiaoxue , Zhao Changming
Published: June 2021

Stony soils are very widely distributed and contain abundant rock fragments (>2 mm), which impose major effects on soil properties and plant growth. However, the role of rock fragments is still often neglected, which can lead to an inadequate understanding of the interaction between plants and soil. Undisturbed soil columns were collected from three alpine grasslands on the Qilian Mountain, and the X-ray computed tomography method was applied to investigate the characteristics of rock fragments. The results showed there was significant difference in number density, volumetric content and surface area density of rock fragment among the three grasslands, and followed the order of alpine meadow > alpine steppe > alpine desert steppe. In addition, the soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, available phosphorus, N-NH4+, and N-NO3− contents in fine earth all increased with increasing number density, volumetric content and surface area density but to different degrees. Furthermore, positive correlations were observed between the rock shape factor and belowground biomass (R2 = 0.531, p < 0.05), between the rock volumetric content and aboveground biomass (R2 = 0.527, p < 0.05), and between number density and Simpson’s index (R2 = 0.875, p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that within a certain range, the increase in rock fragment content is conducive to soil nutrient accumulation and soil water storage and circulation and changes plant features, which contributes to the growth of plants. In addition, rock fragments should be given more consideration when investigating the relationships between soil and vegetation and their response to climate change in future studies.
Deciphering Network Crosstalk: The Current Status and Potential of miRNA Regulatory Networks on the HSP40 Molecular Chaperone Network
Authors: Budrass Lion , Fahlman Richard P. , Mok Sue-Ann
Published: June 2021

Molecular chaperone networks fulfill complex roles in protein homeostasis and are essential for maintaining cell health. Hsp40s (commonly referred to as J-proteins) have critical roles in development and are associated with a variety of human diseases, yet little is known regarding the J-proteins with respect to the post-transcriptional mechanisms that regulate their expression. With relatively small alterations in their abundance and stoichiometry altering their activity, post-transcriptional regulation potentially has significant impact on the functions of J-proteins. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a large group of non-coding RNAs that form a complex regulatory network impacting gene expression. Here we review and investigate the current knowledge and potential intersection of miRNA regulatory networks with the J-Protein chaperone network. Analysis of datasets from the current version of TargetScan revealed a great number of predicted microRNAs targeting J-proteins compared to the limited reports of interactions to date. There are likely unstudied regulatory interactions that influence chaperone biology contained within our analysis. We go on to present some criteria for prioritizing candidate interactions including potential cooperative targeting of J-Proteins by multiple miRNAs. In summary, we offer a view on the scope of regulation of J-Proteins through miRNAs with the aim of guiding future investigations by identifying key regulatory nodes within these two complex cellular networks.
Diatom Dominance Enhances Resistance of Phytoplanktonic POM to Mesopelagic Microbial Decomposition
Authors: Cabrera-Brufau Miguel , Arin Laura , Sala Maria Montserrat , Cermeño Pedro , Marrasé Cèlia
Published: June 2021

Particulate organic matter (POM) lability is one of the key factors determining the residence time of organic carbon (OC) in the marine system. Phytoplankton community composition can influence the rate at which heterotrophic microorganisms decompose phytoplankton detrital particles and thus, it controls the fraction of OC that reaches the ocean depths, where it can be sequestered for climate-relevant spans of time. Here, we compared the degradation dynamics of POM from phytoplankton assemblages of contrasting diatom dominance in the presence of mesopelagic prokaryotic communities during a 19-day degradation experiment. We found that diatom-derived POM exhibited an exponential decay rate approximately three times lower than that derived from a community dominated by flagellated phytoplankton (mainly coccolithophores and nanoflagellates). Additionally, dissolved organic matter (DOM) released during the degradation of diatom particles accumulated over the experiment, whereas only residual increases in DOM were detected during the degradation of non-diatom materials. These results suggest that diatom-dominance enhances the efficiencies of the biological carbon pump and microbial carbon pump through the relatively reduced labilities of diatom particles and of the dissolved materials that arise from their microbial processing.
In vivo Emergence of Colistin Resistance in Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Mediated by Premature Termination of the mgrB Gene Regulator
Authors: Kong Yingying , Li Chao , Chen Hangfei , Zheng Wei , Sun Qingyang , Xie Xinyou , Zhang Jun , Ruan Zhi
Published: June 2021

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae is a severe threat to public health worldwide. Worryingly, colistin resistance, one of the last-line antibiotics for the treatment of MDR K. pneumoniae infection, has been increasingly reported. This study aims to investigate the emergence of evolved colistin resistance in a carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae isolate during colistin treatment. In this study, a pair of sequential carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates were recovered from the same patient before and after colistin treatment, named KP1-1 and KP1-2, respectively. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed by the microdilution broth method. Whole genome sequencing was performed, and putative gene variations were analyzed in comparison of the genome sequence of both isolates. The bacterial whole genome sequence typing and source tracking analysis were performed by BacWGSTdb 2.0 server. Validation of the role of these variations in colistin resistance was examined by complementation experiments. The association between colistin resistance and the expression level of PhoP/PhoQ signaling system and its regulated genes was evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) assay. Our study indicated that KP1-1 displayed extensively antibiotic resistant trait, but only susceptible to colistin. KP1-2 showed additional resistance to colistin. Both isolates belonged to Sequence Type 11 (ST11). The whole genome sequence analysis uncovered multiple resistance genes and virulence genes in both isolates. No plasmid-mediated mcr genes were found, but genetic variations in five chromosomal genes, especially the Gln30∗ alteration in MgrB, were detected in colistin-resistant isolate KP1-2. Moreover, only complementation with wild-type mgrB gene restored colistin susceptibility, with colistin MIC decreased from 32 to 1 mg/L. Expression assays revealed an overexpression of the phoP, phoQ, and pmrD genes in the mgrB-mutated isolate KP1-2 compared to the wild-type isolate KP1-1, confirming the MgrB alterations was responsible for increased expression levels of those genes. This study provides direct in vivo evidence that Gln30∗ alteration of MgrB is a critical region responsible for colistin resistance in K. pneumoniae clinical strains.
Connecting Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration in Multiple Sclerosis: Are Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells a Nexus of Disease?
Authors: Psenicka Morgan W. , Smith Brandon C. , Tinkey Rachel A. , Williams Jessica L.
Published: June 2021

The pathology in neurodegenerative diseases is often accompanied by inflammation. It is well-known that many cells within the central nervous system (CNS) also contribute to ongoing neuroinflammation, which can promote neurodegeneration. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is both an inflammatory and neurodegenerative disease in which there is a complex interplay between resident CNS cells to mediate myelin and axonal damage, and this communication network can vary depending on the subtype and chronicity of disease. Oligodendrocytes, the myelinating cell of the CNS, and their precursors, oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), are often thought of as the targets of autoimmune pathology during MS and in several animal models of MS; however, there is emerging evidence that OPCs actively contribute to inflammation that directly and indirectly contributes to neurodegeneration. Here we discuss several contributors to MS disease progression starting with lesion pathology and murine models amenable to studying particular aspects of disease. We then review how OPCs themselves can play an active role in promoting neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, and how other resident CNS cells including microglia, astrocytes, and neurons can impact OPC function. Further, we outline the very complex and pleiotropic role(s) of several inflammatory cytokines and other secreted factors classically described as solely deleterious during MS and its animal models, but in fact, have many neuroprotective functions and promote a return to homeostasis, in part via modulation of OPC function. Finally, since MS affects patients from the onset of disease throughout their lifespan, we discuss the impact of aging on OPC function and CNS recovery. It is becoming clear that OPCs are not simply a bystander during MS progression and uncovering the active roles they play during different stages of disease will help uncover potential new avenues for therapeutic intervention.
Accurate Prediction of Children's ADHD Severity Using Family Burden Information: A Neural Lasso Approach
Authors: Laria Juan C. , Delgado-Gómez David , Peñuelas-Calvo Inmaculada , Baca-García Enrique , Lillo Rosa E.
Published: June 2021

The deep lasso algorithm (dlasso) is introduced as a neural version of the statistical linear lasso algorithm that holds benefits from both methodologies: feature selection and automatic optimization of the parameters (including the regularization parameter). This last property makes dlasso particularly attractive for feature selection on small samples. In the two first conducted experiments, it was observed that dlasso is capable of obtaining better performance than its non-neuronal version (traditional lasso), in terms of predictive error and correct variable selection. Once that dlasso performance has been assessed, it is used to determine whether it is possible to predict the severity of symptoms in children with ADHD from four scales that measure family burden, family functioning, parental satisfaction, and parental mental health. Results show that dlasso is able to predict parents' assessment of the severity of their children's inattention from only seven items from the previous scales. These items are related to parents' satisfaction and degree of parental burden.
Convolutional Neural Net Learning Can Achieve Production-Level Brain Segmentation in Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Fletcher Evan , DeCarli Charles , Fan Audrey P. , Knaack Alexander
Published: June 2021

Deep learning implementations using convolutional neural nets have recently demonstrated promise in many areas of medical imaging. In this article we lay out the methods by which we have achieved consistently high quality, high throughput computation of intra-cranial segmentation from whole head magnetic resonance images, an essential but typically time-consuming bottleneck for brain image analysis. We refer to this output as “production-level” because it is suitable for routine use in processing pipelines. Training and testing with an extremely large archive of structural images, our segmentation algorithm performs uniformly well over a wide variety of separate national imaging cohorts, giving Dice metric scores exceeding those of other recent deep learning brain extractions. We describe the components involved to achieve this performance, including size, variety and quality of ground truth, and appropriate neural net architecture. We demonstrate the crucial role of appropriately large and varied datasets, suggesting a less prominent role for algorithm development beyond a threshold of capability.
Convergence Circuit Mapping: Genetic Approaches From Structure to Function
Authors: Yook Jang Soo , Kim Jihyun , Kim Jinhyun
Published: June 2021

Understanding the complex neural circuits that underpin brain function and behavior has been a long-standing goal of neuroscience. Yet this is no small feat considering the interconnectedness of neurons and other cell types, both within and across brain regions. In this review, we describe recent advances in mouse molecular genetic engineering that can be used to integrate information on brain activity and structure at regional, cellular, and subcellular levels. The convergence of structural inputs can be mapped throughout the brain in a cell type-specific manner by antero- and retrograde viral systems expressing various fluorescent proteins and genetic switches. Furthermore, neural activity can be manipulated using opto- and chemo-genetic tools to interrogate the functional significance of this input convergence. Monitoring neuronal activity is obtained with precise spatiotemporal resolution using genetically encoded sensors for calcium changes and specific neurotransmitters. Combining these genetically engineered mapping tools is a compelling approach for unraveling the structural and functional brain architecture of complex behaviors and malfunctioned states of neurological disorders.
Definitive Simultaneous Integrated Boost Versus Conventional-Fractionated Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy for Patients With Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis
Authors: Li Chen , Tan Lijun , Liu Xiao , Wang Xin , Zhou Zongmei , Chen Dongfu , Feng Qinfu , Liang Jun , Lv Jima , Wang Xiaozhen , Bi Nan , Deng Lei , Wang Wenqing , Zhang Tao , Ni Wenjie , Chang Xiao , Han Weiming , Xiao Zefen
Published: June 2021

Background

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of simultaneous integrated boost–intensity modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) and conventional fractionated-IMRT (CF-IMRT) for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Methods

The data of 1173 patients treated with either CF-IMRT or SIB-IMRT for a curative intent from 2005 to 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to create a well-balanced cohort of 687 patients at 1:2 ratio (237 patients in SIB-IMRT group and 450 patients in CF-IMRT group). Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), recurrence pattern, and toxicity profiles were evaluated and compared between the two groups after PSM.

Results

After a median follow-up time of 42.3 months (range, 3.0-153.2 months) for surviving patients, survival results were comparable in the two groups. After PSM, the 1-year, 2-year and 4-year OS rates in the SIB-IMRT and CF-IMRT groups were 70.0% vs. 66.4%, 41.9% vs. 41.7% and 30.2% vs. 27.6%, respectively (p = 0.87). The 1-year, 2-year and 4-year PFS rates were 48.4% vs. 49.1%, 31.2% vs. 29.4%, and 26.1% vs. 17.9%, respectively (p = 0.64). Locoregional recurrence (p = 0.32) and distant metastasis (p = 0.54) rates were also comparable between two groups. The toxicity profile was similar in the two groups. Multivariate analyses in the matched samples showed that female, concurrent chemotherapy and earlier clinical stage were independently associated with longer OS and PFS.

Conclusions

SIB-IMRT appears to be equivalent to CF-IMRT in treatment efficacy and safety, and could become an alternative option for definitive radiotherapy of ESCC.
Predicting Motion Patterns Using Optimal Paths
Authors: Fromreide Mads , Hansen Alex
Published: June 2021

The ability to navigate safely and efficiently through a given landscape is relevant for any intelligent moving object. Examples range from robotic science and traffic analysis, to the behavior within an ecosystem. Many objects tend to move in patterns depending on their nature. By establishing models of patterns of motion one may estimate the future motion within an area. We propose here a method for detecting regular patterns of motion by modeling the environment as an energy landscape, and locating optimal paths through it. As an example, we use maritime position Automatic Identification System (AIS) data as input to work out optimal routes between different start and end points when these are not located along the standard shipping lanes. These initial tests show that the method has potential for analyzing and determining regular patterns of motion.
Pinning Effects of Exchange and Magnetocrystalline Anisotropies on Skyrmion Lattice
Authors: Wan Xuejin , Hu Yangfan , Hou Zhipeng , Wang Biao
Published: June 2021

Reorientation of skyrmion crystal (SkX) with respect to crystallographic axes is believed to be insensitive to anisotropies of fourth order in spin-orbit coupling, for which sixth order terms are considered for explanation. Here, we show that this is wrong due to an oversimplified assumption that SkX possesses hexagonal symmetry. When the deformation of SkX is taken into account, fourth order anisotropies such as exchange anisotropy and magnetocrystalline anisotropy have pinning (in this work, the word ‘pinning’ refers to the reorientation effects of intrinsic anisotropy terms) effects on SkX. In particular, we reproduce some experiments of MnSi and Fe1−xCoxSi by considering the effect of fourth order magnetocrystalline anisotropy alone. We reproduce the 30∘ rotation of SkX in Cu2OSeO3 by considering the combined effects of the exchange and magnetocrystalline anisotropies. And we use the exchange anisotropy to explain the reorientation of SkX in VOSe2O5.
Use of Phenomics for Differentiation of Mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek) Genotypes Varying in Growth Rates Per Unit of Water
Authors: Rane Jagadish , Raina Susheel Kumar , Govindasamy Venkadasamy , Bindumadhava Hanumantharao , Hanjagi Prashantkumar , Giri Rajkumar , Jangid Krishna Kumar , Kumar Mahesh , Nair Ramakrishnan M.
Published: June 2021

In the human diet, particularly for most of the vegetarian population, mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek) is an inexpensive and environmentally friendly source of protein. Being a short-duration crop, mungbean fits well into different cropping systems dominated by staple food crops such as rice and wheat. Hence, knowing the growth and production pattern of this important legume under various soil moisture conditions gains paramount significance. Toward that end, 24 elite mungbean genotypes were grown with and without water stress for 25 days in a controlled environment. Top view and side view (two) images of all genotypes captured by a high-resolution camera installed in the high-throughput phenomics were analyzed to extract the pertinent parameters associated with plant features. We tested eight different multivariate models employing machine learning algorithms to predict fresh biomass from different features extracted from the images of diverse genotypes in the presence and absence of soil moisture stress. Based on the mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), and R squared (R2) values, which are used to assess the precision of a model, the partial least square (PLS) method among the eight models was selected for the prediction of biomass. The predicted biomass was used to compute the plant growth rates and water-use indices, which were found to be highly promising surrogate traits as they could differentiate the response of genotypes to soil moisture stress more effectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is perhaps the first report stating the use of a phenomics method as a promising tool for assessing growth rates and also the productive use of water in mungbean crop.
A pH-ciklizálás jelentősége az amelogenesisben
Authors: Rácz Róbert , Steward Martin C. , Denbesten Pamela , Varga Gábor , Kerémi Beáta
Published: June 2021

A zománcérés folyamatai hisztomorfológiai szinten jól ismertek, de a kristályképződés szabályozása, a háttérben állómolekuláris mechanizmusok még jórészt ismeretlenek. A szájüregi hámból származó ameloblast sejtek irányítják a zománcérést. A mátrixfehérjék szekrécióján és a zománcalkotó ásványi anyagok transzportján kívül a pH-szabályozásnak központi jelentősége van a zománcérésben, ugyanis a kristályképződés nagy mennyiségű H+ felszabadulásával jár, amely semlegesítéséhez HCO3− szekréciója szükséges. Az érési fázis alatt kiemelt fontosságú a pH-ciklizálás jelensége, melynek során a szoros sejtkapcsolatok átrendeződése is megfigyelhető. A transzport- és szabályozó folyamatok genetikai vagy környezeti sérülése (pl. dentális fluorózis) a zománc hipomineralizációjához vezet. Ezen folyamatok felderítése céljából létrehoztunk egy funkcionális in vitro modellt. Ennek központi eleme, hogy permeábilis membránra ültetett, differenciáltatott ameloblast eredetű sejtek az ameloblastokra jellemző fehérjemarkereket expresszálják, szoros kapcsolatokat alakítanak ki, funkcionális szempontból polarizáltak, és vektoriális HCO3− szekrécióra képesek. Saját kísérletes munkánk eredményei hozzájárulnak az ameloblast sejtek pH-ciklizálást elősegítő molekuláris mechanizmusának megértéséhez.
Utilizing TVDI and NDWI to Classify Severity of Agricultural Drought in Chuping, Malaysia
Authors: Shashikant Veena , Mohamed Shariff Abdul Rashid , Wayayok Aimrun , Kamal Md Rowshon , Lee Yang Ping , Takeuchi Wataru
Published: June 2021

Agricultural drought is crucial in understanding the relationship to crop production functions which can be monitored using satellite remote sensors. The aim of this research is to combine temperature vegetation dryness index (TVDI) and normalized difference water index (NDWI) classifications for identifying drought areas in Chuping, Malaysia which has regularly recorded high temperatures. TVDI and NDWI are assessed using three images of the dry spell period in March for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017. NDWI value representing water content in vegetation decreases numerically to −0.39, −0.37 and −0.36 for the year 2015, 2016 and 2017. Normalized difference vegetation indices (NDVI) values representing vegetation health status in the given area for images of years 2015 to 2017 decreases significantly (p ≤ 0.05) from 0.50 to 0.35 respectively. Overall, TVDI in the Chuping area showed agricultural drought with an average value of 0.46. However, Kilang Gula Chuping area in Chuping showed a significant increase in dryness for all of the three years assessed with an average value of 0.70. When both TVDI and NDWI were assessed, significant clustering of spots in Chuping, Perlis for all the 3 years was identified where geographical local regressions of 0.84, 0.70 and 0.70 for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017 was determined. Furthermore, Moran’s I values revealed that the research area had a high I value of 0.63, 0.30 and 0.23 with respective Z scores of 17.80, 8.63 and 6.77 for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017, indicating that the cluster relationship is significant in the 95–99 percent confidence interval. Using both indices alone was sufficient to understand the drier spots of Chuping over 3 years. The findings of this research will be of interest to local agriculture authorities, like plantation and meteorology departments to understand drier areas in the state to evaluate water deficits severity and cloud seeding points during drought.
Phenotyping Anther Extrusion of Wheat Using Image Analysis
Authors: Winn Zachary James , Larkin Dylan Lee , Murry Jamison Trey , Moon David Earl , Mason Richard Esten
Published: June 2021

Phenotyping wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is time-consuming and new methods are necessary to decrease labor. To develop a heterotic pool of male wheat lines for hybrid breeding, there must be an efficient way to measure both anther extrusion and the size of anthers. Five hundred and ninety-four soft red winter wheat lines in two replications of randomized complete block design were phenotyped for anther extrusion, a key trait for hybrid wheat production. A device was constructed to capture images using a mobile device. Four heads were sampled per line when anthesis was evident for half the heads in the plot. The extruded anthers were scraped onto a surface, their image was captured, and the area of the anthers was taken via ImageJ. The number of anthers extruded was estimated by counting the number of anthers per image and dividing by the number of heads sampled. The area per anther was taken by dividing the area of anthers per spike by the number of anthers per spike. A significant correlation (R=0.9, p<0.0001) was observed between the area of anthers per spike and the number of anthers per spike. This method is proposed as a substitute for field ratings of anther extrusion and to quantitatively measure the size of anthers.
Post-Harvest Enhancing and Botrytis cinerea Control of Strawberry Fruits Using Low Cost and Eco-Friendly Natural Oils
Authors: Abd-Elkader Doaa Y. , Salem Mohamed Z. M. , Komeil Doaa A. , Al-Huqail Asma A. , Ali Hayssam M. , Salah Alaa H. , Akrami Mohammad , Hassan Hanaa S.
Published: June 2021

This work investigates an experimental study for using low-cost and eco-friendly oils to increase the shelf life of strawberry fruit. Three natural oils were used: (i) Eucalyptus camaldulensis var obtuse, (ii) Mentha piperita green aerial parts essential oils (EOs), and (iii) Moringa oleifera seeds n-hexane fixed oil (FO). Furthermore, a mixture of EOs from E. camaldulensis var obtusa and M. piperita (1/1 v/v) was used. The treated fruits were stored at 5 °C and 90% relative humidity (RH) for 18 days. HPLC was used to analyse the changes in phenolic compounds during the storage periods. The effects of biofumigation through a slow-release diffuser of EOs (E. camaldulensis var obtusa and M. piperita), or by coating with M. oleifera FO, were evaluated in terms of control of post-harvest visual and chemical quality of strawberry fruits. The post-harvest resistance of strawberry fruits to Botrytis cinerea fungal infection was also evaluated. As a result, the EO treatments significantly reduced the change in visual and chemical quality of strawberry fruit. Additionally, changes in the titratable acidity of moringa FO-coated strawberry fruits were delayed. EO treatments improved total soluble solids, total phenols, ascorbic acid, antioxidants and peroxidase. E. camaldulensis var obtusa and M. piperita (1/1 v/v) EO-vapour fruit exhibited a slower rate of deterioration, compared to other treatments in all tested, in two experiments. The lowest colour change (ΔE) was observed inthe fruit treated with E. camaldulensis var obtusa EO and M. oleifera FO. HPLC showed changes in phenolic compounds’ concentration, where p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, gallic acid, ferulic acid and ellagic acid were mostly identified in the fruits treated with the oils. SEM examination confirmed the potential decrease in fungal growth as the fruits were treated with EOs. In conclusion, the treatment of EOs during different storage periods showed promising characterisations for strawberry fruit quality.
Evaluation of the Tolerance Ability of Wheat Genotypes to Drought Stress: Dissection through Culm-Reserves Contribution and Grain Filling Physiology
Authors: Islam Md. Amirul , De Rajib Kumar , Hossain Md. Alamgir , Haque Md. Sabibul , Uddin Md. Nesar , Fakir Md. Solaiman Ali , Kader Md. Abdul , Dessoky Eldessoky S. , Attia Attia O. , El-Hallous Ehab I. , Hossain Akbar
Published: June 2021

Drought stress is one of the limiting factors for grain filling and yield in wheat. The grain filling and determinants of individual grain weight depend on current assimilation and extent of remobilization of culm reserves to grains. A pot experiment was conducted with eight wheat cultivars at the Pot House to study the grain filling and the contributions of reserves in culm, including the sheath to grain yield under drought stress. Drought stress was enforced by restricting irrigation during the grain-filling period. The plants (tillers) were harvested at anthesis, milk-ripe, and maturity. The changes in dry weights of leaves, culm with sheath, spikes, and grains; and the contribution of culm reserves to grain yield were determined. Results revealed that drought stress considerably decreased the grain filling duration by 15–24% and grain yield by 11–34%. Further, drought-induced early leaf senescence and reduced total dry matter production indicate the minimum contribution of current assimilation to grain yield. The stress reduced the contribution of culm reserves, the water-soluble carbohydrates (WSCs), to the grains. The accumulation of culm WSCs reached peak at milk ripe stage in control, varied from 28.6 to 84 mg culm−1 and that significantly reduced in the range from 14.9 to 40.6 mg culm−1 in stressed plants. The residual culm WSCs in control and stressed plants varied from 1.23 to 8.12 and 1.00 to 3.40 mg g−1 culm dry mass, respectively. BARI Gom 24 exhibited a higher contribution of culm WSCs to grain yield under drought, while the lowest contribution was found in Kanchan. Considering culm reserves WSCs and their remobilization along with other studied traits, BARI Gom 24 showed greater drought tolerance and revealed potential to grow under water deficit conditions in comparison to other cultivars.
Effect of Antibacterial Root Canal Sealer on Persistent Apical Periodontitis
Authors: Wang Zheng , Yang Ge , Ren Biao , Gao Yuan , Peng Xian , Li Mingyun , H.K.Xu Hockin , Han Qi , Li Jiyao , Zhou Xuedong , Cheng Lei
Published: June 2021

The infection of Enterococcus faecalis and its interacting microorganisms in the root canal could cause persistent apical periodontitis (AP). Antibacterial root canal sealer has favorable prospects to inhibit biofilms. The purpose of this study was to investigated the antibacterial effect of root canal sealer containing dimethylaminododecyl methacrylate (DMADDM) on persistent AP in beagle dogs for the first time. Persistent AP was established by a two-step infection with Enterococcus faecalis and multi-bacteria (Enterococcus faecalis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Actinomycesnaeslundii, Streptococcus gordonii). Root canal sealer containing DMADDM (0%, 1.25%, 2.5%) was used to complete root canal filling. The volume of lesions and inflammatory grade in the apical area were evaluated by cone beam computer tomography (CBCT) and hematoxylin-eosin staining. Both Enterococcus-faecalis- and multi-bacteria-induced persistent AP caused severe apical destruction, and there were no significant differences in pathogenicity between them. DMADDM-modified sealer significantly reduced the volume of periapical lesion and inflammatory grade compared with the control group, among them, the therapeutic effect of the 2.5% group was better than the 1.25% group. In addition, E.faecalis-induced reinfection was more sensitive to the 2.5% group than multi-bacteria reinfection. This study shows that root canal sealer containing DMADDM had a remarkable therapeutic effect on persistent AP, especially on E. faecalis-induced reinfection.
Research on the Processing Method of Acoustic Focusing Cavities Based on the Temperature Gradient
Authors: Wu Liqun , Fan Yafei , Wang Hongcheng , Zhang Linan , Sheng Yizheng , Wang Yajing , Wang Yaxing
Published: June 2021

Aiming at the key factors affecting the quality and efficiency of high-energy in-beam machining, this paper studies the broadband acoustic focusing effect based on a discrete temperature gradient. Firstly, the basic theory and mathematical model of temperature-controlled acoustic focusing are established. Secondly, the acoustic focusing effect is achieved by combining the design of metasurfaces and discrete temperature. Then, the acoustic pressure and intensity distribution of acoustic focusing under a discrete temperature gradient are simulated and experimentally studied. The results show that the phase delay of transmission and reflection of acoustic wave covers the 2π interval by changing the temperature in different transmission units, which provides a theoretical basis for the processing of the acoustic focusing cavity.
Optimization of Heparin Monitoring with Anti-FXa Assays and the Impact of Dextran Sulfate for Measuring All Drug Activity
Authors: Amiral Jean , Amiral Cédric , Dunois Claire
Published: June 2021

Heparins, unfractionated or low molecular weight, are permanently in the spotlight of both clinical indications and laboratory monitoring. An accurate drug dosage is necessary for an efficient and safe therapy. The one-stage kinetic anti-FXa assays are the most widely and universally used with full automation for large series, without needing exogenous antithrombin. The WHO International Standards are available for UFH and LMWH, but external quality assessment surveys still report a high inter-assay variability. This heterogeneity results from the following: assay formulation, designed without or with dextran sulfate to measure all heparin in blood circulation; calibrators for testing UFH or LMWH with the same curve; and automation parameters. In this study, various factors which impact heparin measurements are reviewed, and we share our experience to optimize assays for testing all heparin anticoagulant activities in plasma. Evidence is provided on the usefulness of low molecular weight dextran sulfate to completely mobilize all of the drug present in blood circulation. Other key factors concern the adjustment of assay conditions to obtain fully superimposable calibration curves for UFH and LMWH, calibrators’ formulations, and automation parameters. In this study, we illustrate the performances of different anti-FXa assays used for testing heparin on UFH or LMWH treated patients’ plasmas and obtained using citrate or CTAD anticoagulants. Comparable results are obtained only when the CTAD anticoagulant is used. Using citrate as an anticoagulant, UFH is underestimated in the absence of dextran sulfate. Heparin calibrators, adjustment of automation parameters, and data treatment contribute to other smaller differences.
Neuron-Glia-Immune Triad and Cortico-Limbic System in Pathology of Pain
Authors: Murray Isabella , Bhanot Gayatri , Bhargava Aditi
Published: June 2021

Pain is an unpleasant sensation that alerts one to the presence of obnoxious stimuli or sensations. These stimuli are transferred by sensory neurons to the dorsal root ganglia-spinal cord and finally to the brain. Glial cells in the peripheral nervous system, astrocytes in the brain, dorsal root ganglia, and immune cells all contribute to the development, maintenance, and resolution of pain. Both innate and adaptive immune responses modulate pain perception and behavior. Neutrophils, microglial, and T cell activation, essential components of the innate and adaptive immune responses, can play both excitatory and inhibitory roles and are involved in the transition from acute to chronic pain. Immune responses may also exacerbate pain perception by modulating the function of the cortical-limbic brain regions involved in behavioral and emotional responses. The link between an emotional state and pain perception is larger than what is widely acknowledged. In positive psychological states, perception of pain along with other somatic symptoms decreases, whereas in negative psychological states, these symptoms may worsen. Sex differences in mechanisms of pain perception are not well studied. In this review, we highlight what is known, controversies, and the gaps in this field.
The BabySaver: Design of a New Device for Neonatal Resuscitation at Birth with Intact Placental Circulation
Authors: Ditai James , Barry Aisling , Burgoine Kathy , Mbonye Anthony K. , Wandabwa Julius N. , Watt Peter , Weeks Andrew D.
Published: June 2021

The initial bedside care of premature babies with an intact cord has been shown to reduce mortality; there is evidence that resuscitation of term babies with an intact cord may also improve outcomes. This process has been facilitated by the development of bedside resuscitation surfaces. These new devices are unaffordable, however, in most of sub-Saharan Africa, where 42% of the world’s 2.4 million annual newborn deaths occur. This paper describes the rationale and design of BabySaver, an innovative low-cost mobile resuscitation unit, which was developed iteratively over five years in a collaboration between the Sanyu Africa Research Institute (SAfRI) in Uganda and the University of Liverpool in the UK. The final BabySaver design comprises two compartments; a tray to provide a firm resuscitation surface, and a base to store resuscitation equipment. The design was formed while considering contextual factors, using the views of individual women from the community served by the local hospitals, medical staff, and skilled birth attendants in both Uganda and the UK.