bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Discovery of a new species of Homalometron Stafford, 1904 (Digenea: Apocreadiidae) from the stripped mojarra, Eugerres plumieri in a coastal lagoon of the Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Hernández-Mena D.I. , Cabañas-Granillo J. , Medina-Hernández E. , Pérez-Ponce de León G.
Published: July 2022

To date, 34 species of the genus Homalometron (Apocreadiidae) have been described; five of them in Mexican fresh or brackish water fish, whereas five have been reported as parasites of members of the fish family Gerreidae. While sampling wildlife vertebrates during a field course of parasitology at the Los Tuxtlas Biological Station (Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) in Veracruz, specimens of digeneans were collected from the intestine of the stripped mojarra, Eugerres plumeri in Sontecomapan Lagoon. Specimens were studied morphologically and molecularly, and we discovered that they represented a new species of Homalometron. The new species is morphologically like the other four congeners in having three pairs of well-developed oral papillae on the oral sucker: Homalometron elongatum; Homalometron lesliorum; Homalometron carapavae; and Homalometron papilliferum. Here, we describe the newly discovered species, increasing our understanding about the parasite diversity of brackish water fishes of Mexico.
Diurnality in the defensive behaviour of African honeybees Apis mellifera adansonii and implications for their potential efficacy in beehive fences
Authors: Djoko Isaac Blaise , Weladji Robert Bertrand , Paré Patrick
Published: July 2022

Across the range of African elephants Loxodonta spp., negative interactions with people are prevalent, and the impact of the resulting economic losses on farmers calls for solutions. The use of beehive fences, a mitigation method with ecological and socio-economic benefits, is gaining momentum in African savannah landscapes. We assessed the diurnal and nocturnal defensive behaviours of African honeybees Apis mellifera adansonii in response to visual and physical disturbances in the Campo–Ma'an conservation area, Cameroon. We examined six bee colonies, assessing their activity level, aggressive behaviour and ability to defend themselves when disturbed at different times of day. We found that activity levels varied between colonies and that colonies were more active during the day and inactive at night. The defensive perimeter around the hives also varied between the colonies and was generally greater during morning and evening periods. Bee colonies did not defend their hives around midday and at night. In response to a threat, bees were more likely to fly out from the hive during daytime than at night, with variation amongst colonies. Overall, as elephant intrusions occur mostly at night, beehive fences alone may not be an adequate mitigation method against crop damage caused by forest elephants Loxodonta cyclotis. We suggest combining beehive fences with other mitigation methods to improve crop protection.
Genetic liability to posttraumatic stress disorder and its association with postpartum depression
Authors: Bang Madsen Kathrine , Liu Xiaoqin , Albiñana Clara , Jóhann Vilhjálmsson Bjarni , Agerbo Esben , Mortensen Preben Bo , Hougaard David Michael , Nordentoft Merete , Werge Thomas , Mors Ole , Børglum Anders D. , Munk-Olsen Trine
Published: July 2022

Background

Childbirth may be a traumatic experience and vulnerability to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may increase the risk of postpartum depression (PPD). We investigated whether genetic vulnerability to PTSD as measured by polygenic score (PGS) increases the risk of PPD and whether a predisposition to PTSD in PPD cases exceeds that of major depressive disorder (MDD) outside the postpartum period.

Methods

This case-control study included participants from the iPSYCH2015, a case-cohort of all singletons born in Denmark between 1981 and 2008. Restricting to women born between 1981 and 1997 and excluding women with a first diagnosis other than depression (N = 22 613), 333 were identified with PPD. For each PPD case, 999 representing the background population and 993 with MDD outside the postpartum were matched by calendar year at birth, cohort selection, and age. PTSD PGS was calculated from summary statistics from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium with LDpred2-auto. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated using conditional logistic regression adjusted for parental psychiatric history and country of origin, PGS for MDD and age at first birth, and the first 10 principal components.

Results

The PTSD PGS was significantly associated with PPD (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.20–1.68 per standard deviation increase in PTSD PGS) compared to healthy female controls. Genetic PTSD vulnerability in PPD cases did not exceed that of matched female depression cases outside the postpartum period (OR 1.10, 95% CI 0.94–1.30 per standard deviation increase).

Conclusions

Genetic vulnerability to PTSD increased the risk of PPD but did not differ between PPD cases and women with depression at other times.
Spatial autocorrelation analysis and the social organisation of crop and herd management at Çatalhöyük
Authors: Hodder Ian , Bogaard Amy , Engel Claudia , Pearson Jessica , Wolfhagen Jesse
Published: July 2022

This article uses spatial autocorrelation analysis in order to explore the social organisation of crop and herd management at the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük in south-central Turkey. Evidence for spatial clustering across the settlement is sought at different scales (house, neighbourhood, radial wedge, sector, sub-mound) in the different periods of occupation from Early to Late. The data used are sheep carbon and nitrogen isotopes, densities of weed species in archaeobotanical assemblages and the densities of weed species in sheep dung. The results are interpreted in relation to existing work both on crop and herd management and consumption at Çatalhöyük and on the social organisation of the settlement. Complex nested and cross-cutting social groupings shared many aspects of production and consumption activities across the site resulting in limited spatial clustering of values. The impacts of taphonomic factors on these results are considered. Especially by the Late period of occupation at Çatalhöyük, there is some evidence of distinct labour and consumption organisation linked to houses and house groupings.
Feasibility of intraprocedural augmented reality visualisation of 3D rotational angiography in congenital cardiac catheterisation
Authors: Salavitabar Arash , Whiteside Wendy , Zampi Jeffrey D.
Published: July 2022

Three-dimensional rotational angiography has become a mainstay of congenital cardiac catheterisation. Augmented reality is an exciting and emerging technology that allows for interactive visualisation of 3D holographic images in the user’s environment. This case series reports on the feasibility of intraprocedural augmented reality visualisation of 3D rotational angiography in five patients with CHD.
Named-entity recognition in Turkish legal texts
Authors: Çetindağ Can , Yazıcıoğlu Berkay , Koç Aykut
Published: July 2022

Natural language processing (NLP) technologies and applications in legal text processing are gaining momentum. Being one of the most prominent tasks in NLP, named-entity recognition (NER) can substantiate a great convenience for NLP in law due to the variety of named entities in the legal domain and their accentuated importance in legal documents. However, domain-specific NER models in the legal domain are not well studied. We present a NER model for Turkish legal texts with a custom-made corpus as well as several NER architectures based on conditional random fields and bidirectional long-short-term memories (BiLSTMs) to address the task. We also study several combinations of different word embeddings consisting of GloVe, Morph2Vec, and neural network-based character feature extraction techniques either with BiLSTM or convolutional neural networks. We report 92.27% F1 score with a hybrid word representation of GloVe and Morph2Vec with character-level features extracted with BiLSTM. Being an agglutinative language, the morphological structure of Turkish is also considered. To the best of our knowledge, our work is the first legal domain-specific NER study in Turkish and also the first study for an agglutinative language in the legal domain. Thus, our work can also have implications beyond the Turkish language.
What Can Welfare Stigma Do?
Authors: Bolton Robert , Whelan Joe , Dukelow Fiona
Published: July 2022

In this ‘state of the art’ review, we draw on the Irish and UK context to ask ‘what can welfare stigma do?’ Our question provokes thinking about welfare stigma not as an inevitable ‘cost’ of the structure of welfare provision, but as something that does socio-political work and which may be deliberately mobilised to do so. This, we argue, is a particularly pertinent question to ask in the Irish and UK contexts, bound together by some shared liberal welfare regime characteristics that are particularly associated with welfare stigma and by the effects of a period of austerity capitalism that continues to re-shape the meaning and experience of welfare. Yet, going beyond welfare stigma as inherently negative, we highlight a limited literature on resistance that suggests the potentialities of welfare stigma in the service of positive social change toward a new welfare imaginary.
STEM Education Pilot a Resounding Success: Project Lets Young People Experience World-Class Scientific Equipment and Training
Authors: Hughes Louise
Published: July 2022

As part of the Hitachi High-Tech America Inspire STEM Education Outreach Programme in the UK, a successful STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education pilot has seen over 5000 students from 80 schools given the opportunity to use scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) for their own experiments. The collaborative project allowed students to design, propose, and execute experiments to give them hands-on experience with scientific research. Feedback from the project has been resoundingly positive, with many students gaining new skills and an interest in STEM, and it looks set to grow further to allow more students access to high-level scientific equipment.
AXON Dose: A Solution for Measuring and Managing Electron Dose in the TEM
Authors: Damiano John , Walden Stamp , Franks Alan , Marusak Kate , Larson Ben , Coy Mike , Nackashi David
Published: July 2022

The interaction of the electron beam with materials during TEM/STEM imaging often leads to radiation damage. While a variety of low-dose techniques can help mitigate beam damage, true dose management starts with knowing the precise total accumulated dose and dose rate that a sample has seen throughout an experiment. AXON Dose allows users to calibrate their instruments, track electron dose/dose rate across a sample as a function of time and location, and quantify the impact of dose on individual samples.
Bee discovery suggests the importance of urban gardens in a changing world
Authors: Egerer Monika
Published: July 2022

The diversity and distribution of wild bees are dramatically changing due to habitat fragmentation, agricultural intensification and climate change. In cities, urban gardens are proposed ‘island’ habitats for bees offering floral and nesting resources. Yet, it is largely unclear how gardens play a role in changes in species diversity and distribution. This paper reports on the discovery of a bee species to our knowledge previously undocumented in the region of Berlin, Germany. We discovered Lasioglossum limbellum in a community garden created on concrete slabs of annual and perennial vegetation. As a cavity nester in soft rock cliffs—a natural habitat functionally not existent in urban areas—the life history of this species makes this discovery particularly interesting, and an opportunity to explore the role of urban gardens in biodiversity change. This report aims to spur future research, reporting and discussion on the changes in diversity and distribution of wild bees specifically in urban areas.
Who benefits from individual placement and support? A meta-analysis
Authors: de Winter Lars , Couwenbergh Chrisje , van Weeghel Jaap , Sanches Sarita , Michon Harry , Bond Gary R.
Published: July 2022

Aims

Individual placement and support (IPS) is an evidence-based service model to support people with mental disorders in obtaining and sustaining competitive employment. IPS is increasingly offered to a broad variety of service users. In this meta-analysis we analysed the relative effectiveness of IPS for different subgroups of service users both based on the diagnosis and defined by a range of clinical, functional and personal characteristics.

Methods

We included randomised controlled trials that evaluated IPS for service users diagnosed with any mental disorder. We examined effect sizes for the between-group differences at follow-up for three outcome measures (employment rate, job duration and wages), controlling for methodological confounders (type of control group, follow-up duration and geographic region). Using sensitivity analyses of subgroup differences, we analysed moderating effects of the following diagnostic, clinical, functional and personal characteristics: severe mental illness (SMI), common mental disorders (CMD), schizophrenia spectrum disorders, mood disorders, duration of illness, the severity of symptoms, level of functioning, age, comorbid alcohol and substance use, education level and employment history.

Results

IPS is effective in improving employment outcomes compared to the control group in all subgroups, regardless of any methodological confounder. However, IPS was relatively more effective for service users with SMIs, schizophrenia spectrum disorders and a low symptom severity. Although IPS was still effective for people with CMD and with major depressive disorder, it was relatively less effective for these subgroups. IPS was equally effective after both a short and a long follow-up period. However, we found small, but clinically not meaningful, differences in effectiveness of IPS between active and passive control groups. Finally, IPS was relatively less effective in European studies compared to non-European studies, which could be explained by a potential benefits trap in high welfare countries.

Conclusions

IPS is effective for all different subgroups, regardless of diagnostic, clinical, functional and personal characteristics. However, there might be a risk of false-positive subgroup outcomes and results should be handled with caution. Future research should focus on whether, and if so, how the IPS model should be adapted to better meet the vocational needs of people with CMD and higher symptom severity.
Bringing Multilateral Environmental Agreements into Development Finance: An Analysis of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank's Environmental and Social Framework
Authors: Lin Wei-Chung
Published: July 2022

Multilateral development banks (MDBs) are crucial in promoting economic growth through their project finance activities. Meanwhile, to address negative effects arising from their development projects, MDBs increasingly have focused their attention on the environmental and social impacts of their supported projects in recent decades. This article analyzes the relationship between the Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) adopted by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). It argues that better compliance with MEAs by the AIIB and its borrowers in implementing AIIB-supported development projects will be achieved only if its independent accountability mechanism (IAM) can actively examine project compliance with the ESF in the light of MEAs. The AIIB has an opportunity to provide leadership in promoting the fulfilment of MEA obligations in development finance. However, this is contingent on ensuring effective oversight by its newly established IAM moving forward.
Evaluation of amino acid–inhibiting herbicide mixtures for hair fescue (Festuca filiformis) management in lowbush blueberry
Authors: White Scott N.
Published: July 2022

Hair fescue is a perennial grass weed in lowbush blueberry fields that forms dense sods and reduces yield. As a result of natural tolerance or resistance of this grass to other currently registered herbicides growers rely on preemergence (PRE) applications of pronamide and postemergence (POST) applications of the Group 2 herbicides foramsulfuron and nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron for hair fescue management. This causes repeated application of Group 2 herbicides, which is compounded by the recent registration of flazasulfuron for POST suppression of hair fescue in lowbush blueberry. Mixtures of Group 2 herbicides with the amino acid–inhibiting herbicides glyphosate (Group 9) and glufosinate (Group 10), however, can improve weed control and may delay herbicide resistance development. This research used a factorial arrangement of Group 2 herbicides (none, foramsulfuron [35 g ai ha−1], nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron [13 + 13 g ai ha−1], flazasulfuron [50 g ai ha−1]) and mixtures (none, with glyphosate [902 g ae ha−1], and with glufosinate [750 g ai ha−1]) to identify possible mixtures that improve weed control and delay resistance development. Herbicides were applied in spring nonbearing year, fall bearing year, and fall nonbearing year, with each application timing conducted as a separate experiment. Foramsulfuron and nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron were not effective as fall applications, and spring applications of these herbicides with glyphosate or glufosinate improved hair fescue suppression. Glyphosate and glufosinate were more effective as fall rather than spring applications. Flazasulfuron was effective across all application timings, although its mixture with glufosinate generally improved hair fescue suppression. Flazasulfuron + glufosinate is tentatively recommended as an effective mixture for management of spring nonbearing-year and fall bearing-year hair fescue in lowbush blueberry.
Correlation Coefficient‐Based Information Criterion for Quantification of Dependence Characteristics in Hydrological Time Series
Authors: Xie Ping , Huo Jingqun , Sang Yan‐Fang , Li Yaqing , Chen Jie , Wu Ziyi , Singh Vijay P.
Published: July 2022

Quantification of the dependence characteristics in hydrological time series is essential for understanding hydrological variability and for managing water resources. However, how determining a suitable model for describing the dependent components is still a challenge. In this article, we proposed a correlation coefficient‐based information criterion (CCIC) to determine the optimal model order of regression‐based models for quantifying the dependence characteristics in hydrological time series. CCIC was developed by combining the index of correlation coefficient and the information entropy index. The former was used to reflect the fitting error of the model and the latter was used as a penalty term to reflect the model uncertainty. They have similar roles as the two terms of the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) used commonly in hydrology. Results of Monte‐Carlo experiments verified higher and more stable accuracy of determining the true model order by CCIC than by AIC and BIC. Moreover, results indicated that the mean value of a time series had a big impact on the accuracy of CCIC. If the mean value of a time series was far from its initial value, the estimation of CCIC would have a big bias, causing low accuracy in the determination of suitable model order. The application of CCIC to annual precipitation from 520 stations in China further confirmed its advantages over AIC and BIC and indicated the significant short‐term dependence characteristics of annual precipitation in the Yangtze River basin. The proposed CCIC approach has potential for wider use in hydrometeorology.
Hydraulic Issues Concerning Injection of Harvested Rainwater to the Subsurface Through Drywells: Insight From Numerical Simulations of Flow in a Realistic Combined Vadose Zone‐Groundwater Flow System
Authors: Russo D. , Kurtzman D. , Nachshon U.
Published: July 2022

This study focuses on the analyses of field‐scale water flow originating from a drywell, using the 3‐D Richards equation for the local description of the flow in a spatially heterogeneous, combined vadose zone‐groundwater flow system. Realistic features of the flow system, that is, height of the groundwater table, records of the time‐dependent rainfall data, spatial heterogeneity of soil hydraulic properties and flow‐controlled attributes, as well as man‐controlled characteristics of the drywell, were considered in the analyses. The effect of (a) the depth‐dependency of the soil type, (b) the vertical position of the drywell's screen, and (c) the mode of water injection to the drywell (constant or time‐dependent), on the performance of the drywell, were examined. Results, and in particular those related to the importance of the soil type depth‐dependency with regard to the drywell performance, can be explained by the physics of flow in unsaturated soils of differing soil texture. Of specific significance is the transition zone between the two different soil types in the case in which the spatially‐heterogeneous coarse‐textured soil overlies the spatially heterogeneous fine‐textured soil. In this case, when most of the drywell screen is located within this transition zone and when the flow is transient and non‐monotonous, the downward flow from the drywell is maximized. Although this study is site‐specific, we believe that its results are novel and relevant for sandy to sandy‐clay soils associated with managed aquifer recharge technology based on a device whose vertical axis is perpendicular to the soil layering.
Time‐of‐Arrival of Coronal Mass Ejections: A Two‐Phase Kinematics Approach Based on Heliospheric Imaging Observations
Authors: Paouris Evangelos , Vourlidas Angelos
Published: July 2022

The forecasting of the Time‐of‐Arrival (ToA) of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) to Earth does not yet meet most Space Weather users' requirements. The main physical reason is our incomplete understanding of CME propagation in the inner heliosphere. Therefore, many ToA forecasting algorithms rely on simple empirical relations to represent the interplanetary propagation phase using, mostly, kinematic information from coronagraphic observations below 30 solar radii (Rs) and a couple rather simplifying assumptions of constant direction and speed for the transient. We replace the assumption of constant speed in the inner heliosphere with a two‐phase behavior consisting of a decelerating (or accelerating) phase from 20 Rs to some distance, followed by a coasting phase to Earth. In a nod toward a forecasting scheme, we consider Earth‐directed CMEs, use kinematic measurements only from the Heliospheric Imagers aboard both STEREO spacecraft, treat each spacecraft separately to increase the event statistics, analyze the measurements in a data‐assimilative fashion, and intercompare them against three localization schemes for single viewpoint observations (fixed‐φ, harmonic mean and self‐similar expansion). For the 21 cases, we obtain the best mean absolute error (MAE) of 6.4 ± 1.9 hr. In fact, the difference between calculated and observed ToA is <52 min for 42% of the cases that return plausible ToA estimates. We find that some CMEs continue to decelerate beyond even 0.7 AU but reasonable forecasts should be possible with 31 hr lead time. This work is a proof‐of‐concept and an analysis of a larger event sample is required to fully validate this technique.
High‐Dimensional Groundwater Flow Inverse Modeling by Upscaled Effective Model on Principal Components
Authors: Zhao Yue , Guo Quan , Lu Chunhui , Luo Jian
Published: July 2022

The main computational costs of gradient‐based inverse methods for high‐resolution groundwater flow inverse problems include costly forward model simulations and the large number of such simulations required to determine the Jacobian matrix. We develop an upscaling‐based inverse approach, named upscaled principal component inverse approach (UPCIA), which achieves dimensionality reduction and reduces computational cost of forward model simulations by evaluating the Jacobian through upscaled effective models on a coarse‐resolution grid constructed from upscaled principal components. UPCIA integrates downscaling into the inverse problem by estimating principal component coefficients based on the coarse‐resolution forward model, which are then used to generate high‐resolution parameter fields. Various numerical experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of UPCIA, including 2‐D/3‐D high‐dimensional steady‐state and transient hydraulic tomography with known storativity to estimate multi‐Gaussian transmissivity or hydraulic conductivity fields. Results show that the hydraulic head is insensitive to small‐scale variability of conductivity, and UPCIA provides high‐quality inversion results similar to inverse methods with high‐resolution forward model simulations and significantly reduces computation time by orders of magnitude. In addition to supporting the characterization of heterogeneity in sufficient detail, UPCIA can also be used to examine whether finer resolution is necessary and possibly to determine an optimal inverse resolution.
Country experiences on the path to exclusive use of validated automated blood pressure measuring devices within the HEARTS in the Americas Initiative
Authors: Lombardi Cintia , Picone Dean S. , Sharman James E. , Campbell Norm R. C. , Farias Rafael , Guerre Stephanie , Gittens Anselm , Paccot Melanie , Villacres Nilda , Valdes Yamile , Ordunez Pedro
Published: July 2022

The aim of the HEARTS in the Americas initiative is to promote the adoption of global best practices in the prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases, and improve the control of hypertension. HEARTS is being implemented in 21 countries and a diverse set of actions and measures are in progress to improve exclusive access in primary health care facilities to automated blood pressure measuring devices that have been validated for accuracy. The purpose of this manuscript is to illustrate these efforts, mainly in the regulatory and public procurement arena, and to present information on common challenges and solutions identified. Examples from six countries confirm the need for not only a robust regulatory framework to increase availability of validated automated blood pressure measuring devices but also a comprehensive strategic approach that involves relevant stakeholders, includes a multi-pronged approach and is associated with a national program to prevent and control non communicable diseases.
Dihydroartemisinin regulates immune cell heterogeneity by triggering a cascade reaction of CDK and MAPK phosphorylation
Authors: Li Qilong , Yuan Quan , Jiang Ning , Zhang Yiwei , Su Ziwei , Lv Lei , Sang Xiaoyu , Chen Ran , Feng Ying , Chen Qijun
Published: July 2022

Artemisinin (ART) and dihydroartemisinin (DHA), apart from their profound anti-malaria effect, can also beneficially modulate the host immune system; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we report that DHA selectively induced T-cell activation, with an increased proportion of Ki67+CD4+ T cells, CD25+CD4+ T cells, interferon (IFN)-γ-producing CD8+ T cells, Brdu+ CD8+ T cells and neutrophils, which was found to enhance cellular immunity to experimental malaria and overcome immunosuppression in mice. We further revealed that DHA upregulated the expression of cell proliferation-associated proteins by promoting the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), and activator protein 1 in the spleen. This study is the first to provide robust evidence that DHA selectively induced the expansion of subsets of splenic T cells through phosphorylated CDKs and MAPK to enhance cellular immune responses under non-pathological or pathological conditions. The data significantly deepened our knowledge in the mechanism underlying DHA-mediated immunomodulation.
Regulation of AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR condensation and nucleo-cytoplasmic partitioning
Authors: Jing Hongwei , Korasick David A. , Emenecker Ryan J. , Morffy Nicholas , Wilkinson Edward G. , Powers Samantha K. , Strader Lucia C.
Published: July 2022

Auxin critically regulates plant growth and development. Auxin-driven transcriptional responses are mediated through the AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR (ARF) family of transcription factors. ARF protein condensation attenuates ARF activity, resulting in dramatic shifts in the auxin transcriptional landscape. Here, we perform a forward genetics screen for ARF hypercondensation, identifying an F-box protein, which we named AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR F-BOX1 (AFF1). Functional characterization of SCFAFF1 revealed that this E3 ubiquitin ligase directly interacts with ARF19 and ARF7 to regulate their accumulation, condensation, and nucleo-cytoplasmic partitioning. Mutants defective in AFF1 display attenuated auxin responsiveness, and developmental defects, suggesting that SCFAFF1 -mediated regulation of ARF protein drives aspects of auxin response and plant development.
Spatially resolved proteomic map shows that extracellular matrix regulates epidermal growth
Authors: Li Jun , Ma Jie , Zhang Qiyu , Gong Huizi , Gao Dunqin , Wang Yujie , Li Biyou , Li Xiao , Zheng Heyi , Wu Zhihong , Zhu Yunping , Leng Ling
Published: July 2022

Human skin comprises stratified squamous epithelium and dermis with various stromal cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM). The basement membrane (BM), a thin layer at the top of the dermis, serves as a unique niche for determining the fate of epidermal stem cells (EpSCs) by transmitting physical and biochemical signals to establish epidermal cell polarity and maintain the hierarchical structure and function of skin tissue. However, how stem cell niches maintain tissue homeostasis and control wound healing by regulating the behavior of EpSCs is still not completely understood. In this study, a hierarchical skin proteome map is constructed using spatial quantitative proteomics combined with decellularization, laser capture microdissection, and mass spectrometry. The specific functions of different structures of normal native skin tissues or tissues with a dermatologic disease are analyzed in situ. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ)-induced protein ig-h3 (TGFBI), an ECM glycoprotein, in the BM is identified that could enhance the growth and function of EpSCs and promote wound healing. Our results provide insights into the way in which ECM proteins facilitate the growth and function of EpSCs as part of an important niche. The results may benefit the clinical treatment of skin ulcers or diseases with refractory lesions that involve epidermal cell dysfunction and re-epithelialization block in the future.
Chiral self-sorting and guest recognition of porous aromatic cages
Authors: Cui Dong-Xu , Geng Yun , Kou Jun-Ning , Shan Guo-Gang , Sun Chun-Yi , Zhang Kun-Hao , Wang Xin-Long , Su Zhong-Min
Published: July 2022

The synthesis of ultra-stable chiral porous organic cages (POCs) and their controllable chiral self-sorting at the molecular and supramolecular level remains challening. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of a serial of axially chiral porous aromatic cages (PAC 1-S and 1-R) with high chemical stability. The theoretical and experimental studies on the chiral self-sorting reveal that the exclusive self-recognition on cage formation is an enthalpy-driven process while the chiral narcissistic and self-sorting on supramolecular assembly of racemic cages can be precisely regulated by π–π and C–H…π interactions from different solvents. Regarding the chemical stability, the crystallinity of PAC 1 is maintained in aqueous solvents, such as boiling water, high-concentrated acid and alkali; mixtures of solvents, such as 1 M H2SO4/MeOH/H2O solution, are also tolerated. Investigations on the chiral sensing performance show that PAC 1 enables enantioselective recognition of axially chiral biaryl molecules.
A comprehensive review on the chemical regeneration of biochar adsorbent for sustainable wastewater treatment
Authors: Alsawy Tariq , Rashad Emanne , El-Qelish Mohamed , Mohammed Ramy H.
Published: July 2022

The chemical regeneration process has been extensively applied to reactivate biochar, supporting its reusability and leading to significant operating cost reduction. However, no recent review discusses the effectiveness of biochar chemical regeneration. Thus, this article comprehensively reviews the chemical regeneration of biochar contaminated with organic and inorganic pollutants. Performance of the chemical regeneration depends on adsorption mechanism, functional groups, adsorbent pore structure, and changes in active adsorbent sites. Secondary contamination is one of the challenges facing the sustainable adaptation of the chemical regeneration process in the industry. The paper discusses these challenges and draws a roadmap for future research to support sustainable wastewater treatment by biochar.
A sequence-based global map of regulatory activity for deciphering human genetics
Authors: Chen Kathleen M. , Wong Aaron K. , Troyanskaya Olga G. , Zhou Jian
Published: July 2022

Epigenomic profiling has enabled large-scale identification of regulatory elements, yet we still lack a systematic mapping from any sequence or variant to regulatory activities. We address this challenge with Sei, a framework for integrating human genetics data with sequence information to discover the regulatory basis of traits and diseases. Sei learns a vocabulary of regulatory activities, called sequence classes, using a deep learning model that predicts 21,907 chromatin profiles across >1,300 cell lines and tissues. Sequence classes provide a global classification and quantification of sequence and variant effects based on diverse regulatory activities, such as cell type-specific enhancer functions. These predictions are supported by tissue-specific expression, expression quantitative trait loci and evolutionary constraint data. Furthermore, sequence classes enable characterization of the tissue-specific, regulatory architecture of complex traits and generate mechanistic hypotheses for individual regulatory pathogenic mutations. We provide Sei as a resource to elucidate the regulatory basis of human health and disease.
Simple gene signature to assess murine fibroblast polarization
Authors: Ledoult Emmanuel , Jendoubi Manel , Collet Aurore , Guerrier Thomas , Largy Alexis , Speca Silvia , Vivier Solange , Bray Fabrice , Figeac Martin , Hachulla Eric , Labalette Myriam , Leprêtre Frédéric , Sebda Shéhérazade , Sanges Sébastien , Rolando Christian , Sobanski Vincent , Dubucquoi Sylvain , Launay David
Published: July 2022

We provide an original multi-stage approach identifying a gene signature to assess murine fibroblast polarization. Prototypic polarizations (inflammatory/fibrotic) were induced by seeded mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) with TNFα or TGFß1, respectively. The transcriptomic and proteomic profiles were obtained by RNA microarray and LC-MS/MS. Gene Ontology and pathways analysis were performed among the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and proteins (DEPs). Balb/c mice underwent daily intradermal injections of HOCl (or PBS) as an experimental murine model of inflammation-mediated fibrosis in a time-dependent manner. As results, 1456 and 2215 DEGs, and 289 and 233 DEPs were respectively found in MEFs in response to TNFα or TGFß1, respectively. Among the most significant pathways, we combined 26 representative genes to encompass the proinflammatory and profibrotic polarizations of fibroblasts. Based on principal component analysis, this signature deciphered baseline state, proinflammatory polarization, and profibrotic polarization as accurately as RNA microarray and LC-MS/MS did. Then, we assessed the gene signature on dermal fibroblasts isolated from the experimental murine model. We observed a proinflammatory polarization at day 7, and a mixture of a proinflammatory and profibrotic polarizations at day 42 in line with histological findings. Our approach provides a small-size and convenient gene signature to assess murine fibroblast polarization.
A correlational analysis of COVID-19 incidence and mortality and urban determinants of vitamin D status across the London boroughs
Authors: Borna Mehrdad , Woloshynowych Maria , Schiano-Phan Rosa , Volpi Emanuela V. , Usman Moonisah
Published: July 2022

One of the biggest challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic is the heterogeneity in disease severity exhibited amongst patients. Among multiple factors, latest studies suggest vitamin D deficiency and pre-existing health conditions to be major contributors to death from COVID-19. It is known that certain urban form attributes can impact sun exposure and vitamin D synthesis. Also, long-term exposure to air pollution can play an independent role in vitamin D deficiency. We conducted a correlational analysis of urban form and air quality in relation to the demographics and COVID-19 incidence and mortality across 32 London boroughs between March 2020 and January 2021. We found total population, number of residents of Asian ethnicity, 4-year average PM10 levels and road length to be positively correlated with COVID-19 cases and deaths. We also found percentage of households with access to total open space to be negatively correlated with COVID-19 deaths. Our findings link COVID-19 incidence and mortality across London with environmental variables linked to vitamin D status. Our study is entirely based on publicly available data and provides a reference framework for further research as more data are gathered and the syndemic dimension of COVID-19 becomes increasingly relevant in connection to health inequalities within large urban areas.
First tagging data on large Atlantic bluefin tuna returning to Nordic waters suggest repeated behaviour and skipped spawning
Authors: Aarestrup Kim , Baktoft Henrik , Birnie-Gauvin Kim , Sundelöf Andreas , Cardinale Massimiliano , Quilez-Badia Gemma , Onandia Iñigo , Casini Michele , Nielsen Einar Eg , Koed Anders , Alemany Francisco , MacKenzie Brian R.
Published: July 2022

Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus;ABFT) is one of the most iconic fish species in the world. Recently, after being very rare for more than half a century, large bluefin tunas have returned to Nordic waters in late summer and autumn, marking the return of the largest predatory fish in Nordic waters. By tagging 18 bluefin tunas with electronic tags (pop-up satellite archival tags), we show that bluefin tuna observed in Nordic waters undertake different migration routes, with individuals migrating into the western Atlantic Ocean, while others stay exclusively in the eastern Atlantic and enter the Mediterranean Sea to spawn. We additionally present evidence of possible skipped spawning inferred from behavioural analyses. In Nordic waters, ABFT are primarily using the upper water column, likely reflecting feeding activity. The results support the hypothesis that ABFT migrating to Nordic waters return to the same general feeding area within the region on an annual basis. These observations may have important implications for management because (1) tunas that come into Nordic waters might represent only a few year classes (as evidenced by a narrow size range), and thus may be particularly vulnerable to area-specific exploitation, and (2) challenge the assumption of consecutive spawning in adult Atlantic bluefin tuna, as used in current stock assessment models. Without careful management and limited exploitation of this part of the ABFT population, the species’ return to Nordic waters could be short-lived.
Whole-genome sequencing reveals de-novo mutations associated with nonsyndromic cleft lip/palate
Authors: Awotoye Waheed , Mossey Peter A. , Hetmanski Jacqueline B. , Gowans Lord J. J. , Eshete Mekonen A. , Adeyemo Wasiu L. , Alade Azeez , Zeng Erliang , Adamson Olawale , Naicker Thirona , Anand Deepti , Adeleke Chinyere , Busch Tamara , Li Mary , Petrin Aline , Aregbesola Babatunde S. , Braimah Ramat O. , Oginni Fadekemi O. , Oladele Ayodeji O. , Oladayo Abimbola , Kayali Sami , Olotu Joy , Hassan Mohaned , Pape John , Donkor Peter , Arthur Fareed K. N. , Obiri-Yeboah Solomon , Sabbah Daniel K. , Agbenorku Pius , Plange-Rhule Gyikua , Oti Alexander Acheampong , Gogal Rose A. , Beaty Terri H. , Taub Margaret , Marazita Mary L. , Schnieders Michael J. , Lachke Salil A. , Adeyemo Adebowale A. , Murray Jeffrey C. , Butali Azeez
Published: July 2022

The majority (85%) of nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (nsCL/P) cases occur sporadically, suggesting a role for de novo mutations (DNMs) in the etiology of nsCL/P. To identify high impact protein-altering DNMs that contribute to the risk of nsCL/P, we conducted whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analyses in 130 African case-parent trios (affected probands and unaffected parents). We identified 162 high confidence protein-altering DNMs some of which are based on available evidence, contribute to the risk of nsCL/P. These include novel protein-truncating DNMs in theACTL6A, ARHGAP10, MINK1, TMEM5andTTNgenes; as well as missense variants inACAN, DHRS3, DLX6, EPHB2, FKBP10, KMT2D, RECQL4, SEMA3C, SEMA4D, SHH, TP63,andTULP4. Many of these protein-altering DNMs were predicted to be pathogenic. Analysis using mouse transcriptomics data showed that some of these genes are expressed during the development of primary and secondary palate. Gene-set enrichment analysis of the protein-altering DNMs identified palatal development and neural crest migration among the few processes that were significantly enriched. These processes are directly involved in the etiopathogenesis of clefting. The analysis of the coding sequence in the WGS data provides more evidence of the opportunity for novel findings in the African genome.
Sulindac acetohydrazide derivative attenuates against cisplatin induced organ damage by modulation of antioxidant and inflammatory signaling pathways
Authors: Razak Suhail , Afsar Tayyaba , Bibi Nousheen , Abulmeaty Mahmoud , Bhat Mashooq Ahmad , Inam Anam , Trembley Janeen H. , Almajwal Ali , Shabbir Maria , Alruwaili Nawaf W. , Algarni Abdulrahman
Published: July 2022

This study aimed to explore the mechanisms of action of a sulindac acetohydrazide derivative, N'-(4-dimethylaminobenzylidene)-2-1-(4-(methylsulfinyl) benzylidene)-5-fluoro-2-methyl-1H-inden-3-yl) acetohydrazide, against anticancer drug cisplatin induced organ damage. Using a rodent model, various markers of organ function and signaling pathways were examined and validated by molecular docking studies. The study involves five groups of animals: control, DMSO, CDDP, CDDP + DMFM, and DMFM. Biochemical enzyme activity, histopathology, tissue antioxidant, and oxidative stress markers were examined. RT-PCR and western blot analyses were conducted for the expression of inducible cyclooxygenase enzyme (COX-2), nuclear factor kappa beta (NF-κB), p65, IL-1, TNF-α, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Flow cytometry analysis of CD4 + TNF-α, CD4 + COX-2, and CD4 + STAT-3 cells in whole blood was performed. Structural and dynamic behavior of DMFM upon binding with receptor molecule molecular docking and dynamic simulations were performed using bioinformatics tools and software. Treatment with DMFM reversed cisplatin-induced malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) induction, whereas the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the kidney, heart, liver, and brain tissues were increased. DMFM administration normalized plasma levels of biochemical enzymes. We observed a marked decline in CD4 + STAT3, TNF-α, and COX2 cell populations in whole blood after treatment with DMFM. DMFM downregulated the expression factors related to inflammation at the mRNA and protein levels, i.e., IL-1, TNF-α, iNOS, NF-κB, STAT-3, and COX-2. Dynamic simulations and in silico docking data supports the experimental findings. Our experimental and in silico results illustrated that DMFM may affect protective action against cisplatin-induced brain, heart, liver, and kidney damage via reduction of inflammation and ROS.
Nanoporous carbons and their potential energy storage applications
Authors: Khan I. A.
Published: July 2022

In this chapter, the synthesis and applications of nanoporous carbon materials for supercapacitors and lithium-ion batteries are summarized. Mesoporous carbons have been synthesized using hard templating and soft templating methods. Carbons with various pore structures have been synthesized using metal–organic frameworks such as MOF-5, IRMOF-1, and ZIFs as soft carbon sources. Some of these nanoporous carbons and N-doped nanoporous carbons have successfully used as electrodes materials for supercapacitors and as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.
Metal organic framework derived nanostructures for heterogeneous catalysis
Authors: Rubab Anosha , Altaf Amna , Ishtiaq Sumaya , Sohail Manzar
Published: July 2022

Metal organic frameworks and their derivatives, by virtue of their flexible composition as porous crystalline materials fabricated by metal ion nodes and organic ligands, have attracted great attention. The intriguing, distinctive, tunable structures, and customizable porosity make them very promising candidates for a number of different heterogeneous catalytic applications, including photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, and various organic transformation reactions. This chapter briefly summarizes the potential of MOF derivatives, their synthesis routes, and their high-scale activities. This perspective focuses on the need of MOF derivatives fabricated through the pyrolysis of MOF precursors and their employment as sacrificial templates to construct several carbon-based nanostructures, heteroatom doped over carbon architecture, and metal/metal oxide doped over carbon framework. The significant advances in synthesis routes, in combination with extraordinary properties, may provide a leading role to the current search for efficient catalytic processes.
Synthesis of onion-like carbon nanoparticles by flame pyrolysis
Authors: Mongwe Thomas H. , Coville Neil J. , Maubane-Nkadimeng Manoko S.
Published: July 2022

Spherical carbons with an onion-like structure can be synthesized using a facile flame pyrolysis (FP) method. The methodology has been known for centuries and in the 20th century, the technique was developed into a process to make ‘lamp black’ carbons. In more recent years, the method of using flames to make carbon soot has been exploited by using many new carbon starting materials. Many different names have been given to these spherical carbons, and in this review, we have referred to the spherical carbons made by FP as onion-like carbon nanomaterials (OLCNs). They generally have a quasi-spherical shape with size ≤ 60 nm and are made up of turbostratic layered domains/platelets stacked on top of each other to give the quasi-spherical structure. Recent developments in the area have involved the use of different reactor designs and different carbon sources to make the OLCNs as well as in situ and post doping/functionalization to modify the OLCN surface. Further, it has been shown that these OLCNs can also be made from waste oils, indicating their role in waste disposal approaches to carbon synthesis. Numerous uses have been found for these OLCNs (such as in supercapacitors), which has driven research in this area.
Recent advances in direct air capture by adsorption
Authors: Zhu Xuancan , Xie Wenwen , Wu Junye , Miao Yihe , Xiang Chengjie , Chen Chunping , Ge Bingyao , Gan Zhuozhen , Yang Fan , Zhang Man , O'Hare Dermot , Li Jia , Ge Tianshu , Wang Ruzhu
Published: July 2022

This review provides exhaustive insights into material and process design of adsorption-based direct air capture in the past five years.
Artificial photosynthesis systems for solar energy conversion and storage: platforms and their realities
Authors: Wang Zhenfu , Hu Yang , Zhang Songping , Sun Yan
Published: July 2022

This review discusses the recent APS's development with emphasis on how APS's platform work and impact on the APS's performance.