bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Growth performance, antibody response, and mammary gland development in New Zealand dairy replacement bovine heifers fed low or high amounts of unpasteurized whole milk
Authors: Khan M Ajmal , Heiser Axel , Maclean Paul H , Leath Shane R , Lowe Katherine A , Molenaar Adrian J
Published: June 2022

This study evaluated the influence of feeding low and high preweaning allowances of unpasteurized whole milk (MA) on intake, selected blood metabolites, antibody response, mammary gland growth, and growth of New Zealand (NZ) dairy heifers to 7 mo of age. At 10 ± 2 d of age (study day 0), group-housed (six·pen−1) heifer calves (Holstein-Friesian × Jersey) were allocated to low (4 L whole milk·calf−1·d−1; n = 7 pens) or high (8 L whole milk·calf−1·d−1; n = 7 pens) MA for the next 63 d. Calves were gradually weaned between days 63 ± 2 and 73 ± 2. Calves in each pen had ad-libitum access to clean water, pelleted calf starter, and chopped grass hay from day 1 to 91 ± 2 d. At 92 ± 2 d, all calves were transferred to pasture, grazed in a mob, and their growth and selected blood metabolites were measured until day 209. All animals were weighed weekly during the indoor period (to day 91) and then at days 105, 112, 128, 162, 184, and 209. Skeletal growth measurements and blood samples to analyze selected metabolites were collected at the start of the experiment, weaning, and then postweaning on day 91, and day 201. Specific antibodies against Leptospira and Clostridia were quantified in weeks 7, 13, and 27. Mammary glands were scanned using ultrasonography at the start of the experiment, weaning, and day 201. Feeding high vs. low amounts of MA increased the preweaning growth in heifer calves (P = 0.02) without negatively affecting postweaning average daily gain (ADG) (P = 0.74). Compared with heifers fed with low MA, high MA fed heifers had a greater increase in antibodies against Leptospira and Clostridia by 13 wk of age (P = 0.0007 and P = 0.06, respectively). By 27 wk of age, the antibody response was the same in heifers offered low or high MA. There was no effect of MA on the total size of the mammary gland, measured by ultrasonography, at weaning and 7 mo of age. However, the greater MA was associated with more mammary parenchyma (P = 0.01) and less mammary fat pad (P = 0.03) in back glands at 7 mo of age compared with heifers fed lower MA. In conclusion, feeding a high vs. a low amount of unpasteurized whole milk increased the preweaning growth of New Zealand replacement heifers without negatively affecting their ADG during postweaning under grazing conditions. Feeding more (8 vs. 4 L·d−1) unpasteurized whole milk positively affected antibody responses early in life and mammary gland composition by 7 mo of age in dairy heifers reared for pasture-based dairy systems.
John Brown’s Description of the Lake at Keswick: A Manuscript and a Few More Clues
Authors: Donaldson Christopher
Published: June 2022

This note reports on a previously undocumented manuscript copy of John Brown’s Description of the Lake at Keswick. Brown’s Description is an early, influential account of Derwent Water in the English Lake District. The text is generally regarded as having helped promote picturesque tourism in the region during the later eighteenth century. Prior to publication, the Description circulated privately. Until recently, however, none of these private copies were known to exist. The provenance of the manuscript discussed in this note is obscure, but there are grounds for supposing that the manuscript may relate to copies of Brown’s Description published in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, during the mid-1760s. The note outlines the evidence for this potential relationship and, in doing so, puts a few more pieces of the puzzling history of Brown’s Description into place.
The Authorship of The Occasional Paper (London, 1697–98)
Authors: Walmsley J C , Antonia Alexis , Craig Hugh
Published: June 2022

The Occasional Paper was a series of anonymous pamphlets covering a diverse range of topics, published in ten numbers during 1697 and 1698. The series has always been attributed to Richard Willis (bap. 1664, d. 1734), successively bishop of Gloucester (1715–21), Salisbury (1721–23), and Winchester (1723–34). Edward Waddington’s (1670?–1731) copy of The Occasional Paper provides near-contemporary attributions of nine of the numbers to the clergymen William Hayley (1657–1715), Gilbert Burnet (1643–1715), Richard Lucas (1648/9–1715), Charles Trimnell (1663–1723), Samuel Bradford (1652–1731), William Hodges (1667–1703), and Willis. These attributions are consistent with the content of The Occasional Paper, and with a stylometric analysis of texts known to be by the attributed authors. This demonstrates that it was William Hayley that criticized Locke’s Reasonableness of Christianity (1695) in the first and fifth of these numbers, not Willis. It also reveals that Number II, ‘Concerning the Late Unfortunate Death of J. H----en, Esq’, presents the contemporary deathbed confession of the politician John Hampden (bap. 1653, d. 1696), communicated by Gilbert Burnet.
The first-in-human phase I study of a brain-penetrant mutant IDH1 inhibitor DS-1001 in patients with recurrent or progressive IDH1-mutant gliomas
Authors: Natsume Atsushi , Arakawa Yoshiki , Narita Yoshitaka , Sugiyama Kazuhiko , Hata Nobuhiro , Muragaki Yoshihiro , Shinojima Naoki , Kumabe Toshihiro , Saito Ryuta , Motomura Kazuya , Mineharu Yohei , Miyakita Yasuji , Yamasaki Fumiyuki , Matsushita Yuko , Ichimura Koichi , Ito Kazumi , Tachibana Masaya , Kakurai Yasuyuki , Okamoto Naoko , Asahi Takashi , Nishijima Soichiro , Yamaguchi Tomoyuki , Tsubouchi Hiroshi , Nakamura Hideo , Nishikawa Ryo
Published: June 2022

Background

Approximately 70% of lower-grade gliomas harbor isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) mutations, resulting in the accumulation of oncometabolite D-2-hydroxyglutarate (D-2-HG); this leads to epigenetic dysregulation, oncogenesis, and subsequent clonal expansion. DS-1001 is an oral brain-penetrant mutant IDH1 selective inhibitor. This first-in-human study investigated the safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and efficacy of DS-1001.

Methods

This was a multicenter, open-label, dose-escalation, phase I study of DS-1001 for recurrent/progressive IDH1-mutant (R132) glioma (N = 47) (NCT03030066). DS-1001 was administered orally at 125-1400 mg twice daily. Dose-escalation used a modified continual reassessment method.

Results

The maximum tolerated dose was not reached. Eight patients were continuing treatment at the data cutoff. Most adverse events (AEs) were grade 1-2. Twenty patients (42.6%) experienced at least 1 grade 3 AE. No grade 4 or 5 AEs or serious drug-related AEs were reported. Common AEs (>20%) were skin hyperpigmentation, diarrhea, pruritus, alopecia, arthralgia, nausea, headache, rash, and dry skin. The objective response rates were 17.1% for enhancing tumors and 33.3% for non-enhancing tumors. Median progression-free survival was 10.4 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.1 to 17.7 months) and not reached (95% CI, 24.1 to not reached) for the enhancing and non-enhancing glioma cohorts, respectively. Seven on-treatment brain tumor samples showed a significantly lower amount of D-2-HG compared with pre-study archived samples.

Conclusions

DS-1001 was well tolerated with a favorable brain distribution. Recurrent/progressive IDH1-mutant glioma patients responded to treatment. A study of DS-1001 in patients with chemotherapy- and radiotherapy-naïve IDH1-mutated WHO grade 2 glioma is ongoing (NCT04458272).
A Mechanistic Model Accounting for the Effect of Soil Moisture, Weather, and Host Growth Stage on the Development of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum
Authors: Salotti Irene , Rossi Vittorio
Published: June 2022

The fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum causes serious losses to several agricultural crops worldwide. By using systems analysis, we retrieved the available knowledge concerning S. sclerotiorum from the literature and then analyzed and synthesized the data to develop a mechanistic, dynamic, weather-driven model for the prediction of epidemics on different crops. The model accounts for i) the production and survival of apothecia; ii) the production, dispersal, and survival of ascospores; iii) infection by ascospores; and iv) lesion onset. The ability of the model to predict the occurrence of apothecia was evaluated for epidemics observed with different climates, soil types, and host crops (soybean, white bean, and carrot) using independent data obtained from trials conducted in Ontario (Canada) in 1981, 1982, and from 1999 to 2002; in Michigan (U.S.A.) in 2015 and 2016; and in Wisconsin (U.S.A.) in 2016. The model showed 0.82 accuracy and 0.73 specificity in predicting the presence of apothecia, with a posterior probability of correctly predicting apothecia to be present or absent of 0.804 and 0.876, respectively. The model was also validated for its ability to predict disease progress on soybean and sunflower in Ontario in 1981 and 1982, in Manitoba (Canada) in 2001 and 2002, and in Michigan in 2015 and 2016. Comparison of model output with observations showed a concordance correlation coefficient of 0.948, and a root mean square error of 0.122. The model represents an improvement of previous S. sclerotiorum models and could be useful for making decisions on disease control.
Mechanical Transmission of Potato Virus Y in Potato Due to Seed Cutting Is Not a Contributing Factor to Increased Virus in Field Production
Authors: Duellman Kasia M. , Whitworth Jonathan L. , Lent Melinda A. , Bertram Melissa C. , Randall Jill C.
Published: June 2022

Potato virus Y (PVY) infects a wide host range. Commercial potato growers continue to express concern that cutting seed may move PVY from infected seed to healthy ones and lead to increased incidence of PVY in the field. However, the bulk of the literature suggests such movement is of little to no importance. Here, we present an overview of the literature relating to the movement of PVY via seed cutting and two experiments that add to the existing knowledge. In a controlled greenhouse experiment, a knife used to cut PVY-infected tubers did not appear to transmit the virus to subsequent cut tubers, and in a controlled small-plot field experiment, the proportion of PVY in small whole seed potatoes did not differ from that of cut seed from the same seed lots of potato cultivars Russet Burbank and Ranger Russet ( P = 0.2466). Our research results corroborate those of others in that cutting seed poses little risk of moving PVY. With respect to PVY management, we recommend that growers continue to use the type of seed, whether cut seed pieces or whole tubers, best suited for their operations.
Loss of SQSTM1/p62 Induces Obesity and Exacerbates Alcohol‐induced Liver Injury in Aged Mice
Authors: Qian Hui
Published: June 2022

Background

Alcohol‐related liver disease (ALD) is a worldwide health problem without successful treatment. Aging is associate with obesity, which are known a risk factor that aggravate ALD. We and others have previously demonstrated that chronic plus binge alcohol increases adipose tissue lipolysis and promotes alcohol‐induced liver injury through the adipose‐liver crosstalk. In the present study, we investigated the role of autophagy receptor protein SQSTM1/p62 in adipose‐liver crosstalk and the effects of aging and obesity in ALD.

Methods

Whole‐body p62 knockout (KO) and their matched wild type young (2‐3 months) and aged (13‐15 months) mice were subjected to chronic plus binge (Gao‐binge) alcohol model.  Adipose and liver tissues were collected for biochemical and histological analysis.

Results

p62 KO mice developed mature‐onset obesity in aged mice with increased both white and brown adipose tissue mass. Gao‐binge alcohol feeding decreased both the white and adipose mass regardless of the age and genotypes of mice. Alcohol feeding increased levels of serum free fatty acids regardless of the genotypes of the mice although the serum levels of glycerol only significantly increased in alcohol fed aged p62 KO mice. Alcohol feeding increased levels of serum ALT and hepatic triglyceride (TG) in both young and aged WT and p62 KO mice, but no significant differences were found among the young WT and p62 KO mice as well as aged WT vs young WT mice. However, alcohol‐fed aged p62 KO mice had significantly higher levels of serum ALT and hepatic TG as well as fibrosis and inflammation markers than alcohol‐fed aged WT mice. Mechanistically, aged p62 KO mice had increased de novo lipogenesis and senescence with increased senescence associated secretory phenotype with similar increased oxidative stress compared with matched WT mice.

Conclusion

We established a genetic obesity/metabolic syndrome mouse model with alcohol consumption. Loss of p62 in aged mice leads to obesity with metabolic syndrome that exacerbates alcohol‐induced liver injury via increased de novo lipogenesis and senescence.
Limb Salvage with Multiple Modalities: A Case Report of a Diabetic Heel Ulcer Associated with Peripheral Arterial Disease
Authors: Matsuzaki Kyoichi , Miyamoto Akira
Published: June 2022

A large diabetic heel ulcer with peripheral arterial disease is an independent predictor of limb loss; below-knee amputation is not uncommon in such cases. One treatment is multimodal therapy, which includes partial calcanectomy. Because there is a limit to the ulcer surface area that can be sutured after partial calcanectomy, the remaining raw surface is treated with another method. In this case report, the authors describe a patient with peripheral arterial disease who had a 7 × 9-cm diabetic heel ulcer. The patient was treated with partial calcanectomy after catheter-based endovascular therapy revascularization and then maggot therapy after residual-wound dimensions were reduced by negative-pressure wound therapy.
Successful Treatment of Wound Dehiscence by Innovative Type 1 Collagen Flowable Gel: A Case Report
Authors: Ferraro Giuseppe A. , Lanzano Giuseppe , Grella Elisa , Gubitosi Adelmo , Nicoletti Giovanni F.
Published: June 2022

The growing demand for postbariatric body-contouring surgery after massive weight loss goes hand-in-hand with an increase in wound complications. Consequently, surgical reoperation or conservative management is necessary and represents a difficult challenge to healthcare professionals. Moreover, it is well known that postbariatric patients present aberrant wound healing due to multifactorial causes, such as preoperative illness, nutritional deficiencies, and vascular disease. To treat such complex wounds, several methods have been recommended, such as the use of negative pressure wound therapy, tissue-engineered skin substitutes, and collagen-based wound dressings. The case presented here is of a patient with deep wound dehiscence of the inner left thigh, 1 week after a medial thigh lift procedure, successfully managed with Vergenix Flowable Gel, a human recombinant type I collagen produced in plants. After 2 weeks of treatment, wound dehiscence was replaced with granulation tissue, and after 4 weeks, the patient was completely healed, with an acceptable aesthetic outcome of the surgical scar.
Treatment of Delayed-onset Inflammatory Reactions to Hyaluronic Acid Filler: An Algorithmic Approach
Authors: Funt David K.
Published: June 2022

Hyaluronic acid fillers are one of the most widely used and versatile fillers worldwide. Although traditionally regarded as immunologically inert, many currently available products have been substantially modified to improve longevity and to optimize properties for specific indications. Such modifications, either alone or in combination with other factors (such as the immune status of the patient, immune-triggering events, and bacterial contamination), may lead to the development of late-onset inflammatory nodules in some patients. This article discusses the clinical presentation of late-onset adverse inflammatory reactions to hyaluronic acid injections, describes their likely triggers, and presents the author’s treatment algorithm for successful resolution.
Cost and Satisfaction Implications of Using Telehealth for Plagiocephaly
Authors: Cappitelli Alex , Wenzinger Eric , Langa Olivia C. , Nuzzi Laura , Ganor Oren , Rogers-Vizena Carolyn R. , Ganske Ingrid M.
Published: June 2022

Purpose:

Patients with deformational plagiocephaly are often referred for evaluation by a plastic surgeon. During the early COVID-19 pandemic, visits were performed predominantly via telehealth. This study compares costs, satisfaction, and technological considerations for telehealth and in-person consultations for plagiocephaly.

Methods:

This prospective study evaluated telehealth and in-person consultation for plagiocephaly between August 2020 and January 2021. Costs were estimated using time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) and included personnel and facility costs. Patient-borne expenses for travel were assessed. Post-visit questionnaires administered to patients’ families and providers measured satisfaction with the consult and technical issues encountered.

Results:

Costing analysis was performed on 20 telehealth and 11 in-person consults. Median total personnel and facility costs of providing in-person or telehealth consults were comparable (P > 0.05). Telehealth visits saved on the cost of clinic space but required significantly more of the provider’s time (P < 0.05). In-person visits had an additional patient-borne travel cost of $28.64. Technical difficulties were reported among 25% (n = 5) of telehealth consults. Paired provider and patient experience questionnaires were collected from 17 consults (11 telehealth, six in-person). Overall satisfaction with care did not differ significantly between consult types or between the provider and patient family (P > 0.05).

Conclusions:

Costs of providing in-person and telehealth plagiocephaly consultations were comparable, whereas patients incur greater costs when coming in person. Practices that treat patients with plagiocephaly may wish to consider expanding their virtual consult offerings to families desiring this option. Long-term outcome studies are necessary to evaluate the efficacy of both visit types.
Gender-affirming Phalloplasty: A Postoperative Protocol for Success
Authors: Rifkin William J. , Daar David A. , Cripps Courtney N. , Mars Ginger , Zhao Lee C. , Levine Jamie P. , Bluebond-Langner Rachel
Published: June 2022

Background:

Increased access to care and insurance coverage has led to an increase in gender-affirming surgeries performed in the United States. Gender-affirming phalloplasty has a variety of donor sites and surgical techniques including both pedicled and free flaps. Although surgical techniques and patient outcomes are well-described, no reports in the literature specifically discuss postoperative management, which plays a crucial role in the success of these operations. Here, we present a postoperative protocol based on our institution’s experience with gender-affirming phalloplasty with the hope it will serve as a standardized, reproducible reference for centers looking to offer these procedures.

Methods:

Patients undergoing gender-affirming phalloplasty at our institution followed a standardized protocol from the preoperative stage through phases of postoperative recovery. Medication, laboratory, physical and occupational therapy, flap monitoring, and dressing change guidelines were extracted and compiled into a single resource detailing the postoperative protocol in full.

Results:

Our institution's standardized postoperative protocol for gender-affirming phalloplasty is detailed, focusing on flap monitoring, mobilization and activity, medications, and postoperative dressing care. One hundred thirty first-stage phalloplasty procedures were performed between May 2017 and December 2021, with two patients (1.5%) experiencing partial necrosis and one incidence (0.8%) of total flap loss.

Conclusions:

For optimal and safe surgical outcomes, the surgical and extended care teams need to understand flap monitoring as well as specific postoperative protocols. A systematic approach focusing on flap monitoring, mobilization and activity, medications, and postoperative dressing care decreases errors, accelerates recovery, shortens length of stay, and instills confidence in the patient.
Multihit Injury of the Radial Nerve in a 62-year-old Woman: A Case Report
Authors: Heinzel Johannes C. , Winter Natalie , Stahl Jan-Hendrik , Prahm Cosima , Grimm Alexander , Kolbenschlag Jonas
Published: June 2022

We report the case of a 62-year-old female patient with a triple-crush radial nerve injury, diagnosed in subsequent order following a fracture of the left humerus. The patient developed flaccid paralysis of all muscles innervated by the left radial nerve except the triceps brachii and reported a sensory deficit corresponding to the innervation territories of the posterior nerve of the forearm as well as the superficial branch of the radial nerve. Following neurolysis of the radial nerve at the humerus level, wrist extension as well as sensory perception on the dorsal aspect of the forearm recovered, but finger extension and thumb abduction were still impossible. Following neurological evaluation and nerve ultrasound, supinator syndrome was diagnosed and the patient underwent decompression surgery. Following surgical decompression, motor recovery was observable but a sensory deficit remained in the area innervated by the superficial branch of the radial nerve. In consequence, the third crush injury of the left radial nerve, that is, Wartenberg syndrome or cheiralgia paraesthetica was diagnosed. Decompression surgery of the superficial branch of the radial nerve was performed and the patient reported profound amelioration of her sensory symptoms during a follow-up examination at our outpatient clinic 6 weeks postoperatively.
Dental dams in dermatology: An underutilized barrier method of protection
Authors: Gutierrez Daniel , Tan Andrea , Strome Arianna , Pomeranz Miriam Keltz
Published: June 2022

Dental dams are a barrier method of protection, which may help prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections during oral-vaginal or oral-anal sex. Despite their relative simplicity of use, data on dental dams are limited and patients infrequently utilize this method of barrier protection because of the lack of awareness, perceived barriers to procurement and accessibility, and unfamiliarity on the part of health educators. Nevertheless, increased knowledge of dental dams may be beneficial especially in high-risk populations, where sexually transmitted infections are more common and remain a significant cause for morbidity. This article aims to increase awareness and knowledge of dental dams, as well as provide an informational guide on their procurement and use that may be helpful to dermatologists when counseling patients.
Plausibility of Claimed Covid-19 Vaccine Efficacies by Age: A Simulation Study
Authors: Sheldrick Kyle A. , Meyerowitz-Katz Gideon , Tucker-Kellogg Greg
Published: June 2022

Background:

Multiple vaccines against Covid-19 have passed through phase-3 trials; however, concerns have been raised about alleged excessive similarity of efficacy across age groups for the Sputnik V vaccine.

Study Question:

How likely are the observed efficacies for all age subgroups to fall within the range of by-age efficacies claimed for the AstraZeneca, Janssen, Moderna, Pfizer, and Sputnik V vaccines, assuming that there is no effect of age on efficacy?

Study Design:

We performed a simulation study using R of 1000 and then 50,000 simulated trials for each vaccine, with random allocation to each arm but fixed enrollment numbers by age group. We used study-wide efficacy and infection rate for all age groups. We recorded the observed vaccine efficacies in each age group and summated how many simulations had all observed efficacies fall within the range of efficacies described in the relevant article.

Results:

In the 1000-trial simulation for the AstraZeneca vaccine, in 23.8% of simulated trials, the observed efficacies of all age subgroups fell within the efficacy bounds for age subgroups in the published article. The J + J simulation showed 44.7%, Moderna 51.1%, Pfizer 30.5%, and 0.0% of the Sputnik simulated trials had all age subgroups fall within the limits of the efficacy estimates described by the published article. In 50,000 simulated trials of the Sputnik vaccine, 0.026% had all age subgroups fall within the limits of the efficacy estimates described by the published article, whereas 99.974% did not.

Conclusions:

The distribution of alleged vaccine efficacies of the Sputnik vaccine by age in the phase-III trial is very unlikely to occur in genuine experimental data, even if the number of patients recruited, vaccine efficacy, and overall infection rate are true and there is no underlying difference in vaccine efficacy by age.
Prosthetic valve endocarditis due to Candida parapsilosis- a rare case report

Authors: Sharma Shivang , Samantaray Subhashree , Kumar Deepak , Meena Durga Shankar , Chaudhary Rahul , Jain Vidhi , Bohra Gopal Krishana , Garg Mahendra Kumar
Published: June 2022

Fungal endocarditis is a rare and fatal condition ,  most frequently caused by   the  Candida  and  Aspergillus  species. Fever and changing heart murmur are the most common clinical manifestations. The diagnosis of fungal endocarditis is challenging, especially that of prosthetic valve endocarditis is extremely difficult. The optimal management of the condition still remains debatable.  We hereby present a case of prosthetic valve endocarditis caused by  Candida parapsilosis , managed empirically with liposomal amphotericin B and later on was shifted to combination therapy with high dose echinocandin and fluconazole, but had a fatal outcome because he could not undergo timely surgical intervention.  Treating  Candida parapsilosis  endocarditis cases are difficult because of their ability of biofilm production on native and prosthetic heart valves. A combined approach consisting of high index of clinical suspicion, early diagnosis by using serological markers followed by culture or PCR and prompt initiation of appropriate antifungals may aid in improving the outcome.
Multidimensional plasticity jointly contributes to rapid acclimation to environmental challenges during biological invasions
Authors: Huang Xuena , Li Hanxi , Shenkar Noa , Zhan Aibin
Published: June 2022

Rapid plastic response to environmental changes, which involves extremely complex underlying mechanisms, is crucial for organismal survival during many ecological and evolutionary processes such as those in global change and biological invasions. Gene expression is among the most studied molecular plasticity, while co- or post-transcriptional mechanisms are still largely unexplored. Using a model invasive ascidian Ciona savignyi, we studied multidimensional short-term plasticity in response to hyper- and hypo-salinity stresses, covering the physiological adjustment, gene expression, alternative splicing (AS), and alternative polyadenylation (APA) regulations. Our results demonstrated that rapid plastic response varied with environmental context, timescales, and molecular regulatory levels. Gene expression, AS, and APA regulations independently acted on different gene sets and corresponding biological functions, highlighting their non-redundant roles in rapid environmental adaptation. Stress-induced gene expression changes illustrated the use of a strategy of accumulating free amino acid under high salinity and losing/reducing them during low salinity to maintain the osmotic homoeostasis. Genes with more exons were inclined to use AS regulations, and isoform switches in functional genes such as SLC2a5 and Cyb5r3 resulted in enhanced transporting activities by upregulating the isoforms with more transmembrane regions. The extensive 3’-untranslated region (3’UTR) shortening through APA was induced by both salinity stresses, and APA regulation predominated transcriptomic changes at some stages of stress response. The findings here provide evidence for complex plastic mechanisms to environmental changes, and thereby highlight the importance of systemically integrating different levels of regulation mechanisms in studying initial plasticity in evolutionary trajectories.
Comparative analysis of genome-scale, base-resolution DNA methylation profiles across 580 animal species
Authors: Klughammer Johanna , Romanovskaia Daria , Nemc Amelie , Posautz Annika , Seid Charlotte , Schuster Linda C. , Keinath Melissa C. , Lugo Ramos Juan Sebastian , Kosack Lindsay , Evankow Annie , Prinz Dieter , Kirchberger Stefanie , Ergüner Bekir , Datlinger Paul , Fortelny Nikolaus , Schmidl Christian , Farlik Matthias , Skjærven Kaja , Bergthaler Andreas , Liedvogel Miriam , Thaller Denise , Burger Pamela A. , Hermann Marcela , Distel Martin , Distel Daniel L. , Kübber-Heiss Anna , Bock Christoph
Published: June 2022

Methylation of cytosines is the prototypic epigenetic modification of the DNA. It has been implicated in various regulatory mechanisms throughout the animal kingdom and particularly in vertebrates. We mapped DNA methylation in 580 animal species (535 vertebrates, 45 invertebrates), resulting in 2443 genome-scale, base-resolution DNA methylation profiles of primary tissue samples from various organs. Reference-genome independent analysis of this comprehensive dataset quantified the association of DNA methylation with the underlying genomic DNA sequence throughout vertebrate evolution. We observed a broadly conserved link with two major transitions – once in the first vertebrates and again with the emergence of reptiles. Cross-species comparisons focusing on individual organs supported a deeply conserved association of DNA methylation with tissue type, and cross-mapping analysis of DNA methylation at gene promoters revealed evolutionary changes for orthologous genes with conserved DNA methylation patterns. In summary, this study establishes a large resource of vertebrate and invertebrate DNA methylomes, it showcases the power of reference-free epigenome analysis in species for which no reference genomes are available, and it contributes an epigenetic perspective to the study of vertebrate evolution.
A peculiar evolutionary feature of monkeypox virus
Authors: Dai Yicong , Teng Xucong , Hu Difei , Zhang Qiushuang , Li Jinghong
Published: June 2022

From 1 Jan 2022 to 15 June 2022, more than 2,100 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 42 countries. This unusual outbreak of monkeypox has raised new concerns in academia and the public. To keep abreast of the trend of the monkeypox epidemic, it is extremely urgent and important to surveille the accumulated genomic mutations and the change of the transmission ability of the pathogen, monkeypox virus (MPXV). We report a non-canonical RNA secondary structure, G-quadruplex (RG4), that surprisingly evolved stepwise with various variants. The RG4 motif is located in the coding sequence region of MPXV C9L gene that is functional in inhibiting host innate immune response. The evolution decreases the stability of this RG4 and promotes C9L protein level in living cells. Importantly, all the reported MPXV genomes in 2022 contain the most unstable RG4 variant, which may be the reason of the increasing spread of MPXV. These findings recommend that health authorities and researchers pay attention to the genomic evolution of MPXV.
A non-lemniscal thalamic interface connecting alerting sensory cues to internal states in mice
Authors: Wang Yiwei , You Ling , Tan KaMun , Li Meijie , Zou Jingshan , Hu Wenxin , Li Tianyu , Yuan Ruizhi , Xie Fenghua , Xin Fengyuan , Liu Miaomiao , Gao Yixiao , Shang Congping , You Zhiwei , Gao Xiaorong , Xiong Wei , Cao Peng , Luo Minmin , Chen Feng , Hong Bo , Yuan Kexin
Published: June 2022

Alterations in internal states, such as elevated arousal level and increased anxiety or fear, triggered by alerting environmental cues are required for behavioral state transitions promoting survival. However, the specific brain region that plays an interfacing role between alerting stimuli and internal states remains to be identified. Here, we report that the medial sector of the auditory thalamus (ATm), which consists of a group of non-lemniscal thalamic nuclei, can fulfill this function. VGluT2-expressing ATm (ATmVGluT2+) neurons receive direct and strong inputs from both visual and auditory midbrain regions, and project to multiple downstream structures critically involved in brain state regulation. Their activity was correlated with, and indispensable for, both blue light- and sound-induced NREM sleep-to-Wake transition, and their arousing effects were mainly mediated by, but not limited to, the temporal association cortices. ATmVGluT2+ neuron activation in awake behaving mice induced pupil dilation and behavioral responses suggestive of anxiety. Blocking the neurotransmitter release of ATmVGluT2+ neurons receiving auditory inputs selectively abolished loud noise-triggered escape behavior but not locomotion. Thus, the ATm is an interface in mouse brain that can transform alerting environmental cues into internal arousal and emotional state alterations that promote survival.
Formation of the clamped state by Scc2 and DNA overcomes the constraints imposed by zipping-up of the SMC coiled coils on cohesin’s ATPase
Authors: Voulgaris Menelaos , Nasmyth Kim A , Srinivasan Madhusudhan
Published: June 2022

In addition to mediating sister chromatid cohesion, cohesin, by virtue of Loop Extrusion (LE), organises the spatial arrangement of interphase DNA. The latter activity relies on DNA and Scc2 dependent ATP hydrolysis by cohesin. How the impetus from the ATPase cycle translates into reeling of DNA loops into the SMC kleisin rings is still unclear. The SMC coiled coils show several striking structural features like folding and zipping-up, if and how these structural states affect cohesin’s activity is still unclear. We show here that cohesin’s loop extruding motor contains an internal constraint that regulates its ATPase activity, zipping-up of the coiled coils impedes ATP hydrolysis by cohesin. We show that integrity of a region where the coiled coils emerge for the SMC hinge domains, SMC ‘wrist’, is critical for the zipping up of the coiled coils and the resulting inhibition of cohesin’s ATPase. Clamping of DNA by Scc2 onto the engaged SMC heads in the presence of ATP leads to unzipping of the coiled coils and permits ATP hydrolysis. Strikingly, irreversible folding of the coiled coils at the elbow region does not lead to any measurable change to the ATPase activity suggesting that recurrent cycles of folding and unfolding of the coiled coils is not necessary for driving continuous ATP hydrolysis by cohesin.
Location-Specific Facilitation in Primate Auditory Cortex
Authors: Chen Chenggang , Xu Sheng , Wang Yunyan , Wang Xiaoqin
Published: June 2022

Neural responses to sensory stimuli are markedly influenced by the context in which a stimulus is preceded or embedded. Cortical and subcortical neurons typically exhibit adaptation to repetitive auditory, visual, somatosensory, and olfactory stimulation. Here, we investigated single neuron responses to sequences of sounds either repeatedly delivered from a single spatial location or randomly delivered from multiple spatial locations in the auditory cortex of awake marmosets. Instead of inducing adaptation, repetitive stimulation from a target speaker evoked long-lasting, location-specific facilitation (LSF) in many neurons, irrespective of the visibility of the target speaker. The extent of LSF decreased with decreasing presentation probability of the target speaker. Intracellular recordings showed that repetitive sound stimulation evoked sustained membrane potential depolarization which gave rise to firing rate facilitation. Computational models suggest two distinct neural mechanisms underlying LSF. Our findings revealed a novel form of contextual modulation in the auditory cortex that may play a role in auditory streaming and predictive coding.
Hepatitis Viruses affect the expression of Endogenous Retrovirus and Tumor Microenvironment in HCC
Authors: Zhang Wei , Wan Xiaoyang
Published: June 2022

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a commonly diagnosed cancer with high mortality rates.Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) world-wide. The molecular mechanisms of viral hepatocarcinogenesis are still partially understood. The immune response plays an important role in the progression of HCC. Immunotherapies are becoming an increasingly promising tool for treating cancers. Advancements in scRNA-seq (single-cell RNA sequencing) have allowed us to identify new subsets in the immune microenvironment of HCC. Yet, distribution of these new cell types and their potential prognostic value in bulk samples from large cohorts remained unclear. Here, we use single-cell RNA sequencing analysis to delineate the immune landscape and tumor heterogeneity in a cohort of patients with hepatitis viruses(HBV,HCV,HDV) associated human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).We also re-analyze the bulk RNA-seq data for the cohort to include the expression values of human Endogenous Retrovirus (hERV). And found correlations with hepatitis viruses status.
Rigid registration algorithm based on the minimization of the total variation of the difference map
Authors: Xiao Xianghui , Xu Zhengrui , Hou Dong , Yang Zhijie , Lin Feng
Published: June 2022

Image registration is broadly used in various scenarios in which similar scenes in different images are to be aligned. However, image registration becomes challenging when the contrasts and backgrounds in the images are vastly different. This work proposes using the total variation of the difference map between two images (TVDM) as a dissimilarity metric in rigid registration. A method based on TVDM minimization is implemented for image rigid registration. The method is tested with both synthesized and real experimental data that have various noise and background conditions. The performance of the proposed method is compared with the results of other rigid registration methods. It is demonstrated that the proposed method is highly accurate and robust and outperforms other methods in all of the tests. The new algorithm provides a robust option for image registrations that are critical to many nano-scale X-ray imaging and microscopy applications.
Behavioural conflict on employee wellbeing: role of negative affect state and workplace fun
Authors: Kuriakose Vijay , S Sreejesh
Published: June 2022

Purpose

The study attempts to understand the relationship between behavioural conflict and employee well-being and examines the intervening role of the negative affect state. Besides this, the study also analyses the moderating role of workplace fun.

Design/methodology/approach

Following affective events theory, the authors developed the conceptual model and postulated the study hypotheses. A questionnaire-based survey was used to collect data from frontline employees of selected hotels in India. Further, the authors tested the hypotheses following the process approach (Hayes, 2013, 2018).

Findings

The study findings reported that behavioural conflict has a negative relationship with employee well-being, and the negative affect state mediates the relationship between behavioural conflict and employee well-being. The results also established the moderating role of workplace fun in this relationship.

Research limitations/implications

The study's findings extend the current understanding of the effect of behavioural conflict on employee well-being and explain how it influences employee well-being. The study also provides guidelines to manage the detrimental effect of behavioural conflict.

Originality/value

The study established the association between behavioural conflict and employee well-being and highlighted the process through and condition under which behavioural conflict influences employee well-being. This could be the first study examining the relationship between behavioural conflict and employee well-being.
On the causes of positive inventory discrepancies in retail stores
Authors: Best Julian , Glock Christoph H. , Grosse Eric H. , Rekik Yacine , Syntetos Aris
Published: June 2022

Purpose

Ensuring high on-shelf availability at low inventory costs remains an important challenge in retailing. Inaccurate inventory records, i.e. discrepancies between the stock records displayed in the inventory system and the stock quantity actually found in the retail store, have been identified as one of the most important drivers of retail stockouts in the past. The purpose of this work is to investigate the causes of positive inventory discrepancies in retailing, i.e. where there is more inventory on-hand than identified by the inventory system.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on input from retailers, the authors develop a simulation model of a retail store that considers various error-prone processes and study in a full factorial test design how the different operational errors may drive inventory discrepancies, paying special attention to the sources of positive inventory record inaccuracies.

Findings

This makes it possible to gain insights into the process parameters retailers need to adjust to avoid inventory records becoming inaccurate. In addition, the authors analyze how positive inventory discrepancies relate to stockouts to further our understanding of the role so-called phantom products may play in a retailing context.

Originality/value

While negative inventory discrepancies (where the stock that is available in the store is less than what the system displays) and their sources (theft, shrinkage, etc.) have been discussed quite frequently in the literature, the causes of positive inventory discrepancies (where the available inventory exceeds the system inventory) have received much less attention.
How can insolvency in tourism be predicted? The case of local accommodation
Authors: Correia Cláudia , Costa Rui Augusto , Mota Jorge , Breda Zélia
Published: June 2022

Purpose

The specific typology of local accommodation in Portugal has undergone a huge expansion accompanied by a proliferation in the number of firms and it is crucial that the firms associated with this boom can ensure their survival and remain in the market. The purpose of this paper is to specify an insolvency forecasting model and identify which financial indicators best contribute to forecasting insolvency in local accommodation firms.

Design/methodology/approach

At the methodological level, the financial data of firms in this sector were initially collected via the SABI database; then the probit model was estimated to perform the analysis of financial variables, with the aim of observing their behaviour and understanding which are crucial in predicting business insolvency.

Findings

Given the scarcity of studies in this specific typology of accommodation, the results of this paper are relevant and increase the knowledge for the sector. They also enable the identification of financial ratios that deserve greater attention from those responsible for firms in this sector, namely, profitability and liquidity ratios. In short, profitability ratios vary inversely with the probability of insolvency, so that firms with higher levels of net profitability, asset rotation or accumulated profitability have a lower probability of insolvency, with the opposite being true in terms of liquidity, where firms with higher current assets are more likely to become insolvent.

Originality/value

The novelty of this paper is focused on the urgent need for tourism accommodation stakeholders to prevent or anticipate insolvency and identify which financial indicators best contribute to forecasting insolvency. This research is fundamental, as many cities are considered major tourist destinations and where a high number of tourism businesses are concentrated.
Reducing recidivism and encouraging desistance: a social entrepreneurial approach
Authors: Wright Robert E.
Published: June 2022

Purpose

This paper, which is both case study and conceptual in nature, presents a relative cost-benefit model to explain why people engage in criminal activity. It then uses the model to motivate a discussion of the major policy approaches to recidivism reduction and desistance, or decreasing the frequency and severity of criminal activity, a more nuanced measure of harm reduction than the binary concept of recidivism typically used to evaluate program success. Several private programs have successfully reduced recidivism and improved measures of desistance but remain applicable only to those who self-select into them. Changed policies and incentives, however, could stimulate social entrepreneurs to search for programs applicable to additional segments of the prison population.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper describes case studies informed by economic theories of crime and incentive alignment. Most approaches to recidivism reduction/desistance have failed, but several programs, including the DOE Fund and PEP, have proven extremely effective: the first by employing former convicts in starter jobs and the latter by teaching inmates about entrepreneurship and general business skills and mentoring them after release.

Findings

Successful cases cannot simply be scaled up because inmates self-select into the programs. Instead, policymakers should encourage further competition and innovation in the field by paying NGOs each week they manage to keep the formerly imprisoned persons in their charge alive and out of the criminal justice system.

Research limitations/implications

Case study and theoretical. Not yet tried in the real world.

Practical implications

Lower recidivism, more desistance for the same budget.

Social implications

Humans will be better treated than currently.

Originality/value

Instead of offering a specific recidivism reduction panacea, this paper suggests that incentive alignment and competition for funding will encourage nonprofit NGOs to discover which programs work best for different types of inmates.
Investigating consumers' brand desirability of “upcycled” luxury: the many faces of designer facemasks
Authors: Phau Ian , Akintimehin Olamide , Lee Sean
Published: June 2022

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of terminal and instrumental values on the attitude and brand desirability for upcycled luxury designer facemasks, in relation with generic luxury designer facemasks.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative approach was adopted in this study, and data were collected via an online consumer panel from 390 existing Australian luxury consumers, aged 18 and above. Stimuli that represented the two upcycling conditions (remnants and past collections) and a control condition (generic product) from an actual Burberry-branded facemask were designed for the study. The collected data were analysed using the least partial square and multi-group analysis of the structural equation model

Findings

The findings indicate that consumers do not perceive Burberry facemasks made from upcycled remnant materials and previous collections have superior aesthetic or self-expressive benefits to them when compared to the generic Burberry masks. In the same vein, both upcycled categories do not provide superior instrumental values through economic benefits or safety when compared to the generic Burberry masks. Hence, terminal and instrumental values had no influence on the attitude and brand desirability for upcycled luxury designer facemasks, in relation with generic luxury designer facemasks.

Practical implications

The results indicate that strategies will have to be better designed to have a balance between safety features (as opposed to fashion) and luxury desirability of the brand to better capture the market for difference consumer values for the facemasks. As this is a relatively low involvement product, the pricing strategies must be re-evaluated.

Originality/value

This study offers empirical support for the proposition that different upcycling methods in the name of sustainable practices may have different functions for different consumer values in luxury marketing implementations. For the choice of facemasks during the COVID-19 pandemic, it provides empirical evidence for consumer choice for the different types and how it can be used to elevate luxury brand desirability.