bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Polyvinylpyrrolidone-Coated Catheters Decrease Astrocyte Adhesion and Improve Flow/Pressure Performance in an Invitro Model of Hydrocephalus
Authors: Castañeyra-Ruiz Leandro , Lee Seunghyun , Chan Alvin , Shah Vaibhavi , Romero Bianca , Ledbetter Jenna , Muhonen Michael
Published: December 2022

The leading cause of ventricular shunt failure in pediatric patients is proximal catheter occlusion. Here, we evaluate various types of shunt catheters to assess in vitro cellular adhesion and obstruction. The following four types of catheters were tested: (1) antibiotic- and barium-impregnated, (2) polyvinylpyrrolidone, (3) barium stripe, and (4) barium impregnated. Catheters were either seeded superficially with astrocyte cells to test cellular adhesion or inoculated with cultured astrocytes into the catheters to test catheter performance under obstruction conditions. Ventricular catheters were placed into a three-dimensional printed phantom ventricular replicating system through which artificial CSF was pumped. Differential pressure sensors were used to measure catheter performance. Polyvinylpyrrolidone catheters had the lowest median cell attachment compared to antibiotic-impregnated (18 cells), barium stripe (17 cells), and barium-impregnated (21.5 cells) catheters after culture (p < 0.01). In addition, polyvinylpyrrolidone catheters had significantly higher flow in the phantom ventricular system (0.12 mL/min) compared to the antibiotic coated (0.10 mL/min), barium stripe (0.02 mL/min) and barium-impregnated (0.08 mL/min; p < 0.01) catheters. Polyvinylpyrrolidone catheters showed less cellular adhesion and were least likely to be occluded by astrocyte cells. Our findings can help suggest patient-appropriate proximal ventricular catheters for clinical use.
Relation of Flatfoot Severity with Flexibility and Isometric Strength of the Foot and Trunk Extensors in Children
Authors: Kim Min Hwan , Cha Sangha , Choi Jae Eun , Jeon Minsoo , Choi Ja Young , Yang Shin-Seung
Published: December 2022

Background: Flatfoot is a deformity in which the foot is flattened due to a decrease in or loss of the medial longitudinal arch. Statement of the problem: Few studies have investigated the relationship between the severity of flat feet, trunk strength, and joint flexibility. Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the severity of flatfoot and joint flexibility and foot and trunk strength in children with flexible flatfoot. Methods: This study included 16 children (boys, 12; girls, 4; age, 4~8 years) with flexible flatfeet. We examined the resting calcaneal stance position angle (RCSPA) and foot posture index (FPI) scores for clinical severity and radiographic parameters, such as calcaneal pitch angle, talometatarsal angle (TMA), and talocalcaneal angle (TCA). Muscle thicknesses of the tibialis posterior (TP), peroneus longus (PL), and L1 multifidus were measured by sonography. Isometric contraction of ankle inversion, eversion in a seating position, and lumbar extension at a prone position were induced using a handheld dynamometer to measure the maximum muscle strength for each muscle. Beighton’s scoring system was used to assess joint flexibility by evaluating the hyperextension of the joint for each category when performing stretching motion. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient for nonparametric data was used. Results: The FPI showed a moderately negative correlation with the muscle thickness of TP (r = −0.558, p = 0.009) and L1 multifidus (r = −0.527, p = 0.012), and the strength of the ankle inverter (r = −0.580 p = 0.005) and lumbar extensor (r = −0.436 p = 0.043). RCSPA showed a moderately positive correlation with TCA (r = 0.510, p = 0.006). Beighton’s score showed no significant correlation with all parameters. Conclusion: In children with flatfoot, FPI reflected the clinical severity; thus, the more severe the symptoms, the weaker the ankle inverter and lumbar extensor.
Advances in Research on Nutrition and Childhood Obesity
Authors: Antonogeorgos George
Published: December 2022

Obesity is a complex, multifactorial problem affecting children and adolescents around the world [...]
American High School Students’ Knowledge and Beliefs about Parenting and Early Childhood Development
Authors: O’Donnell Weber Eleanor , McIntyre Joseph Clark , Rowe Meredith L.
Published: December 2022

Income-based achievement gaps in cognitive skills are already large when children enter Kindergarten. By adopting a preventative approach that considers the efficacy of providing parenting knowledge to individuals before they become parents while they are still in secondary school, we may be able to reduce achievement gaps. In this study, we examined adolescents’ knowledge and understanding of parenting and child development by creating and validating the Adolescent Parenting Knowledge and Attitudes Survey and administering it to over 1000 US high school students. This study shows that while many high school students hold beliefs consistent with successful outcomes for young children and their learning, there is much room for increasing their knowledge. The findings are discussed as presenting a potential opportunity to use high school as a site to improve adolescents’ knowledge and attitudes related to child rearing and development.
A Comprehensive Model to Estimate Electric Vehicle Battery’s State of Charge for a Pre-Scheduled Trip Based on Energy Consumption Estimation
Authors: Tran Quynh T. , Roose Leon , Vichitpunt Chayaphol , Thongmai Kumpanat , Noisopa Krittanat
Published: December 2022

EV development is being prioritized in order to attain the target of net zero emissions by 2050. Electric vehicles have the potential to decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which contribute to global warming. The driving range of electric vehicles is a significant limitation that prevents people from using them generally. This paper proposes a comprehensive model for calculating the amount of energy needed to charge EVs for a scheduled trip. The model contains anticipated consumption energy for the whole trip as well as contingency energy to account for unpredictable conditions. The model is simple to apply to various types of electric vehicles and produces results with sufficient precision. A number of driving tests with different road characteristics and weather conditions were implemented to evaluate the success of the proposed method. The findings could help the users feel more confidence when driving EVs, promote the usage of EVs, and advocate for the increased use of green and renewable energy sources.
Application of a New Polymer Particle Adhesive for Lithium Battery Separators
Authors: Huang Guanghua , Wu Haohan , Cao Gongxun , Liu Zhijun , Hu Hanlin , Guo Shifeng
Published: December 2022

Lithium battery separators play a critical role in the performance and safety of lithium batteries. In this work, four kinds of polymer particle adhesives (G1–G4) for lithium battery separators were synthesized via dispersion polymerization, using styrene, butyl acrylate and acrylonitrile as monomers. The particle size/size distributions, particle morphologies and glass transition temperatures (Tg) of polymer particle adhesives were explored using laser particle size analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. The adhesion strengths between the battery separators and the poles piece were examined using a tensile machine. The prepared polymer particle adhesive with a uniform distribution of particle size was obtained when the mass ratio of ethanol to water reached 85:15. Compared with the other three polymer particle adhesives, the prepared G3 coated on the surface of the battery separator exhibited a stronger adhesion with the battery pole piece. In addition, the Land battery test system was applied to examine the electrochemical performance of the lithium battery assembled with the battery separator with the prepared polymer particle adhesives. The results suggest that the electrochemical performance of the lithium battery assembled with the battery separator with polymer particle adhesive G3 is the best among the four counterparts.
Fast-Dissolving Protein Nanofibrous Membrane for Dual Drug Oral Delivery
Authors: Miao Shan , Chen Zheng , Wang Jin , Ma Shanbo , Li Long , Chen Yuhan , Wang Feiyan , Zheng Meiling , Guo Xiaodi , Song Botao , Shi Xiaopeng
Published: December 2022

Oral instant membranes can be quickly wetted by the patient’s saliva and dissolved/disintegrated in the mouth without the need for drinking water and chewing, exhibiting great promise for patients from children to the elderly who have difficulties with swallowing. However, the reported instant oral membranes can load and release only one single drug, which greatly hinders their potential applications. Herein, we employ a sequential electrospinning approach to fabricate dual drug-loaded bilayered gelatin oral instant membranes. The results indicate that a gelatin membrane with a uniform nanofibrous structure can be successfully prepared, and that both the hydrophilic model drug and hydrophobic model drug can be embedded into the gelatin nanofibers. X-ray diffraction results verify that the two drugs are well distributed in the nanofibrous matrix in an amorphous state. Owing to the excellent water solubility and large surface area of gelatin nanofibers, the hydrophilic model drug can be quickly dissolved in 101 s, while the hydrophobic model drug can be completely released in 100 s. The bilayered gelatin nanofibrous membrane shows promise for simultaneous loading and release of two drugs for fast-dissolving delivery applications.
Itaconic Anhydride as a Green Compatibilizer in Composites Prepared by the Reinforcement of a Tung Oil-Based Thermosetting Resin with Miscanthus, Pine Wood, or Algae Biomass
Authors: Conti Silva Julio Antonio , Walton Hannah , Dever Seth , Kardel Kamran , Martins Lacerda Talita , Lopes Quirino Rafael
Published: December 2022

Unsaturated vegetable oils with conjugated carbon–carbon double bonds, such as tung oil, can undergo free-radical polymerization, originating alternatives to petroleum-based materials. The introduction of fillers to vegetable oil-based polymer matrices results in composites with improved mechanical properties. In this work, thermosets were synthesized by the free-radical polymerization of a mixture of tung oil, divinylbenzene, and n-butyl methacrylate, and reinforced with bio-based fillers, namely Miscanthus, Pinus taeda (also known as southern pine), and algae (Microspora and Oedogonium) biomass. The effect of filler particle size on the composites’ properties was evaluated. Additionally, to develop a better interaction between the hydrophobic resin and the hydrophilic reinforcements, and improve the mechanical properties of the composites prepared, itaconic anhydride, a bio-based molecule derived from itaconic acid, was added to the resin. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the presence of itaconic anhydride improved the overall thermal stability of the composites. The storage modulus of the composites at room temperature, assessed by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), was increased by approximately 32% and 68%, for Miscanthus and southern pine composites, respectively, when itaconic acid was added to the resin. It was also observed that the glass transition temperatures were not significantly affected by the presence of itaconic acid. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images indicated better matrix-reinforcement adhesion in the presence of itaconic anhydride.
Societal Perspectives and Real-World Cost-Effectiveness: Expanding the Scope of Health Economics Inquiry
Authors: Longo Christopher J.
Published: December 2022

Economic evaluations of health technologies for cancer are frequently seen in the literature, but not all economic perspectives have the same frequency [...]
A New Genus of Short-Winged Flower Beetles with an Enlarged Antennal Scape in Mid-Cretaceous Amber from Northern Myanmar (Coleoptera: Kateretidae)
Authors: Zhao Qian , Huang Diying , Cai Chenyang
Published: December 2022

The fossil records of Kateretidae from the Mesozoic are significant for understanding the origin and early evolution of the family. The recent discoveries of Cretaceous kateretids have provided valuable information about the palaeodiversity and morphological disparity of the taxa. Here, we establish a new genus and species of kateretid beetles, Scaporetes rectus gen. et sp. nov., based on a specimen preserved in mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber from northern Myanmar. The new species is characterized by its strongly enlarged scape and extremely small labrum. Our discovery highlights the morphological disparity of Kateretidae in the late Mesozoic.
Rapid Evaluation of the Xpert® Xpress CoV-2 plus and Xpert® Xpress CoV-2/Flu/RSV plus Tests
Authors: Noble Lara Dominique , Scott Lesley Erica , Munir Riffat , Du Plessis Mignon , Steegen Kim , Hans Lucia , Marokane Puleng , Da Silva Pedro , Stevens Wendy Susan
Published: December 2022

The Xpert® Xpress SARS-CoV-2 and Xpert® Xpress SARS-CoV-2/Flu/RSV tests were rapidly developed and widely used during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. In response to emerging genetic variability, a new SARS-CoV-2 target (RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase) has been added to both tests: Xpert® Xpress CoV-2 plus and Xpert® Xpress CoV-2/Flu/RSV plus test. A rapid evaluation of both tests was performed in South Africa, using residual respiratory specimens. Residual respiratory specimens (n = 125) were used to evaluate the Xpert® Xpress CoV-2 plus test and included 50 genotyped specimens. The Xpert® Xpress CoV-2/Flu/RSV plus test was assessed using 45 genotyped SARS-CoV-2 specimens, 10 influenza A, 10 influenza B and 20 respiratory syncytial virus specimens. Results were compared to in-country standard-of-care tests. Genotyped specimens tested the performance of the test under pressure from circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. Reference material was included to assess the test limits and linearity. The Xpert® Xpress CoV-2 plus test performance compared to reference results across residual respiratory specimens was good (positive percentage agreement (PPA) = 95.2%, negative percentage agreement (NPA) = 95.0%) The Xpert® Xpress CoV-2/Flu/RSV plus test showed good performance across all residual respiratory specimens (PPA = 100%, NPA = 98.3%). All genotyped variants of concern were detected by both tests. The Xpert® Xpress CoV-2 plus and Xpert® Xpress CoV-2/Flu/RSV plus tests can be used to diagnose SARS-CoV-2, and to diagnose and differentiate SARS-CoV-2, influenza A, influenza B and respiratory syncytial virus, respectively. The NPA was lower than the recommended 99%, but was influenced by the low number of negative specimens tested. The variants of concern assessed did not affect test performance. It is recommended that sites perform their own assessments compared to in-country standard-of-care tests.
Evolutionary Optimization of Drone-Swarm Deployment for Wireless Coverage
Authors: Zhang Xiao , Xiang Xin , Lu Shanshan , Zhou Yu , Sun Shilong
Published: December 2022

The need for longer lasting and wider wireless coverage has driven the transition from a single drone to drone swarms. Unlike the single drone, drone swarms can collaboratively achieve full coverage over a target area. However, the existing literature on the drones’ wireless coverage has largely overlooked one important fact: that the network lifetime is determined by the minimum leftover energy among all drones. Hence, the maximum energy consumption is minimized in our drone-swarms deployment problem (DSDP), which aims to balance the energy consumption of all drones and maximize the full-coverage network lifetime. We present a genetic algorithm that encodes the solutions as chromosomes and simulates the biological evolution process in search of a favorable solution. Specifically, an integer code scheme is adopted to encode the sequence of the drones’ deployment. With the order of the drones’ sequence determined by the coding process, we introduce a feasibility checking operator with binary search to improve the performance. By relaxing the constraint of full coverage as an objective of coverage rate, we study the tradeoffs between energy consumption, number of drones, and coverage rate of the target area. By taking advantage of the MOEA/D framework with neighboring subproblems searching, we present a drone-swarms deployment algorithm based on MOEA/D (DSDA-MOEA/D) to find the best tradeoff between these objectives. Extensive simulations were conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithms.
A Full-Scale Feature Fusion Siamese Network for Remote Sensing Change Detection
Authors: Zhou Huaping , Song Minglong , Sun Kelei
Published: December 2022

Change detection (CD) is an essential and challenging task in remote sensing image processing. Its performance relies heavily on the exploitation of spatial image information and the extraction of change semantic information. Although some deep feature-based methods have been successfully applied to change detection, most of them use plain encoders to extract the original image features. The plain encoders often have the below disadvantages: (i) the lack of semantic information leads to lower discrimination of shallow features, and (ii) the successive down-sampling leads to less accurate spatial localization of deep features. These problems affect the performance of the network in complex scenes and are particularly detrimental to the detection of small objects and object edges. In this paper, we propose a full-scale feature fusion siamese network (F3SNet), which on one hand enhances the spatial localization of deep features by densely connecting raw image features from shallow to deep layers, and on the other hand, complements the changing semantics of shallow features by densely connecting the concatenated feature maps from deep to shallow layers. In addition, a full-scale classifier is proposed for aggregating feature maps at different scales of the decoder. The full-scale classifier in nature is a variant of full-scale deep supervision, which generates prediction maps at all scales of the decoder and then combines them for the final classification. Experimental results show that our method significantly outperforms other state-of-the-art (SOTA) CD methods, and is particularly beneficial for detecting small objects and object edges. On the LEVIR-CD dataset, our method achieves an F1-score of 0.905 using only 0.966M number of parameters and 3.24 GFLOPs.
Learning Data-Driven Propagation Mechanism for Graph Neural Network
Authors: Wu Yue , Hu Xidao , Fan Xiaolong , Ma Wenping , Gao Qiuyue
Published: December 2022

A graph is a relational data structure suitable for representing non-Euclidean structured data. In recent years, graph neural networks (GNN) and their subsequent variants, which utilize deep neural networks to complete graph analysis and representation, have shown excellent performance in various application fields. However, the propagation mechanism of existing methods relies on hand-designed GNN layer connection architecture, which is prone to information redundancy and over-smoothing problems. To alleviate this problem, we propose a data-driven propagation mechanism to adaptively propagate information between layers. Specifically, we construct a bi-level optimization objective and use the gradient descent algorithm to learn the forward propagation architecture, which improves the efficiency of learning different layer combinations in multilayer networks. The experimental results of the model on seven benchmark datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Furthermore, combining this data-driven propagation mechanism with models, such as Graph Attention Networks, can consistently improve the performance of these models.
Changes in Soil Microbial Communities under Mixed Organic and Inorganic Nitrogen Addition in Temperate Forests
Authors: Ding Zhaolong , Gong Lu , Zhu Haiqiang , Tang Junhu , Li Xiaochen , Zhang Han
Published: December 2022

Investigating the response of soil microbial communities to nitrogen (N) deposition is critical to understanding biogeochemical processes and the sustainable development of forests. However, whether and to what extent different forms of N deposition affect soil microbial communities in temperate forests is not fully clear. In this work, a field experiment with three years of simulated nitrogen deposition was conducted in temperate forests. The glycine and urea were chosen as organic nitrogen (ON) source, while NH4NO3 was chosen as inorganic nitrogen (IN) source. Different ratios of ON to IN (CK = 0:0, Mix-1 = 10:0, Mix-2 = 7:3, Mix-3 = 5:5, Mix-4 = 3:7, Mix-5 = 0:10) were mixed and then used with equal total amounts of 10 kg·N·ha−1·a−1. We determined soil microbial diversity and community composition for bacteria and fungi (16S rRNA and ITS), and soil parameters. Different forms of N addition significantly changed the soil bacterial and fungal communities. Mixed N sources had a positive effect on soil bacterial diversity and a negative effect on fungal diversity. Bacterial and fungal community structures were significantly separated under different forms of N addition. Soil pH was the main factor affecting the change in fungal community structure, while bacterial community structure was mainly controlled by STN. We also found that Proteobacteria, Acidobacteriota, Basidiomycota and Ascomycota were the most abundant phyla, regardless of the form of N addition. RDA showed that C/P and NH4+ were the main factors driving the change in bacterial community composition, and C/P, pH and C/N were the main factors driving the change in fungal community composition. Our results indicate that different components of N deposition need to be considered when studying the effects of N deposition on soil microorganisms in terrestrial ecosystems.
The Role of Provenance for the Projected Growth of Juvenile European Beech under Climate Change
Authors: Petrík Peter , Grote Rüdiger , Gömöry Dušan , Kurjak Daniel , Petek-Petrik Anja , Lamarque Laurent J. , Sliacka Konôpková Alena , Mukarram Mohammad , Debta Harish , Fleischer Peter
Published: December 2022

European beech is one of the most common tree species in Europe and is generally suggested to play even more of a prominent role in forestry in the future. It seems to have the potential to partially replace Norway spruce, as it is less sensitive to expected warmer and drier conditions. It is, however, not well known in which regions these new plantings would be particularly favourable and if specific provenances may be better adapted to the new conditions than others. Therefore, we estimated the potential early height growth under climate conditions in 2040–2060 for 20 beech provenances across a region covering the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This Central European region is expected to experience considerably drier and warmer conditions in the future. For this exercise, we implemented a new neural network model developed from height growth information obtained from the open-access BeechCOSTe52 database. The simulations are driven by past and future climate data obtained from the WorldClim database of historical climate data and future climate projections. Simulations revealed that provenances originating from drier regions performed on average significantly better than those from regions with good water supply. Moreover, provenances originating from drier regions had a particularly large advantage in the relatively arid regions of Central Czechia and Southern Slovakia. We can also confirm that all provenances showed a high phenotypic plasticity of height growth across the whole investigated region.
Effects of Replacing Alfalfa Hay with Oat Hay in Fermented Total Mixed Ration on Growth Performance and Rumen Microbiota in Lambs
Authors: Liu Mingjian , Wang Yu , Wang Zhijun , Ge Gentu , Jia Yushan , Du Shuai
Published: December 2022

The use of the fermented total mixed ration (FTMR) is a promising approach for the preservation of feedstuff, but the effect of FTMR on the between growth performance and ruminal microflora of lambs are still limited. This study aimed to assess the effects of different roughage types in the FTMR on growth performance and rumen microbiota of lambs. Forty-five six-month-old Small tail Han sheep × Ujumqin male lambs were randomly allocated into three groups (three pens per treatment and five lambs per pen) with the initial body weight (BW) of 28.50 ± 1.50 kg. The three treatments were as follows: the low oat percentages group (LO) contained 200 g/kg oat hay + 400 g/kg alfalfa hay, the medium oat percentages group (MO) contained 300 g/kg oat hay + 300 g/kg alfalfa hay, and the high oat percentages group (HO) contained 400 g/kg oat hay + 200 g/kg alfalfa hay. The result revealed that the dry matter intake and average daily gain were markedly (p < 0.05) higher in the MO treatment than in the LO and HO treatments, whereas no significant difference (p > 0.05) was found in the final body weight. There were no significant (p > 0.05) differences on the Shannon and Simpson index among the three treatments. The PCoA score plot illustrated the individual separation in the LO, MO, and HO treatments. At the phylum level, the presence of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes belonging to the dominant phyla is widely described in rumen communities among the three treatments. The relative abundances of Prevotella, Fibrobacter, and Succinivibrio in the level of the genes were remarkably higher (p < 0.05) in MO treatment than that in LO and HO treatments, while the relative abundance of Sediminispirochaeta was remarkably higher (p < 0.05) in LO treatment than that in MO and HO treatments. These results indicated that the MO treatments could more effectively improve growth performance than the LO and HO treatments, and also revealed that the different forage types in diets reshaped the compositions and function of the rumen microbiota. Consequently, the findings presented in this study provide a reference for the application of FTMR in animal production and the understanding of the interaction between diet, animal performance, and ruminal microbiota.
Bifurcation Phenomenon and Control Technique in Fractional BAM Neural Network Models Concerning Delays
Authors: Li Peiluan , Lu Yuejing , Xu Changjin , Ren Jing
Published: December 2022

In this current study, we formulate a kind of new fractional BAM neural network model concerning five neurons and time delays. First, we explore the existence and uniqueness of the solution of the formulated fractional delay BAM neural network models via the Lipschitz condition. Second, we study the boundedness of the solution to the formulated fractional delayed BAM neural network models using a proper function. Third, we set up a novel sufficient criterion on the onset of the Hopf bifurcation stability of the formulated fractional BAM neural network models by virtue of the stability criterion and bifurcation principle of fractional delayed dynamical systems. Fourth, a delayed feedback controller is applied to command the time of occurrence of the bifurcation and stability domain of the formulated fractional delayed BAM neural network models. Lastly, software simulation figures are provided to verify the key outcomes. The theoretical outcomes obtained through this exploration can play a vital role in controlling and devising networks.
Recombinant Oil-Body-Expressed Oleosin-hFGF5 in Arabidopsis thaliana Regulates Hair Growth
Authors: Wang Hongyu , Lan Xinxin , Noman Muhammad , Wang Ze , Zhang Jing
Published: December 2022

FGF5 (Fibroblast Growth Factor) is a member of the fibroblast growth factor family, which not only regulates growth and development but also inhibits hair regeneration. The oil-body expression vector pOTB-hFGF5 was constructed by the genetic engineering method and it was transformed into Arabidopsis by flora dip. T3 homozygous transgenic Arabidopsis was obtained after screening and propagation by the PCR and Western blot methods. The recombinant oil-body-expressed oleosin-hFGF5 can inhibit the proliferation of hair follicle epithelial cells and it exhibits the pharmacological activity of inhibiting hair regeneration in vivo by protein hybridization and imunohistochemistry. At the same time, the potential mechanism of recombinant oil-body-expressed oleosin-hFGF5 inhibiting hair growth was also revealed by RNA-Seq. This implies that the recombinant oil-body-expressed oleosin-hFGF5 has a good effect on inhibiting hair growth.
Pacing Dynamics Determines the Arrhythmogenic Mechanism of the CPVT2-Causing CASQ2G112+5X Mutation in a Guinea Pig Ventricular Myocyte Computational Model
Authors: Paudel Roshan , Jafri Mohsin Saleet , Ullah Aman
Published: December 2022

Calsequestrin Type 2 (CASQ2) is a high-capacity, low-affinity, Ca2+-binding protein expressed in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of the cardiac myocyte. Mutations in CASQ2 have been linked to the arrhythmia catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT2) that occurs with acute emotional stress or exercise can result in sudden cardiac death (SCD). CASQ2G112+5X is a 16 bp (339–354) deletion CASQ2 mutation that prevents the protein expression due to premature stop codon. Understanding the subcellular mechanisms of CPVT2 is experimentally challenging because the occurrence of arrhythmia is rare. To obtain an insight into the characteristics of this rare disease, simulation studies using a local control stochastic computational model of the Guinea pig ventricular myocyte investigated how the mutant CASQ2s may be responsible for the development of an arrhythmogenic episode under the condition of β-adrenergic stimulation or in the slowing of heart rate afterward once β-adrenergic stimulation ceases. Adjustment of the computational model parameters based upon recent experiments explore the functional changes caused by the CASQ2 mutation. In the simulation studies under rapid pacing (6 Hz), electromechanically concordant cellular alternans appeared under β-adrenergic stimulation in the CPVT mutant but not in the wild-type nor in the non-β-stimulated mutant. Similarly, the simulations of accelerating pacing from slow to rapid and back to the slow pacing did not display alternans but did generate early afterdepolarizations (EADs) during the period of second slow pacing subsequent acceleration of rapid pacing.
The Evolution of tRNA Copy Number and Repertoire in Cellular Life
Authors: Santos Fenícia Brito , Del-Bem Luiz-Eduardo
Published: December 2022

tRNAs are universal decoders that bridge the gap between transcriptome and proteome. They can also be processed into small RNA fragments with regulatory functions. In this work, we show that tRNA copy number is largely controlled by genome size in all cellular organisms, in contrast to what is observed for protein-coding genes that stop expanding between ~20,000 and ~35,000 loci per haploid genome in eukaryotes, regardless of genome size. Our analyses indicate that after the bacteria/archaea split, the tRNA gene pool experienced the evolution of increased anticodon diversity in the archaeal lineage, along with a tRNA gene size increase and mature tRNA size decrease. The evolution and diversification of eukaryotes from archaeal ancestors involved further expansion of the tRNA anticodon repertoire, additional increase in tRNA gene size and decrease in mature tRNA length, along with an explosion of the tRNA gene copy number that emerged coupled with accelerated genome size expansion. Our findings support the notion that macroscopic eukaryotes with a high diversity of cell types, such as land plants and vertebrates, independently evolved a high diversity of tRNA anticodons along with high gene redundancy caused by the expansion of the tRNA copy number. The results presented here suggest that the evolution of tRNA genes played important roles in the early split between bacteria and archaea, and in eukaryogenesis and the later emergence of complex eukaryotes, with potential implications in protein translation and gene regulation through tRNA-derived RNA fragments.
Polymorphisms in ACE1, TMPRSS2, IFIH1, IFNAR2, and TYK2 Genes Are Associated with Worse Clinical Outcomes in COVID-19
Authors: Dieter Cristine , de Almeida Brondani Leticia , Lemos Natália Emerim , Schaeffer Ariell Freires , Zanotto Caroline , Ramos Denise Taurino , Girardi Eliandra , Pellenz Felipe Mateus , Camargo Joiza Lins , Moresco Karla Suzana , da Silva Lucas Lima , Aubin Mariana Rauback , de Oliveira Mayara Souza , Rech Tatiana Helena , Canani Luís Henrique , Gerchman Fernando , Leitão Cristiane Bauermann , Crispim Daisy
Published: December 2022

Although advanced age, male sex, and some comorbidities impact the clinical course of COVID-19, these factors only partially explain the inter-individual variability in disease severity. Some studies have shown that genetic polymorphisms contribute to COVID-19 severity; however, the results are inconclusive. Thus, we investigated the association between polymorphisms in ACE1, ACE2, DPP9, IFIH1, IFNAR2, IFNL4, TLR3, TMPRSS2, and TYK2 and the clinical course of COVID-19. A total of 694 patients with COVID-19 were categorized as: (1) ward inpatients (moderate symptoms) or patients admitted at the intensive care unit (ICU; severe symptoms); and (2) survivors or non-survivors. In females, the rs1990760/IFIH1 T/T genotype was associated with risk of ICU admission and death. Moreover, the rs1799752/ACE1 Ins and rs12329760/TMPRSS2 T alleles were associated with risk of ICU admission. In non-white patients, the rs2236757/IFNAR2 A/A genotype was associated with risk of ICU admission, while the rs1799752/ACE1 Ins/Ins genotype, rs2236757/IFNAR2 A/A genotype, and rs12329760/TMPRSS2 T allele were associated with risk of death. Moreover, some of the analyzed polymorphisms interact in the risk of worse COVID-19 outcomes. In conclusion, this study shows an association of rs1799752/ACE1, rs1990760/IFIH1, rs2236757/IFNAR2, rs12329760/TMPRSS2, and rs2304256/TYK2 polymorphisms with worse COVID-19 outcomes, especially among female and non-white patients.
Approach to Cohort-Wide Re-Analysis of Exome Data in 1000 Individuals with Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Authors: Halfmeyer Insa , Bartolomaeus Tobias , Popp Bernt , Radtke Maximilian , Helms Tobias , Hentschel Julia , Popp Denny , Jamra Rami Abou
Published: December 2022

The re-analysis of nondiagnostic exome sequencing (ES) has the potential to increase diagnostic yields in individuals with rare diseases, but its implementation in the daily routines of laboratories is limited due to restricted capacities. Here, we describe a systematic approach to re-analyse the ES data of a cohort consisting of 1040 diagnostic and nondiagnostic samples. We applied a strict filter cascade to reveal the most promising single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) of the whole cohort, which led to an average of 0.77 variants per individual that had to be manually evaluated. This variant set revealed seven novel diagnoses (0.8% of all nondiagnostic cases) and two secondary findings. Thirteen additional variants were identified by a scientific approach prior to this re-analysis and were also present in this variant set. This resulted in a total increase in the diagnostic yield of 2.3%. The filter cascade was optimised during the course of the study and finally resulted in sensitivity of 85%. After applying the filter cascade, our re-analysis took 20 h and enabled a workflow that can be used repeatedly. This work is intended to provide a practical recommendation for other laboratories wishing to introduce a resource-efficient re-analysis strategy into their clinical routine.
Integrative Multiomics and Regulatory Network Analyses Uncovers the Role of OAS3, TRAFD1, miR-222-3p, and miR-125b-5p in Hepatitis E Virus Infection
Authors: Gupta Sonam , Singh Prithvi , Tasneem Alvea , Almatroudi Ahmad , Rahmani Arshad Husain , Dohare Ravins , Parveen Shama
Published: December 2022

The hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a long-ignored virus that has spread globally with time. It ranked 6th among the top risk-ranking viruses with high zoonotic spillover potential; thus, considering its viral threats is a pressing priority. The molecular pathophysiology of HEV infection or the underlying cause is limited. Therefore, we incorporated an unbiased, systematic methodology to get insights into the biological heterogeneity associated with the HEV. Our study fetched 93 and 2016 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from chronic HEV (CHEV) infection in kidney-transplant patients, followed by hub module selection from a weighted gene co-expression network (WGCN). Most of the hub genes identified in this study were associated with interferon (IFN) signaling pathways. Amongst the genes induced by IFNs, the 2′-5′-oligoadenylate synthase 3 (OAS3) protein was upregulated. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) modular, functional enrichment, and feed-forward loop (FFL) analyses led to the identification of two key miRNAs, i.e., miR-222-3p and miR-125b-5p, which showed a strong association with the OAS3 gene and TRAF-type zinc finger domain containing 1 (TRAFD1) transcription factor (TF) based on essential centrality measures. Further experimental studies are required to substantiate the significance of these FFL-associated genes and miRNAs with their respective functions in CHEV. To our knowledge, it is the first time that miR-222-3p has been described as a reference miRNA for use in CHEV sample analyses. In conclusion, our study has enlightened a few budding targets of HEV, which might help us understand the cellular and molecular pathways dysregulated in HEV through various factors. Thus, providing a novel insight into its pathophysiology and progression dynamics.
GIS-Based Assessment of Fire Effects on Flash Flood Hazard: The Case of the Summer 2021 Forest Fires in Greece
Authors: Evelpidou Niki , Tzouxanioti Maria , Spyrou Evangelos , Petropoulos Alexandros , Karkani Anna , Saitis Giannis , Margaritis Markos
Published: December 2022

Greece, like the rest of the Mediterranean countries, faces wildland fires every year. Besides their short-term socioeconomic impacts, ecological destruction, and loss of human lives, forest fires also increase the burnt areas’ risk of flash flood phenomena, as the vegetation, which acted in a protective way against runoff and soil erosion, is massively removed. Among the most severe wildland fire events in Greece were those of summer 2021, which were synchronous to the very severe heat waves that hit the broader area of the Balkan Peninsula. More than 3600 km2 of land was burnt and a significant amount of natural vegetation removed. Three of the burnt areas are examined in this work, namely, Attica, Northern Euboea, and the Peloponnese, in order to assess their risk of future flash flood events. The burnt areas were mapped, and their geological and geomorphological features studied. Flash flood hazard assessment was accomplished through a Boolean logic-based model applied through Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software, which allowed the prioritization of the requirement for protection by identifying which locations were most prone to flooding. The largest part of our study areas is characterized by geomorphological and geological conditions that facilitate flash flood events. According to our findings, in almost all study areas, the regions downstream of the burnt areas present high to very high flash flood hazard, due to their geomorphological and geological features (slope, drainage density, and hydrolithology). The only areas that were found to be less prone to flood events were Vilia and Varimpompi (Attica), due to their gentler slope inclinations and overall geomorphological characteristics. It is known that vegetation cover acts protectively against flash floods. However, in this case, large areas were severely burnt and vegetation is absent, resulting in the appearance of flash floods. Moreover, imminent flooding events are expected to be even more intense in the areas downstream of the burnt regions, possibly bearing even worse impacts on the local population, infrastructure, etc.
Nutraceutical Potential of Seven “Quelites” Harvested in the Northern Highlands of Puebla-México
Authors: Pacheco-Hernández Yesenia , Lozoya-Gloria Edmundo , Becerra-Martínez Elvia , Villa-Ruano Nemesio
Published: December 2022

The northern highlands of Puebla harbor several plant foods consumed since pre-Columbian times. Most of the native vegetables from this geographical region are still uncharacterized at the nutraceutical level. This investigation was focused on the elucidation of chemical and biochemical properties of the edible organs from Rhamnus pompana, Solanum nigrescens, Sechium edule, Yucca aloifolia, Piper auritum, Amaranthus hybridus and Rumex obtusifolius, which are used as traditional foods in this region. The content of basic nutrients (including vitamins of the B complex), nutraceuticals (carotenoids, flavonoids, and fatty acids), phenolics (including antioxidant capacity), and inhibitory properties of these plants on specific enzymes linked to carbohydrate and lipid metabolism were determined. In addition, extracts of these plants were evaluated against pathogenic microorganisms of the gastrointestinal tract. Our results demonstrated statistically significant divergences (p < 0.05) in the content protein (12.5 g/100 g), fiber (9.8 g/100 g), fat (81.2 mg/100 g), beta-carotene (2.48 mg/100 g), beta-cryptoxanthin (1.24 mg/100 g), thiamine (159.6 µg/100 g), riboflavin (106.4 µg/100 g), and vitamin B6 between Y. aloifolia and other plants studied. All plants showed low amounts of reducing sugars (<150 mg/100 g) and sodium (<70 mg/100 g), but the berries of R. pompana exhibited substantial differences (p < 0.05) in the levels of vitamin C (14.6 mg/100 mg). The edible leaves of R. obtusifolius were particularly rich in quercetin (4.38 mg/100 g), kaempferol (2.38 mg/100 g) and lutein (2.52 mg/100 g), whereas the aerial parts of S. edule contained high concentrations of folate (50.6 µg/100 g). All plants showed variable phenolic content and antioxidant capacity; however, Y. aloifolia had the highest values (23 GAE/mg/g and 440 TEAC/µM/g). The ethanolic extracts from Y. aloifolia efficiently inhibited pancreatic lipase (IC50, 43.76 µg/mL) and alpha-glucosidase (IC50, 60.04 µg/mL), whereas those from S. edule inhibited alpha-glucosidase (IC50, 47.4 µg/mL) and HMG-CoA reductase (IC50, 33.6 µg/mL). Only the ethanolic extracts of R. pompana (IC50, 35.36 µg/mL) and Y. aloifolia (IC50, 53.28 µg/mL) inhibited ornithine decarboxylase. All plant extracts exerted moderated antimicrobial activity in at least one species associated with the gastrointestinal tract.
Callus Induction and Plant Regeneration from Carum copticum and Assessment of Antioxidant Responses and Phytochemical Profiling by In Vitro Salinity Stress
Authors: Razavizadeh Roya , Adabavazeh Fatemeh , Chermahini Marzieh Rezaee , Komatsu Setsuko
Published: December 2022

Higher production of secondary metabolites is one of the adaptive responses to alleviate the impact of environmental injuries. In the present investigation, the production of these metabolites with medicinal importance induced by salinity in Carum copticum was investigated. To develop a better way for the production of medicinal substances, callogenesis and plant regeneration were analyzed, and seeds, calli, and/or regenerated seedlings were exposed to different concentrations of NaCl under in vitro culture conditions. The maximum frequency of callus induction was obtained on a medium supplemented with 0.25 mg L−1 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic (2,4-D) and 1 mg L−1 benzyl amino purine (BAP) from stem explants. Plant regeneration with multiple shoots was obtained from pieces of callus transferred to MS medium fortified with 0.25 mg L−1 2,4-D and 1.5 mg L−1 BAP. Four weeks after treatment, salinity induced a substantial increase in the accumulation of reducing sugars and proline as compatible osmolytes and the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Total phenolics and anthocyanin significantly increased in all samples with increasing NaCl concentrations; however, the regenerated seedlings showed a reduction in these compounds at severe NaCl concentration compared to the control. Moreover, NaCl enhanced thymol, γ-terpinene, sabinene, and myrcene in the seedlings and calli, as well as carvacrol, limonene, and α-terpinene in the regenerated seedlings. These results suggest that salinity has a marked impact on improving the content of antioxidant metabolites and essential oils in C. copticum, whose callus might be the most salt tolerant in all tested samples.
Diversity of Fruit Quality in Astringent and Non−Astringent Persimmon Fruit Germplasm
Authors: Han Weijuan , Zhang Qi , Pu Tingting , Wang Yiru , Li Huawei , Luo Ying , Li Taishan , Fu Jianmin
Published: December 2022

Persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) is an economically important tree with a long history of cultivation in China. So far, a total of approximately 1000 varieties have been found in China. To systematically evaluate the diversity of persimmon fruit quality, 22 quality measures of appearance, intrinsic, and sensory quality were evaluated using 61 typical persimmon fruit. According to the findings, the coefficient of variation (CV) of 15 appearance and intrinsic quality index values ranged from 13.81% (fruit shape index) to 165.80% (firmness), and the CV values of 7 intrinsic quality attributes were all higher than 50%, with the CV of total polyphenols and ironic soluble pectin contents (ISP) being as high as 159.82% and 143.80%, respectively. These findings showed that several persimmon germplasm resources had a highly diverse range of fruit quality, wide variation, and distribution. Insoluble tannin and soluble sugar were shown to have a substantial positive correlation with the sensory flavor indexes (p < 0.05), indicating their significance in influencing the flavor quality of persimmon fruit. Cluster analysis was performed utilizing 15 indexes of appearance, intrinsic quality, and 7 indexes of sensory quality. The samples were divided into two groups: group I consisted of 52 pollination−constant and astringent (PCA) and 1 pollination−-variant astringent (PVA) persimmon resources, and group II consisted of 6 pollination−constant non−astringent (PCNA) and 2 pollination−variant non−astringent (PVNA) persimmon resources. The results were consistent with the classification based on the mode of astringency loss, indicating that there was a significant difference in the quality of astringent and non−astringent persimmon fruit. This study provides theoretical references for the development and application of persimmon germplasm resources.
The Impact of Financial Derivatives on the Enterprise Value of Chinese Listed Companies: Moderating Effects of Managerial Characteristics
Authors: Yang Ao , Li Wenqi , Teo Brian Sheng Xian , Othman Jaizah
Published: December 2022

Corporate managers are the central figures of corporate activity who can control the strategic direction of companies. The company’s use of financial derivatives can avoid risks and has an important impact on the value of the company. This study examines A-share listed firms in Shanghai over the period 2011–2020, uses an OLS panel and a moderating effects model, and investigates the impact of financial derivatives on firm value from the perspective of managers’ characteristics. We find that financial derivatives can significantly increase the enterprise value of Chinese listed companies, while exchange rate derivatives have a stronger impact on enterprise value. We also find that the higher the proportion of managers who hold shares and have a financial background, the better the effect of firms using financial derivatives. These research results are of great significance to the application of financial derivatives and provide companies with risk management decisions after COVID-19.