bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The National Geographic Society Deep-Sea Camera System: A Low-Cost Remote Video Survey Instrument to Advance Biodiversity Observation in the Deep Ocean
Authors: Giddens Jonatha , Turchik Alan , Goodell Whitney , Rodriguez Michelle , Delaney Denley
Published: January 2021

There is a growing need for marine biodiversity baseline and monitoring data to assess ocean ecosystem health, especially in the deep sea, where data are notoriously sparse. Baited cameras are a biological observing method especially useful in the deep ocean to estimate relative abundances of scavenging fishes and invertebrates. The National Geographic Society Exploration Technology Lab developed an autonomous benthic lander platform with a baited camera system to conduct stationary video surveys of deep-sea megafauna. The first-generation landers were capable of sampling to full ocean depth, however, the form factor, power requirements, and cost of the system limited deployment opportunities. Therefore, a miniaturized version (76 cm × 76 cm × 36 cm, 18 kg in air) was developed to provide a cost-effective method to observe ocean life to 6000 m depth. Here, we detail this next-generation deep-sea camera system, including the structural design, scientific payload, and the procedures for deployment. We provide an overview of NGS deep-sea camera system deployments over the past decade with a focus on the performance improvements of the next-generation system, which began field operations in 2017 and have performed 264 deployments. We present example imagery and discuss the strengths and limitations of the instrument in the context of existing complementary survey methods, and for use in down-stream data products. The key operational advantages of this new instrument are spatial flexibility and cost-efficiency. The instrument can be hand-deployed by a single operator from a small craft concurrent with other shipboard operations. The main limitation of the system is battery power, which allows for 6 h of continuous recording, and takes up to 8 h to recharge between deployments. Like many baited-camera methods, this instrument is specialized to measure the relative abundance of mobile megafauna that are attracted to bait, which results in a stochastic snapshot of the species at the deployment location and time. The small size and ease of deployment of this next-generation camera system allows for increased sample replication on expeditions, and presents a path forward to advance cost-effective biological observing and sustained monitoring in the deep ocean.
Ac-HSP20 Is Associated With the Infectivity and Encystation of Acanthamoeba castellanii
Authors: Wang Ningning , Sun Hongyu , Liu Di , Jiang Xiaoming , Zheng Meiyu , Zhu Wenhe , Liu Quan , Zheng Wenyu , Feng Xianmin
Published: January 2021

Acanthamoeba castellanii is a pathogenic and opportunistic free-living amoeba that causes Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) and granulomatous amebic encephalitis (GAE) in immunocompromised individuals. The biological and pathogenic characterizations behind this opportunistic protozoan is not fully understood. This study aimed to determine the biological functions of heat shock protein (HSP)-20 of A. castellanii (Ac-HSP20) involved in the maintenance of life cycle and the infectivity of A. castellanii. Immunoscreening A. castellanii cDNA library with A. castellanii infected rabbit sera identified three positive clones, one of them was a putative heat shock protein (Ac-HSP20). The recombinant 23 kDa Ac-HSP20 protein (rAc-HSP20) was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and purified using metal affinity chromatography. The rabbits immunized with rAc-HSP20 produced high titer antibody (1:25,600). Immunolocalization with the antibody identified the expression of native Ac-HSP20 on the surface of both A. castellanii trophozoites and cysts. Further, Western blot with antibody identified that the expression of native Ac-HSP20 was 7.5 times higher in cysts than in trophozoites. Blocking Ac-HSP20 on the membrane of trophozoites with specific antibody or silencing Ac-hsp20 gene transcription by siRNA inhibited their transformation into cysts at the early stage but returned to normal at the late stage by stimulating the transcription of Ac-hsp20. Incubation of trophozoites with anti-Ac-HSP20 IgG increased macrophage-involved phagocytosis to the protozoa and inhibited trophozoite infectivity on the cornea of rabbits compared with that without antibody. Our study provides that Ac-HSP20 is a surface antigen involved in the encystation and infectivity of A. castellanii and thus an important target for vaccine and drug development.
External and Internal Stimuli-Responsive Metallic Nanotherapeutics for Enhanced Anticancer Therapy
Authors: Mohapatra Adityanarayan , Uthaman Saji , Park In-Kyu
Published: January 2021

Therapeutic, diagnostic, and imaging approaches based on nanotechnology offer distinct advantages in cancer treatment. Various nanotherapeutics have been presented as potential alternatives to traditional anticancer therapies such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical intervention. Notably, the advantage of nanotherapeutics is mainly attributable to their accumulation and targeting ability toward cancer cells, multiple drug-carrying abilities, combined therapies, and imaging approaches. To date, numerous nanoparticle formulations have been developed for anticancer therapy and among them, metallic nanotherapeutics reportedly demonstrate promising cancer therapeutic and diagnostic efficiencies owing to their dense surface functionalization ability, uniform size distribution, and shape-dependent optical responses, easy and cost-effective synthesis procedure, and multiple anti-cancer effects. Metallic nanotherapeutics can remodel the tumor microenvironment by changing unfavorable therapeutic conditions into therapeutically accessible ones with the help of different stimuli, including light, heat, ultrasound, an alternative magnetic field, redox, and reactive oxygen species. The combination of metallic nanotherapeutics with both external and internal stimuli can be used to trigger the on-demand release of therapeutic molecules, augmenting the therapeutic efficacies of anticancer therapies such as photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, magnetic hyperthermia, sonodynamic therapy, chemodynamic therapy, and immunotherapy. In this review, we have summarized the role of different metallic nanotherapeutics in anti-cancer therapy, as well as their combinational effects with multiple stimuli for enhanced anticancer therapy.
One-Shot Learning With Attention-Guided Segmentation in Cryo-Electron Tomography
Authors: Zhou Bo , Yu Haisu , Zeng Xiangrui , Yang Xiaoyan , Zhang Jing , Xu Min
Published: January 2021

Cryo-electron Tomography (cryo-ET) generates 3D visualization of cellular organization that allows biologists to analyze cellular structures in a near-native state with nano resolution. Recently, deep learning methods have demonstrated promising performance in classification and segmentation of macromolecule structures captured by cryo-ET, but training individual deep learning models requires large amounts of manually labeled and segmented data from previously observed classes. To perform classification and segmentation in the wild (i.e., with limited training data and with unseen classes), novel deep learning model needs to be developed to classify and segment unseen macromolecules captured by cryo-ET. In this paper, we develop a one-shot learning framework, called cryo-ET one-shot network (COS-Net), for simultaneous classification of macromolecular structure and generation of the voxel-level 3D segmentation, using only one training sample per class. Our experimental results on 22 macromolecule classes demonstrated that our COS-Net could efficiently classify macromolecular structures with small amounts of samples and produce accurate 3D segmentation at the same time.
Propionate and Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Killingsworth Jessica , Sawmiller Darrell , Shytle R. Douglas
Published: January 2021

Propionate, a short-chain fatty acid, serves important roles in the human body. However, our review of the current literature suggests that under certain conditions, excess levels of propionate may play a role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The cause of the excessive levels of propionate may be related to the Bacteroidetes phylum, which are the primary producers of propionate in the human gut. Studies have shown that the relative abundance of the Bacteroidetes phylum is significantly increased in older adults. Other studies have shown that levels of the Bacteroidetes phylum are increased in persons with AD. Studies on the diet, medication use, and propionate metabolism offer additional potential causes. There are many different mechanisms by which excess levels of propionate may lead to AD, such as hyperammonemia. These mechanisms offer potential points for intervention.
Intrinsically Motivated Exploration of Learned Goal Spaces
Authors: Laversanne-Finot Adrien , Péré Alexandre , Oudeyer Pierre-Yves
Published: January 2021

Finding algorithms that allow agents to discover a wide variety of skills efficiently and autonomously, remains a challenge of Artificial Intelligence. Intrinsically Motivated Goal Exploration Processes (IMGEPs) have been shown to enable real world robots to learn repertoires of policies producing a wide range of diverse effects. They work by enabling agents to autonomously sample goals that they then try to achieve. In practice, this strategy leads to an efficient exploration of complex environments with high-dimensional continuous actions. Until recently, it was necessary to provide the agents with an engineered goal space containing relevant features of the environment. In this article we show that the goal space can be learned using deep representation learning algorithms, effectively reducing the burden of designing goal spaces. Our results pave the way to autonomous learning agents that are able to autonomously build a representation of the world and use this representation to explore the world efficiently. We present experiments in two environments using population-based IMGEPs. The first experiments are performed on a simple, yet challenging, simulated environment. Then, another set of experiments tests the applicability of those principles on a real-world robotic setup, where a 6-joint robotic arm learns to manipulate a ball inside an arena, by choosing goals in a space learned from its past experience.
A Circadian Clock in the Retina Regulates Rod-Cone Gap Junction Coupling and Neuronal Light Responses via Activation of Adenosine A2A Receptors
Authors: Cao Jiexin , Ribelayga Christophe P. , Mangel Stuart C.
Published: January 2021

Adenosine, a major neuromodulator in the central nervous system (CNS), is involved in a variety of regulatory functions such as the sleep/wake cycle. Because exogenous adenosine displays dark- and night-mimicking effects in the vertebrate retina, we tested the hypothesis that a circadian (24 h) clock in the retina uses adenosine to control neuronal light responses and information processing. Using a variety of techniques in the intact goldfish retina including measurements of adenosine overflow and content, tracer labeling, and electrical recording of the light responses of cone photoreceptor cells and cone horizontal cells (cHCs), which are post-synaptic to cones, we demonstrate that a circadian clock in the retina itself—but not activation of melatonin or dopamine receptors—controls extracellular and intracellular adenosine levels so that they are highest during the subjective night. Moreover, the results show that the clock increases extracellular adenosine at night by enhancing adenosine content so that inward adenosine transport ceases. Also, we report that circadian clock control of endogenous cone adenosine A2A receptor activation increases rod-cone gap junction coupling and rod input to cones and cHCs at night. These results demonstrate that adenosine and A2A receptor activity are controlled by a circadian clock in the retina, and are used by the clock to modulate rod-cone electrical synapses and the sensitivity of cones and cHCs to very dim light stimuli. Moreover, the adenosine system represents a separate circadian-controlled pathway in the retina that is independent of the melatonin/dopamine pathway but which nevertheless acts in concert to enhance the day/night difference in rod-cone coupling.
DL-3n-Butylphthalide Improves Blood–Brain Barrier Integrity in Rat After Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion
Authors: Mamtilahun Muyassar , Wei Zhenyu , Qin Chuan , Wang Yongting , Tang Yaohui , Shen Fan-xia , Tian Heng-Li , Zhang Zhijun , Yang Guo-Yuan
Published: January 2021

Objective: DL-3n-butylphthalide (NBP) has beneficial effects in different stages of ischemic stroke. Our previous studies have demonstrated that NBP promoted angiogenesis in the perifocal region of the ischemic brain. However, the molecular mechanism of NBP for blood–brain barrier protection in acute ischemic stroke was unclear. Here, we explored the neuroprotective effects of NBP on blood–brain barrier integrity in the acute phase of ischemic stroke in a rat model.

Methods: Adult male Sprague–Dawley rats (n = 82) underwent 2 h of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion and received 90 mg/kg of NBP for 3 days. Brain edema, infarct volume, surface blood flow, and neurological severity score were evaluated. Blood–brain barrier integrity was evaluated by Evans blue leakage and changes in tight junction proteins. We further examined AQP4 and eNOS expression, MMP-9 enzyme activity, and possible signaling pathways for the role of NBP after ischemic stroke.

Results: NBP treatment significantly increased eNOS expression and surface blood flow in the brain, reduced brain edema and infarct volume, and improved neurological severity score compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, NBP attenuated Evans blue and IgG leakage and increased tight junction protein expression compared to the control after 1 and 3 days of ischemic stroke (p < 0.05). Finally, NBP decreased AQP4 expression, MMP-9 enzyme activity, and increased MAPK expression during acute ischemic stroke.

Conclusion: NBP protected blood–brain barrier integrity and attenuated brain injury in the acute phase of ischemic stroke by decreasing AQP4 expression and MMP-9 enzyme activity. The MAPK signaling pathway may be associated in this process.
Sex-Specific Functional Connectivity in the Reward Network Related to Distinct Gender Roles
Authors: Du Yin , Wang Yinan , Yu Mengxia , Tian Xue , Liu Jia
Published: January 2021

Gender roles are anti-dichotomous and malleable social constructs that should theoretically be constructed independently from biological sex. However, it is unclear whether and how the factor of sex is related to neural mechanisms involved in social constructions of gender roles. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate sex specificity in gender role constructions and the corresponding underlying neural mechanisms. We measured gender role orientation using the Bem Sex-Role Inventory, used a voxel-based global brain connectivity method based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to characterize the within-network connectivity in the brain reward network, and analyzed how the integration of the reward network is related to gender role scores between sex groups. An omnibus analysis of voxel-wise global brain connectivity values within a two-level linear mixed model revealed that in female participants, femininity scores were positively associated with integration in the posterior orbitofrontal cortex and subcallosal cortex, whereas masculinity scores were positively associated with integration in the frontal pole. By contrast, in male participants, masculinity was negatively correlated with integration in the nucleus accumbens and subcallosal cortex. For the first time, the present study revealed the sex-specific neural mechanisms underlying distinct gender roles, which elucidates the process of gender construction from the perspective of the interaction between reward sensitivity and social reinforcement.
Is Brain Dynamics Preserved in the EEG After Automated Artifact Removal? A Validation of the Fingerprint Method and the Automatic Removal of Cardiac Interference Approach Based on Microstate Analysis
Authors: Tamburro Gabriella , Croce Pierpaolo , Zappasodi Filippo , Comani Silvia
Published: January 2021

The assessment of a method for removing artifacts from electroencephalography (EEG) datasets often disregard verifying that global brain dynamics is preserved. In this study, we verified that the recently introduced optimized fingerprint method and the automatic removal of cardiac interference (ARCI) approach not only remove physiological artifacts from EEG recordings but also preserve global brain dynamics, as assessed with a new approach based on microstate analysis. We recorded EEG activity with a high-resolution EEG system during two resting-state conditions (eyes open, 25 volunteers, and eyes closed, 26 volunteers) known to exhibit different brain dynamics. After signal decomposition by independent component analysis (ICA), the independent components (ICs) related to eyeblinks, eye movements, myogenic interference, and cardiac electromechanical activity were identified with the optimized fingerprint method and ARCI approach and statistically compared with the outcome of the expert classification of the ICs by visual inspection. Brain dynamics in two different groups of denoised EEG signals, reconstructed after having removed the artifactual ICs identified by either visual inspection or the automated methods, was assessed by calculating microstate topographies, microstate metrics (duration, occurrence, and coverage), and directional predominance (based on transition probabilities). No statistically significant differences between the expert and the automated classification of the artifactual ICs were found (p > 0.05). Cronbach’s α values assessed the high test–retest reliability of microstate parameters for EEG datasets denoised by the automated procedure. The total EEG signal variance explained by the sets of global microstate templates was about 80% for all denoised EEG datasets, with no significant differences between groups. For the differently denoised EEG datasets in the two recording conditions, we found that the global microstate templates and the sequences of global microstates were very similar (p < 0.01). Descriptive statistics and Cronbach’s α of microstate metrics highlighted no significant differences and excellent consistency between groups (p > 0.5). These results confirm the ability of the optimized fingerprint method and the ARCI approach to effectively remove physiological artifacts from EEG recordings while preserving global brain dynamics. They also suggest that microstate analysis could represent a novel approach for assessing the ability of an EEG denoising method to remove artifacts without altering brain dynamics.
Humans Can Visually Judge Grasp Quality and Refine Their Judgments Through Visual and Haptic Feedback
Authors: Maiello Guido , Schepko Marcel , Klein Lina K. , Paulun Vivian C. , Fleming Roland W.
Published: January 2021

How humans visually select where to grasp objects is determined by the physical object properties (e.g., size, shape, weight), the degrees of freedom of the arm and hand, as well as the task to be performed. We recently demonstrated that human grasps are near-optimal with respect to a weighted combination of different cost functions that make grasps uncomfortable, unstable, or impossible, e.g., due to unnatural grasp apertures or large torques. Here, we ask whether humans can consciously access these rules. We test if humans can explicitly judge grasp quality derived from rules regarding grasp size, orientation, torque, and visibility. More specifically, we test if grasp quality can be inferred (i) by using visual cues and motor imagery alone, (ii) from watching grasps executed by others, and (iii) through performing grasps, i.e., receiving visual, proprioceptive and haptic feedback. Stimuli were novel objects made of 10 cubes of brass and wood (side length 2.5 cm) in various configurations. On each object, one near-optimal and one sub-optimal grasp were selected based on one cost function (e.g., torque), while the other constraints (grasp size, orientation, and visibility) were kept approximately constant or counterbalanced. Participants were visually cued to the location of the selected grasps on each object and verbally reported which of the two grasps was best. Across three experiments, participants were required to either (i) passively view the static objects and imagine executing the two competing grasps, (ii) passively view videos of other participants grasping the objects, or (iii) actively grasp the objects themselves. Our results show that, for a majority of tested objects, participants could already judge grasp optimality from simply viewing the objects and imagining to grasp them, but were significantly better in the video and grasping session. These findings suggest that humans can determine grasp quality even without performing the grasp—perhaps through motor imagery—and can further refine their understanding of how to correctly grasp an object through sensorimotor feedback but also by passively viewing others grasp objects.
Abnormal Sleep Signals Vulnerability to Chronic Social Defeat Stress
Authors: Radwan Basma , Jansen Gloria , Chaudhury Dipesh
Published: January 2021

There is a tight association between mood and sleep as disrupted sleep is a core feature of many mood disorders. The paucity in available animal models for investigating the role of sleep in the etiopathogenesis of depression-like behaviors led us to investigate whether prior sleep disturbances can predict susceptibility to future stress. Hence, we assessed sleep before and after chronic social defeat (CSD) stress. The social behavior of the mice post stress was classified in two main phenotypes: mice susceptible to stress that displayed social avoidance and mice resilient to stress. Pre-CSD, mice susceptible to stress displayed increased fragmentation of Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep, due to increased switching between NREM and wake and shorter average duration of NREM bouts, relative to mice resilient to stress. Logistic regression analysis showed that the pre-CSD sleep features from both phenotypes were separable enough to allow prediction of susceptibility to stress with >80% accuracy. Post-CSD, susceptible mice maintained high NREM fragmentation while resilient mice exhibited high NREM fragmentation, only in the dark. Our findings emphasize the putative role of fragmented NREM sleep in signaling vulnerability to stress.
Feto-Maternal Crosstalk in the Development of the Circadian Clock System
Authors: Astiz Mariana , Oster Henrik
Published: January 2021

The circadian (24 h) clock system adapts physiology and behavior to daily recurring changes in the environment. Compared to the extensive knowledge assembled over the last decades on the circadian system in adults, its regulation and function during development is still largely obscure. It has been shown that environmental factors, such as stress or alterations in photoperiod, disrupt maternal neuroendocrine homeostasis and program the offspring’s circadian function. However, the process of circadian differentiation cannot be fully dependent on maternal rhythms alone, since circadian rhythms in offspring from mothers lacking a functional clock (due to SCN lesioning or genetic clock deletion) develop normally. This mini-review focuses on recent findings suggesting that the embryo/fetal molecular clock machinery is present and functional in several tissues early during gestation. It is entrained by maternal rhythmic signals crossing the placenta while itself controlling responsiveness to such external factors to certain times of the day. The elucidation of the molecular mechanisms through which maternal, placental and embryo/fetal clocks interact with each other, sense, integrate and coordinate signals from the early life environment is improving our understanding of how the circadian system emerges during development and how it affects physiological resilience against external perturbations during this critical time period.
An Integrative Approach to Study Structural and Functional Network Connectivity in Epilepsy Using Imaging and Signal Data
Authors: Carr Sarah J. A. , Gershon Arthur , Shafiabadi Nassim , Lhatoo Samden D. , Tatsuoka Curtis , Sahoo Satya S.
Published: January 2021

A key area of research in epilepsy neurological disorder is the characterization of epileptic networks as they form and evolve during seizure events. In this paper, we describe the development and application of an integrative workflow to analyze functional and structural connectivity measures during seizure events using stereotactic electroencephalogram (SEEG) and diffusion weighted imaging data (DWI). We computed structural connectivity measures using electrode locations involved in recording SEEG signal data as reference points to filter fiber tracts. We used a new workflow-based tool to compute functional connectivity measures based on non-linear correlation coefficient, which allows the derivation of directed graph structures to represent coupling between signal data. We applied a hierarchical clustering based network analysis method over the functional connectivity data to characterize the organization of brain network into modules using data from 27 events across 8 seizures in a patient with refractory left insula epilepsy. The visualization of hierarchical clustering values as dendrograms shows the formation of connected clusters first within each insulae followed by merging of clusters across the two insula; however, there are clear differences between the network structures and clusters formed across the 8 seizures of the patient. The analysis of structural connectivity measures showed strong connections between contacts of certain electrodes within the same brain hemisphere with higher prevalence in the perisylvian/opercular areas. The combination of imaging and signal modalities for connectivity analysis provides information about a patient-specific dynamical functional network and examines the underlying structural connections that potentially influences the properties of the epileptic network. We also performed statistical analysis of the absolute changes in correlation values across all 8 seizures during a baseline normative time period and different seizure events, which showed decreased correlation values during seizure onset; however, the changes during ictal phases were varied.
Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) Score as a New Indicator of Prognosis in Patients With Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma Is Superior to NLR and PNI: A Single-Center Retrospective Study
Authors: Wang Ankang , He Zhenxing , Cong Peng , Qu Yueyu , Hu Tao , Cai Yu , Sun Bo , Chen Hao , Fu Wenguang , Peng Yong
Published: January 2021

Background

Currently, many nutritional indicators, including controlling nutritional status score (CONUT), can be used to assess a patient’s nutritional status and have been reported as reliable predictors of multiple malignancies. However, the value of CONUT score in predicting postoperative outcomes in patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma has not been explored. In this study, its predictive value will be discussed and compared with the known predictors the neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI).

Methods

Preoperative CONUT scores, PNI and NLR levels of 94 Hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA) patients who underwent radical-intent resection of hepatobiliary surgery in our hospital from March 2010 to April 2019 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. They were grouped according to their optimal cutoff value and the prognostic effects of patients in each group were compared respectively.

Results

CONUThigh was more frequent in patients with Clavien–Dindo classification of ≥IIIa (P = 0.008) and Bile leakage presence (P = 0.011). Kaplan-Meier curves analyzing the relationship between CONUT, PNI, and NLR values and HCCA patient survival (including total survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) showed significant differences between groups (P <0.001). Meanwhile, multi-factor analysis found that Degree of cure, PNI, NLR, and preoperative CONUT score were independent prognostic factors for OS and RFS. The predictive power of CONUT score was higher than that of NLR and PNI based on time-dependent receiver operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis and the net reclassification index (NRI) and integrated discriminatory index (IDI) values (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

CONUT score may be of some clinical reference value in evaluating postoperative prognosis of HCCA patients.
Multiphasic Prehabilitation Across the Cancer Continuum: A Narrative Review and Conceptual Framework
Authors: Santa Mina Daniel , van Rooijen Stefanus J. , Minnella Enrico M. , Alibhai Shabbir M. H. , Brahmbhatt Priya , Dalton Susanne O. , Gillis Chelsia , Grocott Michael P. W. , Howell Doris , Randall Ian M. , Sabiston Catherine M. , Silver Julie K. , Slooter Gerrit , West Malcolm , Jack Sandy , Carli Franco
Published: January 2021

The field of cancer survivorship has significantly advanced person-centered care throughout the cancer continuum. Within cancer survivorship, the last decade has seen remarkable growth in the investigation of prehabilitation comprising pre-treatment interventions to prevent or attenuate the burden of oncologic therapies. While the majority of evidence remains in the surgical setting, prehabilitation is being adapted to target modifiable risk factors that predict poor treatment outcomes in patients receiving other systemic and localized anti-tumor treatments. Here, we propose a multiphasic approach for prehabilitation across the cancer continuum, as a conceptual framework, to encompass the variability in cancer treatment experiences while adopting the most inclusive definition of the cancer survivor.
Physiological Network From Anthropometric and Blood Test Biomarkers
Authors: Barajas-Martínez Antonio , Ibarra-Coronado Elizabeth , Sierra-Vargas Martha Patricia , Cruz-Bautista Ivette , Almeda-Valdes Paloma , Aguilar-Salinas Carlos A. , Fossion Ruben , Stephens Christopher R. , Vargas-Domínguez Claudia , Atzatzi-Aguilar Octavio Gamaliel , Debray-García Yazmín , García-Torrentera Rogelio , Bobadilla Karen , Naranjo Meneses María Augusta , Mena Orozco Dulce Abril , Lam-Chung César Ernesto , Martínez Garcés Vania , Lecona Octavio A. , Marín-García Arlex O. , Frank Alejandro , Rivera Ana Leonor
Published: January 2021

Currently, research in physiology focuses on molecular mechanisms underlying the functioning of living organisms. Reductionist strategies are used to decompose systems into their components and to measure changes of physiological variables between experimental conditions. However, how these isolated physiological variables translate into the emergence -and collapse- of biological functions of the organism as a whole is often a less tractable question. To generate a useful representation of physiology as a system, known and unknown interactions between heterogeneous physiological components must be taken into account. In this work we use a Complex Inference Networks approach to build physiological networks from biomarkers. We employ two unrelated databases to generate Spearman correlation matrices of 81 and 54 physiological variables, respectively, including endocrine, mechanic, biochemical, anthropometric, physiological, and cellular variables. From these correlation matrices we generated physiological networks by selecting a p-value threshold indicating statistically significant links. We compared the networks from both samples to show which features are robust and representative for physiology in health. We found that although network topology is sensitive to the p-value threshold, an optimal value may be defined by combining criteria of stability of topological features and network connectedness. Unsupervised community detection algorithms allowed to obtain functional clusters that correlate well with current medical knowledge. Finally, we describe the topology of the physiological networks, which lie between random and ordered structural features, and may reflect system robustness and adaptability. Modularity of physiological networks allows to explore functional clusters that are consistent even when considering different physiological variables. Altogether Complex Inference Networks from biomarkers provide an efficient implementation of a systems biology approach that is visually understandable and robust. We hypothesize that physiological networks allow to translate concepts such as homeostasis into quantifiable properties of biological systems useful for determination and quantification of health and disease.
Evolution of Tandem Repeats Is Mirroring Post-polyploid Cladogenesis in Heliophila (Brassicaceae)
Authors: Dogan Mert , Pouch Milan , Mandáková Terezie , Hloušková Petra , Guo Xinyi , Winter Pieter , Chumová Zuzana , Van Niekerk Adriaan , Mummenhoff Klaus , Al-Shehbaz Ihsan A. , Mucina Ladislav , Lysak Martin A.
Published: January 2021

The unigeneric tribe Heliophileae encompassing more than 100 Heliophila species is morphologically the most diverse Brassicaceae lineage. The tribe is endemic to southern Africa, confined chiefly to the southwestern South Africa, home of two biodiversity hotspots (Cape Floristic Region and Succulent Karoo). The monospecific Chamira (C. circaeoides), the only crucifer species with persistent cotyledons, is traditionally retrieved as the closest relative of Heliophileae. Our transcriptome analysis revealed a whole-genome duplication (WGD) ∼26.15–29.20 million years ago, presumably preceding the Chamira/Heliophila split. The WGD was then followed by genome-wide diploidization, species radiations, and cladogenesis in Heliophila. The expanded phylogeny based on nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) uncovered four major infrageneric clades (A–D) in Heliophila and corroborated the sister relationship between Chamira and Heliophila. Herein, we analyzed how the diploidization process impacted the evolution of repetitive sequences through low-coverage whole-genome sequencing of 15 Heliophila species, representing the four clades, and Chamira. Despite the firmly established infrageneric cladogenesis and different ecological life histories (four perennials vs. 11 annual species), repeatome analysis showed overall comparable evolution of genome sizes (288–484 Mb) and repeat content (25.04–38.90%) across Heliophila species and clades. Among Heliophila species, long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons were the predominant components of the analyzed genomes (11.51–22.42%), whereas tandem repeats had lower abundances (1.03–12.10%). In Chamira, the tandem repeat content (17.92%, 16 diverse tandem repeats) equals the abundance of LTR retrotransposons (16.69%). Among the 108 tandem repeats identified in Heliophila, only 16 repeats were found to be shared among two or more species; no tandem repeats were shared by Chamira and Heliophila genomes. Six “relic” tandem repeats were shared between any two different Heliophila clades by a common descent. Four and six clade-specific repeats shared among clade A and C species, respectively, support the monophyly of these two clades. Three repeats shared by all clade A species corroborate the recent diversification of this clade revealed by plastome-based molecular dating. Phylogenetic analysis based on repeat sequence similarities separated the Heliophila species to three clades [A, C, and (B+D)], mirroring the post-polyploid cladogenesis in Heliophila inferred from rDNA ITS and plastome sequences.
Geo-Climatic Changes and Apomixis as Major Drivers of Diversification in the Mediterranean Sea Lavenders (Limonium Mill.)
Authors: Koutroumpa Konstantina , Warren Ben H. , Theodoridis Spyros , Coiro Mario , Romeiras Maria M. , Jiménez Ares , Conti Elena
Published: January 2021

The Mediterranean realm, comprising the Mediterranean and Macaronesian regions, has long been recognized as one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, owing to its remarkable species richness and endemism. Several hypotheses on biotic and abiotic drivers of species diversification in the region have been often proposed but rarely tested in an explicit phylogenetic framework. Here, we investigate the impact of both species-intrinsic and -extrinsic factors on diversification in the species-rich, cosmopolitan Limonium, an angiosperm genus with center of diversity in the Mediterranean. First, we infer and time-calibrate the largest Limonium phylogeny to date. We then estimate ancestral ranges and diversification dynamics at both global and regional scales. At the global scale, we test whether the identified shifts in diversification rates are linked to specific geological and/or climatic events in the Mediterranean area and/or asexual reproduction (apomixis). Our results support a late Paleogene origin in the proto-Mediterranean area for Limonium, followed by extensive in situ diversification in the Mediterranean region during the late Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene. We found significant increases of diversification rates in the “Mediterranean lineage” associated with the Messinian Salinity Crisis, onset of Mediterranean climate, Plio-Pleistocene sea-level fluctuations, and apomixis. Additionally, the Euro-Mediterranean area acted as the major source of species dispersals to the surrounding areas. At the regional scale, we infer the biogeographic origins of insular endemics in the oceanic archipelagos of Macaronesia, and test whether woodiness in the Canarian Nobiles clade is a derived trait linked to insular life and a biotic driver of diversification. We find that Limonium species diversity on the Canary Islands and Cape Verde archipelagos is the product of multiple colonization events followed by in situ diversification, and that woodiness of the Canarian endemics is indeed a derived trait but is not associated with a significant shift to higher diversification rates. Our study expands knowledge on how the interaction between abiotic and biotic drivers shape the uneven distribution of species diversity across taxonomic and geographical scales.
The Crucial Role of Demannosylating Asparagine-Linked Glycans in ERADicating Misfolded Glycoproteins in the Endoplasmic Reticulum
Authors: Zhang Jianjun , Wu Jiarui , Liu Linchuan , Li Jianming
Published: January 2021

Most membrane and secreted proteins are glycosylated on certain asparagine (N) residues in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which is crucial for their correct folding and function. Protein folding is a fundamentally inefficient and error-prone process that can be easily interfered by genetic mutations, stochastic cellular events, and environmental stresses. Because misfolded proteins not only lead to functional deficiency but also produce gain-of-function cellular toxicity, eukaryotic organisms have evolved highly conserved ER-mediated protein quality control (ERQC) mechanisms to monitor protein folding, retain and repair incompletely folded or misfolded proteins, or remove terminally misfolded proteins via a unique ER-associated degradation (ERAD) mechanism. A crucial event that terminates futile refolding attempts of a misfolded glycoprotein and diverts it into the ERAD pathway is executed by removal of certain terminal α1,2-mannose (Man) residues of theirN-glycans. Earlier studies were centered around an ER-type α1,2-mannosidase that specifically cleaves the terminal α1,2Man residue from the B-branch of the three-branched N-linked Man9GlcNAc2(GlcNAc forN-acetylglucosamine) glycan, but recent investigations revealed that the signal that marks a terminally misfolded glycoprotein for ERAD is anN-glycan with an exposed α1,6Man residue generated by members of a unique folding-sensitive α1,2-mannosidase family known as ER-degradation enhancing α-mannosidase-like proteins (EDEMs). This review provides a historical recount of major discoveries that led to our current understanding on the role of demannosylatingN-glycans in sentencing irreparable misfolded glycoproteins into ERAD. It also discusses conserved and distinct features of the demannosylation processes of the ERAD systems of yeast, mammals, and plants.
Experiential Value in Multi-Actor Service Ecosystems: Scale Development and Its Relation to Inter-Customer Helping Behavior
Authors: Weretecki Patrick , Greve Goetz , Henseler Jörg
Published: January 2021

Interactions in service ecosystems, as opposed to the service dyad, have recently gained much attention from research. However, it is still unclear how they influence a customer’s experiential value and trigger desired prosocial behavior. The purpose of this study is to identify which elements of the multi-actor service ecosystem contribute to a customer’s experiential value and to investigate its relation to a customer’s interaction attitude and inter-customer helping behavior. The authors adopted a scale development procedure from the existing literature. Service, brand, retail and tourism management research as well as expert feedback is used to generate a pool of 33 items. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted. The scale was validated based on more than 468 responses to a CASI at one of the world’s largest trade shows. Scale-development procedure was followed by structural equation modeling. CFA supports that experiential value in multi-actor ecosystems comprises five dimensions. The functional value of personnel (professionalism), the perception of other customers’ appearance (similarity), the perception of other customers’ behavior (suitable behavior), multisensory stimuli (sensory appeal), and a customer’s enjoyment (playfulness). Experiential value positively and directly relates to a customer’s interaction attitude and inter-customer helping behavior. Furthermore, the effect of experiential value on inter-customer helping behavior is partially mediated by interaction attitude. Managers interested in getting more out of interactions with customers will develop an understanding for the interplay between the physical environment and individuals within a multi-actor ecosystem. Social scientists and managers can use the scale to assess experiential value, encourage a customer’s interaction attitude and utilize the customers’ influence on their peers. This paper synthesizes insights from existing research on experiential value, from various fields, in one scale. This holistic approach is the first to simultaneously account for a customer’s interactions with the multisensory physical environment, personal interactions with employees and interactions between customers in a multi-actor service ecosystem.
The Psychological State of Teachers During the COVID-19 Crisis: The Challenge of Returning to Face-to-Face Teaching
Authors: Ozamiz-Etxebarria Naiara , Berasategi Santxo Naiara , Idoiaga Mondragon Nahia , Dosil Santamaría María
Published: January 2021

Schools in Spain were closed in March 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In September 2020 most schools and universities in Spain reopened and teachers felt great uncertainty due to this unprecedented situation. Teachers have accumulated psychological symptoms since the beginning of the pandemic. During the lockdown they had to introduce online teaching and in view of the reopening of schools they have shown great concern for the new unprecedented teaching situation. The present study aims to measure the symptomatology shown by teaching staff in the Basque Autonomous Community at the time when schools were reopened. To do this, we recruited a sample of 1,633 teachers who were given an online questionnaire which, in addition to collecting socio-demographic data, measured stress, anxiety and depression using the DASS-21scale. The results revealed that a high percentage of teachers showed anxiety, depression and stress symptoms. Furthermore, variables such as gender, age, job stability, the level of education at which they teach and parental status also influence this symptomatology. We argue for the need to safeguard the mental health of teachers in order to improve both the quality of teaching and the mental health of students.
UP'S: A Cohort Study on Recovery in Psychotic Disorder Patients: Design Protocol
Authors: van Aken Bernice C. , Bakia Ayuk , Wierdsma André I. , Voskes Yolande , Van Weeghel Jaap , van Bussel Evelyn M. M. , Hagestein Carla , Ruissen Andrea M. , Leendertse Pien , Sewbalak Wishal V. , van der Draai Daphne A. , Hammink Alice , Mandos M. E. , van der Gaag Mark , Bonebakker Annette E. , Van Der Feltz-Cornelis Christina M. , Mulder Cornelis L.
Published: January 2021

Recovery is a multidimensional concept, including symptomatic, functional, social, as well as personal recovery. The present study aims at exploring psychosocial and biological determinants of personal recovery, and disentangling time-dependent relationships between personal recovery and the other domains of recovery in a sample of people with a psychotic disorder. A cohort study is conducted with a 10-year follow-up. Personal recovery is assessed using the Recovering Quality of Life Questionnaire (ReQoL) and the Individual Recovery Outcomes Counter (I.ROC). Other domains of recovery are assessed by the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale Remission (PANSS-R), the BRIEF-A and the Social Role Participation Questionnaire—Short version (SRPQ) to assess symptomatic, functional and societal recovery, respectively. In addition, multiple biological, psychological, and social determinants are assessed. This study aims to assess the course of personal recovery, and to find determinants and time-dependent relationships with symptomatic, functional and societal recovery in people with a psychotic disorder. Strengths of the study are the large number of participants, long duration of follow-up, multiple assessments over time, extending beyond the treatment trajectory, and the use of a broad range of biological, psychological, and social determinants.
Suitability of the Openly Accessible 3D Printed Prosthetic Hands for War-Wounded Children
Authors: Cabibihan John-John , Alkhatib Farah , Mudassir Mohammed , Lambert Laurent A. , Al-Kwifi Osama S. , Diab Khaled , Mahdi Elsadig
Published: January 2021

The field of rehabilitation and assistive devices is being disrupted by innovations in desktop 3D printers and open-source designs. For upper limb prosthetics, those technologies have demonstrated a strong potential to aid those with missing hands. However, there are basic interfacing issues that need to be addressed for long term usage. The functionality, durability, and the price need to be considered especially for those in difficult living conditions. We evaluated the most popular designs of body-powered, 3D printed prosthetic hands. We selected a representative sample and evaluated its suitability for its grasping postures, durability, and cost. The prosthetic hand can perform three grasping postures out of the 33 grasps that a human hand can do. This corresponds to grasping objects similar to a coin, a golf ball, and a credit card. Results showed that the material used in the hand and the cables can withstand a 22 N normal grasping force, which is acceptable based on standards for accessibility design. The cost model showed that a 3D printed hand could be produced for as low as $19. For the benefit of children with congenital missing limbs and for the war-wounded, the results can serve as a baseline study to advance the development of prosthetic hands that are functional yet low-cost.