bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effective processing strategies for minimizing acrylamide level in potato chips using L‐asparaginase from Streptomyces koyangensisSK4
Authors: Shahana Kabeer S. , Mohamed Hatha A. A.
Published: September 2023

Acrylamide is a potent carcinogen present in fried and baked foods. The L‐asparaginase enzyme is well known for its application in the food industry to mitigate acrylamide levels in foods. L‐asparaginase from Arctic actinomycete, Streptomyces koyangensis SK4 with acrylamide‐reducing potential, was exploited for this study. In the present study, a statistical optimization was carried out to determine the effect of different parameters such as L‐asparaginase concentration, acetic acid pre‐treatment, NaCl pre‐treatment, frying method and frying temperature on acrylamide reduction in potato chips. A full factorial experimental design was implemented to statistically analyze the effect and significance of each parameter. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the result of the experimental design indicated a high correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.96. The linear regression model obtained was well‐suited to the experimental result. The study had shown the frying method and temperature, sodium chloride pre‐treatment and the concentration of L‐asparaginase significantly affected acrylamide mitigation in potato chips (p < 0.05). We found that pre‐treatment with acetic acid did not significantly affect enzymatic acrylamide reduction in potato chips (p > 0.05). Under optimal conditions such as pre‐treatment of potato slices by blanching in sodium chloride solution, immersion in L‐asparaginase (40 IU/mL) and frying the slices by air frying at 160°C caused an 81% reduction in the acrylamide level of potato chips. The study suggests that statistical optimization of the concentration of L‐asparaginase from Streptomyces koyangensis SK4 and different processing parameters is a promising method for the maximum reduction of acrylamide content in potato chips.

Practical Application

Acrylamide is a potent carcinogen reported widely in potato chips. It is formed during the baking or frying of potatoes, at high temperatures of more than 120°C. At high temperatures, the reducing sugars and L‐asparagine present in the potato react together to form acrylamide. The higher consumption of acrylamide in humans is reported to cause gastrointestinal and ovarian cancers. The microbial L‐asparaginase is utilized in the food industries to remove the amino acid, L‐asparagine in potatoes which leads to the formation of acrylamide during the frying process. In this study, we are analyzing the effect of different pre‐treatment and frying parameters utilized in potato chip making on acrylamide reduction using L‐asparaginase obtained from Arctic actinomycetes. The study highlights the influence of different process parameters on acrylamide content in the final product. The observations can be utilized at the industrial level to produce safer and healthier chips with low acrylamide content.
Reducing hypoglycemia from overtreatment of type 2 diabetes in older adults: The HypoPrevent study
Authors: Koehn Deborah A. , Dungan Kathleen Marie , Wallia Amisha , Lucas Deborah Otcasek , Lash Robert W. , Becker Mila N. , Dardick Lawrence D. , Boord Jeffrey B.
Published: September 2023

Background

Hypoglycemia from overtreatment is a serious but underrecognized complication among older adults with type 2 diabetes. However, diabetes treatment is seldom deintensified. We assessed the effectiveness of a Clinical Decision Support (CDS) tool and shared decision‐making (SDM) in decreasing the number of patients at risk for hypoglycemia and reducing the impact of non‐severe hypoglycemic events.

Methods

HypoPrevent was a pre‐post, single arm study at a five‐site primary care practice. We identified at‐risk patients (≥65 years‐old, with type 2 diabetes, treated with insulin or sulfonylureas, and HbA1c < 7.0%). During three clinic visits over 6 months, clinicians used the CDS tool and SDM to assess hypoglycemic risk, set individualized HbA1c goals, and adjust use of hypoglycemic agents. We assessed the number of patients setting individualized HbA1c goals or modifying medication use, changes in the population at risk for hypoglycemia, and changes in impact of non‐severe hypoglycemic events using a validated patient‐reported outcome tool (TRIM‐HYPO).

Results

We enrolled 94 patients (mean age—74; mean HbA1c (±SD)—6.36% ± 0.43), of whom 94% set an individualized HbA1c goal at either the baseline or first follow‐up visit. Ninety patients completed the study. Insulin or sulfonylurea use was decreased or eliminated in 20%. An HbA1c level before and after goal setting was obtained in 53% (N = 50). Among these patients, the mean HbA1c increased 0.53% (p < 0.0001) and the number of patients at‐risk decreased by 46% (p < 0.0001). Statistically significant reductions in the impact of hypoglycemia during daily activities occurred in both the total score and each functional domain of TRIM‐HYPO.

Conclusions

In a population of older patients at risk for hypoglycemia, the use of a CDS tool and SDM reduced the population at risk and decreased the use of insulin and sulfonylureas. Using a patient‐reported outcome tool, we demonstrated significant reductions in the impact of hypoglycemia on daily life.
Entrepreneurial Wealth and Employment: Tracing Out the Effects of a Stock Market Crash
Authors: RING MARIUS A. K.
Published: September 2023

Using the dispersion in stock returns during the financial crisis as a source of exogenous variation in the wealth of Norwegian entrepreneurs who held listed stocks, I show that adverse shocks to the wealth of business owners had large effects on their firms' financing, employment, and investment. The effects on investment and employment are driven by young firms, that obtain differentially less bank financing following an owner wealth shock. The effects on employment operate primarily through reduced hiring. My findings highlight that equity‐financing frictions and the procyclicality of entrepreneurial wealth are important channels that can amplify economic shocks.
Adolescents' trust and reciprocity toward friends, unknown peers, and community members
Authors: Sweijen Sophie W. , te Brinke Lysanne W. , van de Groep Suzanne , Crone Eveline A.
Published: September 2023

Using a newly developed version of the Trust Game among 196 adolescents aged 11–20 years, this study examined whether adolescents distinguish between trust and reciprocity to unknown peers, friends, and community members. We also tested for effects of age, gender, and individual differences in attending to others' emotions, emotional support to friends, societal contributions, and institutional and interpersonal trust beliefs. Results indicated that adolescents showed the least trust and reciprocity to unknown peers, more to a community member, and most to friends. Reciprocity increased with age, and individual differences in societal contributions and interpersonal trust were positively related to trust and reciprocity. This study was the first to show that community members are a specific target in adolescents' social world.
The Historic Square Foot Dataset – Outstanding small‐scale richness in Swiss grasslands around the year 1900
Authors: Riedel Susanne , Widmer Stefan , Babbi Manuel , Buholzer Serge , Grünig Andreas , Herzog Felix , Richner Nina , Dengler Jürgen
Published: September 2023

Grasslands host a significant share of Europe's species diversity but are among the most threatened vegetation types of the continent. Resurvey studies can help to understand patterns and drivers of changes in grassland diversity and species composition. However, most resurveys are based on local or regional data, and hardly reach back more than eight decades. Here, we publish and describe the Historic Square Foot Dataset, comprising 580 0.09‐m2 and 43 1‐m2 vegetation plots carefully sampled between 1884 and 1931, covering a wide range of grassland types across Switzerland. We provide the plots as an open‐access data set with coordinates, relocation accuracy and fractional aboveground biomass per vascular plant species. We assigned EUNIS habitat types to most plots. Mean vascular plant species richness in 0.09 m2 was 19.7, with a maximum of 47. This is considerably more than the present‐day world record of 43 species for this plot size. Historically, species richness did not vary with elevation, differing from the unimodal relationship found today. The data set provides unique insight into how grasslands in Central Europe looked more than 100 years ago, thus offering manifold options for studies on the development of grassland biodiversity and productivity.
Universal and Specific Services for University Students with Specific Learning Disabilities: The Relation to Study Approach, Academic Achievement, and Satisfaction
Authors: Pellegrino Gerardo , Casali Nicole , Meneghetti Chiara , Tinti Carla , Anna Maria Re , Sini Barbara , Passolunghi Maria Chiara , Valenti Antonella , Montesano Lorena , Carretti Barbara
Published: September 2023

In recent years, an increasing number of students with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) have enrolled in universities. The present exploratory study examined the frequency of use and appreciation of universal (open to every student) and specific services (offered to students with SLDs) and their relation to age, academic achievement, satisfaction, self–efficacy, and use of self–regulated learning (SRL) strategies. Participants were 147 Italian university students with SLD diagnoses (42 males; mean age: 22.49, SD = 3.29). Results showed that, overall, the frequency of use and appreciation of specific services were positively related to academic satisfaction, self–efficacy, and SRL strategies. Furthermore, frequency of use of compensatory tools and dispensatory measures was positively associated with academic achievement. These findings suggest that universities play an important role in supporting students with SLDs during their academic years by providing them with useful services and accommodations.
Importing Arcadia into 18th‐century Madras: Poetics of the contact zone and the politics of genre in Eyles Irwin's Saint Thomas's Mount
Authors: Motwani Arjun
Published: September 2023

Eyles Irwin (1751–1817), an East India Company official who spent much of his life in the British settlement of Fort St. George, Madras, was one of the earliest practitioners of anglophone belles lettres in the Indian subcontinent, and his writings predate the development of a robust culture of English‐language literary composition in the colony by quite a few years. The scant scholarly attention he has received belies his importance as an anticipator of the momentous literary‐historical processes that would transform India's public sphere in the 19th century. This essay offers a contextual reading of Saint Thomas's Mount (1774), his earliest extant poem, which is avowedly modelled on canonical English topographical poems like Alexander Pope's Windsor‐Forest (1713) and makes use of a host of neoclassical conventions, but which also differs from them in terms of the kind of landscape that is represented (Irwin's is a tropical landscape, with abundant mangoes, palms, and Oriental fauna, unlike Pope's pleasant, idyllic British park). However, Irwin's target readership being chiefly metropolitan, he contends with the difficulty of highlighting India's irreducible foreignness while simultaneously trying to ensure that readers in London do not find the Oriental descriptions too alien, incredible, and unrelatable. The authorial strategies he adopts to navigate this difficulty constitute the focus of the first part of the essay. The second (and final) part seeks to shed light on his hybrid, hyphenated identity as an Indian‐born Irish poet, and on his perception of himself as somehow fundamentally unlike those Britons who never ventured beyond the geographical confines of Europe, let alone setting down roots in places on the very fringes of the British empire. The affiliative bonds he forges with expatriate colonial officials living in and confronting the hardships of life in the monsoonal tropics mark him as a member of the steadily growing community of Anglo‐Indians in the Indian subcontinent. While noting the shifting connotations of the term ‘Anglo‐Indian’ in the 18th and 19th centuries, this essay will also examine the implications of identifying Irwin as a member of this initially amorphous but steadily growing community.
degQ associated with the degS/degU two‐component system regulates biofilm formation, antimicrobial metabolite production, and biocontrol activity in Bacillus velezensis DMW1
Authors: Yu Chenjie , Qiao Junqing , Ali Qurban , Jiang Qifan , Song Yan , Zhu Linli , Gu Qin , Borriss Rainer , Dong Suomeng , Gao Xuewen , Wu Huijun
Published: September 2023

The gram‐positive bacterium Bacillus velezensis strain DMW1 produces a high level of antimicrobial metabolites that can suppress the growth of phytopathogens. We investigated the mechanism used by degQ and the degS/degU two‐component system to regulate the biocontrol characteristics of DMW1. When degQ and degU were deleted, the biofilm formation, cell motility, colonization activities, and antifungal abilities of ΔdegQ and ΔdegU were significantly reduced compared to wild‐type DMW1. The expression levels of biofilm‐related genes (epsA, epsB, epsC, and tasA) and swarming‐related genes (swrA and swrB) were all down‐regulated. We also evaluated the impact on secondary metabolites of these two genes. The degQ and degU genes reduced surfactin and macrolactin production and up‐regulated the production of fengycin, iturin, bacillaene, and difficidin metabolites. The reverse transcription‐quantitative PCR results were consistent with these observations. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay and microscale thermophoresis revealed that DegU can bind to the promoter regions of these six antimicrobial metabolite genes and regulate their synthesis. In conclusion, we provided systematic evidence to demonstrate that the degQ and degU genes are important regulators of multicellular behaviour and antimicrobial metabolic processes in B. velezensis DMW1 and suggested novel amenable strains to be used for the industrial production of antimicrobial metabolites.
Haplotype‐resolved genome assembly provides insights into the evolution of S‐locus supergene in distylous Nymphoides indica
Authors: Yang Jingshan , Xue Haoran , Li Zhizhong , Zhang Yue , Shi Tao , He Xiangyan , Barrett Spencer C. H. , Wang Qingfeng , Chen Jinming
Published: September 2023

Distyly has evolved independently in numerous animal‐pollinated angiosperm lineages. Understanding of its molecular basis has been restricted to a few species, primarily Primula. Here, we investigate the genetic architecture of the single diallelic locus (S‐locus) supergene, a linkage group of functionally associated genes, and explore how it may have evolved in distylous Nymphoides indica, a lineage of flowering plants not previously investigated.

We assembled haplotype‐resolved genomes, used read‐coverage‐based genome‐wide association study (rb‐GWAS) to locate the S‐locus supergene, co‐expression network analysis to explore gene networks underpinning the development of distyly, and comparative genomic analyses to investigate the origins of the S‐locus supergene.

We identified three linked candidate S‐locus genes – NinBAS1, NinKHZ2, and NinS1 – that were only evident in the short‐styled morph and were hemizygous. Co‐expression network analysis suggested that brassinosteroids contribute to dimorphic sex organs in the short‐styled morph. Comparative genomic analyses indicated that the S‐locus supergene likely evolved via stepwise duplications and has been affected by transposable element activities.

Our study provides novel insight into the structure, regulation, and evolution of the supergene governing distyly in N. indica. It also provides high‐quality genomic resources for future research on the molecular mechanisms underlying the striking evolutionary convergence in form and function across heterostylous taxa.
Oral solitary fibrous tumors: A collaborative clinicopathologic study of 19 cases
Authors: Cunha John Lennon Silva , Cavalcante Israel Leal , Barros Elton Fernandes , de Sousa Neto Sebastião Silvério , Cavalcante Roberta Barroso , Turatti Eveline , de Mendonça Elismauro Francisco , de Albuquerque‐Júnior Ricardo Luiz Cavalcanti , Anbinder Ana Lia , Fragata da Silva Décio , Duarte Ivison Xavier , Nonaka Cassiano Francisco Weege , Alves Pollianna Muniz , de Almeida Oslei Paes , de Andrade Bruno Augusto Benevenuto
Published: September 2023

Objective

To report the clinicopathologic features of 19 oral solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs).

Methods

Clinical data were collected from the records of seven pathology services. All cases were re‐evaluated by HE staining and confirmed by immunohistochemistry.

Results

The series comprised 11 females (57.9%) and 8 males (42.1%), with a mean age of 47.3 ± 14.7 years (range: 22–71 years) and a 1.3:1 female‐to‐male ratio. Most tumors affected the buccal mucosa (n = 7; 36.8%) and presented clinically as an asymptomatic solitary submucosal well‐circumscribed nodule with coloration similar to the oral mucosa. Morphologically, most SFTs (n = 10; 52.6%) exhibited a classic hybrid pattern characterized by a well‐circumscribed proliferation of densely cellular areas alternating with hypocellular areas in a variably collagenous vascular stroma. Remnants of accessory salivary glands were observed in two cases (n = 2; 10.5%). All tumors were positive for STAT6 and CD34 (n = 19; 100%). Outcome information was available from 6 patients (31.6%), with clinical follow‐up ranging from 6 to 24 months (mean ± SD, 9.5 ± 6.8 months), and none developed local recurrence.

Conclusions

Oral SFTs are rare and often clinically misdiagnosed. Pathologists should consider SFT in the differential diagnosis of oral spindle cell tumors. Accurate diagnosis requires careful morphological evaluation supported by immunohistochemical analysis.
A mechanistic mathematical model for describing and predicting the dynamics of high‐affinity nitrate intake into roots of maize and other plant species
Authors: Zanin Laura , Tomasi Nicola , Casagrande Daniele , Danuso Francesco , Buoso Sara , Zamboni Anita , Varanini Zeno , Pinton Roberto , Blanchini Franco
Published: September 2023

A fully mechanistic dynamical model for plant nitrate uptake is presented. Based on physiological and regulatory pathways and based on physical laws, we form a dynamic system mathematically described by seven differential equations. The model evidences the presence of a short‐term positive feedback on the high‐affinity nitrate uptake, triggered by the presence of nitrate around the roots, which induces its intaking. In the long run, this positive feedback is overridden by two long‐term negative feedback loops which drastically reduces the nitrate uptake capacity. These two negative feedbacks are due to the generation of ammonium and amino acids, respectively, and inhibit the synthesis and the activity of high‐affinity nitrate transporters. This model faithfully predicts the typical spiking behavior of the nitrate uptake, in which an initial strong increase of nitrate absorption capacity is followed by a drop, which regulates the absorption down to the initial value. The model outcome was compared with experimental data and they fit quite nicely. The model predicts that after the initial exposure of the roots with nitrate, the absorption of the anion strongly increases and that, on the contrary, the intensity of the absorption is limited in presence of ammonium around the roots.
The association between the Short Physical Performance Battery and longitudinal trajectories of depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults
Authors: Bao Min , Chao Jianqian , Zhang Na , Wu Yanqian , Wang Leixia
Published: September 2023

Background

In this study, the long‐term trajectories of depressive symptoms in a 7‐year prospective survey cohort of Chinese older adults were explored. Additionally, the study examined whether there was an independent association between scores on the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and the different trajectories of depressive symptoms.

Methods

A total of 2177 elderly individuals had their depressive symptoms assessed based on the Center for Epidemiological Studies‐Depression (CES‐D) scale in the years 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2018. In addition, their demographic characteristics, chronic diseases, and lifestyle factors were also assessed. The trajectories of depressive symptoms were analysed using the group‐based trajectories analysis model. Furthermore, the relationship between the objectively measured SPPB scores and the long‐term trajectory of depressive symptoms was explored using multinomial logistic regression.

Results

The group‐based trajectory analysis model categorized the trajectories of depressive symptoms across four waves into four groups: persistent low depressive symptoms, increasing depressive symptoms, decreased depressive symptoms, and persistent high depressive symptoms. After controlling for confounding factors, it was observed that a higher baseline SPPB score was associated with an increased likelihood of persistent high depressive symptoms, OR (95% CI) = 0.724 (0.644, 0.814), for the persistent high depressive symptoms versus the persistent low depressive symptoms.

Conclusions

Low levels of SPPB score are associated with persistent high depressive symptoms in older adults. Conversely, improving physical performance as measured by the SPPB can help reduce the risk of major depressive disorder and persistent depressive disorder in the elderly.
Self‐regulation in daily life: Neuroscience will accelerate theorizing and advance the field
Authors: Lopez Richard B.
Published: September 2023

Self‐regulation often involves foregoing short‐term pleasures and impulses in favor of long‐term goals, such as pursuing a particular career, raising a family, or maintaining good health to promote longevity. Like many other fields in psychology, the study of self‐regulation has experienced some growing pains in the wake of the replication crisis, with previously held theories called into question, including seemingly intuitive phenomena such as ego depletion. Despite these challenges, there is burgeoning interest in characterizing people's experiences of self‐regulation success and failure in real world settings. In this review, I argue that utilizing tools and approaches from neuroscience will yield valuable insights into how self‐regulatory processes are engaged in daily life, which in turn will refine and advance self‐regulation models and theorizing, as well as generate new hypotheses. I also unpack some conceptual and practical considerations when combining neuroscience methods with real‐world assessment of behaviors, such as ecological momentary assessment. With these issues and points for consideration taken together, I hope this review will help pave a fruitful path forward for the field with implications for how we might become better self‐regulators.
Dipt in Ink
Authors: Willan Claude
Published: September 2023

Pope’s career to 1717’s early culmination in the Works has been much explained. Pope managed to use the genre systems and logical and rhetorical strategies left behind by Jacobite and Whig advocates for competing versions of government in order to advance his own standing. I show the roots of persistent canards like Pope’s following the Virgilian wheel of poetic progress and unpack his determination to exert control over the imaginative space surrounding his poems. Examining Pope’s Pastorals, Rape of the Lock, Key to the Lock, Windsor-Forest, and other works, the chapter explores the specific mechanisms Pope used to make the reader prioritize Pope’s own account of himself over any other heuristic.
Coda
Authors: Willan Claude
Published: September 2023

The book closes with a short consideration of the tangle of canards it has disclosed, and an investigation of the literary aesthetics that might have been had literary authority not been so assiduously arrogated by Pope and Johnson. What could literature and literature studies look like, then? What could we then use literature for?
Facing the Faceless
Authors: Wolfson Elliot R.
Published: September 2023

The battle against the nihilist challenge of meaninglessness and the allure of death as a plausible escape plagued Susan throughout her life. Poiēsis instructs us that the goal of knowledge is the knowledge of death, a knowledge that is a thinking that thinks the surplus of what cannot be thought. In the knowledge accrued from this nonthinking, eros and logos are bound together in the jouissance of the wavering between sexual suffering and satisfaction. The true possessor of gnosis is the agnostic, the one who knows that knowledge consists of knowing that one cannot know.
Benefits beyond cardiometabolic health: the potential of frequent high intensity ‘exercise snacks’ to improve outcomes for those living with and beyond cancer
Authors: Jenkins David G. , Devin James L. , Weston Kathryn L. , Jenkins Joseph G. , Skinner Tina L.
Published: September 2023

High intensity interval training (HIIT) has been shown to consistently elicit rapid and significant adaptations in a number of physiological systems, across many different healthy and clinical populations. In addition, there is increasing interest in how some acute, yet transient responses to high intensity exercise potentially reduce the risks of particular diseases. Recent work has shown that discrete, brief bouts of high intensity exercise (termed ‘exercise snacks’) can improve glucose control and vascular health and thus counter the negative cardiometabolic consequences of prolonged, uninterrupted periods of inactivity. In this brief review, we advance the case, using evidence available from pre‐clinical studies in the exercise oncology literature, that brief, frequently completed bouts of high intensity exercise embedded within an individual's overall daily and weekly physical activity schedule, may transiently impact the tumour microenvironment and improve the health outcomes for those who have been diagnosed and treated for cancer.

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Effect of Moderate Versus Vigorous Exercise Intensity on Body Composition in Young Untrained Adults: The Activating Brown Adipose Tissue Through Exercise (ACTIBATE) Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Amaro-Gahete Francisco J. , Ruiz-Ruiz María , Cano-Nieto Amalia , Sanchez-Delgado Guillermo , Alcantara Juan M.A. , Acosta Francisco M. , Labayen Idoia , Ortega Francisco B. , Ruiz Jonatan R.
Published: September 2023

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of a 24-week aerobic + resistance training programs at moderate versus vigorous intensity on body composition, and the persistence of the changes after a 10-month free-living period, in young untrained adults. This report is based on a secondary analysis from the activating brown adipose tissue through exercise (ACTIBATE) single-center unblinded randomized controlled trial. A total of 144 young adults (65.6% women) aged 18–25 years were randomly allocated to three different groups: (a) aerobic + resistance exercise training program based on the international physical activity recommendations at vigorous intensity (Ex-Vigorous group), (b) at moderate intensity (Ex-Moderate group), and (c) control group (no exercise). Body composition outcomes were determined by a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanner. Both Ex-Vigorous and Ex-Moderate decreased body weight, fat mass, and visceral adipose tissue mass in a similar manner (all p < .04). After a 10-month free-living period, these parameters returned to baseline levels in both exercise groups (all ps < .03). No differences between the exercise groups and the control group were noted in lean mass changes (all ps > .1). A 24-week aerobic + resistance training intervention based on the international physical activity recommendations was enough to improve body weight, fat mass, and visceral adipose tissue mass in untrained young adults, independently of the exercise intensity (moderate vs. vigorous).
Benefits of Training the Iron Cross With Herdos Devices and External Load Added to Body Weight for Young Nonachiever Gymnasts
Authors: Marina Michel , Torrado Priscila , Ferrer-Uris Blai , Busquets Albert
Published: September 2023

Purpose: To verify whether training the iron cross (IC) with assistive devices (herdos; HIC) and added external load (LHIC) to equate the moments of force developed on the rings could be considered an intermediate step between the nonoverloaded herdos situation (HIC) and the IC performed on the rings. Methods: Relative levels of surface electromyography (sEMG) activity were normalized with respect to a standing IC before comparing gymnasts who can perform the IC on the rings (achievers) and gymnast who cannot (nonachievers) in the 2 herdos conditions (HIC and LHIC). Seven muscles were chosen for sEMG analysis, namely, pectoralis major (PM), latissimus dorsi, teres major, lower trapezius, serratus anterior, biceps brachii (BB), and triceps brachii. Additionally, 3 indices were calculated to measure levels of coactivation: Elbowidx, Scapulaidx, and Shoulderidx. Results: The bigger magnitude of differences in sEMG activity among situations was found for the PM and BB (F ≥ 30.7; P < .001). When comparing the global and the PM, teres major, BB, and triceps brachii activity across groups, nonachievers activated their musculature to a greater extent than the achievers independently of the herdos situation (P ≤ .046). Achievers’ Elbowidx was the only index that was significantly higher (P ≤ .005) in the IC in comparison to LHIC and HIC. Conclusion: sEMG activity of PM and BB was particularly sensitive between situations, independently of the level of achievement. We recommend training the IC by adding external load in the herdos situation to increase muscle activity to levels closer to the rings situation but avoiding the potential factor of injuries.
Reducing cartel recruitment is the only way to lower violence in Mexico
Authors: Prieto-Curiel Rafael , Campedelli Gian Maria , Hope Alejandro
Published: September 2023

Mexican cartels lose many members as a result of conflict with other cartels and incarcerations. Yet, despite their losses, cartels manage to increase violence for years. We address this puzzle by leveraging data on homicides, missing persons, and incarcerations in Mexico for the past decade along with information on cartel interactions. We model recruitment, state incapacitation, conflict, and saturation as sources of cartel size variation. Results show that by 2022, cartels counted 160,000 to 185,000 units, becoming one of the country’s top employers. Recruiting between 350 and 370 people per week is essential to avoid their collapse because of aggregate losses. Furthermore, we show that increasing incapacitation would increase both homicides and cartel members. Conversely, reducing recruitment could substantially curtail violence and lower cartel size.
How mothers tolerate their children
Authors: Porrett Paige M.
Published: September 2023

Shifting pools of antigen can influence pregnancy-induced immune tolerance
Repetitive DNA regulates gene expression
Authors: Kuhlman Thomas E.
Published: September 2023

Short tandem repeats affect gene expression by binding regulatory proteins
Mother Nature’s playground: Sometimes in the wild it is all about fun
Authors: Williams Terrie M.
Published: September 2023

From surfboard-stealing sea otters to sailboat-chomping killer whales, the summer of 2023 was a landmark year of wild animal antics. Why is wildlife suddenly interacting with humans and their toys in this way? Speculation and headlines have espoused theories about learned behaviors due to enticements with food, increased intrusion, and proximity of humans in wild habitats, as well as aberrant animal responses instigated by oceanic noise or disease-related neurological disorders. However, the most honest answer is, “We don’t really know. Maybe the animals are just playing around.”
South Korea, a science spending champion, proposes cutbacks
Authors: Normile Dennis
Published: September 2023

Sudden revamp would trim basic research spending while boosting biomedical innovation, space, and other fields
Delayed host mortality and immune response upon infection with
P. aeruginosa
persister cells
Authors: Hastings Cody J. , Keledjian Maya V. , Musselman Laura Palanker , Marques Cláudia N. H.
Published: September 2023

Chronic infections are a heavy burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Persister cells are thought to be largely responsible for chronic infection due to their tolerance to antimicrobials and recalcitrance to innate immunity factors.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
is a common and clinically relevant pathogen that contains stereotypical persister cells. Despite their importance in chronic infection, there have been limited efforts to study persister cell infections
in vivo. Drosophila melanogaster
has a well-described innate immune response similar to that of vertebrates and is a good candidate for the development of an
in vivo
model of infection for persister cells. Similar to what is observed in other bacterial strains, in this work we found that infection with
P. aeruginosa
persister cells resulted in a delayed mortality phenotype in
Caenorhabditis elegans
,
Arabidopsis thaliana
, and
D. melanogaster
compared to infection with regular cells. An in-depth characterization of infected
D. melanogaster
found that bacterial loads differed between persister and regular cells’ infections during the early stages. Furthermore, hemocyte activation and antimicrobial peptide expression were delayed/reduced in persister infections over the same time course, indicating an initial suppression of, or inability to elicit, the fly immune response. Overall, our findings support the use of
D. melanogaster
as a model in which to study persister cells
in vivo,
where this bacterial subpopulation exhibits delayed virulence and an attenuated immune response.
Mutations in the C-terminal region of the bacteriophage exclusion protein PglX can selectively inactivate restriction in
Salmonella
Authors: Wozniak Christopher E. , Hughes Kelly T. , Liou Theodore G.
Published: September 2023

Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhimurium strain LT2 is protected by two DNA restriction-modification systems (HsdRMS and Mod-Res) and a Type I bacteriophage exclusion (BREX) system (BrxA-L). The LB5000 strain was constructed to inactivate restriction but not methylation in all three systems and has been available for decades (L. R. Bullas and J. I. Ryu, J Bacteriol 156:471–474, 1983,
https://doi.org/10.1128/jb.156.1.471-474.1983
). However, this strain had been heavily mutagenized and contains hundreds of other mutations, including a few in DNA repair genes. Here, we describe the development of a strain that is only mutated for DNA restriction by the three systems and remains competent for DNA modification. We transferred mutations specific to DNA restriction from LB5000 to a wild-type LT2 background. The
hsdR
and
res
mutations affected only restriction in the wild-type background, but the
brxC
and
pglZ
mutations for the poorly understood BREX system also reduced modification. Amino acids in an unannotated conserved region of PglX in the BREX system were then randomized. Mutations were identified that specifically affected restriction at 37°C but were found to be temperature sensitive for restriction and methylation when tested at 30°C and 42°C. These mutations in PglX are consistent with a domain that communicates DNA methylation information to other BREX effector proteins. Finally, mutations generated in the specificity domain of PglX may have changed the DNA binding site recognized by the BREX system.

IMPORTANCE

The restriction system mutants constructed in this study will be useful for cloning DNA and transferring plasmids from other bacterial species into
Salmonella
. We verified which mutations in strain LB5000 resulted in loss of restriction for each restriction-modification system and the BREX system by moving these mutations to a wild-type
Salmonella
background. The methylase PglX was then mutagenized, which adds to our knowledge of the BREX system that is found in many bacteria but is not well understood. These PglX mutations affected restriction and methylation at different temperatures, which suggests that the C-terminal region of PglX may coordinate interactions between the methylase and other BREX system proteins.
Fly-CURE, a multi-institutional CURE using
Drosophila
, increases students' confidence, sense of belonging, and persistence in research
Authors: Merkle Julie A. , Devergne Olivier , Kelly Seth M. , Croonquist Paula A. , Evans Cory J. , Hwalek Melanie A. , Straub Victoria L. , Hamill Danielle R. , Peister Alexandra , Puthoff David P. , Saville Ken J. , Siders Jamie L. , Villanueva Gonzalez Zully J. , Wittke-Thompson Jacqueline K. , Bieser Kayla L. , Stamm Joyce , Vrailas-Mortimer Alysia D. , Kagey Jacob D.
Published: September 2023

The Fly-CURE is a genetics-focused multi-institutional Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) that provides undergraduate students with hands-on research experiences within a course. Through the Fly-CURE, undergraduate students at diverse types of higher education institutions across the United States map and characterize novel mutants isolated from a genetic screen in
Drosophila melanogaster
. To date, more than 20 mutants have been studied across 20 institutions, and our scientific data have led to eleven publications with more than 500 students as authors. To evaluate the impact of the Fly-CURE experience on students, we developed and validated assessment tools to identify students’ perceived research self-efficacy, sense of belonging in science, and intent to pursue additional research opportunities. Our data, collected over three academic years and involving 14 institutions and 480 students, show gains in these metrics after completion of the Fly-CURE across all student subgroups analyzed, including comparisons of gender, academic status, racial and ethnic groups, and parents’ educational background. Importantly, our data also show differential gains in the areas of self-efficacy and interest in seeking additional research opportunities between Fly-CURE students with and without prior research experience, illustrating the positive impact of research exposure (dosage) on student outcomes. Altogether, our data indicate that the Fly-CURE experience has a significant impact on students’ efficacy with research methods, sense of belonging to the scientific research community, and interest in pursuing additional research experiences.
Identification of tanshinone I as cap-dependent endonuclease inhibitor with broad-spectrum antiviral effect
Authors: He Xiaoxue , Yang Fan , Wu Yan , Lu Jia , Gao Xiao , Zhu Xuerui , Yang Jie , Liu Shuwen , Xiao Gengfu , Pan Xiaoyan
Published: September 2023

The cap-snatching mechanism mediated by cap-dependent endonuclease, which is common among the negative-stranded, segmented RNA viruses in
Orthomyxoviridae
,
Bunyaviridae,
and
Arenaviridae
, is crucial for viral transcription and replication and is thus an attractive target for antiviral drug development. Herein, tanshinone I and its analog tanshinone IIA were identified as candidate compounds with broad-spectrum antiviral activities against bandaviruses, including severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus, Heartland virus, and Guertu virus. Additionally, the broad-spectrum antiviral activity was observed in influenza A virus and arenavirus. Further study demonstrated that tanshinone I exhibited potent antiviral activity
in vitro
and significantly reduced the viral loads
in vivo
. The underlying mechanism was speculated to involve tanshinone I binding to the active pocket of the L protein endonuclease domain to inhibit cap cleavage. This study reports candidate broad-spectrum antiviral compounds against negative-stranded, segmented RNA viruses, highlighting the endonuclease involved in the cap-snatching process as a reliable antiviral target for discovering broad-spectrum antivirals.

IMPORTANCE

The spread of avian-borne, tick-borne, and rodent-borne pathogens has the potential to pose a serious threat to human health, and candidate vaccines as well as therapeutics for these pathogens are urgently needed. Tanshinones, especially tanshinone I, were identified as a cap-dependent endonuclease inhibitor with broad-spectrum antiviral effects on negative-stranded, segmented RNA viruses including bandavirus, orthomyxovirus, and arenavirus from natural products, implying an important resource of candidate antivirals from the traditional Chinese medicines. This study supplies novel candidate antivirals for the negative-stranded, segmented RNA virus and highlights the endonuclease involved in the cap-snatching process as a reliable broad-spectrum antiviral target.
Metabolic engineering of
Paracoccus denitrificans
for dual degradation of sulfamethoxazole and ammonia nitrogen
Authors: Zhou Shenghu , Zhu Rongrong , Niu Xiaoqian , Zhao Yunying , Deng Yu
Published: September 2023

Sulfamethoxazole (SMX), as one of the most widely used sulfonamide antibiotics, has been frequently detected in the aqueous environment, posing potential risks to the environment and human health. Although microbial degradation methods have been widely applied, some issues remain, including low degradation efficiency and poor environmental adaptability. In this regard, constructing efficient degrading bacteria by metabolic engineering is an ideal solution to these challenges. In this study, we used
Paracoccus denitrificans
DYTN-1, a superior nitrogen removal environment strain, as chassis to construct an SMX degradation pathway, obtaining a new bacteria for simultaneous degradation of SMX and removal of ammonia nitrogen. In doing this, we first identified and characterized four native promoters of
P. denitrificans
DYTN-1 with gradient strength to control the expression of the SMX degradation pathway. After degradation pathway expression level optimization and FMN reductase optimization, SMX degradation efficiency was significantly improved. The constructed
P. d-
pIAB
4
-P

CS
-sutR

strain exhibited superior co-degradation of SMX and ammonia nitrogen contaminants with degradation rates of 44% and 71%, respectively. This study could pave the way for SMX degradation engineered strain design and evolution of environmental bioremediation.

IMPORTANCE

The abuse of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) had led to an increased accumulation in the environment, resulting in the disruption of the structure of microbial communities, further disrupting the bio-degradation process of other pollutants, such as ammonia nitrogen. To solve this challenge, we first identified and characterized four native promoters of
Paracoccus denitrificans
DYTN-1 with gradient strength to control the expression of the SMX degradation pathway. Then SMX degradation efficiency was significantly improved with degradation pathway expression level optimization and FMN reductase optimization. Finally, the superior nitrogen removal environment strain,
P. denitrificans
DYTN-1, obtained an SMX degradation function. This pioneering study of metabolic engineering to enhance the SMX degradation in microorganisms could pave the way for designing the engineered strains of SMX and nitrogen co-degradation and the environmental bioremediation.
Emerging
Aeromonas
enteric infections: their association with inflammatory bowel disease and novel pathogenic mechanisms
Authors: Lee Seul A. , Liu Fang , Yuwono Christopher , Phan Monique , Chong Sarah , Biazik Joanna , Tay Alfred Chin Yen , Janitz Michael , Riordan Stephen M. , Lan Ruiting , Wehrhahn Michael C. , Zhang Li
Published: September 2023

Aeromonas
species are emerging human enteric pathogens. This study examines the isolation of
Aeromonas
and other enteric bacterial pathogens from patients with and without inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study also investigates the intestinal epithelial pathogenic mechanisms of
Aeromonas veronii
. The isolation rates of seven enteric bacterial pathogens from 2,279 patients with IBD and 373,276 non-IBD patients were compared. An
A. veronii
strain (AS1) isolated from intestinal biopsies of a patient with IBD was used for pathogenic mechanism investigation, and
Escherichia coli
K12 was used as a bacterial control. HT-29 cells were used as a model of human intestinal epithelium. A significantly higher isolation of
Aeromonas
species was found in patients with IBD as compared to non-IBD patients (
P
= 0.0001, odds ratio = 2.11).
A. veronii
upregulated 177 inflammatory genes and downregulated 52 protein-coding genes affecting chromatin assembly, multiple small nuclear RNAs, multiple nucleolar RNAs, and 55 cytoplasmic tRNAs in HT-29 cells. These downregulation effects were unique to
A. veronii
and not observed in HT-29 cells infected with
E. coli
K12.
A. veronii
induced intestinal epithelial apoptosis involving the intrinsic pathway.
A. veronii
caused epithelial microvilli shortening and damage and epithelial production of IL-8. In conclusion, this study for the first time reports the association between IBD and
Aeromonas
enteric infection detected by bacterial cultivation. This study also reports that
A. veronii
damages intestinal epithelial cells via multiple mechanisms, of which the downregulating cytoplasmic tRNA, small nuclear RNA, and small nucleolar RNA are novel bacterial pathogenic mechanisms.

IMPORTANCE

This study for the first time reports the association between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and
Aeromonas
enteric infection detected by bacterial pathogen cultivation, highlighting the need of clinical and public health attention. The finding that patients with IBD are more susceptible to
Aeromonas
enteric infection suggests that detection of
Aeromonas
enteric infection should be routinely performed for the diagnosis and treatment of IBD. This study also reports novel bacterial pathogenic mechanisms employed by
Aeromonas veronii
. Through comparative transcriptomic analysis and other techniques, this study revealed the pathogenic mechanisms by which
A. veronii
causes damage to intestinal epithelial cells. Among the various pathogenic mechanisms identified, the downregulating tRNA, small nuclear and nucleolar RNAs in human intestinal epithelial cells are novel bacterial pathogenic mechanisms.