bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sirtinol Supresses Trophozoites Proliferation and Encystation of Acanthamoeba via Inhibition of Sirtuin Family Protein
Authors: Joo So-Young , Aung Ja Moon , Shin Minsang , Moon Eun-Kyung , Kong Hyun-Hee , Goo Youn-Kyoung , Chung Dong-Il , Hong Yeonchul
Published: February 2022

The encystation of Acanthamoeba leads to the development of metabolically inactive and dormant cysts from vegetative trophozoites under unfavorable conditions. These cysts are highly resistant to anti-Acanthamoeba drugs and biocides. Therefore, the inhibition of encystation would be more effective in treating Acanthamoeba infection. In our previous study, a sirtuin family protein—Acanthamoeba silent-information regulator 2-like protein (AcSir2)—was identified, and its expression was discovered to be critical for Acanthamoeba castellanii proliferation and encystation. In this study, to develop Acanthamoeba sirtuin inhibitors, we examine the effects of sirtinol, a sirtuin inhibitor, on trophozoite growth and encystation. Sirtinol inhibited A. castellanii trophozoites proliferation (IC50=61.24 μM). The encystation rate of cells treated with sirtinol significantly decreased to 39.8% (200 μM sirtinol) after 24 hr of incubation compared to controls. In AcSir2-overexpressing cells, the transcriptional level of cyst-specific cysteine protease (CSCP), an Acanthamoeba cysteine protease involved in the encysting process, was 11.6- and 88.6-fold higher at 48 and 72 hr after induction of encystation compared to control. However, sirtinol suppresses CSCP transcription, resulting that the undegraded organelles and large molecules remained in sirtinol-treated cells during encystation. These results indicated that sirtinol sufficiently inhibited trophozoite proliferation and encystation, and can be used to treat Acanthamoeba infections.
Delayed Cerebral Toxoplasmosis in a Kidney Transplant Patient: a Case Report
Authors: Myeong Hosung , Park Moowan , Kim Ji Eun , Park Sun Won , Lee Sang Hyung
Published: February 2022

Cerebral toxoplasmosis is often life-threatening in an immunocompromised patient due to delayed diagnosis and treatment. Several differential diagnoses could be possible only with preoperative brain images of cerebral toxoplasmosis which show multiple rim-enhancing lesions. Due to the rarity of cerebral toxoplasmosis cases in Korea, the diagnosis and treatment are often delayed. This paper concerns a male patient whose cerebral toxoplasmosis was activated 21 years post kidney transplantation. Brain open biopsy was decided to make an exact diagnosis. Cerebral toxoplasmosis was confirmed by immunohistochemistry and PCR analyses of the tissue samples. Although cerebral toxoplasmosis was under control with medication, the patient did not recover clinically and died due to sepsis and recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding.
Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Philometroides seriolae from Japanese Amberjack Seriola quinqueradiata caught in East Sea, Republic of Korea
Authors: Choe Seongjun , Eom Keeseon S.
Published: February 2022

The Japanese amberjack Seriolae quinqueradiata is one of the most consumed fish species among the Koreans. However, information regarding parasitic infection in Japanese amberjack is scarce. This study described the morphological and molecular characteristics of a species of philometrid nematode, Philometroides seriolae, which was recovered from Japanese amberjack. This fish was caught in the sea of Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea (Korea). Six P. seriolae (Nematoda: Philometridae) were recovered from 2 Japanese amberjacks. These parasites were subgravid female which were 325-420 mm long and 2.95-3.27 mm wide. Furthermore, they had typical papillae distributed on their body surface with 14 papillae at the apical view. Sequence analysis of the small subunits of ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) showed high sequence identity (99.8%, 1,607/1,611-bp) with that of P. seriolae (GenBank accession no. FJ155811). This nematode species has been newly added to the Korean nematode fauna.
Pendampingan usaha rumah tangga produk lokal khas Aceh asam belimbing (Averrhoa bilimbi Linn) Sunti untuk meningkatkan mutu dan harga jualnya
Authors: Yunita Dewi , Nurlaila Nurlaila , Lubis Yanti Meldasari , Irfan Irfan
Published: February 2022

Asam sunti merupakan bumbu masakan khas Aceh terbuat dari belimbing wuluh yang diasinkan, difermentasi dan dikeringkan sehingga dapat disimpan dalam jangka waktu 1-1,5 tahun. Namun, proses yang digunakan untuk mengolah belimbing wuluh segar menjadi asam sunti berbeda-beda, tergantung pada kebiasaan masyarakat setempat atau permintaan konsumen. Hal ini menyebabkan kualitas produk sangat bervariasi dan tidak memenuhi standar mutu. Pada kegiatan Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat (PkM), pendampingan langsung terhadap satu usaha rumah tangga di Desa Alue Jeureujak, Kecamatan, Babahrot, Kabupaten Aceh Barat Daya, Provinsi Aceh. Tujuan dilakukannya PkM ini adalah untuk memperbaiki proses pembuatan dan kemasan sehingga mutu produk yang dihasilkan tetap terjaga dan harga jual dapat ditingkatkan. Kegiatan PkM yang berlangsung selama 3 bulan dengan pendampingan secara langsung di lokasi selama 1 bulan terdiri dari beberapa kegiatan yaitu: peninjauan rumah produksi, perbaikan proses pembuatan asam sunti, perbaikan kemasan produk asam sunti, dan perhitungan harga jual produk asam sunti. Kemasan yang sebelumnya hanya menggunakan kantong plastik tanpa label, saat ini produk asam sunti telah dijual dengan kemasan standing pouch berlabel. Setelah satu bulan pendampingan, pendapatan usaha meningkat dari Rp 334.000, menjadi Rp 436.000, dengan skala penjualan yang sebelumnya tidak terukur menjadi 80 pak ukuran 250 gr dalam satu bulan.
Benthic O2 uptake by coral gardens at the Condor seamount (Azores)
Authors: Rovelli L , Carreiro-Silva M , Attard KM , Rakka M , Dominguez-Carrió C , Bilan M , Blackbird S , Morato T , Wolff GA , Glud RN
Published: February 2022

Using the non-invasive aquatic eddy covariance technique, we provide the first oxygen (O2) uptake rates from within coral gardens at the Condor seamount (Azores). To explore some of the key drivers of the benthic O2 demand, we obtained benthic images, quantified local hydrodynamics, and estimated phototrophic biomass and deposition dynamics with a long-term moored sediment trap. The coral gardens were dominated by the octocorals Viminella flagellum and Dentomuricea aff. meteor. Daily rates of O2 uptake within 3 targeted coral garden sites (203 to 206 m depth) ranged from 10.0 ± 0.88 to 18.8 ± 2.0 mmol m-2 d-1 (mean ± SE) and were up to 10 times higher than 2 local sandy reference sites within the seamount summit area. The overall mean O2 uptake rate for the garden (13.4 mmol m-2 d-1) was twice the global mean for sedimentary habitats at comparable depths. Combined with parallel ex situ incubations, the results suggest that the octocorals might contribute just ~5% of the observed O2 uptake rates. Deposition of particulate organic matter (POM) assessed by the sediment trap accounted for less than 10% of the O2 demand of the coral garden, implying a substantial POM supply circumventing the deployed traps. Our results expand the database for carbon turnover rates in cold-water coral habitats by including the first estimates from these largely understudied coral gardens.
Are Investment Managers Worth Their Keep?
A 7-year Evaluation of Active and Passive Investment Performance of a University Endowment
Authors: Brandt, PhD, CPA Barbara von , Costley, PhD. Lucien R.
Published: February 2022

This study examined the financial performance of Schreiner University’s actively managed endowment and compared the performance to a hypothetical passive investment strategy. From 2014 to 2020, the actively managed endowment produced a cumulative return of 71.7%. In comparison, the passive, index-based portfolio produced a cumulative return of 72.9%. The actively managed portfolio outperformed the passively managed portfolio in four out of seven years but underperformed overall. The performance results of the assets classes were inconsistent throughout the seven-year period. Additionally, a passive strategy of 60% US equities and 40% US bonds would have resulted in a cumulative return of 98.9% over seven years.
Pemberian Progressive Muscle Relaxation terhadap stres dan penurunan gula darah pada pasien diabetes mellitus tipe 2
Authors: Nur Hirza Ainin , Anggraini Septi
Published: February 2022

Diabetes mellitus tipe 2 merupakan penyakit metabolik yang ditandai dengan hiperglikemia akibat dari penurunan sekresi hormon insulin oleh sel beta yang berada didalam pankreas dan akibat gangguan fungsi insulin. Salah satu faktor risiko penyebab diabetes melitus tipe 2 adalah stres. Stres merupakan suatu respon fisik dan psikologis terhadap tekanan atau stresor dan menjadi faktor risiko yang dapat mempengaruhi kondisi kesehatan seseorang. Penatalaksanaan farmakologis dapat diberikan suntikan insulin atau bahkan kombinasi suntikan insulin dan tablet. Penatalaksanaan non famakologis yang dapat dilakukan yaitu melalui progressive muscle relaxation (PMR). PMR merupakan suatu metode relaksasi yang paling sederhana dan mudah dipelajari dengan menegangkan dan merilekskan otot-otot tubuh. Tujuan studi kasus ini adalah untuk menggambarkan tindakan pemberian PMR terhadap stres dan penurunan gula darah pada pasien diabetes mellitus 2. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode deskriptif dengan pendekatan asuhan keperawatan pada pasien DM tipe 2. Responden yang digunakan sejumlah 2 orang pasien DM tipe 2. Intervensi PMR dilakukan selama 3 hari dengan durasi 20 – 30 menit pada pagi dan sore hari. Pengukuran kadar gula darah dan stres dilakukan sebelum dan setelah tindakan PMR. Simpulan PMR dapat menurukan kadar gula darah dan tingkat stres pasien DM Tipe 2.
Elektronik Belge Yönetim Sistemlerinde RSO’nun Kullanılabilirliği
Authors: YILMAZ Burcu , ÖZDEMİRCİ Fahrettin
Published: February 2022

Dijitalleşen iş ortamlarıyla birlikte yeni ihtiyaçlar ortaya çıkmış, hayatımıza yeni kavramlar katılmıştır. Robotik Süreç Otomasyonu (RSO) ve Elektronik Belge Yönetim Sistemi (EBYS) de bu süreçte hayatımıza katılan kavramlardan ikisidir. Dijital iş gücü ihtiyacını karşılamak amacıyla geliştirilen RSO, iş süreçlerini gerçekleştirmek için bilgi sistemleriyle insan etkileşimini simüle eden özel bir yazılımı ifade etmektedir. EBYS ise, kurumların belge yönetim süreçlerini elektronik ortam üzerinden yürütebilmesine olanak sağlayan sistemlerdir. Çalışmada EBYS’lerde RSO araçlarının kullanımının gerekliliği, hangi süreçlerde kullanılabileceği, RSO araçlarının kullanımının süreçlere ve kuruma katkısının belirlenmesi hedeflenmiş, betimleme ve saha (alan) araştırması yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Kavramsal çerçeveyi oluşturabilmek ve ilgili terimleri tanımlayabilmek amacıyla kapsamlı bir literatür taraması yapılmış, EBYS’lerde RSO’nun kullanılabilirliği tartışılmış ve konuyla ilgili durum tespiti yapabilmek adına seçilen bir EBYS üzerinden uygulama çalışması yapılmıştır. EBYS’lerde RSO araçlarının kullanımının; kurumda iş sürekliliğinin sağlanması, personelin katma değerli işlere yönlendirilmesine imkân vermesi, zaman ve emek tasarrufu kazanımı gibi pek çok fayda sağlayarak EBYS’lerin daha etkin şekilde yönetilmesine katkı sağlayacağı düşüncesi savunulmaktadır. Çalışma sonunda uygulama esnasında yaşanabilecek zorlular ve EBYS’lerde RSO kullanımıyla sağlanacak faydalar ortaya konulmuş, konuyla ilgili etik ve yasal yükümlülükler üzerinde durulmuş, değerlendirme ve öneriler sunulmuştur.
Classification of Diabetic Foot Ulcers Using Class Knowledge Banks
Authors: Xu Yi , Han Kang , Zhou Yongming , Wu Jian , Xie Xin , Xiang Wei
Published: February 2022

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are one of the most common complications of diabetes. Identifying the presence of infection and ischemia in DFU is important for ulcer examination and treatment planning. Recently, the computerized classification of infection and ischaemia of DFU based on deep learning methods has shown promising performance. Most state-of-the-art DFU image classification methods employ deep neural networks, especially convolutional neural networks, to extract discriminative features, and predict class probabilities from the extracted features by fully connected neural networks. In the testing, the prediction depends on an individual input image and trained parameters, where knowledge in the training data is not explicitly utilized. To better utilize the knowledge in the training data, we propose class knowledge banks (CKBs) consisting of trainable units that can effectively extract and represent class knowledge. Each unit in a CKB is used to compute similarity with a representation extracted from an input image. The averaged similarity between units in the CKB and the representation can be regarded as the logit of the considered input. In this way, the prediction depends not only on input images and trained parameters in networks but the class knowledge extracted from the training data and stored in the CKBs. Experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively improve the performance of DFU infection and ischaemia classifications.
Single-Cell RNA-Seq Analysis Reveals Macrophage Involved in the Progression of Human Intervertebral Disc Degeneration
Authors: Ling Zemin , Liu Yong , Wang Zhe , Zhang Ziji , Chen Bolin , Yang Jiaming , Zeng Baozhu , Gao Yu , Jiang Chang , Huang Yulin , Zou Xuenong , Wang Xiuhui , Wei Fuxin
Published: February 2022

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) has been considered as the primary pathological mechanism that underlies low back pain. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying human IDD is imperative for making strategies to treat IDD-related diseases. Herein, we report the molecular programs, lineage progression patterns, and paths of cellular communications during the progression of IDD using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on nucleus pulposus (NP) cells from patients with different grades of IDD undergoing discectomy. New subtypes of cells and cell-type-specific gene signatures of the metabolic homeostatic NP cells (Met NPC), adhesive NP cells (Adh NPC), inflammatory response NP cells (IR NPC), endoplasmic reticulum stress NP cells (ERS NPC), fibrocartilaginous NP cells (Fc NPC), and CD70 and CD82+ progenitor NP cells (Pro NPC) were identified. In the late stage of IDD, the IR NPC and Fc NPC account for a large proportion of NPC. Importantly, immune cells including macrophages, T cells, myeloid progenitors, and neutrophils were also identified, and further analysis showed that significant intercellular interaction between macrophages and Pro NPC occurred via MIF (macrophage migration inhibitory factor) and NF-kB signaling pathways during the progression of IDD. In addition, dynamic polarization of macrophage M1 and M2 cell subtypes was found in the progression of IDD, and gene set functional enrichment analysis suggested a significant role of the macrophage polarization in regulating cell metabolism, especially the Pro NPC. Finally, we found that the NP cells in the late degenerative stage were mainly composed of the cell types related to inflammatory and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) response, and fibrocartilaginous activity. Our results provided new insights into the identification of NP cell populations at single-cell resolution and at the relatively whole-transcriptome scale, accompanied by cellular communications between immune cells and NP cells, and discriminative markers in relation to specific cell subsets. These new findings present clues for effective and functional manipulation of human IDD-related bioremediation and healthcare.
Roles of Eph-Ephrin Signaling in the Eye Lens Cataractogenesis, Biomechanics, and Homeostasis
Authors: Murugan Subashree , Cheng Catherine
Published: February 2022

The eye lens is responsible for fine focusing of light onto the retina, and its function relies on tissue transparency and biomechanical properties. Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of Eph-ephrin signaling for the maintenance of life-long lens homeostasis. The binding of Eph receptor tyrosine kinases to ephrin ligands leads to a bidirectional signaling pathway that controls many cellular processes. In particular, dysfunction of the receptor EphA2 or the ligand ephrin-A5 lead to a variety of congenital and age-related cataracts, defined as any opacity in the lens, in human patients. In addition, a wealth of animal studies reveal the unique and overlapping functions of EphA2 and ephrin-A5 in lens cell shape, cell organization and patterning, and overall tissue optical and biomechanical properties. Significant differences in lens phenotypes of mouse models with disrupted EphA2 or ephrin-A5 signaling indicate that genetic modifiers likely affect cataract phenotypes and progression, suggesting a possible reason for the variability of human cataracts due to Eph-ephrin dysfunction. This review summarizes the roles of EphA2 and ephrin-A5 in the lens and suggests future avenues of study.
Recent Advances in Catalytic Oxidation of Organic Sulfides: Applications of Metal–Ionic Liquid Catalytic Systems
Authors: Liu Xiao Bing , Rong Qi , Tan Jin , Chen Chen , Hu Yu Lin
Published: February 2022

Catalytic oxidation of organic sulfides is of considerable significance in industrial chemistry and fuel industry. Therefore, numerous methods have been developed for the oxidation. Metal-containing ionic liquid-based catalysts can catalyze the selective oxidation reactions and are highly used in chemical processes, which have also been used as effective solvents, reaction media, extractants, and catalysts for the oxidation of organic sulfides including oxidative desulfurization of fuel oil. Recently, much attention is being drawn to the preparation of heterogenous catalysts based on the immobilization of metal- or nonmetal-containing ILs on diverse solid supports, which can be easily separated after the completion reaction and recycled. Therefore, there is still an increasing interest in developing new and efficient catalytic procedures for the oxidation of organic sulfides. In this review, we have outlined the recent advances in catalytic oxidation of organic sulfides including oxidative desulfurization of fuel oil. The versatilities and adaptabilities of metal–ionic liquid catalytic systems in the selective oxidation of sulfides are considered a powerful research field in these transformations.
CuII Ion Doping Enhances the Water Stability of Luminescent Metal–Organic Framework, Realizing the Detection of Fe3+ and Antibiotics in Aqueous Solutions
Authors: Jia Ruo-Qin , Tan Geng , Chen Ying-Jun , Zuo Lu-Yang , Li Bo , Wang Li-Ya
Published: February 2022

Luminescent metal–organic frameworks (LMOFs) have been widely developed in the field of chemical sensing owing to their outstanding photoluminescence performance, high selectivity, anti-interference, high sensitivity, and fast response, and have become one of the research hotspots of emerging functional materials. However, in practical applications, many tests are carried out in the water environment, and fragile water stability greatly limits the application of MOFs in the field. Therefore, it is important to develop a method to enhance the water stability of MOFs. Herein, a new complex {[Zn(L)]·CH3CN}n (Zn-MOF, H2L = 5-(benzimidazol-1-yl) isophthalic acid) with a superior photophysical property has been synthesized first. Its water stability was highly enhanced by the doping of CuII ions by the one-pot method. In addition, the detection performances of doping material Cu0.1/Zn-MOF for sixteen metal ions and thirteen antibiotics were well studied. It was found that Cu0.1/Zn-MOF displays high sensitivity, fast response, lower detection limit, and long-term stability for the detection of Fe3+, NFT, NFZ, FZD, and TC in the aqueous medium.
Does MacIntyre's Moral Sociology Presuppose a Personalist Moral Psychology? MacIntyre and Tomasello on Moral Psychology
Authors: Bernacchio Caleb
Published: February 2022

Alasdair MacIntyre has developed a theory of virtue ethics that is closely integrated with sociology and organization studies. While rejecting reductive views of the virtues, MacIntyre appeals to their functional role in facilitating collaboration as a basis for justifying their normative requirements. This raises the question of how agents within cooperative contexts come to appreciate their intrinsic value. I argue that MacIntyre's account of the virtues is undergirded by an implicit personalist moral psychology. To make this evident, I draw upon the account of moral psychology developed by Michael Tomasello, who argues that a sense of moral obligation is generated when persons engage in collective action. Tomasello's account complements MacIntyre's by explaining how participation in social practices generates a sense of moral obligation but it does not address the problem of relativism. As a result, it does not fully explain how and why participants in practices come to see themselves as bound by moral norms since the threat of relativism undermines the idea that moral norms are binding. This limitation further illustrates the role of a personalist moral psychology in MacIntyre's work: through the experience of cultural breakdown persons are able to view themselves as engaged in a shared inquiry concerning the good that transcends any specific culture. This provides the basis for a self-conscious sense of moral obligation that is not threatened by relativism.
Communication Mechanism and Optimization Strategies of Short Fitness-Based Videos on TikTok During COVID-19 Epidemic Period in China
Authors: Shi Jinlong , Li Gang , Zhao Yaru , Nie Qifan , Xue Shuyan , Lv Yangfan , Zhang Yijing , Yang Jiachen , Du Guoxu
Published: February 2022

Scientific and moderate exercise is an effective remedy to boost the immune system and minimize the risk of infection in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic period. In this context, social media platforms play an essential role in communicating scientific fitness at home. Based on the integrated analysis of communication, physical geography, and health geography, this article takes short fitness-based videos on TikTok as the research object and comprehensively uses text analysis, mathematical statistics, and spatial analysis to reveal the characteristics of communication elements, fitness preferences, and the spatiotemporal evolution of these short videos, and to explore the communication mechanism and optimization path of short videos. The results show that: (1) the communication information focusing on “fighting against the epidemic and keeping fit at home” is made into short videos by female youth. Through the communication channels mainly composed of texts, pictures, and audio, the communication subjects carry out multilevel interactive communication with the communication objects; (2) fitness preferences are mainly composed of dances, unarmed fitness, and fitness with equipment; (3) from the perspective of time, taking February 20 as the node, the daily number of released short videos shows a trend of “increase before decrease”; from the perspective of space, the distribution is significantly unbalanced across provinces, and the direction is not apparent; and (4) this article explores the communication mechanism and targeted optimization countermeasures of short fitness-based videos on TikTok in China's COVID-19 epidemic period.
Diagnostic and Predictive Values of Circulating Extracellular Vesicle-Carried microRNAs in Ischemic Heart Disease Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Zhang Li , Zhang Jianchao , Qin Zhen , Liu Na , Zhang Zenglei , Lu Yongzheng , Xu Yanyan , Zhang Jinying , Tang Junnan
Published: February 2022

Ischemic heart disease patients with diabetes mellitus (IHD-DM) have a higher risk of cardiovascular events than those without DM. Rapid identification of IHD-DM can enable early access to medical treatment and reduce the occurrence of cardiovascular adverse events. In the present study, we identified and examined extracellular vesicle (EV)-carried microRNAs (miRNAs) as the possible diagnostic biomarkers of IHD-DM. Small RNA sequencing was performed to analyze the EV-carried miRNAs spectrum, and differentially expressed miRNAs were further confirmed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Through small RNA sequencing, we identified 138 differentially expressed EV-carried miRNAs between IHD-DM patients and healthy controls. Furthermore, we identified that five EV-carried miRNAs (miR-15a-3p, miR-18a-5p, miR-133a-3p, miR-155-5p, and miR-210-3p) were significantly down-regulated and one (miR-19a-3p) was significantly up-regulated in the IHD-DM patients compared to healthy controls. The receiver–operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the above six EV-carried miRNAs have excellent diagnostic efficacy of IHD-DM. Our findings indicated that the circulating EV-miRNAs might be promising biomarkers for the convenient and rapid diagnosis of IHD-DM.
Improving Variational Autoencoders for New Physics Detection at the LHC With Normalizing Flows
Authors: Jawahar Pratik , Aarrestad Thea , Chernyavskaya Nadezda , Pierini Maurizio , Wozniak Kinga A. , Ngadiuba Jennifer , Duarte Javier , Tsan Steven
Published: February 2022

We investigate how to improve new physics detection strategies exploiting variational autoencoders and normalizing flows for anomaly detection at the Large Hadron Collider. As a working example, we consider the DarkMachines challenge dataset. We show how different design choices (e.g., event representations, anomaly score definitions, network architectures) affect the result on specific benchmark new physics models. Once a baseline is established, we discuss how to improve the anomaly detection accuracy by exploiting normalizing flow layers in the latent space of the variational autoencoder.
Phenological Changes in Alpine Grasslands and Their Influencing Factors in Seasonally Frozen Ground Regions Across the Three Parallel Rivers Region, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Authors: Wang Chun-Ya , Wang Jin-Niu , Wang Xu-Feng , Luo Dong-Liang , Wei Yan-Qiang , Cui Xia , Wu Ning , Bagaria Priyamvada
Published: February 2022

Alpine ecosystems are sensitive and vulnerable to climate change. In this study, we extracted three phonological parameters, viz. the start of the growing season (SOS), the end of the growing season (EOS), and the length of the growing season (LOS) from the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) dataset during 2000–2019 for alpine grasslands across the three parallel rivers region (TPRR), and also examined the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the three phenological parameters in seasonally frozen ground regions (hereafter referred to as SFGR) in response to climate change. The results showed that the multiyear mean SOS gradually delayed from 100 to 160 days along higher elevation, EOS advanced as a whole (from 320 to 280 days), and LOS shortened (from 210 to 130 days). The multiyear mean spatial distribution of all the three parameters showed significant north-to-south differences in the TPRR. In general, the variation trends in all the phenological parameters were not significant (p > 0.05) in the past 20 years, where SOS was advanced by 0.16 days year−l, EOS delayed by 0.08 days year−l, and consequently LOS extended at a rate of 0.07 days year−l, likely due to the warming and drying climate during the study period. In addition, annual mean temperature (AMT) was negatively correlated with SOS (50.26%) and positively correlated with EOS and LOS (72.25 and 60%, respectively). As for the annual mean total precipitation (AMP), it was positively correlated with SOS and EOS (50.77 and 52.97%, respectively) and negatively correlated with LOS (52.07%). Furthermore, a higher freezing index led to a delayed SOS and an advanced EOS and a shortened LOS at the regional scale. Similar to AMT, a higher thawing index advanced the SOS, delayed the EOS, and extended the LOS. Our results confirmed the importance of climate and permafrost status on vegetation phenological processes and also contributed toward understanding the response of cold region ecosystems to global climate change.
On the Relation Between Anomalous Clouds and Earthquakes in Italian Land
Authors: Guangmeng Guo
Published: February 2022

In 1997 Russian scientist Morozova found some cloud anomalies possibly related to active fault systems and earthquakes. Now, 24 years later, the correlation between clouds and earthquakes is still controversial, and in this paper we checked systematically the satellite images in Italy from 2010 to 2013. The correlation between earthquakes and cloud anomalies was statistically examined by assuming different various leading times and magnitudes. The result showed that when the leading time interval was set to 23≤ΔT≤45 days and the magnitude is bigger than or equal to M4.7, 70% of earthquakes were preceded by cloud anomalies. Poisson random test showed that anomaly appearance rate (AAR) and earthquake occurrence rate (EOR) was much higher than those derived in a random situation, which means it is nearly impossible to deny the correlation between cloud anomaly and land earthquakes in Italy. Error matrix analysis showed this method provides 75% overall accuracy for the 52 total cases. Analysis also showed that cloud method provides a very high AAR value and similar EOR value compared with other earthquake prediction methods based on ionospheric or skin temperature data. The physical mechanism of cloud anomaly was likely caused by electric field, which linked active fault, atmosphere circuit conduction current, and cloud anomaly, and thus provides a reasonable hypothesis of cloud anomaly.
Numerical Simulation of Fracture Propagation Characteristics of Hydraulic Fracturing in Multiple Coal Seams, Eastern Yunnan, China
Authors: Wang Kaifeng , Tang Shuheng , Zhang Songhang , Guo Yingying , Lin Donglin , Niu Zhichao
Published: February 2022

As a reservoir reconstruction technology, hydraulic fracturing is a key method to improve the production of coalbed methane (CBM) wells. The CBM reservoir in eastern Yunnan, an important CBM exploration and development zone in China, is characterized by multiple thin coal seams. Compared to the fracturing of the single-layer coal seam, the combined seam fracturing technology is more difficult and complex. To study the fracture propagation characteristics and influencing factors of hydraulic fracturing in multiple coal seams, taking No. 9 and No. 13 coal seams as the research objects, the fracturing process was numerically simulated by using the finite element method and ANSYS software in this work. Based on the mathematical model of low permeable coal-rock mass, a two-dimensional hydraulic fracture model was established. In addition, the fracture geometries of combined seam fracturing were studied quantitatively. The results indicate that although No. 9 coal and No. 13 coal seams have similar rock mechanical properties, the propagation process and final geometry of a fracture are different. The reliability of the simulation results is verified by the comparison of experimental parameters and field investigation. The results prove the feasibility of combined seam fracturing in eastern Yunnan. The high Young’s modulus and thickness of the coal seam make the fracture geometry longer, but the fracture height is smaller. The low Young’s modulus, high Poisson’s ratio, and thickness of the No. 13 coal seam result in an increase in the length and height of the No. 9 coal seam. The increase in Young’s modulus of interlayer inhibits the propagation of fractures, while the high thickness and low Poisson’s ratio of interlayers facilitate the extension of the length and inhibit the extension of the height. This work provides a case reference for combined seam fracturing of coal reservoirs and has practical significance for the development of CBM characterized by multiple coal seams in eastern Yunnan.
Susceptibility Genes and Chromosomal Regions Associated With Non-Syndromic Familial Non-Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: Some Pathogenetic and Diagnostic Keys
Authors: Sánchez-Ares María , Cameselle-García Soledad , Abdulkader-Nallib Ihab , Rodríguez-Carnero Gemma , Beiras-Sarasquete Carolina , Puñal-Rodríguez José Antonio , Cameselle-Teijeiro José Manuel
Published: February 2022

Thyroid cancer is the malignant tumor that is increasing most rapidly in the world, mainly at the expense of sporadic papillary thyroid carcinoma. The somatic alterations involved in the pathogenesis of sporadic follicular cell derived tumors are well recognized, while the predisposing alterations implicated in hereditary follicular tumors are less well known. Since the genetic background of syndromic familial non-medullary carcinoma has been well established, here we review the pathogenesis of non-syndromic familial non-medullary carcinoma emphasizing those aspects that may be useful in clinical and pathological diagnosis. Non-syndromic familial non-medullary carcinoma has a complex and heterogeneous genetic basis involving several genes and loci with a monogenic or polygenic inheritance model. Most cases are papillary thyroid carcinoma (classic and follicular variant), usually accompanied by benign thyroid nodules (follicular thyroid adenoma and/or multinodular goiter). The possible diagnostic and prognostic usefulness of the changes in the expression and/or translocation of various proteins secondary to several mutations reported in this setting requires further confirmation. Given that non-syndromic familial non-medullary carcinoma and sporadic non-medullary thyroid carcinoma share the same morphology and somatic mutations, the same targeted therapies could be used at present, if necessary, until more specific targeted treatments become available.
Optimality Condition and Distributed Optimization for Economic Dispatch Using a Novel Weighted Incremental Cost Consensus Approach
Authors: Alvi Um-E-Habiba , Ahmed Waqas , Hong Keum-Shik , Rehan Muhammad , Ahmed Shakeel
Published: February 2022

This research report investigates a novel optimization approach for the economic dispatch problem (EDP) based on the weighted sum of generators’ costs under supply-demand balance. Unlike conventional approaches, we present a distributed optimization approach that ensures optimality using weighted incremental cost (IC) consensus and sign-consensus error convergence. We can apply the optimization of a weighted sum of generators’ costs to address several constraints, such as capacity and environmental constraints, in addition to the supply-demand balance. The proposed distributed weighted incremental cost consensus approach has been applied to the IEEE-30 bus and IEEE-118 bus systems over a communication topology. The results indicate the efficacy of weights to address generation constraints and the convergence of weighted ICs under supply-demand balance.
Waterline Extraction for Artificial Coast With Vision Transformers
Authors: Yang Le , Wang Xing , Zhai Jingsheng
Published: February 2022

Accurate acquisition for the positions of the waterlines plays a critical role in coastline extraction. However, waterline extraction from high-resolution images is a very challenging task because it is easily influenced by the complex background. To fulfill the task, two types of vision transformers, segmentation transformers (SETR) and semantic segmentation transformers (SegFormer), are introduced as an early exploration of the potential of transformers for waterline extraction. To estimate the effects of the two methods, we collect the high-resolution images from the web map services, and the annotations are created manually for training and test. Through extensive experiments, transformer-based approaches achieved state-of-the-art performances for waterline extraction in the artificial coast.
Soil Use Legacy as Driving Factor for Soil Erosion under Conservation Agriculture
Authors: Grahmann Kathrin , Rubio Valentina , Perez-Bidegain Mario , Quincke Juan Andrés
Published: February 2022

Water erosion can cause irreversible depletions in soil quality and crop productivity. The susceptibility of the soil to erosion is affected by current and historical management practices. Historical soil management practices like ploughing or subsoil loosening may lead to irreversible degradations of soils, which in turn increases soil erosion risk. Six “Wischmeier” plots under conservation agriculture, but with different historic treatments regarding soil use and management, were evaluated. These plots were installed in 1984 in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay on a Vertic Argiudoll. The objective of this study was to quantify how changes in soil quality, generated by different historical soil use and management over the last 35 years, contribute to current runoff and soil erosion in a cropping system under soil conservation practices using no-till, residue retention and cover crops. Considering differences in soil legacy effects of previous land use, plots were grouped in three treatments with contrasting historic index of agricultural intensification (IAI). The IAI was developed combining the duration of land use under agricultural production and the number and intensity of tillage activity resulting in the treatments: tillage with crop-pasture rotation (TIL_CP), no-tillage under several rotations (NT_Mix) and tillage with continuous cropping (TIL_CROP) with an increasing IAI of 3.5, 7.1 and 11.8, respectively. Rainfall events, runoff water and total, fixed and volatile solids were studied from 2017 to 2019. Soil physical (bulk density, penetration resistance, infiltration rate, aggregate stability), chemical (soil organic carbon (SOC), pH, phosphorous (P-Bray)) and biological properties (particulate organic matter (POM), potentially mineralizable nitrogen (PMN)) were assessed in 2019. Yearly average runoff amounted 209, 579 and 320 mm in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Yearly average soil losses were 233, 805 and 139 kg/ha with significant differences among years. The lowest soil losses were observed in TIL_CP (231, 615 and 146 kg/ha in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively) with lowest IAI of 3.5. Infiltration rate was the lowest in plots with highest IAI. Soil bulk density was highest (1.3 g/cm3) in plots with high IAI. SOC and PMN were lowest in TIL_CROP (3.0% SOC and 34 mg/kg PMN), holding the highest IAI of 11.8. Conservation agriculture minimized soil erosion losses in all plots and years, and erosion was much lower than the maximum tolerable threshold of 7,000 kg/ha for this particular soil. However, in historically intensively tilled and cropped soils, soil quality showed long-term adverse effects pointing towards a reduced resilience of the agricultural system.
Influence of Anthropogenic Sounds on Insect, Anuran and Bird Acoustic Signals: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Gomes Lidiane , Solé Mirco , Sousa-Lima Renata S. , Baumgarten Júlio Ernesto
Published: February 2022

Acoustic communication is a way of information exchange between individuals, and it is used by several animal species. Therefore, the detection, recognition and correct understanding of acoustic signals are key factors in effective communication. The priority of acoustic communication is effectiveness rather than perfection, being effective avoids affecting the sound-based communication system of the species. One of the factors that can affect effective communication is the overlap in time and frequency during signal transmission, known as signal masking. One type of sound that can cause masking is anthropogenic noise, which is currently increasing due to urban growth and consequently motorized transportation and machinery. When exposed to anthropogenic noise, animals can use compensatory mechanisms to deal with sound masking, such as the modification of acoustic parameters of their acoustic signal. Here, we performed a meta-analysis investigating whether different taxa have a general tendency for changes in acoustic parameters due to anthropogenic noise, we used taxa and acoustic parameters available in the literature that met the minimum criteria to perform a meta-analysis. We hypothesized that animals exposed to anthropogenic noise use compensation mechanisms, such as changes in dominant, maximum or minimum frequencies, call duration, note duration and call rate to deal with masking. We performed a meta-analysis, which synthesized information from 73 studies comprising 82 species of three taxa: insects, anurans and birds. Our results showed that in the presence of anthropogenic noise, insects did not change the acoustic parameters, while anurans increased call amplitude and birds increased dominant frequency, minimum and maximum frequencies, note duration and amplitude of their songs. The different responses of the groups to anthropogenic noise may be related to their particularities in the production and reception of sound or to the differences in the acoustic parameters considered between the taxa and also the lack of studies in some taxa.
The Effects of Selective Harvest on Japanese Spanish Mackerel (Scomberomorus niphonius) Phenotypic Evolution
Authors: Sun Peng , Shang Yangke , Sun Runlong , Tian Yongjun , Heino Mikko
Published: February 2022

Japanese Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus niphonius) is an important fish species in the China Seas with wide distribution, extensive migration, and high economic value. This species has been yielding high fisheries production despite experiencing continuously high fishing pressure and the conversion from gillnet to trawl harvesting. Meanwhile, changes in life-history traits have been observed, including earlier maturation and smaller size at age. Here, we build an individual-based eco-genetic model parameterized for Japanese Spanish mackerel to investigate the population’s response to different fishing scenarios (fishing by trawl or by gillnet). The model allows evolution of life-history processes including maturation, reproduction and growth. It also incorporates environmental variability, phenotypic plasticity, and density-dependent feedbacks. Our results show that different gear types can result in different responses of life-history traits and altered population dynamics. The population harvested by gillnet shows weaker response to fishing than that by trawl. When fishing ceases, gillnet-harvested population can recover to the pre-harvest level more easily than that harvested by trawl. The different responses of population growth rate and evolution to different fishing gears demonstrated in this study shed light on the sustainable management and utilization of Japanese Spanish mackerel in the over-exploited China Seas.
Tree-Ring Analysis and Genetic Associations Help to Understand Drought Sensitivity in the Chilean Endemic Forest of Nothofagus macrocarpa
Authors: Venegas-González Alejandro , Gibson-Capintero Stephanie , Anholetto-Junior Claudio , Mathiasen Paula , Premoli Andrea Cecilia , Fresia Pablo
Published: February 2022

Extreme drought events have increased in frequency during the 20th century triggered by global change. Thus, understanding tree-growth resilience across different terrestrial biomes has become a key goal in forest ecology. Here, we evaluate the tree-growth resilience to severe drought in the only Mediterranean-type Ecosystems of South America, using five isolated populations ofNothofagus macrocarpa. For each tree, in each sampling site, we obtained wood cores and fresh leaves for dendrochronological and population genetic analysis, respectively. An evaluation was conducted on growth resilience components in response to the most extreme drought of the 20th century in central Chile (i.e., 1968, with ∼80% of rainfall deficit), and the influence of genetic variability, biogeography, and tree size. We hypothesize that even though current remnant populations ofN. macrocarpaare small and isolated, they have locally withstood changes in climate, and that they will be genetically diverse and have a high resilience to extreme droughts. We used nuclear microsatellite markers to estimate tree genetic variability inN. macrocarpaand investigate its correlation with phenotypic traits. We found a higher resistance in the two southernmost populations (mesic sites) than in the three northern populations (xeric sites), however those three xeric populations showed a higher recovery. In addition, a significant clear positive linear correlation between precipitation and resistance, and a negative recovery and relative resilience of tree growth to the extreme drought event of 1968 can be seen. High diversity for simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers was observed, although no population structure was inferred. Southern populations had a higher number of private alleles, which may be an indication of their long-lasting persistence under mesic conditions. Therefore, differences in resilience components are mainly explained by tree size and sites influences, but not genetic diversity. We concluded that observed differences in tree-growth resilience among sites can be explained by a great deal of phenotypic plasticity, fostered by genetically diverse gene pools. We advocate for a genome-wide analysis (i.e., SNP) so as to identify genomic regions correlated with phenotypic traits in order to improve the understanding of the evolutionary processes that shaped this forest resilience over time.
Base Editors for Citrus Gene Editing
Authors: Huang Xiaoen , Wang Yuanchun , Wang Nian
Published: February 2022

Base editors, such as adenine base editors (ABE) and cytosine base editors (CBE), provide alternatives for precise genome editing without generating double-strand breaks (DSBs), thus avoiding the risk of genome instability and unpredictable outcomes caused by DNA repair. Precise gene editing mediated by base editors in citrus has not been reported. Here, we have successfully adapted the ABE to edit the TATA box in the promoter region of the canker susceptibility gene LOB1 from TATA to CACA in grapefruit (Citrus paradise) and sweet orange (Citrus sinensis). TATA-edited plants are resistant to the canker pathogen Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc). In addition, CBE was successfully used to edit the acetolactate synthase (ALS) gene in citrus. ALS-edited plants were resistant to the herbicide chlorsulfuron. Two ALS-edited plants did not show green fluorescence although the starting construct for transformation contains a GFP expression cassette. The Cas9 gene was undetectable in the herbicide-resistant citrus plants. This indicates that the ALS edited plants are transgene-free, representing the first transgene-free gene-edited citrus using the CRISPR technology. In summary, we have successfully adapted the base editors for precise citrus gene editing. The CBE base editor has been used to generate transgene-free citrus via transient expression.