bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Silencing PTEN in the fallopian tube promotes enrichment of cancer stem cell-like function through loss of PAX2
Authors: Russo Angela , Colina Jose A. , Moy Junlone , Baligod Seth , Czarnecki Austin A. , Varughese Peter , Lantvit Daniel D. , Dean Matthew J. , Burdette Joanna E.
Published: April 2021

High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the most lethal gynecological malignancy that is primarily detected at the metastatic stage. Most HGSOC originates from the fallopian tube epithelium (FTE) and metastasizes to the ovary before invading the peritoneum; therefore, it is crucial to study disease initiation and progression using FTE-derived models. We previously demonstrated that loss of PTEN from the FTE leads to ovarian cancer. In the present study, loss of PTEN in FTE led to the enrichment of cancer stem cell markers such as LGR5, WNT4, ALDH1, CD44. Interestingly, loss of the transcription factor PAX2, which is a common and early alteration in HGSOC, played a pivotal role in the expression of cancer stem-like cells (CSC) markers and cell function. In addition, loss of PTEN led to the generation of two distinct subpopulations of cells with different CSC marker expression, tumorigenicity, and chemoresistance profiles. Taken together, these data suggest that loss of PTEN induces reprogramming of the FTE cells into a more stem-like phenotype due to loss of PAX2 and provides a model to study early events during the FTE-driven ovarian cancer tumor formation.
Ferroptosis contributes to isoflurane-induced neurotoxicity and learning and memory impairment
Authors: Liu Pengfei , Yuan Jing , Feng Yetong , Chen Xin , Wang Guangsuo , Zhao Lei
Published: April 2021

Ferroptosis is a novel type of programmed cell death, which is different from apoptosis and autophagic cell death. Recently, ferroptosis has been indicated to contribute to the in vitro neurotoxicity induced by isoflurane, which is one of the most common anesthetics in clinic. However, the in vivo position of ferroptosis in isoflurane-induced neurotoxicity as well as learning and memory impairment remains unclear. In this study, we mainly explored the relationship between ferroptosis and isoflurane-induced learning and memory, as well as the therapeutic methods in mouse model. Our results indicated that isoflurane induced the ferroptosis in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner in hippocampus, the organ related with learning and memory ability. In addition, the activity of cytochrome c oxidase/Complex IV in mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) was increased by isoflurane, which might further contributed to cysteine deprivation-induced ferroptosis caused by isoflurane exposure. More importantly, isoflurane-induced ferroptosis could be rescued by both ferroptosis inhibitor (ferrostatin-1) and mitochondria activator (dimethyl fumarate), which also showed effective therapeutic action against isoflurane-induced learning and memory impairment. Taken together, our data indicate the close association among ferroptosis, mitochondria and isoflurane, and provide a novel insight into the therapy mode against isoflurane-induced learning and memory impairment.
Impact of physical activity on course and outcome of pregnancy from pre- to postnatal
Authors: Ferrari Nina , Joisten Christine
Published: April 2021

A healthy lifestyle that includes physical activity has numerous positive effects on the mother and child during and after pregnancy. In this context physical activity plays a central role due to its influence on body composition. While visceral fatty tissue has a pro-inflammatory effect via so-called adipokines, myokines seem to have a more anti-inflammatory effect and thus prevent numerous diseases such as gestational hypertension or gestational diabetes. However, many women show a decreased level of physical activity during pregnancy when compared to pre-gestation levels. The reasons underlying this change are manifold and include concern about the effects of physical exertion on the unborn child. Gynaecologists and midwives are also often uncertain about what specific advice to give regarding physical activity. The present review describes, besides the underlying mechanisms, current physical activity recommendations and corresponding evidence with a focus on weight development in terms of obesity, gestational diabetes and foetal outcome.
Structural variant evolution after telomere crisis
Authors: Dewhurst Sally M. , Yao Xiaotong , Rosiene Joel , Tian Huasong , Behr Julie , Bosco Nazario , Takai Kaori K. , de Lange Titia , Imieliński Marcin
Published: April 2021

Telomere crisis contributes to cancer genome evolution, yet only a subset of cancers display breakage-fusion-bridge (BFB) cycles and chromothripsis, hallmarks of experimental telomere crisis identified in previous studies. We examine the spectrum of structural variants (SVs) instigated by natural telomere crisis. Eight spontaneous post-crisis clones did not show prominent patterns of BFB cycles or chromothripsis. Their crisis-induced genome rearrangements varied from infrequent simple SVs to more frequent and complex SVs. In contrast, BFB cycles and chromothripsis occurred in MRC5 fibroblast clones that escaped telomere crisis after CRISPR-controlled telomerase activation. This system revealed convergent evolutionary lineages altering one allele of chromosome 12p, where a short telomere likely predisposed to fusion. Remarkably, the 12p chromothripsis and BFB events were stabilized by independent fusions to chromosome 21. The data establish that telomere crisis can generate a wide spectrum of SVs implying that a lack of BFB patterns and chromothripsis in cancer genomes does not indicate absence of past telomere crisis.
Myofibril and mitochondria morphogenesis are coordinated by a mechanical feedback mechanism in muscle
Authors: Avellaneda Jerome , Rodier Clement , Daian Fabrice , Brouilly Nicolas , Rival Thomas , Luis Nuno Miguel , Schnorrer Frank
Published: April 2021

Complex animals build specialised muscles to match specific biomechanical and energetic needs. Hence, composition and architecture of sarcomeres and mitochondria are muscle type specific. However, mechanisms coordinating mitochondria with sarcomere morphogenesis are elusive. Here we useDrosophilamuscles to demonstrate that myofibril and mitochondria morphogenesis are intimately linked. In flight muscles, the muscle selectorspaltinstructs mitochondria to intercalate between myofibrils, which in turn mechanically constrain mitochondria into elongated shapes. Conversely in cross-striated leg muscles, mitochondria networks surround myofibril bundles, contacting myofibrils only with thin extensions. To investigate the mechanism causing these differences, we manipulated mitochondrial dynamics and found that increased mitochondrial fusion during myofibril assembly prevents mitochondrial intercalation in flight muscles. Strikingly, this causes the expression of cross-striated muscle specific sarcomeric proteins. Consequently, flight muscle myofibrils convert towards a partially cross-striated architecture. Together, these data suggest a biomechanical feedback mechanism downstream ofspaltsynchronizing mitochondria with myofibril morphogenesis.
Widespread reorganisation of pluripotent factor binding and gene regulatory interactions between human pluripotent states
Authors: Chovanec Peter , Collier Amanda J. , Krueger Christel , Várnai Csilla , Semprich Claudia I. , Schoenfelder Stefan , Corcoran Anne E. , Rugg-Gunn Peter J.
Published: April 2021

The transition from naive to primed pluripotency is accompanied by an extensive reorganisation of transcriptional and epigenetic programmes. However, the role of transcriptional enhancers and three-dimensional chromatin organisation in coordinating these developmental programmes remains incompletely understood. Here, we generate a high-resolution atlas of gene regulatory interactions, chromatin profiles and transcription factor occupancy in naive and primed human pluripotent stem cells, and develop a network-graph approach to examine the atlas at multiple spatial scales. We uncover highly connected promoter hubs that change substantially in interaction frequency and in transcriptional co-regulation between pluripotent states. Small hubs frequently merge to form larger networks in primed cells, often linked by newly-formed Polycomb-associated interactions. We identify widespread state-specific differences in enhancer activity and interactivity that correspond with an extensive reconfiguration of OCT4, SOX2 and NANOG binding and target gene expression. These findings provide multilayered insights into the chromatin-based gene regulatory control of human pluripotent states.
Direct observation of nanoscale dynamics of ferroelectric degradation
Authors: Huang Qianwei , Chen Zibin , Cabral Matthew J. , Wang Feifei , Zhang Shujun , Li Fei , Li Yulan , Ringer Simon P. , Luo Haosu , Mai Yiu-Wing , Liao Xiaozhou
Published: April 2021

Failure of polarization reversal, i.e., ferroelectric degradation, induced by cyclic electric loadings in ferroelectric materials, has been a long-standing challenge that negatively impacts the application of ferroelectrics in devices where reliability is critical. It is generally believed that space charges or injected charges dominate the ferroelectric degradation. However, the physics behind the phenomenon remains unclear. Here, using in-situ biasing transmission electron microscopy, we discover change of charge distribution in thin ferroelectrics during cyclic electric loadings. Charge accumulation at domain walls is the main reason of the formation of c domains, which are less responsive to the applied electric field. The rapid growth of the frozen c domains leads to the ferroelectric degradation. This finding gives insights into the nature of ferroelectric degradation in nanodevices, and reveals the role of the injected charges in polarization reversal.
A [6+4]-cycloaddition adduct is the biosynthetic intermediate in streptoseomycin biosynthesis
Authors: Wang Kai Biao , Wang Wen , Zhang Bo , Wang Xin , Chen Yu , Zhu Hong Jie , Liang Yong , Tan Ren Xiang , Ge Hui Ming
Published: April 2021

Streptoseomycin (STM,1) is a bacterial macrolactone that has a unique 5/14/10/6/6-pentacyclic ring with an ether bridge. We have previously identified the biosynthetic gene cluster for1and characterized StmD as [6 + 4]- and [4 + 2]-bispericyclase that catalyze a reaction leading to both 6/10/6- and 10/6/6-tricyclic adducts (6and7). The remaining steps, especially how to install and stabilize the required 10/6/6-tricyclic core for downstream modifications, remain unknown. In this work, we have identified three oxidoreductases that fix the required 10/6/6-tryciclic core. A pair of flavin-dependent oxidoreductases, StmO1 and StmO2, catalyze the direct hydroxylation at [6 + 4]-adduct (6). Subsequently, a spontaneous [3,3]-Cope rearrangement and an enol-ketone tautomerization result in the formation of 10/6/6-tricyclic intermediate12b, which can be further converted to a stable 10/6/6-tricyclic alcohol11through a ketoreduction by StmK. Crystal structure of the heterodimeric complex NtfO1-NtfO2, homologues of StmO1-StmO2 with equivalent function, reveals protein-protein interactions. Our results demonstrate that the [6 + 4]-adduct instead of [4 + 2]-adduct is the bona fide biosynthetic intermediate.
Observation of strong excitonic magneto-chiral anisotropy in twisted bilayer van der Waals crystals
Authors: Lan Shoufeng , Liu Xiaoze , Wang Siqi , Zhu Hanyu , Liu Yawen , Gong Cheng , Yang Sui , Shi Jing , Wang Yuan , Zhang Xiang
Published: April 2021

The interplay between chirality and magnetism generates a distinct physical process, the magneto-chiral effect, which enables one to develop functionalities that cannot be achieved solely by any of the two. Such a process is universal with the breaking of parity-inversion and time-reversal symmetry simultaneously. However, the magneto-chiral effect observed so far is weak when the matter responds to photons, electrons, or phonons. Here we report the first observation of strong magneto-chiral response to excitons in a twisted bilayer tungsten disulfide with the amplitude of excitonic magneto-chiral (ExMCh) anisotropy reaches a value of ~4%. We further found the ExMCh anisotropy features with a spectral splitting of ~7 nm, precisely the full-width at half maximum of the excitonic chirality spectrum. Without an externally applied strong magnetic field, the observed ExMCh effect with a spontaneous magnetic moment from the ferromagnetic substrate of thulium iron garnet at room temperature is favorable for device applications. The unique ExMCh processes provide a new pathway to actively control magneto-chiral applications in photochemical reactions, asymmetric synthesis, and drug delivery.
Thermochemical electronegativities of the elements
Authors: Tantardini Christian , Oganov Artem R.
Published: April 2021

Electronegativity is a key property of the elements. Being useful in rationalizing stability, structure and properties of molecules and solids, it has shaped much of the thinking in the fields of structural chemistry and solid state chemistry and physics. There are many definitions of electronegativity, which can be roughly classified as either spectroscopic (these are defined for isolated atoms) or thermochemical (characterizing bond energies and heats of formation of compounds). The most widely used is the thermochemical Pauling’s scale, where electronegativities have units of eV1/2. Here we identify drawbacks in the definition of Pauling’s electronegativity scale—and, correcting them, arrive at our thermochemical scale, where electronegativities are dimensionless numbers. Our scale displays intuitively correct trends for the 118 elements and leads to an improved description of chemical bonding (e.g., bond polarity) and thermochemistry.
Author Correction: Traceless native chemical ligation of lipid-modified peptide surfactants by mixed micelle formation
Authors: Jin Shuaijiang , Brea Roberto J. , Rudd Andrew K. , Moon Stuart P. , Pratt Matthew R. , Devaraj Neal K.
Published: April 2021

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22508-2
Author Correction: Palmitate and pyruvate carbon flux in response to choline and methionine in bovine neonatal hepatocytes
Authors: Chandler T. L. , Erb S. J. , Myers William A. , Deme Pragney , Haughey Norman J. , McFadden J. W. , White H. M.
Published: April 2021

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Update of the global distribution of human gammaherpesvirus 8 genotypes
Authors: Lopes Amanda de Oliveira , Spitz Natália , Reis Christian Robson de Souza , de Paula Vanessa Salete
Published: April 2021

Human gammaherpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) consists of six major clades (A–F) based on the genetic sequence of the open reading frame (ORF)-K1. There are a few conflicting reports regarding the global distribution of the different HHV-8 genotypes. This study aimed to determine the global distribution of the different HHV-8 genotypes based on phylogenetic analysis of the ORF-K1 coding region using sequences published in the GenBank during 1997–2020 and construct a phylogenetic tree using the maximum likelihood algorithm with the GTR + I + G nucleotide substitution model. A total of 550 sequences from 38 countries/origins were analysed in this study. Genotypes A and C had similar global distributions and were prevalent in Africa and Europe. Genotype B was prevalent in Africa. Of the rare genotypes, genotype D was reported in East Asia and Oceania and genotype E in South America, while genotype F was prevalent in Africa. The highest genotypic diversity was reported in the American continent, with Brazil housing five HHV-8 genotypes (A, B, C, E, and F). In this study, we present update of the global distribution of HHV-8 genotypes, providing a basis for future epidemiological and evolutionary studies of HHV-8.
Genome-wide identification and analysis of long non-coding RNAs involved in fatty acid biosynthesis in young soybean pods
Authors: Ma Bohan , Zhang Aijing , Zhao Qiuzhu , Li Zeyuan , Lamboro Abraham , He Haobo , Li Yue , Jiao Suqi , Guan Shuyan , Liu Siyan , Yao Dan , Zhang Jun
Published: April 2021

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-coding RNAs of more than 200 nucleotides. To date, the roles of lncRNAs in soybean fatty acid synthesis have not been fully studied. Here, the low-linolenic acid mutant ‘MT72′ and the wild-type control ‘JN18′ were used as materials. The lncRNAs in young pods at 30 and 40 days (d) after flowering were systematically identified and analyzed using transcriptome sequencing technology combined with bioinformatics tools. A total of 39,324 lncRNAs and 561 differentially expressed lncRNAs were identified. A lncRNAs-miRNAs-protein-coding genes (mRNAs) network was constructed, and 46 lncRNAs, 46 miRNAs and 137 mRNAs were found to be correlated. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis of 12 targeted mRNAs in the competing endogenous RNA network showed that these lncRNAs may be involved in the biological processes of fatty acid transport, lipid synthesis and cell division. Finally, the expression levels of differentially expressed lncRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs were verified using qRT-PCR. The expression patterns of most genes were consistent with the sequencing results. In conclusion, new information was provided for the study of fatty acid synthesis by lncRNAs in young soybean pods.
An order independent algorithm for inferring gene regulatory network using quantile value for conditional independence tests
Authors: Mahmoodi Sayyed Hadi , Aghdam Rosa , Eslahchi Changiz
Published: April 2021

In recent years, due to the difficulty and inefficiency of experimental methods, numerous computational methods have been introduced for inferring the structure of Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs). The Path Consistency (PC) algorithm is one of the popular methods to infer the structure of GRNs. However, this group of methods still has limitations and there is a potential for improvements in this field. For example, the PC-based algorithms are still sensitive to the ordering of nodes i.e. different node orders results in different network structures. The second is that the networks inferred by these methods are highly dependent on the threshold used for independence testing. Also, it is still a challenge to select the set of conditional genes in an optimal way, which affects the performance and computation complexity of the PC-based algorithm. We introduce a novel algorithm, namely Order Independent PC-based algorithm using Quantile value (OIPCQ), which improves the accuracy of the learning process of GRNs and solves the order dependency issue. The quantile-based thresholds are considered for different orders of CMI tests. For conditional gene selection, we consider the paths between genes with length equal or greater than 2 while other well-known PC-based methods only consider the paths of length 2. We applied OIPCQ on the various networks of the DREAM3 and DREAM4 in silico challenges. As a real-world case study, we used OIPCQ to reconstruct SOS DNA network obtained from Escherichia coli and GRN for acute myeloid leukemia based on the RNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. The results show that OIPCQ produces the same network structure for all the permutations of the genes and improves the resulted GRN through accurately quantifying the causal regulation strength in comparison with other well-known PC-based methods. According to the GRN constructed by OIPCQ, for acute myeloid leukemia, two regulators BCLAF1 and NRSF reported previously are significantly important. However, the highest degree nodes in this GRN are ZBTB7A and PU1 which play a significant role in cancer, especially in leukemia. OIPCQ is freely accessible at https://github.com/haammim/OIPCQ-and-OIPCQ2.
Synthesis and characterization of Mg–Zn ferrite based flexible microwave composites and its application as SNG metamaterial
Authors: Rahman Md Atiqur , Islam Mohammad Tariqul , Singh Mandeep Singh Jit , Samsuzzaman Md , Chowdhury Muhammad E. H.
Published: April 2021

In this article, we propose SNG (single negative) metamaterial fabricated on Mg–Zn ferrite-based flexible microwave composites. Firstly, the flexible composites are synthesized by the sol-gel method having four different molecular compositions of MgxZn(1−x)Fe2O4, which are denoted as Mg20, Mg40, Mg60, and Mg80. The structural, morphological, and microwave properties of the synthesized flexible composites are analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and conventional dielectric assessment kit (DAK) to justify their possible application as dielectric substrate at microwave frequency regime. Thus the average grain size is found from 20 to 24 nm, and the dielectric constants are 6.01, 5.10, 4.19, and 3.28, as well as loss tangents, are 0.002, 0.004, 0.006, and 0.008 for the prepared Mg–Zn ferrites, i.e., Mg20, Mg40, Mg60, and Mg80 respectively. Besides, the prepared low-cost Mg–Zn ferrite composites exhibit high flexibility and lightweight, which makes them a potential candidate as a metamaterial substrate. Furthermore, a single negative (SNG) metamaterial unit cell is fabricated on the prepared, flexible microwave composites, and their essential electromagnetic behaviors are observed. Very good effective medium ratios (EMR) vales are obtained from 14.65 to 18.47, which ensure the compactness of the fabricated prototypes with a physical dimension of 8 × 6.5 mm2. Also, the proposed materials have shown better performances comparing with conventional FR4 and RO4533 materials, and they have covered S-, C-, X-, Ku-, and K-band of microwave frequency region. Thus, the prepared, flexible SNG metamaterials on MgxZn(1−x)Fe2O4 composites are suitable for microwave and flexible technologies.
Predicting cell-penetrating peptides using machine learning algorithms and navigating in their chemical space
Authors: de Oliveira Ewerton Cristhian Lima , Santana Kauê , Josino Luiz , Lima e Lima Anderson Henrique , de Souza de Sales Júnior Claudomiro
Published: April 2021

Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are naturally able to cross the lipid bilayer membrane that protects cells. These peptides share common structural and physicochemical properties and show different pharmaceutical applications, among which drug delivery is the most important. Due to their ability to cross the membranes by pulling high-molecular-weight polar molecules, they are termed Trojan horses. In this study, we proposed a machine learning (ML)-based framework named BChemRF-CPPred (beyondchemicalrules-basedframework forCPP prediction) that uses an artificial neural network, a support vector machine, and a Gaussian process classifier to differentiate CPPs from non-CPPs, using structure- and sequence-based descriptors extracted from PDB and FASTA formats. The performance of our algorithm was evaluated by tenfold cross-validation and compared with those of previously reported prediction tools using an independent dataset. The BChemRF-CPPred satisfactorily identified CPP-like structures using natural and synthetic modified peptide libraries and also obtained better performance than those of previously reported ML-based algorithms, reaching the independent test accuracy of 90.66% (AUC = 0.9365) for PDB, and an accuracy of 86.5% (AUC = 0.9216) for FASTA input. Moreover, our analyses of the CPP chemical space demonstrated that these peptides break some molecular rules related to the prediction of permeability of therapeutic molecules in cell membranes. This is the first comprehensive analysis to predict synthetic and natural CPP structures and to evaluate their chemical space using an ML-based framework. Our algorithm is freely available for academic use at http://comptools.linc.ufpa.br/BChemRF-CPPred.
Distinguishing chronic low back pain in young adults with mild to moderate pain and disability using trunk compliance
Authors: Stamenkovic Alexander , Clark Brian C. , Pidcoe Peter E. , van der Veen Susanne M. , France Christopher R. , Russ David W. , Kinser Patricia A. , Thomas James S.
Published: April 2021

Chronic low back pain (cLBP) rates among younger individuals are rising. Although pain and disability are often less severe, underlying changes in trunk behavior may be responsible for recurrence. We examine the biomarker capacity of a simple Trunk Compliance Index (TCI) to distinguish individuals with and without cLBP. A random subset (n = 49) of the RELIEF RCT were matched to healthy controls for sex, age, height and weight. We measured TCI (as displacement/ weight-normalized perturbation force) using anthropometrically-matched, suddenly-applied pulling perturbations to the trunk segment, randomized across three planes of motion (antero-posterior, medio-lateral, and rotational). Mean differences between cLBP, sex and perturbation direction were assessed with repeated-measures analysis of variance. Discriminatory accuracy of TCI was assessed using Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) analysis. Baseline characteristics between groups were equivalent (x̅ [range]): sex (57% female / group), age (23.0 [18–45], 22.8 [18–45]), height, cm (173.0 [156.5–205], 171.3 [121.2–197], weight, kg (71.8 [44.5–116.6], 71.7 [46.8–117.5]) with cLBP associated with significantly lower TCI for 5 of 6 directions (range mean difference, − 5.35: − 1.49, range 95% CI [− 6.46: − 2.18 to − 4.35: − 0.30]. Classification via ROC showed that composite TCI had high discriminatory potential (area under curve [95% CI], 0.90 [0.84–0.96]), driven by TCI from antero-posterior perturbations (area under curve [95% CI], 0.99 [0.97–1.00]). Consistent reductions in TCI suggests global changes in trunk mechanics that may go undetected in classic clinical examination. Evaluation of TCI in younger adults with mild pain and disability may serve as a biomarker for chronicity, leading to improved preventative measures in cLBP.

Trial Registration and Funding RELIEF is registered with clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01854892) and funded by the NIH National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health (R01AT006978).
Population structure and genome-wide association studies in bread wheat for phosphorus efficiency traits using 35 K Wheat Breeder’s Affymetrix array
Authors: Soumya Preman R. , Burridge Amanda J. , Singh Nisha , Batra Ritu , Pandey Renu , Kalia Sanjay , Rai Vandana , Edwards Keith J.
Published: April 2021

Soil bioavailability of phosphorus (P) is a major concern for crop productivity worldwide. As phosphatic fertilizers are a non-renewable resource associated with economic and environmental issues so, the sustainable option is to develop P use efficient crop varieties. We phenotyped 82 diverse wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) accessions in soil and hydroponics at low and sufficient P. To identify the genic regions for P efficiency traits, the accessions were genotyped using the 35 K-SNP array and genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed. The high-quality SNPs across the genomes were evenly distributed with polymorphic information content values varying between 0.090 and 0.375. Structure analysis revealed three subpopulations (C1, C2, C3) and the phenotypic responses of these subpopulations were assessed for P efficiency traits. The C2 subpopulation showed the highest genetic variance and heritability values for numerous agronomically important traits as well as strong correlation under both P levels in soil and hydroponics. GWAS revealed 78 marker-trait associations (MTAs) but only 35 MTAs passed Bonferroni Correction. A total of 297 candidate genes were identified for these MTAs and their annotation suggested their involvement in several biological process. Out of 35, nine (9) MTAs were controlling polygenic trait (two controlling four traits, one controlling three traits and six controlling two traits). These multi-trait MTAs (each controlling two or more than two correlated traits) could be utilized for improving bread wheat to tolerate low P stress through marker-assisted selection (MAS).
Dynamic entropy of human blood
Authors: Pietruszka Mariusz A.
Published: April 2021

Temperature control is a process that is used by biological systems to maintain a stable internal state for survival. People have an individually variable physiological temperature of about 36.6 °C, which can be modified by many undesirable factors. Based on an analysis of a time series of extracellular ionic fluxes that were obtained using the non-invasive solute-semiconductor interface technique, I show that this extremely specific (critical) temperature is encoded by a local minimum in the dynamic entropy of an isolated drop of human blood. Moreover, a dynamic zeroth-order normal fluid/“superfluid” nonequilibrium phase transition, which was reflected by a spontaneous symmetry breaking that occurred in the phase space, was revealed. The critical scaling of the dynamic measures for the covariates such as the spectral signature and Lyapunov exponent was also determined.
Synesthesia does not help to recover perceptual dominance following flash suppression
Authors: Arias Diana Jimena , Saint-Amour Dave
Published: April 2021

Grapheme-colour synesthesia occurs when letters or numbers elicit an abnormal colour sensation (e.g., printed black letters are perceived as coloured). This phenomenon is typically reported following explicit presentation of graphemes. Very few studies have investigated colour sensations in synesthesia in the absence of visual awareness. We took advantage of the dichoptic flash suppression paradigm to temporarily render a stimulus presented to one eye invisible. Synesthetic alphanumeric and non-synesthetic stimuli were presented to 21 participants (11 synesthetes) in achromatic and chromatic experimental conditions. The test stimulus was first displayed to one eye and then masked by a sudden presentation of visual noise in the other eye (flash suppression). The time for an image to be re-perceived following the onset of the suppressive noise was calculated. Trials where there was no flash suppression performed but instead mimicked the perceptual suppression of the flash were also tested. Results showed that target detection by synesthetes was significantly better than by controls in the absence of flash suppression. No difference was found between the groups in the flash suppression condition. Our findings suggest that synesthesia is associated with enhanced perception for overt recognition, but does not provide an advantage in recovering from a perceptual suppression. Further studies are needed to investigate synesthesia in relation to visual awareness.
Evaluation of adding the Erector spinae plane block to standard anesthetic care in patients undergoing posterior lumbar interbody fusion surgery
Authors: van den Broek Renee J. C. , van de Geer Robbin , Schepel Niek C. , Liu Wai-Yan , Bouwman R. Arthur , Versyck Barbara
Published: April 2021

Postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery is challenging due to the invasiveness of the surgical procedure and the frequent use of opioids preoperatively by many patients. Recently, the erector spinae plane (ESP) block has been introduced in our clinical practice as part of a multimodal pain strategy after posterior lumbar interbody fusion surgery. This is a retrospective case–control study evaluating the analgesic efficacy of the ESP block when added to our standard analgesic regimen for posterior lumbar interbody fusion surgery. Twenty patients who received an erector spinae plane block were compared with 20 controls. The primary endpoint was postoperative pain, measured by the numeric rating scale. Secondary outcome measures were opioid use, postoperative nausea and vomiting, and length of stay. Postoperative pain scores in the PACU were lower in patients who received an erector spinae plane block (p = 0.041). Opioid consumption during surgery and in the PACU was not significantly different. Need for patient-controlled analgesia postoperatively was significantly lower in the group receiving an ESP block (p = 0.010). Length of stay in hospital was reduced from 3.23 days (IQR 1.1) in the control group to 2.74 days (IQR 1.6) in the study group (p = 0.012). Adding an erector spinae plane block to the analgesic regimen for posterior lumbar interbody fusion surgery seemed to reduce postoperative pain and length of hospital stay.
Understanding the influence of lipid bilayers and ligand molecules in determining the conformational dynamics of somatostatin receptor 2
Authors: Nagarajan Santhosh Kumar , Babu Sathya , Kulkarni Seema A. , Vadivelu Aanand , Devaraju Panneer , Sohn Honglae , Madhavan Thirumurthy
Published: April 2021

Somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) is a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) that controls numerous cellular processes including cell-to-cell signaling. In this study, we report how the lipid and ligand molecules influence the conformational dynamics of the membrane-bound SSTR2. Molecular simulations of different holo and apoenzyme complexes of SSTR2 in the presence and absence of a lipid bilayer were performed, observed, and correlated with previously reported studies. We identified the important SSTR2 residues that take part in the formation of the SSTR2-ligand complex. On analyzing the molecular simulation trajectories, we identified that the residue D3.32 is crucial in determining the bioactive conformation of SSTR2 ligands in the binding site. Based on the results, we suggest that designing a novel SSTR2 ligand with an H-bond donor group at the R1 position, and hydrophobic groups at R2 and R3 might have higher activity and SSTR2-selectivity. We analyzed the simulated systems to identify other important structural features involved in SSTR2-ligand binding and to observe the different conformational changes that occur in the protein after the ligand binding. Additionally, we studied the conformational dynamics of N- and C-terminal regions of SSTR2 in the presence and absence of the lipid bilayer. Both the systems were compared to understand the influence of lipid molecules in the formation of secondary structural domains by these extracellular regions. The comparative study revealed that the secondary structural elements formed by C-terminal residues in presence of lipid molecules is crucial for the functioning of SSTR2. Our study results highlight the structural complexities involved in the functioning of SSTR upon binding with the ligands in the presence and absence of lipid bilayer, which is essential for designing novel drug targets.
New organometallic ruthenium(ii) complexes with purine analogs – a wide perspective on their biological application
Authors: Fandzloch Marzena , Jędrzejewski Tomasz , Dobrzańska Liliana , Esteban-Parra Ginés M. , Wiśniewska Joanna , Paneth Agata , Paneth Piotr , Sitkowski Jerzy
Published: April 2021

Three new Ru(ii) piano-stool complexes with purine analogs, such as triazolopyrimidines represent a wide perspective in therapeutical use as anticancer, antimetastatic and antiparasitic agents.
Hierarchically porous FeNi3@FeNi layered double hydroxide nanostructures: one-step fast electrodeposition and highly efficient electrocatalytic performances for overall water splitting
Authors: Liu Zihao , Li Shifeng , Wang Fangfang , Li Mingxia , Ni Yonghong
Published: April 2021

FeNi3@FeNi LDH nanosheet arrays with superior electrocatalytic activities for OER and HER were galvanostatically deposited on NF at room temperature.
The role of iron homeostasis in adipocyte metabolism
Authors: Ma Wan , Jia Li , Xiong Qingqing , Feng Yunfei , Du Huahua
Published: April 2021

Iron plays a vital role in the metabolism of adipose tissue.
Changes in the secondary structures and zeta potential of soybean peptide and its calcium complexes in different solution environments
Authors: He Liu , Ying Lv , Jingting Xu , Chen Chen , Shuntang Guo
Published: April 2021

During the transmembrane absorption of the soybean peptide–calcium complexes, α-helix and β-sheet structure contents increased, and the positively charged peptide fraction was exposed, which was beneficial for the transport of the complexes.
Synthesis and characterisation of thin-film platinum disulfide and platinum sulfide
Authors: Cullen Conor P. , Ó Coileáin Cormac , McManus John B. , Hartwig Oliver , McCloskey David , Duesberg Georg S. , McEvoy Niall
Published: April 2021

PtS2 and PtS thin films are synthesised by direct sulfurisation of Pt. X-ray photoelectron and Raman spectroscopy are used to unambiguously characterize both materials, providing a benchmark for future studies.
Plant tissue imaging with bipyramidal upconversion nanocrystals by introducing Tm3+ ions as energy trapping centers
Authors: Qiao Yufang , Qiao Shuqian , Yu Xue , Min Qiuhong , Pi Chaojie , Qiu Jianbei , Ma Hongqing , Yi Jianhong , Zhan Qiuqiang , Xu Xuhui
Published: April 2021

Bipyramidal LiErF4:Tm3+@LiYF4 upconversion nanocrystals with high signal-to-noise ratio for plant cell imaging.
Correction: Observation of ordered arrays of endotaxially grown nanostructures from size-selected Cu-nanoclusters deposited on patterned substrates of Si
Authors: Mondal Shyamal , Chowdhury Debasree , Das Pabitra , Satpati Biswarup , Ghose Debabrata , Bhattacharyya Satya Ranjan
Published: April 2021

Correction for ‘Observation of ordered arrays of endotaxially grown nanostructures from size-selected Cu-nanoclusters deposited on patterned substrates of Si’ by Shyamal Mondal et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2021, 23, 6009–6016 DOI: 10.1039/D0CP06089E.
Ba2Ln1−xMn2Te5 (Ln = Pr, Gd, and Yb; x = Ln vacancy): syntheses, crystal structures, optical, resistivity, and electronic structure
Authors: Panigrahi Gopabandhu , Jana Subhendu , Ishtiyak Mohd , Narayanswamy S. , Bhattacharjee Pinaki P. , Ramanujachary K. V. , Niranjan Manish K. , Prakash Jai
Published: April 2021

Three new cation deficient quaternary tellurides, Ba2Ln1−xMn2Te5 (x = Ln vacancy), were discovered by the exploratory solid-state method.
Effect of the silkworm pupa protein–glucose conjugate on the thermal stability and antioxidant activity of anthocyanins
Authors: Attaribo Thomas , Huang Gaiqun , Xin Xiangdong , Zeng Qinlei , Zhang Yueyue , Zhang Ning , Tang Liumei , Sedjoah Rita-Cindy Aye-Ayire , Zhang Ran , Lee Kwang Sik , Jin Byung Rae , Gui Zhongzheng
Published: April 2021

Anthocyanin (cyanidin-3-O-glucose) is a natural water-soluble pigment with a robust antioxidant capacity.
Bioaccessibility of oil-soluble vitamins (A, D, E) in plant-based emulsions: impact of oil droplet size
Authors: Tan Yunbing , Zhou Hualu , Zhang Zhiyun , McClements David Julian
Published: April 2021

We systematically investigated the impact of oil droplet diameter (≈0.15, 1.6, and 11 μm) on the bioaccessibility of three oil-soluble vitamins (vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D, and vitamin E acetate) encapsulated within plant-based emulsions.
Integrating superconducting van der Waals materials on paper substrates
Authors: Azpeitia Jon , Frisenda Riccardo , Lee Martin , Bouwmeester Damian , Zhang Wenliang , Mompean Federico , van der Zant Herre S. J. , García-Hernández Mar , Castellanos-Gomez Andres
Published: April 2021

Paper has the potential to dramatically reduce the cost of electronic components but the integration of electronic materials is challenging. Here the integration of NbSe2, a van der Waals superconductor, on paper is demonstrated.
Mesoporous silica coated CeO2 nanozymes with combined lipid-lowering and antioxidant activity induce long-term improvement of the metabolic profile in obese Zucker rats
Authors: Parra-Robert Marina , Zeng Muling , Shu Ying , Fernández-Varo Guillermo , Perramón Meritxell , Desai Diti , Chen Junhao , Guo Dongdong , Zhang Xu , Morales-Ruiz Manuel , Rosenholm Jessica M. , Jiménez Wladimiro , Puntes Víctor , Casals Eudald , Casals Gregori
Published: April 2021

Addressing the metabolic profile associated with obesity is still unsolved. Mesoporous silica coated CeO2 nanozymes, with high stability and maximized antioxidant activity, induce long-term improvement of the metabolic profile in obese Zucker rats.
Controlled synthesis and Raman study of a 2D antiferromagnetic P-type semiconductor: α-MnSe
Authors: Li Ningning , Zhu Leilei , Shang Honghui , Wang Feng , Zhang Yu , Yao Yuyu , Wang Junjun , Zhan Xueying , Wang Fengmei , He Jun , Wang Zhenxing
Published: April 2021

The controlled synthesis of 2D antiferromagnetic α-MnSe single crystals with different growth orientations is realized via the atmospheric chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) method. The Raman study related to the magnetic transition is demonstrated.
Biocompatible hole scavenger–assisted graphene oxide dots for photodynamic cancer therapy
Authors: Shih Chun-Yan , Huang Wei-Lun , Chiang I-Ting , Su Wu-Chou , Teng Hsisheng
Published: April 2021

Tuning of the nitrogen-doped graphene oxide dot and ascorbic acid concentrations can selectively kill cancer cells through either apoptosis or necrosis.
Chiral carbon dots based on l/d-cysteine produced via room temperature surface modification and one-pot carbonization
Authors: Das Ananya , Arefina Irina A. , Danilov Denis V. , Koroleva Aleksandra V. , Zhizhin Evgeniy V. , Parfenov Peter S. , Kuznetsova Vera A. , Ismagilov Azat O. , Litvin Aleksandr P. , Fedorov Anatoly V. , Ushakova Elena V. , Rogach Andrey L.
Published: April 2021

Chiral carbon dots have been produced via two synthetic approaches using l/d-cysteine resulting in improvement of emission quantum yield and realization of two-photon absorption which are attractive features for bio applications.
Selectfluor facilitated bridging of indoles to bis(indolyl)methanes using methyl tert-butyl ether as a new methylene precursor
Authors: Jin Jiang , Li Yinghua , Xiang Shiqun , Fan Weibin , Guo Shiwei , Huang Deguang
Published: April 2021

A metal- and catalyst-free method is developed for the synthesis of methylene-bridged bis(indolyl)methanes and bis-1,3-dicarbonyl compounds by using methyl tert-butyl ether as the methylene source.
Oxidative cross-coupling of secondary phosphine chalcogenides with amino alcohols and aminophenols: aspects of the reaction chemoselectivity
Authors: Khrapova Kseniya O. , Telezhkin Anton A. , Volkov Pavel A. , Larina Lyudmila I. , Pavlov Dmitry V. , Gusarova Nina K. , Trofimov Boris A.
Published: April 2021

Phosphine chalcogenides react with primary amino alcohols in a CCl4/Et3N system to chemoselectively deliver chalcogenophosphinic acids amides with free OH groups. Similar reaction for aminophenols gives exclusively chalcogenophosphinic O-esters.
Self-catalyzing photoredox polymerization for recyclable polymer catalysts
Authors: Lessard Jacob J. , Scheutz Georg M. , Korpusik Angie B. , Olson Rebecca A. , Figg C. Adrian , Sumerlin Brent S.
Published: April 2021

A photoactive eosin Y-derived monomer was developed that can induce photoelectron/energy transfer, while simultaneously partaking in the polymerization as a monomer, affording polymer catalysts with tunable eosin Y incorporations.
Synthesis and properties of l-lactide/1,3-dioxolane copolymers: preparation of polyesters with enhanced acid sensitivity
Authors: Kost Bartłomiej , Basko Malgorzata
Published: April 2021

Herein, we report the first example of cationic ring-opening copolymerization of 5-membered cyclic acetal (1,3-dioxolane (DXL)) with l-lactide (LA) to afford polylactide containing acetal units.
Poly(ionic liquid)s with superior swelling and enrichment properties in solvents
Authors: Chen Bihua , Wang Man , Wang Xin , Zhao Qi , Wang Yingxiong , Gao Guohua
Published: April 2021

The molar swelling ratio and enrichment factor of poly(ionic liquid)s were linearly positively correlated with the Hansen solubility parameter of the solvent and the difference between the Hansen solubility parameters of mixed solvents, respectively.
Bio-CaRGOS: capture and release gels for optimized storage of hemoglobin
Authors: Boylan Jack , Chauhan Rajat , Koneru Kavya , Bansal Meenakshi , Kalbfleisch Theodore , Potnis Chinmay S. , Hartline Kendall , Keynton Robert S. , Gupta Gautam
Published: April 2021

A schematic of encapsulation of hemoglobin within Bio:CaRGOS formulations is summarized in the graphic, demonstrating sol–gel encapsulation as a method to stabilize hemoglobin, followed by an efficient hemoglobin release using polyethylene glycol (PEG).
Palladium-catalyzed one-pot synthesis of 2-substituted quinazolin-4(3H)-ones from o-nitrobenzamide and alcohols
Authors: Wang Ke , Chen Hao , Dai Xinyan , Huang Xupeng , Feng Zhiqiang
Published: April 2021

Palladium-catalyzed 2-substituted quinazolin-4(3H)-one formation from readily available o-nitrobenzamides and alcohols using hydrogen transfer is described. Various quinazolin-4(3H)-ones were obtained in good to high yields.
Oxanorbornenes: promising new single addition monomers for the metathesis polymerization
Authors: Pal Subhajit , Alizadeh Mahshid , Kong Phally , Kilbinger Andreas F. M.
Published: April 2021

Bridgehead revisited: endo-7-oxa norborneneimide derivatives (green) initiate faster but propagate more slowly than the analogous exo-derivatives (red) in ring-opening metathesis allowing the synthesis of alternating and end functional polymers.
Direct amidation of metallaaromatics: access to N-functionalized osmapentalynes via a 1,5-bromoamidated intermediate
Authors: Wang Hongjian , Ruan Yonghong , Lin Yu-Mei , Xia Haiping
Published: April 2021

The direct C–H amidation of metallapentalyne has been achieved under mild conditions in which key 1,5-bromoamidated intermediates was determined.
Angled-stencil lithography based metal mesh/Ti3C2Tx MXene hybrid transparent electrodes for low-power and high-performance wearable thermotherapy
Authors: Hossain Mozakkar , Sibin K. P. , Rao K. D. M.
Published: April 2021

Transparent and wearable devices have aroused immense research interest for their widespread applications, however, the fabrication of homogeneous devices is an outstanding challenge to manifest low-power wearable thermotherapy devices.
The Role of Visibility in Silent Speech Tongue Movements: A Kinematic Study of Consonants
Authors: Glotfelty Annette , Katz William F.
Published: April 2021

Purpose

To better understand the role of tongue visibility in speech, this study compared the spatiotemporal patterns of silent versus audible speech for lingual consonants of American English. Kinematic data were obtained for articulatory features assumed to be visually salient, including tongue movement (anterior displacement and midsagittal area), lip aperture, and consonant duration.

Method

Electromagnetic articulography was used to measure 11 native speakers' productions of five consonants (/ɡ/, /w/, /ɹ/, /l/, and /ð/), selected to represent a continuum of tongue visibility. Nonword consonant–vowel syllables were elicited during a procedure designed to convey a dyadic communication environment. A method of kinematic-based consonant segmentation was developed for data processing, and results were analyzed with repeated-measures analysis of variance.

Results

Findings indicated increased consonant duration and lip aperture in the silent condition (vs. audible) for all five consonants. Tongue forward displacement was slightly greater in the silent condition, compared to audible, for all consonants except /ɡ/, the only consonant without a visible tongue component. In addition, the extent of tongue forwarding in silent speech corresponded with the degree of tongue visibility.

Conclusion

During silent speech, talkers increased their lip aperture and consonant duration and tended to shift their tongues forward for the most visible lingual consonants, suggesting that talkers may be aware at some level of the need to increase articulatory visibility of the tongue in the presence of an interlocutor during adverse speech conditions.