bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Magnetic glassy state in combination with ferromagnetism in Fe0.05(SnTe)0.97Sb0.03 bulk alloy
Authors: Menon Sitara , Sarkar Mitesh , Singh Satyendra , Venkatesh R
Published: April 2023

In this study on Fe0.05(SnTe)0.97Sb0.03 bulk alloy, we found signatures of presence of both magnetic glassy state and ferromagnetism. The bulk alloy is prepared by modified solid state technique and the sample is characterized for its structural, electrical and magnetic properties. Electrical resistivity plot shows semiconducting nature of the sample, however below 25 K, a sudden increase in the electrical resistivity value is observed. The transport mechanism is explained on the basis of small polaron hopping (SPH) model and variable range hopping (VRH) model. A large bifurcation observed between zero-field cooled and field-cooled magnetization at low temperature hints towards existence of a magnetic glassy state. M-H curve exhibits hysteresis behaviour for the measurements carried out at 10, 100 and 300 K. However, absence of saturation of the curves at 10 and 100 K suggests co-existence of ferromagnetic and glassy state. Presence of magnetic glassy state can also be confirmed from the Arrott plot and AC Susceptibility measurement. The susceptibility curves are found to undergo relatively small shift of peaks with frequency and theoretical fitting of the data supports presence of a cluster-glass state.
The possibility of anesthesia stimulated by a train of current pulses
Authors: Shneider Mikhail N , Pekker Mikhail
Published: April 2023

This study considers a simple theoretical model of blocking the passage of signals (action potentials) from sensory neurons, thereby affecting anesthesia without the use of anesthetics as a result of a sequence of unipolar current pulses generated by an external source. The proposed model allows the selection of parameters and the required frequency of the repetition of current pulses for the possible implementation of anesthesia, depending on the electrical characteristics of the skin and the conductivity of the saline solution in which the myelinated nerve fibers are located.
Heating and lighting: understanding overlooked energy-consumption activities in the Indian residential sector
Authors: Navinya Chimurkar , Kapoor Taveen S , Anurag Gupta , Lokhande Pradnya , Sharma Renuka , Prasad SV Laxmi , Nagendra SM Shiva , Kumari Jyoti , Habib Gazala , Arya Rahul , Mandal Tuhin K , Muthalagu Akila , Qureshi Asif , Najar Tanveer Ahmad , Jehangir Arshid , Jain Supreme , Goel Anubha , Rabha Shahadev , Saikia Binoy K , Chaudhary Pooja , Sinha Baerbel , Haswani Diksha , Raman Ramya Sunder , Dhandapani Abisheg , Iqbal Jawed , Mukherjee Sauryadeep , Chatterjee Abhijit , Lian Yang , Pandithurai G , Venkataraman Chandra , Phuleria Harish C
Published: April 2023

Understanding the climate impact of residential emissions starts with determining the fuel consumption of various household activities. While cooking emissions have been widely studied, non-cooking energy-consumption activities in the residential sector such as heating and lighting, have been overlooked owing to the unavailability of data at national levels. The present study uses data from the Carbonaceous Aerosol Emissions, Source Apportionment and Climate Impacts (COALESCE) project, which consists of residential surveys over 6000 households across 49 districts of India, to understand the energy consumed by non-cooking residential activities. Regression models are developed to estimate information in non-surveyed districts using demographic, housing, and meteorological data as predictors. Energy demand is further quantified and distributed nationally at a 4 × 4 km resolution. Results show that the annual energy consumption from non-cooking activities is 1106 [201] PJ, which is equal to one-fourth of the cooking energy demand. Freely available biomass is widely used to heat water on traditional stoves, even in the warmer regions of western and southern India across all seasons. Space heating (51%) and water heating (42%) dominate non-cooking energy consumption. In comparison, nighttime heating for security personnel (5%), partly-residential personal heating by guards, dominant in urban centers and kerosene lighting (2%) utilize minimal energy. Biomass fuels account for over 90% of the non-cooking consumption, while charcoal and kerosene make up the rest. Half of the energy consumption occurs during winter months (DJF), while 10% of the consumption occurs during monsoon, when kerosene lighting is the highest. Firewood is the most heavily used fuel source in western India, charcoal in the northern hilly regions, agricultural residues and dung cake in the Indo-Gangetic plains, and kerosene in eastern India. The study shows that ∼20% of residential energy consumption is on account of biomass-based heating and kerosene lighting activities.
A large-scale assessment of the quality of plant genome assemblies using the LTR assembly index
Authors: Mokhtar Morad M , Abd-Elhalim Haytham M , El Allali Achraf
Published: April 2023

Recent advances in genome sequencing have led to an increase in the number of sequenced genomes. However, the presence of repetitive sequences complicates the assembly of plant genomes. The LTR assembly index (LAI) has recently been widely used to assess the quality of genome assembly, as a higher LAI is associated with a higher quality of assembly. Here, we assessed the quality of assembled genomes of 1664 plant and algal genomes using LAI and reported the results as data repository called PlantLAI (https://bioinformatics.um6p.ma/PlantLAI). A number of 55 117 586 pseudomolecules/scaffolds with a total length of 988.11 gigabase-pairs were examined using the LAI workflow. A total of 46 583 551 accurate LTR-RTs were discovered, including 2 263 188 Copia, 2 933 052 Gypsy, and 1 387 311 unknown superfamilies. Consequently, only 1136 plant genomes are suitable for LAI calculation, with values ranging from 0 to 31.59. Based on the quality classification system, 476 diploid genomes were classified as draft, 472 as reference, and 135 as gold genomes. We also provide a free webtool to calculate the LAI of newly assembled genomes and the ability to save the result in the repository. The data repository is designed to fill in the gaps in the reported LAI of existing genomes, while the webtool is designed to help researchers calculate the LAI of their newly sequenced genomes.
Mapping a network for tics in Tourette syndrome using causal lesions and structural alterations
Authors: Zouki Jade-Jocelyne , Ellis Elizabeth G , Morrison-Ham Jordan , Thomson Phoebe , Jesuthasan Aaron , Al-Fatly Bassam , Joutsa Juho , Silk Timothy J , Corp Daniel T
Published: April 2023

Tics are sudden stereotyped movements or vocalizations. Cases of lesion-induced tics are invaluable, allowing for causal links between symptoms and brain structures. While a lesion network for tics has recently been identified, the degree to which this network translates to Tourette syndrome has not been fully elucidated. This is important given that patients with Tourette syndrome make up a large portion of tic cases; therefore, existing and future treatments should apply to these patients. The aim of this study was to first localize a causal network for tics from lesion-induced cases and then refine and validate this network in patients with Tourette syndrome. We independently performed ‘lesion network mapping’ using a large normative functional connectome (n = 1000) to isolate a brain network commonly connected to lesions causing tics (n = 19) identified through a systematic search. The specificity of this network to tics was assessed through comparison to lesions causing other movement disorders. Using structural brain coordinates from prior neuroimaging studies (n = 7), we then derived a neural network for Tourette syndrome. This was done using standard anatomical likelihood estimation meta-analysis and a novel method termed ‘coordinate network mapping’, which uses the same coordinates, yet maps their connectivity using the aforementioned functional connectome. Conjunction analysis was used to refine the network for lesion-induced tics to Tourette syndrome by identifying regions common to both lesion and structural networks. We then tested whether connectivity from this common network is abnormal in a separate resting-state functional connectivity MRI data set from idiopathic Tourette syndrome patients (n = 21) and healthy controls (n = 25). Results showed that lesions causing tics were distributed throughout the brain; however, consistent with a recent study, these were part of a common network with predominant basal ganglia connectivity. Using conjunction analysis, coordinate network mapping findings refined the lesion network to the posterior putamen, caudate nucleus, globus pallidus externus (positive connectivity) and precuneus (negative connectivity). Functional connectivity from this positive network to frontal and cingulate regions was abnormal in patients with idiopathic Tourette syndrome. These findings identify a network derived from lesion-induced and idiopathic data, providing insight into the pathophysiology of tics in Tourette syndrome. Connectivity to our cortical cluster in the precuneus offers an exciting opportunity for non-invasive brain stimulation protocols.
Empress and Virgin: St Cunigunde and Female Sainthood in the Early Thirteenth Century
Authors: Anstatt Antonia
Published: April 2023

This article uses the previously unjustly discarded early thirteenth-century hagiographical text Vitae s. Heinrici additamentum to show how different ideals of female sainthood could be combined within one figure. In two of its chapters, the Additamentum presents two distinct but not contradictory images of its female protagonist, Cunigunde (d. 1033), the wife of the German emperor Henry II (d. 1024). The first chapter of the text portrays Henry and Cunigunde’s marriage as dominated by consensual chastity and emphasizes the spouses’ equality. On their wedding night, within the privacy of their bedchamber, their mutual wish for chastity takes the place of any gendered expressions and is the reason for the blossoming deep affection between them. Following ideals of love and consensual marriage from the twelfth century onwards, this chapter is situated within contemporary discussions of marital affection. In contrast, the third and last chapter of the Additamentum is set within the public space of the imperial court. Cunigunde, a powerful empress, goes through a trial by ordeal to clear herself of an accusation of infidelity. In this chapter, both she and Henry are clearly gendered, but Cunigunde is behaving considerably more ‘manly’ than her husband and ultimately proves herself a saintly virago. Both the ordeal and the virago were predominantly early and central medieval motifs, situating this chapter within a different literary tradition from the first. The Additamentum thus proves the coexistence and possible intertwining of different models of female sainthood.
Symptomatic late saphenous vein graft failure in coronary artery bypass surgery
Authors: Janiec Mikael , Dimberg Axel , Lindblom Rickard P F
Published: April 2023

OBJECTIVES

Coronary artery bypass grafting for advanced coronary artery disease is a well-established procedure with excellent long-term results. The issue of saphenous vein graft (SVG) performance and its relation to clinical symptoms and thereby the potential for improvement by using superior grafts are still not fully understood. We aim to estimate the contribution of late SVG failure to the long-term outcome.

METHODS

A study population operated between 1997 and 2020, with an internal thoracic artery with a single distal anastomosis and 1, 2 or 3 distal SVG anastomoses, was isolated from the Swedish Web System for Enhancement and Development of Evidence-Based Care in Heart Disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies registry. Data regarding postoperative clinically driven coronary angiography and status of bypass grafts were collected.

RESULTS

The study population consisted of 44 951 patients. Clinically driven angiography occurred in 10.1% (9.5–10.8), 7.9% (7.6–8.3) and 7.1% (6.7–7.5), respectively, of patients within 3 years and 23.6% (22.6–24.5), 20.0% (19.5–20.6) and 17.5% (16.9–18.2), respectively, of patients within 10 years after surgery. Excluding the first 3 postoperative years, no failed SVGs were found in >75%, 60% and 45%, respectively, of cases when an angiography was performed in the first 10 years after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that the risk of symptomatic graft failure due to vein graft disease during the first 10 years after surgery is in the range of 1–2% for every grafted coronary vessel and provide an estimate for the upper limit of the improvements in results that could be achieved by replacing SVGs with superior grafts.
The Effect of Design Elements on Simplicity, Usability, and Product Preference: A Video Conference Application Case Study
Authors: Eytam Eleanor
Published: April 2023

Simplicity achieved by minimizing the number of controls is a major guideline for designing usable products. Still, restricting the number of controls in interfaces to achieve simplicity may not be a wise strategy for communicating usability. Our model suggests that although the number of objects in designs helps determine visual simplicity, design elements influence the perceived simplicity of products. Design elements that enhance orientation and structure enable many otherwise-described complex objects to be perceived as simple. To test the effect of simplicity on usability, both visual and perceived simplicity are analyzed. We report a qualitative pilot study and a subsequent experimental study that helped test our model. While the number of objects helped determine the level of simplicity, adding design elements moderated the perceived complexity of control-laden designs. Designs with either a medium or a large number of both objects and design elements were judged as highest for perceived usability.
Inclusion of minor alleles improves catalogue-based prediction of fluoroquinolone resistance inMycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Brankin Alice E , Fowler Philip W
Published: April 2023

Objectives

Fluoroquinolone resistance poses a threat to the successful treatment of tuberculosis. WGS, and the subsequent detection of catalogued resistance-associated mutations, offers an attractive solution to fluoroquinolone susceptibility testing but sensitivities are often less than 90%. We hypothesize that this is partly because the bioinformatic pipelines used usually mask the recognition of minor alleles that have been implicated in fluoroquinolone resistance.

Methods

We analysed the Comprehensive Resistance Prediction for Tuberculosis: an International Consortium (CRyPTIC) dataset of globally diverse WGS Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates, with matched MICs for two fluoroquinolone drugs and allowed putative minor alleles to contribute to resistance prediction.

Results

Detecting minor alleles increased the sensitivity of WGS for moxifloxacin resistance prediction from 85.4% to 94.0%, without significantly reducing specificity. We also found no correlation between the proportion of an M. tuberculosis population containing a resistance-conferring allele and the magnitude of resistance.

Conclusions

Together our results highlight the importance of detecting minor resistance-conferring alleles when using WGS, or indeed any sequencing-based approach, to diagnose fluoroquinolone resistance.
A formal, diagrammatic, and operational study of normative relations
Authors: Pascucci Matteo , Sileno Giovanni
Published: April 2023

In this work, we provide an extensive analysis of Hohfeld’s theory of normative relations, focusing in particular on diagrammatic structures. Our contribution is threefold. First, we specify an extensional formal language to represent the main notions in the two families of normative relations identified by Hohfeld (i.e. the deontic and the potestative family). Our primary focus is on the part of the theory concerning potestative relations. In this regard, we assign a key role to the concept of ability, which is treated as a primitive notion and used to formulate three fine-grained definitions of power (outcome-centered, change-centered and force-centered). Second, on the basis of these definitions we build Aristotelian diagrams of opposition for deontic and potestative relations, improving, extending and systematizing previous proposals formulated in the literature. Third, we present a model-theoretic interpretation and a logic programming (ASP) implementation of the proposed framework, elaborating on the procedural dimension of normative reasoning.
Psychedelics, entropic brain theory, and the taxonomy of conscious states: a summary of debates and perspectives
Authors: Rankaduwa Sidath , Owen Adrian M
Published: April 2023

Given their recent success in counseling and psychiatry, the dialogue around psychedelics has mainly focused on their applications for mental health. Insights from psychedelic research, however, are not limited to treating mental health, but also have much to offer our current understanding of consciousness. The investigation of psychedelic states has offered new perspectives on how different aspects of conscious experience are mediated by brain activity; as such, much more has been learned about consciousness in terms of its phenomenology and potential mechanisms. One theory that describes how psychedelics influence brain activity is the “entropic brain theory” (EBT), which attempts to understand conscious states—normal and psychedelic—in terms of “brain entropy.” Given its wide explanatory reach, this theory has several implications for current debates in consciousness research, namely the issue of whether consciousness exists in levels vs. dimensions; whether the psychedelic state is itself a “higher” level of consciousness; and if so, whether psychedelics could be used to treat disorders of consciousness. To understand how psychedelics could possibly treat a minimally conscious or vegetative patient, one must first understand EBT and how this theory intersects with these ongoing debates. Thus, this article offers a formal summary of EBT, distilling its core principles and their implications for a theoretical model of consciousness. In response to their proposed use in treating disorders of consciousness, we emphasize the importance of “set” and “setting” in ascertaining the therapeutic value of psychedelics for vegetative and/or minimally conscious patients.
Lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) studies on decuplet baryons as meson–baryon bound states in the HAL QCD method
Authors: Murakami Kotaro , Akahoshi Yutaro , Aoki Sinya , Doi Takumi , Sasaki(HAL QCDCollaboration) Kenji
Published: April 2023

We study decuplet baryons from meson–baryon interactions in lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD), in particular, Δ and Ω baryons from P-wave I = 3/2 Nπ and I = 0 $\Xi \bar{K}$ interactions, respectively. Interaction potentials are calculated in the HAL QCD method using 3-quark-type source operators at mπ ≈ 410 MeV and mK ≈ 635 MeV, where Δ as well as Ω baryons are stable. We use the conventional stochastic estimate of all-to-all propagators combined with the all-mode averaging to reduce statistical fluctuations. We have found that the $\Xi \bar{K}$ system has a weaker attraction than the Nπ system while the binding energy from the threshold is larger for Ω than Δ. This suggests that an inequality $m_{N}+m_{\pi }-m_{\Delta }\lt m_{\Xi }+m_{\bar{K}}-m_{\Omega }$ comes mainly from a smaller spatial size of a $\Xi \bar{K}$ bound state due to a larger reduced mass, rather than its interaction. Root-mean-square distances of bound states in both systems are small, indicating that Δ and Ω are tightly bound states and thus can be regarded qualitatively as composite states of three quarks. Results of binding energies agree with those obtained from temporal two-point functions within large systematic errors, which arise dominantly from the lattice artifact at short distances.
A roadmap of craniofacial growth modification for children with sleep-disordered breathing: a multidisciplinary proposal
Authors: Yoon Audrey , Gozal David , Kushida Clete , Pelayo Rafael , Liu Stanley , Faldu Jasmine , Hong Christine
Published: April 2023

Craniofacial modification by orthodontic techniques is increasingly incorporated into the multidisciplinary management of sleep-disordered breathing in children and adolescents. With increasing application of orthodontics to this clinical population it is important for healthcare providers, families, and patients to understand the wide range of available treatments. Orthodontists can guide craniofacial growth depending on age; therefore, it is important to work with other providers for a team-based approach to sleep-disordered breathing. From infancy to adulthood the dentition and craniofacial complex change with growth patterns that can be intercepted and targeted at critical time points. This article proposes a clinical guideline for application of multidisciplinary care with emphasis on dentofacial interventions that target variable growth patterns. We also highlight how these guidelines serve as a roadmap for the key questions that will influence future research directions. Ultimately the appropriate application of these orthodontic techniques will not only provide an important therapeutic option for children and adolescents with symptomatic sleep-disordered breathing but may help also mitigate or prevent its onset.
Triage for resource-limited emergency care: why it matters
Authors: Mitchell Rob
Published: April 2023

Triage aims to identify and prioritize patients with time-sensitive health care needs. This process is particularly important when demand for emergency care exceeds the available resources.

A small number of triage instruments have been purpose designed for low- and middle-income countries. Most recently, the World Health Organization, in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières, has released the Interagency Integrated Triage Tool (IITT). Despite endorsement by leading global health agencies, little has been published regarding the IITT’s validity and reliability.

Although triage is widely regarded as a critical tool for organizing emergency care services, many instruments have demonstrated suboptimal sensitivity for the detection of time-critical illness. There is a pressing need therefore to assess the performance of the IITT relative to other systems. Recent efforts to implement and evaluate the tool in the Western Pacific region will provide valuable insights into its validity, reliability and acceptability.
Clinical Practice Patterns and Evidence-Based Medicine in Primary Augmentation Mammoplasty: A 16-Year Review of Continuous Certification Tracer Data from the American Board of Plastic Surgery
Authors: Stein Michael J. , Applebaum Sarah A. , Harrast John J. , Lipa Joan E. , Matarasso Alan , Gosain Arun K.
Published: April 2023

Introduction:

As part of the Continuous Certification process, The American Board of Plastic Surgery, Inc. collects case data for specific tracer procedures in aesthetic surgery for purpose of assessing practice improvement by the Diplomates. This case-based data provides valuable information on national trends in clinical practice. The present study analyzes practice patterns in aesthetic primary breast augmentation.

Methods:

Breast augmentation tracer data was reviewed from 2005 to 2021 and grouped into an “early cohort” (EC) from 2005-2014 and a “recent cohort” (RC) from 2015-2021. Fisher’s exact tests and two-sample t-tests compared patient demographics, surgical techniques, and complication rates.

Results:

Patients in the RC were slightly older (34 vs. 35 years, p<0.001), more likely to have ptosis > 22 cm (20% vs. 23%, p<0.0001), less likely to smoke (12% vs 8%, p<0.0001) and less likely to undergo a preoperative mammogram (29% vs 24%, p<0.0001). From a technical standpoint, inframammary incisions have become more common (68% vs. 80%,p<0.0001), whereas peri-areolar incision use has decreased (24% vs. 14%, p<0.0001). Submuscular plane placement has increased (22% vs. 56%, p<0.0001) while subglandular decreased (19% vs. 7%, p<0.0001). Silicone implants are most popular (58% vs. 82%, p<0.0001). Textured implant use increased from 2011 (2%) to 2016 (16%), followed by a sharp decline to 0% by 2021. Trends follow FDA approvals and warnings.

Conclusions:

The present study highlights evolving trends in aesthetic breast augmentation over the last 16 years. Today, the most common technique remains a smooth, silicone prosthesis placed in the subpectoral plane through an inframammary incision.
Local Delivery of Adipose Stem Cell Promotes Allograft Survival in A Rat Hind Limb Model of Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation
Authors: Zhang Wensheng , Lee Phoebe L , Li Jingjing , Komatsu Chiaki , Wang Yong , Sun Hengyun , DeSanto Marisa , Washington Kia , Gorantla Vijay , Kokai Lauren , Solari Mario G
Published: April 2023

Background:

Adipose stem cells (ASCs) are a promising cell-based immunotherapy due to their minimally invasive harvest, high yield, and immunomodulatory capacity. In this study, we investigated the effects of local vs. systemic ASC delivery on VCA survival and alloimmune regulation.

Methods:

Lewis rats received hindlimb transplants from Brown Norway rats and were administered donor-derived ASCs (passage 3-4, 1x10 6 cells/rat) locally in the allograft, or contralateral limb, or systemically at postoperative day (POD) 1. Recipients were treated intraperitoneal with rabbit anti-rat lymphocyte serum on POD -4 and 1, and daily tacrolimus for 21 days. Limb allografts were monitored for clinical signs of rejection. Donor cell chimerism, immune cell differentiation, and cytokine expression in recipient lymphoid organs were measured by flow cytometric analysis. The immunomodulation function of ASCs was tested by mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) assay and ASC stimulation studies.

Results:

Local-ASC treated recipients achieved significant prolonged allograft survival (85.7% survived >130 days, n=6) compared to systemic- and contralateral-ASC groups. Secondary donor skin allografts transplanted to the local-ASC long-term surviving recipients accepted permanently without additional immunosuppression. The increases in donor cell chimerism and regulatory T-cells were evident in blood and draining lymph nodes of the local-ASC group. Moreover, MLR showed that ASCs inhibited donor-specific T cell proliferation independently of direct ASC-T-cell contact. ASCs upregulated anti-inflammatory molecules in response to cytokines stimulation in vitro.

Conclusions:

Local delivery of ASCs promoted long-term survival and modulated alloimmune responses in a full MHC-mismatched VCA model and was more effective than systemic administration.
Neurological complications in Monkeypox: a challenge that demands attention
Authors: Farooq Minaam , Butt Mohammad M. , Butt Mohammad A.
Published: April 2023

Monkeypox (MPX) has become a global health emergency, as declared by the World Health Organization (WHO). Primary symptoms include fever, headache, and rashes. There has been considerable concern about primary cutaneous symptoms and lesions, but other rare manifestations have been avoided. Neurological manifestations like headaches, malaise, myalgia, anorexia, and altered consciousness have also been reported. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently reported 2 cases of encephalomyelitis, which has caught the attention of the world’s health community. There is not enough evidence to explain the transmission of MPX to the central nervous system in humans. Previous studies on monkeypox-infected animals have reported probable transmission routes. Neuropsychiatric effects of MPX have also not been investigated. In this letter, we have highlighted various neurological aspects of MPX. This letter stresses the need to understand the biological mechanisms underlying these complications, so better measures can be taken to deal with them.
Innovation across 13 ungulate species: problem solvers are less integrated in the social group and less neophobic
Authors: Caicoya Alvaro L. , Schaffer Alina , Holland Ruben , von Fersen Lorenzo , Colell Montserrat , Amici Federica
Published: April 2023

Innovation is the ability to solve new problems or find novel solutions to familiar problems, and it is known to provide animals with crucial fitness benefits. Although this ability has been extensively studied in some taxa, the factors that predict innovation within and across species are still largely unclear. In this study, we used a novel foraging task to test 111 individuals belonging to 13 ungulate species—a still understudied taxon. To solve the task, individuals had to open transparent and opaque cups with food rewards, by removing their cover. We assessed whether individual factors (neophobia, social integration, sex, age, rank) and socio-ecological factors (dietary breadth, fission–fusion dynamics, domestication, group size) predicted participation and performance in the task. Using a phylogenetic approach, we showed that success was higher for less neophobic and socially less integrated individuals. Moreover, less neophobic individuals, individuals of domesticated species and having higher fission–fusion dynamics were more likely to participate in the task. These results are in line with recent literature suggesting a central role of sociality and personality traits to successfully deal with novel challenges, and confirm ungulates as a promising taxon to test evolutionary theories with a comparative approach.
Time constraints may pace the ontogeny of movement behaviour
Authors: Hertel Anne G. , Efrat Ron , Reznikov Korin , Sapir Nir , Berger-Tal Oded , Mueller Thomas
Published: April 2023

During early development, juvenile animals need to acquire a diverse behavioural repertoire to interact with their environment. The ontogeny of animal behaviour, is paced by the motivation to improve, e.g. internal clocks, and limited by external constraints, e.g. weather conditions. We here evaluate how naive Egyptian vultures (
Neophron percnopterus
) improve in locomotor performance, measured as daily maximum displacement, prior to their first migration under three different time constraint regimes: we compared wild hatched vultures, migrating one month after fledging, with captive-hatched vultures, released in spring four months or in winter nine months before migration. We found that the time until migration paced the development of movement behaviour: wild birds rapidly increased displacement distances within the first two weeks after fledging, while spring and winter released vultures delayed movement increases by two and four months, respectively. Under relaxed time constraints captive-hatched vultures displayed diverse functional forms of performance enhancements and therefore great variability in individual ontogeny of movement behaviour. While weather conditions in winter could limit flight movements, some birds indeed moved immediately after their release, indicating that weather may not be limiting. Our findings promote the idea that relaxed ecological constraints could uncover hidden phenotypic flexibility in ontogeny, which could present a greater potential for adaptability under environmental change than currently expected.
Sunflower plantings reduce a common gut pathogen and increase queen production in common eastern bumblebee colonies
Authors: Malfi Rosemary L. , McFrederick Quinn S. , Lozano Giselle , Irwin Rebecca E. , Adler Lynn S.
Published: April 2023

Community diversity can reduce the prevalence and spread of disease, but certain species may play a disproportionate role in diluting or amplifying pathogens. Flowers act as both sources of nutrition and sites of pathogen transmission, but the effects of specific plant species in shaping bee disease dynamics are not well understood. We evaluated whether plantings of sunflower (
Helianthus annuus
), whose pollen reduces infection by some pathogens when fed to bees in captivity, lowered pathogen levels and increased reproduction in free-foraging bumblebee colonies (
Bombus impatiens
). Sunflower abundance reduced the prevalence of a common gut pathogen,
Crithidia bombi
, and reduced infection intensity, with an order of magnitude lower infection intensity at high sunflower sites compared with sites with little to no sunflower. Sunflower abundance was also positively associated with greater queen production in colonies. Sunflower did not affect prevalence of other detected pathogens. This work demonstrates that a single plant species can drive disease dynamics in foraging
B. impatiens
, and that sunflower plantings can be used as a tool for mitigating a prevalent pathogen while also increasing reproduction of an agriculturally important bee species.
Identification and genetic characterization of MERS-related coronavirus isolated from Nathusius’ pipistrelle (Pipistrellus nathusii) near Zvenigorod (Moscow region, Russia)
Authors: Speranskaya A.S. , Artyushin I.V. , Samoilov A.E. , Korneenko E.V. , Khabudaev K. , Ilina E.N. , Yusefovich A.P. , Safonova M.V. , Dolgova A.S. , Gladkikh A.S. , Dedkov V.G. , Peter Daszak
Published: April 2023

The majority of emerging infectious diseases are caused by pathogens with zoonotic origin, and most of these emerged from wildlife reservoirs. Bats are diverse, and widely distributed globally, and are the known or hypothesized reservoir of a series of emerging zoonotic viruses. Analyses of bat viromes have been used to identify novel viruses with potential to cause human infection. We characterized the fecal virome of 26 samples collected from six bat species captured during 2015 in Moscow Region. Of these 13/26 (50%) samples were found to be coronavirus positive. We sequenced and assembled the complete genome of a novel MERS-related Betacoronavirus fromPipistrellus nathusii, named MOW-BatCoV strain 15-22. OfP. nathusii3/6 samples were found to carriers of MOW-BatCoVs. The genome organization of MOW-BatCoV/15-22 was identical to other known MERS-related coronaviruses. Phylogenetic analysis of whole genomes suggests that MOW-BatCoV/15-22 falls into a distinct subclade closely related to human and camel MERS-CoV, and MERS-related CoVs from the bat speciesHypsugo saviiandPipistrellus kuhlii(from Italy) andNeoromicia capensis(from South Africa). Unexpectedly, phylogenetic analysis of the novel MOW-BatCoV 15-22 spike genes showed the closest similarity to a bat CoV Neoromicia/5038 and CoVs fromErinaceus europaeus(the European hedgehog), thus MOW-BatCoV could arise as result of recombination between ancestral viruses of bats and hedgehogs. Computer molecular docking analysis of MOW-BatCoV 15-22 Spike glycoprotein binding to DPP4 receptors of different mammal species predicted highest binding interaction with DPP4 of the batM. brandtii(docking score -320.15) and the European hedgehog,E. europaeus(docking score -294.51). Hedgehogs are widely kept as pets, and are commonly found in areas of human habitation. Our finding of a novel bat-CoV likely able to infect hedgehogs suggests the potential for hedgehogs to act as intermediate hosts for bat-CoVs between bats and humans.
A Novel Bacterial Speciation Process Observed in a Symbiotic Marine
Population
Authors: Wang Xiaojun , Uematsu Keigo , O’Rourke Aubrie , Akita Tetsuya , Kimura Kei , Tomaru Yuji , Voolstra Christian R , Luo Haiwei
Published: April 2023

Bacteria undergo asexual reproduction, but genetic exchange is common.
Current models posit that speciation of sexual bacteria is a gradual and long
process, and genetic exchanges decrease but never cease between nascent species.
Here, we show that in a panmictic bacterial lineage found in symbiosis with
invertebrate hosts across multi-marine ecosystems, a series of speciation events
occurred unusually fast with between-species genetic exchange approximating a
complete halt. The speciation process is too rapid to sort out ancestral
polymorphisms, giving rise to between-species phylogenetic incongruence at a
genome-wide scale. This novel bacterial speciation process leads to incomplete
lineage sorting, which to date has only been observed in eukaryotes but is
100-1000 times faster. Our finding allows for a more unified understanding of
the speciation process across prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
Vitamin D supplementation on colorectal cancer incidence and mortality:a meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials and trial sequential analysis
Authors: Fu Dou , Yang Wei , Li Yuanfa
Published: April 2023

Objective

To evaluate the effect of oral vitamin D supplementation on colorectal cancer incidence and mortality.

Methods

All randomized controlled trials regarding effect of oral vitamin D on colorectal cancer from PubMed, Web of science, Embase and Cochrane Library were searched. Meta analysis and trial sequential analysis of included studies were carried out.

Results

Seven RCTs enrolling 72810 participants were included. Compared with placebo, oral vitamin D supplementation was not associated with the incidence of colorectal cancer(RR=1.1,95%CI:0.93-1.31;p=0.28).Subgroup analysis showed no difference in female participants for incidence of colorectal cancer(RR=1.04,95% CI:0.84-1.28;p=0.73). The pooled RR, included 41643 participants, showed no difference in mortality of colorectal cancer(RR= 0.82, 95% CI:0.56 to 1.21; p = 0.32). Trial sequential analysis showed the z-line did not cross the conventional test boundary, TSA monitoring boundary and futility boundaries.

Conclusion

Oral vitamin D supplementation offers no benefit on the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer. However, the RCTs with longer follow-up are needed to ascertain the efficacy of Vitamin D, especially among adults with lower serum 25(OH)D levels in future.
RAS-induced transformation of mammary epithelial cells relies on ZEB1-dependent cellular reprogramming via a paracrine process
Authors: Blander Hadrien De , Tonon Laurie , Fauvet Frédérique , Pommier Roxane M. , Lamblot Christelle , Benhassoun Rahma , Angileri Francesca , Gibert Benjamin , Ouzounova Maria , Morel Anne-Pierre , Puisieux Alain
Published: April 2023

While uncommon in breast cancers, oncogenic activation of the RAS/MAPK signalling pathway is frequent in claudin-low (CL) tumours, a subtype of breast malignancies enriched in features of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), suggesting an interplay between RAS activation and EMT. Using inducible models of human mammary epithelial cells, we show that RAS-mediated transformation relies on cellular reprogramming governed by the EMT-inducing transcription factor ZEB1. The path to ZEB1 induction involves a paracrine process: cells entering a senescent state following RAS activation release proinflammatory cytokines, notably IL-6 and IL-1α which promote ZEB1 expression and activity in neighbouring cells, thereby fostering their malignant transformation. Collectively, our findings unveil a previously unprecedented role for senescence in bridging RAS activation and EMT over the course of malignant transformation of human mammary epithelial cells.
Genomics-Driven Discovery of Myxopyromides, a Class of Polyketidic Amides Associated with Predation ofMyxococcussp. SDU36
Authors: Niu Luo , Hu Wei-Feng , Zhang Wen-Juan , Lin Zhao-Min , Wang Jing-Jing , Zhu Le-Le , Hu Jia-Qi , Wang Chao-Yi , Li Rui-Juan , Li Yue-Zhong , Wu Changsheng
Published: April 2023

Myxobacteria are renowned for their genuine prowess to deliver multifarious bioactive natural products. Genome mining ofMyxococcussp. SDU36 identified a hybrid PKS-NRPS BGC (mpd) that presumably specified previously uncharacterized molecules. The expression ofmpdwas activated by exchanging the innate promoter of core PKS-NRPS genes with our recently characterized strong constitutive promoter BBa_J23104. Comparative metabolic profiling allowed facile isolation of the elicited compounds1–5designated myxopyromides A–E, a group of structurally related polyketidic amides. Especially, myxopyromides D was appended with an uncommon pyrrolinone warhead at the carboxylic terminus, whereas myxopyromide C was instead decorated with a rare structural unit of aminobutanone. Although myxopyromides basically follow a textbook modular PKS-NRPS biosynthetic trajectory, an anteriorly unappreciated flexible chain release strategy is adopted to enrich the chemical repertoire ofmpdBGC. Interestingly, myxopyromides were associated with the predation ofMyxococcussp. SDU36.

Abstract Figure
Pro-inflammatory macrophages impair skeletal muscle regeneration in ischemic-damaged limbs by inducing precocious differentiation of satellite cells
Authors: Southerland Kevin W. , Xu Yueyuan , Peters Derek T. , Wei Xiaolin , Lin Xin , Xiang Yu , Fei Kaileen , Olivere Lindsey A. , Morowitz Jeremy M. , Otto James , Dai Qunsheng , Kontos Christopher D. , Diao Yarui
Published: April 2023

Chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI), representing the end-stage of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), is associated with a one-year limb amputation rate of ∼15-20% and significant mortality. A key characteristic of CLTI is the failure of the innate regenerative capacity of skeletal muscle, though the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, single-cell transcriptome analysis of ischemic and non-ischemic muscle from the same CLTI patients demonstrated that ischemic-damaged tissue is enriched with pro-inflammatory macrophages. Comparable results were also observed in a murine CLTI model. Importantly, integrated analyses of both human and murine data revealed premature differentiation of muscle satellite cells (MuSCs) in damaged tissue and indications of defects in intercellular signaling communication between MuSCs and their inflammatory niche. Collectively, our research provides the first single-cell transcriptome atlases of skeletal muscle from CLTI patients and murine models, emphasizing the crucial role of macrophages and inflammation in regulating muscle regeneration in CLTI through interactions with MuSCs.
Data-driven structural analysis of Small Cell Lung Cancer transcription factor network suggests potential subtype regulators and transition pathways
Authors: Ozen Mustafa , Lopez Carlos F.
Published: April 2023

Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive disease and challenging to treat due to its mixture of transcriptional subtypes and subtype transitions. Transcription factor (TF) networks have been the focus of studies to identify SCLC subtype regulators via systems approaches. Yet, their structures, which can provide clues on subtype drivers and transitions, are barely investigated. Here, we analyze the structure of an SCLC TF network by using graph theory concepts and identify its structurally important components responsible for complex signal processing, called hubs. We show that the hubs of the network are regulators of different SCLC subtypes by analyzing first the unbiased network structure and then integrating RNA-seq data as weights assigned to each interaction. Data-driven analysis emphasizes MYC as a hub, consistent with recent reports. Furthermore, we hypothesize that the pathways connecting functionally distinct hubs may control subtype transitions and test this hypothesis via network simulations on a candidate pathway and observe subtype transition. Overall, structural analyses of complex networks can identify their functionally important components and pathways driving the network dynamics. Such analyses can be an initial step for generating hypotheses and can guide the discovery of target pathways whose perturbation may change the network dynamics phenotypically.
A Mathematical Model of Glomerular Fibrosis in Diabetic Kidney Disease to Predict Therapeutic Efficacy
Authors: Thomas Haryana Y. , Ford Versypt Ashlee N.
Published: April 2023

1

Background

Glomerular fibrosis is a tissue damage that occurs within the kidneys of chronic and diabetic kidney disease patients. Effective treatments are lacking, and the mechanism of glomerular damage reversal is poorly understood.

Method

A mathematical model suitable for hypothesis-driven systems pharmacology of glomerular fibrosis in diabetes was developed from a previous model of interstitial fibrosis. The adapted model consists of a system of ordinary differential equations that models the complex disease etiology and progression of glomerular fibrosis in diabetes.

Results

Within the scope of the mechanism incorporated, advanced glycation end products (AGE)—matrix proteins that are modified due to high blood glucose—were identified as major contributors to the delay in the recovery from glomerular fibrosis after glucose control. The model predicted that inhibition of AGE production is not an effective approach for accelerating the recovery from glomerular fibrosis. Further, the model predicted that treatments breaking down accumulated AGE is the most productive at reversing glomerular fibrosis. The use of the model led to the identification that glucose control and aminoguanidine are ineffective treatments for reversing advanced glomerular fibrosis because they do not remove accumulated AGE. Additionally, using the model, a potential explanation was generated for the lack of efficacy of alagebrium in treating advanced glomerular fibrosis, which is due to the inability of alagebrium to reduce TGF-β.

Impact

Using the mathematical model, a mechanistic understanding of disease etiology and complexity of glomerular fibrosis in diabetes was illuminated, and then hypothesis-driven explanations for the lack of efficacy of different pharmacological agents for treating glomerular fibrosis were provided. This understanding can enable the development of more efficacious therapeutics for treating kidney damage in diabetes.
Single-cell long-read mRNA isoform regulation is pervasive across mammalian brain regions, cell types, and development
Authors: Joglekar Anoushka , Hu Wen , Zhang Bei , Narykov Oleksandr , Diekhans Mark , Balacco Jennifer , Ndhlovu Lishomwa C , Milner Teresa A , Fedrigo Olivier , Jarvis Erich D , Sheynkman Gloria , Korkin Dmitry , Ross M. Elizabeth , Tilgner Hagen U.
Published: April 2023

RNA isoforms influence cell identity and function. Until recently, technological limitations prevented a genome-wide appraisal of isoform influence on cell identity in various parts of the brain. Using enhanced long-read single-cell isoform sequencing, we comprehensively analyze RNA isoforms in multiple mouse brain regions, cell subtypes, and developmental timepoints from postnatal day 14 (P14) to adult (P56). For 75% of genes, full-length isoform expression varies along one or more axes of phenotypic origin, underscoring the pervasiveness of isoform regulation across multiple scales. As expected, splicing varies strongly between cell types. However, certain gene classes including neurotransmitter release and reuptake as well as synapse turnover, harbor significant variability in the same cell type across anatomical regions, suggesting differences in network activity may influence cell-type identity. Glial brain-region specificity in isoform expression includes strong poly(A)-site regulation, whereas neurons have stronger TSS regulation. Furthermore, developmental patterns of cell-type specific splicing are especially pronounced in the murine adolescent transition from P21 to P28. The same cell type traced across development shows more isoform variability than across adult anatomical regions, indicating a coordinated modulation of functional programs dictating neural development. As most cell-type specific exons in P56 mouse hippocampus behave similarly in newly generated data from human hippocampi, these principles may be extrapolated to human brain. However, human brains have evolved additional cell-type specificity in splicing, suggesting gain-of-function isoforms. Taken together, we present a detailed single-cell atlas of full-length brain isoform regulation across development and anatomical regions, providing a previously unappreciated degree of isoform variability across multiple scales of the brain.