bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Pattern of Knockdown Resistance Mutations Correlated to the Annual Average Temperature in Field Populations of Aedes Albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in China
Authors: Chen Hanming , Zhou Qiuming , Dong Haowei , Yuan Hao , Bai Jie , Gao Jingpeng , Tao Feng , Ma Hui , Li Xiangyu , Peng Heng , Ma Yajun
Published: February 2021

Background: Aedes albopictus is the main vector of dengue fever in China, distributed from north to south in China. Insecticides are an important method to control the mosquitoes, especially in the outbreak of dengue fever, but insecticide resistance raises the risk of failure to control vector-borne diseases. Knockdown resistance (kdr) caused by point mutations in the VGSC gene is a key mechanism that confers resistance to pyrethroids. To explore the characteristics and possible evolution trend of kdr mutation in Ae. albopictus, we analyzed the kdr mutations of field populations in China in this study.Methods: A total of 1 549 Ae. albopictus were collected from 18 sites in China from 2017 to 2019, as well as 50 individuals from three sites in the 1990s. A fragment of approximately 350 bp from part of S6 segment in the VGSC gene domain III was amplified and sequenced. The haplotypes of VGSC gene were recorded and the parsimony network was constructed using TCS 1.21. The data of annual average temperatures (AAT) of collection sites was acquired from national database. The correlation between AAT of the collection site and the kdr mutation rate was analyzed by Pearson Correlation using SPSS 21.0. Results: The overall frequency of mutant allele F1534 is 45.62%. Nine mutant alleles were detected at codon 1534 in fifteen field populations, namely TCC/TCG (S) (38.86%), TTG/CTG/CTC/TTA (L) (3.71%), TGC (C) (2.68%), CGC (R) (0.27%) and TGG (W) (0.10%). Only one mutant allele ACC (T) was found at codon 1532 with frequency of 6.39% in ten field populations. Moreover, multiple mutations at I1532 and F1534 in a sample appeared in five populations. The 1534 mutation rate was significantly positive related to AAT (Coefficient=0.624, p=0.0056), while the 1532 mutation rate was significantly negative related to AAT (Coefficient=-0.645, p=0.0038). Thirteen haplotypes were inferred, in which six mutant haplotypes were formed by one step, and the other six haplotypes were formed by one more mutations. In the samples from 1990s, no mutant allele was detected at codon 1532 of VGSC gene. However, F1534S/TCC was found in HNHK94 with an unexpected frequency of 100%.ConclusionsKdr mutations are widespread in the field populations of Ae. albopictus in China. Two novel mutant alleles F1534W/TGG and F1534R/CGC were the detected. The 1534 kdr mutation appeared in the population of Ae. albopictus no later than 1990s. F1534 mutation rate is positive correlated to AAT, while I1532 mutation rate is negative correlated to AAT. Insecticide using should be carefully managed to slow down the spread of high-resistance Ae. albopictus populations.
Biochemical Properties of an Alkaline Xylanase From Bacillus Agaradhaerens C9 and Its Application in Producing Xylo-oligosaccharides With High Degree of Polymerization From Wheat Bran
Authors: Liu Jiawen , Sun Di , Dong Zhen , Liu Cong , Zhu Jingrong , Liu Weijie
Published: February 2021

A xylanase of Bacillus agaradhaerens C9 was heterologously expressed and was then investigated. The recombinant xylanase (rBaxyl11) showed maximal activity at 60°C and pH 8.0-9.0. Under optimal conditions, Kcat of rBaxyl11 for arabinoxylan and glucuronoxylan were 599 s-1 and 330 s-1, respectively. rBaxyl11 showed a good stability at pH ranging from 5.0 to 9.0, and retained 50% of activity after 6-hour incubation at 70°C. However, it was markedly inactivated by transition elements including Fe3+, Ni2+, Mn2+, Co2+, Zn2+, Cu2+ and Fe2+. rBaxyl11 generated xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) whose degree of polymerization (DP) is greater than 3 when hydrolyzing arabinoxylan, while the DP of XOS ranged from 2 to 6 when acting on glucuronoxylan. Simultaneously producing xylanase and XOS by recombinant E. coli containing rBaxyl11 were then carried out. Results showed that the engineering E. coli generated xylanase and high-DP XOS extracellularly using wheat bran as substrate, and concentration of XOS reached 73 mg/g substrate after 12-hour fermentation. This study indicates the feasibility of producing XOS by a single-step fermentation approach with low cost using rBaxyl11.
’Endoscopy assisted distal locking of intramedullary nail’, a new experimental technique to reduce the radiation exposure during the distal locking of the intramedullary nails.
Authors: Davut Serkan , Doğramacı Yunus
Published: February 2021

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Fiber Connectivity Density Mapping in End-stage Renal Disease Patients: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Ma Chi , Jiang Xinghai , Ren Yande , Gu Gaojie , Fu Airong , Wang Chengjian , Bai Peirui , Zhou Tong , Qin Shanshan , Fu Shengli
Published: February 2021

Abnormal brain structural connectivity of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is associated with cognitive impairment. However, the characteristics of cortical structural connectivity have not been investigated in ESRD patients. The current study aimed to investigate the structural connectivity of the entire cerebral cortex in ESRD patients. Twenty-five ESRD patients and 20 healthy controls were recruited for this study; all participants underwent diffusion tensor imaging and high-resolution T1-weighted imaging scanning. Fiber connectivity density (FiCD) mapping was performed to calculate structural connectivity of the whole cortex, and between-group differences were compared in a vertexwise manner. We also tested the associations between FiCD changes and clinical information using Pearson correlation analysis. The results demonstrated that the mean global FiCD value was significantly decreased in ESRD patients compared with that of HCs. Notably, FiCD values were significantly changed (decreased or increased) in certain cortical regions, which mainly involved the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), inferior parietal, lateral temporal and middle occipital cortex (P < 0.01 with Monte Carlo correction). Moreover, in ESRD patients, the increased FiCD values in the right middle frontal gyrus were negatively correlated with serum creatinine (r=-0.473, p = 0.017) and urea levels (r=-0.511, p = 0.009). The increased FiCD values in the left middle frontal gyrus were negatively correlated with dialysis duration (r=-0.577, p = 0.003) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels (r=-0.552, p = 0.004). Our results suggested that ESRD patients exhibited extensive impaired cortical structural connectivity. And there may be a compensation mechanism of cortical structural recombination that plays a role in the way the brain adapts to maintain optimal network function. Moreover, serum creatinine, urea and PTH levels may be risk factors for brain structural network decompensation in ESRD patients.
A systematic review of school health policy measurement tools: Implementation determinants and outcomes
Authors: McLoughlin Gabriella M , Allen Peg , Walsh-Bailey Callie , Brownson Ross C.
Published: February 2021

Background

Governments in some countries or states/provinces mandate school-based policies intended to improve the health and well-being of primary and secondary students, and in some cases the health of school staff. Examples include mandating a minimum time spent per week in programmed physical activity, mandating provision of healthy foods and limiting fat content of school meals, and banning tobacco products or use on school campuses. Although school health researchers have studied whether schools, districts, or states/provinces are meeting requirements, it is unclear to what extent implementation processes and determinants are assessed. The purposes of the present systematic review of quantitative measures of school policy implementation are to identify quantitative measures of implementation determinants and Proctor model implementation outcomes and assess pragmatic and psychometric properties of such measures.
Methods

Peer-reviewed journal articles published 1995–2020 were included if they: 1) had multiple-item quantitative measures of school policy implementation; and 2) addressed overall wellness, tobacco, physical activity, nutrition, obesity prevention, and mental health/bullying/social-emotional learning. The final sample comprised 86 measurement tools from 67 peer-review articles. We extracted study characteristics, such as psychometric and pragmatic measure properties, from included articles based on three frameworks: Implementation Outcomes Framework, 2) Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, and 3) Policy Implementation Determinants Framework.
Results

Most implementation tools were developed to measure overall wellness policies which combined multiple policy topics (n = 35, 40%) and were in survey form (n = 75, 87%). Fidelity was the most frequently prevalent implementation outcome (n = 70, 81%), followed by adoption (n = 32, 81%). The implementation determinants most assessed were readiness for implementation, including resources (n = 43, 50%), leadership (n = 42, 49%), and policy communication (n = 41, 48%). Overall, measures were low-cost and had easy readability. However, lengthy tools and lack of reported validity/reliability data indicate low transferability.
Conclusions

Implementation science can contribute to more complete and rigorous assessment of school health policy implementation processes, which can improve implementation strategies and ultimately the intended health benefits. Several high-quality measures of implementation determinants and implementation outcomes can be applied to school health policy implementation assessment. D&I researchers can also benefit from measurement experiences of school health researchers.
Lipidomics Analysis of Human Follicular Fluid Form Normal-weight Patients With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Authors: Ban Yanna , Ran Haiying , Chen Ying , Ma Li
Published: February 2021

Background The polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine associated with insulin resistance, even in the absence of overweight. The global lipid profile of the follicular fluid in PCOS with normal weight as yet has not been investigated. The objection of this study was to explore the changes of lipids in the follicular fluid of PCOS with normal weight.MethodsFollicular fluid samples were collected from patients who underwent IVF, including normal women (control group, n=10) and normal weight women with PCOS (PCOS group, n=8). A lipidomic analysis was performed by high performance liquid chromatography/ mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Multidimensional statistical analysis was performed to disclose the global differences between the two groups. Further, differential lipid analysis between the two groups was performed by Fold Change Analysis (FC Analysis) and T-test to screen potential markers. ResultsAll 812 species of 32 subclasses of lipids were identified by lipidomics analysis. 108 kinds of lipids were considered as the potential candidate differential metabolites with the score of variable importance in the project (VIP) more than 1 by the orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis. 32 lipids were significantly different between the PCOS group and the control group simultaneously with FC > 1.5 or FC<0.67, p-value <0.05 and VIP value > 1. These differential metabolites were the lipid subclasses including triglycerides (TG), phosphatidylethanolamines (PE) and phosphatidylinositols (PI).ConclusionThe identified differential lipids in the follicular fluid may be considered as candidate biomarkers as well as therapeutic targets of PCOS with normal weight.
Effect of ST36 on Body Weight and Blood Lipid Concentration in Obese Animal Models: a Protocol of Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Zhang Zepeng , Huang Haipeng , Wu Xingquan , Jin Di , Xu Xiaoru , Li Xiangyan , Wang Zhihong
Published: February 2021

Background: Obesity is a health crisis for people all over the world. ST 36 plays an irreplaceable role in the treatment of weight control and blood lipid in traditional Chinese medicine. The aim of this systematic review is to assess and synthesis evidence of efficacy of ST 36 for body weight and blood lipid concentration.Methods: We will search studies on the anti-obesity effect of ST36 in animal models from the following databases in consultation with an experienced medical information-scientist or librarian: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus. Searches were performed until January 2021. There is no time of publication limitation. The outcomes will be measured with body weight and outcomes related to blood lipid level. SYRCLE Risk tool for animal studies will be conducted to assess the risk of bias. The protocol will be conducted according to approach and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols 2015.Discussion: This systematic review will bring the following results: 1) whether ST 36 acupoint is closely related to the intervention of obesity and blood lipid, 2) If the ST 36 therapy have the function of reducing weight and fat, which intervention means is the best choice, 3) Massage is a simple and easy to learn intervention method, and can treat ST36 by patients themselves, it is called Dao yin in Chinese.PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020177223
Effective Removal of Alkanes and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Bacteria from Soil Chronically Exposed to Crude Petroleum Oil
Authors: Afkar Eman , Hafez Aly M. , Ibrahim Rashid I.H. , Aldayel Munirah
Published: February 2021

In this study, two bacterial strains isolated from an oil-contaminated soil, designated as AramcoS2 and AramcoS4 were able to degrade crude oil, long-chain n-alkanes of C10 to C20; (n-decane, n-undecane, n-dodecane, n-tridecane, n-tetradecane, n-pentadecane, n-hexadecane, n-heptadecane, n-octadecane n-nonadecane, and n-eicosane) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) including biphenyl, naphthalene, and anthracene. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique was conducted to analyze and identify the crude oil residues after biodegradation. AramcoS2 and AramcoS4 were able to reduce the concentration of long-chain n-alkanes of C10-C20 efficiently on average by 77% of the original concentration. Both isolates could also degrade PAHs on average by 67% of the original concentration within 7 and 14 days of incubation at 30ºC, pH=6.8±0.2. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of AramcoS2 and S4 classified these isolates as Actinobacteria; well-known alkanes and PAHs degraders. The nucleotide sequences of AramcoS2 and AramcoS4 were submitted to the GenBank database under the accession numbers MN142506 and MN142551, respectively. Both isolates can be used to restore the environments contaminated with crude oil components. They should be of great practical significance both in bioremediation of soil contaminated with crude oil and bio-treatment of oil spills on surface water.
Effectiveness of Marital Couple Interventions on Marital Conflict: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Experimental Studies
Authors: Samuel Likawunt Samuel , Alene Getu Degu
Published: February 2021

Background: Marital life is an important social institution that greatly influences the health and well-being of individuals and the entire society. Inherently, marriage is a complex phenomenon that the risks for marital instability are ubiquitous including social upheavals, stay home order due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID 19). Several studies have been proposed different interventions to optimize the quality of marital life. However, problems related to marital conflict are getting worse and there are uncertainties about the effectiveness of the interventions. Thus, the current systematic review was aimed at examining the effectiveness of interventions in reducing a variety of aspects of marital conflict among the cohort of married couples.Methods: Randomized controlled trial (RCT) and Qazi experimental studies describing the effectiveness of marital couple interventions published over the last 10 years were retrieved from six electronic databases using different search terms, Medical subject heading (MeSH) terms “Marital therapy”, “Couple therapy”, or “Marital couple therapy” included in this study. The risk of bias in individual studies assessed based on the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. The effectiveness of the interventions was examined by comparing the intervention group with those who did not receive the intervention. Results: A total of 14, 536 records are searched from 6 databases, and eleven of these studies are included in the final systematic review and meta-analysis. Overall, the included studies were identified to have a low risk of bias and a substantial level of heterogeneity (I2 =96%). The meta-analysis confirmed that marital couple’s interventions significantly improved marital conflict among distressed couples (Pooled effect size, -1.71, [-2.93, -0.49])Conclusions: This finding indicated that marital couples’ interventions effectively reduce marital conflict among a cohort of married couples. Thus, marital counselors and educators are strongly suggested to compile and use the interventions outline in this study. Funding: There is no source of funding, that, the authors have no competing interests to declare. Systematic review registration: This study is registered as PROSPERO: CRD42020218280
Nanoscopic investigation of C9orf72 poly-GA oligomers on nuclear membrane disruption by photoinducible platform
Authors: Chien Hung-Ming , He Ruei-Yu , Lee Chi-Chang , Huang Yung-An , Hung I-Ju , Hou Kai-Ting , Hsiao Jye-Chian , Lu Po-Chao , Agnihotri Diksha , Hwang Eric , Huang Jen-Tse
Published: February 2021

Dipeptide repeats (DPRs) translated from the mutated C9orf72 gene have recently been correlated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Within these DPRs, the most abundant glycine-alanine (GA) DPRs form insoluble inclusions in C9orf72-ALS patients. While GA DPRs aggregates have been considered as amyloid, the biophysical features and cytotoxicity of GA DPRs oligomers generated during the amyloidogenesis has not yet been explored due to its unstable and fast equilibrium nature. In this study, we develop a photoinducible platform based on methoxynitrobenzene chemistry to enrich GA DPRs that allows to monitor the oligomerization process of GA DPRs in cells in nanoscale. By combining lifetime-based and super-resolution fluorescence microscopies with biophysical tools, we thoroughly examined the GA DPRs oligomerization process nanoscopically in a time-dependent manner. We provide direct ex vivo and in vitro evidences to demonstrate GA DPRs oligomers rather than nanofibrils disrupt nuclear membrane integrity. In addition, we found GA DPRs sabotage Ran protein gradient, hamper nucleocytoplasmic shuttling in neurons, and cause the mislocalization of TAR DNA-binding protein 43 in primary cortical neurons. Our results highlight the nanoscopic properties and toxicity of GA DPRs oligomers in living cells, which is a key step toward elucidating the pathological roles of C9orf72 DPRs in disease.
When character forges the crisis: Personality traits of world leaders and differential policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Medeiros Mike , Nai Alessandro , Erman Ayşegül , Young Elizabeth
Published: February 2021

The rapidly growing scholarship on the COVID-19 crisis has focused on a variety of macro-level factors to understand government policy responses. The current study addresses an important gap in this line of research by evaluating the extent to which government leaders’ personality traits have led to divergent policy responses during the pandemic. To do so, we use data from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker initiative (OxCGRT) to measure differences in both the speed and magnitude of these responses across countries and NEGex, a dataset that maps the personality traits of current heads of government (presidents or prime ministers) in 61 countries. Our results show that personality matters. We find that world leaders scoring high on “plasticity” (extraversion, openness) provide a stronger overall response, as well as a more rapid response in terms of financial relief. Whereas, leaders scoring high on “stability” (conscientiousness, agreeableness, emotional stability) offer both a quicker and stronger financial relief response. Our findings underscore the need to account for the personality of decision-makers when exploring policy decisions taken during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as during other crisis situations.
A Desmoplastic Fibroblastoma that Developed in the Anterior Mediastinum
Authors: Hato Tai , Kashimada Hiroaki , Yamaguchi Masatoshi , Sugiyama Ato , Inoue Yoshiaki , Aoki Kohei , Fukuda Hiroki , Gika Masatoshi , Kikuchi Jun , Fujino Takashi , Yamaguchi Takehiko , Tamaru Jun-ichi , Nakayama Mitsuo
Published: February 2021

Background:Desmoplastic fibroblastoma (also known as collagenous fibroma) is a benign, slowly growing soft tissue tumor. Most desmoplastic fibroblastomas develop in the limbs, neck, or trunk. A mediastinal origin is quite rare.Case presentation:A 32-year-old female was referred to us for the diagnosis and treatment of an anterior mediastinal tumor. The tumor was 80 mm in the largest diameter and was located on the pericardium. No invasion was evident. She underwent resection of the tumor via video-assisted thoracoscopic resection. The tumor was totally encapsulated, and its pedicle was on the pericardium. The resected specimen was very rigid, making it difficult to remove from the intercostal space. Histologically, the tumor was composed of a paucicellular dense collagenous tissue. Mitosis was rarely observed, and cellular atypia was not evident, suggesting that the tumor was benign. We diagnosed the tumor as a desmoplastic fibroblastoma by morphology and immunohistochemistry.Conclusions:Desmoplastic fibroblastoma of the mediastinum is a rare disease. Preoperative diagnosis is difficult. Early surgical resection is suitable for diagnosis and treatment planning.
Immunity Against a Japanese Local Strain of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Decreases Viremia and Symptoms of a Highly Pathogenic Strain
Authors: ISEKI HIROSHI , Kawashima Kenji , Shibahara Tomoyuki , Mase Masaji
Published: February 2021

Background: The type 2 highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (HP-PRRSV) has spread throughout countries of southeast Asia, where it has caused severe economic losses. Even countries presently free of PRRSV are at high risk for infection and spread of this virus. Some of these countries, including Japan, have broad epidemics of the local type 2 PRRSV, creating chronic pathogenicity in the domestic pig population. The present study aimed to evaluate the protective efficacy of immunity by infection with a Japanese field isolate, EDRD1, against heterologous challenge with a Vietnamese HP-PRRSV field strain. To this end, four groups of PRRSV-negative crossbreed piglets were used for a challenge study. Groups 1 and 2 were inoculated with EDRD1 via the intranasal route. After 26 days, Groups 2 and 3 were inoculated with HP-PRRSV via the same route. Group 4 served as an uninfected control. Blood and oral fluid samples were taken every 3–4 days after HP-PRRSV challenge; on day 16 post-challenge, all pigs were euthanized, and examined pathologically.Results: The nucleotide sequence analysis of nonstructural protein 2 gene of EDRD1 and comparison with Vietnamese HP-PRRSV showed that the 39 amino acid deletion sites of EDRD1 was nearly in the same region as the 29 amino acid deletion sites of HP-PRRSV. Immunity conferred by inoculation with EDRD1 dramatically reduced viral load in the sera and tissues besides viral shedding (Group 2) compared with those in pigs infected only with HP-PRRSV (Group 3). The clinical signs and rectal temperature were significantly reduced, and the average daily weight gain was significantly improved in the EDRD1-inoculated pigs (Group 2) compared with the Group 3 pigs. Notably, no viral RNA was detected in various organs of the Group 2 pigs 16 days post-infection with HP-PRRSV, except in one pig. Therefore, the immunity induced by EDRD1 and its genetically close field isolates may play a role in reducing viremia caused by HP-PRRSV.Conclusions: The results of the present study demonstrate that pigs are highly protected against heterologous Vietnamese HP-PRRSV challenge by immunity against a Japanese local strain, EDRD1.
Excitotoxicity and genetics of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: effects of intracellular calcium accumulation on proteins encoded by the major genes underlying the disease
Authors: DE MARCO Giovanni , Lomartire Annarosa , Manera Umberto , Canosa Antonio , Grassano Maurizio , Casale Federico , Fuda Giuseppe , Salamone Paolina , Rinaudo Maria Teresa , Colombatto Sebastiano , Moglia Cristina , Chiò Adriano , Calvo Andrea
Published: February 2021

The aetiology of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a fatal and incurable disease caused by motor neuron degeneration, is still poorly understood. The discovery of genetic forms of ALS helped to shed light on the mechanisms underlying this pathology, but also showed how complex these mechanisms are. Excitotoxicity is one of the processes strongly suspected to play a role in motor neuron degeneration in ALS. This process consists in neuron damage due to excessive intake of calcium ions (Ca2+) by the cell. This study aims to find a relationship between the proteins coded by the most relevant genes associated with ALS and excitotoxicity. In detail, the profile of eight proteins (TDP-43, C9ORF72, p62/SQSTM1, matrin3, VCP, FUS, SOD1 and profilin-1), was analysed in three different cell types induced to raise their cytoplasmic amount of Ca2+. Intracellular Ca2+ accumulation causes a significant decrease in the levels of TDP-43, C9ORF72, matrin3, VCP, FUS, SOD1 and profilin-1 and an increase in p62/SQSTM1. These events are associated to the proteolytic action of two proteases, calpains and caspases, as well as to the activation of autophagy, a process responsible for the degradation and recycling of cytoplasmic components. Interestingly, Ca2+ appears to both favour and hinder autophagy. The discovery of when Ca2+ levels become toxic for the cell, as well as understanding why the physiological processes of calpain proteolysis and autophagy become pathological, may elucidate the mechanisms responsible for ALS and help discover new therapeutic targets.
Human Primary Visual Cortex Shows Larger Population Receptive Fields for Binocular Disparity-Defined Stimuli
Authors: Alvarez Ivan , Hurley Samuel , Parker Andrew John , Bridge Holly
Published: February 2021

The visual perception of 3D depth is underpinned by the brain's ability to combine signals from the left and right eyes to produce a neural representation of binocular disparity for perception and behavior. Electrophysiological studies of binocular disparity over the past two decades have investigated the computational role of neurons in area V1 for binocular combination, while more recent neuroimaging investigations have focused on identifying specific roles for different extrastriate visual areas in depth perception. Here we investigate the neural population receptive field properties of responses to binocular information in striate and extrastriate cortical visual areas using ultra-high field fMRI. We measured BOLD fMRI responses while participants viewed retinotopic-mapping stimuli defined by different visual properties: contrast, luminance, motion, correlated and anti-correlated stereoscopic disparity. By fitting each condition with a population receptive field model, we were able to compare quantitatively the size of the population receptive field for disparity-defined vs not disparity-defined stimulation conditions. We found larger population receptive fields for disparity compared to the contrast and luminance stimuli in area V1, the first stage of binocular combination, which likely reflects the binocular integration zone, an interpretation supported by modelling of the binocular energy model. A similar pattern was found in region LOC, where it may reflect the role of disparity as a cue for 3D shape. These findings provide insight into the binocular receptive field properties underlying processing for human stereoscopic vision.
Unfolding the multiscale structure of networks with dynamical Ollivier-Ricci curvature
Authors: Gosztolai Adam , Arnaudon Alexis
Published: February 2021

Defining the geometry of networks is typically associated with embedding in low-dimensional spaces such as manifolds. This approach has helped design efficient learning algorithms, unveil network symmetries and study dynamical network processes. However, the choice of embedding space is network-specific, and incompatible spaces can result in information loss. Here, we define a dynamic edge curvature for the study of arbitrary networks measuring the similarity between pairs of dynamical network processes seeded at nearby nodes. We show that the evolution of the curvature distribution exhibits gaps at characteristic timescales indicating bottleneck-edges that limit information spreading. Importantly, curvature gaps robustly encode communities until the phase transition of detectability, where spectral clustering methods fail. We use this insight to derive geometric modularity optimisation and demonstrate it on the European power grid and the C. elegans homeobox gene regulatory network finding previously unidentified communities on multiple scales. Our work suggests using network geometry for studying and controlling the structure of and information spreading on networks.
Autophagy of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells conduces to pro-angiogenic function of conditioned medium
Authors: Wang Wenya , Li Xiao , Cui Chaochu , Liu Dongling , Yin Guotian , Guo Zhikun , Wang Xianwei
Published: February 2021

BackgroundAngiogenesis is a key prerequisite for wound healing. The conditioned medium following culture of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs) has a potential to promote angiogenesis, but the efficacy is very low. Autophagy is an important process in protein recycling and a contributor for cell exocrine, which maybe stimulate the release of cytokines from UCMSCs to the medium and enhance the pro-angiogenic efficacy of the conditioned medium.MethodsAutophagy in UCMSCs was induced by 100 nM, 1 µM and 10 µM rapamycin for 6-hour and then detected by LC-3 immunofluorescence staining. After induction, the cells were washed with PBS for 3 times and cultured in fresh medium without rapamycin for additional 24-hour. And then, the conditioned medium was collected for the following experiments. The angiogenic effects of different groups of conditioned medium were verified by in vitro and in vivo tube formation assays in the matrigel-coated plates and matrigel plaques injected in mouse inguinal areas. Finally, the expressions of angiogenic factors including VEGF, FGF-1, FGF-2, TGF-α, MMP-3, MMP-9, PDGF-α, PDGF-β, HIF-1α and Ang II in the autophagic and control UCMSCs were measured by q-PCR assay.ResultsRapamycin induced autophagy of UCMSCs in a dose dependent manner, but the conditioned medium in 100 nM rapamycin-induced group was with the best pro-angiogenic efficacy. Thus, this group of medium was viewed as the optimal conditioned medium. The in vivo tube formation assay showed that angiogenesis in matrigel plaques injected daily with the optimal conditioned medium was more obvious than that injected with the control conditioned medium. Further, the expressions of VEGF, FGF-2, PDGF-α, MMP-9 and HIF-1α were markedly increased in UCMSCs following treatment with 100 nM rapamycin.ConclusionAppropriate autophagy improves the pro-angiogenic efficacy of the conditioned medium, which might be utilized to optimize the applications of UCMSCs-derived conditioned medium in wound healing and tissue repair.Trial registrationNot applicable.
Self-awareness for Financial Decision Making Abilities Is Linked to Right Temporal Cortical Thickness in Older Adults 
Authors: Sunderaraman Preeti , Lee Seonjoo , Varangis Eleanna , Habeck Christian , Chapman Silvia , Joyce Jillian L , Hartstone Whitney , Brickman Adam , Stern Yaakov , Cosentino Stephanie
Published: February 2021

Everyday financial decision making and the awareness of the integrity of one’s financial decision making abilities (or financial awareness) are both critical to study in older adults as they can help identify those at risk for making suboptimal financial decisions and prevent financial loss. In the current study, we examined the cognitive and cortical thickness correlates of financial decision making and financial awareness in 59 community-dwelling participants co-enrolled in a larger study (mean age=68.35 years (SD=5.5), mean education=15.91 (SD=2.36), 61% = women, 67% = White). Data from standardized measures of financial decision making and cognition was investigated along with FreeSurfer derived thickness regions. Based on metacognitive frameworks, financial awareness was measured along with a well-validated measure of memory awareness. Results revealed that numeracy, executive functioning and vocabulary were associated with financial decision making, whereas in analysis adjusted for financial decision making, memory awareness relative to cognition was most strongly linked to financial awareness. No significant associations between thickness and financial decision making were found. However, both financial and memory awareness were associated with the same right-hemisphere temporal thickness regions underscoring the idea of a common substrate of awareness. Interestingly, our findings converge with the emerging work on financial exploitation in which the right sided temporal regions have been found to play a prominent role. Incorporating the contributing role of self-awareness in various models of financial exploitation will be an important consideration for future studies.
Streamflow prediction of the Yangtze River base on deep learning neural networks: Impact of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation
Authors: Ha Si , Liu Darong , Mu Lin
Published: February 2021

Accurate long-term streamflow and flood forecasting has always been an important research direction in hydrology research. Nowadays, with climate change, floods, and other anomalies occurring more and more frequently and bringing great losses to society. The prediction of streamflow, especially flood prediction, is important for disaster prevention. Current hydrological models based on physical mechanisms can give accurate predictions of streamflow, but the effective prediction period is only about one month in advance, which is too short for decision making. Previous studies have shown a link between the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the streamflow of the Yangtze River. In this paper, we use ENSO and the monthly streamflow data of the Yangtze River from 1952 to 2016 to predict the monthly streamflow of the Yangtze River in two extreme flood years by using deep neural networks. In this paper, three deep neural network frameworks are used: Stacked LSTM, Conv LSTM Encoder-Decoder LSTM and Conv LSTM Encoder-Decoder GRU. Experiments have shown that the months of flood occurrence and peak flows predicted by these four models become more accurate after the introduction of ENSO. And the best results were obtained on the Convolutional LSTM + Encoder Decoder Gate Recurrent Unit model.
DNCON2_Inter: Predicting interchain contacts for homodimeric and homomultimeric protein complexes using multiple sequence alignments of monomers and deep learning
Authors: Quadir Farhan , Roy Raj , Halfmann Randal , Cheng Jianlin
Published: February 2021

Deep learning methods that achieved great success in predicting intrachain residue-residue contacts have been applied to predict interchain contacts between proteins. However, these methods require multiple sequence alignments (MSAs) of a pair of interacting proteins (dimers) as input, which are often difficult to obtain because there are not many known protein complexes available to generate MSAs of sufficient depth for a pair of proteins. In recognizing that multiple sequence alignments of a monomer that forms homomultimers contain the co-evolutionary signals of both intrachain and interchain residue pairs in contact, we applied DNCON2 (a deep learning-based protein intrachain residue-residue contact predictor) to predict both intrachain and interchain contacts for homomultimers using multiple sequence alignment (MSA) and other co-evolutionary features of a single monomer followed by discrimination of interchain and intrachain contacts according to the tertiary structure of the monomer. We name this tool DNCON2_Inter. Allowing true-positive predictions within two residue shifts, the best average precision was obtained for the Top-L/10 predictions of 22.9% for homodimers, and 17.0% for higher order homomultimers. In some instances, especially where interchain contact densities are high, DNCON2_Inter predicted interchain contacts with 100% precision. We also developed Con_Complex, a complex structure reconstruction tool that uses predicted contacts to produce the structure of the complex. Using Con_Complex, we show that the predicted contacts can be used to accurately construct the structure of some complexes. Our experiment demonstrates that monomeric multiple sequence alignments can be used with deep learning to predict interchain contacts of homomeric proteins.
Tunable Full-color Room Temperature Phosphorescence of Two Single-Component Zinc(II) Complexes
Authors: Mu Ying , Liu Zhongxin , Fang Xiaoyu , Han Song-De , Pan Jie , Wei Qi , Li Jin-Hua , Wang Guo-Ming
Published: February 2021

Tunable full-color room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) is charming due to its potentials in multiple anti-counterfeitings, all-color displays, and multichannel biomarkers. However, it is a huge challenge to acquire excitation-dependent continuously adjustable full-color RTP from a single-component compound. Herein, we report two Zn(II)−based organic complexes, which are the first examples that present blue, cyan, green, yellow, orange, and red continuously tunable phosphorescence with decent quantum efficiency in response to variation of excitation energy at ambient conditions. The unique photoluminescence property is induced by multiple triplet decay pathways, i.e. 3ligand-centered* and 3charge transfer*. The population and stabilization of the triplet excitons benefit from heavy atom effect of Br ions and restriction of molecular motion due to crystallization. This work contributes an insight for the construction of full-color RTP materials and endows Zn(II)−based organic complexes with fresh features for extensive applications.
Perceived social support and depressive symptoms in Chinese patients with ovarian cancer and the mediating role of resilience
Authors: Pang Xiaoyan , Dong Haiyan , Deng Lei , Zhang Yi
Published: February 2021

BackgroundPatients with ovarian cancer (OC) often suffer from depressive symptoms, but there is little research on coping style such as perceived social support and resilience. The aim of the present study was to explore whether resilience plays a mediating role between perceived social support and depressive symptoms. MethodsA cross-sectional study was performed between August 2018 and March 2019. Perceived social support, resilience, and depressive symptoms were measured with the Multi‐dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale and the Connor‐Davidson Resilience Scale (CD‐RISC). Hierarchical linear regression analyses were used to assess the mediating role of resilience between these variables. ResultsOf 230 consecutive patients identified, a total of 217 completed questionnaires. After controlling for covariates, perceived social support was negatively correlated with depressive symptoms (β = -0.482, p < 0.01) and explained 22.8% of the variance. In addition, after controlling for covariates and perceived social support, resilience was also negatively associated with depressive symptoms (β = -0.492, p < 0.01) and explained 18.1% of the variance. Bootstrapping test confirmed that the BCa 95% CI for resilience excludes 0 in Table 4 (BCa95% CI: -0.342, -0.143), therefore resilience partially mediated the associations of perceived social support with depressive symptoms. ConclusionsResults revealed that resilience could mediate the association between social support and depressive symptoms, and concluded that it was critical to focus on social support as well as resilience in the management strategy of OC.
Preventing and arresting primary tooth enamel lesions using self-assembling peptide P11-4 in vitro
Authors: Wahba Nour , Schwendicke Falk , Kamel Mohamed Amr , Allam Gehan , Paris Sebastian , Kabil Noha , Jost-Brinkmann Paul-Georg , Elhennawy Karim
Published: February 2021

Background: Self-assembling peptides (SAP) may prevent and/or arrest caries lesions. The aim of the study was to evaluate SAP for caries prevention and arrest in primary tooth enamel in vitro. Methods: 215 extracted primary teeth were used. In the prevention experiment, self-assembling peptide for prevention (SAPP), fluoride varnish/mouthwash (FV/FMW), casein-phosphopeptide amorphous-calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP), nanohydroxy-apatite (nHA) were applied. Samples were subjected to a demineralizing pH-cycling for 14-days. In the arrest experiment, 60 samples were pre-demineralized and induced lesions treated using self-assembling peptide for repair (SAPR), FV, CPP-ACP plus fluoride and resin infiltration (RI), and submitted to pH-cycling. Thirty-five samples were used as negative controls (NC). Mineral loss and its differences (Δ/ΔΔZ) were determined using transversal microradiography. Results: FV (ΔZ median: -46 [interquartile range: 189] vol%×µm) and FMW (-28 [129] vol%×µm) prevented caries significantly more effective than all other groups (p<0.05), which did not show significant preventive effects compared with NC (ΔZ=1446 [378] vol%×µm). RI (ΔΔZ=1808 [2193] vol%×µm) and FV (ΔΔZ=1494 [4274] vol%×µm) arrested lesions compared with NC (ΔΔZ=5605 [1371] vol%×µm; p<0.05), while SAPR and CPP-ACPF did not show such arrest. Conclusions: FV and FMW showed the largest caries-preventive effect, while RI and FV arrested lesion progression in primary tooth enamel in vitro. Clinical significance: Preventing and arresting caries lesion allows decreasing invasive treatment needs and patient’s morbidity and fosters the application of minimal invasive dentistry approach.
Soil Moisture Responses Under Different Vegetation Types to Winter Rainfall Events in a Humid Karst Region
Authors: Yan Weihong , Zhou Qiuwen , Peng Dawei , Wei Xiaocha , Tang Xin , Yuan Ershuang , Wang Yalin , Shi Chunmao
Published: February 2021

Humid karst ecosystems are fragile, with precipitation being the main source of soil moisture recharge. The process of soil moisture recharge and usage varies by vegetation type. To analyze the dynamics of soil moisture under different vegetation types during rainfall events, we continuously monitored soil moisture in arable land, grassland, shrub, and forest areas at 10-minute intervals from November 6, 2019, to January 6, 2020.The arable land was used as a control group. Soil moisture under the different vegetation types responded to light, moderate, and rainstorm events with large rainfall amounts. However, only the soil moisture in the grassland areas responded to a light rainfall event with a rainfall amount of 0.87 mm. The largest soil moisture recharge (12.63 mm) and decline (2.08%) were observed for the grassland areas, with the smallest observed for the forest areas. While the grassland areas showed the greatest decline in soil moisture following rainfall, they were more easily recharged during the winter rainfall events. Soil moisture in forests and shrubs was less recharged than in grasslands but also declined less. Therefore, forests and shrubs are better at retaining soil moisture in winter, which is informative for the formulation of a regional vegetation recovery model.
Dysregulation of circRNA Expression in the Peripheral Blood of Individuals With Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder
Authors: Mahmoudi Ebrahim , Green Melissa J. , Cairns Murray
Published: February 2021

Circular RNA (circRNA) are head-to-tail back-spliced RNA transcripts that have been linked to several biological processes and their perturbation is evident in human diseases, including neurological disorders. There is also emerging research suggesting circRNA expression may also be altered in psychiatric and behavioural syndromes. Here, we provide a comprehensive analysis of circRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 39 patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder as well as 20 healthy individuals using deep RNA-seq. We observed systematic alternative splicing leading to a complex and diverse profile of RNA transcripts including 8,762 high confidence circRNAs. More specific scrutiny of the circular transcriptome in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, compared to a non-psychiatric control group, revealed significant dysregulation of 55 circRNAs with a bias towards downregulation. These molecules were predicted to interact with a large number of miRNAs that target genes enriched in psychiatric disorders. Further replication and cross validation to determine the specificity of these circRNAs across broader diagnostic groups and subgroups in psychiatry will enable their potential utility as biomarkers to be established.
Assessing phytotoxicity and accumulation of trace elements to Lactuca sativa of a contaminated shooting range soil
Authors: Česynaitė Jūratė , Praspaliauskas Marius , Sujetoviene Gintare
Published: February 2021

Shooting range soil contamination with heavy metals is a common problem around the world. Usually, lead is the main contaminant in the shooting ranges. Extreme concentrations of trace elements create a toxic living environment for various plants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) grown in contaminated shooting range soil. The results showed that physiological parameters root elongation, shoot length and fresh biomass per plant was negatively affected, especially in the most contaminated site of the shooting range. At the most contaminated shooting range site shoots accumulated higher concentrations of Ni and Zn, roots – Cu, Ni, and Zn. The roots of plants grown in the most contaminated soil accumulated significantly higher concentrations of Cu, Ni and Sb in comparison with control (p < 0.05). Accumulation of Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Sb and Zn in the roots of the plants grown in the most contaminated site was higher compared to shoots (p < 0.05). Bioaccumulation factor of lettuce was lower than 1, only BF of Cu and Ni in plants from most contaminated site was significantly higher compared to control. In terms of translocation factor, the TFsoil to root of Cu and Pb among all plants and Ni in plants grown in the most contaminated site above 1 shows that metals absorbed by L.sativa were accumulated in root and lower metal translocation in shoots was determined, except for Mn.