bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Novel Nicotine Concentration Labels Improve Adolescents’ and Young Adults’ Understanding of the Nicotine Strength of Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Products
Authors: Morean Meghan E , Wackowski Olivia A , Eissenberg Thomas , Delnevo Cristine D , Krishnan-Sarin Suchitra , Gueorguieva Ralitza
Published: January 2022

Introduction

E-cigarette liquid nicotine concentrations typically are labeled as mg/mL or percent, which poorly convey nicotine strength to users. We evaluated whether four novel nicotine concentration labels better convey information about nicotine strength and addictiveness.

Methods

Adolescents and young adults (N = 826) completed an online survey in 2020. Participants rated nicotine concentrations (3, 6, 18, 30, 40, and 50 mg/mL) from “no nicotine” to “very high nicotine” communicated using current market labels (mg/mL, percent) and four new labels (text-based, caution sign-shaped, horizonal stoplight, vertical thermometer) which used color, symbols, and verbal strength descriptors. Participants reported on perceived addictiveness for all labels viewed and rank-ordered labels on perceived ability to convey information accurately.

Results

Participants ranked the vertical (77%) and horizontal (70%) labels in first or second place and mg/mL (59.1%) and percent (47.2%) in last or second-to-last place. All new labels conveyed nicotine strength more accurately than did market labels (M[SD] correct of 6: percent = 1.50[1.08]; mg/mL = 2.14[1.52]; caution = 5.23[1.37]; vertical thermometer = 5.28[1.51]; text = 5.33[1.36]; horizontal stoplight = 5.47[1.14]), with the horizontal label also outperforming the thermometer and caution labels. Underestimating nicotine strength was uncommon among all new labels (4.7–6.8%). The new labels also were associated with increased perceived addictiveness at higher concentrations (30, 40, and 50 mg/mL), although the thermometer label underperformed the others. When considering perceived nicotine strength, rates of strength underestimates, perceived addictiveness, and rank ordering, the horizontal stoplight label performed best.

Conclusions

Novel labeling could improve understanding of nicotine strength and e-cigarette-related risk.

Implications

Extending prior research showing that adolescents and young adults who use Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) have difficulty understanding nicotine concentrations labeled using mg/mL and percent nicotine, the current study demonstrates that novel nicotine concentration labels can improve understanding of nicotine strength and influence perceptions of addictiveness among young ENDS users. While four novel labels were tested, each outperforming current market labeling, the novel label that resembles a horizontal stoplight performed best. The study provides proof-of-concept that creating an easy-to-understand nicotine concentration label is possible and that new labeling better conveys information about nicotine strength and addictiveness.
‘Crescendo transient ischemic attack’—an uncommon presentation of a very common disease: a case report on capsular warning syndrome
Authors: Payus Alvin Oliver , Ibrahim Azliza , Sheaker Vinushini Chandra , Yahya Wan Nur Nafisah Wan
Published: January 2022

Capsular warning syndrome is a rare presentation of transient ischaemic attack, which described as recurrent episodes of motor and/or sensory deficits which typically sparring the cortical function. It has a significant risk to progress into a massive stroke with permanent disability, thus important to be recognise early. Here, we report a middle-age gentleman with no known medical illness presented with eight episodes of transient ischaemic attack within the span of 24 h. He was treated with double anti-platelet for 21 days and was not subjected to thrombolysis at time of presentation because it was outside the window period of 4.5 h, and has fully recovered after each episode. The purpose of this case report is to share the uncommon clinical presentation of transient ischaemic attack, which is still not fully understood and warrant more studies especially on the treatment that can affect the progression of the disease.
Durkheim, Pragmatism, and Sociology
Authors: Pudal Romain
Published: January 2022

This chapter is devoted to Durkheim’s critical reading of pragmatism mainly in his one-year course in 1913–1914. In spite of the similarities that exist, according to Durkheim, between sociology and pragmatism, he develops a series of theoretical objections against this philosophy, especially concerning the concept of truth. This chapter examines these objections and discusses their political and ideological context, because Durkheim’s positions can also be understood in the context of a French appropriation of pragmatism that is strongly marked by irrationalism. Indeed, pragmatism had a real success in France at the turn of the twentieth century, but more on the side of the spiritualist philosophers in the tradition of Bergson. It was most often used as a kind of intellectual weapon against the dominant rationalism of the French university of the time, of which Durkheim was a prominent figure.
the Birth of Soviet Underground Culture in the 1930s
Authors: Vinokour Maya
Published: January 2022

This chapter examines the underground culture of the Stalinist 1930s, focusing on the literary corpus that formed the core of the samizdat canon of the late Soviet period. Readers in the 1960 and 1970s produced and circulated illegal copies of works by a veritable “who’s who” of early Soviet culture, including Anna Akhmatova’s Requiem (1934–1963); Isaac Babel’s short stories, Evgenii Zamiatin’s We (1920–1921); Mikhail Zoshchenko’s Before Sunrise (1935–1942); poems by Nikolai Gumilev, Boris Pasternak, Marina Tsvetaeva, and Osip Mandelstam; Andrei Platonov’s Chevengur (1926–1928) and The Foundation Pit (1930), and even Maxim Gorky’s Untimely Thoughts (1918), a taboo work by the “father of Socialist Realism” himself. Ultimately, texts like Mikhail Bulgakov’s Master and Margarita (1928–1940) and Lydia Chukovskaya’s Sofia Petrovna attest to the blurriness of the concept of the “underground” in the 1930s.
From a Social Constructivist to a Decolonizing Critical Sociocultural Approach
Authors: Herrenkohl Leslie Rupert , Jackson Ashley , Ten Brink Jared , Easley Kathleen M. , DellaVecchia Gabriel P. , Sullivan Palincsar Annemarie
Published: January 2022

This article discusses decolonial critical sociocultural approaches to human learning and invites readers to imagine their place in ongoing research and activism inspired by this approach. The article begins by discussing how academic psychology and education have historically centered a White middle-class stance and have not fully recognized and engaged scholarship by people of color. An objective of this article is to more fully account for the BIPOC perspectives in social constructivist perspectives on learning. Part 1 of the article traces the roots of a decolonial critical sociocultural approach in social constructivist, sociocultural, and critical approaches to learning. Part 2 of the article presents ways in which contemporary researchers, often in partnership with community members, expose inequities and press for change, informed by a critical sociocultural perspective. Four levers for change are presented including the following: building just and equitable learning ecologies, recognizing multiple resources and pathways to reach multiple goals, leading with relationships while acknowledging and dismantling systems of power, and undertaking infrastructure work in the pursuit of more just and equitable learning. The article discusses how focusing on these levers helps to achieve equity and justice in education and to support the pursuit of educational reform toward liberation, rather than toward reproducing and perpetuating historic systems of power, privilege, and oppression.
The Psychology of Learning History
Authors: Nokes Jeffery D. , McGrew Sarah
Published: January 2022

This article explores the connections between major themes in psychology and what researchers have discovered about how young people learn history. The authors define the concept of history and consider what it means to learn history. The authors then explore developmental perspectives on learning history and review research related to the cognitive processes involved. Next, the authors explore what researchers have discovered about affective influences on learning history. Finally, the authors review research related to social and cultural influences on young people’s history learning. The article concludes by providing suggestions for future research that builds on what is currently known about how young people learn history.
SlERF.F12 modulates the transition to ripening in tomato fruit by recruiting the co-repressor TOPLESS and histone deacetylases to repress key ripening genes
Authors: Deng Heng , Chen Yao , Liu Ziyu , Liu Zhaoqiao , Shu Peng , Wang Ruochen , Hao Yanwei , Su Dan , Pirrello Julien , Liu Yongsheng , Li Zhengguo , Grierson Don , Giovannoni James J , Bouzayen Mondher , Liu Mingchun
Published: January 2022

Ethylene response factors (ERFs) are downstream components of ethylene-signaling pathways known to play critical roles in ethylene-controlled climacteric fruit ripening, yet little is known about the molecular mechanism underlying their mode of action. Here, we demonstrate that SlERF.F12, a member of the ERF.F subfamily containing Ethylene-responsive element-binding factor-associated Amphiphilic Repression (EAR) motifs, negatively regulates the onset of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit ripening by recruiting the co-repressor TOPLESS 2 (TPL2) and the histone deacetylases (HDAs) HDA1/HDA3 to repress the transcription of ripening-related genes. The SlERF.F12-mediated transcriptional repression of key ripening-related genes 1-AMINO-CYCLOPROPANE-1-CARBOXYLATE SYNTHASE 2 (ACS2), ACS4, POLYGALACTURONASE 2a, and PECTATE LYASE is dependent on the presence of its C-terminal EAR motif. We show that SlERF.F12 interacts with the co-repressor TPL2 via the C-terminal EAR motif and recruits HDAs SlHDA1 and SlHDA3 to form a tripartite complex in vivo that actively represses transcription of ripening genes by decreasing the level of the permissive histone acetylation marks H3K9Ac and H3K27Ac at their promoter regions. These findings provide new insights into the ripening regulatory network and uncover a direct link between repressor ERFs and histone modifiers in modulating the transition to ripening of climacteric fruit.
DNA-free CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing of wild tetraploid tomato Solanum peruvianum using protoplast regeneration
Authors: Lin Choun-Sea , Hsu Chen-Tran , Yuan Yu-Hsuan , Zheng Po-Xing , Wu Fu-Hui , Cheng Qiao-Wei , Wu Yu-Lin , Wu Ting-Li , Lin Steven , Yue Jin-Jun , Cheng Ying-Huey , Lin Shu-I , Shih Ming-Che , Sheen Jen , Lin Yao-Cheng
Published: January 2022

Wild tomatoes (Solanum peruvianum) are important genomic resources for tomato research and breeding. Development of a foreign DNA-free clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-Cas delivery system has potential to mitigate public concern about genetically modified organisms. Here, we established a DNA-free CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing system based on an optimized protoplast regeneration protocol of S. peruvianum, an important resource for tomato introgression breeding. We generated mutants for genes involved in small interfering RNAs biogenesis, RNA-DEPENDENT RNA POLYMERASE 6 (SpRDR6), and SUPPRESSOR OF GENE SILENCING 3 (SpSGS3); pathogen-related peptide precursors, PATHOGENESIS-RELATED PROTEIN-1 (SpPR-1) and PROSYSTEMIN (SpProSys); and fungal resistance (MILDEW RESISTANT LOCUS O, SpMlo1) using diploid or tetraploid protoplasts derived from in vitro-grown shoots. The ploidy level of these regenerants was not affected by PEG-Ca2+-mediated transfection, CRISPR reagents, or the target genes. By karyotyping and whole genome sequencing analysis, we confirmed that CRISPR-Cas9 editing did not introduce chromosomal changes or unintended genome editing sites. All mutated genes in both diploid and tetraploid regenerants were heritable in the next generation. spsgs3 null T0 regenerants and sprdr6 null T1 progeny had wiry, sterile phenotypes in both diploid and tetraploid lines. The sterility of the spsgs3 null mutant was partially rescued, and fruits were obtained by grafting to wild-type (WT) stock and pollination with WT pollen. The resulting seeds contained the mutated alleles. Tomato yellow leaf curl virus proliferated at higher levels in spsgs3 and sprdr6 mutants than in the WT. Therefore, this protoplast regeneration technique should greatly facilitate tomato polyploidization and enable the use of CRISPR-Cas for S. peruvianum domestication and tomato breeding.
ggComp enables dissection of germplasm resources and construction of a multiscale germplasm network in wheat
Authors: Yang Zhengzhao , Wang Zihao , Wang Wenxi , Xie Xiaoming , Chai Lingling , Wang Xiaobo , Feng Xibo , Li Jinghui , Peng Huiru , Su Zhenqi , You Mingshan , Yao Yingyin , Xin Mingming , Hu Zhaorong , Liu Jie , Liang Rongqi , Ni Zhongfu , Sun Qixin , Guo Weilong
Published: January 2022

Accurate germplasm characterization is a vital step for accelerating crop genetic improvement, which remains largely infeasible for crops such as bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), which has a complex genome that undergoes frequent introgression and contains many structural variations. Here, we propose a genomic strategy called ggComp, which integrates resequencing data with copy number variations and stratified single-nucleotide polymorphism densities to enable unsupervised identification of pairwise germplasm resource-based Identity-By-Descent (gIBD) blocks. The reliability of ggComp was verified in wheat cultivar Nongda5181 by dissecting parental-descent patterns represented by inherited genomic blocks. With gIBD blocks identified among 212 wheat accessions, we constructed a multi-scale genomic-based germplasm network. At the whole-genome level, the network helps to clarify pedigree relationship, demonstrate genetic flow, and identify key founder lines. At the chromosome level, we were able to trace the utilization of 1RS introgression in modern wheat breeding by hitchhiked segments. At the single block scale, the dissected germplasm-based haplotypes nicely matched with previously identified alleles of “Green Revolution” genes and can guide allele mining and dissect the trajectory of beneficial alleles in wheat breeding. Our work presents a model-based framework for precisely evaluating germplasm resources with genomic data. A database, WheatCompDB (http://wheat.cau.edu.cn/WheatCompDB/), is available for researchers to exploit the identified gIBDs with a multi-scale network.
Health policy and COVID-19: path dependency and trajectory
Authors: Bali Azad Singh , He Alex Jingwei , Ramesh M
Published: January 2022

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has tested the mettle of governments across the globe and has thrown entrenched fault lines within health systems into sharper relief. In response to the outbreak of the pandemic, governments introduced a range of measures to meet the growth in demand and bridge gaps in health systems. The objective of this paper is to understand the nature and extent of the changes in health systems triggered by the COVID-19 crisis. The paper examines changes in the role of governments in (1) sector coordination, (2) service provision, (3) financing, (4) payment, and (5) regulations. It outlines broad trends and reforms underway prior to the pandemic and highlights likely trajectories in these aspects in the future. The paper argues that while the pandemic has accelerated changes already underway before the crisis, it has made little headway in clearing the path for other or deeper health policy reforms. The reform window that COVID-19 opened has not been wide enough to overcome the entrenched path dependency and structural interests that characterize the sector.
Capital Structure Priority Effects in Durations, Stock-Bond Comovements, and Factor Pricing Models
Authors: Choi Jaewon , Richardson Matthew , Whitelaw Robert F
Published: January 2022

We show theoretically and empirically that the durations of corporate securities are monotonically related to their capital structure priority, with equity often having a negative duration. The magnitude of this effect increases with firm leverage. We use these insights to challenge existing results on stock-bond comovements and factor pricing. For example, though overlooked, higher leverage and lower priority reduce the correlation between corporate security and government bond returns, and these variables explain time-series and cross-sectional variation in correlations; traditional market model regressions significantly understate corporate bond betas; and regressions on standard term and default factors dramatically overstate interest rate and default risk. (JEL G12, G13)
Machine learning using genetic and clinical data identifies a signature that robustly predicts methotrexate response in rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Lim Lee Jin , Lim Ashley J W , Ooi Brandon N S , Tan Justina Wei Lynn , Koh Ee Tzun ,   TTSH Rheumatoid Arthritis Study Group, Ang Andrea Ee Ling , Chan Grace Yin Lai , Chan Madelynn Tsu-Li , Chia Faith Li-Ann , Chng Hiok Hee , Chua Choon Guan , Howe Hwee Siew , Koh Ee Tzun , Koh Li Wearn , Kong Kok Ooi , Law Weng Giap , Lee Samuel Shang Ming , Leong Khai Pang , Lian Tsui Yee , Lim Xin Rong , Loh Jess Mung Ee , Manghani Mona , Tan Justina Wei Lynn , Tan Sze-Chin , Teo Claire Min-Li , Thong Bernard Yu-Hor , Tjokrosaputro Paula Permatasari , Xu Chuanhui , Chong Samuel S , Khor Chiea Chuen , Tucker-Kellogg Lisa , Lee Caroline G , Leong Khai Pang
Published: January 2022

Objective

To develop a hypothesis-free model that best predicts response to MTX drug in RA patients utilizing biologically meaningful genetic feature selection of potentially functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (pfSNPs) through robust machine learning (ML) feature selection methods.

Methods

MTX-treated RA patients with known response were divided in a 4:1 ratio into training and test sets. From the patients’ exomes, potential features for classifier prediction were identified from pfSNPs and non-genetic factors through ML using recursive feature elimination with cross-validation incorporating the random forest classifier. Feature selection was repeated on random subsets of the training cohort, and consensus features were assembled into the final feature set. This feature set was evaluated for predictive potential using six ML classifiers, first by cross-validation within the training set, and finally by analysing its performance with the unseen test set.

Results

The final feature set contains 56 pfSNPs and five non-genetic factors. The majority of these pfSNPs are located in pathways related to RA pathogenesis or MTX action and are predicted to modulate gene expression. When used for training in six ML classifiers, performance was good in both the training set (area under the curve: 0.855–0.916; sensitivity: 0.715–0.892; and specificity: 0.733–0.862) and the unseen test set (area under the curve: 0.751–0.826; sensitivity: 0.581–0.839; and specificity: 0.641–0.923).

Conclusion

Sensitive and specific predictors of MTX response in RA patients were identified in this study through a novel strategy combining biologically meaningful and machine learning feature selection and training. These predictors may facilitate better treatment decision-making in RA management.
Humoral immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases under treatment with Rituximab: a case–control study (COVID-19VacRTX)
Authors: Schumacher Falk , Mrdenovic Nikola , Scheicht Dennis , Pons-Kühnemann Jörn , Scheibelhut Christine , Strunk Johannes
Published: January 2022

Objectives

Patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs) treated with the anti-CD20 mAb rituximab (RTX) have been identified as high-risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes. Additionally, there is increased risk due to reduced humoral immune response, induced by therapeutic B cell depletion. This study sought to quantify humoral response after vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in patients with IRD treated with RTX. It also sought to elucidate the influence of the time frame between the last RTX dose and the first vaccination, or the status of B cell depletion on antibody titre.

Methods

In this case–control study, patients with IRDs previously treated with RTX were examined for humoral immune response after completing the first series of vaccinations with approved vaccines [BNT162b2 (Biontech/Pfizer), RNA-1273 (Moderna), AZD1222 (AstraZeneca/Oxford), Ad26.COV2.S (Janssen/Johnson & Johnson)]. Antibody levels were quantified using the Euroimmun Anti-SARS-CoV-2 QuantiVac ELISA (EI-S1-IgG-quant). Blood samples were taken just before the next infusion with RTX after the vaccination. The interval between the last RTX infusion and the first vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 and other possible factors influencing the antibody levels were evaluated.

Results

A total of 102 patients were included. Of these, 65 (64%) showed a negative antibody level (<24 IU (international unit)/ml) after the vaccination. The comparative univariate analysis of the antibody levels achieved a significant result (P = 0.0008) for the time between the last RTX infusion and first vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. No CD19+ peripheral B-cells could be detected in 73 of the patients (72%).

Conclusion

The study confirms the negative impact of RTX on antibody level after vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. A clear relationship exists between the antibody titre and the interval between the last RTX infusion and the first vaccination, the number of peripheral B-cells, and immunoglobulin quantity. Improved understanding of the effect of these parameters can help guide synchronization of vaccination in relation to the RTX therapy regimen.
Patterns of biologic and targeted-synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug use in rheumatoid arthritis in Australia
Authors: Fletcher Ashley , Lassere Marissa , March Lyn , Hill Catherine , Barrett Claire , Carroll Graeme , Buchbinder Rachelle
Published: January 2022

Objective

The aim of this study was to describe treatment patterns in RA, including the frequency and reasons for switching or stopping biologic and targeted synthetic DMARDs (b/tsDMARDs).

Methods

The reasons for switching or stopping b/tsDMARDs were extracted from the Australian Rheumatology Association Database (ARAD) from 2003 to 2018 for RA participants. Switching patterns for each b/tsDMARD and time on first-, second- and third-line b/tsDMARDs were evaluated using Sankey diagrams and survival methods.

Results

A total of 2839 participants were included in the analysis. The first-line b/tsDMARDs were etanercept (n = 1414), adalimumab (n = 1024), infliximab (n = 155), golimumab (n = 98), abatacept (n = 66), certolizumab (n = 38), tocilizumab (n = 21) and tofacitinib (n = 23). Of those starting first-, second- and third-line biologic therapy, 24.0%, 31.8% and 24.4% switched to another b/tsDMARD within 12 months, respectively. Inefficacy or adverse effects were the most common reasons for stopping therapy, irrespective of line of treatment. Compared with first-line etanercept, participants were more likely to stop adalimumab [Hazard ratio (HR) 1.16, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.29] and infliximab (HR 1.77, 95% CI: 1.46, 2.16). No differences were seen for other b/tsDMARDs. For second-line therapies compared with etanercept, the risk of stopping was lower for tocilizumab (HR 0.41, 95% CI: 0.25, 0.70), rituximab (HR 0.51, 95% CI: 0.30, 0.85) and tofacitinib (HR 0.29, 95% CI: 0.15, 0.57). Participants taking rituximab, tocilizumab and tofacitinib were also less likely to stop third-line therapy in comparison with participants taking etanercept.

Conclusions

Switching between b/tsDMARDs was common among ARAD participants with RA, most commonly due to inefficacy or adverse effects. Durability of exposure and reasons for switching varied between b/tsDMARDs.
Inter-brain neural mechanism underlying turn-based interaction under acute stress in women: a hyperscanning study using functional near-infrared spectroscopy
Authors: Zhao Hanxuan , Li Yadan , Wang Xuewei , Kan Yuecui , Xu Sihua , Duan Haijun
Published: January 2022

With the ever-changing social environment, stress has exerted a substantial influence on social interaction. The present study examined the underlying cognitive and neural mechanism on how acute stress affected the real-time cooperative and competitive interaction with four hypothesized path models. We used the hyperscanning technique based on functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) device to examine brain-to-brain coherence within the dyads engaging Pattern Game under acute stress manipulated through Trier Social Stress Test for Groups. Behavioral results showed stressed dyads exhibited better cooperative performance and higher self-other overlap level during the cooperative session than dyads in the control group. The fNIRS results identified higher interpersonal brain synchronization in the right temporal-parietal junction (r-TPJ) stronger Granger causality from partner-to-builder during the cooperative session in the stress group when compared with the control group. Our results corroborated better performance in the cooperative context and further identified that brain-to-brain coherence in r-TPJ and self-other overlap serially mediated the effect of acute stress on cooperative performance.
Lacking social support is associated with structural divergences in hippocampus–default network co-variation patterns
Authors: Zajner Chris , Spreng R Nathan , Bzdok Danilo
Published: January 2022

Elaborate social interaction is a pivotal asset of the human species. The complexity of people’s social lives may constitute the dominating factor in the vibrancy of many individuals’ environment. The neural substrates linked to social cognition thus appear especially susceptible when people endure periods of social isolation: here, we zoom in on the systematic inter-relationships between two such neural substrates, the allocortical hippocampus (HC) and the neocortical default network (DN). Previous human social neuroscience studies have focused on the DN, while HC subfields have been studied in most detail in rodents and monkeys. To bring into contact these two separate research streams, we directly quantified how DN subregions are coherently co-expressed with specific HC subfields in the context of social isolation. A two-pronged decomposition of structural brain scans from ∼40 000 UK Biobank participants linked lack of social support to mostly lateral subregions in the DN patterns. This lateral DN association co-occurred with HC patterns that implicated especially subiculum, presubiculum, CA2, CA3 and dentate gyrus. Overall, the subregion divergences within spatially overlapping signatures of HC–DN co-variation followed a clear segregation into the left and right brain hemispheres. Separable regimes of structural HC–DN co-variation also showed distinct associations with the genetic predisposition for lacking social support at the population level.
Roles of auxin in the inhibition of shoot branching in ‘Dugan’ fir
Authors: Yang Liwei , Zhu Sheng , Xu Jin
Published: January 2022

Shoot branching substantially impacts vegetative and reproductive growth as well as wood characteristics in perennial woody species by shaping the shoot system architecture. Although plant hormones have been shown to play a fundamental role in shoot branching in annual species, their corresponding actions in perennial woody plants are largely unknown, in part due to the lack of branching mutants. Here, we demonstrated the role of plant hormones in bud dormancy transition toward activation and outgrowth in woody plants by comparing the physiological and molecular changes in the apical shoot stems of ‘Yangkou’ 020 fir and ‘Dugan’ fir, two Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.) clones with normal and completely abolished branching phenotypes, respectively. Our studies showed that the defect in bud outgrowth was the cause of failed shoot branching in ‘Dugan’ fir whereas apically derived signals acted as triggers of this ectopic bud activity. Further studies indicated that auxin played a key role in inhibiting bud outgrowth in ‘Dugan’ fir. During bud dormancy release, the differential auxin resistant 1/Like AUX1 (AUX1/LAX) and PIN-formed (PIN) activity resulted in an ectopic auxin/indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) accumulation in the apical shoot stem of ‘Dugan’ fir, which could inhibit the cell cycle in the axillary meristem by decreasing cytokinin (CK) biosynthesis but increasing abscisic acid (ABA) production and response through the signaling pathway. In contrast, during bud activation and outgrowth, the striking increase in auxin biosynthesis and PIN activity in the shoot tip of ‘Dugan’ fir may trigger the correlative inhibition of axillary buds by modulating the polar auxin transport stream (PATS) and connective auxin transport (CAT) in shoots, and by influencing the biosynthesis of secondary messengers, including CK, gibberellin (GA) and ABA, thereby inducing the paradormancy of axillary buds in ‘Dugan’ fir by apical dominance under favorable conditions. The findings of this study provide important insights into the roles of plant hormones in bud outgrowth control in perennial woody plants.
Genetic and biological characteristics of species A rotaviruses detected in common shrews suggest a distinct evolutionary trajectory
Authors: Falkenhagen Alexander , Tausch Simon H , Labutin Anton , Grützke Josephine , Heckel Gerald , Ulrich Rainer G , Johne Reimar
Published: January 2022

Species A rotaviruses (RVAs) are important aetiological agents of severe diarrhoea in young children. They are also widely distributed in mammals and birds, and increasing evidence indicates the possibility of zoonotic transmission of RVA strains between animals and humans. Moreover, reassortment of the eleven segments of the RVA genome can result in rapid biological changes and may influence pathogenic properties. Here, the nearly complete genome of an RVA strain from a common shrew (Sorex araneus) was sequenced, which showed high nucleotide sequence similarity to additionally determined partial sequences from common shrew RVAs but only very low identity (below 68 per cent) to RVAs from other animal species and humans. New genotypes were assigned to most genome segments of the novel common shrew RVA strain KS14/269, resulting in the genome constellation G39-P[55]-I27-R26-C22-M22-A37-N26-T26-E30-H26. Phylogenetic analyses clustered the common shrew RVAs as ancestral branches of other mammalian and avian RVAs for most of the genome segments, which is in contrast to the phylogeny of the hosts. Nevertheless, conserved sequences typical for all RVAs were identified at the 5ʹ- and 3ʹ- non-coding segment termini. To explore whether the common shrew RVA can exchange genetic material with other mammalian RVAs by reassortment, a reverse genetics system based on the simian RVA strain SA11 was used. However, no viable reassortants could be rescued by exchanging the VP4-, VP6-, or VP7-encoding genome segment alone or in combinations. It can be concluded that highly divergent RVAs are present in common shrews, indicating an evolution of these viruses largely separated from other mammalian and avian RVAs. The zoonotic potential of the virus seems to be low but needs to be further analysed in future.
Comparative Profiling of Wood Canker Pathogens from Spore Traps and Symptomatic Plant Samples Within California Almond and Walnut Orchards
Authors: Jiménez Luna Israel , Doll David , Ashworth Vanessa E. T. M. , Trouillas Florent P. , Rolshausen Philippe E.
Published: January 2022

Fungi causing wood canker diseases are major factors limiting productivity and longevity of almond and walnut orchards. The goal of this study was to compare pathogen profiles from spore traps with those of plant samples collected from symptomatic almond and walnut trees and assess if profiles could be influenced by orchard type and age, rainfall amount and frequency, and/or neighboring trees. Three almond orchards and one walnut orchard with different characteristics were selected for this study. Fungal inoculum was captured weekly from nine trees per orchard using a passive spore-trapping device, during a 30-week period in the rainy season (October to April) and for two consecutive years. Fungal taxa identified from spore traps were compared with a collection of fungal isolates obtained from 61 symptomatic wood samples collected from the orchards. Using a culture-dependent approach coupled with molecular identification, we identified 18 known pathogenic species from 10 fungal genera (Ceratocystis destructans, Collophorina hispanica, Cytospora eucalypti, Diaporthe ampelina, Diaporthe chamaeropis/rhusicola, Diaporthe eres, Diaporthe novem, Diplodia corticola, Diplodia mutila, Diplodia seriata, Dothiorella iberica, Dothiorella sarmentorum, Dothiorella viticola, Eutypa lata, Neofusicoccum mediterraneum, Neofusicoccum parvum, Neoscytalidium dimidiatum, and Pleurostoma richardsiae), plus two unidentified Cytospora and Diaporthe species. However, only four species were identified with both methods (Diplodia mutila, Diplodia seriata, Dothiorella Iberica, and E. lata), albeit not consistently across orchards. Our results demonstrate a clear disparity between the two diagnostic methods and caution against using passive spore traps to predict disease risks. In particular, the spore trap approach failed to capture: insect-vectored pathogens such as Ceratocystis destructans that were often recovered from almond trunk and scaffold; Diaporthe chamaeropis/rhusicola commonly isolated from wood samples likely because Diaporthe species have a spatially restricted dispersal mechanism, as spores are exuded in a cirrus; and pathogenic species with low incidence in wood samples such as P. richardsiae and Collophorina hispanica. We propose that orchard inoculum is composed of both endemic taxa that are characterized by frequent and repeated trapping events from the same trees and isolated from plant samples, as well as immigrant taxa characterized by rare trapping events. We hypothesize that host type, orchard age, precipitation, and alternative hosts at the periphery of orchards are factors that could affect pathogen profile. We discuss the limitations and benefits of our methodology and experimental design to develop guidelines and prediction tools for fungal wood canker diseases in California orchards.
Transmission of Blood Disease in Banana
Authors: Ray Jane D. , Subandiyah Siti , Prakoso Ady B. , Rincón-Flórez Vivian A. , Carvalhais Lilia C. , Drenth André
Published: January 2022

Banana Blood disease is a bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia syzygii subsp. celebesensis and is an economically important disease in Indonesia and Malaysia. Transmission of this pathogen is hypothesized to occur through insects mechanically transferring bacteria from diseased to healthy banana inflorescences and other pathways involving pruning tools, water movement, and root-to-root contact. This study demonstrates that the ooze from the infected male bell and the sap from various symptomatic plant parts are infective, and the cut surfaces of a bunch peduncle, petiole, corm, pseudostem, and the rachis act as infection courts for R. syzygii subsp. celebesensis. In addition, evidence is provided that R. syzygii subsp. celebesensis is highly tool transmissible, that the bacterium can be transferred from the roots of a diseased plant to the roots of a healthy plant and transferred from the mother plant to the sucker. We provide evidence that local dispersal of Blood disease occurs predominantly through mechanical transmission by insects, birds, bats, or human activities from diseased to healthy banana plants and that long-distance dispersal occurs through the movement of contaminated planting material. Disease management strategies to prevent crop losses associated with this emerging disease are discussed based on our findings.
Race Characterization of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici in the United States from 2013 to 2017
Authors: Wang Meinan , Wan Anmin , Chen Xianming
Published: January 2022

Stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, is an important disease of wheat. In this study, 1,567 isolates collected from the United States from 2013 to 2017 were tested for virulence on 18 wheat Yr single-gene lines to differentiate races. In total, 72 races, including 20 new, were identified, and their frequencies in different years and different epidemiological regions were determined and compared. The 20 new races had low frequencies, and 7 of them each were detected from only one sample and 10 only in a single year. Frequencies of virulence to Yr10, Yr24, and Yr32 were low (<10%); to Yr1, Yr76, YrTr1, and YrSP were moderate (10 to 40%); and to Yr6, Yr7, Yr8, Yr9, Yr17, Yr27, Yr43, Yr44, and Exp2 were high (>70%), although they varied from year to year and from region to region. No virulence was detected to either Yr5 or Yr15, indicating that these genes were still effective against the pathogen in the United States. Based on the virulence data, the diversity of the U.S. P. striiformis f. sp. tritici population was the highest in 2016 and lowest in 2015, and the diversity of the regional population was the highest in region 1 and lowest in region 11. The yearly populations between consecutive years were closer than nonconsecutive years, and the eastern populations were closer to each other than those among the western populations. The findings are useful for understanding the pathogen evolution and for developing resistant cultivars for control of the disease.
Identification and Mapping of Quantitative Trait Loci Associated with Stripe Rust Resistance in Spring Club Wheat Cultivar JD
Authors: Eagle Jonathan , Liu Yan , Naruoka Yukiko , Liu Weizhen , Ruff Travis , Hooker Marcus , Sthapit Sajal , Marston Elliott , Marlowe Karol , Pumphrey Michael , See Deven R.
Published: January 2022

Puccinia striiformis Westend. f. sp. tritici, commonly known as stripe rust, is an economically important pathogen of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The hexaploid club spring wheat cultivar JD contains both all-stage and adult plant resistance (APR) genes and exhibited consistent high resistance to stripe rust in the field. In this study, we aimed to identify the quantitative trait loci (QTL) for stripe rust resistance using a BC1F7back-cross inbred-line population derived from the cross of JD and the recurrent parental line ‘Avocet’. The population was phenotyped in field plots in Washington State at the Spillman Agronomy Farm in Pullman and Mount Vernon Northwest Washington Research and Extension Center in between 2014 and 2016. A major QTL tentatively designated as QYrJD.wsu-1B, conferring all-stage resistance in JD background, was identified and mapped at the telomere region on the short arm of chromosome 1B using the genotyping-by-sequencing method. This QTL was further characterized with simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and found to have the greatest logarithm-of-the-odds score and phenotypic effect, using SSR marker wmc798 on chromosome 1BS. Seven additional QTLs associated with APR were identified in the JD background on chromosomes 2D, 3A, 3B, 4A, 6B, and 7A with partial phenotypic effects.
Use of Child Care Attenuates the Link Between Decreased Maternal Sleep and Increased Depressive Symptoms
Authors: Armstrong Bridget , Weaver R. Glenn , Beets Michael W. , Østbye Truls , Kravitz Richard M. , Benjamin-Neelon Sara E.
Published: January 2022

Objective:

Sleep disruption is common among postpartum women and is linked with depression. Child care may alleviate parenting stress and protect new mothers against symptoms of depression.

Methods:

Mothers from the NURTURE study, a birth cohort of 666 women of full-term infants, completed questionnaires during home visits when their infants were 3, 6, 9, and 12 months old. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Perceived Stress Scale were used to measure depressive symptoms and stress, respectively. Mothers reported total nightly sleep duration for themselves and their infants, child care arrangements, marital status, and income. We used mixed-effects models adjusting for income, marital status, and child age to examine the indirect effect of infants' sleep on maternal mental health through mothers' sleep and assessed whether patterns differed depending on child care.

Results:

Decreased maternal sleep mediated the association between infant sleep and maternal mental health. When infants slept 1 hour less than usual, mothers slept 7 fewer minutes (B = 0.19, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.01 to 0.27) and reported more depressive symptoms (B = −0.27, 95% CI, −0.43 to −0.11) and stress (B = −0.33, 95% CI −0.58 to −0.09). Child care moderated the indirect effect; decreased maternal sleep was not associated with increased depressive symptoms (and was not a mediator) when mothers had child care (indirect effect = −0.001, 95% CI, −0.03 to 0.03).

Conclusion:

Use of infant child care reduced the link between maternal sleep and depressive symptoms. Regular access to child care may be a method to mitigate feelings of depression for new mothers.
Parent-Reported Problems Accessing Mental Health Services Among a National Sample of Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Anxiety
Authors: Conrad Cassandra , Cerda Natalie , Harstad Elizabeth
Published: January 2022

Objective:

The objective of this study was to identify factors associated with parent-reported problems accessing needed mental health services (MHS) in youth with autism spectrum disorder and anxiety.

Methods:

This study is a secondary analysis using the National Survey of Children's Health 2016 to 2017 data sets with multivariable logistic regression. Subjects are 6 to 17 year olds with parent-reported autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and anxiety. Outcome is parent-reported challenge accessing needed mental health treatment, dichotomized to not a problem versus problem. Covariates included race/ethnicity, intellectual disability, insurance, medical home, poverty level, and parent education level.

Results:

The sample included 568 youth with ASD and anxiety—78% male subjects, mean age 12.5 years, and 63% White, non-Hispanic. Fifty-three percent of youth with ASD and anxiety had parent-reported problems accessing needed MHS. Lack of medical home (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 5.97, 95% confidence interval [CI] [2.72–13.09]) and coexisting intellectual disability (aOR 2.23, 95% CI [1.08–4.60]) were significantly associated with problems accessing MHS. Reported family incomes at 0% to 99% and 100% to 199% of the federal poverty level as compared with family income at 400% federal poverty level or above (aOR 0.32, 95% CI [0.11–0.94] and aOR 0.35, 95% CI [0.13–0.95], respectively) was associated with decreased problems accessing MHS.

Conclusion:

In this nationally representative study, more than half of youth with ASD and anxiety had parent-reported problems accessing needed MHS. Lack of a medical home, co-occurring intellectual disability, and higher socioeconomic status (SES) are associated with problems accessing MHS. Therefore, policies to support the medical home; increase mental health supports available for those with ASD, anxiety, and coexisting intellectual disability; and support access for all SES levels may increase mental health access.
Duodenal microbiome changes in postmenopausal women: effects of hormone therapy and implications for cardiovascular risk
Authors: Leite Gabriela , Barlow Gillian M. , Parodi Gonzalo , Pimentel Maya L. , Chang Christine , Hosseini Ava , Wang Jiajing , Pimentel Mark , Mathur Ruchi
Published: January 2022

Objective:

Hormone therapy (HT) is used to treat menopause-related conditions and symptoms. The small intestine plays key roles in metabolic and endocrine function, but the effects of HT on the small intestinal microbiome are unknown. Here, we characterize duodenal microbiome differences, and the effects of HT, in postmenopausal women.

Methods:

Female participants undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy who were postmenopausal and taking HT (HT+), postmenopausal but not taking HT (HT−), or of reproductive age and not taking exogenous hormones (RA), were identified and matched for body mass index (±3 kg/m2). DNAs were isolated from duodenal aspirates obtained during upper endoscopy. V3 and V4 libraries were used for 16S rRNA sequencing. Serum hormone levels were analyzed by Luminex FlexMap.

Results:

The core duodenal microbiome was different in HT− participants (n = 12) when compared with RA participants (n = 10), but more similar in HT+ (n = 13) and RA participants. HT− participants had increased Proteobacteria taxa, leading to greater microbial dysbiosis compared with HT+ participants, and had decreased prevalence of Bacteroidetes, which was associated with higher fasting glucose levels, lower duodenal microbial diversity, and lower testosterone levels. HT+ participants had significantly higher estradiol (P = 0.04) and progesterone (P = 0.04), and lower fasting glucose (P = 0.03), than HT− participants, and had increased relative abundance of Prevotella (P = 0.01), and decreased Escherichia (P = 1.12E-7), Klebsiella (P = 5.93E-7), and Lactobacillus (P = 0.02), all associated with lower cardiovascular disease risks.

Conclusions:

These findings support previous studies suggesting that HT may have beneficial effects following menopause, and although preliminary, may also support a beneficial effect of HT on the duodenal microbiome.
The effect of music therapy on menopausal symptoms and depression: a randomized-controlled study
Authors: Koçak Derya Yüksel , Varişoğlu Yeliz
Published: January 2022

Objective:

Menopausal syndrome generally includes psychological problems. Listening to music has been used to cope with changes during this period. This study was conducted to determine the effect of listening to music on the symptoms of menopause and depression levels.

Methods:

This randomized-controlled study was carried out between July 2019 and December 2020. The study sample consisted of 48 postmenopausal women (21 in the music group and 27 in the control group). Music was played by the researcher to the postmenopausal women in the intervention group in a total of 18 sessions for six weeks. The data were collected using an introductory information form, Beck depression inventory (BDI), and menopause rating scale (MRS).

Results:

The posttest MRS scores of the women in the control group were higher than those in the music group, without a statistically significant difference between the groups (P > 0.05). Comparison of the post-test BDI scores of the participants in the music and control groups revealed a significant decrease in the depression scores among the women in the music group (P = 0.036). Comparison of the pretest and posttest MRS and BDI differences between the participants showed a statistically significant decrease in the MRS total and sub-scale scores among the women in the music group after the intervention.

Conclusions:

There was a significant decrease of posttest BDI scores of the women in the music group but not in the control group. Listening to music can help reduce depression levels and symptoms of menopause in postmenopausal women. Music could be used as a nonpharmacological therapeutic option in nursing care.