bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improved draft reference genome for the Glassy-winged Sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis), a vector for Pierce’s disease
Authors: Ettinger Cassandra L. , Byrne Frank J. , Collin Mathew A. , Carter-House Derreck , Walling Linda L. , Atkinson Peter W. , Redak Rick A. , Stajich Jason E.
Published: June 2021

Homalodisca vitripennis(Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), known as the glassy-winged sharpshooter, is a xylem feeding leafhopper and an important agricultural pest as a vector ofXylella fastidiosa,which causes Pierce’s disease in grapes and a variety of other scorch diseases. The currentH. vitripennisreference genome from the Baylor College of Medicine’s i5k pilot project is a 1.4-Gb assembly with 110,000 scaffolds, which still has significant gaps making identification of genes difficult. To improve on this effort, we used a combination of Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing technology combined with Illumina sequencing reads to generate a better assembly and first-pass annotation of the whole genome sequence of a wild-caught Californian (Tulare County) individual ofH. vitripennis. The improved reference genome assembly forH. vitripennisis 1.93-Gb in length (21,254 scaffolds, N50 = 650 Mb, BUSCO completeness = 94.3%), with 33.06% of the genome masked as repetitive. In total, 108,762 gene models were predicted including 98,296 protein-coding genes and 10,466 tRNA genes. As an additional community resource, we identified 27 orthologous candidate genes of interest for future experimental work including phenotypic marker genes likewhite. Further, as part of the assembly process, we generated four endosymbiont metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), including a high-quality near complete 1.7-MbWolbachiasp. genome (1 scaffold, CheckM completeness = 99.4%). The improved genome assembly and annotation forH. vitripennis, curated set of candidate genes, and endosymbiont MAGs will be invaluable resources for future research ofH. vitripennis.
Real-time environmental monitoring of contaminants using living electronic sensors
Authors: Atkinson Joshua T. , Su Lin , Zhang Xu , Bennett George N. , Silberg Jonathan J. , Ajo-Franklin Caroline M.
Published: June 2021

Real-time chemical sensing is needed to counter the global threats posed by pollution. We combine synthetic biology and materials engineering to develop a living bioelectronic sensor platform with minute detection times.Escherichia coliwas programmed to reduce an electrode in a chemical-dependent manner using a modular, eight-component, synthetic electron transport chain. This strain produced significantly more current upon exposure to thiosulfate, an anion that causes microbial blooms. Incorporating a protein switch into the synthetic pathway and encapsulation of microbes with electrodes and conductive nanomaterials yielded a living bioelectronic sensor that could detect an endocrine disruptor within two minutes in riverine water, implicating the signal as mass transfer limited. These findings provide a new platform for miniature, low-power sensors that safeguard ecological and human health.

One Sentence Summary

Chemicals are detected electrically using an allosterically-regulated electron transfer pathway in designer microbes.
Gene age predicts the transcriptional landscape of sexual morphogenesis in multicellular fungi
Authors: Merényi Zsolt , Virágh Máté , Gluck-Thaler Emile , Slot Jason C. , Kiss Brigitta , Varga Torda , Geösel András , Hegedüs Botond , Bálint Balázs , Nagy László G.
Published: June 2021

Multicellularity has been one of the most important innovations in the history of life. The role of regulatory evolution in driving transitions to multicellularity is being increasingly recognized; however, patterns and drivers of transcriptome evolution are poorly known in many clades. We here reveal that allele-specific expression, natural antisense transcripts and developmental gene expression, but not RNA editing or a developmental hourglass act in concert to shape the transcriptome of complex multicellular fruiting bodies of fungi. We find that transcriptional patterns of genes are strongly predicted by their evolutionary age. Young genes showed more expression variation both in time and space, possibly because of weaker evolutionary constraint, calling for partially non-adaptive interpretations of evolutionary changes in the transcriptome of multicellular fungi. Gene age also correlated with function, allowing us to separate fruiting body gene expression related to simple sexual development from that potentially underlying complex morphogenesis. Our study highlighted a transcriptional complexity that provides multiple speeds for transcriptome evolution, but also that constraints associated with gene age shape transcriptomic patterns during transitions to complex multicellularity in fungi.
Nitrate reduction stimulates and is stimulated by phenazine-1-carboxylic acid oxidation by Citrobacter portucalensis MBL
Authors: Tsypin Lev M. , Newman Dianne K.
Published: June 2021

Phenazines are secreted metabolites that microbes use in diverse ways, from quorum sensing to antimicrobial warfare to energy conservation. Phenazines are able to contribute to these activities due to their redox activity. The physiological consequences of cellular phenazine reduction have been extensively studied, but the counterpart phenazine oxidation has been largely overlooked. Phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) is common in the environment and readily reduced by its producers. Here, we describe its anaerobic oxidation by Citrobacter portucalensis strain MBL, which was isolated from topsoil in Falmouth, MA, and which does not produce phenazines itself. This activity depends on the availability of a suitable terminal electron acceptor, specifically nitrate. When C. portucalensis MBL is provided reduced PCA and nitrate, it rapidly oxidizes the PCA. We compared this terminal electron acceptor-dependent PCA-oxidizing activity of C. portucalensis MBL to that of several other γ-proteobacteria with varying capacities to respire nitrate. We found that PCA oxidation by these strains in a nitrate-dependent manner is decoupled from growth and correlated with their possession of the periplasmic nitrate reductase Nap. We infer that bacterial PCA oxidation is widespread and propose that it may be genetically determined. Notably, oxidizing PCA enhances the rate of nitrate reduction to nitrite by C. portucalensis MBL beyond the stoichiometric exchange of electrons from PCA to nitrate, which we attribute to C. portucalensis MBL’s ability to also reduce oxidized PCA, thereby catalyzing a complete PCA redox cycle. This bidirectionality highlights the versatility of PCA as a biological redox agent.

IMPORTANCE

Phenazines are increasingly appreciated for their roles in structuring microbial communities. These tricyclic aromatic molecules have been found to regulate gene expression, be toxic, promote antibiotic tolerance, and promote survival under oxygen starvation. In all of these contexts, however, phenazines are studied as electron acceptors. Even if their utility arises primarily from being readily reduced, they need to be oxidized in order to be recycled. While oxygen and ferric iron can oxidize phenazines abiotically, biotic oxidation of phenazines has not been studied previously. We observed bacteria that readily oxidize phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) in a nitrate-dependent fashion, concomitantly increasing the rate of nitrate reduction to nitrite. Because nitrate is a prevalent terminal electron acceptor in diverse anoxic environments, including soils, and phenazine-producers are widespread, this observation of linked phenazine and nitrogen redox cycling suggests an underappreciated role for redox-active secreted metabolites in the environment.
Genomic differentiation within East Asian Helicobacter pylori
Authors: You Yuanhai , Thorell Kaisa , He Lihua , Yahara Koji , Yamaoka Yoshio , Cha Jeong-Heon , Murakami Kazunari , Katsura Yukako ,   TEAMHp, Kobayashi Ichizo , Falush Daniel , Zhang Jianzhong
Published: June 2021

The East Asian region, including China, Japan and Korea, accounts for half of gastric cancer deaths. However, different areas have contrasting gastric cancer incidence and the population structure of Helicobacter pylori in this ethnically diverse region is yet unknown. We aimed to investigate genomic differences in H. pylori between these areas to identify sequence polymorphisms associated with increased cancer risk.

We analysed 381 H. pylori genomes collected from different areas of the three countries using phylogenetic and population genetic tools to characterize population differentiation. The functional consequences of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) with a highest fixation index (Fst) between subpopulations were examined by mapping amino-acid changes on 3D protein structure, solved or modelled.

329/381 genomes belonged to the previously identified hspEAsia population indicating that import of bacteria from other regions of the world has been uncommon. Seven sub-regional clusters were found within hspEAsia, related to sub-populations with various ethnicities, geographies and gastric cancer risks. Sub-population-specific amino-acid changes were found in multi-drug exporters (hefC), transporters (frpB-4), outer membrane proteins (hopI), and several genes involved in host interaction, such as catalase, involved in H2O2 entrance, and a flagellin site mimicking host glycosylation. Several of the top hits including frpB-4, hefC, alpB/hopB, and hofC. were also differentiated within the Americas, indicating that a handful of genes may be key to local geographic adaptation.

H. pylori within East Asia are not homogeneous but have become differentiated geographically at multiple loci that have facilitated adaptation to local conditions and hosts. This has important implications for further evaluation of these changes in relation to the varying gastric cancer incidence between geographical areas in this region.
Repeated out-of-Africa expansions of Helicobacter pylori driven by replacement of deleterious mutations
Authors: Thorpe Harry A. , Tourrette Elise , Yahara Koji , Vale Filipa F. , Liu Siqi , Oleastro Mónica , Alarcon Teresa , Perets TsachiTsadok , Latifi-Navid Saeid , Yamaoka Yoshio , Martinez-Gonzalez Beatriz , Karayiannis Ioannis , Karamitros Timokratis , Sgouras Dionyssios N. , Elamin Wael , Pascoe Ben , Sheppard Samuel K. , Ronkainen Jukka , Aro Pertti , Engstrand Lars , Agreus Lars , Suerbaum Sebastian , Thorell Kaisa , Falush Daniel
Published: June 2021

Helicobacter pylori lives in the human stomach and has a population structure which resembles that of its host. However, H. pylori from Europe and the Middle East trace a substantially higher fraction of ancestry from modern African populations than the humans that carry them. Here, we used a collection of Afro-Eurasian H. pylori genomes to show that this African ancestry is due to at least three distinct admixture events. H. pylori from East Asia, which have undergone little admixture, have accumulated many more non-synonymous mutations than African strains. European and Middle Eastern bacteria have elevated African ancestry at the sites of these mutations compared to either non-segregating or synonymous sites, implying selection to remove them. We used simulations to show that demographic bottlenecks can lead to long-term segregation of deleterious mutations, despite high rates of homologous recombination, but that population fitness can be restored by migration of small numbers of bacteria from non-bottlenecked populations, leading to mosaic patterns of ancestry like that seen for H. pylori. We conclude that H. pylori have been able to spread repeatedly from Africa by outcompeting strains that carried deleterious mutations accumulated during the original out-of-Africa bottleneck.
Differential yet integral contributions of Nrf1 and Nrf2 in the human antioxidant cytoprotective response against tert-butylhydroquinone as a pro-oxidative stressor
Authors: Wufur Reziyamu , Fan Zhuo , Liu Keli , Zhang Yiguo
Published: June 2021

In the past 25 years, Nrf2 had been preferentially parsed as a master hub of regulating antioxidant, detoxification and cytoprotective genes, albeit as a matter of fact that Nrf1, rather than Nrf2, is indispensable for cell homeostasis and organ integrity during normal growth and development. Here, distinct genotypic cell lines (Nrf1α−/−, Nrf2−/−ΔTA and caNrf2ΔN) are employed to determine differential yet integral roles of Nrf1 and Nrf2 in mediating antioxidant responsive genes to tBHQ as a pro-oxidative stressor. In Nrf1α−/− cells, Nrf2 was highly accumulated but also cannot fully compensate specific loss of Nrf1α’s function in its basal cytoprotective response against endogenous oxidative stress, though it exerted partially inducible antioxidant response, as the hormetic effect of tBHQ, against apoptotic damages. By contrast, Nrf2−/−ΔTA cells gave rise to a substantial reduction of Nrf1 in both basal and tBHQ-stimulated expression and hence resulted in obvious oxidative stress, but can still be allowed to mediate a potent antioxidant response, as accompanied by a significantly decreased ratio of GSSG to GSH. Conversely, a remarkable increase of Nrf1 expression was resulted from the constitutive active caNrf2ΔN cells, which were not manifested with oxidative stress, no matter if it was intervened with tBHQ. Such inter-regulatory effects of Nrf1 and Nrf2 on antioxidant and detoxification genes (encoding HO-1, NQO1, GCLC, GCLM, GSR, GPX1, TALDO, MT1E and MT2), as well on the ROS-scavenging activities of SOD and CAT, were further investigated. The collective results unraveled that Nrf1 and Nrf2 make distinctive yet cooperative contributions to finely tuning basal constitutive and/or tBHQ-inducible expression levels of antioxidant cytoprotective genes in the inter-regulatory networks. Overall, Nrf1 acts as a brake control for Nrf2’s functionality to be confined within a certain extent, whilst its transcription is regulated by Nrf2.
Mechanosensitive channel inhibition attenuates TGFβ2-induced actin cytoskeletal remodeling and reactivity in mouse optic nerve head astrocytes
Authors: Kirschner Alexander , Strat Ana N. , Yablonski John , Bagué Tyler , Li Haiyan , Herberg Samuel , Ganapathy Preethi S.
Published: June 2021

Astrocytes within the optic nerve head undergo actin cytoskeletal rearrangement early in glaucoma, which coincides with astrocyte reactivity and extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition. Elevated transforming growth factor beta 2 (TGFβ2) levels within astrocytes have been described in glaucoma, and TGFβ signaling induces actin cytoskeletal remodeling and ECM deposition in many tissues. A key mechanism by which astrocytes sense and respond to external stimuli is via mechanosensitive ion channels. Here, we tested the hypothesis that inhibition of mechanosensitive channels will attenuate TGFβ2-mediated optic nerve head astrocyte actin cytoskeletal remodeling, reactivity, and ECM deposition. Primary optic nerve head astrocytes were isolated from C57BL/6J mice and cell purity was confirmed by immunostaining. Astrocytes were treated with vehicle control, TGFβ2 (5 ng/ml), GsMTx4 (a mechanosensitive channel inhibitor; 500 nM), or TGFβ2 (5 ng/ml) + GsMTx4 (500 nM) for 48 h. FITC-phalloidin staining was used to assess the formation of f-actin stress fibers and to quantify the presence of crosslinked actin networks (CLANs). Cell reactivity was determined by immunostaining for GFAP. Levels of fibronectin deposition were also quantified. Primary optic nerve head astrocytes were positive for the astrocyte marker GFAP and negative for markers for microglia (Iba1) and oligodendrocytes (OSP1). Significantly increased %CLAN-positive cells were observed after 48-h treatment with TGFβ2 vs. control in a dose-dependent manner. Co-treatment with GsMTx4 significantly decreased %CLAN-positive cells vs. TGFβ2 treatment and the presence of f-actin stress fibers. TGFβ2 treatment significantly increased GFAP and fibronectin fluorescence intensity, which were decreased with GsMTx4 treatment. Our data suggest inhibition of mechanosensitive channel activity as a potential therapeutic strategy to modulate actin cytoskeletal remodeling within the optic nerve head in glaucoma.
Capture of Viruses and Microorganisms in Aerosols Using A Newly Designed Collection System: A Proof-of-concept Study
Authors: Chen Dapeng , Devin Alese P , Caton Emily R. , Bryden Wayne A , McLoughlin Michael
Published: June 2021

Aerosols contain human pathogens that cause public health disasters such as tuberculosis (TB) and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The current technologies for the collection of viruses and microorganisms in aerosols face critical limitations, necessitating the development of a new type of sampling system to advance the capture technology. Herein, we presented a new type of collection system, which exploits the affinity between carbon chains and organic molecules on the surfaces of viruses and microorganisms. We demonstrated that the physical capture efficiency of the collection system was over 99% for particle sizes from 0.3 to 10 µm. We further evaluated the biochemical capture efficiency of the collection system using mass spectrometry approaches and showed that the biochemical information of viruses and microorganisms was well preserved. Coupled with well-established molecular technologies, this new type of capture technology can be used for the investigation of aerosol-related disease transmission models, as well as the development of innovative screening and monitoring tools for human diseases and public health issues.
Anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory activities of black cumin extracts in in vitro and in vivo model systems
Authors: Shaheen Nazma , Azam Afiatul , Ganguly Amlan , Anwar Saeed , Parvez Md. Sorwer Alam , Punyamurtula Ujwal , Hasan Md. Kamrul
Published: June 2021

Black cumin (Nigella sativa) is a widely used ingredient of traditional medicine for its broad-spectrum pharmacological actions, including anti-allergic, bronchial asthma, and anti-inflammatory properties. We sought to evaluate BC extracts’ efficacy for their anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory properties using a comprehensive in vitro, in vivo, and silico experimental setup. To investigate whether BC extract has anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, and analgesic therapeutic potentials in vitro and in vivo. The activity of BC was assessed through anti-allergic activity on rat basophilic leukemia-2H3 cell line, anti-inflammatory activity on J774.1A cell line, anti-inflammatory activity by carrageenan-induced rat paw edema, analgesic activity by acetic acid-induced writhing test, and ingenuity analysis of the BC extracts in inflammation control. BC exerted potent anti-allergic activity by inhibiting antigen-induced degranulation. An anti-inflammatory effect is shown by inhibiting TNF-α production. The acetic acid-induced writhing test shown a dose-dependent reduction of writhing number following BC administration. Rat paw edema test shown the dose-dependent reduction of paw edema volume following BC administration. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) suggested BC extracts containing ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, kaempferol, and quercetin can inhibit inflammation. This study suggests that bioactive compounds in BC extract act as an anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory agent by regulating several downstream and upstream inflammation pathways.
Phylogenetic Analysis of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Inner Mongolia, China
Authors: Kong Yunyi , Yan Chao , Liu Xiaodong , Jiang Lingling , Zhang Gang , He Biao , Li Yong
Published: June 2021

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a tick-borne arbovirus that can cause bleeding and death in humans. The mortality rate in humans is between 5 to 30%. The pathogen is prevalent in more than 30 countries in the world. In China, reports of strains of CCHFV have been concentrated in Xinjiang province. However, the CCHFV strain has never been reported in Inner Mongolia, China. This study reports new CCHFV strains, HANM-18, from Hyalomma asiaticum and Hyalomma dromedarii collected in Alxa Left Banner and Alxa Right Banner in Inner Mongolia. Complete sequences of CCHFV were obtained by the nested PCR technique and used for analyzing the identity and evolutionary relationship with other CCHFV strains. Interestingly, our results showed that the S and L fragments of the HANM-18 strain had high degrees of identity with Xingjiang isolate strains, and the M fragment had significant identity with South African isolates. These analyses also indicate that the HANM-18 strain may have been prevalent in northwest Inner Mongolia for many years. This discovery will be helpful in CCHF prevention and control in Inner Mongolia, and it also adds new evidence to the epidemiology of CCHF in China.
Structural probing of Hsp26 activation and client binding by quantitative cross-linking mass spectrometry
Authors: Fürsch Julius , Voormann Carsten , Kammer Kai-Michael , Stengel Florian
Published: June 2021

Small heat-shock proteins (sHSP) are important members of the cellular stress response in all species. Their best described function is the binding of early unfolding states and the resulting prevention of protein aggregation. Most sHSPs exist as oligomers but vary in size and subunit organization. Many sHSPs exist as a polydisperse composition of oligomers which undergoes changes in subunit composition, folding status and relative distribution upon heat activation. To date only an incomplete picture of the mechanism of sHSP activation exists and in particularly the molecular basis of how sHSPs bind client proteins and mediate client specificity is not fully understood. In this study we have applied cross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) to obtain detailed structural information on sHSP activation and client binding for yeast Hsp26. Our cross-linking data reveals the middle domain of Hsp26 as client-independent interface in multiple Hsp26::client complexes and indicates that client-specificity is likely mediated via additional binding sites within its αCD and CTE. Our quantitative XL-MS data underpins the middle domain as the main driver of heat-induced activation and client binding but shows that global rearrangements spanning all domains of Hsp26 are taking place simultaneously. We also investigated a Hsp26::client complex in the presence of Ssa1 (Hsp70) and Ydj1(Hsp40) at the initial stage of refolding and observe that the interaction between refolding chaperones is altered by the presence of a client protein, pointing to a mechanism where interaction of Ydj1 with the HSP::client complex initiates assembly of the active refolding machinery.
The information trust formation process for informal caregivers of people with dementia: a qualitative study
Authors: Sbaffi Laura , Hargreaves Sarah
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This paper provides new insights on trust formation during information-seeking processes of informal caregivers of people with dementia and identifies the sources of information deemed as trustworthy by caregivers.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopts a phenomenological qualitative approach in the form of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a sample of 20 informal caregivers.

Findings

Caregivers trust sources that are perceived as authoritative and particularly value the information and advice provided by other caregivers. Trust in information can be divided into subjective and objective, but both are important precursors to the actual use of the information. The information available to caregivers is sufficient in quantity but inadequate in terms of ease of use, clarity and usefulness. Often, some key information needs remain unsatisfied due to the lack of timeliness, relevance and personalisation of the information.

Practical implications

This paper provides recommendations for information and healthcare providers on how to improve communication and information relevance for informal caregivers of people with dementia.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to a more comprehensive perspective on caregivers’ information trust formation processes, which takes into account both the characteristics of the information and caregivers’ individual factors.
A measure of innovation performance: the Innovation Patent Index
Authors: Ponta Linda , Puliga Gloria , Manzini Raffaella
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The measure of companies' Innovation Performance is fundamental for enhancing the value and decision-making processes of firms. The purpose of this paper is to present a new measure of Innovation Performance, called Innovation Patent Index (IPI), which makes it possible to quantitatively summarize different aspects of firms' innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to define the IPI, a secondary source, i.e. patent data, has been used. The five dimensions of IPI, i.e. efficiency, time, diversification, quality and internationalization have been defined both analyzing the literature and applying three different machine learning algorithms (regularized least squares, deep neural networks and decision trees), considering patent forward citations as a proxy of the innovation performance.

Findings

Results show that the IPI index is a very useful tool, simple to use and very promptly. In fact, it is possible to get important results without making time consuming analysis with primary sources. It is a tool that can be used by managers, businessmen, policymakers, organizations, patent experts and financiers to evaluate and plan future activities, to enhance the innovation capability, to find financing and to support and improve innovation.

Research limitations/implications

Patent data are not widely used in all the sectors. Moreover, the pure number of forward citations is not the only forward looking indicator suggested by the literature.

Originality/value

The demand for a useable Innovation Performance tool, as well as the lack of tools able to grasp different aspects of the innovation, highlight the need to develop new instruments. In fact, although previous studies provide several measures of Innovation Performance, these are often difficult for managers to use, do not appreciate different aspects of the innovation and are not forward looking.
Spatial segregation in a sexually dimorphic central place forager: Competitive exclusion or niche divergence?
Authors: Orgeret Florian , Reisinger Ryan R. , Carpenter‐Kling Tegan , Keys Danielle Z. , Corbeau Alexandre , Bost Charles‐André , Weimerskirch Henri , Pistorius Pierre A.
Published: June 2021

Sexual competition is increasingly recognized as an important selective pressure driving species distributions. However, few studies have investigated the relative importance of interpopulation versus intrapopulation competition in relation to habitat availability and selection.

To explain spatial segregation between sexes that often occurs in non‐territorial and central place foragers, such as seabirds, two hypotheses are commonly used. The ‘competitive exclusion’ hypothesis states that dominant individuals should exclude subordinate individuals through direct competition, whereas the ‘niche divergence’ hypothesis states that segregation occurs due to past competition and habitat specialization.

We tested these hypotheses in two populations of an extreme wide‐ranging and sexually dimorphic seabird, investigating the relative role of intrapopulation and interpopulation competition in influencing sex‐specific distribution and habitat preferences.

Using GPS loggers, we tracked 192 wandering albatrosses Diomedea exulans during four consecutive years (2016–2019), from two neighbouring populations in the Southern Ocean (Prince Edward and Crozet archipelagos). We simulated pseudo‐tracks to create a null spatial distribution and used Kernel Density Estimates (KDE) and Resource Selection Functions (RSF) to distinguish the relative importance of within‐ versus between‐population competition.

Kernel Density Estimates showed that only intrapopulation sexual segregation was significant for each monitoring year, and that tracks between the two colonies resulted in greater overlap than expected from the null distribution, especially for the females. RSF confirmed these results and highlighted key at‐sea foraging areas, even if the estimated of at‐sea densities were extremely low. These differences in selected areas between sites and sexes were, however, associated with high interannual variability in habitat preferences, with no clear specific preferences per site and sex.

Our results suggest that even with low at‐sea population densities, historic intrapopulation competition in wide‐ranging seabirds may have led to sexual dimorphism and niche specialization, favouring the ‘niche divergence’ hypothesis. In this study, we provide a protocol to study competition within as well as between populations of central place foragers. This is relevant for understanding their distribution patterns and population regulation, which could potentially improve management of threatened populations.
Moderate endurance training reduced hepatic tumourigenesis associated with lower lactate overload compared to high‐intensity interval training
Authors: Cao Lu , Zhang Xue , Ji Benlong , Ding Shuzhe , Qi Zhengtang
Published: June 2021

The anti‐tumour effects of exercise are still poorly understood. In recent years, high‐intensity interval exercise has been recognised as one of the best choices for better health. However, high‐intensity interval exercise induces lactate production in muscles and elevates blood lactic acid levels, and the resulting acidic microenvironment may promote tumour progression. Therefore, it is important to compare the anti‐tumour effects of different types of exercise.

Objective

In this study, we aimed to compare the anti‐tumour effects of moderate endurance training and high‐intensity interval training on diethylnitrosamine (DEN)‐induced liver tumours and to explore the underlying mechanisms.

Methods

Three‐week‒old male C57BL/6 mice were injected intraperitoneally with DEN for 10 weeks to induce hepatocellular carcinoma. DEN‐treated mice were grouped and subjected to moderate endurance training (MET) or high‐intensity interval training (HIIT) for 18 weeks. We performed real‐time PCR to evaluate the mRNA expressions of key enzymes involved in lactate metabolism pathway and western blotting to examine the protein expressions of LDHA, AMPK/P‐AMPK, PCK1, and G6Pase in the paracancerous liver tissue. We performed high‐performance liquid mass spectrometry (HPLC) to detect lactate in liver.

Results

Our results revealed that compared with HIIT, MET decreased hepatic tumour incidence, as HIIT increased blood lactate concentration at rest. Moreover, MET reduced the transcript‐level expression of LDH subunit and significantly increased the mRNA levels of COX1 and ND1 in liver. However, no significant changes were observed in liver lactate levels and the expression of LDHA among the groups. In addition, no significant differences in the mRNA levels of critical enzymes involved in the gluconeogenesis pathway in liver were observed among the groups. Additionally, no significant differences were observed in the mRNA levels of MPC2, pdha2, and pdk4 among the groups.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that MET may be more efficient than HIIT at reducing hepatic tumourigenesis, and that it is associated with improved mitochondrial function in liver and lower lactate load in the circulation at rest.
Family Female Directors versus Non‐family Female Directors: Effects on Firm Value and Dividend Payouts in an Extreme Institutional Environment
Authors: Herdhayinta Heyvon , Lau James , Shen Carl Hsin‐han
Published: June 2021

By differentiating between family and non‐family female directors, this study aims to reconcile the prior mixed evidence on the effect of board gender diversity, especially when a company operates in a weak institutional environment. We argue that female directors are not homogenous. Drawing upon the socioemotional wealth perspective, this study proposes that family and non‐family female directors would display different behaviour when fulfilling their duty as monitoring managers. By analysing boards of directors in Indonesia from 2012 to 2018, we show that only non‐family female directors significantly enhance firm value and advocate dividend payouts. Our results indicate that non‐family female directors are more effective than family female directors at monitoring the management and protecting the interests of minority shareholders. This study echoes the call of integrating institutional contexts and differentiating different types of female directors when analysing the effects of gender diversity.
The Rise of New Boroughs and the Decline of Electoral Localism: The Evolving Composition of the House of Commons, 1386–1558*
Authors: Payling S.J.
Published: June 2021

The period between the ‘Wonderful Parliament’ of 1386 and the parliament ended by Queen Mary's death in 1558 saw major changes in the composition of the Commons. From the mid 15th century, there was a new and accelerating expansion in the number of seats. Yet, although these new seats extended representation geographically, the Commons, conceived as a group of individual MPs, did not thereby become more geographically representative. The expansion of numbers was matched by an erosion of the historic link between representation and locality so extensive as to change the character of the Commons. From the late 14th century, local merchants and tradesmen progressively gave place, as representatives of the smaller boroughs, to men whose horizons extended beyond the local and, in many cases, whose principal locality, as lawyers or government officials, was Westminster. This significantly improved the corporate standing of the Commons but, on the assumption that the connections of MPs outside the House determined their conduct within it, diminished their independence from the crown. As the principle of local representation came to be increasingly flouted, it became easier for royal servants to find seats, even without any contentious electoral engineering on the part of royal government, and they did so in increasing numbers.
Standing Orders and Precedents in the Irish House of Commons in the 17th and 18th Centuries
Authors: McKee Glenn
Published: June 2021

This article examines two parts of the procedural framework of the Irish house of commons in the 17th and 18th centuries. In contrast to the Westminster house of commons, precedents and standing orders played a less prominent part in the operation of the Irish House. The article examines how the Irish house of commons used and made precedents and standing orders. In the 17th century the House not only looked to its own precedents but also to Westminster procedures, which exercised a strong pull. Westminster procedures were imported as rules and orders. By the end of the century the House effectively did not use its own precedents as a source for its constitutional claims. From 1695 to 1715 standing orders were used by the Irish house of commons as one method to secure new privileges as a representative body, to assert its claims, especially to the control of finance, and to regulate and improve its integrity and efficiency of operation. The stimulus and conduit for change were a growing print culture, the shared political alignment of politics in Westminster and Dublin and contacts between politicians and parliamentary officials. Standing orders allowed Westminster practices to be adopted silently under the cloak of ‘the constitution of parliament’, possibly to protect and enhance emerging ‘patriot’ sensibilities. After 1715 the pace of change slowed and the Dublin House diverged from Westminster in its approach to standing orders. Members assumed that these lasted no longer than a parliament and required revival. The Irish house of commons established neither a definitive compendium nor authoritative arbiter of its rules. Westminster standing orders and manuals exercised a major, even predominant influence, but were used à la carte, and interpretation of procedural rules was often through debate, some of which was muddled, and application was determined by those who could command a majority.
‘State Whiggs, but such Bigotted Church Toryes’: The Irish Toleration Act of 1719 and the Politics of Religion*
Authors: Ingram Robert G.
Published: June 2021

This article examines the origins and implications of the Irish Toleration Act of 1719. It makes three related arguments. First, it highlights what Britons during the early 18th century thought religious toleration was meant to achieve and to whom and under what circumstances religious toleration might be extended. Second, it demonstrates the steady desacralisation of post‐revolutionary British politics, even in a country like Ireland so obviously riven along confessional lines. Finally, it contends that both the arguments for and against the Irish Toleration Act illustrate that the established churches in the composite post‐revolutionary British state were functionally civil religions.
Leaps and Light Shows: Visual Politics in the Edwardian Mass Press, 1900–10
Authors: Shoop‐Worrall Christopher
Published: June 2021

This article will explore the ways in which the ‘new dailies’, the Mail, Express and Mirror, used visual content to report on the four general elections that occurred between their emergence during the early 20th century and the outbreak of global war in 1914. Existing scholarship has explored how these founders of the ‘tabloid century’ became prominent components of British culture, but little exists of their pre‐Great War political significance. The article contends that the visual content of these newspapers represented a vibrant and important new form of mass political communication and an important part of the broader mass political culture of the period. Their coverage of election light shows, and cartoon election ‘races’, evoked much of their better‐known ‘human‐interest’ news content which had made them so commercially successful. Drawing on recent work of the popular political culture of the period, the article further contends that these newspapers’ visual political news also contributed to, and drew influence from, the wider mass culture of pre‐Great War Britain in order to articulate political news in ways which were exciting and accessible to their millions of readers. The new dailies therefore helped to democratise political news through entertaining visual connections to British popular culture, which appealed successfully to mass lower‐class readerships historically overlooked by traditional methods of political newspaper reporting and better included them within the vibrant, visual political culture of pre‐war Britain.
Astro‐Environmentalism: Towards a Polycentric Governance of Space Debris
Authors: Morin Jean‐Frédéric , Richard Benjamin
Published: June 2021

The Earth’s orbital space is increasingly threatened by debris. It is frequently described as a common‐pool resource vulnerable to a ‘tragedy of the commons’ scenario. Scholars have suggested ambitious policy proposals to tackle the tragedy of space debris and assure the sustainability of the Earth’s orbits. Their proposals can be classified into three categories: hierarchical regulations, economic incentives and property rights. All three categories require some form of central coordination. However, there might be an alternative approach to the problem and other potential solutions. Elinor Ostrom suggested that decentralized, polycentric systems are appropriate for governing common‐pool resources. Anecdotal evidence suggests that a polycentric form of governance can encourage a more sustainable use of the Earth’s orbits.
Nursing interventions for patients with COVID‐19: A medical record review and nursing interventions classification study
Authors: Asghari Elnaz , Archibald Mandy , Roshangar Fariborz
Published: June 2021

Purpose

To describe the nursing interventions provided to patients with COVID‐19 using the Nursing Interventions Classification.

Method

This is a retrospective study involving the review of 1,344 patient records of adults admitted to a specialty hospital for COVID‐19 in Tabriz, Iran. The nursing intervention was used to classify documented nursing care and interventions provided to COVID‐19–positive patients from February 20 to August 20, 2020. Data were analyzed descriptively using SPSS16.

Findings

The 10 most frequently documented nursing interventions across in‐patient (ward) and intensive care unit (ICU) contexts included Admission Care (7310), Environmental Management (6486), Health Education (5510), Infection Protection (6550), Medication Administration (2300), Positioning (0840), Respiratory Monitoring (3350), Vital Signs Monitoring (6680), Nausea Management (1450), and Diarrhea Management (0460). No records of distraction, relaxation techniques, or massage for anxiety reduction were documented.

Conclusion

This study used a common language to describe nursing interventions for patients with COVID‐19 admitted to a tertiary hospital.

Implications for nursing practice

The most commonly identified nursing interventions for COVID‐19 identified in this study provide evidence‐based insight into nurses’ scope of practice in the COVID‐19 in‐patient context.
Induction of labour from 39 weeks in low‐risk multiparas with ripe cervixes: A randomised controlled trial
Authors: Tan Peng Chiong , Othman Aida , Win Sandar Tin , Hong Jesrine Gek Shan , Elias Nurezwana , Omar Siti Zawiah
Published: June 2021

Background

Induction of labour (IOL) in low‐risk nulliparas at 39 weeks reduces caesarean delivery. Multiparas with ripe cervixes typically have vaginal delivery within eight hours. Delivery at night and weekend are associated with higher maternal and neonatal mortality.

Aims

To evaluate IOL in full‐term multiparas with ripe cervixes to achieve delivery at normal working hours and improve maternal satisfaction.

Methods

A randomised trial was performed in a tertiary hospital in Malaysia. Low‐risk multiparas with ripe cervixes (Bishop score ≥6) were recruited at 38+4–40+0 weeks, then randomised to planned labour induction at 39+0 weeks or expectant care. Primary outcomes were delivery during ‘normal working hours’ 09:00–17:00 hours, Monday–Friday and patient satisfaction by visual numerical rating scale.

Results

For IOL (n = 80) vs expectant care (n = 80) arms respectively, primary outcomes of delivery at normal working hours was 27/80 (34%) vs 29/78 (37%), relative risk (RR) 0.9, 95% CI 0.5–1.7, P = 0.41, patient satisfaction was 8.0 ± 1.8 vs 7.8 ± 1.6, P = 0.41; presentation for spontaneous labour or rupture of membranes were 27/80 (34%) vs 70/79 (89%), RR 0.4, 95% CI 0.3–0.5, P < 0.001; and for labour induction 52/80 (65%) vs 15/79 (19%), RR 3.4, 95% CI 2.1–5.5, P < 0.001. Caesarean delivery was 8/80 (10%) vs 4/79 (5%), RR 2.0, 95% CI 0.62–6.3, P = 0.25; and mean birthweight was 3.1 ± 0.3 vs 3.3 ± 0.4 kg, P = 0.06 for IOL vs expectant care, respectively.

Conclusion

Labour induction in low‐risk multiparas does not increase births during working hours or improve patient satisfaction. Antenatal clinic visits and non‐birth hospitalisation were significantly reduced.
FDA Advisory Committee favorably votes on OCS Heart
Authors: Han Jason J.
Published: June 2021

Brief summary

The FDA Advisory Committee has recently voted favorably in support of the FDA approving the TransMedics OCS Heart device. If approved, the device could be used to improve donor heart viability and utilization in the United States.
National guidelines recommend rotavirus vaccination to inpatient preterm infants
Authors: Schollin Ask Lina , Wingren Lisen , Storsaeter Jann
Published: June 2021

Aim

The aim was to perform a literature search of the latest evidence of administration of dose 1 of rotavirus vaccine to children admitted in neonatal intensive care or special care unit settings.

Methods

The literature search focused on the outcome of serious adverse events of rotavirus vaccination in vaccinated children and on possible symptomatic infection in controls and in unvaccinated children via transmission of the vaccine virus in the same ward. Results and guidelines were discussed with a working group selected from the national advisory group of child health. Also, a survey to neonatal care units in Sweden was sent out due to the subject.

Results

Administration of rotavirus vaccine is safe for age‐eligible preterm children and unvaccinated children in the same ward. A satisfactory immune response has been shown, and basic hygiene routines are enough. Also, hospitalised age‐eligible children with paediatric surgical conditions should be considered the rotavirus vaccine.

Conclusion

The Swedish Public Health Agency recommends that preterm infants as well as children who are admitted for other reasons in the neonatal ward be vaccinated with dose 1 against rotavirus infection when hospitalised and when age eligible.
The impact of livestock grazing and canopy gaps on species pool and functional diversity of ground flora in the Caspian beech forests of Iran
Authors: Shakeri Zahed , Simberloff Daniel , Bernhardt‐Römermann Markus , Eckstein Rolf Lutz
Published: June 2021

Questions

Livestock grazing is an important disturbance in many forest ecosystems. While several studies have addressed the general impact of different grazing and light intensities on temperate forest ecosystems, little is known about how the combination of these two factors can affect the species pool and functional diversity of temperate forests.

Location

Oriental beech forests of northern Iran.

Methods

Vegetation and environmental data of 104 relevés were collected. These were assigned to four groups based on their light and grazing intensities. Non‐metric multidimensional scaling was used to analyze vegetation compositional relationships among groups. We used nine functional traits related to growth, reproduction, and survival for a total of 147 plant species. Redundancy analysis of community‐weighted means was used to determine the response of single traits to disturbance and environmental variables. Generalized additive models were applied to examine the shape of the response pattern of community‐weighted mean trait values across the grazing and light intensity gradients. Functional richness and functional divergence indices were used to analyze functional diversity–disturbance relationships.

Results

Both light and grazing intensities significantly affected species pools, single traits, and functional divergence. Suites of trait attributes including hemicryptophytes, therophytes, grass‐like, hygromorphic leaves, insect‐pollinated, rhizomes, and runner plants were associated with high‐light sites. In closed‐canopy sites the strong filtering effect of shade resulted in suites of trait attributes including taller plants, macrophanerophytes, scleromorphic leaves, simple leaves, and berry fruits. While high‐light sites had a larger species pool, they exhibited less functional diversity. Cattle grazing can mediate the filtering effect of light and increase functional diversity in both low‐light and high‐light sites.

Conclusion

Conservation measures in this region should acknowledge that moderate traditional cattle grazing combined with individual‐tree and group‐tree selection in these forests may maintain or even enhance functional diversity in these valuable ecosystems.