bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Routine procedures and preventive measures in tissue banking and cell therapy during COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Zekusic Marija , Bujic Mihica Marina , Jularic Anamarija , Dolenec Tamara , Skoko Marija , Vrgoc Zimic Ivana , Vucemilo Tiha
Published: December 2020

Following the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 worldwide, this article describes routine procedures and preventive measures for tissue banking and cell therapy in University Hospital Centre “Sestre milosrdnice” in the Republic of Croatia. This paper describes our
current practice for preventing contamination and microbiological environmental
monitoring of cleanrooms, the protection of healthcare personnel as well as
patients from SARS-CoV-2. These measures are based on the recommendations
obtained from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia, the Croatian
Institute of Public Health and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and
Control. We also present data on samples collected and treated in this period
in comparison to normal work conditions before COVID-19.
Obesity and Bone Health: A Complex Link
Authors: Hou Jing , He Chen , He Wenzhen , Yang Mi , Luo Xianghang , Li Changjun
Published: December 2020

So far, the connections between obesity and skeleton have been extensively explored, but the results are inconsistent. Obesity is thought to affect bone health through a variety of mechanisms, including body weight, fat volume, bone formation/resorption, proinflammatory cytokines together with bone marrow microenvironment. In this review, we will mainly describe the effects of adipokines secreted by white adipose tissue on bone cells, as well as the interaction between brown adipose tissue, bone marrow adipose tissue, and bone metabolism. Meanwhile, this review also reviews the evidence for the effects of adipose tissue and its distribution on bone mass and bone-related diseases, along with the correlation between different populations with obesity and bone health. And we describe changes in bone metabolism in patients with anorexia nervosa or type 2 diabetes. In summary, all of these findings show that the response of skeleton to obesity is complex and depends on diversified factors, such as mechanical loading, obesity type, the location of adipose tissue, gender, age, bone sites, and secreted cytokines, and that these factors may exert a primary function in bone health.
Nanoparticles as Smart Carriers for Enhanced Cancer Immunotherapy
Authors: Thakur Neelam , Thakur Saloni , Chatterjee Sharmistha , Das Joydeep , Sil Parames C.
Published: December 2020

Cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a promising strategy for the treatment of many forms of cancer by stimulating body's own immune system. This therapy not only eradicates tumor cells by inducing strong anti-tumor immune response but also prevent their recurrence. The clinical cancer immunotherapy faces some insurmountable challenges including high immune-mediated toxicity, lack of effective and targeted delivery of cancer antigens to immune cells and off-target side effects. However, nanotechnology offers some solutions to overcome those limitations, and thus can potentiate the efficacy of immunotherapy. This review focuses on the advancement of nanoparticle-mediated delivery of immunostimulating agents for efficient cancer immunotherapy. Here we have outlined the use of the immunostimulatory nanoparticles as a smart carrier for effective delivery of cancer antigens and adjuvants, type of interactions between nanoparticles and the antigen/adjuvant as well as the factors controlling the interaction between nanoparticles and the receptors on antigen presenting cells. Besides, the role of nanoparticles in targeting/activating immune cells and modulating the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment has also been discussed extensively. Finally, we have summarized some theranostic applications of the immunomodulatory nanomaterials in treating cancers based on the earlier published reports.
Gut Microbiotic Features Aiding the Diagnosis of Acute Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Xiang Lei , Lou Yanfeng , Liu Lingyu , Liu Yuanling , Zhang Weizheng , Deng Jianxin , Guan Yubin , She Miaoqin , You Xinchao , Liu Minqi , Li Hongwei , Xu Xiaosong , Liu Fang , Cai Xiangsheng
Published: December 2020

Increasing evidence suggests that features of the gut microbiota correlate with ischemic stroke. However, the specific characteristics of the gut microbiota in patients suffering different types of ischemic stroke, or recovering from such strokes, have rarely been studied, and potential microbiotic predictors of different types of stroke have seldom been analyzed. We subjected fecal specimens from patients with lacunar or non-lacunar acute ischemic infarctions, and those recovering from such strokes, to bacterial 16S rRNA sequencing and compared the results to those of healthy volunteers. We identified microbial markers of different types of ischemic stroke and verified that these were of diagnostic utility. Patients with two types of ischemic stroke, and those recovering from ischemic stroke, exhibited significant shifts in microbiotic diversities compared to healthy subjects. Cluster of Orthologous Groups of Proteins (COG) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses revealed reduced metabolic and transport-related pathway activities in ischemic stroke patients. We performed fivefold cross-validation using a Random Forest model to identify two optimal bacterial species (operational taxonomic units; OTUs) serving as markers of lacunar infarction; these wereLachnospiraceae(OTU_45) andBacteroides(OTU_4), and the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs under the ROCs) were 0.881 and 0.872 respectively. In terms of non-lacunar acute ischemic infarction detection, the two optimal species wereBilophila(OTU_330) andLachnospiraceae(OTU_338); the AUCs under the ROCs were 0.985 and 0.929 respectively. In post-ischemic stroke patients, the three optimal species werePseudomonas(OTU_35),Sphingomonadaceae(OTU_303), andAkkermansia(OTU_9); the AUCs under the ROCs were 1, 0.897, and 0.846 respectively. Notably, the gut microbial markers were of considerable value for utility when diagnosing lacunar infarction, non-lacunar acute ischemic infarction, and post-ischemic stroke. This study is the first to characterize the gut microbiotic profiles of patients with lacunar or non-lacunar, acute ischemic strokes, and those recovering from stroke, and to identify microbiotic predictors of such strokes.
Nitrofurantoin Combined With Amikacin: A Promising Alternative Strategy for Combating MDR Uropathogenic Escherichia coli
Authors: Zhong Zi-Xing , Cui Ze-Hua , Li Xiao-Jie , Tang Tian , Zheng Zi-Jian , Ni Wei-Na , Fang Liang-Xing , Zhou Yu-Feng , Yu Yang , Liu Ya-Hong , Liao Xiao-Ping , Sun Jian
Published: December 2020

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are common infections that can be mild to life threatening. However, increased bacterial resistance and poor patient compliance rates have limited the effectiveness of conventional antibiotic therapies. Here, we investigated the relationship between nitrofurantoin and amikacin against 12 clinical MDR uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strains both in vitro and in an experimental Galleria mellonella model. In vitro synergistic effects were observed in all 12 test strains by standard checkerboard and time-kill assays. Importantly, amikacin or nitrofurantoin at half of the clinical doses were not effective in the treatment of UPEC infections in the G. mellonella model but the combination therapy significantly increased G. mellonella survival from infections caused by all 12 study UPEC strains. Taken together, these results demonstrated synergy effects between nitrofurantoin and amikacin against MDR UPEC.
Regenerative Surgical Therapy of Peri-implantitis: An Umbrella Review of Answered/Unanswered Questions and Future Perspectives
Authors: Solderer Alex , Schmidlin Patrick R.
Published: December 2020

Purpose: To systemically summarize current knowledge about regeneration of peri-implant defects based on available systematic reviews.

Materials and Methods: A systematic search for review articles published between 2010 and 2020 in four databases was conducted. Only systematic reviews and meta-analyses were included. Based on the available literature, five questions of clinical importance on indication for regenerative approaches, surgical technique, methods of decontamination, outcome of therapy and adjunctive use of biological factors were formulated and answered.

Results: The electronic search resulted in 312 studies, from which 264 studies were published between 2010 and 2020. Finally, 18 systematic reviews and one consensus report were chosen. Data of the included studies were based on 58 to 840 implants. Data on over 4.904 implants were assessed. From the 19 studies that were included, 15 assessed the outcome of regenerative therapy; three, the surgical protocol of regenerative therapy; two, the use of laser in regenerative therapy; and one, the additional use of growth factors in regenerative peri-implant therapy. Three studies assessed more than one topic.

Conclusions: In general, a partial bone fill can be expected in 85% of regenerative procedures. Regeneration leads to a mean of 57% of greater bone fill, compared to open flap surgery only. Defect configuration plays a crucial role in the outcome, whereas the role and extent of benefit of different surgical protocols are still not clear.
Control Rod Drop Hydrodynamic Analysis Based on Numerical Simulation
Authors: Cheng Jie , Wang Zhenying , Lu Chuan , Zhang Jibin , Bi Shumao , Feng Qilong
Published: December 2020

The drop time of the control rod plays an important role in judging whether a nuclear reactor can be safely shut down in an emergency condition and has become one of the most important parameters for the safety analysis of nuclear power plants. Exact assessment of the drop time is greatly dependent on the forces acting on the control rod. In this research, a three-dimensional numerical simulation of the control rod in a low-temperature heating reactor was established based on 6DOF (6 degrees of freedom) model using dynamic meshing technology, and it was used to analyze the control rod dropping experiment. The behavior of dropping the control rod was obtained, including the velocity, the displacement, and the pressure distribution on the control rod guide tube. The comparison between the simulation and the experiment results indicated that the simulation was capable of simulating the dropping characteristic of the control rod. Some important parameters can be calculated, such as the time of control rod dropping process and the maximum impact force. Based on this, useful information could be provided for the design of control rod driveline structure.
Insights Into Translatomics in the Nervous System
Authors: Zhang Shuxia , Chen Yeru , Wang Yongjie , Zhang Piao , Chen Gang , Zhou Youfa
Published: December 2020

Most neurological disorders are caused by abnormal gene translation. Generally, dysregulation of elements involved in the translational process disrupts homeostasis in neurons and neuroglia. Better understanding of how the gene translation process occurs requires detailed analysis of transcriptomic and proteomic profile data. However, a lack of strictly direct correlations between mRNA and protein levels limits translational investigation by combining transcriptomic and proteomic profiling. The much better correlation between proteins and translated mRNAs than total mRNAs in abundance and insufficiently sensitive proteomics approach promote the requirement of advances in translatomics technology. Translatomics which capture and sequence the mRNAs associated with ribosomes has been effective in identifying translational changes by genetics or projections, ribosome stalling, local translation, and transcript isoforms in the nervous system. Here, we place emphasis on the main three translatomics methods currently used to profile mRNAs attached to ribosome-nascent chain complex (RNC-mRNA). Their prominent applications in neurological diseases including glioma, neuropathic pain, depression, fragile X syndrome (FXS), neurodegenerative disorders are outlined. The content reviewed here expands our understanding on the contributions of aberrant translation to neurological disease development.
Dynamic Interhemispheric Desynchronization in Marmosets and Humans With Disorders of the Corpus Callosum
Authors: Szczupak Diego , Yen Cecil C. , Liu Cirong , Tian Xiaoguang , Lent Roberto , Tovar-Moll Fernanda , Silva Afonso C. ,   in collaboration with the IRC5 Consortium
Published: December 2020

The corpus callosum, the principal structural avenue for interhemispheric neuronal communication, controls the brain’s lateralization. Developmental malformations of the corpus callosum (CCD) can lead to learning and intellectual disabilities. Currently, there is no clear explanation for these symptoms. Here, we used resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI) to evaluate the dynamic resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in both the cingulate cortex (CG) and the sensory areas (S1, S2, A1) in three marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) with spontaneous CCD. We also performed rsfMRI in 10 CCD human subjects (six hypoplasic and four agenesic). We observed no differences in the strength of rsFC between homotopic CG and sensory areas in both species when comparing them to healthy controls. However, in CCD marmosets, we found lower strength of quasi-periodic patterns (QPP) correlation in the posterior interhemispheric sensory areas. We also found a significant lag of interhemispheric communication in the medial CG, suggesting asynchrony between the two hemispheres. Correspondingly, in human subjects, we found that the CG of acallosal subjects had a higher QPP correlation than controls. In comparison, hypoplasic subjects had a lower QPP correlation and a delay of 1.6 s in the sensory regions. These results show that CCD affects the interhemispheric synchrony of both CG and sensory areas and that, in both species, its impact on cortical communication varies along the CC development gradient. Our study shines a light on how CCD misconnects homotopic regions and opens a line of research to explain the causes of the symptoms exhibited by CCD patients and how to mitigate them.
RETRACTED: Disulfiram Chelated With Copper Inhibits the Growth of Gastric Cancer Cells by Modulating Stress Response and Wnt/β-catenin Signaling
Authors: Wang Ling , Chai Xiaoke , Wan Run , Zhang Hong , Zhou Cong , Xiang Lin , Paul Maswikiti Ewetse , Li Yumin
Published: December 2020

Disulfiram (DSF) is a well-known drug for alcohol abuse. In recent decades, DSF has been demonstrated to exhibit anti-tumor activity; DSF chelated with copper shows enhanced anti-tumor effect. Our goal was to explore the effect of DSF/Cu complex on the growth and metastasis of gastric cancer (GC) in vitro and in vivo. DSF/Cu complex suppressed the proliferation, migration of MKN-45 and BGC-823 GC cells. Furthermore, DSF/Cu treatment reduced the tumor volume in GC mouse models with a tumor suppression rate of 48.24%. Additionally, DSF/Cu induced apoptosis in vitro in MKN-45 and BGC-823 GC cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner as well as in vivo in the xenograft tumor mouse model. Furthermore, DSF/Cu induced autophagy and autophagic flux in MKN-45 and BGC-823 cells, increased the expression of autophagy-related Beclin-1 and LC3 proteins in vivo. Additionally, DSF/Cu suppressed aerobic glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation by reducing oxygen consumption rate and extracellular acidification rate, respectively, in MKN-45 and BGC-823 cells. Treatment with DSF/Cu induced oxidative stress and DNA damage response by elevating the reactive oxygen species levels; increasing the expression of P53, P21, and γ-H2AX proteins; and inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin signaling in vitro and in vivo. Thus, DSF/Cu suppressed the growth and metastasis of GC cells via modulating the stress response and Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Hence, DSF may be used as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of GC.
Echocardiography-Guided Management of Preterms With Patent Ductus Arteriosus Influences the Outcome: A Cohort Study
Authors: Terrin Gianluca , Di Chiara Maria , Boscarino Giovanni , Versacci Paolo , Di Donato Violante , Giancotti Antonella , Pacelli Elisabetta , Faccioli Francesca , Onestà Elisa , Corso Chiara , Ticchiarelli Alessandra , De Curtis Mario
Published: December 2020

Introduction: Echocardiography (ECHO) with color flow Doppler is considered as the gold standard to identify a hemodynamic patent ductus arteriosus (hs-PDA). However, the optimal diagnostic and therapeutic management for newborns with hs-PDA is still controversial. We aimed to investigate two clinical strategies: (1) targeted treatment based on ECHO criteria and (2) treatment based on ECHO criteria in addition to clinical signs and symptoms.

Materials and Methods: This is a cohort study including all neonates consecutively admitted in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of University La Sapienza in Rome, with gestational age <32 weeks or body birth weight <1,500 g and with a diagnosis of hs-PDA as confirmed by ECHO evaluation performed within 72 h of life. We classified the babies in two cohorts: (A) pharmacological treatment immediately after ECHO screening and (B) pharmacological therapy for PDA was administered when the relevance of a hs-PDA was associated with clinical signs of hemodynamic instability.

Results: We considered as primary outcome newborns who survived without any morbidities (A: 48.1% vs. B: 22.2%, p = 0.022). In particular, we found that the rate of intraventricular hemorrhage stage ≥2 was increased in cohort B (A: 3.7% vs. B 24.4%, p = 0.020). A multivariate analysis showed that assignment to cohort A independently influences the primary outcome.

Conclusions: Adopting an hs-PDA management option based on ECHO-directed therapy regardless of symptoms may reduce the morbidity and improve the survival of very low birth weight infants.
Lipidomics Analysis Indicates Disturbed Hepatocellular Lipid Metabolism in Reynoutria multiflora-Induced Idiosyncratic Liver Injury
Authors: Wu Xiaofang , Zhang Yating , Qiu Jiaqi , Xu Ya , Zhang Jing , Huang Juan , Bai Junqi , Huang Zhihai , Qiu Xiaohui , Xu Wen
Published: December 2020

The root ofReynoutria multiflora(Thunb.) Moldenke (syn.:Polygonum multiflorumThunb., HSW) is a distinguished herb that has been popularly used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Evidence of its potential side effect on liver injury has accumulated and received much attention. The objective of this study was to profile the metabolic characteristics of lipids in injured liver of rats induced by HSW and to find out potential lipid biomarkers of toxic consequence. A lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced rat model of idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (IDILI) was constructed and evident liver injury caused by HSW was confirmed based on the combination of biochemical, morphological, and functional tests. A lipidomics method was developed for the first time to investigate the alteration of lipid metabolism in HSW-induced IDILI rat liver by using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/Q-exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometry coupled with multivariate analysis. A total of 202 characterized lipids, including phosphatidylcholine (PC), lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE), sphingomyelin (SM), phosphatidylinositol (PI), lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI), phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphoglycerols (PG), and ceramide (Cer), were compared among groups of LPS and LPS + HSW. A total of 14 out 26 LPC, 22 out of 47 PC, 19 out of 29 LPE, 16 out of 36 PE, and 10 out of 15 PI species were increased in HSW-treated rat liver, which indicated that HSW may cause liver damage via interfering the phospholipid metabolism. The present work may assist lipid biomarker development of HSW-induced DILI and it also provide new insights into the relationships between phospholipid perturbation and herbal-induced idiosyncratic DILI.
Epidemiological Characteristics of COVID-19 in Mexico and the Potential Impact of Lifting Confinement Across Regions
Authors: Azanza Ricardo Cristy Leonor , Hernandez-Vargas Esteban A.
Published: December 2020

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has paralyzed our societies, leading to self-isolation and quarantine for several days. As the 10th most populated country in the world, Mexico is on a major threat by COVID-19 due to the limitations of intensive care capacities, about 1.5 hospital beds for every 1,000 citizens. In this paper, we characterize the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico and projected different scenarios to evaluate sharp or gradual quarantine lifting strategies. Mexican government relaxed strict social distancing regulations on June 1, 2020, deriving to pandemic data with large fluctuations and uncertainties of the tendency of the pandemic in Mexico. Our results suggest that lifting social confinement must be gradually sparse while maintaining a decentralized region strategy among the Mexican states. To substantially lower the number of infections, simulations highlight that a fraction of the population that represents the elderly should remain in social confinement (approximately 11.3% of the population); a fraction of the population that represents the confined working class (roughly 27% of the population) must gradually return in at least four parts in consecutive months; and to the last a fraction of the population that assumes the return of students to schools (about 21.7%). As the epidemic progresses, deconfinement strategies need to be continuously re-adjusting with the new pandemic data. All mathematical models, including ours, are only a possibility of many of the future, however, the different scenarios that were developed here highlight that a gradual decentralized region deconfinement with a significant increase in healthcare capacities is paramount to avoid a high death toll in Mexico.
The Human Organism as an Integrated Interaction Network: Recent Conceptual and Methodological Challenges
Authors: Lehnertz Klaus , Bröhl Timo , Rings Thorsten
Published: December 2020

The field of Network Physiology aims to advance our understanding of how physiological systems and sub-systems interact to generate a variety of behaviors and distinct physiological states, to optimize the organism's functioning, and to maintain health. Within this framework, which considers the human organism as an integrated network, vertices are associated with organs while edges represent time-varying interactions between vertices. Likewise, vertices may represent networks on smaller spatial scales leading to a complex mixture of interacting homogeneous and inhomogeneous networks of networks. Lacking adequate analytic tools and a theoretical framework to probe interactions within and among diverse physiological systems, current approaches focus on inferring properties of time-varying interactions—namely strength, direction, and functional form—from time-locked recordings of physiological observables. To this end, a variety of bivariate or, in general, multivariate time-series-analysis techniques, which are derived from diverse mathematical and physical concepts, are employed and the resulting time-dependent networks can then be further characterized with methods from network theory. Despite the many promising new developments, there are still problems that evade from a satisfactory solution. Here we address several important challenges that could aid in finding new perspectives and inspire the development of theoretic and analytical concepts to deal with these challenges and in studying the complex interactions between physiological systems.
Selective Effects of Manual Massage and Foam Rolling on Perceived Recovery and Performance: Current Knowledge and Future Directions Toward Robotic Massages
Authors: Kerautret Yann , Di Rienzo Franck , Eyssautier Carole , Guillot Aymeric
Published: December 2020

Manual massage and foam rolling are commonly used by athletes for warm-up and recovery, as well as by healthy individuals for well-being. Manual massage is an ancient practice requiring the intervention of an experienced physiotherapist, while foam rolling is a more recent self-administered technique. These two topics have been largely studied in isolation from each other. In the present review, we first provide a deep quantitative literature analysis to gather the beneficial effects of each technique through an integrative account, as well as their psychometric and neurophysiological evaluations. We then conceptually consider the motor control strategies induced by each type of massage. During manual massage, the person remains passive, lying on the massage table, and receives unanticipated manual pressure by the physiotherapist, hence resulting in a retroactive mode of action control with an ongoing central integration of proprioceptive feedback. In contrast, while performing foam rolling, the person directly exerts pressures through voluntary actions to manipulate the massaging tool, therefore through a predominant proactive mode of action control, where operations of forward and inverse modeling do not require sensory feedback. While these opposite modes of action do not seem to offer any compromise, we then discuss whether technological advances and collaborative robots might reconcile proactive and retroactive modes of action control during a massage, and offer new massage perspectives through a stochastic sensorimotor user experience. This transition faculty, from one mode of control to the other, might definitely represent an innovative conceptual approach in terms of human-machine interactions.
Amino Acid Catabolism During Nitrogen Limitation in Phaeodactylum tricornutum
Authors: Pan Yufang , Hu Fan , Yu Chen , Li Chenjie , Huang Teng , Hu Hanhua
Published: December 2020

Diatoms can accumulate high levels of triacylglycerols (TAGs) under nitrogen depletion and have attracted increasing attention as a potential system for biofuel production. In Phaeodactylum tricornutum, a model diatom, about 40% of lipid is synthesized from the breakdown of cellular components under nitrogen starvation. Our previous studies indicated that carbon skeletons from enhanced branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) degradation under nitrogen deficiency contribute to TAG biosynthesis in P. tricornutum. In this review, we outlined the catabolic pathways of all 20 amino acids based on the genome, transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome data. The contribution of these amino acid catabolic pathways to TAG accumulation was also analyzed.
Global View on the Cytokinin Regulatory System in Potato
Authors: Lomin Sergey N. , Myakushina Yulia A. , Kolachevskaya Oksana O. , Getman Irina A. , Savelieva Ekaterina M. , Arkhipov Dmitry V. , Deigraf Svetlana V. , Romanov Georgy A.
Published: December 2020

Cytokinins (CKs) were earlier shown to promote potato tuberization. Our study aimed to identify and characterize CK-related genes which constitute CK regulatory system in the core potato (Solanum tuberosum) genome. For that, CK-related genes were retrieved from the sequenced genome of the S. tuberosum doubled monoploid (DM) Phureja group, classified and compared with Arabidopsis orthologs. Analysis of selected gene expression was performed with a transcriptome database for the S. tuberosum heterozygous diploid line RH89-039-16. Genes responsible for CK signaling, biosynthesis, transport, and metabolism were categorized in an organ-specific fashion. According to this database, CK receptors StHK2/3 predominate in leaves and flowers, StHK4 in roots. Among phosphotransmitters, StHP1a expression largely predominates. Surprisingly, two pseudo-phosphotransmitters intended to suppress CK effects are hardly expressed in studied organs. Among B-type RR genes, StRR1b, StRR11, and StRR18a are actively expressed, with StRR1b expressing most uniformly in all organs and StRR11 exhibiting the highest expression in roots. By cluster analysis four types of prevailing CK-signaling chains were identified in (1) leaves and flowers, StHK2/3→StHP1a→StRR1b/+; (2) shoot apical meristems, stolons, and mature tubers, StHK2/4→StHP1a→StRR1b/+; (3) stems and young tubers, StHK2/4→StHP1a→StRR1b/11/18a; and (4) roots and tuber sprouts, StHK4→StHP1a→StRR11/18a. CK synthesis genes StIPT3/5 and StCYP735A are expressed mainly in roots followed by tuber sprouts, but rather weakly in stolons and tubers. By contrast, CK-activation genes StLOGs are active in stolons, and StLOG3b expression is even stolon-confined. Apparently, the main CK effects on tuber initiation are realized via activity of StLOG1/3a/3b/7c/8a genes in stolons. Current advances and future directions in potato research are discussed.
Media for Coping During COVID-19 Social Distancing: Stress, Anxiety, and Psychological Well-Being
Authors: Eden Allison L. , Johnson Benjamin K. , Reinecke Leonard , Grady Sara M.
Published: December 2020

In spring 2020, COVID-19 and the ensuing social distancing and stay-at-home orders instigated abrupt changes to employment and educational infrastructure, leading to uncertainty, concern, and stress among United States college students. The media consumption patterns of this and other social groups across the globe were affected, with early evidence suggesting viewers were seeking both pandemic-themed media and reassuring, familiar content. A general increase in media consumption, and increased consumption of specific types of content, may have been due to media use for coping strategies. This paper examines the relationship between the stress and anxiety of university students and their strategic use of media for coping during initial social distancing periods in March-April 2020 using data from a cross-sectional survey. We examine links between specific types of media use with psychological well-being concepts, and examine the moderating roles of traits (hope, optimism, and resilience) as buffers against negative relationships between stress and anxiety and psychological well-being. Our findings indicate that stress was linked to more hedonic and less eudaimonic media use, as well as more avoidant and escapist media-based coping. Anxiety, on the other hand, was linked to more media use in general, specifically more eudaimonic media use and a full range of media-based coping strategies. In turn, escapist media was linked to negative affect, while reframing media and eudaimonic media were linked to positive affect. Avoidant coping was tied to poorer mental health, and humor coping was tied to better mental health. Hedonic and need-satisfying media use were linked to more flourishing. Hope, optimism, and resilience were all predictive of media use, with the latter two traits moderating responses to stress and anxiety. The findings give a nuanced portrait of college students’ media use during a pandemic-induced shutdown, showing that media use is closely intertwined with well-being in both adaptive and maladaptive patterns.
A Dieting Facilitator on the Fridge Door: Can Dieters Deliberately Apply Environmental Dieting Cues to Lose Weight?
Authors: Stämpfli Aline E. , Stöckli Sabrina , Brunner Thomas A. , Messner Claude
Published: December 2020

Individuals exposed to dieting-related environmental cues have been repeatedly shown to be better able to resist tempting food. This especially applies to restrained eaters who hold a chronic dieting goal. Thus far, mainly short-term effects of environmental dieting cues have been examined and the individuals were typically unaware of being influenced. Yet, it is unclear whether individuals can deliberately apply environmental dieting cues for themselves to facilitate the pursuit of the longer-term goal of losing weight. The present longitudinal study applied a 2 (cue: visually dieting-related vs. visually neutral cue) × 2 (awareness: being aware vs. not being aware of the cue’s facilitating influence) between-subjects design for 6 months (N = 166 participants who started the study; Mage = 47.85 years; 69.9% female; MBMI = 29.07 kg/m2). Our results provide preliminary indications that cue, awareness, and restrained eating interact. The results suggest that high (vs. low) restrained eaters could deliberately apply environmental dieting cues for themselves to facilitate losing weight. However, further studies are needed to explore the effects of environmental dieting cues over a longer period of time.
Moderating Effect of the Situation of Return or Relocation on the Well-Being and Psychosocial Trauma of Young Victims of the Armed Conflict in Colombia
Authors: Quintero-González Sandra Milena , Madariaga-Orozco Camilo Alberto , Millán-de Lange Anthony Constant , Castellar-Jiménez Diany Marcela , Palacio-Sañudo Jorge Enrique
Published: December 2020

Colombia is the second country with the highest number of internally displaced persons. In the last 10 years, more than 400,000 young people carry, in their life experiences, the title of victims. The psychological and social circumstances that determine the lives of displaced young people in the world are not unknown. Fear, the poor resources for social adaptation available to them, and the possible reproduction of the cycle of violence, represent psychosocial risk factors in the young and displaced population. In this context, the Victims Law in Colombia stipulated various measures of repairment, including Relocation (the person or household victim of forced displacement decides to settle in some place, other than the one they were forced to leave) and Return (the person or the household victim of forced displacement decides to return to the place from which they were displaced, in order to settle indefinitely) provided the conditions of voluntariness, security, and dignity are present. A hypothesis that well-being will be better in the returnees was set, since they would strengthen the social support networks between neighbors and other victims in their old spaces of life. To test the hypothesis, the scales of Psychological Well-being, Social Well-being, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Psychosocial Trauma Scale were applied to young returnees (n = 129) and relocated (n = 259) in Colombia. The Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis was performed to extract the general measure of well-being and psychosocial trauma followed by the comparison between the groups. Significance, power, and effect size indicators were obtained, and finally, the partial correlation between the groups was made in relation to psychosocial trauma and well-being. Results showed that returnees have greater well-being and clearer indicators (d = 0.365, 1-β = 0.996), with respect to that of relocated. In addition, the well-being of returnees has fewer trauma factors, who in turn are quasi-moderated by the situation of return or relocation.
Precision and Digital Agriculture: Adoption of Technologies and Perception of Brazilian Farmers
Authors: Bolfe Édson Luis , Jorge Lúcio André de Castro , Sanches Ieda Del’Arco , Luchiari Júnior Ariovaldo , da Costa Cinthia Cabral , Victoria Daniel de Castro , Inamasu Ricardo Yassushi , Grego Célia Regina , Ferreira Victor Rodrigues , Ramirez Andrea Restrepo
Published: December 2020

The rapid population growth has driven the demand for more food, fiber, energy, and water, which is associated to an increase in the need to use natural resources in a more sustainable way. The use of precision agriculture machinery and equipment since the 1990s has provided important productive gains and maximized the use of agricultural inputs. The growing connectivity in the rural environment, in addition to its greater integration with data from sensor systems, remote sensors, equipment, and smartphones have paved the way for new concepts from the so-called Agriculture 4.0 or Digital Agriculture. This article presents the results of a survey carried out with 504 Brazilian farmers about the digital technologies in use, as well as current and future applications, perceived benefits, and challenges. The questionnaire was prepared, organized, and made available to the public through the online platform LimeSurvey and was available from 17 April to 2 June 2020. The primary data obtained for each question previously defined were consolidated and analyzed statistically. The results indicate that 84% of the interviewed farmers use at least one digital technology in their production system that differs according to technological complexity level. The main perceived benefit refers to the perception of increased productivity and the main challenges are the acquisition costs of machines, equipment, software, and connectivity. It is also noteworthy that 95% of farmers would like to learn more about new technologies to strengthen the agricultural development in their properties.
A New Diversity Panel for Winter Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) Genome-Wide Association Studies
Authors: Horvath David P. , Stamm Michael , Talukder Zahirul I. , Fiedler Jason , Horvath Aidan P. , Horvath Gregor A. , Chao Wun S. , Anderson James V.
Published: December 2020

A diverse population (429 member) of canola (Brassica napus L.) consisting primarily of winter biotypes was assembled and used in genome-wide association studies. Genotype by sequencing analysis of the population identified and mapped 290,972 high-quality markers ranging from 18.5 to 82.4% missing markers per line and an average of 36.8%. After interpolation, 251,575 high-quality markers remained. After filtering for markers with low minor allele counts (count > 5), we were left with 190,375 markers. The average distance between these markers is 4463 bases with a median of 69 and a range from 1 to 281,248 bases. The heterozygosity among the imputed population ranges from 0.9 to 11.0% with an average of 5.4%. The filtered and imputed dataset was used to determine population structure and kinship, which indicated that the population had minimal structure with the best K value of 2–3. These results also indicated that the majority of the population has substantial sequence from a single population with sub-clusters of, and admixtures with, a very small number of other populations. Analysis of chromosomal linkage disequilibrium decay ranged from ~7 Kb for chromosome A01 to ~68 Kb for chromosome C01. Local linkage decay rates determined for all 500 kb windows with a 10kb sliding step indicated a wide range of linkage disequilibrium decay rates, indicating numerous crossover hotspots within this population, and provide a resource for determining the likely limits of linkage disequilibrium from any given marker in which to identify candidate genes. This population and the resources provided here should serve as helpful tools for investigating genetics in winter canola.
Dissecting the Contribution of Environmental Influences, Plant Phenology, and Disease Resistance to Improving Genomic Predictions for Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Wheat
Authors: Moreno-Amores Jose , Michel Sebastian , Löschenberger Franziska , Buerstmayr Hermann
Published: December 2020

Environmental factors like temperature and humidity are presumed to greatly influence Fusarium head blight FHB infections in wheat. Anther retention AR, on the other hand, is a morphologically neutral trait that shares a common genetic basis with FHB resistance. In this study, our aims were to: (i) Evaluate two types of corrections of FHB severity scores, namely method-1 via linear regression on flowering time (FT), and method-2 via a best-subset multiple linear regression analysis comprising FT plus accumulated thermal time variables; and (ii) assess the performance of multi-trait genomic selection (MT.GS) models for FHB severity assisted by AR. The forward prediction scenarios where GS models were trained with data from the previous years revealed average prediction accuracies (PA) of 0.28, 0.33, and 0.36 for FHB severity scores that were uncorrected or corrected by method-1 and method-2, respectively. FHB severity scores free from the influences of both environment and phenology seemed to be the most efficient trait to be predicted across different seasons. Average PA increments up to 1.9-fold were furthermore obtained for the MT.GS models, evidencing the feasibility of using AR as an assisting trait to improve the genomic selection of FHB resistance breeding lines.
Salicylic Acid Improves Boron Toxicity Tolerance by Modulating the Physio-Biochemical Characteristics of Maize (Zea mays L.) at an Early Growth Stage
Authors: Nawaz Muhammad , Ishaq Sabtain , Ishaq Hasnain , Khan Naeem , Iqbal Naeem , Ali Shafaqat , Rizwan Muhammad , Alsahli Abdulaziz Abdullah , Alyemeni Mohammed Nasser
Published: December 2020

The boron (B) concentration surpasses the plant need in arid and semi-arid regions of the world, resulting in phyto-toxicity. Salicylic acid (SA) is an endogenous signaling molecule responsible for stress tolerance in plants and is a potential candidate for ameliorating B toxicity. In this study, the effects of seed priming with SA (0, 50, 100 and 150 µM for 12 h) on the growth, pigmentation and mineral concentrations of maize (Zea mays L.) grown under B toxicity were investigated. One-week old seedlings were subjected to soil spiked with B (0, 15 and 30 mg kg−1 soil) as boric acid. Elevating concentrations of B reduced the root and shoot length, but these losses were significantly restored in plants raised from seeds primed with 100 µM of SA. The B application decreased the root and shoot fresh/dry biomasses significantly at 30 mg kg−1 soil. The chlorophyll and carotenoid contents decreased with increasing levels of B, while the contents of anthocyanin, H2O2, ascorbic acid (ASA) and glycinebetaine (GB) were enhanced. The root K and Ca contents were significantly increased, while a reduction in the shoot K contents was recorded. The nitrate concentration was significantly higher in the shoot as compared to the root under applied B toxic regimes. However, all of these B toxicity effects were diminished with 100 µM SA applications. The current study outcomes suggested that the exogenously applied SA modulates the response of plants grown under B toxic conditions, and hence could be used as a plant growth regulator to stimulate plant growth and enhance mineral nutrient uptake under B-stressed conditions.
Growth, Rhizosphere Carboxylate Exudation, and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Colonisation in Temperate Perennial Pasture Grasses Varied with Phosphorus Application
Authors: Tshewang Sangay , Rengel Zed , Siddique Kadambot H. M. , Solaiman Zakaria M.
Published: December 2020

Phosphorus (P) fertiliser is applied regularly to the nutrient-poor sandy soils in southwestern Australia to elevate and/or maintain pasture production. This study aimed to characterise differential growth, root carboxylate exudation, and mycorrhizal responses in three temperate perennial pasture grasses at variable P supply. Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea L. cv. Prosper), veldt grass (Ehrharta calycina Sm. cv. Mission), and tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrum ponticum L. cv. Dundas) with five P rates varying from 0 to 100 mg P kg−1 soil were evaluated in a controlled environment. Rhizosphere carboxylate exudation and mycorrhizal colonisation were assessed. Veldt grass produced the maximum shoot dry weight, highest agronomic phosphorus-use efficiency at low P supply, as well as the highest specific root length and shoot P content at all P rates. Across species, the maximum shoot weight was obtained at 20 and 50 mg P kg−1 soil, which differed significantly from the two lowest P rates (0 and 5 mg P kg−1 soil). Phosphorus application influenced carboxylate exudation, with plants exuding acetate only in the zero P treatment, and citrate and malonate in the P-supplemented treatments. In all three species, acetate and malonate were the major carboxylates exuded (37–51% of the total). Only tall wheatgrass released trans-aconitate. Citrate and malonate concentrations in the rhizosphere increased with P supply, suggesting their important role in P acquisition. Phosphorus applications reduced arbuscular mycorrhizal colonisation and increased root diameter as the P rate increased. Root carboxylate exudation in low-P soil played a role in mobilisation of P via P solubilisation, but the role of exuded carboxylate in soils well supplied with P might be diminished.
Associations between Owners’ Reports of Unwanted Ridden Behaviour and In-Hand Behaviour in Horses
Authors: Romness Nicole , Fenner Kate , McKenzie Jessica , Anzulewicz Ashley , Burattini Bibiana , Wilson Bethany , McGreevy Paul
Published: December 2020

An evidence-based understanding of dangerous or unwelcome behaviour in horses would greatly benefit both horses and humans who interact with them. Using owner-reported data from the Equine Behaviour Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ), the current study investigated in-hand behaviours associated with dangerous or unwelcome ridden behaviours, notably bolting, rearing and bucking. Respondents (n = 1584) to the ridden horse section of the E-BARQ answered 42 demographic questions, followed by 268 behavioural items. Parallel analysis was conducted to group individual behaviours into rotated components to create independent and dependent indices. Multivariable general linear modelling and ordinal logistic regression were used to identify behaviours associated with bolting, rearing and bucking. Results revealed that safety-from-bolt increased as social confidence with horses (Odds ratio (OR) = 1.06; 95% confidence interval (cf = 1.02–1.09) and other animals (OR = 1.08; cf = 1.03–1.12), compliance in-hand (OR = 1.10; cf = 1.06–1.16) and tolerance of restraint (OR = 1.05; cf = 1.0–1.11) increased; and decreased as loading problems (OR = 0.95; cf = 0.92–0.99) increased. Safety-from-rear increased as tolerance of restraint (OR = 1.07; cf = 1.02–1.12) and social confidence with other animals (OR = 1.05; cf = 1.01–1.09) increased; and decreased as loading problems (OR = 0.94; cf = 0.91–0.98) increased. Safety-from-buck increased as social confidence with horses (b-value = 0.011, p < 0.001) and other animals (b-value = 0.010, p = 0.002), compliance in-hand (b-value = 0.015, p < 0.001), tolerance of restraint (b-value = 0.009, p = 0.027) and tolerance of haltering/bridling (b-value = 0.016, p = 0.010) increased, and it decreased as loading problems increased (b-value = −0.011, p < 0.001). By revealing, for the first time, that specific behaviours on the ground are associated with particular responses in the same horses when ridden, this study advances equitation science considerably. Identification of risk factors for dangerous behaviour while under saddle can improve safety for horses and riders and highlights the importance of effective and humane in-hand training.
A Retrospective Study of Cryptorchidectomy in Horses: Diagnosis, Treatment, Outcome and Complications in 70 Cases
Authors: Straticò Paola , Varasano Vincenzo , Guerri Giulia , Celani Gianluca , Palozzo Adriana , Petrizzi Lucio
Published: December 2020

The aim of the study was to investigate the breed predisposition and the diagnostic and surgical management of horses referred for cryptorchidism. The breed, localization of retained testis, diagnosis, type of surgical treatment and complications were analyzed. Seventy horses were included in the study; the Western Riding horse breeds were the most affected (Quarter Horse 34/70, 48.5%; Appaloosa 9/70, 12.8%). In unilateral cryptorchids (65/70, 92.8%) the most common location for a retained testis was the left abdomen (28/65, 43%), while in bilateral cryptorchids (5/70, 7.1%), bilateral abdominal retention was the most frequent (3/5, 6%). Information about testis localization was achieved through transabdominal ultrasound (30/49 cases, 61.2%), through per rectum palpation (21/49 cases, 42.9%) and through inguinal palpation (14/49 cases, 28.9%). Cryptorchidectomy was achieved with standing laparoscopy (44/70 cases, 62.8%), or with open inguinal orchiectomy in general anesthesia (26/70 cases, 37.2%). Complications during laparoscopy were spleen puncture (1/44, 2.2%), a self-limiting bleeding from the spermatic cord (10/44 cases, 22.7%), hyperthermia (3/44 cases, 6.8%), and emphysema (15/44, 34%). During inguinal open cryptorchidectomy difficulties with identifying the inguinal testis during surgery (8/26 cases, 30.8%) and a moderate and self-limiting swelling of the inguinal region after surgery (17/26, 65.4%) were observed. For orchiectomy, a standing laparoscopy was confirmed as the preferred procedure for an abdominally retained testis with almost no complications.