bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Spatio‐temporal responses of butterflies to global warming on a Mediterranean island over two decades
Authors: Colom Pau , Traveset Anna , Carreras David , Stefanescu Constantí 
Published: October 2020

1. One very conspicuous sign that warming is affecting the ecology of butterflies are the phenological advances occurring in many species. Moreover, rising temperatures are having a notable impact – both negative and positive – on population abundances. To date, patterns have generally been analysed at species level without taking into account possible differences between populations, which, when they are noted, are mostly attributed to large‐scale climate differences across a latitudinal gradient.2. We use a long‐term database (18 years) of butterflies from five sites of the island of Menorca (Balearic Islands, Spain) to investigate how phenology and population dynamics have been affected by climate warming during the past two decades.3. Both species' phenology and abundance respond differently to warming at a local scale depending on the season. Rising temperatures in spring give rise to greater advancement of the phenology, whereas warming affects population abundance negatively in summer. Additional variability of responses among sites suggests that habitats are involved in the modulation of the aforementioned seasonal effect.4. We discuss how the effects of temperature could be partially offset in more inland habitats such as forests or deep ravines, especially the latter which represent particularly fresh and humid environments. The positive effect of temperature on ravine populations during the summer suggests that butterflies disperse across habitats as a response to rising temperatures during the season. This dispersal behaviour as a response to warming could be especially important in island ecosystems where the possibilities of modifying altitudinal or latitudinal distributions are often severely limited.
Students’ views on the sustained impact of a learning approach developed by blending pedagogy to prepare for professional practice: Introducing “Daybook”
Authors: Hanks Sally J. , Coelho Catherine S. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractIntroductionDaybook is an enquiry‐based teaching and learning approach that blends various adult learning theories. It is designed to equip and prepare a new graduate to do a designated job in the workplace. It supports the safe beginner to undertake high‐level thinking that permits adaptation to unfamiliar challenges of the job, as well as use of continuous learning strategies to do the job better. Its aim is to support four main pedagogic pillars of learning: preparing for practice, educating for employability, enhancing capability over competence and lifelong learning.MethodsA study using three successive student cohorts evaluated the perceived sustained impact of Daybook on learners’ clinical practice following graduation and entry into the workplace. Using a questionnaire with open‐ended, opinion and closed questions, descriptive quantitative analysis was used on numerical data, and qualitative data underwent a deductive thematic analysis.ResultsQuantitative and qualitative results supported one another to identify that the four pedagogic pillars of learning were all impacted positively by use of Daybook. Enhancing capability was the most influenced area. Each of the four areas, although discrete academic entities, demonstrated overlap and commonality.ConclusionsAlthough an academic exercise, Daybook is perceived to support users’ undergraduate learning across the four domains of educating for employability, preparing for practice, enhancing capability and lifelong learning, and this impact sustains through the transition from student to independent practitioner when they qualify.
Students´ preparedness, learning habits and the greatest difficulties in studying Histology in the digital era: A comparison between students of general and dental schools
Authors: Tauber Zdenek , Lacey Helena , Lichnovska Radka , Erdosova Bela , Zizka Radovan , Sedy Jiri , Cizkova Katerina 
Published: October 2020

AbstractIntroductionThere are only sporadic references in literature regarding general medicine and dentistry student´s preparedness for Histology, study resources and how students might use them in the era of virtual microscopy.MethodsA structured questionnaire was used to evaluate students´ opinion, with 192 students of general medicine and 82 students of dentistry responding.ResultsThe dentistry students evaluate their previous knowledge of basic high school disciplines as less helpful when compared to their general medicine colleagues, but this difference diminishes during the first year of medical school studies. Students of dentistry display a better orientation in the amount of study resources (electronic vs printed) and also the ways of their use (practical vs theoretical preparation). The main problems surfacing in the study of Histology have been: the lack of time due to the high demands of Anatomy, problems with correct identification of structures in specimens and correct orientation in a large number of available study resources. Students indicate that they would appreciate the introduction of interactive exercise tests to verify practical and theoretical knowledge.ConclusionWe revealed significant differences between students of general medicine and dentistry in terms of student´s preparedness and learning habits. According to our findings, it is still necessary to further develop teaching methods utilising virtual microscopy, taking into account the needs of both general medicine and dental school students.
STEM colonization: Applying hard sciences' socio‐organisational patterns and evaluation procedures to the soft sciences in Croatia
Authors: Brajdić Vuković Marija , Vignjević Korotaj Bojana , Ćulum Ilić Bojana 
Published: October 2020

AbstractAcademic systems are undergoing changes in which the social organisation of research as well as patterns of scientific productivity in the humanities and social sciences progressively resemble those in hard sciences. The hard and soft sciences are increasingly converging. This development can be observed in (a) publishing patterns, (b) the division of research, and (c) the internationalisation of research. This study explored the extent to which these changes occurring in academic systems in terms of a transformation of disciplinary practices are also becoming a trend in transitional post‐socialist countries. We used Croatia as a case of a post socialist transitional context and compared it to Slovenia, a country with a similar past but somewhat different science policies and strategies. The results point to increasing convergence in some soft disciplines, visible in projectification and internationalisation of academic work as well as a significant change in the publishing patterns.
Identifying key factors for improving ICA‐based decomposition of EEG data in mobile and stationary experiments
Authors: Klug Marius , Gramann Klaus 
Published: October 2020

AbstractRecent developments in EEG hardware and analyses approaches allow for recordings in both stationary and mobile settings. Irrespective of the experimental setting, EEG recordings are contaminated with noise that has to be removed before the data can be functionally interpreted. Independent component analysis (ICA) is a commonly used tool to remove artifacts such as eye movement, muscle activity, and external noise from the data and to analyze activity on the level of EEG effective brain sources. The effectiveness of filtering the data is one key preprocessing step to improve the decomposition that has been investigated previously. However, no study thus far compared the different requirements of mobile and stationary experiments regarding the preprocessing for ICA decomposition. We thus evaluated how movement in EEG experiments, the number of channels, and the high‐pass filter cutoff during preprocessing influence the ICA decomposition. We found that for commonly used settings (stationary experiment, 64 channels, 0.5 Hz filter), the ICA results are acceptable. However, high‐pass filters of up to 2 Hz cut‐off frequency should be used in mobile experiments, and more channels require a higher filter to reach an optimal decomposition. Fewer brain ICs were found in mobile experiments, but cleaning the data with ICA has been proved to be important and functional even with low‐density channel setups. Based on the results, we provide guidelines for different experimental settings that improve the ICA decomposition.
Peripheral nerve regeneration following injury is altered in mice lacking P2X7 receptor
Authors: Magnaghi Valerio , Martin Sarah , Smith Patrick , Allen Luke , Conte Vincenzo , Reid Adam J. , Faroni Alessandro 
Published: October 2020

AbstractPeripheral nerve injuries are debilitating, and current clinical management is limited to surgical intervention, which often leads to poor functional outcomes. Development of pharmacological interventions aimed at enhancing regeneration may improve this. One potential pharmacological target is the P2X purinergic receptor 7 (P2X7R) expressed in Schwann cells, which is known to play a role during the development of the peripheral nerves. Herein, we analysed differences in regeneration between genetically engineered P2X7 knockout mice and wild‐type controls, using in vivo and ex vivo models of peripheral nerve regeneration. We have found that the speed of axonal regeneration is unaltered in P2X7 knockout mice, nevertheless regenerated P2X7 knockout nerves are morphologically different to wild‐type nerves following transection and immediate repair. Indeed, the detailed morphometric analysis at 4 and 8 weeks after injury showed evidence of delayed remyelination in P2X7 knockout mice, compared to the wild‐type controls. Furthermore, the Wallerian degeneration phase was unaltered between the two experimental groups. We also analysed gene expression changes in the dorsal root ganglia neurones as a result of the peripheral nerve injury, and found changes in pathways related to pain, inflammation and cell death. We conclude that P2X7 receptors in Schwann cells may be a putative pharmacological target to control cell fate following injury, thus enhancing nerve re‐myelination.
Thalamohippocampal atrophy in focal epilepsy of unknown cause at the time of diagnosis
Authors: Leek N. J. , Neason M. , Kreilkamp B. A. K. , de Bezenac C. , Ziso B. , Elkommos S. , Das K. , Marson A. G. , Keller S. S. 
Published: October 2020

Background and purposePatients with chronic focal epilepsy may have atrophy of brain structures important for the generation and maintenance of seizures. However, little research has been conducted in patients with newly diagnosed focal epilepsy (NDfE), despite it being a crucial point in time for understanding the underlying biology of the disorder. We aimed to determine whether patients with NDfE show evidence of volumetric abnormalities of subcortical structures.MethodsEighty‐two patients with NDfE and 40 healthy controls underwent magnetic resonance imaging scanning using a standard clinical protocol. Volume estimation of the left and right hippocampus, thalamus, caudate nucleus, putamen and cerebral hemisphere was performed for all participants and normalised to whole brain volume. Volumes lower than two standard deviations below the control mean were considered abnormal. Volumes were analysed with respect to patient clinical characteristics, including treatment outcome 12 months after diagnosis.ResultsVolume of the left hippocampus (p(FDR‐corr) = 0.04) and left (p(FDR‐corr) = 0.002) and right (p(FDR‐corr) = 0.04) thalamus was significantly smaller in patients relative to controls. Relative to the normal volume limits in controls, 11% patients had left hippocampal atrophy, 17% had left thalamic atrophy and 9% had right thalamic atrophy. We did not find evidence of a relationship between volumes and future seizure control or with other clinical characteristics of epilepsy.ConclusionsVolumetric abnormalities of structures known to be important for the generation and maintenance of focal seizures are established at the time of epilepsy diagnosis and are not necessarily a result of the chronicity of the disorder.
Sometimes they come back: New and old spinal muscular atrophy adults in the era of nusinersen
Authors: Sansone V. A. , Coratti G. , Pera M. C. , Pane M. , Messina S. , Salmin F. , Albamonte E. , De Sanctis R. , Sframeli M. , Di Bella V. , Morando S. , d’Amico A. , Frongia A. L. , Antonaci L. , Pirola A. , Pedemonte M. , Bertini E. , Bruno C. , Mercuri E. ,   the Italian ISMAC group
Published: October 2020

Background and purposeFollowing the commercial availability of nusinersen, there have been a number of new referrals of adults with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) not regularly followed in tertiary‐care centers or enrolled in any disease registry.MethodsWe compared demographics and disease characteristics, including assessment of motor and respiratory function, in regularly followed patients and newcomers subdivided according to the SMA type.ResultsThe cohort included 166 adult patients (mean age: 37.09 years): one type I, 65 type II, 99 type III, and one type IV. Of these 166, there were 67 newcomers. There was no significant difference between newcomers and regularly followed patients in relation to age and disease duration. The Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale Expanded and Revised Upper Limb Module scores were higher in the regularly followed patients compared to newcomers in the whole cohort and in both SMA II and II. A difference was also found on ventilatory status (p = 0.013) and Cobb’s angle >50° (p = 0.039) between the two subgroups. No difference was found in scoliosis surgery prevalence (p > 0.05).ConclusionsOur results showed differences between the two subgroups, even if less marked in the type III patients. In the type II patients, there was a higher proportion of newcomers who were in the severe end of the spectrum. Of the newcomers, only approximately a third initiated treatment, as opposed to the 51% in the regularly followed patients. The identification of patients who were not part of the registries will help to redefine the overall prevalence of SMA and the occurrence of different phenotypes.
Humoral antibody response of 10 horses after vaccination against African horse sickness with an inactivated vaccine containing all 9 serotypes in one injection
Authors: Wernery Ulrich , Rodriguez Marina , Raghavan Rekha , Syriac Ginu , Miriam Thomas M Shruti , Elizabeth Shyna K. , Federico Ronchi Gaetano , Muhammed Rubeena , Patteril Nissy A. , Joseph Sunitha 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBackgroundAfrican horse sickness (AHS) is a devastating viral disease of equids that was first recorded in 1327. Currently, prevention and control of the disease are based on attenuated vaccines and midge control. It has been shown that attenuated Orbivirus vaccines are not always safe as they may reverse to virulence.ObjectivesIn the Emirate of Dubai, a vaccination experiment was carried out with an inactivated AHS vaccine produced at the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL), Dubai, UAE to investigate the humoral antibody response of AHS‐naïve horses to this vaccine. Our vaccination experiment was performed to establish an AHS vaccine bank in the UAE to protect horses from the disease in case of an outbreak. Therefore, CVRL established an inactivated AHS vaccine containing all nine serotypes which induce high neutralising antibodies.Study designA total of 10 horses kept in a desert isolation area were subcutaneously and intramuscularly vaccinated with an inactivated vaccine containing all nine AHS serotypes previously isolated from Kenyan horse fatalities. Primary immunisation was followed by two booster immunisations 4 weeks and 6 months apart. After 13 months, an annual booster was administered.MethodsBlood samples were regularly withdrawn for ELISA and virus neutralisation testing. Additionally, EDTA blood was tested every second day for 14 days post each vaccination for the presence of AHS virus or its RNA.ResultsResults show that ELISA and virus neutralising antibodies appeared after the first booster, declined after 4‐6 months and therefore three vaccinations and an annual vaccination are necessary to achieve high protective virus neutralising antibodies.Main limitationsNo challenge infection was carried out due to the lack of a safe facility in the UAE.ConclusionBefore more advanced AHS vaccines become a reality, inactivated vaccines containing all nine serotypes should be used as they produce high ELISA and neutralising antibodies.
Interactions of galeterone and its 3‐keto‐Δ4 metabolite (D4G) with one of the key enzymes of corticosteroid biosynthesis – steroid 21‐monooxygenase (CYP21A2)
Authors: Masamrekh Rami A. , Filippova Tatiana A. , Sherbakov Kirill A. , Veselovsky Alexander V. , Shumyantseva Victoria V. , Kuzikov Alexey V. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractWe have investigated interactions of galeterone and its pharmacologically active metabolite – 3‐keto‐Δ4‐galeterone (D4G) – with one of the key enzymes of corticosteroid biosynthesis – steroid 21‐monooxygenase (CYP21A2). It was shown by absorption spectroscopy that both compounds induce type I spectral changes of CYP21A2. Spectral dissociation constants (KS) of complexes of CYP21A2 with galeterone or D4G were calculated as 3.1 ± 0.7 μm and 4.6 ± 0.4 μm, respectively. It was predicted by molecular docking that both ligands similarly bind to the active site of CYP21A2. We have revealed using reconstituted monooxygenase system that galeterone is a competitive inhibitor of CYP21A2 with the inhibition constant (Ki) value of 12 ± 3 μm, while D4G at the concentrations of 10 and 25 μm does not inhibit the enzyme. Summarizing, based on the in vitro analyses we detected inhibition of CYP21A2 by galeterone and lack of the influence of D4G on this enzyme.
Oil content, fatty acid composition and biodiesel properties among natural provenances of Siberian apricot (Prunus sibirica L.) from China
Authors: Ma Yunxia , Wang Shaoxiong , Liu Xiaojuan , Yu Haiyan , Yu Dan , Li Gangtie , Wang Libing 
Published: October 2020

AbstractSiberian apricot (Prunus sibirica L.), an excellent woody oil plant unique to Asia, is well known for its ability to produce high‐oil seeds for use as a promising feedstock of biodiesel. Based on the investigation of natural Siberian apricot resources in China in the early stage, seeds of Siberian apricot from 74 geographic provenances which can fully reflect the overall information were collected. In this research, seeds oil content, fatty acid composition and biodiesel properties were evaluated, and the key environmental factors that caused the variation of these in different geographic provenance were analyzed. The oil content of Siberian apricot seeds is 45.48%–61.07%, and the average was 50.95% for all provenances. The characteristics of oil can identify and quantify eight fatty acids. The most abundant fatty acids were oleic acid (C18:1; 54.02%–76.54%), followed by linoleic acid (C18:2; 16.78%–38.49%) and erucic acid (C16:0; from 3.27% to 6.12%). Monounsaturated fatty acids are the most abundant in 54.75%–77.03% compared with saturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The biodiesel properties of most provenance seeds meet the standards of the ASTM D6751 and GB/T 20828, and a few meet the standards of the EN14214. Through the clustering of oil content and fatty acid composition and the analysis of biodiesel properties indexes, it is concluded that KSK provenance is the most suitable for biodiesel production. The XBZ, HHE, AES, ZLQ and LD provenances may be preserved as potential biodiesel. RDA and VPA showed that the effects of environmental factors on the oil properties of Siberian apricot were ranked as terrain factor > climate factor > soil factor, among which longitude, latitude and altitude are the main terrain indicators. These evaluations can provide reference for the effective utilization and further development of Siberian apricot as a bioenergy feedstock.
Evolution of soil carbon stocks under Miscanthus × giganteus and Miscanthus sinensis across contrasting environmental conditions
Authors: Ouattara Malick S. , Laurent Anabelle , Ferchaud Fabien , Berthou Magali , Borujerdi Elsa , Butier Arnaud , Malvoisin Pierre , Romelot Dominique , Loyce Chantal 
Published: October 2020

AbstractMiscanthus is a C4 bioenergy perennial crop characterized by its high potential yield. Our study aimed to compare the carbon storage capacities of Miscanthus sinensis (M. sinensis) with that of Miscanthus × giganteus (M. × giganteus) in field conditions in different types of soils in France. We set up a multi‐environment experimental network. On each trial, we tested two treatments: M. × giganteus established from rhizomes (Gr) and M. sinensis transplanted seedlings (Sp). We quantified the soil organic carbon (SOC) stock at equivalent soil mass for both genotypes in 2014 and 2019 and for two sampling depths: L1 (ca. 0–5 cm) and L1‐2 (ca. 0–30 cm). We also calculated the total and annual variation of the SOC stock and investigated factors that could explain the variation and the initial state of the SOC stock. ANOVAs were performed to compare the SOC stock, as well as the SOC stock variation rates across treatments and soil layers. Results showed that the soil bulk density did not vary significantly between 2014 and 2019 for both treatments (Gr and Sp). The SOC concentration (i.e. SOC expressed in g/kg) increased significantly between 2014 and 2019 in L1, whereas no significant evolution was found in L2 (ca. 5–30 cm). The SOC stock (i.e. SOC expressed in t/ha) increased significantly in the superficial layer L1 for M. × giganteus and M. sinensis, by 0.48 ± 0.41 and 0.54 ± 0.25 t ha−1 year−1 on average, respectively, although no significant change was detected in the layer L1‐2 for both genotypes. Moreover, SOC stocks in 2019 did not differ significantly between M. × giganteus and M. sinensis in the soil layers L1 and L1‐2. Lastly, our results showed that the initial SOC stock was significantly higher when miscanthus was grown after set‐aside than after annual crops.
Miscanthus: A fast‐growing crop for environmental remediation and biofuel production
Authors: Wang Congpeng , Kong Yingzhen , Hu Ruibo , Zhou Gongke 
Published: October 2020

AbstractAs an herbaceous perennial, Miscanthus has attracted extensive attention in bioenergy refinery and ecological remediation due to its high yield and superior environmental adaptability. This review summarizes current research advances of Miscanthus in several aspects including biological properties, biofuels production, and phytoremediation of contaminated soil. Miscanthus has relatively high biomass yield, calorific value, and cellulose content compared with other lignocellulosic bioenergy crops, which make it one of the most promising feedstocks for the production of second‐generation biofuels. Moreover, Miscanthus can endure soil pollutions caused by various heavy metals and survive in a variety of adverse environmental conditions. Therefore, it also has potential applications in ecological remediation of contaminated soil, and reclamation of polluted soil and water resources. Nevertheless, more endeavors are still needed in the genetic improvement and elite cultivar breeding, large‐scale cultivation on marginal land, and efficient conversion to biofuels, when utilizing Miscanthus as a bioenergy crop. Furthermore, more efforts should also be undertaken to translate Miscanthus into a bioenergy crop with the phytoremediation potential.