bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria alleviates drought stress in potato in response to suppressive oxidative stress and antioxidant enzymes activities
Authors: Batool Tahira , Ali Shafaqat , Seleiman Mahmoud F. , Naveed Naima Huma , Ali Aamir , Ahmed Khurshid , Abid Muhammad , Rizwan Muhammad , Shahid Muhammad Rizwan , Alotaibi Majed , Al-Ashkar Ibrahim , Mubushar Muhammad 
Published: October 2020

AbstractMaintenance of plant physiological functions under drought stress is normally considered a positive feature as it indicates sustained plant health and growth. This study was conducted to investigate whether plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) Bacillus subtilis HAS31 has potential to maintain potato growth and yield under drought stress. We analyzed trends of chlorophyll concentration, photosynthesis process, relative water content, osmolytes, antioxidants enzymes and oxidative stress, relative growth rate, tuber and aboveground biomass production in two potato varieties, Santae (drought-tolerant) and PRI-Red (drought-sensitive). Plants of both genotypes were treated with 100 g of HAS31 inoculant at 10 days after germination and exposed to different soil relative water contents (SRWC), including 80 ± 5% (well watered), 60 ± 5% (moderate stress) and 40 ± 5% SRWC (severe stress) for 7 days at tuber initiation stage (30 days after germination). The drought stress reduced plant relative growth rate, biomass production, leaf area, number of leaves and tubers, tuber weight, and final yield. The drought-stressed plants showed decline in chlorophyll contents, membrane stability, leaf relative water contents and photosynthetic rate. Under drought stress, enzymatic activity of catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), contents of total soluble sugars, soluble proteins and proline increased. The application of PGPR reduced the impact of drought and maintained higher growth and physio-chemical traits of the plants. The plants with PGPR application showed higher relative growth rate, dry matter production, leaf area, number of tubers, tuber weight and yield as compared to plants without PGPR. The PGPR-HAS31 treated plants maintained higher photosynthetic process, contents of chlorophyll, soluble proteins, total soluble sugars, and enzymatic activities of CAT, POD and SOD as compared to plants without PGPR. The results of the study suggest that plant growth regulators have ability to sustain growth and yield of potato under drought stress by maintaining physiological functions of the plants.
Self-retained cryopreserved amniotic membrane for treating severe corneal ulcers: a comparative, retrospective control study
Authors: Yin Han Y. , Cheng Anny M. S. , Tighe Sean , Kurochkin Philip , Nord Jamie , Dhanireddy Swetha , Swan Robert , Alpert Samuel 
Published: October 2020

AbstractTo compare the effectiveness of self- retained cryopreserved AM as an adjuvant therapy for infectious corneal ulcers. Retrospective, case–control study of 24 eyes of 24 consecutive patients with central and paracentral corneal infectious ulcers and initial visual acuity worse than 20/200. Among them, 11 eyes of 11 patients received additional placement of self-retained cryopreserved AM. Epithelialization and Best Corrected Snellen Visual Acuity (BCSVA) were compared between the two groups. At baseline, both groups had comparable age, gender, visual acuity (VA), size and location of corneal ulcer. Patients receiving additional placement of cryopreserved AM had significantly faster epithelialization within 3.56 ± 1.78 weeks vs 5.87 ± 2.20 weeks (p = 0.01) and achieved complete epithelialization in significantly more patients (72.7% vs 23.1% p = 0.04) despite overall larger baseline defect size (32.7 ± 19.5 mm2 vs 21.5 ± 10.7 mm2, p = 0.11). Consequently, the AM group had clinically significant BCSVA (> 3 lines) (81.8% vs 38.4%, p = 0.047) and total VA improvement (log MAR 0.7 ± 0.6 vs 1.6 ± 0.9, p = 0.016) compared to the control group at the time of complete epithelialization. In-office sutureless AM may be an effective adjuvant therapy in treating sight-threatening infectious corneal ulcers by promoting faster corneal epithelialization and overall better recovery of the VA.
New index of organic mass enrichment in sea spray aerosols linked with senescent status in marine phytoplankton
Authors: Miyazaki Yuzo , Suzuki Koji , Tachibana Eri , Yamashita Youhei , Müller Astrid , Kawana Kaori , Nishioka Jun 
Published: October 2020

AbstractLinking the amount of organic matter (OM) in sea spray aerosols (SSAs) to biological processes in ocean surface is essential for understanding marine aerosol formation and their potential to affect cloud formation. To date, chlorophyll (Chl) a concentration has been widely used as a surrogate for surface phytoplankton biomass or productivity to predict the relative abundance of OM in SSAs (OMSSA). Here we show a new index to present OMSSA using concentrations of Chl a and chlorophyllide (Chllide) a, which is a breakdown product of Chl a and has been used as a biomarker of senescent algal cells. The index was compared with submicrometer OMSSA, based on surface seawater and aerosol samples obtained during the pre-bloom in the western subarctic Pacific. Our results showed that the OMSSA was highly correlated with this unique index, suggesting that the OMSSA was closely linked with senescent algal cells and/or cell lysis. Furthermore, the hygroscopicity parameters κ derived from water-extracted SSA samples implied a reduction in the SSA hygroscopicity with increasing senescent status of phytoplankton. The index can represent OMSSA on a timescale of a day during the pre-bloom period, which should be further examined over different oceanic regions.
Sectoral activation of glia in an inducible mouse model of autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa
Authors: Massengill Michael T. , Ash Neil F. , Young Brianna M. , Ildefonso Cristhian J. , Lewin Alfred S. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractRetinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of blinding disorders caused by diverse mutations, including in rhodopsin (RHO). Effective therapies have yet to be discovered. The I307N Rho mouse is a light-inducible model of autosomal dominant RP. Our purpose was to describe the glial response in this mouse model to educate future experimentation. I307N Rho mice were exposed to 20,000 lx of light for thirty minutes to induce retinal degeneration. Immunofluorescence staining of cross-sections and flat-mounts was performed to visualize the response of microglia and Müller glia. Histology was correlated with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography imaging (SD-OCT). Microglia dendrites extended between photoreceptors within two hours of induction, withdrew their dendrites between twelve hours and one day, appeared ameboid by three days, and assumed a ramified morphology by one month. Glial activation was more robust in the inferior retina and modulated across the boundary of light damage. SD-OCT hyper-reflectivity overlapped with activated microglia. Finally, microglia transiently adhered to the RPE before which RPE cells appeared dysmorphic. Our data demonstrate the spatial and temporal pattern of glial activation in the I307N Rho mouse, and correlate these patterns with SD-OCT images, assisting in interpretation of SD-OCT images in preclinical models and in human RP.
The dynamic Nexus: gap junctions control protein localization and mobility in distinct and surprising ways
Authors: McCutcheon Sean , Stout Randy F. , Spray David C. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractGap junction (GJ) channels permit molecules, such as ions, metabolites and second messengers, to transfer between cells. Their function is critical for numerous cellular interactions, providing exchange of metabolites, signaling molecules, and ionic currents. GJ channels are composed of Connexin (Cx) hexamers paired across extracellular space and typically form large rafts of clustered channels, called plaques, at cell appositions. Cxs together with molecules that interact with GJ channels make up a supramolecular structure known as the GJ Nexus. While the stability of connexin localization in GJ plaques has been studied, mobility of other Nexus components has yet to be addressed. Colocalization analysis of several nexus components and other membrane proteins reveal that certain molecules are excluded from the GJ plaque (Aquaporin 4, EAAT2b), while others are quite penetrant (lipophilic molecules, Cx30, ZO-1, Occludin). Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching of tagged Nexus-associated proteins showed that mobility in plaque domains is affected by mobility of the Cx proteins. These novel findings indicate that the GJ Nexus is a dynamic membrane organelle, with cytoplasmic and membrane-embedded proteins binding and diffusing according to distinct parameters.
Simvastatin improves mitochondrial respiration in peripheral blood cells
Authors: Durhuus Jon Ambæk , Hansson Svenja , Morville Thomas , Kuhlman Anja Birk , Dohlmann Tine Lovsø , Larsen Steen , Helge Jørn Wulff , Angleys Maria , Muniesa-Vargas Alba , Bundgaard Jens R. , Hickson Ian David , Dela Flemming , Desler Claus , Rasmussen Lene Juel 
Published: October 2020

AbstractStatins are prescribed to treat hypercholesterolemia and to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, statin users frequently report myalgia, which can discourage physical activity or cause patients to discontinue statin use, negating the potential benefit of the treatment. Although a proposed mechanism responsible for Statin-Associated Myopathy (SAM) suggests a correlation with impairment of mitochondrial function, the relationship is still poorly understood. Here, we provide evidence that long-term treatment of hypercholesterolemic patients with Simvastatin at a therapeutic dose significantly display increased mitochondrial respiration in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and platelets compared to untreated controls. Furthermore, the amount of superoxide is higher in mitochondria in PBMCs, and platelets from Simvastatin-treated patients than in untreated controls, and the abundance of mitochondrial superoxide, but not mitochondrial respiration trends with patient-reported myalgia. Ubiquinone (also known as coenzyme Q10) has been suggested as a potential treatment for SAM; however, an 8-week course of oral ubiquinone had no impact on mitochondrial functions or the abundance of superoxide in mitochondria from PBMCs, and platelets. These results demonstrate that long-term treatment with Simvastatin increases respiration and the production of superoxide in mitochondria of PBMCs and platelets.
Using machine learning to understand the implications of meteorological conditions for fish kills
Authors: Chen You-Jia , Nicholson Emily , Cheng Su-Ting 
Published: October 2020

AbstractFish kills, often caused by low levels of dissolved oxygen (DO), involve with complex interactions and dynamics in the environment. In many places the precise cause of massive fish kills remains uncertain due to a lack of continuous water quality monitoring. In this study, we tested if meteorological conditions could act as a proxy for low levels of DO by relating readily available meteorological data to fish kills of grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) using a machine learning technique, the self-organizing map (SOM). Driven by different meteorological patterns, fish kills were classified into summer and non-summer types by the SOM. Summer fish kills were associated with extended periods of lower air pressure and higher temperature, and concentrated storm events 2–3 days before the fish kills. In contrast, non-summer fish kills followed a combination of relatively low air pressure, continuous lower wind speed, and successive storm events 5 days before the fish kills. Our findings suggest that abnormal meteorological conditions can serve as warning signals for managers to avoid fish kills by taking preventative actions. While not replacing water monitoring programs, meteorological data can support fishery management to safeguard the health of the riverine ecosystems.
Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expression is correlated with T2* iron deposition in response to doxorubicin treatment: cardiotoxicity risk assessment
Authors: Trofenciuc Nelu-Mihai , Bordejevic Aurora Diana , Tomescu Mirela Cleopatra , Petrescu Lucian , Crisan Simina , Geavlete Oliviana , Mischie Alexandru , Onel Alexandru Fica Mircea , Sasu Alciona , Pop-Moldovan Adina Ligia 
Published: October 2020

AbstractAlthough doxorubicin (Dox) is an effective antitumor antibiotic in the anthracycline class, it often induces the undesirable side effect of cardiomyopathy leading to congestive heart failure, which limits its clinical use. The primary goal of this study is to evaluate a reliable translational method for Dox-induced cardiotoxicity (CTX) screening, aiming to identify a high-risk population and to discover new strategies to predict and investigate this phenomenon. Early identification of the presence of iron deposits and genetic and environmental triggers that predispose individuals to increased risk of Dox-induced CTX (e.g., overexpression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)) will enable the early implementation of countermeasure therapy, which will improve the patient’s chance of survival. Our cohort consisted of 25 consecutive patients with pathologically confirmed cancer undergoing Dox chemotherapy and 12 control patients. The following parameters were measured: serum TLR4 (baseline), serum transferrin (baseline and 6-week follow-up) and iron deposition (baseline and 6-week follow-up). The average number of gene expression units was 0.121 for TLR4 (range 0.051–0.801). We subsequently correlated serum TLR4 levels in our cohort with myocardial iron overload using the cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) T2* technique, the ventricular function (% ejection fraction, %EF) and serum transferrin levels. There is a strong negative linear relationship between serum TLR4 and CMR T2* values (r =  − 0.9106, ****P < 0.0001). There is also a linear correlation (either positive or negative) with EF and transferrin; no established relationship related to the sex of the patients was found. Patients with elevated serum TLR4 at baseline also exhibited an increase in serum transferrin levels and Dox-induced left ventricular dysfunction with a decreased EF (< 50%); this phenomenon was observed in 7 of 25 patients (28%) at the 6-week follow-up. There were no significant differences or correlations based on sex. We concluded that there is a direct relationship between Dox-induced CTX (indicated by elevated serum TLR4) and the times (ms) for T2* (decreases in which correspond to immediate and rapid iron overload).
Schematic memories develop quickly, but are not expressed unless necessary
Authors: Tompary Alexa , Zhou WenXi , Davachi Lila 
Published: October 2020

AbstractEpisodic memory retrieval is increasingly influenced by schematic information as memories mature, but it is unclear whether this is due to the slow formation of schemas over time, or the slow forgetting of the episodes. To address this, we separately probed memory for newly learned schemas as well as their influence on episodic memory decisions. In this experiment, participants encoded images from two categories, with the location of images in each category drawn from a different spatial distribution. They could thus learn schemas of category locations by encoding specific episodes. We found that images that were more consistent with these distributions were more precisely retrieved, and this schematic influence increased over time. However, memory for the schema distribution, measured using generalization to novel images, also became less precise over time. This incongruity suggests that schemas form rapidly, but their influence on episodic retrieval is dictated by the need to bolster fading memory representations.
Acoustically driven electromagnetic radiating elements
Authors: Hassanien Ahmed E. , Breen Michael , Li Ming-Huang , Gong Songbin 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe low propagation loss of electromagnetic radiation below 1 MHz offers significant opportunities for low power, long range communication systems to meet growing demand for Internet of Things applications. However, the fundamental reduction in efficiency as antenna size decreases below a wavelength (30 m at 1 MHz) has made portable communication systems in the very low frequency (VLF: 3–30 kHz) and low frequency (30–300 kHz) ranges impractical for decades. A paradigm shift to piezoelectric antennas utilizing strain-driven currents at resonant wavelengths up to five orders of magnitude smaller than electrical antennas offers the promise for orders of magnitude efficiency improvement over the electrical state-of-the-art. This work demonstrates a lead zirconate titanate transmitter > 6000 times more efficient than a comparably sized electrical antenna and capable of bit rates up to 60 bit/s. Detailed analysis of design parameters offers a roadmap for significant future improvement in both radiation efficiency and data rate.
Ultrasensitive detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by a rapid and specific probe-triggered one-step, simultaneous DNA hybridization and isothermal amplification combined with a lateral flow dipstick
Authors: Jaroenram Wansadaj , Kampeera Jantana , Arunrut Narong , Sirithammajak Sarawut , Jaitrong Sarinya , Boonnak Kobporn , Khumwan Pakapreud , Prammananan Therdsak , Chaiprasert Angkana , Kiatpathomchai Wansika 
Published: October 2020

AbstractMycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is an insidious scourge that has afflicted millions of people worldwide. Although there are many rapid methods to detect it based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and a lateral flow dipstick (LFD), this study made further improvements using a new set of primers to enhance LAMP performance and a novel DNA probe system to simplify detection and increase specificity. The new probe system eliminates the post-LAMP hybridization step typically required for LFD assays by allowing co-hybridization and amplification of target DNA in one reaction while preventing self-polymerization that could lead to false-positive results. The improved assay was named Probe-Triggered, One-Step, Simultaneous DNA Hybridization and LAMP Integrated with LFD (SH-LAMP-LFD). SH-LAMP-LFD was simpler to perform and more sensitive than previously reported LAMP-LFD and PCR methods by 100 and 1000 times, respectively. It could detect a single cell of Mtb. The absence of cross-reactivity with 23 non-TB bacteria, and accurate test results with all 104 blind clinical samples have highlighted its accuracy. Its robustness and portability make SH-LAMP-LFD suitable for users in both low and high resource settings.
Perioperative factors associated with postoperative morbidity after emergency laparotomy: a retrospective analysis in a university teaching hospital
Authors: Ahmed M. , Garry E. , Moynihan A. , Rehman W. , Griffin J. , Buggy D. J. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractEmergency Laparotomy (EL) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Variation in practice and patient outcomes for patients undergoing emergency laparotomy has been identified through the UK National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA), with 30-day mortality ranging from 11 to 15%. A correlation between preoperative haemodynamic parameters and increased postoperative mortality has been demonstrated by both NELA and other observational studies. The association between intraoperative haemodynamic parameters and overall postoperative morbidity has not been evaluated in EL patients. The aims of our study were to investigate the association between perioperative haemodynamic and logistic parameters and postoperative morbidity in a tertiary referral university hospital; and to compare our outcomes to that of the NELA data. A retrospective analysis correlating a range of perioperative parameters with Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI) among 86 patients who underwent EL during 2018 was conducted. Mean age was 64 years (SD 16). Median CCI was 27 [9–45], and 30-day mortality was 11.7%. Several intraoperative parameters correlated with CCI on univariate analysis. On multivariate analysis, ASA status (P = 0.005) and unplanned escalation to postoperative intensive care (P = 0.03) were independently associated with CCI. Our study shows a correlation between ASA status and unplanned escalation to ITU with increased postoperative morbidity in patients undergoing emergency laparotomy. We did not demonstrate an independent correlation between intraoperative parameters and postoperative morbidity. These findings warrant confirmation in a larger scale observational study. Outcomes in our institution are comparable to those seen in the NELA.
Autumn movements of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) from Svalbard, Norway, revealed by satellite tracking
Authors: Lydersen Christian , Vacquié-Garcia Jade , Heide-Jørgensen Mads Peter , Øien Nils , Guinet Christophe , Kovacs Kit M. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractInsight into animal movements is essential for understanding habitat use by individuals as well as population processes and species life-history strategies. In this study, we instrumented 25 fin whales with ARGOS satellite-transmitters in Svalbard, Norway, to study their movement patterns and behaviour (Area Restricted Search (ARS), transiting or unknown) during boreal autumn/early winter. Ten of the whales stayed in the tagging area (most northerly location: 81.68°N) for their entire tracking periods (max 45 days). The other 15 whales moved in a south-westerly direction; the longest track ended off the coast of northern Africa (> 5000 km from the tagging location) after 96 days. The whales engaged in ARS behaviour intermittently throughout their southward migrations. During transit phases the whales moved quickly; one individual maintained an average horizontal speed of 9.3 km/h (travelling 223 km per day) for a period of a week. This study documents that: (1) some fin whales might remain at high latitudes during winter; (2) the whales that do migrate probably feed along the way; (3) they can maintain high transiting speed for long periods and; (4) one breeding area for this species is likely located in deep, warm water some 100 km west of Morocco.
Reducing the complexity of financial networks using network embeddings
Authors: Boersma M. , Maliutin A. , Sourabh S. , Hoogduin L. A. , Kandhai D. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractAccounting scandals like Enron (2001) and Petrobas (2014) remind us that untrustworthy financial information has an adverse effect on the stability of the economy and can ultimately be a source of systemic risk. This financial information is derived from processes and their related monetary flows within a business. But as the flows are becoming larger and more complex, it becomes increasingly difficult to distill the primary processes for large amounts of transaction data. However, by extracting the primary processes we will be able to detect possible inconsistencies in the information efficiently. We use recent advances in network embedding techniques that have demonstrated promising results regarding node classification problems in domains like biology and sociology. We learned a useful continuous vector representation of the nodes in the network which can be used for the clustering task, such that the clusters represent the meaningful primary processes. The results show that we can extract the relevant primary processes which are similar to the created clusters by a financial expert. Moreover, we construct better predictive models using the flows from the extracted primary processes which can be used to detect inconsistencies. Our work will pave the way towards a more modern technology and data-driven financial audit discipline.