bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Optimization of usnic acid extraction conditions using fractional factorial design
Authors: Galanty Agnieszka , Paśko Paweł , Podolak Irma , Zagrodzki Paweł 
Published: November 2020

AbstractUsnic acid is a unique lichen metabolite of industrial importance, widely studied to explore its pharmacological potential and valued especially as an antibacterial agent in cosmetics. Although a vast number of papers describe usnic acid extraction from various lichen species, none has so far provided an unequivocal indication of the best extraction procedure for this compound. Thus, the current study was focused on the direct comparison of three commonly used usnic acid extraction methods (heat reflux, shaking, ultrasound-assisted extractions), which were optimized using fractional factorial design. Heat reflux extraction, shaking extraction and ultrasound-assisted extraction were first optimized in a series of experiments using fractional factorial design, with respect to three parameters: the extraction time, the solvent used and the number of extraction repetitions. HPLC was employed for usnic acid quantitative analysis. The best scores for each extraction method were statistically compared and the optimal conditions were indicated. The optimal set of parameters for usnic acid was established to be a single, 60 min heat reflux extraction with acetone. This extraction scheme provided 4.25 ±0.08 mg g−1 d.w. of usnic acid, while for ultrasound-assisted and shaking extractions the amount was two- or even four times lower (2.33 ±0.17 and 0.97 ±0.08 mg g−1 d.w., respectively). The optimal procedure for usnic acid extraction described here may be suitable for effective acquisition of this compound for scientific research purposes, but also for applications in the pharmaceutical or cosmetic industries.
A newPsamminaspecies with exceptionally long conidial arms, with a key to the ten known species of the genus
Authors: van der Kolk Henk-Jan , Earland-Bennett Peter M. , Hawksworth David L. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe algicolous and lichenicolous speciesPsammina filamentosais described from the Netherlands and the UK, and is characterized by long (generally over 50 μm) and somewhat tapered conidial arms.Psammina filamentosais compared with otherPsamminaspecimens found in the same habitat, growing on algae or lichens on the dry side of trees and stones.Psammina filamentosa, P. inflataandP. stipitatadiffer in the dimensions of their conidial arms.Psammina simplex, however, may be a synonym ofP. stipitata, and a DNA study is needed to determine whether it is a distinct species or developing material ofP. stipitata.Psammina inflatais also reported as new for the Netherlands. A new worldwide key to the 10 species ofPsamminacurrently known is provided, including three species described from plant material.
THE EDICT OF PÎTRES, CAROLINGIAN DEFENCE AGAINST THE VIKINGS, AND THE ORIGINS OF THE MEDIEVAL CASTLE
Authors: MacLean Simon 
Published: November 2020

ABSTRACTThe castle was one of the most characteristic features of the western European landscape in the Middle Ages, dominating social and political order from the eleventh century onwards. The origins of the castle are generally assigned to the ninth and tenth centuries, and the standard story begins with the defensive fortifications established against the Vikings during the reign of the West Frankish king Charles the Bald (843–77). In this article I argue that there are serious problems with this origin story, by re-evaluating some of the key sources on which it rests – particularly the Edict of Pîtres (864). I seek to demonstrate that my analysis of this source has important implications for how we think about the relationship between fortifications and the state in the Carolingian Empire; and by extension the evolution of the castle in north-western Europe between the ninth and twelfth centuries.
“Inoculations: The Social Politics of Time, Labor, and Public Good in COVID-America”
Authors: Klein Jennifer 
Published: November 2020

“We are becoming a 24/7 workforce.”—Fair Workweek Initiative“I Can't Breathe”—Eric Garner, George Floyd, Manuel Ellis, Derrick Scott, Byron Williams, Vincente Villela, Ngozi Mbegu, Willie Ray Banks, James Brown…On May 1, 2020, Justa Barrios, a New York City home-care worker and labor activist, passed away from COVID-19. After working twenty-four-hour shifts for fourteen years, Barrios had injuries and compounding medical issues, including asthma, stomach difficulties, and heart problems. Her doctor determined that she could no longer work twenty-four-hour shifts. Yet when the home-care agency received a letter from the doctor requesting Barrios be assigned to eight-hour shifts, the agency dropped her. Barrios fought back. She found her voice in the “Ain't I a Woman?!” Campaign; comrades described her as a “fearless leader.” Stemming from an alliance among female immigrants and US-born garment, plastics, office, and home-care workers, via workers’ centers such as the National Mobilization Against Sweatshops, this organizing effort has sought to end twenty-four-hour days—and the legally permissible practice of paying for only thirteen hours—in New York state through direct action, the courts, union arbitration, and state legislation prohibiting twenty-four -hour shifts. Women such as Justa Barros, Lai Yee Chan, Mei Kum Chu, Seferina Rosario, and Sileni Martinez see the “Aint I a Woman?!” Campaign as a “new women's movement fighting for control over our time, health, respect and payment.” As a cross-racial group, members chose to invoke Sojourner Truth, who tied together the causes of slavery abolition and women's rights, emancipation from coerced labor and from patriarchy, the dignity of women's labor and the dignity of release from work. But this legislation, which would seem so obviously humane and jarringly anachronistic, has been stalled in the New York legislature and ignored by Governor Andrew Cuomo for over a year.
Point ablation for macro-reentrant ventricular tachycardia associated with Ebstein’s anomaly and pulmonary atresia: a case report
Authors: Toyohara Keiko , Tomizawa Yasuko , Shoda Morio 
Published: November 2020

AbstractWe report a case with Ebstein’s anomaly and pulmonary atresia with sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia in a patient without a ventriculotomy history. In the low voltage area between the atrialised right ventricle and hypoplastic right ventricle, there was a ventricular tachycardia substrate and slow conduction. The tachycardia circuit was eliminated by a point catheter ablation at the area with diastolic fractionated potentials.
Bioinformatics studies on structures, functions and diversifications of rolling leaf related genes in rice (Oryza sativaL.)
Authors: Alam Md. Jahangir , Alamin Md. , Sultana Most. Humaira , Ahsan Md. Asif , Hossain Md. Ripter , Islam S.M. Shahinul , Mollah Md. Nurul Haque 
Published: November 2020

AbstractLeaf morphology of crop plants has significant value in agronomy. Leaf rolling in rice plays a vital role to increase grain yield. However, collective information on the rolling leaf (RL) genes reported to date and different comparative bioinformatics studies of their sequences are still incomplete. This bioinformatics study was designed to investigate structures, functions and diversifications of the RL related genes reported till now through several studies. We performed different comparative and functional analyses of the selected 42 RL genes among 103 RL genes using different bioinformatics techniques including gene structure, conserved domain, phylogenetic, gene ontology (GO), transcription factor (TF), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and protein–protein network. Exon-intron organization and conserved domain analysis showed diversity in structures and conserved domains of RL genes. Phylogenetic analysis classified the proteins into five major groups. GO and TF analyses revealed that regulation-related genes were remarkably enriched in biological process and 10 different TF families were involved in rice leaf rolling. KEGG analysis demonstrated that 14 RL genes were involved in the KEGG pathways, among which 50% were involved in the metabolism pathways. Of the selected RL proteins, 55% proteins were non-interacting with other RL proteins and OsRL9 was the most interacting RL protein. These results provide important information regarding structures, conserved domains, phylogenetic revolution, protein–protein interactions and other genetic bases of RL genes which might be helpful to the researchers for functional analysis of new candidate RL genes to explore their characteristics and molecular mechanisms for high yield rice breeding.
Earthquake Swarms, Slow Slip and Fault Interactions at the Western‐End of the Hellenic Subduction System Precede the Mw 6.9 Zakynthos Earthquake, Greece
Authors: Mouslopoulou Vasiliki , Bocchini Gian Maria , Cesca Simone , Saltogianni Vasso , Bedford Jonathan , Petersen Gesa , Gianniou Michael , Oncken Onno 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe month‐to‐year‐long deformation of the Earth's crust where active subduction zones terminate is poorly explored. Here we report on a multidisciplinary data set that captures the synergy of slow‐slip events, earthquake swarms and fault interactions during the ∼5 years leading up to the 2018 Mw 6.9 Zakynthos Earthquake at the western termination of the Hellenic Subduction System (HSS). It appears that this long‐lasting preparatory phase initiated due to a slow‐slip event that lasted ∼4 months and released strain equivalent to a ∼Mw 6.3 earthquake. We propose that the slow‐slip event, which is the first to be reported in the HSS, tectonically destabilized the upper 20–40 km of the crust, producing alternating phases of seismic and aseismic deformation, including intense microseismicity (Mw < 4) on neighboring faults, earthquake swarms in the epicentral area of the Mw 6.9 earthquake ∼1.5 years before the main event, another episode of slow slip immediately preceding the mainshock and, eventually, the large (Mw 6.9) Zakynthos Earthquake. Tectonic instability in the area is evidenced by a prolonged (∼4 years) period of overall suppressed b‐values (<1) and strong earthquake interactions on discrete strike‐slip, thrust and normal faults. We propose that composite faulting patterns accompanied by alternating (seismic/aseismic) deformation styles may characterize multifault subduction‐termination zones and may operate over a range of timescales (from individual earthquakes to millions of years).
Diurnal Variations in Tropical Cyclone Intensification
Authors: Wu Qiaoyan , Hong Jiacheng , Ruan Zhenxin 
Published: November 2020

AbstractIn this paper, diurnal variations in tropical cyclone (TC) intensification and decay over the ocean are considered for the global TC basins from 1982–2017 using best track data. Statistically significant diurnal variations are found for global TCs, with a maximum intensification over the period 03–09 local solar time (LST). No diurnal signals are detected for TC decay. The highest frequency of occurrence and highest rate of intensification at 03–09 LST for global TCs are associated with the largest coverage of the very deep convective clouds with IR BT < 208 K at 03–06 LST. TC vortex spin‐up is favored at early morning through diurnal circulation linked to very deep convection.
Weaker Links Between Zonal Convective Clustering and ITCZ Width in Climate Models Than in Observations
Authors: Popp Max , Lutsko Nicholas J. , Bony Sandrine 
Published: November 2020

AbstractStrong links are seen in observations between convective clustering and several properties of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). These links suggest that biases in how climate models simulate the ITCZ may be related to model biases in convective clustering or that there may be biases in how models represent the relationship between clustering and the ITCZ. We investigate these issues by analyzing convective clustering, and the link between clustering and ITCZ properties in 18 climate models. We find that the links between variability in convective clustering and variability of ITCZ properties are generally weaker and less robust in models than in observations. By contrast, model biases in the climatological convective clustering explain a substantial fraction of the climatological double‐ITCZ bias, though they do not explain biases in the climatological ITCZ width.
The mechanism of m6A methyltransferase METTL3-mediated autophagy in reversing gefitinib resistance in NSCLC cells by β-elemene
Authors: Liu Shuiping , Li Qiujie , Li Guohua , Zhang Qin , Zhuo Lvjia , Han Xuemeng , Zhang Mingming , Chen Xiaying , Pan Ting , Yan Lili , Jin Ting , Wang Jianjun , Lv Qun , Sui Xinbing , Xie Tian 
Published: November 2020

AbstractN6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification can alter gene expression by regulating RNA splicing, stability, translocation, and translation. Emerging evidence shows that m6A modification plays an important role in cancer development and progression, including cell proliferation, migration and invasion, cell apoptosis, autophagy, and drug resistance. Until now, the role of m6A modification mediated autophagy in cancer drug resistance is still unclear. In this study, we found that m6A methyltransferase METTL3-mediated autophagy played an important role in reversing gefitinib resistance by β-elemene in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Mechanistically, in vitro and in vivo studies indicated that β-elemene could reverse gefitinib resistance in NSCLC cells by inhibiting cell autophagy process in a manner of chloroquine. β-elemene inhibited the autophagy flux by preventing autophagic lysosome acidification, resulting in increasing expression of SQSTM1 and LC3B-II. Moreover, both β-elemene and gefitinib decreased the level of m6A methylation of gefitinib resistance cells. METTL3 was higher expressed in lung adenocarcinoma tissues than that of paired normal tissues, and was involved in the gefitinib resistance of NSCLC cells. Furthermore, METTL3 positively regulated autophagy by increasing the critical genes of autophagy pathway such as ATG5 and ATG7. In conclusion, our study unveiled the mechanism of METTL3-mediated autophagy in reversing gefitinib resistance of NSCLC cells by β-elemene, which shed light on providing potential molecular-therapy target and clinical-treatment method in NSCLC patients with gefitinib resistance.
Stroma secreted IL6 selects for “stem-like” population and alters pancreatic tumor microenvironment by reprogramming metabolic pathways
Authors: Kesh Kousik , Garrido Vanessa T. , Dosch Austin , Durden Brittany , Gupta Vineet K. , Sharma Nikita S. , Lyle Michael , Nagathihalli Nagaraj , Merchant Nipun , Saluja Ashok , Banerjee Sulagna 
Published: November 2020

AbstractPancreatic adenocarcinoma is a devastating disease with an abysmal survival rate of 9%. A robust fibro-inflammatory and desmoplastic stroma, characteristic of pancreatic cancer, contribute to the challenges in developing viable therapeutic strategies in this disease. Apart from constricting blood vessels and preventing efficient drug delivery to the tumor, the stroma also contributes to the aggressive biology of cancer along with its immune-evasive microenvironment. In this study, we show that in pancreatic tumors, the developing stroma increases tumor initiation frequency in pancreatic cancer cells in vivo by enriching for CD133 + aggressive “stem-like” cells. Additionally, the stromal fibroblasts secrete IL6 as the major cytokine, increases glycolytic flux in the pancreatic tumor cells, and increases lactate efflux in the microenvironment via activation of the STAT signaling pathway. We also show that the secreted lactate favors activation of M2 macrophages in the tumor microenvironment, which excludes CD8 + T cells in the tumor. Our data additionally confirms that the treatment of pancreatic tumors with anti-IL6 antibody results in tumor regression as well as decreased CD133 + population within the tumor. Furthermore, inhibiting the lactate efflux in the microenvironment reduces M2 macrophages, and makes pancreatic tumors more responsive to anti-PD1 therapy. This suggests that stromal IL6 driven metabolic reprogramming plays a significant role in the development of an immune-evasive microenvironment. In conclusion, our study shows that targeting the metabolic pathways affected by stromal IL6 can make pancreatic tumors amenable to checkpoint inhibitor therapy.
Digital microfluidic isolation of single cells for -Omics
Authors: Lamanna Julian , Scott Erica Y. , Edwards Harrison S. , Chamberlain M. Dean , Dryden Michael D. M. , Peng Jiaxi , Mair Barbara , Lee Adam , Chan Calvin , Sklavounos Alexandros A. , Heffernan Austin , Abbas Farhana , Lam Charis , Olson Maxwell E. , Moffat Jason , Wheeler Aaron R. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractWe introduce Digital microfluidic Isolation of Single Cells for -Omics (DISCO), a platform that allows users to select particular cells of interest from a limited initial sample size and connects single-cell sequencing data to their immunofluorescence-based phenotypes. Specifically, DISCO combines digital microfluidics, laser cell lysis, and artificial intelligence-driven image processing to collect the contents of single cells from heterogeneous populations, followed by analysis of single-cell genomes and transcriptomes by next-generation sequencing, and proteomes by nanoflow liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. The results described herein confirm the utility of DISCO for sequencing at levels that are equivalent to or enhanced relative to the state of the art, capable of identifying features at the level of single nucleotide variations. The unique levels of selectivity, context, and accountability of DISCO suggest potential utility for deep analysis of any rare cell population with contextual dependencies.
CT-ORG, a new dataset for multiple organ segmentation in computed tomography
Authors: Rister Blaine , Yi Darvin , Shivakumar Kaushik , Nobashi Tomomi , Rubin Daniel L. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractDespite the relative ease of locating organs in the human body, automated organ segmentation has been hindered by the scarcity of labeled training data. Due to the tedium of labeling organ boundaries, most datasets are limited to either a small number of cases or a single organ. Furthermore, many are restricted to specific imaging conditions unrepresentative of clinical practice. To address this need, we developed a diverse dataset of 140 CT scans containing six organ classes: liver, lungs, bladder, kidney, bones and brain. For the lungs and bones, we expedited annotation using unsupervised morphological segmentation algorithms, which were accelerated by 3D Fourier transforms. Demonstrating the utility of the data, we trained a deep neural network which requires only 4.3 s to simultaneously segment all the organs in a case. We also show how to efficiently augment the data to improve model generalization, providing a GPU library for doing so. We hope this dataset and code, available through TCIA, will be useful for training and evaluating organ segmentation models.
DISPERSE, a trait database to assess the dispersal potential of European aquatic macroinvertebrates
Authors: Sarremejane Romain , Cid Núria , Stubbington Rachel , Datry Thibault , Alp Maria , Cañedo-Argüelles Miguel , Cordero-Rivera Adolfo , Csabai Zoltán , Gutiérrez-Cánovas Cayetano , Heino Jani , Forcellini Maxence , Millán Andrés , Paillex Amael , Pařil Petr , Polášek Marek , Tierno de Figueroa José Manuel , Usseglio-Polatera Philippe , Zamora-Muñoz Carmen , Bonada Núria 
Published: November 2020

AbstractDispersal is an essential process in population and community dynamics, but is difficult to measure in the field. In freshwater ecosystems, information on biological traits related to organisms’ morphology, life history and behaviour provides useful dispersal proxies, but information remains scattered or unpublished for many taxa. We compiled information on multiple dispersal-related biological traits of European aquatic macroinvertebrates in a unique resource, the DISPERSE database. DISPERSE includes nine dispersal-related traits subdivided into 39 trait categories for 480 taxa, including Annelida, Mollusca, Platyhelminthes, and Arthropoda such as Crustacea and Insecta, generally at the genus level. Information within DISPERSE can be used to address fundamental research questions in metapopulation ecology, metacommunity ecology, macroecology and evolutionary ecology. Information on dispersal proxies can be applied to improve predictions of ecological responses to global change, and to inform improvements to biomonitoring, conservation and management strategies. The diverse sources used in DISPERSE complement existing trait databases by providing new information on dispersal traits, most of which would not otherwise be accessible to the scientific community.
Toxicity of the herbicides diuron, propazine, tebuthiuron, and haloxyfop to the diatom Chaetoceros muelleri
Authors: Thomas Marie C. , Flores Florita , Kaserzon Sarit , Reeks Timothy A. , Negri Andrew P. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractConventional photosystem II (PSII) herbicides applied in agriculture can pose significant environmental risks to aquatic environments. In response to the frequent detection of these herbicides in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) catchment area, transitions towards ‘alternative’ herbicides are now widely supported. However, water quality guideline values (WQGVs) for alternative herbicides are lacking and their potential ecological impacts on tropical marine species are generally unknown. To improve our understanding of the risks posed by some of these alternative herbicides on marine species under tropical conditions, we tested the effects of four herbicides on the widely distributed diatom Chaetoceros muelleri. The PSII herbicides diuron, propazine, and tebuthiuron induced substantial reductions in both 24 h effective quantum yields (ΔF/Fm′) and 3-day specific growth rates (SGR). The effect concentrations, which reduced ΔF/Fm′ by 50% (EC50), ranged from 4.25 µg L−1 diuron to 48.6 µg L−1 propazine, while the EC50s for SGR were on average threefold higher, ranging from 12.4 µg L−1 diuron to 187 µg L−1 tebuthiuron. Our results clearly demonstrated that inhibition of ΔF/Fm′ in PSII is directly linked to reduced growth (R2 = 0.95) in this species, further supporting application of ΔF/Fm′ inhibition as a valid bioindicator of ecological relevance for PSII herbicides that could contribute to deriving future WQGVs. In contrast, SGR and ΔF/Fm′ of C. muelleri were nonresponsive to the non-PSII herbicide haloxyfop at the highest concentration tested (4570 µg L−1), suggesting haloxyfop does not pose a risk to C. muelleri. The toxicity thresholds (e.g. no effect concentrations; NECs) identified in this study will contribute to the derivation of high-reliability marine WQGVs for some alternative herbicides detected in GBR waters and support future assessments of the cumulative risks of complex herbicide mixtures commonly detected in coastal waters.