bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Population structure and genetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Ecuador
Authors: Garzon-Chavez Daniel , Garcia-Bereguiain Miguel Angel , Mora-Pinargote Carlos , Granda-Pardo Juan Carlos , Leon-Benitez Margarita , Franco-Sotomayor Greta , Trueba Gabriel , de Waard Jacobus H. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractTuberculosis (TB) is a significant public health problem in Ecuador with an incidence of 43 per 100,000 inhabitants and an estimated multidrug-resistant-TB prevalence in all TB cases of 9%. Genotyping ofMycobacterium tuberculosis(MTBC) is important to understand regional transmission dynamics. This study aims to describe the main MTBC lineages and sublineages circulating in the country. A representative sample of 373 MTBC strains from 22 provinces of Ecuador, with data comprising geographic origin and drug susceptibility, were genotyped using 24 loci-MIRU-VNTR. For strains with an ambiguous sublineage designation, the lineage was confirmed by Regions of Difference analysis or by Whole Genome Sequencing. We show that lineage 4 is predominant in Ecuador (98.3% of the strains). Only 4 strains belong to lineages 2-sublineage Beijing and two strains to lineage 3-sublineage Delhi. Lineage 4 strains included sublineages LAM (45.7%), Haarlem (31.8%), S (13.1%), X (4.6%), Ghana (0.6%) and NEW (0.3%). The LAM sublineage showed the strongest association with antibiotic resistance. The X and S sublineages were found predominantly in the Coastal and the Andean regions respectively and the reason for the high prevalence of these strains in Ecuador should be addressed in future studies. Our database constitutes a tool for MIRU-VNTR pattern comparison ofM. tuberculosisisolates for national and international epidemiologic studies and phylogenetic purposes.
Intrinsic and tunable ferromagnetism in Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 through CaFeO3-δ modification
Authors: Hung N. T. , Lam N. H. , Nguyen A. D. , Bac L. H. , Trung N. N. , Dung D. D. , Kim Y. S. , N. Tsogbadrakh  , Ochirkhuyag T. , Odkhuu D. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractNew (1-x)Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 + xCaFeO3-δ solid solution compounds were fabricated using a sol–gel method. The CaFeO3-δ materials were mixed into host Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 materials to form a solid solution that exhibited similar crystal symmetry to those of Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 phases. The random distribution of Ca and Fe cations in the Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 crystals resulted in a distorted structure. The optical band gaps decreased from 3.11 eV for the pure Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 samples to 2.34 eV for the 9 mol% CaFeO3-δ-modified Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 samples. Moreover, the Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 samples exhibited weak photoluminescence because of the intrinsic defects and suppressed photoluminescence with increasing CaFeO3-δ concentration. Experimental and theoretical studies via density functional theory calculations showed that pure Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 exhibited intrinsic ferromagnetism, which is associated with the possible presence of Bi, Na, and Ti vacancies and Ti3+-defect states. Further studies showed that such an induced magnetism by intrinsic defects can also be enhanced effectively with CaFeO3-δ addition. This study provides a basis for understanding the role of secondary phase as a solid solution in Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 to facilitate the development of lead-free ferroelectric materials.
Microbial quality assessment of minimally processed pineapple using GCMS and FTIR in tandem with chemometrics
Authors: Adiani Vanshika , Gupta Sumit , Variyar Prasad S. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractMicrobial quality is the critical parameter determining the safety of refrigerated perishables. Traditional methods used for assessing microbial quality are time consuming and labour intensive. Thus rapid, non-destructive methods that can accurately predict microbial status is warranted. Models using partial least square regression (PLS-R) from chemical finger prints of minimally processed pineapple during storage obtained by Headspace Solid Phase Microextraction Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (HS-SPME-GCMS), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and their data fusion are developed. Models built using FTIR data demonstrated good prediction for unknown samples kept under non-isothermal conditions. FTIR based models could predict 87 and 80% samples within ±1 log CFU/g for TVC and Y&M, respectively. Analysis of PLS-R results suggested the production of alcohols and esters with utilization of sugars due to microbial spoilage.
An Embodied Perspective as a Victim of Sexual Harassment in Virtual Reality Reduces Action Conformity in a Later Milgram Obedience Scenario
Authors: Neyret Solène , Navarro Xavi , Beacco Alejandro , Oliva Ramon , Bourdin Pierre , Valenzuela Jose , Barberia Itxaso , Slater Mel 
Published: April 2020

AbstractGroup pressure can often result in people carrying out harmful actions towards others that they would not normally carry out by themselves. However, few studies have manipulated factors that might overcome this. Here male participants (n = 60) were in a virtual reality (VR) scenario of sexual harassment (SH) of a lone woman by a group of males in a bar. Participants were either only embodied as one of the males (Group, n = 20), or also as the woman (Woman, n = 20). A control group (n = 20) only experienced the empty bar, not the SH. One week later they were the Teacher in a VR version of Milgram’s Obedience experiment where they were encouraged to give shocks to a female Learner by a group of 3 virtual males. Those who had been in the Woman condition gave about half the number of shocks of those in the Group condition, with the controls between these two. We explain the results through embodiment promoting identification with the woman or the group, and delegitimization of the group for those in the Woman condition. The experiment raised important ethical issues, showing that a VR study with positive ethical intentions can sometimes produce unexpected and non-beneficent results.
Description of the putative mature larva of the Neotropical genus Stenhelmoides Grouvelle (Coleoptera: Elmidae)
Authors: González-Córdoba Marcela , Martínez-Román Nicolás Rafael , del Carmen Zúñiga María , Manzo Verónica , Archangelsky Miguel 
Published: April 2020

AbstractStenhelmoides Grouvelle is a Neotropical genus of Elmidae and although it exhibits a wide distribution, until now no larvae had been associated with adults of this genus. Larvae, very likely belonging to this genus, were associated based on co-occurrence with adults. Eleven larvae and nine adults were examined from ten localities at altitudes between 30 and 682 m a.s.l. in the Andean, Caribbean and Pacific regions in Colombia. Mature larvae of the Stenhelmoides rufulus (Hinton) are described and illustrated for the first time. A larval diagnosis for the genus is presented; body shape, distribution and form of setae and number of pleural sclerites are diagnostic characters for larvae of this genus. Comparative notes with similar larvae of other Elmidae genera are presented. The existing generic keys are updated to include larvae of Stenhelmoides. Comments on distribution and habitat of Stenhelmoides larvae are also provided. This work contributes to enhance the knowledge of Neotropical larvae, which have been described for only approximately 56% of genera and 8% of species of Elmidae.
Effects of whole-body cryotherapy on 25-hydroxyvitamin D, irisin, myostatin, and interleukin-6 levels in healthy young men of different fitness levels
Authors: Śliwicka Ewa , Cisoń Tomasz , Straburzyńska-Lupa Anna , Pilaczyńska-Szcześniak Łucja 
Published: April 2020

AbstractSkeletal muscle and adipose tissue play an important role in maintaining metabolic homeostasis and thermogenesis. We aimed to investigate the effects of single and repeated exposure to whole-body cryotherapy in volunteers with different physical fitness levels on 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and myokines. The study included 22 healthy male volunteers (mean age: 21 ± 1.17 years), who underwent 10 consecutive sessions in a cryogenic chamber once daily (3 minutes, −110 °C). Blood samples were collected before and 30 minutes and 24 hours after the first and last cryotherapy sessions. Prior to treatment, body composition and physical fitness levels were measured. After 10 cryotherapy treatments, significant changes were found in myostatin concentrations in the low physical fitness level (LPhL) group. The 25(OH)D levels were increased in the high physical fitness level (HPhL) group and decreased in the LPhL group. The HPhL group had significant changes in the level of high-sensitivity interleukin-6 after the first treatment. The LPhL group had significant changes in 25(OH)D, irisin, and myostatin levels after the tenth treatment. Our data demonstrated that in healthy young men, cryotherapy affects 25(OH)D levels, but they were small and transient. The body’s response to a series of 10 cryotherapy treatments is modified by physical fitness level.
Preparation of Novel Mesoporous Silica Using a Self-Assembled Graphene Oxide Template
Authors: Park Kyeong-Won , Kwon Oh-Yun 
Published: April 2020

AbstractNovel mesoporous silicas rolled with silica sheets with 2D regular spacing were prepared using a self-assembled graphene oxide (GO) template formed by mixing GO with Pluronic123 (P123). Self-assembled GO templated mesoporous silicas (SGT-PMS) showed well-developed X-ray diffraction peaks with d-spacings of 9.8–10.8 nm depending on the amount of GO, indicating mesoporous structures. The specific surface areas increased from 603.8 to 861.2 m2g−1 on adding GO. The pore size distribution was in the range 5.1–5.8 nm and pore volume in the range 0.80–0.99 m3g−1. The SEM images of SGT-PMS showed irregular elliptical particles with various sizes. TEM images showed that the cross section of SGT-PMS particles comprises a roll of silica sheets with 2D regular spacing. The pore walls of SGT-PMS are firmer and thicker than those for PMS without GO as indicated by the corresponding intensities of Q3 and Q4 signals. These results were explained well by the self-assembled GO templating mechanism.
The sugar substitute Stevia shortens the lifespan of Aedes aegypti potentially by N-linked protein glycosylation
Authors: Sharma Arvind , Reyes Jeremiah , Borgmeyer David , Ayala-Chavez Cuauhtemoc , Snow Katie , Arshad Fiza , Nuss Andrew , Gulia-Nuss Monika 
Published: April 2020

AbstractAdult male and female mosquitoes consume sugar as floral and extrafloral nectar. Earlier work demonstrated that mosquito populations and their vector potential are dependent upon the availability of sugar sources. Thus, a novel method of vector control may involve targeting sugar-feeding mosquitoes. Multiple human-safe sugar substitutes are already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and are readily available. However, plant-based sugar substitutes such as stevia (erythritol) have been shown to affect lifespan in other flies. Therefore, the current study was carried out to test the potential of commercially available sugar substitutes to adversely affect the survival, fecundity, and metabolism of adult Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Of the four sugar substitutes tested, erythritol (Stevia), sucralose (Splenda), aspartame (Equal), and saccharin (Sweet’N Low), only erythritol negatively affected mosquito longevity and fecundity. The effect on fecundity was probably due in part to a corresponding decrease in glycogen and lipid levels over time in mosquitoes fed on erythritol. Comparative mosquito head transcriptomes indicated upregulation of a gene in the mannose biosynthesis pathway in females fed on erythritol, suggesting that N-linked glycosylation might be responsible for the negative impact of erythritol feeding in mosquitoes. Mosquitoes preferred sucrose when a choice was given but were not averse to erythritol. Our results suggest the possibility of using erythritol alone or in combination with sucrose as a component of attractive toxic sugar baits for a human-safe approach for mosquito control.
Factors influencing PCV13 specific antibody response in Danish children starting in day care
Authors: Fjeldhøj Sine , Fuglsang Eva , Sørensen Camilla Adler , Frøkiær Hanne , Krogfelt Karen Angeliki , Laursen Rikke Pilmann , Slotved Hans-Christian 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThis study examines different factors influencing the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) specific antibody response in 8–13 months old Danish children starting in day care. We present secondary findings to the ProbiComp study, which included nose swabs, buccal swabs and blood samples from the children before entering day care (baseline) and again after 6 months. Pneumococci isolated from nose swabs were identified by latex agglutination kit and Quellung reaction. Luminex-based assay was used for antibody measurements against specific anti-pneumococcal capsular IgG. Buccal gene expression was analyzed by qPCR. Statistical analyses were performed in R and included Pearson’s Chi-squared test, Welch two sample t-test and linear regression models. The PCV13 antibody response was unaffected by whether the children were carriers or non-carriers of any pneumococcal serotype. Having siblings increased the risk of carrying serotype 21 before day care (p = 0.020), and having siblings increased the PCV13 antibody response at the end of study (p = 0.0135). Hepatitis B-vaccination increased the PCV13 antibody response before day care attendance (p = 0.005). The expression of IL8 and IL1B was higher in children carrying any pneumococcal serotype at baseline compared to non-carriers (p = 0.0125 and p = 0.0268 respectively).
Volume Fabrication of Quantum Cascade Lasers on 200 mm-CMOS pilot line
Authors: Coutard J. G , Brun M. , Fournier M. , Lartigue O. , Fedeli F. , Maisons G. , Fedeli J. M , Nicoletti S. , Carras M. , Duraffourg L. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe manufacturing cost of quantum cascade lasers is still a major bottleneck for the adoption of this technology for chemical sensing. The integration of Mid-Infrared sources on Si substrate based on CMOS technology paves the way for high-volume low-cost fabrication. Furthermore, the use of Si-based fabrication platform opens the way to the co-integration of QCL Mid-InfraRed sources with SiGe-based waveguides, enabling realization of optical sensors fully integrated on planar substrate. We report here the fabrication and the characterization of DFB-QCL sources using top metal grating approach working at 7.4 µm fully implemented on our 200 mm CMOS pilot line. These QCL featured threshold current density of 2.5 kA/cm² and a linewidth of 0.16 cm−1 with a high fabrication yield. This approach paves the way toward a Mid-InfraRed spectrometer at the silicon chip level.
Investigating the Role of Myeloperoxidase and Angiopoietin-like Protein 6 in Obesity and Diabetes
Authors: Qaddoumi Mohammad G. , Alanbaei Muath , Hammad Maha M. , Al Khairi Irina , Cherian Preethi , Channanath Arshad , Thanaraj Thangavel Alphonse , Al-Mulla Fahd , Abu-Farha Mohamed , Abubaker Jehad 
Published: April 2020

AbstractMyeloperoxidase (MPO) is positively associated with obesity and diet-induced insulin resistance. Angiopoietin-like protein 6 (ANGPTL6) regulates metabolic processes and counteract obesity through increased energy expenditure. This study aims to evaluate the plasma MPO and ANGPTL6 levels in obese and diabetic individuals as well as MPO association with biochemical markers of obesity. A total of 238 participants were enrolled, including 137 control and 101 type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients. ANGPTL6 and MPO levels and other biomarkers were measured via ELISA. ANGPTL6 levels were significantly higher in the diabetic population and obese individuals. When the group was stratified based on T2D, ANGPTL6 levels were significantly higher in obese-diabetic participants compared with non-obese-diabetics, but obese-non-diabetic individuals had similar ANGPTL6 levels to their controls. MPO levels were higher in obese compared with non-obese participants but did not differ between T2D and control participants. MPO levels were upregulated in obese compared with non-obese in both diabetics and non-diabetics. MPO was positively associated with ANGPTL6, triglyceride, BMI, TNF-alpha, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. Taken together, our findings suggest that both MPO and ANGPTL6 may regulate obesity, although MPO exerts this effect independent of diabetes while ANGPTL6 may have a modulatory role in diabetes.
Fungal community shifts in soils with varied cover crop treatments and edaphic properties
Authors: Cloutier Mara L. , Murrell Ebony , Barbercheck Mary , Kaye Jason , Finney Denise , García-González Irene , Bruns Mary Ann 
Published: April 2020

AbstractCover cropping is proposed to enhance soil microbial diversity and activity, with cover crop type affecting microbial groups in different ways. We compared fungal community compositions of bulk soils differing by cover crop treatment, season, and edaphic properties in the third year of an organic, conventionally tilled rotation of corn-soybean-wheat planted with winter cover crops. We used Illumina amplicon sequencing fungal assemblages to evaluate effects of nine treatments, each replicated four times, consisting of six single winter cover crop species, a three-species mixture, a six-species mixture, and fallow. Alpha-diversity of fungal communities was not affected by cover crop species identity, function, or diversity. Sampling season influenced community composition as well as genus-level abundances of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. Cover crop mixtures, specifically the three-species mixture, had distinct AM fungal community compositions, while cereal rye and forage radish monocultures had unique Core OTU compositions. Soil texture, pH, permanganate oxidizable carbon, and chemical properties including Cu, and P were important variables in models of fungal OTU distributions across groupings. These results showed how fungal composition and potential functions were shaped by cover crop treatment as well as soil heterogeneity.
Studies of structural determinants of substrate binding in the Creatine Transporter (CreaT, SLC6A8) using molecular models
Authors: Colas Claire , Banci Giulia , Martini Riccardo , Ecker Gerhard F. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractCreatine is a crucial metabolite that plays a fundamental role in ATP homeostasis in tissues with high-energy demands. The creatine transporter (CreaT, SLC6A8) belongs to the solute carrier 6 (SLC6) transporters family, and more particularly to the GABA transporters (GATs) subfamily. Understanding the molecular determinants of specificity within the SLC6 transporters in general, and the GATs in particular is very challenging due to the high similarity of these proteins. In the study presented here, our efforts focused on finding key structural features involved in binding selectivity for CreaT using structure-based computational methods. Due to the lack of three-dimensional structures of SLC6A8, our approach was based on the realization of two reliable homology models of CreaT using the structures of two templates, i.e. the human serotonin transporter (hSERT) and the prokaryotic leucine transporter (LeuT). Our models reveal that an optimal complementarity between the shape of the binding site and the size of the ligands is necessary for transport. These findings provide a framework for a deeper understanding of substrate selectivity of the SLC6 family and other LeuT fold transporters.
iMM1865: A New Reconstruction of Mouse Genome-Scale Metabolic Model
Authors: Khodaee Saeideh , Asgari Yazdan , Totonchi Mehdi , Karimi-Jafari Mohammad Hossein 
Published: April 2020

AbstractSince the first in silico generation of a genome-scale metabolic (GSM) model for Haemophilus influenzae in 1999, the GSM models have been reconstructed for various organisms including human and mouse. There are two important strategies for generating a GSM model: in the bottom-up approach, individual genomic and biochemical components are integrated to build a GSM model. Alternatively, the orthology-based strategy uses a previously reconstructed model of a reference organism to infer a GSM model of a target organism. Following the update and development of the metabolic network of reference organism, the model of the target organism can also be updated to eliminate defects. Here, we presented iMM1865 model as an orthology-based reconstruction of a GSM model for Mus musculus based on the last flux-consistent version of the human metabolic network, Recon3D. We proposed two versions of the new mouse model, iMM1865 and min-iMM1865, with the same number of gene-associated reactions but different subsets of non-gene-associated reactions. A third extended but flux-inconsistent model (iMM3254) was also created based on the extended version of Recon3D. Compared to the previously published mouse models, both versions of iMM1865 include more comprehensive annotations of metabolites and reactions with no dead-end metabolites and blocked reactions. We evaluated functionality of the models using 431 metabolic objective functions. iMM1865 and min-iMM1865 passed 93% and 87% of the tests, respectively, while iMM1415 and MMR (another available mouse GSM) passed 80% and 84% of the tests, respectively. Three versions of tissue-specific embryo heart models were also reconstructed from each of iMM1865 and min-iMM1865 using mCADRE algorithm with different thresholds on expression-based scores. The ability of corresponding GSM and embryo heart models to predict essential genes was assessed across experimentally derived lethal and viable gene sets. Our analysis revealed that tissue-specific models render much better predictions than GSM models.
Antifungal drug susceptibility, molecular basis of resistance to echinocandins and molecular epidemiology of fluconazole resistance among clinical Candida glabrata isolates in Kuwait
Authors: Al-Baqsami Zahraa F. , Ahmad Suhail , Khan Ziauddin 
Published: April 2020

AbstractCandida glabrata readily develops resistance to echinocandins. Identification, antifungal susceptibility testing (AST) and resistance mechanism to echinocandins among C. glabrata was determined in Kuwait. C. glabrata isolates (n = 75) were tested by Vitek2, multiplex PCR and/or PCR-sequencing of rDNA. AST to fluconazole, caspofungin, micafungin and amphotericin B was determined by Etest and to micafungin by broth microdilution (BMD). Mutations in hotspot-1/hotspot-2 of FKS1/FKS2 and ERG11 were detected by PCR-sequencing. All isolates were identified as C. glabrata sensu stricto. Seventy isolates were susceptible and five were resistant to micafungin by Etest and BMD (essential agreement, 93%; categorical agreement, 100%). Three micafungin-resistant isolates were resistant and two were susceptible dose-dependent to caspofungin. Four and one micafungin-resistant isolate contained S663P and ∆659 F mutation, respectively, in hotspot-1 of FKS2. Micafungin-resistant isolates were genotypically distinct strains. Only one of 36 fluconazole-resistant isolate contained nonsynonymous ERG11 mutations. Thirty-four of 36 fluconazole-resistant isolates were genotypically distinct strains. Our data show that micafungin susceptibility reliably identifies echinocandin-resistant isolates and may serve as a surrogate marker for predicting susceptibility/resistance of C. glabrata to caspofungin. All micafungin-resistant isolates also harbored a nonsynonymous/deletion mutation in hotspot-1 of FKS2. Fingerprinting data showed that echinocandin/fluconazole resistance development in C. glabrata is not clonal.