bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of long-acting, broad spectra anthelmintic treatments on the rumen microbial community compositions of grazing sheep
Authors: Moon Christina D. , Carvalho Luis , Kirk Michelle R. , McCulloch Alan F. , Kittelmann Sandra , Young Wayne , Janssen Peter H. , Leathwick Dave M. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractAnthelmintic treatment of adult ewes is widely practiced to remove parasite burdens in the expectation of increased ruminant productivity. However, the broad activity spectra of many anthelmintic compounds raises the possibility of impacts on the rumen microbiota. To investigate this, 300 grazing ewes were allocated to treatment groups that included a 100-day controlled release capsule (CRC) containing albendazole and abamectin, a long-acting moxidectin injection (LAI), and a non-treated control group (CON). Rumen bacterial, archaeal and protozoal communities at day 0 were analysed to identify 36 sheep per treatment with similar starting compositions. Microbiota profiles, including those for the rumen fungi, were then generated for the selected sheep at days 0, 35 and 77. The CRC treatment significantly impacted the archaeal community, and was associated with increased relative abundances of Methanobrevibacter ruminantium, Methanosphaera sp. ISO3-F5, and Methanomassiliicoccaceae Group 12 sp. ISO4-H5 compared to the control group. In contrast, the LAI treatment increased the relative abundances of members of the Veillonellaceae and resulted in minor changes to the bacterial and fungal communities by day 77. Overall, the anthelmintic treatments resulted in few, but highly significant, changes to the rumen microbiota composition.
Regulation of shrimp prophenoloxidase activating system by lva-miR-4850 during bacterial infection
Authors: Boonchuen Pakpoom , Jaree Phattarunda , Somboonviwat Kulwadee , Somboonwiwat Kunlaya 
Published: February 2021

AbstractMicroRNAs (miRNAs) suppress gene expression and regulate biological processes. Following small RNA sequencing, shrimp hemocytes miRNAs differentially expressed in response to acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus (VPAHPND) were discovered and some were confirmed by qRT-PCR. VPAHPND-responsive miRNAs were predicted to target several genes in various immune pathways. Among them, lva-miR-4850 is of interest because its predicted target mRNAs are two important genes of the proPO system; proPO2 (PO2) and proPO activating factor 2 (PPAF2). The expression of lva-miR-4850 was significantly decreased after VPAHPND infection, whereas those of the target mRNAs, PO2 and PPAF2, and PO activity were significantly upregulated. Introducing the lva-miR-4850 mimic into VPAHPND-infected shrimps caused a reduction in the PO2 and PPAF2 transcript levels and the PO activity, but significantly increased the number of bacteria in the VPAHPND targeted tissues. This result inferred that lva-miR-4850 plays a crucial role in regulating the proPO system via suppressing expression of PPAF2 and PO2. To fight against VPAHPND infection, shrimp downregulated lva-miR-4850 expression resulted in proPO activation.
Probing the structure–function relationship with neural networks constructed by solving a system of linear equations
Authors: Mininni Camilo J. , Zanutto B. Silvano 
Published: February 2021

AbstractNeural network models are an invaluable tool to understand brain function since they allow us to connect the cellular and circuit levels with behaviour. Neural networks usually comprise a huge number of parameters, which must be chosen carefully such that networks reproduce anatomical, behavioural, and neurophysiological data. These parameters are usually fitted with off-the-shelf optimization algorithms that iteratively change network parameters and simulate the network to evaluate its performance and improve fitting. Here we propose to invert the fitting process by proceeding from the network dynamics towards network parameters. Firing state transitions are chosen according to the transition graph associated with the solution of a task. Then, a system of linear equations is constructed from the network firing states and membrane potentials, in a way that guarantees the consistency of the system. This allows us to uncouple the dynamical features of the model, like its neurons firing rate and correlation, from the structural features, and the task-solving algorithm implemented by the network. We employed our method to probe the structure–function relationship in a sequence memory task. The networks obtained showed connectivity and firing statistics that recapitulated experimental observations. We argue that the proposed method is a complementary and needed alternative to the way neural networks are constructed to model brain function.
ABCC6 deficiency promotes dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis
Authors: Brampton Christopher , Pomozi Viola , Chen Li-Hsieh , Apana Ailea , McCurdy Sara , Zoll Janna , Boisvert William A. , Lambert Gilles , Henrion Daniel , Blanchard Simon , Kuo Sheree , Leftheriotis Georges , Martin Ludovic , Le Saux Olivier 
Published: February 2021

AbstractABCC6 deficiency promotes ectopic calcification; however, circumstantial evidence suggested that ABCC6 may also influence atherosclerosis. The present study addressed the role of ABCC6 in atherosclerosis using Ldlr−/− mice and pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) patients. Mice lacking the Abcc6 and Ldlr genes were fed an atherogenic diet for 16 weeks before intimal calcification, aortic plaque formation and lipoprotein profile were evaluated. Cholesterol efflux and the expression of several inflammation, atherosclerosis and cholesterol homeostasis-related genes were also determined in murine liver and bone marrow-derived macrophages. Furthermore, we examined plasma lipoproteins, vascular calcification, carotid intima-media thickness and atherosclerosis in a cohort of PXE patients with ABCC6 mutations and compared results to dysmetabolic subjects with increased cardiovascular risk. We found that ABCC6 deficiency causes changes in lipoproteins, with decreased HDL cholesterol in both mice and humans, and induces atherosclerosis. However, we found that the absence of ABCC6 does not influence overall vascular mineralization induced with atherosclerosis. Decreased cholesterol efflux from macrophage cells and other molecular changes such as increased pro-inflammation seen in both humans and mice are likely contributors for the phenotype. However, it is likely that other cellular and/or molecular mechanisms are involved. Our study showed a novel physiological role for ABCC6, influencing plasma lipoproteins and atherosclerosis in a haploinsufficient manner, with significant penetrance.
Embossed topographic depolarisation maps of biological tissues with different morphological structures
Authors: Ushenko Volodimir A. , Hogan Benjamin T. , Dubolazov Alexander , Grechina Anastasiia V. , Boronikhina Tatiana V. , Gorsky Mikhailo , Ushenko Alexander G. , Ushenko Yurii O. , Bykov Alexander , Meglinski Igor 
Published: February 2021

AbstractLayered topographic maps of the depolarisation due to diffuse biological tissues are produced using a polarisation-holographic Mueller matrix method approach. Histological sections of myocardial tissue with a spatially structured optically anisotropic fibrillar network, and parenchymal liver tissue with a polycrystalline island structure are successfully mapped. The topography of the myocardium maps relates to the scattering multiplicity within the volume and the specific morphological structures of the biological crystallite networks. The overall depolarisation map is a convolution of the effects of these two factors. Parenchymal liver tissues behave broadly similarly, but the different biological structures present cause the degree of scattering multiplicity to increase more rapidly with increasing phase. Through statistical analysis, the dependences of the magnitudes of the first to fourth order statistical moments are determined. These moments characterise the changing distributions of the depolarisation values through the volume of biological tissues with different morphological structures. Parenchymal liver tissue depolarisation maps are characterised by larger mean and variance, and less skewness and kurtosis, compared to the distributions for the myocardium. This work demonstrates that a polarisation-holographic Mueller matrix method can be applied to the assessment of the 3D morphology of biological tissues, with applications in disease diagnosis.
De novo assembly and characterization of the first draft genome of quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.)
Authors: Soyturk Aysenur , Sen Fatima , Uncu Ali Tevfik , Celik Ibrahim , Uncu Ayse Ozgur 
Published: February 2021

AbstractQuince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) is the sole member of the genus Cydonia in the Rosacea family and closely related to the major pome fruits, apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) and pear (Pyrus communis L.). In the present work, whole genome shotgun paired-end sequencing was employed in order to assemble the first draft genome of quince. A genome assembly that spans 488.4 Mb of sequence corresponding to 71.2% of the estimated genome size (686 Mb) was produced in the study. Gene predictions via ab initio and homology-based sequence annotation strategies resulted in the identification of 25,428 and 30,684 unique putative protein coding genes, respectively. 97.4 and 95.6% of putative homologs of Arabidopsis and rice transcription factors were identified in the ab initio predicted genic sequences. Different machine learning algorithms were tested for classifying pre-miRNA (precursor microRNA) coding sequences, identifying Support Vector Machine (SVM) as the best performing classifier. SVM classification predicted 600 putative pre-miRNA coding loci. Repetitive DNA content of the assembly was also characterized. The first draft assembly of the quince genome produced in this work would constitute a foundation for functional genomic research in quince toward dissecting the genetic basis of important traits and performing genomics-assisted breeding.
Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) enhances susceptibility and increases the window of vulnerability to HIV-1 in humanized mice
Authors: Wessels Jocelyn M. , Nguyen Philip V. , Vitali Danielle , Mueller Kristen , Vahedi Fatemeh , Felker Allison M. , Dupont Haley A. , Bagri Puja , Verschoor Chris P. , Deshiere Alexandre , Mazzulli Tony , Tremblay Michel J. , Ashkar Ali A. , Kaushic Charu 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe progestin-based hormonal contraceptive Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DMPA) is widely used in sub-Saharan Africa, where HIV-1 is endemic. Meta-analyses have shown that women using DMPA are 40% more likely than women not using hormonal contraceptives to acquire Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1). Therefore understanding how DMPA increases susceptibility to HIV-1 is an important public health issue. Using C57BL/6 mice and our previously optimized humanized mouse model (NOD-Rag1tm1Mom Il2rgtm1Wjl transplanted with hCD34-enriched hematopoietic stem cells; Hu-mice) where peripheral blood and tissues are reconstituted by human immune cells, we assessed how DMPA affected mucosal barrier function, HIV-1 susceptibility, viral titres, and target cells compared to mice in the diestrus phase of the estrous cycle, when endogenous progesterone is highest. We found that DMPA enhanced FITC-dextran dye leakage from the vaginal tract into the systemic circulation, enhanced target cells (hCD68+ macrophages, hCD4+ T cells) in the vaginal tract and peripheral blood (hCD45+hCD3+hCD4+hCCR5+ T cells), increased the rate of intravaginal HIV-1 infection, extended the window of vulnerability, and lowered vaginal viral titres following infection. These findings suggest DMPA may enhance susceptibility to HIV-1 in Hu-mice by impairing the vaginal epithelial barrier, increasing vaginal target cells (including macrophages), and extending the period of time during which Hu-mice are susceptible to infection; mechanisms that might also affect HIV-1 susceptibility in women.
Movement behavior of a solitary large carnivore within a hotspot of human-wildlife conflicts in India
Authors: Naha Dipanjan , Dash Suraj Kumar , Kupferman Caitlin , Beasley James C. , Sathyakumar Sambandam 
Published: February 2021

AbstractWith a rise in human induced changes to natural habitats, large predators are forced to share space and resources with people to coexist within multiple-use landscapes. Within such shared landscapes, co-occurrence of humans and predators often leads to human-carnivore conflicts and pose a substantial challenge for biodiversity conservation. To better elucidate large carnivore space use within a hotspot of human-wildlife conflicts, we used GPS data for leopards (N = 6) to identify behavioral states and document spatial patterns of resource selection in response to season and human activity periods within a fragmented landscape of North Bengal, eastern India. We identified two major behavioral states (i.e. resting and travelling). From the resource selection models, we found leopards selected habitats with dense to moderate vegetation cover and proximity to water while resting and travelling within the landscape. During the dry season, when risk of human-leopard conflicts is highest, leopards selected tea plantations, forest patches but avoided protected areas. These results suggest a potential for increase in human-carnivore conflicts and a strategy to conserve large predators within multiple-use landscapes of South Asia.
Non-invasive diffuse optical neuromonitoring during cardiopulmonary resuscitation predicts return of spontaneous circulation
Authors: Ko Tiffany S. , Mavroudis Constantine D. , Morgan Ryan W. , Baker Wesley B. , Marquez Alexandra M. , Boorady Timothy W. , Devarajan Mahima , Lin Yuxi , Roberts Anna L. , Landis William P. , Mensah-Brown Kobina , Nadkarni Vinay M. , Berg Robert A. , Sutton Robert M. , Yodh Arjun G. , Licht Daniel J. , Guo Wensheng , Kilbaugh Todd J. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractNeurologic injury is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality following pediatric cardiac arrest. In this study, we assess the feasibility of quantitative, non-invasive, frequency-domain diffuse optical spectroscopy (FD-DOS) neuromonitoring during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and its predictive utility for return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in an established pediatric swine model of cardiac arrest. Cerebral tissue optical properties, oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin concentration ([HbO2], [Hb]), oxygen saturation (StO2) and total hemoglobin concentration (THC) were measured by a FD-DOS probe placed on the forehead in 1-month-old swine (8–11 kg; n = 52) during seven minutes of asphyxiation followed by twenty minutes of CPR. ROSC prediction and time-dependent performance of prediction throughout early CPR (< 10 min), were assessed by the weighted Youden index (Jw, w = 0.1) with tenfold cross-validation. FD-DOS CPR data was successfully acquired in 48/52 animals; 37/48 achieved ROSC. Changes in scattering coefficient (785 nm), [HbO2], StO2 and THC from baseline were significantly different in ROSC versus No-ROSC subjects (p < 0.01) after 10 min of CPR. Change in [HbO2] of + 1.3 µmol/L from 1-min of CPR achieved the highest weighted Youden index (0.96) for ROSC prediction. We demonstrate feasibility of quantitative, non-invasive FD-DOS neuromonitoring, and stable, specific, early ROSC prediction from the third minute of CPR.
Disturbance of cellular homeostasis as a molecular risk evaluation of human endothelial cells exposed to nanoparticles
Authors: Wigner Paulina , Zielinski Krzysztof , Michlewska Sylwia , Danielska Paulina , Marczak Agnieszka , Ricci Eduardo Junior , Santos-Oliveira Ralph , Szwed Marzena 
Published: February 2021

AbstractEven though application of nanoparticles in medicine seems to provide unique solutions for drug delivery and diagnosis diseases, understanding interactions between nanoscale materials and biological systems is imperative. Therefore, this study determined the effect of different types of nanoparticles (NPs) on human endothelial cells and examined the types of toxicity responses they can induce. Four different types of NPs were tested (PLA/MMT/TRASTUZUMAB, PLA/EDTMP, PLGA/MDP, and Pluronic F127 MICELLES), representing three putative areas of application: anticancer therapy, scintigraphy, and cosmetology. The experiments were performed on immortalized human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC-STs). Light contrast phase microscopy as well as cell viability assays showed that only Pluronic F127 MICELLES decreased the number of HUVEC-STs in contrast to PLA/MMT/TRASTUZUMAB, PLA/EDTMP, and PLGA/MDP NPs, which altered cell morphology, but not their confluency. The tested NPs induced not only DNA strand-breaks and alkali-labile sites, but also internucleosomal DNA fragmentation, visualized as a DNA ladder pattern typical of apoptosis. Moreover, generation of free radicals and subsequent mitochondrial membrane potential collapse showed the significance of free radical production during interactions between NPs and endothelial cells. High concentrations of NPs had different degrees of toxicity in human endothelial cells and affected cell proliferation, redox homeostasis, and triggered mitochondrial dysfunction.
Post-weaning stroking stimuli induce affiliative behavior toward humans and influence brain activity in female rats
Authors: Okabe Shota , Takayanagi Yuki , Yoshida Masahide , Onaka Tatsushi 
Published: February 2021

AbstractGentle touch contributes to affiliative interactions. We investigated the effects of gentle stroking in female rats on the development of affiliative behaviors toward humans and we exploratively examined brain regions in which activity was influenced by stroking. Rats that had received stroking stimuli repeatedly after weaning emitted 50-kHz calls, an index of positive emotion, and showed affiliative behaviors toward the experimenter. Hypothalamic paraventricular oxytocin neurons were activated in the rats after stroking. The septohypothalamic nucleus (SHy) in the post-weaningly stroked rats showed decreased activity in response to stroking stimuli compared with that in the non-stroked control group. There were negative correlations of neural activity in hypothalamic regions including the SHy with the number of 50-kHz calls. These findings revealed that post-weaning stroking induces an affiliative relationship between female rats and humans, possibly via activation of oxytocin neurons and suppression of the activity of hypothalamic neurons.
Optimizing machine learning models for granular NdFeB magnets by very fast simulated annealing
Authors: Park Hyeon-Kyu , Lee Jae-Hyeok , Lee Jehyun , Kim Sang-Koog 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe macroscopic properties of permanent magnets and the resultant performance required for real implementations are determined by the magnets’ microscopic features. However, earlier micromagnetic simulations and experimental studies required relatively a lot of work to gain any complete and comprehensive understanding of the relationships between magnets’ macroscopic properties and their microstructures. Here, by means of supervised learning, we predict reliable values of coercivity (μ0Hc) and maximum magnetic energy product (BHmax) of granular NdFeB magnets according to their microstructural attributes (e.g. inter-grain decoupling, average grain size, and misalignment of easy axes) based on numerical datasets obtained from micromagnetic simulations. We conducted several tests of a variety of supervised machine learning (ML) models including kernel ridge regression (KRR), support vector regression (SVR), and artificial neural network (ANN) regression. The hyper-parameters of these models were optimized by a very fast simulated annealing (VFSA) algorithm with an adaptive cooling schedule. In our datasets of randomly generated 1,000 polycrystalline NdFeB cuboids with different microstructural attributes, all of the models yielded similar results in predicting both μ0Hc and BHmax. Furthermore, some outliers, which deteriorated the normality of residuals in the prediction of BHmax, were detected and further analyzed. Based on all of our results, we can conclude that our ML approach combined with micromagnetic simulations provides a robust framework for optimal design of microstructures for high-performance NdFeB magnets.
Higher maternal autonomy is associated with reduced child stunting in Malawi
Authors: Chilinda Zizwani Brian , Wahlqvist Mark L. , Lee Meei-Shyuan , Huang Yi-Chen 
Published: February 2021

AbstractChild undernutrition is a major health problem in Malawi. We assessed the association between maternal autonomy and child stunting in Malawi. We utilized nationally representative pooled cross-sectional data from the 2010 and 2015/16 Malawi Demographic and Health Surveys (MDHS), which included 7348 mother (28.1 ± 6.8 years, range 15–49 years)—child (27.6 ± 16.7 months, range 0–59 months) pairs. Maternal autonomy composite scores captured decision-making power, tolerance of domestic violence, and financial independence. The nutritional outcome measure was stunting (height-for-age z score < – 2). Logistic regression assessed associations between maternal autonomy and stunting, and dominance analysis evaluated the relative importance of the associated factors. From the two surveys combined, 39.2% were stunted. Stunting decreased from 45.0% in 2010 to 34.6% in 2015/16; concurrently, maternal autonomy improved and was evidently associated with stunting (aOR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.71, 0.93; p = 0.002). However, this association was probably mediated by other factors associated with improved child nutrition, including maternal education and family wealth, which, along with child age, were associated with stunting in the dominance analysis. Concurrent interventional programs may also have contributed to the decrease in stunting between the surveys, thus moderating the effect of maternal autonomy.
Synthesis, characterization and heavy metal removal efficiency of nickel ferrite nanoparticles (NFN’s)
Authors: Khoso Waheed Ali , Haleem Noor , Baig Muhammad Anwar , Jamal Yousuf 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe heavy metals, such as Cr(VI), Pb(II) and Cd(II), in aqueous solutions are toxic even at trace levels and have caused adverse health impacts on human beings. Hence the removal of these heavy metals from the aqueous environment is important to protect biodiversity, hydrosphere ecosystems, and human beings. In this study, magnetic Nickel-Ferrite Nanoparticles (NFNs) were synthesized by co-precipitation method and characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and Field Emission Scanning Electronic Microscopy (FE-SEM) techniques in order to confirm the crystalline structure, composition and morphology of the NFN’s, these were then used as adsorbent for the removal of Cr(VI), Pb(II) and Cd(II) from wastewater. The adsorption parameters under study were pH, dose and contact time. The values for optimum removal through batch-adsorption were investigated at different parameters (pH 3–7, dose: 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 mg and contact time: 30, 60, 90, and 120 min). Removal efficiencies of Cr(VI), Pb(II) and Cd(II) were obtained 89%, 79% and 87% respectively under optimal conditions. It was found that the kinetics followed the pseudo second order model for the removal of heavy metals using Nickel ferrite nanoparticles.