bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of Sitka spruce masting on phenology and demography of siskins Spinus spinus
Authors: Furness Euan N. , Furness Robert W. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractMasting behaviour of Sitka spruce Picea sitchensis may influence Eurasian siskin Spinus spinus breeding ecology as breeding siskins specialize on spruce seeds. We caught siskins and other small passerines over 16 years using mist nets adjacent to large plantations of mature Sitka spruce. We sexed, aged, measured and weighed the birds and collected feather samples from fledglings to measure nitrogen and carbon stable isotope ratios. Siskins departed in late summer, and returned, and bred earlier in years of higher cone abundance. Nitrogen and carbon isotopes indicated that siskins fed their chicks on Sitka spruce seeds in most years, and more so in years of high cone production. More siskins were caught following heavy rainfall, when the cones had closed, encouraging the birds to seek alternative food sources. Fledglings were not heavier or larger in years with higher cone crops but were more numerous. However, the age ratio of siskins caught the following year was unaffected by cone crop. Given their reliance on Sitka spruce seeds, climate change may have a major impact on siskin numbers by altering the availability of Sitka spruce seeds, either through changes in masting patterns or cone opening, or due to climate-related changes in forestry practices. Siskins represent a valuable study system to conservation ecology, where a native species is ecologically reliant on introduced taxa.
Nanomechanical mechanisms of Lyme disease spirochete motility enhancement in extracellular matrix
Authors: Strnad Martin , Oh Yoo Jin , Vancová Marie , Hain Lisa , Salo Jemiina , Grubhoffer Libor , Nebesářová Jana , Hytönen Jukka , Hinterdorfer Peter , Rego Ryan O. M. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractAs opposed to pathogens passively circulating in the body fluids of their host, pathogenic species within the Spirochetes phylum are able to actively coordinate their movement in the host to cause systemic infections. Based on the unique morphology and high motility of spirochetes, we hypothesized that their surface adhesive molecules might be suitably adapted to aid in their dissemination strategies. Designing a system that mimics natural environmental signals, which many spirochetes face during their infectious cycle, we observed that a subset of their surface proteins, particularly Decorin binding protein (Dbp) A/B, can strongly enhance the motility of spirochetes in the extracellular matrix of the host. Using single-molecule force spectroscopy, we disentangled the mechanistic details of DbpA/B and decorin/laminin interactions. Our results show that spirochetes are able to leverage a wide variety of adhesion strategies through force-tuning transient molecular binding to extracellular matrix components, which concertedly enhance spirochetal dissemination through the host.
Surfactant-assisted one-pot sample preparation for label-free single-cell proteomics
Authors: Tsai Chia-Feng , Zhang Pengfei , Scholten David , Martin Kendall , Wang Yi-Ting , Zhao Rui , Chrisler William B. , Patel Dhwani B. , Dou Maowei , Jia Yuzhi , Reduzzi Carolina , Liu Xia , Moore Ronald J. , Burnum-Johnson Kristin E. , Lin Miao-Hsia , Hsu Chuan-Chih , Jacobs Jon M. , Kagan Jacob , Srivastava Sudhir , Rodland Karin D. , Steven Wiley H. , Qian Wei-Jun , Smith Richard D. , Zhu Ying , Cristofanilli Massimo , Liu Tao , Liu Huiping , Shi Tujin 
Published: March 2021

AbstractLarge numbers of cells are generally required for quantitative global proteome profiling due to surface adsorption losses associated with sample processing. Such bulk measurement obscures important cell-to-cell variability (cell heterogeneity) and makes proteomic profiling impossible for rare cell populations (e.g., circulating tumor cells (CTCs)). Here we report a surfactant-assisted one-pot sample preparation coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) method termed SOP-MS for label-free global single-cell proteomics. SOP-MS capitalizes on the combination of a MS-compatible nonionic surfactant, n-Dodecyl-β-D-maltoside, and hydrophobic surface-based low-bind tubes or multi-well plates for ‘all-in-one’ one-pot sample preparation. This ‘all-in-one’ method including elimination of all sample transfer steps maximally reduces surface adsorption losses for effective processing of single cells, thus improving detection sensitivity for single-cell proteomics. This method allows convenient label-free quantification of hundreds of proteins from single human cells and ~1200 proteins from small tissue sections (close to ~20 cells). When applied to a patient CTC-derived xenograft (PCDX) model at the single-cell resolution, SOP-MS can reveal distinct protein signatures between primary tumor cells and early metastatic lung cells, which are related to the selection pressure of anti-tumor immunity during breast cancer metastasis. The approach paves the way for routine, precise, quantitative single-cell proteomics.
Global patterns of nitrate isotope composition in rivers and adjacent aquifers reveal reactive nitrogen cascading
Authors: Matiatos Ioannis , Wassenaar Leonard I. , Monteiro Lucilena R. , Venkiteswaran Jason J. , Gooddy Daren C. , Boeckx Pascal , Sacchi Elisa , Yue Fu‐Jun , Michalski Greg , Alonso-Hernández Carlos , Biasi Christina , Bouchaou Lhoussaine , Edirisinghe Nandana V. , Fadhullah Widad , Fianko Joseph R. , García-Moya Alejandro , Kazakis Nerantzis , Li Si-Liang , Luu Minh T. N. , Priyadarshanee Sakhila , Re Viviana , Rivera Diego S. , Romanelli Asunción , Sanyal Prasanta , Tamooh Fredrick , Trinh Duc A. , Walters Wendell , Welti Nina 
Published: March 2021

AbstractRemediation of nitrate pollution of Earth’s rivers and aquifers is hampered by cumulative biogeochemical processes and nitrogen sources. Isotopes (δ15N, δ18O) help unravel spatiotemporal nitrogen(N)-cycling of aquatic nitrate (NO3−). We synthesized nitrate isotope data (n = ~5200) for global rivers and shallow aquifers for common patterns and processes. Rivers had lower median NO3− (0.3 ± 0.2 mg L−1, n = 2902) compared to aquifers (5.5 ± 5.1 mg L−1, n = 2291) and slightly lower δ15N values (+7.1 ± 3.8‰, n = 2902 vs +7.7 ± 4.5‰, n = 2291), but were indistinguishable in δ18O (+2.3 ± 6.2‰, n = 2790 vs +2.3 ± 5.4‰, n = 2235). The isotope composition of NO3− was correlated with water temperature revealing enhanced N-cascading in warmer climates. Seasonal analyses revealed higher δ15N and δ18O values in wintertime, suggesting waste-related N-source signals are better preserved in the cold seasons. Isotopic assays of nitrate biogeochemical transformations are key to understanding nitrate pollution and to inform beneficial agricultural and land management strategies.
Inhibition of lncRNA-NEAT1 sensitizes 5-Fu resistant cervical cancer cells through de-repressing the microRNA-34a/LDHA axis
Authors: Shao Xuecheng , Zheng Xuehui , Ma Dan , Liu Yang , Liu Guoyan 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Cervical cancer is one of the most diagnosed malignancies among females. The 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu) is a widely used chemotherapeutic agent against diverse cancers. Despite the initially encouraging progresses, a fraction of cervical cancer patients developed 5-Fu resistance. We detected that nuclear-rich transcripts 1 (NEAT1) was significantly up-regulated in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. Moreover, NEAT1 was positively associated with 5-Fu resistance. Furthermore, expression of NEAT1 was significantly up-regulated in 5-Fu resistant CaSki cervical cancer cells. Knocking down NEAT1 by shRNA dramatically promoted the sensitivity of 5-Fu resistant CaSki cells. We observed a negative correlation between long noncoding RNA (lncRNA)-NEAT1 and miR-34a in cervical cancer patient tissues. Overexpression of miR-34a significantly sensitized 5-Fu resistant cells. Bioinformatics analysis uncovered that NEAT1 functions as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) of miR-34a in cervical cancer cells via sponging it at multiple sites to suppress expression of miR-34a. This negative association between NEAT1 and miR-34a was further verified in cervical cancer tissues. We found the 5-Fu resistant cells displayed significantly increased glycolysis rate. Overexpression of miR-34a suppressed cellular glycolysis rate and sensitized 5-Fu resistant cells through direct targeting the 3′-untranslated region (UTR) of LDHA, a glycolysis key enzyme. Importantly, knocking down NEAT1 successfully down-regulated LDHA expressions and glycolysis rate of cervical cancer cells by up-regulating miR-34a, a process could be further rescued by miR-34a inhibition. Finally, we demonstrated inhibition of NEAT1 significantly sensitized cervical cancer cells to 5-Fu through the miR-34a/LDHA pathway. In summary, the present study suggests a new molecular mechanism for the NEAT1-mediated 5-Fu resistance via the miR-34a/LDHA-glycolysis axis.
Long non-coding RNA GAS5 aggravates myocardial depression in mice with sepsis via the microRNA-449b/HMGB1 axis and the NF-κB signaling pathway
Authors: Gao Hongfeng , Ma Huijing , Gao Min , Chen Aichun , Zha Shujuan , Yan Jixi 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Sepsis is a common cause of deaths of patients in intensive care unit. The study aims to figure out the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) GAS5 in the myocardial depression in mice with sepsis. Cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) was applied to induce sepsis in mice, and then the heart function, myocardium structure, and the inflammatory response were evaluated. Differentially expressed lncRNAs in mice with sepsis were identified. Then gain- and loss-of-functions of GAS5 were performed in mice to evaluate its role in mouse myocardial depression. The lncRNA-associated microRNA (miRNA)–mRNA network was figured out via an integrative prediction and detection. Myocardial injury was observed by overexpression of high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) in septic mice with knockdown of GAS5 expression. Activity of NF-κB signaling was evaluated, and NF-κB inhibition was induced in mice with sepsis and overexpression of GAS5. Collectively, CLP resulted in myocardial depression and injury, and increased inflammation in mice. GAS5 was highly expressed in septic mice. GAS5 inhibition reduced myocardial depression, myocardial injury and inflammation responses in septic mice. GAS5 was identified to bind with miR-449b and to elevate HMGB1 expression, thus activating the NF-κB signaling. HMGB1 overexpression or NF-κB inactivation reduced the GAS5-induced myocardial depression and inflammation in septic mice. Our study suggested that GAS5 might promote sepsis-induced myocardial depression via the miR-449b/HMGB1 axis and the following NF-κB activation.
Music Perception and Speech-in-Noise Skills of Typical Hearing and Cochlear Implant Listeners
Authors: Fowler Stephanie L. , Calhoun Hannah , Warner-Czyz Andrea D. 
Published: March 2021

PurposeAdult cochlear implant (CI) users rate music as one of the most important auditory stimuli, second to speech perception. However, few studies simultaneously examine music perception and speech-in-noise perception in adult CI recipients. This study explores the effect of auditory status on music perception and speech-in-noise perception recognition in noise as well as the relationship among music engagement, music perception, and speech-in-noise perception.MethodParticipants include 10 adults with typical hearing (TH) and 10 adults with long-term CI use. All participants completed the Music-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire, which assesses subjective music experiences and their importance; the Pitch Direction Discrimination, Familiar Melody Recognition, and Timbre Recognition subtests of the Clinical Assessment of Music Perception for Cochlear Implants; the Unfamiliar Melody Recognition subtest of the Profile of Music Perception Skills; and the Bamford–Kowal–Bench Speech-in-Noise Test.ResultsThe TH group significantly outperformed the CI group for speech-in-noise perception and on all four music perception tasks. The CI group exhibited not only significantly poorer mean scores but also greater variability in performance compared to the TH group. Only Familiar Melody Recognition and Unfamiliar Melody Recognition subtests significantly correlated with speech-in-noise scores.ConclusionsPatients and professionals should not assume speech perception and music perception in adult CI users derive from the same auditory or cognitive foundations. The lack of significant relationships among music engagement, music perception, and speech-in-noise perception scores in adult CI users suggests this population enjoys music despite poor and variable performance in discrete music tasks.
Associations Between Voice and Gestural Characteristics of Transgender Women and Self-Rated Femininity, Satisfaction, and Quality of Life
Authors: Hardy Teresa L. D. , Rieger Jana M. , Wells Kristopher , Boliek Carol A. 
Published: March 2021

Purpose
Client-based subjective ratings of treatment and outcomes are becoming increasingly important as speech-language pathologists embrace client-centered care practices. Of particular interest is the value in understanding how these ratings are related to aspects of gender-affirming voice and communication training programs for transgender and gender-diverse individuals. The purpose of this observational study was to explore relationships between acoustic and gestural communication variables and communicator-rated subjective measures of femininity, communication satisfaction, and quality of life (QoL) among transfeminine communicators.

Method

Twelve acoustic and gestural variables were measured from high-fidelity audio and motion capture recordings of transgender women (
n
= 20) retelling the story of a short cartoon. The participants also completed a set of subjective ratings using a series of Likert-type rating scales, a generic QoL questionnaire, and a population-specific voice-related QoL questionnaire. Correlational analyses were used to identify relationships between the communication measures and subjective ratings.

Results
A significant negative relationship was identified between the use of palm-up hand gestures and self-rated satisfaction with overall communication. The acoustic variable of average semitone range was positively correlated with overall QoL. No acoustic measures were significantly correlated with voice-related QoL, and unlike previous studies, speaking fundamental frequency was not associated with any of the subjective ratings.

Conclusions
The results from this study suggest that voice characteristics may have limited association with communicator-rated subjective measures of communication satisfaction or QoL for this population. Results also provide preliminary evidence for the importance of nonverbal communication targets in gender-affirming voice and communication training programs.
The Acquisition of Articulatory Timing for Liquids: Evidence From Child and Adult Speech
Authors: Howson Phil J. , Redford Melissa A. 
Published: March 2021

Purpose
Liquids are among the last sounds to be acquired by English-speaking children. The current study considers their acquisition from an articulatory timing perspective by investigating anticipatory posturing for /l/ versus /ɹ/ in child and adult speech.

Method

In Experiment 1, twelve 5-year-old, twelve 8-year-old, and 11 college-aged speakers produced carrier phrases with penultimate stress on monosyllabic words that had /l/, /ɹ/, or /d/ (control) as singleton onsets and /æ/ or /u/ as the vowel. Short-domain anticipatory effects were acoustically investigated based on schwa formant values extracted from the preceding determiner (=
the
) and dynamic formant values across the /ə#LV/ sequence. In Experiment 2, long-domain effects were perceptually indexed using a previously validated forward-gated audiovisual speech prediction task.

Results
Experiment 1 results indicated that all speakers distinguished /l/ from /ɹ/ along F3. Adults distinguished /l/ from /ɹ/ with a lower F2. Older children produced subtler versions of the adult pattern; their anticipatory posturing was also more influenced by the following vowel. Younger children did not distinguish /l/ from /ɹ/ along F2, but both liquids were distinguished from /d/ in the domains investigated. Experiment 2 results indicated that /ɹ/ was identified earlier than /l/ in gated adult speech; both liquids were identified equally early in 5-year-olds' speech.

Conclusions
The results are interpreted to suggest a pattern of early tongue–body retraction for liquids in /ə#LV/ sequences in children's speech. More generally, it is suggested that children must learn to inhibit the influence of vowels on liquid articulation to achieve an adultlike contrast between /l/ and /ɹ/ in running speech.
Distributed accelerated descent algorithm for energy resource coordination in multi‐agent integrated energy systems
Authors: Kou Yu , Wang Yinghui , Bie Zhaohong , Wang Xu , Ding Tao 
Published: March 2021

AbstractComposed of multiple integrated energy systems (IESs) belonging to different stakeholders, multi‐agent IESs (MA‐IESs) are widely concerned because of data privacy protect. As the basis of planning design and reliability evaluation for MA‐IESs, distributed energy resource coordination (DERC) problem is studied in this paper. First, a DERC model for MA‐IESs is established, which considers energy conversion process specifically. Meanwhile, a novel distributed accelerated descent (DAD) algorithm is proposed to realize fully distributed solving. Different from most of the existing researches that investigate the DERC with box constraints, the presented algorithm is able to solve the DERC with general convex constraints. Moreover, the backward operators in the method improve the convergence rate to the best of distributed first‐order optimization algorithm with fixed step size, . Furthermore, the presented approach is initialization robustness when the load fluctuations suddenly happened in MA‐IESs. The convergence property, computing, and communication complexity are strictly proved. Finally, the effectiveness of DERC model and DAD algorithm are demonstrated by some modified case studies.
One-year Follow-Up Results with Hydrogel Implant in Therapy of Hallux Rigidus: Case Series with 44 Patients
Authors: Zanzinger Christoph , Harrasser Norbert , Gottschalk Oliver , Dolp Patrick , Hinterwimmer Florian , Hoerterer Hubert , Walther Markus 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background The Cartiva implant (CI) is being increasingly used in the surgical therapy of hallux rigidus. Despite a growing number of studies, numerous questions regarding patient
selection remain unanswered.
Patients and Methods As part of a retrospective case series with prospective follow-up (average follow-up period: 12 months), a total of 44 patients (male/female = 16/28; mean age at
the time of surgery: 55.4 years) with 44 CI were analysed (VAS, EFAS-, AOFAS-score). Using a correlation analysis and a machine learning algorithm, risk factors for therapy failure were
investigated.
Results The overall survival rate of the CI was 93% at 12 months. The VAS, EFAS and AOFAS scores showed a significant improvement in comparison to the preoperative condition. The
mobility of the metatarsophalangeal joint showed no increase. Patients with a medium osteoarthritis grade and a medium level of clinical restraint showed the greatest improvement in relation
to their preoperative condition.
Conclusion The CI can be seen as an effective therapy for hallux rigidus. Nonetheless, realistic patient expectations must be communicated.
A compact NaI(Tl) with avalanche photodiode gamma spectrometer for in situ radioactivity measurements in marine environment
Authors: Sun Zhenyu , Zhou Fan , Cao Zhe , Zhou Ziheng , Wang Xiaohu , Yuan Jianhui , Huang Xiru , Feng Changqing , Cao Ping , An Qi 
Published: March 2021

In situ radioactivity measurements in a deep ocean environment are essential for marine environmental pollution monitoring and seabed geological exploration. In the past, the most widely used gamma spectrometers were based on towed instrumentation, which could only be operated underwater at a depth of less than 1500 m. In this study, a compact gamma spectrometer with small-size, light weight, and low power consumption was designed for working in a marine in situ environment. This spectrometer, with two essential parts: detector and electronics, was designed to work on different underwater platforms in the real-time control mode or autonomous operation mode. Multiple small volume avalanche photodiodes were coupled with NaI(Tl), which can significantly reduce the spectrometer volume compared with the option of the photomultiplier tube. Integrated readout electronics were employed to digitize all detector signals for miniaturization and low power consumption. The field programmable gate array (FPGA) was used to obtain the energy spectrum in real-time and an online multi-channel summation with temperature calibration algorithm was employed to improve detection efficiency. Relevant tests were also conducted in the laboratory to evaluate critical techniques and system performance. Results show that the energy resolution (full width at half maximum over the peak position) was ∼7.5% at 662 keV, verifying the online multi-channel summation with temperature calibration based on the FPGA. Moreover, the compact prototype spectrometer worked well in the power-on hydraulic test.
Selective constraints on global plankton dispersal
Authors: Ward Ben A. , Cael B. B. , Collins Sinead , Young C. Robert 
Published: March 2021

Significance
Microscopic plankton form the ecological and biogeochemical foundation of almost all marine ecosystems. In the fluid ocean environment, biodiversity and community structure are determined by the poorly constrained balance of local selection and global dispersal. While ocean currents have the capacity to rapidly connect distant locations, we use numerical simulations to show that extremely high rates of adaptation are required for populations to traverse large-scale gradients in environmental variables such as temperature. Changing the assumed balance of selection, adaptation, and dispersal in our simulations has pronounced effects on the simulated community structure, accounting for emergent patterns in the global ocean microbiome and emphasizing the importance of evolutionary history in global marine biodiversity and biogeography.
Comparative parallel analysis of RNA ends identifies mRNA substrates of a tRNA splicing endonuclease-initiated mRNA decay pathway
Authors: Hurtig Jennifer E. , Steiger Michelle A. , Nagarajan Vinay K. , Li Tao , Chao Ti-Chun , Tsai Kuang-Lei , van Hoof Ambro 
Published: March 2021

Significance
The transfer RNA (tRNA) splicing endonuclease (TSEN) has a well-known role in cleaving pre-tRNAs to remove introns, but has other uncharacterized functions. Here we show that yeast TSEN cleaves several mRNAs that encode mitochondrial proteins, and that the cleavage sites are in part determined by their sequence. This provides an explanation for the counterintuitive mitochondrial localization of yeast TSEN. Human patients that inherit mutations in TSEN are born with pontocerebellar hypoplasia, which may be because of a defect in the mRNA cleavage functions of TSEN. The similarity of this TSEN-initiated decay pathway to other mRNA decay pathways suggests that mRNA specificity by colocalization may be an important determinant for the degradation of localized mRNAs in a variety of eukaryotic cells.