bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hippocampal and striatal volumes correlate with spatial memory impairment in Huntington’s disease
Authors: Glikmann‐Johnston Yifat , Mercieca Emily‐Clare , Carmichael Anna M. , Alexander Bonnie , Harding Ian H. , Stout Julie C. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractSpatial memory impairments are observed in people with Huntington's disease (HD), however, the domain of spatial memory has received little focus when characterizing the cognitive phenotype of HD. Spatial memory is traditionally thought to be a hippocampal‐dependent function, while the neuropathology of HD centers on the striatum. Alongside spatial memory deficits in HD, recent neurocognitive theories suggest that a larger brain network is involved, including the striatum. We examined the relationship between hippocampal and striatal volumes and spatial memory in 36 HD gene expansion carriers, including premanifest (n = 24) and early manifest HD (n = 12), and 32 matched healthy controls. We assessed spatial memory with Paired Associates Learning, Rey–Osterrieth Complex Figure Test, and the Virtual House task, which assesses three components of spatial memory: navigation, object location, and plan drawing. Caudate nucleus, putamen, and hippocampal volumes were manually segmented on T1‐weighted MR images. As expected, caudate nucleus and putamen volumes were significantly smaller in the HD group compared to controls, with manifest HD having more severe atrophy than the premanifest HD group. Hippocampal volumes did not differ significantly between HD and control groups. Nonetheless, on average, the HD group performed significantly worse than controls across all spatial memory tasks. The spatial memory components of object location and recall of figural and topographical drawings were associated with striatal and hippocampal volumes in the HD cohort. We provide a case to include spatial memory impairments in the cognitive phenotype of HD, and extend the neurocognitive picture of HD beyond its primary pathology within the striatum.
Bioremediation of industrial effluents: A synergistic approach
Authors: Nagda Adhishree , Meena Mukesh , Shah Maulin P. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractIndustrial wastewater consists of inorganic and organic toxic pollutants that pose a threat to environmental sustainability. The organic pollutants are a menace to the environment and life forms than the inorganic substances and pose teratogenic, mutagenic, carcinogenic, and other serious detrimental effects on the living entities, moreover, they have a gene‐altering effect on aquatic life forms and affect the soil fertility and quality. Removal of varying effluents having recalcitrant contaminants with conventional treatment technologies is strenuous. In contrast to physical and chemical methods, biological treatment methods are environmentally friendly, versatile, efficient, and technically feasible with low operational costs and energy footprints. Biological treatment is a secondary wastewater treatment system that utilizes the metabolic activities of microorganisms to oxidize or reduce inorganic and organic compounds and transform them into dense biomass, which later can be removed by the sedimentation process. Biological treatment in bioreactors is an ex situ method of bioremediation and provides the benefits of continuous monitoring under controlled parameters. This paper attempts to provide a review of bioremediation technologies discussing most concerning widespread bioreactors and advances used for different industrial effluents with their comparative merits and limitations.
Targeted molecular characterization of external auditory canal squamous cell carcinomas
Authors: Basura Gregory J. , Smith Joshua D. , Ellsperman Susan , Bhangale Apurva , Brenner John Chad 
Published: September 2021

AbstractHypothesisSquamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the external auditory canal (EAC) may harbor unique genomic alterations that may explain aggressive behavior and differentiate these tumors from cutaneous SCCs of other subsites.BackgroundEAC SCCs arise in a non‐ultraviolet‐exposed region of the head and neck, are often locally aggressive and may metastasize to lymph nodes or distant sites. The genomic alterations underlying cutaneous SCC of other sites are well‐documented; however, mutational profiles of EAC SCC are less well characterized and may contribute to the unique anatomic site, high rates of recurrence and tumor spread. We performed targeted sequencing of a cohort of primary EAC SCCs to identify recurring and potentially targetable genomic alterations.MethodsGenomic DNA was extracted from formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded specimens of 7 EAC SCCs and subjected to targeted DNA sequencing using a 227‐gene panel. Somatic alterations and gene copy number alterations were annotated using our validated, in‐house bioinformatics pipelines.ResultsIn our EAC SCCs, we found recurrent alterations in TP53 and genes of receptor tyrosine kinase (eg, EGFR, FGFR) and PI3K pathways (eg, PIK3CA), similar to cutaneous SCCs of other head and neck sites. We also observed a high frequency of telomerase reverse transcriptase amplification and DNA methyltransferase 1 alterations, both of which are rarely observed in cutaneous SCCs of other sites.ConclusionThese data represent the first step toward precise molecular characterization of EAC SCCs that may lead to an enhanced understanding of tumor biology and modernized precision medicine approaches for unique tumors.Level of Evidence: NA
Poly(glycerol sebacate)‐co‐poly(ethylene glycol)/Gelatin Hybrid Hydrogels as Biocompatible Biomaterials for Cell Proliferation and Spreading
Authors: Chang Chun‐Wei , Yeh Yi‐Cheun 
Published: September 2021

AbstractSynthetic polymers have been widely employed to prepare hydrogels for biomedical applications, such as cell culture, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. However, the activity of cells cultured in the synthetic polymer‐based hydrogels faces the challenges of limited cell proliferation and spreading compared to cells cultured in natural polymer‐based hydrogels. To address this concern, a hybrid hydrogel strategy is demonstrated by incorporating thiolated gelatin (GS) into the norbornene‐functionalized poly (glycerol sebacate)‐co‐polyethylene glycol (Nor_PGS‐co‐PEG, NPP) network to prepare highly biocompatible NPP/GS_UV hydrogels after the thiol‐ene photo‐crosslinking reaction. The GS introduces several desirable features (i.e., enhanced water content, enlarged pore size, increased mechanical property, and more cell adhesion sites) to the NPP/GS_UV hydrogels, facilitating the cell proliferation and spreading inside the network. Thus, the highly biocompatible NPP/GS_UV hydrogels are promising materials for cell encapsulation and tissue engineering applications. Taken together, the hybrid hydrogel strategy is demonstrated as a powerful approach to fabricate hydrogels with a highly friendly environment for cell culture, expanding the biomedical applications of hydrogels.
Novel combination of indicators to compare the corrosion behaviors of Al, Al–Li alloy 2A97, and other Al alloys
Authors: Niu Jintao , Liu Zhanqiang , Qiao Yang , Wang Xiangyu , Chen Hongtang 
Published: September 2021

AbstractAl–Li alloys have higher mechanical properties and are more lightweight than pure aluminum and other aluminum alloys. The element lithium is highly active; therefore, it is necessary to evaluate corrosion behaviors of Al–Li alloys. However, the existed methods and indicators that compare their corrosion properties are hard to characterize the continuous variations of corrosion performances with time. The potentiostatic polarization measurement is first proposed to compare corrosion resistances of Al, Al–Li alloy 2A97, and Al alloys 2024, 6061, 7050 in this study. Polarization current densities of these materials are measured. Then, equivalent resistances and charges amounts are respectively derived by Ohm's law and integration. Mass losses of these materials are calculated with Faraday's law. Measured current densities and three derived indicators above are applied to compare corrosion behaviors of these materials. Comparative results indicate that alloy 2A97 possesses the best corrosion property at the initial corrosion stage. During steady corrosion processes, the corrosion resistance of alloy 2A97 is better than those of alloys 2024, 6061, and Al except alloy 7050.
Metagenomic strategies identify diverse integron‐integrase and antibiotic resistance genes in the Antarctic environment
Authors: Antelo Verónica , Giménez Matías , Azziz Gastón , Valdespino‐Castillo Patricia , Falcón Luisa I. , Ruberto Lucas A. M. , Mac Cormack Walter P. , Mazel Didier , Batista Silvia 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe objective of this study is to identify and analyze integrons and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in samples collected from diverse sites in terrestrial Antarctica. Integrons were studied using two independent methods. One involved the construction and analysis of intI gene amplicon libraries. In addition, we sequenced 17 metagenomes of microbial mats and soil by high‐throughput sequencing and analyzed these data using the IntegronFinder program. As expected, the metagenomic analysis allowed for the identification of novel predicted intI integrases and gene cassettes (GCs), which mostly encode unknown functions. However, some intI genes are similar to sequences previously identified by amplicon library analysis in soil samples collected from non‐Antarctic sites. ARGs were analyzed in the metagenomes using ABRIcate with CARD database and verified if these genes could be classified as GCs by IntegronFinder. We identified 53 ARGs in 15 metagenomes, but only four were classified as GCs, one in MTG12 metagenome (Continental Antarctica), encoding an aminoglycoside‐modifying enzyme (AAC(6´)acetyltransferase) and the other three in CS1 metagenome (Maritime Antarctica). One of these genes encodes a class D β‐lactamase (blaOXA‐205) and the other two are located in the same contig. One is part of a gene encoding the first 76 amino acids of aminoglycoside adenyltransferase (aadA6), and the other is a qacG2 gene.
Pointwise convergence along a tangential curve for the fractional Schrödinger equation with 0 < m < 1
Authors: Yuan Jiye , Zhao Tengfei 
Published: September 2021

In this article, we study the pointwise convergence problem about solution to the fractional Schrödinger equation with 0 < m < 1 along a tangential curve and estimate the capacitary dimension of the divergence set. We extend the results of Cho and Shiraki (2021) for the case m > 1 to the case 0 < m < 1, which is sharp up to the endpoint.
Catfish 2020, A Clear Vision of the Future
Authors: Porath Mark T. , Kwak Thomas J. , Neely Ben C. , Shoup Daniel E. 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
The Third International Catfish Symposium was held in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 2020 and provided another milestone to gauge advances in knowledge related to conservation and management of these valuable fishes. Attendees from 29 states and 4 countries gathered to communicate research and information on the conservation, ecology, and management of the world’s catfishes. During 3 d of technical sessions and workshops, 74 oral presentations and 17 posters were shared with 198 attending fisheries professionals. Plenary and oral presentations were recorded and are available online (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHNt7ZV05DLWoe4qJO798Pw/videos), aligning with the symposium theme of “Communicating Catfish Science.” Technical sessions explored current research and management issues that included population demographics, introduced catfish populations, sampling methods, harvest management, human dimensions, conservation, habitat use and movement, biology, and aging methods. Ultimately, 38 manuscripts were peer reviewed and published as this special issue of the North American Journal of Fisheries Management. Interest in catfish science, as gauged by publications in six peer-reviewed fisheries journals, has grown steadily since a 1910 catfish aquaculture article appeared in the Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. Biology and ecology topics became prominent in the 1970s and 1980s, while articles on techniques and fisheries management have grown steadily through 2020. Ecology, fisheries management, and techniques were the most published topics in the three international catfish symposia. Future research and management efforts will continue similar work but also seek to address the expanding role of catfish as invasive species and a better understanding of the ecology and conservation of small-bodied native catfish. Among the greatest challenges will be adapting current tools and identifying future knowledge gaps as we experience a changing climate. This will require an enhanced understanding of transforming ecosystems and advanced adaptive management applications. The decadal occurrence of a dedicated symposium has served to summarize progress and focus future efforts to advance catfish science.
Biopolymer hydroxyapatite composite materials: Adding fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy to the characterization toolkit
Authors: Easter Quinn T. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBiopolymers are frequently used due to their sourcing from renewable resources, widespread abundance, and cheap procurement costs. When combined with hydroxyapatite (HA), these materials are often used as restorative materials by general and oral health care providers and in veterinary medicine due to their unique properties of mimicking their biological congeners. When designing the next generation of restorative materials, it will be critical to understand the interactions between biopolymers and HA on micron and submicron length scales, which will require expanding the characterization toolkit. Fluorescence microscopy is one powerful tool for investigating materials on these length scales. Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), a technique that measures the fluorescence lifetime of fluorophores based on local environments, could be used to observe the structural properties of materials. In this review, FLIM is discussed as an addition to the characterization toolkit for its potential to provide unique insights into biocomposite material structure‐property relationships. Additional topics include structure‐property processing relationships, imaging and metrology technique advances, and the ability of FLIM to complement these techniques. Overall, this review complements the literature by providing a new methodology to uncover previously unknown information through microscopy.
Tracking the origin of worked elephant ivory of a medieval chess piece from Belgium through analysis of ancient DNA
Authors: Goffette Quentin , Suarez Gonzalez Nathalie , Vanmechelen Raphaël , Verheyen Erik , Sonet Gontran 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe morphological identification of raw biological material used to produce archeological artifacts is sometimes difficult or even impossible. In recent years, newly developed biochemical techniques have allowed more reliable identification of exploited animal species, even for otherwise taxonomically undiagnostic fragments, and thus can help pinpoint the geographical origin of the raw material. However, in addition to being costly, these techniques involve destructive sampling. This explains why they are rarely applied to archeological artifacts, especially those made of precious, imported raw material or those representing intact works of art. Here, we analyzed the ancient DNA (aDNA) of a medieval chess piece made of ivory of unknown origin, recovered from a medieval settlement in Jambes (Namur), Belgium. This chess piece was broken during excavation. We took this unfortunate event as an opportunity to perform aDNA extraction, to try to answer three questions: (1) What Proboscidean species does the ivory come from?; (2) Can we establish the geographic origin of the ivory more precisely?; and (3) Does doing so help our understanding of (part of) the trade route followed by the ivory? We sequenced two short fragments of the mitochondrial genome and compared them with publicly available DNA data. This enabled the identification of the raw material as an African elephant (genus Loxodonta). Although the results cannot exclude that the ivory comes from a forest elephant, the recovered DNA sequence is currently found only among savanna elephant DNA records. The ivory likely originates from an eastern or southern African country and was therefore probably transported along the African trade route passing through the Swahili Corridor. However, the precise itinerary followed by this ivory from the African shore of the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, and then to the archeological site from which it was recovered, remains unknown. Such identification contributes to documenting past trade networks and long‐distance exchange.
Adverse generational changes in obesity development converge at midlife without increased cardiometabolic risk
Authors: Ibi Dorina , Rietman M. Liset , Picavet H. S. J. , van Klinken Jan Bert , van Dijk Ko Willems , Dollé Martijn E. T. , Verschuren W.M. Monique 
Published: September 2021

AbstractObjectiveObesity is becoming a global public health problem, but it is unclear how it impacts different generations over the life course. Here, a descriptive analysis of the age‐related changes in anthropometric measures and related cardiometabolic risk factors across different generations was performed.MethodsThe development of anthropometric measures and related cardiometabolic risk factors was studied during 26 years of follow‐up in the Doetinchem Cohort Study (N = 6,314 at baseline). All analyses were stratified by sex and generation, i.e., 10‐year age groups (20‐29, 30‐39, 40‐49, and 50‐59 years) at baseline. Generalized estimating equations were used to test for generational differences.ResultsWeight, BMI, waist circumference, and prevalence of overweight and obesity were higher, in general, in the younger generations during the first 10 to 15 years of follow‐up. From age 50 to 59 years onward, these measures converged in all generations of men and women. Among cardiometabolic risk factors, only type 2 diabetes showed an unfavorable shift between the two oldest generations of men.ConclusionsIt was observed that, compared with the older generations, the younger generations had obesity at an earlier age but did not reach higher levels at midlife and beyond. This increased exposure to obesity was not (yet) associated with increased prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors.
Crop modeling defines opportunities and challenges for drought escape, water capture, and yield increase using chilling‐tolerant sorghum
Authors: Raymundo Rubí , Sexton‐Bowser Sarah , Ciampitti Ignacio A. , Morris Geoffrey P. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractMany crop species, particularly those of tropical origin, are chilling sensitive, so improved chilling tolerance can enhance production of these crops in temperate regions. For the cereal crop sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.), early planting and chilling tolerance have been investigated for >50 years, but the potential value or tradeoffs of this genotype × management change have not been formally evaluated with modeling. To assess the potential of early planted chilling‐tolerant grain sorghum in the central US sorghum belt, we conducted CERES‐Sorghum simulations and characterized scenarios under which this change would be expected to enhance (or diminish) drought escape, water capture, and yield. We conducted crop growth modeling for full‐ and short‐season hybrids under rainfed systems that were simulated to be planted in very early (April), early (May 15), and normal (June 15) planting dates over 1986–2015 in four locations in Kansas representative of the central US sorghum belt. Simulations indicated that very early planting will generally lead to lower initial soil moisture, longer growing periods, and higher evapotranspiration. Very early planting is expected to extend the growing period by 20% for short‐ or full‐season hybrids, reduce evaporation during fallow periods, and increase plant transpiration in the two‐thirds of years with the highest precipitation (mean > 428 mm), leading to 11% and 7% increase grain yield for short‐ and full‐season hybrids, respectively. Thus, in this major sorghum growing region, very early and early planting could reduce risks of terminal droughts, extend seasons, and increase rotation options, suggesting that further development of chilling‐tolerant hybrids is warranted.
Using 2‐isopropyl‐2‐oxazine to explore the effect of monomer distribution and polymer architecture on the thermoresponsive behavior of copolymers
Authors: Warne Nicole M. , Finnegan John R. , Feeney Orlagh M. , Kempe Kristian 
Published: September 2021

AbstractPoly(cyclic imino ether)s (PCIE) have emerged as a highly promising class of polymer for use in biomedical applications with their value being derived from their excellent biocompatibility, diverse chemistry, and tunable hydrophilicity. Here, we investigate the properties of poly(2‐isopropyl‐2‐oxazine) (PiPrOz), a relatively unexplored PCIE, determining it to have a cloud point temperature (Tcp) below physiological temperature, not to crystallize from bulk or in solution, and to be highly biocompatible. Furthermore, a series of copolymers consisting of iPrOz and 2‐methyl‐2‐oxazine (MeOz) was investigated with regard to the effect of monomer distribution and polymer architecture on thermoresponsive properties. To this end, linear block and statistical co‐poly(2‐oxazine)s (co‐POz), along with three comb‐shaped POz with block or statistical POz side chains were prepared. Each of the five polymers showed distinct thermoresponsive behavior, with the linear block co‐POz undergoing micelle formation and the other polymers macroscopic phase‐separation at different Tcps. The variety observed in response to heating clearly highlights the importance of monomer sequence and polymer architecture when designing thermoresponsive polymers. We anticipate that our findings will prove useful to polymer chemists seeking to prepare novel thermoresponsive biomaterials.
A proposed CT classification of progressive lung parenchymal injury complicating pediatric lymphobronchial tuberculosis: From reversible to irreversible lung injury
Authors: Andronikou Savvas , Lucas Susan , Zouvani Andrea , Goussard Pierre 
Published: September 2021

AbstractLymphobronchial tuberculosis (LBTB) is tuberculous lymphadenopathy affecting the airways, which is particularly common in children with primary TB. Airway compression by lymphadenopathy causes downstream parenchymal pathology, which may ultimately result in irreversible lung destruction, if not treated timeously. Computed tomography (CT) is considered the “gold standard” for detecting mediastinal lymph nodes in children with TB. CT is also the best way of imaging the airways of children with LBTB. The CT findings of the parenchymal complications and associations of LBTB on CT have been described, but no severity classification was provided to aid management decisions. Identifying the parenchymal complications of LBTB and recognizing their severity has clinical relevance. Using prior publications on LBTB and post obstructive lung injury we have used an image bank of CT scans in children with pulmonary TB, presenting with airway symptoms, to create a CT severity staging of lung injury in LBTB. The staging focuses on distinguishing nonsalvageable destruction (nonenhancing or cavitated lung) from salvageable lung parenchymal disease (enhancing and noncavitated) to inform the management decisions, which range from bronchoscopic airway clearance to surgical decompression of the compressing nodes.