bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dietary obesity in mice is associated with lipid deposition and metabolic shifts in the lungs sharing features with the liver
Authors: Rautureau G. J. P. , Morio B. , Guibert S. , Lefevre C. , Perrier J. , Alves A. , Chauvin M. A. , Pinteur C. , Monet M. A. , Godet M. , Madec A. M. , Rieusset J. , Mey A. , Panthu Baptiste 
Published: April 2021

AbstractObesity is associated with both chronic and acute respiratory illnesses, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or increased susceptibility to infectious diseases. Anatomical but also systemic and local metabolic alterations are proposed contributors to the pathophysiology of lung diseases in the context of obesity. To bring perspective to this discussion, we used NMR to compare the obesity-associated metabolomic profiles of the lung with those of the liver, heart, skeletal muscles, kidneys, brain and serum from male C57Bl/6J mice fed with a high-fat and high-sucrose (HFHSD) diet vs. standard (SD) chow for 14 weeks. Our results showed that the lung was the second most affected organ after the liver, and that the two organs shared reduced one-carbon (1C) metabolism and increased lipid accumulation. Altered 1C metabolism was found in all organs and in the serum, but serine levels were increased only in the lung of HFHSD compared to SD. Lastly, tricarboxylic acid (TCA)-derived metabolites were specifically and oppositely regulated in the serum and kidneys but not in other organs. Collectively, our data highlighted that HFHSD induced specific metabolic changes in all organs, the lung being the second most affected organ, the main alterations affecting metabolite concentrations of the 1C pathway and, to a minor extend, TCA. The absolute metabolite quantification performed in this study reveals some metabolic specificities affecting both the liver and the lung, that may reveal common metabolic determinants to the ongoing pathological process.
Plasma level and expression of visfatin in the porcine hypothalamus during the estrous cycle and early pregnancy
Authors: Kaminski Tadeusz , Kiezun Marta , Zaobidna Ewa , Dobrzyn Kamil , Wasilewska Barbara , Mlyczynska Ewa , Rytelewska Edyta , Kisielewska Katarzyna , Gudelska Marlena , Bors Kinga , Kopij Grzegorz , Szymanska Karolina , Kaminska Barbara , Rak Agnieszka , Smolinska Nina 
Published: April 2021

AbstractVisfatin appears to be an energy sensor involved in the regulation of female fertility, which creates a hormonal link integrating the control of energy homeostasis and reproduction. This study evaluates the expression levels of visfatin gene and protein in selected areas of the porcine hypothalamus responsible for gonadotropin-releasing hormone synthesis: the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) and preoptic area (POA), and visfatin concentrations in the blood plasma. The tissue samples were harvested from gilts on days 2–3, 10–12, 14–16, and 17–19 of the estrous cycle, and on days 10–11, 12–13, 15–16, 27–28 of pregnancy. Visfatin was localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus of cells creating both studied hypothalamic structures. The study demonstrated that visfatin gene and protein expression in MBH and POA depends on hormonal status related to the phase of the estrous cycle or early pregnancy. Blood plasma concentrations of visfatin during the estrous cycle were higher on days 2–3 in relation to other studied phases of the cycle, while during early pregnancy, the highest visfatin contents were observed on days 12–13. This study demonstrated visfatin expression in the porcine hypothalamus and its dependence on the hormonal milieu related to the estrous cycle and early pregnancy.
Keeping in time with social and non-social stimuli: Synchronisation with auditory, visual, and audio-visual cues
Authors: Honisch Juliane J. , Mane Prasannajeet , Golan Ofer , Chakrabarti Bhismadev 
Published: April 2021

AbstractEveryday social interactions require us to closely monitor, predict, and synchronise our movements with those of an interacting partner. Experimental studies of social synchrony typically examine the social-cognitive outcomes associated with synchrony, such as affiliation. On the other hand, research on the sensorimotor aspects of synchronisation generally uses non-social stimuli (e.g. a moving dot). To date, the differences in sensorimotor aspects of synchronisation to social compared to non-social stimuli remain largely unknown. The present study aims to address this gap using a verbal response paradigm where participants were asked to synchronise a ‘ba’ response in time with social and non-social stimuli, which were presented auditorily, visually, or audio-visually combined. For social stimuli a video/audio recording of an actor performing the same verbal ‘ba’ response was presented, whereas for non-social stimuli a moving dot, an auditory metronome or both combined were presented. The impact of autistic traits on participants’ synchronisation performance was examined using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Our results revealed more accurate synchronisation for social compared to non-social stimuli, suggesting that greater familiarity with and motivation in attending to social stimuli may enhance our ability to better predict and synchronise with them. Individuals with fewer autistic traits demonstrated greater social learning, as indexed through an improvement in synchronisation performance to social vs non-social stimuli across the experiment.
C subunit of the ATP synthase is an amyloidogenic calcium dependent channel-forming peptide with possible implications in mitochondrial permeability transition
Authors: Amodeo Giuseppe Federico , Lee Brenda Yasie , Krilyuk Natalya , Filice Carina Teresa , Valyuk Denis , Otzen Daniel Erik , Noskov Sergey , Leonenko Zoya , Pavlov Evgeny V. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe c subunit is an inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) protein encoded by three nuclear genes. Best known as an integral part of the F0 complex of the ATP synthase, the c subunit is also present in other cytoplasmic compartments in ceroid lipofuscinoses. Under physiological conditions, this 75 residue-long peptide folds into an α-helical hairpin and forms oligomers spanning the lipid bilayer. In addition to its physiological role, the c subunit has been proposed as a key participant in stress-induced IMM permeabilization by the mechanism of calcium-induced permeability transition. However, the molecular mechanism of the c subunit participation in IMM permeabilization is not completely understood. Here we used fluorescence spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and black lipid membrane methods to gain insights into the structural and functional properties of unmodified c subunit protein that might make it relevant to mitochondrial toxicity. We discovered that c subunit is an amyloidogenic peptide that can spontaneously fold into β-sheets and self-assemble into fibrils and oligomers in a Ca2+-dependent manner. C subunit oligomers exhibited ion channel activity in lipid membranes. We propose that the toxic effects of c subunit might be linked to its amyloidogenic properties and are driven by mechanisms similar to those of neurodegenerative polypeptides such as Aβ and α-synuclein.
An asymmetric flow-focusing droplet generator promotes rapid mixing of reagents
Authors: Belousov K. I. , Filatov N. A. , Kukhtevich I. V. , Kantsler V. , Evstrapov A. A. , Bukatin A. S. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractNowadays droplet microfluidics is widely used to perform high throughput assays and for the synthesis of micro- and nanoparticles. These applications usually require packaging several reagents into droplets and their mixing to start a biochemical reaction. For rapid mixing microfluidic devices usually require additional functional elements that make their designs more complex. Here we perform a series of 2D numerical simulations, followed by experimental studies, and introduce a novel asymmetric flow-focusing droplet generator, which enhances mixing during droplet formation due to a 2D or 3D asymmetric vortex, located in the droplet formation area of the microfluidic device. Our results suggest that 2D numerical simulations can be used for qualitative analysis of two-phase flows and droplet generation process in quasi-two-dimensional devices, while the relative simplicity of such simulations allows them to be easily applied to fairly complicated microfluidic geometries. Mixing inside droplets formed in the asymmetric generator occurs up to six times faster than in a conventional symmetric one. The best mixing efficiency is achieved in a specific range of droplet volumes, which can be changed by scaling the geometry of the device. Thus, the droplet generator suggested here can significantly simplify designs of microfluidic devices because it enables both the droplet formation and fast mixing of the reagents within droplets. Moreover, it can be used to precisely estimate reaction kinetics.
Delayed-matching-to-position working memory in mice relies on NMDA-receptors in prefrontal pyramidal cells
Authors: Kilonzo Kasyoka , van der Veen Bastiaan , Teutsch Jasper , Schulz Stefanie , Kapanaiah Sampath K. T. , Liss Birgit , Kätzel Dennis 
Published: April 2021

AbstractA hypofunction of N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptors (NMDARs) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia by clinical and rodent studies. However, to what extent NMDAR-hypofunction in distinct cell-types across the brain causes different symptoms of this disease is largely unknown. One pharmaco-resistant core symptom of schizophrenia is impaired working memory (WM). NMDARs have been suggested to mediate sustained firing in excitatory neurons of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) that might underlie WM storage. However, if NMDAR-hypofunction in prefrontal excitatory neurons may indeed entail WM impairments is unknown. We here investigated this question in mice, in which NMDARs were genetically-ablated in PFC excitatory cells. This cell type-selective NMDAR-hypofunction caused a specific deficit in a delayed-matching-to-position (DMTP) 5-choice-based operant WM task. In contrast, T-maze rewarded alternation and several psychological functions including attention, spatial short-term habituation, novelty-processing, motivation, sociability, impulsivity, and hedonic valuation remained unimpaired at the level of GluN1-hypofunction caused by our manipulation. Our data suggest that a hypofunction of NMDARs in prefrontal excitatory neurons may indeed cause WM impairments, but are possibly not accounting for most other deficits in schizophrenia.
Genome wide association study of the whiteness and colour related traits of flour and dough sheets in common wheat
Authors: Ji Mengqi , Fang Wenqi , Li Wenshu , Zhao Yunzhe , Guo Yingxin , Wang Wei , Chen Guangfeng , Tian Jichun , Deng Zhiying 
Published: April 2021

AbstractFlour whiteness and colour are important factors that influence the quality of wheat flour and end-use products. In this study, a genome wide association study focusing on flour and dough sheet colour using a high density genetic map constructed with 90K single nucleotide polymorphism arrays in a panel of 205 elite winter wheat accessions was conducted in two different locations in 2 years. Eighty-six significant marker-trait associations (MTAs) were detected for flour whiteness and the brightness index (L* value), the redness index (a* value), and the yellowness index (b* value) of flour and dough sheets (P < 10–4) on homologous group 1, 2, 5 and 7, and chromosomes 3A, 3B, 4A, 6A and 6B. Four, three, eleven, eleven MTAs for the flour whiteness, L* value, a* value, b* value, and one MTA for the dough sheet L* value were identified in more than one environment. Based on MATs, some important new candidate genes were identified. Of these, two candidate genes, TraesCS5D01G004300 and Gsp-1D, for BS00000020_51 were found in wheat, relating to grain hardness. Other candidate genes were associated with proteins, the fatty acid biosynthetic process, the ketone body biosynthetic process, etc.
Prenatal diagnosis of exomphalos and prediction of outcome
Authors: Nitzsche K. , Fitze G. , Rüdiger M. , Wimberger P. , Birdir C. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe aim of this study was to detect a parameter for predicting prenatal complications or postnatal surgical options after detecting a fetal exomphalos. This was a retrospective analysis of prenatal diagnosis and outcome of fetuses with 41 cases of exomphalos in between 2007 and 2017, considering the measurement of ratios. The 41 fetuses with exomphalos were examined, 34 cases (82.9%) with karyotyping and 16 cases (39%) with an abnormal karyotype. Outcome of 39 cases showed 6 abortions (15.4%), 15 terminations (38.5%), an intrauterine fetal death (2.5%) and 17 alive babies (43.6%), which were grouped in two: small exomphalos (n = 6, 35.3%) and big exomphalos (n = 11, 64.7%). Maximal diameter of exomphalos/abdomen circumference-ratio (EDmax/AC-ratio) with a cut-off of 0.24 showed a better predictive value of postnatal primary closure. Exomphalos is correlated with abnormal karyotype. EDmax/AC-ratio gives the best prediction for postnatal primary closure of the defect.
Biochar and compost enhance soil quality and growth of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) under saline conditions
Authors: Liu Di , Ding Zheli , Ali Esmat F. , Kheir Ahmed M. S. , Eissa Mamdouh A. , Ibrahim Omer H. M. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractSoil amendments may increase the slate tolerance of plants consequently; it may increase the opportunity of using saline water in agricultural production. In the present pot trial, the effects of biochar (BIC) and compost (COM) on roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) irrigated with saline water (EC = 7.50 dS m−1) was studied. Roselle plants were amended with biochar (BIC1 and BIC2) or compost (COM1 and COM2) at rates of 1 and 2% (w/w), as well as by a mixture of the two amendments (BIC1+). The experiment included a control soil without any amendments. Biochar and compost significantly enhanced the soil quality and nutrients availability under saline irrigation. Compost and biochar improved the degree of soil aggregation, total soil porosity and soil microbial biomass. BIC1 + COM1 increased the soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen over the individual application of each amendments and control soil. BIC1 + COM1 increased the activity of dehydrogenase and phosphatase enzymes. Growth of roselle plants including: plant height, shoot fresh and dry weight, and chlorophyll were significantly responded to the added amendments. The maximum sepal’s yield was achieved from the combined application of compost and biochar. All the investigated treatments caused remarkable increases in the total flavonol and anthocyanin. BIC1 + COM1 increased the total anthocyanin and flavonol by 29 and 17% above the control. Despite the notable improvement in soil and roselle quality as a result of the single addition of compost or biochar, there is a clear superiority due to mixing the two amendments. It can be concluded that mixing of biochar and compost is recommended for roselle plants irrigated with saline water.
Peritrophic matrix-degrading proteins are dispensable virulence factors in a virulent Melissococcus plutonius strain
Authors: Nakamura Keiko , Okumura Kayo , Harada Mariko , Okamoto Mariko , Okura Masatoshi , Takamatsu Daisuke 
Published: April 2021

AbstractEuropean foulbrood (EFB) caused by Melissococcus plutonius is a major bacterial disease of honey bees. Strains of the causative agent exhibit genetic heterogeneity, and the degree of virulence varies among strains. In bee larvae orally infected with the highly virulent strains, ingested bacterial cells colonize the larval midgut and proliferate within the sac of the peritrophic matrix (PM), a barrier lining the midgut epithelium. However, the barrier is degraded during the course of infection, and M. plutonius cells eventually directly interact with the midgut epithelium. As M. plutonius possesses genes encoding putative PM-degrading proteins (enhancin, a chitin-binding domain-containing protein and endo-α-N-acetylgalactosaminidase), we constructed PM-degrading protein gene-knockout mutants from a highly virulent M. plutonius strain and investigated their role in the pathogenesis of EFB. In larvae infected with the triple-knockout mutant, which has no PM-degrading protein genes, M. plutonius that proliferated in the larval midguts was confined to the sac of the PM. However, the midgut epithelial cells degenerated over time, and the mutant killed approximately 70–80% of bee brood, suggesting that although the PM-degrading proteins are involved in the penetration of the PM by M. plutonius, they are not indispensable virulence factors in the highly virulent M. plutonius strain.
Direct growth of orthorhombic Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 thin films for hysteresis-free MoS2 negative capacitance field-effect transistors
Authors: Cho Hae Won , Pujar Pavan , Choi Minsu , Kang Seunghun , Hong Seongin , Park Junwoo , Baek Seungho , Kim Yunseok , Lee Jaichan , Kim Sunkook 
Published: April 2021

AbstractHerein, the direct growth of polar orthorhombic phase in Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 (HZO) thin films is reported using Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD). The growth of HZO onto a preheated (700 °C) silicon substrate mimics the rapid thermal annealing, which allows the formation of smaller crystallites (~9.7 nm) with large surface energy leading to the stabilization of metastable orthorhombic phase. Unlike atomic layer deposition (ALD) of HZO, PLD is more advantageous for depositing highly crystalline thin films through optimized parameters, such as laser fluence and background gas pressure. Further, the PLD-HZO is integrated with HfO2 dielectric and the resulting gate stacks have been used in the bottom gate FET architecture-‘Si//PLD-HZO/HfO2/MoS2//Ti/Au’. The NCFETs have yielded a sub-thermionic subthreshold swing (SSfor = 33.03 ± 8.7 mV/dec. and SSrev = 36.4 ± 7.7 mV/dec.) and a negligible hysteresis (~28 mV), which is capable in realizing low power integrated digital/analog circuits.
AI-based analysis of CT images for rapid triage of COVID-19 patients
Authors: Xu Qinmei , Zhan Xianghao , Zhou Zhen , Li Yiheng , Xie Peiyi , Zhang Shu , Li Xiuli , Yu Yizhou , Zhou Changsheng , Zhang Longjiang , Gevaert Olivier , Lu Guangming 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic overwhelms the medical resources in the stressed intensive care unit (ICU) capacity and the shortage of mechanical ventilation (MV). We performed CT-based analysis combined with electronic health records and clinical laboratory results on Cohort 1 (n = 1662 from 17 hospitals) with prognostic estimation for the rapid stratification of PCR confirmed COVID-19 patients. These models, validated on Cohort 2 (n = 700) and Cohort 3 (n = 662) constructed from nine external hospitals, achieved satisfying performance for predicting ICU, MV, and death of COVID-19 patients (AUROC 0.916, 0.919, and 0.853), even on events happened two days later after admission (AUROC 0.919, 0.943, and 0.856). Both clinical and image features showed complementary roles in prediction and provided accurate estimates to the time of progression (p < 0.001). Our findings are valuable for optimizing the use of medical resources in the COVID-19 pandemic. The models are available here:https://github.com/terryli710/COVID_19_Rapid_Triage_Risk_Predictor.
Lepidopteran wing scales contain abundant cross-linked film-forming histidine-rich cuticular proteins
Authors: Liu Jianqiu , Chen Zhiwei , Xiao Yingdan , Asano Tsunaki , Li Shenglong , Peng Li , Chen Enxiang , Zhang Jiwei , Li Wanshun , Zhang Yan , Tong Xiaoling , Kadono-Okuda Keiko , Zhao Ping , He Ningjia , Arunkumar Kallare P. , Gopinathan Karumathil P. , Xia Qingyou , Willis Judith H. , Goldsmith Marian R. , Mita Kazuei 
Published: April 2021

AbstractScales are symbolic characteristic of Lepidoptera; however, nothing is known about the contribution of cuticular proteins (CPs) to the complex patterning of lepidopteran scales. This is because scales are resistant to solubilization, thus hindering molecular studies. Here we succeeded in dissolving developing wing scales from Bombyx mori, allowing analysis of their protein composition. We identified a distinctive class of histidine rich (His-rich) CPs (6%–45%) from developing lepidopteran scales by LC-MS/MS. Functional studies using RNAi revealed CPs with different histidine content play distinct and critical roles in constructing the microstructure of the scale surface. Moreover, we successfully synthesized films in vitro by crosslinking a 45% His-rich CP (BmorCPR152) with laccase2 using N-acetyl- dopamine or N-β-alanyl-dopamine as the substrate. This molecular study of scales provides fundamental information about how such a fine microstructure is constructed and insights into the potential application of CPs as new biomaterials.
Environmental connectivity controls diversity in soil microbial communities
Authors: Dubey Manupriyam , Hadadi Noushin , Pelet Serge , Carraro Nicolas , Johnson David R. , van der Meer Jan R. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractInterspecific interactions are thought to govern the stability and functioning of microbial communities, but the influence of the spatial environment and its structural connectivity on the potential of such interactions to unfold remain largely unknown. Here we studied the effects on community growth and microbial diversity as a function of environmental connectivity, where we define environmental connectivity as the degree of habitat fragmentation preventing microbial cells from living together. We quantitatively compared growth of a naturally-derived high microbial diversity community from soil in a completely mixed liquid suspension (high connectivity) to growth in a massively fragmented and poorly connected environment (low connectivity). The low connectivity environment consisted of homogenously-sized miniature agarose beads containing random single or paired founder cells. We found that overall community growth was the same in both environments, but the low connectivity environment dramatically reduced global community-level diversity compared to the high connectivity environment. Experimental observations were supported by community growth modeling. The model predicts a loss of diversity in the low connectivity environment as a result of negative interspecific interactions becoming more dominant at small founder species numbers. Counterintuitively for the low connectivity environment, growth of isolated single genotypes was less productive than that of random founder genotype cell pairs, suggesting that the community as a whole profited from emerging positive interspecific interactions. Our work demonstrates the importance of environmental connectivity for growth of natural soil microbial communities, which aids future efforts to intervene in or restore community composition to achieve engineering and biotechnological objectives.
Structure and assembly of double-headed Sendai virus nucleocapsids
Authors: Zhang Na , Shan Hong , Liu Mingdong , Li Tianhao , Luo Rui , Yang Liuyan , Qi Lei , Chu Xiaofeng , Su Xin , Wang Rui , Liu Yunhui , Sun Wenzhi , Shen Qing-Tao 
Published: April 2021

AbstractParamyxoviruses, including the mumps virus, measles virus, Nipah virus and Sendai virus (SeV), have non-segmented single-stranded negative-sense RNA genomes which are encapsidated by nucleoproteins into helical nucleocapsids. Here, we reported a double-headed SeV nucleocapsid assembled in a tail-to-tail manner, and resolved its helical stems and clam-shaped joint at the respective resolutions of 2.9 and 3.9 Å, via cryo-electron microscopy. Our structures offer important insights into the mechanism of the helical polymerization, in particular via an unnoticed exchange of a N-terminal hole formed by three loops of nucleoproteins, and unveil the clam-shaped joint in a hyper-closed state for nucleocapsid dimerization. Direct visualization of the loop from the disordered C-terminal tail provides structural evidence that C-terminal tail is correlated to the curvature of nucleocapsid and links nucleocapsid condensation and genome replication and transcription with different assembly forms.