bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Insights into the lipidome and primary metabolome of the uterus from day 14 cyclic and pregnant sheep
Authors: O’Neil Eleanore V , Spencer Thomas E 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
In ruminants, conceptus elongation requires the endometrium and its secretions. The amino acid, carbohydrate, and protein composition of the uterine lumen during early pregnancy has been defined in sheep; however, a comprehensive understanding of metabolomic changes in the uterine lumen is lacking, particularly with respect to lipids. Here, the lipidome and primary metabolome of the uterine lumen, endometrium, and/or conceptus was determined on day 14 of the estrous cycle and pregnancy. Lipid droplets and select triglycerides were depleted in the endometrium of pregnant ewes. In contrast, select ceramides, diglycerides, and non-esterified fatty acids as well as several phospholipid classes (phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylglycerols, and diacylglycerols) were elevated in the uterine lumen of pregnant ewes. Lipidomic analysis of the conceptus revealed that triglycerides are particularly abundant within the conceptus. Primary metabolite analyses found elevated amino acids, carbohydrates, and energy substrates, among others, in the uterine lumen of pregnant ewes. Collectively, this study supports the hypothesis that lipids are important components of the uterine lumen that govern conceptus elongation and growth during early pregnancy.
Single-index models with functional connectivity network predictors
Authors: Weaver Caleb , Xiao Luo , Lindquist Martin A 
Published: March 2021

SummaryFunctional connectivity is defined as the undirected association between two or more functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) time series. Increasingly, subject-level functional connectivity data have been used to predict and classify clinical outcomes and subject attributes. We propose a single-index model wherein response variables and sparse functional connectivity network valued predictors are linked by an unspecified smooth function in order to accommodate potentially nonlinear relationships. We exploit the network structure of functional connectivity by imposing meaningful sparsity constraints, which lead not only to the identification of association of interactions between regions with the response but also the assessment of whether or not the functional connectivity associated with a brain region is related to the response variable. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model in simulation studies and in an application to a resting-state fMRI data set from the Human Connectome Project to model fluid intelligence and sex and to identify predictive links between brain regions.
Self-Face Activates the Dopamine Reward Pathway without Awareness
Authors: Ota Chisa , Nakano Tamami 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
The self-face advantage has been demonstrated not only at the supraliminal level, but also at the subliminal level. However, it remains unclear whether subliminal self-face processing involves the same neural networks as those for supraliminal self-face processing. Here, we show that the ventral tegmental area, a center of the dopamine reward pathway, exhibited greater activation to subliminal presentations of the self-face than those of the others’ faces, whereas subliminal presentations of the others’ faces induced activation in the amygdala, which generally responds to unfamiliar information. This self-other difference in brain response was consistently observed even when the facial configuration was modified without changing the shape of the facial parts. The present findings suggest that the dopamine reward pathway is involved in automatic self-advantage in face processing, and the subliminal self-other facial discrimination does not depend on information of the precise facial configuration.
Comparison of Blood (1–&gt;3)-β-d-Glucan Levels in AIDS-Related Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia and AIDS-Related Progressive Disseminated Histoplasmosis
Authors: Saccente Michael , Krishnan Gayathri 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
In this retrospective study, (1–&gt;3)-β-d-glucan (B-glucan) was an unreliable marker for AIDS-related Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) because a high percentage of participants with progressive disseminated histoplasmosis and respiratory symptoms had a positive B-glucan result. Where histoplasmosis is common, attributing B-glucan positivity to PCP without further testing risks misdiagnosis.
Plant Volatiles and Oviposition Behavior in the Selection of Barley Cultivars by Wheat Stem Sawfly (Hymenoptera: Cephidae)
Authors: Achhami Buddhi B , Reddy Gadi V P , Hofland M L , Sherman Jamie D , Peterson Robert K D , Weaver David K 
Published: March 2021

AbstractWheat stem sawfly, [Cephus cinctus (Hymenoptera: Cephidae)], females display complex behaviors for host selection and oviposition. Susceptible hollow stem wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars release a greater amount of attractive compound, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate and receive a greater number of eggs compared to resistant solid stem wheat cultivars. However, barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is becoming a more common host for C. cinctus in Montana. Therefore, how do host selection and oviposition behaviors on barley cultivars compare to what happens when encountering wheat cultivars? To answer this question, we carried out greenhouse experiments using two barley cultivars: ‘Hockett’ and ‘Craft’. Between these cultivars at Zadoks stages 34 and 49, we compared host selection decisions using a Y-tube olfactometer, compared oviposition behaviors on stems, and counted the number of eggs inside individual stems. In Y-tube bioassays, we found a greater number of C. cinctus females were attracted to the airstream passing over ‘Hockett’ than ‘Craft’ barley cultivars. Although the frequencies of oviposition behaviors were similar between these cultivars, the number of eggs was greater in ‘Hockett’. Volatile profiles indicated that the amount of linalool was greater in the airstream from ‘Craft’ than in ‘Hockett’ at Zadoks 34 while the amount of (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate was greater in airstream from ‘Hockett’ at both Zadoks 34 and 49. These results suggest that volatiles of barley plants influenced host selection behavior of ovipositing C. cinctus females, while other discriminating behaviors do not differ between cultivars.
Landscape Context Influences the Bee Conservation Value of Wildflower Plantings
Authors: McCullough Christopher T , Angelella Gina M , O’Rourke Megan E 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Pollination provided by bees is a critical ecosystem service for agricultural production. However, bee populations are at risk from stressors such as habitat loss, pesticides, and disease. On-farm wildflower plantings is one mitigation strategy to provide habitat and resources for bees. In many instances, government programs can subsidize the installation of these plantings for private landowners. Semi-natural habitat (SNH) in the landscape is also important for bee conservation and may alter the effectiveness of wildflower plantings. In this study, we tested the effectiveness of wildflower plantings and interactions with SNH in the landscape for promoting bee abundance and richness. Bee surveys were conducted over 2 yr at 22 sites in eastern Virginia and Maryland. Wildflower plantings, averaging 0.22 ha in size, were installed and maintained by cooperators at 10 of the sites. In total, 5,122 bees were identified from 85 species. Wildflower plantings did not alter bee communities independently, but bee abundance was greater on farms with plantings and 20–30% SNH in the landscape. Bee abundance and richness had nonlinear responses to increasing SNH in the landscape. The positive effects for richness and abundance peaked when SNH was approximately 40% of the landscape. Similar to predictions of the intermediate-landscape complexity hypothesis, increases in bee abundance at wildflower sites were only detected in simplified landscapes. Results indicate that small wildflower plantings in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. only provided conservation benefits to bee communities under specific circumstances on the scale studied, and that conserving SNH across the landscape may be a more important strategy.
Appointing a Poet Laureate: National and Poetic Identities in 1813
Authors: Shipp Leo 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Following the death of the incumbent Henry James Pye in 1813, the office of poet laureate came under scrutiny from press, court and government figures alike, and was eventually bestowed upon Robert Southey, having first been turned down by Walter Scott. This article examines the selection process and questions why, after a century in which the reputation of the office had fallen so far, it provoked such concern in 1813, and was suddenly thought an appropriate office for such pre-eminent ‘geniuses’ as Scott and Southey. Situating the selection process in the context of recent scholarship on national identity, cultural production and public opinion, it will be argued that the laureateship in 1813 can give us a unique and illuminating perspective on ideas of Britishness, patriotism and literature at the start of the nineteenth century, and of the place of court and public with regards to these ideas. In particular, the case of the laureateship demonstrates the variety, contingency and usability of notions of Britishness during the Napoleonic Wars: the ways that different agents invoked and thereby fashioned competing national identities in accordance with the needs of their discursive contexts. One possible constellation of Britishness, which came to the fore in the Liverpool ministry’s prosecution of the war effort and in the contest between the Edinburgh and Quarterly Reviews, validated ‘traditional’ forms of cultural production and patriotism in which court—and laureateship—played a crucial part.
The dynamics of picocyanobacteria from a hypereutrophic shallow lake is affected by light-climate and small-bodied zooplankton: a 10-year cytometric time-series analysis
Authors: Quiroga María Victoria , Huber Paula , Ospina-Serna Juliana , Diovisalvi Nadia , Odriozola Mariana , Cueto Gerardo R , Lagomarsino Leonardo , Fermani Paulina , Bustingorry José , Escaray Roberto , Zagarese Horacio , Unrein Fernando 
Published: March 2021

ABSTRACT
In aquatic systems, an interplay between bottom-up and top-down processes determines the dynamic of picocyanobacteria (Pcy) abundance and community structure. Here, we analyzed a 10-year time series (sampled fortnightly) from a hypereutrophic turbid shallow lake located within the Pampa Region of South America, generating the first long-term record of freshwater Pcy from the Southern Hemisphere. We used a cytometric approach to study Pcy community, and focused on its relations with nutrient and light conditions (bottom-up) and potential grazers (top-down). A novel Pcy abundance seasonality with winter maximums was observed for years with relatively stable hydrological levels, related with decreased abundance of seasonal rotifers during colder seasons. Pcy showed lower abundance and higher cytometric alpha diversity during summer, probably due to a strong predation exerted by rotifers. In turn, a direct effect of the non-seasonal small cladocerans Bosmina spp. decreased Pcy abundance and induced a shift from single-cell Pcy into aggregated forms. This structuring effect of Bosmina spp. was further confirmed by Pcy cytometric (dis)similarity analyses from the time series and in situ experimental data. Remarkably, Pcy showed acclimatization to underwater light variations, resembling the relevance of light in this turbid system.
The Use of Readily Available Longitudinal Data to Predict the Likelihood of Surgery in Crohn Disease
Authors: Stidham Ryan W , Liu Yumu , Enchakalody Binu , Van Tony , Krishnamurthy Venkataramu , Su Grace L , Zhu Ji , Waljee Akbar K 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Background
Although imaging, endoscopy, and inflammatory biomarkers are associated with future Crohn disease (CD) outcomes, common laboratory studies may also provide prognostic opportunities. We evaluated machine learning models incorporating routinely collected laboratory studies to predict surgical outcomes in U.S. Veterans with CD.

Methods
Adults with CD from a Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN) 10 cohort examined between 2001 and 2015 were used for analysis. Patient demographics, medication use, and longitudinal laboratory values were used to model future surgical outcomes within 1 year. Specifically, data at the time of prediction combined with historical laboratory data characteristics, described as slope, distribution statistics, fluctuation, and linear trend of laboratory values, were considered and principal component analysis transformations were performed to reduce the dimensionality. Lasso regularized logistic regression was used to select features and construct prediction models, with performance assessed by area under the receiver operating characteristic using 10-fold cross-validation.

Results
We included 4950 observations from 2809 unique patients, among whom 256 had surgery, for modeling. Our optimized model achieved a mean area under the receiver operating characteristic of 0.78 (SD, 0.002). Anti-tumor necrosis factor use was associated with a lower probability of surgery within 1 year and was the most influential predictor in the model, and corticosteroid use was associated with a higher probability of surgery. Among the laboratory variables, high platelet counts, high mean cell hemoglobin concentrations, low albumin levels, and low blood urea nitrogen values were identified as having an elevated influence and association with future surgery.

Conclusions
Using machine learning methods that incorporate current and historical data can predict the future risk of CD surgery.
A Bayesian approach to comparing common models of life-course epidemiology
Authors: Chumbley Justin , Xu Wenjia , Potente Cecilia , Harris Kathleen M , Shanahan Michael 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Background
Life-course epidemiology studies people’s health over long periods, treating repeated measures of their experiences (usually risk factors) as predictors or causes of subsequent morbidity and mortality. Three hypotheses or models often guide the analyst in assessing these sequential risks: the accumulation model (all measurement occasions are equally important for predicting the outcome), the critical period model (only one occasion is important) and the sensitive periods model (a catch-all model for any other pattern of temporal dependence).

Methods
We propose a Bayesian omnibus test of these three composite models, as well as post hoc decompositions that identify their best respective sub-models. We test the approach via simulations, before presenting an empirical example that relates five sequential measurements of body weight to an RNAseq measure of colorectal-cancer disposition.

Results
The approach correctly identifies the life-course model under which the data were simulated. Our empirical cohort study indicated with &gt;90% probability that colorectal-cancer disposition reflected a sensitive process, with current weight being most important but prior body weight also playing a role.

Conclusions
The Bayesian methods we present allow precise inferences about the probability of life-course models given the data and are applicable in realistic scenarios involving causal analysis and missing data.
Assessing pharmacists’ knowledge and compliance with narcotic inventory management using a computer-based educational platform
Authors: Hussein Rand , Killeen Rosemary , He Zhoushanyue , Grindrod Kelly 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Objectives
Pharmacy professionals are required to take all necessary steps to protect commonly misused drugs such as opioids at their pharmacies to minimize the risk of diversion. The aim of this study is to assess Canadian pharmacy professionals’ knowledge and compliance with federal and provincial regulations using the computer-based educational platform Pharmacy5in5.

Methods
A Narcotic Inventory module was created and reviewed by experts representing provincial and federal regulators. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze users’ performance in quizzes. Binomial regression and logistic regression models were used to investigate the effect of demographic factors on users’ performance. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Key findings
The analysis included data collected over a period of three months. A total of 792 users accessed the Narcotic Inventory module on the Pharmacy5in5 website between July 2019 and November 2019. Most of the users were licenced pharmacists (64%), female (72%), received their training in Canada (68%), and were practising in Ontario (80%). Users performed best on the quiz addressing the steps for reconciliation of inventory (93%), and worst on the quiz reviewing how to prepare for a Health Canada visit (66%).

Conclusions
Overall, pharmacy professionals showed adequate knowledge of the CDSA and provincial/territorial regulations regarding opioids inventory management. Conversely, the study highlighted poor compliance with the reporting of losses and theft of controlled substances by pharmacy professionals. Innovative approaches are needed to influence pharmacy professionals’ behaviours to improve their compliance with best practices concerning inventory management to reduce drug diversion.
Marmoset Metabolism, Nutrition, and Obesity
Authors: Ross Corinna N , Colman Ricki , Power Michael , Tardif Suzette 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
The use of marmosets as nonhuman primate models of human disease has undergone rapid expansion in the United States in the last decade, with an emphasis in the field of neuroscience. With this expanding need, there has been an increase in the formation of small marmoset colonies. The standardization in care and husbandry techniques for marmosets has historically lagged behind other established nonhuman primate models, resulting in a great deal of variation in practices between colonies. There remains a lack of consensus and evidence-based recommendations regarding best standards for nutrition, enrichment, weight management, and diagnostics for clinical metabolic disease. Marmoset base diets vary broadly in their nutritional value, and therefore the physiological responses to these diets also vary broadly. In this review, we briefly outline what is known about nutrition for captive marmosets and highlight what is known regarding metabolic dysfunction and obesity.
Endotoxin Acts Synergistically WithClostridioides difficileToxin B to Increase Interleukin 1β Production: A Potential Role for the Intestinal Biome in Modifying the Severity ofC. difficileColitis
Authors: Htwe Pyae , Aung Htay , Kywe Bohm , Niang Phyu T , Oo Thar Sann , Monhandas Sindhu , Kelly Libusha , Goldman David L 
Published: March 2021

AbstractBackgroundInflammation is a crucial driver of host damage in patients with Clostridioides difficile colitis. We examined the potential for the intestinal microbiome to modify inflammation in patients with C. difficile colitis via the effects of gut-derived endotoxin on cytokine production.MethodsEndotoxin from Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as well as stool-derived endotoxin were tested for their ability to enhance interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) production by toxin B–stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Inflammasome and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) blocking studies were done to discern the importance of these pathways, while metagenomic studies were done to characterize predominant organisms from stool samples.ResultsEndotoxin significantly enhanced the ability of C. difficile toxin B to promote IL-1β production but not TNF-α. The magnitude of this effect varied by endotoxin type and was dependent on combined inflammasome and TLR4 activation. Stool-derived endotoxin exhibited a similar synergistic effect on IL-1β production with less synergy observed for stools that contained a high proportion of γ-proteobacteria.ConclusionsThe ability of endotoxin to enhance IL-1β production highlights a manner by which the microbiome can modify inflammation and severity of C. difficile disease. This information may be useful in devising new therapies for severe C. difficile colitis.
Establishment of Deep-Eutectic-Solvent-Assisted Matrix Solid-Phase Dispersion Extraction for the Determination of Four Flavonoids in Scutellariae Radix Based on the Concept of Quality by Design
Authors: Yang Fei , Jiang Luyi , Mao Hui , Zou, and Yanfang , Chu Chu 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Background
Sample preparation is the most crucial step in analytical schemes. Micro-matrix solid-phase dispersion, as a method for microextraction of analytes, has prevailed recently for its low sample and extraction solvent consumption. However, small amounts of adsorbent or sample, or a short extraction time, always bring uncertainty to the result when using this method.

Objective
The aim was to develop a simple and reliable method of deep-eutectic-solvent-assisted ultrasonic-synchronized matrix solid-phase dispersion microextraction for the analysis of four flavonoids in Scutellariae Radix based on the concept of quality by design.

Method
The ZSM-5 molecular sieve was used as a new adsorbent in the micro-matrix solid-phase dispersion process. Single-factor and Box–Behnken designs were used to construct the design space.

Results
Verification of the experiment demonstrated that the design space is robust. Under optimal conditions, all analytes showed good linearity (R2 &gt; 0.999), high reproducibility (RSD &lt; 2.24%) and stability (RSD &lt; 2.87%), and satisfactory recoveries (95.90–102.31%), which indicated that the established method is reliable and reproducible. Moreover, it has been successfully applied to determine the flavonoids in nine batches of Scutellariae Radix.

Conclusions
The results indicate a great potential for analyzing complicated samples especially with small amount and helping to promote the quality control of the sample preparation process for traditional Chinese medicines.

Highlights
A systematic approach using a facile deep-eutectic-solvent-assisted ultrasonic-synchronized matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction coupled with HPLC for the analysis of flavonoids in Scutellariae Radix has been developed based on the concept of quality by design.
High-level expression of human CH2 domain from the Fc region in Pichia pastoris and preparation of anti-CH2 antibodies
Authors: Oyama Kosuke , Ohkuri Takatoshi , Inoue Mao , Caaveiro Jose M M , Ueda Tadashi 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Pichia pastoris is a popular eukaryotic system employed for the fast, simple and inexpensive production of recombinant protein including biotherapeutics such as human albumin. The CH2 domain of human Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is a promising scaffold for developing novel therapeutics. To accelerate the research of CH2 domain, we have established a procedure to highly express human CH2 domain (∼150 mg/l) as well as human Fc (∼30 mg/l) in yeast P. pastoris. The procedure yields, simultaneously, a major glycosylated (∼70%) and non-glycosylated (∼30%) fractions. They can be easily separated with high purity. Although both forms of CH2 domain have essentially the same secondary structure, the presence of the glycan increased the thermal stability of the CH2 domain by about 5°C as determined from calorimetry. The purified glycosylated CH2 domain elicited polyclonal antibodies in mouse, recognizing not only the CH2 domain, but also recombinant human Fc and the commercial IgG1 antibody Rituxan. Protein A and Protein G binding to the kink region between CH2 domain and CH3 domain of human Fc are used to purify therapeutic proteins. Therefore, these antibodies are candidates to develop a novel affinity material to purify human antibodies using their CH2 domain.