bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Molecular identification of Rickettsia spp. in chigger mites in Taiwan
Authors: Kuo Chi‐Chien , Lee Pei‐Lung , Wang Hsi‐Chieh 
Published: November 2021

AbstractThe genus Rickettsia is the causative agent of several rickettsial diseases that are primarily transmitted by hard ticks. The occurrence of Rickettsia in chigger mites, which are vectors of scrub typhus in the western Pacific region, has been infrequently investigated. We identified Rickettsia spp. in chiggers collected from small mammals in six counties of Taiwan. Moreover, by capitalising on parallel Rickettsia detections on small mammals and their infested ticks and fleas, we were able to identify Rickettsia spp. that suggested more intimate associations with chigger mites. Rickettsia detection rates in 318 pools of chiggers were 21.7% and 22.3% when based on the ompB and gltA gene, respectively. Overall, we identified six (based on the ompB gene) and eight (gltA gene) Rickettsia species. Approximately half of the sequenced species were most similar to Rickettsia sp. clone MB74‐1 (ompB gene) and Rickettsia sp. TwKM02 (gltA gene). Furthermore, both species were either infrequently or never identified in small mammals, ticks and fleas, which suggests that chigger mites might be the primary host of both rickettsiae. Whether both species are pathogenic to humans remains to be studied. They may also be microbial endosymbionts of chigger mites, with their potential effects on the pathogenicity of the aetiologic agent of scrub typhus deserving further investigations.
Attributable mortality of candidemia at a German tertiary hospital from 1997 to 2001 before the introduction of echinocandins
Authors: Blankenheim Yael , Salmanton‐García Jon , Seifert Harald , Cornely Oliver A. , Koehler Philipp 
Published: November 2021

AbstractObjectivesThe relevance of candidemia has increased over the last decades due to higher incidence rates in an ageing society. Studies on amphotericin B and fluconazole have shown high attributable mortality rates of 38% and 49% in the United States. Incidence rates and locational factors might have an impact on the mortality rates at the University Hospital of Cologne (UHC), Germany.MethodsWe performed a matched case‐control study including 57 patients with candidemia, hospitalised at the UHC between 1 July 1997 and 30 June 2001. Controls were matched by age, sex, admission date, treatment on intensive care unit (ICU), number of days at risk, underlying diseases, surgical procedures and the Charlson Comorbidity Index.ResultsThe incidence of candidemia was 3.5 per 10 000 admissions. For cases and controls, we observed in‐hospital‐mortality rates of 33.3% and 11.8%, and a 30‐day mortality of 23.5% and 7.8% respectively. The attributable mortality rate to candidemia was 21.5%, and at 30 days, it was 15.7%. Underlying conditions were more frequent in cases than in controls, especially central venous catheter (80% vs 33%, P < .001), chronic cardiovascular disease (39.2% vs 25.5%, P = .138), treatment on ICU (31.4% vs 13.7%, P = .033) and chronic liver disease (21.6% vs 0%, P < .001).ConclusionsThe attributable mortality of candidemia at the UHC between 1997 and 2001 was lower compared to studies performed in the United States with a similar design. Contributing factors might be lower incidence rates and less comorbidities in our study.
Automated immunofluorescence analysis for sensitive and precise dystrophin quantification in muscle biopsies
Authors: Vetter Tatyana A. , Nicolau Stefan , Bradley Adrienne J. , Frair Emma C. , Flanigan Kevin M. 
Published: November 2021

AbstractAimsDystrophin, the protein product of the DMD gene, plays a critical role in muscle integrity by stabilising the sarcolemma during contraction and relaxation. The DMD gene is vulnerable to a variety of mutations that may cause complete loss, depletion or truncation of the protein, leading to Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies. Precise and reproducible dystrophin quantification is essential in characterising DMD mutations and evaluating the outcome of efforts to induce dystrophin through gene therapies. Immunofluorescence microscopy offers high sensitivity to low levels of protein expression along with confirmation of localisation, making it a critical component of quantitative dystrophin expression assays.MethodsWe have developed an automated and unbiased approach for precise quantification of dystrophin immunofluorescence in muscle sections. This methodology uses microscope images of whole‐tissue sections stained for dystrophin and spectrin to measure dystrophin intensity and the proportion of dystrophin‐positive coverage at the sarcolemma of each muscle fibre. To ensure objectivity, the thresholds for dystrophin and spectrin are derived empirically from non‐sarcolemmal signal intensity within each tissue section. Furthermore, this approach is readily adaptable for measuring fibre morphology and other tissue markers.ResultsOur method demonstrates the sensitivity and reproducibility of this quantification approach across a wide range of dystrophin expression in both dystrophinopathy patient and healthy control samples, with high inter‐operator concordance.ConclusionAs efforts to restore dystrophin expression in dystrophic muscle bring new potential therapies into clinical trials, this methodology represents a valuable tool for efficient and precise analysis of dystrophin and other muscle markers that reflect treatment efficacy.
Costs and benefits of masting: economies of scale are not reduced by negative density‐dependence in seedling survival in Sorbus aucuparia
Authors: Seget Barbara , Bogdziewicz Michał , Holeksa Jan , Ledwoń Mateusz , Milne‐Rostkowska Fiona , Piechnik Łukasz , Rzepczak Alicja , Żywiec Magdalena 
Published: November 2021

Summary

Masting is a widespread reproductive strategy in plants that helps to reduce seed predation and increase pollination. However, masting can involve costs, notably negative density‐dependent (NDD) seedling survival caused by concentrating reproduction in intermittent events. Masting benefits have received widespread attention, but the costs are understudied, which precludes understanding why some plant species have evolved intense masting, while others reproduce regularly.

We followed seed production, seed predation (both 13 yr), and seedling recruitment and survival (11 yr) in Sorbus aucuparia. We tested whether NDD in seedling survival after mast years can reduce the benefits of pulsed reproduction that come through predator satiation.

Seed predation rates were extreme in our population (mean = 75%), but were reduced by masting. The commonly accepted, but untested, assertion that pulsed recruitment is associated with strong NDD was unsupported. Consequently, the proportion of seedlings that survived their first year increased with fruit production. This provides a rare test of economies of scale beyond the seed stage.

Our results provide estimation of the costs of mast seeding, and indicate that these may be lower than expected. Low masting costs, if common, may help explain why masting is such a widespread reproductive strategy throughout the plant kingdom.
Household‐level consumption data can be redistributed for individual‐level Optifood diet modeling: analysis from four countries
Authors: Knight Frances , Woldt Monica , Sethuraman Kavita , Bergeron Gilles , Ferguson Elaine 
Published: December 2021

AbstractA barrier to using Optifood linear programming (LP), which identifies nutrient gaps and supports population‐specific food‐based recommendation (FBR) development, is the requirement for dietary intake data. We investigated whether Household Consumption and Expenditure Surveys (HCESs) could be used instead of individual‐level 24‐h recalls (24HRs). The 24HR data from 12‐ to 23‐month‐old breastfeeding children in rural Kenya, Uganda, Guatemala, and Bangladesh were paired with HCES food consumption data from similar areas (n = 8) and time periods. HCES food intakes (g/week) were estimated using adult male equivalents, adjusted for breastfeeding. Paired HCES‐ and 24HR‐defined LP inputs and outputs were compared using percentage agreement. Mean overall percentage agreements were 42%, 63%, and 80%, for food, food subgroup, and food‐group model parameters, respectively. HCES food lists were on average 1.3 times longer than 24HR. Similar nutrient gaps (77–100% agreement), food sources of nutrients (71–100% agreement), and FBRs (80–100% agreement) were identified. The results suggest that HCES data can be used in Optifood analyses for 12‐ to 23‐month‐old children, despite recognized challenges of using it to estimate dietary intakes of young children compared with older age groups. Further analyses, however, are required for different age groups and locations to confirm expectations that it would perform equally well.
Fetal programming of human energy homeostasis brain networks: Issues and considerations
Authors: Rasmussen Jerod M. , Thompson Paul M. , Entringer Sonja , Buss Claudia , Wadhwa Pathik D. 
Published: November 2021

SummaryIn this paper, we present a transdisciplinary framework and testable hypotheses regarding the process of fetal programming of energy homeostasis brain circuitry. Our model proposes that key aspects of energy homeostasis brain circuitry already are functional by the time of birth (with substantial interindividual variation); that this phenotypic variation at birth is an important determinant of subsequent susceptibility for energy imbalance and childhood obesity risk; and that this brain circuitry exhibits developmental plasticity, in that it is influenced by conditions during intrauterine life, particularly maternal–placental–fetal endocrine, immune/inflammatory, and metabolic processes and their upstream determinants. We review evidence that supports the scientific premise for each element of this formulation, identify future research directions, particularly recent advances that may facilitate a better quantification of the ontogeny of energy homeostasis brain networks, highlight animal and in vitro‐based approaches that may better address the determinants of interindividual variation in energy homeostasis brain networks, and discuss the implications of this formulation for the development of strategies targeted towards the primary prevention of childhood obesity.
The neural habituation to hedonic and eudaimonic rewards: Evidence from reward positivity
Authors: Luo Yangmei , Zhang Xi , Jiang Hongda , Chen Xuhai 
Published: November 2021

AbstractRewards play an important role in people’s well‐being. However, the mechanisms underlying neural habituation to hedonic rewards (attainment of pleasure) and eudaimonic rewards (attainment of meaning and self‐realization) and their implications for longitudinal changes in well‐being remain unknown. By operationalizing hedonic rewards as “winning money for oneself” and eudaimonic rewards as “winning money for a charity”, 78 participants (41 women, aged from 17 to 24 years) completed a revised monetary gambling task during event‐related potential (ERP) recording. Subsequently, the participants’ well‐being was measured after one year. The results showed that the reward positivity (RewP) effect readily decreased as the hedonic rewards were repeated, whereas the RewP effect in response to eudaimonic rewards was relatively sustained over time. Moreover, the declining RewP effect for repeated eudaimonic rewards was marginally positively associated with longitudinal decreases in well‐being. These findings demonstrate at the neural level that sensitivity to repeated hedonic rewards is more prone to decrease than sensitivity to repeated eudaimonic rewards, and sustained eudaimonic reward sensitivity in the short term has greater implications for changes in well‐being in the long term.
Delay in puberty is dependent on heat shock protein B1 expression in native cross layers of Punjab under heat stress
Authors: Sharma Astha , Kumar B. V. Sunil , Dubey Prem Prakash , Kashyap Neeraj 
Published: November 2021

AbstractSmall heat shock protein B1 (HspB1) has been reported to play an essential role in thermotolerance. This study aimed to determine a correlation (if any) between HspB1 expression and age at first egg lay (puberty) in a native cross‐layer poultry of Punjab under heat stress. Forty native cross‐layer birds were reared in two different seasons, viz. summer (THI was more than 27), classified as the heat‐stressed group (n = 20) and winter season (THI was less than 21), classified as the control group (n = 20). Blood was collected from both the groups of birds in their 15th week of age and at puberty. Serum catalase and superoxide dismutase activities, reduced glutathione and corticosterone concentration and lipid peroxidation were measured to assess the oxidative stress in both the groups of birds. The serum antioxidants significantly decreased whilst corticosterone levels and lipid peroxidation significantly elevated in birds in response to summer heat stress. Moreover, in summer season, the activities of the antioxidant enzymes further decreased and lipid peroxidation further increased significantly in birds from their pre‐pubertal stage to puberty, which was not observed during the winter season. A clone of chicken HspB1 in BL21 (DE3) cells was revived, and recombinant HspB1 was purified using Ni‐NTA agarose column. Serum HspB1 concentration was estimated in different groups of birds by indirect ELISA that has been standardized using the recombinant chicken HspB1. Compared to the control, birds under heat stress had significantly higher serum HspB1 levels. The delay in puberty of all the heat‐stressed birds was significantly associated with the increase in their serum HspB1 levels. Taken together, the expression of HspB1 was found to be associated with age at puberty in the native cross poultry layers of Punjab.
Xper computed tomography‐guided translumbar inferior vena cava catheterization for long‐term hemodialysis: A case report and literature review
Authors: Bo Xiying , Liu Yawei , Liao Huaqiang , Bian Rongrong , Mei Changlin , Yu Shengqiang , Dong Weihua , Mao Zhiguo , Ye Chaoyang , Dai Bing 
Published: November 2021

AbstractHemodialysis is the most widely used renal replacement therapy for end‐stage renal disease patients. Exhausted vascular access due to repeated indwelling central venous catheters is becoming a challenging clinical problem, which also contributes to reduced survival of the hemodialysis patients. Lack of conventional peripheral and central venous access mandates the use of alternative strategies. We present a case of translumbar dialysis catheter (TLDC) for long‐term hemodialysis in a patient with central venous occlusion refractory to conventional endovascular techniques. After a careful literature review, totally 10 cohort studies including 216 cases through TLDC were reported. The incidence of procedure‐related complications was very low. The catheter‐related infection rate of TLDC was comparable with overall tunneled cuffed catheters (TCCs) reported by clinical practice guidelines for vascular access. Although the patency might be relatively low due to the catheter‐related complications, TLDC could be rescued by multiple systemic and topical medications and interventional therapies. Percutaneous translumbar placement of a cuffed tunneled hemodialysis catheter directly into the inferior vena cava (IVC) can provide a relatively safe salvage when traditional central venous sites such as the internal jugular, femoral, subclavian veins are unavailable. Xper computed tomography together with real‐time fluoroscopic guidance can reduce the intraoperative risks and complications.
Academic development and disparities in linguistically diverse middle school classrooms: The role of social network equality and linguistic integration
Authors: Molloy Elreda Lauren , Kibler Amanda K. , Johnson Haley E. , Williams Joanna Lee 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAs evidence mounts of persistent disparities in academic outcomes by English learner (“EL”) classification status, it is critical that we better understand how to create more equitable classroom learning environments. The present study investigates the role of classroom peer academic collaboration networks within linguistically diverse, “English‐medium” middle school classrooms. Across 29 classrooms, 491 early adolescents (including 158 EL students) identified whom they “usually work with” in class; from these data, we operationalized two characteristics of each classroom's peer network: social network equality (the extent to which academic collaboration ties were equally distributed) and linguistic integration (the extent to which cross‐group ties between ELs and non‐ELs were as common as same‐group ties). In multilevel models, we tested across‐year mean and fall‐to‐spring change in each of these network characteristics as predictors of relative across‐year growth in EL students’ assessed oral language proficiency, and in all students’ academic outcomes, including teacher‐rated class participation and content understanding, and standardized test scores in the content area of the observed class. We additionally tested whether EL status moderated associations between classroom network characteristics and academic outcomes. Findings suggest benefits of positive across‐year change in social network equality and linguistic integration for all students’ academic development in class. In addition, classroom network characteristics may help to reduce disparities: mean social network equality was more positively associated with relative growth in content understanding and standardized test scores for ELs than for non‐ELs, and change in linguistic integration positively predicted oral language development among EL students.
Polarized social distancing: Residents of Republican‐majority counties spend more time away from home during the COVID‐19 crisis
Authors: Roberts Damon C. , Utych Stephen M. 
Published: November 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe COVID‐19 pandemic has presented unique challenges across the world in getting citizens to change their behaviors in response to a public health crisis. In the United States, it appears that partisan differences in willingness to comply with these measures have emerged: Democrats are typically more supportive than Republicans in their stated support of and willingness to comply with these measures. However, actual behaviors are notoriously hard to accurately capture with survey items.ObjectiveTo determine the extent to which county‐level partisanship influences average willingness to stay at home, and how these effects are moderated by county level characteristics.MethodsWe use personal device (cell phone) data provided by SafeGraph, aggregated at the county‐level, to determine how county‐level partisanship is correlated with willigness to stay at home. We additionally test whether these effects are conditional upon the prevalence of COVID‐19 in the county, and the percentage of the county under 30 years old.ResultsWe find that county‐level partisanship predicts aggregate level compliance with social distancing behavior—citizens of counties that are more Republican spend more time away from home than Democratic counties. We find that the number of COVID‐19 cases in the county and the percentage of the county under the age of 30 moderate these effects.ConclusionPartisanship appears to be a powerful predictor, at the county‐level, of willigness to follow stay at home orders in the early stages of the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Clinical evidence for elevated levels of caveolin‐1 in circulation of patients with diabetic foot ulcers
Authors: Sheng Qizhi , Li Guanglei , Liu Huimin , Liu Ping 
Published: November 2021

AbstractCaveolin‐1 directly interacts vascular endothelial growth factor receptor‐2 (VEGFR2) and therefore prevents VEGF‐induced angiogenesis. In addition, the production of nitric oxide (NO), which is effective in reducing ischemia in diabetic foot ulcers (DFU), is suppressed by caveolin‐1 in endothelial cells. The present study was designed to investigate the change of caveolin‐1 concentrations in DFU patients. A total of 150 participants were consecutively enrolled, including 40 DFU patients (DFU group), 40 diabetes patients without DFU (type 2 diabetes mellitus [T2DM] group), and 70 participants without diabetes (control group). Significant increased levels of plasma caveolin‐1, accompanied with decreased concentration of plasma VEGF‐A (vascular endothelial growth factor‐A) and NO, were detected in DFU patients. Moreover, Pearson's correlation analysis revealed a negative correlation between plasma caveolin‐1 and VEGF‐A as well as NO levels in DFU patients. Furthermore, DFU patients had higher expression of caveolin‐1 in the popliteal artery, compared to those in control and T2DM groups. Simultaneously, the amounts of eNOS (an enzyme responsible for the production of NO) and VEGFR2 were attenuated in the popliteal artery of DFU patients. Taken together, our study provided clinical evidence for the possible association of elevated caveolin‐1 levels and the development of DFU. This may be induced by the suppressed VEGF‐A/VEGFR2 and eNOS/NO signalling axis.
Devonian to Triassic tectonic evolution and basin transition in the East Kunlun–Qaidam area, northern Tibetan Plateau: Constraints from stratigraphy and detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology
Authors: Sun Jiaopeng , Dong Yunpeng , Ma Licheng , Chen Shiyue , Jiang Wan 
Published: November 2021

ABSTRACT
The late Paleozoic to Triassic was an important interval for the East Kunlun–Qaidam area, northern Tibet, as it witnessed prolonged subduction of the South Kunlun Ocean, a major branch of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean whose closure led to the formation of Pangea. However, the geologic history of this stage is poorly constrained due to the paucity of tectonothermal signatures preserved during a magmatic lull. This article presents a set of new provenance data incorporating stratigraphic correlation, sandstone petrology, and zircon U–Pb dating to depict changes in provenance that record multiple stages of topographic and tectonic transition in the East Kunlun–Qaidam area over time in response to the evolution of the South Kunlun Ocean. Devonian intra-arc rifting is recorded by bimodal volcanism and rapid alluvial-lacustrine sedimentation in the North Qaidam Ultra High/High Pressure Belt, whose sources include the Olongbuluke Terrane and southern North Qaidam Ultra High/High Pressure Belt. Southward transgression submerged the East Kunlun–Qaidam area during the Carboniferous prior to the rapid uplift of the Kunlun arc, which changed the provenance during the Early Permian. This shift in provenance for the western Olongbuluke Terrane and thick carbonate deposition throughout the North Qaidam Ultra High/High Pressure Belt in the late Early Carboniferous indicate that the North Qaidam Ultra High/High Pressure Belt should have been inundated, terminating an ~95 m.y. erosion history. The closure of the South Kunlun Ocean in the late Triassic generated a retroarc foreland along the Zongwulong Tectonic Belt, which is represented by the development of a deep-water, northward-tapering flysch deposystem that was supplied by the widely elevated Kunlun–Qaidam–Olongbuluke Terrane highland. This new scenario allows us to evaluate current models concerning the assembly of northern Tibet and the tectonic evolution of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean.