bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effect of age on discrimination learning and self-control in a marshmallow test for pigs
Authors: Krause Annika , Kreiser Maren , Puppe Birger , Tuchscherer Armin , Düpjan Sandra 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBoth humans and nonhuman animals need to show self-control and wait for a larger or better reward instead of a smaller or less preferred but instant reward on an everyday basis. We investigated whether this ability undergoes ontogenetic development in domestic pigs (similar to what is known in human infants) by testing if and for how long nine- and 16-week-old pigs wait for a larger amount of their preferred reward. In a delay-of-gratification task, animals first learned that a small reward was hidden under a white cup and a large reward under a black cup, and then the delay to deliver the large reward was gradually increased. The results show that older pigs could wait longer for a larger reward than younger pigs (10.6 ± 1.3 s vs. 5.2 ± 1.5 s), thereby confirming our hypothesis of ontogenetic development of self-control in pigs. This self-control is likely to be regulated by the behavioural inhibition system and associated systems. Self-control or, more specifically the lack of it may be involved in the development of abnormal behaviours, not only in humans but also in animals. Therefore, research on self-control in decision-making might provide a new perspective on abnormal behaviours in captive animals.
Longitudinal choriocapillaris changes in the presence of reticular pseudodrusen
Authors: Clemens Christoph R. , Lauermann Jost L. , Schmitz Boris , Eter Nicole , Alten Florian 
Published: September 2021

AbstractTo determine longitudinal changes in choriocapillaris (CC) measures in eyes with reticular pseudodrusen (RPD) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). In this observational prospective study, 20 patients with exclusively RPD and no other alteration due to age-related macular degeneration were included. Eight RPD patients were re-examined at 5-year follow-up. Multimodal imaging was performed at baseline and at 5-year follow-up. OCTA CC images were analyzed for number, size and total area of flow deficits (FD), mean signal intensity, signal intensity standard deviation and kurtosis of signal intensity distribution in the ring area between a circle of 4 mm diameter and a circle of 6 mm diameter and in the superior ring quadrant. Area affected by RPD increased from 19.36 ± 8.39 mm2 at baseline to 37.77 ± 9.03 mm2 at 5-year follow-up. At baseline, percent of CC FD area was greater in RPD eyes (quadrant: p < 0.001; ring: p < 0.001) compared to controls. Besides, RPD eyes revealed a lower mean intensity signal (quadrant: p < 0.001; ring: p < 0.001). Evaluation of CC parameters suggested significant group × time interaction effects for CC FD (p = 0.04) and mean intensity signal (p = 0.004), in that RPD eyes presented increased CC FD and decreased mean intensity signal at follow-up. OCTA CC decorrelation signal further decreases in RPD patients over 5 years in both RPD-affected and RPD-unaffected macular areas.
Bayesian adaptive model estimation to solve the speed accuracy tradeoff problem in psychophysical experiments
Authors: Baek Jongsoo , Park Hae-Jeong 
Published: September 2021

AbstractMost psychological experiments measure human cognitive function through the response time and accuracy of the response to a set of stimuli. Since response time and accuracy complement each other, it is often difficult to interpret cognitive performance based on only one dependent measurement and raises a speed-accuracy tradeoff (SAT) problem. In overcoming this problem, SAT experimental paradigms and models that integrate response time and accuracy have been proposed to understand information processing in human cognitive function. However, due to a lengthy SAT experiment for reliable model estimation, SAT experiments' practical limitations have been pointed out. Thus, these limitations call for an efficient technique to shorten the number of trials required to estimate the SAT function reliably. Instead of using a block's stimulus-onset asynchrony (SOA) accuracy with long block-based task trials, we introduced a Bayesian SAT function estimation using trial-by-trial response time and correctness, which makes SAT tasks flexible and easily extendable to multiple trials. We then proposed a Bayesian adaptive method to select optimal SOA by maximizing information gain to estimate model parameters. Simulation results showed that the proposed Bayesian adaptive estimation was highly efficient and robust for accuracy and precision of estimating SAT function by enabling "multiple-step ahead search."
Impact of isoflavone genistein on psoriasis in in vivo and in vitro investigations
Authors: Bocheńska Katarzyna , Moskot Marta , Smolińska-Fijołek Elwira , Jakóbkiewicz-Banecka Joanna , Szczerkowska-Dobosz Aneta , Słomiński Bartosz , Gabig-Cimińska Magdalena 
Published: September 2021

AbstractGenistein is applied worldwide as an alternative medicament for psoriasis (Ps) because of its anti-inflammatory activity and perceived beneficial impact on the skin. Hereby, we report our in vivo and in vitro investigations to supplement scientific research in this area. The reduction of clinical and biochemical scores in mild to moderate Ps patients taking genistein, its safety, good tolerability with no serious adverse events or discontinuations of treatment, no dose-limiting toxicities, negligible changes in pharmacodynamic parameters and remarkable serum interleukin level alterations were documented in this study. A certain regression of the Ps phenotype was visible, based on photo-documented Ps lesion evaluation. Through in vitro experiments, we found that genistein reduced IL-17A and TNF-α induced MAPK, NF-κB, and PI3K activation in normal human epidermal keratinocytes. Moreover, at the mRNA level of genes associated with the early inflammatory response characteristic for Ps (CAMP, CCL20, DEFB4A, PIK3CA, S100A7, and S100A9) and key cellular signalling (MTORC1 and TFEB), we showed that this isoflavone attenuated the increased response of IL-17A- and TNF-α-related pathways. This allows us to conclude that genistein is a good candidate for Ps treatment, being attractive for co-pharmacotherapy with other drugs.
Metabolic effect of drought stress on the leaves of young oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plants using UHPLC–MS and multivariate analysis
Authors: Neto Jorge Candido Rodrigues , Vieira Letícia Rios , de Aquino Ribeiro José Antônio , de Sousa Carlos Antônio Ferreira , Júnior Manoel Teixeira Souza , Abdelnur Patrícia Verardi 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe expansion of the oil palm in marginal areas can face challenges, such as water deficit, leading to an impact on palm oil production. A better understanding of the biological consequences of abiotic stresses on this crop can result from joint metabolic profiling and multivariate analysis. Metabolic profiling of leaves was performed from control and stressed plants (7 and 14 days of stress). Samples were extracted and analyzed on a UHPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-HRMS system. Acquired data were processed using XCMS Online and MetaboAnalyst for multivariate and pathway activity analysis. Metabolism was affected by drought stress through clear segregation between control and stressed groups. More importantly, metabolism changed through time, gradually from 7 to 14 days. The pathways most affected by drought stress were: starch and sucrose metabolism, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, and glycine, serine and threonine metabolism. The analysis of the metabolic profile were efficient to correlate and differentiate groups of oil palm plants submitted to different levels of drought stress. Putative compounds and their affected pathways can be used in future multiomics analysis.
Clinical, functional and inflammatory evaluation in asthmatic patients after a simple short-term educational program: a randomized trial
Authors: Felix Soraia Nogueira , Agondi Rosana Câmara , Aun Marcelo Vivolo , Olivo Clarice Rosa , de Almeida Francine Maria , Amorim Thais Santos , Cezario Julia Caroline , Giavina-Bianchi Pedro , Tiberio Iolanda de Fátima Lopes Calvo , de Martins Milton de Arruda , Romanholo Beatriz Mangueira Saraiva 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThis study aimed to evaluate the clinical evolution, functional parameters and inflammatory activity of asthma in patients who submitted to an educational intervention. 58 adult patients over 18 years of age with partly controlled and uncontrolled asthma were randomized into an intervention group (IG) (N = 32) and a control group (CG) (N = 26) and evaluated for 12 weeks. The Asthma Control Test (ACT), Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ), Asthma Quality Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) questionnaires were applied. Spirometry, exhaled nitric oxide (NO), exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and induced sputum (IS), measurement of the peak flow and symptoms were performed. The IG patients received an educational activity for 30 min applied by a nurse. Statistical analysis: analysis of variance with repeated intragroup measures. IG presented a decreased number of eosinophils in IS and IL-17A in EBC, an increase in the percentage of FEV1 before and after bronchodilator and an improvement in quality of life compared to the CG. There was an improvement in depression levels and a decrease in IL-4 and IL-5 in the IS and in the EBC in both groups. Our results suggest that an educational intervention can bring benefits concerning the control of inflammation, lung function alterations, quality of life and levels of depression in asthmatic patients. Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT03655392.
Regional heterogeneity in coral species richness and hue reveals novel global predictors of reef fish intra-family diversity
Authors: Cox Kieran D. , Woods Mackenzie B. , Reimchen Thomas E. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractHabitat heterogeneity shapes biological communities, a well-known process in terrestrial ecosystems but substantially unresolved within coral reef ecosystems. We investigated the extent to which coral richness predicts intra-family fish richness, while simultaneously integrating a striking aspect of reef ecosystems—coral hue. To do so, we quantified the coral richness, coral hue diversity, and species richness within 25 fish families in 74 global ecoregions. We then expanded this to an analysis of all reef fishes (4465 species). Considering coral bleaching as a natural experiment, we subsequently examined hue's contribution to fish communities. Coral species and hue diversity significantly predict each family's fish richness, with the highest correlations (> 80%) occurring in damselfish, butterflyfish, emperors and rabbitfish, lower (60–80%) in substrate-bound and mid-water taxa such as blennies, seahorses, and parrotfish, and lowest (40–60%) in sharks, morays, grunts and triggerfish. The observed trends persisted globally. Coral bleaching's homogenization of reef colouration revealed hue’s contribution to maintaining fish richness, abundance, and recruit survivorship. We propose that each additional coral species and associated hue provide added ecological opportunities (e.g. camouflage, background contrast for intraspecific display), facilitating the evolution and co-existence of diverse fish assemblages.
Effects of brief sodium fluoride treatments on the growth of early and mature cariogenic biofilms
Authors: Han Ye 
Published: September 2021

AbstractAlthough fluoride has been widely used as a preventive agent for dental caries, the effects of fluoride on the activities of biofilms in different stages of cariogenic biofilm formation are less studied. This study was designed to investigate the antibiofilm activity of sodium fluoride during the early and mature stages of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) biofilm formation. S. mutans biofilms were formed on saliva-coated hydroxyapatite disks. In the early (0–46 h) and mature (46–94 h) biofilm stages, the biofilms were treated with different concentrations of fluoride (250, 500, 1000, 2000 ppm; 5 times in total, 1 min/treatment). Acidogenicity, dry weight, colony-forming units (CFUs), water-soluble/insoluble extracellular polysaccharides (EPSs), and intracellular polysaccharides were analysed, and confocal laser scanning microscopy images were obtained of the two stages of biofilms to determine antibiofilm activities of fluoride at varying concentrations during the formation of early and mature biofilms. In the early stages of cariogenic biofilm formation, test groups with all fluoride concentrations significantly inhibited the growth of S. mutans biofilms. The antibiofilm and anti-EPS formation activities of the brief fluoride treatments increased with a concentration-dependent pattern. At the mature biofilm stage, only the 2000 ppm fluoride treatment group significantly inhibited biofilm accumulation, activity, and intracellular/extracellular polysaccharide content compared with those of the control and other fluoride treatment groups. The antimicrobial effect of fluoride treatment on the growth of S. mutans biofilms was linked with the stage of cariogenic biofilm formation. The inhibition of S. mutans biofilm growth by fluoride treatment was easier in the early formation stage than in the mature stage. Fluoride treatment in the early stage of cariogenic biofilm formation may be an effective approach to controlling cariogenic biofilm development and preventing dental caries.
Targeting intra-viral conserved nucleocapsid (N) proteins as novel vaccines against SARS-CoVs
Authors: Thura Min , Sng Joel Xuan En , Ang Koon Hwee , Li Jie , Gupta Abhishek , Hong Jimmy Ming , Hong Cheng William , Zeng Qi 
Published: September 2021

AbstractSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused the global pandemic of the Coronavirus disease in late 2019 (COVID-19). Vaccine development efforts have predominantly been aimed at 'Extra-viral' Spike (S) protein as vaccine vehicles, but there are concerns regarding ‘viral immune escape’ since multiple mutations may enable the mutated virus strains to escape from immunity against S protein. The ‘Intra-viral’ Nucleocapsid (N-protein) is relatively conserved among mutant strains of coronaviruses during spread and evolution. Herein, we demonstrate novel vaccine candidates against SARS-CoV-2 by using the whole conserved N-protein or its fragment/peptides. Using ELISA assay, we showed that high titers of specific anti-N antibodies (IgG, IgG1, IgG2a, IgM) were maintained for a reasonably long duration (&gt; 5 months), suggesting that N-protein is an excellent immunogen to stimulate host immune system and robust B-cell activation. We synthesized three peptides located at the conserved regions of N-protein among CoVs. One peptide showed as a good immunogen for vaccination as well. Cytokine arrays on post-vaccination mouse sera showed progressive up-regulation of various cytokines such as IFN-γ and CCL5, suggesting that TH1 associated responses are also stimulated. Furthermore, vaccinated mice exhibited an elevated memory T cells population. Here, we propose an unconventional vaccine strategy targeting the conserved N-protein as an alternative vaccine target for coronaviruses. Moreover, we generated a mouse monoclonal antibody specifically against an epitope shared between SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, and we are currently developing the First-in-Class humanized anti-N-protein antibody to potentially treat patients infected by various CoVs in the future.
Numerical and experimental evidence for a new interpretation of residence times in space
Authors: Vogt A. , Engelbrecht N. Eugene , Heber B. , Kopp A. , Herbst K. 
Published: September 2021

Aims. We investigate the energy dependence of Jovian electron residence times, which allows for a deeper understanding of adiabatic energy changes that occur during charged particle transport, as well as of their significance for simulation approaches. Thereby we seek to further validate an improved approach to estimate residence times numerically by investigating the implications on previous analytical approaches and possible effects detectable by spacecraft data.
Methods. Utilising a propagation model based on a stochastic differential equation (SDE) solver written in CUDA, residence times for Jovian electrons were calculated over the whole energy range dominated by the Jovian electron source spectrum. We analysed the interdependences both with the magnetic connection between the observer and the source as well as between the distribution of the exit (simulation) times and the resulting residence times.
Results. We point out a linear relation between the residence time for different kinetic energies and the longitudinal shift of the 13 month periodicity typically observed for Jovian electrons and discuss the applicability of these findings to data. Furthermore, we utilise our finding that the simulated residence times are approximately linearly related to the energy loss for Jovian and Galactic electrons, and we develop an improved analytical estimation in agreement with the numerical residence time and the longitudinal shift observed by measurements.
Decoding the morphological evolution of open clusters
Authors: Hu Qingshun , Zhang Yu , Esamdin Ali 
Published: September 2021

Context. The properties of open clusters such as metallicity, age, and morphology are useful tools in studies of the dynamic evolution of open clusters. The morphology of open clusters can help us better understand the evolution of such structures.
Aims. We aim to analyze the morphological evolution of 1256 open clusters by combining the shapes of the sample clusters in the proper motion space with their morphology in the two-dimensional spherical Galactic coordinate system, providing their shape parameters based on a member catalog derived from Gaia Second Data Release as well as data from the literature.
Methods. We applied a combination of a nonparametric bivariate density estimation with the least square ellipse fitting to derive the shape parameters of the sample clusters.
Results. We derived the shape parameters of the sample clusters in the two-dimensional spherical Galactic coordinate system and that of the proper motion space. By analyzing the dislocation of the sample clusters, we find that the dislocation, d, is related to the X-axis pointing toward the Galactic center, Y-axis pointing in the direction of Galactic rotation, and the Z-axis (log(|H|/pc)) that is positive toward the Galactic north pole. This finding underlines the important role of the dislocation of clusters in tracking the external environment of the Milky Way. The orientation (qpm) of the clusters, with epm ≥ 0.4, presents an aggregate distribution in the range of −45° to 45°, comprising about 74% of them. This probably suggests that these clusters tend to deform heavily in the direction of the Galactic plane. NGC 752 is in a slight stage of expansion in the two-dimensional space and will become deformed, in terms of its morphology, along the direction perpendicular to the original stretching direction in the future if no other events occur. The relative degree of deformation of the sample clusters in the short-axis direction decreases as their ages increase. On average, the severely distorted sample clusters in each group account for about 26% ± 9%. This possibly implies a uniform external environment in the range of |H| ≤ 300 pc if the sample completeness of each group is not taken into account.
A molecular wind blows out of the Kuiper belt
Authors: Kral Q. , Pringle J. E. , Guilbert-Lepoutre A. , Matrà L. , Moses J. I. , Lellouch E. , Wyatt M. C. , Biver N. , Bockelée-Morvan D. , Bonsor A. , Le Petit F. , Randall Gladstone G. 
Published: September 2021

Context. In this Letter we aim to explore whether gas is also expected in the Kuiper belt (KB) in our Solar System.
Aims. To quantify the gas release in our Solar System, we use models for gas release that have been applied to extrasolar planetary systems as well as a physical model that accounts for gas released due to the progressive internal warming of large planetesimals.
Methods. We find that only bodies larger than about 4 km can still contain CO ice after 4.6 Gyr of evolution. This finding may provide a clue as to why Jupiter-family comets, thought to originate in the KB, are deficient in CO compared to Oort cloud comets. We predict that gas is still currently being produced in the KB at a rate of 2 × 10−8 M⊕ Myr−1 for CO and that this rate was orders of magnitude higher when the Sun was younger. Once released, the gas is quickly pushed out by the solar wind. Therefore, we predict a gas wind in our Solar System starting at the KB location and extending far beyond with regards to the heliosphere, with a current total CO mass of ∼2 × 10−12 M⊕ (i.e., 20 times the CO quantity that was lost by the Hale-Bopp comet during its 1997 passage) and CO density in the belt of 3 × 10−7 cm−3. We also predict the existence of a slightly more massive atomic gas wind made of carbon and oxygen (neutral and ionized), with a mass of ∼10−11 M⊕.
Results. We predict that gas is currently present in our Solar System beyond the KB and that, although it cannot be detected with current instrumentation, it could be observed in the future with an in situ mission using an instrument similar to Alice on New Horizons but with larger detectors. Our model of gas release due to slow heating may also work for exoplanetary systems and provide the first real physical mechanism for the gas observations. Lastly, our model shows that the amount of gas in the young Solar System should have been orders of magnitude greater and that it may have played an important role in, for example, planetary atmosphere formation.
Synthesis of Pentacoordinated Spiro[4.4]phosphoranes by Reaction of Cyclic Phosphazenyl Anions with Epoxides: Study of their P-Remote Functionalization and Hydrolysis
Authors: García López Jesús , López Ortiz Fernando , Sansores Peraza Pablo M. , Navarro Yolanda , Iglesias María J. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe synthesis of a new family of pentacoordinated spiro[4.4]phosphoranes stabilized by the ortho-benzamide bidentate ligand (oBA, -C6H4-2-C(O)NH-) through reaction of Cα,C
ortho
-dilithiated phosphazenes with oxiranes is reported. Mixtures of epimers that differ in configuration at the phosphorus atom were obtained with moderate to high yields and diastereoselectivities. C3-Disubstituted derivatives could be separated, which provided access to enantiopure products arising from the reaction with (R)-2-phenyloxirane. Stereomutation was observed by heating the spirophosphoranes at 100 °C. Directed ortho-lithiation of spirophoshoranes followed by electrophilic quench reactions including carbon-based and heteroatom-based electrophiles afforded derivatives functionalized in a remote position with respect to the phosphorus atom. Benzoic acid catalyzed hydrolysis of spirophosphoranes furnished ortho-(γ-hydroxyalkylphosphoryl)benzamides by cleavage of the P–O and P–N bonds with retention of the phosphorus configuration. In contrast, alkaline hydrolysis led to the formation of γ-hydroxyphosphinic acids and benzamide.