bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of phonological loop on inferential processing during Chinese text reading: Evidence from a dual‐task paradigm
Authors: Wang Weijuan , Fan Lin , Wang Zhen , Liu Xiaoping , Zhang Sumin 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe role of working memory (WM) components, such as phonological loop, in online inferential processing has thus far not been empirically examined with a dual‐task paradigm. The current study used an online method to examine the effects of the two components of phonological loop—the articulatory rehearsal device and the phonological store device—on online causal inference generation during Chinese text reading. Eighty‐five Chinese university students read three‐sentence inference and control texts and responded to comprehension questions related to targeted inferences in different reading conditions. The results showed that in the articulatory suppression condition, response times (RTs) for comprehension questions of inference texts were considerably longer, and response errors were significantly higher than those in the normal reading condition, which indicated the effects of the articulatory rehearsal device on readers' online causal inference processes during Chinese text reading. Moreover, RTs for comprehension questions of inference texts in the irrelevant speech condition were significantly shorter than those in the normal reading condition, suggesting effects of the phonological store device on readers' causal inference processes during reading. Taken together, these findings indicate that the articulatory rehearsal device plays an important role in inference processes, but readers allocate more cognitive resources to facilitate the construction of causal relations during text‐based inferential comprehension when function of the phonological store device is impaired.
Elbasvir/grazoprevir administered for 12 weeks via percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube achieves sustained virologic response: A case report and a review of the literature
Authors: Shah Rajeev B. , Garrett Katy L. , Brotherton Amy L. , Noska Amanda J. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractEnteral tubes are necessary for certain patients; however, medication absorption can be affected by this route of administration potentially resulting in decreased efficacy. All first‐line treatments for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection are only available as tablets and may have decreased absorption if administered via an enteral tube. This report describes the first case of a pegylated interferon and ribavirin treatment‐experienced patient who successfully achieved HCV cure after 12 weeks of elbasvir/grazoprevir administered via percutaneous gastrostomy tube. We further review the available pharmacokinetic and clinical literature regarding administration via enteral feeding tubes for all first‐line direct‐acting antivirals (DAAs). The literature suggests that crushed administration can be considered for DAAs in patients with gastric access. However, caution should be exercised in patients with extragastric enteral tubes and in those with altered gastrointestinal tract anatomy.
Naphthalimide‐modified dendrimers as efficient and low cytotoxic nucleic acid delivery vectors
Authors: Jia Jingxian , Gao Yongguang , Dang Kai , Guo Xiaosong , Ding Aixiang 
Published: May 2021

AbstractPoly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers have been widely used as nucleic acid delivery vectors. To improve the transfection efficacy, ligands such as amino acid, peptide and lipid are conjugated to the periphery of dendrimers. However, the structures of these ligands are generally flexible, and few reports about rigid‐ligand‐modified dendrimers are reported. In this work, three novel PAMAM dendrimers (G5‐1, G5‐2 and G5‐3) modified with rigid naphthalimide were synthesized as nucleic acid delivery vectors. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy showed that the average numbers of naphthalimide molecules conjugated on the PAMAM periphery in compounds G5‐1, G5‐2 and G5‐3 are 8, 30 and 50, respectively. The 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay revealed good cytocompatibility of these vectors in multiple cell lines, including MG63, HeLa, HEK293 and MC3T3‐E1 cells, with a cell survival rate of more than 90% in most cases. Among the three dendrimers, G5‐1 with fewer naphthalimide molecules showed stronger RNA binding ability than G5‐2 and G5‐3. G5‐1 also exhibited the best gene silencing efficacy at a dendrimer to miRNA weight ratio of 1:2 in MC3T3‐E1 cells, which is much higher than the commercial transfection agent Lipofectamine 2000 tested under the same conditions. In addition, G5‐1 showed high transfection efficacy in plasmid DNA‐mediated luciferase expression experiments. These results suggest that rigid ligand modification can be developed as a new strategy to design safe and highly efficient nucleic acid delivery vectors. © 2021 Society of Industrial Chemistry.
Heuristic assessment of psychological interventions in schools (HAPI Schools)
Authors: Platt Ian A. , Kannangara Chathurika , Carson Jerome , Tytherleigh Michelle 
Published: May 2021

AbstractChildren spend more time in school than in any other formal setting and, with mental illness in children on the rise, there is more pressure on schools to intervene in student mental health than ever before. In the current study, two phases of semistructured interviews were conducted with school leaders and special educational needs coordinators (Phase 1, N = 23; Phase 2, N = 11), to investigate first‐hand experiences in dealing with student mental illness. Thematic analysis, drawing on Grounded Theory, was used to identify themes. The results identified deprivation as one of the main causes of mental ill‐health in students, with insufficient budgets, inappropriate mental health services, and overly long waiting times as barriers to intervention. Difficulties in identifying appropriate mental health interventions to use in school were also reported. The authors propose a simple four‐point heuristic, for assessing the quality of school‐based mental health interventions to be used by school staff, so that educators can more readily identify appropriate mental health support for their students.
PhenoImage: An open‐source graphical user interface for plant image analysis
Authors: Zhu Feiyu , Saluja Manny , Dharni Jaspinder Singh , Paul Puneet , Sattler Scott E. , Staswick Paul , Walia Harkamal , Yu Hongfeng 
Published: May 2021

AbstractHigh‐throughput genotyping coupled with molecular breeding approaches have dramatically accelerated crop improvement programs. More recently, improved plant phenotyping methods have led to a shift from manual measurements to automated platforms with increased scalability and resolution. Considerable effort has also gone into developing large‐scale downstream processing of the imaging datasets derived from high‐throughput phenotyping (HTP) platforms. However, most available tools require some programming skills. We developed PhenoImage, an open‐source graphical user interface (GUI) based cross‐platform solution for HTP image processing intending to make image analysis accessible to users with either little or no programming skills. The open‐source nature provides the possibility to extend its usability to meet user‐specific requirements. The availability of multiple functions and filtering parameters provides flexibility to analyze images from a wide variety of plant species and platforms. PhenoImage can be run on a personal computer as well as on high‐performance computing clusters. To test the efficacy of the application, we analyzed the LemnaTec Imaging system derived red, green, and blue (RGB) color intensity and plant pigmentation‐based fluorescence shoot images from two plant species: sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) differing in their physical attributes. In the study, we discuss the development, implementation, and working of the PhenoImage.
Genomic evidence supports an independent history of Levantine and Eurasian grapevines
Authors: Sivan Aviad , Rahimi Oshrit , Lavi Bar , Salmon‐Divon Mali , Weiss Ehud , Drori Elyashiv , Hübner Sariel 
Published: May 2021

Societal Impact StatementGrapevine is a major horticultural crop that has been intertwined with human culture for Millennia. The Levant was an important center of the ancient winemaking industry until the collapse of the Byzantine Empire. Consequently, the identity of the ancient grapevine varieties of the Levant was considered lost. Here, we study the domestication history of Levantine grapevine samples using whole‐genome sequencing data and show that some of the samples are authentic descendants of ancient Levantine varieties and that they conform to an independent lineage. This precious germplasm paves a route to bridge the ancient culture of the Levant and modern grapevine varieties. However, accelerated anthropogenic development in this region poses a threat to sampling locations; thus, additional efforts are urged to explore and conserve grapevine and other crop germplasm collections in the Levant.Summary

The ancient wine varieties of the Levant have inspired beliefs and rituals in human societies. Despite their importance, the original Levantine wine‐grape varieties were considered lost due to cultural turnovers commencing in the 7th century CE, leading to the collapse of a flourishing winemaking industry in this region.

We generated whole‐genome sequence data for a diversity panel of wild and domesticated grapevine accessions. Demographic models, pedigree analysis, and genome scans were conducted to estimate divergence among four distinct groups.

Demographic models designated that the domestication in the Caucasus region predated the emergence of the Levantine varieties and that authentic descendants of ancient varieties are represented among the Levantine accessions. We further explored the pedigree relationship among domesticated grapevines and identified intriguing relationship between the “Chardonnay” variety and Levantine accessions. Genomic scans and genetic load analyses further supported the distinct lineage history of the Levantine and Eurasian accessions.

Tracking the domestication history of crops is challenging especially in a perennial species like grapevine. Although the Levantine varieties represent a distinct genomic background, it remains unclear whether ancient extensive gene‐flow or direct domestication of Levantine wild grapevines has sparked the emergence of the ancient Levantine varieties.
Practical consequences of digital sequence information (DSI) definitions and access and benefit‐sharing scenarios from a plant genebank’s perspective
Authors: Brink Martin , van Hintum Theo 
Published: May 2021

Societal Impact StatementAs the world is facing a climate crisis and a growing population, feeding this population is a big challenge. Genebanks, conserving and providing access to genetic resources, and plant breeders, using genetic resources from genebanks to create new varieties, play important roles in meeting this challenge. Before making decisions potentially restricting access to digital sequence information (DSI) on genetic resources, it is therefore important to consider the impact of the decisions on the activities of these actors. In this paper, an analysis is made of DSI definitions and access and benefit‐sharing scenarios in the context of their consequences for genebank management.SummaryIt is currently discussed whether the use of digital sequence information (DSI) on genetic resources would need to be subject to access and benefit‐sharing obligations, like the use of genetic resources. In this paper, we analyse the consequences of genebank management of DSI definitions currently considered, and of scenarios proposed for dealing with the access and benefit‐sharing aspects of DSI.The analysis is based on publicly accessible literature and experiences of and discussions with genebank managers, researchers and experts on genetic resources policies. The key findings are as follows:

the definition of DSI is still disputed and definitions currently considered vary from only the base sequence of genomic DNA to all information associated with genetic resources;
four groups of scenarios proposed for arranging the access and benefit‐sharing aspects of DSI can be distinguished, with these scenarios differing in their benefit‐sharing modalities, technical feasibility, the complexity they generate and thus the ease of access to information and genetic resources;
from a genebank perspective, the scenario generating the lowest complexity and the easiest access to DSI would be preferable.
It is concluded that the multilateral and the free access scenarios seem most beneficial for genebanks, as these scenarios limit the complexity for users and allow easy access and use. We are aware of the political difficulties to arrive at these solutions, but hope this paper will contribute to guiding the discussions in a direction that will be beneficial for genebanks, for users of genebank materials and information, and ultimately for addressing the challenges to present and future food security.
Plasmodium chitinases: revisiting a target of transmission‐blockade against malaria
Authors: Viswanath Vysakh K. , Gore Suraj T. , Valiyaparambil Ashwathi , Mukherjee Subhendhu , Lakshminarasimhan Anirudha 
Published: May 2021

AbstractMalaria is a life‐threatening disease caused by one of the five species of Plasmodium, among which Plasmodium falciparum cause the deadliest form of the disease. Plasmodium species are dependent on a vertebrate host and a blood‐sucking insect vector to complete their life cycle. Plasmodium chitinases belonging to the GH18 family are secreted inside the mosquito midgut, during the ookinete stage of the parasite. Chitinases mediate the penetration of parasite through the peritrophic membrane, facilitating access to the gut epithelial layer. In this review, we describe Plasmodium chitinases with special emphasis on chitinases from P. falciparum and P. vivax, the representative examples of the short and long forms of this protein. In addition to the chitinase domain, chitinases belonging to the long form contain a pro‐domain and chitin‐binding domain. Amino acid sequence alignment of long and short form chitinase domains reveals multiple positions containing variant residues. A subset of these positions was found to be conserved or invariant within long or short forms, indicating the role of these positions in attributing form‐specific activity. The reported differences in affinities to allosamidin for P. vivax and P. falciparum were predicted to be due to different residues at two amino acid positions, resulting in altered interactions with the inhibitor. Understanding the role of these amino acids in Plasmodium chitinases will help us elucidate the mechanism of catalysis and the mode of inhibition, which will be the key for identification of potent inhibitors or antibodies demonstrating transmission‐blocking activity.
Predictable fold switching by theSARS‐CoV‐2 proteinORF9b
Authors: Porter Lauren L. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractExtant fold‐switching proteins remodel their secondary structures and change their functions in response to environmental stimuli. These shapeshifting proteins regulate biological processes and are associated with a number of diseases, including tuberculosis, cancer, Alzheimer's, and autoimmune disorders. Thus, predictive methods are needed to identify more fold‐switching proteins, especially since all naturally occurring instances have been discovered by chance. In response to this need, two high‐throughput predictive methods have recently been developed. Here we test them on ORF9b, a newly discovered fold switcher and potential therapeutic target from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). Promisingly, both methods correctly indicate that ORF9b switches folds. We then tested the same two methods on ORF9b1, the ORF9b homolog from SARS‐CoV‐1. Again, both methods predict that ORF9b1 switches folds, a finding consistent with experimental binding studies. Together, these results (a) demonstrate that protein fold switching can be predicted using high‐throughput computational approaches and (b) suggest that fold switching might be a general characteristic of ORF9b homologs.
Step‐by‐step design of proteins for small molecule interaction: A review on recent milestones
Authors: Pereira José M. , Vieira Maria , Santos Sérgio M. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractProtein design is the field of synthetic biology that aims at developing de novo custom‐made proteins and peptides for specific applications. Despite exploring an ambitious goal, recent computational advances in both hardware and software technologies have paved the way to high‐throughput screening and detailed design of novel folds and improved functionalities. Modern advances in the field of protein design for small molecule targeting are described in this review, organized in a step‐by‐step fashion: from the conception of a new or upgraded active binding site, to scaffold design, sequence optimization, and experimental expression of the custom protein. In each step, contemporary examples are described, and state‐of‐the‐art software is briefly explored.
Alignment between outcomes and minimal clinically important differences in the Dutch type 2 diabetes mellitus guideline and healthcare professionals’ preferences
Authors: Dankers Marloes , Nelissen‐Vrancken Marjorie H. J. M. G. , Hart Bertien H. , Lambooij Anke C. , van Dijk Liset , Mantel‐Teeuwisse Aukje K. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractTo evaluate the clinical benefit of new medicines for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), the Dutch guideline committee T2DM in primary care established the importance of outcomes and minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs). The present study used an online questionnaire to investigate healthcare professionals’ opinions about the importance of outcomes and preferences for MCIDs. A total of 211 physicians, pharmacists, practice nurses, diabetes nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants evaluated the importance of mortality, macro‐ and microvascular morbidity, HbA1c, body weight, quality of life, (overall) hospital admissions and severe and other hypoglycemia on a 9‐point scale. All outcomes were considered critical (mean scores 7–9), except for body weight and other hypoglycemia (mean scores 4–6). Only HbA1c and hospital admissions were valued differently by the guideline committee (not critical). Other relevant outcomes according to the respondents were adverse events, ease of use and costs. Median MCIDs were 4 mmol/mol for HbA1c (guideline: 5 mmol/mol) and 3 kg for body weight (guideline: 5 kg weight gain and 2,5 kg weight loss). Healthcare professionals preferred relative risk reductions of 20% for mortality (guideline: 10%) and macrovascular morbidity (guideline: 25%) and 50% for other hypoglycaemia (guideline: 25%). The MCID of 25% for microvascular morbidity, hospital admissions and severe hypoglycaemia corresponded to the guideline‐MCID. Healthcare professionals’ preferences were thus comparable to the views of the guideline committee. However, healthcare professionals had a stricter view on the importance of HbA1c and hospital admissions and the MCIDs for mortality and other hypoglycemia.
Power on! Low‐energy electrophysical treatment is an effective new weed control approach
Authors: Lati Ran Nisim , Rosenfeld Lavi , David Inbar Ben , Bechar Avital 
Published: May 2021

AbstractBACKGROUNDEnvironmental concerns are driving the call for adoption of alternative nonchemical weeding approaches. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a novel, precise, low‐energy electrophysical treatment weeding systems and to provide new insight into their control mechanism. Two electrophysical treatment systems, based on AC (2.2 kV) and DC (40 kV) energy sources, were developed and evaluated. The impacts of various operational and biological factors on the weed control effectiveness were evaluated. Additionally, thermal images were taken during the treatments to document plant temperature.RESULTSTreatments via direct leaf contact caused greater damage to Amaranth plants than the stem contact treatments, with 75% and 20% biomass reduction compared to control, respectively. Treatment of early growth stages was favorable over later growth stages, with 100% and 75% biomass reduction for Trifolium pretense plants treated with 0.0125 W h 2 and 4 weeks after seeding, respectively, compared to control. Additionally, the applied energy affected treatment performance, with its impact varying across the growth stages and species; at the two‐leaf growth stage, 0.0025 W h treatment was sufficient for plant death. A >40 °C increase in plant temperature was measured during the electrophysical treatment, with the temperature of some plant organs reaching ~70 °C.CONCLUSIONResults from this study demonstrate the potential use of electrophysical treatment as an effective weed control tool. The low energetic demands in the new systems provide suitable control results when applied at early stages. Temperature increase seemed to be one of the main control factors, yet efficacy was affected by various biological factors.
Identifying the drivers and constraints to adoption of IPM among arable farmers in the UK and Ireland
Authors: Creissen Henry E , Jones Philip J , Tranter Richard B , Girling Robbie D , Jess Stephen , Burnett Fiona J , Gaffney Michael , Thorne Fiona S , Kildea Steven 
Published: May 2021

AbstractBACKGROUNDArable crops in temperate climatic regions such as the UK and Ireland are subject to a multitude of pests (weeds, diseases and vertebrate/invertebrate pests) that can negatively impact productivity if not properly managed. Integrated pest management (IPM) is widely promoted as a sustainable approach to pest management, yet there are few recent studies assessing adoption levels and factors influencing this in arable cropping systems in the UK and Ireland. This study used an extensive farmer survey to address both these issues.RESULTSAdoption levels of various IPM practices varied across the sample depending on a range of factors relating to both farm and farmer characteristics. Positive relationships were observed between IPM adoption and farmed area, and familiarity with IPM. Choice of pest control information sources was also found to be influential on farmer familiarity with IPM, with those who were proactive in seeking information from impartial sources being more engaged and reporting higher levels of adoption.CONCLUSIONPolicies that encourage farmers to greater levels of engagement with their pest management issues and more proactive information seeking, such as through advisory professionals, more experienced peers through crop walks, open days and discussion groups should be strongly encouraged.