bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Low‐Rate Faulting on the Margin of the Colorado Plateau and Rio Grande Rift in North‐Central New Mexico
Authors: Thompson Jobe Jessica A. , Chupik Colin 
Published: November 2021

AbstractIn northern New Mexico, seismic hazard outside of the Rio Grande Rift (RGR) is generally considered low due to limited historical seismicity and few mapped Quaternary faults. Although the region has a complex tectonic history, nearly all known faults are considered inactive because of a lack of faulted Quaternary deposits. Analysis of lidar and existing geologic and geomorphic mapping permits identification and characterization of four faults on the Colorado Plateau/RGR margin. The Gallina, Willow Creek, and East and West Brazos Peak faults are normal or dextral‐normal faults that strike NW‐SE with lengths from 15 to 50 km. The Willow Creek fault has scarp heights <0.5–6.4 m on five Quaternary surfaces, with displacement increasing with relative surface age. An ∼5‐m‐high scarp on the ∼250 ka Brazos basalt yields an ∼0.02 mm/yr minimum dip‐slip rate. Oblique slip is recorded by dextral offset (∼40 m) of a middle Quaternary (?) terrace riser, a linear and en‐echelon stepping fault pattern, and a consistent down‐to‐the‐northeast fault expression. The West Brazos Peak fault displaces late Quaternary (?) surfaces by <4 m down‐to‐the‐southwest. We interpret these faults are Laramide‐aged faults reactivated as normal or dextral‐oblique faults in the Quaternary, consistent with regional stress and geodetic data. Although the faults have low slip rates (<0.1 mm/yr), the fault lengths suggest they may rupture in M6‐7 earthquakes and may pose a previously unrecognized seismic hazard to the region. Dextral transtension within the eastern Colorado Plateau is consistent with geodetic strain rates and earthquake focal mechanisms.
Peak ependymal cell stretch overlaps with the onset locations of periventricular white matter lesions
Authors: Visser Valery L. , Rusinek Henry , Weickenmeier Johannes 
Published: November 2021

AbstractDeep and periventricular white matter hyperintensities (dWMH/pvWMH) are bright appearing white matter tissue lesions in T2-weighted fluid attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance images and are frequent observations in the aging human brain. While early stages of these white matter lesions are only weakly associated with cognitive impairment, their progressive growth is a strong indicator for long-term functional decline. DWMHs are typically associated with vascular degeneration in diffuse white matter locations; for pvWMHs, however, no unifying theory exists to explain their consistent onset around the horns of the lateral ventricles. We use patient imaging data to create anatomically accurate finite element models of the lateral ventricles, white and gray matter, and cerebrospinal fluid, as well as to reconstruct their WMH volumes. We simulated the mechanical loading of the ependymal cells forming the primary brain-fluid interface, the ventricular wall, and its surrounding tissues at peak ventricular pressure during the hemodynamic cycle. We observe that both the maximum principal tissue strain and the largest ependymal cell stretch consistently localize in the anterior and posterior horns. Our simulations show that ependymal cells experience a loading state that causes the ventricular wall to be stretched thin. Moreover, we show that maximum wall loading coincides with the pvWMH locations observed in our patient scans. These results warrant further analysis of white matter pathology in the periventricular zone that includes a mechanics-driven deterioration model for the ventricular wall.
An open-source automated PEG precipitation assay to measure the relative solubility of proteins with low material requirement
Authors: Oeller Marc , Sormanni Pietro , Vendruscolo Michele 
Published: November 2021

AbstractThe solubility of proteins correlates with a variety of their properties, including function, production yield, pharmacokinetics, and formulation at high concentrations. High solubility is therefore a key requirement for the development of protein-based reagents for applications in life sciences, biotechnology, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Accurate solubility measurements, however, remain challenging and resource intensive, which limits their throughput and hence their applicability at the early stages of development pipelines, when long-lists of candidates are typically available in minute amounts. Here, we present an automated method based on the titration of a crowding agent (polyethylene glycol, PEG) to quantitatively assess relative solubility of proteins using about 200 µg of purified material. Our results demonstrate that this method is accurate and economical in material requirement and costs of reagents, which makes it suitable for high-throughput screening. This approach is freely-shared and based on a low cost, open-source liquid-handling robot. We anticipate that this method will facilitate the assessment of the developability of proteins and make it substantially more accessible.
Candidate genes of SARS-CoV-2 gender susceptibility
Authors: Russo Cristina , Morello Giovanna , Malaguarnera Roberta , Piro Salvatore , Furno Debora Lo , Malaguarnera Lucia 
Published: November 2021

AbstractThe severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) initiated a global viral pandemic since late 2019. Understanding that Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) disproportionately affects men than women results in great challenges. Although there is a growing body of published study on this topic, effective explanations underlying these sex differences and their effects on the infection outcome still remain uncertain. We applied a holistic bioinformatics method to investigate molecular variations of known SARS-CoV-2 interacting human proteins mainly expressed in gonadal tissues (testis and ovary), allowing for the identification of potential genetic targets for this infection. Functional enrichment and interaction network analyses were also performed to better investigate the biological differences between testicular and ovarian responses in the SARS-CoV-2 infection, paying particular attention to genes linked to immune-related pathways, reactions of host cells after intracellular infection, steroid hormone biosynthesis, receptor signaling, and the complement cascade, in order to evaluate their potential association with sexual difference in the likelihood of infection and severity of symptoms. The analysis revealed that within the testis network TMPRSS2, ADAM10, SERPING1, and CCR5 were present, while within the ovary network we found BST2, GATA1, ENPEP, TLR4, TLR7, IRF1, and IRF2. Our findings could provide potential targets for forthcoming experimental investigation related to SARS-CoV-2 treatment.
Regulatory network of miRNA, lncRNA, transcription factor and target immune response genes in bovine mastitis
Authors: Tucker Ashley R. , Salazar Nicole A. , Ayoola Adeola O. , Memili Erdoğan , Thomas Bolaji N. , Morenikeji Olanrewaju B. 
Published: November 2021

AbstractPre- and post-transcriptional modifications of gene expression are emerging as foci of disease studies, with some studies revealing the importance of non-coding transcripts, like long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs). We hypothesize that transcription factors (TFs), lncRNAs and miRNAs modulate immune response in bovine mastitis and could potentially serve as disease biomarkers and/or drug targets. With computational analyses, we identified candidate genes potentially regulated by miRNAs and lncRNAs base pair complementation and thermodynamic stability of binding regions. Remarkably, we found six miRNAs, two being bta-miR-223 and bta-miR-24-3p, to bind to several targets. LncRNAs NONBTAT027932.1 and XR_003029725.1, were identified to target several genes. Functional and pathway analyses revealed lipopolysaccharide-mediated signaling pathway, regulation of chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 2 production and regulation of IL-23 production among others. The overarching interactome deserves further in vitro/in vivo explication for specific molecular regulatory mechanisms during bovine mastitis immune response and could lay the foundation for development of disease markers and therapeutic intervention.
In vivo study of the effects of a portable cold plasma device and vitamin C for skin rejuvenation
Authors: Shakouri Reza , Khani Mohammad Reza , Samsavar Shirin , Jezeh Mahya Aminrayai , Abdollahimajd Fahimeh , Hosseini Seyed Iman , Dilmaghanian Aydin , Ghasemi Erfan , Alihoseini Mohammad Reza , Shokri Babak 
Published: November 2021

AbstractNowadays, cold atmospheric plasma shows interesting results in dermatology. In the present study, a new portable cold plasma was designed for plasma skin rejuvenation (PSR) purposes. This device is safe and easy to use at beauty salons and homes. The effects of this device were investigated on the rat skins. Also, as a new method to improve PSR results, vitamin C ointment was combined with plasma. In this study, there were four groups of 5 Wistar rats. The first group received vitamin C ointment, the second received 5 min of high-voltage plasma, and the third and the fourth groups received 5 min of high- and low-voltage plasma and vitamin C ointment. This process was done every other day (3 sessions per week) for 6 weeks. To evaluate the thermal effect of plasma, the skin temperature was monitored. Also, the presence of reactive species was demonstrated by the use of optical spectroscopy. In addition, mechanical assays were performed to assess the effect of plasma and vitamin C on the tissue’s mechanical strength. The mechanical assays showed a positive impact of plasma on the treated tissue compared to the control group. Also, changes in the collagen level and thickness of the epidermal layer were examined in histological studies. The results indicated an increase in collagen levels after using plasma alone and an accelerated skin reaction after using vitamin C combined with plasma therapy. The epidermal layer’s thickness increased after applying high-voltage plasma, which indicates an increase in skin elasticity. This study demonstrates the positive effect of using the portable plasma device with vitamin C ointment on effective parameters in skin rejuvenation.
Biochar increases tobacco yield by promoting root growth based on a three-year field application
Authors: Ren Tianbao , Wang Huanhuan , Yuan Ye , Feng Huilin , Wang Bo , Kuang Gang , Wei Yuewei , Gao Weikai , Shi Hongzhi , Liu Guoshun 
Published: November 2021

AbstractIn order to explore the effects of biochar on root system and growth characteristics of flue-tobacco, three years of field experiments were conducted to study the influence of different biochar application levels [600 (T1), 1200 (T2), 1800(T3), 2400 (T4), 3000 (T5) kg/ha] and no fertilizer (CK) on the root physiological indexes and growth index of tobacco. Compared with local conventional fertilization, the application rate of N fertilizer in each treatment (except for control) was reduced by 40% to analyze the effects of different amount of biochar on the physiological indexes of tobacco roots and leaf photosynthesis during flourishing. The results showed that tobacco plants' root development status in the flourishing period was consistent with the photosynthetic physiological indexes, chlorophyll content, and leaf-area coefficient. Compared with the control, the application of biochar could increase the root vigor by 177.8%. Biochar improved the roots, increasing the total root area by 91.35% and the number of root tips by 100.9%. Meanwhile, biochar increased the net photosynthetic rate of tobacco leaves by 77.3% and the total tobacco biomass by 72.5%. Studies have shown that biochar can promote the development of tobacco roots, and then enhance the photosynthesis of leaves, so that tobacco plants can grow healthily, which is conducive to the tobacco production and the cultivation of soil.
Factors influencing the global distribution of the endangered Egyptian vulture
Authors: Panthi Saroj , Pariyar Shiva , Low Matthew 
Published: November 2021

AbstractVultures are ecologically important primarily because of their scavenging role in cleaning carcasses of the environment. Because of anthropogenic impacts, the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) has suffered catastrophic declines in parts of its range and, thus, information about its global distribution and factors influencing its occurrence within this range are essential for its conservation. To this end, we estimated the global distribution of Egyptian vulture and variables related to this distribution. We used occurrence points (n = 4740) from online data sources and literature, environmental variables related to these sites and Maximum Entropy software to model the distribution of this species and its relationship to environmental variables during the entire year, breeding and overwintering. Out of ~ 49 million km2study area, the Egyptian vulture had a predicted range of 6,599,508 km2distributed across three continents: Africa, Asia and Europe. The densest distribution was in Southern Europe, India and Northern Africa and a sparser distribution was around Mid and Western Africa, the Middle East and Afghanistan. Climate was related to the vulture’s most probable range: in particular medium temperature seasonality and low precipitation during the coldest yearly quarter were important variables regardless of the season of observations examined. Conservation of identified habitats and mitigation of anthropogenic impacts to conserve these vultures are recommended for immediate and long-term conservation of the Egyptian vulture globally.
Sex differences in the lung ACE/ACE2 balance in hypertensive rats
Authors: Martins Flavia L. , Tavares Caio A.M. , Malagrino Pamella A. , Rentz Thiago , Benetti Acaris , Rios Thiago M.S. , Pereira Gabriel M.D. , Caramelli Bruno , Teixeira Samantha K. , Krieger José E. , Girardi Adriana C.C. 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
The angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)/Angiotensin II (Ang II) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)/angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7)) pathways are coexpressed in most tissues. The balance between these pathways determines, at least in part, whether tissue damage will occur in response to pathological stimuli. The present study tested the hypothesis that male sex and high blood pressure are associated with ACE/ACE2 imbalance in the lungs. Experiments were conducted in male and female Wistar rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Lung ACE and ACE2 gene expression was also evaluated in normotensive and hypertensive humans using the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project. Compared with Wistar rats and female SHRs, male SHRs displayed reduced lung ACE2 mRNA, ACE2 protein abundance and ACE2 activity, and increased Ang II concentration. Lung ACE mRNA levels were higher in male SHRs than in Wistar rats, whereas lung ACE protein abundance and activity were similar among the four groups of rats. Lung Ang-(1-7) concentration was higher in female than in male SHRs (89 ± 17 vs. 43 ± 2 pg/g, P&lt;0.05). Lung ACE to ACE2 mRNA expression in hypertensive patients was significantly higher than that in normotensive subjects. Taken together, these results demonstrate that male hypertensive rats display imbalance between the ACE/Ang II and ACE2/Ang-(1-7) pathways in the lungs mainly attributable to ACE2 down-regulation. Further studies should be conducted to investigate whether this imbalance between ACE/ACE2 may promote and accelerate lung injury in respiratory infections, including coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Flow cytometry-based quantification of targeted knock-in events in human cell lines using a GPI-anchor biosynthesis gene PIGP
Authors: Rahman Md. Lutfur , Hyodo Toshinori , Hasan Muhammad Nazmul , Mihara Yuko , Karnan Sivasundaram , Ota Akinobu , Tsuzuki Shinobu , Hosokawa Yoshitaka , Konishi Hiroyuki 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Targeted knock-in supported by the CRISPR/Cas systems enables the insertion, deletion, and substitution of genome sequences exactly as designed. Although this technology is considered to have wide range of applications in life sciences, one of its prerequisites for practical use is to improve the efficiency, precision, and specificity achieved. To improve the efficiency of targeted knock-in, there first needs to be a reporter system that permits simple and accurate monitoring of targeted knock-in events. In the present study, we created such a system using the PIGP gene, an autosomal gene essential for GPI-anchor biosynthesis, as a reporter gene. We first deleted a PIGP allele using Cas9 nucleases and then incorporated a truncating mutation into the other PIGP allele in two near-diploid human cell lines. The resulting cell clones were used to monitor the correction of the PIGP mutations by detecting GPI anchors distributed over the cell membrane via flow cytometry. We confirmed the utility of these reporter clones by performing targeted knock-in in these clones via a Cas9 nickase-based strategy known as tandem paired nicking, as well as a common process using Cas9 nucleases, and evaluating the efficiencies of the achieved targeted knock-in. We also leveraged these reporter clones to test a modified procedure for tandem paired nicking and demonstrated a slight increase in the efficiency of targeted knock-in by the new procedure. These data provide evidence for the utility of our PIGP-based assay system to quantify the efficiency of targeted knock-in and thereby help improve the technology of targeted knock-in.
Development and Validation of the Japanese Version of the Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice
Authors: Kondo Kanako , Mizuta Masanobu , Kawai Yoshitaka , Sogami Tohru , Fujimura Shintaro , Kojima Tsuyoshi , Abe Chika , Tanaka Ryo , Shiromoto Osamu , Uozumi Ryuji , Kishimoto Yo , Tateya Ichiro , Omori Koichi , Haji Tomoyuki 
Published: November 2021

Purpose:
Auditory-perceptual evaluation is essential for the assessment of voice quality. The Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V) provides a standardized protocol and assessment form for clinicians to analyze the voice quality and has been adapted into several different languages. The aims of this study were to develop the Japanese version of the CAPE-V and to investigate its reliability and validity.

Method:
The Japanese CAPE-V consisted of the same three speech contexts (vowels, sentences, and conversation) as developed in the original English version. The sentences were designed according to the concepts of the original version and reviewed by Japanese phoneticians. To validate the usefulness of the Japanese CAPE-V, voices of 173 Japanese-speaking subjects (76 subjects with dysphonia and 97 without voice complaints) were evaluated by five experienced judges, according to the Japanese CAPE-V as well as the GRBAS (Grade, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia, Strain) scale.

Results:
The Japanese CAPE-V provided a high interrater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients [ICCs] > .85 for all the parameters) as well as a high intrarater reliability (ICCs > .85 for all the parameters). In addition, overall severity, roughness, and breathiness in the Japanese CAPE-V were highly correlated with the corresponding dimensions in the GRBAS scale, having Spearman correlation coefficients greater than .8.

Conclusion:
This study demonstrated the reliability and validity of the newly developed Japanese CAPE-V as an auditory-perceptual evaluation instrument.
Epidemiological profile of unintentional accidents in children over a period of 4 years
Authors: Skiredj Aiat Allah , Boughaleb Fadoua , Aqqaoui Loubna , Lafia Toualouth , Mouad Assia , Erraji Mounir , Ettayebi Erraji Fouad , Oubejja Houda 
Published: November 2021

Background: Unintentional injuries are one of the most important public health problems among children in developed and some developing countries.
Aim: Our purpose is to determine the prevalence of everyday life unintentional injuries among children admitted for at least 24 hours in the pediatric surgical emergencies (PSE) department, Children’s hospital of Rabat, Morocco.
Methods: A cross-sectional study of unintentional injuries in children was undertaken over 4 years (2016- 2019) in the pediatric surgical emergencies (PSE) department, Children’s hospital of Rabat, Morocco. The data were analysed by statistical software Jamovi 1.6.23. Drownings and foreign bodies were excluded.
Results: 1204 patients were screened, of which 545 files were studied. The median age was 8 years[4;12] with 36,5% were less than 6 years old, 70,4% were boys. The most injuries occurred mostly during winters and summers (41,6 vs 33,8%). The medical insurance plan was provided by compulsory medical insurance (AMO) and RAMED (Medical Assistance Scheme) (30,4% and 46.5% respectively). The main circumstances were accidents of everyday life (52%) with predominance of falls. For the public road accident, pedestrians were predominant. Hospital stay did not exceed 24 hours (73%) mainly in the surgical emergency department.
Public health monitoring using Geographic Information Systems: case viral hepatitis E
Authors: Hajar El Omari , Chahlaoui Abdelkader , Khadija Ouarrak , Kharroubi Adel 
Published: November 2021

Among the major parasitic diseases having major health and socio-economic impacts in the world and in Morocco, are viral hepatitis. These are acute inflammations of the liver caused by a virus. The 3 most frequently encountered viruses are viruses A, B, C. The objective of this study is to map health events, in our case the incidence of viral hepatitis E in the different prefectures of the region of Meknes-Fez by creating a database containing geographic and health parameters in geographic information system (GIS). This database was then used to create the risk map which identifies the high-risk prefectures.
This study shows that the average incidence of viral hepatitis H is higher in the prefecture of Meknes during all the years of the study, with a high risk compared to other prefectures and provinces which have an average risk. Indeed, the mapping of health events is a descriptive tool implemented to evaluate the spatial disparities of incidence, which allowed us to perform a spatio-temporal analysis of the epidemic.
Spatial technologies, such as geographic information systems (GIS), offer a new option for disease prevention, predicting risk locations based on factors favoring the emergence or re-emergence of the epidemic.
Development and implementation of a system for medical devices monitoring in Morocco
Authors: Qouhafa Meryem , Benaji Brahim , Lebbar Souad , Soulaymani Abdelmajid , Moukhtari Abdelrhani 
Published: November 2021

Given the importance of medical devices in improving health, a system of monitoring their use is necessary to ensure an acceptable benefit/risk ratio. The present study focuses on the post-marketing monitoring system, of which the aimis to develop, a national strategy for the establishment of a multidimensional vigilance system to monitor medical devices in Morocco.
Methods : The study is based on a systemic review selected by the PRISMA method for the period between [2011-2021] and on the Scopus, Pubmed, Science direct and Web of science databases.
Results: A preliminary analysis of the data identified some challenges such as under-reporting and lack of standardization of adverse reaction coding, standard nomenclature problem for international trade, lack of clarity of requirements for manufacturers, and insufficient regulation and significant incentives for the use of unique device identifiers. Recommendations for a more effective national system are put for ward which address the regulation and computerization of the system for the development of medical devices monitoring mechanisms.