bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
PEDOT:PSS-Modified Cotton Conductive Thread for Mass Manufacturing of Textile-Based Electrical Wearable Sensors by Computerized Embroidery
Authors: Alshabouna Fahad , Lee Hong Seok , Barandun Giandrin , Tan Ellasia , Çotur Yasin , Asfour Tarek , Gonzalez-Macia Laura , Coatsworth Philip , Núnez-Bajo Estefanía , Kim Ji-Seon , Güder Firat 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe textile industry has advanced processes that allow computerized manufacturing of garments at large volumes with precise visual patterns. The industry, however, is not able to mass fabricate clothes with seamlessly integrated wearable sensors, using its precise methods of fabrication (such as computerized embroidery). This is due to the lack of conductive threads compatible with standard manufacturing methods used in industry. In this work, we report a low-cost poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS)-modified cotton conductive thread (PECOTEX) that is compatible with computerized embroidery. The PECOTEX was produced using a crosslinking reaction between PEDOT:PSS and cotton thread using divinyl sulfone as the crosslinker. We extensively characterized and optimized our formulations to create a mechanically robust conductive thread that can be produced in large quantities in a roll-to-roll fashion. Using PECOTEX and a domestic computerized embroidery machine, we produced a series of wearable electrical sensors including a facemask for monitoring breathing, a t-shirt for monitoring heart activity and textile-based gas sensors for monitoring ammonia as technology demonstrators. PECOTEX has the potential to enable mass manufacturing of new classes of low-cost wearable sensors integrated into everyday clothes.
Response plasticity of Drosophila olfactory sensory neurons
Authors: Halty-deLeon Lorena , Pal Mahadevan Venkatesh , Hansson Bill S. , Wicher Dieter 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIn insect olfaction, sensitization refers to the amplification of a weak olfactory signal when the stimulus is repeated within a specific time window. In the vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster, his occurs already at the periphery, at the level of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) located in the antenna. In our study, we investigate whether sensitization is a widespread property in a set of seven types of OSNs, as well as the mechanisms involved. First, we characterize and compare differences in spontaneous activity, response velocity and response dynamics among the selected OSN types. These express different receptors with distinct tuning properties and behavioral relevance. Second, we show that sensitization is not a general property. Among our selected OSNs types, it occurs in those responding to more general food odors, while OSNs involved in very specific detection of highly specific ecological cues like pheromones and warning signals show no sensitization. Moreover, we show that mitochondria play an active role in sensitization by contributing to the increase in intracellular Ca2+ upon weak receptor activation. Thus, by using a combination of single sensillum recordings (SSR), calcium imaging and pharmacology, we widen the understanding of how the olfactory signal is processed at the periphery.Abstract Figure
Cathelicidin-3 associated with serum extracellular vesicles enables early diagnosis of a transmissible cancer
Authors: Espejo Camila , Wilson Richard , Pye Ruth J. , Ratcliffe Julian C. , Ruiz-Aravena Manuel , Willms Eduard , Wolfe Barrett W. , Hamede Rodrigo , Hill Andrew F. , Jones Menna E. , Woods Gregory M. , Lyons A. Bruce 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe identification of practical early diagnosis biomarkers is a cornerstone of improved prevention and treatment of cancers. Such a case is devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), a highly lethal transmissible cancer afflicting virtually an entire species, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii). Despite a latent period that can exceed one year, to date DFTD diagnosis requires visual identification of tumour lesions. To enable earlier diagnosis, which is essential for the implementation of effective conservation strategies, we analysed the extracellular vesicle (EV) proteome of 87 Tasmanian devil serum samples. The antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin-3 (CATH3) was enriched in serum EVs of both devils with clinical DFTD (87.9% sensitivity and 94.1% specificity) and devils with latent infection (i.e., collected while overtly healthy, but 3-6 months before subsequent DFTD diagnosis; 93.8% sensitivity and 94.1% specificity). As antimicrobial peptides can play a variety of roles in the cancer process, our results suggest that the specific elevation of serum EV-associated CATH3 may be mechanistically involved in DFTD pathogenesis. This EV-based approach to biomarker discovery is directly applicable to improving understanding and diagnosis of a broad range of diseases in other species, and these findings directly enhance the capacity of conservation strategies to ensure the viability of the imperilled Tasmanian devil population.
Age, sex, and social environmental effects on immune cell composition in a free-ranging non-human primate
Authors: Rosado Mitchell R. Sanchez , Marzan-Rivera Nicole , Watowich Marina M. , Negron-Del Valle Andrea D. , Pantoja Petraleigh , Pavez-Fox Melissa A. , Siracusa Erin R. , Cooper Eve B. , Negron-Del Valle Josue E. , Phillips Daniel , Ruiz-Lambides Angelina ,   Cayo Biobank Research Unit, Martinez Melween I. , Montague Michael J. , Platt Michael L. , Higham James P. , Brent Lauren J. N. , Sariol Carlos A. , Snyder-Mackler Noah 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIncreasing age is associated with dysregulated immune function and increased inflammation– patterns that are also observed in individuals exposed to chronic social adversity. Yet we still know little about how social adversity impacts the immune system and how it might promote age-related diseases. Here, we investigated how immune cell diversity varied with age, sex and social adversity (operationalized as low social status) in free-ranging rhesus macaques. We found age-related signatures of immunosenescence, including lower proportions of CD20+ B cells, CD20+/CD3+ ratio, and CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio – all signs of diminished antibody production. Age was associated with higher proportions of CD3+/CD8+ Cytotoxic T cells, CD16+/CD3-Natural Killer cells, CD3+/CD4+/CD25+ and CD3+/CD8+/CD25+ T regulatory cells, and CD14+/CD16+/HLA-DR+ intermediate monocytes, and lower levels of CD14+/CD16-/HLA-DR+ classical monocytes, indicating greater amounts of inflammation and immune dysregulation. We also found an effect of exposure to social adversity (i.e., low social status) that was sex-dependent. High-status males, relative to females, had higher CD20+/CD3+ ratios and CD16+/CD3 Natural Killer cell proportions, and lower proportions of CD8+ Cytotoxic T cells. Further, low status females had higher proportions of cytotoxic T cells than high status females, while the opposite was observed in males. High status males had higher CD20+/CD3+ ratios than low status males. Together, our study identifies immune cell types that differ by age in a human-relevant primate model animal, and demonstrates a novel link between sex-dependent immunity and social adversity.
SAVED by a toxin: Structure and function of the CRISPR Lon protease
Authors: Rouillon Christophe , Schneberger Niels , Chi Haotian , Peter Martin F. , Geyer Matthias , Boenigk Wolfgang , Seifert Reinhard , White Malcolm F. , Hagelueken Gregor 
Published: December 2021

SummaryCRISPR antiviral defense systems such as the well-known DNA-targeting Cas9- and the more complex RNA-targeting type III systems are widespread in bacteria and archea 1, 2. The type III systems can orchestrate a complex antiviral response that is initiated by the synthesis of cyclic oligoadenylates (cOAs) upon foreign RNA recognition 3–5. These second messenger molecules bind to the CARF (CRISPR associated Rossmann-fold) domains of dedicated effector proteins that are often DNAses, RNAses, or putative transcription factors 6. The activated effectors interfere with cellular pathways of the host, inducing cell death or a dormant state of the cell that is better suited to avoid propagation of the viral attack 7, 8. Among a large set of proteins that were predicted to be linked to the type III systems 9, 10, the CRISPR-Lon protein caught our attention. The protein was predicted to be an integral membrane protein containing a SAVED-instead of a CARF-domain as well as a Lon protease effector domain. Here, we report the crystal structure of CRISPR-Lon. The protein is a soluble monomer and indeed contains a SAVED domain that accommodates cA4. Further, we show that CRISPR-Lon forms a stable complex with the 34 kDa CRISPR-T protein. Upon activation by cA4, CRISPR-Lon specifically cleaves CRISRP-T, releasing CRISPR-T23, a 23 kDa fragment that is structurally very similar to MazF toxins and is likely a sequence specific nuclease. Our results describe the first cOA activated proteolytic enzyme and provide the first example of a SAVED domain connected to a type III CRISPR defense system. The use of a protease as a means to unleash a fast response against a threat has intriguing parallels to eukaryotic innate immunity.
Graded Variation In Cortical T1w/T2w Myelination During Adolescence
Authors: Baum Graham L. , Flournoy John C. , Glasser Matthew F. , Harms Michael P. , Mair Patrick , Sanders Ashley , Barch Deanna M. , Buckner Randy L. , Bookheimer Susan , Dapretto Mirella , Smith Stephen , Thomas Kathleen M. , Yacoub Essa , Van Essen David C. , Somerville Leah H. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractMyelination influences brain connectivity during sensitive periods of development by enhancing neural signaling speed and regulating synapse formation to reduce plasticity. However, in vivo studies characterizing the maturational timing of cortical myelination during human development remain scant. Here, we take advantage of recent advances in high-resolution cortical T1w/T2w myelin mapping methods, including principled correction of B1+ transmit field effects, using data from the Human Connectome Project in Development (N=628, ages 8-21) to characterize the maturational timing of myelination from childhood through early adulthood throughout the cerebral neocortex. We apply Bayesian spline models and functional latent clustering analysis to demonstrate graded variation in the rate of cortical T1w/T2w myelin growth in neocortical areas that is strongly correlated with the sensorimotor-association (S-A) axis of cortical organization reported by others. In sensorimotor areas T1w/T2w myelin starts at high levels at early ages, increases at a fast pace, and decelerates at later ages (18-21). In intermediate multimodal areas along the S-A axis, T1w/T2w myelin tends to start at intermediate levels and increase linearly at an intermediate pace. In transmodal/paralimbic association areas high along the S-A axis, T1w/T2w myelin tends to start at low levels and increase linearly at the slowest pace. These data provide evidence for graded variation along the S-A axis in the rate of cortical myelination during adolescence, which could reflect ongoing plasticity underlying the development of complex information processing and psychological functioning.Significance StatementMyelin is a lipid membrane that is essential to healthy brain function. Myelin wraps axons to increase neural signaling speed, enabling complex neuronal functioning underlying learning and cognition. Here we characterize the developmental timing of myelination across the cerebral cortex during adolescence using recent advances in non-invasive myelin mapping. Our results provide new evidence demonstrating graded variation across the cortex in the timing of myelination during adolescence, with rapid myelination in lower-order sensory areas and gradual myelination in higher-order association areas. This spatial pattern of microstructural brain development closely parallels the sensorimotor-to-association axis of cortical organization and plasticity during ontogeny.
Visual imagery vividness declines across the lifespan
Authors: Gulyás Erzsébet , Sütöri Sára , Lovas Andrea , Ziman Gergő , Gombos Ferenc , Kovács Ilona 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe capacity to elicit vivid visual mental images varies within an extensive range across individuals between hyper- and aphantasia. It is not clear, however, whether imagery vividness is constant across the lifespan or changes during development and later in life. Without enforcing the constraints of strict experimental procedures and representativity across the entire population, our purpose was to take a first look at the self-reported level of imagery vividness and determine the relative proportion of aphantasic/hyperphantasic participants in different age-groups. Relying on the frequently used Vividness of Visual Mental Imagery questionnaire, we collected data on a random sample of 2252 participants between the ages of 12 to 60 years. We found a novel developmental pattern describing a declining ability to elicit vivid visual mental images in the group averages of different age-groups from adolescence to middle age. This effect involves both a decreasing proportion of individuals with very vivid imagery and an increasing proportion of individuals with weak imagery as maturation (assessed by boneage estimations in adolescents) and aging progresses. This finding may help to shed light on yet unknown developmental mechanisms of our internal, stimulus-independent processes, and might also help to determine genetic, maturational, and age-dependent factors in the extreme cases of hyper- and aphantasia.
CMash: fast, multi-resolution estimation of k-mer-based Jaccard and containment indices
Authors: Liu Shaopeng , Koslicki David 
Published: December 2021

AbstractK-mer based methods are used ubiquitously in the field of computational biology. However, determining the optimal value ofkfor a specific application often remains heuristic. Simply reconstructing a newk-mer set with anotherk-mer size is computationally expensive, especially in metagenomic analysis where data sets are large. Here, we introduce a hashing-based technique that leverages a kind of bottom-msketch as well as ak-mer ternary search tree (KTST) to obtaink-mer based similarity estimates for a range ofkvalues. By truncatingk-mers stored in a pre-built KTST with a largek=kmaxvalue, we can simultaneously obtaink-mer based estimates for allkvalues up tokmax. This truncation approach circumvents the reconstruction of newk-mer sets when changingkvalues, making analysis more time and space-efficient. For example, we show that when using a KTST to estimate the containment index between a RefSeq-based microbial reference database and simulated metagenome data for 10 values ofk, the running time is close to 10x faster compared to a classic MinHash approach while using less than one-fifth the space to store the data structure. A python implementation of this method, CMash, is available athttps://github.com/dkoslicki/CMash. The reproduction of all experiments presented herein can be accessed viahttps://github.com/KoslickiLab/CMASH-reproducibles.
The SUMO protease Ulp2 regulates genome stability and drug resistance in the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans
Authors: Rizzo Marzia , Soisangwan Natthapon , Soetaert Jan , Vega-Estevez Samuel , Selmecki Anna , Buscaino Alessia 
Published: December 2021

AbstractStress-induced genome instability in microbial organisms is emerging as a critical regulatory mechanism for driving rapid and reversible adaption to drastic environmental changes. In Candida albicans, a human fungal pathogen that causes life-threatening infections, genome plasticity confers increased virulence and antifungal drug resistance. Discovering the mechanisms regulating C. albicans genome plasticity is a priority to understand how this and other microbial pathogens establish life-threatening infections and develop resistance to antifungal drugs. We identified the SUMO protease Ulp2 as a critical regulator of C. albicans genome integrity through genetic screening. Deletion of ULP2 leads to hypersensitivity to genotoxic agents and increased genome instability. This increased genome diversity causes reduced fitness under standard laboratory growth conditions but enhances adaptation to stress, making ulp2Δ/Δ cells more likely to thrive in the presence of antifungal drugs. Whole-genome sequencing indicates that ulp2Δ/Δ cells counteract antifungal drug-induced stress by developing segmental aneuploidies of chromosome R and chromosome I. We demonstrate that intrachromosomal repetitive elements drive the formation of complex novel genotypes with adaptive power.
A novel method for monitoring ground-dwelling arthropods on hard substrates: characterizing arthropod biodiversity among survey methods
Authors: McNamara Manning Katherine , Perry Kayla I. , Bahlai Christie A. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractSampling approaches are commonly adapted to reflect the study objectives in biodiversity monitoring projects. This approach optimizes findings to be locally relevant but comes at the cost of generalizability of findings. Here, we detail a comparison study directly examining how researcher choice of arthropod trap and level of specimen identification affects observations made in small-scale arthropod biodiversity studies. Sampling efficiency of four traps: pitfall traps, yellow ramp traps, yellow sticky cards, and a novel jar ramp trap were compared with respect to an array of biodiversity metrics associated with the arthropods they captured at three levels of identification. We also outline how to construct, deploy, and collect jar ramp traps. Trapping efficiency and functional groups of arthropods (flying, crawling, and intermediate mobility) varied by trap type. Pitfalls and jar ramp traps performed similarly for most biodiversity metrics measured, suggesting that jar ramp traps provide a more comparable measurement of ground-dwelling arthropod communities to pitfall sampling than the yellow ramp traps. The jar ramp trap is a simple, inexpensive alternative when the physical aspects of an environment do not allow the use of pitfalls. This study illustrates the implications for biodiversity sampling of arthropods in environments with physical constraints on trapping, and the importance of directly comparing adapted methods to established sampling protocol. Future biodiversity monitoring schemes should conduct comparison experiments to provide important information on performance and potential limitations of sampling methodology.
Sexual and developmental variations of ecto-parasitism in damselflies
Authors: Paul Shatabdi , Khan Md Kawsar , Herberstein Marie E. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe prevalence and intensity of parasitism can have different fitness costs between sexes, and across species and developmental stages. This variation could arise because of species specific sexual and developmental differences in body condition, immunity, and resistance. Theory predicts that the prevalence of parasitism will be greater in individuals with poor body condition and the intensity of parasitism will be greater in individuals with larger body size. These predictions have been tested and verified in vertebrates. In insects, however, contradictory evidence has been found in different taxa. Here, we tested these predictions on two species ofAgriocnemis(Agriocnemis feminaandAgriocnemis pygmaea) damselflies, which are parasitized byArrenuruswater mite ectoparasites. We measured body weight, total body length, abdomen area and thorax area of non-parasitized damselflies and found body condition varied between males and females, between immature females and mature females and betweenA. feminaandA. pygmaea. Then, we calculated the parasite prevalence, i.e., the frequency of parasitism and intensity, i.e., the number of parasites per infected damselfly in eleven natural populations of both species. In line to our predictions, we observed greater prevalence in immature females than mature females but found no difference in parasite prevalence between males and females. Furthermore, we found that parasite load was higher in females than males and in immature females than mature females. Our result also showed that the frequency and intensity of parasitism varied between the two studied species, being higher inA. pygmaeathanA. femina. Our study provides evidence that parasitism impacts sexes, developmental stages and species differentially and suggests that variation may occur due to sex, developmental stage, and species-specific resistance and tolerance mechanism.
The S-palmitoylome and DHHC-PAT interactome of Drosophila melanogaster S2R+ cells indicate a high degree of conservation to mammalian palmitoylomes
Authors: Porcellato Elena , Gonzalez Juan Carlos , Ahlmann-Eltze Constantin , Elsakka Mahmoud Ali , Shapira Itamar , Fritsch Jürgen , Navarro Juan Antonio , Anders Simon , Russell Robert B. , Wieland Felix T. , Metzendorf Christoph 
Published: December 2021

ABSTRACTProtein S-palmitoylation, the addition of a long-chain fatty acid to target proteins, is among the most frequent reversible protein modification in Metazoa, affecting subcellular protein localization, trafficking and protein-protein interactions. S-palmitoylated proteins are abundant in the neuronal system and are associated with neuronal diseases and cancer. Despite the importance of this post-translational modification, it has not been thoroughly studied in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster.Here we present the palmitoylome of Drosophila S2R+ cells, comprising 198 proteins, an estimated 3.5% of expressed genes in these cells. Comparison of orthologs between mammals and Drosophila suggests that S-palmitoylated proteins are more conserved between these distant phyla than non-S-palmitoylated proteins. To identify putative client proteins and interaction partners of the DHHC family of protein acyl-transferases (PATs) we established DHHC-BioID, a proximity biotinylation-based method. In S2R+ cells ectopic expression of the DHHC-PAT dHip14-BioID in combination with Snap24 or an interaction-deficient Snap24- mutant, as a negative control, resulted in biotinylation of Snap24 but not the Snap24-mutant. DHHC-BioID in S2R+ cells using 10 different DHHC-PATs as bait identified 520 putative DHHC-PAT interaction partners of which 48 were S-palmitoylated and are therefore putative DHHC-PAT client proteins. Comparison of putative client protein/DHHC-PAT combinations indicates that CG8314, CG5196, CG5880 and Patsas have a preference for transmembrane proteins, while S-palmitoylated proteins with the Hip14-interaction motif are most enriched by DHHC-BioID variants of approximated and dHip14. Finally, we show that BioID is active in larval and adult Drosophila and that dHip14-BioID rescues dHip14 mutant flies, indicating that DHHC-BioID is non-toxic.In summary we provide the first systematic analysis of a Drosophila palmitoylome. We show that DHHC-BioID is sensitive and specific enough to identify DHHC-PAT client proteins and provide DHHC-PAT assignment for ca. 25% of the S2R+ cell palmitoylome, providing a valuable resource. In addition, we establish DHHC-BioID as a useful concept for the identification of tissue-specific DHHC-PAT interactomes in Drosophila.