bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Longitudinal monitoring in Cambodia suggests higher circulation of alpha and betacoronaviruses in juvenile and immature bats of three species
Authors: Cappelle Julien , Furey Neil , Hoem Thavry , Ou Tey Putita , Lim Thona , Hul Vibol , Heng Oudam , Chevalier Véronique , Dussart Philippe , Duong Veasna 
Published: December 2021

AbstractRecent studies suggest that coronaviruses circulate widely in Southeast Asian bat species and that the progenitors of the SARS-Cov-2 virus could have originated in rhinolophid bats in the region. Our objective was to assess the diversity and circulation patterns of coronavirus in several bat species in Southeast Asia. We undertook monthly live-capture sessions and sampling in Cambodia over 17 months to cover all phases of the annual reproduction cycle of bats and test specifically the association between their age and CoV infection status. We additionally examined current information on the reproductive phenology of Rhinolophus and other bat species presently known to occur in mainland southeast China, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Results from our longitudinal monitoring (573 bats belonging to 8 species) showed an overall proportion of positive PCR tests for CoV of 4.2% (24/573) in cave-dwelling bats from Kampot and 4.75% (22/463) in flying-foxes from Kandal. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the PCR amplicon sequences of CoVs (n = 46) obtained clustered in Alphacoronavirus and Betacoronavirus. Interestingly, Hipposideros larvatus sensu lato harbored viruses from both genera. Our results suggest an association between positive detections of coronaviruses and juvenile and immature bats in Cambodia (OR = 3.24 [1.46–7.76], p = 0.005). Since the limited data presently available from literature review indicates that reproduction is largely synchronized among rhinolophid and hipposiderid bats in our study region, particularly in its more seasonal portions (above 16° N), this may lead to seasonal patterns in CoV circulation. Overall, our study suggests that surveillance of CoV in insectivorous bat species in Southeast Asia, including SARS-CoV-related coronaviruses in rhinolophid bats, could be targeted from June to October for species exhibiting high proportions of juveniles and immatures during these months. It also highlights the need to develop long-term longitudinal surveys of bats and improve our understanding of their ecology in the region, for both biodiversity conservation and public health reasons.
Probabilistic comparison of gray and white matter coverage between depth and surface intracranial electrodes in epilepsy
Authors: Anderson Daria Nesterovich , Charlebois Chantel M. , Smith Elliot H. , Arain Amir M. , Davis Tyler S. , Rolston John D. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIn this study, we quantified the coverage of gray and white matter during intracranial electroencephalography in a cohort of epilepsy patients with surface and depth electrodes. We included 65 patients with strip electrodes (n = 12), strip and grid electrodes (n = 24), strip, grid, and depth electrodes (n = 7), or depth electrodes only (n = 22). Patient-specific imaging was used to generate probabilistic gray and white matter maps and atlas segmentations. Gray and white matter coverage was quantified using spherical volumes centered on electrode centroids, with radii ranging from 1 to 15 mm, along with detailed finite element models of local electric fields. Gray matter coverage was highly dependent on the chosen radius of influence (RoI). Using a 2.5 mm RoI, depth electrodes covered more gray matter than surface electrodes; however, surface electrodes covered more gray matter at RoI larger than 4 mm. White matter coverage and amygdala and hippocampal coverage was greatest for depth electrodes at all RoIs. This study provides the first probabilistic analysis to quantify coverage for different intracranial recording configurations. Depth electrodes offer increased coverage of gray matter over other recording strategies if the desired signals are local, while subdural grids and strips sample more gray matter if the desired signals are diffuse.
Materials degradation in non-thermal plasma generators by corona discharge
Authors: Cogollo de Cádiz Mar , López Arrabal Adrián , Díaz Lantada Andrés , Aguirre M. V. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAtmospheric corona discharge devices are being studied as innovative systems for cooling, sterilization, and propulsion, in several industrial fields, from robotics to medical devices, from drones to space applications. However, their industrial scale implementation still requires additional understanding of several complex phenomena, such as corrosion, degradation, and fatigue behaviour, which may affect final system performance. This study focuses on the corrosive behaviour of wires that perform as a high-voltage electrode subject to DC positive corona discharge in atmospheric air. The experiments demonstrate that the non-thermal plasma process promotes the growth of the oxidative films and modifies the physicochemical properties of the materials chosen as corona electrodes, hence affecting device operation. Surfaces exposed to this non-thermal plasma are electrically characterized by negative exponential decay of time-depend power and analysed with SEM. Implications on performance are analysed and discussed.
Application of polymer-coated Macadamia integrifolia nutshell biomass impregnated with palladium for chromium(VI) remediation
Authors: Moyo Malvin , Modise Sekomeng Johannes , Pakade Vusumzi Emmanuel 
Published: December 2021

AbstractFreely suspended and porous basket restrained granules of palladium nanoparticles supported on polymer-grafted Macadamia nutshell biomass (Pd@Polym-MNS) composite were used for the treatment chromium(VI)-containing water. In the presence of formic acid, the Pd@Polym-MNS demonstrated its activity in the adsorption-reduction-based conversion of noxious chromium(VI) to less toxic chromium(III) with a low activation energy of 13.4 kJ mol–1, ΔH0 (+ 10.8 kJ mol–1), ΔS0 (−270.0 J mol–1 K–1), and ΔG0 (+ 91.3 to + 98.0 kJ mol–1) indicated the exothermic, endergonic and non-spontaneous nature of the catalytic redox reaction. In addition to facilitating easy recovery, rinsing, and reuse, restraining the Pd@Polym-MNS in the basket reactor helped maintain the integrity of the catalysts by preventing violent collisions of suspended granules with the mixing apparatus and the walls of the reaction vessel. Whereas the pseudo-first-order rate constant was recorded as 0.157 min–1 upon initial use, values of the mean and relative standard deviation for the second, third and fourth consecutive uses were found to be 0.219 min–1 and 1.3%, respectively. According to a response surface methodological approach to batch experimentation, the initial concentration of chromium(VI) and catalyst dosage had the greatest impact on the redox reaction rate, accounting for 85.7% and 11.6% of the variability in the value of the pseudo-first-order rate constant, respectively. Mutually beneficial effects of the combinations of high formic acid and low chromium(VI) concentration, high temperature and catalyst dosage as well as high formic acid and catalyst dosage were recorded.
Recurring exposure to low humidity induces transcriptional and protein level changes in the vocal folds of rabbits
Authors: Bailey Taylor W. , dos Santos Andrea Pires , do Nascimento Naila Cannes , Xie Jun , Sivasankar M. Preeti , Cox Abigail 
Published: December 2021

AbstractVoice disorders are an important human health condition. Hydration is a commonly recommended preventive measure for voice disorders though it is unclear how vocal fold dehydration is harmful at the cellular level. Airway surface dehydration can result from exposure to low humidity air. Here we have induced airway surface dehydration in New Zealand White rabbits exposed to a recurring 8-h low humidity environment over 15 days. This model mimics an occupational exposure to a low humidity environment. Exposure to moderate humidity was the control condition. Full thickness soft-tissue samples, including the vocal folds and surrounding laryngeal tissue, were collected for molecular analysis. RT-qPCR demonstrated a significant upregulation of MUC4 (mucin 4) and SCL26A9 (chloride channel) and a large fold-change though statistically non-significant upregulation of SCNNA1 (epithelial sodium channel). Proteomic analysis demonstrated differential regulation of proteins clustering into prospective functional groups of muscle structure and function, oxidative stress response, and protein chaperonin stress response. Together, the data demonstrate that recurring exposure to low humidity is sufficient to induce both transcriptional and translational level changes in laryngeal tissue and suggest that low humidity exposure induces cellular stress at the level of the vocal folds.
Screening of selected ageing-related proteins that extend chronological life span in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Lee Jee Whu , Ong Tee Gee , Samian Mohammed Razip , Teh Aik-Hong , Watanabe Nobumoto , Osada Hiroyuki , Ong Eugene Boon Beng 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAgeing-related proteins play various roles such as regulating cellular ageing, countering oxidative stress, and modulating signal transduction pathways amongst many others. Hundreds of ageing-related proteins have been identified, however the functions of most of these ageing-related proteins are not known. Here, we report the identification of proteins that extended yeast chronological life span (CLS) from a screen of ageing-related proteins. Three of the CLS-extending proteins, Ptc4, Zwf1, and Sme1, contributed to an overall higher survival percentage and shorter doubling time of yeast growth compared to the control. The CLS-extending proteins contributed to thermal and oxidative stress responses differently, suggesting different mechanisms of actions. The overexpression of Ptc4 or Zwf1 also promoted rapid cell proliferation during yeast growth, suggesting their involvement in cell division or growth pathways.
Synthesis and characterization of ternary chitosan–TiO2–ZnO over graphene for photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline from pharmaceutical wastewater
Authors: Asadzadeh Patehkhor Hossein , Fattahi Moslem , Khosravi-Nikou Mohammadreza 
Published: December 2021

AbstractVarious nanocomposites of TiO2–ZnO, TiO2–ZnO/CS, and TiO2–ZnO/CS–Gr with different molar ratios were synthesized by sol–gel and ultrasound-assisted methods and utilized under UV irradiation to enhance the photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline. Characterization of prepared materials were carried out by XRD, FT-IR, FE-SEM, EDX and BET techniques. The TiO2–ZnO with the 1:1 molar ratio supported with 1:2 weight ratio CS–Gr (T1‒Z1/CS1‒Gr2 sample) appeared as the most effective material at the optimized operational conditions including the tetracycline concentration of 20 mg/L, pH = 4, catalyst dosage of 0.5 g/L, and 3 h of irradiation time. As expected, the graphene had a significant effect in improving degradation results. The detailed performances of the T1‒Z1/CS1‒Gr2 were compared with ternary nanocomposites from EDX and BET results as well as from the degradation viewpoint. This novel photocatalyst can be effective in actual pharmaceutical wastewater treatment considering the applied operational parameters.
Predicting regional COVID-19 hospital admissions in Sweden using mobility data
Authors: Gerlee Philip , Karlsson Julia , Fritzell Ingrid , Brezicka Thomas , Spreco Armin , Timpka Toomas , Jöud Anna , Lundh Torbjörn 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe transmission of COVID-19 is dependent on social mixing, the basic rate of which varies with sociodemographic, cultural, and geographic factors. Alterations in social mixing and subsequent changes in transmission dynamics eventually affect hospital admissions. We employ these observations to model and predict regional hospital admissions in Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic. We use an SEIR-model for each region in Sweden in which the social mixing is assumed to depend on mobility data from public transport utilisation and locations for mobile phone usage. The results show that the model could capture the timing of the first and beginning of the second wave of the pandemic 3 weeks in advance without any additional assumptions about seasonality. Further, we show that for two major regions of Sweden, models with public transport data outperform models using mobile phone usage. We conclude that a model based on routinely collected mobility data makes it possible to predict future hospital admissions for COVID-19 3 weeks in advance.
Rapid and concise quantification of mycelial growth by microscopic image intensity model and application to mass cultivation of fungi
Authors: Lee Soo Kweon , Lee Ju Hun , Kim Hyeong Ryeol , Chun Youngsang , Lee Ja Hyun , Park Chulhwan , Yoo Hah Young , Kim Seung Wook 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe microbial food fermentation industry requires real-time monitoring and accurate quantification of cells. However, filamentous fungi are difficult to quantify as they have complex cell types such as pellet, spores, and dispersed hyphae. In this study, numerous data of microscopic image intensity (MII) were used to develop a simple and accurate quantification method of Cordyceps mycelium. The dry cell weight (DCW) of the sample collected during the fermentation was measured. In addition, the intensity values were obtained through the ImageJ program after converting the microscopic images. The prediction model obtained by analyzing the correlation between MII and DCW was evaluated through a simple linear regression method and found to be statistically significant (R2 = 0.941, p < 0.001). In addition, validation with randomly selected samples showed significant accuracy, thus, this model is expected to be used as a valuable tool for predicting and quantifying fungal growth in various industries.
Archaeometric evidence for the earliest exploitation of lignite from the bronze age Eastern Mediterranean
Authors: Buckley Stephen , Power Robert C. , Andreadaki-Vlazaki Maria , Akar Murat , Becher Julia , Belser Matthias , Cafisso Sara , Eisenmann Stefanie , Fletcher Joann , Francken Michael , Hallager Birgitta , Harvati Katerina , Ingman Tara , Kataki Efthymia , Maran Joseph , Martin Mario A. S. , McGeorge Photini J. P. , Milevski Ianir , Papadimitriou Alkestis , Protopapadaki Eftychia , Salazar-García Domingo C. , Schmidt-Schultz Tyede , Schuenemann Verena J. , Shafiq Rula , Stuijts Ingelise , Yegorov Dmitry , Yener K. Aslιhan , Schultz Michael , Spiteri Cynthianne , Stockhammer Philipp W. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis paper presents the earliest evidence for the exploitation of lignite (brown coal) in Europe and sheds new light on the use of combustion fuel sources in the 2nd millennium BCE Eastern Mediterranean. We applied Thermal Desorption/Pyrolysis–Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Polarizing Microscopy to the dental calculus of 67 individuals and we identified clear evidence for combustion markers embedded within this calculus. In contrast to the scant evidence for combustion markers within the calculus samples from Egypt, all other individuals show the inhalation of smoke from fires burning wood identified as Pinaceae, in addition to hardwood, such as oak and olive, and/or dung. Importantly, individuals from the Palatial Period at the Mycenaean citadel of Tiryns and the Cretan harbour site of Chania also show the inhalation of fire-smoke from lignite, consistent with the chemical signature of sources in the northwestern Peloponnese and Western Crete respectively. This first evidence for lignite exploitation was likely connected to and at the same time enabled Late Bronze Age Aegean metal and pottery production, significantly by both male and female individuals.
Spatial attention in encoding letter combinations
Authors: Ramamurthy Mahalakshmi , White Alex L. , Chou Clementine , Yeatman Jason D. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractReading requires the correct identification of letters and letter positions within words. Selective attention is, therefore, required to select chunks of the text for sequential processing. Despite the extensive literature on visual attention, the well-known effects of spatial cues in simple perceptual tasks cannot inform us about the role of attention in a task as complex as reading. Here, we systematically manipulate spatial attention in a multi-letter processing task to understand the effects of spatial cues on letter encoding in typical adults. Overall, endogenous (voluntary) cue benefits were larger than exogenous (reflexive). We show that cue benefits are greater in the left than in the right visual field and larger for the most crowded letter positions. Endogenous valid cues reduced errors due to confusing letter positions more than misidentifications, specifically for the most crowded letter positions. Therefore, shifting endogenous attention along a line of text is likely an important mechanism to alleviate the effects of crowding on encoding letters within words. Our results help set the premise for constructing theories about how specific mechanisms of attention support reading development in children. Understanding the link between reading development and attention mechanisms has far-reaching implications for effectively addressing the needs of children with reading disabilities.
Association analysis for resistance to Striga hermonthica in diverse tropical maize inbred lines
Authors: Stanley A. E. , Menkir A. , Ifie B. , Paterne A. A. , Unachukwu N. N. , Meseka S. , Mengesha W. A. , Bossey B. , Kwadwo O. , Tongoona P. B. , Oladejo O. , Sneller C. , Gedil M. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractStriga hermonthica is a widespread, destructive parasitic plant that causes substantial yield loss to maize productivity in sub-Saharan Africa. Under severe Striga infestation, yield losses can range from 60 to 100% resulting in abandonment of farmers’ lands. Diverse methods have been proposed for Striga management; however, host plant resistance is considered the most effective and affordable to small-scale famers. Thus, conducting a genome-wide association study to identify quantitative trait nucleotides controlling S. hermonthica resistance and mining of relevant candidate genes will expedite the improvement of Striga resistance breeding through marker-assisted breeding. For this study, 150 diverse maize inbred lines were evaluated under Striga infested and non-infested conditions for two years and genotyped using the genotyping-by-sequencing platform. Heritability estimates of Striga damage ratings, emerged Striga plants and grain yield, hereafter referred to as Striga resistance-related traits, were high under Striga infested condition. The mixed linear model (MLM) identified thirty SNPs associated with the three Striga resistance-related traits based on the multi-locus approaches (mrMLM, FASTmrMLM, FASTmrEMMA and pLARmEB). These SNPs explained up to 14% of the total phenotypic variation. Under non-infested condition, four SNPs were associated with grain yield, and these SNPs explained up to 17% of the total phenotypic variation. Gene annotation of significant SNPs identified candidate genes (Leucine-rich repeats, putative disease resistance protein and VQ proteins) with functions related to plant growth, development, and defense mechanisms. The marker-effect prediction was able to identify alleles responsible for predicting high yield and low Striga damage rating in the breeding panel. This study provides valuable insight for marker validation and deployment for Striga resistance breeding in maize.
Human Achilles tendon mechanical behavior is more strongly related to collagen disorganization than advanced glycation end-products content
Authors: Zellers Jennifer A. , Eekhoff Jeremy D. , Walk Remy E. , Hastings Mary K. , Tang Simon Y. , Lake Spencer P. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractDiabetes is associated with impaired tendon homeostasis and subsequent tendon dysfunction, but the mechanisms underlying these associations is unclear. Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) accumulate with diabetes and have been suggested to alter tendon function. In vivo imaging in humans has suggested collagen disorganization is more frequent in individuals with diabetes, which could also impair tendon mechanical function. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between tendon tensile mechanics in human Achilles tendon with accumulation of advanced glycation end-products and collagen disorganization. Achilles tendon specimens (n = 16) were collected from individuals undergoing lower extremity amputation or from autopsy. Tendons were tensile tested with simultaneous quantitative polarized light imaging to assess collagen organization, after which AGEs content was assessed using a fluorescence assay. Moderate to strong relationships were observed between measures of collagen organization and tendon tensile mechanics (range of correlation coefficients: 0.570–0.727), whereas no statistically significant relationships were observed between AGEs content and mechanical parameters (range of correlation coefficients: 0.020–0.210). Results suggest that the relationship between AGEs content and tendon tensile mechanics may be masked by multifactorial collagen disorganization at larger length scales (i.e., the fascicle level).
Excessive energy expenditure due to acute physical restraint disrupts Drosophila motivational feeding response
Authors: Gordon Jacob , Masek Pavel 
Published: December 2021

AbstractTo study the behavior of Drosophila, it is often necessary to restrain and mount individual flies. This requires removal from food, additional handling, anesthesia, and physical restraint. We find a strong positive correlation between the length of time flies are mounted and their subsequent reflexive feeding response, where one hour of mounting is the approximate motivational equivalent to ten hours of fasting. In an attempt to explain this correlation, we rule out anesthesia side-effects, handling, additional fasting, and desiccation. We use respirometric and metabolic techniques coupled with behavioral video scoring to assess energy expenditure in mounted and free flies. We isolate a specific behavior capable of exerting large amounts of energy in mounted flies and identify it as an attempt to escape from restraint. We present a model where physical restraint leads to elevated activity and subsequent faster nutrient storage depletion among mounted flies. This ultimately further accelerates starvation and thus increases reflexive feeding response. In addition, we show that the consequences of the physical restraint profoundly alter aerobic activity, energy depletion, taste, and feeding behavior, and suggest that careful consideration is given to the time-sensitive nature of these highly significant effects when conducting behavioral, physiological or imaging experiments that require immobilization.