bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Spatial network clustering reveals elk population structure and local variation in prevalence of chronic wasting disease
Authors: Sargeant Glen A. , Wild Margaret A. , Schroeder Gregory M. , Powers Jenny G. , Galloway Nathan L. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractSpatial organization plays prominent roles in disease transmission, genetics, and demography of wildlife populations and is therefore an important consideration not only for wildlife management, but also for inference about populations and processes. We used hierarchical agglomerative clustering of a spatial graph network to partition Wind Cave National Park (WICA) into five regions used by 163 female elk (Cervus elaphus) marked with global positioning system collars during 2005–08 and 2011–13. We grouped elk based on differential use of the five regions, developed a priori models for inter‐group variation in the occurrence of chronic wasting disease (CWD), and used Akaike's information criterion to compare models and stratify regions. Previous descriptions of elk population structure, which have been based on social contact or overlap of individual ranges, have distinguished spatially disjunct population subsets. Constructing hierarchical partitions of the landscape enabled us to also discern and describe overlapping and nested subsets. During 2016–18, apparent park‐wide prevalence of CWD was 0.18 (90% CI = [0.146, 0.182]); however, prevalence within three spatial strata used primarily by different elk ranged from 0.03 ([0.008, 0.074]) to 0.29 ([0.211, 0.375]). In context with published estimates of recruitment, predation, and anthropogenic mortality, such differences in prevalence equate to increasing local abundance of elk in southwestern WICA, stable to declining abundance in the west/northwest, and rapidly declining abundance in the east. Despite the modest size of WICA (11,357 ha), park‐wide averages conflate effects of elk distribution and disease, obscuring spatial patterns with profound implications for study and management of elk and CWD. Graph networks have been used widely in ecology to describe such phenomena as social relationships, connectivity of habitat patches, animal movements, and the spread of disease. Extension to partitioning of geographic range is straightforward but entails different considerations. We discuss allocation of sampling effort, construction of an initial partition, specification of a model for graph cohesion, selection of a clustering algorithm, and identification of useful partitions.
Biocrusts do not differentially influence emergence and early establishment of native and non‐native grasses
Authors: McIntyre Cheryl , Archer Steven R. , Predick Katharine I. , Belnap Jayne 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBiological soil crusts (biocrusts) cover the soil surface of global drylands and interact with vascular plants. Biocrusts may influence the availability and nature of safe sites for plant recruitment and the susceptibility of an area to invasion by non‐native species. Therefore, to investigate the potential role of biocrusts in invasive species management, we sought to determine whether native and non‐native grass recruitments in two North American deserts were differentially affected by biocrusts. We conducted a series of coordinated experiments in field, semi‐controlled, and controlled environment settings in the Colorado Plateau and Sonoran Desert using contrasting biocrust and grass functional types. Experiments in field environments focused on early establishment of grass seedlings whereas controlled environment experiments focused on seedling emergence. Within each experiment, we compared responses (frequency, magnitude, and timing of emergence/establishment) both across species (biocrust types pooled) and across species and levels of biocrust development. Native grasses varied by experiment and included Aristida purpurea, A. purpurea var. longiseta, Bouteloua gracilis, and Vulpia octoflora. Emergence of non‐native Bromus tectorum was similar to that of native grasses on the Colorado Plateau. Differences in emergence of native vs. non‐native grasses in the Sonoran Desert were species‐ and response‐specific. Emergence of the non‐native Bromus rubens was comparable to that of native grasses whereas emergence frequency and magnitude of the non‐native Pennisetum ciliare was lower compared with two of four native species. Within a grass species, emergence was higher and faster on bare soil compared with biocrusts in the Sonoran Desert semi‐controlled and greenhouse environment experiments. However, the pattern was not consistent across other experiments. When comparing across Colorado Plateau and Sonoran Desert biocrusts in greenhouse experiments, we found that emergence of native grasses was higher on Colorado Plateau biocrusts. Based on the lack of consistent results across our experiments, grass recruitment on biocrusts appears to be driven more by species‐specific traits than species provenance. Our greenhouse experiments suggest that biocrust topographic relief is an important safe site trait influencing plant recruitment.
Increased salinity stress changes plant productivity and biomass by altering the top‐down controls in eelgrass beds
Authors: Namba Mizuho , Nakaoka Masahiro 
Published: December 2021

AbstractUnderstanding biological community responses to disturbances such as extreme rainfalls under climate change is crucial when predicting ecosystem changes and functions. However, it is still unclear how species interaction changes with increasing disturbances and how disturbance susceptibility varies among organisms from habitats with different stress levels along stress gradients such as salinity gradients. We examined whether (1) higher frequency (i.e., pulse disturbance) and longer duration (i.e., press disturbance) of salinity change affected the primary producers, animals, and their interactions, and whether (2) organisms from naturally stressful habitats with unstable salinity were more tolerant to salinity changes. We used eelgrass Zostera marina, epiphytic microalgae, and grazer gastropod Lacuna decorata from two sites in each of the two lagoons; Akkeshi with a strong salinity gradient, and Notoro with a weak gradient to do indoor mesocosm experiments for testing the effects of salinity change and grazer presence on eelgrass growth and biomass of epiphytic microalgae, as well as grazer survival, growth, and consumption rates. We established treatments with low, intermediate, and high levels of salinity stress to test the effects of press and pulse disturbances in terms of salinity changes. The findings suggest the presence of a top‐down control of epiphytic microalgae by grazers. Eelgrass growth rate was higher with the presence of grazers but declined with higher salinity stress. The biomass of epiphytic microalgae was higher with the absence of grazers and with higher salinity stress across all sites. Grazer survival varied among individuals raised in habitats with naturally stable or unstable salinity regime and decreased with more frequent and longer salinity changes. Grazer growth rates and grazing rates also decreased with higher salinity stress, but grazing on epiphytic microalgae was highest at the intermediate stress levels across all sites. This study demonstrates that salinity regime shifts that are expected to occur with extreme rainfalls due to ongoing climate change could affect coastal ecosystems such as eelgrass beds, and we call for further investigations on the different stress responses of organisms raised in habitats with stable and unstable salinity to understand the potential effects of the disturbances on ecosystem function.
Altitude and community traits explain rain forest stand dynamics over a 2370‐m altitudinal gradient in Costa Rica
Authors: Hernández Gordillo Alba Lorena , Vilchez Mendoza Sergio , Ngo Bieng Marie Ange , Delgado Diego , Finegan Bryan 
Published: December 2021

AbstractStand dynamic rates in Earth's vitally important tropical mountain rain forests are a central component of the response of these forests to global change, but their relationships to environmental gradients are poorly understood. We worked in mature forests on a 440–2810 m asl altitudinal gradient on Costa Rica's Talamanca Cordillera, making five censuses of 29 0.25‐ha permanent sample plots during 2012–2019. We determined mortality and recruitment rates, as well as basal area (G) increments, for individuals ≥10 cm diameter at breast height. Our main hypothesis was that stand dynamic rates decrease with altitude (therefore temperature); we also tested the hypotheses that rates increase with plot community‐weighted mean specific leaf area (CWM SLA) and decrease with CWM wood specific gravity (WSG). We developed regressions using generalized additive models to test our hypotheses. Mortality and recruitment rates decreased with altitude in line with our main hypothesis, though the strongly non‐linear mortality trend may be driven by extreme weather and temperature. Also, the best model for recruitment rates included plot CWM SLA with a negative relationship. Gross basal area increment ∆Ggross, the annual basal area increment of trees that survived the study period, had a hump‐shaped relationship to altitude, possibly related to the low CWM WSG of mid‐altitude forests. ∆Ggross was indeed negatively related to CWM WSG. However, net basal area growth (∆Gnet, the annualized difference between initial and final plot basal areas) was positively related to altitude due to low mortality in montane forests, in a model with CWM WSG with a negative relationship. ∆Gnet was negative in nine of the 29 plots at <1500 m asl. Patterns of rain forest stand dynamics on this long altitudinal gradient go beyond a direct response to temperature, and further work is required to improve scenarios of forest response to climate change. CWM traits should be measured to improve understanding. The effects of storms and lightning on low‐ and middle‐altitude forest and the potentially high resilience of montane Fagaceae‐dominated forests require attention. Diversity, not generality, should be expected on comparing tropical forest altitudinal transects.
A Strongly Coupled Biruthenium Complex as Catalyst for the Water Oxidation Reaction
Authors: Domínguez Sofía E. , Juarez M. Virginia , Pieslinger German E. , Baraldo Luis M. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe catalytic activity towards water oxidation of a strongly coupled bimetallic ruthenium complex, trans‐[Ru(tpy)(bpy)(μ‐CN)Ru(py)4(OH2)]3+ (RuIIRuIIOH2), where tpy=2,2′:6′,2’’‐terpyridine, bpy=2,2′‐bipyridine and py=pyridine are presented. At pH 1 the first two oxidation reactions are centred at the aquo fragment and result in the RuIIRuIIIOH2 and RuIIRuIVO redox states as confirmed by its spectroscopy and DFT calculations. Oxidation by an additional electron is followed by an irreversible step and a catalytic wave associated with the water oxidation reaction. At pH 1 the reaction with an excess of Ce(IV) results in the generation of an stoichiometric amount of oxygen based on molar amounts of the added Ce(IV). The dominant species during the catalytic cycle is the three‐electron oxidized product, RuIIIRuIVO. The reduction of the concentration of Ce(IV) monitored at 370 nm follow the rate equation, −d[Ce(IV)]/dt=kox[Ce(IV)][RuIIRuIIOH2] with a kox=82±3 M−1s−1 at T=298 K. The RuIIIRuIVO species is not stable and reacts to give RuIIRuIVO.
A Comprehensive Examination of Voltammetric Parameters in Fourier Transform Sine‐wave Voltammetry (FT‐SWV) Leading to Concentration Linearity and High Signal‐to‐background Ratio
Authors: Yang Yejin , Weber Stephen G. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThere has not been a comprehensive investigation of the effect of voltammetric parameters: amplitude, dc bias potential, and excitation frequency of the sine waveform in Fourier Transform Sine‐Wave Voltammtery (FT‐SWV) on background, signal, and signal‐to‐background ratio as well as linearity with respect to the concentration of an analyte. FT‐SWV of ruthenium hexamine (III) chloride (RuHex) demonstrates that the dc bias potential can be used to adjust the phase angle difference between the signal and background to obtain out‐of‐phase background. Several conditions show a high signal‐to‐noise ratio and good concentration linearity. The lessons from RuHex guided us to conditions for good signal‐to‐background ratio and concentration linearity for dopamine (DA).
Square Wave Anodic Stripping Voltammetric Determination of Hg(II) with N1‐Hydroxy‐N1,N2‐diphenylbenzamidine Modified Carbon Paste Electrode
Authors: Tesfaye Endale , Singh Chandravanshi Bhagwan , Hailu Tesfu , Negash Negussie , Tessema Merid 
Published: December 2021

AbstractMercury is a highly toxic metal, of which even small doses (<200 ng mL−1) can cause serious problems for humans, plants, animals and microorganisms, including marine species and freshwater organisms. Hence, a simple, fast, highly selective and sensitive and accurate method for the detection of mercury in the environmental, clinical or biological samples is necessary. A new, sensitive and selective method for the determination of Hg(II) with 5 % N1‐hydroxy‐N1,N2‐diphenylbenzamidine modified carbon paste electrode has been developed. Hg(II) was accumulated for 210 s on the surface of the modified electrode using 0.1 M CH3COONa of pH 7 at −0.8 V vs Ag/AgCl, followed by electrochemical stripping with SWASV in 0.1 M NH4Cl at pH 4. The linear range is 0.02–10 μM Hg(II) with limit of detection of 1.28 nM. The method has RSDs of 3.7 %. The method was applied for the determination Hg(II) in five types of water samples. The recoveries were in the range 97.8–103 %. The proposed method was found to be highly selective and sensitive and has many attractive features compared to previous reports such as low cost, simplicity of electrode preparation, long term stability, fast response, easy renewable ability, and reasonable short accumulation time.
Attention networks and the intrinsic network structure of the human brain
Authors: Markett Sebastian , Nothdurfter David , Focsa Antonia , Reuter Martin , Jawinski Philippe 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAttention network theory distinguishes three independent systems, each supported by its own distributed network: an alerting network to deploy attentional resources in anticipation, an orienting network to direct attention to a cued location, and a control network to select relevant information at the expense of concurrently available information. Ample behavioral and neuroimaging evidence supports the dissociation of the three attention domains. The strong assumption that each attentional system is realized through a separable network, however, raises the question how these networks relate to the intrinsic network structure of the brain. Our understanding of brain networks has advanced majorly in the past years due to the increasing focus on brain connectivity. The brain is intrinsically organized into several large‐scale networks whose modular structure persists across task states. Existing proposals on how the presumed attention networks relate to intrinsic networks rely mostly on anecdotal and partly contradictory arguments. We addressed this issue by mapping different attention networks at the level of cifti‐grayordinates. Resulting group maps were compared to the group‐level topology of 23 intrinsic networks, which we reconstructed from the same participants' resting state fMRI data. We found that all attention domains recruited multiple and partly overlapping intrinsic networks and converged in the dorsal fronto‐parietal and midcingulo‐insular network. While we observed a preference of each attentional domain for its own set of intrinsic networks, implicated networks did not match well to those proposed in the literature. Our results indicate a necessary refinement of the attention network theory.
Muscarinic (M1) cholinergic receptor activation within the dorsal hippocampus promotes destabilization of strongly encoded object location memories
Authors: Huff Andrew E. , McGraw Shelby D. , Winters Boyer D. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractFollowing the initial consolidation process, memories can become reactivated by exposure to a reminder of the original learning event. This can lead to the memory becoming destabilized and vulnerable to disruption or other forms of modification. The memory must then undergo the protein‐synthesis dependent process of reconsolidation in order to be retained. However, older and/or stronger memories resist destabilization, but can become labile when reactivated in the presence of salient novelty. We have implicated the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, acting at M1 muscarinic cholinergic receptors (mAChRs) within perirhinal cortex (PRh), in novelty‐induced destabilization of remote object memories. It remains unclear, however, whether mAChRs are involved in destabilization of other forms of memory. We hypothesized that the role of M1 mAChRs previously demonstrated for PRh‐dependent object memory would extend to hippocampus‐dependent spatial memory. Using the object location (OL) task, which relies on the dorsal hippocampus (dHPC), we showed that (a) reactivation‐dependent reconsolidation of OL memories requires protein synthesis within the dHPC; (b) destabilization of relatively weak OL memories depends on M1 mAChR activation within the dHPC; (c) salient novelty during reactivation promotes destabilization of resistant strongly encoded OL memories; (d) novelty‐induced destabilization of strong OL memories requires activation of mAChRs within the dHPC; and (e) M1 mAChR activation within the dHPC in the absence of novelty during memory reactivation mimics the effect of novelty, destabilizing strongly encoded OL memories. These results implicate ACh acting at M1 mAChRs in the destabilization of dHPC‐dependent spatial memories, demonstrating generalizability of this cholinergic function beyond memory for object identity. These findings therefore enhance our understanding of the dynamics of long‐term memory storage and suggest implications for the treatment of human conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and aging, which are characterized by behavioral and mnemonic inflexibility.
Deindustrialising economies, plant closures and affected communities: Identifying potential pathways to health inequities
Authors: Browne–Yung Kathryn , Ziersch Anna , Friel Sharon , Freeman Toby , Baum Fran 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIssue addressedDeindustrialisation and transitions from traditional manufacturing to new technologies and service industries in many high‐income countries including Australia has resulted in rising employment insecurity, unemployment and increased income and health inequities. In this paper, we explore potential impacts of an automotive plant closure on health in a disadvantaged area of South Australia. Our aim was to examine how prevailing factors affecting social and health inequity might be further affected following the plant closure and to identify levers for potential policy responses.MethodsIn workshop discussions with 28 policy and 14 community stakeholders through an iterative process participants discussed how existing factors contributing to community social and health inequity might be worsened (or remediated) by the looming economic shock from the plant closure.ResultsWe identified eight key themes highlighted in the workshops. In particular local economic investment, availability of job opportunities, and appropriate training were identified as key factors influencing individual financial security, which was in turn linked to social and health impacts.ConclusionsThe pathways mapped between the plant closure and social and health equity impacts highlighted differential potential impacts on individuals and the community, and identified policy levers to reduce adverse health outcomes resulting from economic shocks such as the closure of a major employer.So what?The study highlighted a broad range of intersecting factors affecting the health of the local community that policy responses to the plant closure needed to address to promote health and health equity. This included novel factors identified by community members, reinforcing the importance of including community perspectives when constructing policy responses.
Multiple focal fatty changes in the liver in patients with porphyria cutanea tarda: A case series and review of the literature
Authors: Takata Kazuhide , Fukunaga Atsushi , Nishizawa Shinya , Uchida Yotaro , Fukuyama Makoto , Nagata Takahiro , Higashi Tomotaka , Fukuda Hiromi , Yamauchi Ryo , Tanaka Takashi , Yokoyama Keiji , Morihara Daisuke , Takeyama Yasuaki , Shakado Satoshi , Sakisaka Shotaro , Hirai Fumihito 
Published: December 2021

AbstractPorphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) is commonly diagnosed in cases where multiple hyperechoic nodules are observed in the liver. Pathologically, these nodules associated with PCT are focal fatty deposits. We report here, seven cases of PCT with fatty changes over multiple foci in the liver. Furthermore, the characteristics of ultrasonography (US) findings of 32 previously reported cases are summarized. The US features of these nodules showed a homogenous hyperechoic or hyperechoic rim pattern, partial confluence, and no mass effect in the vascular structures. Because multiple hyperechoic liver nodules occasionally mimic malignancies, and because their diagnosis can be challenging, clinicians should consider checking urine porphyrin levels to rule out PCT when such nodules are observed on US.
Imagining the cell therapist: Future CAR T cell monitoring and intervention strategies to improve patient outcomes
Authors: Jain Michael D. , Spiegel Jay Y. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractChimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is now approved for the standard of care treatment of several types of relapsed or refractory hematologic malignancies. Future advances may extend cellular therapies to solid tumors or even non‐malignant diseases. As patient need grows, a clinical specialty of “cell therapy” may emerge. Here, we envision the needs of a clinical cell therapist to monitor and intervene upon patients receiving cell therapies. These include: (1) monitoring patient T cell quality and the host immune environment to ensure optimal timing for cell therapy. (2) Tumor antigen profiling to personalize CAR T cell targeting. (3) Real‐time monitoring of CAR T cells and circulating tumor DNA to modulate CAR T cell activity to maximize tumor eradication while mitigating toxicity. (4) Monitoring of CAR rejection and anti‐CAR immunity posttreatment to inform re‐dosing and subsequent cell therapy strategies. Armed with these tools, the future Cell Therapist may optimize and personalize treatment to avoid toxicity and improve efficacy universally across CAR designs.