bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Polymetallic nodules are essential for food-web integrity of a prospective deep-seabed mining area in Pacific abyssal plains
Authors: Stratmann Tanja , Soetaert Karline , Kersken Daniel , van Oevelen Dick 
Published: June 2021

AbstractPolymetallic nodule fields provide hard substrate for sessile organisms on the abyssal seafloor between 3000 and 6000 m water depth. Deep-seabed mining targets these mineral-rich nodules and will likely modify the consumer-resource (trophic) and substrate-providing (non-trophic) interactions within the abyssal food web. However, the importance of nodules and their associated sessile fauna in supporting food-web integrity remains unclear. Here, we use seafloor imagery and published literature to develop highly-resolved trophic and non-trophic interaction webs for the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCZ, central Pacific Ocean) and the Peru Basin (PB, South-East Pacific Ocean) and to assess how nodule removal may modify these networks. The CCZ interaction web included 1028 compartments connected with 59,793 links and the PB interaction web consisted of 342 compartments and 8044 links. We show that knock-down effects of nodule removal resulted in a 17.9% (CCZ) to 20.8% (PB) loss of all taxa and 22.8% (PB) to 30.6% (CCZ) loss of network links. Subsequent analysis identified stalked glass sponges living attached to the nodules as key structural species that supported a high diversity of associated fauna. We conclude that polymetallic nodules are critical for food-web integrity and that their absence will likely result in reduced local benthic biodiversity.
Diffusion in multicomponent aqueous alcoholic mixtures
Authors: Guevara-Carrion Gabriela , Fingerhut Robin , Vrabec Jadran 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe Fick diffusion coefficient matrix of the highly associating quaternary mixture water + methanol + ethanol + 2-propanol as well as its ternary and binary subsystems is analyzed with molecular dynamics simulation techniques. Three of the ternary subsystems are studied in this sense for the first time. The predictive capability of the employed force fields, which were sampled with the Green–Kubo formalism and Kirkwood–Buff integration, is confirmed by comparison with experimental literature data on vapor-liquid equilibrium, shear viscosity and Fick diffusion coefficient, wherever possible. A thorough analysis of the finite size effects on the simulative calculation of diffusion coefficients of multicomponent systems is carried out. Moreover, the dependence of the Fick diffusion coefficient matrix on the velocity reference frame and component order is analyzed. Their influence is found to be less significant for the main matrix elements, reaching a maximum variation of 19%. The large differences found for the cross elements upon variation of the reference frame hinder a straightforward interpretation of the Fick diffusion coefficient matrix with respect to the presence of diffusive coupling effects.
Efficient facemask decontamination via forced ozone convection
Authors: Schwan Joseph , Alva Troy R. , Nava Giorgio , Rodriguez Carla Berrospe , Dunn Zachary Spencer , Chartron Justin W. , Morgan Joshua , Wang Pin , Mangolini Lorenzo 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe COVID-19 crisis has taken a significant toll on human life and the global economy since its start in early 2020. Healthcare professionals have been particularly vulnerable because of the unprecedented shortage of Facepiece Respirators (FPRs), which act as fundamental tools to protect the medical staff treating the coronavirus patients. In addition, many FPRs are designed to be disposable single-use devices, creating an issue related to the generation of large quantities of non-biodegradable waste. In this contribution, we describe a plasma-based decontamination technique designed to circumvent the shortages of FPRs and alleviate the environmental problems posed by waste generation. The system utilizes a Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) to generate ozone and feed it through the fibers of the FPRs. The flow-through configuration is different than canonical ozone-based sterilization methods, in which the equipment is placed in a sealed ozone-containing enclosure without any flow through the mask polymer fibers. We demonstrate the rapid decontamination of surgical masks using Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) as model pathogens, with the flow-through configuration providing a drastic reduction in sterilization time compared to the canonical approach. We also demonstrate that there is no deterioration in mask structure or filtration efficiency resulting from sterilization. Finally, we show that this decontamination approach can be implemented using readily available tools, such as a plastic box, a glass tube, few 3D printed components, and the high-voltage power supply from a plasma globe toy. The prototype assembled for this study is portable and affordable, with effectiveness comparable to that of larger and more expensive equipment.
Genetic and epigenetic modifications of F1 offspring’s sperm cells following in utero and lactational combined exposure to nicotine and ethanol
Authors: Pabarja Athareh , Ganjalikhan Hakemi Sepideh , Musanejad Elahe , Ezzatabadipour Massood , Nematollahi-Mahani Seyed Noureddin , Afgar Ali , Afarinesh Mohammad Reza , Haghpanah Tahereh 
Published: June 2021

AbstractIt is well established that maternal lifestyle during pregnancy and lactation affects the intrauterine programming of F1 offspring. However, despite the co-use of alcohol and nicotine is a common habit, the effects of exposure to both substances on the reproductive system of F1 male offspring and the underlying mechanisms of developmental programming have not been investigated. The present study aimed to examine pre- and postnatal concurrent exposure to these substances on genetic and epigenetic alterations of sperm cells as well as testis properties of F1 offspring compared with exposure to each substance alone. Pregnant dams in the F0 generation randomly received normal saline, nicotine, ethanol, and combinations throughout full gestation and lactation periods. Sperm cells and testes of F1 male offspring were collected at postnatal day 90 for further experiments. High levels of sperm DNA fragmentation were observed in all exposed offspring. Regarding epigenetic alterations, there was a significant increase in the relative transcript abundance of histone deacetylase 1 and 2 in all exposed sperm cells. Moreover, despite a decrease in the expression level of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) 3A, no marked differences were found in the expression levels of DNMT1 and 3B in any of the exposed sperm cells compared to non-exposed ones. Interestingly, combined exposure had less prominent effects relative to exposure to each substance alone. The changes in the testicular and sperm parameters were compatible with genetic and epigenetic alterations. However, MDA level as an oxidative stress indicator increased in all exposed pups, which may be responsible for such outputs. In conclusion, maternal co-exposure to these substances exhibited epigenotoxicity effects on germline cells of F1 male offspring, although these effects were less marked relative to exposure to each substance alone. These counteracting effects may be explained by cross-tolerance and probably less impairment of the antioxidant defense system.
No evidence for stochastic resonance effects on standing balance when applying noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation in young healthy adults
Authors: Assländer L. , Giboin L. S. , Gruber M. , Schniepp R. , Wuehr M. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractNoisy galvanic vestibular stimulation (nGVS) at imperceptible levels has been shown to reduce body sway. This reduction was commonly attributed to the mechanism of stochastic resonance (SR). However, it has never been explicitly tested whether nGVS-induced effects on body sway consistently follow a SR-like bell-shaped performance curve with maximal reductions in a particular range of noise intensities. To test this, body sway in 21 young healthy participants was measured during varying nGVS amplitudes while standing with eyes closed in 3 conditions (quiet stance, sway referencing, sinusoidal platform tilts). Presence of SR-like response dynamics in each trial was assessed (1) by a goodness-of-fit analysis using an established SR-curve model and (2) by ratings from 3 human experts. In accordance to theory, we found reductions of body sway at one nGVS amplitude in most trials (75–95%). However, only few trials exhibited SR-like bell-shaped performance curves with increasing noise amplitudes (10–33%). Instead, body sway measures rather fluctuated randomly across nGVS amplitudes. This implies that, at least in young healthy adults, nGVS effects on body sway are incompatible with SR. Thus, previously reported reductions of body sway at particular nGVS intensities more likely result from inherent variations of the performance metric or by other yet unknown mechanisms.
DNCON2_Inter: predicting interchain contacts for homodimeric and homomultimeric protein complexes using multiple sequence alignments of monomers and deep learning
Authors: Quadir Farhan , Roy Raj S. , Halfmann Randal , Cheng Jianlin 
Published: June 2021

AbstractDeep learning methods that achieved great success in predicting intrachain residue-residue contacts have been applied to predict interchain contacts between proteins. However, these methods require multiple sequence alignments (MSAs) of a pair of interacting proteins (dimers) as input, which are often difficult to obtain because there are not many known protein complexes available to generate MSAs of sufficient depth for a pair of proteins. In recognizing that multiple sequence alignments of a monomer that forms homomultimers contain the co-evolutionary signals of both intrachain and interchain residue pairs in contact, we applied DNCON2 (a deep learning-based protein intrachain residue-residue contact predictor) to predict both intrachain and interchain contacts for homomultimers using multiple sequence alignment (MSA) and other co-evolutionary features of a single monomer followed by discrimination of interchain and intrachain contacts according to the tertiary structure of the monomer. We name this tool DNCON2_Inter. Allowing true-positive predictions within two residue shifts, the best average precision was obtained for the Top-L/10 predictions of 22.9% for homodimers and 17.0% for higher-order homomultimers. In some instances, especially where interchain contact densities are high, DNCON2_Inter predicted interchain contacts with 100% precision. We also developed Con_Complex, a complex structure reconstruction tool that uses predicted contacts to produce the structure of the complex. Using Con_Complex, we show that the predicted contacts can be used to accurately construct the structure of some complexes. Our experiment demonstrates that monomeric multiple sequence alignments can be used with deep learning to predict interchain contacts of homomeric proteins.
Incidence of elevated intraocular pressure after intravitreal injection in Japanese patients with age-related macular degeneration
Authors: Maruyama-Inoue Maiko , Inoue Tatsuya , Mohamed Shaheeda , Kitajima Yoko , Ikeda Shoko , Ito Arisa , Kadonosono Kazuaki 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to report the incidence of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) after intravitreal injection (IVI) of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in Japanese patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). A retrospective study of chart review of patients who underwent ≥ 10 intravitreal anti-VEGF injections between April 2009 and December 2019 was conducted. Elevated IOP was defined as IOP ≥ 25 mmHg at one visit. Cases with elevated IOP resulting from IVI were identified. Furthermore, the association between elevated IOP and some parameters, as the risk factors that influence elevated IOP, was investigated. A total of 402 eyes of 370 patients were included in this study. Twenty-eight eyes of 26 patients (7.0%) were identified as cases with elevated IOP after IVI. The mean time of elevation after baseline was 50.6 ± 26.5 months. History of glaucoma (p = 0.021; odds ratio, 5.85), treatment modality (p = 0.019; odds ratio, 6.32), and total number of injections (p = 0.003; odds ratio, 1.03) were significantly associated with elevated IOP. A late complication of elevated IOP is associated with IVI in patients with AMD. Particularly, history of glaucoma and treat and extend regimen with frequent injections were found to be risk factors of elevated IOP.
Differential response of oxidative and glycolytic skeletal muscle fibers to mesterolone
Authors: Asfour Hasan A. , Shaqoura Emad I. , Said Raed S. , Mustafa Ayman G. , Emerald Bright Starling , Allouh Mohammed Z. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractOxidative and glycolytic muscle fibers differ in their ultrastructure, metabolism, and responses to physiological stimuli and pathological insults. We examined whether these fibers respond differentially to exogenous anabolic androgenic steroids (AASs) by comparing morphological and histological changes between the oxidative anterior latissimus dorsi (ALD) and glycolytic pectoralis major (PM) fibers in adult avian muscles. Adult female White Leghorn chickens (Gallus gallus) were randomly divided into five groups: a vehicle control and four mesterolone treatment groups (4, 8, 12, and 16 mg/kg). Mesterolone was administered orally every three days for four weeks. Immunocytochemical techniques and morphometric analyses were employed to measure the changes in muscle weight, fiber size, satellite cell (SC) composition, and number of myonuclei. Mesterolone increased both body and muscle weights and induced hypertrophy in glycolytic PM fibers but not in oxidative ALD fibers. Mesterolone induced SC proliferation in both muscles; however, the myonuclear accretion was noticeable only in the PM muscle. In both muscles, the collective changes maintained a constant myonuclear domain size and the changes were dose independent. In conclusion, mesterolone induced distinct dose-independent effects in avian oxidative and glycolytic skeletal muscle fibers; these findings might be clinically valuable in the treatment of age-related sarcopenia.
Gene duplications and gene loss in the epidermal differentiation complex during the evolutionary land-to-water transition of cetaceans
Authors: Holthaus Karin Brigit , Lachner Julia , Ebner Bettina , Tschachler Erwin , Eckhart Leopold 
Published: June 2021

AbstractMajor protein components of the mammalian skin barrier are encoded by genes clustered in the Epidermal Differentiation Complex (EDC). The skin of cetaceans, i.e. whales, porpoises and dolphins, differs histologically from that of terrestrial mammals. However, the genetic regulation of their epidermal barrier is only incompletely known. Here, we investigated the EDC of cetaceans by comparative genomics. We found that important epidermal cornification proteins, such as loricrin and involucrin are conserved and subtypes of small proline-rich proteins (SPRRs) are even expanded in numbers in cetaceans. By contrast, keratinocyte proline rich protein (KPRP), skin-specific protein 32 (XP32) and late-cornified envelope (LCE) genes with the notable exception of LCE7A have been lost in cetaceans. Genes encoding proline rich 9 (PRR9) and late cornified envelope like proline rich 1 (LELP1) have degenerated in subgroups of cetaceans. These data suggest that the evolution of an aquatic lifestyle was accompanied by amplification of SPRR genes and loss of specific other epidermal differentiation genes in the phylogenetic lineage leading to cetaceans.
Hydrothermally synthesized nanostructured LiMnxFe1−xPO4 (x = 0–0.3) cathode materials with enhanced properties for lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Trinh Dung V. , Nguyen Mai T. T. , Dang Hue T. M. , Dang Dung T. , Le Hang T. T. , Le Huynh T. N. , Tran Hoang V. , Huynh Chinh D. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractNanostructured cathode materials based on Mn-doped olivine LiMnxFe1−xPO4 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3) were successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal route. The field-emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analyzed results indicated that the synthesized LiMnxFe1−xPO4 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3) samples possessed a sphere-like nanostructure and a relatively homogeneous size distribution in the range of 100–200 nm. Electrochemical experiments and analysis showed that the Mn doping increased the redox potential and boosted the capacity. While the undoped olivine (LiFePO4) had a capacity of 169 mAh g−1 with a slight reduction (10%) in the initial capacity after 50 cycles (150 mAh g−1), the Mn-doped olivine samples (LiMnxFe1−xPO4) demonstrated reliable cycling tests with negligible capacity loss, reaching 151, 147, and 157 mAh g−1 for x = 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3, respectively. The results from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) accompanied by the galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) have resulted that the Mn substitution for Fe promoted the charge transfer process and hence the rapid Li transport. These findings indicate that the LiMnxFe1−xPO4 nanostructures are promising cathode materials for lithium ion battery applications.
A system-oriented strategy to enhance electron production of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 in bio-photovoltaic devices: experimental and modeling insights
Authors: Firoozabadi Hossein , Mardanpour Mohammad Mahdi , Motamedian Ehsan 
Published: June 2021

AbstractBio-photovoltaic devices (BPVs) harness photosynthetic organisms to produce bioelectricity in an eco-friendly way. However, their low energy efficiency is still a challenge. A comprehension of metabolic constraints can result in finding strategies for efficiency enhancement. This study presents a systemic approach based on metabolic modeling to design a regulatory defined medium, reducing the intracellular constraints in bioelectricity generation of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 through the cellular metabolism alteration. The approach identified key reactions that played a critical role in improving electricity generation in Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 by comparing multiple optimal solutions of minimal and maximal NADH generation using two criteria. Regulatory compounds, which controlled the enzyme activity of the key reactions, were obtained from the BRENDA database. The selected compounds were subsequently added to the culture media, and their effect on bioelectricity generation was experimentally assessed. The power density curves for different culture media showed the BPV fed by Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 suspension in BG-11 supplemented with NH4Cl achieved the maximum power density of 148.27 mW m−2. This produced power density was more than 40.5-fold of what was obtained for the BPV fed with cyanobacterial suspension in BG-11. The effect of the activators on BPV performance was also evaluated by comparing their overpotential, maximum produced power density, and biofilm morphology under different conditions. These findings demonstrated the crucial role of cellular metabolism in improving bioelectricity generation in BPVs.
Associations of hypertension burden on subsequent dementia: a population-based cohort study
Authors: Jung Hyunjean , Yang Pil-Sung , Kim Daehoon , Jang Eunsun , Yu Hee Tae , Kim Tae-Hoon , Sung Jung-Hoon , Pak Hui-Nam , Lee Moon-Hyoung , Lip Gregory Y. H. , Joung Boyoung 
Published: June 2021

AbstractIn this nationwide cohort study, we assessed the effects of hypertension burden and blood pressure (BP) control on dementia in different age subgroups. From the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening cohort from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2013, we enrolled 428,976 subjects aged 40–79 years without previous diagnosis of dementia or stroke. During a mean follow-up of 7.3 ± 1.5 years, 9435 (2.2%) were diagnosed with dementia. Per 10 mmHg increase in systolic BP (SBP), risk of dementia was increased by 22% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15–1.30) in subjects aged 40–59 years and 8% (95% CI 1.04–1.11) in subjects aged 60–69 years. No significant associations were observed in subjects aged ≥ 70 years. Among subjects aged 40–59 years, both vascular and Alzheimer’s dementia risks were increased with increasing SBP. Increasing hypertension burden (proportion of days with increased BP) was associated with higher dementia risk (hazard ratio [HR] 1.09 per 10% increase, 95% CI 1.08–1.10). Among patients with baseline SBP ≥ 140 mmHg, optimal follow-up SBP (120–139 mmHg) was associated with decreased dementia risk (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.50–0.95). Hypertension burden was associated with higher risks of dementia. Adequate BP control was associated with lower risk of dementia in individuals aged < 70 years.
Carrier-capture-assisted optoelectronics based on van der Waals materials to imitate medicine-acting metaplasticity
Authors: Nie Qianfan , Gao Caifang , Yang Feng-Shou , Lee Ko-Chun , Lin Che-Yi , Wang Xiang , Ho Ching-Hwa , Lien Chen-Hsin , Lin Shu-Ping , Li Mengjiao , Lin Yen-Fu , Li Wenwu , Hu Zhigao , Chu Junhao 
Published: June 2021

AbstractRecently, researchers have focused on optoelectronics based on two-dimensional van der Waals materials to realize multifunctional memory and neuron applications. Layered indium selenide (InSe) semiconductors satisfy various requirements as photosensitive channel materials, and enable the realization of intriguing optoelectronic applications. Herein, we demonstrate InSe photonic devices with different trends of output currents rooted in the carrier capture/release events under various gate voltages. Furthermore, we reported an increasing/flattening/decreasing synaptic weight change index (∆Wn) via a modulated gate electric field, which we use to imitate medicine-acting metaplasticity with effective/stable/ineffective features analogous to the synaptic weight change in the nervous system of the human brain. Finally, we take advantage of the low-frequency noise (LFN) measurements and the energy-band explanation to verify the rationality of carrier capture-assisted optoelectronics applied to neural simulation at the device level. Utilizing optoelectronics to simulate essential biomedical neurobehaviors, we experimentally demonstrate the feasibility and meaningfulness of combining electronic engineering with biomedical neurology.