bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Refining the Analysis of Multidimensional Psychometric Data: A Geometric Distance Approach
Authors: Joyce Dan W. , Meyer Nicholas 
Published: October 2021

AbstractValidated instruments such as questionnaires, patient-reported outcome measures and clinician-rated psychopathology scales, are indispensable for measuring symptom burden and mental state, and for defining outcomes in both psychiatric practice and clinical trials. Most often, the values on the instrument’s multiple items (dimensions) are added to derive a single, univariate (scalar) sum-score. Although this approach simplifies interpretation, there are always many possible combinations of individual items that can yield the same sum-score. Two patients can therefore obtain identical scores on a given instrument, despite having very different combinations of underlying item scores corresponding to different patterns of clinical symptoms. The same is also true when a single patient is measured at two different time points, where the resulting sum-scores can obscure changes that may be clinically meaningful.We present an alternative analytic framework, which leverages geometric concepts to represent measurements as points in a vector space. Using this framework, we show why sum-scores obscure information present in measurements of clinical state, and also provide a straightforward algorithm to mitigate against this problem. Clinically-relevant outcomes, such as remission or patient-centered treatment goals, can be represented intuitively, as reference points or ‘anchors’ within this space. Using real-world data, we then demonstrate how measuring the relative distance between points and anchors preserves more information, allowing outcomes such as proximity to remission, to be defined and measured.
Modeling the influence of vaccine administration on COVID-19 testing strategies
Authors: Forde Jonathan E. , Ciupe Stanca M. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractVaccination is considered the best strategy for limiting and eliminating the COVID-19 pandemic. The success of this strategy relies on the rate of vaccine deployment and acceptance across the globe. As these efforts are being conducted, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus is continuously mutating, which leads to the emergence of variants with increased transmissibility, virulence, and lower response the vaccines. One important question is whether surveillance testing is still needed in order to limit SARS-CoV-2 transmission in an increasingly vaccinated population. In this study, we developed a multi-scale mathematical model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a vaccinated population and used it to predict the role of testing in an outbreak with alpha and delta variants. We found that, when the alpha variant is dominant, testing is effective when vaccination levels are low to moderate and its impact is diminished when vaccination levels are high. When the delta variant is dominant, widespread vaccination is necessary in order to prevent significant outbreaks. When only moderate vaccination can be achieved, frequent testing can significantly reduce the cumulative size of delta variant outbreak, with the impact of testing having maximum effects when focused on the non-vaccinated population.
Comparison of dipsogenic responses of adult offspring as a function of different perinatal programming models
Authors: Dadam FM , Amigone JL , Vivas L , Macchione AF 
Published: October 2021

AbstractThe perinatal environment interacts with the genotype of the developing organism resulting in a unique phenotype through a developmental or perinatal programming phenomenon. However, it remains unclear how this phenomenon differentially affects particular targets expressing specific drinking responses depending on the perinatal conditions. The main goal of the present study was to compare the dipsogenic responses induced by different thirst models as a function of two perinatal manipulation models, defined by the maternal free access to hypertonic sodium solution and a partial aortic ligation (PAL-W/Na) or a sham-ligation (Sham-W/Na). The programmed adult offspring of both perinatal manipulated models responded similarly when was challenged by overnight water dehydration or after a sodium depletion showing a reduced water intake in comparison to the non-programmed animals. However, when animals were evaluated after a body sodium overload, only adult Sham-W/Na offspring showed drinking differences compared to PAL and control offspring. By analyzing the central neurobiological substrates involved, a significant increase in the number of Fos + cells was found after sodium depletion in the subfornical organ of both programmed groups and an increase in the number of Fos + cells in the dorsal raphe nucleus was only observed in adult depleted PAL-W/Na. Our results suggest that perinatal programming is a phenomenon that differentially affects particular targets which induce specific dipsogenic responses depending on matching between perinatal programming conditions and the osmotic challenge in the latter environment. Probably, each programmed-drinking phenotype has a particular set point to elicit specific repertoires of mechanisms to reestablish fluid balance.
Re-emergence of Invasive Pneumococcal Disease in Germany during the Spring and Summer of 2021
Authors: Perniciaro Stephanie , van der Linden Mark , Weinberger Daniel M. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) decreased worldwide in 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, concurrent with non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) intended to stymie transmission of SARS-CoV-2. In 2021, stringency of these NPI strategies has varied. We investigated age- and serotype-specific variations in IPD case counts in Germany in 2020-2021.MethodsIPD cases through July 31, 2021 were stratified by age group, serotype, or geographic location. IPD surveillance data in 2020-2021 were compared with: 1) IPD surveillance data from 2015-2019, 2) mobility data during 2020 and 2021, and 3) NPI stringency data in 2020 and 2021.ResultsIPD began to return towards baseline values among children 0 to 4 years old in April 2021 and exceeded baseline levels by June 2021 (a 9% increase over the average monthly values for 2015-2019). Children 5 to 14, adults aged 15-34 and adults 80 years and older showed increases in IPD cases which went over baseline values starting in July 2021, with increases also starting in Spring 2021. The age distribution and proportion of vaccine serotype IPD remained comparable to previous years despite lower overall case counts in 2020 and 2021. The percent change in IPD incidence compared to the previous five years correlated with changes in mobility and with NPI stringency.ConclusionsIPD levels began to return to and exceed seasonal levels in Spring/Summer 2021 in Germany following sharp declines in 2020 that coincided with NPIs related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Proportions of vaccine serotypes remained largely consistent throughout 2020-2021.
Prenatal alcohol consumption and child IQ and cognition: a Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Labrecque JA , Cecil CAM , Swanson SA 
Published: October 2021

AbstractBackgroundPrevious studies using Mendelian randomization have found that fetal alcohol exposure may be associated with lower IQ and test scores in childhood.ObjectivesWe aim to replicate and extend these findings in Generation R Study, a birth cohort based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.MethodsWe used data from Generation R which recruited pregnant women between 2002 and 2006. Alcohol use was assessed via questionnaire during each trimester. IQ was measured in the children between ages 5 and 8 using the Snijders-Oomen Non-Verbal Intelligence Test. Scores from a national standardized test administered around age 12 were used as a measure of cognition. We estimated the associations between ten genetic variants in the mothers previously found to be related to alcohol consumption and metabolism and each of the outcomes. In the children, we also estimated the association between the same genetic variants as well as two polygenic scores for alcohol consumption and the outcomes.ResultsMaternal genetic variants were not found to be related to either outcome but wide confidence intervals did not preclude important effects. A few genetic variants in the children were suggestive of a decrease in IQ. Likewise, one genetic variant and the genetic score had estimates and confidence intervals consistent with increases in standardized test scores.ConclusionsOur results provide slight support for associations between genetic variants in children related to maternal prenatal alcohol consumption and IQ and cognition outcomes. These findings are in line with two previous studies on this topic.
Temperature and Low-stakes Cognitive Performance
Authors: Zhang Xin , Chen Xi , Zhang Xiaobo 
Published: October 2021

AbstractIn this paper we offer among the first evidence in a developing country context that transitory exposure to heat waves may disrupt low-stakes cognitive activities across a wide range of age cohorts. Matching cognitive test scores from a nationally representative longitudinal survey in China with weather data according to the exact time and geographic location of assessment, we find that exposure to a temperature above 32 °C on the test date, relative to a day within 22–24 °C, leads to a sizable decline in math scores by 0.088 SDs (equivalent to 0.30 years of education). The negative effect is more pronounced for less educated older adults taking math tests. Test takers living in hotter regions or having air conditioning installed on site are less vulnerable to extreme high temperatures, indicating the role of adaptation.JEL CodesI24, Q54, Q51
Excess risk and clusters of symptoms after COVID-19 in a large Norwegian cohort
Authors: Caspersen Ida Henriette , Magnus Per , Trogstad Lill 
Published: October 2021

ABSTRACTPhysical, psychological and cognitive symptoms have been reported as post-acute sequelae for COVID-19 patients but are also common in the general, uninfected population. We aimed to calculate the excess risk and identify patterns of 22 symptoms up to 12 months after COVID-19 infection. We followed more than 70,000 participants in an ongoing cohort study, the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Infected and non-infected cohort participants registered presence of 22 different symptoms in March 2021. One year after the initial infection, 13 of 22 symptoms were associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, based on relative risks between infected and uninfected subjects. For instance, 17.4% of SARS-CoV-2 infected cohort participants reported fatigue that persist 12 months after infection, compared to new occurrence of fatigue that had lasted less than 12 months in 3.8% of non-infected subjects (excess risk 13.6%). The adjusted relative risk for fatigue was 4.8 (95 % CI 3.5 to 6.7). Two main underlying factors explained 50% of the variance in the 13 symptoms. Brain fog, poor memory, dizziness, heart palpitations, and fatigue had high loadings on the first factor, while shortness-of breath and cough had high loadings on the second factor. Lack of taste and smell showed low to moderate correlation to other symptoms. Anxiety, depression and mood swings were not strongly related to COVID-19. Our results suggest that there are clusters of symptoms after COVID-19 due to different mechanisms and question whether it is meaningful to describe long COVID as one syndrome.
CoWWAn: Model-based assessment of COVID-19 epidemic dynamics by wastewater analysis
Authors: Proverbio Daniele , Kemp Françoise , Magni Stefano , Ogorzaly Leslie , Cauchie Henry-Michel , Gonçalves Jorge , Skupin Alexander , Aalto Atte 
Published: October 2021

AbstractWe present COVID-19 Wastewater Analyser (CoWWAn) to reconstruct the epidemic dynamics from SARS-CoV-2 viral load in wastewater. As demonstrated for various regions and sampling protocols, this mechanistic model-based approach quantifies the case numbers, provides epidemic indicators and accurately infers future epidemic trends. In situations of reduced testing capacity, analysing wastewater data with CoWWAn is a robust and cost-effective alternative for real-time surveillance of local COVID-19 dynamics.
A hierarchical transcriptional network activates specific CDK inhibitors that regulate G2 to control cell size and number in Arabidopsis
Authors: Nomoto Yuji , Takatsuka Hirotomo , Yamada Kesuke , Suzuki Toshiya , Suzuki Takamasa , Huang Ying , Latrasse David , An Jing , Gombos Magdolna , Breuer Christian , Ishida Takashi , Maeo Kenichiro , Imamura Miyu , Yamashino Takafumi , Sugimoto Keiko , Magyar Zoltán , Bögre László , Raynaud Cécile , Benhamed Moussa , Ito Masaki 
Published: October 2021

AbstractHow cell size and number are determined during organ development remains a fundamental question in cell biology. Here, we identified a GRAS family transcription factor, called SCARECROW-LIKE28 (SCL28), with a critical role in determining cell size in Arabidopsis. SCL28 is part of a transcriptional regulatory network downstream of the central MYB3Rs that regulate G2 to M phase cell cycle transition. We show that SCL28 forms a dimer with the AP2-type transcription factor, AtSMOS1, which defines the specificity for promoter binding and directly activates transcription of a specific set of SIAMESE-RELATED (SMR) family genes, encoding plant-specific inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases and thus inhibiting cell cycle progression at G2 and promoting the onset of endoreplication. Through this dose-dependent regulation ofSMRtranscription, SCL28 quantitatively sets the balance between cell size and number without dramatically changing final organ size. We propose that this hierarchical transcriptional network constitutes a cell cycle regulatory mechanism that allows to adjust cell size and number to attain robust organ growth.
Identification of multi-omics molecular signature of acute radiation injury using nonhuman primate model
Authors: Cheema Amrita K , Li Yaoxiang , Moulton Joanna , Girgis Michael , Wise Stephen Y. , Carpenter Alana , Fatanmi Oluseyi O. , Singh Vijay K. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractThe availability of validated biomarkers to assess radiation exposure and to assist in developing medical countermeasures remains an unmet need. We used a cobalt-60 gamma-irradiated nonhuman primate (NHP) model to delineate a multi-omics-based serum probability index of radiation exposure. Both male and female NHPs were irradiated with different doses ranging from 6.0 to 8.5 Gy, with 0.5 Gy increments between doses. We leveraged high resolution mass spectrometry for analysis of metabolites, lipids, and proteins at 1,2, and 6 days post-irradiation in NHP serum. A logistic regression model was implemented to develop a 4-analyte panel to stratify irradiated NHPs from unirradiated with high accuracy that was agnostic for all doses of γ-rays tested in the study, up to six days after exposure. This panel was comprised of Serpin Family A9, acetylcarnitine, PC (16:0/22:6), and suberylglycine, which showed 2 – 4-fold elevation in serum abundance upon irradiation in NHPs, and can potentially be translated for human use following larger validation studies. Taken together, this study, for the first time, demonstrates the utility of a combinatorial molecular characterization approach using an NHP model for developing minimally invasive assays from small volumes of blood that can be effectively used for radiation exposure assessments.
Combining metabolomics and experimental evolution reveals key mechanisms underlying longevity differences in laboratory evolved Drosophila melanogaster populations
Authors: Phillips Mark A. , Arnold Kenneth R. , Vue Zer , Beasley Heather K. , Lopez Edgar Garza , Marshall Andrea G. , Morton Derrick J. , McReynolds Melanie R. , Barter Thomas T. , Hinton Antentor 
Published: October 2021

AbstractExperimental evolution with Drosophila melanogaster has been used extensively for decades to study aging and longevity. In recent years, the addition of DNA and RNA sequencing to this framework has allowed researchers to leverage the statistical power inherent to experimental evolution study the genetic basis of longevity itself. Here we incorporated metabolomic data into to this framework to generate even deeper insights into the physiological and genetic mechanisms underlying longevity differences in three groups of experimentally evolved D. melanogaster populations with different aging and longevity patterns. Our metabolomic analysis found that aging alters mitochondrial metabolism through increased consumption of NAD+ and increased usage of the TCA cycle. Combining our genomic and metabolomic data produced a list of biologically relevant candidate genes. Among these candidates, we found significant enrichment for genes and pathways associated with neurological development and function, and carbohydrate metabolism. While we do not explicitly find enrichment for aging canonical genes, neurological dysregulation and carbohydrate metabolism are both known to be associated with accelerated aging and reduced longevity. Taken together, our results provide plausible genetic mechanisms for what might be driving longevity differences in this experimental system. More broadly, our findings demonstrate the value of combining multiple types of omic data with experimental evolution when attempting to dissect mechanisms underlying complex and highly polygenic traits like aging.
TRPV1-lineage somatosensory fibers communicate with taste neurons in the mouse parabrachial nucleus
Authors: Li Jinrong , Ali Md Sams Sazzad , Lemon Christian H. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractTrigeminal neurons supply somatosensation to craniofacial tissues. In mouse brain, ascending projections from medullary trigeminal neurons arrive at taste neurons in the autonomic parabrachial nucleus, suggesting taste neurons participate in somatosensory processing. However, the genetic cell types that support this convergence were undefined. Using Cre-directed optogenetics and in vivo neurophysiology in anesthetized mice of both sexes, here we studied whether TRPV1-lineage nociceptive and thermosensory fibers are primary neurons that drive trigeminal circuits reaching parabrachial taste cells. We monitored spiking activity in individual parabrachial neurons during photoexcitation of the terminals of TRPV1-lineage fibers that arrived at the dorsal spinal trigeminal nucleus pars caudalis, which relays orofacial somatosensory messages to the parabrachial area. Parabrachial neural responses to oral delivery of taste, chemesthetic, and thermal stimuli were also recorded. We found that optical excitation of TRPV1-lineage fibers frequently stimulated traditionally defined taste neurons in lateral parabrachial nuclei. The tuning of neurons across diverse tastes associated with their sensitivity to excitation of TRPV1-lineage fibers, which only sparingly engaged neurons oriented to preferred tastes like sucrose. Moreover, neurons that responded to photostimulation of TRPV1-lineage afferents showed strong responses to temperature including noxious heat, which predominantly excited parabrachial bitter taste cells. Multivariate analyses revealed the parabrachial confluence of TRPV1-lineage signals with taste captured sensory valence information shared across aversive gustatory, nociceptive, and thermal stimuli. Our results reveal that trigeminal fibers with defined roles in thermosensation and pain communicate with parabrachial taste neurons.This multisensory convergence supports dependencies between gustatory and somatosensory hedonic representations in the brain.
Type IV pilus shapes a ‘bubble-jet’ pattern opposing spatial intermixing of two interacting bacterial populations
Authors: Wang Miaoxiao , Chen Xiaoli , Ma Yinyin , Tang Yue-Qin , Johnson David R , Nie Yong , Wu Xiao-Lei 
Published: October 2021

AbstractMicrobes are social organisms that commonly live in sessile biofilms. Spatial patterns of populations within biofilms can be an important determinant of community-level properties. The best-studied characteristics of spatial patterns is spatial intermixing of different populations. The specific levels of spatial intermixing critically contribute to how the dynamics and functioning of such communities are governed. However, the precise factors that determine spatial patterns and intermixing remain unclear. Here, we investigated the spatial patterning and intermixing of an engineered synthetic consortium composed of two Pseudomonas stutzeri strains that degrade salicylate via metabolic cross-feeding. We found that the consortium self-organizes across space to form a previously unreported spatial pattern (referred to here as a ‘bubble-jet’ pattern) that exhibits a low level of intermixing. Interestingly, when the genes encoding for type IV pili were deleted from both strains, a highly intermixed spatial pattern developed and increased the productivity of the entire community. The intermixed pattern was maintained in a robust manner across a wide range of initial ratios between the two strains. Our findings show that the type IV pilus plays a role in mitigating spatial intermixing of different populations in surface-attached microbial communities, with consequences for governing community-level properties. These insights provide tangible clues for the engineering of synthetic microbial systems that perform highly in spatially structured environments.ImportanceWhen growing on surfaces, multi-species microbial communities form biofilms that exhibit intriguing spatial patterns. These patterns can significantly affect the overall properties of the community, such as enabling otherwise impermissible metabolic functions to occur, as well as driving the evolutionary and ecological processes acting on communities. The development of these patterns is affected by several drivers, including cell-cell interactions, nutrient levels, density of founding cells and surface properties. The type IV pilus is commonly found to mediate surface-associated behaviors of microorganism, but its role on pattern formation within microbial communities is unclear. Here we report that in a cross-feeding consortium, the type IV pilus affects the spatial intermixing of interacting populations involved in pattern formation, and ultimately influences overall community productivity and robustness. This novel insight assists our understanding of the ecological processes of surface-attached microbial communities and suggests a potential strategy to engineer high-performance synthetic microbial communities.