bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Identity of ecological systems and the meaning of resilience
Authors: Delettre Olivier 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

The concept of resilience is polysemic (i.e. has multiple definitions) in ecology. Despite various attempts at clarification, its meaning is still hotly debated.

We propose a broad definition of resilience as ‘the capacity of an ecological system to maintain its identity in the face of disturbance’ and posit that the polysemy of the concept is partly due to the multiple meanings of the term ‘identity’.

We distinguish four definitions of identity and use the landscape metaphor to represent each of them.

We draw on four historical uses of the resilience concept in ecology, showing that each of them refers to the conservation of a certain type of identity and therefore corresponds to a particular level of persistence. This work leads to the formulation of four definitions that enlighten the polysemy of the concept in ecology.

Synthesis. We assert that the various facets of the identity concept shed light on the polysemy of the resilience concept. Drawing on four historical uses of the concept, we propose four definitions of resilience, each one referring to the maintenance of a different type of identity and thus to a different level of persistence of ecological systems.
Identification of novel catabolic genes involved in 17β‐estradiol degradation by Novosphingobium sp. ES2‐1
Authors: Li Shunyao , Sun Kai , Yan Xin , Lu Chao , Waigi Michael Gatheru , Liu Juan , Ling Wanting 
Published: March 2021

SummaryNovosphingobium sp. ES2‐1 is an efficient 17β‐estradiol (E2)‐degrading bacterium, which can convert E2 to estrone (E1), then to 4‐hydroxyestrone (4‐OH‐E1) for subsequent oxidative cracking. In this study, the molecular bases for this process were elucidated. Two novel monooxygenase systems EstP and EstO were shown to catalyse the oxygenation of E1 and 4‐OH‐E1, respectively. EstP was a three‐component cytochrome P450 monooxygenase system consisting of EstP1 (P450 monooxygenase), EstP2 (ferredoxin) and EstP3 (ferredoxin reductase). Ultraperformance liquid chromatography‐high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC‐HRMS) analysis revealed that EstP catalysed the 4‐hydroxylation of E1 to produce 4‐OH‐E1. The resultant 4‐OH‐E1 was further oxidized by a two‐component monooxygenase system EstO consisting of EstO1 (flavin‐dependent monooxygenases) and EstO2 (flavin reductase). UPLC‐HRMS combined with 1H‐nuclear magnetic resonance analysis demonstrated that EstO catalysed the breakage of C9‐C10 to yield a ring B‐cleavage product. In addition, the oxygenase component genes estP1 and estO1 exhibited contrary inductive behaviours when exposed to different steroids, suggesting that EstP1‐mediated 4‐hydroxylation was E2‐specific, whereas EstO1‐mediated monooxygenation might be involved in the degradation of testosterone, androstenedione, progesterone and pregnenolone. This also implied that the mechanisms of the catabolism of different steroids by the same microorganism might be partially interlinked.
Assembly processes and source tracking of planktonic and benthic bacterial communities in the Yellow River estuary
Authors: Wang Jianing , Wang Lidong , Hu Weifeng , Pan Zhuo , Zhang Peng , Wang Chuandong , Wang Jingjing , Wu Shuge , Li Yue‐zhong 
Published: March 2021

SummaryEstuaries connect rivers with the ocean and are considered transition regions due to the continuous inputs from rivers. Microbiota from different sources converge and undergo succession in these transition regions, but their assembly mechanisms along environmental gradients remain unclear. Here, we found that salinity had a stronger effect on planktonic than on benthic microbial communities, and the dominant planktonic bacteria changed more distinctly than the dominant benthic bacteria with changes in salinity. The planktonic bacteria in the brackish water came mainly from seawater, which was confirmed in the laboratory, whereas the benthic bacteria were weakly affected by salinity, which appeared to be a mixture of the bacteria from riverine and oceanic sediments. Benthic bacterial community assembly in the sediments was mainly controlled by homogeneous selection and almost unaffected by changes in salinity, the dominant assemblage processes for planktonic bacteria changed dramatically along the salinity gradient, from homogeneous selection in freshwater to drift in seawater. Our results highlight that salinity is the key driver of estuarine microbial succession and that salinity is more important in shaping planktonic than benthic bacterial communities in the Yellow River estuary.
Rapid selection response to ethanol in Saccharomyces eubayanus emulates the domestication process under brewing conditions
Authors: Mardones Wladimir , Villarroel Carlos A. , Abarca Valentina , Urbina Kamila , Peña Tomás A. , Molinet Jennifer , Nespolo Roberto F. , Cubillos Francisco A. 
Published: March 2021

SummaryAlthough the typical genomic and phenotypic changes that characterize the evolution of organisms under the human domestication syndrome represent textbook examples of rapid evolution, the molecular processes that underpin such changes are still poorly understood. Domesticated yeasts for brewing, where short generation times and large phenotypic and genomic plasticity were attained in a few generations under selection, are prime examples. To experimentally emulate the lager yeast domestication process, we created a genetically complex (panmictic) artificial population of multiple Saccharomyces eubayanus genotypes, one of the parents of lager yeast. Then, we imposed a constant selection regime under a high ethanol concentration in 10 replicated populations during 260 generations (6 months) and compared them with propagated controls exposed solely to glucose. Propagated populations exhibited a selection differential of 60% in growth rate in ethanol, mostly explained by the proliferation of a single lineage (CL248.1) that competitively displaced all other clones. Interestingly, the outcome does not require the entire time‐course of adaptation, as four lineages monopolized the culture at generation 120. Sequencing demonstrated that de novo genetic variants were produced in all propagated lines, including SNPs, aneuploidies, INDELs and translocations. In addition, the different propagated populations showed correlated responses resembling the domestication syndrome: genomic rearrangements, faster fermentation rates, lower production of phenolic off‐flavours and lower volatile compound complexity. Expression profiling in beer wort revealed altered expression levels of genes related to methionine metabolism, flocculation, stress tolerance and diauxic shift, likely contributing to higher ethanol and fermentation stress tolerance in the evolved populations. Our study shows that experimental evolution can rebuild the brewing domestication process in ‘fast motion’ in wild yeast, and also provides a powerful tool for studying the genetics of the adaptation process in complex populations.
Diagnosis of miliary nodules as lung adenocarcinoma by cryobiopsy: A case report
Authors: Morishita Momoko , Suzuki Manabu , Watanabe Hiromu , Morita Chie , Ishida Akane , Hashimoto Masao , Naka Go , Takeda Yuichiro , Hojo Masayuki , Sugiyama Haruhito 
Published: March 2021

AbstractA 62‐year‐old woman with rheumatoid arthritis and a history of receiving immunosuppressant therapy had a recurrence of lung adenocarcinoma with EGFR L858R mutation. Following 14 months of treatment with erlotinib, computed tomography (CT) findings revealed the presence of small diffuse nodules. Bronchoscopy was performed as metastasis was suspected; however, this was not detected on lung biopsy with forceps. Transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC) succeeded in detecting metastatic adenocarcinoma, and T790M and L858R gene mutations. Pathological examination revealed a cluster of tumor cells in the intralobular interstitial areas, which was consistent with the CT findings. This report provides important information regarding the role of TBLC in diagnosing metastatic cancer, such as diffuse small miliary nodules, and its genetic mutations.
Contribution to the geology of Failaka Island, Kuwait: Evidence from sedimentological and petrographic data from the NE part of the island
Authors: Chagelishvili Rusudan , Jaoshvili George , Chkhvimiani Jimsher , Al Mutairi Hamed 
Published: March 2021

AbstractKuwait–Georgian archaeological work at Failaka Island showed the need for geological study. Analysis of sediments related to drinking water‐collecting cisterns was performed on a Late Islamic settlement (NE part of the island) in 2018. Field sedimentological, grain size and XRD analysis of the sediment profiles showed that the shallow (about 1 m deep) cone‐shaped wells are dug in the loose, porous, cross‐stratified calcareous coarse‐grained quartz sandstones. Three upper layers of quartz sandstones in the profile have high infiltration rate and provide a rare yet ideal material for water retention. The fourth dense layer below, composed of very fine sand and silt fraction, tends to hinder water movement and forms a relatively impermeable water‐resistant surface. Thus, the distribution patterns of clay content, grain sizes and porosity of the well‐hosting sediments are favourable for freshwater infiltration and harvesting. An additional petrographic analysis was conducted on different types of rocks discovered on the archaeological site, used as building material and fragments of stone artifacts to identify their origin. It was established that archaeological building material is of local origin, whereas the source rocks for stone artifacts were imported.
Is the COVID‐19 Pandemic a High‐Risk Period for College Student Alcohol Use? A Comparison of Three Spring Semesters
Authors: Jaffe Anna E. , Kumar Shaina A. , Ramirez Jason J. , DiLillo David 
Published: March 2021

BackgroundThere has been widespread concern that the COVID‐19 pandemic may be a high‐risk time for alcohol use among heavy drinking populations such as college students. Initial efforts to evaluate changes in college drinking have not yet accounted for typical drinking patterns within a semester.MethodsTo fill this gap, we evaluated how college student drinking patterns changed with the onset of restrictions related to the COVID‐19 pandemic during spring 2020 relative to spring 2018 and 2019. Participants were 1,365 college students aged 19 and older, including 895 students who reported past‐month alcohol use. Daily drinking data were extracted from an online Timeline Followback survey.ResultsNegative binomial hurdle models revealed that, with the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic in spring 2020, college student drinkers did not increase their drinking frequency as was typical in late spring semester, and the number of drinks per occasion declined substantially (28% reduction), greater than the change observed from early to late spring 2018 (3% reduction) or spring 2019 (8% increase). This reduction in drinking quantity in spring 2020 was larger for college student drinkers who moved residences because of the pandemic (49% reduction) than students who did not move (21% reduction). Perceptions in pandemic‐related changes in drinking also revealed that 83.5% of college student drinkers self‐reported that their drinking stayed the same or decreased.ConclusionsFindings suggest that, on average, college students drank less—not more—during the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic and highlight the importance of living situation in college student drinking behavior. More research is needed to assess alcohol use in other universities, as this information could be utilized in norms‐based interventions to further reduce drinking in students who remain at risk.
Potential distribution of Schistocerca gregaria gregaria in southwestern Asia
Authors: Zhu Gengping , Men Yongliang , Han Xinrao 
Published: March 2021

The northern subspecies of desert locust Schistocerca gregaria gregaria has recently expanded into western Asia. It poses a serious threat to food security in areas that are already socially and politically unstable. Its further expansion into other parts of southwestern Asia is an issue of great concern (e.g., China).
We assembled S. g. gregaria occurrence records that were accumulated by the Food and Agriculture Organization and environmental variables that summarized aspects of climate, soil condition and vegetation. We predicted the potential distribution of S. g. gregaria via the fine‐tuned Maxent model and ensemble ecological niche model approaches.
The models predicted that India and other southwestern Asian countries face high risk of S. g. gregaria invasion because of the presence of suitable habitats and the absence of natural barriers that would prevent S. g. gregaria dispersal into these areas. By contrast, the risk of S. g. gregaria invasion in China is low because the suitability values were very low. Moreover, the Tianshan Mountains, the Kunlun Mountains and the Himalaya Mountains may act as natural barriers against S. g. gregaria dispersal.
Responses of S. g. gregaria to these environmental variables were modelled using fine‐tuned Maxent models.
Predicting adverse cardiovascular outcomes in post‐coronary artery bypass grafting patients using novel ECG frequency analysis of the QRS complex
Authors: Hua Thalia , Vlahos Alexandra , Shariat Mohammad Hassan , Payne Darrin , Redfearn Damian 
Published: March 2021

AbstractBackgroundA novel metric called Layered Symbolic Decomposition frequency (LSDf) has been shown to be an independent predictor of ventricular arrhythmia and mortality in patients receiving implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD) devices. This novel index studies the fragmentation of the QRS complex. However, its generalizability to predict cardiovascular events for other cardiac procedures is unknown. Herein, we investigated the applicability of LSDf as a predictive measure for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients receiving coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).Methods and ResultsOne hundred ninety‐five patients had high‐resolution ECG recorded prior to CABG surgery in 2012/2013 and were followed for a mean duration of 7.32 ± 0.32 years for postoperative cardiovascular outcomes. These outcomes were described as a modified composite of MACE defined as hospitalization for heart failure, ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, and cardiovascular death including stroke and cardiac arrest. One hundred seventy‐two patients were included for analysis and 18 patients experienced a postoperative cardiovascular outcome. These patients had significantly increased age (71.3 vs. 64.6 years, p = .007), prolonged QRS duration (113.22 vs. 97.35 ms, p = .003), reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (42.7% vs. 56.5%, p < .001), and lower LSDf percent (13.5% vs. 16.9%, p = .002). Patients with an LSDf below 13.25% were 4.8 (OR 1.7–13.5, p < .001) times more likely to experience a MACE and up to 19.4 (OR 4.2–90.3, p < .001) times more likely to experience a MACE when older than 70 years and an ejection fraction below 50%.ConclusionLayered Symbolic Decomposition frequency may be an applicable metric to predict long‐term cardiovascular outcomes in patients with ischemic heart disease.
Suppression of amiodarone‐induced torsade de pointes by landiolol in a patient with atrial fibrillation‐mediated cardiomyopathy
Authors: Takahashi Koji , Yamashita Mina , Sakaue Tomoki , Enomoto Daijiro , Uemura Shigeki , Okura Takafumi , Ikeda Shuntaro , Takemoto Masafumi , Utsunomiya Yutaka , Hyodo Takashi 
Published: March 2021

AbstractAn elderly Japanese woman developed acute decompensated heart failure caused by persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) and left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Approximately 6 days after starting intravenous administration of amiodarone (600 mg/day) for maintaining sinus rhythm after cardioversion of AF, electrocardiograms revealed a prolonged QT interval associated with torsade de pointes (TdP). The amiodarone‐induced TdP disappeared after intravenous administration of landiolol plus magnesium and potassium, without discontinuation of amiodarone or overdrive cardiac pacing, although the prolonged QT interval persisted. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that landiolol could be effective for amiodarone‐induced TdP.
A systematic overview of the spermatotoxic and genotoxic effects of methotrexate, ganciclovir and mycophenolate mofetil
Authors: Jensen Nicolai B. , Justesen Signe D. , Larsen Agnete , Ernst Erik , Pedersen Lars H. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractIntroductionImmunosuppressant drugs are increasingly being used in the reproductive years. Theoretically, such medications could affect fetal health either through changes in the sperm DNA or through fetal exposure caused by a presence in the seminal fluid. This systematic overview summarizes existing literature on the spermatotoxic and genotoxic potentials of methotrexate (MTX), a drug widely used to treat rheumatic and dermatologic diseases, and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), which alone or supplemented with ganciclovir (GCV) may be crucial for the survival of organ transplants.Material and methodsThe systematic overview was performed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines: A systematic literature search of the MEDLINE and Embase databases was done using a combination of relevant terms to search for studies on spermatotoxic or genotoxic changes related to treatment with MTX, GCV or MMF. The search was restricted to English language literature, and to in vivo animal studies (mammalian species) and clinical human studies.ResultsA total of 102 studies were identified, hereof 25 human and 77 animal studies. For MTX, human studies of immunosuppressive dosages show transient effect on sperm quality parameters, which return to reference values within 3 months. No human studies have investigated the sperm DNA damaging effect of MTX, but in other organs the genotoxic effects of immunosuppressive doses of MTX are fluctuating. In animals, immunosuppressive and cytotoxic doses of MTX adversely affect sperm quality parameters and show widespread genotoxic damages in various organs. Cytotoxic doses transiently change the DNA material in all cell stages of spermatogenesis in rodents. For GCV and MMF, data are limited and the results are indeterminate, for which reason spermatotoxic and genotoxic potentials cannot be excluded.ConclusionsData from human and animal studies indicate transient spermatotoxic and genotoxic potentials of immunosuppressive and cytotoxic doses of MTX. There are a limited number of studies investigating GCV and MMF.
Occurrence of macroprolactinemia in schizophrenia patients treated with risperidone or amisulpride
Authors: Zhenhua Wang , Haizhi Chen , Jing Li , Xiaocong Fei , Jianhua Li , Jianjun Liu , Lilei Lei , Haiying Jin 
Published: March 2021

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate macroprolactinemia caused by antipsychotics and its clinical significance.MethodsA total of 133 patients with schizophrenia were selected, all of whom were treated with either risperidone or amisulpride alone. The levels of total prolactin (T‐PRL) and macroprolactin (MPRL) were measured before treatment as well as the second, fourth, and sixth weeks of treatment.ResultsAfter 2 weeks of treatment, 75.09% (100/133) of the patients met the diagnostic criteria for hyperprolactinemia, the incidence of macroprolactinemia was 43% (43/100), and MPRL levels were positively correlated T‐PRL levels.ConclusionRisperidone and amisulpride caused hyperprolactinemia and macroprolactinemia; thus, detection of MPRL in the clinical setting should be performed as this phenomenon appears early in treatment (the second week) and continues, that can avoid unnecessary examination and treatment for asymptomatic patients with macroprolactinemia.
Effects of exogenous lactoferrin on characteristics and functions of bovine epididymal, ejaculated and frozen‐thawed sperm
Authors: Kobayashi Jin , Sasaki Aya , Watanabe Asuka , Komine Kenichi , Kuroishi Toshinobu , Takada Naokazu , Sasada Hiroshi , Sato Eimei 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to investigate effects of addition of lactoferrin on characteristics and functions of bovine epididymal, ejaculated, and frozen‐thawed sperm. The addition of lactoferrin was significantly (p < .05) effective on increasing values of progressive motility, straightness, and linearity in caput epididymal sperm and values of motility in cauda epididymal sperm. When ejaculated sperm were incubated in capacitation medium, percentages of motile and progressively motile sperm decreased largely within the first period of 30 min, followed by only minor changes. However, the addition of lactoferrin significantly lessened the early decreases of these parameters and additionally promoted capacitation‐dependent changes of chlortetracycline staining patterns (from F pattern to B pattern). In other experiments, when ejaculated sperm were exposed to oxidative stress with 100‐µM H2O2, the addition of lactoferrin partially protected them from dysfunction of flagellar movement and loss of progressive movement. In final experiments with frozen‐thawed samples incubated in the capacitation medium, the addition of lactoferrin effectively survived dying sperm and suppressed occurrence of sperm agglutination. These results may suggest biological and biotechnological potentials of lactoferrin for modulation of bovine sperm viability, motility, capacitation state, and preservation in vitro.
Digital Corporate Reporting: Research Developments and Implications
Authors: Troshani Indrit , Rowbottom Nick 
Published: March 2021

AbstractInnovations surrounding digital corporate reporting and underlying technology such as XBRL have been slowly introduced to corporate reporting infrastructure since the early 2000s. These innovations promise to enhance the accessibility, accuracy and comparability of reported information, and more effectively meet the needs of information users. Whilst research in the last two decades has attempted to provide evidence of the impact of digital corporate reporting, it remains largely fragmented and sparse. We take an eclectic perspective to review and synthesise existing research on digital corporate reporting and assess the broader research implications for key stakeholders, including preparers and users of corporate reports, regulators and standard‐setters. In doing so, we offer an appraisal for those contemplating the growing influence of digital corporate reporting, and identify opportunities and avenues for future research.