bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Claw morphology, claw strength, and fighting behavior in the New River crayfishCambarus chasmodactylusJames, 1966 (Decapoda: Astacoidea: Cambaridae)
Authors: Graham Zackary A 
Published: July 2021

AbstractDespite the diversity in the size, performance, and function of crustacean claws (chelae), our understanding of the functional morphology and evolution of these claws are lacking. Since crayfish claws are multi-function organs that face selection from fighting, mating, foraging, and predation, these pressures all interact to shape the claws morphology and performance. I studied a unique claw morphology, the exaggerated claw gape of the New River crayfish, Cambarus chasmodactylusJames, 1966, by investigating how this claw morphology relates to claw strength and fighting style. Claw length increased in both males and females as body size increased, although this trend was more pronounced in males, and maximal claw strength increased as claw length increased in both males and females. I describe the fighting behavior of the species in relation to previously studied species and speculate on how changes in claw morphology have led to changes in species-specific fighting style. Observations of fighting behavior in C. chasmodactylus revealed a previously undescribed claw grasping behavior, in which competitors grasp onto the manus of their opponent’s claw and laterally twist to flip their opponent. When assessing the relative role of claw size and claw strength on contest success in male individuals, individuals with larger, but not necessarily stronger claws were most likely to attain dominance. These results highlight the functional morphology of a unique claw morphology and provides initial evidence for how claw form relates to fighting style within decapod crustaceans.
RNAi-Mediated Screening of Selected Target Genes AgainstCulex quinquefasciatus(Diptera: Culicidae)
Authors: Khalil Sayed M S , Munawar Kashif , Alahmed Azzam M , Mohammed Ahmed M A 
Published: July 2021

AbstractCulex quinquefasciatus, a member of the Culex pipiens complex, is widespread in Saudi Arabia and other parts of the world. It is a vector for lymphatic filariasis, Rift Valley fever, and West Nile virus. Studies have shown the deleterious effect of RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated knockdown of various lethal genes in model and agricultural pest insects. RNAi was proposed as a tool for mosquito control with a focus on Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae. In this study, we examined the effect of RNAi of selected target genes on both larval mortality and adult emergence of Cx. quinquefasciatus through two delivery methods: soaking and nanoparticles. Ten candidate genes were selected for RNAi based on their known lethal effect in other insects. Disruption of three genes, chitin synthase-1, inhibitor of apoptosis 1, and vacuolar adenosine triphosphatase, resulted in the highest mortality among the selected genes using the two treatment methods. Silencing the other seven genes resulted in a medium to low mortality in both assays. These three genes are also active against a wide range of insects and could be used for RNAi-based mosquito control in the future.
Hepatoprotective effect of Spirulina platensis against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury in male rats
Authors: Mohamed Nema A , Hashem Mohamed A M , Alzahrani Abdullah M , Abdel-Moneim Ashraf M , Abdou Heba M 
Published: July 2021

Abstract

Objectives
Spirulina platensis (SP) is an edible Cyanobacterium with ethnomedicinal significance. This study aims at evaluating the beneficial effect of SP against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver toxicity in male rats.

Methods
Rats received intraperitoneal injections of CCl4 (2 ml/kg body weight [b.w.] per every other day) for 40 days, alone or in combination with oral treatments of SP (400 mg/kg b.w. per day).

Key findings
SP attenuated haematological disturbances, serum liver markers, hepatic necrosis and inflammation, and dyslipidemia in CCl4-intoxicated rats. SP also reduced CCl4-induced oxidative stress by increasing the activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase and glutathione content, and inhibiting lipid peroxidation products and nitric oxide levels in the rat liver. Further investigations revealed that SP counteracted CCl4-induced increased hepatic levels of Ki-67 (a parameter of cell proliferation), interleukin-6, and tumour necrosis factor-alpha and cyclooxygenase-2 messenger RNA expression. Noticeably, the supplementation of SP restored the decrease of proapoptotic p53 protein levels in the liver of rats treated with CCl4.

Conclusions
SP prevented liver damage in CCl4-treated rats via augmentation of antioxidant defense mechanisms and inhibition of inflammatory cytokines/mediators and antiproliferative effects.
What’s new in travellers’ diarrhoea: updates on epidemiology, diagnostics, treatment and long-term consequences
Authors: Adler Audrey V , Ciccotti Hailee R , Trivitt Spencer J H , Watson Roland C J , Riddle Mark S 
Published: July 2021

Abstract

Background
Travellers’ diarrhoea (TD) is the most common clinical syndrome affecting travellers. This narrative review summarizes key discoveries reported in the last two years related to TD and suggests areas for future research.

Methods
A PubMed literature search was conducted for novel data in TD research published between 12 January 2018 and 12 January 2020. Inclusion was based on contribution to epidemiology, aetiology, diagnostics, management and long-term consequences and relevance to public health, discovery and clinical practice.

Results
The initial literature search yielded 118 articles. We retrieved 72 and reviewed 31 articles for inclusion. The findings support our understanding that TD incidence varies by traveller group and environment with students and military-travel remaining moderately high risk, and control of food and water in mass gathering events remain an important goal. The growth of culture-independent testing has led to a continued detection of previously known pathogens, but also an increased detection frequency of norovirus. Another consequence is the increase in multi-pathogen infections, which require consideration of clinical, epidemiological and diagnostic data. Fluoroquinolone resistant rates continue to rise. New data on non-absorbable antibiotics continue to emerge, offering a potential alternative to current recommendations (azithromycin and fluoroquinolones), but are not recommended for febrile diarrhoea or dysentery or regions/itineraries where invasive pathogens are likely to cause illness. Recent studies investigated the interaction of the microbiome in TD prevention and consequences, and while discriminating features were identified, much uncertainty remains. The prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase–producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE) acquisition and carriage is increasing. Finally, continued research documents the post-infectious consequences, whereas mechanisms of reactive arthritis and post-infectious IBS necessitate further investigation.

Conclusions
Globally, TD remains an important travel health issue and advances in our understanding continue. More research is needed to mitigate risk factors where possible and develop risk-based management strategies to reduce antibiotic usage and its attendant consequences.
A feather on the hat: tracing the giant stellar stream around the Sombrero galaxy
Authors: Martínez-Delgado David , Román Javier , Erkal Denis , Schirmer Mischa , Roca-Fàbrega Santi , Laine Seppo , Donatiello Giuseppe , Jimenez Manuel , Malin David , Carballo-Bello Julio A 
Published: July 2021

ABSTRACT
Recent evidence of extremely metal-rich stars found in the Sombrero galaxy (M104) halo suggests that this galaxy has undergone a recent major merger with a relatively massive galaxy. In this paper, we present wide-field deep images of the M104 outskirts obtained with a 18-cm amateur telescope with the purpose of detecting any coherent tidal features from this possible major merger. Our new data, together with a model of the M104 inner halo and scattered light from stars around the field, allow us to trace for the first time the full path of the stream on both sides of the disc of the galaxy. We fully characterize the ring-like tidal structure and we confirm that this is the only observable coherent substructure in the inner halo region. This result is in agreement with the hypothesis that M104 was created by a wet major merger more than 3.5 Gyr ago that heated up the stellar population, blurring all old substructure. We generated a set of numerical models that reproduce the formation of the observed tidal structure. Our best-fitting model suggests the formation of this stream in the last 3 Gyr is independent of the wet major merger that created the M104 system. Therefore, the formation of the tidal stream can put a constraint on the time when the major merger occurred.
Intrinsic metallicity variation in the intermediate mass type II globular cluster NGC 1261
Authors: Muñoz C , Geisler D , Villanova S , Sarajedini Ata , Frelijj H , Vargas C , Monaco L , O’Connell J 
Published: July 2021

ABSTRACT
Globular Clusters (GCs) are now well known to almost universally show multiple populations (MPs). The HST UV Legacy Survey of a large number of Galactic GCs in UV filters optimized to explore MPs finds that a small fraction of GCs, termed Type II, also display more complex, anomalous behaviour. Several well-studied Type II GCs show intrinsic Fe abundance variations, suggesting that the other, less well-studied, Type II GCs should also exhibit similar behaviour. Our aim is to perform the first detailed metallicity analysis of NGC 1261, an intermediate mass Type II GC, in order to determine if this object shows an intrinsic Fe variation. We determined the Fe abundance in eight red giant members using Magellan-MIKE and UVES-FLAMES high-resolution, high S/N spectroscopy. The full range of [Fe/H] for the entire sample from the spectra is from −1.05 to −1.43 dex with an observed spread σobs = 0.133 dex. Compared with the total internal error of σtot = 0.06, this indicates a significant intrinsic metallicity spread of σint = 0.119 dex. We found a very similar variation in [Fe/H] using an independent method to derive the atmospheric parameters based on near-IR photometry. More importantly, the mean metallicity of the five presumed normal metallicity stars is −1.37 ± 0.02, while that of the three presumed anomalous/high metallicity stars is −1.18 ± 0.09. This difference is significant at the ∼2.4σ level. We find indications from existing data of other Type II GCs that several of them presumed to have real metallicity spreads may in fact possess none. The minimum mass required for a GC to acquire an intrinsic Fe spread appears to be ∼105M⊙. We find no strong correlation between mass and metallicity variation for Type II GCs. The metallicity spread is also independent of the fraction of anomalous stars within the Type II GCs and of GC origin.
Cygnus A jointly calibrated and imaged via non-convex optimization from VLA data
Authors: Dabbech A , Repetti A , Perley R A , Smirnov O M , Wiaux Y 
Published: July 2021

ABSTRACT
Radio interferometric (RI) data are noisy undersampled spatial Fourier components of the unknown radio sky affected by direction-dependent antenna gains. Failure to model these antenna gains accurately results in a radio sky estimate with limited fidelity and resolution. The RI inverse problem has been recently addressed via a joint calibration and imaging approach that consists in solving a non-convex minimization task, involving suitable priors for the direction-dependent effects (DDEs), namely temporal and spatial smoothness, and sparsity for the unknown radio map via an ℓ1-norm prior, in the context of realistic RI simulations. Building on these developments, we propose to promote sparsity of the radio map via a log-sum prior, enforcing sparsity more strongly than the ℓ1 norm. The resulting minimization task is addressed via a sequence of non-convex minimization tasks composed of re-weighted ℓ1 image priors, which are solved approximately. We demonstrate the efficiency of the approach on RI observations of the celebrated radio galaxy Cygnus A obtained with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array at the frequency bands X, C, and S . More precisely, we showcase that the approach enhances data fidelity significantly while achieving high-resolution high-dynamic range radio maps, confirming the suitability of the priors considered for the unknown DDEs and radio image. As a clear qualitative indication of the high fidelity achieved by the data and the proposed approach, we report the detection of three background sources in the vicinity of Cyg A, at S band.
Mutually exclusive substrate selection strategy by human m3C RNA transferases METTL2A and METTL6
Authors: Mao Xue-Ling , Li Zi-Han , Huang Meng-Han , Wang Jin-Tao , Zhou Jing-Bo , Li Qing-Run , Xu Hong , Wang Xi-Jin , Zhou Xiao-Long 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
tRNAs harbor the most diverse posttranscriptional modifications. The 3-methylcytidine (m3C) is widely distributed at position C32 (m3C32) of eukaryotic tRNAThr and tRNASer species. m3C32 is decorated by the single methyltransferase Trm140 in budding yeasts; however, two (Trm140 and Trm141 in fission yeasts) or three enzymes (METTL2A, METTL2B and METTL6 in mammals) are involved in its biogenesis. The rationale for the existence of multiple m3C32 methyltransferases and their substrate discrimination mechanism is hitherto unknown. Here, we revealed that both METTL2A and METTL2B are expressed in vivo. We purified human METTL2A, METTL2B, and METTL6 to high homogeneity. We successfully reconstituted m3C32 modification activity for tRNAThr by METT2A and for tRNASer(GCU) by METTL6, assisted by seryl-tRNA synthetase (SerRS) in vitro. Compared with METTL2A, METTL2B exhibited dramatically lower activity in vitro. Both G35 and t6A at position 37 (t6A37) are necessary but insufficient prerequisites for tRNAThr m3C32 formation, while the anticodon loop and the long variable arm, but not t6A37, are key determinants for tRNASer(GCU) m3C32 biogenesis, likely being recognized synergistically by METTL6 and SerRS, respectively. Finally, we proposed a mutually exclusive substrate selection model to ensure correct discrimination among multiple tRNAs by multiple m3C32 methyltransferases.
BOLD asynchrony elucidates tumor burden in IDH-mutated gliomas
Authors: Petridis Petros D , Horenstein Craig I , Pereira Brianna , Wu Peter B , Samanamud Jorge , Marie Tamara , Boyett Deborah , Sudhakar Tejaswi D , Sheth Sameer A , McKhann Guy M , Sisti Michael B , Bruce Jeffrey N , Canoll Peter , Grinband Jack 
Published: July 2021

Abstract

Background
Gliomas comprise the most common type of primary brain tumor, are highly invasive, and often fatal. IDH-mutated gliomas are particularly challenging to image and there is currently no clinically accepted method for identifying the extent of tumor burden in these neoplasms. This uncertainty poses a challenge to clinicians who must balance the need to treat the tumor while sparing healthy brain from iatrogenic damage. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using resting-state blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to detect glioma-related asynchrony in vascular dynamics for distinguishing tumor from healthy brain.

Methods
Twenty-four stereotactically localized biopsies were obtained during open surgical resection from ten treatment-naïve patients with IDH-mutated gliomas who received standard-of-care preoperative imaging as well as echo-planar resting-state BOLD fMRI. Signal intensity for BOLD asynchrony and standard-of-care imaging was compared to cell counts of total cellularity (H&E), tumor density (IDH1 & Sox2), cellular proliferation (Ki67), and neuronal density (NeuN), for each corresponding sample.

Results
BOLD asynchrony was directly related to total cellularity (H&E, P = 4 × 10–5), tumor density (IDH1, P = 4 × 10–5; Sox2, P = 3 × 10–5), cellular proliferation (Ki67, P = .002), and inversely related to neuronal density (NeuN, P = 1 × 10–4).

Conclusions
Asynchrony in vascular dynamics, as measured by resting-state BOLD fMRI, correlates with tumor burden and provides a radiographic delineation of tumor boundaries in IDH-mutated gliomas.
The Hostile Mediator Phenomenon
Authors: Yair Omer 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Rival partisans tend to perceive ostensibly balanced news coverage as biased against their respective sides; this is known as the “hostile media phenomenon” (HMP). Yet complaints of hostile bias are common in contexts besides the media (e.g., law enforcement and academia). Does a process similar to the HMP occur outside the context of news coverage? And do perceptions of political bias in different contexts share certain similarities? This paper proposes that the HMP is a specific case of a more general hostile mediator phenomenon, where rival partisans perceive various public institutions and organizations that are expected to be neutral as biased against their respective sides. The paper starts by presenting a theoretical framework according to which partisans’ bias perceptions are affected by the threat to the power and status of their ingroup posed by a mediator’s actions. Evidence from three studies (total N = 4,164) shows that members of rival ideological camps in Israel perceived the Israeli attorney general and the Israeli police to be biased against their respective camps. An additional study (N = 2,172) shows that both Democrats and Republicans perceived the social network Facebook to be biased against their side. Moreover, an embedded, pre-registered survey experiment buttresses the causal claim that ingroup-threatening information increases perceptions of hostile bias. The implications of these findings for our understanding of people’s bias perceptions, as well as for citizens’ trust in public institutions and democratic stability more generally, are discussed.
L’harmonisation des processus d’intégration en Afrique noire francophone
Authors: François Sobze Serge 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
La construction d’une Afrique « politiquement unie » ! Tel est l’un des axes majeurs du projet d’intégration de l’Union africaine illustré dans son Agenda 2063. L’Afrique, par cette option, situe l’intégration politique au premier plan de ses objectifs et domaines prioritaires pour les dix premières années de son agenda. En revanche, elle ne peut y parvenir qu’à travers un partage des expériences qui rend compte de la symbiose qui existe entre les différents processus d’intégration et qui s’inspire soit de l’idée du foisonnement ou de la coexistence des organisations régionales d’intégration, soit de celle d’harmonisation ou de coordination des politiques nationales qui se dégagent des différents traités, que ce soit celui révisé de la CEMAC ou celui d’Abuja établissant la Communauté économique africaine. La présente étude entend expérimenter cette dynamique de convergence des schémas d’intégration régionale dans l’optique de mutualiser les intérêts pour une intégration collective et complète. Ainsi suggère-t-elle aux organisations régionales et sous-régionales l’option d’une approche prudente dans l’ébauche des politiques sanitaires d’intégration communes à l’effet d’affronter l’insécurité sanitaire actuelle occasionnée par la Covid-19. De ce fait, à travers une méthode juridique et une technique comparative des modèles d’intégration, l’étude interroge sur l’harmonisation des processus comme gage de formation de l’intégration régionale africaine. Il s’agit d’un procédé fédératif ayant pour finalité la construction d’un modèle africain d’intégration et qui paraît mieux adapté aux réalités endogènes résolument tournées vers la pluralité que vers l’unité du droit.
Community-Based Phenotypic Study of Safety, Tolerability, Reactogenicity and Immunogenicity of Emergency-Use-Authorized Vaccines Against COVID-19 and Viral Shedding Potential of Post-Vaccination Infections: Protocol for an Ambispective study
Authors: Gabashvili Irene S. 
Published: July 2021

1ABSTRACTThe outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) led to a global pandemic that disrupted and impacted lives in unprecedented ways. Within less than a year after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines developed by several research teams were emergency-use authorized and made their way to distribution sites across the US and other countries. COVID-19 vaccines were tested in clinical trials with thousands of participants before authorization, and were administered to over a billion people across the globe in the following 6 months. Post-authorization safety monitoring was performed using pre-existing systems (such as the World Health Organization’s platform VigiBase or US Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, VAERS) and newly developed post-vaccination health checkers (such as V-safe in the US). Vaccinated individuals were also posting their experiences on multiple social media groups created on Facebook, Reddit, Telegram and other platforms, but the groups were often removed as “proliferating false claims”. These forms of reporting are susceptible to biases and misclassifications and do not reach all vaccinated individuals, raising questions about risks of exacerbating health inequalities as well as security and privacy vulnerabilities.The objective of this paper is to present the protocol for a community-based participatory research approach enabling long-term monitoring of health effects, strengthening community participation via transparent messaging and support, and addressing challenges of transitioning to a new normal.
Hospital Preparedness and Response Framework during infection pandemic
Authors: Thapa Bikash Bikram 
Published: July 2021

AbstractCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has put an unprecedented burden to world health, economy and social life with possible long-term consequences. The velocity and mass of this infection pandemic had already overwhelmed every robust health care system in the world. The evidence pertaining to this novel infection pandemic is evolving, so are the challenges in terms of adequate preparedness and response. In this review, we enumerate the strategic and operational domains and build a functional framework for the management of hospital mass infection incidents due to COVID-19 and similar future pandemics. This functional framework could assist health policy maker and health care worker to implement, innovate, and translate preparedness and response to save valuable life and resources.