bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Identification of lead-resistant rhizobacteria of Carthamus tinctorius and their effects on lead absorption of Sunflower
Authors: Shahraki Atefeh , Mohammadi-Sichani Maryam , Ranjbar Monireh 
Published: December 2021

Abstract

Aims
Using rhizobacteria as plant growth-promoting agents for improving heavy-metal phytoremediation processes in contaminated soil has attracted a lot of attention mainly because of their eco-friendliness. The aim of this study was the evaluation of lead phytoremediation by Carthamus tinctorius improved with the isolated and molecularly identified lead-resistant rhizobacteria.

Methods and Results
Rhizobacteria were isolated from C. tinctorius root and was identified using macroscopic and microscopic characteristics, biochemical testing and PCR. Then, the indole acetic acid production and phosphate-solubilizing activity were determined. Finally, the amount of lead in the plant was measured by atomic absorption method. Five strains of Bacillus cereus, Bacillus muralis, Bacillus sp., Pseudomonas fluorescens and Brevibacterium frigoritolerans with the ability of mineral phosphate solubilizing, high levels of indole acetic acid production and resistance to lead were isolated from the rhizosphere of C. tinctorius. The amount of produced indole acetic acid and the level of phosphate solubilizing by the isolates were 7.1–69.54 µg ml−1 and 91–147.3 µg ml−1 respectively. Lead assimilation in aerial part of safflower ranged from 925 to 2175 ppm. P. fluorescens and B. cereus strains had the highest effect on Lead assimilation with 2175 and 1862 ppm respectively.

Conclusions
The results showed that different bacterial treatments influenced the rate of lead absorption by C. tinctorius exposed to lead stress.

Significance and Impact of the Study
Use of rhizosphere isolates of C. tinctorius can improve phytoremediation capability and lead absorption in lead-contaminated soil.
Metagenomic analysis reveals the linkages between bacteria and the functional enzymes responsible for potential ammonia and biogenic amine production in alfalfa silage
Authors: Li Rongrong , Zheng Mingli , Zheng Menghu , Cai Rui , Cui Xinyu , Wang Yan , Jiang Xin , Xu Chuncheng 
Published: December 2021

Abstract

Aims
To clarify the molecular mechanisms underlying ammonia (NH3) and biogenic amines (BAEs) formation in alfalfa silage, whole metagenomic sequencing analysis was performed to identify the linkages between functional bacteria and their responsible enzymes in alfalfa silage prepared with and without sucrose addition.

Methods and Results
Genes encoding nitrite reductase (nirB) resulting in NH3 formation were the most abundant and were mostly assigned to Enterobacter cloacae and Klebsiella oxytoca. Putrescine-related genes, classified mainly to encode ornithine decarboxylase (odcA), were predominantly carried by Escherichia coli, Ent. cloacae and Citrobacter sp. Escherichia coli and Kl. oxytoca were the important species responsible for cadaverine and tyramine formation. Ent. cloacae, E. coli, and Kl. oxytoca dominated the bacterial community in naturally fermented alfalfa silage, whilst sucrose-treated silages greatly inhibited the growth of these species by promoting the dominance of Lactobacillus plantarum, thus decreasing the concentrations of NH3, cadaverine, putrescine and tyramine.

Conclusions
Enterobacteriaceae bacteria are mainly responsible for the NH3, putrescine, cadaverine and tyramine formations in alfalfa silage.

Significance and Impact of the Study
Whole metagenomic sequencing analysis served as a useful tool to identify the linkages between functional bacteria and associated enzymes responsible for NH3 and BAEs formation.
Are retail investors really passive? Shareholder activism in the digital age
Authors: Hafeez Bilal , Kabir M. Humayun , Wongchoti Udomsak 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAcademics traditionally view retail investors as rationally passive toward corporate proxy fights due to the higher cost of individual information gathering and their inability to coordinate collectively. In the wake of the digital age and social media, we re‐examine retail investors’ attention and participation during the shareholder activism process. Using a sample from 2005 to 2016, we find that abnormal Google search activities (a proxy for retail investors’ attention in the literature) on firms that receive a shareholder proposal increase during the 3‐week period leading up to the voting. This increase is more pronounced for less transparent firms. Our textual analyses of proxy statements also indicate that these abnormal Google search activities particularly increase for proposals with a more negative or controversial tone. In turn, this retail investors’ attention is associated with greater participation in the voting process, especially among proposals that resonate with shareholders’ preferences and interests (high salience activism). Finally, we show that greater participation during high salience activism is more prominent after E‐proxy regulation became fully effective in 2009. By highlighting that retail investors are proactively engaged in “informed” voting during the shareholder activism process, our study further challenges the view that retail investors are narratively passive.
Linking mode of seed dispersal and climatic niche evolution in flowering plants
Authors: Vasconcelos Thais , Boyko James D. , Beaulieu Jeremy M. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAimDue to the sessile nature of flowering plants, movements to new geographical areas occur mainly during seed dispersal. Frugivores tend to be efficient dispersers because animals move within the boundaries of their preferable niches, so seeds are more likely to be transported to environments that are similar to where the parent plant occurs. However, this efficiency can result in less opportunity for niche shifts over macroevolutionary time, ‘trapping’ plant lineages in particular climatic conditions. Here we test this hypothesis by analysing the role that the interaction with frugivores play in changing dynamics of climatic niche evolution in five clades of flowering plants.LocationGlobal.TaxonThe flowering plant families Apocynaceae, Ericaceae, Melastomataceae, Rosaceae and Solanaceae.MethodsWe model climatic niche evolution as a variable parameter Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process. However, rather than assuming regimes a priori, we use a hidden Markov model (HMM) to infer the complex evolutionary history associated with different modes of seed dispersal. In addition to allowing for a more accurate picture of the regimes, the use of HMMs allows partitioning the variance of climatic niche evolution to include dynamics independent of our focal character.ResultsLineages dispersed by frugivores tend to have warmer and wetter climatic optima and are generally associated with areas where potential for vegetation growth is higher. However, lineages distributed in more mesic habitats, such as rainforests, are generally associated with slower rates of climatic niche evolution regardless of their mode of seed dispersal.Main ConclusionsCharacteristics of the abiotic environment may facilitate the evolution of some types of plant–animal interactions. Association with frugivores is an important modulator of how plants move in space, but its impact on their climatic niche evolution appears to be indirect. Seed dispersal by frugivores may facilitate the establishment of lineages in closed canopy biomes, but the general slower rates of climatic niche evolution in these habitats are possibly related to other general aspects of the ‘mesic syndrome’ rather than the behaviour of the animals that disperse their seeds.
Bird diversity on shelf islands does not benefit from recent land‐bridge connections
Authors: Sin Yong Chee Keita , Kristensen Nadiah P. , Gwee Chyi Yin , Chisholm Ryan A. , Rheindt Frank E. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAimResearch in island biogeography has long focused mainly on present‐day island configurations. Recently, there has been an increasing focus on islands’ past histories of land connection, shape and size. Moreover, continental islands (=shelf islands) have received less attention than oceanic islands, and species inventories from extremely small islands are lacking in many datasets. We examine the effects of sea‐level rise since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) on bird species diversity and composition of tropical shelf islands in Southeast Asia.LocationSundaland.TaxonBirds.MethodsWe compiled avifaunal island inventories for 94 islands using an exhaustive literature review of historic surveys of larger islands combined with our own comprehensive island surveys from both small and large islands. Using generalised least‐squares models with spatial autocorrelation, we assessed the importance of traditional biogeographical parameters including area, maximum elevation, distance from mainland and geographical isolation, along with post‐LGM effects of change in island area and duration since isolation. We also compared the species composition on similar‐sized shelf islands from two categories—recently submerged and unsubmerged—using non‐metric multidimensional scaling.ResultsPost‐LGM effects on species diversity are minimal and insular diversity is instead well explained by present‐day island characteristics, such as area, distance to mainland and proportion of land surrounding an island within a 10 km radius (Cox and Snell Pseudo‐R2 = 0.803). Avifaunal diversity is similar across recently submerged and unsubmerged small shelf islands.Main conclusionAvifaunal diversity on tropical shelf islands equilibrates rapidly after isolation, indicating that both extinction and immigration rates are high. In particular, a high immigration rate of dispersive species maintains diversity, especially on small islands. Over‐water dispersal is generally restricted to short distances among Sundaic birds. Consequently, the diversity of an island can be maintained by the presence of large or stepping‐stone islands near it.
Can’t see the wood for the trees? Canopy physiognomy influences the distribution of peninsular Indian flying lizards
Authors: Chaitanya Ramamoorthi , Meiri Shai 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAimIn the absence of topographic barriers to dispersal, spatial boundaries of species are largely governed by the environmental regimes they occupy. Flying lizards (Agamidae: Draco) from peninsular India have surmounted prominent geographic barriers, but their northern distribution abruptly ends at the ‘Goa gap’, a latitudinal boundary separating the wet and dry regions of the Western Ghats. Given their exclusively arboreal habits, we posit that canopy physiognomy determines Draco distribution in regions of climatic suitability.LocationPeninsular India.TaxaDraco dussumieri, Monilesaurus rouxii.MethodsWe analysed occurrence data collated from multiple sources against a suite of climatic and canopy‐specific predictors to model the occurrence of Draco. We used an information theoretic approach to binary logistic regression that incorporates presence/absence data, along with a maximum entropy‐based algorithm that models ecological niches in space using presence‐only data. Climatic data were obtained from CHELSA and WorldClim. We compared models for Draco dussumieri with the only other largely sympatric, arboreal agamid, Monilesaurus rouxii, which spans the Goa gap. Finally, we statistically tested how regions Draco inhabits differ in canopy physiognomy from the regions in the Western Ghats where it does not occur.ResultsCanopy height was the most influential predictor of Draco presence in regions of climatic suitability under both the logistic regression and maximum entropy models. While climatically suitable regions occur north of the Goa gap, these regions harbour significantly lower canopies with lesser coverage. Despite a narrower range of climatic suitability, Monilesaurus has spanned the Goa gap, presumably because it is less dependent on canopy traits.Main conclusionsLower canopies with lesser coverage act as a biogeographic barrier for the dispersal of Draco into regions of climatic suitability. In addition to being a climatic boundary, the Goa gap serves as a vegetational barrier that demarcates regions with significantly dissimilar canopy physiognomies. Our study highlights the importance of quantifying environmental regimes that organisms occupy to better understand distribution patterns. Our results implicitly predict the effects of deforestation on Draco distribution in the peninsula and therefore, influence its conservation strategy.
Catheter knot around the mitral valve apparatus: An exceptional complication of remote magnetic navigation
Authors: Benali Karim , Hammache Nefissa , Sellal Jean‐Marc , Mazen Elfarra , de Chillou Christian 
Published: December 2021

AbstractRemote magnetic navigation (RMN) is as safe and effective as manual navigation for catheter ablation of ventricular arrhythmias. This case is the first description of a soft‐tip ablation catheter entrapment in the mitral valve apparatus during an RMN ablation procedure. The tight knot created by the catheter around a mitral valve chordae required surgical removal. This complication, which has never been reported before, highlights the need for closer fluoroscopic monitoring when performing catheter loops inside the ventricles when using the RMN system.
Improvement of left ventricular function with surgical revascularization in patients eligible for implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator
Authors: Adabag Selçuk , Carlson Selma , Gravely Amy , Buelt‐Gebhardt Melissa , Madjid Mohammad , Naksuk Niyada 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIntroductionLeft ventricular ejection fraction (EF) ≤ 35% is the cornerstone criterion for implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD) eligibility. Improvement in EF may occur in ICD‐eligible patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). However, the incidence, predictors, and outcomes of this process are unclear.Methods and ResultsWe studied 427 patients with EF ≤ 35% who underwent CABG in the Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure (STICH) trial and had a systematic pre‐ and postoperative (4 months) EF assessment using the identical cardiac imaging modality. All imaging studies were interpreted at a core laboratory. Improvement in EF was defined as postoperative EF > 35% and >5% absolute improvement from baseline. Of the 427 patients (mean age 61.8 ± 9.5 and 50 women), 125 (29.2%) had EF improvement. Their mean EF increased from 26.8% (±5.8%) to 43.3% (±6.5%) (p < .0001). EF improvement occurred in only 20% of patients with a preoperative EF < 25%. The odds of EF improvement were 1.96 times higher (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.91–4.23, p = .09) in patients with myocardial viability. In adjusted analyses, EF improvement was associated with a significantly lower risk of all‐cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.35–0.96; p = .03) and heart failure mortality (HR: 0.31, 95% CI: 0.11–0.87; p = .027).ConclusionNearly 1/3rd of ICD‐eligible patients undergoing CABG had significant improvement in EF, obviating the need for primary prevention ICD implantation. These results provide patients and clinicians data on the likelihood of ICD eligibility after CABG and support the practice of reassessment of EF after revascularization.
Cost‐effectiveness of catheter ablation versus medical therapy for the treatment of atrial fibrillation in the United Kingdom
Authors: Leung Lisa W. M. , Imhoff Ryan J. , Marshall Howard J. , Frame Diana , Mallow Peter J. , Goldstein Laura , Wei Tom , Velleca Maria , Taylor Hannah , Gallagher Mark M. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIntroductionResearch evidence has shown that catheter ablation is a safe and superior treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF) compared to medical therapy, but real‐world practice has been slow to adopt an early interventional approach. This study aims to determine the cost effectiveness of catheter ablation compared to medical therapy from the perspective of the United Kingdom.MethodsA patient‐level Markov health‐state transition model was used to conduct a cost‐utility analysis. The population included patients previously treated for AF with medical therapy, including those with heart failure (HF), simulated over a lifetime horizon. Data sources included published literature on utilization and cardiovascular event rates in real world patients, a systematic literature review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials for AF recurrence, and publicly available government data/reports on costs.ResultsCatheter ablation resulted in a favorable incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio (ICER) of £8614 per additional quality adjusted life years (QALY) gained when compared to medical therapy. More patients in the medical therapy group failed rhythm control at any point compared to catheter ablation (72% vs. 24%) and at a faster rate (median time to treatment failure: 3.8 vs. 10 years). Additionally, catheter ablation was estimated to be more cost‐effective in patients with AF and HF (ICER = £6438) and remained cost‐effective over all tested time horizons (10, 15, and 20 years), with the ICER ranging from £9047–£15 737 per QALY gained.ConclusionCatheter ablation is a cost‐effective treatment for atrial fibrillation, compared to medical therapy, from the perspective of the UK National Health Service.
Non‐reproducible signals of adaptation to elevation between open and understorey microhabitats in snapdragon plants
Authors: Gibert Anaïs , Marin Sara , Mouginot Pierick , Archambeau Juliette , Illes Morgane , Ollivier Gabriel , Gandara Alice , Pujol Benoit 
Published: December 2021

AbstractExperimental studies on local adaptation rarely investigate how different environmental variables might modify signals of adaptation or maladaptation. In plant common garden experiments, signals of adaptation or maladaptation to elevation are usually investigated in open habitats under full light. However, most plants inhabit heterogeneous habitats where environmental conditions differ. Understorey microhabitats are common and differ in terms of tree shade, temperature, water availability, microbiota, allelochemicals etc. Germination is a fitness‐related trait of major importance for the adaptation of plants to contrasted climate conditions. It is affected by shade in snapdragon plants (Antirrhinum majus) and many other plant species. Here, we tested for the reproducibility of signals extrapolated from germination results between open and understorey microhabitats in two parapatric snapdragon plant subspecies (A. m. striatum and A. m. pseudomajus) characterized by a similar elevation range by using common garden experiments at different elevations. Signals observed under one microhabitat systematically differed in the other. Most scenarios could be inferred, with signals either shifting, appearing or disappearing between different environments. Our findings imply that caution should be taken when extrapolating the evolutionary significance of these types of experimental signals because they are not stable from one local environmental condition to the next. Forecasting the ability of plants to adapt to environmental changes based on common garden and reciprocal transplant experiments must account for the multivariate nature of the environment.
Ciliate cortical organization and dynamics for cell motility: Comparing ciliates and vertebrates
Authors: Soh Adam W. J. , Pearson Chad G. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe generation of efficient fluid flow is crucial for organismal development and homeostasis, sexual reproduction, and motility. Multi‐ciliated cells possess fields of motile cilia that beat in synchrony to propel fluid. Ciliary arrays are remarkably conserved in their organization and function. Ciliates have polarized multi‐ciliary arrays (MCAs) to promote fluid flow for cell motility. The ciliate cortex is decorated with hundreds of basal bodies (BB) forming linear rows along the cellʼs anterior–posterior axis. BBs scaffold and position cilia to form the organized ciliary array. Nascent BBs assemble at the base of BBs. As nascent BBs mature, they integrate into the cortical BB and cytoskeletal network and nucleate their own cilium. The organization of MCAs is balanced between cortical stability and cortical dynamism. The cortical cytoskeletal network both establishes and maintains a stable organization of the MCA in the face of mechanical forces exerted by ciliary beating. At the same time, MCA organization is plastic, such that it remodels for optimal ciliary mobility during development and in response to environmental conditions. Such plasticity promotes effective feeding and ecological behavior required for these organisms. Together, these properties allow an organism to effectively sense, adapt to, and move through its environment.
Is botulinum toxin a cause or a cure for headaches?
Authors: Mullaaziz Didem , Kaptanoğlu Aslı 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackgroundBotulinum toxin is used in the treatment of headache as well as cosmetic indications. In recent years, headache cases have been encountered after botulinum toxin injections for cosmetic purposes. However, no clinical studies have been conducted on this seemingly paradoxical issue.ObjectiveIn our study, the aim was to evaluate the frequency of occurrence of headache and its clinical features in patients who had undergone botulinum toxin application for cosmetic purposes.MethodsA total of 186 patients who were treated with onabotulinum toxin A for cosmetic purposes in our clinic between January 2019 and January 2021 were retrospectively screened, and the clinical and demographic characteristics of the patients who reported headache complaints were examined.ResultsHeadache was reported in 19 (10.2%) of the 186 patients included in the study. Of the 19 patients who reported headaches, 17 (89.4%) had the onset of the complaint within the first 24 h, the complaint was resolved within the first 3 days in 16 (84.2%), and 12 (63.1%) reported spontaneous regression without the need for painkillers. The rate of development of headache complaints after the procedure was found to be statistically significantly higher in patients diagnosed with hypertension (p = 0.000) and patients treated for bunny line (p = 0.016). Ten patients (52.6%) described constant, 17 patients (89.5%) had diffuse, and 11 patients (57.9%) had throbbing‐type headaches.ConclusionBotulinum toxin application causes diffuse, constant, throbbing‐type headaches that start in the early period and ends within a short time without the need for treatment.
Pivotal role of injection volume on sunken cheek prevention in masseter muscle BoNT‐A injection: A cadaver study
Authors: Yu Panxi , Zhai Haixin , Li Zhijin , Dong Ruijia , Wu Tingting , Li Yunzhu , Di Zhang , Sun Yixin , Long Xiao , Yu Nanze 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackgroundBotulinum neurotoxin A injection is a popular noninvasive alternative for the treatment of masseter hypertrophy. This study was conducted to identify a safe injection volume to avoid sunken lateral cheek after botulinum neurotoxin A injection in the masseter muscle.MethodsOne milliliter or 0.5 ml of indocyanine green was randomly injected into either side of the masseter muscles of 18 fresh cadaver heads. The bilateral spreads of indocyanine green within the masseter were observed by a fluorescence imager. The masseters were then dissected, and the spreading distance was measured.ResultsDye spreading showed an oval shape parallel to the long axis of the masseter muscle. The lower edges of the masseters were all stained with indocyanine green. The upward spreading exceeded the mouth corner‐tragus line in 94.44% (17/18) of the masseters on the 1‐ml side, and 11.11% (2/18) of the masseters on the 0.5‐ml side. The spreading area and upward spreading distance on the 1‐ml side (9.95 ± 0.48 cm2, 3.18 ± 0.31 cm) were significantly larger than the 0.5‐ml side (7.13 ± 0.80 cm2, 2.08 ± 0.32 cm).ConclusionsThe spread of indocyanine green within the masseter occurs in direct proportion to its volume. A bolus of 1 ml easily exceeded the mouth corner‐tragus line and cause sunken cheek.