bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Opportunities and Limitations of Ionic Liquid‐ and Organic Carbonate Solvent‐Based Electrolytes for Mg‐Ion‐Based Dual‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Küpers Verena , Dohmann Jan Frederik , Bieker Peter , Winter Martin , Placke Tobias , Kolek Martin 
Published: August 2021

AbstractDual‐ion batteries (DIBs) offer a great alternative to state‐of‐the‐art lithium‐ion batteries, based on their high promises due to the absence of transition metals and the use of low‐cost materials, which could make them economically favorable targeting stationary energy storage applications. In addition, they are not limited by certain metal cations, and DIBs with a broad variety of utilized ions could be demonstrated over the last years. Herein, a systematic study of different electrolyte approaches for Mg‐ion‐based DIBs was conducted. A side‐by‐side comparison of Li‐ and Mg‐ion‐based electrolytes using activated carbon as negative electrode revealed the opportunities but also limitations of Mg‐ion‐based DIBs. Ethylene sulfite was successfully introduced as electrolyte additive and increased the specific discharge capacity significantly up to 93±2 mAh g−1 with coulombic efficiencies over 99 % and an excellent capacity retention of 88 % after 400 cycles. In addition, and for the first time, highly concentrated carbonate‐based electrolytes were employed for Mg‐ion‐based DIBs, showing adequate discharge capacities and high coulombic efficiencies.
Performance of a 50‐gene next generation sequencing panel with post‐centrifuge supernatant cytology fluid in non‐small‐cell lung cancer
Authors: Tafoya Marissa , Judd Andrew , Chiotti Kelsey , Dearen Karen , Jiron Kassandra , Chabot‐Richards Devon , Broehm Cory J. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractBackgroundLiquid based cytology (LBC) specimens are increasingly utilized for molecular analysis, as results are comparable to molecular analysis performed on traditional specimens (biopsy or cell block). However, there are few studies demonstrating the long‐term viability of DNA in LBC samples.MethodsIn this study, a 50‐gene next generation sequencing (NGS) panel was performed on DNA isolated from post‐centrifuged supernatant LBC samples of cases of non‐small‐cell lung carcinoma. Comparison was made to results of an identical NGS panel performed on a concurrent clinical sample (biopsy or cell block). Quality parameters including DNA concentration, total reads, amplicons with reads under 450 and 350, and variant allele fraction were also compared. For a subset of LBC samples, DNA was isolated after being held for varying extended lengths of time after collection (up to 41 days) at 5°C and results compared.ResultsResults of NGS mutation analysis were concordant between LBC samples and clinical samples. DNA concentration was on average higher in the LBC samples compared to the clinical samples. The remaining metrics were more variable, but illustrated the adequacy of LBC samples for NGS testing. DNA isolated from LBC samples held for longer periods of time was of good concentration. NGS analysis was successfully performed on all samples, with concordance with results of clinical samples.ConclusionDNA isolated directly from LBC fluid is suitable for NGS analysis. DNA is also stable in LBC preservative for extended periods of time before isolation and NGS analysis can subsequently be successfully performed.
An inducible Cldn11‐CreERT2 mouse line for selective targeting of lymphatic valves
Authors: Ortsäter Henrik , Hernández‐Vásquez Magda N. , Ulvmar Maria H. , Gow Alexander , Mäkinen Taija 
Published: August 2021

AbstractLuminal valves of collecting lymphatic vessels are critical for maintaining unidirectional flow of lymph and their dysfunction underlies several forms of primary lymphedema. Here, we report on the generation of a transgenic mouse expressing the tamoxifen inducible CreERT2 under the control of Cldn11 promoter that allows, for the first time, selective and temporally controlled targeting of lymphatic valve endothelial cells. We show that within the vasculature CLDN11 is specifically expressed in lymphatic valves but is not required for their development as mice with a global loss of Cldn11 display normal valves in the mesentery. Tamoxifen treated Cldn11‐CreERT2 mice also carrying a fluorescent Cre‐reporter displayed reporter protein expression selectively in lymphatic valves and, to a lower degree, in venous valves. Analysis of developing vasculature further showed that Cldn11‐CreERT2‐mediated recombination is induced during valve leaflet formation, and efficient labeling of valve endothelial cells was observed in mature valves. The Cldn11‐CreERT2 mouse thus provides a valuable tool for functional studies of valves.
The importance of small natural features in forests—How the overgrowth of forest gaps affects indigenous flower supply and flower‐visiting insects and seed sets of six Campanula species
Authors: Braun‐Reichert Ralf , Rubanschi Sven , Poschlod Peter 
Published: August 2021

Abstract

The abandonment of historical land‐use forms within forests, such as grazing or coppicing, and atmospheric nitrogen deposition, has led to an increasing overgrowth of forest gaps and canopy closure in forest ecosystems of Central Europe. From 1945 to 2015, 81% of the forest gaps greater than 150 m2 within the study area transitioned into a closed forest.

This study investigated how the overgrowth process affects flower supply, flower visitors, and reproduction of Campanula species. Six native Campanula species with different light requirements were used as phytometers.

The forest gaps in the studied area are a feature of the historical European cultural landscape. We compared large gaps caused by human activities, small gaps caused by habitat conditions, and closed forests. In eight blocked replicates, each with the three habitat categories, we recorded the flower cover and number of indigenous flowering species in the immediate surroundings, and, of six Campanula species, flower visitors and seed production.

Forest gaps and their size positively affected the number of flowering plant species in the surrounding area, the number of all flower visitor groups, and the number of seeds produced by all six Campanula species. Flower cover in the surrounding area was higher in large gaps, but there was no difference between small gaps and closed forests. Among flower visitors, small bees varied the most between the three habitat categories, and flies varied the least. The effect on the number of seeds produced was particularly strong for three light‐demanding Campanula species.

The overgrowth of forest gaps negatively affected flower supply, flower‐visiting insects, and seed sets of six Campanula species. Forest gaps should be managed to maintain the reproduction of open forest plants and their pollinators.
Birth of Australopithecus
Authors: Madison Paige , Wood Bernard 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe announcement of a fossilized child's skull discovered in a quarry in 1924 sub‐Saharan Africa might not have seemed destined to be a classic paper. This contribution focuses on anatomist Raymond Dart's 1925 paper in which he designated the Taungs skull the type specimen of Australopithecus africanus. We combine an account of Dart's training and experience, with a telling of the fossil's discovery, analysis, the initial response of a mostly skeptical community, and a review of subsequent discoveries that consolidated the case Dart made for a hitherto unknown human close relative. Dart's paper presented evidence that confirmed the prescience of Charles Darwin's prediction that Africa was the birthplace of modern humans. The Taungs skull's unique mix of great ape and human attributes eventually led to a paradigm shift in our understanding of human evolution.
Communicative gestures in 7–12‐month infants: A phylogenetic comparative approach
Authors: Rodrigues Evelina D. , Marôco João , Frota Sónia 
Published: August 2021

AbstractDifferent methodologies applied in human and non‐human primate studies limit the comparisons that can be made. The early communicative gestures of 10 children between 7 and 12 months were analysed using a descriptive approach usually found in non‐human primate studies. Silent‐visual gestures were the most used, followed by contact and audible gestures. The use of the different modalities of gestures did not differ with the infants' gender or age, unlike findings from studies on great apes. However, signalers chose different gestural sensory modalities according to the attentional state of the audience, similarly to other great apes: more silent‐visual gestures were used when the visual attention of the recipient is present. Thus, intentionality in gestural communication was not only detected through behavioural cues but also supported by the use of different strategies according to the attentional state of the recipient. Importantly, this study suggests that human infants consider the attentional state of their partners during communication earlier in ontogeny than previously thought.
Whole tumor cell vaccines engineered to secrete GM‐CSF (GVAX)
Authors: Soiffer Robert J. , Kooshesh Kameron A. , Ho Vincent 
Published: August 2021

AbstractGeneration of immunity against cancer through vaccination has long been an elusive goal for tumor immunologists. Putative candidates for vaccination targets include oncofetal antigens, viral antigens, neoantigens, and differentiation antigens. The first attempts at cancer vaccination used injections of whole autologous tumor cells. However, these unmodified tumor cells did not engender a robust immune response. Subsequent efforts were focused at enhancing the immunogenicity of whole autologous tumor cell vaccines through genetic modification, often through virally mediated transduction of genes encoding immunostimulatory molecules. Of many immunostimulatory cytokines evaluated in the context of gene‐modified tumor cell vaccines, granulocyte–macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) emerged as the most potent in generating protective antitumor immunity. Vaccination using irradiated, GM‐CSF producing tumor cells (GVAX) consistently induced antitumor immunity across several experimental tumor models. The term GVAX can connote GM‐CSF secreting cell vaccines prepared with different vectors as well as vector targets including autologous tumor cells, allogeneic tumor cell lines, and bystander third party tumor cells lines. GVAX has been evaluated against solid tumors, hematologic malignancies, and in the context of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. GVAX has been extensively studied in clinical trials, both alone and in conjunction with lymphodepleting chemotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and other vaccines.
Comparing conventional aerification practices with the core recycler
Authors: Henry Gerald , Bowling William Jackson , Tucker Kevin 
Published: August 2021

AbstractConventional aerification practices on putting greens involve soil core removal followed by sand topdressing, whereas the core recycler reutilizes sand from cores to replenish the soil. Recycling cores may reduce topdressing inputs, sustain plant and microbial activity, and increase fertilizer use efficiency. Research was conducted on a ‘Mini Verde’ ultradwarf bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. × Cynodon transvaalensis Burtt‐Davy] putting green established on a sand‐based profile meeting US Golf Association (USGA) specifications at the University of Georgia's golf course during summer in 2017. Treatments were arranged in an incomplete split‐block design; the main block was aerification method (conventional or core recycler) and the subplots were fertilizer treatments. The putting green was halved, with one side aerified to 7.6 cm with a hollow‐tine aerifier. Topdressing sand was applied at a rate of 237 m3 ha–1. The second half was aerified to the same specifications (cores not removed), topdressed at 118 m3 ha–1 (50% of the conventional rate), and passed over with the core recycler. We hypothesized that the aerification method and N fertility would influence organic matter (OM) content, carbon efflux, root biomass, turf color (TC), and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). The core recycler produced a greater OM percentage and change in root biomass than conventional aerification, which may be associated with higher TC and NDVI ratings in response to the core recycler treatment. However, OM retention may increase hydrophobic soil conditions and decrease putting green firmness, so rotating the core recycler with alternative techniques is warranted.
Prognostic value of right ventricular echocardiographic measures in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction
Authors: Lundorff Ingrid Josefine , Sengeløv Morten , Pedersen Sune , Modin Daniel , Bruun Niels Eske , Fritz‐Hansen Thomas , Biering‐Sørensen Tor , Godsk Jørgensen Peter 
Published: August 2021

AbstractPurposeRight ventricular (RV) dysfunction is associated with poor outcome in patients with heart failure. In order to better predict mortality in this patient group we wanted to compare the prognostic value of conventional and advanced RV echocardiographic measures.MethodsEchocardiographic examinations were retrieved from 701 patients. End point was all‐cause mortality and follow‐up 100%. RV parameters were measured offline in accordance with current guidelines. Speckle tracking was derived using the algorithm originally designed for the left ventricle.ResultsDuring follow‐up (median: 39 months) 118 patients (16.8%) died. RV global longitudinal strain (GLS) and RV free wall strain (FWS) remained associated with mortality after multivariable adjustment independent of Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) (RV GLS: HR 1.07, 95%CI 1.02–1.13, p = 0.010, per 1% decrease) (RV FWS: HR 1.05, 95%CI 1.01–1.09, p = 0.010, per 1% decrease). This seemed to be caused by significant associations in men. All RV estimates provided prognostic information incremental to established risk factors and significantly increased C‐statistics.ConclusionsRV GLS and FWS were associated with mortality in HFrEF patients after multivariable adjustment independent of TAPSE. TAPSE, however, remained as the strongest prognosticator in women. More research is needed to identify whether speckle tracking could be superior to conventional RV measures in identifying HFrEF patients with poor outcome.
Exogenous loading of miRNAs into small extracellular vesicles
Authors: de Abreu Ricardo C. , Ramos Cristiana V. , Becher Clarissa , Lino Miguel , Jesus Carlos , da Costa Martins Paula A. , Martins Patrícia A. T. , Moreno Maria João , Fernandes Hugo , Ferreira Lino 
Published: August 2021

AbstractSmall extracellular vesicles (sEVs), through their natural ability to interact with biological membranes and exploit endogenous processing pathways to convey biological information, are quintessential for the delivery of therapeutically relevant compounds, such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and proteins. Here, we used a fluorescently‐labelled miRNA to quantify the efficiency of different methods to modulate the cargo of sEVs. Our results showed that, compared with electroporation, heat shock, permeation by a detergent‐based compound (saponin) or cholesterol‐modification of the miRNA, Exo‐Fect was the most efficient method with > 50% transfection efficiency. Furthermore, qRT‐PCR data showed that, compared with native sEVs, Exo‐Fect modulation led to a > 1000‐fold upregulation of the miRNA of interest. Importantly, this upregulation was observed for sEVs isolated from multiple sources. The modulated sEVs were able to delivery miR‐155‐5p into a reporter cell line, confirming the successful delivery of the miRNA to the target cell and, more importantly, its functionality. Finally, we showed that the membrane of Exo‐Fect‐loaded sEVs was altered compared with native sEVs and that enhanced the internalization of Exo‐Fect‐loaded sEVs within the target cells and decreased the interaction of those modulated sEVs with lysosomes.
Spatial and temporal changes in dry spells in a Mediterranean area: Tuscany (central Italy), 1955–2017
Authors: Bartolini Giorgio , Betti Giulio , Gozzini Bernardo , Iannuccilli Maurizio , Magno Ramona , Messeri Gianni , Spolverini Niccolò , Torrigiani Tommaso , Vallorani Roberto , Grifoni Daniele 
Published: August 2021

AbstractGlobal change affects precipitation and small modifications in rainfall regimes could compromise water availability, especially in areas characterized by a strong seasonality and a climate ranging from dry sub‐humid to semi‐arid. Drought, in particular, is a creeping phenomenon defined as an important temporary decrease in water availability below the expected value in a certain period and a specific area. Among the different methodologies for analysing drought periods, one of the most used is the evaluation of dry spells. The aim of this study is to investigate spatial and temporal changes in dry spells in Tuscany during the period 1955–2017, by using daily precipitation data. Changes in the number of dry days, maximum duration and 75th percentile of the duration of the dry spells were investigated. Three precipitation thresholds were selected: 1, 5 and 10 mm. The analyses were carried out at annual, September–May, September–November and December–May level. Theil–Sen nonparametric method was used to estimate the slope; Mann–Kendall test and a modification of it, which applies a trend‐free pre‐whitening (TFPW) method to the series having a serial correlation, were applied to look for statistically significant trends. The drought indicators showed increasing trends (some significant) especially at December–May and to a lesser extent at the annual and September–May level; the most pronounced increases were found in the southernmost areas of Tuscany. During September–November period, on the other hand, a prevalence of decreasing trends (rarely significant), with less pronounced decreases in the south of the region, were observed. Mediterranean area is considered a climate change “hot‐spot” from the viewpoint of vulnerability. An increase in long‐lasting dry spells, especially in southern Tuscany, can exacerbate the problems linked to water management and demand.
Embracing Complexity and Context to Improve Science Communication
Authors: Jakopak Rhiannon P. , Western Jessica , Monteith Kevin L. 
Published: July 2021

ABSTRACTMembers of the public play a primary role in successful implementation of wildlife management plans, making communication between scientists and the public a vital component of wildlife management. Although there is substantial public interest in the health of ungulate populations, stakeholder perspectives can vary widely, rendering a single approach to communication ineffective. To improve science communication, we characterized perspectives regarding issues negatively affecting mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in Wyoming, USA. We used Q methodology, a mixed quantitative‐qualitative approach where participants ranked a series of statements followed by semi‐structured interviews, to identify shared perspectives. We interviewed individuals (n = 37) representing prominent stakeholder groups (e.g., ranchers, hunters, conservation non‐profits) in Wyoming. We identified 3 perspectives (52% of variance explained) that captured shared views regarding what factors are negatively affecting mule deer: bottom‐up (n = 17 participants; 26% variance), human contributions (n = 9; 14% variance), and top‐down (n = 8; 12% variance) perspectives. Most participants shared the idea that mule deer are being negatively affected, but participants diverged in views as to the primary issues. Perspectives ranged from being focused on bottom‐up factors (e.g., habitat fragmentation, condition of winter ranges) to top‐down factors (e.g., predation, disease) to factors focused on human contributions (e.g., human activity, public and political interests). Based on how participants diverged in perspectives and their interest in mule deer management, we discuss opportunities for scientists to improve communication by incorporating ecological complexity and nuance, moving towards a 2‐way dialogue of communication, and sharing their own first‐hand experiences in future communications with stakeholders. © 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Wildlife Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Wildlife Society.
Astragalus polysaccharide ameliorates steroid‐induced osteonecrosis of femoral head through miR‐206/HIF‐1α/BNIP3 axis
Authors: Zhang Shen‐Yao , Wang Fan , Zeng Xiang‐Jing , Huang Zhen , Dong Ke‐Fang 
Published: August 2021

AbstractDeclining autophagy and rising apoptosis are the main factors driving the development of steroid‐induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (SONFH). Here, we showed that astragalus polysaccharide (APS) improved femoral head necrosis via regulation of cell autophagy and apoptosis through microRNA (miR)‐206/hypoxia inducible factor‐1 (HIF‐1α)/BCL2 interacting protein 3 (BNIP3) axis. The expression of miR‐206, HIF‐1α, and BNIP3 in SONFH specimens and cell model were measured using qPCR. SONFH cell model was treated with APS. Cell autophagy was evaluated using LC3‐immunofluorescence assays. Flow cytometry was conducted to assess cell apoptosis. Apoptosis‐related proteins and autophagy‐related proteins were determined using western blot. Besides, dual‐luciferase reporter assay was employed to investigate the relationship between miR‐206 and HIF‐1α. Here we showed that miR‐206 expression was upregulated in SONFH tissues and cell model. APS promoted autophagy and inhibited apoptosis in SONFH cell model via downregulating miR‐206. What is more, HIF‐1α was the target of miR‐206. Knockdown of HIF‐1α reversed the recovery effect of miR‐206 inhibitor on SONFH cell model. Furthermore, BNIP3 was the target of HIF‐1α. HIF‐1α overexpression promoted autophagy and inhibited apoptosis, and knockdown of BNIP3 abolished the recovery effect of HIF‐1α overexpression in SONFH cell model. These results provided evidence that APS reduced miR‐206 expression, and the downregulated miR‐206 increased BNIP3 expression by targeting HIF‐1α to promote autophagy and inhibit bone cell apoptosis. Our research proved that APS effectively improved SONFH by regulating cell autophagy and apoptosis.