bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Metabolomics and dual proteomics identify contrasting patterns of major pathways affected in asparagus shoot upon Fusarium infection
Authors: Witzel Katja , Djalali Farahani-Kofoet Roxana , Döll Stefanie , Lindemann Viktoria , Cramer Benedikt , Humpf Hans-Ulrich , Zrenner Rita 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Aims
Infections with soil-borne pathogens have considerable detrimental effects on asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) growth and production, notably caused by the Fusarium species F. oxysporum f.sp. asparagi, F. proliferatum, and F. redolens. To get insight into the systemic effects of fungal infection on plant physiology to identify candidate resistance traits, we investigated this interaction using a multi omics approach.

Methods
Asparagus plants were inoculated with one of the three Fusarium species. After 8 weeks, basal stem parts were harvested and subjected to metabolome and proteome analysis as well as detection of fungal DNA.

Results
Upon infection, the pathogen spreads systemically from the root to the shoot and, consequently, fungal DNA and mycotoxins were detected in the basal part of the plant stem. Metabolite data revealed that the main pathway affected by Fusarium infections was “Fatty acids”, specifically the superclasses “Glycerophospholipids”, “Glycerolipids” and “Sphingolipids” being lower abundant upon infection. Another main pathway identified in the analysis was “Shikimates and Phenylpropanoids” with compounds assigned to these classes being mainly enriched upon infection. Proteome data revealed an induction of pathogen-defense proteins upon infection in asparagus, while proteins involved in vesicle trafficking and lipid metabolism were lower abundant.

Conclusions
This indicates that not only lipid-based signaling processes are distorted by Fusarium, but also fundamental processes such as vesicle formation, membrane integrity and cell wall organization. In planta proteome analysis of F. oxysporum led to the identification of 1,488 fungal proteins, including proteins involved in metabolic and cellular processes as well as putative virulence factors.
New Insights into the Stiffness and Strength of Flax Composites from Tsai’s Modulus and the Area of the Failure Envelope
Authors: Cantera Maria Asun 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThere is a growing trend toward the use of natural fibers as reinforcing materials, with flax being a significant part of this market. The mechanical properties of these polymer composites, like those of synthetic fibers, are governed by parameters and material invariants. The challenge is to minimize these parameters, and to reveal these invariants to make stiffness and strength easily comparable with each other and with other composites, while avoiding excessive complexity. To this end, a simple methodology has been developed using the following parameters: Tsai’s modulus or the trace of the stiffness tensor and the area of the Omni Failure Envelope in stress space. Based on the analysis of significant published experimental data on flax composites, new insights were found. The trace-normalized longitudinal Young modulus is a material property that were found to be 0.77 for tension and 0.67 compression with a coefficient of variation of 5.6% and 15%, respectively. The area of the Omni Failure Envelopes and the strength are linearly related. The use of the proposed parameters and some invariants has been discussed and they are used to compare and rank them with each other and with other composites, including carbon, aramid, and glass fiber-reinforced polymer composites.
The Role of Spring-Neap Phasing of Intermittent Lateral Exchange in the Ecosystem of a Channel-Shoal Estuary
Authors: Engel Lilian , Lucas Lisa , Stacey Mark 
Published: November 2024

AbstractLateral variability is a fundamental feature of channel-shoal estuaries, and exchanges between the channel and shoal can play an important role in the dynamics of the ecosystem in each region. This lateral exchange of biomass interacts with vertical structure and variability, particularly in the channel, to define algal biomass accumulation in the estuary. In this paper, we investigate how time-variable lateral exchange affects phytoplankton dynamics with a biophysical model that links two water columns via intermittent exchange. We find that time variability in the exchange influences biomass by increasing concentrations in the shoals and decreasing them in the channel when the time variability happens on a timescale greater than the timescales of biological processes, and the strength of the effect increases with the period of the intermittency. At timescales of variability comparable to the spring-neap cycle, however, the interplay between lateral exchange and the ecosystem response is complicated by the fortnightly development of stratification in the channel and the role that channel-shoal interaction plays in defining that stratification. As a result, for lateral exchange variability with periods of 7 and 14 days, the influence of the shoal ecosystem on the channel ecosystem is sensitive to the phasing of exchange relative to the spring-neap cycle, due to the fact that neap tide exchanges can create stratification events that are larger in magnitude and duration than would occur in the absence of lateral exchange, causing the channel to transition into net positive growth conditions. We conclude that lateral exchange influences the estuarine ecosystem both directly, through the exchange of biomass between shoals with net positive growth and adjoining channels and indirectly through its role in defining stratification events that allow the channel itself to have net positive growth.
Improved Nodal Yields in Laparoscopic Right Hemicolectomy Using Intracorporeal Technique—A Comparative Study
Authors: Naseem Zainab , Ho Kah Ann , Tran Mathew , Hapangama Nipuni , Fitzgerald Kate , Maqbool Abrar , Hargreaves Warren , Jayachandran Narayanan 
Published: November 2024

AbstractRight-sided colon cancer is now commonly treated by laparoscopic right hemicolectomy (LRH). The best procedure for mesentery dissection and nodal harvesting is still being debated. The purpose of this study is to compare precise intra-corporeal mesentery dissection (ICMD) with extra-corporeal mesentery dissection (ECMD) approaches and assess their impact on nodal harvest during LRH. This paper is also aimed at providing a detailed account of the customised intracorporeal dissection technique. A retrospective analysis of 78 operative cases was performed. The patients were divided into two groups: those with ICMD (n = 30) and those with ECMD (n = 48). The total number of lymph nodes extracted was the primary outcome. The number of positive lymph nodes, length of hospital stay, and surgical complications were some of the secondary objectives. The total number of lymph nodes extracted in the ICMD was considerably higher (p = 0.02). Cancers located in the ascending colon were associated with more lymph nodes than tumours located in the cecum or hepatic flexure (p = 0.001). This study demonstrates that ICMD provides improved nodal yield compared to ECMD in LRH for right-sided colon cancer. The anatomical location of cancer also impacts the nodal number, with tumours in the ascending colon having the highest yield. The findings underscore the importance of precise dissection technique selection to optimise oncological outcomes, suggesting potential further enhancements with the use of robotic surgical systems in accessing challenging anatomical locations.
Limosilactobacillus fermentum KBL674 Alleviates Vaginal Candidiasis
Authors: Jang Sung Jae , Jo Eun Jung , Lee Cheonghoon , Cho Bo-Ram , Shin Yun Jeong , Song Jun Soo , Kim Woon-Ki , Lee Nanhee , Lee Hyungjin , Park SungJun , Ko GwangPyo 
Published: November 2024

AbstractCandidaalbicans (C. albicans) is the primary etiologic agent of vaginal candidiasis. Lactobacillus species are predominant in the vaginal microbiome; they inhibit the development of vaginal candidiasis by producing antimicrobial agents, such as lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide. In this study, we investigated the effects of Limosilactobacillus fermentum (L. fermentum) KBL674 in a mouse model of vaginal candidiasis. L. fermentum KBL674 inhibited C. albicans hyphal growth. Moreover, oral administration of L. fermentum KBL674 significantly suppressed vaginal C. albicans infection and associated symptoms, including tissue thickness and immune cell infiltration. A substantial quantity of L. fermentum KBL674 was excreted by the mice within 6 h after oral administration, indicating that most L. fermentum KBL674 did not settle within the gastrointestinal tract. L. fermentum KBL674 modulated gut microbiome diversity, increasing abundances of the genera Akkermansia, Eubacterium, and Faecalibaculum and family Muribaculaceae. Abundances of these bacteria showed negative correlations with the vaginal C. albicans burden in the mouse model, suggesting links between the gut microbiome composition and the vaginal C. albicans burden. Therefore, L. fermentum KBL674 can reduce the vaginal C. albicans burden via direct or indirect inhibition and modulation of the gut microbiome composition preventively.
Graphical Abstract
Testing of an indirect ice detection methodology in the Horizon 2020 project SENS4ICE
Authors: Deiler C. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractSupercooled large droplets (SLD) icing conditions have been the cause of severe aircraft accidents over the last decades. Existing countermeasures, even on modern airplanes, are not necessarily effective against the resulting ice formations, which raises a demand for reliable detection of SLD in all conditions for safe operations. The EU-funded Horizon 2020 project SENS4ICE focused on new ice detection approaches and innovative sensor hybridization to target a fast and reliable (SLD-)ice detection. The performance-based (indirect) ice detection methodology is key to this approach and based on the changes of airplane flight characteristics under icing influence. This paper provides a short overview of the development and implementation of the indirect ice detection (IID) algorithms in SENS4ICE. Moreover, it gives and discusses first exemplary results from the IID tests in classical icing conditions during the SENS4ICE North America flight test campaign conducted in February/March 2023 out of St. Louis Regional Airport in Alton (Illinois, USA).
Recurrent discharges of non-petroleum substances from chemical tankers in Swedish marine Natura 2000 sites are against the aims of EU Directives
Authors: Larsson Kjell , Carlson Ulrica , Stålnacke Erik 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThe transport of non-petroleum substances such as vegetable oils, other bio-based oils and their refined products by chemical tankers is increasing worldwide. The majority of the non-petroleum substances carried by chemical tankers will have detrimental effects on the marine environment if accidentally spilled or discharged during tank washing procedures. Swedish Coast Guard aircrafts detected 233 discharges of floating non-petroleum substances in the Swedish territorial sea and Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) between 2020 and 2023. The majority of the discharges, 84%, were detected in the EEZ. About 14% of the discharges were detected within protected marine Natura 2000 sites. Together, the detected discharges covered 1071 km2 of sea surface. Discharges in marine Natura 2000 sites covered 228 km2. We conclude that the regulations in the IMO MARPOL Annex II convention are not strict enough to meet the objectives of EU nature legislation regarding protection of sensitive seas areas.
Associations Between Instrumented Mouthguard-Measured Head Acceleration Events and Post-Match Biomarkers of Astroglial and Axonal Injury in Male Amateur Australian Football Players
Authors: Evans Lauren J. , O’Brien William T. , Spitz Gershon , Mutimer Steven , Xie Becca , Giesler Lauren P. , Major Brendan P. , Hickey James W. , Roberts Spencer S. H. , Mitra Biswadev , O’Brien Terence J. , Shultz Sandy R. , McDonald Stuart J. 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Background
Advances in instrumented mouthguards (iMGs) allow for accurate quantification of single high-acceleration head impacts and cumulative head acceleration exposure in collision sports. However, relationships between these measures and risk of brain cell injury remain unclear.

Aim
The purpose of this study was to quantify measures of non-concussive head impact exposure and assess their association with blood glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neurofilament light (NfL) and phosphorylated-tau-181 (p-tau-181) levels in male Australian football players.

Methods
A total of 31 athletes underwent in-season (24 h post-match) and post-season (> 5 weeks) blood collections and/or wore HITIQ Nexus A9 iMGs measuring peak linear (PLA) and rotational (PRA) acceleration. Match footage was used to verify and code impacts. Blood GFAP, NfL, and p-tau-181 were quantified using Simoa and natural log transformed for analysis. Associations between post-match biomarkers and within match maximum single impact and cumulative PLA/PRA were assessed with linear mixed models.

Results
In-season versus post-season elevations were found for GFAP (mean difference 0.14, 95% CI 0.01–0.26, p = 0.033), NfL (mean difference = 0.21, 95% CI 0.09–0.32, p = 0.001) and p-tau-181 (mean difference = 0.49, 95% CI 0.33–0.65, p < 0.001). Post-match GFAP was associated with maximum single impact PLA (B = 0.003, 95% CI 0.0002–0.005, p = 0.036), cumulative PLA (B = 0.001, 95% CI 0.0002–0.002, p = 0.017), cumulative PRA (B = 0.01, 95% CI 0.002–0.02, p = 0.014), and impact number (B = 0.03, 95% CI 0.003–0.05, p = 0.029) within a single match. Change in NfL levels between two-matches correlated with cumulative PLA (r = 0.80, 95% CI 0.38–0.95, p = 0.005), PRA (r = 0.71, 95% CI 0.19–0.92, p = 0.019) and impact number (r = 0.63, 95% CI 0.05–0.89, p = 0.038).

Conclusion
Maximum and cumulative head accelerations in Australian football, measured by iMGs, were associated with elevated blood biomarkers of brain injury, highlighting the potential of both technologies for head impact management in collision sports.
Distribution of trace elements and rare earth elements in coal from the Bhalukasba Surni coal block, Rajmahal coalfield, Eastern India
Authors: Chakladar Saswati , Kumari Sneha , Kumar Alok , Mohanty Ashok , Chakravarty Sanchita , Kolker Allan 
Published: November 2024

AbstractExploration of secondary resources for isolation of valuable constituents, such as rare earth elements (REEs) and trace elements (TEs), is of importance owing to the need to identify new domestic sources and reduce reliance on imports. The present study systematically discusses the distribution of REEs and TEs in core samples from the coal block of Bhalukasba Surni {(B1(125 m)-B9 (409 m)} located in Rajmahal coalfield, Jharkhand, India, which has not been investigated previously for its geochemistry. The studied coal samples were found to be enriched in TEs whose abundances were in the order of Mn > Mo > Zr > Ni > Cr > V > Cu > Zn > Pb, and REEs (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu) along with Sc and Y. The average concentration of REEs with yttrium (ΣREY) on an ash basis was 528 ppm, which is significantly higher than the world average for coal ash (435 ppm). Of the samples investigated, B3 (182–184 m) and B8 (396–399 m) demonstrated relatively higher concentrations of potentially economic elements, with B3 containing a higher proportion of middle to heavy REEs Gd, Dy, Ho and Er, and B8 showing relative enrichment in Nd and Y. On dry whole coal basis, B6 (275–278 m) showed a considerably higher concentration of Ge (55 ppm) than other samples, whereas the concentration of Zr varied in the range of 90–160 ppm in the whole coal block. X-ray diffraction studies revealed the presence of quartz, keatite, hematite, zircon, anatase and orthoclase in the coal ash samples prepared at 815 °C. REEs exhibited prominent positive correlation with Al2O3 (0.4 < r > 0.9) which is supportive of their residence in primary clay minerals such as kaolinite and illite-smectite. Additionally, a positive correlation of REEs with P2O5 (0.4 < r > 0.9) suggests their association with phosphate minerals (such as monazite, xenotime, apatite). Positive correlation with TiO2 (r > 0.7) corroborates the possible association of REEs with anatase. The morphology of the coal ash samples viewed in SEM showed the presence of Al2O3 and SiO2 enriched irregular-sponge particles likely derived from partly-fused clay minerals, which accounted for the lower extent of REE encapsulation. The Bhalukasba Surni coal block is potentially of economic importance due to its enrichment in Ge, Zr, and the REEs.
Genome editing in future crop protection: utilizing CRISPR/Cas9 to improve crop resistance against diseases, pests, and weeds
Authors: Faizal Ahmad , Nugroho Syarul , Sembada Anca Awal , Theda Yohanes , Komariyah Tinta , Esyanti Rizkita Rachmi 
Published: November 2024

AbstractIncreasing population and climate change pose significant threats to global food security by imposing stresses on plants, making them more susceptible to diseases and productivity losses caused by pathogens, pests, and weeds. Traditional breeding strategies are insufficient for rapid development of new plant traits that can outpace this productivity downtrend. Modern advances in genome editing technologies, particularly CRISPR/Cas9, have revolutionised crop protection through precise and targeted genome modifications. This allows for the development of resilient crops with enhanced resistance against pathogens, pests, and weeds. This review explores various approaches with which CRISPR/Cas9 is applied for crop protection: knocking out of susceptibility genes, introduction of resistance genes, and modulation of defence genes. Potential applications of CRISPR/Cas9 in crop protection include the introduction of genes conferring resistance to pathogens, disruption of insect genes responsible for survival and reproduction and engineering of herbicide-resistant crops. In conclusion, CRISPR/Cas9 holds great promises in advancing crop protection and thus ensuring food security amidst environmental and population pressures. This review highlights the transformative potential of genome editing in crop protection and calls for continued research and development in this field.
The recreational value of birding and crane abundance
Authors: Melstrom Richard T. , Nielsen Alex , Reeling Carson 
Published: November 2024

AbstractWe estimate the economic value of birding, which is an important ecosystem service produced by bird populations in recreation areas. Our research identifies the link between values and species richness as well as the abundance of the sandhill crane (Grus canadensis), which migrates each year through our study area. Sandhill crane stopovers at state and federal wildlife areas can attract many birders. We estimate this nonmarket value using the zonal travel cost method and data from the eBird project on wildlife areas in Indiana. We compare crane counts based on eBird with those from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR). We find important differences depending on whether we use eBird or DNR counts. On average, birders are willing to pay $28 per trip to sites in the study area and less than $1 per trip to see an additional species, while the value of 1000 more cranes is either about $1 or $10 per trip depending on how abundance is measured.
Emergency measures? Terrorism and climate change on the security agenda
Authors: McDonald Matt 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
The significantly divergent trajectories of terrorism and climate change as security issues for Western states in the early years of the 21st century represent a puzzle. While sharing some attributes – uncertainty and the primacy of risk-management responses – climate change clearly represents a more fundamental threat to life than terrorism. Despite this, terrorism has occupied a prominent place on states’ security agendas, while climate change has been decidedly marginal. This paper explores this divergence. Employing the securitisation framework, the paper maps the approach to terrorism and climate change as ‘security’ issues among key proponents of the ‘war on terror’, before exploring why these two issues were treated in such different ways. This analysis suggests a clear inclination to define and approach terrorism as an urgent security threat necessitating emergency measures: a willingness not evident in the case of climate change. While noting elements of the latter that militated against its securitisation, the paper points to the role of ideology – the beliefs and commitments of political leaders in particular – in driving choices around the construction of the security agenda. It concludes by suggesting that unlike the response to terrorism, impediments to enacting emergency measures to address the climate crisis remain.
The return of nuclear great power politics (or why we stopped worrying about terrorists and the bomb)
Authors: Futter Andrew , Zala Benjamin 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
With the decline of the Western framing of the war on terror (WoT) in security discourse, it has become commonplace to note the ‘return’ of great power politics. But under-analysed so far have been the nuclear dimensions of this trend. This is important because we are on the cusp of a multipolar order where the ‘poles of power’ are nuclear-armed. We outline the ways in which almost 30 years of perceptions of unipolarity, and particularly the focus on ‘rogue’ and non-state (nuclear) terrorism post 9/11 on the part of Western policy practitioners, analysts, and scholars, allowed for the previous focus on the threat of nuclear war to be supplanted by a wider ‘nuclear security’ agenda. We unpack the return of nuclear threats and risk-taking in the Euro-Atlantic, the nuclear deterrence balance in the Western Pacific, and the emergence of a non-aligned nuclear great power in the Global South. While we argue that managing the dangers of the return of nuclear great power politics will require a dual approach drawing lessons from both from the Cold War ‘balance of terror’ and from an earlier era of a multipolar ‘balance of power’, many key dynamics from the WoT years remain.
Shrinking parallelepiped targets for
$\beta $
-dynamical systems
Authors: HE YUBIN 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
For

$ \beta>1 $

, let

$ T_\beta $

be the

$\beta $

-transformation on

$ [0,1) $

. Let

$ \beta _1,\ldots ,\beta _d>1 $

and let

$ \mathcal P=\{P_n\}_{n\ge 1} $

be a sequence of parallelepipeds in

$ [0,1)^d $

. Define

$$ \begin{align*}W(\mathcal P)=\{\mathbf{x}\in[0,1)^d:(T_{\beta_1}\times\cdots \times T_{\beta_d})^n(\mathbf{x})\in P_n\text{ infinitely often}\}.\end{align*} $$

When each

$ P_n $

is a hyperrectangle with sides parallel to the axes, the ‘rectangle to rectangle’ mass transference principle by Wang and Wu [Mass transference principle from rectangles to rectangles in Diophantine approximation. Math. Ann.381 (2021) 243–317] is usually employed to derive the lower bound for

$\dim _{\mathrm {H}} W(\mathcal P)$

, where

$\dim _{\mathrm {H}}$

denotes the Hausdorff dimension. However, in the case where

$ P_n $

is still a hyperrectangle but with rotation, this principle, while still applicable, often fails to yield the desired lower bound. In this paper, we determine the optimal cover of parallelepipeds, thereby obtaining

$\dim _{\mathrm {H}} W(\mathcal P)$

. We also provide several examples to illustrate how the rotations of hyperrectangles affect

$\dim _{\mathrm {H}} W(\mathcal P)$

.