bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Foliar N Content Parallels Increasing Aridity in a Mediterranean‐Saharan Transition Zone: Evidence From Regional and Global Trends
Authors: Wyka Tomasz P. , Robakowski Piotr , Romo Angel , Boratyński Adam , Żytkowiak Roma , Oleksyn Jacek 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTAimWarm deserts are characterised by water shortages and high temperature extremes. A commonly reported adaptive strategy in such environments is maximisation of photosynthetic capacity, which allows plants to achieve positive carbon budgets by taking advantage of short periods of water availability and non‐inhibitory temperatures. Considering the well‐supported interspecific covariation between photosynthetic capacity and leaf N concentration, we tested the hypothesis that environmental aridity is related to an elevated leaf nitrogen content.Location53 locations in the transitional zone spanning the Mediterranean and the Sahara Desert in Morocco. The mean maximal temperature (Tmax) within the area varied between 35.7°C and 43.5°C, and the mean annual precipitation (MAP) was between 12 and 246 mm.Taxon225 vascular species representative of local vegetation.MethodsLeaf samples were collected along a regional aridity gradient and preserved in herbarium presses. The leaf mass per area (LMA) and N concentrations expressed on leaf mass (Nmass) and area (Narea) basis were determined. We also obtained LMA and Nmass values for 6711 species from a worldwide database for comparative analysis.ResultsSignificant increases in mean LMA, Nmass and Narea accompanied the increase in Tmax and the decrease in MAP in woody species and in non‐graminoid herbs, but not in graminoids. Considering the overall aridity of our sampling area, we compared the Nmass values of Moroccan plants with those from a worldwide database. We found that at a common LMA, the Moroccan plants showed on average elevated Nmass relative to global values.Main ConclusionsThese two lines of evidence: regional gradient and global comparison confirm that hot deserts select for high leaf N content. This result suggests the direction of natural selection that will accompany future climate warming and habitat aridification.
Cryodehydration applied to bovine fetal hearts: A model for studying cardiac organogenesis
Authors: Araújo Kelly Lorrane , de Oliveira Bezerra Ester Gomes , Portela Luanda Camilo , da Silva Yanna Gomes , da Silva Raposo Kaio Lucas , Vitor Juliana Sá , da Silva Ferreira Higor , Campos Naylla Raquel Costa Leite , de Assis Veras Bacelar Karoline , Martínez Wilmer Martínez , de Jesus Moraes Junior Felipe , de Almeida da Anunciação Adriana Raquel 
Published: October 2024

AbstractThe study aimed to standardize the cryodehydration technique for bovine fetal hearts, focusing on optimizing protocols for each developmental stage to preserve morphological characteristics. We analyzed 29 bovine fetal hearts categorized into early, middle, and late developmental stages. These hearts underwent cryodehydration until a 60%–70% reduction in original fluid volume was achieved. Biometric data were recorded and statistically analyzed using Pearson correlation tests for age versus weight and age versus number of cryodehydration sessions. Morphometric comparisons before and after cryodehydration were performed using paired t‐tests. In Group I, hearts exhibited well‐defined structures, including the atrium cordis, ventriculus cordis, auricula atrii, aorta, truncus pulmonalis, and ramus coronaries arteria, which were preserved in Groups II and III. Additionally, in Group I the heart had a conical or flat apex cordis, whereas those in Groups II and III had a more pronounced apex. The average number of cryodehydration sessions required was 9.38 (±1.2) days for Group I, 12.37 (±1.4) days for Group II, and 15 days for Group III. A positive correlation was found between age and sample weight, indicating that more developed hearts were heavier. Similarly, there was a positive correlation between gestational age and the number of cryodehydration sessions, suggesting that more advanced stages required more cryodehydration sessions. Paired t‐tests demonstrated high statistical significance in the morphometric parameters before and after cryodehydration, indicating a loss of mass during dehydration. However, there was no alteration in the macroscopic structure of the hearts, which remained morphologically preserved. In conclusion, cryodehydration shows promise for preserving and analyzing the external morphological characteristics of bovine fetal cardiac development. It also provides lightweight, odorless, and easy‐to‐handle specimens ideal for detailed morphological studies and offers a unique perspective for investigating cardiac morphology in biological research contexts.
Predictors of Desertion: Analysis of the First Michigan Colored Infantry in the American Civil War
Authors: Stack Steven , Bowman Barbara 
Published: October 2024

AbstractOver 180,000 black soldiers served in the Union Army in the American Civil War. They endured horrific deprivation and disease, and also substantial institutional discrimination in such areas as wage and promotion. Nevertheless, most never deserted their duties as soldiers. However, it is not clear what distinguished those who did desert from their counterparts. The present case‐control study fills this gap. It applies social bonds theory to explain desertion among blacks. The general hypothesis is the greater the bonds or stakes to the military unit, the lower the risk of desertion. Data refer to the First Michigan Colored Infantry (First Michigan) and are from the Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. They refer to the population of all 189 deserters in the First Michigan and a comparison group of non‐deserters. Available measures of social bonds include substitute status (substitutes received a bounty upon completion of service), receiving a wound (having “skin in the game”), and noncommissioned officer status. In addition, loyalty to family is framed as a risk factor. The dependent variable is desertion, a dichotomy (0,1). Results are adjusted for other measurable variables. A multivariate logistic regression analysis determined that measures of military social bonds were protective factors against desertion. Substitutes were 73% less apt, wounded soldiers 93% less apt, and noncommissioned officers were 79% less apt to desert than their counterparts. However, family bonds were a risk factor. The model correctly classified 77.95% of the cases. The results largely support a social bonds theory of deviance, but also may support views of the conflicting bonds between family and state as increasing desertion. The investigation is the first quantitative study of desertion among blacks in the Civil War.
Just Because I'm Great (and You're Not): When, Why, and How Narcissistic Individuals Give Gifts to Others
Authors: Kirk Colleen P. , Sedikides Constantine , Givi Julian 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTObjectiveWe examined the roles of Narcissistic Admiration and Narcissistic Rivalry in gift giving. We hypothesized that Admirative and Rivalrous individuals diverge in their likelihood of giving gifts.MethodAcross six studies (ΣN = 2198), we used correlational and experimental methodology and capitalized on both scenarios and actual gift giving.ResultsNarcissistic Admiration was positively, but Narcissistic Rivalry was negatively, associated with gift‐giving likelihood (Studies 1–2). These findings were explained by diverging communal motivations for gift giving (Study 3). Consistent with the notion that Rivalrous individuals are less likely to give gifts for communal reasons because they feel threatened by social closeness, the negative association between Narcissistic Rivalry and gift‐giving likelihood was attenuated when the gift recipient was more socially distant (vs. close; Study 4). Further, gifts that are recipient‐centric (e.g., customized with a recipient's name) are less focused on attributes of the giver and less likely to foster social closeness. Therefore, consistent with Admirative individuals' use of gift giving to promote themselves as a superior communal relationship partner, the positive association between Narcissistic Admiration and gift‐giving likelihood was attenuated for gifts that were recipient‐centric (Study 5). Socially desirable responding, self‐esteem, and fear of failure (Study SM1) did not account for the findings.
Evidence of Intraspecific Adaptive Variation in the American Pika (Ochotona princeps) on a Continental Scale Using a Target Enrichment and Mitochondrial Genome Skimming Approach
Authors: Farrand Zachery M. , Galbreath Kurt E. , Teeter Katherine C. 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTMontane landscapes present an array of abiotic challenges that drive adaptive evolution amongst organisms. These adaptations can promote habitat specialisation, which may heighten the risk of extirpation from environmental change. For example, higher metabolic rates in an endothermic species may contribute to heightened cold tolerance, whilst simultaneously limiting heat tolerance. Here, using the climate‐sensitive American pika (Ochotona princeps), we test for evidence of intraspecific adaptive variation amongst environmental gradients across the Intermountain West of North America. We leveraged results from previous studies on pika adaptation to generate a custom nuclear target enrichment design to sequence several hundred candidate genes related to cold, hypoxia and dietary detoxification. We also applied a ‘genome skimming’ approach to sequence mitochondrial DNA. Using genotype–environment association tests, we identified rare genomic variants associated with elevation and temperature variation amongst populations. Amongst mitochondrial genes, we identified intraspecific variation in selective signals and significant changes to the amino acid property equilibrium constant, which may relate to electron transport chain efficiency. These results illustrate a complex dynamic of adaptive variation amongst O. princeps where lineages and populations have adapted to unique regional conditions. Some of the clearest signals of selection were in a genetic lineage that includes pikas of the Great Basin region, which is also where recent localised extirpations have taken place and highlights the risk of losing adaptive alleles during environmental change.
Relieving the transfusion tissue traffic jam: a network model of radial transport in conifer needles
Authors: Mai Melissa H. , Gao Chen , Bork Peter A. R. , Holbrook N. Michele , Schulz Alexander , Bohr Tomas 
Published: October 2024

Summary
Characteristic of all conifer needles, the transfusion tissue mediates the radial transport of water and sugar between the endodermis and axial vasculature. Physical constraints imposed by the needle's linear geometry introduce two potential extravascular bottlenecks where the opposition of sugar and water flows may frustrate sugar export: one at the vascular access point and the other at the endodermis.
We developed a network model of the transfusion tissue to explore how its structure and composition affect the delivery of sugars to the axial phloem. To describe extravascular transport with cellular resolution, we construct networks from images of Pinus pinea needles obtained through tomographic microscopy, as well as fluorescence and electron microscopy.
The transfusion tissue provides physically distinct pathways for sugar and water, reducing resistance between the vasculature and endodermis and mitigating flow constriction at the vascular flank. Dissipation of flow velocities through the transfusion tissue's branched structure allows for bidirectional transport of an inbound diffusive sugar flux against an outbound advective water flux across the endodermis.
Our results clarify the structure–function relationships of the transfusion tissue under conditions free of physiological stress. The presented model framework is also applicable to different transfusion tissue morphologies in other gymnosperms.
Tracking tree demography and forest dynamics at scale using remote sensing
Authors: Battison Robin , Prober Suzanne M. , Zdunic Katherine , Jackson Toby D. , Fischer Fabian Jörg , Jucker Tommaso 
Published: October 2024

Summary
Capturing how tree growth and survival vary through space and time is critical to understanding the structure and dynamics of tree‐dominated ecosystems. However, characterising demographic processes at scale is inherently challenging, as trees are slow‐growing, long‐lived and cover vast expanses of land.
We used repeat airborne laser scanning data acquired across 25 km2 of semi‐arid, old‐growth temperate woodland in Western Australia to track the height growth, crown expansion and mortality of 42 213 individual trees over 9 yr.
We found that demographic rates are constrained by a combination of tree size, competition and topography. After initially investing in height growth, trees progressively shifted to crown expansion as they grew larger, while mortality risk decreased considerably with size. Across the landscape, both tree growth and survival increased with topographic wetness, resulting in vegetation patterns that are strongly spatially structured. Moreover, biomass gains from woody growth generally outpaced losses from mortality, suggesting these old‐growth woodlands remain a net carbon sink in the absence of wildfires.
Our study sheds new light on the processes that shape the dynamics and spatial structure of semi‐arid woody ecosystems and provides a roadmap for using emerging remote sensing technologies to track tree demography at scale.
Total Arthroscopic Resection of the Talocalcaneal Coalition in Adults: Key Points of Surgical Technique
Authors: Sun Yiyuan , Cai Wufeng , Huang Xihao , Li Jian , Li Qi 
Published: October 2024

ObjectivePotential disadvantages of open technique for talocalcaneal coalition (TCC) include a risk of wound infection, opioid drug dependence, and prolonged hospitalization. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the effectiveness and safety of endoscopic resection of the TCC.MethodsA retrospective study from June 2019 to February 2023was conducted on 16 consecutively admitted patients who were diagnosed by imaging to have TCC for whom conservative treatment had failed and who undergone arthroscopic resection. The mean age of this cohort was 31.56 ± 10.39 years (range, 16–57 years). The mean follow‐up period was 38.93 ± 15.69 months (range, 11–59 months). The site of the coalition, comorbidities, satisfaction with treatment, visual analog scale (VAS), and American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Ankle–Hindfoot scale scores were evaluated pre‐ and postoperatively. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were used to categorize the coalition according to the Lim classification. Postoperative computed tomography (CT) scans were used to assess recurrence. The distribution of TCC cases according to the Lim classification was type I in one case, type II in four cases, and type III in 11 cases.ResultsThe site of coalition involved the middle facets in seven patients, the posterior facets in three patients, and both the above sites in six patients. All patients underwent total arthroscopic resection of TCC. An auxiliary mini‐incision was made for three patients due to serious tibial nerve compression. Radiographics showed that the coalition disappeared and pain was relieved postoperatively. The mean VAS score decreased from 4.31 ± 1.54 to 1.81 ± 0.98 points (p < 0.001). The mean AOFAS ankle‐hindfoot score improved from 65.56 ± 5.82 to 87.31 ± 6.30 points (p < 0.001). Fifteen patients were satisfied with the procedure, and one patient experienced numbness after surgery. No recurrence was reported based on CT scan and clinical results up to the end of the study.ConclusionSurgical reconstruction employing total arthroscopic resection of TCC can achieve significant functional and radiographic improvements and symptom relief in selected patients with TCC. Auxiliary mini‐incisions were necessitated in complex situations.
Engineering quantitative stomatal trait variation and local adaptation potential by cis‐regulatory editing
Authors: Karavolias Nicholas G. , Patel‐Tupper Dhruv , Gallegos Cruz Ana , Litvak Lillian , Lieberman Samantha E. , Tjahjadi Michelle , Niyogi Krishna K. , Cho Myeong‐Je , Staskawicz Brian J. 
Published: October 2024

SummaryCis‐regulatory element editing can generate quantitative trait variation that mitigates extreme phenotypes and harmful pleiotropy associated with coding sequence mutations. Here, we applied a multiplexed CRISPR/Cas9 approach, informed by bioinformatic datasets, to generate genotypic variation in the promoter of OsSTOMAGEN, a positive regulator of rice stomatal density. Engineered genotypic variation corresponded to broad and continuous variation in stomatal density, ranging from 70% to 120% of wild‐type stomatal density. This panel of stomatal variants was leveraged in physiological assays to establish discrete relationships between stomatal morphological variation and stomatal conductance, carbon assimilation and intrinsic water use efficiency in steady‐state and fluctuating light conditions. Additionally, promoter alleles were subjected to vegetative drought regimes to assay the effects of the edited alleles on developmental response to drought. Notably, the capacity for drought‐responsive stomatal density reprogramming in stomagen and two cis‐regulatory edited alleles was reduced. Collectively our data demonstrate that cis‐regulatory element editing can generate near‐isogenic trait variation that can be leveraged for establishing relationships between anatomy and physiology, providing a basis for optimizing traits across diverse environments.
Onychomycosis in the US Pediatric Population—An Emphasis on Fusarium Onychomycosis
Authors: Gupta Aditya K. , Wang Tong , Polla Ravi Shruthi , Bakotic Wayne L. 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTBackgroundOnychomycosis is a common nail disease that is often difficult to treat with a high risk of recurrence.ObjectiveTo update our current understanding of the etiologic profile in pediatric patients with onychomycosis utilizing molecular diagnosis by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with histopathologic examination.MethodsRecords of 19,770 unique pediatric patients were retrieved from a single diagnostic laboratory in the United States spanning over a 9‐year period (March 2015 to April 2024). This cohort represents patients clinically suspected of onychomycosis seen by dermatologists and podiatrists. Dermatophytes, nondermatophyte molds (NDMs), and yeasts were identified by multiplex real‐time PCR corroborated by the demonstration of fungal invasion on histopathology.ResultsAn average of 37.0% of all patients sampled were mycology‐confirmed to have onychomycosis. Most patients were between ages 11 and 16 years, and the rate of mycologically confirmed onychomycosis was significantly higher among the 6‐ to 8‐year (47.2%) and 9‐ to 11‐year (42.7%) age groups compared to the 0‐ to 5‐year (33.1%), 12‐ to 14‐year (33.2%), and 15‐ to 17‐year (36.7%) age groups. The majority of infections were caused dermatophytes (74.7%) followed by NDMs (17.4%). The Trichophyton rubrum complex represents the dominant pathogen with higher detection rates in the 6‐ to 11‐year‐olds. Fusarium was the most commonly isolated NDM with an increasing prevalence with age.ConclusionsElementary school‐aged children have a higher risk of contracting onychomycosis which may be attributed to the onset of hyperhidrosis at puberty, use of occlusive footwear, nail unit trauma, and walking barefoot. Fusarium onychomycosis may be more prevalent than expected, and this may merit consideration of management strategies.
Surface wettability affects attachment of male bed bugs Cimex lectularius to rough Perspex substrates
Authors: Dwyer‐Joyce Rob , Voigt Dagmar , Reinhardt Klaus 
Published: October 2024

AbstractInsects attach to various surfaces that differ, among others, in roughness and wettability. Identifying surface characteristics that allow or prevent insects from attaching are an important research avenue of pest control. Here we take an experimental approach to analyse the attachment of common bed bugs, Cimex lectularius Linnaeus (1758), to Perspex (PMMA) substrates. We construct a reliable centrifuge device that allows the measurement of attachment forces at substrate roughnesses, Ra, between 0.02 and 1.3 μm and at two wettabilities. Our results suggest that bed bug attachment to surfaces is minimal at a substrate roughness of 0.2 and 0.4 μm on normal PMMA, where the lowest attachment force was 0.8 mN and the safety factor 15. At lower and higher roughness, attachment forces were higher and the safety factor increased to a maximum of 133. On PMMA that was made superhydrophobic by spray‐coating, attachment was lowest (0.2 mN) at the lowest roughness and continuously increased with increasing roughness, reaching 2.5 mN and a safety factor of 46. For every roughness, attachment forces were lower on superhydrophobic than on normal PMMA. This knowledge may inspire the development of repelling substrates for bed bug control.