bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Deserving the Option to Give
Authors: Moriarty Jeffrey 
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACTThis paper argues that people can deserve the option to give. Discussions of desert tend to focus on the benefits and burdens that people might, in some sense, receive, like wealth and jobs. But intuitively, people can also deserve the ability to decide what to do with their wealth or to select who gets a job. Shaping distributive policies and outcomes in accordance with desert is more complicated than philosophers have realised.
Optimising Laparoscopic Artificial Insemination in Lohi Sheep: Effects of Timing, Sperm Concentration and Body Condition on Fertility Outcome in Subtropical Climates
Authors: Khan Muhammad Tayyab , Ahmad Ejaz , Yousaf Muhammad Rizwan , Oneeb Muhammad , Akhtar Muhammad Saleem , Khan Muhammad Irfan‐ur‐Rehman 
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACTThe objective of this study was to determine the optimal timing, sperm concentration, and body condition score (BCS) for laparoscopic artificial insemination (LAI) in the subtropical Lohi sheep breed. In Experiment 1, Lohi ewes (n = 80) were synchronised through progestin‐sponges (day 0–day 11), administering PGF2α (d‐cloprostenol 75 μg/mL; i.m. @ 75 μg /ewe) on day 09 and eCG (i.m. @ 300 IU/ewe) on day 11. Ewes were divided equally into four groups (n = 20 each) and then LAI was performed at 48 (T48), 60 (T60), 72 (T72) and 96 (T96) hours post‐sponge removal using 200 million sperm/insemination. In Experiment 2, ewes (n = 81) were synchronised as in Experiment I. Following synchronisation ewes were divided into four groups, each subjected to LAI employing varying sperm concentrations: 10 (S10; n = 21), 20 (S20; n = 20), 50 (S50; n = 20), or 100 (S100; n = 20) million per insemination. Inseminations were performed within a time window of 48–60 h post‐sponge removal, based on the findings from Experiment 1. In both experiments ewes were categorised according to BCS, that is, medium 3 and high > 3. Results of Experiment 1 revealed a quadratic response that ewes inseminated at 60‐h post‐sponge removal exhibited significantly higher pregnancy and twinning rates (p = 0.02). The results of Experiment 2 revealed that sperm concentration had a quadratic effect, 50 million sperm per insemination resulted in maximal pregnancy rates (p = 0.01). Additionally, ewes with medium BCS (≤ 3) had higher pregnancy rates than high BCS (> 3) ewes. In conclusion, ewes with medium BCS (≤ 3) are ideal candidate for LAI and can be inseminated at 60 h with minimal sperm 50 × 106/dose post‐sponge removal to achieve a maximum pregnancy rate.
Combined forequarter amputation and hemilaminectomy for treatment of canine peripheral nerve sheath tumors of the brachial plexus invading the spinal canal: Surgical technique and outcome in nine dogs
Authors: Potamopoulou Maria , Petite Audrey , Findji Laurent 
Published: September 2024

AbstractObjectiveThe aim of the study was to describe the surgical technique and outcome of a combined forequarter amputation and hemilaminectomy (FAHL) for excision of canine peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNSTs) of the brachial plexus extending into the vertebral canal.Study designRetrospective case series.AnimalsNine client‐owned dogs.MethodsDogs which underwent FAHL for resection of a brachial plexus PNST extending into the vertebral canal were included. Data from medical records including signalment, clinical findings, MRI data, histopathology reports, interval between appearance of the clinical signs and surgical intervention, affected spinal nerves and nerve roots, time to ambulate postoperatively, survival time, tumor grade and completeness of surgical margins were collected.ResultsIn seven of nine cases the PNST affected the eighth cervical nerve root. Five of the nine cases were ambulatory within the first 3 days postoperatively and in one case unassisted ambulation was delayed and achieved 28 days postoperatively. The median survival time was calculated to be 317 days and the mean 522 days (range 120–1620 days). Four of nine dogs were euthanized 120, 270, 306 and 317 days postoperatively, because of suspected tumor recurrence. In one of those four cases the histological margins were reported as complete.ConclusionFAHL appeared to be a reliable technique for excision of PNSTs of the brachial plexus invading the spinal canal, with similar outcomes to previously reported for PNSTs not extending into the vertebral canal.
El arte público como parte del consumo cultural en la parroquia de San Antonio de Ibarra, Ecuador
Authors: Chuquín Cadena Andrea Paola , Posso -Yépez Miguel 
Published: September 2024

El arte público da apertura a diversas formas de consumo artístico, nuevas galerías urbanas exponen la diversidad cultural con libre acceso al expectador, generando una apropiación colectiva de las obras. El objetivo de esta investigación fue recopilar e interpretar la producción artística pública que tiene San Antonio de Ibarra, en base al censo de cuarenta obras entre murales y esculturas, el análisis de la temática, técnicas utilizadas y la visión del consumidor de arte en relación a ellas. Este estudio es cualitativo-descritivo, con enfoque hermeneútico dialéctico. Los resultados obtenidos fueron en base al análisis de fichas de observación de cada obra y la interpretación desde diferentes contextos, así también el aporte de entrevistas realizadas a dos artistas referentes del muralismo y la escultura de la parroquía. En conclusión San Antonio de Ibarra, cuenta con obras de mucha valía en su espacio público, que conservan el patrimonio cultural y artístico de su pueblo, y son parte de una galería abierta que da paso a la apropiación de los valores de cada obra por parte del público que visita el sector, considerándolo como un referente turístico importante en el desarrollo social, cultural, artístico y económico de la parroquia.
Enhancing Lubrication of Electrified Interfaces by Inert Gas Atmosphere
Authors: Farfan-Cabrera Leonardo I. , Lee Seungjoo , Skowron Sean , Erdemir Ali 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Considering the growing interest in increasing the performance and efficiency of driveline components of modern electric vehicles, this work aims to analyze and report the wear mechanisms and notable enhancement of the lubrication of electrified contact interfaces by inert gas atmospheres. Systematic tribological studies were conducted on AISI 52100 steel test pairs using driveline lubricants under unelectrified and electrified conditions in ambient air and dry N2. Test results showed that in ambient air and electrification, the formation of iron oxides (in particular hematite) was most dominant and gave rise to severe abrasive wear regardless of the lubricant type being used. In dry N2, however, the tribo-oxidation was suppressed but the formation of a carbon-rich tribofilm was favored (especially under electrified conditions). Such a shift from surface oxidation to carbonaceous film formation resulted in dramatic reductions (by factors of 8−10) in the wear of test pairs.
A Deep Learning-Based Method for Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring and Load Disaggregation of 11kV/400V Electrical Substations
Authors: O’Malley Elliott , Pugh Daniel , Wu Jianzhong , Clements David 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
An Artificial Intelligence-based method has been developed to achieve Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring (NILM) at 11kV/400V electrical substations, accomplished using the aggregate load measured at the substation and separating it by property. This allows Utility & Power Distribution companies better electricity demand forecasts and aids demand-side response. There has been extensive research of NILM at household-level using household “smart meter” data. However, substation-level disaggregation offers a cost-effective alternative and streamlined approach as only the substation requires monitoring devices rather than every house in the distribution region.
A deep learning eventless NILM approach was taken, using Recurrent Neural Networks with Long Short-Term Memory and Gated Recurrent Unit layers. Disaggregation was achieved using a synthetic dataset for Low-Carbon Technology devices such as Electric vehicles (EVs), Heat Pumps (HP) and Photo-Voltaic Solar (PV) with the relationship with substation load. The accuracies for unseen data compared to the ground truth were 99.20% (EV), 99.39% (PV), 81.39% (HP) and 92.16% for other household loads.
This method proposed in this paper is foundational to future substation-level NILM research, allowing for an evaluation of a scenario-based uptake in low-carbon technologies and an analysis of the required change of the power distribution network.
Enhancing Battery Storage Energy Arbitrage With Deep Reinforcement Learning and Time-Series Forecasting
Authors: Sage Manuel , Campbell Joshua , Zhao Yaoyao Fiona 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Energy arbitrage is one of the most profitable sources of income for battery operators, generating revenues by buying and selling electricity at different prices. Forecasting these revenues is challenging due to the inherent uncertainty of electricity prices. Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) emerged in recent years as a promising tool, able to cope with uncertainty by training on large quantities of historical data. However, without access to future electricity prices, DRL agents can only react to the currently observed price and not learn to plan battery dispatch. Therefore, in this study, we combine DRL with time-series forecasting methods from deep learning to enhance the performance on energy arbitrage. We conduct a case study using price data from Alberta, Canada that is characterized by irregular price spikes and highly non-stationary. This data is challenging to forecast even when state-of-the-art deep learning models consisting of convolutional layers, recurrent layers, and attention modules are deployed. Our results show that energy arbitrage with DRL-enabled battery control still significantly benefits from these imperfect predictions, but only if predictors for several horizons are combined. Grouping multiple predictions for the next 24-hour window, accumulated rewards increased by 60% for deep Q-networks (DQN) compared to the experiments without forecasts. We hypothesize that multiple predictors, despite their imperfections, convey useful information regarding the future development of electricity prices through a “majority vote” principle, enabling the DRL agent to learn more profitable control policies.
Novel Particle Flow Control Using a Scoop Mechanism for Concentrating Solar Applications
Authors: Arthur-Arhin Winfred J. , Fosheim Jesse R. , Thompson Azariah , Brewster Keaton J. , Jackson Gregory S. 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Solid oxide particles have been proposed as a cost-effective solution for heat transfer and thermal energy storage (TES) media for next-generation concentrating solar power (CSP) plants because of their ability to operate stably at temperatures &gt; 750 °C. Providing reliable particle flows to particle receivers (RECs) and primary heat exchangers (HXs) for power cycles requires careful design of inlet and outlet flow control valves. To date, sliding gate mechanisms have been used to control the flow of particles in many CSP-TES facilities, but these sliding gate valves can cause particle abrasion. This paper presents the design and testing of a novel particle-flow control mechanism involving a rotating scoop that eliminates abrasion associated with sliding gates. The rotating scoop relies on the particle angle of repose to shut off flow in the closed position. Servo-motor control of the scoop rotation enables setting the rate of particle flow, which falls as a curtain into a freeboard zone of a primary fluidized bed HX or indirect particle REC. Tests with the particle scoop for a multi-channel fluidized bed particle-sCO2 HX demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach to maintain a reliable particle inventory in the HX freeboard zone above the core.
Glycosylation of 6-gingerol and unusual spontaneous deglucosylation of two novel intermediates to form 6-shogaol-4′-
O-β
-glucoside by bacterial glycosyltransferase
Authors: Chang Te-Sheng , Ding Hsiou-Yu , Wu Jiumn-Yih , Lin Han-Ying , Wang Tzi-Yuan 
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACT

6-Gingerol is a major phenolic compound within ginger (
Zingiber officinale
), often used in healthcare; however, its lower bioavailability is partly due to its poor solubility. Four bacterial glycosyltransferases (GTs) were tested to glycosylate 6-gingerol into soluble gingerol glucosides.
Bs
UGT489 was a suitable GT to biotransform 6-gingerol into five significant products, which could be identified via nucleic magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry as 6-gingerol-4′,5-
O
-
β
-diglucoside (
1
), 6-gingerol-4′-
O
-
β
-glucoside (
2
), 6-gingerol-5-
O
-
β
-glucoside (
3
), 6-shogaol-4′-
O
-
β
-glucoside (
4
), and 6-shogaol (
5
). The enzyme kinetics of
Bs
UGT489 showed substrate inhibition toward 6-gingerol for producing two glucosides. The kinetic parameters were determined as
K
M
(110 µM),
k
cat
(862 min
−1
), and
K
I
(571 µM) for the production of 6-gingerol-4′-
O-β
-glucoside (
2
) and
K
M
(104 µM),
k
cat
(889 min
−1
), and
K
I
(545 µM) for the production of 6-gingerol-5-
O-β
-glucoside (
3
). The aqueous solubility of the three 6-gingerol glucosides, compound (
1
) to (
3
), was greatly improved. However, 6-shogaol-4′-
O
-
β
-glucoside (
4
) was found to be a product biotransformed from 6-shogaol (
5
). This study first confirmed that the glucose moiety at the C-5 position of both 6-gingerol-4′,5-
O
-
β
-diglucoside (
1
) and 6-gingerol-5-
O
-
β
-glucoside (
3
) caused spontaneous deglucosylation through
β
-elimination to form 6-shogaol-4′-
O
-
β
-glucoside (
4
) and 6-shogaol (
5
), respectively. Moreover, the GTs could glycosylate 6-shogaol to form 6-shogaol-4′-
O
-
β
-glucoside (
4
). The assays showed 6-shogaol-4′-
O
-
β
-glucoside (
4
) had higher anti-inflammatory activity (IC
50
value of 10.3 ± 0.2 µM) than 6-gingerol. The 6-gingerol-5-
O
-
β
-glucoside (
3
) possessed 346-fold higher solubility than 6-shogaol, in which the highly soluble glucoside is a potential prodrug of 6-shogaol via spontaneous deglucosylation. This unusual deglucosylation plays a vital role in influencing the anti-inflammatory activity.

IMPORTANCE
Both 6-gingerols and 6-shogaol possess multiple bioactivities. However, their poor solubility limits their application. The present study used bacterial GTs to catalyze the glycosylation of 6-gingerol, and the resulting gingerol glycosides were found to be new compounds with improved solubility and anti-inflammatory activity. In addition, two of the 6-gingerol glucosides were found to undergo spontaneous deglucosylation to form 6-shogaol or 6-shogaol glucosides. The unique spontaneous deglucosylation property of the new 6-gingerol glucosides makes them a good candidate for the prodrug of 6-shogaol.
Molecular dissection of the chromosome partitioning protein RocS and regulation by phosphorylation
Authors: Demuysere Margaux , Ducret Adrien , Grangeasse Christophe 
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACT

Chromosome segregation in bacteria is a critical process ensuring that each daughter cell receives an accurate copy of the genetic material during cell division. Active segregation factors, such as the ParABS system or SMC complexes, are usually essential for this process, but they are surprisingly dispensable in
Streptococcus pneumoniae
. Rather, chromosome segregation in
S. pneumoniae
relies on the protein Regulator of Chromosome Segregation (RocS), although the molecular mechanisms involved remain elusive. By combining genetics,
in vivo
imaging, and biochemical approaches, we dissected the molecular features of RocS involved in chromosome segregation. We investigated the respective functions of the three RocS domains, specifically the C-terminal amphipathic helix (AH), the N-terminal DNA-binding domain (DBD), and the coiled-coil domain (CCD) separating the AH and the DBD. Notably, we found that a single AH is not sufficient for membrane binding and that RocS requires prior oligomerization to interact with the membrane. We further demonstrated that this self-interaction was driven by the N-terminal part of the CCD. On the other hand, we revealed that the C-terminal part of the CCD corresponds to a domain of unknown function (DUF 536) and is defined by three conserved glutamines, which play a crucial role in RocS-mediated chromosome segregation. Finally, we showed that the DBD is phosphorylated by the unique serine-threonine kinase of
S. pneumoniae
StkP and that mimicking this phosphorylation abrogated RocS binding to DNA. Overall, this study offers new insights into chromosome segregation in Streptococci and paves the way for a deeper understanding of RocS-like proteins in other bacteria.

IMPORTANCE

Bacteria have evolved a variety of mechanisms to properly segregate their genetic material during cell division. In this study, we performed a molecular dissection of the chromosome partitioning protein Regulator of Chromosome Segregation (RocS), a pillar element of chromosome segregation in
S. pneumoniae
that is also generally conserved in the
Streptococcaceae
family. Our systematic investigation sheds light on the molecular features required for successful pneumococcal chromosome segregation and the regulation of RocS by phosphorylation. In addition, our study also revealed that RocS shares functional domains with the Par protein, involved in an atypical plasmid segregation system. Therefore, we expect that our findings may serve to extend our understanding of RocS and RocS-like proteins while broadening the repertoire of partitioning systems used in bacteria.
High-throughput sequencing-based neutralization assay reveals how repeated vaccinations impact titers to recent human H1N1 influenza strains
Authors: Loes Andrea N. , Tarabi Rosario Araceli L. , Huddleston John , Touyon Lisa , Wong Sook San , Cheng Samuel M. S. , Leung Nancy H. L. , Hannon William W. , Bedford Trevor , Cobey Sarah , Cowling Benjamin J. , Bloom Jesse D. 
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACT

The high genetic diversity of influenza viruses means that traditional serological assays have too low throughput to measure serum antibody neutralization titers against all relevant strains. To overcome this challenge, we developed a sequencing-based neutralization assay that simultaneously measures titers against many viral strains using small serum volumes using a workflow similar to traditional neutralization assays. The key innovation is to incorporate unique nucleotide barcodes into the hemagglutinin (HA) genomic segment, and then pool viruses with numerous different barcoded HA variants and quantify the infectivity of all of them simultaneously using next-generation sequencing. With this approach, a single researcher performed the equivalent of 2,880 traditional neutralization assays (80 serum samples against 36 viral strains) in approximately 1 month. We applied the sequencing-based assay to quantify the impact of influenza vaccination on neutralization titers against recent human H1N1 strains for individuals who had or had not also received a vaccine in the previous year. We found that the viral strain specificities of the neutralizing antibodies elicited by vaccination vary among individuals and that vaccination induced a smaller increase in titers for individuals who had also received a vaccine the previous year—although the titers 6 months after vaccination were similar in individuals with and without the previous-year vaccination. We also identified a subset of individuals with low titers to a subclade of recent H1N1 even after vaccination. We provide an experimental protocol (
dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.kqdg3xdmpg25/v1
) and computational pipeline (
https://github.com/jbloomlab/seqneut-pipeline
) for the sequencing-based neutralization assays to facilitate the use of this method by others.

IMPORTANCE
We describe a new approach that can rapidly measure how the antibodies in human serum inhibit infection by many different influenza strains. This new approach is useful for understanding how viral evolution affects antibody immunity. We apply the approach to study the effect of repeated influenza vaccination.
Herpes simplex virus 1 inhibits phosphorylation of RNA polymerase II CTD serine-7
Authors: Whisnant Adam W. , Dyck Dionisi Oliver , Salazar Sanchez Valeria , Rappold Julia M. , Djakovic Lara , Grothey Arnhild , Marante Ana Luiza , Fischer Patrick , Peng Shitao , Wolf Katharina , Hennig Thomas , Dölken Lars 
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACT

Transcriptional activity of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) is influenced by post-translational modifications of the C-terminal domain (CTD) of the largest Pol II subunit, RPB1. Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) usurps the cellular transcriptional machinery during lytic infection to efficiently express viral mRNA and shut down host gene expression. The viral immediate-early protein ICP22 interferes with serine 2 phosphorylation (pS2) by targeting CDK9 and other CDKs, but the full functional implications of this are not well understood. Using Western blotting, we report that HSV-1 also induces a loss of serine 7 phosphorylation (pS7) of the CTD during lytic infection, requiring expression of the two immediate-early proteins ICP22 and ICP27. ICP27 has also been proposed to target RPB1 for degradation, but we show that pS2/S7 loss precedes the drop in total protein levels. Cells with the RPB1 polyubiquitination site mutation K1268R, preventing proteasomal degradation during transcription-coupled DNA repair, displayed loss of pS2/S7 but retained higher overall RPB1 protein levels later in infection, indicating this pathway is not involved in early CTD dysregulation but may mediate bulk protein loss later. Using α-amanitin-resistant CTD mutants, we observed differential requirements for Ser2 and Ser7 for the production of viral proteins, with Ser2 facilitating viral immediate-early genes and Ser7 appearing dispensable. Despite dysregulation of CTD phosphorylation and different requirements for Ser2/7, all CTD modifications tested could be visualized in viral replication compartments with immunofluorescence. These data expand the known means that HSV employs to create pro-viral transcriptional environments at the expense of host responses.

IMPORTANCE
Cells rapidly induce changes in the transcription of RNA in response to stress and pathogens. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) disrupts many processes of host mRNA transcription, and it is necessary to separate the actions of viral proteins from cellular responses. Here, we demonstrate that viral proteins inhibit two key phosphorylation patterns on the C-terminal domain (CTD) of cellular RNA polymerase II and that this is separate from the degradation of polymerases later in infection. Furthermore, we show that viral genes do not require the full “CTD code.” Together, these data distinguish multiple steps in the remodeling of RNA polymerase during infection and suggest that shared transcriptional phenotypes during stress responses do not revolve around a core disruption of CTD modifications.