bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Water Budget Input Linked to Atmospheric Rivers in British Columbia's Nechako River Basin
Authors: Sobral Bruno S. , Déry Stephen J. 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTThis study explores the contribution of atmospheric rivers (ARs) to the water budget input of the Nechako River Basin (NRB) in British Columbia (BC), western Canada. The study quantifies the fraction of precipitation, rainfall, snowfall, and snow water equivalent (SWE) associated with ARs at multiple scales and tests for trends using the Mann–Kendall (MK) test. AR‐related totals for 1950–2021 were created by linking AR events to water budget input variables of the ERA5‐Land reanalysis product on a daily scale. Associations with different phases of the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern and AR‐related contributions to the NRB are also investigated. Results indicate an increasing fractional contribution of rain in ARs landfalling in the NRB in the last two decades (2000–2019). Moreover, 21% of the total annual precipitation in the NRB is associated with ARs, with decreasing contributions from west to east. October has higher AR‐related total precipitation than other months, while March, May and June are the least affected. ARs contribute disproportionately more to mid‐ and high‐intensity daily precipitation totals, and provide up to 45% and 24% of the seasonal rainfall and snowfall, respectively. AR‐related SWE is relatively higher in autumn due to the increased frequency and intensity of ARs, resulting in a greater fractional contribution of ARs to the snowpack compared to winter. ARs influence snowpack accumulation during fall (18%) and winter (13%) but also increase the risk of natural hazards. The MK test for AR‐related water budget variables on the annual scale identified no significant trends. However, AR‐related snowfall shows decreasing trends in the NRB, more specifically in the Upper Nechako, Lower Nechako and Stellako sub‐basins during the summer. Over the study period, ARs consistently contribute up to one‐fifth of the annual input to the NRB's water budget. This study provides the first quantitative assessment and trend analyses of AR contributions to the water budget input of a reservoir‐regulated watershed in north‐central BC, yielding valuable information for hydropower production, ecological flows, irrigation, domestic and industrial water use.
Germline variants of homology‐directed repair or mismatch repair genes in cervical cancer
Authors: Kokemüller Lara , Ramachandran Dhanya , Schürmann Peter , Geffers Robert , Jentschke Matthias , Böhmer Gerd , Strauß Hans‐Georg , Hirchenhain Christine , Schmidmayr Monika , Müller Florian , Fasching Peter A. , Luyten Alexander , Häfner Norman , Hillemanns Peter , Dörk Thilo 
Published: October 2024

AbstractWhile cervical cancer is associated with a persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, the progression to cancer is influenced by genomic risk factors that have remained largely obscure. Pathogenic variants in genes of the homology‐directed repair (HDR) or mismatch repair (MMR) are known to predispose to diverse tumour entities including breast and ovarian cancer (HDR) or colon and endometrial cancer (MMR). We here investigate the spectrum of HDR and MMR germline variants in cervical cancer, with particular focus on the HPV status and histological subgroups. We performed targeted next‐generation sequencing for 5 MMR genes and 12 HDR genes on 728 German patients with cervical dysplasia or invasive cancer. In total, 4% of our patients carried a pathogenic germline variant, based on ClinVar classifications and additional ESM1b and AlphaMissense predictions. These included 15 patients with truncating variants in HDR genes (BARD1, BRCA1, BRCA2, BRIP1, FANCM, RAD51D and SLX4). MMR‐related gene variants were less prevalent and mainly of the missense type. While MMR‐related gene variants tended to associate with adenocarcinomas, HDR gene variants were commonly observed in squamous cancers. While one patient with HPV‐negative cancer carried a pathogenic MMR gene variant (in MSH6), the HDR germline variants were found in patients with HPV‐positive cancers and tended to associate with HPV18. Taken together, our study supports a potentially risk‐modifying role of MMR and HDR germline variants in cervical cancer but no association with HPV‐negative status. These variants may be exploitable in future therapeutic managements.
Enhancing Ischemic Stroke Evaluation by a Model‐Based Photoacoustic Tomography Algorithm
Authors: Li Yuanyuan , Lin Yi , Li Boyi , Feng Ting , Li Dan , Li Ying , Wu Yi , Ta Dean 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTIschemic stroke (IS) is characterized by the sudden interruption of blood supply to the brain, resulting in neurological impairments and even mortality. Photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT) integrates the high contrast of optical imaging and the penetration of ultrasound imaging, enabling non‐invasive IS evaluation. However, the image reconstruction quality significantly affects the oxyhemoglobin saturation (sO2) estimation. This study investigates a model‐based with total variation minimized by augmented Lagrangian and alternating direction (MB‐TVAL3) approach and compared it with the widely used back‐projection (BP) and delay‐and‐sum (DAS) algorithms. Both simulations and in vivo experiments are conducted to validate the performance of the MB‐TVAL3 algorithm, showing a higher sO2 estimation accuracy and sensitivity in detecting infarct area compared to BP and DAS. The findings of this study emphasize the impact of acoustic inverse problem on the accuracy of sO2 estimation and the proposed approach offers valuable support for IS evaluation and cerebrovascular diagnosis.
Real‐time monitoring of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) by in vivo flow cytometry
Authors: Zhang Fuli , Lu Xin , Zhu Xi , Yu Ziwen , Xia Weiliang , Wei Xunbin 
Published: October 2024

AbstractExtracellular vesicles (EVs) are vesicular structures comprised of a bilayer lipid membrane, released by living cells. There is a growing body of evidence for their functionality, indicating that small EVs (sEVs) can mediate specific forms of intercellular communication. The future applications of sEVs hold great promise, not only as diagnostic markers but also as therapeutic agents. However, the greatest difficulty in the clinical translation of sEVs is that they are currently poorly understood, especially concerning their in vivo behaviour. In this study, we provide a novel method for monitoring sEVs in blood circulation based on in vivo flow cytometry (IVFC). We have demonstrated that the height of the IVFC signal baseline is proportional to the concentration of sEVs. Moreover, we have found out that the peaks in the IVFC signal are generated by the aggregation or cellular uptake of sEVs. In vivo monitoring of sEVs clearance from the blood indicates that PEGylated sEVs have a longer residence time and exhibit less aggregation in circulation compared to non‐PEGylated sEVs. These studies reveal that IVFC enables real‐time in vivo monitoring of circulating sEVs, which can provide valuable insights into the pharmacokinetics and cellular targeting capabilities of sEVs.
Separation of small extracellular vesicles (sEV) from human blood by Superose 6 size exclusion chromatography
Authors: Nouvel Jerome , Bustos‐Quevedo Gonzalo , Prinz Tony , Masood Ramsha , Daaboul George , Gainey‐Schleicher Tanja , Wittel Uwe , Chikhladze Sophia , Melykuti Bence , Helmstaedter Martin , Winkler Karl , Nazarenko Irina , Pütz Gerhard 
Published: October 2024

AbstractExtracellular vesicles (EVs) are valuable targets for liquid biopsy. However, attempts to introduce EV‐based biomarkers into clinical practice have not been successful to the extent expected. One of the reasons for this failure is the lack of reliable methods for EV baseline purification from complex biofluids, such as cell‐free plasma or serum. Because available one‐step approaches for EV isolation are insufficient to purify EVs, the majority of studies on clinical samples were performed either on a mixture of EVs and lipoproteins, whilst the real number of EVs and their individual specific biomarker content remained elusive, or on a low number of samples of sufficient volume to allow elaborate 2‐step EV separation by size and density, resulting in a high purity but utmost low recovery. Here we introduce Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography (FPLC) using Superose 6 as a matrix to obtain small EVs from biofluids that are almost free of soluble proteins and lipoproteins. Along with the estimation of a realistic number of small EVs in human samples, we show temporal resolution of the effect of the duration of postprandial phase on the proportion of lipoproteins in purified EVs, suggesting acceptable time frames additionally to the recommendation to use fasting samples for human studies. Furthermore, we assessed a potential value of pure EVs for liquid biopsy, exemplarily examining EV‐ and tumour‐biomarkers in pure FPLC‐derived fractions isolated from the serum of patients with pancreatic cancer. Consistent among different techniques, showed the presence of diseases‐associated biomarkers in pure EVs, supporting the feasibility of using single‐vesicle analysis for liquid biopsy.
Natural history of valve disease in patients with mucopolysaccharidosis II and the impact of enzyme replacement therapy
Authors: Kampmann Christoph , Lampe Christina , Wiethoff Christiane M. , Arash‐Kaps Laila , Mengel Eugen , Reinke Joerg , Beck Michael , Hennermann Julia B. , Abu‐Tair Tariq 
Published: October 2024

AbstractMucopolysaccharidosis II (MPS II, Hunter syndrome) is a rare, X‐linked lysosomal storage disease caused by reduced activity of iduronate‐2‐sulfatase (I2S), with subsequent cellular accumulation of the glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), heparan sulfate, and dermatan sulfate (DS). DS is a major component of the extracellular matrix of heart valves, which can be affected in MPS II. We investigated the natural history of valve disease in MPS II and the impact of long‐term intravenous enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with recombinant I2S (idursulfase). In total, 604 cardiac examinations were assessed from serial follow‐up of 80 male patients (49 neuronopathic). Valve disease was classified according to standard practice from hemodynamic features evident from echocardiography. The natural history group comprised 48 patients (up to 14.8 years of follow‐up; median, 2.6 years; 24 patients started ERT during the study); 56 patients were treated (up to 14.2 years of follow‐up; median, 6.2 years). Lifetime GAG burden (calculated from urinary GAG measurements) correlated significantly with the degree of valve disease. Onset of moderate‐to‐severe valve disease was significantly delayed in treated (median age at onset, 29.1 ± 2 [95% CI: 25.2–32.9] years; Kaplan–Meier estimation) versus untreated patients (17.6 ± 1 [95% Cl: 15.8–19.4] years; p < 0.0001). Cox regression modeling found that long‐term ERT reduced the probability of developing severe valve disease (χ2, 32.736; significant after 5 years of ERT). Overall, this study found that valve disease severity in MPS II correlates with GAG burden and that progression is delayed by long‐term ERT.
Peanut‐Colonized Piriformospora indica Enhanced Drought Tolerance by Modulating the Enzymes and Expression of Drought‐Related Genes
Authors: Gao Jie , Wang Chen , Tian Pei‐Cong , Liu Chuang , Ahsan Taswar , Wei Yi , Huang Yu‐Qian , Zhang Shi‐Hong 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTPeanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important cash and oil seed crop, mostly distributed in arid and semi‐arid areas. In recent years, due to the influence of atmospheric circulation anomalies and other factors, drought has become frequent and increasingly serious in China. This has posed serious challenges to peanut production. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of the endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica to form a symbiotic relationship with peanut plants and to evaluate the drought tolerance of P. indica‐colonized peanut plants subjected to a simulated drought stress treatment using 20% polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG6000). The endophytic fungus P. indica affected the physiological characteristics of the host plant by colonizing the plant roots, thereby conferring greater resistance to drought stress. This fungus strongly colonized the roots of peanuts and was found to enhance root activity after 24 h of P. indica colonization under PEG6000. Catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) activities were increased at 24 h in peanut leaves colonized with P. indica. Expression of drought‐related genes, such as AhNCED1, AhP5CS, and DREB2A was upregulated at 24 h of P. indica colonization. In addition, after PEG6000 treatment, proline, soluble protein, and abscisic acid (ABA) concentrations in plants were increased, while the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was decreased in P. indica colonized peanut. In conclusion, P. indica mediated peanut plant protection against the detrimental effects of drought resulted from enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities, and the upregulated expression of drought‐related genes for lower membrane damage.
Arsenic Stress Mitigation Using a Novel Plant Growth‐Promoting Bacterial Strain Bacillus mycoides NR5 in Spinach Plant (Spinacia oleracea L.)
Authors: Sarim Khan M. , Shukla Renu , Bhoyar Manish S. , Kaur Baljeet , Singh Dhananjay P. 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTPresent study aimed to identify arsenic (As)‐resistant bacterial strains that can be used to mitigate arsenic stress. A bacterium Bacillus mycoides NR5 having As tolerance limit of 1100 mg L−1 was isolated from Nag River, Maharashtra, India. It was also equipped with plant growth‐promoting (PGP) attributes like phosphate solubilization, siderophores, ammonia, and nitrate reduction, with added antibiotic tolerance. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron micrograph (TEM) suggested biosorption as possible mechanisms of arsenic tolerance. A strong peak in FTIR spectra at 3379.0 corresponding to amine in As‐treated NR5 also indicated metal interaction with cell surface protein. Amplification of arsenic reductase gene in NR5 further suggested intracellular transformation of As speciation. Moreover, As tolerance capability of NR5 was shown in spinach plants in which the bacterium effectively mitigated 25 ppm As by producing defense‐related proline molecules. Evidence from SEM, TEM, and FTIR, concluded biosorption possibly the primary mechanism of As tolerance in NR5 along with the transformation of arsenic. B. mycoides NR5 with PGP attributes, high As tolerance, and antibiotic resistance mediated enhanced As tolerance in spinach plants advocated that the strain can be a better choice for As bioremediation in contaminated agricultural soil and water.
Legacy effect of 25 years reduced atmospheric sulphur deposition on spruce tree nutrition
Authors: Zethof Jeroen H. T. , Julich Stefan , Feger Karl‐Heinz , Julich Dorit 
Published: October 2024

AbstractBackgroundSince the mid‐1990s, sulphur (S) pollution was drastically reduced in Central Europe. Over time, this has led to a distinct reduction in S availability for Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.), which is still the most important timber species in Central European forestries.AimsDetermination of the Norway spruce nutritional status of former strongly affected areas by S pollution (Saxony) with different degrees of liming by assessing their foliar element contents and comparing them to regions remote from historical high S deposition.MethodsSites were selected based on levels of S deposition in the 1970–1990s with historical high deposition in Saxony (NE Germany), low deposition at Schluchsee (SW Germany) and Davos (Switzerland) as a clean air reference. Needles were sampled in late autumn 2019/2020 and elemental contents determined. Additional historical data on foliar S contents were available.ResultsHistorical data showed a clear decrease in foliar S contents in the Saxonian sites over the last 25 years, independent of liming. No difference between all study sites was found in the most recent sampling, whereas S together with other macronutrients strongly indicates deficiencies for forest growth and health.ConclusionsAfter 25 years of reduced S deposition, S nutrition became low for Norway spruce trees in Saxony, whereas soil parent material determines the overall tree nutritional status with respect to other nutrients. As such, no difference between sites with historical high, low or no S deposition was found. Further studies should focus on the mineralization of organic S in the topsoil to understand if S is effectively recycled within the forest ecosystem and on the effect of other diminishing nutrients such as Mg and P.
The Stability of Manganese Oxides Under Laser Irradiation During Raman Analyses: I. Compact Versus Channel Structures
Authors: Bernardini Simone , Ventura Giancarlo Della , Mihailova Boriana , Sodo Armida 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTManganese oxides/oxyhydroxides (MnOx) are based on Mnn+O6 and Mnn+O4 polyhedra arranged such as to form compact, channel or layered structures. In geology, they are precious archives of past redox conditions for palaeoclimatic reconstructions; in material sciences, they are used for a variety of applications, from pigments to environmental remediation and energy storage. Thus, the fast, remote and non‐destructive identification of MnOx is critical in several disciplines. Micro‐Raman spectroscopy is often used for this purpose, although a systematic characterization of their stability under the laser beam is still lacking. In this work, we present our results on the behaviour of the most common MnOx having compact and channel structures when a 532‐nm laser with intensity between ~23 μW/μm2 and ~36.8 mW/μm2 is used. The compact structures of manganosite (NaCl‐like) and hausmannite (spinel‐like) are stable up to ~36.8 mW/μm2. The stability of oxides with channel structures depends on channel size, charge of channel cations and valence state of Mn. Hausmannite is the final degradation product of all MnOx with channel structures, irrespective of the starting phase. Pyrolusite, manganite, hollandite and romanéchite are relatively stable under the laser beam, and the transition to the spinel structure occurs above 2.5 mW/μm2 while the degradation of cryptomelane and todorokite starts ~226 μW/μm2. The analysis of MnOx thus needs very accurate experimental conditions to avoid misleading and incorrect phase identifications. Based on our data, we propose an analytical protocol for a proper characterization of these minerals via Raman spectroscopy.
Preparation, identification and α‐glucosidase inhibitory activity of a high‐methoxyl HG‐type pectin from Liangping pomelo (Citrus maxima cv. Liangpin Yu) peel
Authors: Gu Xin , Gao Tao , Liu Mengya , Hou Yakun , Jiang Zhonggui , Zhang Yuhao 
Published: October 2024

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe peel from Liangping pomelo (Citrus maxima cv. Liangpin Yu) is generally discarded as waste during post‐harvest handling and process, resulting in environmental pollution and waste. Pectin is the major component in pomelo peels and yields significant economic advantages. Thus, developing pomelo peel pectin (PPs) might be a feasible strategy to reduce environmental pollution caused by pomelo peel.RESULTSThe optimized PPs yield was 156.5 ± 2.5 g kg−1 under the inoculum size of 100 mg g−1, liquid–solid ratio of 31 mL g−1, fermentation time of 64 h, and fermentation temperature of 39 °C. PPs‐6Aa, a pectin fraction from PPs purified with DEAE‐52 cellulose, Sephadex G‐100 and Sephadex G‐75 column chromatography, showed higher α‐glucosidase inhibitory activity, with an IC50 of 0.12 ± 0.03 mg mL−1. It was a high‐methoxyl HG‐type pectin of 42.8 kDa, and its repeat unit was →4)‐α‐GalpA‐6‐OMe‐(1→4)‐α‐GalpA‐6‐OMe‐(1→. Additionally, its α‐glucosidase inhibitory activity might be related to hydrogen bonds formed with Lys‐156, Glu‐277, His‐280, Asp‐307, Arg‐315, Asn‐350, Asp‐352 and Glu‐411, and to hydrophobic interactions formed with Ser‐157, Tyr‐158, Asp‐233, Gln‐239, Ser‐240, Phe‐303, Thr‐306, Leu‐313, Phe‐314, Gln‐353 and Arg‐442.CONCLUSIONThese findings provide structural and bioactivity information on pectin from Liangping pomelo peel, which could be beneficial for the development of functional foods and pharmaceuticals. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.
Unveiling the low‐temperature oxidation chemistry of dipropyl carbonate
Authors: Li Lincheng , Zhou Chao , Yang Guofeng , Huang Zhen , Han Dong 
Published: October 2024

AbstractDialkyl carbonates (DACs) own an environmentally friendly synthesis route, making them potential candidates as alternative fuels. However, for DACs to be widely accepted as an alternative fuel, a comprehensive understanding of their combustion behavior is essential. Dipropyl carbonate (DPrC) represents a transition from short‐chain to mid‐chain carbonates, understanding its combustion behaviors holds significance in unraveling the combustion chemistry of carbonates. In this study, the oxidation of DPrC was investigated with the initial fuel mole fraction of 0.5% at three equivalence ratios of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 within a temperature range of 550–1100 K in a jet‐stirred reactor for the first time. Gas chromatography was utilized for the quantitative detection of reactants, intermediates, and products. A detailed DPrC mechanism was first developed, and good agreements between measurements and simulations were obtained. A notable negative temperature coefficient (NTC) behavior was first observed in the oxidation of DACs. Such NTC phenomenon occurred at fuel‐lean conditions in the temperature range of 620–660 K, while only a weak low‐temperature consumption was observed at the stoichiometric condition. Kinetic modeling studies showed that this unique low‐temperature chemistry of DPrC can be attributed to the differences in the RO2 isomerization reactions between DPrC and short‐chain DACs. The RO2 isomerization via a six‐member ring transition state could happen in DPrC oxidation but not in dimethyl carbonate and diethyl carbonate oxidation, due to the different fuel molecular structure. Therefore, the subsequent reaction pathways via QOOH → O2QOOH → HO2Q = O + OH → OQ = O + OH were promoted and two OH radicals were released in this process. Moreover, it is conceivable that mid or long‐chain DACs could also exhibit an NTC phenomenon due to the increased potential for RO2 isomerization via a six‐ or seven‐member ring transition state, thereby increasing the likelihood of RO2 isomerization occurrence.