bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Concordance between radioimmunoassay and fixed cell‐based assay in subjects without myasthenia gravis: optimizing the diagnostic approach
Authors: Falso Silvia , Marini Sofia , Carrozza Cinzia , Sabatelli Eleonora , Mascagna Giovanni , Marini Martina , Morroni Jacopo , Evoli Amelia , Iorio Raffaele 
Published: August 2024

AbstractBackground and PurposeAcetylcholine receptor antibody (AChR‐Ab) detection is crucial in myasthenia gravis (MG) diagnosis and, currently, the radioimmunoassay (RIA) is the gold standard. However, RIA may detect AChR‐Ab against nonpathogenic intracellular epitopes. In this study, we performed fixed cell‐based assay (F‐CBA) in RIA‐AChR‐Ab positive subjects without MG symptoms, to assess whether F‐CBA could show a higher specificity compared to RIA in detecting pathogenic Abs.MethodsWe reviewed medical records of patients referred to our MG outpatient clinic because of RIA‐AChR‐Ab detection. MG diagnosis was based on clinical examination, electrophysiology and Ab detection. AChR‐Abs were tested by RIA in the whole cohort. Serum samples from RIA‐positive asymptomatic subjects were retested by F‐CBA.ResultsOf 605 subjects who tested RIA‐AChR‐Ab positive, MG diagnosis was confirmed in 599. Six subjects were RIA‐AChR‐Ab positive although they had never had MG symptoms; in four of these subjects AChR‐Abs were not detected by F‐CBA, whereas the remaining two (both non‐MG thymoma cases) were positive also by F‐CBA.ConclusionsRIA false positivity for AChR‐Ab is very rare. Previous literature has demonstrated that F‐CBA has higher sensitivity than RIA for MG, especially in ocular cases. Our preliminary results show that, in rare instances, F‐CBA may be more specific than RIA for MG diagnosis.
New genus and two new species of Cecidomyiidi (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) inhabiting the fig wall of Ficus subpisocarpa and Ficus caulocarpa (Moraceae) in Japan and Taiwan
Authors: Arimoto Kôichi , Yukawa Junichi , Yafuso Masako , Sasaki Ayako , Su Zhi‐Hui 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThere are approximately 850 species of Ficus (Moraceae). However, few species of gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) inhabiting syconia and leaves of fig trees are known. In field surveys, gall midges were found in syconia of Ficus caulocarpa and Ficus subpisocarpa. Here, we examined adults, pupae and larvae of the gall midge species, describe the morphology, and provide information on distribution, behavior and genetic data. A new genus, Ficidiplosis Yukawa and Arimoto, gen. nov., is established in the supertribe Cecidomyiidi for two new species, Ficidiplosis subpisocarpae Yukawa and Arimoto, sp. nov. and Ficidiplosis caulocarpae Yukawa and Arimoto, sp. nov., which emerged from syconia of Ficus subpisocarpa and Ficus caulocarpa, respectively, in Japan and Taiwan. The larvae of Ficidiplosis species feed on the parenchyma of the fig wall and pupate there without making galls. The mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI)‐based neighbor‐joining tree using samples from Japan and Taiwan supported the existence of two separate species.
Genome‐wide association study of delay discounting in Heterogeneous Stock rats
Authors: Lara Montana Kay , Chitre Apurva S. , Chen Denghui , Johnson Benjamin B. , Nguyen Khai‐Minh , Cohen Katarina A. , Muckadam Sakina A. , Lin Bonnie , Ziegler Shae , Beeson Angela , Sanches Thiago M. , Solberg Woods Leah C. , Polesskaya Oksana , Palmer Abraham A. , Mitchell Suzanne H. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractDelay discounting refers to the behavioral tendency to devalue rewards as a function of their delay in receipt. Heightened delay discounting has been associated with substance use disorders and multiple co‐occurring psychopathologies. Human and animal genetic studies have established that delay discounting is heritable, but only a few associated genes have been identified. We aimed to identify novel genetic loci associated with delay discounting through a genome‐wide association study (GWAS) using Heterogeneous Stock (HS) rats, a genetically diverse outbred population derived from eight inbred founder strains. We assessed delay discounting in 650 male and female HS rats using an adjusting amount procedure in which rats chose between smaller immediate sucrose rewards or a larger reward at various delays. Preference switch points were calculated and both exponential and hyperbolic functions were fitted to these indifference points. Area under the curve (AUC) and the discounting parameter k of both functions were used as delay discounting measures. GWAS for AUC, exponential k, and one indifference point identified significant loci on chromosomes 20 and 14. The gene Slc35f1, which encodes a member of the solute carrier family, was the sole gene within the chromosome 20 locus. That locus also contained an eQTL for Slc35f1, suggesting that heritable differences in the expression might be responsible for the association with behavior. Adgrl3, which encodes a latrophilin subfamily G‐protein coupled receptor, was the sole gene within the chromosome 14 locus. These findings implicate novel genes in delay discounting and highlight the need for further exploration.
Two sub‐annual timescales and coupling modes for terrestrial water and carbon cycles
Authors: Short Gianotti Daniel J. , McColl Kaighin A. , Feldman Andrew F. , Xu Xiangtao , Entekhabi Dara 
Published: August 2024

AbstractTo bridge the knowledge gap between (a) our (instantaneous‐to‐seasonal‐scale) process understanding of plants and water and (b) our projections of long‐term coupled feedbacks between the terrestrial water and carbon cycles, we must uncover what the dominant dynamics are linking fluxes of water and carbon. This study uses the simplest empirical dynamical systems models—two‐dimensional linear models—and observation‐based data from satellites, eddy covariance towers, weather stations, and machine‐learning‐derived products to determine the dominant sub‐annual timescales coupling carbon uptake and (normalized) evaporation fluxes. We find two dominant modes across the Contiguous United States: (1) a negative correlation timescale on the order of a few days during which landscapes dry after precipitation and plants increase their carbon uptake through photosynthetic upregulation. (2) A slow, seasonal‐scale positive covariation through which landscape drying leads to decreased growth and carbon uptake. The slow (positively correlated) process dominates the joint distribution of local water and carbon variables, leading to similar behaviors across space, biomes, and climate regions. We propose that vegetation cover/leaf area variables link this behavior across space, leading to strong emergent spatial patterns of water/carbon coupling in the mean. The spatial pattern of local temporal dynamics—positively sloped tangent lines to a convex long‐term mean‐state curve—is surprisingly strong, and can serve as a benchmark for coupled Earth System Models. We show that many such models do not represent this emergent mean‐state pattern, and hypothesize that this may be due to lack of water‐carbon feedbacks at daily scales.
Next‐Generation Sequencing for Characterizing Respiratory Tract Virome and Improving Detection of Viral Pathogens in Children With Pneumonia
Authors: Cui Song , Guo Ruochun , Chen Changming , Zhang Yue , Meng Jinxin , Liu Lanxin , Li Yanxia , Kang Zhijie , Li Shenghui , Yan Qiulong , Ma Yufang 
Published: August 2024

ABSTRACTBackgroundPneumonia is typically caused by a variety of pathogenic microorganisms. Traditional research often focuses on the infection of a few microorganisms, whereas metagenomic studies focus on the impact of the bacteriome and mycobiome on respiratory diseases. Reports on the virome characteristics of pediatric pneumonia remain relatively scarce.MethodsWe employed de novo assembly and combined homology‐ and feature‐based methods to characterize the respiratory virome in whole‐genome DNA sequencing samples from oropharynx (OP) swabs, nasopharynx (NP) swabs, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF) of children with pneumonia.ResultsSignificant differences were observed in the alpha and beta diversity indexes, as well as in the composition of the oropharyngeal virome, between pneumonia cases and controls. We identified 1137 viral operational taxonomic units (vOTUs) with significant differences, indicating a preference of pneumonia‐reduced vOTUs for infecting Prevotella, Neisseria, and Veillonella, whereas pneumonia‐enriched vOTUs included polyomavirus, human adenovirus, and phages targeting Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Granulicatella, and Actinomyces. Comparative analysis revealed higher relative abundances and prevalence rates of pneumonia‐enriched OP vOTUs in NP and BALF samples compared to pneumonia‐reduced vOTUs. Additionally, virome analysis identified six pediatric patients with severe human adenovirus or polyomavirus infections, five of whom might have been undetected by targeted polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐based testing.ConclusionsThis study offers insights into pediatric pneumonia respiratory viromes, highlighting frequent transmission of potentially pathogenic viruses and demonstrating virome analysis as a valuable adjunct for pathogen detection.
Identifying Genetic Loci Determining Grain Yield Under Drought Stress in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)
Authors: Thomas Helan Baby , Verulkar Satish , Agarwal Toshi , Saxena Ritu , Verma Sunil Kumar 
Published: August 2024

ABSTRACTIdentifying the genomic regions (quantitative trait loci (QTL)) significantly linked to grain yield under drought stress could expedite the development of novel rice cultivars suited for rainfed areas through marker‐assisted breeding. This study identified QTL regions linked to plant phenology and production traits by evaluating 122 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) of Danteshwari × Daggaddeshi under different environmental conditions. A consistent QTL region associated with grain yield under water stress (60.4 Mbp) was mapped on chromosome 1 between RM428 and RM24 with an LOD score of 4.0. Another QTL region (9.4 Mbp) linked to plant height under all environmental conditions was mapped on chromosome 1 between RM1‐HvSSR1‐87 with a LOD score of 7.5 and phenotypic variance of 25%. A core set of 402 diverse rice accessions was also evaluated under water stress conditions and subjected to genome‐wide association analysis. Twelve markers linked to grain yield under drought were identified, out of which five were significantly associated with grain yield and days to flowering under drought. The markers linked to grain yield were compared between the bi‐parental population and germplasm accessions to identify the common markers. Three markers (RM1, RM259 and RM201) were found to be consistently linked to drought stress across the seasons in both bi‐parental population and germplasm accessions studied and could be potential candidates for application in marker‐assisted selection for improving grain yield under drought stress in rice.
Microstructure, fracture behavior, and wear resistance of cellular Ti(C,N)‐based cermets
Authors: Jiang Zhiyi , Zheng Yong , Xu Xiangyu , Li Bo , Yang Min , Wu Hao , Zhao Yijie , Lu Xuepeng 
Published: August 2024

AbstractHerein, using pre‐granulation method and subsequent vacuum sintering, cellular Ti(C,N)‐based cermets with various particle sizes of hard phase in agglomerates were prepared. As the particle sizes of added Ti(C,N) powders decreased, the interface between the matrix and agglomerates developed into clear and the number of abnormally grown grains decreased. The original shape of the agglomerates was maintained most completely and formed the most obvious cellular structure with the matrix in cermets sintered at 1420°C. Combined with the fractal dimension, the fracture behavior of cellular cermets was comprehensively analyzed to confirm the changes of mechanical properties. From cermet A to cermet D, the proportion of transgranular fracture in the matrix reduced, and intergranular fracture and tearing ridge within the agglomerates could be more clearly observed. Crack propagation exhibited additional crack deflection and bridging close to the interface, which consumed considerable amount of fracture energy. Furthermore, the fractal dimension of the fracture morphology and crack propagation path of cermet C reached a maximum indicating that the fracture behavior was extremely complex and irregular, resulting in excellent strength and toughness. The wear behaviors of cermets were analyzed at both room and high temperature, respectively. The wear rates of cellular cermets greatly reduced because the binder phase with large mean free path in the agglomerates was difficult to be squeezed out and the hard phase was hard to fall off. Overall, the cellular cermet C demonstrated the appreciably comprehensive mechanical properties and excellent wear resistance.
Primary aldosteronism with postoperative elevation of aldosterone treated effectively by finerenone: A case report
Authors: Yu Cai‐Guo , Cao Bin , Gong Hao‐Lin , Ke Jing , Xian Shao‐Zhong , Wu Nan‐Nan , Zhao Dong 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe authors report a case of primary aldosteronism (PA) with postoperative elevation of aldosterone treated effectively by finerenone. The patient was a hypertensive man with a 30‐year history of hypertension and sustained an acute myocardial infarction 5 years ago. Bilateral adrenal nodules with hyperplasia were detected and PA was confirmed. His blood potassium, direct renin concentration, and aldosterone level returned to normal after surgery of right adrenalectomy. However, 1 year after surgery, he experienced a decrease in blood potassium and an increase in aldosterone. A saline infusion test revealed an aldosterone level of 124.47 pg/mL. The patient consented to treatment with finerenone. His aldosterone and potassium levels and blood pressure have been controlled well during follow‐up. This case highlights the need to screen for secondary hypertension as early as possible. Finerenone may be effective for patients with PA who are not candidates for surgery and those not relieved after surgery.
Tea‐derived exosome‐like nanoparticles prevent irritable bowel syndrome induced by water avoidance stress in rat model
Authors: Gong Qianyuan , Xiong Feng , Zheng Yaxian , Guo Yuanbiao 
Published: August 2024

AbstractBackground and AimExosome‐like nanoparticles (ELNs) have emerged as crucial mediators of intercellular communication, evaluated as potential bioactive nutraceutical biomolecules. We hypothesized that oral ELNs have some therapeutic effect on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).MethodsIn our study, ELNs from tea (Camellia sinensis) leaves were extracted by differential centrifugation. We investigated the role of ELNs by assessing visceral hypersensitivity, body weight, bowel habits, tight junctions, and corticotropin‐releasing hormone (CRH) in rats subjected to water avoidance stress (WAS) to mimic IBS with and without ELNs (1 mg/kg per day) for 10 days.ResultsThe average diameter of ELNs from LCC, FD and MZ tea tree were 165 ± 107, 168 ± 94, and 168 ± 108 nm, the concentration of ELNs were 1.2 × 1013, 1 × 1013, and 1.5 × 1013 particles/mL, respectively. ELNs can be taken up by intestinal epithelial cells. In WAS rats, ELNs significantly restored weight, recovered tight junctions, decreased CRH, and CRH receptor 1 expression levels and inhibited abdominal hypersensitivity in comparison to positive control.ConclusionsOral tea‐derived ELN improves symptoms of IBS by potentially modulating the CRH pathway.
Forward genetic screen of the C. elegans million mutation library reveals essential, cell‐autonomous contributions of BBSome proteins to dopamine signaling
Authors: Refai Osama , Rodriguez Peter , Gichi Zayna , Blakely Randy D. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is well known for its ability to support forward genetic screens to identify molecules involved in neuronal viability and signaling. The proteins involved in C. elegans dopamine (DA) regulation are highly conserved across evolution, with prior work demonstrating that the model can serve as an efficient platform to identify novel genes involved in disease‐associated processes. To identify novel players in DA signaling, we took advantage of a recently developed library of pre‐sequenced mutant nematodes arising from the million mutation project (MMP) to identify strains that display the DA‐dependent swimming‐induced‐paralysis phenotype (Swip). Our screen identified novel mutations in the dopamine transporter encoding gene dat‐1, whose loss was previously used to identify the Swip phenotype, as well as multiple genes with previously unknown connections to DA signaling. Here, we present our isolation and characterization of one of these genes, bbs‐1, previously linked to the function of primary cilia in worms and higher organisms, including humans, and where loss‐of‐function mutations result in a human disorder known as Bardet–Biedl syndrome. Our studies of C. elegans BBS‐1 protein, as well as other proteins that are known to be assembled into a higher order complex (the BBSome) reveal that functional or structural disruption of this complex leads to exaggerated C. elegans DA signaling to produce Swip via a cell‐autonomous mechanism. We provide evidence that not only does the proper function of cilia in C. elegans DA neurons support normal swimming behavior, but also that bbs‐1 maintains normal levels of DAT‐1 trafficking or function via a RHO‐1 and SWIP‐13/MAPK‐15 dependent pathway where mutants may contribute to Swip independent of altered ciliary function. Together, these studies demonstrate novel contributors to DA neuron function in the worm and demonstrate the utility and efficiency of forward genetic screens using the MMP library.image
Effectiveness of spaced education pedagogy in enhancing Nurses' knowledge on emotional resilience—A quasi‐experimental trial
Authors: Lim Siew Hoon , Ang Shin Yuh , Lim Yann Yu Amber , Leow Wen Xin Beverly , Binte Sunari Raden Nurheryany , Foo Xiangying Angelina , Aloweni Fazila 
Published: August 2024

AbstractIntroductionBuilding resilience among nurses has been postulated as one of the key strategies to support nurses and retain them in the profession. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness, of spaced education pedagogy in enhancing Nurses' knowledge on emotional resilience. Secondary objectives include evaluation of the usability and acceptability of delivery of the training via a mobile application in one's own mobile device.DesignA quasi‐experimental study with single group pre‐test and post‐test trial was conducted.MethodsFull‐time registered nurses working in an acute care hospital were invited to participate from June 2021 to June 2022. The group used the mobile application daily for 1 month. Pre‐test measurement includes socio‐demographic data and baseline resilience level before the intervention. Post‐test measurement includes resilience level, usability and acceptability of mobile‐assisted cognitive‐behavioral therapy measured upon completion of the training. The mobile application enabled the delivery of resilience educational content in small quantities through a repeating manner, with a concurrent evaluation of learner's understanding.ResultsWhen compared to their baseline (mean = 24.38, SD = 5.50), participants reported significant increase in the Connor‐Davison Resilience Scale score (mean = 26.33, SD = 5.57) (t = −4.40, p < 0.001). Upon 1 month usage of the mobile application, a higher percentage of the participants reported intermediate to high level of resilience (57.4%), as compared to prior usage (54.7%). Respondents reported knowledge of most useful strategies for their daily lives including: (i) managing negative emotions (54.1%); (ii) psychoeducation about mental health and the risks of burnout (44.7%); (iii) achieving work and life balance (43.5%); and (iv) depiction of workplace scenarios to demonstrate what can be and cannot be controlled during times of change (43.5%). Participants reported usability of the mobile application with a mean SUS score 70.5 (SD = 13.0), which was considered “acceptable.” Overall, 82.3% of the participants found the mobile application appealing, 64.7% reported they were likely to use the mobile application in the future and 72.9% would recommend it to other nurses.ConclusionThe mobile application provided nurses with the availability and convenience to access resilience building learning content integrated with the spaced education pedagogy.Clinical RelevanceThe use of mobile‐assisted cognitive behavioral training can aid in increasing nurses' resilience level. Nurses provided acceptable usability ratings and satisfactory acceptance of receiving training via the mobile application, showing promising opportunities in the improvement of overall well‐being.
The drivers of intra‐ and interregional labor mobility over the industry life cycle of the high‐tech sector
Authors: Simonen Jaakko , McCann Philip , Karhinen Santtu , Svento Rauli 
Published: August 2024

AbstractIn this article, we analyze how industry‐ and region‐specific characteristics influence individual‐level decisions on mobility within and between regions during the life cycle of the industry. Using uniquely detailed panel‐type data from the Finnish high technology sector, our analysis demonstrates that the influence of different regional features varies for different types of job changes and labor mobility and also according to the industry life cycle. We find that the classic agglomeration‐type arguments regarding labor search and matching only really operate in the early growth stages of an industry life cycle. These patterns change throughout the various stages of the industry life cycle, although in quite different ways according to different factors, and understanding how these patterns change helps to provide a richer understanding of the labor market roles of agglomeration and clustering.