bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gut microbiota dysbiosis is associated with altered tryptophan metabolism and dysregulated inflammatory response in COVID-19
Authors: Essex Morgan , Millet Pascual-Leone Belén , Löber Ulrike , Kuhring Mathias , Zhang Bowen , Brüning Ulrike , Fritsche-Guenther Raphaela , Krzanowski Marta , Fiocca Vernengo Facundo , Brumhard Sophia , Röwekamp Ivo , Anna Bielecka Agata , Lesker Till Robin , Wyler Emanuel , Landthaler Markus , Mantei Andrej , Meisel Christian , Caesar Sandra , Thibeault Charlotte , Corman Victor M. , Marko Lajos , Suttorp Norbert , Strowig Till , Kurth Florian , Sander Leif E. , Li Yang , Kirwan Jennifer A. , Forslund Sofia K. , Opitz Bastian 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe clinical course of COVID-19 is variable and often unpredictable. To test the hypothesis that disease progression and inflammatory responses associate with alterations in the microbiome and metabolome, we analyzed metagenome, metabolome, cytokine, and transcriptome profiles of repeated samples from hospitalized COVID-19 patients and uninfected controls, and leveraged clinical information and post-hoc confounder analysis. Severe COVID-19 was associated with a depletion of beneficial intestinal microbes, whereas oropharyngeal microbiota disturbance was mainly linked to antibiotic use. COVID-19 severity was also associated with enhanced plasma concentrations of kynurenine and reduced levels of several other tryptophan metabolites, lysophosphatidylcholines, and secondary bile acids. Moreover, reduced concentrations of various tryptophan metabolites were associated with depletion of Faecalibacterium, and tryptophan decrease and kynurenine increase were linked to enhanced production of inflammatory cytokines. Collectively, our study identifies correlated microbiome and metabolome alterations as a potential contributor to inflammatory dysregulation in severe COVID-19.
Nanometer-resolution tracking of single cargo reveals dynein motor mechanisms
Authors: Peng Chunte Sam , Zhang Yunxiang , Liu Qian , Marti G. Edward , Huang Yu-Wen Alvin , Südhof Thomas C. , Cui Bianxiao , Chu Steven 
Published: August 2024

AbstractCytoplasmic dynein is essential for intracellular transport. Despite extensive in vitro characterizations, how the dynein motors transport vesicles by processive steps in live cells remains unclear. To dissect the molecular mechanisms of dynein, we develop optical probes that enable long-term single-particle tracking in live cells with high spatiotemporal resolution. We find that the number of active dynein motors transporting cargo switches stochastically between one and five dynein motors during long-range transport in neuronal axons. Our very bright optical probes allow the observation of individual molecular steps. Strikingly, these measurements reveal that the dwell times between steps are controlled by two temperature-dependent rate constants in which two ATP molecules are hydrolyzed sequentially during each dynein step. Thus, our observations uncover a previously unknown chemomechanical cycle of dynein-mediated cargo transport in living cells.
The burden of diabetes-associated multiple long-term conditions on years of life spent and lost
Authors: Gregg Edward W. , Pratt Adrian , Owens Alex , Barron Emma , Dunbar-Rees Rupert , Slade Eirion T. , Hafezparast Nasrin , Bakhai Chirag , Chappell Paul , Cornelius Victoria , Johnston Desmond G. , Mathews Jacqueline , Pickles Jason , Bragan Turner Ellie , Wainman Gary , Roberts Kate , Khunti Kamlesh , Valabhji Jonathan 
Published: August 2024

AbstractDiabetes mellitus is a central driver of multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs), but population-based studies have not clearly characterized the burden across the life course. We estimated the age of onset, years of life spent and loss associated with diabetes-related MLTCs among 46 million English adults. We found that morbidity patterns extend beyond classic diabetes complications and accelerate the onset of severe MLTCs by 20 years earlier in life in women and 15 years earlier in men. By the age of 50 years, one-third of those with diabetes have at least three conditions, spend >20 years with them and die 11 years earlier than the general population. Each additional condition at the age of 50 years is associated with four fewer years of life. Hypertension, depression, cancer and coronary heart disease contribute heavily to MLTCs in older age and create the greatest community-level burden on years spent (813 to 3,908 years per 1,000 individuals) and lost (900 to 1,417 years per 1,000 individuals). However, in younger adulthood, depression, severe mental illness, learning disabilities, alcohol dependence and asthma have larger roles, and when they occur, all except alcohol dependence were associated with long periods of life spent (11–14 years) and all except asthma associated with many years of life lost (11–15 years). These findings provide a baseline for population monitoring and underscore the need to prioritize effective prevention and management approaches.
Recurrent fever of unknown origin and unexplained bacteremia in a patient with a novel 4.5 Mb microdeletion in Xp11.23-p11.22
Authors: Lee Cho-Rong , Kim Man Jin , Park Sang-Heon , Kim Sheehyun , Kim Soo Yeon , Koh Seong-Joon , Lee Seungbok , Choi Murim , Chae Jong Hee , Park Sung-Gyoo , Moon Jangsup 
Published: August 2024

AbstractFever of unknown origin (FUO) remains a formidable diagnostic challenge in the field of medicine. Numerous studies suggest an association between FUO and genetic factors, including chromosomal abnormalities. Here, we report a female patient with a 4.5 Mb Xp microdeletion, who presented with recurrent FUO, bacteremia, colitis, and hematochezia. To elucidate the underlying pathogenic mechanism, we employed a comprehensive approach involving single cell RNA sequencing, T cell receptor sequencing, and flow cytometry to evaluate CD4 T cells. Analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells revealed augmented Th1, Th2, and Th17 cell populations, and elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines in serum. Notably, the patient exhibited impaired Treg cell function, possibly related to deletion of genes encoding FOPX3 and WAS. Single cell analysis revealed specific expansion of cytotoxic CD4 T lymphocytes, characterized by upregulation of various signature genes associated with cytotoxicity. Moreover, interferon-stimulated genes were upregulated in the CD4 T effector memory cluster. Further genetic analysis confirmed maternal inheritance of the Xp microdeletion. The patient and her mother exhibited X chromosome-skewed inactivation, a potential protective mechanism against extensive X chromosome deletions; however, the mother exhibited complete skewing and the patient exhibited incomplete skewing (85:15), which may have contributed to emergence of immunological symptoms. In summary, this case report describes an exceptional instance of FUO stemming from an incompletely inactivated X chromosome microdeletion, thereby increasing our understanding of the genetics underpinning FUO.
Adsorption of cationic dye onto Raphanus seeds: optimization, adsorption kinetics, thermodynamic studies
Authors: Hammad W. A. , Darweesh M. A. , Zouli Nasser , Osman Samir M. , Eweida Basant , Amr M. H. A. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractDyes are one of the common contaminants in industrial wastewater. Adsorption is the most widely method which used to treat dye-contaminated water due to their easy use, cost-effectiveness, and their efficiency was high. The aim of this study is the investigating of the utilization of the activated carbon which prepared from Raphanus seeds solid residual (ACRS) as a low cost adsorbent for removing of cationic Methylene Blue dye (MB)from wastewater. measuring the surface area using BET methods and SEM. The FT‒IR and XRD was measured. Different variables (e.g.: initial concentration of the dye, pH, contact time, and dosage) have been studied. Process has been systematically investigated experimentally at (25 ± 1 °C). The % removal of MB reached 99.4% after 90-min MB adsorption (40 mg/L) was observed within 5 min of contact time for the Raphanus seeds solid residual (ACRS) dosage of 4 g/L. MB initial concentration (10 ppm) Raphanus seeds solid residual (ACRS) effectively adsorbed MB (> 99%) over a widely range of pH (from pH 2 to pH 8). However, a swift decline in removal was observed when the pH was set at 7. The results of the adsorption kinetics analysis indicate a strong correlation with the pseudo-second-order model, as evidenced by the high regression coefficients. However, the adsorption capacity diminished with a rise in temperature. Thermodynamic calculations of (MB) onto Raphanus seeds solid residual (ACRS) is an exothermic reaction. The results have been indicated that the effectiveness of MB removal by activated carbon prepared from Raphanus seeds solid residual is favorable under neutral conditions, Raphanus seeds solid residual (ACRS) can be considered an efficient, environmentally friendly, readily available, and economical adsorbent that could treat industrial wastewater contaminated with cationic textile dyes. The objective of the experiments was to investigate the impact of various factors on the response of a process or formulation. To accomplish this goal, response surface methodology (RSM) has employed as a statistical model. RSM is an efficient and effective method for optimizing processes through the use of a quadratic polynomial model. The utilization of RSM allows for a reduction in the number of experiments needed, thus minimizing the associated costs of extensive analysis. This method has been done using Box–Behnken Design (BBD) to optimize % removal of MB. The optimal conditions as obtained from the RSM is pH 7,contact time  120 min, initial concentration  10 ppm, ACRS dosage  1 g, adsorption temperature  45 °C.
An analysis of fertility and fecundity in the Australian sheep flock between 2006 and 2019
Authors: Refshauge G. , Golledge M. , Rickard J. , de Graaf S. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractAfter decades of decline, the Australian sheep flock aspires to rebuild its population of breeding ewes. A successful, rebuild will rely on high pregnancy rates and number of lambs born and reared. To examine this potential, a cross-sectional study of historical ultrasound pregnancy scanning records was undertaken using records collated from two experienced sheep pregnancy scanning businesses (years 2006 to 2019) from 15,397 mobs of ewes, totalling 7,443,314 ewes. Client details were de-identified and excluded from analyses, but details describing the mobs were retained when available, such as season of mating, production zone, ewe age, and breed. The key finding was a mean pregnancy rate (ewes pregnant per ewe scanned) of 0.76 ± 0.24, with a median of 0.83. Mobs scanned to identify fetal number had a higher mean (0.84 ± 0.15) and median (0.89) pregnancy rate. The mean reproduction rate (fetuses per ewe scanned) was 1.21 ± 0.27 and the median was 1.25. Differences were observed between the factors including age, breed, season, year or production zone but all results were lower than anticipated. The unexpected findings imply a problem exists with the fertility of many Australian sheep flocks.
Empowering the younger generation increases their willingness for intergenerational reconciliation in the context of climate change
Authors: Stollberg Janine , Bogdan Danja , Jonas Eva 
Published: August 2024

AbstractClimate change can evoke intergenerational conflict. Structural inequalities and their unequal impact on generations can increase perceptions of collective victimhood among the younger generation (< 30 years) and bear the risk of social tensions between the young and the elderly. An experimental study (N = 434) showed that younger people perceived an increased risk of future victimhood. In line with a needs-based approach, the young reported an increased desire to pursue agentic intergroup goals, indicating a heightened need for agency. However, when the young received empowering messages that affirmed their ingroup agency, their willingness to reconcile with the old generation increased, whereas informing them about non-agentic ingroup behavior did not affect reconciliation (between-subjects manipulation). While empowering messages from the outgroup (“Grannies for Future”) that directly affirmed the young generations’ agency for climate change mitigation as well as empowering messages from the ingroup that indirectly affirmed ingroup agency in domains unrelated to climate change both addressed the need for agency, only outgroup empowerment promoted intergenerational reconciliation. However, empowerment did not affect support for collective climate action. We discuss empowerment as an avenue for resolving intergroup conflict in the context of climate change and possible consequences for climate action and social change.
Whole-genome demography of COVID-19 virus during its pandemic period and on “panvalent” vaccine design
Authors: Kim Byung-Ju , Choi JaeJin , Kim Sung-Hou 
Published: August 2024

AbstractWith over 16 million submitted genomic sequences, the SARS-CoV-2 (SC2) virus, the cause of the most recent worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, has become the most sequenced genome of all known viruses, revealing, for example, a vast number of expanding viral lineages. Since the pandemic phase appears to be over, we performed a retrospective re-examination of the demographic grouping pattern and their genomic characteristics during the entire pandemic period up to the peak of the last pandemic wave. For our study, we extracted from the NCBI only unique viral sequences and converted each sequence data to a relational vector, indicating the presence/absence of each variational event compared to a “reference” sequence. Our study revealed several genomic features that are unexpected or different from those of previous studies. For example, approximately 44,000 variants with unique sequences emerged during the pandemic period; they group into only four major viral-genomic groups and each has a set of mostly unique highly-conserved variant-genotypes (HCVGs); and a small set from the first (“ancestral”) group was inherited by the three (“descendant”) groups, suggesting that HCVGs in the next group may be predictable from the current group(s). Such a concept may be potentially important in designing “panvalent” vaccines against the current and future waves of viral infections.
Complete de novo assembly of Wolbachia endosymbiont of Drosophila willistoni using long-read genome sequencing
Authors: Jacobs Jodie , Nakamoto Anne , Mastoras Mira , Loucks Hailey , Mirchandani Cade , Karim Lily , Penunuri Gabriel , Wanket Ciara , Russell Shelbi L. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractWolbachia is an obligate intracellular α-proteobacterium, which commonly infects arthropods and filarial nematodes. Different strains of Wolbachia are capable of a wide range of regulatory manipulations in their diverse hosts, including the modulation of host cellular differentiation to influence host reproduction. The genetic basis for the majority of these phenotypes is unknown. The wWil strain from the neotropical fruit fly, Drosophila willistoni, exhibits a remarkably high affinity for host germline-derived cells relative to the somatic cells. This trait could be leveraged for understanding how Wolbachia influences the host germline and for controlling host populations in the field. To further the use of this strain in biological and biomedical research, we sequenced the genome of the wWil strain isolated from host cell culture cells. Here, we present the first high quality Nanopore assembly of wWil, the Wolbachia endosymbiont of D. willistoni. Our assembly resulted in a circular genome of 1.27 Mb with a BUSCO completeness score of 99.7%. Consistent with other insect-associated Wolbachia strains, comparative genomic analysis revealed that wWil has a highly mosaic genome relative to the closely related wMel and wAu strains from Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans, respectively.
Selection for stress tolerance and longevity in Drosophila melanogaster have strong impacts on microbiome profiles
Authors: Kristensen Torsten Nygaard , Schönherz Anna A. , Rohde Palle Duun , Sørensen Jesper Givskov , Loeschcke Volker 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThere is experimental evidence that microbiomes have a strong influence on a range of host traits. Understanding the basis and importance of symbiosis between host and associated microorganisms is a rapidly developing research field, and we still lack a mechanistic understanding of ecological and genetic pressures affecting host-microbiome associations. Here Drosophila melanogaster lines from a large-scale artificial selection experiment were used to investigate whether the microbiota differ in lines selected for different stress resistance traits and longevity. Following multiple generations of artificial selection all selection regimes and corresponding controls had their microbiomes assessed. The microbiome was interrogated based on 16S rRNA sequencing. We found that the microbiome of flies from the different selection regimes differed markedly from that of the unselected control regime, and microbial diversity was consistently higher in selected relative to control regimes. Several common Drosophila bacterial species showed differentially abundance in the different selection regimes despite flies being exposed to similar environmental conditions for two generations prior to assessment. Our findings provide strong evidence for symbiosis between host and microbiomes but we cannot reveal whether the interactions are adaptive, nor whether they are caused by genetic or ecological factors.
Plastic recycling: A panacea or environmental pollution problem
Authors: Singh Nisha , Walker Tony R. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractIncreasing plastic waste is a critical global challenge to ecological and human health requiring focused solutions to reduce omnipresent plastic pollution in the environment. While recycling has been touted as one solution to counter plastic waste and resource utilization, it has been largely ineffective in offsetting the impact of rising global plastic production of more than 400 million metric tonnes annually, due to low global recycling rates of only 9%. Over three decades since implementing plastic resin codes, recycling has favoured thermoplastics, neglecting thermoset plastics. There is a constant need to enhance overall recycling efficiency by exploring advanced methods, as enormous gaps exist in fully unlocking the potential of plastic recycling. We identify critical gaps associated with plastic waste recycling and its potential environmental impacts. We discuss substantial progress in recycling technology, designs-for-recyclability with controlled chemical use, and economic incentives to expand markets for recycled plastics and to curb plastic leakage into the environment. Additionally, we highlight some emerging strategies and legally binding international policy instruments, such as the Global Plastics Treaty that require further development to reduce plastic waste and improve plastic recyclability.
SPIN1 facilitates chemoresistance and HR repair by promoting Tip60 binding to H3K9me3
Authors: Wang Yukun , Li Mengyao , Chen Yuhan , Jiang Yuhan , Zhang Ziyu , Yan Zhenzhen , Liu Xiuhua , Wu Chen 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe tandem Tudor-like domain-containing protein Spindlin1 (SPIN1) is a transcriptional coactivator with critical functions in embryonic development and emerging roles in cancer. However, the involvement of SPIN1 in DNA damage repair has remained unclear. Our study shows that SPIN1 is recruited to DNA lesions through its N-terminal disordered region that binds to Poly-ADP-ribose (PAR), and facilitates homologous recombination (HR)-mediated DNA damage repair. SPIN1 promotes H3K9me3 accumulation at DNA damage sites and enhances the interaction between H3K9me3 and Tip60, thereby promoting the activation of ATM and HR repair. We also show that SPIN1 increases chemoresistance. These findings reveal a novel role for SPIN1 in the activation of H3K9me3-dependent DNA repair pathways, and suggest that SPIN1 may contribute to cancer chemoresistance by modulating the efficiency of double-strand break (DSB) repair.
Analysis and improvement of the reactive power cascade control strategy for MMC‐HVDC receiving‐end converter connected to weak grid
Authors: Xu Junhua , He Guopeng , Liu Yong , Tang Songqin , Xie Daiyu , Chen Mingyuan 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe weak AC grid in a modular multilevel converter modular multilevel converter based high voltage direct current (MMC‐HVDC) receiving‐end system requires faster reactive power support from the receiving‐end MMC. However, under the MMC traditional constant AC voltage dual‐loop control strategy, the increase in MMC's reactive power support speed will reduce the system stability. The reactive power cascade control strategy is a novel MMC control strategy. The analysis in this paper demonstrates that it possesses advanced performance under faster reactive power support, which is required by the MMC connected to a weak AC grid, but, some of its control links and operations can cause impacts exceeding that a weak AC grid can undertake. To solve this problem, based on the original control strategy, this paper proposes an improved reactive power cascade control strategy for weak AC grid conditions. The complete framework and the detailed design of primary control links of the improved cascade control strategy are displayed in this paper. Finally, a digital simulation has been conducted to validate the analysis and the proposed improved control strategy in this paper.
Comparison of corona effect prediction criteria on sphere‐plane configuration
Authors: De La Hoz Manuel , Pieterse Petrus Jacobus , Etxegarai Agurtzane , Gonzalez Diego , Mazon Ángel Javier , Uhrlandt Dirk 
Published: August 2024

AbstractWhen designing high‐voltage elements, knowing if the corona effect will be present during their life cycle is relevant. Therefore, designers consider several prediction criteria based on physical features related to breakdown discharge principles to predict the corona effect. The introduced practical set‐up consists of a concave cone electrode with a hemispheric tip above a plate to evaluate selected corona prediction criteria. The hemisphere has a fixed diameter of 7 mm, and the electrode separation ranges from 2.5 to 39 cm. Information about the corona mode inception under different voltage sources was extracted using an intensified charge‐coupled device camera and a partial discharge metre. The prediction criteria were connected to a specific corona mode depending on the main discharge structure behind its development. The average deviation between these criteria and experimental results was around eight percent. Underlying assumptions in criteria are also discussed in light of the experimental results.