bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Rice BARENTSZ genes are required to maintain floral developmental stability against temperature fluctuations
Authors: Li Peigang , Quan Hui , He Wenchao , Wu Lanfeng , Chen Zhixiong , Yong Bin , Liu Xiangdong , He Chaoying 
Published: August 2024

SUMMARYBARENTSZ (BTZ), a core component of the exon junction complex, regulates diverse developmental processes in animals. However, its evolutionary and developmental roles in plants remain elusive. Here, we revealed that three groups of paralogous BTZ genes existed in Poaceae, and Group 2 underwent loss‐of‐function mutations during evolution. They showed surprisingly low (~33%) sequence identities, implying functional divergence. Two genes retained in rice, OsBTZ1 and OsBTZ3, were edited; however, the resultant osbtz1 and osbtz3 mutants showed similar floral morphological and functional defects at a low frequency. When growing under low‐temperature conditions, developmental abnormalities became pronounced, and new floral variations were induced. In particular, stamen and carpel functionality was impaired in these rice btz mutants. The double‐gene mutant osbtz1/3 shared these floral defects with an increased frequency, which was further induced under low‐temperature conditions. OsBTZs interacted with OsMADS7 and OsMADS8, and the floral expressions of the OsTGA10 and MADS‐box genes were correlatively altered in these osbtz mutants and responded to low‐temperature treatment. These novel findings demonstrate that two highly diverged OsBTZs are required to maintain floral developmental stability under low‐temperature conditions, and play an integral role in male and female fertility, thus providing new insights into the indispensable roles of BTZ genes in plant development and adaptive evolution.
Acute stress differently modulates interneurons excitability and synaptic plasticity in the primary motor cortex of wild‐type and SOD1G93A mouse model of ALS
Authors: Mazurie Zoé , Branchereau Pascal , Cattaert Daniel , Henkous Nadia , Savona‐Baron Catherine , Vouimba Rose‐Marie 
Published: August 2024

AbstractPrimary motor cortex (M1) network stability depends on activity of inhibitory interneurons, for which susceptibility to stress was previously demonstrated in limbic regions. Hyperexcitability in M1 following changes in the excitatory/inhibitory balance is a key pathological hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Using electrophysiological approaches, we assessed the impact of acute restraint stress on inhibitory interneurons excitability and global synaptic plasticity in M1 of the SOD1G93A ALS mouse model at a late pre‐symptomatic stage (10–12.5 weeks). Based on their firing type (continuous, discontinuous, with accommodation or not) and electrophysiological characteristics (resting potential, rheobase, firing frequency), interneurons from M1 slices were separated into four clusters, labelled from 1 to 4. Among them, only interneurons from the first cluster, presenting continuous firing with few accommodations, tended to show increased excitability in wild‐type (WT) and decreased excitability in SOD1G93A animals following stress. In vivo analyses of evoked field potentials showed that stress suppressed the theta burst‐induced plasticity of an excitatory component (N1) recorded in the superficial layers of M1 in WT, with no impact on an inhibitory complex (N2–P1) from the deeper layers. In SOD1G93A mice, stress did not affect N1 but suppressed the N2–P1 plasticity. These data suggest that stress can alter M1 network functioning in a different manner in WT and SOD1G93A mice, possibly through changes of inhibitory interneurons excitability and synaptic plasticity. This suggests that stress‐induced activity changes in M1 may therefore influence ALS outcomes.
imageKey points
Disruption of the excitatory/inhibitory balance in the primary motor cortex (M1) has been linked to cortical hyperexcitability development, a key pathological hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Psychological stress was reported to influence excitatory/inhibitory balance in limbic regions, but very little is known about its influence on the M1 functioning under physiological or pathological conditions.
Our study revealed that acute stress influences the excitatory/inhibitory balance within the M1, through changes in interneurons excitability along with network plasticity. Such changes were different in pathological (SOD1G93A ALS mouse model) vs. physiological (wild‐type) conditions.
The results of our study help us to better understand how stress modulates the M1 and highlight the need to further characterize stress‐induced motor cortex changes because it may be of importance when evaluating ALS outcomes.
Propagation of sharp wave‐ripple activity in the mouse hippocampal CA3 subfield in vitro
Authors: Schieferstein Natalie , del Toro Ana , Evangelista Roberta , Imbrosci Barbara , Swaminathan Aarti , Schmitz Dietmar , Maier Nikolaus , Kempter Richard 
Published: August 2024

AbstractSharp wave‐ripple complexes (SPW‐Rs) are spontaneous oscillatory events that characterize hippocampal activity during resting periods and slow‐wave sleep. SPW‐Rs are related to memory consolidation – the process during which newly acquired memories are transformed into long‐lasting memory traces. To test the involvement of SPW‐Rs in this process, it is crucial to understand how SPW‐Rs originate and propagate throughout the hippocampus. SPW‐Rs can originate in CA3, and they typically spread from CA3 to CA1, but little is known about their formation within CA3. To investigate the generation and propagation of SPW‐Rs in CA3, we recorded from mouse hippocampal slices using multi‐electrode arrays and patch‐clamp electrodes. We characterized extracellular and intracellular correlates of SPW‐Rs and quantified their propagation along the pyramidal cell layer of CA3. We found that a hippocampal slice can be described by a speed and a direction of propagation of SPW‐Rs. The preferred propagation direction was from CA3c (the subfield closer to the dentate gyrus) toward CA3a (the subfield at the boundary to CA2). In patch‐clamp recordings from CA3 pyramidal neurons, propagation was estimated separately for excitatory and inhibitory currents associated with SPW‐Rs. We found that propagation speed and direction of excitatory and inhibitory currents were correlated. The magnitude of the speed of propagation of SPW‐Rs within CA3 was consistent with the speed of propagation of action potentials in axons of CA3 principal cells.
imageKey points
Hippocampal sharp waves are considered important for memory consolidation; therefore, it is of interest to understand the mechanisms of their generation and propagation.
Here, we used two different approaches to study the propagation of sharp waves in mouse CA3 in vitro: multi‐electrode arrays and multiple single‐cell recordings.
We find a preferred direction of propagation of sharp waves from CA3c toward CA3a – both in the local field potential and in sharp wave‐associated excitatory and inhibitory synaptic activity.
The speed of sharp wave propagation is consistent with the speed of action potential propagation along the axons of CA3 pyramidal neurons.
These new insights into the dynamics of sharp waves in the CA3 network will inform future experiments and theoretical models of sharp‐wave generation mechanisms.
Achieving universal health coverage; implementation of the ‘supporting physician retention in deprived areas’ programme in Iran
Authors: Pouraghasi Leila , Manavi Saeed , Foruzanfar Faeze , Olyaeemanesh Alireza 
Published: August 2024

From the WHO’s perspective, trained and motivated healthcare workers can promote community access to essential health services in deprived areas; this could also help achieve the millennium development goals. The concentration of healthcare workers in the capital has caused a lack of them in deprived areas and made delivering services difficult in almost all rural and underdeveloped areas. So, one of the main concerns of all health systems is planning to attract and keep physicians in underprivileged areas.The number of retained physicians has tripled.24/7 coverage of specialised medical services in the hospital has been provided.People’s access to health care has improved.Dispatching of patients to other cities’ hospitals for essential medical services has been minimised by providing it locally.Illegal payments have been eliminated.This practice study aims to present Iran’s Universal Health Coverage approach to addressing the lack of access to physicians in deprived areas through the ‘supporting physician retention in deprived areas’ programme and demonstrate its outcomes from 2014 to 2016. This national programme is designed to improve people’s access to high-quality health services and reduce out-of-pocket payments at hospitals in underdeveloped areas.The number of retained physicians has tripled.24/7 coverage of specialised medical services in the hospital has been provided.People’s access to health care has improved.Dispatching of patients to other cities’ hospitals for essential medical services has been minimised by providing it locally.Illegal payments have been eliminated.The programme began by ranking all the cities in the country based on socioeconomic indicators. Then, 302 regions in 30 provinces of Iran were selected and classified into four groups. Finally, each group’s incentive package was defined, consisting of a combination of fixed and performance-oriented payments. This programme has obtained the following achievements in the deprived areas:The number of retained physicians has tripled.24/7 coverage of specialised medical services in the hospital has been provided.People’s access to health care has improved.Dispatching of patients to other cities’ hospitals for essential medical services has been minimised by providing it locally.Illegal payments have been eliminated.
Predicting poor mental health among older Syrian refugees in Lebanon during the COVID-19 pandemic: a nested cross-sectional study
Authors: Abi Zeid Berthe , Farouki Leen , El Khoury Tanya , Sibai Abla M. , Mendes de Leon Carlos F , Alawieh Marwan F , Ramadan Zeinab , Abdulrahim Sawsan , Ghattas Hala , McCall Stephen J 
Published: August 2024

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has worsened pre-existing vulnerabilities among older Syrian refugees in Lebanon, potentially impacting their mental health. The study aims to describe the evolution of poor mental health over time and to develop and internally validate a prediction model for poor mental health among older Syrian refugees in Lebanon.MethodsThis prognostic study used cross-sectional data from a multiwave telephone survey in Lebanon. It was conducted among all Syrian refugees aged 50 years or older from households that received assistance from a humanitarian organisation. Data were collected between 22 September 2020 and 20 January 2021. Poor mental health was defined as a Mental Health Inventory-5 score of 60 or less. The predictors were identified using backwards stepwise logistic regression. The model was internally validated using bootstrapping. The calibration of the model was presented using the calibration slope (C-slope), and the discrimination was presented using the optimised adjusted C-statistic.ResultsThere were 3229 participants (median age=56 years (IQR=53–62)) and 47.5% were female. The prevalence of poor mental health was 76.7%. Predictors for poor mental health were younger age, food insecurity, water insecurity, lack of legal residency documentation, irregular employment, higher intensity of bodily pain, having debt and having chronic illnesses. The final model demonstrated good discriminative ability (C-statistic: 0.69 (95% CI 0.67 to 0.72)) and calibration (C-slope 0.93 (95%CI 0.82 to 1.07)).ConclusionMental health predictors were related to basic needs, rights and financial barriers. These allow humanitarian organisations to identify high-risk individuals, organise interventions and address root causes to boost resilience and well-being among older Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Monoclonal gammopathy in systemic lupus erythematosus is associated with distinctive clinical course, malignancy and mortality rate: a single-centre retrospective cohort study
Authors: Siwiec-Kozlik Andzelika , Kozlik-Siwiec Pawel , Spalkowska Magdalena , Korkosz Mariusz , Kosalka-Wegiel Joanna 
Published: August 2024

ObjectivesRheumatic diseases were previously associated with increased incidence of monoclonal gammopathy (MG) and its malignant transformation. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence, malignant transformation risk, clinical correlates and prognostic impact of MG in SLE.MethodsA retrospective cohort study based on the medical records of n=1039 patients with SLE fulfilling the 1997 American College of Rheumatology (ACR), the 2019 European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR)/ACR and/or the 2012 Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) criteria managed at two tertiary care departments of the University Hospital (Krakow, Poland) from January 2012 until November 2019.ResultsSLE+MG cases were older at SLE diagnosis compared with non-MG SLE controls (53±15 years vs 37±15 years, respectively, p<0.01), had higher rates of lymphopenia, anaemia, haemolysis, serous effusions and interstitial lung disease (all p<0.05), and were more frequently treated with cyclophosphamide (57% vs 28%, p<0.01) or rituximab (13% vs 3%, p<0.01). Most MG cases were detected within a year after SLE diagnosis (Q25, Q75: 0, 12 years). With the median follow-up of 11 years (Q25, Q75: 6, 19 years), 34.8% (8 cases) of the SLE+MG cohort were diagnosed with malignancy, compared with 8.1% (82 cases) among the SLE controls (p<0.001). MG was associated with the relative hazard of death of HR 2.99 (95% CI 1.26 to 7.06, p<0.05) and a median survival time from SLE diagnosis to death of 5 years (Q25, Q75: 1, 14; range 0–41) for SLE+MG cases, as compared with 12 years (Q25, Q75: 6, 19; range 0–62) for the controls. The effect was non-independent on antimalarial medication use.ConclusionsOur study emphasises heightened malignancy and mortality rates in SLE+MG cases. The association between immunosuppression, MG incidence and progression warrants further research.
On interpretation of fluctuations of conserved charges at high T
Authors: Cohen T. D. , Glozman L. Ya. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractFluctuations of conserved charges calculated on the lattice which can be measured experimentally, are well reproduced by a hadron resonanse gas model at temperatures below $$T_{ch} \sim 155$$

T

ch

∼
155

MeV and radically deviate from the hadron resonance gas predictions above the chiral restoration crossover. This behaviour is typically interpreted as an indication of deconfinement in the quark-gluon plasma regime. We present an argument that this interpretation may be too simple. The argument is based on the scaling of quantities with the number of colors: demonstration of deconfinement and QGP requires observable that is sensitive to $$\sim N_c^2$$

∼

N
c
2

gluons while the conserved charges are sensitive only to quarks and above $$T_{ch}$$

T

ch

scale as $$N_c^1$$

N
c
1

. The latter scaling is consistent with the existence of an intermediate regime characterized by restored chiral symmetry and by approximate chiral spin symmetry which is a symmetry of confining interaction. In this regime the energy density, pressure and entropy density scale as $$N_c^1$$

N
c
1

. In the large $$N_c$$

N
c

limit this regime might become a distinct phase separated from the hadron gas and from QGP by phase transitions. A natural observable that associates with deconfinement and is directly sensitive to deconfined $$N_c^2-1$$

N
c
2

-
1

gluons is the Polyakov loop; in the $$N_c=3$$

N
c

=
3

world it remains very close to 0 at temperatures well above chiral crossover, reaches the value $$\sim 0.5$$

∼
0.5

around $$\sim 3T_{ch}$$

∼
3

T

ch

and the value close to 1 at temperatures $$\sim 1$$

∼
1

GeV.
Analytical solutions to Einstein field equations for spherically symmetric anisotropic matter: a comparative study using Tolman VII metric potential
Authors: Gedela Satyanarayan , Bisht Ravindra K. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractIn this paper, we present analytical solutions to the Einstein field equations for spherically symmetric anisotropic matter distributions using the well-established Tolman VII metric potential, chosen for its strong physical and mathematical foundations. Our solutions are derived using three distinct approaches: the vanishing complexity factor condition (VCC), the embedding class I condition (ECC), and the conformally flat condition (CFC). We conduct a comprehensive comparative analysis of these three approaches. By ensuring a smooth match between the interior spacetime metric and the exterior Schwarzschild metric, and applying the condition of vanishing radial pressure at the boundary, we determine the model parameters. We graphically assess the model’s stability by examining conditions such as causality, the adiabatic index, equations of state, and the generalized Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkov (TOV) equation, considering the forces acting within the system. Additionally, the effects of anisotropy on the stars’ physical characteristics are investigated through graphical representations.
Green synthesis of Cu/CuO nanoparticles usingCuscuta reflexaplant as an innovative organic insecticide
Authors: Chaudhari Sushilkumar , Shinde Bapusaheb , Abdullah Mahmood , Inamdar Akbar , Shinde Poonam , Inamdar Shaukatali 
Published: August 2024

Cu/CuO nanoparticles (NPs) have received extensive attention owing to their tremendous antifungal and antibacterial properties. Cu/CuO NPs are used in diverse fields, viz. electronics, catalysis, photonics, biosensing, optoelectronics and many more. Herein, we described the green synthesis of Cu/CuO NPs using Cuscuta reflexa (Amarvel) plant material at room temperature. The prepared NPs were characterized by routine technique, viz. XRD, UV-Vis, SEM and TEM. The typical size found was merely 7–10[Formula: see text]nm using the TEM technique. The as-prepared solution of NPs was tested against the Diptera larval nymph of mosquitoes. These mosquitoes breed in monsoon (rainy season) in stagnant water. It is observed that NPs were very effective against these larvae, which were killed overnight when just four drops of the as-prepared NPs solution were directly added to a 10[Formula: see text]ml water sample containing mosquito larvae. Overall, the biosynthesized Cu/CuO NPs showed good insecticidal activity against the parasitic disease malaria-causing Anopheles mosquitoes in the larval stage itself. We believe the outcome will lead to a new era in the preparation of innovative organic insecticides.
X, Y, and Z Subgroups of the Unitary Group
Authors: De Vos Alexis 
Published: August 2024

The subgroups XU(2), YU(2), and ZU(2) of the unitary group U(2) allow to find twenty-four different decompositions of an arbitrary [Formula: see text] unitary matrix. Because the group YU(2) has not been considered before, 20 out of the 24 decompositions are new. Introducing this YU(2) group allows to highlight, within quantum circuit design, a symmetry similar to the threefold symmetry of the Pauli matrices of spin systems. Similar subgroups of the unitary group U([Formula: see text]) lead to various new decompositions of an arbitrary [Formula: see text] unitary matrix. Whereas for [Formula: see text] equal 2, this leads to the synthesis of single-qubit quantum gates, for [Formula: see text] equal a power of 2, this leads to new design methods for multiple-qubit circuits.
The Enigma of Deuteronomy 20:19–20
Authors: Chopra-McGowan Cathleen K. 
Published: August 2024

Abstract
Existing interpretations of Deut 20:19–20 concerning the clause kī hāʾādām ʿēṣ haśśādeh have failed to sufficiently explain the meaning of the law against felling food-bearing trees in times of war. I argue that ʾādām is not the generic Hebrew word “human,” but a rare masculine singular bi-form of the more common ʾădāmāh, “land.” Drawing on both comparative philology and Mesopotamian material about warfare practices, the paper also shows that understanding the equation as one between “land” (rather than humans) and trees better accounts for the law and its placement in its literary context. D distinguishes between far lands and near lands that will be part of the Israelites’ inheritance. If land is soon-to-be conquered, then food-bearing trees are valuable, not only for any immediate fruit, but also for the wealth that they promise in the future.
The Supposedly Irrevocable Laws in Esther and Dan 6 in Light of the Motif of the King’s Inability to Undo an Execution
Authors: Thambyrajah Jonathan Arulnathan 
Published: August 2024

Abstract
Interpreting the book of Esther and Dan 6 has often begun with the belief that these texts claim that the Persian law was irrevocable. This has been seen as a problem, because the historical Persian empire does not seem to have operated in this way (and it is hard to imagine how it could have). However, taking that claim seriously creates even bigger exegetical problems within these two texts. To solve the exegetical problems, it is necessary to revisit the concept of irrevocability. Upon closer inspection, the idea is not that the king cannot revoke his own laws, but that lesser authorities may not. The occasions when the king appears trapped by the law have nothing to do with the idea of irrevocability, but rather with the trope of the king’s inability to undo an execution—one that is common in literature and histories about the Persian empire.
A Third Way?
Authors: O’Mahony Jerome 
Published: August 2024

Abstract
This article seeks to engage with the particular historical moment when, despite the cold war dichotomy of communism and capitalism, the short-lived (Southern) Republic of Vietnam under its first president, the Catholic, Ngô Đình Diệm (1901–1963) attempted to tread a third way. Diệm sought to introduce a Vietnamised form of French Catholic Emmanuel Mounier’s (1905–1950) political philosophy, Personalism, into the ideological framework of the new Republic, building upon an earlier exchange between Vietnamese and French Catholics. Ultimately this was unsuccessful and Personalism was unable to unify South Vietnam’s diverse society in opposition to the communist North, culminating in the ousting and assassination of Diệm in 1963. This moment offers a glimpse of a different path, suggesting that global capitalist liberal order might not be the only future. This article brings together various sources on Personalism and Vietnam to depict this historical moment.
Forging Identities Between Two Cultures
Authors: Pachuau Lalsangkima 
Published: August 2024

Abstract
Locating the people’s intense identity consciousness in the region within the larger Indian national identity crisis, this article deals with how the distinct religious identities and practices of the Hindus and Christians are forged in Northeast India. As a betwixt and between people (neither fully Indic nor Sino, but a combination), the people’s new identities are shaped between South Asian Indic culture and East Asian Confucian values. While conversion has been attributed to Christianity mostly, the article shows how the people in the region converted from their Sino-Tibetan primal religion to Hinduism, forming distinct Hindu traditions. Similarly, the indigenized Christian communities have also made their faith their own producing distinct Christian traditions.