bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biological activity and systemic translocation of the new tetrazolyloxime fungicide picarbutrazox against plant‐pathogenic oomycetes
Authors: Fu Yixin , Du Xiaoran , Wang Xixi , Cheng Fei , Peng Qin , Liu Xili , Miao Jianqiang 
Published: August 2024

AbstractBACKGROUNDPicarbutrazox is a new tetrazolyloxime fungicide discovered in 2014 by Nippon Soda. It is mostly used to protect against Phytophthora spp. and Pythium spp. However, little is known of its inhibition spectrum, protective and curative activity, and systemic translocation in plants.RESULTSWhile picarbutrazox did not show obvious antifungal activity, it exhibited significant activity against oomycetes, including Phytophthora spp., Pythium spp. and Phytopythium spp.. The effective concentration for 50% growth inhibition (EC50) values of picarbutrazox against 16 oomycetes ranged from 3.1 × 10−4 and 7.27 × 10−3 μg mL−1. Furthermore, picarbutrazox could markedly inhibited the mycelial development, sporangia production, zoospore release, and cyst germination of Phytophthora capsici, with EC50 values of 1.34 × 10−3, 1.11 × 10−3, 4.85 × 10−3, and 5.88 × 10−2 μg mL−1, respectively. Additionally, under greenhouse conditions, the protective and curative activities of picarbutrazox at 200 mg L−1 (100%, 41.03%) against the P. capsici infection in peppers were higher than those of the reference fungicide dimethomorph at 200 mg L−1 (77.52%, 36.15%). High‐performance liquid chromatography analysis confirmed that picarbutrazox showed excellent systemic translocation in pepper plants.CONCLUSIONThe results showed that picarbutrazox markedly inhibited the important plant oomycete pathogens including Phytophthora spp., Pythium spp. and Phytopythium spp.. It also displayed excellent protective, curative and systemic translocation activity. Picarbutrazox thus has significant potential for preventing and controlling diseases caused by oomycetes. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.
Textual data for electricity load forecasting
Authors: Obst David , Claudel Sandra , Cugliari Jairo , Ghattas Badih , Goude Yannig , Oppenheim Georges 
Published: August 2024

AbstractTraditional mid‐term electricity forecasting models rely on calendar and meteorological information such as temperature and wind speed to achieve high performance. However depending on such variables has drawbacks, as they may not be informative enough during extreme weather. While ubiquitous, textual sources of information are hardly included in prediction algorithms for time series, despite the relevant information they may contain. In this work, we propose to leverage openly accessible weather reports for electricity demand and meteorological time series prediction problems. Our experiments on French and British load data show that the considered textual sources allow to improve overall accuracy of the reference model, particularly during extreme weather events such as storms or abnormal temperatures. Additionally, we apply our approach to the problem of imputation of missing values in meteorological time series, and we show that our text‐based approach beats standard methods. Furthermore, the influence of words on the time series' predictions can be interpreted for the considered encoding schemes of the text, leading to a greater confidence in our results.
Use of stable isotope combined with intact cell lipidomic by routine MALDI mass spectrometry analysis for rapid drug susceptibility assay in mycobacteria
Authors: Cheong Bosco , Tang Wenhao , Kostrzewa Markus , Larrouy‐Maumus Gerald 
Published: August 2024

RationaleRapid, accurate, and easy‐to‐perform diagnostic assays are required to address the current need for the diagnosis of resistant pathogens. That is particularly the case for mycobacteria, such as the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which requires up to 2 weeks for the determination of the drug susceptibility profile using the conventional broth microdilution method. To address this challenge, we investigated the incorporation of deuterium, the stable isotope of hydrogen, into lipids as a read out of the drug susceptibility profile.MethodsDeuterium is incorporated into newly synthesized proteins or lipids in place of hydrogen as bacterial cells grow, increasing the mass of the macromolecules, which can then be observed via matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS). As proof‐of‐concept, we used the non‐pathogenic Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155 strain, which is susceptible to the aminoglycoside antibiotic kanamycin, and M. smegmatis mc2155 containing the empty vector pVV16, which is kanamycin‐resistant. Bacteria were incubated in a culture medium containing 50% of deuterium oxide (D2O) and either 1 or 2 times the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC50) of kanamycin. Lipids were then analyzed using the MBT lipid Xtract matrix combined with routine MALDI mass spectrometry in the positive ion mode to evaluate the changes in the lipid profile.ResultsUsing this approach, we were able to distinguish susceptible from resistant bacteria in less than 5 h, a process that would take 72 h using the conventional broth microdilution method.ConclusionsWe therefore propose a solution for the rapid determination of drug susceptibility profiles using a phenotypic assay combining D2O stable isotope labelling and lipid analysis by routine MALDI mass spectrometry.
Metabolipidomic changes induced by dermal nickel penetration determined in an ex vivo porcine ear skin model
Authors: Rezaei Azar , Ganashalingam Yameera , Schindler Siegfried , Spengler Bernhard , Keck Cornelia M. , Schulz Sabine 
Published: August 2024

RationalNickel is one of humans' most prevalent triggers of allergic contact dermatitis. However, the underlying mechanisms of this allergy still need to be fully understood. One aspect that has yet to be explored is the direct impact of common metal allergens on the skin's metabolites and lipids composition.MethodOur study employed matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI) to analyze spatially resolved metabolic alterations induced by nickel exposure. Cross‐sections of ex vivo porcine ear skin exposed to increasing nickel (II) ion concentrations (17–167 μg/cm2) were measured with an AP‐SMALDI5 AF ion source coupled to Q Exactive HF Orbitrap mass spectrometer. Additionally, the penetration of nickel ions into the skin was observed through its pink complexation with dimethylglyoxime under light microscopy.ResultsFor nickel ion concentrations up to 84 μg/cm2, most nickel ions were stopped within the stratum corneum, while only a very small proportion of nickel ions penetrated the viable epidermis and dermis. Stratum corneum locations with high nickel ion concentrations showed a decrease in arginine and ceramides. Furthermore, several phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin species were found to be downregulated in the viable epidermis and dermis due to the nickel exposure.ConclusionNickel penetrates at a trace level into the viable skin and induces severe metabolomic and lipidomic changes in the stratum corneum, epidermis, and dermis, indicating a change in the skin (barrier) function. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of nickel‐induced skin allergies and provide a solid foundation for further research.
Thermal electron attachment to halogenated silanes in the gas phase
Authors: Michalczuk Bartosz , Papp Peter , Mészáros Dušan , Stachová Barbora , Moravský Ladislav , Matejčík Štefan , Barszczewska Wiesława 
Published: August 2024

RationaleSilane derivatives play a crucial role in industrial plasma processes for the fabrication of various electronic devices such as lighting devices, solar cells, and displays. Accurate quantitative data are essential for modeling technological plasmas. This study reports the rate coefficients (k) and activation energies (Ea) for thermal electron attachment to Si2Cl6, Si (CH3)3CHF2, and SiCl (CH3)2Si(CH3)3, which are key parameters for understanding the underlying processes in plasmas. The results obtained for other silane derivatives were also analyzed and discussed.MethodsThe measurements were conducted using the pulsed Townsend technique. In this technique, electrons generated by a laser under an electric field travel to the anode, inducing a charge on it. In the presence of a scavenger gas, electrons are captured, leading to a decrease in the rate of charge increase over time. The kinetic parameters were deduced from the shape of the pulse. The G4 method was used to obtain bond dissociation energies (BDEs).ResultsThis study determined the kinetic parameters for thermal electron attachment to Si2Cl6, Si (CH3)3CHF2, and SiCl (CH3)2Si(CH3)3 for the first time. The rate coefficients at 298 K were found to be 2.17 ± 0.04 × 10−9cm3s−1, 2.01 ± 0.09 × 10−12cm3s−1, and 8.05 ± 0.07 × 10−12cm3s−1, respectively. The corresponding activation energies were determined to be 0.37 ± 0.04 eV, 0.29 ± 0.03 eV, and 0.21 ± 0.01 eV for Si2Cl6, Si (CH3)3CHF2, and SiCl (CH3)2Si(CH3)3, respectively. The experiment was conducted over the temperature range of 298–378 K.ConclusionsThe findings of this study provide significant new insights into fundamental parameters such as rate coefficients and activation energies for thermal electron capture by chlorinated and fluorinated silane derivatives. These data contribute to advancing our understanding of thermal electron interactions with chlorosilanes, which can be utilized for controlling important species in the plasmas of various modern technologies.
Women and circular transition in agri‐food industry: The commitment to gender diversity as an engine of change
Authors: García‐Sánchez Isabel‐María , Enciso‐Alfaro Saudi‐Yulieth 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe agri‐food industry has a positive impact on society, providing a sustainable and high‐quality food source for the world's population. However, this industry has a significant impact on the environment, which is essential to know and understand. In this article, we explore the importance of the circular transition in the agri‐food industry and analyse the role that female directors, C‐suite executives or managers and employees play in it. For a sample of the most relevant 243 agri‐food companies worldwide, over the period 2013–2022, we conduct Tobit and lineal regressions for panel data to attend to gender diversity in firms and its consequences concerning this circularity environmental model. In a sector with unbalanced organisational levels in terms of gender, the results show that the overall diversity of the companies favours the transition towards a circular model that is respectful of the environment, favouring the optimisation of resources and processes that lead to the generation of minimum waste, and unequivocally opting for ecological inputs, technologies, spaces and other goods. However, the individualised study of diversity at the organisational levels confirms the unquestionable role that female leadership plays in the circular transition of the agri‐food sector when exercised from C‐suite positions.
Molecular Engineering of Pure Superoxide Radical Photogenerator for Hypoxia‐Tolerant Tumor Theranostics
Authors: Ding Jipeng , Zhu Tianyu , Zheng Fan , Gao Feng , Zhang Shengwang , Zhang Kexiang , Zeng Jinrong , Dong Jie , Zeng Wenbin 
Published: August 2024

AbstractPhotodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising cancer treatment, but limited oxygen supply in tumors (hypoxia) can hinder its effectiveness. This is because traditional PDT relies on Type‐II reactions that require oxygen. Type‐I photosensitizers (PSs) offer a promising approach to overcome the limitations of tumor photodynamic therapy (PDT) in hypoxic environments. To leverage the advantages of Type‐I PDT, the design and evaluation of a series of Type‐I PSs for developing pure Type‐1 PSs, by incorporating benzene, thiophene, or bithiophene into the donor–acceptor molecular skeleton are reported. Among them, CTTI (with bithiophene) shows the best performance, generating the most superoxide radical (O2•−) upon light irradiation. Importantly, CTTI exclusively produced superoxide radicals, avoiding the less effective Type‐II pathway. This efficiency is due to CTTI's energy gap and low reduction potential, which favor electron transfer to oxygen for O2•− generation. Finally, CTTI NPs are successfully fabricated by encapsulating CTTI into liposomes, and validated to be effective in killing tumor cells, even under hypoxic conditions, making them promising hypoxia‐tolerant tumor phototheranostic agents in both in vitro and in vivo applications.
Sudachitin Alleviates Paraquat Instigated Testicular Toxicity in Albino Rats via Regulating Nrf‐2/Keap‐1, Inflammatory, Steroidogenic, and Histological Profile
Authors: Ijaz Muhammad Umar , Imtiaz Sana , Hayat Muhammad Faisal , Batool Moazama , Al‐Ghanim Khalid A. , Riaz Mian Nadeem 
Published: August 2024

ABSTRACTParaquat (PQ) is a noxious herbicide which adversely affects the vital organs including male reproductive system. Sudachitin (SCN) is a naturally occurring flavonoid that demonstrates a wide range of biological potentials. The current study was designed to investigate the alleviative potential of SCN to avert PQ‐induced testicular toxicity in rats. Forty‐eight male rats (Rattus norvegicus) were apportioned into four groups including control, PQ (5 mg/kg), PQ + SCN (5 mg/kg + 30 mg/kg), and SCN (30 mg/kg) only treated group. Our findings elucidated that PQ treatment reduced the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2 (Nrf‐2) and its antioxidant genes as well as the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GSR) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), while elevating the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and malondialdehyde (MDA). Furthermore, PQ intoxication upregulated the expressions of Keap‐1 while downregulating the expression of 3‐beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β‐HSD), 17‐beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β‐HSD), and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR). Moreover, sperm anomalies were increased following the exposure to PQ. Besides, PQ exposure decreased the levels of plasma testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) while increasing the levels of interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α), nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB), interleukin‐1beta (IL‐1β), and cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2). Additionally, PQ treatment escalated the expressions of cysteinyl aspartate‐specific proteases‐3 (Caspase‐3) and Bcl‐2‐associated X‐protein (Bax) while downregulating the expressions of B‐cell lymphoma‐2 (Bcl‐2). Furthermore, PQ exposure disrupted the normal architecture of testicular tissues. However, SCN treatment remarkably protected the testicular tissues via regulating the aforementioned disruptions owing to its antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and androgenic potential.
Updated checklist of the Culicoides Latreille biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) of Galicia (NW Spain): Diversity, distribution and medical‐veterinary relevance
Authors: Polina Alejandro , Martínez‐Barciela Yasmina , Pereira José Manuel , Cobo Fernando , Íñiguez Elvira , Lucientes Javier , Estrada Rosa , Garrido Josefina 
Published: August 2024

AbstractIntroductionCulicoides Latreille biting midges are vectors of high concern as they can transmit serious veterinary diseases such as bluetongue virus or epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus, among others. Little is known about these vectors in Galicia, so a comprehensive literature review and an intensive monitoring were carried out in the region.Material and methodsThe Autonomous Community of Galicia was sampled through three different vector surveillance projects between 2004 and 2023. A total of 239 sampling points were deployed alongside the Galician territory. In addition, a literature review of Culicoides in Galicia related content was made by consulting several digital repositories.ResultsA total of 33 species of Culicoides belonging to 8 subgenera were identified. Among them, 15 are considered or suspected to be potential vectors of several pathogens of medical and/or veterinary interest. In addition, 20 of them are reported for the first time in the region. Updated distribution maps of the Culicoides biting midges of Galicia were provided, including several notes regarding their ecology and relevance for both public health and animal welfare.ConclusionsThe present work is one of the most complete works made at regional level in Spain to date. As Galicia's economy relies heavily on livestock farming, this work will provide a solid baseline in order to develop new research lines in the future regarding prevention to vector‐borne diseases.
Marker‐free genomic editing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using universal donor templates and multiplexing CRISPR‐CAS9
Authors: Grissom J. H. , Moody S. E. , Chi R. J. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an excellent model organism for studying a variety of critical cellular processes. Traditional methods to knock in or ‐out at specific yeast loci utilize polymerase chain reaction‐based techniques, in which marker cassettes with gene‐specific homologies are integrated into the genome via homologous recombination. While simple and cost‐effective, these methods are limited by marker availability when multiple edits are desired. More recently, CRISPR‐Cas9 technology has introduced methods to edit the yeast genome without the need for selectable markers. Although efficient, this method is hindered by additional reagents and lengthy protocols to design and test unique guide RNAs and donor templates for each desired edit. In this study, we have combined these two approaches and have developed a highly efficient economical method to edit the yeast genome marker‐free. We have designed two universal donor templates that efficiently repair commonly used selectable markers when targeted by a novel guideRNA‐Cas9 designed to promoter regions in Ashbya gossypii found in most integration modules. Furthermore, we find our newly designed guideRNA‐Cas9 successfully multiplexes when multiple markers are present. Using these new tools, we have significantly improved the cost and efficiency to generate single or multiple marker‐free genetic modifications. In this study, we demonstrate the effectiveness of these new tools by marker‐free ablating PRC1, PEP4, and PRB1 vacuolar proteases typically inactivated before many biochemical and membrane‐trafficking studies using budding yeast.
Fortress Europe vs. Open Borders
Authors: Englund Lena 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe two nonfictional texts juxtaposed in this chapter; The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity, Islam (2018; originally published in 2017) by Douglas Murray, and Against Borders: The Case for Abolition (2022) by Gracie May Bradley and Luke de Noronha, address migration from a perspective of how borders should be managed and controlled, and what should be done about contemporary policies with regard to migration. The focus is primarily on Europe and Britain. The chapter examines statements made in both texts and connect them with statistics and scholarly research about migration. Murray’s book is critical of the way in which the migrant crisis in 2015 was dealt with, leading to increased numbers of people with migrant backgrounds in Europe, whereas Against Borders is critical of the ways in which attempts to control migration have been made, such as detention centres, deportation, and restrictions to citizenship. The nation-state itself is seen as at the core of these practices that impede movement. Both books offer relevant observations about the shortcomings of European migration politics, albeit from opposite ends.
Migrant Crisis
Authors: Englund Lena 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThis chapter on refugee and asylum seeker narratives includes both fiction and nonfiction. Examining the migrant condition in relation to concepts such as gratitude, empathy, and dignity emerge as central, since they not only highlight the personal experiences of migrants but also place them in a wider societal and political context. The material analysed includes the Refugee Tales series, Refugee Tales III (2019; edited by David Herd and Anna Pincus) in particular, which has seen the publication of four volumes to date with stories about the asylum seeker experience, told to for example authors, journalists, and academics, advocating for an end to indefinite detention in Britain. The second section focuses on Dina Nayeri’s memoir The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You (2020). The personal narrative intersects with accounts of other asylum seekers in more recent times, and Nayeri offers criticism of current asylum politics in Europe throughout her book. The third section examines Exit West (2017) by Mohsin Hamid, a novel which embarks on a path of advocacy that is less direct, leaving the reader with the task of finding a sustainable solution.
Higher-order tails and RG flows due to scattering of gravitational radiation from binary inspirals
Authors: Edison Alex , Levi Michèle 
Published: August 2024

Abstract
We establish and develop a novel methodology to treat higher-order non-linear effects of gravitational radiation that is scattered from binary inspirals, which employs modern scattering-amplitudes methods on the effective picture of the binary as a composite particle. We spell out our procedure to study such effects: assembling tree amplitudes via generalized-unitarity methods and employing the closed-time-path formalism to derive the causal effective actions, which encompass the full conservative and dissipative dynamics. We push through to a new state of the art for these higher-order effects, up to the third subleading tail effect, at order $$ {G}_N^5 $$

G
N
5

and the 5-loop level, which corresponds to the 8.5PN order. We formulate the consequent dissipated energy for these higher-order corrections, and carry out a renormalization analysis, where we uncover new subleading RG flow of the quadrupole coupling. For all higher-order tail effects we find perfect agreement with partial observable results in PN and self-force theories, where available.
The hiring of older workers: evidence from Germany
Authors: Busch Fabian , Fenge Robert , Ochsen Carsten 
Published: August 2024

Abstract
This article analyses how hiring older workers adjusts to demographic change in the labour force by using information from more than 500,000 firms in Germany. We find robust evidence that firms faced with an ageing labour market hire relatively more older workers. However, the pace of this adjustment is relatively slow, particularly when ageing happens outside the firm. The tendency to employ older people is more considerable in East Germany, where the demographic change moves forward faster. Furthermore, part-time working models support hiring older workers, but this effect becomes less important in larger firms and East Germany. Finally, while partial retirement regulations enhance flexibility within the firm, they, unfortunately, diminish the employment opportunities for older external job seekers.