bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Earthworm communities and their relation to above‐ground organic residues and water infiltration in perennial cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) and annual silage maize (Zea mays) energy plants
Authors: Wöhl Lena , Ruf Thorsten , Emmerling Christoph , Schrader Stefan 
Published: April 2024

AbstractPerennial energy cropping systems are hailed as a sustainable way of mitigating and potentially adapting to climate change. As a result of the absence of tillage, soils cropped with perennials like cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) promote abundant and functionally diverse earthworm communities. Hence, ecosystem service provision because of earthworm activity and functional redundancy, for example, litter decomposition, water infiltration and nutrient turnover, is considerably enhanced in perennial cropping systems. We studied the abundance and functional role of earthworms in non‐tilled perennial systems and reduced‐tilled annual systems to assess their relationship with the respective above‐ground organic residues and their implications for the soil water dynamic. We sampled earthworms and simultaneously measured the saturated infiltration rate for two consecutive years in cup plant and maize (Zea mays) fields. Furthermore, we sampled above‐ground litter each trimester in both systems and analysed the total C and N content and CN ratios. Our field investigations revealed significantly higher earthworm abundance, species diversity and richness in cup plant systems likely because of the absence of tillage and the formation of a litter layer. High abundances of juveniles in both maize and cup plant systems pointed to harsh habitat conditions likely because of temperature variations, waterlogging and bulk density. The respective field litter was of minor importance as a food source in both systems because of poor quality, but may positively affect the soil water balance in cup plant systems. Earthworm populations in maize may have been supported by organic fertilizer while earthworm populations in cup plants may have additionally benefitted from the extensive root network and a higher on‐site plant diversity. Reduced tillage regimes in maize systems may have enhanced saturated infiltration rates. A direct link between earthworms and infiltration was not validated, but may not be excluded in the future, as earthworm populations may develop slowly because of adverse habitat conditions. Our results show that perennials support abundant and diverse earthworm populations and indicate the importance of functional redundancy and the diversity of food sources. The combination of both earthworm abundance and perennial cropping systems is capable of increasing on‐site ecosystem stability and supporting adaptation to climate change by increasing functional redundancy and, ultimately, providing ecosystem services. The noticeable occurrence of the latter, however, may be delayed because of the slow establishment of earthworm communities and delayed build‐up of ecosystems stability. Hence, a transitional phase is inevitable to reap the benefits of perennial energy cropping systems and must be accounted for.
English in Sweden: Functions, features and debates
Authors: Mežek Špela 
Published: April 2024

AbstractEnglish has for a long time had a strong position in the Swedish sociolinguistic context. English is ubiquitous in the contemporary Swedish public sphere, and good knowledge of English can be found in all sections of society. Far from only being used as a lingua franca for international communication, English is today also pervasively used in domains of business, higher education and academia, as well as in the media and for entertainment purposes. This growing presence of English in Sweden has led to language debates about the status and the role of English in Sweden and concerns of whether English is a threat to Swedish. This article discusses the status and the manifold functions of English in Sweden and describes the uses and features of English in the Swedish context. It concludes with a discussion of the current debates on the uses and the role of English in Sweden.
Assessment of Left Lung Remodeling With Magnetic Resonance Imaging in a Murine Model Following Exposure to Douglas Fir Smoke
Authors: Matz Jacqueline , Gonzalez Mireia Perera , Niedbalski Peter , Kim Hannah , Chen Ye , Sebastiani Paola , Gollner Michael J. , Bellini Chiara , Oakes Jessica M. 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Wildland firefighters (WLFFs) experience lung function decline due to occupational exposure to fire smoke. WLFFs typically do not wear respiratory personal protective equipment, and if they do, it is a simple bandana, which is not effective at filtering smoke. To pinpoint the biological underpinnings of abnormal respiratory function following 3–7 years of WLFF service, we exposed mice to Douglas fir smoke (DFS) over 8 weeks. Following exposure, we assessed changes in lung structure through Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and histological analysis, which was supported by immunohistochemistry staining. With MRI, we found that the signal decay time, T2*, from ultrashort echo time (UTE) images was significantly shorter in mice exposed to DFS compared to air controls. In addition, the variation in T2* was more heterogeneously distributed throughout the left lung in DFS-exposed mice, compared to air controls. As confirmed by histological analysis, shorter T2* was caused by larger parenchyma airspace sizes and not fibrotic remodeling. Destruction of the alveolar spaces was likely due to inflammation, as measured by an influx of CD68+ macrophages and destruction due to enhanced neutrophil elastase. In addition, measurements of airspace dimensions from histology were more heterogeneously distributed throughout the lung, corroborating the enhanced relative dispersion of T2*. Findings from this study suggest that the decline in lung function observed in WLFFs may be due to emphysema-like changes in the lung, which can be quantified with MRI.
Monitoring for Actinide Neutron Emissions From Spent Nuclear Fuel Under Extreme Gamma Fields Using Centrifugally Tensioned Metastable Fluid Detector Sensor Technology
Authors: Harabagiu C. , Taleyarkhan R. P. 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
This paper presents outcomes from research studies conducted independently at Purdue University as part of a collaborative project with the staff of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Research work focused on assessments for meeting the challenge of monitoring actinide content in spent nuclear fuel (SNF) via characteristic neutron emissions [from spontaneous fission and (α,n) reactions] using the centrifugally tensioned metastable fluid detector (CTMFD) sensor technology using an inert organic decafluoropentane (DFP)(C5H2F10) sensing fluid. Traditional detectors readily saturate and/or cannot monitor neutron emissions under the expected 1012:1 gamma to neutron radiation environment. A challenge problem was posed to examine if a CTMFD could operate reliably over 1 h for conducting neutron spectroscopy at a 1 m standoff from a 30-y cooled SNF, in a ∼1012:1 gamma:neutron intensity environment resulting in a 150 Gy (15 kRad) accumulated dose for the CTMFD. The impacts on reliable operability were studied separately under expected gamma radiation energy and intensity for possible effects of: (i) radiolysis in the CTMFD sensing fluid from absorbed (&lt;1.5 MeV) gamma radiation; (ii) photoneutron contamination signals from &lt; 3 MeV high energy gamma photons interacting with the sensing fluid; and, (iii) malfunction of CTMFD component electronics from the absorbed gamma radiation. A Co-60 gamma irradiator was used for dose accumulation in the CTMFD electronic components and sensing fluids. A 14 MeV DT accelerator was used with a NaCl target to produce 3–4 MeV photons from activated 37S (via. neutron absorption in 37Cl) at SNF-commensurate intensities from SNF at 1-m standoff. Our examinations revealed the absence of any significant impact on CTMFD performance for meeting and exceeding the challenge problem metric. That is, we validated for no discernible impact of: 3–4 MeV gamma-produced photoneutrons when combined with a fission neutron source and radiolysis in the DFP sensing fluid through a 150 Gy absorbed dose. Past research results at Purdue University have validated for survivability of the key electronic components for absorbed gamma doses above the targeted 150 Gy level. This paper also provides extended evidence for survivability (from radiolysis) at higher gamma doses through 750 Gy with a borated DFP-sensing fluid formulation-based CTMFD.
Siderophore-mediated iron acquisition by
Klebsiella pneumoniae
Authors: Kumar Ashish , Chakravorty Somnath , Yang Taihao , Russo Thomas A. , Newton Salete M. , Klebba Phillip E. 
Published: April 2024

ABSTRACT

Microbes synthesize and secrete siderophores, that bind and solubilize precipitated or otherwise unavailable iron in their microenvironments. Gram (−) bacterial TonB-dependent outer membrane receptors capture the resulting ferric siderophores to begin the uptake process. From their similarity to
fepA,
the structural gene for the
Escherichia coli
ferric enterobactin (FeEnt) receptor, we identified four homologous genes in the human and animal ESKAPE pathogen
Klebsiella pneumoniae
(strain Kp52.145). One locus encodes IroN (locus
0027
on plasmid pII), and three other loci encode other FepA orthologs/paralogs (chromosomal loci
1658, 2380,
and
4984
). Based on the crystal structure of
E. coli
FepA (1FEP), we modeled the tertiary structures of the
K. pneumoniae
FepA homologs and genetically engineered individual Cys substitutions in their predicted surface loops. We subjected bacteria expressing the Cys mutant proteins to modification with extrinsic fluorescein maleimide (FM) and used the resulting fluorescently labeled cells to spectroscopically monitor the binding and transport of catecholate ferric siderophores by the four different receptors. The FM-modified FepA homologs were nanosensors that defined the ferric catecholate uptake pathways in pathogenic strains of
K. pneumoniae
. In Kp52.145, loci
1658
and
4984
encoded receptors that primarily recognized and transported FeEnt; locus
0027
produced a receptor that principally bound and transported FeEnt and glucosylated FeEnt (FeGEnt); locus 2380 encoded a protein that bound ferric catecholate compounds but did not detectably transport them. The sensors also characterized the uptake of iron complexes, including FeGEnt, by the hypervirulent, hypermucoviscous
K. pneumoniae
strain hvKp1.

IMPORTANCE

Both commensal and pathogenic bacteria produce small organic chelators, called siderophores, that avidly bind iron and increase its bioavailability.
Klebsiella pneumoniae
variably produces four siderophores that antagonize host iron sequestration: enterobactin, glucosylated enterobactin (also termed salmochelin), aerobactin, and yersiniabactin, which promote colonization of different host tissues. Abundant evidence links bacterial iron acquisition to virulence and infectious diseases. The data we report explain the recognition and transport of ferric catecholates and other siderophores, which are crucial to iron acquisition by
K. pneumoniae
.
Secreted phospholipase PLA2G2E contributes to regulation of T cell immune response against influenza virus infection
Authors: Bu Hemeng , Zhang Shengnan , Li Pingchao , Liu Zijian , Liu Yichu , Li Zhixia , Liu Xinglong , Wang Zhi , Feng Liqiang , Chen Ling , Qu Linbing 
Published: April 2024

ABSTRACT

The involvement of secreted phospholipase A2s in respiratory diseases, such as asthma and respiratory viral infections, is well-established. However, the specific role of secreted phospholipase A2 group IIE (PLA2G2E) during influenza virus infection remains unexplored. Here, we investigated the role of PLA2G2E during H1N1 influenza virus infection using a targeted mouse model lacking
Pla2g2e
gene (
Pla2g2e
-/-
). Our findings demonstrated that
Pla2g2e
-/-
mice had significantly lower survival rates and higher viral loads in lungs compared to wild-type mice following influenza virus infection. While
Pla2g2e
-/-
mice displayed comparable innate and humoral immune responses to influenza virus challenge, the animals showed impaired influenza-specific cellular immunity and reduced T cell-mediated cytotoxicity. This indicates that PLA2G2E is involved in regulating specific T cell responses during influenza virus infection. Furthermore, transgenic mice expressing the human
PLA2G2E
gene exhibited resistance to influenza virus infection along with enhanced influenza-specific cellular immunity and T cell-mediated cytotoxicity.
Pla2g2e
deficiency resulted in perturbation of lipid mediators in the lung and T cells, potentially contributing to its impact on the anti-influenza immune response. Taken together, these findings suggest that targeting
PLA2G2E
could hold potential as a therapeutic strategy for managing influenza virus infections.

IMPORTANCE
The influenza virus is a highly transmissible respiratory pathogen that continues to pose a significant public health concern. It effectively evades humoral immune protection conferred by vaccines and natural infection due to its continuous viral evolution through the genetic processes of antigenic drift and shift. Recognition of conserved non-mutable viral epitopes by T cells may provide broad immunity against influenza virus. In this study, we have demonstrated that phospholipase A2 group IIE (PLA2G2E) plays a crucial role in protecting against influenza virus infection through the regulation of T cell responses, while not affecting innate and humoral immune responses. Targeting PLA2G2E could therefore represent a potential therapeutic strategy for managing influenza virus infection.
Bank strength variability and its impact on the system-scale morphodynamics of the upper Amazon River in Brazil
Authors: Brückner Muriel Z.M. , Aalto Rolf E. , Best Jim , de Almeida Renato Paes , Nicholas Andrew P. , Ashworth Philip J. , Ianniruberto Marco 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Large anabranching rivers form channels in sediments of varying strength, resulting from erosional and depositional processes that act over geological time scales. Although bank strength variability is known to affect channel morphodynamics, its impact on the migration of large sand-bed rivers remains poorly understood. We report the first in situ measurements of bank strength from an ~100-km-long reach of the Solimões River, the Brazilian Amazon River upstream of Manaus. These show that cohesive muds in Pleistocene terraces along the river's right margin have bank strengths as much as three times greater than Holocene floodplain deposits composing the left bank. Image analysis suggests these resistant outcrops determine channel-bar dynamics: channel widening and bar deposition are inhibited, which lowers planform curvature and reduces erosion of the opposing bank. Planform analysis of the 1600-km-long Solimões River between 1984 and 2021 shows that where the channel is associated with Pleistocene terraces, lower rates of bank erosion and bar deposition are evident. Heterogeneity in bank strength is thus a first-order control on the large-scale morphodynamics of the world's largest lowland river.
Public health surveillance through community health workers: a scoping review of evidence from 25 low-income and middle-income countries
Authors: Alhassan Jacob Albin Korem , Wills Odette 
Published: April 2024

BackgroundThe last 3 years have witnessed global health challenges, ranging from the pandemics of COVID-19 and mpox (monkeypox) to the Ebola epidemic in Uganda. Public health surveillance is critical for preventing these outbreaks, yet surveillance systems in resource-constrained contexts struggle to provide timely disease reporting. Although community health workers (CHWs) support health systems in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), very little has been written about their role in supporting public health surveillance. This review identified the roles, impacts and challenges CHWs face in public health surveillance in 25 LMICs.MethodsWe conducted a scoping review guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s framework. We exported 1,156 peer-reviewed records from Embase, Global Health and PubMed databases. After multiple screenings, 29 articles were included in the final review.ResultsCHWs significantly contribute to public health surveillance in LMICs including through contact tracing and patient visitation to control major infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, Ebola, neglected tropical diseases and COVID-19. Their public health surveillance roles typically fall into four main categories including community engagement; data gathering; screening, testing and treating; and health education and promotion. The use of CHWs in public health surveillance in LMICs has been impactful and often involves incorporation of various technologies leading to improved epidemic control and disease reporting. Nonetheless, use of CHWs can come with four main challenges including lack of education and training, lack of financial and other resources, logistical and infrastructural challenges as well as community engagement challenges.ConclusionCHWs are important stakeholders in surveillance because they are closer to communities than other healthcare workers. Further integration and training of CHWs in public health surveillance would improve public health surveillance because CHWs can provide health data on ‘hard-to-reach’ populations. CHWs’ work in public health surveillance would also be greatly enhanced by infrastructural investments.
Spatial variation and associated factors of inadequate counselling regarding pregnancy danger signs during antenatal care visits among pregnant women in Ethiopia: a Geographically Weighted Regression Model
Authors: Alemayehu Meron Asmamaw , Derseh Nebiyu Mekonnen , Tesfie Tigabu Kidie , Abuhay Habtamu Wagnew , Yismaw Getaneh Awoke , Agimas Muluken Chanie 
Published: April 2024

IntroductionInadequate counselling of pregnant women regarding pregnancy danger signs contributes to a delay in deciding to seek care, which causes up to 77% of all maternal deaths in developing countries. However, its spatial variation and region-specific predictors have not been studied in Ethiopia. Hence, the current study aimed to model its predictors using geographically weighted regression analysis.MethodsThe 2019 Ethiopian Mini Demographic and Health Survey data were used. A total weighted sample of 2922 women from 283 clusters was included in the final analysis. The analysis was performed using ArcGIS Pro, STATA V.14.2 and SaTScan V.10.1 software. The spatial variation of inadequate counselling was examined using hotspot analysis. Ordinary least squares regression was used to identify factors for geographical variations. Geographically weighted regression was used to explore the spatial heterogeneity of selected variables to predict inadequate counselling.ResultsSignificant hotspots of inadequate counselling regarding pregnancy danger signs were found in Gambella region, the border between Amhara and Afar regions, Somali region and parts of Oromia region. Antenatal care provided by health extension workers, late first antenatal care initiation and antenatal care follow-up at health centres were spatially varying predictors. The geographically weighted regression model explained about 66% of the variation in the model.ConclusionInadequate counselling service regarding pregnancy danger signs in Ethiopia varies across regions and there exists within country inequality in the service provision and utilisation. Prioritisation and extra efforts should be made by concerned actors for those underprivileged areas and communities (as shown in the maps), and health extension workers, as they are found in the study.
Study protocol for a type-II hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial to reach teenagers using mobile money shops to reduce unintended pregnancies in Uganda
Authors: Komasawa Makiko , Sato Miho , Ssekitoleko Robert , Waiswa Peter , Gitta Sheba , Nabugoomu Josephine , Honda Sumihisa , Saito Kiyoko , Aung Myo Nyein 
Published: April 2024

IntroductionUnintended teenage pregnancies have become a global public health challenge, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. There is a notably high prevalence of unintended pregnancies among unmarried teenagers in Uganda. This study will develop an intervention programme using mobile money shops (vendors) as a platform to deliver sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services to teenagers and assess its effectiveness and scalability in Uganda.Methods and analysesThis hybrid study comprises two integral components: an intervention study to assess the effectiveness of vendor-mediated intervention and implementation research to evaluate the implementation process. 30 vendors will be recruited for both intervention and control arms in 2 municipalities in Eastern Uganda, which have a high unintended pregnancy prevalence rate among unmarried teens aged 15–19 years. A preintervention and postintervention repeated survey involving 600 participants for each arm will be conducted over 4 months. The primary outcome is the rate of condom users among teenage vendor users. The secondary outcomes include the rate of preference for receiving SRHR services at vendors and knowledge regarding SRHR. A difference-in-differences analysis will be used to determine the effectiveness of the intervention. The Bowen model will be employed to evaluate the implementation design.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval was obtained from the Ethics Review Committee of Uganda Christen University and JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development in Japan. The findings will be widely disseminated. This study was registered with the University Hospital Medical Information Network in Japan (UMIN000053332) on 12 January 2024.Trial registration numberUMIN000053332.
Tetrad extremal field-gauge vector structure
Authors: Garat Alcides 
Published: April 2024

In previous works, we have proven that there are local tetrads in four-dimensional curved Lorentzian spacetimes that can be written in terms of two kinds of local structures, the skeletons and the gauge vectors. These tetrads diagonalize locally and covariantly the stress–energy tensors for systems of differential equations of the Einstein–Maxwell kind in the Abelian electromagnetic case, or of the Einstein–Maxwell–Yang-Mills kind when non-Abelian Yang–Mills fields are included, along with suitable Yang–Mills stress–energy tensors. Under local Lorentz transformations, these new tetrads conserve their skeleton-gauge vector structure. In this short paper, we will prove that given any general unit orthogonal tetrad in spacetime, we will be able to construct a new tetrad in the skeleton-gauge vector form. We will prove a theorem stating that the original orthonormal tetrad can be constructed or reexpressed with this same local tetrad skeleton-gauge vector structures. The theorems proved in this paper will enable the demonstration of new results in group isomorphism theorems in the future.