bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The behavioural costs of overcrowding for gregarious cave‐dwelling bats
Authors: Respicio Jeaneth Magelen V. , Dela Cruz Kier C. , Hughes Alice C. , Tanalgo Krizler C. 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Bats are known for their gregarious social behaviour, often congregating in caves and underground habitats, where they play a pivotal role in providing various ecosystem services. Studying bat behaviour remains an underexplored aspect of bat ecology and conservation despite its ecological importance.

We explored the costs and impacts of overcrowding on bat social behaviour. This study examined variations in bat behavioural patterns between two distinct groups, aggregated and non‐aggregated male Rousettus amplexicaudatus, within the Monfort Bat Cave Sanctuary on Mindanao Island, Philippines.

We found significant variations in the incident frequencies of various bat behavioural activities, particularly aggression and movement, between these two groups. The increase in aggregation was closely related to negative social behaviour among bats.

In contrast, sexual behaviour was significantly related to the positive behaviour of individual bats and was headed in less crowded areas. The disparities in bat behaviour with an apparent decline in bat social behaviour because of overcrowding, with more aggressive behaviours emerging, align with the ‘behavioural sink’ hypothesis.

Our study underscores the importance of considering habitat quality and resource availability in the management and conservation of bat colonies, as these factors can reduce the occurrence of aggressive and negative social behaviours in colonies with high population density by providing alternative habitats.
Revising the Pragmatics Profile of Everyday Communication Skills for traumatic brain injury: An international Delphi study
Authors: Tomlin Lily , Smidt Andy , Bogart Elise 
Published: April 2024

AbstractBackgroundAssessment tools that assess pragmatic skills in adults with a mild‐severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) are hard to access, not person‐centred and have a high risk of clinician bias. The Pragmatics Profile is an informant report tool that was originally designed to assess pragmatic skills in people with a developmental disability.AimsThe aim of this study was to seek consensus from a panel of experts and create a version of the Pragmatics Profile for the TBI population.Methods and ProceduresA three‐round modified Delphi methodology panel of 13 experts were invited to comment anonymously on the suitability of each question from the Pragmatics Profile modified for those with TBI until ≥ 80% agreement was reached.Outcomes and ResultsThe Pragmatics Profile (TBI) included 66 questions that achieved consensus after three rounds of the Delphi panel. Qualitative analysis illuminated themes relating to adults with TBI and the need to include contextual factors.Conclusions and ImplicationsThe outcome of this project was a revised version of the Pragmatics Profile which is suitable for adults with a mild‐severe TBI, informed by experts and freely available online. Future research exploring the tool's utility and acceptability is the next step in its evaluation.WHAT THIS PAPER ADDSWhat is already known on this subject
Assessment of the everyday functional use of language is challenging but vital. This is particularly true for those who have traumatic brain injury (TBI) where the communication outcomes can be highly variable and may include difficulties with conversational turn‐taking, topic maintenance and reading social cues.
There are limited tools available to clinicians and those tend to be rating scales or checklists which have a high risk of clinician bias.
Available tools have a limited ability to capture the individual's personal social communication goals.What this paper adds to existing knowledge
This study created an online Pragmatics Profile (PP) for TBI based on experts’ opinions.
This paper details the themes that emerged during the process of revising the PP for those with TBI.What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?
The PP‐TBI adds to the toolkit for speech and language therapists working with people with TBI. It meets recent recommendations in the literature to create an interview‐based tool.
The versatility of an online tool combined with revised input from a panel of experts increases the likelihood that clinicians will utilise this tool.
Given the long‐term use of the original PP by clinicians for almost 30 years and a focus on personalised care, the format and approach are also likely to be acceptable to clinicians.
The distinctive weathering crust habitat of a High Arctic glacier comprises discrete microbial micro‐habitats
Authors: Rassner Sara M. E. , Cook Joseph M. , Mitchell Andrew C. , Stevens Ian T. , Irvine‐Fynn Tristram D. L. , Hodson Andrew J. , Edwards Arwyn 
Published: April 2024

AbstractSunlight penetrates the ice surfaces of glaciers and ice sheets, forming a water‐bearing porous ice matrix known as the weathering crust. This crust is home to a significant microbial community. Despite the potential implications of microbial processes in the weathering crust for glacial melting, biogeochemical cycles, and downstream ecosystems, there have been few explorations of its microbial communities. In our study, we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing and shotgun metagenomics of a Svalbard glacier surface catchment to characterise the microbial communities within the weathering crust, their origins and destinies, and the functional potential of the weathering crust metagenome. Our findings reveal that the bacterial community in the weathering crust is distinct from those in upstream and downstream habitats. However, it comprises two separate micro‐habitats, each with different taxa and functional categories. The interstitial porewater is dominated by Polaromonas, influenced by the transfer of snowmelt, and exported via meltwater channels. In contrast, the ice matrix is dominated by Hymenobacter, and its metagenome exhibits a diverse range of functional adaptations. Given that the global weathering crust area and the subsequent release of microbes from it are strongly responsive to climate projections for the rest of the century, our results underscore the pressing need to integrate the microbiome of the weathering crust with other communities and processes in glacial ecosystems.
Experimental evidence of d‐glutamate racemase activity in the uncultivated bacterium Candidatus Saccharimonas aalborgensis
Authors: Peñalver Marcos , Paradela Alberto , Palacios‐Cuéllar César , Pucciarelli M. Graciela , García‐del Portillo Francisco 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR) encompasses widespread uncultivated bacteria with reduced genomes and limited metabolic capacities. Most CPR bacteria lack the minimal set of enzymes required for peptidoglycan (PG) synthesis, leaving it unclear how these bacteria produce this essential envelope component. In this study, we analysed the distribution of d‐amino acid racemases that produce the universal PG components d‐glutamate (d‐Glu) or d‐alanine (d‐Ala). We also examined moonlighting enzymes that synthesize d‐Glu or d‐Ala. Unlike other phyla in the domain Bacteria, CPR bacteria do not exhibit these moonlighting activities and have, at most, one gene encoding either a Glu or Ala racemase. One of these ‘orphan’ racemases is a predicted Glu racemase (MurICPR) from the CPR bacterium Candidatus Saccharimonas aalborgenesis. The expression of MurICPR restores the growth of a Salmonella d‐Glu auxotroph lacking its endogenous racemase and results in the substitution of l‐Ala by serine as the first residue in a fraction of the PG stem peptides. In vitro, MurICPR exclusively racemizes Glu as a substrate. Therefore, Ca. Saccharimonas aalborgensis may couple Glu racemization to serine and d‐Glu incorporation into the stem peptide. Our findings provide the first insights into the synthesis of PG by an uncultivated environmental bacterium and illustrate how to experimentally test enzymatic activities from CPR bacteria related to PG metabolism.
The death of Elizabeth II on Wikipedia: fleshing out freedom through technoliberal participation online
Authors: Fians Guilherme 
Published: April 2024

AbstractWhile journalists performed a long‐rehearsed move to announce the death of Elizabeth II on the BBC, several volunteer editors rushed to break the news in the late queen's Wikipedia article. Aside from updating verb tenses from is to was, such edits entailed a revisionist approach, with Wikipedians seeking to shape how the British royals would be portrayed online. Tracing the negotiations and edit wars on the English‐language Wikipedia surrounding this event, this article asks: to what extent does collaborative textual production subvert individual authorship in favour of knowledge co‐production and collective authorship? Drawing on an online ethnography on Wikipedia's metapages, I propose technoliberal participation as a framework to flesh out how internet users frequently perceive whatever is available online as a property of the collective. Online projects such as this self‐styled ‘free encyclopedia’ maximize their participants’ freedom to express themselves while setting them free from a sense of long‐lasting commitment to the project. Considering the place of technoliberal participation in several online settings, I argue that the perception of digital technologies as neoliberal tools to address neoliberal problems sets out freedom as a watchword around which content authorship is not erased, but reframed, via a responsibility‐free, do‐it‐yourself media ideology.
State abandonment and territorial citizenship in rural Colombia: Montes de María after the peace accords
Authors: Hoyos‐Gómez Diana 
Published: April 2024

AbstractDrawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Montes de María, Colombia, I examine citizen‐state relationships and experiences of the state in rural communities during the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement between the Colombian government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas. I focus on the participatory process that led to the formulation of the Development Plans with a Territorial Focus (PDET) and their early implementation. I argue that state abandonment is a relevant conceptual lens through which to understand experiences of the state and the effects of some policies and state practices in reproducing the limited access to rights and the precarious living conditions at the heart of state interventions in rural areas. I also suggest that forms of territorial citizenship promoted by the peace accords provide opportunities to improve access to rights and contest state abandonment but also face challenges related to existing state practices and power relationships operating in rural territories. I distinguish state abandonment from state absence. By analysing how state abandonment can be produced at the heart of state interventions, this article expands anthropological debates about contemporary forms of state and social abandonment. The analysis of forms of territorial citizenship contributes to the understanding of claims‐making and participation in decision‐making structured around territory.
Identification of a risk score model based on tertiary lymphoid structure‐related genes for predicting immunotherapy efficacy in non‐small cell lung cancer
Authors: Mei Shi‐Qi , Liu Jia‐Qi , Huang Zi‐Jian , Luo Wei‐Chi , Peng Ying‐Long , Chen Zhi‐Hong , Deng Yu , Xu Chong‐Rui , Zhou Qing 
Published: April 2024

AbstractBackgroundTertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) affect the prognosis and efficacy of immunotherapy in patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood.MethodsTLSs were identified and categorized online from the Cancer Digital Slide Archive (CDSA). Overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS) were analyzed. GSE111414 and GSE136961 datasets were downloaded from the GEO database. GSVA, GO and KEGG were used to explore the signaling pathways. Immune cell infiltration was analyzed by xCell, ssGSEA and MCP‐counter. The analysis of WGCNA, Lasso and multivariate cox regression were conducted to develop a gene risk score model based on the SU2C‐MARK cohort.ResultsTLS‐positive was a protective factor for OS according to multivariate cox regression analysis (p = 0.029). Both the TLS‐positive and TLS‐mature groups exhibited genes enrichment in immune activation pathways. The TLS‐mature group showed more activated dendritic cell infiltration than the TLS‐immature group. We screened TLS‐related genes using WGCNA. Lasso and multivariate cox regression analysis were used to construct a five‐genes (RGS8, RUF4, HLA‐DQB2, THEMIS, and TRBV12‐5) risk score model, the progression free survival (PFS) and OS of patients in the low‐risk group were markedly superior to those in the high‐risk group (p < 0.0001; p = 0.0015, respectively). Calibration and ROC curves indicated that the combined model with gene risk score and clinical features could predict the PFS of patients who have received immunotherapy more accurately than a single clinical factor.ConclusionsOur data suggested a pivotal role of TLSs formation in survival outcome and immunotherapy response of NSCLC patients. Tumors with mature TLS formation showed more activated immune microenvironment. In addition, the model constructed by TLS‐related genes could predict the response to immunotherapy and is meaningful for clinical decision‐making.
It is time to explore the impact of length of gestation and fetal health on the human lifespan
Authors: Yu Zhuo , Dong Yushan , Chen Yuhan , Aleya Lotfi , Zhao Yinhuan , Yao Lan , Gu Weikuan 
Published: April 2024

AbstractA recently proposed principal law of lifespan (PLOSP) proposes to extend the whole human lifespan by elongating different life stages. As the preborn stage of a human being, gestation is the foundation for the healthy development of the human body. The antagonistic pleiotropy (AP) theory of aging states that there is a trade‐off between early life fitness and late‐life mortality. The question is whether slower development during the gestation period would be associated with a longer lifespan. Among all living creatures, the length of the gestation period is highly positively correlated to the length of the lifespan, although such a correlation is thought to be influenced by the body sizes of different species. While examining the relationship between lifespan length and body size within the same species, dogs exhibit a negative correlation between lifespans and body sizes, while there is no such correlation among domestic cats. For humans, most adverse gestational environments shorten the period of gestation, and their impacts are long‐term. While many issues remain unsolved, various developmental features have been linked to the conditions during the gestation period. Given that the length of human pregnancies can vary randomly by as long as 5 weeks, it is worth investigating whether a slow steady healthy gestation over a longer period will be related to a longer and healthier lifespan. This article discusses the potential benefits, negative impacts, and challenges of the relative elongation of the gestation period.
U‐shaped association between sleep duration and biological aging: Evidence from the UK Biobank study
Authors: Wang Xuanyang , Yan Xuemin , Li Mengdi , Cheng Licheng , Qi Xiang , Zhang Jia , Pan Sijia , Xu Xiaoqing , Wei Wei , Li Ying 
Published: April 2024

AbstractPrevious research on sleep and aging largely has failed to illustrate the optimal dose–response curve of this relationship. We aimed to analyze the associations between sleep duration and measures of predicted age. In total, 241,713 participants from the UK Biobank were included. Habitual sleep duration was collected from the baseline questionnaire. Four indicators, homeostatic dysregulation (HD), phenoAge (PA), Klemera–Doubal method (KDM), and allostatic load (AL), were chosen to assess predicted age. Multivariate linear regression models were utilized. The association of sleep duration and predicted age followed a U‐shape (All p for nonlinear <0.05). Compared with individuals who sleep for 7 h/day, the multivariable‐adjusted beta of ≤5 and ≥9 h/day were 0.05 (95% CI 0.03, 0.07) and 0.03 (95% CI 0.02, 0.05) for HD, 0.08 (95% CI 0.01, 0.14) and 0.36 (95% CI 0.31, 0.41) for PA, and 0.21 (95% CI 0.12, 0.30) and 0.30 (95% CI 0.23, 0.37) for KDM. Significant independent and joint effects of sleep and cystatin C (CysC) and gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) on predicted age metrics were future found. Similar results were observed when conducting stratification analyses. Short and long sleep duration were associated with accelerated predicted age metrics mediated by CysC and GGT.
Selective targeting of dipeptidyl‐peptidase 4 (DPP‐4) positive senescent chondrocyte ameliorates osteoarthritis progression
Authors: Ro Du Hyun , Cho Gun Hee , Kim Ji Yoon , Min Seong Ki , Yang Ha Ru , Park Hee Jung , Wang Sun Young , Kim You Jung , Lee Myung Chul , Bae Hyun Cheol , Han Hyuk‐Soo 
Published: April 2024

AbstractSenescent cells increase in many tissues with age and induce age‐related pathologies, including osteoarthritis (OA). Senescent chondrocytes (SnCs) are found in OA cartilage, and the clearance of those chondrocytes prevents OA progression. However, targeting SnCs is challenging due to the absence of a senescent chondrocyte‐specific marker. Therefore, we used flow cytometry to screen and select senescent chondrocyte surface markers and cross‐validated with published transcriptomic data. Chondrocytes expressing dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 (DPP‐4), the selected senescent chondrocyte‐specific marker, had multiple senescence phenotypes, such as increased senescence‐associated‐galactosidase, p16, p21, and senescence‐associated secretory phenotype expression, and showed OA chondrocyte phenotypes. To examine the effects of DPP‐4 inhibition on DPP‐4+ SnCs, sitagliptin, a DPP‐4 inhibitor, was treated in vitro. As a result, DPP‐4 inhibition selectively eliminates DPP‐4+ SnCs without affecting DPP‐4‐ chondrocytes. To assess in vivo therapeutic efficacy of targeting DPP‐4+ SnCs, three known senolytics (ABT263, 17DMAG, and metformin) and sitagliptin were comparatively verified in a DMM‐induced rat OA model. Sitagliptin treatment specifically and effectively eliminated DPP‐4+ SnCs, compared to the other three senolytics. Furthermore, Intra‐articular sitagliptin injection to the rat OA model increased collagen type II and proteoglycan expression and physical functions and decreased cartilage destruction, subchondral bone plate thickness and MMP13 expression, leading to the amelioration of OA phenotypes. Collectively, OARSI score was lowest in the sitagliptin treatment group. Taken together, we verified DPP‐4 as a surface marker for SnCs and suggested that the selective targeting of DPP‐4+ chondrocytes could be a promising strategy to prevent OA progression.
Alpine shrub leaf litter decomposition across mountain summits in south‐eastern Australia
Authors: Venn Susanna E. , Camac James , Grover Samantha P. , Morgan John W. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractClimate warming has been linked to shrub expansion in alpine regions and the decomposition of shrub leaf litter and subsequent release of nutrients has been proposed as a mechanism to facilitate shrub growth. We quantified the rate of alpine shrub leaf litter decomposition (measured as mass loss) over the course of a year in four locally occurring alpine shrub species that grow across four alpine summits. We measured a range of environmental attributes at the study sites, and via a standard litter bag approach, we evaluated the effects of site elevation, the depth of litter bag deployment, the removal time, the species‐specific leaf area (SLA) and the accumulated growing degree days at each site on the total per cent and rate of litter decomposition (as mass loss). The higher elevation sites were cooler with more snow days than the lower sites. Soil moisture was higher early in the snow‐free season at the higher elevation sites. Linear mixed effect models indicated no significant effects of elevation on total and rate of litter decomposition, but there were significant positive effects of deployment depth and removal time and a significant negative effect of species SLA. There were significant negative relationships between the rate of decomposition and growing degree days, as decomposition slows through time. The modelled mean rates of shrub litter decomposition for each species indicated that there would be more and faster decomposition if winter and early spring conditions were to persist for a whole year, compared with the modelled rates of average annual conditions persisting for a whole year. Our results indicate that Australian alpine shrub litter decomposes readily, with the highest rates of decomposition occurring soon after deployment, which in this study was after a snowy winter at the start of the growing season in spring.
Inferring past demographic changes at different spatial scales in Northwest Patagonia and central‐south Chile: Comparing absolute dates with molecular data
Authors: Cobos Virginia A. , Postillone María Bárbara , Bernal Valeria , Perez S. Ivan 
Published: April 2024

AbstractIn this study, we compare the patterns of demographic changes in populations from Northwest Patagonia and central‐south Chile throughout the Late Pleistocene–Holocene obtained from absolute dates with those resulting from molecular genealogies. We have found that temporal distributions of frequencies of absolute dates constitute a more sensitive demographic indicator than molecular data to make inferences at small spatial scales in the region. Moreover, even though the latter has proven to be very informative about old demographic processes, it represents a less reliable source of information for more recent ones.
Detection of abnormal behaviors in prenatal Poly(I:C) exposed mice in a group‐rearing environment
Authors: Komada Munekazu , Kiriyama Niina , Sugiyama Rei , Harada Kazuma , Kawashita Norihito 
Published: April 2024

AbstractDuring pregnancy, the maternal environment is critical for normal ontogeny and central nervous system development. Occasionally, prenatal exposure to environmental factors affects tissue architecture and functional development of the brain, which causes developmental disorders, including disorders of the autism spectrum. One of these environmental factors is the exposure to infectious diseases during pregnancy. In this study, we generated mice with infectious disease‐induced inflammation by prenatal exposure to 200 μg/kg polyinosinic–polycytidylic acid sodium salt [Poly(I:C)] at embryonic day 12.5 and analyzed their phenotypes on 30‐weeks‐old. We attempted to detect abnormalities in spontaneous activity and social interaction, which may be indicators of developmental disorder‐like behavioral abnormalities, in free‐ranging behaviors in multiple rearing environments using multiple animal positioning systems and UMATracker in mice with fetal inflammation. Increased spontaneous activity and abnormal social interactions were observed in mice in the Poly(I:C)‐treated group compared with those in the control group. Prenatal exposure to Poly(I:C) increased motor activity and decreased social interaction, and social behavior in prenatally treated mice in a multiple‐individual rearing environment. Poly(I:C) exposure during the fetal period resulted in developmental disorder‐like behavioral abnormalities, such as increased activity and abnormal social interactions, even after maturation in a multiple‐individual rearing environment. This experimental method may provide a new way to analyze the behavior of mouse models of developmental disorders in a multiple‐individual rearing environment, in which free‐ranging behavior is possible.