bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Thermal and salt stress effects on the survival of plant growth‐promoting bacteria Azospirillum brasilense in inoculants for maize cultivation
Authors: da Cunha Elisandra Triches , Pedrolo Ana Marina , Arisi Ana Carolina Maisonnave 
Published: February 2024

BACKGROUNDThe plant growth‐promoting bacteria (PGPB) Azospirillum brasilense is widely used as an inoculant for important grass crops, providing numerous benefits to the plants. However, one limitation to develop viable commercial inoculants is the control of PGPB survival, requiring strategies that guarantee their survival during handling and field application. The application of sublethal stress appears to be a promising strategy to increase bacterial cells tolerance to adverse environmental conditions since previous stress induces the activation of physiological protection in bacterial cell. In this work, we evaluated the effects of thermal and salt stresses on the survival of inoculant containing A. brasilense Ab‐V5 and Ab‐V6 strains and we monitored A. brasilense viability in inoculated maize roots after stress treatment of inoculant.RESULTSThermal stress application (> 35 °C) in isolated cultures for both strains, as well as salt stress [sodium chloride (NaCl) concentrations > 0.3 mol L−1], resulted in growth rate decline. The A. brasilense enumeration in maize roots obtained by propidium monoazide quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PMA‐qPCR), for inoculated maize seedlings grown in vitro for 7 days, showed that there is an increased number of viable cells after the salt stress treatment, indicating that A. brasilense Ab‐V5 and Ab‐V6 strains are able to adapt to salt stress (0.3 mol L−1 NaCl) growth conditions.CONCLUSIONAzospirillum brasilense Ab‐V5 and Ab‐V6 strains had potential for osmoadaptation and salt stress, resulting in increased cell survival after inoculation in maize plants. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.
Assessing Diagnostic Performance Using the Transverse Plane Plus Coronal Plane Compared With the Transverse Plane Alone in Screening Automated Breast Ultrasound
Authors: Wang Yin , Yue Jinzhuo , Xing Yangfeng , Ju Yan , Gao Xican , Shu Rui , Wang Zhenfang , Liu Bo , Xiao Yao , Zhang Ge , Li Hui , Wang Tian , Guan Xiangping , Song Zhangjun , Song Hongping 
Published: February 2024

ObjectivesThe coronal plane is the unique display mode of automated breast (AB) ultrasound (US), which has valuable features of showing the entire breast anatomy and providing additional diagnostic value for breast lesions. However, whether adding the coronal plane could improve the diagnostic performance in screening breast cancer remains uncertain. This study aimed to evaluate the value of adding the coronal plane in interpretation for AB US screening.MethodsIn this retrospective study, AB US images from 644 women (396 in the no‐finding group, 143 with benign lesions, and 105 with malignant lesions) aged 40–70 years were collected between January 2016 and October 2020. Four novice radiologists (with 1–5 years of experience with breast US) and four experienced radiologists (with >5 years of experience with breast US) were assigned to read all AB US images in the transverse plane plus coronal plane (T + C planes) and transverse plane (T plane) alone in separate reading sessions. Diagnostic performance, lesion conspicuity, and reading time were compared using analysis of variance.ResultsThe mean reading time of all radiologists was significantly shorter in the T + C planes reading mode than in the T plane alone (115 ± 32 vs 128 ± 31 s, respectively; P < .05), and cancers had a higher conspicuity (odds ratio, 1.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00–3.08; P = .04). No significant differences were noted in the two reading modes (T + C planes vs T plane) in the sensitivity (82% [95% CI, 74–89%] vs 81% [95% CI, 74–88%], respectively; P = .68) and specificity (68% [95% CI, 62–75%] vs 70% [95% CI, 64–75%], respectively; P = .39) when Breast Imaging‐Reporting and Data System (BI‐RADS) 3 was set as the threshold. There were also no significant differences in the two reading modes (T + C planes vs T plane) in the sensitivity (70% [95% CI, 64–76%] vs 69% [95% CI, 63–75%], respectively; P = .39) and specificity (91% [95% CI, 87–96%] vs 91% [95% CI, 88–95%], respectively; P = .90) when BI‐RADS 4 was set as the threshold. In addition, the mean areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of all radiologists in the two reading modes (T + C planes vs T plane) were not significantly different (0.84 [95% CI, 0.79–0.89] vs 0.83 [95% CI, 0.78–0.89], respectively; P = .61).ConclusionsAdding a coronal plane in the AB US screening setting saved the reading time and improved the conspicuity of breast cancers but not the diagnostic performance.
A multiple baseline approach for marine heatwaves
Authors: Giménez Luis , Boersma Maarten , Wiltshire Karen H. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractMarine heatwaves and other extreme temperature events can drive biological responses, including mass mortality. However, their effects depend on how they are experienced by biological systems (including human societies). We applied two different baselines (fixed and shifting) to a time series of North Sea water temperature to explore how slowly vs. quickly adapting systems would experience extreme temperatures. We tested if the properties of marine heatwaves and the association with atmospheric heatwaves were robust to a change in baseline. A fixed baseline produced an increase in the frequency and duration of marine heatwaves, which would be experienced as the new normal by slowly adapting systems; 7 of the 10 most severe heatwaves occurred between 1990 and 2018. The shifting baseline removed the trend in the frequency but not duration of heatwaves; the 1990s appeared as a period of change in the frequency of strong and severe heatwaves as compared to the 1980s. There were also common patterns among baselines: marine heatwaves were more frequent in late summer when temperatures peak; temperature variability was characterized by low frequency, large amplitude fluctuations (i.e., as red noise), known to drive extinction events. In addition, marine heatwaves occurred during or just after atmospheric heatwaves. Our work highlights the importance of identifying properties of marine heatwaves that are robust or contingent on a change in baseline.
Management of peripheral nerve injuries using natural based biomaterials and their derivatives: Advances and prospective
Authors: Kumar Suraj , Malviya Rishabha , Sundram Sonali 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThe management of peripheral nerve injuries is an important concern due to the their incidence of nerve lesions and inappropriate regeneration that follows severe injuries, which ultimately reduces the lives of patients with this condition. Different strategies have been investigated to repair severe nerve injuries with the improvement of motor and sensory regeneration. Although autograft remains the gold standard technique, an emerging number of research articles concerning nerve conduit use have been reported in the last few years. Nerve conduits aim to overcome autograft disadvantages, but they satisfy some requirements to be suitable for nerve repair. A universal ideal conduit does not exist since conduit properties have to be evaluated case by case; nevertheless, because of their high biocompatibility and biodegradability, natural‐based biomaterials have great potential to be used to produce nerve guides. Although they have many characteristics with synthetic biomaterials, natural‐based biomaterials are preferable because of their extraction sources; indeed, these biomaterials are obtained from different renewable sources or food waste, thus reducing environmental impact and enhancing sustainability in comparison to synthetic ones. This review highlights the recent progress in the development of natural‐based biomaterials and their derivatives for the management of peripheral nerve injuries.
α‐Ketoglutarate Improves Ovarian Reserve Function in Primary Ovarian Insufficiency by Inhibiting NLRP3‐Mediated Pyroptosis of Granulosa Cells
Authors: Liu Ke , Wu Yafei , Yang Wenqin , Li Tianlong , Wang Zhongxu , Xiao Shu , Peng Zhenghua , Li Meng , Xiong Wenhao , Li Meixiang , Chen Xi , Zhang Shun , Lei Xiaocan 
Published: February 2024

ScopePremature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a common female infertility problem, with its pathogenesis remains unknown. The NOD‐like receptor family pyrin domain‐containing 3 (NLRP3)‐mediated pyroptosis has been proposed as a possible mechanism in POI. This study investigates the therapeutic effect of α‐ketoglutarate (AKG) on ovarian reserve function in POI rats and further explores the potential molecular mechanisms.Methods and resultsPOI rats are caused by administration of cyclophosphamide (CTX) to determine whether AKG has a protective effect. AKG treatment increases the ovarian index, maintains both serum hormone levels and follicle number, and improves the ovarian reserve function in POI rats, as evidence by increased the level of lactate and the expression of rate‐limiting enzymes of glycolysis in the ovaries, additionally reduced the expression of NLRP3, Gasdermin D (GSDMD), Caspase‐1, Interleukin‐18 (IL‐18), and Interleukin‐1 beta (IL‐1β). In vitro, KGN cells are treated with LPS and nigericin to mimic pyroptosis, then treated with AKG and MCC950. AKG inhibits inflammatory and pyroptosis factors such as NLRP3, restores the glycolysis process in vitro, meanwhile inhibition of NLRP3 has the same effect.ConclusionAKG ameliorates CTX‐induced POI by inhibiting NLRP3‐mediated pyroptosis, which provides a new therapeutic strategy and drug target for clinical POI patients.
Technical note: Generalizable and promptable artificial intelligence model to augment clinical delineation in radiation oncology
Authors: Zhang Lian , Liu Zhengliang , Zhang Lu , Wu Zihao , Yu Xiaowei , Holmes Jason , Feng Hongying , Dai Haixing , Li Xiang , Li Quanzheng , Wong William W. , Vora Sujay A. , Zhu Dajiang , Liu Tianming , Liu Wei 
Published: February 2024

AbstractBackgroundEfficient and accurate delineation of organs at risk (OARs) is a critical procedure for treatment planning and dose evaluation. Deep learning‐based auto‐segmentation of OARs has shown promising results and is increasingly being used in radiation therapy. However, existing deep learning‐based auto‐segmentation approaches face two challenges in clinical practice: generalizability and human‐AI interaction. A generalizable and promptable auto‐segmentation model, which segments OARs of multiple disease sites simultaneously and supports on‐the‐fly human‐AI interaction, can significantly enhance the efficiency of radiation therapy treatment planning.PurposeMeta's segment anything model (SAM) was proposed as a generalizable and promptable model for next‐generation natural image segmentation. We further evaluated the performance of SAM in radiotherapy segmentation.MethodsComputed tomography (CT) images of clinical cases from four disease sites at our institute were collected: prostate, lung, gastrointestinal, and head & neck. For each case, we selected the OARs important in radiotherapy treatment planning. We then compared both the Dice coefficients and Jaccard indices derived from three distinct methods: manual delineation (ground truth), automatic segmentation using SAM's ’segment anything’ mode, and automatic segmentation using SAM's ‘box prompt’ mode that implements manual interaction via live prompts during segmentation.ResultsOur results indicate that SAM's segment anything mode can achieve clinically acceptable segmentation results in most OARs with Dice scores higher than 0.7. SAM's box prompt mode further improves Dice scores by 0.1∼0.5. Similar results were observed for Jaccard indices. The results show that SAM performs better for prostate and lung, but worse for gastrointestinal and head & neck. When considering the size of organs and the distinctiveness of their boundaries, SAM shows better performance for large organs with distinct boundaries, such as lung and liver, and worse for smaller organs with less distinct boundaries, like parotid and cochlea.ConclusionsOur results demonstrate SAM's robust generalizability with consistent accuracy in automatic segmentation for radiotherapy. Furthermore, the advanced box‐prompt method enables the users to augment auto‐segmentation interactively and dynamically, leading to patient‐specific auto‐segmentation in radiation therapy. SAM's generalizability across different disease sites and different modalities makes it feasible to develop a generic auto‐segmentation model in radiotherapy.
Preoperative Serum Albumin as Predictor of Outcomes After Thyroidectomy
Authors: Sciscent Bao Yue , Eberly Hanel Watkins , Lorenz F. Jeffrey , Truong Nguyen , Goldenberg David , Goyal Neerav 
Published: February 2024

AbstractObjectiveAlbumin is considered to be a surrogate marker for inflammation and nutritional status. Levels usually decrease after surgery but little is known about the predictive value of preoperative albumin levels in patients undergoing thyroidectomy. This study aimed to investigate the 30‐day incidence of postoperative outcomes in thyroidectomy patients with and without preoperative hypoalbuminemia.Study DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingTriNetX Database.MethodsTriNetX, a federated deidentified database, was retrospectively queried to identify patients who underwent thyroidectomy. Postoperative outcomes within 30 days of thyroidectomy, based on International Classification of Disease, 10th Revision and Current Procedural Terminology codes, in patients with preoperative hypoalbuminemia (≤3.4 g/dL) (cohort 1) were analyzed and compared to patients without hypoalbuminemia (cohort 2).ResultsAfter propensity score matching, 2398 patients were identified in each cohort. Hypoalbuminemia patients were more likely to have postoperative pneumonia (odds ratio, OR: 3.472, 95% confidence interval, CI [2.016‐5.978]), acute renal failure (OR: 3.872, 95% CI [2.412‐6.217]), venous thromboembolism (OR: 1.766, 95% CI [1.016‐2.819]), and surgical site infection (OR: 2.353, 95% CI [1.282‐4.32]). Rates of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury were comparable between cohorts.ConclusionPatients undergoing thyroidectomy with preoperative hypoalbuminemia have a higher prevalence of postoperative complications compared to patients without preoperative hypoalbuminemia. While not routinely assessed, preoperative evaluation of serum albumin levels may help guide expectations and optimal management of thyroidectomy patients.
Reliability and validity of a Japanese version of the Brunnsviken Brief Quality of Life Scale
Authors: Hamatani Sayo , Matsumoto Kazuki , Lindner Philip , Shimizu Eiji , Mizuno Yoshifumi , Andersson Gerhard 
Published: February 2024

AbstractAimThe Brunnsviken Brief Quality of Life Scale (BBQ) is a popular quality of life measure, indexing satisfaction with and importance of six empirically selected life domains. Whether these domains hold cross‐cultural validity remains largely unexplored. The current study developed and psychometrically validated a Japanese version of the BBQ (BBQ‐J).MethodsData were collected from 637 Japanese individuals aged between 20 and 87 years. We used t‐tests, Pearson product‐rate correlation coefficients, a reliability analysis, a confirmatory factor analysis, and an exploratory factor analysis to analyze the data, with 637 participants in all analyses.ResultsThere were no statistically significant gender differences on the BBQ‐J. Confirmatory factor analysis of the BBQ‐J revealed a 1‐factor structure with six items. Convergent validity was confirmed by its association with life satisfaction, and negative convergent validity was confirmed by its negative correlation with depressive symptoms. Cronbach's alpha of the BBQ‐J showed high internal consistency.ConclusionSimilar to the original version, the Japanese version of the BBQ is a valid and reliable self‐administered measure of subjective quality of life for use in clinical and research settings.
Effect of carbon black and chain extender on thermal, rheological and mechanical properties of fully biodegradable poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate)/poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐4‐hydroxybutyrate) blends
Authors: Li Yi , Wang Xiuli , Cheng Hongda , Han Changyu , Li Dongdong 
Published: February 2024

AbstractDifferent carbon black (CB) contents in poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT)/poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐4‐hydroxybutyrate) (P34HB) blends were prepared by melt blending using chain extender multifunctional styrene‐acrylic‐ epoxy random oligomer (ADR), as a compatibilizer. PBAT and P34HB were immiscible, and ADR could react with PBAT and P34HB to improve interfacial adhesion force and molecular entanglement. CB fillers were uniformly and selectively located in the PBAT matrix and could act as a nucleating agent to promote the nucleation of PBAT crystallization. At a CB content of 5 wt%, a percolation network structure of CB was formed. The most interesting result in the work was the achievement of composites with improved rheological and mechanical properties under the synergistic effect of chain extender and CB fillers. The viscoelasticity of the system was markedly improved and a transition from liquid‐like to solid‐like behavior was observed. Young's modulus and yield strength of chain extender modified PBAT/P34HB/CB composite with 10 wt% CB increased by 502% and 69% compared to neat PBAT, and by 89% and 43% compared to PBAT/P34HB binary blend. The combination of improved melt viscoelasticity and mechanical properties will further broaden the practical application of biodegradable polymers. © 2024 Society of Industrial Chemistry.
Soft Factors and Interaction Vertices from Light‐Cone Actions
Authors: Ananth Sudarshan , Pandey Chetan , Pant Saurabh 
Published: February 2024

AbstractUniversal factors associated with the emission of a soft boson in gauge theories and gravity, formulated in the light‐cone gauge, are presented. The inverse‐soft method, for constructing higher‐point amplitudes from lower‐point ones, using these factors is reviewed. These ideas are then examined in (light‐cone) superspace and applied to both the super Yang–Mills and supergravity theories. One highlight is a compact result for the quartic interaction vertex in supergravity, a crucial ingredient for finiteness analyses.
Pimpinellin ameliorates macrophage inflammation by promoting RNF146‐mediated PARP1 ubiquitination
Authors: Yang Liuye , Du Meng , Liu Kaiyuan , Wang Pengchao , Zhu Jingbo , Li Fengcen , Wang Ze , Huang Kai , Liang Minglu 
Published: February 2024

AbstractMacrophage inflammation plays a central role during the development and progression of sepsis, while the regulation of macrophages by parthanatos has been recently identified as a novel strategy for anti‐inflammatory therapies. This study was designed to investigate the therapeutic potential and mechanism of pimpinellin against LPS‐induced sepsis. PARP1 and PAR activation were detected by western blot or immunohistochemistry. Cell death was assessed by flow cytometry and western blot. Cell metabolism was measured with a Seahorse XFe24 extracellular flux analyzer. C57, PARP1 knockout, and PARP1 conditional knock‐in mice were used in a model of sepsis caused by LPS to assess the effect of pimpinellin. Here, we found that pimpinellin can specifically inhibit LPS‐induced macrophage PARP1 and PAR activation. In vitro studies showed that pimpinellin could inhibit the expression of inflammatory cytokines and signal pathway activation in macrophages by inhibiting overexpression of PARP1. In addition, pimpinellin increased the survival rate of LPS‐treated mice, thereby preventing LPS‐induced sepsis. Further research confirmed that LPS‐induced sepsis in PARP1 overexpressing mice was attenuated by pimpinellin, and PARP1 knockdown abolished the protective effect of pimpinellin against LPS‐induced sepsis. Further study found that pimpinellin can promote ubiquitin‐mediated degradation of PARP1 through RNF146. This is the first study to demonstrate that pimpinellin inhibits excessive inflammatory responses by promoting the ubiquitin‐mediated degradation of PARP1.
Gas‐phase Smiles rearrangement of ortho‐nitro‐substituted diaryliodonium cations and their mechanistic insights
Authors: Wei Wu‐Zhi , Pan Cheng , Ling Lin , Han Jianwei , Wang Hao‐Yang 
Published: February 2024

RationaleDiaryliodonium salts are useful electrophilic reagents in organic chemistry, finding extensive applications in arylations and photo‐induced polymerizations. However, comprehensive mechanistic investigations, particularly concerning the mass spectrometric behaviors of diaryliodonium salts, are relatively scarce in the literature.MethodsDiaryliodonium salts could be readily ionized using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS) to give [Ar1‐I+‐Ar2], and high‐resolution ESI‐tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) experiments were conducted to investigate their gas‐phase chemical reactions.ResultsInvestigations on ESI‐MS/MS of [Ar1‐I+‐Ar2] revealed two major fragmentation patterns: (1) reductive elimination resulting in the diaryl coupling product ion [Ar1‐Ar2]+• by the loss of I; (2) generation of aryl cations [Ar1]+ or [Ar2]+ through cleavage of the C–I bonds. We revealed that the introduction of NO2 into Ar2 of [Ar1‐I+‐Ar2] could lead to an unexpected fragmentation ion [Ar1O]+ in MS/MS, arising from an O‐atom transfer process from NO2 to Ar1. Particularly, when NO2 was ortho‐positioned to the iodine in Ar2, the [Ar1O]+ sometimes exhibited dominant behavior.ConclusionsComprehensive ESI‐MS/MS studies and theoretical calculations provided strong support for the O‐atom transfer mechanistic pathway: [Ar1‐I+‐(o‐NO2‐Ar2)] initially underwent a Smiles rearrangement to the intermediate [Ar1‐O‐(o‐NO‐Ar2I)]+, which subsequently dissociated to [Ar1O]+ or [o‐NO‐Ar2I]+•. Herein, we proposed an unexpected “ortho effect” in the gas‐phase fragmentation reaction of [Ar1‐I+‐(o‐NO2‐Ar2)], in which the crucial determinant factor for the aryl migration was identified as the Smiles rearrangement reaction.
Upstream experience and experimental translocation of invasive bigheaded carps results in increased upstream passage success at a navigation lock in a large river
Authors: Fritts Andrea K. , Gibson‐Reinemer Daniel K. , Knights Brent C. , Milde Amanda S. , Stanton Jessica C. , Brey Marybeth K. , Appel Douglas S. , Cupp Aaron R. , Tripp Sara J. , Lamer James T. , Fritts Mark W. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractFish movements in regulated rivers can be challenging to study because anthropogenic modifications, such as locks and dams, can influence animal behavior. Upper Mississippi River Lock and Dam 19 (LD 19), for example, is an invasive carp movement bottleneck due to an impassable dam. Upstream fish passage at LD19 is restricted to the lock chamber, making it an optimal location to test invasive fish deterrents that could limit further range expansion. Evaluating the effectiveness of experimental deterrents requires baseline knowledge of fish movements and suitable sample sizes of fish encountering the deterrents to ensure adequate statistical power. Some evidence indicates fish with prior upstream experience may return upstream or challenge potential deterrents at a higher rate than fish without such experience. To test how previous upstream experience could increase the rate at which fish moved upstream through a navigation lock chamber, we compared upstream passage through LD 19 using bigheaded carp captured below the dam (downstream‐origin) and two groups of bigheaded carp captured upstream from the dam: those that swam downstream on their own volition (upstream‐origin fish) and those that were captured upstream and translocated downstream of LD 19 (translocated upstream‐origin). Translocated upstream‐origin carp demonstrated the highest rate of upstream passage, with 59% of the fish detected downstream from LD 19 passing upstream during our study. In contrast, downstream‐origin carp made no upstream passages over 2 years. Fish origin was shown to influence upstream passage success. This may be an important consideration for fish passage studies and deterrent evaluations.