bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of continuous and intermittent blood flow restriction deep-squat training on thigh muscle activation and fatigue levels in male handball players
Authors: Wang Yan , Li Zhiyuan , Tongtong Che , Zhang Wenjuan , Li Xiaoxiao 
Published: November 2023

AbstractWe aimed to investigate acute changes before and after low-intensity continuous and intermittent blood flow restriction (BFR) deep-squat training on thigh muscle activation characteristics and fatigue level under suitable individual arterial occlusion pressure (AOP). Twelve elite male handball players were recruited. Continuous (Program 1) and intermittent (Program 2) BFR deep-squat training was performed with 30% one-repetition maximum load. Program 1 did not include decompression during the intervals, while Program 2 contained decompression during each interval. Electromyography (EMG) was performed before and after two BFR training programs in each period. EMG signals of the quadriceps femoris, posterior femoral muscles, and gluteus maximus, including the root mean square (RMS) and normalized RMS and median frequency (MF) values of each muscle group under maximum voluntary contraction (MVC), before and after training were calculated. The RMS value under MVC (RMSMVC) of the rectus femoris (RF), vastus medialis (VM), vastus lateralis (VL), and gluteus maximus (GM) decreased after continuous and intermittent BFR training programs, and those of the biceps femoris (BF) and semitendinosus (SEM) increased; The RMS standard values of the VL, BF, and SEM were significantly increased after continuous and intermittent BFR training (P < 0.05), The RMS value of GM significantly decreased after cuff inflating (P < 0.05). The MF values of RF, VM, VL, and GM decreased significantly after continuous BFR training (P < 0.05). Continuous BFR deep-squat training applied at 50% AOP was more effective than the intermittent BFR training program. Continuous application of BFR induces greater levels of acute fatigue than intermittent BFR that may translate into greater muscular training adaptations over time.
Phage therapy minimally affects the water microbiota in an Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) rearing system while still preventing infection
Authors: Fiedler Alexander W. , Gundersen Madeleine S. , Vo Toan P. , Almaas Eivind , Vadstein Olav , Bakke Ingrid 
Published: November 2023

AbstractExcessive usage of antibiotics threatens the bacterial diversity in the microbiota of animals. An alternative to antibiotics that has been suggested to not disturb the microbiota is (bacterio)phage therapy. In this study, we challenged germ-free and microbially colonized yolk sac fry of Atlantic salmon with Flavobacterium columnare and observed that the mere presence of a microbiota protected the fish against lethal infection. We then investigated the effect of phage- or oxytetracycline treatment on fish survival and rearing water bacterial community characteristics using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Phage treatment led to an increased survival of F. columnare-challenged fish and reduced the relative amounts of the pathogen in the water microbiota. In the absence of F. columnare, phage treatment did not affect the composition or the α-diversity of the rearing water microbiota. In the presence of the phage’s host, phage treatment induced minor changes to the bacterial community composition, without affecting the α-diversity. Surprisingly, oxytetracycline treatment had no observable effect on the water microbiota and did not reduce the relative abundance of F. columnare in the water. In conclusion, we showed that phage treatment prevents mortality while not negatively affecting the rearing water microbiota, thus suggesting that phage treatment may be a suitable alternative to antibiotics. We also demonstrated a protective effect of the microbiota in Atlantic salmon yolk sac fry.
Virtual staining for pixel-wise and quantitative analysis of single cell images
Authors: Yilmaz Abdurrahim , Aydin Tuelay , Varol Rahmetullah 
Published: November 2023

AbstractImmunocytochemical staining of microorganisms and cells has long been a popular method for examining their specific subcellular structures in greater detail. Recently, generative networks have emerged as an alternative to traditional immunostaining techniques. These networks infer fluorescence signatures from various imaging modalities and then virtually apply staining to the images in a digital environment. In numerous studies, virtual staining models have been trained on histopathology slides or intricate subcellular structures to enhance their accuracy and applicability. Despite the advancements in virtual staining technology, utilizing this method for quantitative analysis of microscopic images still poses a significant challenge. To address this issue, we propose a straightforward and automated approach for pixel-wise image-to-image translation. Our primary objective in this research is to leverage advanced virtual staining techniques to accurately measure the DNA fragmentation index in unstained sperm images. This not only offers a non-invasive approach to gauging sperm quality, but also paves the way for streamlined and efficient analyses without the constraints and potential biases introduced by traditional staining processes. This novel approach takes into account the limitations of conventional techniques and incorporates improvements to bolster the reliability of the virtual staining process. To further refine the results, we discuss various denoising techniques that can be employed to reduce the impact of background noise on the digital images. Additionally, we present a pixel-wise image matching algorithm designed to minimize the error caused by background noise and to prevent the introduction of bias into the analysis. By combining these approaches, we aim to develop a more effective and reliable method for quantitative analysis of virtually stained microscopic images, ultimately enhancing the study of microorganisms and cells at the subcellular level.
Unraveling the influence of trial-based motivational changes on performance monitoring stages in a flanker task
Authors: Overmeyer Rebecca , Kirschner Hans , Fischer Adrian G. , Endrass Tanja 
Published: November 2023

AbstractPerformance monitoring (PM) is a vital component of adaptive behavior and known to be influenced by motivation. We examined effects of potential gain (PG) and loss avoidance (LA) on neural correlates of PM at different processing stages, using a task with trial-based changes in these motivational contexts. Findings suggest more attention is allocated to the PG context, with higher amplitudes for respective correlates of stimulus and feedback processing. The PG context favored rapid responses, while the LA context emphasized accurate responses. Lower response thresholds in the PG context after correct responses derived from a drift–diffusion model also indicate a more approach-oriented response style in the PG context. This cognitive shift is mirrored in neural correlates: negative feedback in the PG context elicited a higher feedback-related negativity (FRN) and higher theta power, whereas positive feedback in the LA context elicited higher P3a and P3b amplitudes, as well as higher theta power. There was no effect of motivational context on response-locked brain activity. Given the similar frequency of negative feedback in both contexts, the elevated FRN and theta power in PG trials cannot be attributed to variations in reward prediction error. The observed variations in the FRN indicate that the effect of outcome valence is modulated by motivational salience.
Transcriptome analysis reveals the impact of NETs activation on airway epithelial cell EMT and inflammation in bronchiolitis obliterans
Authors: Wu Zhongji , Chen Xiaowen , Wu Shangzhi , Liu Zhenwei , Li Hongwei , Mai Kailin , Peng Yinghui , Zhang Haidi , Zhang Xiaodie , Zheng Zhaocong , Fu Zian , Chen Dehui 
Published: November 2023

AbstractBronchiolitis obliterans (BO) is a chronic airway disease that was often indicated by the pathological presentation of narrowed and irreversible airways. However, the molecular mechanisms of BO pathogenesis remain unknown. Although neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) can contribute to inflammatory disorders, their involvement in BO is unclear. This study aims to identify potential signaling pathways in BO by exploring the correlations between NETs and BO. GSE52761 and GSE137169 datasets were downloaded from gene expression omnibus (GEO) database. A series of bioinformatics analyses such as differential expression analysis, gene ontology (GO), Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG), and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were performed on GSE52761 and GSE137169 datasets to identify BO potential signaling pathways. Two different types of BO mouse models were constructed to verify NETs involvements in BO. Additional experiments and bioinformatics analysis using human small airway epithelial cells (SAECs) were also performed to further elucidate differential genes enrichment with their respective signaling pathways in BO. Our study identified 115 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that were found up-regulated in BO. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that these genes were primarily involved in inflammatory signaling processes. Besides, we found that neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) were formed and activated during BO. Our western blot analysis on lung tissue from BO mice further confirmed NETs activation in BO, where neutrophil elastase (NE) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) expression were found significantly elevated. Transcriptomic and bioinformatics analysis of NETs treated-SAECs also revealed that NETs-DEGs were primarily associated through inflammatory and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) -related pathways. Our study provides novel clues towards the understanding of BO pathogenesis, in which NETs contribute to BO pathogenesis through the activation of inflammatory and EMT associated pathways. The completion of our study will provide the basis for potential novel therapeutic targets in BO treatment.
Rapid and sensitive detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by isothermal amplification combined with Cas12a-mediated detection
Authors: Huang Siyi , Wang Xianfeng , Chen Xinchong , Liu Xiaoyu , Xu Qiuqing , Zhang Lijun , Huang Guangtao , Wu Jun 
Published: November 2023

AbstractCRISPR based technologies have been used for fast and sensitive detection of pathogens. To test the possibility of CRISPR based detection strategy in Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections, a combined method of recombinase polymerase amplification followed by Cas12a-mediated detection via fluorescence reader or lateral flow biosensor (named Cas12a-RCFL) has been established in this study. The Cas12a-RCFL can detect as low as 50 CFU/mL Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The whole detection process can be finished within one hour with satisfied detection specificity. Cas12a-RCFL also shows good sensitivity of detecting Pseudomonas aeruginosa inStaphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii contaminated samples. For the detection of 22 clinical samples, Cas12a-RCFL matches with PCR sequencing result exactly without DNA purification. This Cas12a-RCFL is rapid and sensitive with low cost, which shows good quality to be adopted as a point-of-care testing method.
Anticorrosive performance of newly synthesized dipyridine based ionic liquids by experimental and theoretical approaches
Authors: Moustafa Amira Hossam Eldin , Abdel-Rahman Hanaa H. , Hagar Mohamed , Aouad Mohamed R. , Rezki Nadjet , Bishr Sherif A. A. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractTwo newly synthetic nontoxic dipyridine-based ionic liquids (PILs) with the same chain lengths and different polar groups were investigated: bispyridine-1-ium tetrafluoroborate (BPHP,TFPHP) with terminal polar groupsBrandCF3, respectively, on Carbon steel (CS) in 8M H3PO4as corrosion inhibitors. Their chemical structure was verified by performing1HNMR and13CNMR. Their corrosion inhibition was investigated by electrochemical tests, especially as mass transfer with several characterizations: Scanning electron microscope/Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDX), UV–visible, Atomic force microscope, Atomic absorbance spectroscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Gloss value. Theoretical calculation using density functional theory by calculating several parameters, molecular electrostatic potential, Fukui Indices, and Local Dual Descriptors were performed to demonstrate the reactivity behavior and the reactive sites of two molecules with a concentration range (1.25–37.5 × 10–5M) and temperature (293–318 K). The maximum inhibition efficiency (76.19%) and uniform coverage were sufficient forBPHPat an optimum concentration of 37.5 × 10–5M with the lowest temperature of 293 K.TFPHPrecorded 71.43% at the same conditions. Two PILswere adsorbed following the El-Awady adsorption isotherm, including physicochemical adsorption. The computational findings agree with Electrochemical measurements and thus confirm CS's corrosion protection in an aggressive environment.
A novel pathway of levodopa metabolism by commensal Bifidobacteria
Authors: Cirstea M. S. , Creus-Cuadros A. , Lo C. , Yu A. C. , Serapio-Palacios A. , Neilson S. , Appel-Cresswell S. , Finlay B. B. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThe gold-standard treatment for Parkinson’s disease is levodopa (L-DOPA), which is taken orally and absorbed intestinally. L-DOPA must reach the brain intact to exert its clinical effect; peripheral metabolism by host and microbial enzymes is a clinical management issue. The gut microbiota is altered in PD, with one consistent and unexplained observation being an increase in Bifidobacterium abundance among patients. Recently, certain Bifidobacterium species were shown to have the ability to metabolize L-tyrosine, an L-DOPA structural analog. Using both clinical cohort data and in vitro experimentation, we investigated the potential for commensal Bifidobacteria to metabolize this drug. In PD patients, Bifidobacterium abundance was positively correlated with L-DOPA dose and negatively with serum tyrosine concentration. In vitro experiments revealed that certain species, including B. bifidum, B. breve, and B. longum, were able to metabolize this drug via deamination followed by reduction to the compound 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl lactic acid (DHPLA) using existing tyrosine-metabolising genes. DHPLA appears to be a waste product generated during regeneration of NAD +. This metabolism occurs at low levels in rich medium, but is significantly upregulated in nutrient-limited minimal medium. Discovery of this novel metabolism of L-DOPA to DHPLA by a common commensal may help inform medication management in PD.
Effect of SGLT2 inhibition on salt-induced hypertension in female Dahl SS rats
Authors: Kravtsova Olha , Levchenko Vladislav , Klemens Christine A. , Rieg Timo , Liu Ruisheng , Staruschenko Alexander 
Published: November 2023

AbstractSodium-glucose co-transporters (SGLTs) in the kidneys play a pivotal role in glucose reabsorption. Several clinical and population-based studies revealed the beneficial effects of SGLT2 inhibition on hypertension. Recent work from our lab provided significant new insight into the role of SGLT2 inhibition in a non-diabetic model of salt-sensitive hypertension, Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rats. Dapagliflozin (Dapa) blunted the development of salt-induced hypertension by causing glucosuria and natriuresis without changes in the Renin–Angiotensin–Aldosterone System. However, our initial study used male SS rats only, and the effect of SGLT2 inhibitors on hypertension in females has not been studied. Therefore, the goal of this study was to determine whether SGLT2 inhibition alters blood pressure and kidney function in female Dahl SS rats. The result showed that administration of Dapa for 3 weeks prevented the progression of salt-induced hypertension in female rats, similar to its effects in male SS rats. Diuresis and glucose excretion were significantly increased in Dapa-treated rats. SGLT2 inhibition also significantly attenuated kidney but not heart fibrosis. Despite significant effects on blood pressure, Dapa treatment caused minor changes to electrolyte balance and no effects on kidney and heart weights were observed. Our data suggest that SGLT2 inhibition in a non-diabetic model of salt-sensitive hypertension blunts the development of salt-induced hypertension independent of sex.
XBB.1.5 spike protein COVID-19 vaccine induces broadly neutralizing and cellular immune responses against EG.5.1 and emerging XBB variants
Authors: Patel Nita , Trost Jessica F. , Guebre-Xabier Mimi , Zhou Haixia , Norton Jim , Jiang Desheng , Cai Zhaohui , Zhu Mingzhu , Marchese Anthony M. , Greene Ann M. , Mallory Raburn M. , Kalkeri Raj , Dubovsky Filip , Smith Gale 
Published: November 2023

AbstractMonovalent SARS-CoV-2 Prototype (Wuhan-Hu-1) and bivalent (Prototype + BA.4/5) COVID-19 vaccines have demonstrated a waning of vaccine-mediated immunity highlighted by lower neutralizing antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron XBB sub-variants. The reduction of humoral immunity due to the rapid evolution of SARS-CoV-2 has signaled the need for an update to vaccine composition. A strain change for all authorized/approved vaccines to a monovalent composition with Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 has been supported by the WHO, EMA, and FDA. Here, we demonstrate that immunization with a monovalent recombinant spike protein COVID-19 vaccine (Novavax, Inc.) based on the subvariant XBB.1.5 induces neutralizing antibodies against XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, XBB.2.3, EG.5.1, and XBB.1.16.6 subvariants, promotes higher pseudovirus neutralizing antibody titers than bivalent (Prototype + XBB.1.5) vaccine, induces SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific Th1-biased CD4 + T-cell responses against XBB subvariants, and robustly boosts antibody responses in mice and nonhuman primates primed with a variety of monovalent and bivalent vaccines. Together, these data support updating the Novavax vaccine to a monovalent XBB.1.5 formulation for the 2023–2024 COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
Optimizing alpha-amylase from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens on bread waste for effective industrial wastewater treatment and textile desizing through response surface methodology
Authors: Abd-Elhalim Basma T. , Gamal Rawia F. , El-Sayed Salwa M. , Abu-Hussien Samah H. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractFood waste is a major issue, with one-third of food wasted yearly. This study aimed to produce sustainably the industrial enzyme alpha-amylase using discarded bread waste. Brown (BBW) and white bread waste (WBW) were tested as growth substrates using solid-state and submerged fermentation. The biosynthesized α- amylase is applied to treat starch-heavy industrial wastewater and for textile desizing. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens showed the highest starch hydrolysis and enzyme activity on solid and liquid media. α-amylase production by B. amyloliquefaciens was optimized via a one-factor-at-a-time evaluation of production parameters. Optimal production occurred by submerged fermentation of BBW inoculated with 2% B. amyloliquefaciens at 37 °C and 200rpm for 24 h, reaching 695.2 U/mL α- amylase. The crude enzyme was immobilized on calcium alginate beads with 96.6% efficiency and kept 88.5% activity after 20 reuses, enhancing stability. A Box–Behnken design (BOX) assessed variable interactions. Response surface methodology (RSM) generated a quadratic model and analysis of variance (ANOVA analysis) fitting experimental starch hydrolysis data. Optimal conditions were pH 9, 45 °C, 70% starch, and 27.5 U/mL enzyme incubated for 15 min of contact time, with a high R2 of 0.83. ANOVA confirmed the enzyme's alkaliphilic and thermophilic nature. Using enzyme concentrations ranging from 10.9 to 695.1 U/mL, the enzyme desized textiles in 15 min at pH 9.0 and 45 °C with 96.3% efficiency. Overall, the optimized α- amylase from bread waste has industrial potential for sustainable starch processing.
A model-independent redundancy measure for human versus ChatGPT authorship discrimination using a Bayesian probabilistic approach
Authors: Bozza Silvia , Roten Claude-Alain , Jover Antoine , Cammarota Valentina , Pousaz Lionel , Taroni Franco 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThe academic and scientific world in general is increasingly concerned about their inability to determine and ascertain the identity of the writer of a text. More and more often the question arises as to whether a scientific article or work handed in by a student was actually produced by the alleged author of the questioned text. The role of artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly debated due to its dangers of undeclared use. A current example is undoubtedly the undeclared use of ChatGPT to write a scientific text. The article promotes an AI model-independent redundancy measure to support discrimination between hypotheses on authorship of various multilingual texts written by humans or produced by intelligence media such as ChatGPT. The syntax of texts written by humans tends to differ from that of texts produced by AIs. This difference can be grasped and quantified even with short texts (i.e. 1800 characters). This aspect of length is extremely important, because short texts imply a greater difficulty of analysis to characterize authorship. To meet the efficiency criteria required for the evaluation of forensic evidence, a probabilistic approach is implemented. In particular, to assess the value of the redundancy measure and to offer a consistent classification criterion, a metric called Bayes factor is implemented. The proposed Bayesian probabilistic method represents an original approach in stylometry. Analyses performed over multilingual texts (English and French) covering different scientific and human areas of interest (forensic science and socio-psycho-artistic topics) reveal the feasibility of a successful authorship discrimination with limited misclassification rates. Model performance is satisfactory even with small sample sizes.
Crosstalk enables mutual activation of coupled quorum sensing pathways through “jump-start” and “push-start” mechanisms
Authors: Sanders Joseph George , Akl Hoda , Hagen Stephen J. , Xue BingKan 
Published: November 2023

AbstractMany quorum sensing microbes produce more than one chemical signal and detect them using interconnected pathways that crosstalk with each other. While there are many hypotheses for the advantages of sensing multiple signals, the prevalence and functional significance of crosstalk between pathways are much less understood. We explore the effect of intracellular signal crosstalk using a simple model that captures key features of typical quorum sensing pathways: multiple pathways in a hierarchical configuration, operating with positive feedback, with crosstalk at the receptor and promoter levels. We find that crosstalk enables activation or inhibition of one output by the non-cognate signal, broadens the dynamic range of the outputs, and allows one pathway to modulate the feedback circuit of the other. Our findings show how crosstalk between quorum sensing pathways can be viewed not as a detriment to the processing of information, but as a mechanism that enhances the functional range of the full regulatory system. When positive feedback systems are coupled through crosstalk, several new modes of activation or deactivation become possible.