bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Serotonin drives aggression and social behaviours of laboratory mice in a semi-natural environment
Authors: Rivalan Marion , Alonso Lucille , Mosienko Valentina , Bey Patrik , Hyde Alexia , Bader Michael , Winter York , Alenina Natalia 
Published: February 2024

AbstractAggression is an adaptive social behaviour crucial for the stability and prosperity of social groups. When uncontrolled, aggression leads to pathological violence that disrupts group structure and individual well-being. The comorbidity of uncontrolled aggression across different psychopathologies makes it a potential endophenotype of mental disorders with the same neurobiological substrates. Serotonin plays a critical role in the regulation of impulsive and aggressive behaviours, and mice lacking brain serotonin, due to the ablation of a rate-limiting enzyme of serotonin synthesis (Tryptophan hydroxylase 2, TPH2), are a potential model of pathological aggression. Home cage monitoring allows for the continuous observation and quantification of social and non-social behaviours in group-housed, freely-moving mice. Using an ethological approach, we investigated the impact of central serotonin ablation on everyday expression of social and non-social behaviours and their correlations in undisturbed, group-livingTph2-deficient and wildtype mice. By training a machine learning algorithm on behavioural time series, “allogrooming”, “struggling at feeder” and “eating” emerged as key behaviours dissociating one genotype from the other. AlthoughTph2-deficient mice showed characteristics of pathological aggression and decreased communication compared to wildtype animals they still showed affiliative behaviours to normal levels. Altogether, such distinct and dynamic phenotype of Tph2-deficient mice influenced the group’s structure and the dynamic of its hierarchical organization which emerged later. These aspects were analyzed using social network analysis and the Glicko rating methods. This study demonstrates the importance of the ethological approach for understanding the global impact of pathological aggression on different aspects of life both at the individual and the group level. Home cage monitoring allows the observation of the natural behaviours of the mice in a semi-natural habitat and provides an accurate representation of real-world phenomena and pathological mechanisms. The results of this study provide insights into the neurobiological substrate of pathological aggression and their potential role in complex brain disorders.
A spatial model of autophosphorylation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) predicts that the lifetime of phospho-CaMKII after induction of synaptic plasticity is greatly prolonged by CaM-trapping
Authors: Bartol Thomas M. , Ordyan Mariam , Sejnowski Terrence J. , Rangamani Padmini , Kennedy Mary B. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractLong-term potentiation (LTP) is a biochemical process that underlies learning in excitatory glutamatergic synapses in the Central Nervous System (CNS). The critical early driver of LTP is autophosphorylation of the abundant postsynaptic enzyme, Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII). Autophosphorylation is initiated by Ca2+flowing through NMDA receptors activated by strong synaptic activity. Its lifetime is ultimately determined by the balance of the rates of autophosphorylation and of dephosphorylation by protein phosphatase 1 (PP1). Here we have modeled the autophosphorylation and dephosphorylation of CaMKII during synaptic activity in a spine synapse using MCell4, an open source computer program for creating particle-based stochastic, and spatially realistic models of cellular microchemistry. The model integrates four earlier detailed models of separate aspects of regulation of spine Ca2+and CaMKII activity, each of which incorporate experimentally measured biochemical parameters and have been validated against experimental data. We validate the composite model by showing that it accurately predicts previous experimental measurements of effects of NMDA receptor activation, including high sensitivity of induction of LTP to phosphatase activityin vivo,and persistence of autophosphorylation for a period of minutes after the end of synaptic stimulation. We then use the model to probe aspects of the mechanism of regulation of autophosphorylation of CaMKII that are difficult to measurein vivo. We examine the effects of “CaM-trapping,” a process in which the affinity for Ca2+/CaM increases several hundred-fold after autophosphorylation. We find that CaM-trapping does not increase the proportion of autophosphorylated subunits in holoenzymes after a complex stimulus, as previously hypothesized. Instead, CaM-trapping may dramatically prolong the lifetime of autophosphorylated CaMKII through steric hindrance of dephosphorylation by protein phosphatase 1. The results provide motivation for experimental measurement of the extent of suppression of dephosphorylation of CaMKII by bound Ca2+/CaM. The composite MCell4 model of biochemical effects of complex stimuli in synaptic spines is a powerful new tool for realistic, detailed dissection of mechanisms of synaptic plasticity.
Microwave Photon-Number Amplification
Authors: Albert R. , Griesmar J. , Blanchet F. , Martel U. , Bourlet N. , Hofheinz M. 
Published: February 2024

We experimentally demonstrate a microwave photon-multiplication scheme which combines the advantages of a single-photon detector and a power meter by multiplying the incoming photon number by an integer factor. Our first experimental implementation achieves an n=3-fold multiplication with 0.69 efficiency in a 116 MHz bandwidth up to an input photon rate of 400 MHz. It loses phase information but does not require any dead time or time binning. We expect an optimized device cascading such multipliers to achieve number-resolving measurement of itinerant photons with low dark count, which would offer new possibilities in a wide range of quantum-sensing and quantum-computing applications.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Does agricultural trade respond asymmetrically to oil price shocks? Evidence from New Zealand
Authors: Vatsa Puneet , Baek Jungho 
Published: February 2024

AbstractDo rising oil prices affect agricultural trade differently from falling oil prices? We answer this question using data on New Zealand, a net importer of oil and a net exporter of agricultural commodities. We consider a disaggregated approach, analysing exports and imports of five key commodity classes; nonlinear autoregressive lag models are employed to conduct the analysis. We find considerable evidence suggesting asymmetries in the effects of oil price shocks on agricultural trade in the long and the short run. Furthermore, in the long run, agricultural exports and imports appear to be largely insensitive to foreign and domestic real income, respectively; there is limited evidence for imports and exports being associated with the real effective exchange rate. In the short run, however, income and exchange rates are associated with imports and exports.
Inferring the extinction risk of Data Deficient and Not Evaluated Australian squamates
Authors: Wotherspoon Lucy , de Oliveira Caetano Gabriel Henrique , Roll Uri , Meiri Shai , Pili Arman , Tingley Reid , Chapple David G. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThe world is facing a biodiversity crisis, and species are in danger of slipping towards extinction before having their conservation status formally determined. Australian squamates (snakes and lizards) form a highly diverse (over 1000 species) fauna, with 12% being either Data Deficient or Not Evaluated. We examined attributes of Australian squamates categorized as Data Deficient or Not Evaluated and compared key traits that are linked with threatened categories via univariate and multivariate models. We further used the machine learning model of Caetano et al. (2022, PloS Biology, 20, e3001544) to predict the putative extinction risk categories for Data Deficient and Not Evaluated Australian squamate species based on an analysis of reptiles globally. We found that Data Deficient Australian squamates are often lacking information on their drivers of threat and distribution, but not intrinsic traits or uncertain taxonomy. Data Deficient, Not Evaluated and threatened species often possess similar traits, including having small range sizes, being insular endemics and recently described, indicating that they may require some similar conservation management. Meanwhile, Not Evaluated species exhibit certain unique traits relative to evaluated species. We predicted 21% of Data Deficient and Not Evaluated species are threatened which is three times greater than currently assessed species (7%). This may indicate that a larger proportion of poorly known squamate species are more likely to be threatened than previously thought. Overall, our findings provide an important resource for the conservation management of Australian squamates by highlighting key traits and missing data, as well as providing a list of Data Deficient and Not Evaluated species that should be prioritized for research.
Occupancy of urban roosts by spectacled flying‐foxes (Pteropus conspicillatus) is not affected by diurnal microclimate
Authors: Lopes Camila , Firth Cadhla , Laurance Susan G. W. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractOne of the most significant changes to Earth's climate in recent decades has been an increase in the frequency, intensity and duration of heatwaves. During heatwaves, animal's thermal window can be exceeded, and in extreme cases, mass mortality events have been observed. In 2018, a heatwave in north‐eastern Australia resulted in the death of approximately one‐third of the spectacled flying‐fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) population at urban roosts in Cairns. The species has now been listed as endangered with future heatwaves considered the greatest threat to its survival. In this study, we investigated long‐term climatic trends for Cairns, paying particular attention to the frequency of extreme heat events from 1943 to 2022. We then characterized the microclimate of urban flying‐fox roosts during the Austral summers of 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 across Cairns to assess the long‐term feasibility of urban spectacled flying‐fox roosts. From the long‐term climate records, we observed an overall increase in Cairns' average annual temperature of 1.3°C from 1943 to 2022 and an increase in the number of excessively hot days per decade, from 16 in the first decade (1943–1952) to 67 in the last (2013–2022). We regularly detected maximum roost temperatures of 30–35°C during our study, with excessively hot days (>35°C) recorded more frequently than expected compared to Cairns's maximum temperatures from the last decade (2013–2023). We detected only 1 day where roost temperatures exceeded 40°C and no period that replicated the 2018 heatwave conditions. Furthermore, we found a significant negative relationship between roost ambient temperature and humidity, where the hottest days also coincided with those with the lowest humidity. Importantly, we found no difference in microclimate between roosts that were occupied and unoccupied by flying‐foxes during our study, suggesting that other environmental or behavioural factors are more influential for roost selection than the roosting microclimate. Ensuring the long‐term conservation of spectacled flying‐foxes under a changing climate will require the management of urban roosts to increase their thermal resistance to heatwaves, and more research is needed to identify the variables modulating this aspect.
Microbotanical and chemical approach to grave goods content from Inca sacrifices (capacocha) at Llullaillaco Mountain, Salta, Argentina (ca. 1430–1520 ce)
Authors: Ogalde Juan P. , Recagno Gabriela , Zigarán Fernanda , Villanueva Fiorella , Arriaza Bernardo 
Published: February 2024

AbstractHere, we report an archaeometrical study of seven grave goods from the Inca sacrifice at Lullallalico Mountain (ca. 1430–1520 ce) in search of microbotanical and chemical evidence of the content. Two queros (vessels), one aribalo (jar), one aisana (pot), and three textile bags were analyzed by optical microscopy and scanning electronic microscopy with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDX). The results show significant chemical data and starches of Cucurbita, Oxalis, Fabaceae, Zea mays, Manihot esculenta, and Phaseolus. This archaeometrical evidence is discussed along with various perspectives on the capacocha ceremony to show that foreign and local identities were negotiated in this Andean mountain ritual.
Constructing tests for skill assessment with competence‐based test development
Authors: Anselmi Pasquale , Heller Jürgen , Stefanutti Luca , Robusto Egidio 
Published: February 2024

AbstractCompetence‐based test development is a recent and innovative method for the construction of tests that are as informative as possible about the competence state (the set of skills an individual has available) underlying the observed item responses. It finds application in different contexts, including the development of tests from scratch, and the improvement or shortening of existing tests. Given a fixed collection of competence states existing in a population of individuals and a fixed collection of competencies (each of which being the subset of skills that allow for solving an item), the competency deletion procedure results in tests that differ from each other in the competencies but are all equally informative about individuals' competence states. This work introduces a streamlined version of the competency deletion procedure that considers information necessary for test construction only, illustrates a straightforward way to incorporate test developer preferences about competencies into the test construction process, and evaluates the performance of the resulting tests in uncovering the competence states from the observed item responses.
Online food advertisements and the role of emotions in adolescents’ food choices
Authors: Vecchi Martina , Fan Linlin , Myruski Sarah , Yang Wei , Keller Kathleen L. , Nayga Rodolfo M. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractAdolescence is a critical period for future health outcomes. Food habits and cognitive development are underway, and it is a period of heightened sensitivity to external influences and emotional shifts. We experimentally test the individual and combined influence of food advertisements and emotional primes (i.e., positive, negative, neutral) on adolescent food choices. Participants completed a food choice task selecting five snacks out of twenty healthy and unhealthy options in an online experiment. Prior to the food choice, we randomized whether adolescents were exposed to unhealthy food or non‐food online advertisements. To induce experimental variation in adolescents’ emotions, they were assigned to watch two, two‐minute film clips validated to elicit the targeted emotion. The online food advertisement did not significantly impact food choices, except that Black and Hispanic groups selected a higher share of calories from unhealthy foods. Participants in a negative emotional state selected more unhealthy sweet snacks. Finally, we find only weak evidence that a positive emotional state amplified the impact of food advertisements on the nutritional quality of food selection. Together, results suggest that while a negative emotional state drives food choices, this pattern occurs independently from food advertisement exposure.
LTA4H inhibitor LYS006: Clinical PK/PD and safety in a randomized phase I clinical trial
Authors: Loesche Christian , Picard Damien , Van Hoorick Benjamin , Schuhmann Imelda , Jäger Petra , Klein Kai , Schuhler Carole , Thoma Gebhard , Markert Christian , Poller Birk , Zamurovic Natasa , Weiss H. Markus , Otto Heike , Fink Martin , Röhn Till A. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractLYS006 is a novel, highly potent and selective, new‐generation leukotriene A4 hydrolase (LTA4H) inhibitor in clinical development for the treatment of neutrophil‐driven inflammatory diseases. We describe the complex pharmacokinetic to pharmacodynamic (PD) relationship in blood, plasma, and skin of LYS006‐treated nonclinical species and healthy human participants. In a randomized first in human study, participants were exposed to single ascending doses up to 100 mg and multiple ascending doses up to 80 mg b.i.d.. LYS006 showed rapid absorption, overall dose proportional plasma exposure and nonlinear blood to plasma distribution caused by saturable target binding. The compound efficiently inhibited LTB4 production in human blood and skin blister cells, leading to greater than 90% predose target inhibition from day 1 after treatment initiation at doses of 20 mg b.i.d. and above. Slow re‐distribution from target expressing cells resulted in a long terminal half‐life and a long‐lasting PD effect in ex vivo stimulated blood and skin cells despite low plasma exposures. LYS006 was well‐tolerated and demonstrated a favorable safety profile up to highest doses tested, without any dose‐limiting toxicity. This supported further clinical development in phase II studies in predominantly neutrophil‐driven inflammatory conditions, such as hidradenitis suppurativa, inflammatory acne, and ulcerative colitis.
Application of the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination in the developmental follow‐up of high‐risk infants
Authors: Tian Weiwei , Zhao Xiaoke , Xu Hong , Sun Yaojin , Zhu Min 
Published: February 2024

AbstractAimTo investigate the independent influences affecting the global score of the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination (HINE) in the early life of high‐risk infants and to provide evidence for early effective screening and for evaluating interventions.MethodWe conducted a prospective cohort study of 258 high‐risk infants assessed by the HINE and Gesell Developmental Diagnosis Schedule at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months corrected age. A multiple linear regression model was developed to investigate independent influences on HINE global score at 3 months corrected age. The accuracy of the HINE global score was analysed by calculating the discriminant, concurrent, and predictive validities according to ages.ResultsThere were nine independent influences affecting the HINE global score at 3 months corrected age in high‐risk infants. The discriminant, concurrent, and predictive validities of the HINE for gross motor developmental delays at 12 months corrected age were all statistically significant (p < 0.05).InterpretationDifferent neonatal clinical settings are related to the HINE global score of high‐risk infants early in life. The HINE can be used for longitudinal monitoring of neurological development in the first year of life in a typical Chinese clinical setting and the findings at all four ages tested relate to neuromotor outcomes at 12 months corrected age.
Anodal transcranial direct‐current stimulation and non‐verbal intelligence in autism spectrum disorder: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Ratsapbhayakul Tinnaphat , Keeratitanont Keattichai , Chonprai Chanatiporn , Auvichayapat Narong , Suphakunpinyo Chanyut , Patjanasoontorn Niramol , Tiamkao Somsak , Tunkamnerdthai Orathai , Punjaruk Wiyada , Auvichayapat Paradee 
Published: February 2024

AbstractAimTo understand the impact of anodal transcranial direct‐current stimulation (tDCS) on non‐verbal intelligence in high‐functioning young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).MethodThirty individuals with ASD were randomly divided into three groups receiving 2 mA, 20 minutes daily anodal tDCS for 10 sessions. Group A received 10 sham tDCS sessions, group B five real followed by five sham sessions, and group C received 10 real tDCS sessions. The total score of non‐verbal intelligence was measured using the Test of Nonverbal Intelligence, Fourth Edition. The left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDLPFC) was targeted using the International 10–20 electroencephalography system, and concurrent cognitive training was avoided.ResultsGroup C demonstrated a mean difference of 4.10 (95% confidence interval 1.41–6.79; p = 0.005) in Test of Nonverbal Intelligence scores compared with group A, with an effect size of 0.47. No significant differences were observed between groups A and B (p = 0.296), or between groups B and C (p = 0.140).InterpretationTen sessions of anodal tDCS to the LDLPFC led to improved non‐verbal intelligence among individuals with ASD. These results emphasize the potential of tDCS as a discrete method for boosting cognitive abilities in the high‐functioning population with ASD. Future studies with larger groups of participants and extended observation periods are necessary to validate these findings.
Myxoma with rich blood supply in the left atrium
Authors: Yang Lei , Xiao Bin , Xiao Fei , Hu Pei , Zheng Shuang , Jing Hongxia 
Published: February 2024

AbstractCardiac myxoma is the most common primary benign cardiac tumors, mostly found in the left atrium. It was previously reported that the main component of myxoma was myxoid stroma riched in acid‐mucopolysaccharide, the blood vessels in which were sparsely distributed, being characterized as hypovascular tumor by contrast echocardiography (CE) and computed tomography angiography (CTA). There are few reports of myxoma with rich blood supply and we report one in the left atrium.
Impact of self‐esteem and self‐gifting on masstige purchase intentions
Authors: Khan Mumtaz Muhammad , Ishaq Muhammad Ishtiaq , Iqbal Muazma , Raza Ali 
Published: February 2024

AbstractConsumers prefer brands that provide them with symbolic meaning, and they use them to enhance their self‐esteem and develop their status and personal images. Self‐esteem is an important psychological factor that contributes to an individual's purchase intentions and consumption behavior, but its role in shaping the consumption of masstige brands has not been thoroughly researched. Hence, this research aims: (1) to identify the masstige brands in the smartphone industry of Pakistan using the masstige mean index, and (2) to explore the role of self‐esteem in consumer consumption behavior grounded in terms of masstige, self‐gifting behavior, and brand personality. Moreover, this study uses self‐gifting behavior as the mediator and brand personality as the moderator in the relationship between self‐esteem and masstige purchase intention. The data from study 1 (n = 560) and study 2 (n = 329) were collected using a self‐administered questionnaire and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that masstige brand consumption is influenced by self‐esteem; this relationship is mediated by self‐gifting behavior, and brand personality moderates the association. Theoretically, this study contributes to the masstige theory by exploring the role of self‐esteem in masstige consumption in an emerging economy. Practically, this study provides a comprehensive guideline for brand managers to devise effective marketing strategies to build their brands as masstige brands.