bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An Agent-Based Modeling Approach for the Diffusion Analysis of Electric Vehicles With Two-Stage Purchase Choice Modeling
Authors: Xu Jiawen , Bi Youyi 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Diffusion research of innovative technologies is crucial for new product positioning and strategic planning in product design. As a versatile system simulation method, agent-based modeling (ABM) has been used in many previous studies on the diffusion analysis of electric vehicles (EVs). In these simulations, modeling consumers' purchase decisions is a significant step. Previous studies often adopt simple rule-based decision criteria in this step, while an accurate purchase decision model can contribute to a more reasonable diffusion analysis of EVs. To fill this gap, this brief presents an agent-based modeling approach for the diffusion analysis of electric vehicles with two-stage choice modeling. The core idea is to separate consumers' decision-making process for purchasing cars into two stages. Consumers first form a small choice set from the whole auto market. Then, they make the final choice from the choice set built in the first stage. In addition, the word-of-mouth (WOM) effect and consumers' social networks are also considered in the ABM, which can further improve the accuracy of the diffusion analysis. A case study using data collected from Shanghai, China, is presented to demonstrate the proposed approach. Our approach outperforms other ablation models as well as traditional statistical models in the prediction accuracy of EV's market share. The influence of factors such as government policy and technological improvement on the diffusion of EVs is also discussed. These insights can assist automakers in improving their product design and enhancing their market competitiveness.
The Effects of Positive Versus Negative Self-Talk on Vertical Jump in Soccer Players: The Moderating Role of Need for Cognition
Authors: Horcajo Javier , Mateos Rafael 
Published: January 2024

The current study analyzed the effects of positive versus negative self-talk on physical performance in soccer players from a multiprocess approach. We operationalized the process distinction using the need-for-cognition (NC) construct. Thus, NC was measured and self-talk (i.e., positive vs. negative) was manipulated between participants (i.e., 126 soccer players, age 18 years or older, who were competing in national, regional, or local competitions). Physical performance was assessed by a vertical-jump test. According to hypothesis, regression analyses indicated that positive versus negative self-talk influenced physical performance to a greater extent for high-NC individuals than for low-NC individuals. Specifically, among high-NC soccer players, relative to baseline, positive self-talk produced greater physical performance in the vertical-jump test than negative self-talk. In contrast, among low-NC soccer players, no difference was found between positive and negative self-talk on physical performance. These results supported the moderating role of NC.
Meropenem-ANT3310, a unique β-lactam-β-lactamase inhibitor combination with expanded antibacterial spectrum against Gram-negative pathogens including carbapenem-resistant
Acinetobacter baumannii
Authors: Zalacain Magdalena , Achard Pauline , Llanos Agustina , Morrissey Ian , Hawser Stephen , Holden Kirsty , Toomey Eleanor , Davies David , Leiris Simon , Sable Carole , Ledoux Adeline , Bousquet Justine , Castandet Jérôme , Lozano Clarisse , Everett Martin , Lemonnier Marc 
Published: January 2024

ABSTRACT

ANT3310 is a novel broad-spectrum diazabicyclooctane serine β-lactamase inhibitor being developed in combination with meropenem (MEM) for the treatment of serious infections in hospitalized patients where carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative pathogens are expected. In this study, we evaluated the
in vitro
antibacterial activity of MEM in the presence of ANT3310 at 8 µg/mL against global clinical isolates that included
Acinetobacter baumannii
(
n
= 905), carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), carrying either oxacillinase (OXA) (
n
= 252) or
Klebsiella pneumoniae
carbapenemase (KPC) (
n
= 180) carbapenemases, and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
(
n
= 502). MEM was poorly active against
A. baumannii,
as were MEM-vaborbactam, ceftazidime-avibactam, aztreonam-avibactam, cefepime-taniborbactam, cefepime-zidebactam, and imipenem-relebactam (MIC
90
values of ≥32 µg/mL). On the other hand, MEM-ANT3310 displayed an MIC
90
value of 4 µg/mL, similar to that observed with sulbactam-durlobactam, a drug developed to specifically treat
A. baumannii
infections. ANT3310 (8 µg/mL) additionally restored the activity of MEM against OXA- and KPC-producing CREs decreasing MEM MIC
90
values from >32 µg/mL to 0.25 and 0.5 µg/mL, respectively. The combination of 8 µg/mL of both MEM and ANT3310 prevented growth of 97.5% of
A. baumannii
and 100% of OXA- and KPC-positive CREs, with ~90% of
P. aeruginosa
isolates also displaying MEM MICs ≤8 µg/mL. Furthermore, MEM-ANT3310 was efficacious in both thigh and lung murine infection models with OXA-23
A. baumannii
. This study demonstrates the potent
in vitro
activity of the MEM-ANT3310 combination against both carbapenem-resistant
A. baumannii
and Enterobacterales clinical isolates, a key differentiator to other β-lactam/β-lactamase combinations.
Effectiveness and safety of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir in kidney transplant recipients with severe kidney dysfunction infected with COVID-19
Authors: Yang Hui , Yu Xin , Hou Wenjing , Liu Xiangduan , Chen Jiaojiao , Zhang Ying , Wang Ying , Zhu Ying , Qian Qing , Ma Kuifen , An Zhuoling 
Published: January 2024

ABSTRACT

Transplant patients face an elevated risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) morbidity and mortality and commonly encounter renal dysfunction. Nirmatrelvir is primarily excreted through the kidneys. The dosage of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (NR) needs to be adjusted according to the degree of renal function impairment. Nevertheless, NR is not recommended for patients with severe renal impairment (estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min) due to a dearth of associated research. In this study, we focus on kidney transplant patients and document and analyze the experiences of using NR in individuals with severe kidney dysfunction. This was a retrospective multicenter study that included transplant recipients hospitalized for COVID-19 in five major tertiary hospitals in China from December 2022 to June 2023. The outcomes consisted of the disease progression rate by day 28, individual disease progression events, safety outcomes, information on adverse events (AEs), and the blood drug concentrations of immunosuppressants. Data were presented with descriptive statistics. All analyses were performed using SPSS version 22. In total, 40 patients were included in the analysis. Considering the potential interaction between drugs, all patients temporarily discontinued their immunosuppressants during the NR treatment. None of the 32 moderate patients experienced disease progression. However, among the eight patients with critical COVID-19, unfortunately, two of them died. During the medication period, four patients experienced a total of six AEs associated with NR. None of them experienced AEs with a maximum grade of ≥3. Blood drug concentrations of immunosuppressants were monitored in 22 of 40 patients, and the blood drug concentrations of immunosuppressants did not show a significant increase, but some patients experienced lower blood drug concentrations. Our findings supported the use of NR therapy for the treatment of COVID-19 in transplant patients with severe renal insufficiency. A modified dose of NR was well-tolerated.
Fluoride anodic films on stainless-steel fomites to reduce transmission infections
Authors: Conde Ana , Voces Daniel , Medel-Plaza Marina , Perales Celia , de Ávila Ana Isabel , Aguilera-Correa John Jairo , de Damborenea Juan Jose , Esteban Jaime , Domingo Esteban , Arenas Maria Angeles 
Published: January 2024

ABSTRACT

The growing concern arising from viruses with pandemic potential and multi-resistant bacteria responsible for hospital-acquired infections and outbreaks of food poisoning has led to an increased awareness of indirect contact transmission. This has resulted in a renewed interest to confer antimicrobial properties to commonly used metallic materials. The present work provides a full characterization of optimized fluoride anodic films grown in stainless steel 304L as well as their antimicrobial properties. Antibacterial tests show that the anodic film, composed mainly of chromium and iron fluorides, reduces the count and the percentage of the area covered by 50% and 87.7% for
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
and
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
, respectively. Virologic tests show that the same treatment reduces the infectivity of the coronavirus HCoV-229E-GFP, in comparison with the non-anodized stainless steel 304L.

IMPORTANCE
The importance of environmental surfaces as a source of infection is a topic of particular interest today, as many microorganisms can survive on these surfaces and infect humans through direct contact. Modification of these surfaces by anodizing has been shown to be useful for some alloys of medical interest. This work evaluates the effect of anodizing on stainless steel, a metal widely used in a variety of applications. According to the study, the fluoride anodic layers reduce the colonization of the surfaces by both bacteria and viruses, thus reducing the risk of acquiring infections from these sources.
Regulation of tricarboxylate transport and metabolism in
Acinetobacter baylyi
ADP1
Authors: Baugh Alyssa C. , Defalco Justin B. , Duscent-Maitland Chantel V. , Tumen-Velasquez Melissa P. , Laniohan Nicole S. , Figatner Kayla , Hoover Timothy R. , Karls Anna C. , Elliott Kathryn T. , Neidle Ellen L. 
Published: January 2024

ABSTRACT

Despite the significant presence of plant-derived tricarboxylic acids in some environments, few studies detail the bacterial metabolism of
trans
-aconitic acid (Taa) and tricarballylic acid (Tcb). In a soil bacterium,
Acinetobacter baylyi
ADP1, we discovered interrelated pathways for the consumption of Taa and Tcb. An intricate regulatory scheme tightly controls the transport and catabolism of both compounds and may reflect that they can be toxic inhibitors of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. The genes encoding two similar LysR-type transcriptional regulators, TcuR and TclR, were clustered on the chromosome with
tcuA
and
tcuB
, genes required for Tcb consumption. The genetic organization differed from that in
Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhimurium, in which
tcuA
and
tcuB
form an operon with a transporter gene,
tcuC
. In
A. baylyi
,
tcuC
was not cotranscribed with
tcuAB
. Rather,
tcuC
was cotranscribed with a gene, designated
pacI
, encoding an isomerase needed for Taa consumption. TcuC appears to transport Tcb and
cis
-aconitic acid (Caa), the presumed product of PacI-mediated periplasmic isomerization of Taa. Two operons,
tcuC-pacI
and
tcuAB
, were transcriptionally controlled by both TcuR and TclR, which have overlapping functions. We investigated the roles of the two regulators in activating transcription of both operons in response to multiple effector compounds, including Taa, Tcb, and Caa.

IMPORTANCE
Ingestion of Taa and Tcb by grazing livestock can cause a serious metabolic disorder called grass tetany. The disorder, which results from Tcb absorption by ruminants, focuses attention on the metabolism of tricarboxylic acids. Additional interest stems from efforts to produce tricarboxylic acids as commodity chemicals. Improved understanding of bacterial enzymes and pathways for tricarboxylic acid metabolism may contribute to new biomanufacturing strategies.
Borreliella burgdorferi
factor H-binding proteins are not required for serum resistance and infection in mammals
Authors: Cramer Nicholas A. , Socarras Kalya M. , Earl Joshua , Ehrlich Garth D. , Marconi Richard T. 
Published: January 2024

ABSTRACT

The causative agent of Lyme disease (LD),
Borreliella burgdorferi
, binds factor H (FH) and other complement regulatory proteins to its surface.
B. burgdorferi
B31 (type strain) encodes five FH-binding proteins (FHBPs): CspZ, CspA, and the OspE paralogs OspE
BBN38
, OspE
BBL39
, and OspE
BBP38
. This study assessed potential correlations between the production of individual FHBPs, FH-binding ability, and serum resistance using a panel of infectious
B. burgdorferi
clonal populations recovered from dogs. FHBP production was assessed in cultivated spirochetes and by antibody responses in naturally infected humans, dogs, and eastern coyotes (wild canids). FH binding specificity and sensitivity to dog and human serum were also assessed and compared. No correlation was observed between the production of individual FHBPs and FH binding with serum resistance, and CspA was determined to not be produced in animals. Notably, one or more clones isolated from dogs lacked CspZ or the OspE proteins (a finding confirmed by genome sequence determination) and did not bind FH derived from canines. The data presented do not support a correlation between FH binding and the production of individual FHBPs with serum resistance and infectivity. In addition, the limited number and polymorphic nature of cp32s in
B. burgdorferi
clone DRI85A that were identified through genome sequencing suggest no strict requirement for a defined set of these replicons for infectivity. This study reveals that the immune evasion mechanisms employed by
B. burgdorferi
are diverse, complex, and yet to be fully defined.
Oral streptococci
S. anginosus
and
S. mitis
induce distinct morphological, inflammatory, and metabolic signatures in macrophages
Authors: Senthil Kumar Sangeetha , Gunda Venugopal , Reinartz Dakota M. , Pond Kelvin W. , Thorne Curtis A. , Santiago Raj Paul Victor , Johnson Michael D. L. , Wilson Justin E. 
Published: January 2024

ABSTRACT

Oral streptococci, key players in oral biofilm formation, are implicated in oral dysbiosis and various clinical conditions, including dental caries, gingivitis, periodontal disease, and oral cancer. Specifically,
Streptococcus anginosus
is associated with esophageal, gastric, and pharyngeal cancers, while
Streptococcus mitis
is linked to oral cancer. However, no study has investigated the mechanistic links between these
Streptococcus
species and cancer-related inflammatory responses. As an initial step, we probed the innate immune response triggered by
S. anginosus
and
S. mitis
in RAW264.7 macrophages. These bacteria exerted time- and dose-dependent effects on macrophage morphology without affecting cell viability. Compared with untreated macrophages, macrophages infected with
S. anginosus
exhibited a robust proinflammatory response characterized by significantly increased levels of inflammatory cytokines and mediators, including TNF, IL-6, IL-1β, NOS2, and COX2, accompanied by enhanced NF-κB activation. In contrast,
S. mitis
-infected macrophages failed to elicit a robust inflammatory response. Seahorse Xfe96 analysis revealed an increased extracellular acidification rate in macrophages infected with
S. anginosus
compared with
S. mitis
. At the 24-h time point, the presence of
S. anginosus
led to reduced extracellular itaconate, while
S. mitis
triggered increased itaconate levels, highlighting distinct metabolic profiles in macrophages during infection in contrast to aconitate decarboxylase expression observed at the 6-h time point. This initial investigation highlights how
S. anginosus
and
S. mitis
, two Gram-positive bacteria from the same genus, can prompt distinct immune responses and metabolic shifts in macrophages during infection.

IMPORTANCE

The surge in head and neck cancer cases among individuals devoid of typical risk factors such as Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection and tobacco and alcohol use sparks an argumentative discussion around the emerging role of oral microbiota as a novel risk factor in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). While substantial research has dissected the gut microbiome’s influence on physiology, the oral microbiome, notably oral streptococci, has been underappreciated during mucosal immunopathogenesis.
Streptococcus anginosus
, a viridans streptococci group, has been linked to abscess formation and an elevated presence in esophageal cancer and OSCC. The current study aims to probe the innate immune response to
S. anginosus
compared with the early colonizer
Streptococcus mitis
as an important first step toward understanding the impact of distinct oral
Streptococcus
species on the host immune response, which is an understudied determinant of OSCC development and progression.
Where bacteria and eukaryotes meet
Authors: Chai Liraz , Shank Elizabeth A. , Zaburdaev Vasily 
Published: January 2024

ABSTRACT

The international workshop “Interdisciplinary life of microbes: from single cells to multicellular aggregates,” following a virtual preassembly in November 2021, was held in person in Dresden, from 9 to 13 November 2022. It attracted not only prominent experts in biofilm research but also researchers from broadly neighboring disciplines, such as medicine, chemistry, and theoretical and experimental biophysics, both eukaryotic and prokaryotic. Focused brainstorming sessions were the special feature of the event and are at the heart of this commentary.
Exogenous butyrate inhibits butyrogenic metabolism and alters virulence phenotypes in
Clostridioides difficile
Authors: Pensinger Daniel A. , Dobrila Horia A. , Stevenson David M. , Hryckowian Nicole D. , Amador-Noguez Daniel , Hryckowian Andrew J. 
Published: January 2024

ABSTRACT

The gut microbiome engenders colonization resistance against the diarrheal pathogen
Clostridioides difficile,
but the molecular basis of this colonization resistance is incompletely understood. A prominent class of gut microbiome-produced metabolites important for colonization resistance against
C. difficile
is short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). In particular, one SCFA (butyrate) decreases the fitness of
C. difficile in vitro
and is correlated with
C. difficile
-inhospitable gut environments, both in mice and in humans. Here, we demonstrate that butyrate-dependent growth inhibition in
C. difficile
occurs under conditions where
C. difficile
also produces butyrate as a metabolic end product. Furthermore, we show that exogenous butyrate is internalized into
C. difficile
cells and is incorporated into intracellular CoA pools where it is metabolized in a reverse (energetically unfavorable) direction to crotonyl-CoA and (
S
)−3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA and/or 4-hydroxybutyryl-CoA. This internalization of butyrate and reverse metabolic flow of a butyrogenic pathway(s) in
C. difficile
coincides with alterations in toxin release and sporulation. Together, this work highlights butyrate as a marker of a
C. difficile
-inhospitable environment to which
C. difficile
responds by releasing its diarrheagenic toxins and producing environmentally resistant spores necessary for transmission between hosts. These findings provide foundational data for understanding the molecular and genetic basis of how
C. difficile
growth is inhibited by butyrate and how butyrate alters
C. difficile
virulence in the face of a highly competitive and dynamic gut environment.

IMPORTANCE

The gut microbiome engenders colonization resistance against the diarrheal pathogen
Clostridioides difficile,
but the molecular basis of this colonization resistance is incompletely understood, which hinders the development of novel therapeutic interventions for
C. difficile
infection (CDI). We investigated how
C. difficile
responds to butyrate, an end-product of gut microbiome community metabolism which inhibits
C. difficile
growth. We show that exogenously produced butyrate is internalized into
C. difficile
, which inhibits
C. difficile
growth by interfering with its own butyrate production. This growth inhibition coincides with increased toxin release from
C. difficile
cells and the production of environmentally resistant spores necessary for transmission between hosts. Future work to disentangle the molecular mechanisms underlying these growth and virulence phenotypes will likely lead to new strategies to restrict
C. difficile
growth in the gut and minimize its pathogenesis during CDI.
Pericytes modulate endothelial inflammatory response during bacterial infection
Authors: Carvalho Thaynara P. , Toledo Frank A. O. , Bautista Diego F. A. , Silva Monique F. , Oliveira Jefferson B. S. , Lima Pâmela A. , Costa Fabíola B. , Ribeiro Noelly Q. , Lee Jee-Yon , Birbrair Alexander , Paixão Tatiane A. , Tsolis Reneé M. , Santos Renato L. 
Published: January 2024

ABSTRACT

Pericytes are located around blood vessels, in close contact with endothelial cells. We discovered that pericytes dampen pro-inflammatory endothelial cell responses. Endothelial cells co-cultured with pericytes had markedly reduced expression of adhesion molecules (PECAM-1 and ICAM-1) and proinflammatory cytokines (CCL-2 and IL-6) in response to bacterial stimuli (
Brucella ovis
,
Listeria monocytogenes
, or
Escherichia coli
lipopolysaccharide). Pericyte-depleted mice intraperitoneally inoculated with either
B. ovis
, a stealthy pathogen that does not trigger detectable inflammation, or
Listeria monocytogenes
, developed peritonitis. Further, during
Citrobacter rodentium
infection, pericyte-depleted mice developed severe intestinal inflammation, which was not evident in control mice. The anti-inflammatory effect of pericytes required connexin 43, as either chemical inhibition or silencing of connexin 43 abrogated pericyte-mediated suppression of endothelial inflammatory responses. Our results define a mechanism by which pericytes modulate inflammation during infection, which shifts our understanding of pericyte biology: from a structural cell to a pro-active player in modulating inflammation.

IMPORTANCE
A previously unknown mechanism by which pericytes modulate inflammation was discovered. The absence of pericytes or blocking interaction between pericytes and endothelium through connexin 43 results in stronger inflammation, which shifts our understanding of pericyte biology, from a structural cell to a player in controlling inflammation.