bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Perceived control, loneliness, early-life stress, and parents’ perceptions of stress
Authors: Smith Karen E. , Graf Eileen , Faig Kelly E. , Dimitroff Stephanie J. , Rockwood Frederica , Hernandez Marc W. , Norman Greg J. 
Published: August 2023

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of understanding what contributes to individual variability in experiences of stress. Increases in stress related to the pandemic have been especially pronounced in parents, indicating a need for research examining what factors contribute to parents’ perceptions of stress. Here, we assessed the relationship between parents’ perceptions of stress, control, loneliness, and experiences of childhood trauma in two populations of caregivers. In Study 1, we examined the relationship between perceptions of stress, control, loneliness, and history of early stress, along with indices of socioeconomic risk and resting parasympathetic nervous systema activity, which has been linked to variability in perceptions of stress, in caregivers of young children. Perceived control, loneliness, childhood stress, and resting parasympathetic nervous system activity predicted caregivers’ stress. In Study 2, we replicated these initial findings in a second sample of caregivers. Additionally, we examined how these processes change over time. Caregivers demonstrated significant changes in perceptions of control, loneliness, and stress, and changes in control and childhood trauma history were associated with changes in perceptions of stress. Together these results indicate the importance of assessing how caregivers perceive their environment when examining what contributes to increased risk for stress. Additionally, they suggest that caregivers’ stress-related processes are malleable and provide insight into potential targets for interventions aimed at reducing parents’ stress.
Observing Etna volcano dynamics through seismic and deformation patterns
Authors: Scarfì L. , Aloisi M. , Barberi G. , Langer H. 
Published: August 2023

AbstractGeophysical data provide the chance to investigate a volcano’s dynamics; considerable information can especially be gleaned on the stress and strain patterns accompanying the internal processes and the effect of magma ascent on the main structures triggering earthquakes. Here, we analysed in detail the seismicity recorded over the last two decades on Etna volcano (southern Italy), focusing on earthquakes distribution and focal mechanism clustering; the ground deformation pattern affecting the volcanic edifice with the inflation and deflation phases was also examined. Analysed data were compared in order to shed light on possible relationships with the volcanic activity and to better understand the internal dynamics of the volcano over time. Significant steps during or shortly before major eruptions in the seismic strain release and ground deformation temporal series highlight a straightforward relationship between seismicity occurring at shallow level, inflation/deflation and volcanism. Furthermore, at depths greater than 5–7 km, down to about 20 km, the orientation of the P- and T-axes clearly indicate the existence of a pressure source in the central part of the volcano. All the results underline that the stress field related to the volcano plumbing system interferes with the regional field, partly overriding it.
Streamlined identification of strain engineering targets for bioprocess improvement using metabolic pathway enrichment analysis
Authors: Cortada-Garcia Joan , Daly Rónán , Arnold S. Alison , Burgess Karl 
Published: August 2023

AbstractMetabolomics is a powerful tool for the identification of genetic targets for bioprocess optimisation. However, in most cases, only the biosynthetic pathway directed to product formation is analysed, limiting the identification of these targets. Some studies have used untargeted metabolomics, allowing a more unbiased approach, but data interpretation using multivariate analysis is usually not straightforward and requires time and effort. Here we show, for the first time, the application of metabolic pathway enrichment analysis using untargeted and targeted metabolomics data to identify genetic targets for bioprocess improvement in a more streamlined way. The analysis of an Escherichia coli succinate production bioprocess with this methodology revealed three significantly modulated pathways during the product formation phase: the pentose phosphate pathway, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis and ascorbate and aldarate metabolism. From these, the two former pathways are consistent with previous efforts to improve succinate production in Escherichia coli. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, ascorbate and aldarate metabolism is a newly identified target that has so far never been explored for improving succinate production in this microorganism. This methodology therefore represents a powerful tool for the streamlined identification of strain engineering targets that can accelerate bioprocess optimisation.
Ultra-deep sequencing of 45S rDNA to discern intragenomic diversity in three Chrysodeixis species for molecular identification
Authors: Zink Frida A. , Tembrock Luke R. , Timm Alicia E. , Gilligan Todd M. 
Published: August 2023

AbstractSpecies identification is necessary to prevent introductions of exotic plant pests through global trade. Many of these pests are understudied and lack publicly available DNA sequence data on which rapid molecular identification methods can be based. One such lineage is the genus Chrysodeixis, which includes three species of potential concern for United States trade initiatives: C. includens, C. chalcites, and C. eriosoma. Here we describe a method to generate robust 45S rDNA profiles using long read sequencing in order to clarify evolutionary relationships and develop a real-time PCR identification technique. Such an identification tool will be useful in rapidly differentiating between Chrysodeixis species of quarantine concern where traditional morphological identification methods are insufficient. Molecular methods such as this greatly reduce the time spent identifying each specimen, allow for detection of eDNA, vastly increase throughput, and increase the probability of detection. The methods presented here will be generally adaptable to any understudied lepidopteran taxa that necessitates a molecular diagnostic assay and, with adjustment or testing of the primers, could be applied to any group for which development of rDNA profiles in a benchtop setting would prove useful.
A randomised study of nurse collected venous blood and self-collected dried blood spots for the assessment of cardiovascular risk factors in the Understanding Society Innovation Panel
Authors: Kumari Meena , Andrayas Alexandria , Al Baghal Tarek , Burton Jonathan , Crossley Thomas F. , Jones Kerry S. , Parkington Damon A. , Koulman Albert , Benzeval Michaela 
Published: August 2023

AbstractDried blood spot (DBS) sample collection has been suggested as a less invasive, cheaper and more convenient alternative to venepuncture, which requires trained personnel, making it a potentially viable approach for self-collection of blood on a large scale. We examine whether participants in a longitudinal survey were willing to provide a DBS sample in different interview settings, and how resulting cardiovascular risk biomarkers compared with those from venous blood to calculate clinical risk. Participants of the Understanding Society Innovation Panel, a representative sample of UK households, were randomly assigned to three modes of interview. Most participants (84%) were interviewed in their allocated mode. Participants (n = 2162) were interviewed by a nurse who collected both a blood sample by venepuncture and a DBS card (‘nurse collection’) or participants were seen by an interviewer or took part in the survey online to self-collect a DBS card (‘self-collection’). All DBS cards were returned in the post after the sample had dried. Lipids (total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides), HbA1c and C-reactive protein were measured in venous and DBS samples and equivalence was calculated. The resultant values were used to confirm equivalent prevalence of risk of cardiovascular disease in each type of blood sample by mode of participation. Of participants interviewed by a nurse 69% consented to venous blood sample and 74% to a DBS sample, while in the self-collection modes, 35% consented to DBS collection. Demographic characteristics of participants in self-collection mode was not different to those in nurse collection mode. The percentage of participants with clinically raised biomarkers did not significantly differ between type of blood collection (for example, 62% had high cholesterol (> 5 mmol/l) measured by venepuncture and 67% had high cholesterol within the self-collected DBS sample (p = 0.13)). While self-collected DBS sampling had a lower response rate to DBS collected by a nurse, participation did not vary by key demographic characteristics. This study demonstrates that DBS collection is a feasible method of sample collection that can provide acceptable measures of clinically relevant biomarkers, enabling the calculation of population levels of cardiovascular disease risk.
Upwelling intensity and source water properties drive high interannual variability of corrosive events in the California Current
Authors: Cheresh Julia , Kroeker Kristy J. , Fiechter Jerome 
Published: August 2023

AbstractOcean acidification is progressing rapidly in the California Current System (CCS), a region already susceptible to reduced aragonite saturation state due to seasonal coastal upwelling. Results from a high-resolution (~ 3 km), coupled physical-biogeochemical model highlight that the intensity, duration, and severity of undersaturation events exhibit high interannual variability along the central CCS shelfbreak. Variability in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) along the bottom of the 100-m isobath explains 70–90% of event severity variance over the range of latitudes where most severe conditions occur. An empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis further reveals that interannual event variability is explained by a combination coastal upwelling intensity and DIC content in upwelled source waters. Simulated regional DIC exhibits low frequency temporal variability resembling that of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and is explained by changes to water mass composition in the CCS. While regional DIC concentrations and upwelling intensity individually explain 9 and 43% of year-to-year variability in undersaturation event severity, their combined influence accounts for 66% of the variance. The mechanistic description of exposure to undersaturated conditions presented here provides important context for monitoring the progression of ocean acidification in the CCS and identifies conditions leading to increased vulnerability for ecologically and commercially important species.
Sociodemographic and work-related differences in teachers’ attitude towards and perceived stress from emergency remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Kalo Kristin , Koestner Clemens , Dicks Theresa , Eggert Viktoria , Beutel Till , Zähme Carolina , Letzel Stephan , Dietz Pavel 
Published: August 2023

AbstractThe aim was to investigate the attitude towards and perceived stress from emergency remote teaching (ERT) among teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A Germany-wide online survey was conducted among teachers from all school types in March 2021. Data from 31,089 teachers entered analysis. ANOVAs or Welch’s t-tests with post-hoc analyses were performed to determine sociodemographic and work-related group differences in teachers’ attitude towards and perceived stress from ERT. The mean attitude towards ERT was 3.47 (± .84) out of 5 and the mean perceived stress was 5.03 (± .62) out of 6. Regarding the attitude towards ERT, we revealed significant differences for gender, age groups, number of children, occupational group, school management membership, and employment status (p < .05). Regarding perceived stress, significant differences were obtained for gender, age groups, and employment status (p < .05). A more positive attitude towards ERT seems to be associated with lower stress levels. Being female, a higher age, a higher number of children living in the own household as well as working full-time might hinder an effective implementation of remote teaching in school settings in Germany. Policy-makers and schools should think of strategies to improve the attitude towards and decrease perceived stress from remote teaching. This could include subgroup-specific training on the use of digital media, adapted to the work environment.
Crystallinity assessment of anthropogenic calcites using Raman micro-spectroscopy
Authors: Toffolo Michael B. , Pinkas Iddo , Gallo Ana Álvaro , Boaretto Elisabetta 
Published: August 2023

AbstractAnthropogenic calcite is a form of calcium carbonate produced through pyrotechnological activities, and it is the main component of materials such as lime binders and wood ash. This type of calcite is characterized by a significantly lower degree of crystallinity compared with its geogenic counterparts, as a result of different formation processes. The crystallinity of calcite can be determined using infrared spectroscopy in transmission mode, which allows decoupling particle size effect from atomic order and thus effectively distinguish anthropogenic and geogenic calcites. On the contrary, Raman micro-spectroscopy is still in the process of developing a reference framework for the assessment of crystallinity in calcite. Band broadening has been identified as one of the proxies for crystallinity in the Raman spectra of geogenic and anthropogenic calcites. Here we analyze the full width at half maximum of calcite bands in various geogenic and anthropogenic materials, backed against an independent crystallinity reference based on infrared spectroscopy. Results are then used to assess the crystallinity of anthropogenic calcite in archaeological lime binders characterized by different states of preservation, including samples affected by the formation of secondary calcite, and tested on micromorphology thin sections in which lime binders are embedded in sediments.
Expression quantitative trait methylation analysis elucidates gene regulatory effects of DNA methylation: the Framingham Heart Study
Authors: Keshawarz Amena , Bui Helena , Joehanes Roby , Ma Jiantao , Liu Chunyu , Huan Tianxiao , Hwang Shih-Jen , Tejada Brandon , Sooda Meera , Courchesne Paul , Munson Peter J. , Demirkale Cumhur Y. , Yao Chen , Heard-Costa Nancy L. , Pitsillides Achilleas N. , Lin Honghuang , Liu Ching-Ti , Wang Yuxuan , Peloso Gina M. , Lundin Jessica , Haessler Jeffrey , Du Zhaohui , Cho Michael , Hersh Craig P. , Castaldi Peter , Raffield Laura M. , Wen Jia , Li Yun , Reiner Alexander P. , Feolo Mike , Sharopova Nataliya , Vasan Ramachandran S. , DeMeo Dawn L. , Carson April P. , Kooperberg Charles , Levy Daniel 
Published: August 2023

AbstractExpression quantitative trait methylation (eQTM) analysis identifies DNA CpG sites at which methylation is associated with gene expression. The present study describes an eQTM resource of CpG-transcript pairs derived from whole blood DNA methylation and RNA sequencing gene expression data in 2115 Framingham Heart Study participants. We identified 70,047 significant cis CpG-transcript pairs at p < 1E−7 where the top most significant eGenes (i.e., gene transcripts associated with a CpG) were enriched in biological pathways related to cell signaling, and for 1208 clinical traits (enrichment false discovery rate [FDR] ≤ 0.05). We also identified 246,667 significant trans CpG-transcript pairs at p < 1E−14 where the top most significant eGenes were enriched in biological pathways related to activation of the immune response, and for 1191 clinical traits (enrichment FDR ≤ 0.05). Independent and external replication of the top 1000 significant cis and trans CpG-transcript pairs was completed in the Women’s Health Initiative and Jackson Heart Study cohorts. Using significant cis CpG-transcript pairs, we identified significant mediation of the association between CpG sites and cardiometabolic traits through gene expression and identified shared genetic regulation between CpGs and transcripts associated with cardiometabolic traits. In conclusion, we developed a robust and powerful resource of whole blood eQTM CpG-transcript pairs that can help inform future functional studies that seek to understand the molecular basis of disease.
Sarcomeric network analysis of ex vivo cultivated human atrial appendage tissue using super-resolution microscopy
Authors: Chabanovska Oleksandra , Lemcke Heiko , Lang Hermann , Vollmar Brigitte , Dohmen Pascal M. , David Robert , Etz Christian , Neßelmann Catharina 
Published: August 2023

AbstractInvestigating native human cardiac tissue with preserved 3D macro- and microarchitecture is fundamental for clinical and basic research. Unfortunately, the low accessibility of the human myocardium continues to limit scientific progress. To overcome this issue, utilizing atrial appendages of the human heart may become highly beneficial. Atrial appendages are often removed during open-heart surgery and can be preserved ex vivo as living tissue with varying durability depending on the culture method. In this study, we prepared living thin myocardial slices from left atrial appendages that were cultured using an air-liquid interface system for overall 10 days. Metabolic activity of the cultured slices was assessed using a conventional methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. To monitor the structural integrity of cardiomyocytes within the tissue, we implemented our recently described super-resolution microscopy approach that allows both qualitative and quantitative in-depth evaluation of sarcomere network based on parameters such as overall sarcomere content, filament size and orientation. Additionally, expression of mRNAs coding for key structural and functional proteins was analyzed by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Our findings demonstrate highly significant disassembly of contractile apparatus represented by degradation of $$\alpha $$
α
-actinin filaments detected after three days in culture, while metabolic activity was constantly rising and remained high for up to seven days. However, gene expression of crucial cardiac markers strongly decreased after the first day in culture indicating an early destructive response to ex vivo conditions. Therefore, we suggest static cultivation of living myocardial slices derived from left atrial appendage and prepared according to our protocol only for short-termed experiments (e.g. medicinal drug testing), while introduction of electro-mechanical stimulation protocols may offer the possibility for long-term integrity of such constructs.
Energy planning in Sub-Saharan African countries needs to explicitly consider productive uses of electricity
Authors: Dagnachew Anteneh G. , Choi Su-Min , Falchetta Giacomo 
Published: August 2023

AbstractStudies show the role of various electrification technologies in providing electricity access to households in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on electricity demand for end-use services such as lighting, cooking, heating, cooling and other appliance use. The demand for productive use of electricity, which is important to enhance income generation opportunities and labour productivity, is usually not considered. Using the IMAGE-TIMER integrated assessment model framework, we present a methodology to project the impact of productive activities on the electricity system of the region. We show that growing productive activities increase household electricity demand by half, which has important consequences for determining the cost-optimal electrification technologies. We argue that planning of electricity systems should accommodate this increase in electricity demand for productive uses. In addition, while productive uses of electricity have a positive impact on the financial viability of electrification systems, they also increase the electricity sector investment requirements considerably.
Polyelectrolyte membranes based on phosphorylated-PVA/cellulose acetate for direct methanol fuel cell applications: synthesis, instrumental characterization, and performance testing
Authors: Khalaf Mahmoud , Saeed Ahmed M. , Ali Ahmed I. , Kamoun Elbadawy A. , Fahmy Alaa 
Published: August 2023

AbstractDesigning and synthesis of cost-effective and improved methanol permeable and proton conductive membranes are the main challenges for preparation of polymeric electrolyte membrane (PEM). Herein, a cost-effective PEM membrane based on phosphorylated polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-grafted-cellulose acetate (CA) was prepared by a solution-casting technique. Water and methanol uptakes of phosphorylated PVA/CA membranes were characterized as function with the molar ratio of CA. Additionally, structure and morphology of phosphorylated PVA/CA (Ph-PVA/CA) membranes were verified by FT-IR analysis, SEM investigation. Furthermore, ion exchange capacity (IEC), proton conductivity and methanol permeation of Ph-PVA/CA membranes were examined based on the concentration of OPA basically. The results manifested a perceptible improvement in proton conductivity from 0.035 to 0.05 S/cm at 25 and 70 °C, respectively using 600 μL of OPA, and IEC of 2.1 meq/g using 400 μL of OPA at ambient temperature. On the other hand, methanol permeability (P = 1.08 × 10–10 cm2/s) was lower than Nafion 117 admirably. The optimum OPA concentration was 200 μL according to conductivity measurements (at 10% PVA, 150 μL GA, and CA 7%). Finally, prepared Ph-PVA/CA membranes exhibited enhancement in critical natures such as proton conductivity and IEC combined with its low-cost materials, which make them excellent candidate as PEM for DMFCs application.
Altered oculomotor flexibility is linked to high autistic traits
Authors: Pomè Antonella , Tyralla Sandra , Zimmermann Eckart 
Published: August 2023

AbstractAutism is a multifaced disorder comprising sensory abnormalities and a general inflexibility in the motor domain. The sensorimotor system is continuously challenged to answer whether motion-contingent errors result from own movements or whether they are due to external motion. Disturbances in this decision could lead to the perception of motion when there is none and to an inflexibility with regard to motor learning. Here, we test the hypothesis that altered processing of gaze-contingent sensations are responsible for both the motor inflexibility and the sensory overload in autism. We measured motor flexibility by testing how strong participants adapted in a classical saccade adaptation task. We asked healthy participants, scored for autistic traits, to make saccades to a target that was displaced either in inward or in outward direction during saccade execution. The amount of saccade adaptation, that requires to shift the internal target representation, varied with the autistic symptom severity. The higher participants scored for autistic traits, the less they adapted. In order to test for visual stability, we asked participants to localize the position of the saccade target after they completed their saccade. We found the often-reported saccade-induced mis-localization in low Autistic Quotient (AQ) participants. However, we also found mislocalization in high AQ participants despite the absence of saccade adaptation. Our data suggest that high autistic traits are associated with an oculomotor inflexibility that might produce altered processing of trans-saccadic vision which might increase the perceptual overstimulation that is experienced in autism spectrum disorders (ASD).