bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Climate change decouples dominant tree species in African savannas
Authors: Mtsetfwa Fezile P. , Kruger Laurence , McCleery Robert A. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractTo understand how two dominant African savanna trees will continue to respond to climate changes, we examined their regeneration niche and adult tree distributions. Specifically, we wanted to (1) determine if distributional patterns were shifting, (2) predict future distributions under different climate change scenarios and (3) evaluate the realism of predicted future distributions. We randomly placed 40 grids into 6 strata across a climate gradient in the kingdom of Eswatini. Within these grids, we sampled adult and seedling marula (Scelerocarya birrea) and knobthorn (Senegalia nigrecens) trees and used the data to model their abundance. Next, we quantified shifts in distributional patterns (e.g., expansion or contraction) by measuring the current and projected areas of overlap between seedling and adult trees. Finally, we predicted future distributions of abundance based on predicted climate conditions. We found knobthorn seedlings within a small portion of the adult distribution, suggesting it was unlikely to track climate changes. Alternatively, finding marula seedlings on and beyond one edge of the adult distribution, suggested its range would shift toward cooler climates. Predicted future distributions suggest suitable climate for both species would transition out of savannas and into grasslands. Future projections (2041–2070) appeared consistent with observed distributions of marula, but knobthorn predictions were unrealistic given the lack of evidence for regeneration outside of its current range. The idiosyncratic responses of these species to climate change are likely to decouple these keystone structures in the coming decades and are likely to have considerable cascading effects including the potential rearrangement of faunal communities.
Improved polarized light microscopic detection of gouty crystals via dissolution with formalin and ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid
Authors: Hemstapat Ruedee , Duangiad Peeradon , Tangketsarawan Borwornporn , Phuagpan Thitiya , Chienwiwattanawong Sinthida , Tangsrianugul Nuttinee , Ojida Akio , Wongkongkatep Jirarut 
Published: May 2023

AbstractConventional polarized light microscopy has been widely used to detect gouty crystals, but its limited sensitivity increases the risk of misidentification. In this study, a number of methods were investigated to improve the sensitivity of polarized light microscopy for the detection of monosodium urate monohydrate (MSUM) and calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD) crystals. We found that coating glass slides with poly-L-lysine, a positively charged polymer, improved the attachment of crystals to the glass surface, resulting in clearer crystal images compared to non-coated slides. Additionally, the sensitivity of detection was further enhanced by selective dissolution, in which 40% v/v formalin phosphate buffer was employed to dissolve MSUM crystals but not CPPD while 10% ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) was employed to dissolved CPPD but not MSUM. The other possible interferences were dissolved in both EDTA and formalin solution. These methods were successfully applied to detect gouty crystals in biological milieu, including spiked porcine synovial fluid and inflamed rat subcutaneous air pouch tissues.
Gamma irradiation induced surface modification of (PVC/HDPE)/ZnO nanocomposite for enhancing the oil removal and conductivity using COMSOL multiphysics
Authors: Ghobashy Mohamed Mohamady , F. Abd El-Gawad Amal. , A. Fayek S. , Farahat M. A. , Ismail M. I. , Elbarbary Ahmed M. , I. Sharshir A. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractBlend nanocomposite film was prepared by loadings of irradiated ZnO in ratios of (5 wt%) inside the PVC/HDPE matrix using a hot-melt extruder technique. The physical and chemical properties of the irradiated and unirradiated ZnO samples are compared. The Vis–UV spectrum of ZnO shows an absorption peak at a wavelength of 373 nm that was slightly red-shifted to 375 nm for an irradiated sample of ZnO at a dose of 25 kGy due to the defect of crystal structure by the oxygen vacancy during gamma irradiations. This growth of the defect site leads to a decrease in energy gaps from 3.8 to 2.08 eV. AC conductivity of ZnO sample increased after the gamma irradiation process (25 kGy). The (PVC/HDPE)/ZnO nanocomposites were re-irradiated with γ rays at 25 kGy in the presence of four different media (silicon oil, sodium silicate, paraffin wax and water). FTIR and XRD were performed to monitor the changes in chemical composition. The new peak at 1723 cm−1attributed to C=O groups was observed in irradiated (PVC/HDPE)ZnO samples at only sodium silicate and water media. This process induced new function groups on the surface of the (PVC/HDPE)/ZnO blend sample. This work aims to develop (PVC/HDPE)ZnO for oil/water separation. The highest oil adsorption capability was observed in samples functionalized by C=O groups based on the different tested oils. The results suggest that the surface characterization of the (PVC/HDPE)/ZnO can be modified to enhance the oil adsorption potential. Further, the gamma irradiation dose significantly enhanced the AC conductivity compared to the unirradiated sample. According to COMSOL Multiphysics, the irradiated sample (PVC/HDPE)ZnO in water shows perfect uniform electric field distribution in medium voltage cables (22.000 V).
Endogenous myoglobin expression in mouse models of mammary carcinoma reduces hypoxia and metastasis in PyMT mice
Authors: Aboouf Mostafa A. , Armbruster Julia , Guscetti Franco , Thiersch Markus , Boss Andreas , Gödecke Axel , Winning Sandra , Padberg Claudia , Fandrey Joachim , Kristiansen Glen , Bicker Anne , Hankeln Thomas , Gassmann Max , Gorr Thomas A. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractMyoglobin (MB) is expressed in different cancer types and may act as a tumor suppressor in breast cancer. The mechanisms by which basal MB expression level impacts murine mammary tumorigenesis are unclear. We investigated how MB expression in breast cancer influences proliferation, metastasis, tumor hypoxia, and chemotherapy treatment in vivo. We crossed PyMT and WapCreTrp53flox mammary cancer mouse models that differed in tumor grade/type and onset of mammary carcinoma with MB knockout mice. The loss of MB in WapCre;Trp53flox mice did not affect tumor development and progression. On the other hand, loss of MB decreased tumor growth and increased tissue hypoxia as well as the number of lung metastases in PyMT mice. Furthermore, Doxorubicin therapy prevented the stronger metastatic propensity of MB-deficient tumors in PyMT mice. This suggests that, although MB expression predicts improved prognosis in breast cancer patients, MB-deficient tumors may still respond well to first-line therapies. We propose that determining the expression level of MB in malignant breast cancer biopsies will improve tumor stratification, outcome prediction, and personalized therapy in cancer patients.
Improved disinfection performance for 280 nm LEDs over 254 nm low-pressure UV lamps in community wastewater
Authors: MacIsaac Sean A. , Rauch Kyle D. , Prest Taylor , Simons Richard M. , Gagnon Graham A. , Stoddart Amina K. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractUltraviolet (UV) disinfection has been incorporated into both drinking water and wastewater treatment processes for several decades; however, it comes with negative environmental consequences such as high energy demands and the use of mercury. Understanding how to scale and build climate responsive technologies is key in fulfilling the intersection of UN Sustainable Development Goals 6 and 13. One technology that addresses the drawbacks of conventional wastewater UV disinfection systems, while providing a climate responsive solution, is UV light emitting diodes (LEDs). The objective of this study was to compare performance of bench-scale 280 nm UV LEDs to bench-scale low pressure (LP) lamps and full-scale UV treated wastewater samples. Results from the study demonstrated that the UV LED system provides a robust treatment that outperformed LP systems at the bench-scale. A comparison of relative energy consumptions of the UV LED system at 20 mJ cm−2 and LP system at 30 and 40 mJ cm−2 was completed. Based on current projections for wall plug efficiencies (WPE) of UV LED it is expected that the energy consumption of LED reactors will be on par or lower compared to the LP systems by 2025. This study determined that, at a WPE of 20%, the equivalent UV LED system would lead to a 24.6% and 43.4% reduction in power consumption for the 30 and 40 mJ cm−2 scenarios, respectively.
Associations of healthy lifestyle and socioeconomic status with cognitive function in U.S. older adults
Authors: Wang Xin , Bakulski Kelly M. , Paulson Henry L. , Albin Roger L. , Park Sung Kyun 
Published: May 2023

AbstractWe investigated the complex relations of socioeconomic status (SES) and healthy lifestyles with cognitive functions among older adults in 1313 participants, aged 60 years and older, from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011–2014. Cognitive function was measured using an average of the standardized z-scores of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease Word Learning and delayed recall tests, the Animal Fluency Test, and the Digit Symbol Substitution Test. Latent class analysis of family income, education, occupation, health insurance, and food security was used to define composite SES (low, medium, high). A healthy lifestyle score was calculated based on smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and the Healthy-Eating-Index-2015. In survey-weighted multivariable linear regressions, participants with 3 or 4 healthy behaviors had 0.07 (95% CI 0.005, 0.14) standard deviation higher composite cognitive z-score, relative to those with one or no healthy behavior. Participants with high SES had 0.37 (95% CI 0.29, 0.46) standard deviation higher composite cognitive z-score than those with low SES. No statistically significant interaction was observed between healthy lifestyle score and SES. Our findings suggested that higher healthy lifestyle scores and higher SES were associated with better cognitive function among older adults in the United States.
A light-gated cation channel with high reactivity to weak light
Authors: Hososhima Shoko , Ueno Shinji , Okado Satoshi , Inoue Ken-ichi , Konno Masae , Yamauchi Yumeka , Inoue Keiichi , Terasaki Hiroko , Kandori Hideki , Tsunoda Satoshi P. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThe cryptophyte algae, Guillardia theta, possesses 46 genes that are homologous to microbial rhodopsins. Five of them are functionally light-gated cation channelrhodopsins (GtCCR1-5) that are phylogenetically distinct from chlorophyte channelrhodopsins (ChRs) such as ChR2 from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. In this study, we report the ion channel properties of these five CCRs and compared them with ChR2 and other ChRs widely used in optogenetics. We revealed that light sensitivity varied among GtCCR1-5, in which GtCCR1-3 exhibited an apparent EC50 of 0.21–1.16 mW/mm2, similar to that of ChR2, whereas GtCCR4 and GtCCR5 possess two EC50s, one of which is significantly small (0.025 and 0.032 mW/mm2). GtCCR4 is able to trigger action potentials in high temporal resolution, similar to ChR2, but requires lower light power, when expressed in cortical neurons. Moreover, a high light-sensitive response was observed when GtCCR4 was introduced into blind retina ganglion cells of rd1, a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa. Thus, GtCCR4 provides optogenetic neuronal activation with high light sensitivity and temporal precision.
Analysis and functional relevance of the chaperone TRAP-1 interactome in the metabolic regulation and mitochondrial integrity of cancer cells
Authors: Dharaskar Shrikant Purushottam , Paithankar Khanderao , Amere Subbarao Sreedhar 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThe 90 kDa heat shock protein, Hsp90, functions as a cancer chaperone contributing to tumor proliferation. We have encountered the mitochondrial homolog of Hsp90, the TRAP-1, regulating mitochondrial dynamics, metabolism, and tumor metastasis. Although Hsp90 is associated with a broad network of proteins regulating various cellular processes, TRAP-1-mediated cellular networks are unclear. Therefore, using TRAP-1 knockdown (KD) and overexpression (OE) systems, we compared their quantitative transcriptome (RNA Sequencing) and proteomic (LC–MS/MS) patterns to obtain molecular signatures that are altered in response to TRAP-1 KD or OE. We report TRAP-1 modulating vital metabolic pathways such as the tricarboxylic acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, electron transport chain, glycolysis, and gluconeogenesis. In addition, TRAP-1 facilitated the pentose phosphate pathway to shunt carbons back to glycolysis or gluconeogenesis, a much-solicited tumor response. Subsequently, we examined the TRAP-1 interactome using the tandem affinity purification system and identified 255 unique proteins. These diverse proteins appear to regulate several cellular processes, including energy metabolism, suggesting that TRAP-1, in addition to metabolic rewiring, maintains mitochondrial integrity. Our study exposes the unknown functions of TRAP-1 in cancer cells. Systematic evaluation of TRAP-1 interactors may uncover novel regulatory mechanisms in disease aggression. Since metabolic inhibitors are emerging as potential anticancer agents, our study gains importance.
PeruNPDB: the Peruvian Natural Products Database for in silico drug screening
Authors: Barazorda-Ccahuana Haruna L. , Ranilla Lena Gálvez , Candia-Puma Mayron Antonio , Cárcamo-Rodriguez Eymi Gladys , Centeno-Lopez Angela Emperatriz , Davila-Del-Carpio Gonzalo , Medina-Franco José L. , Chávez-Fumagalli Miguel Angel 
Published: May 2023

AbstractSince the number of drugs based on natural products (NPs) represents a large source of novel pharmacological entities, NPs have acquired significance in drug discovery. Peru is considered a megadiverse country with many endemic species of plants, terrestrial, and marine animals, and microorganisms. NPs databases have a major impact on drug discovery development. For this reason, several countries such as Mexico, Brazil, India, and China have initiatives to assemble and maintain NPs databases that are representative of their diversity and ethnopharmacological usage. We describe the assembly, curation, and chemoinformatic evaluation of the content and coverage in chemical space, as well as the physicochemical attributes and chemical diversity of the initial version of the Peruvian Natural Products Database (PeruNPDB), which contains 280 natural products. Access to PeruNPDB is available for free (https://perunpdb.com.pe/). The PeruNPDB’s collection is intended to be used in a variety of tasks, such as virtual screening campaigns against various disease targets or biological endpoints. This emphasizes the significance of biodiversity protection both directly and indirectly on human health.
A trial deep learning-based model for four-class histologic classification of colonic tumor from narrow band imaging
Authors: Shimizu Takeshi , Sasaki Yoshihiro , Ito Kei , Matsuzaka Masashi , Sakuraba Hirotake , Fukuda Shinsaku 
Published: May 2023

AbstractNarrow band imaging (NBI) has been extensively utilized as a diagnostic tool for colorectal neoplastic lesions. This study aimed to develop a trial deep learning (DL) based four-class classification model for low-grade dysplasia (LGD); high-grade dysplasia or mucosal carcinoma (HGD); superficially invasive submucosal carcinoma (SMs) and deeply invasive submucosal carcinomas (SMd) and evaluate its potential as a diagnostic tool. We collected a total of 1,390 NBI images as the dataset, including 53 LGD, 120 HGD, 20 SMs and 17 SMd. A total of 598,801 patches were trimmed from the lesion and background. A patch-based classification model was built by employing a residual convolutional neural network (CNN) and validated by three-fold cross-validation. The patch-based validation accuracy was 0.876, 0.957, 0.907 and 0.929 in LGD, HGD, SMs and SMd, respectively. The image-level classification algorithm was derived from the patch-based mapping across the entire image domain, attaining accuracies of 0.983, 0.990, 0.964, and 0.992 in LGD, HGD, SMs, and SMd, respectively. Our CNN-based model demonstrated high performance for categorizing the histological grade of dysplasia as well as the depth of invasion in routine colonoscopy, suggesting a potential diagnostic tool with minimal human inputs.
Exploring the role of empathy in prolonged grief reactions to bereavement
Authors: Yoshiike Takuya , Benedetti Francesco , Moriguchi Yoshiya , Vai Benedetta , Aggio Veronica , Asano Keiko , Ito Masaya , Ikeda Hiroki , Ohmura Hidefumi , Honma Motoyasu , Yamada Naoto , Kim Yoshiharu , Nakajima Satomi , Kuriyama Kenichi 
Published: May 2023

AbstractGrief reactions to the bereavement of a close individual could involve empathy for pain, which is fundamental to social interaction. To explore whether grief symptoms interact with social relatedness to a person to whom one directs empathy to modulate the expression of empathy, we administered an empathy task to 28 bereaved adults during functional magnetic resonance imaging, in which participants were subliminally primed with facial stimuli (e.g., faces of their deceased or living relative, or a stranger), each immediately followed by a visual pain stimulus. Individuals’ grief severity promoted empathy for the pain stimulus primed with the deceased’s face, while it diminished the neural response to the pain stimulus primed with the face of either their living relative or a stranger in the medial frontal cortex (e.g., the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex). Moreover, preliminary analyses showed that while the behavioral empathic response was promoted by the component of “longing” in the deceased priming condition, the neural empathic response was diminished by the component of “avoidance” in the stranger priming condition. Our results suggest an association between grief reactions to bereavement and empathy, in which grief symptoms interact with interpersonal factors to promote or diminish empathic responses to others’ pain.
Testing entanglement of annihilation photons
Authors: Ivashkin Alexander , Abdurashitov Dzhonrid , Baranov Alexander , Guber Fedor , Morozov Sergey , Musin Sultan , Strizhak Alexander , Tkachev Igor 
Published: May 2023

AbstractWe present a new experimental study of the quantum entanglement of photon pairs produced in positron-electron annihilation at rest. Each annihilation photon has an energy that is five orders of magnitude higher than the energy of photons in optical experiments. It provides a unique opportunity for controlled Compton pre-scattering of initial photons before the polarization measurements. The experimental setup includes a system of Compton polarimeters to measure the angular correlations of annihilation photons in initial and thus prepared pre-scattered states. For the first time, a direct comparison of the polarization correlations of initial and pre-scattered annihilation photons has been carried out. The angular distributions of scattered in polarimeters photons turned out to be the same for both types of events. Moreover, the correlation function in the Bell’s inequality is also the same for both states. We discuss the implications of our results for quantum measurement theory and for the quantum-entangled positron emission tomography.
Electric fields in a counterflow nonpremixed flame: measurement and simulation
Authors: Park Jin , Son Jinwoo , Butterworth Thomas D. , Cha Min Suk 
Published: May 2023

AbstractIn electric field modified flames, the electric body force on fluid elements can play a role in modifying the flow field, affecting flame characteristics by this modified flow motion. Numerical studies have developed ion kinetic mechanisms and appropriate transport models for charged species, validating them with a voltage-current trend in 1D premixed flames. Recent experimental approaches have measured the electric field by adopting the Electric Field Induced Second Harmonic generation (EFISH) technique. However, the quantification has turned out very challenging due to the inherent distortion in the EFISH signal, as well as inhomogeneous temperature and concentration fields in the combustion field. Here, we propose measurement and calibration schemes to quantify the EFISH signal in a laminar counterflow nonpremixed flame and present comparison with numerical results using an in-house multi-physics CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) code. Overall, the quantified electric fields agreed well with those from numerical simulation, specifically capturing null electric fields near the flame in the sub-saturated regime due to the electric field screening effect. In the saturated regime, notable discrepancy was found in a fuel stream when electrons moved through it: experiment indicated a significant number of negative ions in the fuel stream, whereas numerical results predicted negligible negative ions, due to the implemented ion-mechanism. This suggested that the experimentally obtained electric fields may serve as validation data for modeling studies to improve transport models and ion-mechanism. In-situ measurement of charged species in the presence of external electric fields should be a future work.
Dynamic obstacle detection method based on U–V disparity and residual optical flow for autonomous driving
Authors: Yuan Jianying , Jiang Tao , He Xi , Wu Sidong , Liu Jiajia , Guo Dequan 
Published: May 2023

AbstractAs a core step of obstacle avoidance and path planning, dynamic obstacle detection is critical for autonomous driving. This study aimed to propose a dynamic obstacle detection method based on U–V disparity and residual optical flow for autonomous driving. First, a drivable area of an unmanned vehicle was detected using U–V disparity images. Then, obstacles in the drivable area were detected using U–V disparity images and the geometric relationship between obstacle size and its disparity. Finally, the motion likelihood of each obstacle was estimated by compensating the camera ego-motion. The innovation of the proposed method was that the searching range of the moving obstacles was greatly narrowed by detecting the obstacles in the drivable area, which greatly improved not only the moving obstacle detection efficiency but also the detection accuracy. Datasets from the KITTI benchmark and our self-acquired campus scene data were chosen as testing samples. The experimental results showed that our method could achieve high detection precision, low missed detection rate and less time consumption.
Identification of a genomic DNA sequence that quantitatively modulates KLF1 transcription factor expression in differentiating human hematopoietic cells
Authors: Gnanapragasam M. N. , Planutis A. , Glassberg J. A. , Bieker J. J. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThe onset of erythropoiesis is under strict developmental control, with direct and indirect inputs influencing its derivation from the hematopoietic stem cell. A major regulator of this transition is KLF1/EKLF, a zinc finger transcription factor that plays a global role in all aspects of erythropoiesis. Here, we have identified a short, conserved enhancer element in KLF1 intron 1 that is important for establishing optimal levels of KLF1 in mouse and human cells. Chromatin accessibility of this site exhibits cell-type specificity and is under developmental control during the differentiation of human CD34+ cells towards the erythroid lineage. This site binds GATA1, SMAD1, TAL1, and ETV6. In vivo editing of this region in cell lines and primary cells reduces KLF1 expression quantitatively. However, we find that, similar to observations seen in pedigrees of families with KLF1 mutations, downstream effects are variable, suggesting that the global architecture of the site is buffered towards keeping the KLF1 genetic region in an active state. We propose that modification of intron 1 in both alleles is not equivalent to complete loss of function of one allele.