bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Thigh of Its Mother: The Fetus and the Subordinated Subject in the Babylonian Talmud
Authors: Ronis Sara 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Modern discussions of abortion in Jewish thought often invoke the Talmudic phrase “ubar yerekh imo,” the fetus is the thigh of its mother. This article examines the ten instances in which the phrase first appears in the Babylonian Talmud. I demonstrate that the rabbis of Late Antique Sasanian Babylonia deploy the phrase in two specific contexts: discussions of the sanctification, criminalization, or sale of non-human animal fetuses, and discussions of the sale and manumission of the fetuses of enslaved people. Drawing on insights from animal studies and studies of slavery, I argue that this phrase illuminates how the rabbis think with the fetus to value some lives over others in a world reliant on the exploitation of enslaved humans and animals, and compare this approach with that of the Roman jurist Ulpian. Ultimately, I shed light on ancient rabbinic anthropologies of the human body and the body politic.
Enzymatic degradation of ochratoxin A in the gastrointestinal tract of piglets
Authors: Prasad Shreenath , Streit Barbara , Gruber Christina , Gonaus Christoph 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Animal feeds are often contaminated with ochratoxin A (OTA), a potent natural mycotoxin hazardous to animal and human health that accumulates in blood and tissues. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the in vivo application of an enzyme (OTA amidohydrolase; OAH) that degrades OTA into the nontoxic molecules phenylalanine and ochratoxin α (OTα) in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of pigs. Piglets were fed six experimental diets over 14 days, varying in OTA contamination level (50 or 500 μg/kg; OTA50 and OTA500) and presence of OAH; a negative control diet (no OTA added) and a diet containing OTα at 318 µg/kg (OTα318). The absorption of OTA and OTα into the systemic circulation (plasma and dried blood spots, DBS), their accumulation in kidney, liver, and muscle tissues, and excretion through feces and urine were assessed. The efficiency of OTA degradation in the digesta content of the GIT was also estimated. At the end of the trial, accumulation of OTA in blood was significantly higher in OTA groups (OTA50 and OTA500) in comparison to enzyme groups (OAH50 and OAH500, respectively). The supplementation of OAH explicitly reduced the absorption of OTA (P &lt; 0.005) into plasma by 54% and 59% (from 40.53 ± 3.53 to 18.66 ± 2.28 ng/mL in piglets fed the 50 μg OTA/kg diets and from 413.50 ± 71.88 to 168.35 ± 41.02 ng/mL in piglets fed the 500 μg OTA/kg diets, respectively) and in DBS by 50% and 53% (from 22.79 ± 2.63 to 10.67 ± 1.93 ng/mL in piglets fed the 50 μg OTA/kg diets and from 232.85 ± 35.16 to 105.71 ± 24.18 ng/mL in piglets fed the 500 μg OTA/kg diets, respectively). The OTA concentrations in plasma were positively associated with the OTA levels detected in all tissues analyzed; adding OAH reduced OTA levels in the kidney, liver, and muscle (P &lt; 0.005) by 52%, 67%, and 59%, respectively. The analysis of GIT digesta content showed that OAH supplementation led to OTA degradation in the proximal GIT where natural hydrolysis is inefficient. Overall, the data of present in vivo study demonstrated that supplementation of swine feeds with OAH successfully reduced OTA levels in blood (plasma and DBS) as well as in kidney, liver, and muscle tissues. Therefore, an approach to use enzymes as feed additives might be most promising to mitigate the harmful effects of OTA on the productivity and welfare of pigs and at the same time improving the safety of pig-derived food products.
Melittobia acasta (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) female longevity and life stage-dependent parasitism using commercially managed Megachile rotundata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) as hosts
Authors: Anderson Alan R , Ramirez Ricardo A , Earl Creech J , Pitts-Singer Theresa L 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Melittobia acasta Walker is one among other hymenopterous parasitoids of Megachile rotundata F. Commercial M. rotundata populations are employed to pollinate North American alfalfa for seed production. This wasp can be prolific when using M. rotundata as a host and can reduce or destroy bee stocks. Hundreds of M. acasta female offspring can develop in a single M. rotundata cell and disperse to infest other cells, producing thousands of more parasitoids. In this study, we determined (i) upon what bee life stages M. acasta females choose to lay eggs and if those eggs ultimately become adults and (ii) M. acasta female longevity when exposed to various resources within M. rotundata cells. We found that M. acasta females lay eggs on M. rotundata prepupae and pupae and that those eggs can hatch and survive to adulthood. Eggs are not laid on early instar bee larvae; eggs laid on adults do not survive. Average female life span is 5 days without feeding, 8–9 days if a pollen–nectar provision is available while the bee develops through larval stages, and 34 days if the wasp can feed on prepupal hemolymph. Wasp females can emerge from bee cells several days after trays of cells are taken to fields. Therefore, adult females could survive long enough for new bee offspring to become prepupae. Our findings support a better understanding of host life stage preference and the longevity of M. acasta females that can inform the timing of the implementation of possible control measures.
Exorista sorbillans (Diptera: Tachinidae) parasitism shortens host larvae growth duration by regulating ecdysone and juvenile hormone titers in Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae)
Authors: Wang Shan-shan , Wang Lei-lei , Pu Yue-xia , Liu Ji-yin , Wang Mei-xian , Zhu Juan , Shen Zhong-yuan , Shen Xing-jia , Tang Shun-ming 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
The tachinid fly, Exorista sorbillans, is a notorious ovolarviparous endoparasitoid of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, causing severe damage to silkworm cocoon industry. Silkworm larvae show typically precocious wandering behavior after being parasitized by E. sorbillans; however, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unexplored. Herein, we investigated the changes in the levels of 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) and juvenile hormone (JH) titer, and they both increased in the hemolymph of parasitized silkworms. Furthermore, we verified the expression patterns of related genes, which showed an upregulation of 20E signaling and biosynthesis genes but a significant downregulation of ecdysone oxidase (EO), a 20E inactivation enzyme, in parasitized silkworms. In addition, related genes of the JH signaling were activated in parasitized silkworms, while related genes of the JH degradation pathway were suppressed, resulting in an increase in JH titer. Notably, the precocious wandering behavior of parasitized silkworms was partly recoverable by silencing the transcriptions of BmCYP302A1 or BmCYP307A1 genes. Our findings suggest that the developmental duration of silkworm post parasitism could be shortened by regulation of 20E and JH titers, which may help silkworm to resist the E. sorbillans infestation. These findings provide a basis for deeper insight into the interplay between silkworms and E. sorbillans and may serve as a reference for the development of a novel approach to control silkworm myiasis.
(037) Hypersexuality with the Use of Selective Serotonin Receptor Inhibitors
Authors: Dominguez-bali A , Baqer A , Sharma R , Hassan Z , Marquez L , Dominguez-bali C 
Published: May 2023

Abstract

Introduction
We present two cases of hypersexuality in perimenopausal women evaluated, diagnosed, and being managed at this time for what seems to be a sexual dysfunction recently described as a consequence of the use of a combination of 2 kinds of medications: Bupropion, a Norepinephrine Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitor (NDRI), and Sertraline/Fluoxetine, a Selective Serotonin Receptor Inhibitor (SSRI), used as an anti-depressant and anxiolytics for psychiatric conditions. Both cases arrived at our centers referred by their primary care physicians or a psychiatrist for sexual therapy and sexological evaluation.

Objective
To show a new sexual dysfunction related to the use of SSRI medications.

Methods
The analysis of 2 cases of a new described sexual dysfunction related with the use of SSRI medications: Bupropion at 150 mg PO bid, and Fluoxetine at 125 mg PO qd.

Results
The first case, one week after the initiation of Fluoxetine, having been taking Bupropion for months, started to develop uncontrolled need for sex, having sex with multiple men, in addition to her husband. Her husband accepted to have sexual relationships in trios, a situation that lasted for several months. However, after 4-6 weeks, she started to look for additional partners other than her husband. He left. She arrived with extreme anxiety during her first visit. Neither her, nor the psychiatrist understood why this was happening. At that moment, she was having sex with several men on a daily basis. She wanted to preserve her marriage but her sexual compulsion was an impediment. The second patient decided to be unfaithful to her husband of 10 years. In this case, she decided to have hidden sexual relations with several men at the same time with just one. She was also undergoing psychiatric treatment with both medications, Fluoxetine and Bupropion. There was a temporal correlation between the initiation of Fluoxetine and the appearance of the sexual dysfunction. We suspended both medications and around 10 days after this therapeutic step, there was a frank decline in the compulsive sexual behavior. However, due to depression and anxiety symptoms, the psychiatrist decided to restart only Bupropion without the Fluoxetine that was the medication with which the appearance of symptoms have been related. Now, she is okay.

Conclusions
We describe the possible pharmacological mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of this disorder and the way in which we have managed the two cases up to now. This condition needs to be differentiated from the hyperactive sexual arousal disorder, previously described in the sexological literature and we need to determine if this is a variant of that kind of syndrome. We have never encountered this kind of reaction before and have only found one publication describing a similar case.

Disclosure
No
(131) Sexual Activity After Pelvic Surgery
Authors: Dominguez-Bali A , Baqer A , Sharma R , Hassan Z , Dominguez-Bali C , Marquez L 
Published: May 2023

Abstract

Introduction
Around 50%-70% of all women, at any moment of their lives, will undergo pelvic surgery such as abdominal and vaginal hysterectomies, laparoscopic or robotic-assisted hysterectomies, and exploratory laparotomies for multiple reasons. These reasons include; endometriosis, chronic pelvic pain, pelvic adhesions secondary to pelvic inflammatory disease, infected or perforated IUDs, previous surgeries, abscesses or cysts, peritonitis, and genital prolapses such as cystoceles, rectoceles, uterine prolapse or vaginal prolapse in patients with previous hysterectomies, urinary and fecal incontinence, and total procidentia. The general public knowledge, distorted sexual education curriculum, and the influence of this inappropriate sexual education (produced by religions and cultures) affect the medical practice and investigations at scientific levels. These influences have expanded the beliefs that sexual activity is deteriorated for all of these kinds of procedures. Few American publications and many Asian publications report the frank deterioration of the sexual response in women who have had pelvic surgeries.

Objective
To show how a very high percentage of women, that have had pelvic surgeries, have an improvement in their sexual activity after these kinds of procedures.

Methods
This investigation analyzed the postoperative sexual function of hundreds of patients at our two centers in which all the procedures previously named were practiced.

Results
We found an improvement in sexual activity, not only in the women but also in the couples in more than 95% of the cases. The pre and post-procedure evaluations were done.

Conclusions
Contradictory to what several studies have shown regarding how pelvic surgeries produced deterioration in sexual activity, we have demonstrated the opposite. We found that in more than 95% of the cases, sexual activity was improved. These procedures included repairing total procidentia, cystocele, rectocele, urinary incontinence or rectal incontinence, fibroid uterus, or chronic pelvic pain.

Disclosure
No
The Fitness Effects of Codon Composition of the Horizontally Transferred Antibiotic Resistance Genes Intensify at Sub-lethal Antibiotic Levels
Authors: Shaferman Michael , Gencel Melis , Alon Noga , Alasad Khawla , Rotblat Barak , Serohijos Adrian W R , Alfonta Lital , Bershtein Shimon 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThe rampant variability in codon bias existing between bacterial genomes is expected to interfere with horizontal gene transfer (HGT), a phenomenon that drives bacterial adaptation. However, delineating the constraints imposed by codon bias on functional integration of the transferred genes is complicated by multiple genomic and functional barriers controlling HGT, and by the dependence of the evolutionary outcomes of HGT on the host's environment. Here, we designed an experimental system in which codon composition of the transferred genes is the only variable triggering fitness change of the host. We replaced Escherichia coli's chromosomal folA gene encoding dihydrofolate reductase, an essential enzyme that constitutes a target for trimethoprim, with combinatorial libraries of synonymous codons of folA genes from trimethoprim-sensitive Listeria grayi and trimethoprim-resistant Neisseria sicca. The resulting populations underwent selection at a range of trimethoprim concentrations, and the ensuing changes in variant frequencies were used to infer the fitness effects of the individual combinations of codons. We found that when HGT causes overstabilization of the 5′-end mRNA, the fitness contribution of mRNA folding stability dominates over that of codon optimality. The 5′-end overstabilization can also lead to mRNA accumulation outside of the polysome, thus preventing the decay of the foreign transcripts despite the codon composition-driven reduction in translation efficiency. Importantly, the fitness effects of mRNA stability or codon optimality become apparent only at sub-lethal levels of trimethoprim individually tailored for each library, emphasizing the central role of the host's environment in shaping the codon bias compatibility of horizontally transferred genes.
Encapsulation of conjugated linoleic acid and ruminant trans fatty acids to study the prevention of metabolic syndrome—a review
Authors: Mohammadi Farzad , Dikpati Amrita , Bertrand Nicolas , Rudkowska Iwona 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Studies have reported the potential benefits of consuming conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and ruminant trans fatty acids (R-TFAs) in reducing the risk factors of metabolic syndrome (MetS). In addition, encapsulation of CLA and R-TFAs may improve their oral delivery and further decrease the risk factors of MetS. The objectives of this review were (1) to discuss the advantages of encapsulation; (2) to compare the materials and techniques used for encapsulating CLA and R-TFAs; and (3) to review the effects of encapsulated vs non-encapsulated CLA and R-TFAs on MetS risk factors. Examination of papers citing micro- and nano-encapsulation methods used in food sciences, as well as the effects of encapsulated vs non-encapsulated CLA and R-TFAs, was conducted using the PubMed database. A total of 84 papers were examined; of these, 18 studies were selected that contained information on the effects of encapsulated CLA and R-TFAs. The 18 studies that described encapsulation of CLA or R-TFAs indicated that micro- or nano-encapsulation processes stabilized CLA and prevented oxidation. CLA was mainly encapsulated using carbohydrates or proteins. So far, oil-in-water emulsification followed by spray-drying were the frequently used techniques for encapsulation of CLA. Further, 4 studies investigated the effects of encapsulated CLA on MetS risk factors compared with non-encapsulated CLA. A limited number of studies investigated the encapsulation of R-TFAs. The effects of encapsulated CLA or R-TFAs on the risk factors for MetS remain understudied; thus, additional studies comparing the effects of encapsulated and non-encapsulated CLA or R-TFAs are needed.
An update on sugar allocation and accumulation in fruits
Authors: Ren Yi , Liao Shengjin , Xu Yong 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Fruit sweetness is determined by the amount and composition of sugars in the edible flesh. The accumulation of sugar is a highly orchestrated process that requires coordination of numerous metabolic enzymes and sugar transporters. This coordination enables partitioning and long-distance translocation of photoassimilates from source tissues to sink organs. In fruit crops, sugars ultimately accumulate in the sink fruit. Whereas tremendous progress has been achieved in understanding the function of individual genes associated with sugar metabolism and sugar transport in non-fruit crops, there is less known about the sugar transporters and metabolic enzymes responsible for sugar accumulation in fruit crop species. This review identifies knowledge gaps and can serve as a foundation for future studies, with comprehensive updates focusing on (1) the physiological roles of the metabolic enzymes and sugar transporters responsible for sugar allocation and partitioning and that contribute to sugar accumulation in fruit crops; and (2) the molecular mechanisms underlying the transcriptional and posttranslational regulation of sugar transport and metabolism. We also provide insights into the challenges and future directions of studies on sugar transporters and metabolic enzymes and name several promising genes that should be targeted with gene editing in the pursuit of optimized sugar allocation and partitioning to enhance sugar accumulation in fruits.
Transcription factor CsMADS3 coordinately regulates chlorophyll and carotenoid pools in Citrus hesperidium
Authors: Zhu Kaijie , Chen Hongyan , Mei Xuehan , Lu Suwen , Xie Heping , Liu Junwei , Chai Lijun , Xu Qiang , Wurtzel Eleanore T , Ye Junli , Deng Xiuxin 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Citrus, 1 of the largest fruit crops with global economic and nutritional importance, contains fruit known as hesperidium with unique morphological types. Citrus fruit ripening is accompanied by chlorophyll degradation and carotenoid biosynthesis, which are indispensably linked to color formation and the external appearance of citrus fruits. However, the transcriptional coordination of these metabolites during citrus fruit ripening remains unknown. Here, we identified the MADS-box transcription factor CsMADS3 in Citrus hesperidium that coordinates chlorophyll and carotenoid pools during fruit ripening. CsMADS3 is a nucleus-localized transcriptional activator, and its expression is induced during fruit development and coloration. Overexpression of CsMADS3 in citrus calli, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), and citrus fruits enhanced carotenoid biosynthesis and upregulated carotenogenic genes while accelerating chlorophyll degradation and upregulating chlorophyll degradation genes. Conversely, the interference of CsMADS3 expression in citrus calli and fruits inhibited carotenoid biosynthesis and chlorophyll degradation and downregulated the transcription of related genes. Further assays confirmed that CsMADS3 directly binds and activates the promoters of phytoene synthase 1 (CsPSY1) and chromoplast-specific lycopene β-cyclase (CsLCYb2), 2 key genes in the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway, and STAY-GREEN (CsSGR), a critical chlorophyll degradation gene, which explained the expression alterations of CsPSY1, CsLCYb2, and CsSGR in the above transgenic lines. These findings reveal the transcriptional coordination of chlorophyll and carotenoid pools in the unique hesperidium of Citrus and may contribute to citrus crop improvement.
Children’s Indirect Exposure to the U.S. Justice System: Evidence From Longitudinal Links between Survey and Administrative Data
Authors: Finlay Keith , Mueller-Smith Michael , Street Brittany 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Children’s indirect exposure to the justice system through biological parents or coresident adults is both a marker of their own vulnerability and a measure of the justice system’s expansive reach in society. Estimating the size of this population for the United States has historically been hampered by inadequate data resources, including the inability to observe nonincarceration events, follow children throughout their childhood, and measure adult nonbiological parent cohabitants. To overcome these challenges, we leverage billions of restricted administrative and survey records linked with Criminal Justice Administrative Records System data and find substantially larger exposure rates than previously reported: prison, 9% of children born between 1999–2005; felony conviction, 18%; and any criminal charge, 39%. Charge exposure rates exceed 60% for Black, American Indian, and low-income children. While broader definitions reach a more expansive population, strong and consistently negative correlations with childhood well-being suggest that these remain valuable predictors of vulnerability. Finally, we document substantial geographic variation in exposure, which we leverage in a movers design to estimate the effect of living in a high-exposure county during childhood. We find that children moving into high-exposure counties are more likely to experience postmove exposure events and exhibit significantly worse outcomes by age 26 on multiple dimensions (earnings, criminal activity, teen parenthood, mortality); effects are strongest for those who moved at earlier ages.
Determination of internal gamma dose assessment due to natural radioactivity for river sand using a gamma-ray spectrometer
Authors: Kumar Chinnasamy Kuppan Senthil , Chandrasekaran Ananthanarayanan , Gurumoorthy Chandrasekharan , Sathish Vilvanathan 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
River sand is an environmental component that is always used as a building material in India and hence the present study, activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K have been measured in sand samples collected from Ponnai river, Tamil Nadu using a high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometer consisting of high-purity germanium detector. Calculated mean specific activity is 31, 84 and 416 Bq kg−1 for 226Ra, 232Th and 40K, respectively. These results reveal that 226Ra was found to be less than the world average value of 33 Bq kg−1 whereas 232Th and 40K were higher than the global mean value of 30 and 400 Bq kg−1, respectively. In order to assess the internal dose to population a standard index radium equivalent activity (Raeq) is calculated for these samples. Based on the obtained results, it is seen that these sand samples do not pose significant health hazards to the inhabitants of the houses constructed.