bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Expression of the 2Duf protein in wild-typeBacillus subtilisspores stabilizes inner membrane proteins and increases spore resistance to wet heat and hydrogen peroxide
Authors: Korza George , DePratti Sarah , Fairchild Daniel , Wicander James , Kanaan Julia , Shames Hannah , Nichols Frank C , Cowan Ann , Brul Stanley , Setlow Peter 
Published: February 2023

AbstractAimsThis work aimed to characterize spore inner membrane (IM) properties and the mechanism of spore killing by wet heat and H2O2 with spores overexpressing the 2Duf protein, which is naturally encoded from a transposon found only in some Bacillus strains with much higher spore resistance than wild-type spores.Methods and ResultsKilling of Bacillus subtilis spores by wet heat or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was slower when 2Duf was present, and Ca-dipicolinic acid release was slower than killing. Viabilities on rich plates of wet heat- or H2O2 -treated spores +/- 2Duf were lower when NaCl was added, but higher with glucose. Addition of glucose but not Casamino acids addition increased treated spores’ viability on minimal medium plates. Spores with 2Duf required higher heat activation for germination, and their germination was more wet-heat resistant than that of wild-type spores, processes that involve IM proteins. IM permeability and lipid mobility were lower in spores with 2Duf, although IM phospholipid composition was similar in spores +/- 2Duf.ConclusionsThese results and previous work suggests that wet heat and H2O2 kill spores by damaging an IM enzyme or enzymes involved in oxidative phosphorylation.
Pipkin Type I and II femoral head fractures: internal fixation or excision?—from the hip arthroscopy perspective
Authors: Chen Chung-Yang , Hsu Shan-Ling , Hsu Chi-Hsiang , Liu Hao-Chen , Lu Yu-Der 
Published: February 2023

ABSTRACT
The treatment of patients with femoral head fractures with regard to fixation versus excision is controversial. This study aimed to compare the results of fixation and excision in hip arthroscopy–assisted surgery. This retrospective study included adult patients with femoral head fractures who were treated with hip arthroscopy surgery from March 2016 to April 2020, with a minimum follow-up of 24 months. The patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 (fixation group) and Group 2 (excision group). To compare the therapeutic effects between the two groups, clinical and radiographic outcomes, operative time, pain score, length of hospital stay after surgery and related complications were investigated. There were 13 (mean duration, 47.5 months; range, 24–72 months) and 8 (mean duration, 48.6 months; range, 26–74 months) patients in the fixation and excision groups, respectively. The excision group had better functional results than the fixation group in terms of the median modified Harris hip score (P = 0.009). No significant differences were observed in operative time, pain score or hospital stay after surgery between the two groups. Further, no osteonecrosis of the femoral head or traumatic arthritis occurred in either group. A piece of fracture fragment &gt;2 cm can be considered for hip arthroscopy–assisted internal fixation, whereas the others can be removed. The excision group had better outcomes than the fixation group. Hence, hip arthroscopy–assisted internal fixation or excision of bony fragments led to satisfactory short-term clinical and radiological results for the treatment of Pipkin Type I and II femoral head fractures.
Ectopic kidney injury due to blunt abdominal trauma
Authors: Karapepera Vaia , Kofina Konstantinia , Papatheodorou Nikolaos , Effraimidou Eleni , Karanikas Michael 
Published: February 2023

AbstractEctopic kidney is a relatively uncommon anatomic variation that is usually detected incidentally in patients undergoing imaging for an unrelated reason. Most cases are asymptomatic and are often revealed by a complication; however, ectopic kidney is generally associated with higher risk of traumatic injury, urinary tract infection, renal calculi and other urologic conditions. We report the case of a 65-year-old male patient with a post-traumatic renal laceration on a previously undiagnosed ectopic pelvic kidney, with successful conservative treatment.
Conjugate Modeling Approaches for Small Area Estimation with Heteroscedastic Structure
Authors: Parker Paul A , Holan Scott H , Janicki Ryan 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Small area estimation (SAE) has become an important tool in official statistics, used to construct estimates of population quantities for domains with small sample sizes. Typical area-level models function as a type of heteroscedastic regression, where the variance for each domain is assumed to be known and plugged in following a design-based estimate. Recent work has considered hierarchical models for the variance, where the design-based estimates are used as an additional data point to model the latent true variance in each domain. These hierarchical models may incorporate covariate information but can be difficult to sample from in high-dimensional settings. Utilizing recent distribution theory, we explore a class of Bayesian hierarchical models for SAE that smooth both the design-based estimate of the mean and the variance. In addition, we develop a class of unit-level models for heteroscedastic Gaussian response data. Importantly, we incorporate both covariate information as well as spatial dependence, while retaining a conjugate model structure that allows for efficient sampling. We illustrate our methodology through an empirical simulation study as well as an application using data from the American Community Survey.
Fabrication of a novel polyurethane foam–alginate–zeolite hydrogel and subsequent KSND bacteria encapsulation: evidence of accelerated biofilm colonization and enhanced nitrogen removal efficiency
Authors: Xiong Qinyi , Qu Jin , Zhao Ruojin , Chen Yinyan , Li Yiyi , Xu Weiping , Pan Biwen , Jin Peng , Zheng Zhanwang 
Published: February 2023

AbstractBiofilms are used widely to remove nitrogen from wastewater; however, most biofilm carriers (i.e. polyurethane foam, PUF) are hydrophobic organic materials with millimetre-scale apertures, ineffective attachment, and unstable colonization of microorganisms. To address these limitations, hydrophilic sodium alginate (SA) mixed with zeolite powder (Zeo) was cross-linked in PUF to form a micro-scale hydrogel (PAS) with a well-organized and reticular cellular structure. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that immobilized cells were entrapped in the interior of hydrogel filaments and rapidly formed a stable biofilm on the surface. The biofilm generated was 10.3-fold greater than the film developed on PUF. Kinetics and isotherm studies revealed that the as-developed carrier, because of the presence of Zeo, effectively improved the adsorption of NH4+–N by 53%. The PAS carrier achieved total nitrogen removal in excess of 86% for low carbon-to-nitrogen ratio wastewater treated for 30 d, indicating that this novel modification–encapsulation technology has potential for wastewater treatment.
Impacts of Austerity on Urogenital Infection Rates in Active Duty Servicewomen
Authors: Kostas-Polston Elizabeth A , Terehoff Christina B , Nash Lauren N , Brown Angelyn M , Delabastide Zach A , Andersen Elisabeth W , Brown William J , Stucky Christopher H , Norcross Kristi R , Smith Heather Nickole , Randall NaTasha R 
Published: February 2023

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Female warfighters are at increased risk of urogenital infections (UGIs) when serving in austere environments with varying levels of access to water, sanitation, and hygiene resources. Urogenital infections among servicewomen were among the top five reported medical encounters and one of the top seven reasons for medical evacuation from deployed locations between 2008 and 2013. In this study, we examine the use of water and sanitation resources across three environments (home duty station, field training, and deployment) and analyze associations between water, sanitation, and hygiene resource access and UGIs during training or deployment. The analyses are based on answers from 751 diverse active duty servicewomen (ADSW) at a large military installation in the southeastern USA.

Materials and Methods
Data for this population-based, prospective, cross-sectional survey design were collected during the administration of the Military Women’s Readiness Urogenital Health Questionnaire. This research study was guided by two specific research questions derived from self-reported data in sections 2 and 3 of the questionnaire.

Results
The sample consisted of an extremely diverse pool of U.S. Army ADSW attached to highly operational units with robust field training and deployment tempos. Over one-half of the participants reported being diagnosed with one or more UGIs before military service. Of that participant group, more than 76.0% experienced one or more infections since joining the military. We found that the majority of UGIs occurred while U.S. Army ADSW were at their home duty stations rather than during field training or deployment. Of the three types of UGIs, bacterial vaginosis is more often associated with water and sanitation constraints. None of the water factors were significantly associated with UGIs during deployment. Intentional dehydration was not associated with UGIs in either field training or deployment, but intentionally delaying urination was associated with a significant increase in the odds of developing urinary tract infection during deployment. We identified trends in hygiene practices that may put ADSW at a higher risk for UGIs.

Conclusions
Austere conditions, which may exist in any service environment, pose risks to the urogenital health and wellness of a female warfighter. Access to clean water and sanitation resources in military settings is essential for optimal health and operational readiness. It is necessary to identify and investigate critical research and policy gaps in need of investment and support for successful, evidence-based integration of female warfighters into military combat roles and to optimize their performance.
Kpc-scale properties of dust temperature in terms of dust mass and star formation activity
Authors: Chiang I-Da , Hirashita Hiroyuki , Chastenet Jérémy , Koch Eric W , Leroy Adam K , Rosolowsky Erik , Sandstrom Karin M , Sardone Amy , Sun Jiayi , Williams Thomas G 
Published: February 2023

ABSTRACT
We investigate how dust temperature is affected by local environmental quantities, especially dust surface density (Σdust), dust-to-gas ratio (D/G), and interstellar radiation field. We compile multiwavelength observations in 46 nearby galaxies, uniformly processed with a common physical resolution of 2 kpc. A physical dust model is used to fit the infrared dust emission spectral energy distribution (SED) observed with WISE and Herschel. The star formation rate (SFR) is traced with GALEX ultraviolet data corrected by WISE infrared. We find that the dust temperature correlates well with the SFR surface density (ΣSFR), which traces the radiation from young stars. The dust temperature decreases with increasing D/G at fixed ΣSFR, as expected from stronger dust shielding at high D/G, when ΣSFR is higher than $\sim 2\times 10^{-3}~\rm M_\odot ~yr^{-1}~kpc^{-2}$. These measurements are in good agreement with the dust temperature predicted by our proposed analytical model. Below this range of ΣSFR, the observed dust temperature is higher than the model prediction and is only weakly dependent on D/G, possibly due to dust heating from an old stellar population or the variation of SFR within the past 1010 yr. Overall, the dust temperature as a function of ΣSFR and Σdust predicted by our analytical model is consistent with observations. We also notice that, at fixed gas surface density, ΣSFR tends to increase with D/G, i.e. we can modify the Kennicutt–Schmidt law empirically with a dependence on D/G to match observations better.
The pride of lions around Messier 105
Authors: Karachentsev Igor D , Kaisina Elena I , Karachentseva Valentina E 
Published: February 2023

ABSTRACTWe undertook a search for new dwarf galaxies in the Leo-I group using the data from the DECaLS digital sky survey. Five new presumed members of this group have been found in a wide vicinity of ${\rm M}\, 105 ({\rm NGC}\, 3379$). Currently, the group has a population of 83 galaxies, 33 of which have measured radial velocities. More than half of the group members belong to early types with no signs of ongoing star formation. About a quarter of the galaxies are outside the group’s virial radius, R= 385 kpc. The presence of multiple systems with a size of about 15 kpc is evident in the group, but there are no noticeable global flat or filamentary substructures. The luminosity function of the group looks to be deficient in galaxies with absolute magnitudes in the interval MB = [−18, −15] mag. The ${\rm M}\, 105$ group is characterized by a radial velocity dispersion of 136 km s−1, orbital mass estimate (5.76 ± 1.32) × 1012 M⊙, and the total mass-to-K-band-luminosity ratio (17.8 ± 4.1)M⊙/L⊙. The neighbouring group of galaxies around ${\rm M}\, 66 ({\rm NGC}\, 3627$) has a similar virial radius, 390 kpc, velocity dispersion, 135 km s−1, and total mass-to-luminosity ratio, (15.6 ± 3.9)M⊙/L⊙. Both groups in the Leo constellation are approaching the Local Group with a velocity of about 100 km s−1. In the background of the ${\rm M}\, 105$ group, we noted a group of 6 galaxies with an unusually low virial mass-to-luminosity ratio, MT/LK = (4.1 ± 2.2) M⊙/L⊙.
Improving circumbinary planet detections by fitting their binary’s apsidal precession
Authors: Baycroft Thomas A , Triaud Amaury H M J , Faria João , Correia Alexandre C M , Standing Matthew R 
Published: February 2023

ABSTRACT
Apsidal precession in stellar binaries is the main non-Keplerian dynamical effect impacting the radial-velocities of a binary star system. Its presence can notably hide the presence of orbiting circumbinary planets because many fitting algorithms assume perfectly Keplerian motion. To first order, apsidal precession ($\dot{\omega }$) can be accounted for by adding a linear term to the usual Keplerian model. We include apsidal precession in the kima package, an orbital fitter designed to detect and characterize planets from radial velocity data. In this paper, we detail this and other additions to kima that improve fitting for stellar binaries and circumbinary planets including corrections from general relativity. We then demonstrate that fitting for $\dot{\omega }$ can improve the detection sensitivity to circumbinary exoplanets by up to an order of magnitude in some circumstances, particularly in the case of multiplanetary systems. In addition, we apply the algorithm to several real systems, producing a new measurement of aspidal precession in KOI-126 (a tight triple system), and a detection of $\dot{\omega }$ in the Kepler-16 circumbinary system. Although apsidal precession is detected for Kepler-16, it does not have a large effect on the detection limit or the planetary parameters. We also derive an expression for the precession an outer planet would induce on the inner binary and compare the value this predicts with the one we detect.
Probing LHAASO galactic PeVatrons through gamma-ray and neutrino correspondence
Authors: Sarmah Prantik , Chakraborty Sovan , Joshi Jagdish C 
Published: February 2023

ABSTRACT
Recently, Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) has detected several Galactic point sources of ultra high energy (UHE; Eγ &gt; 100 TeV) gamma-rays. These gamma-rays are possibly created in leptonic or hadronic interactions of cosmic rays (CRs) of PeV energies. In the hadronic channel (p − p interaction), the gamma-rays are accompanied by neutrinos. The detection of neutrinos is therefore crucial in understanding CR acceleration in such objects. To estimate the neutrino flux, we adopt the two LHAASO sources (J2226+6057, J1908+0621) found to be spatially associated with the supernova remnants (SNR G106.3+2.7, SNR G40.5–0.5). For these two sources, the detected TeV-PeV gamma-ray spectra are found to be unusually hard (with spectral index ∼1.8). We develop a model of gamma-ray and neutrino emission based on the above two prototypes. The neutrino fluxes from these two sources are found to be below the IceCube sensitivity, but are detectable in upcoming IceCube-Gen2 and KM3NeT experiments. We further estimate the neutrino fluxes from similar other 10 LHAASO PeVatron sources and most of them are found to be detectable in IceCube-Gen2 and KM3NeT. Finally, we explore our model parameters, in particular the spectral power-law index and estimate the future potential of the neutrino detectors to probe CR acceleration in such Galactic sources.
Photometric follow-up of 43 new eclipsing white dwarf plus main-sequence binaries from the ZTF survey
Authors: Brown Alex J , Parsons Steven G , van Roestel Jan , Rebassa-Mansergas Alberto , Breedt Elmé , Dhillon Vik S , Dyer Martin J , Green Matthew J , Kerry Paul , Littlefair Stuart P , Marsh Thomas R , Munday James , Pelisoli Ingrid , Sahman David I , Wild James F 
Published: February 2023

ABSTRACTWide-field time-domain photometric sky surveys are now finding hundreds of eclipsing white dwarf plus M dwarf binaries, a population encompassing a wealth of information and potential insight into white dwarf and close binary astrophysics. Precise follow-up observations are essential in order to fully constrain these systems and capitalize on the power of this sample. We present the first results from our programme of high-speed multiband photometric follow-up. We develop a method to measure temperatures, (model-dependent) masses, and radii for both components from the eclipse photometry alone and characterize 34 white dwarf binaries, finding general agreement with independent estimates using an alternative approach while achieving around a factor of 2 increase in parameter precision. In addition to these parameter estimates, we discover a number of interesting systems – finding four with sub-stellar secondaries, doubling the number of eclipsing examples, and at least six, where we find the white dwarf to be strongly magnetic, making these the first eclipsing examples of such systems and key to investigating the mechanism of magnetic field generation in white dwarfs. We also discover the first two pulsating white dwarfs in detached and eclipsing post-common-envelope binaries – one with a low-mass, likely helium core, and one with a relatively high mass, towards the upper end of the known sample of ZZ Cetis. Our results demonstrate the power of eclipse photometry, not only as a method of characterizing the population, but as a way of discovering important systems that would have otherwise been missed by spectroscopic follow-up.
Toxicity and assimilation of cellulosic copper nanoparticles require α-arrestins in S. cerevisiae
Authors: Nurmalasari Ni Putu Dewi , Winans Matthew J , Perroz Katelyn , Bovard Victoria R , Anderson Robert , Smith Steve , Gallagher Jennifer E G 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
The increased use of antimicrobial compounds such as copper into nanoparticles changes how living cells interact with these novel materials. The increased use of antimicrobial nanomaterials combats infectious disease and food spoilage. Fungal infections are particularly difficult to treat because of the few druggable targets, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae provides an insightful model organism to test these new materials. However, because of the novel characteristics of these materials, it is unclear how these materials interact with living cells and if resistance to copper-based nanomaterials could occur. Copper nanoparticles built on carboxymethylcellulose microfibril strands with copper (CMC-Cu) are a promising nanomaterial when imported into yeast cells and induce cell death. The α-arrestins are cargo adaptors that select which molecules are imported into eukaryotic cells. We screened α-arrestins mutants and identified Aly2, Rim8, and Rog3 α-arrestins, which are necessary for the internalization of CMC-Cu nanoparticles. Internal reactive oxygen species in these mutants were lower and corresponded to the increased viability in the presence of CMC-Cu. Using lattice light-sheet microscopy on live cells, we determined that CMC-Cu were imported into yeast within 30 min of exposure. Initially, the cytoplasmic pH decreased but returned to basal level 90 min later. However, there was heterogeneity in response to CMC-Cu exposure, which could be due to the heterogeneity of the particles or differences in the metabolic states within the population. When yeast were exposed to sublethal concentrations of CMC-Cu no resistance occurred. Internalization of CMC-Cu increases the potency of these antimicrobial nanomaterials and is likely key to preventing fungi from evolving resistance.
Red light-emitting short Mango-based system enables tracking a mycobacterial small noncoding RNA in infected macrophages
Authors: Bychenko Oksana S , Khrulev Alexei A , Svetlova Julia I , Tsvetkov Vladimir B , Kamzeeva Polina N , Skvortsova Yulia V , Tupertsev Boris S , Ivanov Igor A , Aseev Leonid V , Khodarovich Yuriy M , Belyaev Evgeny S , Kozlovskaya Liubov I , Zatsepin Timofei S , Azhikina Tatyana L , Varizhuk Anna M , Aralov Andrey V 
Published: February 2023

AbstractProgress in RNA metabolism and function studies relies largely on molecular imaging systems, including those comprising a fluorogenic dye and an aptamer-based fluorescence-activating tag. G4 aptamers of the Mango family, typically combined with a duplex/hairpin scaffold, activate the fluorescence of a green light-emitting dye TO1-biotin and hold great promise for intracellular RNA tracking. Here, we report a new Mango-based imaging platform. Its key advantages are the tunability of spectral properties and applicability for visualization of small RNA molecules that require minimal tag size. The former advantage is due to an expanded (green-to-red-emitting) palette of TO1-inspired fluorogenic dyes, and the truncated duplex scaffold ensures the latter. To illustrate the applicability of the improved platform, we tagged Mycobacterium tuberculosis sncRNA with the shortened aptamer-scaffold tag. Then, we visualized it in bacteria and bacteria-infected macrophages using the new red light-emitting Mango-activated dye.
Crystal structures of the NAD+-II riboswitch reveal two distinct ligand-binding pockets
Authors: Peng Xuemei , Liao Wenjian , Lin Xiaowei , Lilley David M J , Huang Lin 
Published: February 2023

AbstractWe present crystal structures of a new NAD+-binding riboswitch termed NAD+-II, bound to nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and nicotinamide riboside (NR). The RNA structure comprises a number of structural features including three helices, one of which forms a triple helix by interacting with an A5 strand in its minor-groove, and another formed from a long-range pseudoknot. The core of the structure (centrally located and coaxial with the triplex and the pseudoknot) includes two consecutive quadruple base interactions. Unusually the riboswitch binds two molecules of ligand, bound at distinct, non-overlapping sites in the RNA. Binding occurs primarily through the nicotinamide moiety of each ligand, held by specific hydrogen bonding and stacking interactions with the pyridyl ring. The mode of binding is the same for NMN, NR and the nicotinamide moiety of NAD+. In addition, when NAD+ is bound into one site it adopts an elongated conformation such that its diphosphate linker occupies a groove on the surface of the RNA, following which the adenine portion inserts into a pocket and makes specific hydrogen bonding interactions. Thus the NAD+-II riboswitch is distinct from the NAD+-I riboswitch in that it binds two molecules of ligand at separate sites, and that binding occurs principally through the nicotinamide moiety.