bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Plasmodium falciparum infection prevalence among children aged 6–59 months from independent DHS and HIV surveys: Nigeria, 2018
Authors: Oviedo Adan , Abubakar Ado , Uhomoibhi Perpetua , Maire Mark , Inyang Uwem , Audu Bala , Iriemenam Nnaemeka C. , Ogunniyi Abiodun , Ssekitooleko James , Kalambo Jo-Angeline , Greby Stacie M. , Mba Nwando , Swaminathan Mahesh , Ihekweazu Chikwe , Okoye McPaul I. , Rogier Eric , Steinhardt Laura C. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractPrevalence estimates are critical for malaria programming efforts but generating these from non-malaria surveys is not standard practice. Malaria prevalence estimates for 6–59-month-old Nigerian children were compared between two national household surveys performed simultaneously in 2018: a Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and the Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS). DHS tested via microscopy (n = 8298) and HRP2-based rapid diagnostic test (RDT, n = 11,351), and NAIIS collected dried blood spots (DBS) which were later tested for histidine-rich protein 2 (HRP2) antigen (n = 8029). National Plasmodium falciparum prevalence was 22.6% (95% CI 21.2– 24.1%) via microscopy and 36.2% (34.6– 37.8%) via RDT according to DHS, and HRP2 antigenemia was 38.3% (36.7–39.9%) by NAIIS DBS. Between the two surveys, significant rank-order correlation occurred for state-level malaria prevalence for RDT (Rho = 0.80, p < 0.001) and microscopy (Rho = 0.75, p < 0.001) versus HRP2. RDT versus HRP2 positivity showed 24 states (64.9%) with overlapping 95% confidence intervals from the two independent surveys. P. falciparum prevalence estimates among 6–59-month-olds in Nigeria were highly concordant from two simultaneous, independently conducted household surveys, regardless of malaria test utilized. This provides evidence for the value of post-hoc laboratory HRP2 detection to leverage non-malaria surveys with similar sampling designs to obtain accurate P. falciparum estimates.
Development of a treatment for water contaminated with Cr (VI) using cellulose xanthogenate from E. crassipes on a pilot scale
Authors: Sayago Uriel Fernando Carreño , Ballesteros Ballesteros Vladimir 
Published: February 2023

AbstractWater care is an imperative duty in industries with effluents loaded with pollutants such as heavy metals, especially chromium (VI), extremely dangerous for humans and the environment. One way of treating water is possible through a continuous system with dry and crushed vegetable biomass of cellulose xanthogenate because it can adsorb heavy metals, especially due to its low production costs. Through continuous systems and with the waste of PET plastics, it is possible to develop a water treatment process adapting this system and biomass. The objective of this research is the development of a treatment for water contaminated with Cr (VI) using cellulose xanthogenate from E.crassipeson a pilot scale. Where a mass balance conducted to determine the adsorption capacity of this heavy metal, corroborating it through the Thomas model. The treatment process eliminated around 95% of Cr (VI) present in the water, in addition, biomass reuse cycles carried out, which maintained a considerable adsorption capacity in all the cycles conducted through EDTA reagent.
Physical and psychosocial factors associated with sexual satisfaction in long-term cancer survivors 5 and 10 years after diagnosis
Authors: Heyne Svenja , Taubenheim Sabine , Dietz Andreas , Lordick Florian , Götze Heide , Mehnert-Theuerkauf Anja 
Published: February 2023

AbstractOur study provides data on sexual satisfaction among long-term cancer survivors 5 and 10 years after diagnosis, and identifies factors detrimental (e.g. psychosocial and physical symptom burden) or beneficial (e.g. social support) to survivors’ sexual satisfaction. We measured sexual satisfaction among cancer survivors recruited via the local clinical cancer registry across a wide range of tumor sites 5 years (cohort 1) and 10 years (cohort 2) after diagnosis. We further assessed chronic comorbidity index (CCI) and symptom scales (EORTC QLQ-C30), depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7), satisfaction with partnership (PFB), quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30), and social support (OSSS). 924 patients (5‐year cohort = 608/10‐year cohort = 316) participated in the study (53% men, 80% cohabiting, mean age 66 years, range 18–85). We found that nearly half of the respondents perceived their sexual life as less satisfying than before cancer. High sexual satisfaction was associated with a low chronic comorbidities index (r = − 0.27, p < .001), less fatigue (r = − 0.35, p<.001), less nausea/vomiting (r = − 0.13, p<.001) and less pain (r = − 0.23, p<.001), r ; less depression (r = − 0.24, p < .001), less anxiety(r = − 0.23, p < .001); a high level of social support (r = 0.16, p < .001), a high level of satisfaction with their relationship (r = 0.24, p < .001), and high quality of life (r = 0.33, p < .001). Sexual satisfaction may be affected by both psychosocial and physical symptom burden, with the latter having a greater impact on sexual satisfaction. It is essential for health care providers that sexual health issues are understood, evaluated, and treated, including those of long-term cancer survivors.
Integrative pathway and network analysis provide insights on flooding-tolerance genes in soybean
Authors: Jhan Li-Hsin , Yang Chin-Ying , Huang Chih-Min , Lai Mu-Chien , Huang Yen-Hsiang , Baiya Supaporn , Kao Chung-Feng 
Published: February 2023

AbstractSoybean is highly sensitive to flooding and extreme rainfall. The phenotypic variation of flooding tolerance is a complex quantitative trait controlled by many genes and their interaction with environmental factors. We previously constructed a gene-pool relevant to soybean flooding-tolerant responses from integrated multiple omics and non-omics databases, and selected 144 prioritized flooding tolerance genes (FTgenes). In this study, we proposed a comprehensive framework at the systems level, using competitive (hypergeometric test) and self-contained (sum-statistic, sum-square-statistic) pathway-based approaches to identify biologically enriched pathways through evaluating the joint effects of the FTgenes within annotated pathways. These FTgenes were significantly enriched in 36 pathways in the Gene Ontology database. These pathways were related to plant hormones, defense-related, primary metabolic process, and system development pathways, which plays key roles in soybean flooding-induced responses. We further identified nine key FTgenes from important subnetworks extracted from several gene networks of enriched pathways. The nine key FTgenes were significantly expressed in soybean root under flooding stress in a qRT-PCR analysis. We demonstrated that this systems biology framework is promising to uncover important key genes underlying the molecular mechanisms of flooding-tolerant responses in soybean. This result supplied a good foundation for gene function analysis in further work.
Immature and mature bone marrow-derived dendritic cells exhibit distinct intracellular mechanical properties
Authors: Leblanc-Hotte Antoine , Audiger Cindy , Chabot-Roy Geneviève , Lombard-Vadnais Félix , Delisle Jean-Sébastien , Peter Yves-Alain , Lesage Sylvie 
Published: February 2023

AbstractDendritic cells (DCs) patrol the organism at an immature stage to detect the presence of pathogens. Once activated, these mature DCs reach the lymph nodes to activate antigen-specific T lymphocytes and thus initiate an adaptative immune response to control the pathogen. The migration of both immature and mature DCs is a key process for their optimal function. DC migration requires transit through narrow constrictions that is allowed by their high local and global deformation capabilities. In addition to cytoplasmic changes, the nucleus mechanical properties also have a major impact for cellular migration and motility. Yet, nucleus intracellular mobility of dendritic cells or its variation upon maturation have not been investigated. Our study defines the biophysical phenotypic variations of dendritic cells upon maturation using interferometric deformability cytometry. This method characterizes different cellular mechanical properties, such as elongation and nucleus offset, by assessing the refractive index spatial distribution of shear-induced deformed cells. By using these parameters, our data suggest that in vitro bone marrow derived dendritic cell (BMDC) maturation induces cell stiffening and reduces nucleus mobility, allowing to distinguish immature and mature dendritic cells. Overall, our method provides insights on intracellular mechanical properties of two dendritic cell states.
Evaluating the effects of giraffe skin disease and wire snare wounds on the gaits of free-ranging Nubian giraffe
Authors: Bernstein-Kurtycz L. M. , Dunham N. T. , Evenhuis J. , Brown M. B. , Muneza A. B. , Fennessy J. , Dennis P. M. , Lukas K. E. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractGiraffe skin disease (GSD), a condition that results in superficial lesions in certain giraffe (Giraffaspp.) populations, has emerged as a potential conservation threat. Preliminary findings suggested that individuals with GSD lesions move with greater difficulty which may in turn reduce their foraging efficiency or make them more vulnerable to predation. A current known threat to some giraffe populations is their mortality associated with entrapment in wire snares, and the morbidity and potential locomotor deficiencies associated with wounds acquired from snares. The goal of our study was to quantify the locomotor kinematics of free-ranging Nubian giraffe (G. camelopardalis camelopardalis) in Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP), Uganda, and compare spatiotemporal limb and neck angle kinematics of healthy giraffe to those of giraffe with GSD lesions, snare wounds, and both GSD lesions and snare wounds. The presence of GSD lesions did not significantly affect spatiotemporal limb kinematic parameters. This finding is potentially because lesions were located primarily on the necks of Nubian giraffe in MFNP. The kinematic parameters of individuals with snare wounds differed from those of healthy individuals, resulting in significantly shorter stride lengths, reduced speed, lower limb phase values, and increased gait asymmetry. Neck angle kinematic parameters did not differ among giraffe categories, which suggests that GSD neck lesions do not impair normal neck movements and range of motion during walking. Overall, MFNP giraffe locomotor patterns are largely conservative between healthy individuals and those with GSD, while individuals with snare wounds showed more discernible kinematic adjustments consistent with unilateral limb injuries. Additional studies are recommended to assess spatiotemporal limb kinematics of giraffe at sites where lesions are found predominantly on the limbs to better assess the potential significance of GSD on their locomotion.
Lysine 222 in PPAR γ1 functions as the key site of MuRF2-mediated ubiquitination modification
Authors: Fan Yucheng , Xu Fangjing , Wang Rui , He Jun 
Published: February 2023

AbstractPeroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR γ) plays key roles in the development, physiology, reproduction, and homeostasis of organisms. Its expression and activity are regulated by various posttranslational modifications. We previously reported that E3 ubiquitin ligase muscle ring finger protein 2 (MuRF2) inhibits cardiac PPAR γ1 protein level and activity, eventually protects heart from diabetic cardiomyopathy; furthermore, by GST-pulldown assay, we found that MuRF2 modifies PPAR γ1 via poly-ubiquitination and accelerates PPAR γ1 proteasomal degradation. However, the key ubiquitination site on PPAR γ that MuRF2 targets for remains unclear. In the present study, we demonstrate that lysine site 222 is the receptor of MuRF2-mediated PPAR γ1 ubiquitination modification, using prediction of computational models, immunoprecipitation, ubiquitination assays, cycloheximide chasing assay and RT-qPCR. Our findings elucidated the underlying details of MuRF2 prevents heart from diabetic cardiomyopathy through the PPAR γ1 regulatory pathway.
The post-conflict expansion of coca farming and illicit cattle ranching in Colombia
Authors: Murillo-Sandoval Paulo J. , Kilbride John , Tellman Elizabeth , Wrathall David , Van Den Hoek Jamon , Kennedy Robert E. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractIllicit cattle ranching and coca farming have serious negative consequences on the Colombian Amazon’s land systems. The underlying causes of these land activities include historical processes of colonization, armed conflict, and narco-trafficking. We aim to examine how illicit cattle ranching and coca farming are driving forest cover change over the last 34 years (1985–2019). To achieve this aim, we combine two pixel-based approaches to differentiate between coca farming and cattle ranching using hypothetical observed patterns of illicit activities and a deep learning algorithm. We found evidence that cattle ranching, not coca, is the main driver of forest loss outside the legal agricultural frontier. There is evidence of a recent, explosive conversion of forests to cattle ranching outside the agricultural frontier and within protected areas since the negotiation phase of the peace agreement. In contrast, coca is remarkably persistent, suggesting that crop substitution programs have been ineffective at stopping the expansion of coca farming deeper into protected areas. Countering common narratives, we found very little evidence that coca farming precedes cattle ranching. The spatiotemporal dynamics of the expansion of illicit land uses reflect the cumulative outcome of agrarian policies, Colombia’s War on Drugs, and the 2016 peace accord. Our study enables the differentiation of illicit land activities, which can be transferred to other regions where these activities have been documented but poorly distinguished spatiotemporally. We provide an applied framework that could be used elsewhere to disentangle other illicit land uses, track their causes, and develop management options for forested land systems and people who depend on them.
Computational fluid–structure interaction analysis of flapping uvula on aerodynamics and pharyngeal vibration in a pediatric airway
Authors: Chen Yicheng , Feng Xin , Shi Xie-Qi , Cai Weihua , Li Biao , Zhao Yijun 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe uvula flapping is one of the most distinctive features of snoring and is critical in affecting airway aerodynamics and vibrations. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanism of pharyngeal vibration and pressure fluctuation due to uvula flapping employing fluid–structure interaction simulations. The followings are the methodology part: we constructed an anatomically accurate pediatric pharynx model and put attention on the oropharynx region where the greatest level of upper airway compliance was reported to occur. The uvula was assumed to be a rigid body with specific flapping frequencies to guarantee proper boundary conditions with as little complexity as possible. The airway tissue was considered to have a uniform thickness. It was found that the flapping frequency had a more significant effect on the airway vibration than the flapping amplitude, as the flapping uvula influenced the pharyngeal aerodynamics by altering the jet flow from the mouth. Breathing only through the mouth could amplify the effect of flapping uvula on aerodynamic changes and result in more significant oropharynx vibration.
Laboratory protocol is important to improve the correlation between target copies and metabarcoding read numbers of seed DNA in ground beetle regurgitates
Authors: Neidel Veronika , Traugott Michael 
Published: February 2023

AbstractDNA metabarcoding is increasingly important for studying feeding interactions, yet it remains unresolved whether reporting read counts or occurrences is to be preferred. To address this issue for gut content samples, basic experimental data on the relationship between read numbers and initial prey DNA amounts and how both change over digestion time is needed. Using regurgitates of the carabid Pseudoophonus rufipes the digestion of Taraxacum officinale seeds was documented for 128 h post-feeding to determine how the number of (1) seed DNA copies and (2) metabarcoding reads change over digestion time, and (3) how they correlate to each other. Additionally, we tested (4) whether PCR cycle-numbers during library preparation affect this correlation. The number of copies and reads both decreased with digestion time, but variation between samples was high. Read and copy numbers correlated when using a library preparation protocol with 35 cycles (R2 = 42.0%), yet a reduction to 30 cycles might significantly improve this correlation, as indicated by additional PCR testing. Our findings show that protocol optimization is important to reduce technical distortions of read numbers in metabarcoding analysis. However, high inter-sample variation, likely due to variable digestive efficiency of individual consumers, can blur the relationship between the amount of food consumed and metabarcoding read numbers.
Yield, growth development and grain characteristics of seven Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) genotypes grown in open-field production systems under hot-arid climatic conditions
Authors: Oustani Mabrouka , Mehda Smail , Halilat Mohammed Tahar , Chenchouni Haroun 
Published: February 2023

AbstractQuinoa is an important Andean crop that can play a strategic role in the development of degraded lands in hot arid regions due to its high nutritional value, genetic diversity and its high adaptability to stressful environments. The aim of this work was to evaluate the agronomic performance (growth development, grain yield and grain quality characteristics) of seven quinoa genotypes (Giza1, Sajama, Santa Maria, Q102, Q29, Q27 and Q18) cultivated under open field conditions in the Sahara Desert of Algeria. Using randomized complete block design (4 blocks), field trials were conducted during two cropping seasons (2017–2018 and 2018–2019) from November to April. The measured parameters included: plant height, number of panicles per plant, 1000-grain weight (TGW), grain yield (GYd), grain protein content (GPt), grain saponin content (GSC), and maturity indicators. The genotype effect was statistically the main source of variation in most parameters investigated as compared to the effect of cropping year. The Q102 genotype produced the highest GYd (2.87 t/ha) and GPt (16.7 g/100 g DM); and it required medium period (149 days) to reach harvest maturity as compared to other genotypes. The genotype Giza1 showed the lowest GYd and also low values for most of traits measured. However, it had the shortest harvest maturity (139 days) and the lowest GSC (0.62 g/100 g DM). The variety Santa Maria recorded the highest TGW (2.68 g), but it took 164 days to reach harvest maturity and it had high GSC (1.92 g/100 g DM). Though the best yield and grain quality characteristics were not reunited in single genotype, our findings showed that quinoa has multi-benefit potentials as a new crop for the arid agriculture in particular in hot-arid regions of North Africa.
Limitation of convergence-confinement method on three-dimensional tunnelling effect
Authors: Chang Liuming , Alejano Leandro R. , Cui Lan , Sheng Qian , Xie Mingxing 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe convergence-confinement method (CCM) is a simplified widely utilised tool for assessing the interplay between the rock mass behaviour and the support effect, so it is quite helpful for tunnel support design purposes. However, the direct application of this technique has shown some limitations, many of which are directly related to the three-dimensionality issue. Indeed, the CCM tries to solve the three-dimensional (3D) problem of tunnel advance deformation and support response, by means of a series of two-dimensional (2D) plane strain analyses. So, regardless purely elastic cases, certain deviation is observed when comparing CCM and 3D numerical modelling results. The reasons behind this deviation have been studied from different points of views, but they seem to be still not well understood. With the aim of advancing towards a better knowledge of this issue, this paper discusses the limitation of CCM to correctly reflect the 3D tunnelling effect by comparing CCM and 3D numerical deformation, support pressure and liner load results in a typical tunnel case for various geological conditions. The reasons for CCM results in different rock deformation and support pressure in comparing to the 3D numerical modelling are explained. Some guidelines are eventually given recommending when the use of CCM can be acceptable according to the rock mass strength and tunnel depth, and when a more rigorous 3D approach is convenient.
DNA quality evaluation of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded heart tissue for DNA methylation array analysis
Authors: Dupont Mikkel E. , Christiansen Steffan N. , Jacobsen Stine B. , Kampmann Marie-Louise , Olsen Kristine B. , Tfelt-Hansen Jacob , Banner Jytte , Morling Niels , Andersen Jeppe D. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractArchived formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) heart tissue from autopsied individuals represents an important resource for investigating the DNA methylation of heart tissue of deceased individuals. The DNA quality of FFPE tissue from autopsies may be decreased, affecting the DNA methylation measurements. Therefore, inexpensive screening methods for estimating DNA quality are valuable. We investigated the correlation between the DNA quality of archived FFPE heart tissue examined with the Illumina Infinium HD FFPE QC assay (Infinium QC) and Thermo Fisher’s Quantifiler Trio DNA Quantification kit (QuantifilerTrio), respectively, and the amount of usable DNA methylation data as measured by the probe detection rate (probe DR) obtained with the Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC array. We observed a high correlation (r2 = 0.75; p < 10−11) between the QuantifilerTrio degradation index, DI, and the amount of usable DNA methylation data analysed with SeSAMe, whereas a much weaker correlation was observed between the Infinium QC and SeSAMe probe DR (r2 = 0.17; p < 0.05). Based on the results, QuantifilerTrio DI seems to predict the proportion of usable DNA methylation data analysed with the Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC array and SeSAMe by a linear model: SeSAMe probe DR = 0.80–log10(DI) × 0.25.