bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Strong seasonal differences of bacterial polysaccharide utilization in the North Sea over an annual cycle
Authors: Giljan Greta , Arnosti Carol , Kirstein Inga V. , Amann Rudolf , Fuchs Bernhard M. 
Published: April 2022

SummaryMarine heterotrophic bacteria contribute considerably to global carbon cycling, in part by utilizing phytoplankton‐derived polysaccharides. The patterns and rates of two different polysaccharide utilization modes – extracellular hydrolysis and selfish uptake – have previously been found to change during spring phytoplankton bloom events. Here we investigated seasonal changes in bacterial utilization of three polysaccharides, laminarin, xylan and chondroitin sulfate. Strong seasonal differences were apparent in mode and speed of polysaccharide utilization, as well as in bacterial community compositions. Compared to the winter month of February, during the spring bloom in May, polysaccharide utilization was detected earlier in the incubations and a higher portion of all bacteria took up laminarin selfishly. Highest polysaccharide utilization was measured in June and September, mediated by bacterial communities that were significantly different from spring assemblages. Extensive selfish laminarin uptake, for example, was detectible within a few hours in June, while extracellular hydrolysis of chondroitin was dominant in September. In addition to the well‐known Bacteroidota and Gammaproteobacteria clades, the numerically minor verrucomicrobial clade Pedosphaeraceae could be identified as a rapid laminarin utilizer. In summary, polysaccharide utilization proved highly variable over the seasons, both in mode and speed, and also by the bacterial clades involved.
Transcriptomic profile of longissimus thoracis associated with fatty acid content in Nellore beef cattle
Authors: Schettini Gustavo Pimenta , Peripolli Elisa , Alexandre Pâmela Almeida , dos Santos Wellington Bizarria , da Silva Neto João Barbosa , Pereira Angélica Simone Cravo , de Albuquerque Lúcia Galvão , Curi Rogério Abdallah , Baldi Fernando 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThe beef fatty acid (FA) profile has the potential to impact human health, and displays polygenic and complex features. This study aimed to identify the transcriptomic FA profile in the longissimus thoracis muscle in Nellore beef cattle finished in feedlot. Forty‐four young bulls were sampled to assess the beef FA profile by considering 14 phenotypes and including differentially expressed genes (DEG), co‐expressed (COE), and differentially co‐expressed genes (DCO) analyses. All samples (n = 44) were used for COE analysis, whereas 30 samples with extreme phenotypes for the beef FA profile were used for DEG and DCO. A total of 912 DEG were identified, and the polyunsaturated (n = 563) and unsaturated ω‐3 (n = 346) FA sums groups were the most frequently observed. The COE analyses identified three modules, of which the blue module (n = 1776) was correlated with eight of 14 FA phenotypes. Also, 759 DCO genes were listed, and the oleic acid (n = 358) and monounsaturated fatty acids sum (n = 120) were the most frequent. Furthermore, 243 and 13, 319 and seven, and 173 and 12 gene ontology terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways were enriched respectively for the DEG, COE, and DCO analyses. Combining the results, we highlight the unexplored GIPC2, ASB5, and PPP5C genes in cattle. Besides LIPE and INSIG2 genes in COE modules, the ACSL3, ECI1, DECR2, FITM1, and SDHB genes were signaled in at least two analyses. These findings contribute to understand the genetic mechanisms underlying the beef FA profile in Nellore beef cattle finished in feedlot.
Alcohol use and alcohol‐related consequences based on gender and sexual orientation among college students
Authors: Schipani‐McLaughlin Anne Marie , Nielsen Karen E. , Mosley Elizabeth A. , Leone Ruschelle M. , Oesterle Daniel W. , Orchowski Lindsay M. , Davis Kelly C. , Gilmore Amanda K. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesResearch has not yet investigated how the association between alcohol and alcohol‐related consequences differs across cisgender heterosexual women (CHW), cisgender heterosexual men (CHM), and sexual and gender minority (SGM) college students.MethodsParticipants were N = 754 college students (34.5% CHW [n = 260]; 34.5% CHM [n = 260]; 31.0% SGM [n = 234]) between the ages 18 and 25 who completed a survey on sexual orientation, gender identity, alcohol use (i.e., average drinks per week), and alcohol‐related consequences.ResultsAmong individuals who reported alcohol use, CHM reported significantly more drinks per week compared to CHW and SGM. The logistic model of a zero‐inflated negative binomial regression indicated that excess zeros in the alcohol‐related consequences were more likely among (1) nondrinkers and (2) SGM compared to CHM. The count portion of the model indicated that, among drinkers, there was a positive association between drinks per week and alcohol‐related consequences. Estimated alcohol‐related consequences per drink were 1.90% higher among CHW than CHM and 2.76% higher among SGM than CHM. Exploratory analyses did not find significant differences in outcomes between cisgender female and male sexual minority students.Discussion and ConclusionFindings suggest that although CHW and SGM students consume less alcohol than CHM, these students experience more alcohol‐related consequences per drink.Scientific SignificanceThis study advances the field's knowledge of alcohol use patterns and consequences among SGM college students. There is a need for alcohol education programming that is tailored to the unique experiences, identities, and minority stressors of SGM college students.
The Montreal cognitive assessment as a cognitive screening tool in sickle cell disease: Associations with clinically significant cognitive domains
Authors: Early Macy L. , Linton Elizabeth , Bosch Allison , Campbell Timothy , Hill‐Briggs Felicia , Pecker Lydia H. , Lance Eboni I. , Lanzkron Sophie 
Published: April 2022

SummaryAdults with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at risk for cognitive impairment, which causes significant morbidity. Guidelines support routine cognitive screening, but no screening test is validated in this population. We explored the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) as a possible screening test in SCD. We administered the MoCA; a literacy test, the Wide Range Achievement Test, fourth edition (WRAT‐4); and a health literacy test, the Shortened Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (S‐TOFHLA) to adults with SCD and gathered clinical variables through chart review. Spearman's rho, Mann–Whitney, and Kruskal–Wallis tests and quantile regression models were used. Among our sample of 49 adults with SCD, the median MoCA score was 25.0 [interquartile range (IQR) 22.0–28.0]. Higher educational attainment was associated with MoCA scores (p = 0.001). In multivariable models, MoCA scores were associated with S‐TOFHLA (p = 0.001) and WRAT‐4 Reading (p = 0.002) scores, and overt stroke (p = 0.03) at the median. This pilot study adds to the limited literature of cognitive screening tests in adults with SCD and demonstrates a relationship between MoCA scores and measures of literacy and health literacy. The MoCA is a promising option for briefly screening for cognitive impairment in adults with SCD, though further study is needed to confirm its validity.
Environmental controls of billfish species in the Indian Ocean and implications for their management and conservation
Authors: Thoya Pascal , Kadagi Nelly Isigi , Wambiji Nina , Williams Samuel Mackey , Pepperell Julian , Möllmann Christian , Schiele Kerstin Silke , Maina Joseph 
Published: April 2022

AbstractBackground and aimBillfish are epipelagic marine predators facing increasing pressures such as overfishing and rising global temperatures. Overfishing is a major concern, as they are caught by industrial longline fishers targeting tuna. Billfish are targeted by multiple fishing sectors, which provides food, socio‐economic and cultural benefits. To support effective billfish management and conservation, it is essential to understand their spatial distribution and the environmental factors that may influence it.LocationThe focus of this study is the Indian Ocean (IO), where there are gaps in understanding the interactions between fisheries and billfish distribution. Three of six billfish species are at risk from overfishing. Therefore, determining their distribution is crucial to their management and conservation.MethodsUsing Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) occurrence data, Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) catch data, and environmental covariates, we applied species distribution models to investigate the spatial extent of the realized niches of six billfish species in the IO. We also determined the role and relative importance of environmental drivers. Moreover, we evaluated the association between species’ spatial distribution and the fishing effort distribution.ResultsWe found niche partitioning and overlap among the six species identified spatial distribution, with higher species richness in the northern region of the IO and off the East coast of Africa. Temperature, mixed layer depth and salinity were identified as the most important predictors of species distribution, with moderately warm and stable environments preferred by most billfish species. Areas with high species richness and high fishing effort overlap were primarily found in the Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ). In contrast, areas with high species diversity richness and low fishing effort were found mainly in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).Main conclusionSpatial overlap between fishing effort and billfish projected distribution suggests inadvertent fishing pressure on billfish populations as they are caught together with targeted tuna. Spatial distribution transcends maritime zones, reinforcing a need to formulate effective management policies for marine areas beyond national jurisdictions.
Artificial intelligence‐based measurement outperforms current methods for colorectal polyp size measurement
Authors: Kwak Min Seob , Cha Jae Myung , Jeon Jung Won , Yoon Jin Young , Park Jong Wook 
Published: April 2022

ObjectivesAn accurate polyp size estimation during colonoscopy is crucial to determine the surveillance interval and predict the risk of malignant progression. However, there is a high degree of subjectivity in estimating polyp size among endoscopists in clinical practice. We aimed to assess the efficacy of a novel method that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to measure the size of colon polyps and compare it with current approaches.MethodsUsing the W‐Net model for vessel segmentation and based on retinal image datasets (DRIVE, STARE, CHASE‐DB, and HRF) and colonoscopy images, we developed the bifurcation‐to‐bifurcation (BtoB) distance measuring method and applied it to endoscopic images. Measurements were compared with those obtained by eight endoscopists (four expert and four trainees). Diagnostic ability and reliability were evaluated using Lin's concordance correlation coefficients (CCCs) and Bland–Altman analyses.ResultsFor both experts and trainees, visually estimated sizes of the same polyp were significantly inconsistent depending on the camera view used (P < 0.001). Bland–Altman analyses showed that there was a trend toward underestimation of the sizes of the polyps in both groups, especially for polyps larger than 10 mm. The new technique was highly accurate and reliable in measuring the size of colon polyp (CCC, 0.961; confidence interval 0.926–0.979), clearly outperforming the visual estimation and open biopsy forceps methods.ConclusionThe new AI measurement method improved the accuracy and reliability of polyp size measurements in colonoscopy images. Incorporating AI might be particularly important to improve the efficiency of trainees at estimating polyp size during colonoscopy.
Distance higher education and regional equality in China
Authors: Li Fengliang , Wu Feiyu , Wang Zhilin 
Published: April 2022

AbstractDistance higher education plays a critical role in the promotion of regional equality in China by contributing to the availability of higher education. However, unbalanced regional development of distance higher education can lead to a widening of educational inequity. The study on which this article reports sheds light on the issue of unbalanced regional development of distance higher education in China, using provincial data that spans from 2008 to 2018. A dual‐index method with Gini coefficient and Theil index was employed to measure regional inequality of distance higher education in China. The findings show that tertiary correspondence education and tertiary radio and television education represent a comparatively small percentage of the regional inequality in distance higher education. Online tertiary education contributes to a greater extent to regional inequality in distance higher education. Intra‐regional inequality constituted a large percentage of the total inequality. Also, intra‐regional inequality in tertiary correspondence education has increased in western, and central China from 2008 to 2018. Inequality in tertiary radio and television education has also increased in central China from 2008 to 2016. Intra‐regional inequality in online tertiary education was marked in all three regions, while inter‐regional inequality in online tertiary education decreased from 2008 to 2018.
A case of post‐Soviet dissidence: Georgia's free doctorate
Authors: Bregvadze Tamar , Medjad Karim 
Published: April 2022

AbstractAfter the collapse of the Soviet Union, the universities of the former Soviet states faced a lack of public funding that left them with tuition fees as their main—and sometimes only—source of revenue. In a context where universities were exclusively focused on their economic survival, the decision of Ilia State University (ISU) to introduce in 2008 a tuition‐free doctoral programme in Georgia was thus a striking exception. This free PhD programme still exists and more than a decade later, its rationale and hence, the question of whether its objectives have been achieved, remain controversial. The purpose of this article is to clarify these two aspects, using the perspective of stakeholders as primary data. Our findings challenge the dominant consensus on free higher education, in the sense that they show that the motives behind tuition‐free programmes may be more diverse and ambiguous than what the literature suggests. Therefore, they also question the relevance of a standard analytical framework to assess the performance of such programmes. Thus, although local and limited in scope, our study offers directions from various disciplinary perspectives for further analyses of the drivers and results of free education.
Unsaturated soil shear strength of agricultural soils influenced by reclamation sequences in coastal China
Authors: Hongde Wang , Dongli She , Yipeng Zheng , Donghao Ma 
Published: April 2022

AbstractAgricultural activities have raised increasing concern regarding their effects on soil properties and shear strength, which are related to root growth, crop yield and engineering stability. We collected undisturbed soil samples (0‐15 cm) from a No‐Reclaimed (NR) system, a Short‐term Reclaimed (SR) system for less than 7 years, and a Long‐term Reclaimed (LR) system for more than 30 years, in coastal reclamation areas. Direct shear tests were performed and soil water characteristic curves (SWCC) were developed for undisturbed soil samples at 96 soil sampling sites across five transects. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to quantify tillage effects on soil properties and unsaturated shear strength including effective cohesion (c'), effective friction angle (φ'), and friction angle related with matric suction (φb). The LR system had significantly increased percentage clay and silt, organic matter (OM), microaggregates, gravity mean diameter (GMD) and effective cohesion (c'), but significantly decreased percentage sand, cation content and electricity conductivity (EC1:5). The SR system had increased OM and GMD compared to the NR system. c' and φb were significantly positively correlated with bulk density (ρb), clay, silt, OM and GMD. The correlations between the internal friction angle and these properties were opposite to those of cohesion. Two principal components (PC1 and PC2) explained the majority of the soil variables. PC1 had a strong relationship with clay, silt, OM, c' and sand, while PC2 had a strong relationship with EC1:5, SAR, GMD and ρb. Thus, PC1 can be regarded as an indicator of soil texture; similarly, PC2 was able to represent soil salinity properties and structure. Confidence ellipses significantly separated the differences in soil between different reclaimed systems. The use of principal components (PCs) in the linear regression reduced the variables and estimated c' and φ' accurately. This study increases the current understanding of the relationship between soil properties and shear strength under different tillage systems, and assesses the efficacy of soil property evaluation after reclamation in coastal areas.Highlights
Effect of reclamation on soil properties and unsaturated shear strength was investigated.
Long‐term reclamation increased unsaturated shear strength significantly.
Soil properties are well explained by principal components (PC1 and PC2).
Principal component regression is recommended for predicting unsaturated soil shear strength.
Polygenic risk of Alzheimer's disease in the Faroe Islands
Authors: Johansen Malan , Joensen Sofus , Restorff Marjun , Stórá Tórmóður , Christy Darren , Gustavsson Emil K. , Bian Jiang , Guo Yi , Farrer Matthew J. , Petersen Maria Skaalum 
Published: April 2022

AbstractBackground and purposeThe Faroe Islands are a geographically isolated population in the North Atlantic with a similar prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and all‐cause dementia as other European populations. However, the genetic risk underlying AD and other dementia susceptibility has yet to be elucidated.MethodsForty‐nine single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped in 174 patients with AD and other dementias and 159 healthy controls. Single variant and polygenic risk score (PRS) associations, with/without APOE variability, were assessed by logistic regression. Performance was examined using receiver operating characteristic area under the curve (ROC AUC) analysis.ResultsAPOErs429358 was associated with AD in the Faroese cohort after correction for multiple testing (odds ratio [OR] 6.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.98–10.05, p = 6.31e−15), with suggestive evidence for three other variants: NECTIN2 rs41289512 (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.20–3.51, p = 0.01), HLA‐DRB1 rs6931277 (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.48–0.94, p = 0.02) and APOE rs7412 [ε2] (OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.11–0.73, p = 0.01). PRSs were associated with AD with or without the inclusion of APOE (PRS+APOE OR = 4.5, 95% CI 2.90–5.85, p = 4.56e−15, and PRS−APOE OR = 1.53, 95% CI 1.21–1.98, p = 6.82e−4). AD ROC AUC analyses demonstrated a PRS+APOE AUC = 80.3% and PRS−APOE AUC = 63.4%. However, PRS+APOE was also significantly associated with all‐cause dementia (OR = 3.39, 95% CI 2.51–4.71, p = 2.50e−14) with an AUC = 76.9%, that is, all‐cause dementia showed similar results albeit less significant.DiscussionIn the Faroe Islands, SNP analyses highlighted APOE and immunogenomic variability in AD and dementia risk. PRS+APOE, based on 25 SNPs/loci, had excellent sensitivity and specificity for AD with an AUC of 80.3%. High PRSs were also associated with an earlier onset of late‐onset AD.
Computed tomography assisted diagnosis and treatment of a comminuted fracture of the plantar aspect of the medial trochlear ridge and the proximal tubercle of the talus in a foal
Authors: B. Carvalho Inês , Vermedal Hanna , McQuillan Siobhan , O’Leary John Mark , Lassaigne Caroline , O’ Sullivan Jeremiah , Schofield Warren 
Published: April 2022

SummaryIsolated fractures of the proximal tubercle of the talus and the medial trochlear ridge of the talus have been reported in the equine literature. A comminuted, intra‐articular fracture of the plantar medial trochlear ridge and proximal tubercle of the talus has not been previously reported. The current case report describes this unique comminuted fracture in a 6‐week‐old Thoroughbred foal with acute onset lameness. The diagnosis was achieved by a combination of radiography, ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT) followed by CT arthrography. Surgical removal of the fracture fragments was recommended; the intra‐articular fracture fragments were removed under arthroscopic visualisation of the plantar pouch of the tarsocrural joint; due to ligamentous attachments and partial extra‐articular nature, the fracture fragment of the proximal tubercle of the talus was removed via an arthrotomy extension of the medial arthroscopy portal. On follow‐up examination 12 months post‐operatively, the yearling showed no clinical evidence of lameness or radiographic evidence of secondary degenerative joint disease.
Pressure effect on cathodoluminescence emission intensity recorded in metamorphosed detrital zircons of the Sanbagawa schists
Authors: Tsuchiya Yuta , Aoki Kazumasa , Kogiso Tetsu , Seo Yoshiki , Aoki Shogo , Nishido Hirotsugu 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThe cathodoluminescence (CL) emission and spectra analyses were conducted on detrital zircons in the Cretaceous Sanbagawa schists to describe changes in CL properties of zircons associated with metamorphism. In addition, high‐pressure (HP) and high‐temperature (HT) experiments were conducted on the non‐metamorphosed Miocene Ashizuri igneous zircons, and the CL emission intensities obtained from them were compared with those of the Sanbagawa zircons. As a result, as compared to low‐grade Sanbagawa zircons, the emission intensities of the high‐grade Sanbagawa zircons reduced. The emission intensities produced from the HP‐treated Ashizuri zircons, on the other hand, were twice as high as those generated from untreated zircons, but less than half of those generated from HT‐treated zircons. Combining our results with previous studies on the temperature influence on zircon CL properties, it indicates that increasing metamorphic pressure decreases the increase in the CL emission intensity of metamorphosed detrital zircons resulting from the increasing temperature. The pressure effect on the emission intensity of zircon during metamorphism might be larger than the temperature effect.