bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Differences in functional trait responses to elevation among feeding guilds of Aculeata community
Authors: Uemori Kazushige , Mita Toshiharu , Hishi Takuo 
Published: August 2022

AbstractThe response of communities to environmental change is expected to vary among feeding guilds. To evaluate the response of guilds to environmental factors without considering the taxonomic specificities, it is useful to examine Aculeata bees and wasps, which consist of closely related taxa including different guilds, pollinators, predators, and parasitoids. In this study, we evaluated changes in species diversity (SD) and functional traits of each feeding guild along an elevational gradient in a boreal forest in northern Japan. We used yellow pan traps to collect Aculeata bees and wasps at 200–1600 m above sea level. We investigated six functional traits (trophic level, seasonal duration, body size, elevational range, nesting position, and soil dependency) and the horizontal distribution of the species. The SD of all Aculeata, predators, and parasitoids decreased with an increase in elevation; however, the SD of pollinators did not show any specific trend. Although the functional trait composition of all Aculeata species did not show any trend, that of each feeding guild responded to elevation in different ways. Pollinators increased in body size and showed a decrease in seasonal duration with increasing elevation, suggesting that tolerance and seasonal escape from physical stress at high elevations are important for shaping pollinator communities. Predators increased their elevational range and the proportion of above‐ground nesting species increased with increasing elevation, suggesting that the ability to live in a wider range of environments and avoid unsuitable soil environments at high elevations might be important. Parasitoids changed their hosts and displayed variable traits with increasing elevation, suggesting that brood parasitoids have difficulty in surviving at high elevation. The traits for each guild responded in different ways, even if they were dominated by the same environmental factors. Our findings imply that differences in the responses of functional traits would produce different community assembly patterns in different guilds during further climate change.
Nutrigonometry II: Experimental strategies to maximize nutritional information in multidimensional performance landscapes
Authors: Morimoto Juliano 
Published: August 2022

AbstractAnimals regulate their nutrient consumption to maximize the expression of fitness traits with competing nutritional needs (“nutritional trade‐offs”). Nutritional trade‐offs have been studied using a response surface modeling approach known as the Geometric Framework for nutrition (GF). Current experimental design in GF studies does not explore the entire area of the nutritional space resulting in performance landscapes that may be incomplete. This hampers our ability to understand the properties of the performance landscape (e.g., peak shape) from which meaningful biological insights can be obtained. Here, I tested alternative experimental designs to explore the full range of the performance landscape in GF studies. I compared the performance of the standard GF design strategy with three alternatives: hexagonal, square, and random points grid strategies with respect to their accuracy in reconstructing baseline performance landscapes from a landmark GF dataset. I showed that standard GF design did not reconstruct the properties of baseline performance landscape appropriately particularly for traits that respond strongly to the interaction between nutrients. Moreover, the peak estimates in the reconstructed performance landscape using standard GF design were accurate in terms of the nutrient ratio but incomplete in terms of peak shape. All other grid designs provided more accurate reconstructions of the baseline performance landscape while also providing accurate estimates of nutrient ratio and peak shape. Thus, alternative experimental designs can maximize information from performance landscapes in GF studies, enabling reliable biological insights into nutritional trade‐offs and physiological limits within and across species.
Seasonal variation of immune response to heterologous erythrocytes in natural populations of red‐backed (Clethrionomys rutilus) and gray‐sided (C. rufocanus) voles in Western Siberia
Authors: Kravchenko Larisa B. , Rogovin Konstantin A. 
Published: August 2022

AbstractWe studied the seasonal variation of adaptive humoral immunity (AHI) in northern red‐backed vole (Clethrionomys rutilus Pallas, 1779, RBV) and gray‐sided vole (C. rufocanus Sundevall, 1846, GSV) in Tomsk region of Western Siberia. Immunoresponsiveness (IR) to sheep red blood cells was assessed by the number of antibody‐producing cells in the spleen. The use of a generalized linear model to analyze the effects of species, sex, year of research, and season of withdrawal of individuals from nature on IR showed a significant effect of species identity, season of animal capture, and the interaction of species with season. The RBV demonstrated higher immune responses during a year, and both species had higher IR in winter. Suppression of IR in spring was greater, started earlier, and lasted longer (March–May) in GSV. In RBV, immunosuppression was restricted to April. The significant negative within year correlations of IR with body mass and masses of reproductive organs in GSV indicated a trade‐off between AHI and growth and reproduction processes. A probable explanation for the difference between species in the seasonal variation of AHI may be related to the difference in tropho‐energetic requirements of each vole species. GSV is a predominantly herbivorous rodent and its thermoregulation seems less efficient than of RBV. The deeper spring immunosuppression in GSV may explain in part its higher mortality during the season of colds.
The role of a synanthropic bird in the nest niche expansion of a secondary cavity nester to man‐made structures
Authors: Guo Jing‐Chia , Tsai Jo‐Szu , Wang Jhih‐Syuan , Lin Ya‐Wen , Shaner Pei‐Jen Lee , Hung Chih‐Ming 
Published: August 2022

AbstractSpecies with similar ecological characters often compete with each other; however, a species may also facilitate the survival or reproduction of another ecologically similar species, although such interaction is rarely documented in birds. Here, we reported a facilitative species interaction between Asian house martins (Delichon dasypus) and russet sparrows (Passer cinnamomeus), both passerines using closed nests, in a montane farming area of Taiwan. We found that Asian house martins constructed dome‐shaped nests in human houses that provided additional nest sites for russet sparrows, secondary cavity nesters with greatly declining populations in Taiwan. Russet sparrows that used house martin nests had reproductive success comparable to those that used artificial nest boxes. However, Asian house martins avoided reclaiming sparrow‐used nests, which reduced their available nest sites. Interestingly, our results imply that man‐made structures may be used as a conservation tool to improve the breeding of the endangered russet sparrows via this facilitative interaction.
Tactile sensor with microcantilevers embedded in fluoroelastomer/PDMS for physical and chemical resistance
Authors: Takahashi Yuji , Takahashi Takumi , Abe Takashi , Noma Haruo , Sohgawa Masayuki 
Published: August 2022

AbstractThis paper addresses physical and chemical resistance evaluation of tactile sensors. We have developed cantilevertype MEMS tactile sensors embedded in the elastomer. In this work, we used a combination of silicone elastomer with excellent mechanical properties and fluoroelastomer with excellent chemical resistance. As a new embedding method for the sensor, we devised a method of embedding with PDMS with low creep and coating with a fluoroelastomer for surface protection. We further performed three evaluations to demonstrate the physical and chemical resistance of sensors. Consequently, using the devised method, we have demonstrated that the sensor with both physical and chemical resistance are feasible.
Ezrin deficiency triggers glial fibrillary acidic protein upregulation and a distinct reactive astrocyte phenotype
Authors: Schacke Stephan , Kirkpatrick Joanna , Stocksdale Amy , Bauer Reinhard , Hagel Christian , Riecken Lars Björn , Morrison Helen 
Published: August 2022

AbstractAstrocytes are increasingly being recognized as contributors to physiological brain function and behavior. Astrocytes engage in glia‐synaptic interactions through peripheral astrocyte processes, thus modulating synaptic signaling, for example, by handling glutamate removal from the synaptic cleft and (re)provision to axonal terminals. Peripheral astrocyte processes are ultrafine membrane protrusions rich in the membrane‐to‐actin cytoskeleton linker Ezrin, an essential component of in vitro filopodia formation and in vivo peripheral astrocyte process motility. Consequently, it has been postulated that Ezrin significantly contributes to neurodevelopment as well as astrocyte functions within the adult brain. However, while Ezrin has been studied in vitro within cultured primary astrocytes, in vivo studies on the role of Ezrin in astrocytes remain to be conducted and consequences of its depletion to be studied. Here, we investigated consequences of Ezrin deletion in the mouse brain starting from early neuronal specification. While Ezrin knockout did not impact prenatal cerebral cortex development, behavioral phenotyping depicted reduced exploratory behavior. Starting with postnatal appearance of glia cells, Ezrin was verified to remain predominantly expressed in astrocytes. Proteome analysis of Ezrin deficient astrocytes revealed alterations in glutamate and ion homeostasis, metabolism and cell morphology – important processes for synaptic signal transmission. Notably, Ezrin deletion in astrocytes provoked (GFAP) glial fibrillary acidic protein upregulation – a marker of astrocyte activation and reactive astrogliosis. However, this spontaneous, reactive astrogliosis exhibited proteome changes distinct from ischemic‐induced reactive astrogliosis. Moreover, in experimental ischemic stroke, Ezrin knockout mice displayed reduced infarct volume, indicating a protective effect of the Ezrin deletion‐induced changes and astrogliosis.
Healing the past, reimagining the present, investing in the future: What should be the role of race as a proxy covariate in health economics informed health care policy?
Authors: Briggs Andrew H. 
Published: August 2022

AbstractIn this perspective, the assertion that race‐free risk assessment would harm patients of all races is critiqued from the viewpoint that race is not just another covariate in our arsenal. Although race may be associated with outcome, it is nevertheless a proxy for a myriad of other potential explanatory variables that could be genetic/biological but in many circumstances are more likely to be sociological/socioeconomic. It is argued that the pursuit of health maximization through the use of socially constructed variables like race must be done sensitively, recognizing that racial covariates in the medical arena can be subject to structural, institutional or personal biases. Even when such biases are thought to be minimized, the appearance of such bias may be sufficient to justify the removal of its use, particularly where employing a racial covariate could further increase existing disparities. While racial covariates may have descriptive value in helping to understand such disparities, it is beholden on the scientific community to explore alternatives to racial covariates that may provide the same or perhaps even better prognostic value in our analyses.
Old‐age dependency and catastrophic health expenditure: Evidence from Longitudinal Ageing Study in India
Authors: Mohanty Sanjay K. , Sahoo Umakanta , Rashmi Rashmi 
Published: August 2022

AbstractBackgroundOut‐of‐pocket (OOP) payments and catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) have a strong age gradient. Though studies have examined the socio‐demographic and geographic inequality in OOP payments and CHE in India, the role of old‐age dependency in financial catastrophe remains unclear. Disaggregated estimates of CHE by the level of old‐age dependency of households may help identify the most vulnerable sub‐group and provide evidence for specific policies for the financial protection and health care of the elderly. The present study aims to estimate the incidence and intensity of CHE by the old‐age dependency of households among middle‐aged adults and the elderly in India.MethodsA total of 42,949 households from the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI), 2017–18, covering households with at least one‐member aged 45+ years, were included in the analysis. Households were classified into three mutually exclusive groups: no old‐age dependency, low old‐age dependency, and high old‐age dependency. The incidence and intensity of CHE were estimated using the capacity‐to‐pay (CTP) approach. Concentration indices and concentration curves examine the extent of socioeconomic inequality in CHE. Binary logistic regression helps to understand the potential predictors of CHE across each type of old‐age‐dependent household.ResultsWe estimated the overall incidence of CHE at 24.6% (95% CI: 23.3–25.8) among middle‐aged adults and the elderly in India. The incidence was 33.2% (95% CI: 31.4–35.1) among households with high old‐age dependency, 23.1% (95% CI: 20.8–25.5) among those with low old‐age dependency, and 20.4% (95% CI: 19.0–21.7) among no old‐age dependency households. CHE intensity was highest among households with low old‐age dependency compared to those no old‐age dependents. Catastrophic health expenditure was higher among the poorer households in each type of old‐age dependency. Among all households, the odds of incurring CHE were higher among households with high old‐age dependency (AOR: 1.52; 95% CI: 1.36–1.69) than those with no old‐age dependency. Lower‐income households, households with pensions as the main source of income, households belonging to scheduled castes, and households residing in rural areas had higher odds of incurring CHE. The co‐variates of CHE varied significantly across the type of old‐age dependency households. A household's enrolment into a health insurance scheme did not necessarily lower its CHE.ConclusionHouseholds with high old‐age dependency had a higher probability of incurring CHE in India. Providing preventive and curative geriatric care in primary health centres (PHC) is recommended.
Lessons learned from the perinatal audit of uterine rupture in the Netherlands: A mixed‐method study
Authors: Rosman Ageeth N. , van Dillen Jeroen , Zwart Joost , Overtoom Evelien , Schaap Timme , Bloemenkamp Kitty , van den Akker Thomas 
Published: August 2022

AbstractBackground and AimsTo analyze outcomes of nationwide local audits of uterine rupture to draw lessons for clinical care.MethodsDescriptive cohort study. Critical incident audit sessions within all local perinatal cooperation groups in the Netherlands. Women who sustained uterine rupture between January 1st, 2017 and December 31st, 2019.Main Outcome MeasuresImprovable factors, recommendations, and lessons learned for clinical care. Women's case histories were discussed in multidisciplinary perinatal audit sessions. Participants evaluated care against national and local clinical guidelines and common professional standards to identify improvable factors. Cases and outcomes were registered in a nationwide database.ResultsOne hundred and fourteen women who sustained uterine rupture were discussed in local perinatal audit sessions by 40–60 participants on average: A total of 111 (97%) were multiparous of whom 107 (94%) had given birth by cesarean section in a previous pregnancy. The audit revealed 178 improvable factors and 200 recommendations. Six percent (N = 11) of the improvable factors were identified as very likely and 18% (N = 32) as likely to have a relationship with the outcome or occurrence of uterine rupture. Improvable factors were related to inadequate communication, absent, or unclear documentation, delay in diagnosing the rupture, and suboptimal management of labor. Speak up in case a suspicion arises, escalating care by involving specialist obstetricians, addressing the importance of accurate documentation, and improving training related to fetal monitoring were the most frequent recommendations and should be topics for team (skills and drills) training.ConclusionsThrough a nationwide incident audit of uterine rupture, we identified improvable factors related to communication, documentation, and organization of care. Lessons learned include “speaking up,” improving the transfer of information and team training are crucial to reduce the incidence of uterine rupture.
Determination of the ecological water quality in the Orienco stream using benthic macroinvertebrates in the Northern Ecuadorian Amazon
Authors: Sinche Federico , Cabrera Manuel , Vaca Lenin , Segura Edison , Carrera Pablo 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
In recent years, pollution of watercourses in nearby protected ecosystems has increased due to urbanization. Standard physiochemical methods and probes are one way to monitor watercourses for quality. However, they often do not provide the full ecological status of the body of water. In this work, we set out to assess the ecological water quality of an urban stream by using benthic macroinvertebrates as bioindicators. We conducted the work on the Orienco stream in Lago Agrio in the province of Sucumbíos in the Northern Ecuadorian Amazon (NEA). The stream has become a sink of raw domestic sanitary wastewater from rural and urban areas. A total of 4511 macroinvertebrates from 10 families were identified across 17 sampling points. We compared our results from the biotic indices derived from the macroinvertebrates to standard water-quality parameters (temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids, ammonia–nitrogen, and pH) simultaneously sampled in the stream. The standard parameter results indicated that the water-quality levels of the stream met the Ecuadorian water-quality criteria most of the time. However, the results from the biotic indices classified the stream water as poor or very poor water quality. The results from the Biological Monitoring Working Party, Average Score per Taxon, and Family Biotic Indices had overall scores of heavily polluted waters of 45, 4.5, and 8.74, respectively. Furthermore, these results were consistent with reduced richness and evenness, and overall lower Shannon diversity and relatively higher Simpson Dominance indices of 0.71 and 2.56, respectively. We conclude that the macroinvertebrates were better indicators of the ecological water quality of the Orienco stream than the water-quality parameters from standard methods and probes alone. Our findings highlight the need for more integrated ecological assessments, which can provide critical information to the management and conservation strategies of urban watercourses in the NEA region. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:615–625. © 2022 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).
A unique investigation of thallium, tellurium, osmium, and other heavy metals in recurrent pregnancy loss: A novel approach
Authors: Tabassum Hajera , Alrashed May , Malik Abdul , Alanazi Samyah T. , Alenzi Naif D. , Ali Mir Naiman , AlJaser Feda S. , Altoum Ghadah H. , Hijazy Sereen M. , Alfadhli Reem A. , Alrashoudi Reem , Akhtar Suhail 
Published: August 2022

AbstractObjectiveTo study the impact of heavy metals especially tellurium, thallium, and osmium, in recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and to study their association with antioxidant status and DNA damage.MethodsThis case–control study included women with RPL (n = 30) and healthy pregnant women as control (n = 30). Following blood collection, serum levels of thallium, tellurium, osmium, lead, mercury, and cadmium were estimated by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrophotometer.ResultsWomen with RPL exhibited significantly higher levels of heavy metals (P < 0.001) when compared with control women. Intriguingly, increased levels of serum thallium, tellurium, osmium, and lead were negatively correlated with total antioxidant status (P < 0.05). Further, the RPL group demonstrated strong positive correlation between heavy metals (thallium, tellurium, osmium, lead) and DNA damage (P < 0.05). No significant correlation between other heavy metals and markers of cellular damage was noted.ConclusionEnhanced levels of heavy metals in women with RPL and correlation of thallium, tellurium, osmium, and lead with markers of cellular damage reflect the role of heavy metal poisoning, especially thallium, tellurium, and osmium, as potential risk factor in the etiology underlying recurrent miscarriage.
Influence of ionized saline water on soil water and salt transport in saline soils
Authors: Wei Kai , Lin Shudong , Zhang Jihong , Wang Quanjiu , Guo Yi , Mu Weiyi 
Published: August 2022

AbstractThe utilization of saline water plays an important role in agricultural production in saline areas to overcome freshwater shortages. Ionized saline water might alleviate the adverse effects of salinity on soil and plants. In this study, field experiments were conducted to study the effect of ionized saline water on the soil water content and salinity distribution in a sandy soil under a surface emitter. Passing groundwater through an ionization system installed on a feeding pipeline resulted in producing ionized saline water. Three emitter discharges (1.0, 1.8, 3.1 L h−1) and two water types (non‐ionized and ionized saline water) were considered in the experiments. As a result of using ionized saline water, soil water content and salt leaching increased. Ionized treatment increased the salinity desalination rate by 31, 33 and 26% for surface soil layer in comparison with non‐ionized treatments of 1.0, 1.8 and 3.1 L h−1, respectively. It was found that using ionized saline water could decrease the surface wetting radius by 6–9% and increase the wetting depth by 11–17%. A discharge rate of 1.8 L h−1 was recommended as the optimal discharge rate for ionized saline water under drip irrigation. The results indicated that saline water could be improved through ionized treatment for agricultural irrigation in saline soils in an arid region.
Trends and prospects in graphene and its derivatives toxicity research: A bibliometric analysis
Authors: Wu Jingying , Liu Qing , Wang Shile , Sun Jinfang , Zhang Ting 
Published: August 2022

AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to explore the current research status, hot topics, and future prospects in the field of graphene and its derivatives toxicity. In the article, the Web of Science Core Collection database was used as the data source, and the CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used to conduct a visual analysis of the last 10 years of research on graphene and its derivatives toxicity. A total of 8573 articles were included, and we analyzed the literature characteristics of the research results in the field of graphene and its derivatives toxicity, as well as the distribution of authors and co‐cited authors; the distribution of countries and institutions; the situation of co‐cited references; and the distribution of journals and categories. The most prolific countries, institutions, journals, and authors are China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, RSC Advances, and Wang, Dayong, respectively. The co‐cited author with the most citations was Akhavan, Omid. The five research hotspot keywords in the field of graphene and its derivatives toxicity were “nanomaterials,” “exposure,” “biocompatibility,” “adsorption,” and “detection.” Frontier topics were “facile synthesis,” “antibacterial activity,” and “carbon dots.” Our study provides perspectives for the study of graphene and its derivatives toxicity and yields valuable information and suggestions for the development of graphene and its derivatives toxicity research in the future.