bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Microchemical provenancing of prey remains in cormorant pellets reveals the use of diverse foraging grounds
Authors: Oehm Johannes , Zitek Andreas , Thalinger Bettina , Tchaikovsky Anastassiya , Irrgeher Johanna , Prohaska Thomas , Traugott Michael 
Published: May 2022

AbstractPiscivorous birds in aquatic ecosystems exert predation pressure on fish populations. But the site‐specific impact on fish populations, including stocked and commercially used fish species, remains disputed. One of the key questions for the management of piscivorous birds and fish is determining the origin of prey and thus which fish populations are targeted by the birds. We addressed this question by provenancing otoliths (earstones) of fish obtained from regurgitated pellets of piscivorous birds by otolith microchemistry analysis. We retrieved otoliths from regurgitated pellets of great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis) collected every 2 weeks for 2 years from breeding and roosting colonies at Chiemsee in Bavaria, Germany, and classified them according to family or species. We collected water samples from Chiemsee and potential surrounding foraging grounds. We measured the strontium (Sr) 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratio and Sr mass fraction of water and otoliths using (laser ablation) inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry. We assigned otoliths from regurgitated pellets to habitat clusters of origin by comparing the Sr isotopic and elemental composition of otoliths and waterbodies. In 36% of cormorant pellets collected at Chiemsee, prey was assigned to waterbodies distinct from Chiemsee. Furthermore, cormorants used different foraging sites during 1 day. Microchemical provenancing of prey remains can contribute to identifying foraging sites of piscivorous birds and to what extend the birds switched among foraging sites.
Connectivity networks and delineation of disconnected coastal provinces along the Indian coastline using large‐scale Lagrangian transport simulations
Authors: Bharti D. K. , Guizien Katell , Aswathi‐Das M. T. , Vinayachandran P. N. , Shanker Kartik 
Published: May 2022

AbstractOcean circulation is the engine of dispersal and population connectivity in marine ecosystems, knowledge of which is essential for conservation planning. Understanding connectivity patterns at a large scale can help define the spatial extent of metapopulations. In this study, we built connectivity networks from Lagrangian transport simulations of neutrally buoyant particles released along the Indian coastline, a significant region in the Indian Ocean. We assessed the variation in connectivity networks across release periods for the major drivers of oceanography including the two monsoonal seasons, El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) years and for the entire range of region‐specific pelagic larval durations (PLDs) for marine invertebrates. We detected well‐connected communities, mapped frequent connectivity breaks, and assessed the functional role of coastal areas within the connectivity network using node metrics. Network characteristics did not differ based on the ENSO year, but varied with season and PLD. Connectance for the Indian coastline was relatively low, ranging from 0.5% to 3.4%, and increased significantly for PLD larger than 20 d. The number of cohesive coastal communities decreased gradually from 60 (PLD < 4 d) to 30 (PLD > 20 d) with increasing PLD. Despite variation in the location of connectivity breaks with the time of particle release within a monsoonal season, four disconnected provinces were consistently identified across the entire PLD range, which partially overlapped with observed genetic and biogeographic breaks reported along the Indian coastline. Our results support the adoption of a coordinated management framework within each of the four provinces delineated in the present study.
Microstructure and atmospheric oxidation behavior of CrCuFeMnNiCox high‐entropy alloys fabricated by vacuum hot‐press sintering
Authors: Ren Bo , Zhao Rui‐feng , Jiang Ai‐yun , Yu Yuan 
Published: May 2022

AbstractThe CrCuFeMnNiCox high‐entropy alloys (HEAs) were prepared by vacuum hot‐press sintering. The microstructure and atmospheric oxidation behavior at 800°C were studied. The phase structure of the Co0 alloy comprised the Cr‐rich FCC1 major phase, Cu‐rich FCC2 secondary phase, and a small amount of intermetallic compound ρ phase when x = 0. The bulk alloys comprised FCC2 major and FCC1 secondary phases when x ≥ 0.5. The oxidation kinetics curves approximately followed the parabolic law. A high Co content leads to a large oxidation weight gain of the alloys. The oxidation weight gain of the Co0 alloy was the smallest at approximately 4.46 mg cm−2 after atmospheric oxidation for 50 h, while the oxidation weight gain of the Co2.0 alloy was the largest at approximately 5.94 mg cm−2. The Co0 alloys exhibited the best oxidation resistance. Therefore, Co is not beneficial to the improvement of the oxidation properties of the CrCuFeMnNiCox HEAs. The main oxidation products of the HEAs mainly comprised MO, M2O3, M3O4, and (M,Cr)3O4 type metal oxides. The main oxidation mechanism was selective oxidation.
Perry Syndrome with Intrafamilial Heterogeneity in Presentation and Survival Including Acute Respiratory Failure: Case Series
Authors: Boardman Jeremy , Mascareno Ponte Maria , Chaouch Amina , Kobylecki Christopher 
Published: May 2022

ABSTRACTBackgroundPerry syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant parkinsonian disorder characterized by respiratory failure. The variability in respiratory presentation in this condition is incompletely understood.CasesWe report 2 first‐degree relatives with Perry syndrome attributed to the same mutation in the Dynactin 1 (DCTN1) gene. Their clinical presentations with respect to parkinsonism and respiratory failure were heterogeneous. The proband presented with acute respiratory failure requiring invasive ventilation on a background of parkinsonism and remains alive more than 3 years later with a good levodopa response. We contrast this with the published literature, in which acute respiratory presentations were associated with a poor outcome. The proband's brother presented with parkinsonism together with early falls and gait impairment and died following gradual hypoventilation despite noninvasive respiratory support.ConclusionsPerry syndrome can show intrafamily heterogeneity in both movement disorder and respiratory presentations. Acute respiratory failure is often but not always associated with a poor outcome.
Classic infantile‐onset Pompe disease with histopathological neurologic findings linked to a novel GAA gene 4 bp deletion: A case study
Authors: Cerón‐Rodríguez Magdalena , Castillo‐García Daniela , Acosta‐Rodríguez‐Bueno Carlos‐Patricio , Aguirre‐Hernández Jesús , Murillo‐Eliosa Juan‐Rafael , Valencia‐Mayoral Pedro , Escobar‐Sánchez Argelia , Salgado‐Loza Juan‐Luis 
Published: May 2022

AbstractPompe disease (PD) is an autosomal recessive disorder by a deficiency of acid α‐glucosidase (GAA) with intralysosomal glycogen accumulation in multiple tissues. We present the case of a 5‐month‐old male with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, hypotony, feeding difficulties, and oxygen requirement since birth. At 3 months of age, he develops heart failure, respiratory impairment, and neurological deterioration. The echocardiogram revealed concentric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with left‐diastolic dysfunction. We found increased creatine‐phosphokinase, lactate dehydrogenase, and urinary glucose tetrasaccharide levels, 50% of PAS‐positive vacuolated lymphocytes in the peripheral blood smear, and low GAA activity. Sequencing of coding exons and flanking intronic sequences revealed a novel homozygous 4 bp deletion in exon 15 of the GAA gene (c.2066_2069delAGCC/p.Glu689Glyfs*6). IOPD was diagnosed. At 5 months old, we started enzyme replacement therapy with an alpha‐alglucosidase of 20 mg/kg weekly and immunomodulation with intravenous immunoglobulin. He developed two cardiorespiratory arrests with subsequent neurologic deterioration, convulsive crisis, and respiratory failure and died at 9 months old. We found the usual PD hallmarks in the heart, striated muscle, and liver but also we found neuronal lesions characterized by cytoplasm vacuolization with PAS‐positive granules in the central nervous system and myenteric plexus. We describe a novel GAA gene pathogenic variant with a particular phenotype characterized by classic IOPD and neurologic histopathological findings. Enhancing the knowledge of lysosomal diseases is critical to improving the diagnosis and treatment of these patients.
MRI‐based prostate and dominant lesion segmentation using cascaded scoring convolutional neural network
Authors: Eidex Zachary A. , Wang Tonghe , Lei Yang , Axente Marian , Akin‐Akintayo Oladunni O. , Ojo Olayinka A. Abiodun , Akintayo Akinyemi A. , Roper Justin , Bradley Jeffery D. , Liu Tian , Schuster David M. , Yang Xiaofeng 
Published: May 2022

AbstractPurposeDose escalation to dominant intraprostatic lesions (DILs) is a novel treatment strategy to improve the treatment outcome of prostate radiation therapy. Treatment planning requires accurate and fast delineation of the prostate and DILs. In this study, a 3D cascaded scoring convolutional neural network is proposed to automatically segment the prostate and DILs from MRI.Methods and materialsThe proposed cascaded scoring convolutional neural network performs end‐to‐end segmentation by locating a region‐of‐interest (ROI), identifying the object within the ROI, and defining the target. A scoring strategy, which is learned to judge the segmentation quality of DIL, is integrated into cascaded convolutional neural network to solve the challenge of segmenting the irregular shapes of the DIL. To evaluate the proposed method, 77 patients who underwent MRI and PET/CT were retrospectively investigated. The prostate and DIL ground truth contours were delineated by experienced radiologists. The proposed method was evaluated with fivefold cross‐validation and holdout testing.ResultsThe average centroid distance, volume difference, and Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) value for prostate/DIL are 4.3 ± 7.5/3.73 ± 3.78 mm, 4.5 ± 7.9/0.41 ± 0.59 cc, and 89.6 ± 8.9/84.3 ± 11.9%, respectively. Comparable results were obtained in the holdout test. Similar or superior segmentation outcomes were seen when compared the results of the proposed method to those of competing segmentation approaches.ConclusionsThe proposed automatic segmentation method can accurately and simultaneously segment both the prostate and DILs. The intended future use for this algorithm is focal boost prostate radiation therapy.
Reducing risky interactions: Identifying barriers to the successful management of human–wildlife conflict in an urban parkland
Authors: Griffin Laura L. , Haigh Amy , Conteddu Kimberly , Andaloc Maverick , McDonnell Paul , Ciuti Simone 
Published: May 2022

Abstract

Managing activities that result in human–wildlife conflict is a challenging goal for modern scientists and managers. In recent years, the self‐motivated feeding of wildlife by humans has garnered popularity but with consequent risks for the health and safety of both parties. This has resulted in calls for management in areas of high contact, for example, parklands. Traditional controls are typically utilised (i.e. signage, patrols), yet their success is varied, leading to a rise in research aiming to improve them. This research has primarily focused on language and design, with little attention paid to the role that audience type (i.e. international tourists vs. locals/residents) may play in their success. Proportions in audience type present can vary both between parks and spatially within a single park, however, controls are usually applied homogeneously with no consideration for how response may vary between these groups.

Here, we performed a robust before–after study across two summers using a wild fallow deer population in a public park that are commonly fed by visitors as our model. We deployed controls, following best practice as outlined by the literature, and tested their overall effectiveness. We then identified key areas with differences in visitor type proportions and tested for variation in success between them.

We found that the numbers of visitors feeding the deer significantly decreased overall after the introduction of controls, although interactions were not eliminated entirely. We discovered that the effectiveness of these controls varied with changes in visitor type, with the most positive effects occurring in areas with more international tourists and no significant effect occurring in areas dominated by resident visitors. Notably, of the food offerings remaining, the proportion of foods that could be perceived as ‘nutritionally beneficial’ increased in both sites, marking overall changes in the behaviours of even those visitors who refused to stop feeding.

These findings highlight the importance of target audience research in human–wildlife conflict management. We recommend that authorities aiming to reduce these interactions perform systematic surveys to identify the audience type present and cater controls accordingly to maximise their success.
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Hydrophobic to superhydrophobic and hydrophilic transitions of Ar plasma‐nanostructured PTFE surfaces
Authors: Pachchigar Vivek , Gaur Umesh K. , T. V. Amrutha , K. P. Sooraj , Hans Sukriti , Srivastava Sanjeev K. , Ranjan Mukesh 
Published: May 2022

AbstractProduction of superhydrophobic polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) by Ar plasma etching is challenging as it leads to defluorination, resulting in a hydrophilic surface. The effect of radiofrequency power, treatment time, impurity, and surface temperature on Ar plasma‐treated PTFE was investigated for producing a large‐area superhydrophobic PTFE surface. To avoid impurity and substrate temperature effects, a single electrode‐based arrangement with a sacrificial PTFE disc behind the specimen was used for plasma discharge. After 5 min treatment at 100 W, the surface became superhydrophobic (water contact angle = 156°) due to the formation of isotropic nanostructures. However, 30 min of plasma treatment caused severe chemical changes resulting in a hydrophilic surface (water contact angle = 14°). A yellowish layer was formed on the surface due to crosslinking, redeposition of fluorocarbon species, and iron impurities from the plasma system confirmed by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis.
Discovering interrelated natural mutations of efflux pump KmrA from Klebsiella pneumoniae that confer increased multidrug resistance
Authors: Li Ying , Ge Xizhen 
Published: May 2022

AbstractKlebsiella pneumoniae is a notorious pathogen that can cause multiorgan infections, which is difficult to treat mainly due to the widely distributed efflux pumps. Our previous research discovered the upregulation of efflux pump KmrA conferred enhanced antibiotic resistance, while the export mechanism and its natural mutations across K. pneumoniae isolates remain unclear. Herein, we analyzed the natural mutations of KmrA across 830 K. pneumoniae genomes to discover interrelated amino‐acid substitutions (simultaneously occurred substitutions) that increase drug export. We identified two variants that contain triple amino‐acid substitutions near the periplasmic side and then confirmed their roles in enhancing multidrug resistance of recombinant K. pneumoniae strains. Molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to illustrate the reason for their promoted export efficiencies. Our data indicated the triple substitutions resulted in KmrA's both stronger hydrophilic interaction with water and hydrophobic interaction with membrane. Moreover, these substitutions promoted the flexibilities of KmrA that could facilitate the conformational switch. In parallel, stronger ionic interactions (salt bridges) at cytoplasmic side also suggested the higher possibilities for the reciprocal movements. Collectively we demonstrated the potential risk of the interrelated natural mutations in efflux pump to antibiotic resistance of K. pneumoniae and provided insights into the mechanism of the enhanced drug export.
Discovery of novel rost‐4‐ene derivatives as potential plant activators for preventing phytopathogenic bacterial infection: Design, synthesis and biological studies
Authors: Wang Fang , Liu Hong‐Wu , Zhang Ling , Liu Shi‐Tao , Zhang Jun‐Rong , Zhou Xiang , Wang Pei‐Yi , Yang Song 
Published: May 2022

AbstractBACKGROUNDGradually aggravated disease caused by phytopathogenic bacteria severely restricts food security and crop yield, and few pesticides can relieve this severe situation. Thus, development and excavation of new agrochemicals with high bioactivity and novel action mechanism may be a feasible strategy to control intractable bacterial diseases. As a privileged molecular framework, steroid molecules exhibit diversiform bioactivities. Herein, a series of novel androst‐4‐ene derivatives were designed, synthesised and investigated for their antibacterial behaviour to excavate novel agrochemicals on the base of steroid molecules.RESULTSBioassay results indicated that target compounds displayed high bioactivities toward three destructive phytopathogenic bacteria, including Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (Xac) and Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa). Compound III19 displayed excellent in vitro antibacterial profiling (EC50 = 2.37 mg L−1 towards Xoo, EC50 = 2.10 mg L−1 towards Xac, EC50 = 9.50 mg L−1 towards Psa). Furthermore, compound III19 showed outstanding in vivo protective activities, with values of 81.81% and 58.75% towards kiwifruit bacterial canker and rice bacterial leaf blight, respectively. Analysis of the antibacterial mechanism disclosed that compound III19 enhanced host defence enzyme activities superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and catalase (CAT) and increased the salicylate synthase content to induce host resistance. In addition, compound III19 increased the membrane permeability, destroyed the cell membrane and killed the bacteria.CONCLUSIONGiven these profiles of target compounds, we highlight a new strategy for controlling intractable plant bacterial diseases by inducing plant resistance and targeting the bacterial cell membrane. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
Analyzing the effects of magnetic and Aharonov‐Bohm (AB) flux fields on the energy spectra and thermal properties of N2, NO, CO and H2 diatomic molecules
Authors: William Eddy S. , Okon Ituen B. , Ekerenam Okpo O. , Akpan Ita O. , Ita Benedict I. , Inyang Etido P. , Etim Iniobong P. , Umoh Inemesit F. 
Published: May 2022

AbstractThe influence of external magnetic and Aharonov‐Bohm (AB) flux fields on the energy spectra and thermal properties of N2, NO, CO and H2 diatomic molecules are investigated in this study. The two‐dimensional Schrödinger equation is solved with the Varshni‐screened Coulomb potential (VSCP) model using the well‐known Nikiforov‐Uvarov (NU) method. We obtained the energy eigenvalues and wavefunctions of the system and calculated the energy levels of some diatomic molecules in the m‐arbitrary state in the presence and absence of external magnetic and AB flux fields. The results show that combining the magnetic and AB flux fields eliminates degeneracy. We analyzed and plotted the partition function and other thermal properties in the presence of a magnetic field, an AB field, and a temperature‐dependent term.
High‐Aspect‐Ratio Nanoelectrodes Enable Long‐Term Recordings of Neuronal Signals with Subthreshold Resolution
Authors: Shokoohimehr Pegah , Cepkenovic Bogdana , Milos Frano , Bednár Justus , Hassani Hossein , Maybeck Vanessa , Offenhäusser Andreas 
Published: May 2022

AbstractThe further development of neurochips requires high‐density and high‐resolution recordings that also allow neuronal signals to be observed over a long period of time. Expanding fields of network neuroscience and neuromorphic engineering demand the multiparallel and direct estimations of synaptic weights, and the key objective is to construct a device that also records subthreshold events. Recently, 3D nanostructures with a high aspect ratio have become a particularly suitable interface between neurons and electronic devices, since the excellent mechanical coupling to the neuronal cell membrane allows very high signal‐to‐noise ratio recordings. In the light of an increasing demand for a stable, noninvasive and long‐term recording at subthreshold resolution, a combination of vertical nanostraws with nanocavities is presented. These structures provide a spontaneous tight coupling with rat cortical neurons, resulting in high amplitude sensitivity and postsynaptic resolution capability, as directly confirmed by combined patch‐clamp and microelectrode array measurements.
Generation of Complex Tunable Multispectral Signatures with Reconfigurable Protein‐Based, Plasmonic‐Photonic Crystal Hybrid Nanostructures
Authors: Wang Yu , Kim Beom Joon , Guidetti Giulia , Omenetto Fiorenzo G. 
Published: May 2022

AbstractStructurally colored materials, which rely on the interaction between visible light and nanostructures, produce brilliant color displays through fine control of light interference, diffraction, scattering, or absorption. Rationally combining different color‐selective functions into a single form offers a powerful strategy to create programmable optical functions which are otherwise difficult, if not impossible to obtain. By leveraging structural protein templates, specifically silk fibroin, nanostructured materials that combine plasmonic and photonic crystal paradigms are shown here. This confluence of function enables directional, tunable, and multiple co‐located optical responses derived from the interplay between surface plasmon resonance and photonic bandgap effects. Several demonstrations are shown with programmable coloration at varying viewing sides, angle, and by solvent infiltration, opening avenues for smart displays and multi‐mode information encoding applications.
Healable, Recyclable, and Multifunctional Soft Electronics Based on Biopolymer Hydrogel and Patterned Liquid Metal
Authors: Hao Xing Peng , Zhang Chuan Wei , Zhang Xin Ning , Hou Li Xin , Hu Jian , Dickey Michael D. , Zheng Qiang , Wu Zi Liang 
Published: May 2022

AbstractRecent years have witnessed the rapid development of sustainable materials. Along this line, developing biodegradable or recyclable soft electronics is challenging yet important due to their versatile applications in biomedical devices, soft robots, and wearables. Although some degradable bulk hydrogels are directly used as the soft electronics, the sensing performances are usually limited due to the absence of distributed conducting circuits. Here, sustainable hydrogel‐based soft electronics (HSE) are reported that integrate sensing elements and patterned liquid metal (LM) in the gelatin–alginate hybrid hydrogel. The biopolymer hydrogel is transparent, robust, resilient, and recyclable. The HSE is multifunctional; it can sense strain, temperature, heart rate (electrocardiogram), and pH. The strain sensing is sufficiently sensitive to detect a human pulse. In addition, the device serves as a model system for iontophoretic drug delivery by using patterned LM as the soft conductor and electrode. Noncontact detection of nearby objects is also achieved based on electrostatic‐field‐induced voltage. The LM and biopolymer hydrogel are healable, recyclable, and degradable, favoring sustainable applications and reconstruction of the device with new functions. Such HSE with multiple functions and favorable attributes should open opportunities in next‐generation electronic skins and hydrogel machines.