bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Exploiting genetic variation from unadapted germplasm—An example from improvement of sorghum in Ethiopia
Authors: Birhan Techale , Dong Hongxu , Abajebel Nezif , Wakjira Misganu , Lemke Cornelia , Vadez Vincent , Paterson Andrew H. , Bantte Kassahun 
Published: July 2022

Societal Impact StatementThe productivity of sorghum in Ethiopia has been largely limited by rain‐fed conditions because farmers tend to use local drought‐tolerant but low‐yielding landraces, as high‐yielding and late‐maturing landrace cultivars risk failure due to drought. Addressing such issues often requires a far‐reaching approach to identify and incorporate new traits into a gene pool, followed by a period of selection to re‐establish an overall adaptive phenotype. The sorghum backcross nested association mapping (BC‐NAM) population developed in this study increases the genetic diversity available in Ethiopian elite adapted sorghum germplasm, providing new scope to improve food security in a region known for periodic devastating droughts.Summary

As the center of diversity for sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, elite cultivars selected in Ethiopia are of central importance to sub‐Saharan food security. Despite being presumably well adapted to their center of diversity, elite Ethiopian sorghums nonetheless experience constraints to productivity, for example, associated with shifting rainfall patterns associated with climate change.
A sorghum backcross nested association mapping (BC‐NAM) population developed by crossing 13 diverse lines pre‐identified to have various drought resilience mechanisms with an Ethiopian elite cultivar, Teshale, was tested under three rain‐fed environments in Ethiopia.
Twenty‐seven, 15, and 15 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) with predominantly small additive effects were identified for days to flowering, days to maturity, and plant height, respectively. Many associations detected in this study corresponded closely to known or candidate genes or previously mapped QTLs, supporting their validity.
The expectation that genotypes such as Teshale from the center of diversity tend to have a history of strong balancing selection, with novel variations more likely to persist in small marginal populations, was strongly supported in that for these three traits, nearly equal numbers of alleles from the donor lines conferred increases and decreases in phenotype relative to the Teshale allele. Such rich variation provides a foundation for selection to arrive at a new “adaptive peak,” exemplifying the nature of efforts that may be necessary to adapt many crops to new climate extremes.
Effect of Aminosilane Nanoparticle Coating on Structural and Magnetic Properties and Cell Viability in Human Cancer Cell Lines
Authors: Urquizo Israel Alejandro Flores , García Tomás Constantino Hernández , Loredo Shadai Lugo , Galindo José Trinidad Elizalde , Casillas Perla Elvia García , Barrón Jazmín Cristina Stevens , González Christian Chapa 
Published: July 2022

AbstractMagnetic nanoparticle interfaces have aroused great scientific research interest in the biomedical area since the interaction of cells or biomolecules with nanoparticles is determined by the surface properties. Currently, in medical applications, there is a need to study cell interaction and growth, along with changes in structural or magnetic properties, attributed to nanoparticle coatings. In this study the coercive field changes in NixFe3‐xO4 nanoparticles (x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0) driven by partial or total substitution of Fe2+ content by Ni2+, and by aminosilane coating are evaluated. The nanoparticles are synthesized by the coprecipitation method. The inverse spinel structure is confirmed by X‐ray diffraction results and Raman spectra. The aminosilane coating is confirmed by energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Dynamic light scattering confirms a mean hydrodynamic size of 10 nm. Scanning electron microscopy micrographs of the uncoated and aminosilane‐coated samples show that the particles have a hemispherical shape. The coating increases the coercive field. In addition, uncoated Ni0.2Fe2.8O4 has the highest viability in both MCF7 and HeLa cell lines, and aminosilane coating decreases cell viability. This study contributes to future applications of nanomedicine, such as hyperthermia and drug delivery.
Autophagy‐related 5 gene mRNA expression and ATG5 rs510432 polymorphism in children with bronchial asthma
Authors: Ahmad Enas Sebaey , Diab Safia Mohamed , Behiry Eman Gamal , Bassyoni Shereen El Bassyoni El Said El , Ishak Sally Raafat , Ramadan Abeer 
Published: July 2022

AbstractPurposeBronchial asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease in children with complex pathogenesis, characterized by airway hyper‐responsiveness, obstruction, mucus hyperproduction, and airway remodeling. Autophagy is important for cellular physiology, and the ATG5 rs510432 has recently been implicated in several fundamental characteristics of childhood asthma pathogenesis and may play a role in the disease progression. This study aims to assess the expression of ATG5 messenger RNA (mRNA) according to rs510432 polymorphism in asthmatic children and to evaluate their possible relation with the development of the disease.MethodsATG5 mRNA expression and rs510432 polymorphism were measured using real‐time polymerase chain reaction in 57 asthmatic children patients and 46 healthy controls.ResultsATG5 level was significantly higher in asthmatic children than in controls and a significant increase in the frequency of TT and CC genotype of ATG5 rs510432 gene polymorphism was found in asthmatic patients when compared to control subjects (p < 0.001; and p = 0.01, respectively), and there was a statistically significant decrease in the frequency of CT genotype of ATG5 rs510432 gene polymorphism in asthmatic patients when compared to control subjects (p < 0.001).ConclusionATG5 rs510432 gene polymorphism plays an important role in childhood asthma pathogenesis.
Air‐assisted spraying and electrically charged droplets for Bemisia tabaci control in soybeans
Authors: Pelegrini Gabriela , Souza Antônio M , Ferreira Pedro HU , Monteiro Gabriel G , Ferreira Marcelo C 
Published: July 2022

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe improvement of surface coverage and plant protection products deposition can be obtained by electrifying droplets, which are strongly attracted by plants, including the abaxial part of the leaves. Moreover, air assistance improves droplet penetration into the crop canopy, especially in the lower third of the plants. These technologies can help control soybean (Glycine max) whitefly, which preferentially lodges on the abaxial surface of the leaves. Thus, this study aimed to assess the effect of air‐assisted spraying and electrically charged droplets to control whitefly in soybean, besides assessing surface coverage, plant protection product deposition, droplet size, and crop yield.RESULTSDroplet electrification and air assistance did not change droplet size and uniformity classified as Fine. Surface coverage was not enhanced using air assistance and electrically charged droplets, where maximum coverage in the middle third of the plants was 4.55%. The results were not significant for spray plant protection products deposition. The number of nymphs per leaflet in the 2019/20 growing season was reduced with the used technologies, reducing from 10.9 to 3.0 nymphs per leaflet in the application with air‐assisted and charged droplets, but not enough to differ from the untreated. On the other hand, the reduction was significant from the first assessment in the 2020/21 growing season.CONCLUSIONAir‐assisted spraying plus electrically charged droplets, under the conditions of this experiment which corresponds to the application carried out in production areas, were not effective to affect whitefly control and soybean yield in comparison to the conventional application method. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
Utility of cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking strain assessment in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension for prediction of REVEAL 2.0 high risk status
Authors: Leong Kai'En , Howard Luke , Giudice Francesco Lo , Davies Rachel , Haji Gulammehdi , Gibbs Simon , Gopalan Deepa 
Published: July 2022

AbstractChronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension may be cured by pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA). Thromboembolic disease distribution/PEA success primarily determines prognosis but risk scoring criteria may be adjunctive. Right ventriculoarterial (RV‐PA) and ventriculoatrial (RV‐right atrium [RA]) coupling may be evaluated by cardiac MRI (CMR) feature tracking deformation/strain assessment. We characterized biatrial and biventricular CMR feature tracking (FT) strain parameters following PEA and tested the ability of CMR FT to identify REVEAL 2.0 high‐risk status. We undertook a retrospective single‐center cross‐sectional study of patients (n = 57) who underwent PEA (2015–2020). All underwent pre and postoperative catheterization and CMR. Pulmonary arterial hypertension validated risk scores were calculated. Significant postoperative improvements were observed in mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) (pre‐op 45 ± 11 mmHg vs. post‐op 26 ± 11 mmHg; p < 0.001) and PVR however a large proportion had residual pulmonary hypertension (45%; mPAP ≥25 mmHg). PEA augmented left heart filling with left ventricular end diastolic volume index and left atrial volume index increment. Left ventricular ejection fraction was unchanged postoperatively but LV global longitudinal strain improved (pre‐op median −14.2% vs. post‐op −16.0%; p < 0.001). Right ventricular (RV) geometry and function also improved with reduction in RV mass. Most had uncoupled RV‐PA relationships which recovered (pre‐op right ventricular free wall longitudinal strain −13.2 ± 4.8%, RV stroke volume/right ventricular end systolic volume ratio 0.78 ± 0.53 vs. post‐op −16.8 ± 4.2%, 1.32 ± 0.55; both p < 0.001). Postoperatively, there were six REVEAL 2.0 high‐risk patients, best predicted by impaired RA strain which was superior to traditional volumetric parameters (area under the curve [AUC] 0.99 vs. RVEF AUC 0.88). CMR deformation/strain evaluation can offer insights into coupling recovery; RA strain may be an expeditious surrogate for the more laborious REVEAL 2.0 score.
Detecting overmature forests with airborne laser scanning (ALS)
Authors: Fuhr Marc , Lalechère Etienne , Monnet Jean‐Matthieu , Bergès Laurent 
Published: July 2022

AbstractBuilding a network of interconnected overmature forests is crucial for the conservation of biodiversity. Indeed, a multitude of plant and animal species depend on forest structural maturity attributes such as very large living trees and deadwood. LiDAR technology has proved to be powerful when assessing forest structural parameters, and it may be a promising way to identify existing overmature forest patches over large areas. We first built an index (IMAT) combining several forest structural maturity attributes in order to characterize the structural maturity of 660 field plots in the French northern Pre‐Alps. We then selected or developed LiDAR metrics and applied them in a random forest model designed to predict the IMAT. Model performance was evaluated with the root mean square error of prediction obtained from a bootstrap cross‐validation and a Spearman correlation coefficient calculated between observed and predicted IMAT. Predictors were ranked by importance based on the average increase in the squared out‐of‐bag error when the variable was randomly permuted. Despite a non‐negligible RMSEP (0.85 for calibration and validation data combined and 1.26 for validation data alone), we obtained a high correlation (0.89) between the observed and predicted IMAT values, indicating an accurate ranking of the field plots. LiDAR metrics for height (maximum height and height heterogeneity) were among the most important metrics for predicting forest maturity, together with elevation, slope and, to a lesser extent, with metrics describing the distribution of echoes' intensities. Our framework makes it possible to reconstruct a forest maturity gradient and isolate maturity hot spots. Nevertheless, our approach could be considerably strengthened by taking into consideration site fertility, collecting other maturity attributes in the field or developing adapted LiDAR metrics. Including additional spectral or textural metrics from optical imagery might also improve the predictive capacity of the model.
A Hexagonal Nut‐Like Metal–Organic Framework and Its Conformal Transformation
Authors: Zhang Wen‐Da , Zhou Lang , Wang Hao‐Ran , Xu Hanwen , Zhu Haiyan , Jiang Yuqin , Yan Xiaodong , Gu Zhi‐Guo 
Published: July 2022

AbstractHollow structured metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and their derivatives are desired in catalysis, energy storage, etc. However, fabrication of novel hollow MOFs and revelation of their formation mechanisms remain challenging. Herein, open hollow 2D MOFs in the form of hexagonal nut are prepared through self‐template method, which can be readily scaled up at gram scale in a one‐pot preparation. The evolution from the initial superstructure to the final stable MOFs is tracked by wide‐angle X‐ray scattering, transforming from solid hexagon to open hollow hexagon. More importantly, this protocol can be extended to synthesizing a series of open hollow structured MOFs with sizes ranging from ≈120 to ≈1200 nm. Further, open hollow structured cobalt/N‐doped porous carbon composites are realized through conformal transformation of the as‐prepared MOFs, which demonstrates promising applications in sustainable energy conversion technologies. This study sheds light on the kinetically controlled synthesis of novel 2D MOFs for their extended utilizations.
Chitosan and Carrageenan‐Based Biocompatible Hydrogel Platforms for Cosmeceutical, Drug Delivery, and Biomedical Applications
Authors: Qureshi Muhammad Anees ur Rehman , Arshad Nasima , Rasool Atta , Islam Atif , Rizwan Muhammad , Haseeb Muhammad , Rasheed Tahir , Bilal Muhammad 
Published: July 2022

AbstractHydrogels are three‐dimensional water hungry networks that are currently the focus of intense scientific investigations owing to their potential applications in biomedicine, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, biosensing, agriculture and cosmetics. Traditional hydrogels are incorporated with toxic cross‐linkers, lower drug loading and are shorter in load bearing capacity. Hydrogels demonstrate significant physiochemical modification in reaction to minor fluctuations in surrounding medium. Therefore, diverse cross‐linkers, polymer blending, modification in polymers/cross‐linkers and addition of reinforcement approaches are used. This review offers a comprehensive overview of application prospects of chitosan and carrageenan‐based hydrogel materials in biomedical sector. Initially, properties of hydrogels, their types, impact of natural‐synthetic polymer blending, requirement of filler and applications of hydrogels are summarized. Afterward, the applications of chitosan and carrageenan hydrogel platforms for drug delivery, tissue engineering, cosmetics, dentistry and ophthalmic treatment are thoroughly vetted. In conclusion, the extraordinary biocompatible, biodegradable and non‐toxic features of chitosan and carrageenan‐based hydrogel systems promote their applicability in biomedical fields.
Impact of rural residence and low socioeconomic status on rate and timing of prenatal detection of major congenital heart disease in a jurisdiction of universal health coverage
Authors: Kaur A. , Hornberger L. K. , Fruitman D. , Ngwezi D. , Eckersley L. G. 
Published: July 2022

ABSTRACTObjectiveSocioeconomic status (SES) and distance of residence from tertiary care may impact fetal detection of congenital heart disease (CHD), partly through reduced access to and quality of obstetric ultrasound screening. It is unknown whether SES and remoteness of residence (RoR) affect prenatal detection of CHD in jurisdictions with universal health coverage. We examined the impact of SES and RoR on the rate and timing of prenatal diagnosis of major CHD within the province of Alberta in Canada.MethodsIn this retrospective study, we identified all fetuses and infants diagnosed with major CHD in Alberta, from 2008 to 2018, that underwent cardiac surgical intervention within the first year after birth, died preoperatively, were stillborn or underwent termination. Using maternal residence postal code and geocoding, Chan SES index quintile, geographic distance from a tertiary‐care fetal cardiology center and the Canadian Index of Remoteness (IoR) were calculated. Outcome measures included rates of prenatal diagnosis and diagnosis after 22 weeks' gestation. Risk ratios (RR) were calculated using log‐binomial regression and stratified by rural (≥ 100 km from tertiary care) or metropolitan (< 100 km from tertiary care) residence, adjusting for year of birth and the obstetric ultrasound screening view in which CHD would most likely be detected (four‐chamber view; outflow‐tract view; three‐vessel or three‐vessels‐and‐trachea or non‐standard view; septal view).ResultsOf 1405 fetuses/infants with major CHD, prenatal diagnosis occurred in 814 (57.9%). Residence ≥ 100 km from tertiary care (adjusted RR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.05–1.34) and higher IoR (adjusted RR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.1–3.3) were associated with missed prenatal diagnosis of major CHD. Similarly, residence ≥ 100 km from tertiary care (adjusted RR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.22–1.62) and higher IoR (adjusted RR, 3.6; 95% CI, 2.2–8.2) were associated with prenatal diagnosis after 22 weeks. Although adjusted and unadjusted analyses showed no association between Chan SES index quintile and prenatal‐diagnosis rate overall nor for residence in rural areas, in metropolitan regions, lower SES quintiles were associated with missed prenatal diagnosis (quintile 1: RR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.02–1.50) and higher risk of diagnosis after 22 weeks' gestation (quintile 1: RR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.10–1.93; quintile 2: RR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.24–2.23).ConclusionsDespite universal healthcare, rural residence in Alberta is associated with lower rate of prenatal diagnosis of major CHD and higher risk of late prenatal diagnosis (≥ 22 weeks). Within metropolitan regions, lower SES impacts negatively prenatal‐diagnosis rate and timing. © 2022 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
High‐level seroprevalence against Leptospira interrogans serovars among wild foxes, jackals and stray dogs in the North Khorasan Province, Iran
Authors: Arzamani Kourosh , Abdollahpour Gholamreza , Azimian Amir , van Belkum Alex , Ghasemzadeh‐Moghaddam Hamed 
Published: July 2022

AbstractBackgroundLeptospirosis is an important, neglected zoonotic disease that affects people and animals in humid (sub)tropical regions. Wild canines carry the pathogen and may contaminate natural resources which may then act as a source of human infection.ObjectivesThe study was designed to understand the seroprevalence of leptospirosis among domestic and wild canines in Bojnurd County, Northeast Iran.MethodsA total of 77 serum samples, comprising 29 sera from asymptomatic wild canines [foxes (n = 25) and jackals (n = 4)] and 48 sera from asymptomatic stray dogs, was investigated. Serovars were identified and antibody titres were measured by standard microscopic agglutination test (MAT) using serial serum dilutions.ResultsAmong all serum samples, 44.1% reacted positively to a Leptospira interrogans serovars. The average percentage of positive reactions was higher in stray dogs than in wild canines although this did not reach statistical significance (55.2% and 37.5%, p = 0.159). Positive reactions with L. i. Pomona, L. i. Australis and L. i. Tarasovi was detected only among jackals and foxes. Among the stray dogs, the highest number of positive sera were for L. i. Grippotyphosa (61.1%) and L. i. Canicola (50%). The highest titre detected was for L. i. canicola (1:1600) in two stray dogs and against L. i. Icterohaemorrhagiae and L. i. Pomona (1:800) in a single jackal.ConclusionsThe study revealed that leptospirosis is endemic among various canine species in the North Khorasan Province of Iran. Detailed monitoring of canines is necessary for better understanding the epidemiology of infection in our and other Iranian regions.
A short‐term wind power prediction method based on deep learning and multistage ensemble algorithm
Authors: Peng Xiaosheng , Li Cong , Jia Shiyuan , Zhou Liangsong , Wang Bo , Che Jianfeng 
Published: July 2022

AbstractWind power prediction (WPP) is extremely important in promoting the power grid's consumption of wind power. To improve the accuracy of WPP, a three‐stage multiensemble short‐term WPP method based on ensemble learning and deep learning is proposed in this paper. In the first stage, variational mode decomposition and wavelet transform were applied to decompose the original data sequence into different frequency bands. In the second stage, based on the decomposition sequences, the stacked denoising autoencoder (SDAE), long short‐term memory (LSTM), and bidirectional long short‐term memory (BLSTM) were used to predict the sequences; and 42 submodels were obtained. In the third stage, a support vector machine (SVM) was applied to give weight to each submodel to obtain the final ensemble prediction results. Based on three‐stage integration, a new multi‐integration model is proposed that repeats the third‐stage integration operation. A case study is presented to verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed three‐stage multi‐integration WPP method. The normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) decreased by 0.0343 compared with LSTM, decreased by 0.0336 compared with BLSTM, and decreased by 0.0323 compared with SDAE, which demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed new multistage ensemble and deep learning WPP method.
Caring for COVID‐19 patients through a pandemic in the intensive care setting: A narrative review
Authors: Dushianthan Ahilanadan , Griffiths Melanie , Hall Fiona , Nolan Kathleen , Richardson Dominic , Skinner Benjamin , Matthews Lewis , Charles David , Elsheikh Razaz , Pignatari Renato , Rahman Rezaur , Theivendrampillai Shenthiuiyan , Egglestone Rebecca , Stokes Aaron , Danibenvenutti Giovani , Stewart Michael , Celinski Michael , Cusack Rebecca , Gupta Sanjay , Saeed Kordo 
Published: July 2022

AbstractSince the declaration of the novel SARS‐CoV‐2 virus pandemic, health systems/ health‐care‐workers globally have been overwhelmed by a vast number of COVID‐19 related hospitalizations and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions. During the early stages of the pandemic, the lack of formalized evidence‐based guidelines in all aspects of patient management was a significant challenge. Coupled with a lack of effective pharmacotherapies resulted in unsatisfactory outcomes in ICU patients. The anticipated increment in ICU surge capacity was staggering, with almost every ICU worldwide being advised to increase their capacity to allow adequate care provision in response to multiple waves of the pandemic. This increase in surge capacity required advanced planning and reassessments at every stage, taking advantage of experienced gained in combination with emerging evidence. In University Hospital Southampton General Intensive Care Unit (GICU), despite the initial lack of national and international guidance, we enhanced our ICU capacity and developed local guidance on all aspects of care to address the rapid demand from the increasing COVID‐19 admissions. The main element of this success was a multidisciplinary team approach intertwined with equipment and infrastructural reorganization. This narrative review provides an insight into the approach adopted by our center to manage patients with COVID‐19 critical illness, exploring the initial planning process, including contingency preparations to accommodate (360% capacity increment) and adaptation of our management pathways as more evidence emerged throughout the pandemic to provide the most appropriate levels of care to our patients. We hope our experience will benefit other intensive care units worldwide.This article is categorized under:
Infectious Diseases > Genetics/Genomics/Epigenetics