bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Age Effects Aggressive Behavior: RNA-Seq Analysis in Cattle with Implications for Studying Neoteny Under Domestication
Authors: Eusebi Paulina G. , Sevane Natalia , O’Rourke Thomas , Pizarro Manuel , Boeckx Cedric , Dunner Susana 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe reactive type of aggression is regulated mostly by the brain’s prefrontal cortex; however, the molecular changes underlying aggressiveness in adults have not been fully characterized. We used an RNA-seq approach to investigate differential gene expression in the prefrontal cortex of bovines from the aggressive Lidia breed at different ages: young three-year old and adult four-year-old bulls. A total of 50 up and 193 down-regulated genes in the adult group were identified. Furthermore, a cross-species comparative analysis retrieved 29 genes in common with previous studies on aggressive behaviors, representing an above-chance overlap with the differentially expressed genes in adult bulls. We detected changes in the regulation of networks such as synaptogenesis, involved in maintenance and refinement of synapses, and the glutamate receptor pathway, which acts as excitatory driver in aggressive responses. The reduced reactive aggression typical of domestication has been proposed to form part of a retention of juvenile traits as adults (neoteny).
Evidences of soil warming from long-term trends (1951–2018) in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Authors: Dorau Kristof , Bamminger Chris , Koch Daniel , Mansfeldt Tim 
Published: January 2022

AbstractSoil temperature (ST) is an important property of soils and driver of below ground biogeochemical processes. Global change is responsible that besides variable meteorological conditions, climate-driven shifts in ST are observed throughout the world. In this study, we examined long-term records in ST by a trend decomposition procedure from eleven stations in western Germany starting from earliest in 1951 until 2018. Concomitantly to ST data from multiple depths (5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 cm), various meteorological variables were measured and included in the multivariate statistical analysis to explain spatiotemporal trends in soil warming. A significant positive increase in temperature was more pronounced for ST (1.76 ± 0.59 °C) compared with air temperature (AT; 1.35 ± 0.35 °C) among all study sites. Air temperature was the best explanatory variable to explain trends in soil warming by an average 0.29 ± 0.21 °C per decade and the trend peaked during the period from 1991–2000. Especially, the summer months (June to August) contributed most to the soil warming effect, whereby the increase in maximum ST (STmax) was nearby fivefold with 4.89 °C compared with an increase of minimum ST (STmin) of 1.02 °C. This widening between STmax and STmin fostered enhanced diurnal ST fluctuations at ten out of eleven stations. Subsoil warming up to + 2.3 °C in 100-cm depth is critical in many ways for ecosystem behavior, e.g., by enhanced mineral weathering or organic carbon decomposition rates. Thus, spatiotemporal patterns of soil warming need to be evaluated by trend decomposition procedures under a changing climate.
Graphical abstract
Dispositional optimism and depression risk in older women in the Nurses´ Health Study: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Weitzer Jakob , Trudel-Fitzgerald Claudia , Okereke Olivia I. , Kawachi Ichiro , Schernhammer Eva 
Published: January 2022

AbstractDispositional optimism is a potentially modifiable factor and has been associated with multiple physical health outcomes, but its relationship with depression, especially later in life, remains unclear. In the Nurses´ Health Study (n = 33,483), we examined associations between dispositional optimism and depression risk in women aged 57–85 (mean = 69.9, SD = 6.8), with 4,051 cases of incident depression and 10 years of follow-up (2004–2014). We defined depression as either having a physician/clinician-diagnosed depression, or regularly using antidepressants, or the presence of severe depressive symptoms using validated self-reported scales. Age- and multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) across optimism quartiles and for a 1-standard deviation (SD) increment of the optimism score. In sensitivity analyses we explored more restrictive definitions of depression, potential mediators, and moderators. In multivariable-adjusted models, women with greater optimism (top vs. bottom quartile) had a 27% (95%CI = 19–34%) lower risk of depression. Every 1-SD increase in the optimism score was associated with a 15% (95%CI = 12–18%) lower depression risk. When applying a more restrictive definition for clinical depression, the association was considerably attenuated (every 1-SD increase in the optimism score was associated with a 6% (95%CI = 2–10%-) lower depression risk. Stratified analyses by baseline depressive symptoms, age, race, and birth region revealed comparable estimates, while mediators (emotional support, social network size, healthy lifestyle), when combined, explained approximately 10% of the optimism-depression association. As social and behavioral factors only explained a small proportion of the association, future research should investigate other potential pathways, such as coping strategies, that may relate optimism to depression risk.
Environmental regionalization and endemic plant distribution in the Maghreb
Authors: Walas Łukasz , Taib Asma 
Published: January 2022

AbstractClustering methods based on environmental variables are useful in the planning of conservation strategies for species and ecosystems. However, there is a lack of work on the regionalization of the vast space of North Africa and the distribution of plant species. The current lists of endemic plants are focused mostly on an occurrence at the country level and not on regions with different conditions. The aim of this work was to lay out an environmental scheme for northwest Africa and to collect data about the occurrence of endemic plants in this area. Clustering with 12 of 33 tested environmental rasters was performed to divide the Maghreb into environmental clusters. Then, a list of 1618 endemic plant taxa (1243 species and 375 subspecies) was prepared and their distribution in estimated environmental clusters was examined. Eleven clusters with different conditions were estimated. The main drivers of regionalization were temperature amplitude, precipitation seasonality, and precipitation of the warmest quarter. According to the occurrence of endemic plants, northwest Africa may be divided into three zones: Atlas, Mediterranean (two environmental clusters), and southern zone (eight environmental clusters). The presented results provide a good basis for understanding the spatial patterns of the Maghreb, including its environment and species diversity. A designed list of endemic plant species together with environmental data may facilitate the planning of future research in north Africa and arranging methods of biodiversity protection.
On the synergy between Ariel and ground-based high-resolution spectroscopy
Authors: Guilluy Gloria , Sozzetti Alessandro , Giacobbe Paolo , Bonomo Aldo S. , Micela Giuseppina 
Published: January 2022

AbstractSince the first discovery of an extra-solar planet around a main-sequence star, in 1995, the number of detected exoplanets has increased enormously. Over the past two decades, observational instruments (both onboard and on ground-based facilities) have revealed an astonishing diversity in planetary physical features (i. e. mass and radius), and orbital parameters (e.g. period, semi-major axis, inclination). Exoplanetary atmospheres provide direct clues to understand the origin of these differences through their observable spectral imprints. In the near future, upcoming ground and space-based telescopes will shift the focus of exoplanetary science from an era of “species discovery” to one of “atmospheric characterization”. In this context, the Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large (Ariel) survey, will play a key role. As it is designed to observe and characterize a large and diverse sample of exoplanets, Ariel will provide constraints on a wide gamut of atmospheric properties allowing us to extract much more information than has been possible so far (e.g. insights into the planetary formation and evolution processes). The low resolution spectra obtained with Ariel will probe layers different from those observed by ground-based high resolution spectroscopy, therefore the synergy between these two techniques offers a unique opportunity to understanding the physics of planetary atmospheres. In this paper, we set the basis for building up a framework to effectively utilise, at near-infrared wavelengths, high-resolution datasets (analyzed via the cross-correlation technique) with spectral retrieval analyses based on Ariel low-resolution spectroscopy. We show preliminary results, using a benchmark object, namely HD 209458 b, addressing the possibility of providing improved constraints on the temperature structure and molecular/atomic abundances.
The face is central to primate multicomponent signals
Authors: Waller Bridget M. , Kavanagh Eithne , Micheletta Jerome , Clark Peter R. , Whitehouse Jamie 
Published: January 2022

AbstractA wealth of experimental and observational evidence suggests that faces have become increasingly important in the communication system of primates over evolutionary time and that both the static and moveable aspects of faces convey considerable information. Therefore, whenever there is a visual component to any multicomponent signal the face is potentially relevant. However, the role of the face is not always considered in primate multicomponent communication research. We review the literature and make a case for greater focus on the face going forward. We propose that the face can be overlooked for two main reasons: first, due to methodological difficulty. Examination of multicomponent signals in primates is difficult, so scientists tend to examine a limited number of signals in combination. Detailed examination of the subtle and dynamic components of facial signals is particularly hard to achieve in studies of primates. Second, due to a common assumption that the face contains “emotional” content. A priori categorisation of facial behavior as “emotional” ignores the potentially communicative and predictive information present in the face that might contribute to signals. In short, we argue that the face is central to multicomponent signals (and also many multimodal signals) and suggest future directions for investigating this phenomenon.
The Role of Intimate Partner Violence, Couple Dissatisfaction and Parenting Behaviors in Understanding Parental Burnout
Authors: Prandstetter Katharina , Murphy Hugh , Foran Heather M. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractParental burnout (PB), a relatively new and under-studied construct, is defined as a condition resulting from chronic parenting stress. While recent research confirmed its negative associations with familial variables, such as relationship satisfaction and positive parenting practices, little is known about the role of intimate partner violence (IPV) and how it relates to parental burnout. The present study, therefore, aimed to extend existing knowledge on chronic parenting stress by 1) testing for the mediational role of couple dissatisfaction in explaining the link from IPV victimization to PB as well as the link from IPV victimization to dysfunctional parenting, and 2) investigating how specialist gender roles and parental responsibilities for child care relate to IPV victimization and PB. Data collection was part of an international collaboration on factors related to parental satisfaction and exhaustion across different countries. Self-report data from Austrian mothers (N = 121) were collected online and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results indicated that couple dissatisfaction mediates the link from IPV victimization to PB, as well as IPV victimization to dysfunctional parenting. Furthermore, only specialist gender roles were significantly related to IPV, while parental responsibilities for child care did not significantly relate to experiences of violence. Additionally, neither specialist gender roles nor parental responsibilities were significantly associated with PB in the final model. Overall, our findings connect to family models, such as the Family System Theory and Spillover Theory, underscoring the importance of couples’ relationship quality for understanding parental burnout and parenting behaviors in mothers.
A unified physiological framework of transitions between seizures, sustained ictal activity and depolarization block at the single neuron level
Authors: Depannemaecker Damien , Ivanov Anton , Lillo Davide , Spek Len , Bernard Christophe , Jirsa Viktor 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe majority of seizures recorded in humans and experimental animal models can be described by a generic phenomenological mathematical model, the Epileptor. In this model, seizure-like events (SLEs) are driven by a slow variable and occur via saddle node (SN) and homoclinic bifurcations at seizure onset and offset, respectively. Here we investigated SLEs at the single cell level using a biophysically relevant neuron model including a slow/fast system of four equations. The two equations for the slow subsystem describe ion concentration variations and the two equations of the fast subsystem delineate the electrophysiological activities of the neuron. Using extracellular K+ as a slow variable, we report that SLEs with SN/homoclinic bifurcations can readily occur at the single cell level when extracellular K+ reaches a critical value. In patients and experimental models, seizures can also evolve into sustained ictal activity (SIA) and depolarization block (DB), activities which are also parts of the dynamic repertoire of the Epileptor. Increasing extracellular concentration of K+ in the model to values found during experimental status epilepticus and DB, we show that SIA and DB can also occur at the single cell level. Thus, seizures, SIA, and DB, which have been first identified as network events, can exist in a unified framework of a biophysical model at the single neuron level and exhibit similar dynamics as observed in the Epileptor.Author Summary: Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by the occurrence of seizures. Seizures have been characterized in patients in experimental models at both macroscopic and microscopic scales using electrophysiological recordings. Experimental works allowed the establishment of a detailed taxonomy of seizures, which can be described by mathematical models. We can distinguish two main types of models. Phenomenological (generic) models have few parameters and variables and permit detailed dynamical studies often capturing a majority of activities observed in experimental conditions. But they also have abstract parameters, making biological interpretation difficult. Biophysical models, on the other hand, use a large number of variables and parameters due to the complexity of the biological systems they represent. Because of the multiplicity of solutions, it is difficult to extract general dynamical rules. In the present work, we integrate both approaches and reduce a detailed biophysical model to sufficiently low-dimensional equations, and thus maintaining the advantages of a generic model. We propose, at the single cell level, a unified framework of different pathological activities that are seizures, depolarization block, and sustained ictal activity.
Using the Split Bregman Algorithm to Solve the Self-repelling Snakes Model
Authors: Pan Huizhu , Song Jintao , Liu Wanquan , Li Ling , Zhou Guanglu , Tan Lu , Chen Shichu 
Published: January 2022

AbstractPreserving contour topology during image segmentation is useful in many practical scenarios. By keeping the contours isomorphic, it is possible to prevent over-segmentation and under-segmentation, as well as to adhere to given topologies. The Self-repelling Snakes model (SR) is a variational model that preserves contour topology by combining a non-local repulsion term with the geodesic active contour model. The SR is traditionally solved using the additive operator splitting (AOS) scheme. In our paper, we propose an alternative solution to the SR using the Split Bregman method. Our algorithm breaks the problem down into simpler sub-problems to use lower-order evolution equations and a simple projection scheme rather than re-initialization. The sub-problems can be solved via fast Fourier transform or an approximate soft thresholding formula which maintains stability, shortening the convergence time, and reduces the memory requirement. The Split Bregman and AOS algorithms are compared theoretically and experimentally.
Monocytes and pyrophosphate promote mesenchymal stem cell viability and early osteogenic differentiation
Authors: Svensson Sara , Palmer Michael , Svensson Johan , Johansson Anna , Engqvist Håkan , Omar Omar , Thomsen Peter 
Published: January 2022

AbstractPyrophosphate-containing calcium phosphate implants promote osteoinduction and bone regeneration. The role of pyrophosphate for inflammatory cell-mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) cross-talk during osteogenesis is not known. In the present work, the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and pyrophosphate (PPi) on primary human monocytes and on osteogenic gene expression in human adipose-derived MSCs were evaluated in vitro, using conditioned media transfer as well as direct effect systems. Direct exposure to pyrophosphate increased nonadherent monocyte survival (by 120% without LPS and 235% with LPS) and MSC viability (LDH) (by 16–19% with and without LPS). Conditioned media from LPS-primed monocytes significantly upregulated osteogenic genes (ALP and RUNX2) and downregulated adipogenic (PPAR-γ) and chondrogenic (SOX9) genes in recipient MSCs. Moreover, the inclusion of PPi (250 μM) resulted in a 1.2- to 2-fold significant downregulation of SOX9 in the recipient MSCs, irrespective of LPS stimulation or culture media type. These results indicate that conditioned media from LPS-stimulated inflammatory monocytes potentiates the early MSCs commitment towards the osteogenic lineage and that direct pyrophosphate exposure to MSCs can promote their viability and reduce their chondrogenic gene expression. These results are the first to show that pyrophosphate can act as a survival factor for both human MSCs and primary monocytes and can influence the early MSC gene expression.
Sibling Bullying in Turkish Adolescents: Translation and Cross-Cultural Validation of the Sibling Bullying Questionnaire
Authors: Deniz Emre , Derinalp Pelin , Gulkanat Ilayda , Kaz Cagla , Ozhan Neslihan , Toseeb Umar 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe primary aim of this study was to translate the Sibling Bullying Questionnaire (SBQ) into Turkish and validate it. A secondary aim was to estimate the prevalence of sibling bullying in Turkish adolescents. The SBQ was translated by a team of English-Turkish bilinguals. Self-report data were collected from Turkish adolescents (N = 301) aged 10 to 18 years old (mean age = 14.25 years, SD = 2.46). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to confirm the factor structure of the newly translated Turkish SBQ (T-SBQ). Descriptive analyses were then conducted to report the characteristics of the sample and the prevalence of sibling bullying. CFA confirmed the original two-factor structure of the T-SBQ indicating that a first-order correlated two-factor model shows the best fit: x2=160.33 (p < 0.001), df = 61, RMSEA = 0.07, CFI = 0.95 and TLI = 0.93. The T-SBQ showed satisfactory levels of internal consistency in victimisation (α = 0.84) and perpetration (α = 0.83) subscales, excellent reliability in the overall test scale (α = 0.90), and a high level of convergent validity when compared with the Revised Sibling Bullying Questionnaire (α = 0.79). In terms of sibling bullying prevalence, approximately half of the adolescents (51%) reported having been involved in some form of sibling bullying in the preceding six months, either as pure-victim (18%), pure-bully (3%) or bully-victim (30%). This result aligns with the findings from other countries such as the United States (41%), Israel (51%), and the United Kingdom (49%). The T-SBQ is valid and reliable in measuring sibling bullying in Turkish adolescents and sibling bullying is prevalent in the lives of Turkish adolescents.
Taking Up Thagard’s Challenge: A Formal Model of Conceptual Revision
Authors: Bozdag Sena , De Benedetto Matteo 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThagard (1992) presented a framework for conceptual change in science based on conceptual systems. Thagard challenged belief revision theorists, claiming that traditional belief-revision systems are able to model only the two most conservative types of changes in his framework, but not the more radical ones. The main aim of this work is to take up Thagard’s challenge, presenting a belief-revision-like system able to mirror radical types of conceptual change. We will do that with a conceptual revision system, i.e. a belief-revision-like system that takes conceptual structures as units of revisions. We will show how our conceptual revision and contraction operations satisfy analogous of the AGM postulates at the conceptual level and are able to mimic Thagard’s radical types of conceptual change.
Trends, directions for further research, and some open problems of fractional calculus
Authors: Diethelm Kai , Kiryakova Virginia , Luchko Yuri , Machado J. A. Tenreiro , Tarasov Vasily E. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe area of fractional calculus (FC) has been fast developing and is presently being applied in all scientific fields. Therefore, it is of key relevance to assess the present state of development and to foresee, if possible, the future evolution, or, at least, the challenges identified in the scope of advanced research works. This paper gives a vision about the directions for further research as well as some open problems of FC. A number of topics in mathematics, numerical algorithms and physics are analyzed, giving a systematic perspective for future research.