bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An aquatic microrobot for microscale flow manipulation
Authors: Subendran Satishkumar , Wang Chun-Fang , Loganathan Dineshkumar , Lu Yueh-Hsun , Chen Chia-Yuan 
Published: March 2022

AbstractMicrorobots have been developed and extensively employed for performing the variety tasks with various applications. However, the intricate fabrication and actuation processes employed for microrobots further restrict their multitudinous applicability as well as the controllability in high accuracy. As an alternative, in this work an aquatic microrobot was developed using a distinctive concept of the building block technique where the microrobot was built based on the block to block design. An in-house electromagnetic system as well as the control algorithm were developed to achieve the precise real-time dynamics of the microrobot for extensive applications. In addition, pivotal control parameters of the microrobot including the actuating waveforms together with the operational parameters were verified and discussed in conjunction with the magnetic intensity simulation. A mixing task was performed with high efficiency based on the trajectory planning and rotation control of the microrobot to demonstrate its capability in flow manipulation which can be advantageous for microreactor applications down the load. Aside from it, a dissolution test was further conducted to provide an on-demand flow agitation function of the microrobot for the next level of lab chip applications. The presented work with detail dynamic analysis is envisaged to provide a new look of microrobot control and functions from the engineering perspective with profoundly potential applications.
Contrasting roles for G-quadruplexes in regulating human Bcl-2 and virus homologues KSHV KS-Bcl-2 and EBV BHRF1
Authors: Kumar Shivani , Ramamurthy Chitteti , Choudhary Divya , Sekar Aashika , Patra Anupam , Bhavesh Neel Sarovar , Vivekanandan Perumal 
Published: March 2022

AbstractHerpesviruses are known to acquire several genes from their hosts during evolution. We found that a significant proportion of virus homologues encoded by HSV-1, HSV-2, EBV and KSHV and their human counterparts contain G-quadruplex motifs in their promoters. We sought to understand the role of G-quadruplexes in the regulatory regions of viral Bcl-2 homologues encoded by KSHV (KS-Bcl-2) and EBV (BHRF1). We demonstrate that the KSHV KS-Bcl-2 and the EBV BHRF1 promoter G-quadruplex motifs (KSHV-GQ and EBV-GQ) form stable intramolecular G-quadruplexes. Ligand-mediated stabilization of KS-Bcl-2 and BHRF1 promoter G-quadruplexes significantly increased the promoter activity resulting in enhanced transcription of these viral Bcl-2 homologues. Mutations disrupting KSHV-GQ and EBV-GQ inhibit promoter activity and render the KS-Bcl-2 and the BHRF1 promoters non-responsive to G-quadruplex ligand. In contrast, promoter G-quadruplexes of human bcl-2 gene inhibit promoter activity. Further, KS-Bcl-2 and BHRF1 promoter G-quadruplexes augment RTA (a virus-encoded transcription factor)-mediated increase in viral bcl-2 promoter activity. In sum, this work highlights how human herpesviruses have evolved to exploit promoter G-quadruplexes to regulate virus homologues to counter their cellular counterparts.
Loss of a globally unique kelp forest from Oman
Authors: Coleman M. A. , Reddy M. , Nimbs M. J. , Marshell A. , Al-Ghassani S. A. , Bolton J. J. , Jupp B. P. , De Clerck O. , Leliaert F. , Champion C. , Pearson G. A. , Serrão E. A. , Madeira P. , Wernberg T. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractKelp forests are declining in many regions globally with climatic perturbations causing shifts to alternate communities and significant ecological and economic loss. Range edge populations are often at most risk and are often only sustained through localised areas of upwelling or on deeper reefs. Here we document the loss of kelp forests (Ecklonia radiata) from the Sultanate of Oman, the only confirmed northern hemisphere population of this species. Contemporary surveys failed to find any kelp in its only known historical northern hemisphere location, Sadah on the Dhofar coast. Genetic analyses of historical herbarium specimens from Oman confirmed the species to be E. radiata and revealed the lost population contained a common CO1 haplotype found across South Africa, Australia and New Zealand suggesting it once established through rapid colonisation throughout its range. However, the Omani population also contained a haplotype that is found nowhere else in the extant southern hemisphere distribution of E. radiata. The loss of the Oman population could be due to significant increases in the Arabian Sea temperature over the past 40 years punctuated by suppression of coastal upwelling. Climate-mediated warming is threatening the persistence of temperate species and precipitating loss of unique genetic diversity at lower latitudes.
Lung lymphatic thrombosis and dysfunction caused by cigarette smoke exposure precedes emphysema in mice
Authors: Summers Barbara D. , Kim Kihwan , Clement Cristina C. , Khan Zohaib , Thangaswamy Sangeetha , McCright Jacob , Maisel Katharina , Zamora Sofia , Quintero Stephanie , Racanelli Alexandra C. , Redmond David , D’Armiento Jeanine , Yang Jisheng , Kuang Amy , Monticelli Laurel , Kahn Mark L. , Choi Augustine M. K. , Santambrogio Laura , Reed Hasina Outtz 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe lymphatic vasculature is critical for lung function, but defects in lymphatic function in the pathogenesis of lung disease is understudied. In mice, lymphatic dysfunction alone is sufficient to cause lung injury that resembles human emphysema. Whether lymphatic function is disrupted in cigarette smoke (CS)-induced emphysema is unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of CS on lung lymphatic function. Analysis of human lung tissue revealed significant lung lymphatic thrombosis in patients with emphysema compared to control smokers that increased with disease severity. In a mouse model, CS exposure led to lung lymphatic thrombosis, decreased lymphatic drainage, and impaired leukocyte trafficking that all preceded the development of emphysema. Proteomic analysis demonstrated an increased abundance of coagulation factors in the lymph draining from the lungs of CS-exposed mice compared to control mice. In addition, in vitro assays demonstrated a direct effect of CS on lymphatic endothelial cell integrity. These data show that CS exposure results in lung lymphatic dysfunction and a shift in thoracic lymph towards a prothrombic state. Furthermore, our data suggest that lymphatic dysfunction is due to effects of CS on the lymphatic vasculature that precede emphysema. These studies demonstrate a novel component of CS-induced lung injury that occurs early in the pathogenesis of emphysema.
The expanding network of mineral chemistry throughout earth history reveals global shifts in crustal chemistry during the Proterozoic
Authors: Moore Eli K. , Golden Josh J. , Morrison Shaunna M. , Hao Jihua , Spielman Stephanie J. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractEarth surface redox conditions are intimately linked to the co-evolution of the geosphere and biosphere. Minerals provide a record of Earth’s evolving surface and interior chemistry in geologic time due to many different processes (e.g. tectonic, volcanic, sedimentary, oxidative, etc.). Here, we show how the bipartite network of minerals and their shared constituent elements expanded and evolved over geologic time. To further investigate network expansion over time, we derive and apply a novel metric (weighted mineral element electronegativity coefficient of variation; wMEECV) to quantify intra-mineral electronegativity variation with respect to redox. We find that element electronegativity and hard soft acid base (HSAB) properties are central factors in mineral redox chemistry under a wide range of conditions. Global shifts in mineral element electronegativity and HSAB associations represented by wMEECV changes at 1.8 and 0.6 billion years ago align with decreased continental elevation followed by the transition from the intermediate ocean and glaciation eras to post-glaciation, increased atmospheric oxygen in the Phanerozoic, and enhanced continental weathering. Consequently, network analysis of mineral element electronegativity and HSAB properties reveal that orogenic activity, evolving redox state of the mantle, planetary oxygenation, and climatic transitions directly impacted the evolving chemical complexity of Earth’s crust.
Comparative transcriptome analysis of melon (Cucumis melo L.) reveals candidate genes and pathways involved in powdery mildew resistance
Authors: Zhao Zengqiang , Dong Yongmei , Wang Jianyu , Zhang Guoli , Zhang Zhibin , Zhang Aiping , Wang Zhijun , Ma Panpan , Li Youzhong , Zhang Xiying , Ye Chunxiu , Xie Zongming 
Published: March 2022

AbstractPowdery mildew is a major disease in melon, primarily caused by Podosphaera xanthii (Px). Some melon varieties were resistant to powdery mildew, while others were susceptible. However, the candidate genes associated with resistance and the mechanism of resistance/susceptibility to powdery mildew in melon remain unclear. In this study, disease-resistant melon cultivar TG-1 and disease-susceptible melon cultivar TG-5 were selected for comparative transcriptome analysis. The results suggested that the numbers of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in TG-5 was always more than that in TG-1 at each of the four time points after Px infection, indicating that their responses to Px infection may be different and that the active response of TG-5 to Px infection may be earlier than that of TG-1. Transcription factors (TFs) analysis among the DEGs revealed that the bHLH, ERF, and MYB families in TG-1 may play a vital role in the interaction between melon and powdery mildew pathogens. GO enrichment analysis of these DEGs in TG-5 showed that the SBP, HSF, and ERF gene families may play important roles in the early stage of melon development after Px infection. Finally, we speculated on the regulatory pathways of melon powdery mildew and found PTI and ABA signaling genes may be associated with the response to Px infection in melon.
Proteasomal turnover of the RhoGAP tumor suppressor DLC1 is regulated by HECTD1 and USP7
Authors: Frey Yannick , Franz-Wachtel Mirita , Macek Boris , Olayioye Monilola A. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe Rho GTPase activating protein Deleted in Liver Cancer 1 (DLC1) is frequently downregulated through genetic and epigenetic mechanisms in various malignancies, leading to aberrant Rho GTPase signaling and thus facilitating cancer progression. Here we show that in breast cancer cells, dysregulation of DLC1 expression occurs at the protein level through rapid degradation via the ubiquitin–proteasome system. Using mass spectrometry, we identify two novel DLC1 interaction partners, the ubiquitin-ligase HECTD1 and the deubiquitinating enzyme ubiquitin-specific-processing protease 7 (USP7). While DLC1 protein expression was rapidly downregulated upon pharmacological inhibition of USP7, siRNA-mediated knockdown of HECTD1 increased DLC1 protein levels and impaired its degradation. Immunofluorescence microscopy analyses revealed that the modulation of HECTD1 levels and USP7 activity altered DLC1 abundance at focal adhesions, its primary site of action. Thus, we propose opposing regulatory mechanisms of DLC1 protein homeostasis by USP7 and HECTD1, which could open up strategies to counteract downregulation and restore DLC1 expression in cancer.
Effect of hydrophobic moment on membrane interaction and cell penetration of apolipoprotein E-derived arginine-rich amphipathic α-helical peptides
Authors: Takechi-Haraya Yuki , Ohgita Takashi , Kotani Mana , Kono Hiroki , Saito Chihiro , Tamagaki-Asahina Hiroko , Nishitsuji Kazuchika , Uchimura Kenji , Sato Takeshi , Kawano Ryuji , Sakai-Kato Kumiko , Izutsu Ken-ichi , Saito Hiroyuki 
Published: March 2022

AbstractWe previously developed an amphipathic arginine-rich peptide, A2-17, which has high ability to directly penetrate across cell membranes. To understand the mechanism of the efficient cell-penetrating ability of the A2-17 peptide, we designed three structural isomers of A2-17 having different values of the hydrophobic moment and compared their membrane interaction and direct cell penetration. Confocal fluorescence microscopy revealed that cell penetration efficiency of peptides tends to increase with their hydrophobic moment, in which A2-17 L14R/R15L, an A2-17 isomer with the highest hydrophobic moment, predominantly remains on plasma cell membranes. Consistently, Trp fluorescence analysis indicated the deepest insertion of A2-17 L14R/R15L into lipid membranes among all A2-17 isomers. Electrophysiological analysis showed that the duration and charge flux of peptide-induced pores in lipid membranes were prominent for A2-17 L14R/R15L, indicating the formation of stable membrane pores. Indeed, the A2-17 L14R/R15L peptide exhibited the strongest membrane damage to CHO-K1 cells. Atomic force microscopy quantitatively defined the peptide-induced membrane perturbation as the decrease in the stiffness of lipid vesicles, which was correlated with the hydrophobic moment of all A2-17 isomers. These results indicate that optimal membrane perturbation by amphipathic A2-17 peptide is critical for its efficient penetration into cells without inducing stabilized membrane pores.
The fish ability to accelerate and suddenly turn in fast maneuvers
Authors: Paniccia Damiano , Graziani Giorgio , Lugni Claudio , Piva Renzo 
Published: March 2022

AbstractVelocity burst and quick turning are performed by fish during fast maneuvers which might be essential to their survival along pray–predator encounters. The parameters to evaluate these truly unsteady motions are totally different from the ones for cruising gaits since a very large acceleration, up to several times the gravity, and an extreme turning capability, in less than one body length, are now the primary requests. Such impressive performances, still poorly understood, are not common to other living beings and are clearly related to the interaction with the aquatic environment. Hence, we focus our attention on the water set in motion by the body, giving rise to the relevant added mass and the associated phenomena in transient conditions, which may unveil the secret of the great maneuverability observed in nature. Many previous studies were almost exclusively concentrated on the vortical wake, whose account, certainly dominant at steady state, is not sufficient to explain the entangled transient phenomena. A simple two-dimensional impulse model with concentrated vorticity is used for the self-propulsion of a deformable body in an unbounded fluid domain, to single out the potential and the vortical impulses and to highlight their interplay induced by recoil motions.
Alginate oligosaccharides enhance diffusion and activity of colistin in a mucin-rich environment
Authors: Stokniene Joana , Varache Mathieu , Rye Philip D. , Hill Katja E. , Thomas David W. , Ferguson Elaine L. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIn a number of chronic respiratory diseases e.g. cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the production of viscous mucin reduces pulmonary function and represents an effective barrier to diffusion of inhaled therapies e.g. antibiotics. Here, a 2-compartment Transwell model was developed to study impaired diffusion of the antibiotic colistin across an artificial sputum (AS) matrix/medium and to quantify its antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa NH57388A biofilms (alone and in combination with mucolytic therapy). High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) revealed that the presence of AS medium significantly reduced the rate of colistin diffusion (> 85% at 48 h; p < 0.05). Addition of alginate oligosaccharide (OligoG CF-5/20) significantly improved colistin diffusion by 3.7 times through mucin-rich AS medium (at 48 h; p < 0.05). Increased diffusion of colistin with OligoG CF-5/20 was shown (using confocal laser scanning microscopy and COMSTAT image analysis) to be associated with significantly increased bacterial killing (p < 0.05). These data support the use of this model to study drug and small molecule delivery across clinically-relevant diffusion barriers. The findings indicate the significant loss of colistin and reduced effectiveness that occurs with mucin binding, and support the use of mucolytics to improve antimicrobial efficacy and lower antibiotic exposure.
Relaxation time approximations in PAOFLOW 2.0
Authors: Jayaraj Anooja , Siloi Ilaria , Fornari Marco , Nardelli Marco Buongiorno 
Published: March 2022

AbstractRegardless of its success, the constant relaxation time approximation has limited validity. Temperature and energy dependent effects are important to match experimental trends even in simple situations. We present the implementation of relaxation time approximation models in the calculation of Boltzmann transport in 2.0 and apply those to model band-structures. In addition, using a self-consistent fitting of the model parameters to experimental conductivity data, we provide a flexible tool to extract scattering rates with high accuracy. We illustrate the approximations using simple models and then apply the method to GaAs, Si,$$\hbox {Mg}_3\hbox {Sb}_2$$Mg3Sb2, and$$\hbox {CoSb}_3$$CoSb3.
Production of precision slots in copper foil using micro EDM
Authors: Mouralova Katerina , Bednar Josef , Benes Libor , Plichta Tomas , Prokes Tomas , Fries Jiri 
Published: March 2022

AbstractElectrical discharge machining (EDM) is an unconventional machining technology. It allows machining of at least at least electrically conductive materials. The trend of miniaturization of industrial products is obvious. However, the required quality and accuracy must be maintained, which can be achieved with micro-EDM. One of the industrial products is also optical devices used for testing cars. These contain miniaturized parts, which are, however, necessary for their proper functioning. For this reason, this study was performed, which focused on the production of a precise slot measuring 5000 × 170 µm in a copper foil with a thickness of 125 µm. The same copper foil was used as a tool, which represents an advance in the production of micro-parts.The use of the same semi-product for the production of the slit as well as the tool itself has not yet been presented in any similar study. A design of experiment Box and Behnken Response Surface Design was performed for a total of 15 rounds, monitoring the effect of machine setting parameters (Pulse current, Pulse on time and Voltage) on responses in the form of Erosion rate, corner radius, slot length and width. Using multi-criteria optimization, the optimal setting of the machine parameters for the production of a given slit was determined, which is Pulse current = 2.1 A, Pulse on time = 40 µs and Voltage = 238.8 V. Micro-EDM technology has been found to be suitable for the production of miniaturized slits.
Mitigating spread of contamination in meat supply chain management using deep learning
Authors: Amani Mohammad Amin , Sarkodie Samuel Asumadu 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIndustry 4.0 recommends a paradigm shift from traditional manufacturing to automated industrial practices, especially in different parts of supply chain management. Besides, the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12 underscores the urgency of ensuring a sustainable supply chain with novel technologies including Artificial Intelligence to decrease food loss, which has the potential of mitigating food waste. These new technologies can increase productivity, especially in perishable products of the supply chain by reducing expenses, increasing the accuracy of operations, accelerating processes, and decreasing the carbon footprint of food. Artificial intelligence techniques such as deep learning can be utilized in various sections of meat supply chain management––where highly perishable products like spoiled meat need to be separated from wholesome ones to prevent cross-contamination with food-borne pathogens. Therefore, to automate this process and prevent meat spoilage and/or improve meat shelf life which is crucial to consumer meat preferences and sustainable consumption, a classification model was trained by the DCNN and PSO algorithms with 100% accuracy, which discerns wholesome meat from spoiled ones.
Sensitivity to orientation is not unique to social attention cueing
Authors: Vestner Tim , Gray Katie L. H. , Cook Richard 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIt is well-established that faces and bodies cue observers’ visuospatial attention; for example, target items are found faster when their location is cued by the directionality of a task-irrelevant face or body. Previous results suggest that these cueing effects are greatly reduced when the orientation of the task-irrelevant stimulus is inverted. It remains unclear, however, whether sensitivity to orientation is a unique hallmark of “social” attention cueing or a more general phenomenon. In the present study, we sought to determine whether the cueing effects produced by common objects (power drills, desk lamps, desk fans, cameras, bicycles, and cars) are also attenuated by inversion. When cueing stimuli were shown upright, all six object classes produced highly significant cueing effects. When shown upside-down, however, the results were mixed. Some of the cueing effects (e.g., those induced by bicycles and cameras) behaved liked faces and bodies: they were greatly reduced by orientation inversion. However, other cueing effects (e.g., those induced by cars and power drills) were insensitive to orientation: upright and inverted exemplars produced significant cueing effects of comparable strength. We speculate that (i) cueing effects depend on the rapid identification of stimulus directionality, and (ii) some cueing effects are sensitive to orientation because upright exemplars of those categories afford faster processing of directionality, than inverted exemplars. Contrary to the view that attenuation-by-inversion is a unique hallmark of social attention, our findings indicate that some non-social cueing effects also exhibit sensitivity to orientation.
The vibration study of a sandwich conical shell with a saturated FGP core
Authors: Nasr Esfahani Mohsen , Hashemian Mohammad , Aghadavoudi Farshid 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThis paper is provided to analyze the free vibration of a sandwich truncated conical shell with a saturated functionally graded porous (FGP) core and two same homogenous isotropic face sheets. The mechanical behavior of the saturated FGP is assumed based on Biot’s theory, the shell is modeled via the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT), and the governing equations and boundary conditions are derived utilizing Hamilton’s principle. Three different porosity distribution patterns are studied including one homogenous uniform distribution pattern and two non-homogenous symmetric ones. The porosity parameters in mentioned distribution patterns are regulated to make them the same in the shell’s mass. The equations of motion are solved exactly in the circumferential direction via proper sinusoidal and cosinusoidal functions, and a numerical solution is provided in the meridional direction utilizing the differential quadrature method (DQM). The precision of the model is approved and the influences of several parameters such as circumferential wave number, the thickness of the FGP core, porosity parameter, porosity distribution pattern, the compressibility of the pore fluid, and boundary conditions on the shell’s natural frequencies are investigated. It is shown that the highest natural frequencies usually can be achieved when the larger pores are located close to the shell’s middle surface and in each vibrational mode, there is a special value of the porosity parameter which leads to the lowest natural frequencies. It is deduced that in most cases, natural frequencies decrease by increasing the thickness of the FGP core. In addition, reducing the compressibility of the porefluid a small growth in the natural frequencies can be seen.