bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Large herbivores on permafrost— a pilot study of grazing impacts on permafrost soil carbon storage in northeastern Siberia
Authors: Windirsch Torben , Grosse Guido , Ulrich Mathias , Forbes Bruce C. , Göckede Mathias , Wolter Juliane , Macias-Fauria Marc , Olofsson Johan , Zimov Nikita , Strauss Jens 
Published: August 2022

The risk of carbon emissions from permafrost is linked to an increase in ground temperature and thus in particular to thermal insulation by vegetation, soil layers and snow cover. Ground insulation can be influenced by the presence of large herbivores browsing for food in both winter and summer. In this study, we examine the potential impact of large herbivore presence on the soil carbon storage in a thermokarst landscape in northeastern Siberia. Our aim in this pilot study is to conduct a first analysis on whether intensive large herbivore grazing may slow or even reverse permafrost thaw by affecting thermal insulation through modifying ground cover properties. As permafrost soil temperatures are important for organic matter decomposition, we hypothesize that herbivory disturbances lead to differences in ground-stored carbon. Therefore, we analyzed five sites with a total of three different herbivore grazing intensities on two landscape forms (drained thermokarst basin, Yedoma upland) in Pleistocene Park near Chersky. We measured maximum thaw depth, total organic carbon content, δ13C isotopes, carbon-nitrogen ratios, and sediment grain-size composition as well as ice and water content for each site. We found the thaw depth to be shallower and carbon storage to be higher in intensively grazed areas compared to extensively and non-grazed sites in the same thermokarst basin. First data show that intensive grazing leads to a more stable thermal ground regime and thus to increased carbon storage in the thermokarst deposits and active layer. However, the high carbon content found within the upper 20 cm on intensively grazed sites could also indicate higher carbon input rather than reduced decomposition, which requires further studies including investigations of the hydrology and general ground conditions existing prior to grazing introduction. We explain our findings by intensive animal trampling in winter and vegetation changes, which overcompensate summer ground warming. We conclude that grazing intensity—along with soil substrate and hydrologic conditions—might have a measurable influence on the carbon storage in permafrost soils. Hence the grazing effect should be further investigated for its potential as an actively manageable instrument to reduce net carbon emission from permafrost.
The De Novo Genome Assembly of Olea europaea subsp. cuspidate, a Widely Distributed Olive Close Relative
Authors: Wu Tao , Ma Ting , Xu Tian , Pan Li , Zhang Yanli , Li Yongjie , Ning Delu 
Published: August 2022

The olive complex, comprising six subspecies, is a valuable plant for global trade, human health, and food safety. However, only one subspecies (Olea europaea subsp. europaea, OE) and its wild relative (Olea europaea subsp. europaea var. sylvestris, OS) have genomic references, hindering our understanding of the evolution of this species. Using a hybrid approach by incorporating Illumina, MGI, Nanopore, and Hi-C technologies, we obtained a 1.20-Gb genome assembly for the olive subspecies, Olea europaea subsp. cuspidate (OC), with contig and scaffold N50 values of 5.33 and 50.46 Mb, respectively. A total of 43,511 protein-coding genes were predicted from the genome. Interestingly, we observed a large region (37.5 Mb) of “gene-desert” also called “LTR-hotspot” on chromosome 17. The gene origination analyses revealed a substantial outburst (19.5%) of gene transposition events in the common ancestor of olive subspecies, suggesting the importance of olive speciation in shaping the new gene evolution of OC subspecies. The divergence time between OC and the last common ancestor of OE and OS was estimated to be 4.39 Mya (95% CI: 2.58–6.23 Mya). The pathways of positively selected genes of OC are related to the metabolism of cofactors and vitamins, indicating the potential medical and economic values of OC for further research and utilization. In summary, we constructed the de novo genome assembly and protein-coding gene pool for Olea europaea subsp. cuspidate (OC) in this study, which may facilitate breeding applications of improved olive varieties from this widely distributed olive close relative.
m5C Regulator-mediated methylation modification clusters contribute to the immune microenvironment regulation of multiple myeloma
Authors: Ren Hefei , Liu Chang , Wu Hongkun , Wang Zhenhua , Chen Sai , Zhang Xiaomin , Ren Jigang , Qiu Huiying , Zhou Lin 
Published: August 2022

Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy in which plasma cells proliferate abnormally. 5-methylcytosine (m5C) methylation modification is the primary epigenetic modification and is involved in regulating the occurrence, development, invasion, and metastasis of various tumors; however, its immunological functions have not been systematically described in MM. Thus, this study aimed to clarify the significance of m5C modifications and how the immune microenvironment is linked to m5C methylation in MM.Method: A total of 483 samples (60 healthy samples, 423 MM samples) from the Gene Expression Omnibus dataset were acquired to assess the expression of m5C regulators. A nomogram model was established to predict the occurrence of MM. We investigated the impact of m5C modification on immune microenvironment characteristics, such as the infiltration of immunocytes and immune response reactions. We then systematically evaluated three different m5C expression patterns to assess immune characteristics and metabolic functional pathways and established m5C-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs). In addition, biological process analysis was performed and an m5C score was constructed to identify potentially significant immunological functions in MM.Result: Differential expressions of m5C regulators were identified between healthy and MM samples. The nomogram revealed that m5C regulators could predict higher disease occurrence of MM. We identified three distinct m5C clusters with unique immunological and metabolic characteristics. Among the three different m5C clusters, cluster C had more immune characteristics and more metabolism-related pathways than clusters A and B. We analyzed 256 m5C-related DEGs and classified the samples into three different m5C gene clusters. Based on the m5C and m5C gene clusters, we calculated m5C scores and classified each patient into high- and low-m5C score groups.Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that m5C modification is involved in and contributes to the diversity and complexity of the immune microenvironment, which offers promise for the development of accurate therapeutic strategies.
Habitat suitability evaluation of Harpadon nehereus in nearshore of Zhejiang province, China
Authors: Jiang Rijin , Sun Haoqi , Li Xiafang , Zhou Yongdong , Chen Feng , Xu Kaida , Li Pengfei , Zhang Hongliang 
Published: August 2022

Coastal waters provide an important spawning and nursery ground for offshore marine organisms. To understand the suitable habitat and distribution of Harpadon nehereus, a key nearshore species, this study assessed the survey data of fishery resources and environment in Zhejiang’s nearshore fishery in Spring of 2017 to 2020. We used the generalized additive model (GAM) and random forests model (RF) to analyze the environmental factors affecting the selection of spawning habitats by H. nehereus and analyzed the suitable habitat characteristics of H. nehereus in nearshore fisheries. Our results indicate that H. nehereus is widely distributed in Zhejiang’s nearshore and that its density is higher in waters near islands and reefs. Among the relative importance scores of predictors calculated based on RF, seawater salinity is an important environmental factor affecting the distribution of H. nehereus in April (surface seawater salinity was 38.67% and bottom seawater salinity was 34.5%), followed by depth (34.19%), whereas the change in water temperature had no obvious effect on H. nehereus distribution. The suitable habitat characteristics of H. nehereus mainly include high salinity near a water depth of 40 m and a water area with sea bottom dissolved oxygen levels &lt; 6 mg/L. The prediction results of the model indicate that the suitable habitat of H. nehereus is mainly located in the region near Zhoushan Islands in the north of the fishing grounds. Overall, these results may serve as a basis for determining the protection strategies of key nearshore species and enhancing fishery management units.
Fine-scale foraging segregation in a green turtle (Chelonia mydas) feeding ground in the Bijagós archipelago, Guinea Bissau
Authors: Madeira Fernando Miguel , Rebelo Rui , Catry Paulo , Neiva João , Barbosa Castro , Regalla Aissa , Patrício Ana Rita 
Published: August 2022

Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) are highly dependent on neritic foraging areas throughout much of their life. Still, knowledge of recruitment dynamics, foraging habits, and habitat use in these areas is limited. Here, we evaluated how the distribution and food preferences of green sea turtles from different life stages varied within a foraging aggregation. We focused on two islands in Guinea-Bissau, Unhocomo and Unhocomozinho, using water captures and survey dives to record habitat use and characteristics, and stable isotopes to infer diet. Additionally, we used stable isotopes to infer their diet. Two habitat types were sampled: deeper (2.26 ± 0.4 m) rocky sites fringed by mangrove with macroalgae, and sandy shallows (1.37 ± 0.12 m) surrounded by rocky reefs with macroalgae and seagrass. The two benthic communities were similar isotopically and in terms of species composition, except for the presence or absence of seagrass, which had unique signatures. We captured 89 turtles ranging from 35 cm to 97 cm in curved carapace length (i.e., juvenile to adult stages). Size distribution was habitat-dependent, with most smaller turtles present in sandy shallows and larger turtles favoring slightly deeper rocky sites. Turtle isotopic signatures differed between the habitat of capture, regardless of size, revealing a marked dichotomy in foraging preference. All turtles fed primarily on macroalgae, mostly rhodophytes. However, individuals captured in sandy habitats had evident seagrass skewed isotopic signatures. Larger turtles may be unable to use the more diverse shallower foraging sites due to increased vulnerability to predation. Despite the proximity of the sampled foraging sites (2.7 km apart), the two foraging subgroups seem to maintain consistently different feeding habits. Our study highlights how heterogeneous green turtle foraging habits can be within populations, even at small geographic scales.
Stiffness enhancement of magnetorheological foam by structural modification using silica nanoparticles additive
Authors: Khaidir Rahayu Emilia Mohamed , Nordin Nur Azmah , Mazlan Saiful Amri , Abd Rahman Hamimah , Ubaidillah  , Abdul Aziz Siti Aishah , Nazmi Nurhazimah 
Published: August 2022

Magnetorheological (MR) foam is a newly developed porous smart material that is able to change its properties continuously, actively, and reversibly in response to controllable external magnetic stimuli. Unfortunately, the stiffness or also known as storage modulus of MR foam is still rather low and insufficient, in the range of below 100 kPa only, due to weak interparticle interaction between CIPs and the foam matrix, which consequently restricts the potential of MR foam to be used in future sensor applications or in other semi-active devices. Therefore, the aim of this research is to enhance the structural and storage modulus of MR foam by adding silica nanoparticles as an additive. Consequently, MR foam samples with different compositions of silica nanoparticles in the range of 0–5 wt% were prepared via an in situ method. The rheological properties were tested under an oscillatory shear mode with the absence and presence of magnetic fields using a rheometer, with the input parameters of strains between 0.001% and 10% and range of magnetic flux density between 0 and 0.73 T for a magnetic field sweep test. The rheological findings show that with the addition of silica nanoparticles, particularly at 4 wt%, have enhanced the storage modulus of MR foam by 260%, which attributed to the highest stiffness from 45 to 162 kPa. Meanwhile, the change of storage modulus under the influence of magnetic fields (0 T–0.73 T) somehow showed small increment, about ∆1 kPa for each concentration of silica nanoparticles in MR foams, due to non-magnetic behavior of silica. The morphological characteristics of MR foams were described by an elemental analysis carried out by a using variable pressure scanning electron microscope (VPSEM) equipped with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The micrographs demonstrated large open-cell pores for MR foam, while MR foam with silica nanoparticles exhibited more closed-cell pores, associated with the enhancement of its storage modulus. It indicates that the silica nanoparticles have encouraged well dispersion of the particles in the foam matrix, which improved and strengthened the microstructure of MR foams through formation of silane coupling bonds of silica in the filler-matrix structure. Overall, incorporation of silica nanoparticles as an additive in the MR foam could provide advantage in enhancing the structure and mechanical properties of MR foam, for various future smart devices.
Reduced mitochondrial size in hippocampus and psychiatric behavioral changes in the mutant mice with homologous mutation of Timm8a1-I23fs49X
Authors: Ouattara Niemtiah , Chen Zirui , Huang Yihua , Chen Xia , Song Pingping , Xiao Zhongju , Li Qi , Guan Yuqing , Li Ziang , Jiang Yawei , Xu Kaibiao , Pan Suyue , Hu Yafang 
Published: August 2022

BackgroundDeafness-dystonia-optic neuronopathy (DDON) syndrome, a condition that predominantly affects males, is caused by mutations in translocase of mitochondrial inner membrane 8A (TIMM8A)/deafness dystonia protein 1 (DDP1) gene and characterized by progressive deafness coupled with other neurological abnormalities. In a previous study, we demonstrated the phenotype of male mice carrying the hemizygous mutation of Timm8a1-I23fs49X. In a follow-up to that study, this study aimed to observe the behavioral changes in the female mutant (MUT) mice with homologous mutation of Timm8a1 and to elucidate the underlying mechanism for the behavioral changes.Materials and methodsHistological analysis, transmission electron microscopy (EM), Western blotting, hearing measurement by auditory brainstem response (ABR), and behavioral observation were compared between the MUT mice and wild-type (WT) littermates.ResultsThe weight of the female MUT mice was less than that of the WT mice. Among MUT mice, both male and female mice showed hearing impairment, anxiety-like behavior by the elevated plus maze test, and cognitive deficit by the Morris water maze test. Furthermore, the female MUT mice exhibited coordination problems in the balance beam test. Although the general neuronal loss was not found in the hippocampus of the MUT genotype, EM assessment indicated that the mitochondrial size showing as aspect ratio and form factor in the hippocampus of the MUT strain was significantly reduced compared to that in the WT genotype. More importantly, this phenomenon was correlated with the upregulation of translation of mitochondrial fission process protein 1(Mtfp1)/mitochondrial 18 kDa protein (Mtp18), a key fission factor that is a positive regulator of mitochondrial fission and mitochondrial size. Interestingly, significant reductions in the size of the uterus and ovaries were noted in the female MUT mice, which contributed to significantly lower fertility in the MUT mice.ConclusionTogether, a homologous mutation in the Timm8a1 gene caused the hearing impairment and psychiatric behavioral changes in the MUT mice; the latter phenotype might be related to a reduction in mitochondrial size regulated by MTP18.
Polysomnographic nighttime features of Restless Legs Syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Geng Chaofan , Yang Zhenzhen , Zhang Tingting , Xu Pengfei , Zhang Hongju 
Published: August 2022

BackgroundRestless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a common sleep disorder. Polysomnographic (PSG) studies have been used to explore the night sleep characteristics of RLS, but their relationship with RLS has not been fully analyzed and researched.MethodsWe searched the Cochrane Library electronic literature, PubMed, and EMBASE databases to identify research literature comparing the differences in polysomnography between patients with RLS and healthy controls (HCs).ResultsThis review identified 26 studies for meta-analysis. Our research found that the rapid eye movement sleep (REM)%, sleep efficiency (SE)%, total sleep time (TST) min, and N2 were significantly decreased in patients with RLS compared with HCs, while sleep latency (SL) min, stage shifts (SS), awakenings number (AWN), wake time after sleep onset (WASO) min, N1%, rapid eye movement sleep latency (REML), and arousal index (AI) were significantly increased. Additionally, there was no significant difference among N3%, slow wave sleep (SWS)%, and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI).ConclusionOur findings demonstrated that architecture and sleep continuity had been disturbed in patients with RLS, which further illustrates the changes in sleep structure in patients with RLS. In addition, further attention to the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of RLS and its association with neurodegenerative diseases is needed in future studies.
Bone-turnover biomarkers as potential prognostic factors in sudden sensorineural hearing loss: A prospective cohort study
Authors: Chen Xiaoyan , Zheng Zhong , Xiao Lili , Liu Chengqi , Shen Ying , Ma Ning , Dong Hongjun , Yin Shankai , Feng Yanmei 
Published: August 2022

ObjectivesThis study aims to explore the relationship between bone-turnover biomarkers and the recovery of SSNHL to provide clues for further improvements in etiological research and predictors.MethodsThe medical history, hearing thresholds, biomarkers of bone-turnover, and related hormones of 117 SSNHL patients were collected prospectively between August 2018 and December 2021. Linear correlation and logistic regression models were applied to examine the association between bone-turnover biomarkers and the prognosis of SSNHL.ResultsAge, the incidence of vertigo, pure tone average of the impaired frequencies (PTAimpairedfre), and the levels of bone turnover [including alkaline phosphatase (ALP), β-carboxy terminal crosslinked telopeptide of type 1 collagen (β-CTX), and N-terminal-midfragment of osteocalcin (N-MID)] were higher in the nonresponders than responders (P &lt; 0.05). Logistic regression showed that the age (OR = 1.035, P = 0.027), time to treatment (OR = 1.157, P = 0.038), PTAimpairedfre (OR = 1.031, P = 0.008), and β-CTX (OR = 1.004, P = 0.001) were independent risk factors for the prognosis of SSNHL. In the women SSNHL subgroup, age, postmenopause percentage, PTAimpairedfre, the activity of ALP, levels of β-CTX, and N-MID were significantly higher in the nonresponders than the responders (P &lt; 0.05). Compared to the men SSNHL subgroup, β-CTX has a higher correlation coefficient and predictive efficiency in the women SSNHL subgroup, and logistic regression showed that β-CTX (OR = 1.004, P = 0.004) was an independent risk factor for the women SSNHL.ConclusionsBone-turnover biomarkers are risk factors for poor prognosis in SSNHL, especially β-CTX. The differences were significant in women SSNHL, which may be related to the rapid regression of estrogen after menopause that leads to the occurrence of osteoporosis with a high conversion rate.
Seven years of experience with treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo with a mechanical rotational chair
Authors: Hougaard Dan Dupont , Valsted Sebastian Hygum , Bruun Niels Henrik , Bech Mathias Winther , Talebnasab Michel Heide 
Published: August 2022

BackgroundThroughout the last decade, several mechanical rotational chairs have been developed for diagnostics and treatment of patients with a typical case history of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Sparse evidence, however, exists in terms of diagnostic accuracy and treatment efficiency with these mechanical rotational chairs. Also, recommendations for optimal use of these chairs are yet to be determined.ObjectivePrimary objective was to evaluate overall treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo with a mechanical rotational chair and secondary objectives included description of patient- and BPPV characteristics, determination of subjective and objective outcomes, as well as analyzation of recurrence- and recurrence-related risk factors following successful treatment.MethodsRetrospective cohort study with 635 patients diagnosed with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and treated by means of a mechanical rotational chair during a 7-year period from 2014 to 2021 at a tertiary University hospital. Patient- and disease-specific characteristics, treatment and recurrence data were collected through reviewing of patient records.ResultsThe mean number of required treatments was 2.7 when accounting for a six percent treatment failure rate (defined as a need of more than 10 treatments), and 3.7 when not. Bilateral mono-canal affection required 3.8 treatments, unilateral multi-canal 3.5 treatments, and the combination of bilateral and multi-canal affection 5.2 treatments. All these scenarios were associated with significantly higher numbers of required treatments when compared to unilateral mono-canal affection, which required 1.9 treatments. The overall recurrence rate was 25.4 percent.ConclusionA mechanical rotational chair provides successful treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Mechanical rotational chairs should primarily be reserved for the treatment of retractable and atypical benign paroxysmal positional vertigo patients. Many aspects of the optimal use of these chairs still require elaborative assessment.