bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Antibacterial, antibiofilm, and antimotility signatures of some natural antimicrobials against Vibrio cholerae
Authors: Caigoy Jant Cres , Xedzro Christian , Kusalaruk Waraporn , Nakano Hiroyuki 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Vibrio cholerae is an etiological cause of cholera and has been implicated in several epidemics. Exploration of the antimicrobial signatures of culinary spices has become an important industrial tool to suppress the growth of foodborne bacterial pathogens including Vibrio spp. The antibiofilm and antimotility activities of some selected natural antimicrobial agents were then evaluated. All the extracts showed vibriostatic activities with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging from 0.1% to 0.4%. Cinnamon and black pepper demonstrated significant biofilm inhibition activity from 94.77% to 99.77% when administered at 100% MIC. Black pepper extract also demonstrated the highest biofilm inhibition activity against the established biofilms of V. cholerae O1 and O139. Cinnamon, calabash nutmeg, and black pepper significantly inhibited swimming and swarming motility by 85.51% to 94.87%. Sub-MICs (50% and 75%) of some extracts were also effective as an antibiofilm and antimotility agent against the tested strains. The findings of our study suggest the potential application of natural antimicrobial agents such as spices in food to inhibit biofilm formation and motility, which consequently mitigate the virulence and persistence of the pathogen in the food supply chain.
impMKT: the imputed McDonald and Kreitman test, a straightforward correction that significantly increases the evidence of positive selection of the McDonald and Kreitman test at the gene level
Authors: Murga-Moreno Jesús , Coronado-Zamora Marta , Casillas Sònia , Barbadilla Antonio 
Published: August 2022

AbstractThe McDonald and Kreitman test is one of the most powerful and widely used methods to detect and quantify recurrent natural selection in DNA sequence data. One of its main limitations is the underestimation of positive selection due to the presence of slightly deleterious variants segregating at low frequencies. Although several approaches have been developed to overcome this limitation, most of them work on gene pooled analyses. Here, we present the imputed McDonald and Kreitman test (impMKT), a new straightforward approach for the detection of positive selection and other selection components of the distribution of fitness effects at the gene level. We compare imputed McDonald and Kreitman test with other widely used McDonald and Kreitman test approaches considering both simulated and empirical data. By applying imputed McDonald and Kreitman test to humans and Drosophila data at the gene level, we substantially increase the statistical evidence of positive selection with respect to previous approaches (e.g. by 50% and 157% compared with the McDonald and Kreitman test in Drosophila and humans, respectively). Finally, we review the minimum number of genes required to obtain a reliable estimation of the proportion of adaptive substitution (α) in gene pooled analyses by using the imputed McDonald and Kreitman test compared with other McDonald and Kreitman test implementations. Because of its simplicity and increased power to detect recurrent positive selection on genes, we propose the imputed McDonald and Kreitman test as the first straightforward approach for testing specific evolutionary hypotheses at the gene level. The software implementation and population genomics data are available at the web-server imkt.uab.cat.
Beyond the Medication Pass: Attitudes, Ethics, Agency, and Antipsychotic Medications in Assisted Living/Residential Care
Authors: Dys Sarah , Carder Paula 
Published: August 2022

Abstract

Background and Objectives
As-needed (PRN) antipsychotic medication use (APU) among assisted living/residential care (AL/RC) residents is a controversial health policy issue. AL/RC care staff, families, clinicians, researchers, and policymakers disagree about PRN APU to manage behavioral expressions associated with residents’ dementia or cognitive impairment.

Research Design and Methods
Semistructured interviews among eleven direct care staff (n = 3), licensed nurses (n = 2), administrators/executive directors (n = 4), and consultant pharmacists (n = 2) currently working in Oregon AL/RC. Using situational analysis, we identify, describe, and visualize positions and ideologies by job role to theorize PRN APU decision-making.

Results
Three broad processes underlie APU to manage residents’ behavioral expressions: justifying PRN APU, moralizing APU, and balancing local practices (eg, managing behavioral expressions, respecting individuals) with nonlocal practices (eg, professional authority). People involved in the situation of APU in AL/RC describe positive and negative justifications, and personal moral positions that frame PRN antipsychotics or nonpharmaceutical interventions as “right” or “wrong,” driving various approaches to behavior management. Participants described a converse orientation between perceived level of agency within and proximity to the situation of APU. Those most closely involved, or local, to the situation of passing medications (eg, direct care staff and nurses) expressed less agency compared with nonlocal physicians and policymakers, who are not involved in the day-to-day practices within AL/RC.

Discussion and Implications
This study raises practice and policy implications regarding APU in AL/RC settings. Care staff roles, ethical considerations, and perceived agency inform decision-making on whether to use antipsychotic medications. Participants described costs and benefits associated with both PRN APU and nonpharmaceutical interventions when responding to AL/RC residents’ behavioral expressions. Participants’ experiences emphasize the interactions across multiple levels of care. Balancing regulatory goals with resident-centered practices underscores the need for a system-level perspective, extending beyond direct care staff passing antipsychotic medications to residents.
Effects of public and external health spending on out-of-pocket payments for healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Frimpong Albert Opoku , Amporfu Eugenia , Arthur Eric 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Financing healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is characterized by high levels of out-of-pocket (OOP) payments for healthcare. This renders many individuals vulnerable to poverty and deviates from the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) goal of providing financial protection for healthcare. We examined the relative effects of public and external health spending on OOP healthcare payments in SSA. We used the system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator and data from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators for 43 SSA countries from 2000 to 2017. The results show that reductions in OOP payments are higher with increases in public spending than external spending. This means increases in public health spending, compared with external health spending, will increase the pace towards achieving the financial protection goal of UHC in SSA. But since government spending is limited by fiscal space and parliamentary approval, public health spending through social health insurance might provide a regular means of financing healthcare to speed up achieving the financial protection goal in SSA countries.
Lifting Methods in Mass Partition Problems
Authors: Soberón Pablo , Takahashi Yuki 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Many results about mass partitions are proved by lifting $\mathds {R}^d$ to a higher-dimensional space and dividing the higher-dimensional space into pieces. We extend such methods to use lifting arguments to polyhedral surfaces. Among other results, we prove the existence of equipartitions of $d+1$ measures in $\mathds {R}^d$ by parallel hyperplanes and of $d+2$ measures in $\mathds {R}^d$ by concentric spheres. For measures whose supports are sufficiently well separated, we prove results where one can cut a fixed (possibly different) fraction of each measure either by parallel hyperplanes, concentric spheres, convex polyhedral surfaces of few facets, or convex polytopes with few vertices.
Development of a usability checklist for public health dashboards to identify violations of usability principles
Authors: Ansari Bahareh , Martin Erika G 
Published: August 2022

Abstract

Objective
To develop a usability checklist for public health dashboards.

Materials and methods
This study systematically evaluated all publicly available dashboards for sexually transmitted infections on state health department websites in the United States (N = 13). A set of 11 principles derived from the information visualization literature were used to identify usability problems that violate critical usability principles: spatial organization, information coding, consistency, removal of extraneous ink, recognition rather than recall, minimal action, dataset reduction, flexibility to user experience, understandability of contents, scientific integrity, and readability. Three user groups were considered for public health dashboards: public health practitioners, academic researchers, and the general public. Six reviewers with usability knowledge and diverse domain expertise examined the dashboards using a rubric based on the 11 principles. Data analysis included quantitative analysis of experts’ usability scores and qualitative synthesis of their textual comments.

Results
The dashboards had varying levels of complexity, and the usability scores were dependent on the dashboards’ complexity. Overall, understandability of contents, flexibility, and scientific integrity were the areas with the most major usability problems. The usability problems informed a checklist to improve performance in the 11 areas.

Discussion
The varying complexity of the dashboards suggests a diversity of target audiences. However, the identified usability problems suggest that dashboards’ effectiveness for different groups of users was limited.

Conclusions
The usability of public health data dashboards can be improved to accommodate different user groups. This checklist can guide the development of future public health dashboards to engage diverse audiences.
Serum Leukocyte Cell-Derived Chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) Level Is Associated with Osteoporosis
Authors: Wang Qiang , Xu Feng , Chen Jiong , Xie Yan-Qing , Xu Su-Ling , He Wen-Ming 
Published: August 2022

Abstract

Objective
The aim of this study was to examine serum leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) levels in osteoporosis subjects to confirm its association with osteoporosis.

Methods
A total of 204 adult subjects were recruited. Bone mineral densities (BMD) were assessed and blood samples were collected for measurements of biomedical parameters and the bone turnover markers. Serum LECT2 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The relationships between serum LECT2 levels and other parameters were analyzed using the Spearman correlation coefficient.

Results
Serum LECT2 levels were significantly increased in osteoporosis subjects over controls. We found a significantly negative correlation of serum LECT2 with BMD, 25-hydroxy-vitamin D, and creatinine and a significantly positive correlation with C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen and total cholesterol.

Conclusion
Serum LECT2 levels were significantly upregulated in osteoporosis subjects and correlated with the severity of bone loss. Serum LECT2 could be a potential biomarker to assess the risk of bone loss.
ULX pulsar Swift J0243.6+6124 observations with NuSTAR: dominance of reflected emission in the super-Eddington state
Authors: Bykov S D , Gilfanov M R , Tsygankov S S , Filippova E V 
Published: August 2022

ABSTRACT
We report the discovery of the bright reflected emission component in the super-Eddington state of the ultraluminous X-ray pulsar Swift J0243.6+6124, based on the NuSTAR observations of the source during its 2017 outburst. The flux of the reflected emission is weakly variable over the pulsar phase while the direct emission shows significantly larger pulsation amplitude. We propose that in this system the neutron star finds itself in the centre of the well formed by the inner edge of the geometrically thick super-Eddington accretion disc truncated by the magnetic field of the pulsar. The aspect ratio of the well is H/R ∼ 1. The inner edge of the truncated disc is continuously illuminated by the emission of the accretion column giving rise to the weakly variable reflected emission. As the neutron star rotates, its emission sweeps through the line of sight, giving rise to the pulsating direct emission. From Doppler broadening of the iron line, we measure the truncation radius of the accretion disc ∼50 Rg. The inferred dipole component of the magnetic field is consistent with previous estimates favouring a not very strong field. The uniqueness of this system is determined by its moderately super-Eddington accretion rate and the moderate magnetic field so that the inner edge of the truncated geometrically thick accretion disc is seen from the neutron star at a large solid angle.
Probing the link between quenching and morphological evolution
Authors: Koutsouridou I , Cattaneo A 
Published: August 2022

ABSTRACT
We use a semi-analytic model of galaxy formation to compare the predictions of two quenching scenarios: halo quenching and black hole (BH) quenching. After calibrating both models so that they fit the mass function of galaxies, BH quenching is in better agreement with the fraction of passive galaxies as a function of stellar mass M* and with the galaxy morphological distribution on a star formation rate versus M* diagram. Besides this main finding, there are two other results from this research. First, a successful BH-quenching model requires that minor mergers contribute to the growth of supermassive BHs. If galaxies that reach high M* through repeated minor mergers are not quenched, there are too many blue galaxies at high masses. Second, the growth of BHs in mergers must become less efficient at low masses in order to reproduce the MBH–M* relation and the passive fraction as a function of M*, in agreement with the idea that supernovae prevent efficient BH growth in systems with low escape speeds. Our findings are consistent with a quasar-feedback scenario in which BHs grow until they are massive enough to blow away the cold gas in their host galaxies and to heat the hot circumgalactic medium to such high entropy that its cooling time becomes long. They also support the notion that quenching and maintenance correspond to different feedback regimes.
Kinematics of the H α and H β broad-line region in an SDSS sample of type-1 AGNs
Authors: Rakić N 
Published: August 2022

ABSTRACT
Here, we investigate the kinematics of the part of the broad-line region (BLR) in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) emitting H β and H α emission lines. We explore the widths and asymmetries of the broad H β and H α emission lines in a sample of high-quality (i.e. high signal-to-noise ratio) spectra of type-1 AGN taken from the Data Release 16 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey in order to explore possible deviation from the gravitationally bound motion. To find only the broad component of H β and H α, we use the fantasy (Fully Automated pythoN Tool for AGN Spectra analYsis) code for the multicomponent modelling of the AGN spectra and for careful extraction of the broad emission-line parameters. We show that based on the broad-line profiles widths and asymmetries, the BLR gas emitting H β and H α lines follows similar kinematics, and seems to be virialized in our sample of type-1 AGN.
On the thermal structure of the proto-super star cluster 13 in NGC 253
Authors: Rico-Villas F , González-Alfonso E , Martín-Pintado J , Rivilla V M , Martín S 
Published: August 2022

ABSTRACT
Using high angular resolution ALMA observations (0.02 arcsec ≈ 0.34 pc), we study the thermal structure and kinematics of the proto-super star cluster 13 in the central region of NGC 253 through their continuum and vibrationally excited HC3N emission from J = 24−23 and J = 26−25 lines arising from vibrational states up to v4 = 1. We have carried 2D-LTE and non-local radiative transfer modelling of the radial profile of the HC3N and continuum emission in concentric rings of 0.1 pc width. From the 2D-LTE analysis, we found a Super Hot Core (SHC) of 1.5 pc with very high vibrational temperatures (&gt;500 K), and a jump in the radial velocity (21 km s−1) in the SE-NW direction. From the non-local models, we derive the HC3N column density, H2 density, and dust temperature (Tdust) profiles. Our results show that the thermal structure of the SHC is dominated by the greenhouse effect due to the high dust opacity in the IR, leading to an overestimation of the LTE Tdust and its derived luminosity. The kinematics and Tdust profile of the SHC suggest that star formation was likely triggered by a cloud–cloud collision. We compare proto-SSC 13 to other deeply embedded star-forming regions, and discuss the origin of the $L_\text{IR}/M_{\text{H}_2}$ excess above ∼100 L⊙ M$_\odot ^{-1}$ observed in (U)LIRGs.
Fitness Landscape Analysis of a tRNA Gene Reveals that the Wild Type Allele is Sub-optimal, Yet Mutationally Robust
Authors: Gabzi Tzahi , Pilpel Yitzhak , Friedlander Tamar 
Published: August 2022

AbstractFitness landscape mapping and the prediction of evolutionary trajectories on these landscapes are major tasks in evolutionary biology research. Evolutionary dynamics is tightly linked to the landscape topography, but this relation is not straightforward. Here, we analyze a fitness landscape of a yeast tRNA gene, previously measured under four different conditions. We find that the wild type allele is sub-optimal, and 8–10% of its variants are fitter. We rule out the possibilities that the wild type is fittest on average on these four conditions or located on a local fitness maximum. Notwithstanding, we cannot exclude the possibility that the wild type might be fittest in some of the many conditions in the complex ecology that yeast lives at. Instead, we find that the wild type is mutationally robust (“flat”), while more fit variants are typically mutationally fragile. Similar observations of mutational robustness or flatness have been so far made in very few cases, predominantly in viral genomes.
Black-hole-inspired thermal trapping with graded heat-conduction metadevices
Authors: Xu Liujun , Liu Jinrong , Jin Peng , Xu Guoqiang , Li Jiaxin , Ouyang Xiaoping , Li Ying , Qiu Cheng-Wei , Huang Jiping 
Published: August 2022

ABSTRACTThe curved space-time produced by black holes leads to the intriguing trapping effect. So far, metadevices have enabled analogous black holes to trap light or sound in laboratory spacetime. However, trapping heat in a conductive environment is still challenging because diffusive behaviors are directionless. Inspired by black holes, we construct graded heat-conduction metadevices to achieve thermal trapping, resorting to the imitated advection produced by graded thermal conductivities rather than the trivial solution of using insulation materials to confine thermal diffusion. We experimentally demonstrate thermal trapping for guiding hot spots to diffuse towards the center. Graded heat-conduction metadevices have advantages in energy-efficient thermal regulation because the imitated advection has a similar temperature field effect to the realistic advection that is usually driven by external energy sources. These results also provide an insight into correlating transformation thermotics with other disciplines, such as cosmology, for emerging heat control schemes.
JAM-A facilitates hair follicle regeneration in alopecia areata through functioning as ceRNA to protect VCAN expression in dermal papilla cells
Authors: Wu Minjuan , Xu Chen , Jiang Junfeng , Xu Sha , Xiong Jun , Fan Xiaoming , Ji Kaihong , Zhao Yunpeng , Ni Haitao , Wang Yue , Liu Houqi , Xia Zhaofan 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
The dermal papilla cells in hair follicles function as critical regulators of hair growth. In particular, alopecia areata (AA) is closely related to the malfunctioning of the human dermal papilla cells (hDPCs). Thus, identifying the regulatory mechanism of hDPCs is important in inducing hair follicle (HF) regeneration in AA patients. Recently, growing evidence has indicated that 3′ untranslated regions (3′ UTR) of key genes may participate in the regulatory circuitry underlying cell differentiation and diseases through a so-called competing endogenous mechanism, but none have been reported in HF regeneration. Here, we demonstrate that the 3′ UTR of junctional adhesion molecule A (JAM-A) could act as an essential competing endogenous RNA to maintain hDPCs function and promote HF regeneration in AA. We showed that the 3′ UTR of JAM-A shares many microRNA (miRNA) response elements, especially miR-221–3p, with versican (VCAN) mRNA, and JAM-A 3′ UTR could directly modulate the miRNA-mediated suppression of VCAN in self-renewing hDPCs. Furthermore, upregulated VCAN can in turn promote the expression level of JAM-A. Overall, we propose that JAM-A 3′ UTR forms a feedback loop with VCAN and miR-221–3p to regulate hDPC maintenance, proliferation, and differentiation, which may lead to developing new therapies for hair loss.
The photosynthesis apparatus of European mistletoe (Viscum album)
Authors: Schröder Lucie , Hegermann Jan , Pille Patrick , Braun Hans-Peter 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
European mistletoe (Viscum album) is known for its special mode of cellular respiration. It lacks the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase complex (Complex I of the respiratory chain) and has restricted capacities to generate mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Here, we present an investigation of the V. album energy metabolism taking place in chloroplasts. Thylakoids were purified from young V. album leaves, and membrane-bound protein complexes were characterized by Blue native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis as well as by the complexome profiling approach. Proteins were systematically identified by label-free quantitative shotgun proteomics. We identified &gt;1,800 distinct proteins (accessible at https://complexomemap.de/va_leaves), including nearly 100 proteins forming part of the protein complexes involved in the light-dependent part of photosynthesis. The photosynthesis apparatus of V. album has distinct features: (1) comparatively low amounts of Photosystem I; (2) absence of the NDH complex (the chloroplast pendant of mitochondrial Complex I involved in cyclic electron transport (CET) around Photosystem I); (3) reduced levels of the proton gradient regulation 5 (PGR5) and proton gradient regulation 5-like 1 (PGRL1) proteins, which offer an alternative route for CET around Photosystem I; (4) comparable amounts of Photosystem II and the chloroplast ATP synthase complex to other seed plants. Our data suggest a restricted capacity for chloroplast ATP biosynthesis by the photophosphorylation process. This is in addition to the limited ATP supply by the mitochondria. We propose a view on mistletoe’s mode of life, according to which its metabolism relies to a greater extent on energy-rich compounds provided by the host trees.