bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Legged locomotion over irregular terrains: state of the art of human and robot performance
Authors: Torres-Pardo Adriana , Pinto-Fernández David , Garabini Manolo , Angelini Franco , Rodriguez-Cianca David , Massardi Stefano , Tornero Jesús , Moreno Juan C , Torricelli Diego 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Legged robotic technologies have moved out of the lab to operate in real environments, characterized by a wide variety of unpredictable irregularities and disturbances, all this in close proximity with humans. Demonstrating the ability of current robots to move robustly and reliably in these conditions is becoming essential to prove their safe operation. Here, we report an in-depth literature review aimed at verifying the existence of common or agreed protocols and metrics to test the performance of legged system in realistic environments. We primarily focused on three types of robotic technologies, i.e., hexapods, quadrupeds and bipeds. We also included a comprehensive overview on human locomotion studies, being it often considered the gold standard for performance, and one of the most important sources of bioinspiration for legged machines. We discovered that very few papers have rigorously studied robotic locomotion under irregular terrain conditions. On the contrary, numerous studies have addressed this problem on human gait, being nonetheless of highly heterogeneous nature in terms of experimental design. This lack of agreed methodology makes it challenging for the community to properly assess, compare and predict the performance of existing legged systems in real environments. On the one hand, this work provides a library of methods, metrics and experimental protocols, with a critical analysis on the limitations of the current approaches and future promising directions. On the other hand, it demonstrates the existence of an important lack of benchmarks in the literature, and the possibility of bridging different disciplines, e.g., the human and robotic, towards the definition of standardized procedures that will boost not only the scientific development of better bioinspired solutions, but also their market uptake.
Ergodicity of the Wang–Swendsen–Kotecký algorithm on several classes of lattices on the torus
Authors: Salas Jesús , Sokal Alan D 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
We prove the ergodicity of the Wang–Swendsen–Kotecký (WSK) algorithm for the zero-temperature q-state Potts antiferromagnet on several classes of lattices on the torus. In particular, the WSK algorithm is ergodic for q ⩾ 4 on any quadrangulation of the torus of girth

⩾
4

. It is also ergodic for q ⩾ 5 (resp. q ⩾ 3) on any Eulerian triangulation of the torus such that one sublattice consists of degree-4 vertices while the other two sublattices induce a quadrangulation of girth

⩾
4

(resp. a bipartite quadrangulation) of the torus. These classes include many lattices of interest in statistical mechanics.
Chemically exfoliated nanosheets of β-Bi2O3
Authors: Hoff Brianna L , Cheng Guangming , Villalpando Graciela , Yuan Fang , Yao Nan , Schoop Leslie M 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Exploring two dimensional (2D) materials is important for further developing the field of quantum materials. However, progress in 2D material development is limited by difficulties with their production. Specifically, freestanding 2D materials with bulk non-layered structures remain particularly challenging to prepare. Traditionally, chemical or mechanical exfoliation is employed for obtaining freestanding 2D materials, but these methods typically require layered starting materials. Here we put forth a method for obtaining thin layers of β-Bi2O3, which has a three-dimensional covalent structure, by using chemical exfoliation. In this research, Na3Ni2BiO6 was exfoliated with acid and water to obtain β-Bi2O3 nanosheets less than 10 nm in height and over 1 µm in lateral size. Our results open the possibility for further exploring β-Bi2O3 nanosheets to determine whether their properties change from the bulk to the nanoscale. Furthermore, this research may facilitate further progress in obtaining nanosheets of non-layered bulk materials using chemical exfoliation.
Phylotranscriptomics reveal the spatio-temporal distribution and morphological evolution ofMacrozamia, an Australian endemic genus of Cycadales
Authors: Habib Sadaf , Gong Yiqing , Dong Shanshan , Lindstrom Anders , William Stevenson Dennis , Liu Yang , Wu Hong , Zhang Shouzhou 
Published: September 2022

AbstractBackground and AimsCycads are regarded as an ancient lineage of living seed plants, and hold important clues to understand the early evolutionary trends of seed plants. The molecular phylogeny and spatio-temporal diversification of one of the species-rich genera of cycads, Macrozamia, have not been well reconstructed.MethodsWe analysed a transcriptome dataset of 4740 single-copy nuclear genes (SCGs) of 39 Macrozamia species and two outgroup taxa. Based on concatenated (maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood) and multispecies coalescent analyses, we first establish a well-resolved phylogenetic tree of Macrozamia. To identify cyto-nuclear incongruence, the plastid protein coding genes (PCGs) from transcriptome data are extracted using the software HybPiper. Furthermore, we explore the biogeographical history of the genus and shed light on the pattern of floristic exchange between three distinct areas of Australia. Six key diagnostic characters are traced on the phylogenetic framework using two comparative methods, and infra-generic classification is investigated.Key ResultsThe tree topologies of concatenated and multi-species coalescent analyses of SCGs are mostly congruent with a few conflicting nodes, while those from plastid PCGs show poorly supported relationships. The genus contains three major clades that correspond to their distinct distributional areas in Australia. The crown group of Macrozamia is estimated to around 11.80 Ma, with a major expansion in the last 5–6 Myr. Six morphological characters show homoplasy, and the traditional phenetic sectional division of the genus is inconsistent with this current phylogeny.ConclusionsThis first detailed phylogenetic investigation of Macrozamia demonstrates promising prospects of SCGs in resolving phylogenetic relationships within cycads. Our study suggests that Macrozamia, once widely distributed in Australia, underwent major extinctions because of fluctuating climatic conditions such as cooling and mesic biome disappearance in the past. The current close placement of morphologically distinct species in the phylogenetic tree may be related to neotenic events that occurred in the genus.
Brain network dynamics codify heterogeneity in seizure evolution
Authors: Rungratsameetaweemana Nuttida , Lainscsek Claudia , Cash Sydney S , Garcia Javier O , Sejnowski Terrence J , Bansal Kanika 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Dynamic functional brain connectivity facilitates adaptive cognition and behaviour. Abnormal alterations within such connectivity could result in disrupted functions observed across various neurological conditions. As one of the most common neurological disorders, epilepsy is defined by the seemingly random occurrence of spontaneous seizures. A central but unresolved question concerns the mechanisms by which extraordinarily diverse propagation dynamics of seizures emerge. Here, we applied a graph-theoretical approach to assess dynamic reconfigurations in the functional brain connectivity before, during and after seizures that display heterogeneous propagation patterns despite sharing similar cortical onsets. We computed time-varying functional brain connectivity networks from human intracranial recordings of 67 seizures (across 14 patients) that had a focal origin—49 of these focal seizures remained focal and 18 underwent a bilateral spread (focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures). We utilized functional connectivity networks estimated from interictal periods across patients as control. Our results characterize network features that quantify the underlying functional dynamics associated with the observed heterogeneity of seizure propagation across these two types of focal seizures. Decoding these network features demonstrate that bilateral propagation of seizure activity is an outcome of the imbalance of global integration and segregation in the brain prior to seizure onset. We show that there exist intrinsic network signatures preceding seizure onset that are associated with the extent to which an impending seizure will propagate throughout the brain (i.e. staying within one hemisphere versus spreading transcallosally). Additionally, these features characterize an increase in segregation and a decrease in excitability within the brain network (i.e. high modularity and low spectral radius). Importantly, seizure-type-specific differences in these features emerge several minutes prior to seizure onset, suggesting the potential utility of such measures in intervention strategies. Finally, our results reveal network characteristics after the onset that are unique to the propagation mechanisms of two most common focal seizure subtypes, indicative of distinct reconfiguration processes that may assist termination of each seizure type. Together, our findings provide insights into the relationship between the temporal evolution of seizure activity and the underlying functional connectivity dynamics. These results offer exciting avenues where graph-theoretical measures could potentially guide personalized clinical interventions for epilepsy and other neurological disorders in which extensive heterogeneity is observed across subtypes as well as across and within individual patients.
Vibration accelerates orthodontic tooth movement by inducing osteoclastogenesis via transforming growth factor-β signalling in osteocytes
Authors: Sasaki Kiyo , Takeshita Nobuo , Fukunaga Tomohiro , Seiryu Masahiro , Sakamoto Mayuri , Oyanagi Toshihito , Maeda Toshihiro , Takano-Yamamoto Teruko 
Published: September 2022

Summary

Background
We previously found the conditions of supplementary vibration that accelerated tooth movement and induced bone resorption in an experimental rat tooth movement model. However, the molecular biological mechanisms underlying supplementary vibration-induced orthodontic tooth movement are not fully understood. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β upregulates osteoclastogenesis via induction of the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand expression, thus TGF-β is considered an essential cytokine to induce bone resorption.

Objectives
The aim of this study is to examine the role of TGF-β during the acceleration of orthodontic tooth movement by supplementary vibration.

Materials and methods
In experimental tooth movement, 15 g of orthodontic force was loaded onto the maxillary right first molar for 28 days. Supplementary vibration (3 g, 70 Hz) was applied to the maxillary first molar for 3 min on days 0, 7, 14, and 21. TGF-β receptor inhibitor SB431542 was injected into the submucosal palatal and buccal areas of the maxillary first molars once every other day. The co-culture of RAW264.7 cells and MLO-Y4 cells was used as an in vitro osteoclastogenesis model.

Results
SB431542 suppressed the acceleration of tooth movement and the increase in the number of osteoclasts by supplementary vibration in our experimental rat tooth movement model. Immunohistochemical analysis showed supplementary vibration increased the number of TGF-β1-positive osteocytes in the alveolar bone on the compression side during the experimental tooth movement. Moreover, vibration-upregulated TGF-β1 in MLO-Y4 cells induced osteoclastogenesis.

Conclusions
Orthodontic tooth movement was accelerated by supplementary vibration through the promotion of the production of TGF-β1 in osteocytes and subsequent osteoclastogenesis.
Searching for a Consensus Among Inflammatory Bowel Disease Studies: A Systematic Meta-Analysis
Authors: Abdel-Rahman Lama Izzat Hasan , Morgan Xochitl C 
Published: September 2022

Abstract

Background
Numerous studies have examined the gut microbial ecology of patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis, but inflammatory bowel disease–associated taxa and ecological effect sizes are not consistent between studies.

Methods
We systematically searched PubMed and Google Scholar and performed a meta-analysis of 13 studies to analyze how variables such as sample type (stool, biopsy, and lavage) affect results in inflammatory bowel disease gut microbiome studies, using uniform bioinformatic methods for all primary data.

Results
Reduced alpha diversity was a consistent feature of both CD and ulcerative colitis but was more pronounced in CD. Disease contributed significantly variation in beta diversity in most studies, but effect size varied, and the effect of sample type was greater than the effect of disease. Fusobacterium was the genus most consistently associated with CD, but disease-associated genera were mostly inconsistent between studies. Stool studies had lower heterogeneity than biopsy studies, especially for CD.

Conclusions
Our results indicate that sample type variation is an important contributor to study variability that should be carefully considered during study design, and stool is likely superior to biopsy for CD studies due to its lower heterogeneity.
Miconazole Promotes Cooperative Ability of a Mouse Model of Alzheimer Disease
Authors: Wang Ze , Zhang Yanli , Feng Weixi , Pang Yingting , Chen Sijia , Ding Shixin , Chen Yan , Sheng Chengyu , Marshall Charles , Shi Jingping , Xiao Ming 
Published: September 2022

Abstract

Background
Cooperative defect is 1 of the earliest manifestations of disease patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) exhibit, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear.

Methods
We evaluated the cooperative function of APP/PS1 transgenic AD model mice at ages 2, 5, and 8 months by using a cooperative drinking task. We examined neuropathologic changes in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Another experiment was designed to observe whether miconazole, which has a repairing effect on myelin sheath, could promote the cooperative ability of APP/PS1 mice in the early AD-like stage. We also investigated the protective effects of miconazole on cultured mouse cortical oligodendrocytes exposed to human amyloid β peptide (Aβ1-42).

Results
We observed an age-dependent impairment of cooperative water drinking behavior in APP/PS1 mice. The AD mice with cooperative dysfunction showed decreases in myelin sheath thickness, oligodendrocyte nuclear heterochromatin percentage, and myelin basic protein expression levels in the mPFC. The cooperative ability was significantly improved in APP/PS1 mice treated with miconazole. Miconazole treatment increased oligodendrocyte maturation and myelin sheath thickness without reducing Aβ plaque deposition, reactive gliosis, and inflammatory factor levels in the mPFC. Miconazole also protected cultured oligodendrocytes from the toxicity of Aβ1-42.

Conclusions
These results demonstrate that mPFC hypomyelination is involved in the cooperative deficits of APP/PS1 mice. Improving myelination through miconazole therapy may offer a potential therapeutic approach for early intervention in AD.
Leader Visits and UN Security Council Membership
Authors: Wang Yu 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Existing international relations literature on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) paints a picture where the United States proactively lobbies other UNSC members using carrots and sticks, whereas China is quiet, content with its veto power, and acts only to punish other members when its core interests are hurt. We add nuance to the picture and present a different perspective where China actively promotes its agenda among UNSC members. Using newly collected data from 2000 to 2020, we show that when Chinese leaders visit Africa, they are three times more likely to visit a sitting UNSC member country than a nonmember country. We obtain similar results when we replicate our models on the seminal work by Dreher et al. (2018).
Functional conservation of an AP2/ERF transcription factor in cuticle formation suggests an important role in the terrestrialization of early land plants
Authors: Kim Ryeo Jin , Lee Seat Buyl , Pandey Garima , Suh Mi Chung 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThe formation of a hydrophobic cuticle layer on aerial plant parts was a critical innovation for protection from the terrestrial environment during the evolution of land plants. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying cuticle biogenesis in early terrestrial plants. Here, we report an APETALA2/Ethylene Response Factor (AP2/ERF) transcriptional activator, PpWIN1, involved in cutin and cuticular wax biosynthesis in Physcomitrium patens and Arabidopsis. The transcript levels of PpWIN1 were 2.5–fold higher in gametophores than in the protonema, and increased by approximately 3– to 4.7–fold in the protonema and gametophores under salt and osmotic stresses. PpWIN1 harbouring transcriptional activation activity is localized in the nucleus of tobacco leaf epidermal cells. Δppwin1 knockout mutants displayed a permeable cuticle, increased water loss, and cutin- and wax-deficient phenotypes. In contrast, increased total cutin and wax loads, and decreased water loss rates were observed in PpWIN1-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants. The transcript levels of genes involved in cutin or wax biosynthesis were significantly up-regulated in PpWIN1-overexpressing Arabidopsis lines, indicating that PpWIN1 acts as a transcriptional activator in cuticle biosynthesis. This study suggests that Arabidopsis WIN1/SHN1 orthologs may be functionally conserved from early to vascular land plants.
Long COVID: a narrative review of the clinical aftermaths of COVID-19 with a focus on the putative pathophysiology and aspects of physical activity
Authors: Haunhorst Simon , Bloch Wilhelm , Wagner Heiko , Ellert Claudia , Krüger Karsten , Vilser Daniel C , Finke Kathrin , Reuken Philipp , Pletz Mathias W , Stallmach Andreas , Puta Christian 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThe pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can cause multi-systemic symptoms that can persist beyond the acute symptomatic phase. The post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), also referred to as long COVID, describe the persistence of symptoms and/or long-term complications beyond 4 weeks from the onset of the acute symptoms and are estimated to affect at least 20% of the individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 regardless of their acute disease severity. The multi-faceted clinical picture of long COVID encompasses a plethora of undulating clinical manifestations impacting various body systems such as fatigue, headache, attention disorder, hair loss and exercise intolerance. The physiological response to exercise testing is characterized by a reduced aerobic capacity, cardiocirculatory limitations, dysfunctional breathing patterns and an impaired ability to extract and use oxygen. Still, to this day, the causative pathophysiological mechanisms of long COVID remain to be elucidated, with long-term organ damage, immune system dysregulation and endotheliopathy being among the hypotheses discussed. Likewise, there is still a paucity of treatment options and evidence-based strategies for the management of the symptoms. In sum, this review explores different aspects of long COVID and maps the literature on what is known about its clinical manifestations, potential pathophysiological mechanisms, and treatment options.
Cytokinins Induce Prehaustoria Coordinately with Quinone Signals in the Parasitic Plant Striga hermonthica
Authors: Aoki Natsumi , Cui Songkui , Yoshida Satoko 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Orobanchaceae parasitic plants are major threats to global food security, causing severe agricultural damage worldwide. Parasitic plants derive water and nutrients from their host plants through multicellular organs called haustoria. The formation of a prehaustorium, a primitive haustorial structure, is provoked by host-derived haustorium-inducing factors (HIFs). Quinones, including 2,6-dimethoxy-p-benzoquinone (DMBQ), are of the most potent HIFs for various species in Orobanchaceae, but except non-photosynthetic holoparasites, Phelipanche and Orobanche spp. Instead, cytokinin (CK) phytohormones were reported to induce prehaustoria in Phelipanche ramosa. However, little is known about whether CKs act as HIFs in the other parasitic species to date. Moreover, the signaling pathways for quinones and CKs in prehaustorium induction are not well understood. This study shows that CKs act as HIFs in the obligate parasite Striga hermonthica but not in the facultative parasite Phtheirospermum japonicum. Using chemical inhibitors and marker gene expression analysis, we demonstrate that CKs activate prehaustorium formation through a CK-specific signaling pathway that overlaps with the quinone HIF pathway at downstream in S. hermonthica. Moreover, host root exudates activated S. hermonthica CK biosynthesis and signaling genes, and DMBQ and CK inhibitors perturbed the prehaustorium-inducing activity of exudates, indicating that host root exudates include CKs. Our study reveals the importance of CKs for prehaustorium formation in obligate parasitic plants.
Tonoplast-localized transporter ZmNRAMP2 confers root-to-shoot translocation of manganese in maize
Authors: Guo Jingxuan , Long Lizhi , Chen Anle , Dong Xiaonan , Liu Zhipeng , Chen Limei , Wang Junying , Yuan Lixing 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Almost all living organisms require manganese (Mn) as an essential trace element for survival. To maintain an irreplaceable role in the oxygen-evolving complex of photosynthesis, plants require efficient Mn uptake in roots and delivery to above-ground tissues. However, the underlying mechanisms of root-to-shoot Mn translocation remain unclear. Here, we identified an Natural Resistance Associated Macrophage Protein (NRAMP) family member in maize (Zea mays), ZmNRAMP2, which localized to the tonoplast in maize protoplasts and mediated transport of Mn in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Under Mn deficiency, two maize mutants defective in ZmNRAMP2 exhibited remarkable reduction of root-to-shoot Mn translocation along with lower shoot Mn contents, resulting in substantial decreases in Fv/Fm and plant growth inhibition compared to their corresponding wild-type (WT) plants. ZmNRAMP2 transcripts were highly expressed in xylem parenchyma cells of the root stele. Compared to the WT, the zmnramp2-1 mutant displayed lower Mn concentration in xylem sap accompanied with retention of Mn in root stele. Furthermore, the overexpression of ZmNRAMP2 in transgenic maize showed enhanced root-to-shoot translocation of Mn and improved tolerance to Mn deficiency. Taken together, our study reveals a crucial role of ZmNRAMP2 in root-to-shoot translocation of Mn via accelerating vacuolar Mn release in xylem parenchyma cells for adaption of maize plants to low Mn stress and provides a promising transgenic approach to develop low Mn-tolerant crop cultivars.