bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Characterizing the extent human milk folate is buffered against maternal malnutrition and infection in drought‐stricken northern Kenya
Authors: Fujita Masako , Wander Katherine , Tran Tin , Brindle Eleanor 
Published: August 2022

AbstractObjectivesFolate is an essential nutrient fundamental to human growth and development. Human milk maintains high folate content across the maternal folate status range, suggesting buffering of milk folate with prioritized delivery to milk at the expense of maternal depletion. We investigated whether and how the extent of this buffering may diminish under prolonged nutritional and/or disease stress, while taking into consideration infants' varying vulnerability to malnutrition‐related morbidity/mortality.MethodsA cross‐sectional study analyzed milk specimens from northern Kenyan mothers (n = 203), surveyed during a historic drought and ensuing food shortage. Multiple regression models for folate receptor‐α (FOLR1) in milk were constructed. Predictors included maternal underweight (BMI < 18.5), iron‐deficiency anemia (hemoglobin <12 g/dl and dried‐blood‐spot transferrin receptor >5 mg/L), folate deficiency (hyperhomocysteinemia, homocysteine >12 or 14 μmol/L), inflammation (serum C‐reactive protein >5 mg/L), infant age and sex, and mother‐infant interactions.ResultsIn adjusted models, milk FOLR1 was unassociated with maternal underweight, iron‐deficiency anemia and inflammation. FOLR1 was positively associated with maternal folate deficiency, and inversely associated with infant age. There was interaction between infant age and maternal underweight, and between infant sex and maternal folate deficiency, predicting complex changes in FOLR1.ConclusionsOur results suggest that mothers buffer milk folate against their own nutritional stress even during a prolonged drought; however, the extent of this buffering may vary with infant age, and, among folate‐deficient mothers, with infant sex. Future research is needed to better understand this variability in maternal buffering of milk folate and how it relates to folate status in nursing infants.
Stereoselective Access to Tetra‐ and Tri‐Substituted Fluoro‐ and Chloro‐Borylalkenes via Boron‐Wittig Reaction
Authors: Han Seungcheol , Lee Yeosan , Jung Yujin , Cho Seung Hwan 
Published: August 2022

AbstractReported herein is the efficient synthesis of tetra‐ and tri‐substituted (Z)‐fluoro‐ and (Z)‐chloro‐borylalkenes by the Boron–Wittig reaction of ketones and aldehydes with bench‐top stable halo‐diborylmethanes. The substrate scope is broad and the Boron–Wittig reaction proceeds from a diverse range of ketones and aldehydes including biologically relevant molecules with fluoro‐ or chloro‐diborylmethanes, providing tetra‐ and tri‐substituted (Z)‐fluoro‐ and (Z)‐chloro‐borylalkenes in good yields with high stereoselectivity. The utilities of the obtained (Z)‐fluoro‐ and (Z)‐chloro‐borylalkenes are highlighted by further modifications to afford fluoroalkene derivatives or all‐carbon substituted alkene.
One‐step flame retardant/hydrophobic finishing on cotton fabric with ammonium salt of hexamethylenediamine ‐ N, N, N′, N′ ‐ tetra (methylphosphonic acid) doped silica sol
Authors: Xing Lili , Wang Yirong , Cheng Jin , Li Aijing , Gu Jiali , Dong Xue , Chen Guoqiang , Xing Tieling 
Published: August 2022

AbstractWith the rapid development of textile technology, single‐function textile finishing is difficult to meet the current needs of people for textiles. Textiles with flame retardancy, superhydrophobicity, UV resistance, and other functions are increasingly favored by people. At present, most of the preparation processes of multifunctional textiles are complex and time‐consuming. In this work, a flame retardant hexamethylenediamine tetramethylene phosphate ammonium salt of hexamethylenediamine ‐ N, N, N′, N′ ‐ tetra (methylphosphonic acid) (AHDTMPA) was synthesized using hexamethylenediamine tetramethylene phosphate (HDTMPA) and urea with aqueous solution as solvent. Then AHDTMPA and cetyltrimethoxysilane were added into the solution with methyl trimethoxysilane (MTMOS) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as precursors to obtain a multifunctional sol. Finally, the multifunctional cotton fabric can be obtained by immersing the cotton fabric in the multifunctional sol in one‐step. The limiting oxygen index (LOI) and water contact angle (WCA) value of the finished cotton fabric was 27.6% and 131.4°, respectively. The FT‐IR characterization results and the SEM analysis verified the synthesis of AHDTMPA. The micro calorimeter combustion (MCC) and thermo gravimetric (TG) analysis indicated that the finished samples had less heat release capacity and less weight loss. The smoke density test showed good smoke suppression of the finished cotton fabric. Moreover, the whiteness of finished samples was nearly unchanged. In this work, the flame retardant and hydrophobic multi‐functional cotton fabric was prepared by one‐step, and the method is simple and efficient. The prepared functional cotton fabrics can be widely used in home textile fabrics, automotive interior fabrics, clothing fabrics, flags, tents, and protective clothing.
Targeted brain delivery of RVG29‐modified rifampicin‐loaded nanoparticles for Alzheimer's disease treatment and diagnosis
Authors: Zhou Ruiyi , Zhu Lihong , Zeng Zhaohao , Luo Rixin , Zhang Jiawei , Guo Rui , Zhang Lei , Zhang Qunying , Bi Wei 
Published: August 2022

AbstractAlzheimer's disease (AD) is an aging‐related neurodegenerative disease. The main pathological features of AD are β‐amyloid protein (Aβ) deposition and tau protein hyperphosphorylation. Currently, there are no effective drugs for the etiological treatment of AD. Rifampicin (RIF) is a semi‐synthetic broad‐spectrum antibiotic with anti‐β‐amyloid deposition, anti‐inflammatory, anti‐apoptosis, and neuroprotective effects, but its application in AD treatment has been limited for its strong hydrophobicity, high toxicity, short half‐life, low bioavailability, and blood–brain barrier hindrance. We designed a novel brain‐targeted and MRI‐characteristic nanomedicine via loading rabies virus protein 29 (RVG29), rifampicin, and Gd on poly (l‐lactide) nanoparticles (RIF@PLA‐PEG‐Gd/Mal‐RVG29). The cytotoxicity assay demonstrated that RIF@PLA‐PEG‐Gd/Mal‐RVG29 had favorable biocompatibility and security. Fluorescence imaging in vivo showed that PLA‐PEG‐Gd/Mal‐RVG29 could deliver rifampicin into the brain by enhancing cellular uptake and brain targeting performance, leading to improvement of the bioavailability of rifampicin. In in vivo study, RIF@PLA‐PEG‐Gd/Mal‐RVG29 improved the spatial learning and memory capability of APP/PS1 mice in the Morris water maze, as compared to rifampicin. Immunofluorescence, TEM, immunoblotting, and H&E staining revealed that RIF@PLA‐PEG‐Gd/Mal‐RVG29 reduced Aβ deposition in hippocampal and cortex of APP/PS1 mice, improved the damage of synaptic ultrastructure, increased the expression level of PSD95 and SYP, as well as reduced the necrosis of neurons. These findings suggest that RIF@PLA‐PEG‐Gd/Mal‐RVG29 may be an effective strategy for the treatment of AD.
Merging of ventral fibers at adhesions drives the remodeling of cellular contractile systems in fibroblasts
Authors: Narasimhan Shwetha , Holmes William R. , Kaverina Irina 
Published: August 2022

AbstractVentral stress fibers (VSFs) are contractile actin fibers dynamically attached to cell‐matrix focal adhesions. VSFs are critical in cellular traction force production and migration. VSFs vary from randomly oriented short, thinner fibers to long, thick fibers that span along the whole long axis of a cell. De novo VSF formation was shown to occur by cortical actin mesh condensation or by crosslinking of dorsal stress fibers and transverse arcs at the cell front. However, the formation of long VSFs that extend across the whole cell axis is not well understood. Here, we report a novel phenomenon of VSF merging in migratory fibroblast cells, which is guided by mechanical force balance and contributes to VSF alignment along the long cell axis. The mechanism of VSF merging involves two steps: connection of two ventral fibers by an emerging myosin II bridge at an intervening adhesion and intervening adhesion dissolution. Our data indicate that these two steps are interdependent: slow adhesion disassembly leads to the slowing of the myosin bridge formation. Cellular data and computational modeling show that the contact angle between merging fibers decides successful merging, with shallow angles leading to merge failure. Our data and modeling further show that merging increases the share of uniformly aligned long VSFs, likely contributing to directional traction force production. Thus, we characterize merging as a process for dynamic reorganization of VSFs with functional significance for directional cell migration.
A Basic Guide to the Growth and Manipulation of the Blast Fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae
Authors: Molinari Camilla , Talbot Nicholas J. 
Published: August 2022

AbstractThe blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae, is a devastating plant pathogen that threatens global food security. The social and economic importance of blast disease has contributed to this filamentous fungus becoming a model organism for the study of host‐pathogen interactions. Availability of the complete genome sequences of many strains of the pathogen, as well as rice and wheat cultivars, coupled with the tractability of M. oryzae to classical and molecular genetic manipulation have contributed to its widespread study. Although M. oryzae has been extensively investigated for the past two decades, procedures for storing, maintaining, and manipulating the blast fungus in the laboratory had not been compiled and updated. As a consequence, there is considerable disparity in how the fungus is stored and manipulated between studies. In this article, we present a collection of protocols providing clear explanations of how to preserve filter stocks of M. oryzae; how to grow the fungus in both liquid and solid media; how to extract genomic DNA from fungal mycelium; how to induce appressorium formation on coverslips for visualization and tissue collection; and how to perform two distinct types of plant infection assay for virulence assessment. By sharing our most used laboratory procedures, we aim to address some of the knowledge gaps in current M. oryzae protocols and contribute to uniformity and robustness in studies by the Magnaporthe research community. © 2022 The Authors. Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.Basic Protocol 1: Storage of M. oryzae strainsBasic Protocol 2: Revival and regular maintenance of M. oryzae cultures in solid mediumAlternate Protocol 1: Regular maintenance of M. oryzae cultures in liquid mediumBasic Protocol 3: Genomic DNA extraction from M. oryzae myceliumAlternate Protocol 2: Quick DNA extraction from M. oryzae myceliumBasic Protocol 4: M. oryzae induction of appressorium development on glass coverslips for microscopyAlternate Protocol 3: M. oryzae induction of appressorium development on glass coverslips for tissue collectionBasic Protocol 5: M. oryzae rice infection assay through spray inoculationAlternate Protocol 4: M. oryzae leaf‐drop plant infection assay
A recursive reinforced blockchain performance evaluation and improvement architecture: Maximising diversity to improve scalability
Authors: Liu Lin , Tsai Wei‐Tek , Liu Mingsheng , Gao Ze , Ji Shumei , Peng Hao , Bhuiyan Zakirul Alam 
Published: August 2022

SummaryNowadays, Blockchain technology has received widespread attention because of its ability to effectively solve the trust problem in transactions. However, the throughput of crypto currency using Blockchain technology has never been comparable to that of centralized payment institutions. The fundamental reason is the architecture of the Blockchain itself, and the existing methods often focus on the part of the Blockchain but lack the overall control. In this paper, we design, a novel Recursively Reinforced Blockchain Architecture Search (BORAS) architecture, from the perspective of the overall structure of the Blockchain, which can search the various attributes of the various levels in a adaptive manner, aiming at selecting the best configuration in a dynamical environment. First, we introduce a recursive and scalable reinforcement learning framework, to find the optimal block size and block interval of the Blockchain, so as to improve the throughput of the Blockchain system. Second, we add the selection scheme of consensus algorithm to the dynamic space and also use the framework to select the optimal consensus mechanism to realize the optimal configuration of the Blockchain system in the dynamic environment. Third, we adopt a recursive method, which greatly reduces the time complexity required for the optimal configuration of the Blockchain system and improves the configuration efficiency. Comprehensive experiments on three representative Blockchain platforms demonstrate that BOBAS can consistently improve the throughput, while also reducing latency, with remarkable and efficient performances.
Genomics reveals the history of a complex plant invasion and improves the management of a biological invasion from the South African–Australian biotic exchange
Authors: Byrne Dennis , Scheben Armin , Scott John K. , Webber Bruce L. , Batchelor Kathryn L. , Severn‐Ellis Anita A. , Gooden Ben , Bell Karen L. 
Published: August 2022

AbstractMany plants exchanged in the global redistribution of species in the last 200 years, particularly between South Africa and Australia, have become threatening invasive species in their introduced range. Refining our understanding of the genetic diversity and population structure of native and alien populations, introduction pathways, propagule pressure, naturalization, and initial spread, can transform the effectiveness of management and prevention of further introductions. We used 20,221 single nucleotide polymorphisms to reconstruct the invasion of a coastal shrub, Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. rotundata (bitou bush) from South Africa, into eastern Australia (EAU), and Western Australia (WAU). We determined genetic diversity and population structure across the native and introduced ranges and compared hypothesized invasion scenarios using Bayesian modeling. We detected considerable genetic structure in the native range, as well as differentiation between populations in the native and introduced range. Phylogenetic analysis showed the introduced samples to be most closely related to the southern‐most native populations, although Bayesian analysis inferred introduction from a ghost population. We detected strong genetic bottlenecks during the founding of both the EAU and WAU populations. It is likely that the WAU population was introduced from EAU, possibly involving an unsampled ghost population. The number of private alleles and polymorphic SNPs successively decreased from South Africa to EAU to WAU, although heterozygosity remained high. That bitou bush remains an invasion threat in EAU, despite reduced genetic diversity, provides a cautionary biosecurity message regarding the risk of introduction of potentially invasive species via shipping routes.
The effect of climate change on Arcto‐Tertiary Mexican beech forests: Exploring their past, present, and future distribution
Authors: Ames‐Martínez Fressia N. , Luna‐Vega Isolda , Dieringer Gregg , Rodríguez‐Ramírez Ernesto C. 
Published: August 2022

AbstractFagus mexicana Martínez (Mexican beech) is an endangered Arcto‐Tertiary Geoflora tree species that inhabit isolated and fragmented tropical montane cloud forests in eastern Mexico. Exploring past, present, and future climate change effects on the distribution of Mexican beech involves the study of spatial ecology and temporal patterns to develop conservation plans. These are key to understanding the niche conservatism of other forest communities with similar environmental requirements. For this study, we used species distribution models by combining occurrence records, to assess the distribution patterns and changes of the past (Last Glacial Maximum), present (1981–2010), and future (2040–2070) periods under two climate scenarios (SSP 3‐7.0 & SSP 5‐8.5). Next, we determined the habitat suitability and priority conservation areas of Mexican beech as associated with topography, land cover use, distance to the nearest town, and environmental variables. By considering the distribution of Mexican beech during different periods and under different climate scenarios, our study estimated that high‐impact areas of Mexican beech forests were restricted to specific areas of the Sierra Madre Oriental that constitute refugia from the Last Glacial Maximum. Regrettably, our results exhibited that Mexican beech distribution has decreased 71.3% since the Last Glacial Maximum and this trend will for the next 50 years, migrating to specific refugia at higher altitudes. This suggests that the states of Hidalgo, Veracruz, and Puebla will preserve the habitat suitability features as ecological refugia, related to high moisture and north‐facing slopes. For isolated and difficult‐to‐access areas, the proposed methods are powerful tools for relict‐tree species, which deserve further conservation.
Effects of condensed tannins on behavior and performance of a specialist aphid on aspen
Authors: Rodríguez Bárbara Díez , Kloth Karen J. , Albrectsen Benedicte Riber 
Published: August 2022

AbstractGenes involved in plant defences against herbivores and pathogens are often highly polymorphic. This is a putative sign that balancing selection may have operated reciprocally on the hosts and their herbivores. Spatial and temporal variations (for example, in soil nutrients and the plants' ontogenetic development) may also modulate resistance traits, and thus selection pressures, but have been largely overlooked in theories of plant defences. Important elements of defences in Populus tremula (hereafter aspen) are phenolic compounds, including condensed tannins (CTs). Concentrations of CTs vary considerably with both variations in external factors and time, but they are also believed to provide genotype‐dependent resistance, mainly against chewing herbivores and pathogens. However, evidence of their contributions to resistance is sparse. Detailed studies of co‐evolved plant–herbivore associations could provide valuable insights into these contributions. Therefore, we examined correlations between CT levels in aspen leaves and both the feeding behavior and reproduction of the specialist aspen leaf aphid (Chaitophorus tremulae) in varied conditions. We found that xylem sap intake and probing difficulties were higher on genotypes with high‐CT concentrations. However, aphids engaged in more nonprobing activities on low‐CT genotypes, indicating that CTs were not the only defence traits involved. Thus, high‐CT genotypes were not necessarily more resistant than low‐CT genotypes, but aphid reproduction was generally negatively correlated with local CT accumulation. Genotype‐specific resistance ranking also depended on the experimental conditions. These results support the hypothesis that growth conditions may affect selection pressures mediated by aphids in accordance with balancing selection theory.
Active season body mass patterns of little brown and northern myotis bats
Authors: Balzer Evan W. , Grottoli Adam D. , Burns Lynne E. , Broders Hugh G. 
Published: August 2022

AbstractAnimals are expected to adjust their behavioral patterns to improve fitness outcomes, such as fecundity or offspring survival. For long‐lived hibernators, decisions made in each annual cycle may reflect considerations not just for concurrent survival and reproduction but also the pressure to maximize overwinter survival and future reproductive success. We examined how these elements manifest themselves in the body mass variation patterns of North American northern latitude temperate bats, whose size and roosting habits present considerable monitoring challenges. We characterized and compared the summer and fall mass variation patterns of little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) and northern myotis (M. septentrionalis) from a historic dataset. In summer, the estimated date of parturition was strongly associated with spring foraging conditions (low wind, low precipitation, and warm temperatures), and mass gain associated with female reproduction conferred considerable differentiation between the mass variation patterns of females and males. In fall, differences were most apparent among species, although adults exhibited a greater capacity for rapid mass gain than juveniles. These results demonstrate how reproductive constraints and interannual survival have important influences on the behavior of temperate bats. Future work should seek to quantify the fitness benefits of patterns identified in this study, such as the rate of prehibernation mass gain.
Building communities of teaching practice and data‐driven open education resources with NEON faculty mentoring networks
Authors: Naithani Kusum , Jones Megan , Grayson Kristine L. 
Published: August 2022

AbstractWith the growing availability and accessibility of big data in ecology, we face an urgent need to train the next generation of scientists in data science practices and tools. One of the biggest barriers for implementing a data‐driven curriculum in undergraduate classrooms is the lack of training and support for educators to develop their own skills and time to incorporate these principles into existing courses or develop new ones. Alongside the research goals of the NEON, providing education and training are key components for building a community of scientists and users equipped to utilize large‐scale ecological and environmental data. To address this need, the NEON data education fellows program formed as a collaborative faculty mentoring network (FMN) between scientists from NEON and university faculty interested in using NEON data and resources in their ecology classrooms. Like other FMNs, this group has two main goals: (1) to provide tools, resources, and support for faculty interested in developing data‐driven curriculum and (2) to make teaching materials that have been implemented and tested in the classroom available as open educational resources for other educators. We hosted this program using an open education and collaboration platform from the Quantitative Undergraduate Biology Education and Synthesis (QUBES) project. Here, we share lessons learned from facilitating five FMN cohorts and emphasize the successes, pitfalls, and opportunities for developing open education resources through community‐driven collaborations.
Policy integration in urban living labs: Delivering multi‐functional blue‐green infrastructure in Antwerp, Dordrecht, and Gothenburg
Authors: Willems Jannes J. , Kuitert Lizet , Van Buuren Arwin 
Published: August 2022

AbstractPolicy integration required for delivering multi‐functional blue‐green infrastructure (BGI) is difficult to achieve, because environmental policymaking is characterised by sectoral responsibilities and institutional structures that hinder collaboration. Both theory and practice consider urban living labs (ULLs) as promising vehicles for policy integration, as ULLs can overcome institutional structures. This article presents a framework that assesses how the urban living lab can contribute to policy integration in BGI projects and applies this to three case studies in Antwerp (Belgium), Dordrecht (the Netherlands), and Gothenburg (Sweden). Our findings demonstrate that ULLs can enhance policy integration through defining integrative aims, creating shared accountability structures, and assigning a clear problem owner with authority. ULLs can equally hinder policy integration because their dependence on sectoral funding results in narrowed‐down goals. Moreover, their experimental, non‐committal position gives them limited power to pull down institutional structures. Thus, ULLs do not automatically enhance policy integration in BGI projects.