bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The distribution of manta rays in the western North Atlantic Ocean off the eastern United States
Authors: Farmer Nicholas A. , Garrison Lance P. , Horn Calusa , Miller Margaret , Gowan Timothy , Kenney Robert D. , Vukovich Michelle , Willmott Julia Robinson , Pate Jessica , Harry Webb D. , Mullican Timothy J. , Stewart Joshua D. , Bassos-Hull Kim , Jones Christian , Adams Delaney , Pelletier Nicole A. , Waldron Jordan , Kajiura Stephen 
Published: April 2022

AbstractIn 2018, the giant manta ray was listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. We integrated decades of sightings and survey effort data from multiple sources in a comprehensive species distribution modeling (SDM) framework to evaluate the distribution of giant manta rays off the eastern United States, including the Gulf of Mexico. Manta rays were most commonly detected at productive nearshore and shelf-edge upwelling zones at surface thermal frontal boundaries within a temperature range of approximately 20–30 °C. SDMs predicted highest nearshore occurrence off northeastern Florida during April, with the distribution extending northward along the shelf-edge as temperatures warm, leading to higher occurrences north of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina from June to October, and then south of Savannah, Georgia from November to March as temperatures cool. In the Gulf of Mexico, the highest nearshore occurrence was predicted around the Mississippi River delta from April to June and again from October to November. SDM predictions will allow resource managers to more effectively protect manta rays from fisheries bycatch, boat strikes, oil and gas activities, contaminants and pollutants, and other threats.
Quantitative serology for SARS-CoV-2 using self-collected saliva and finger-stick blood
Authors: Campbell Christopher , Padmanabhan Nikhil , Romero Daniel , Joe Jessica , Gebremeskel Mikias , Manjula Navaratnam , Wohlstadter Noah , Wohlstadter Rachel , Goodwin Paul , Quintero Lillian , Debad Jeff , Sigal George , Wohlstadter Jacob 
Published: April 2022

AbstractConvenient and widespread serology testing may alter the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study seeks to leverage high-throughput, multiplexed serologic assays, which have been adopted as benchmarks for vaccine efficacy, to support large-scale surveys of SARS-CoV-2 immunity using finger-stick blood and/or saliva. Specifically, we optimized MSD’s serology assays, which were analytically validated for serum, to test self-collected finger-stick blood and saliva samples to identify prior infection. We show that these assays can be used with FDA-registered specimen collection devices to obtain quantitative measurements for self-collected samples. First, we show that salivary antibodies are stable without refrigeration or preservatives for at least 5 days. We selected classification thresholds for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 N, RBD and Spike in finger-stick blood and saliva that provided 98% specificity in a set of individuals without known COVID-19 exposure. Using matched samples, we show that testing of saliva and finger-stick blood equivalently identified individuals with humoral responses to CoV-2 antigens. Moreover, we piloted a simple saliva collection kit that can be used to safely send samples through the mail using written instructions only. This work establishes key parameters to robustly assay self-collected finger-stick blood and saliva using quantitative immunoassays that could support large-scale serology testing.
Hydrogel assisted synthesis of gold nanoparticles with enhanced microbicidal and in vivo wound healing potential
Authors: Batool Zahra , Muhammad Gulzar , Iqbal Muhammad Mudassir , Aslam Muhammad Shahbaz , Raza Muhammad Arshad , Sajjad Noreen , Abdullah Muhammad , Akhtar Naeem , Syed Asad , Elgorban Abdallah M. , Al-Rejaie Salim S. , Shafiq Zahid 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThe present study reports a hydrogel-based sunlight-assisted synthesis of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) with enhanced antimicrobial and wound healing potential. The hydrogel extracted from the seeds of Cydonia oblonga was used as a reducing and capping agent to synthesize Au NPs for the first time. The as-synthesized Au NPs were characterized for an average size, shape, surface functionalization, antimicrobial, and wound healing capabilities. The cubic and rectangular-shaped Au NPs with an average edge length of 74 ± 4.57 nm depicted a characteristic surface plasmon resonance band at 560 nm. The hydrogel-based Au NPs inhibited the growth of microorganisms in zones with 12 mm diameter. In-vitro experiments showed that a minimum inhibitory concentration of Au NPs (16 µg/mL) was sufficient to mimic the 95% growth of pathogenic microorganisms in 24 h. In vivo treatment of wounds with Au NPs in murine models revealed a 99% wound closure within 5 days. Quantitative PCR analysis performed to decipher the role of Au NPs in enhanced wound healing showed an increase in the expression levels of NANOG and CD-34 proteins.
Quadrupedal water launch capability demonstrated in small Late Jurassic pterosaurs
Authors: Pittman Michael , Kaye Thomas G. , Campos Hebert B. , Habib Michael B. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractPterosaurs thrived in and around water for 160 + million years but their take-off from water is poorly understood. A purportedly low floating position and forward centre of gravity barred pterosaurs from a bird-like bipedal running launch. Quadrupedal water launch similar to extant water-feeding birds and bats has been proposed for the largest pterosaurs, such asAnhangueraandQuetzalcoatlus. However, quadrupedal water launch has never been demonstrated in smaller pterosaurs, including those living around the Tethys Sea in the Late Jurassic Solnhofen Lagoon. Using Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence, we singled out aurorazhdarchid specimen MB.R.3531 that alone preserved specific soft tissues among more than a dozen well-preserved Solnhofen pterosaur specimens. These soft tissues pertain to primary propulsive contact surfaces needed for quadrupedal water launch (pedal webbing and soft tissues from an articulated forelimb) that permit robust calculations of its dynamic feasibility without the need to make assumptions about contact areas. A first-principles-based dynamics model of MB.R.3531 reveals that quadrupedal water launch was theoretically feasible and that webbed feet significantly impacted launch performance. Three key factors limiting water launch performance in all pterosaurs are identified, providing a foundation for understanding water launch evolution: available propulsive contact area, forelimb extension range and forelimb extension power about the shoulder.
Retrospective genomics highlights changes in genetic composition of tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) and potential loss of a south-eastern Australia population
Authors: Manuzzi Alice , Jiménez-Mena Belen , Henriques Romina , Holmes Bonnie J. , Pepperell Julian , Edson Janette , Bennett Mike B. , Huveneers Charlie , Ovenden Jennifer R. , Nielsen Einar E. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractOver the last century, many shark populations have declined, primarily due to overexploitation in commercial, artisanal and recreational fisheries. In addition, in some locations the use of shark control programs also has had an impact on shark numbers. Still, there is a general perception that populations of large ocean predators cover wide areas and therefore their diversity is less susceptible to local anthropogenic disturbance. Here we report on temporal genomic analyses of tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) DNA samples that were collected from eastern Australia over the past century. Using Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) loci, we documented a significant change in genetic composition of tiger sharks born between ~1939 and 2015. The change was most likely due to a shift over time in the relative contribution of two well-differentiated, but hitherto cryptic populations. Our data strongly indicate a dramatic shift in the relative contribution of these two populations to the overall tiger shark abundance on the east coast of Australia, possibly associated with differences in direct or indirect exploitation rates.
Establishment of a fish model to study gas-bubble lesions
Authors: Velázquez-Wallraf Alicia , Fernández Antonio , Caballero María José , Arregui Marina , González Díaz Óscar , Betancor Mónica B. , Bernaldo de Quirós Yara 
Published: April 2022

AbstractDecompression sickness (DCS) is a clinical syndrome caused by the formation of systemic intravascular and extravascular gas bubbles. The presence of these bubbles in blood vessels is known as gas embolism. DCS has been described in humans and animals such as sea turtles and cetaceans. To delve deeper into DCS, experimental models in terrestrial mammals subjected to compression/decompression in a hyperbaric chamber have been used. Fish can suffer from gas bubble disease (GBD), characterized by the formation of intravascular and extravascular systemic gas bubbles, similarly to that observed in DCS. Given these similarities and the fact that fish develop this disease naturally in supersaturated water, they could be used as an alternative experimental model for the study of the pathophysiological aspect of gas bubbles. The objective of this study was to obtain a reproducible model for GBD in fish by an engineering system and a complete pathological study, validating this model for the study of the physiopathology of gas related lesions in DCS. A massive and severe GBD was achieved by exposing the fish for 18 h to TDG values of 108–109%, characterized by the presence of severe hemorrhages and the visualization of massive quantities of macroscopic and microscopic gas bubbles, systemically distributed, circulating through different large vessels of experimental fish. These pathological findings were the same as those described in small mammals for the study of explosive DCS by hyperbaric chamber, validating the translational usefulness of this first fish model to study the gas-bubbles lesions associated to DCS from a pathological standpoint.
Baicalin regulates autophagy to interfere with small intestinal acute graft-versus-host disease
Authors: Sun Xiaoqi , Pisano Michael , Xu Longjin , Sun Fumou , Xu Jie , Zheng Wei , Liu Xiujuan , Zhang Yanyu , Sun Runjie , Cui Xing 
Published: April 2022

AbstractAcute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) is the main complication of and cause of death after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Baicalin can protect the small intestinal epithelial cells of rats against TNF-α-induced injury and alleviate enteritis-related diarrhea. To verify whether baicalin can protect the small intestinal mucosal barrier by regulating abnormal autophagy and interfering with intestinal aGVHD, a mouse model of aGVHD was established. CB6F1 micewere intravenously injected with a suspension of mononuclear cells derived from BALB/c donor mouse bone marrow and splenic tissue after treatment with 60Co X-rays. After treatment with different doses of baicalin for 15 days, the survival time, serum TNF-α and IL-10 levels, and autophagy markers levels in the intestine were assessed. A cell model of intestinal barrier dysfunction was also used to verify the effect of baicalin. The results showed that baicalin significantly prolonged the survival time, significantly reduced the aGVHD pathology score and clinical score by decreasing the TNF-α level with increasing the IL-10 level compared with the control. Transmission electron microscopy examination showed that baicalin treatment increased the number of autophagic vacuoles and led to the recovery of mitochondrial structures in the intestinal mucosal epithelial cells of mice and in Caco-2 cells. Western blotting results showed that baicalin treatment enhanced autophagy in vivo by regulating the AMPK/mTOR autophagy pathway. Similar results were observed in vitro in Caco-2 cells. Furthermore, the effect of baicalin was reduced after combination treatment with the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine(3-MA). Baicalin can decrease the severity of small intestinal aGVHD by regulating autophagy by influencing imbalances in inflammatory cytokine levels and mucosal barrier damage, thus baicalin may have potential as a new treatment for aGVHD.
The influence of contact lenses with different optical designs on the binocular vision and visual behavior of young adults
Authors: Chen Shyan-Tarng , Tung Hsiao-Ching , Chen Yan-Ting , Tien Chuen-Lin , Yeh Chih-Wei , Lian Jheng-Sin , Cheng Ching-Ying 
Published: April 2022

AbstractTheoretically, contact lenses change the accommodation and vergence demands of the eyes and directly or indirectly influence binocular vision. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of different optical designs of contact lenses on binocular vision and visual behavior among young adults. In this randomized, single-blinded experimental study, visual behavioral performance (VBP) and Ocular Surface Disease Index questionnaires were used for preliminary screening. Nineteen myopic subjects aged 20–26 years (21.59 ± 1.40 years) participated in the study. Baseline values for subjective refraction and binocular visual functions were evaluated. All the subjects were randomly grouped to wear different optical designs of single-vision, progressive, and bifocal contact lenses. Eye examinations were performed on the first day (CL baseline), 2nd week, and 4th week of wearing the lenses. In addition, subjects completed the VBP and visual quality questionnaire again at the end of the examination. Single-vision contact lenses (Lens 1) increased accommodative lag, negative relative accommodation, and distant and near vergence; however, vergence facilities, accommodative facilities, heterophoria, and the comfort and posture balance dimensions in the VBP questionnaire were improved. Progressive contact lenses (Lens 2) reduced the lag of accommodation and near vergence; in addition, vergence facilities and accommodative facilities were also improved. Bifocal contact lenses (Lens 3) affected negative and positive relative accommodation, but vergence facilities and accommodative facilities also progressed. Furthermore, both progressive (Lens 2) and bifocal (Lens 3) contact lenses enhanced overall visual behavioral performance. In terms of visual quality, single-vision contact lenses (Lens 1) were the most comfortable, progressive and bifocal contact lenses reduced distant visual acuity and stability, progressive contact lenses (Lens 2) had more complaints about halos at night, and bifocal contact lens (Lens 3) users were more likely to have double vision. Compared with single-vision contact lenses, progressive and bifocal contact lenses relaxed accommodation, reduced the lag of accommodation, and improved visual behavioral performance. Although the vergence function showed a significant change, it did not show worse trends when wearing contact lenses. Contact lenses with different optical designs have a great influence on binocular vision and visual behavioral performance.
Reliable P wave detection in pathological ECG signals
Authors: Saclova Lucie , Nemcova Andrea , Smisek Radovan , Smital Lukas , Vitek Martin , Ronzhina Marina 
Published: April 2022

AbstractAccurate automated detection of P waves in ECG allows to provide fast correct diagnosis of various cardiac arrhythmias and select suitable strategy for patients’ treatment. However, P waves detection is a still challenging task, especially in long-term ECGs with manifested cardiac pathologies. Software tools used in medical practice usually fail to detect P waves under pathological conditions. Most of recently published approaches have not been tested on such the signals at all. Here we introduce a novel method for accurate and reliable P wave detection, which is success in both normal and pathological cases. Our method uses phasor transform of ECG and innovative decision rules in order to improve P waves detection in pathological signals. The rules are based on a deep knowledge of heart manifestation during various arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation, premature ventricular contraction, etc. By involving the rules into the decision process, we are able to find the P wave in the correct location or, alternatively, not to search for it at all. In contrast to another studies, we use three, highly variable annotated ECG databases, which contain both normal and pathological records, to objectively validate our algorithm. The results for physiological records are Se = 98.56% and PP = 99.82% for MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database (MITDP, with MITDB P-Wave Annotations) and Se = 99.23% and PP = 99.12% for QT database. These results are comparable with other published methods. For pathological signals, the proposed method reaches Se = 96.40% and PP = 91.56% for MITDB and Se = 93.07% and PP = 88.60% for Brno University of Technology ECG Signal Database with Annotations of P wave (BUT PDB). In these signals, the proposed detector greatly outperforms other methods and, thus, represents a huge step towards effective use of fully automated ECG analysis in a real medical practice.
Behavioral and slice electrophysiological assessment of DREADD ligand, deschloroclozapine (DCZ) in rats
Authors: Nentwig Todd B. , Obray J. Daniel , Vaughan Dylan T. , Chandler L. Judson 
Published: April 2022

AbstractDesigner Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADDs) have become a premier neuroscience research tool for enabling reversible manipulations of cellular activity following experimenter-controlled delivery of a DREADD-specific ligand. However, several DREADD ligands, e.g., clozapine-N-oxide (CNO), have metabolic and off-target effects that may confound experimental findings. New DREADD ligands aim to reduce metabolic and potential off-target effects while maintaining strong efficacy for the designer receptors. Recently a novel DREADD ligand, deschloroclozapine (DCZ), was shown to induce chemogenetic-mediated cellular and behavioral effects in mice and monkeys without detectable side effects. The goal of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of systemic DCZ for DREADD-based chemogenetic manipulations in behavioral and slice electrophysiological applications in rats. We demonstrate that a relatively low dose of DCZ (0.1 mg/kg) supports excitatory DREADD-mediated cFos induction, DREADD-mediated inhibition of a central amygdala-dependent behavior, and DREADD-mediated inhibition of neuronal activity in a slice electrophysiology preparation. In addition, we show that this dose of DCZ does not alter gross locomotor activity or induce a place preference/aversion in control rats without DREADD expression. Together, our findings support the use of systemic DCZ for DREADD-based manipulaations in rats, and provide evidence that DCZ is a superior alternative to CNO.
Impacts of climate change on reproductive phenology in tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia
Authors: Numata Shinya , Yamaguchi Koharu , Shimizu Masaaki , Sakurai Gen , Morimoto Ayaka , Alias Noraliza , Noor Azman Nashatul Zaimah , Hosaka Tetsuro , Satake Akiko 
Published: April 2022

AbstractIn humid forests in Southeast Asia, many species from dozens of plant families flower gregariously and fruit synchronously at irregular multi-year intervals1–4. Little is known about how climate change will impact these community-wide mass reproductive events. Here, we perform a comprehensive analysis of reproductive phenology and its environmental drivers based on a monthly reproductive phenology record from 210 species in 41 families in Peninsular Malaysia. We find that the proportion of flowering and fruiting species decreased from 1976 to 2010. Using a phenology model, we find that 57% of species in the Dipterocarpaceae family respond to both drought and low-temperature cues for flowering. We show that low-temperature flowering cues will become less available in the future in the RCP2.6 and 8.5 scenarios, leading to decreased flowering opportunities of these species in a wide region from Thailand to the island of Borneo. Our results highlight the vulnerability of and variability in phenological responses across species in tropical ecosystems that differ from temperate and boreal biomes.
Dynamic wireless networks assisted by RIS mounted on aerial platform: Joint active and passive beamforming design
Authors: Zhu Qiaonan , Gao Yulan , Nie Jiangtian , Xiao Yue , Tang Wanbin 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThe design of dynamic wireless networks assisted by reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) mounted on aerial platforms (RIS‐APs) is conceived, where the connection status among users and RIS‐APs are selected according to the average channel quality dynamically and timely. Taking into account the time‐varying selection status and the mobility of users, we construct a long‐term dynamic process. The goal is to minimize the time‐averaged power consumption under the requirements of the time‐averaged minimum rate for users as well as the constraint of the maximum transmit power for the base station (BS), via jointly optimizing the active beamforming at the BS and passive beamforming at RIS‐APs. With the aid of Lyapunov concept‐based drift‐plus‐penalty (DPP) algorithm, the long‐term optimization problem is transformed into short‐term sub‐problems related to each other at each frame. Subsequently, the fractional programming method based on Lagrangian dual theory is applied to derive the solutions for active‐passive beamforming in a closed form. Finally, simulation results validate the convergence and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
A new class of self‐normalising LMS algorithms
Authors: Ploder Oliver , Lang Oliver , Paireder Thomas , Motz Christian , Huemer Mario 
Published: April 2022

AbstractMany researchers and practitioners make heavy use of the least mean squares (LMS) algorithm as an efficient adaptive filter suitable for a multitude of problems. Despite being versatile and efficient, a drawback of this algorithm is that the adaptation rate, i.e. step‐size, has to be chosen very carefully in order to get the desired result (optimum compromise between fast adaptation and low steady state error). This choice was simplified by the invention of the normalised LMS, which bounds the step‐size and guarantees convergence. However, the optimum choice of the normalisation becomes non‐trivial if the system to be approximated is part of a bigger, non‐trivial model, e.g. cascaded filters or linear paths followed by nonlinearities. Such cases usually require approximations or worst‐case estimates in order to yield a normalised update algorithm, which might result in sub‐optimal performance. To counteract this problem, a new class of LMS algorithms which automatically choose their own normalisation terms, the so‐called self normalising LMS, is introduced. The simulations show that this new algorithm not only outperforms state‐of‐the‐art solutions in terms of steady state performance in a cascaded filter scenario but also converges just as fast as all other considered algorithms.