bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The deleterious effects of old social partners on Drosophila lifespan and stress resistance
Authors: Lin Yu-Chiao , Zhang MingYang , Wang Sheng-Hao , Chieh Chia-Wen , Shen Pin-Yun , Chen Yi-Lin , Chang Yu-Chia , Kuo Tsung-Han 
Published: March 2022

AbstractSocial interactions play important roles in the modulation of behavior, physiology, and, potentially, lifespan. Although longevity has been studied extensively in different model organisms, due to the complexity of social environments, the social modulation of aging remains poorly investigated. The present study used the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model to study lifespan and stress resistance under different social conditions. Our experiments first showed that social isolation increased fly lifespan, suggesting a potential deleterious effect of social companions. Furthermore, we exposed flies to different aged social partners and found that living with old animals significantly reduced lifespan and stress resistance in young animals. In contrast, living with young animals increased old animal lifespan, although the effects were less robust. Overall, our results suggest that while social interaction can influence fly health, specific social partners may have more pronounced effects than others. This study provides new evidence that different social environments have significant impacts on animal physiology and longevity.
Convenient synthesis of dipeptide structures in solution phase assisted by a thioaza functionalized magnetic nanocatalyst
Authors: Taheri-Ledari Reza , Asl Fereshteh Rasouli , Saeidirad Mahdi , Kashtiaray Amir , Maleki Ali 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIn this study, a heterogeneous nanocatalyst is presented that is capable to efficiently catalyze the synthetic reactions of amide bond formation between the amino acids. This nanocatalyst which is named Fe3O4@SiO2/TABHA (TABHA stands for thio-aza-bicyclo-hepten amine), was composed of several layers that increased the surface area to be functionalized with 2-aminothiazole rings via Diels–Alder approach. Firstly, various analytic methods such as Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopic methods, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), electron microscopy (EM), and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-DRS) have been used to characterize the desired structure of the Fe3O4@SiO2/TABHA catalyst. Afterward, the application of the presented catalytic system has been studied in the peptide bond formation reactions. Due to the existence of a magnetic core in the structure of the nanocatalyst, the nanoparticles (NPs) could be easily separated from the reaction medium by an external magnet. This special feature has been corroborated by the obtained results from vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM) analysis that showed 24 emu g−1 magnetic saturation for the catalytic system. Amazingly, a small amount of Fe3O4@SiO2/TABHA particles (0.2 g) has resulted in ca. 90% efficiency in catalyzing the peptide bond formation at ambient temperature, over 4 h. Also, this nanocatalyst has demonstrated an acceptable recycling ability, where ca. 76% catalytic performance has been observed after four recycles. Due to high convenience in the preparation, application, and recyclization processes, and also because of lower cost than the traditional coupling reagents (like TBTU), the presented catalytic system is recommended for the industrial utilization.
Design and processor in the loop implementation of an improved control for IM driven solar PV fed water pumping system
Authors: Errouha Mustapha , Combe Quentin , Motahhir Saad , Askar S. S. , Abouhawwash Mohamed 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIn recent years, the improvement of photovoltaic water pumping system (PVWPS) efficiency takes the considerable interest of researchers due to its operating based on cleaner electrical energy production. In this paper, a new approach based on fuzzy logic controller incorporating loss minimization technique applied to the induction machine (IM) is developed for PVWPS applications. The proposed control selects the optimal flux magnitude by minimization of the IM losses. Moreover, Variable step size perturb and observe method is introduced. The suitability of the proposed control is approved by reducing the absorbed current; therefore, the motor losses are minimized and the efficiency is improved. The proposed control strategy is compared with the method without losses minimization. The comparison results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method based on losses minimization regarding the electrical speed, absorbed current, flow water and developed flux. A processor-in-the-loop (PIL) test is effectuated as an experimental test of the proposed method. It consists in implementing the generated C code on the STM32F4 discovery board. The obtained results from the embedded board are similar to numerical simulation results.
Virtual screening, optimization and molecular dynamics analyses highlighting a pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinazoline derivative as a potential inhibitor of DNA gyrase B of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Arévalo Juan Marcelo Carpio , Amorim Juliana Carolina 
Published: March 2022

AbstractTuberculosis is a disease that remains a significant threat to public health worldwide, and this is mainly due to the selection of strains increasingly resistant toMycobacterium tuberculosis, its causative agent. One of the validated targets for the development of new antibiotics is DNA gyrase. This enzyme is a type II topoisomerase responsible for regulating DNA topology and, as it is essential in bacteria. Thus, to contribute to the search for new molecules with potential to act as competitive inhibitors at the active site ofM. tuberculosisDNA gyrase B, the present work explored a dataset of 20,098 natural products that were filtered using the FAF-Drugs4 server to obtain a total of 5462 structures that were subsequently used in virtual screenings. The consensus score analysis between LeDock and Auto-Dock Vina software showed that ZINC000040309506 (pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinazoline derivative) exhibit the best binding energy with the enzyme. In addition, its subsequent optimization generated the derivative described as PQPNN, which show better binding energy in docking analysis, more stability in molecular dynamics simulations and improved pharmacokinetic and toxicological profiles, compared to the parent compound. Taken together, the pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinazoline derivative described for the first time in the present work shows promising potential to inhibit DNA gyrase B ofM. tuberculosis.
Multiscale study of high energy attosecond pulse interaction with matter and application to proton–Boron fusion
Authors: Ribeyre X. , Capdessus R. , Wheeler J. , d’Humières E. , Mourou G. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractFor several decades, the interest of the scientific community in aneutronic fusion reactions such as proton–Boron fusion has grown because of potential applications in different fields. Recently, many scientific teams in the world have worked experimentally on the possibility to trigger proton–Boron fusion using intense lasers demonstrating an important renewal of interest of this field. It is now possible to generate ultra-short high intensity laser pulses at high repetition rate. These pulses also have unique properties that can be leveraged to produce proton–Boron fusion reactions. In this article, we investigate the interaction of a high energy attosecond pulse with a solid proton–Boron target and the associated ion acceleration supported by numerical simulations. We demonstrate the efficiency of single-cycle attosecond pulses in comparison to multi-cycle attosecond pulses in ion acceleration and magnetic field generation. Using these results we also propose a path to proton–Boron fusion using high energy attosecond pulses.
Evaporation-controlled dripping-onto-substrate (DoS) extensional rheology of viscoelastic polymer solutions
Authors: Robertson Benjamin P. , Calabrese Michelle A. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractExtensional flow properties of polymer solutions in volatile solvents govern many industrially-relevant coating processes, but existing instrumentation lacks the environment necessary to control evaporation. To mitigate evaporation during dripping-onto-substrate (DoS) extensional rheology measurements, we developed a chamber to enclose the sample in an environment saturated with solvent vapor. We validated the evaporation-controlled DoS device by measuring a model high molecular weight polyethylene oxide (PEO) in various organic solvents both inside and outside of the chamber. Evaporation substantially increased the extensional relaxation time$$\lambda _{E}$$λEfor PEO in volatile solvents like dichloromethane and chloroform. PEO/chloroform solutions displayed an over 20-fold increase in$$\lambda _{E}$$λEdue to the formation of an evaporation-induced surface film; evaporation studies confirmed surface features and skin formation reminiscent of buckling instabilities commonly observed in drying polymer solutions. Finally, the relaxation times of semi-dilute PEO/chloroform solutions were measured with environmental control, where$$\lambda _{E}$$λEscaled with concentration by the exponent$$m=0.62$$m=0.62. These measurements validate the evaporation-controlled DoS environment, and confirm that chloroform is a good solvent for PEO, with a Flory exponent of$$\nu =0.54$$ν=0.54. Our results are the first to control evaporation during DoS extensional rheology, and provide guidelines establishing when environmental control is necessary to obtain accurate rheological parameters.
Dynamic changes in gene alterations during chemotherapy in metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer
Authors: Tan Winston , Zheng Tiantian , Wang Amy , Roacho Joanna , Thao Seng , Du Pan , Jia Shidong , Yu Jianjun , King Bonnie L. , Kohli Manish 
Published: March 2022

AbstractDocetaxel chemotherapy is a standard treatment option for metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients. To date, the genomic perturbations underlying the emergence of resistance in mCRPC patients during chemotherapy treatment have not been fully characterized. Previous studies have established thatAR,TP53,RB1andPTENgene alterations are frequent at this stage of progression and thatTP53,RB1andPTEN, but notARalterations are associated with poor outcome. However, the clonal dynamics of these key driver cancer genes during chemotherapy in mCRPC patients have not been described. Toward this goal, we performed a retrospective analysis of serially profiled cell-free DNA (cfDNA) alterations in blood samples collected from mCRPC patients before and after starting chemotherapy who were followed for response and clinical outcomes. WhileARalterations and measures of mutational load were significantly reduced in patients with stable or decreased PSA levels after 3 cycles of chemotherapy, reductions inRB1,TP53andPTENalterations were relatively modest, which may represent the persistence of a clonal signature associated with the emergence of treatment-induced lineage plasticity (TILP) underlying resistance. The ability to monitor these driver gene clonal dynamics during chemotherapy may have utility in the clinical setting.
Dissociated brain functional connectivity of fast versus slow frequencies underlying individual differences in fluid intelligence: a DTI and MEG study
Authors: Bruzzone S. E. P. , Lumaca M. , Brattico E. , Vuust P. , Kringelbach M. L. , Bonetti L. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractBrain network analysis represents a powerful technique to gain insights into the connectivity profile characterizing individuals with different levels of fluid intelligence (Gf). Several studies have used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and slow-oscillatory resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) to examine the anatomical and functional aspects of human brain networks that support intelligence. In this study, we expand this line of research by investigating fast-oscillatory functional networks. We performed graph theory analyses on resting-state magnetoencephalographic (MEG) signal, in addition to structural brain networks from DTI data, comparing degree, modularity and segregation coefficient across the brain of individuals with high versus average Gf scores. Our results show that high Gf individuals have stronger degree and lower segregation coefficient than average Gf participants in a significantly higher number of brain areas with regards to structural connectivity and to the slower frequency bands of functional connectivity. The opposite result was observed for higher-frequency (gamma) functional networks, with higher Gf individuals showing lower degree and higher segregation across the brain. We suggest that gamma oscillations in more intelligent individuals might support higher local processing in segregated subnetworks, while slower frequency bands would allow a more effective information transfer between brain subnetworks, and stronger information integration.
Early linguistic experience shapes bilingual adults’ hearing for phonemes in both languages
Authors: Pan Lei , Ke Han , Styles Suzy J. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractEnglish and Mandarin Chinese differ in the voice onset times (VOTs) of /b/ and /p/. Hence the way bilinguals perceive these sounds may show ‘tuning’ to the language-specific acoustic structure of a bilingual’s languages (a discrete model), or a shared representation across languages (a unitary model). We investigated whether an individual’s early childhood exposure influences their model of phoneme perception across languages, in a large sample of early English-Mandarin bilingual adults in Singapore (N = 66). As preregistered, we mapped identification functions on a /b/-/p/ VOT continuum in each language. Bilingual balance was estimated using principal components analysis and entered into GLMMs of phoneme boundary and slope. VOT boundaries were earlier for English than Mandarin, and bilingual balance predicted the slope of the transition between categories across both languages: Those who heard more English from an earlier age showed steeper category boundaries than those who heard more Mandarin, suggesting early bilinguals may transfer their model for how phonemes differ from their earlier/stronger languages to later/weaker languages. We describe the transfer model of discrete phoneme representations and its implications for use of the phoneme identification task in diverse populations.
Molecular mechanism of ethanol fermentation inhibition via protein tyrosine nitration of pyruvate decarboxylase by reactive nitrogen species in yeast
Authors: Eknikom Supapid , Nasuno Ryo , Takagi Hiroshi 
Published: March 2022

AbstractProtein tyrosine nitration (PTN), in which tyrosine (Tyr) residues on proteins are converted into 3-nitrotyrosine (NT), is one of the post-translational modifications mediated by reactive nitrogen species (RNS). Many recent studies have reported that PTN contributed to signaling systems by altering the structures and/or functions of proteins. This study aimed to investigate connections between PTN and the inhibitory effect of nitrite-derived RNS on fermentation ability using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The results indicated that RNS inhibited the ethanol production of yeast cells with increased intracellular pyruvate content. We also found that RNS decreased the activities of pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) as a critical enzyme involved in ethanol production. Our proteomic analysis revealed that the main PDC isozyme Pdc1 underwent the PTN modification at Tyr38, Tyr157, and Tyr344. The biochemical analysis using the recombinant purified Pdc1 enzyme indicated that PTN at Tyr157 or Tyr344 significantly reduced the Pdc1 activity. Interestingly, the substitution of Tyr157 or Tyr344 to phenylalanine, which is no longer converted into NT, recovered the ethanol production under the RNS treatment conditions. These findings suggest that nitrite impairs the fermentation ability of yeast by inhibiting the Pdc1 activity via its PTN modification at Tyr157 and Tyr344 of Pdc1.
Loops, topologically associating domains, compartments, and territories are elastic and robust to dramatic nuclear volume swelling
Authors: Sanders Jacob T. , Golloshi Rosela , Das Priyojit , Xu Yang , Terry Peyton H. , Nash Darrian G. , Dekker Job , McCord Rachel Patton 
Published: March 2022

AbstractLayers of genome organization are becoming increasingly better characterized, but less is known about how these structures respond to perturbation or shape changes. Low-salt swelling of isolated chromatin fibers or nuclei has been used for decades to investigate the structural properties of chromatin. But, visible changes in chromatin appearance have not been linked to known building blocks of genome structure or features along the genome sequence. We combine low-salt swelling of isolated nuclei with genome-wide chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) and imaging approaches to probe the effects of chromatin extension genome-wide. Photoconverted patterns on nuclei during expansion and contraction indicate that global genome structure is preserved after dramatic nuclear volume swelling, suggesting a highly elastic chromosome topology. Hi-C experiments before, during, and after nuclear swelling show changes in average contact probabilities at short length scales, reflecting the extension of the local chromatin fiber. But, surprisingly, during this large increase in nuclear volume, there is a striking maintenance of loops, TADs, active and inactive compartments, and chromosome territories. Subtle differences after expansion are observed, suggesting that the local chromatin state, protein interactions, and location in the nucleus can affect how strongly a given structure is maintained under stress. From these observations, we propose that genome topology is robust to extension of the chromatin fiber and isotropic shape change, and that this elasticity may be beneficial in physiological circumstances of changes in nuclear size and volume.
Inflammasome NLRP3 activation induced by Convulxin, a C-type lectin-like isolated from Crotalus durissus terrificus snake venom
Authors: Rego Cristina M. A. , Francisco Aleff F. , Boeno Charles N. , Paloschi Mauro V. , Lopes Jéssica A. , Silva Milena D. S. , Santana Hallison M. , Serrath Suzanne N. , Rodrigues Jaína E. , Lemos Caleb T. L. , Dutra Ricardo S. S. , da Cruz Jorddy N. , dos Santos Cleydson Breno R. , da S. Setúbal Sulamita , Fontes Marcos R. M. , Soares Andreimar M. , Pires Weverson L. , Zuliani Juliana P. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractConvulxin (CVX), a C-type lectin-like protein isolated from the venom of the snake species,Crotalus durissus terrificus, stimulates platelet aggregation by acting as a collagen receptor agonist for glycoprotein VI found in the platelets. The effect of CVX on platelets has been studied, but its effect on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) remains unclear. Given the significance of PBMCs in inflammation, this study explored the effect of CVX on PBMCs, specifically regarding NLRP3 inflammasome activation by assessing cell viability, ability to induce cell proliferation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide production, interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-10 secretion, NLRP3 complex activation, and the role of C-type lectin-like receptors (CTLRs) in these. CVX was not toxic to PBMCs at the investigated concentrations and did not increase PBMC growth or IL-2 release; however, CVX induced IL-10 release and ROS generation via monocyte activation. It also activated the NLRP3 complex, resulting in IL-1β induction. Furthermore, the interaction between CVX and Dectin-2, a CTLR, induced IL-10 production. CVX interaction with CTLR has been demonstrated by laminarin therapy. Because of the involvement of residues near the Dectin-2 carbohydrate-recognition site, the generation of ROS resulted in inflammasome activation and IL-1β secretion. Overall, this work helps elucidate the function of CVX in immune system cells.
Improving multiple model ensemble predictions of daily precipitation and temperature through machine learning techniques
Authors: Jose Dinu Maria , Vincent Amala Mary , Dwarakish Gowdagere Siddaramaiah 
Published: March 2022

AbstractMulti-Model Ensembles (MMEs) are used for improving the performance of GCM simulations. This study evaluates the performance of MMEs of precipitation, maximum temperature and minimum temperature over a tropical river basin in India developed by various techniques like arithmetic mean, Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Extra Tree Regressor (ETR), Random Forest (RF) and long short-term memory (LSTM). The 21 General Circulation Models (GCMs) from National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) Earth Exchange Global Daily Downscaled Projections (NEX-GDDP) dataset and 13 GCMs of Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project, Phase 6 (CMIP6) are used for this purpose. The results of the study reveal that the application of a LSTM model for ensembling performs significantly better than models in the case of precipitation with a coefficient of determination (R2) value of 0.9. In case of temperature, all the machine learning (ML) methods showed equally good performance, with RF and LSTM performing consistently well in all the cases of temperature with R2value ranging from 0.82 to 0.93. Hence, based on this study RF and LSTM methods are recommended for creation of MMEs in the basin. In general, all ML approaches performed better than mean ensemble approach.
Voluntary control of semantic neural representations by imagery with conflicting visual stimulation
Authors: Fukuma Ryohei , Yanagisawa Takufumi , Nishimoto Shinji , Sugano Hidenori , Tamura Kentaro , Yamamoto Shota , Iimura Yasushi , Fujita Yuya , Oshino Satoru , Tani Naoki , Koide–Majima Naoko , Kamitani Yukiyasu , Kishima Haruhiko 
Published: March 2022

AbstractNeural representations of visual perception are affected by mental imagery and attention. Although attention is known to modulate neural representations, it is unknown how imagery changes neural representations when imagined and perceived images semantically conflict. We hypothesized that imagining an image would activate a neural representation during its perception even while watching a conflicting image. To test this hypothesis, we developed a closed-loop system to show images inferred from electrocorticograms using a visual semantic space. The successful control of the feedback images demonstrated that the semantic vector inferred from electrocorticograms became closer to the vector of the imagined category, even while watching images from different categories. Moreover, modulation of the inferred vectors by mental imagery depended asymmetrically on the perceived and imagined categories. Shared neural representation between mental imagery and perception was still activated by the imagery under semantically conflicting perceptions depending on the semantic category.
Triethanolamine stabilized non-alkyl Sn4Cd4 and alkyl Sn2Cd12 oxo clusters with distinct electrocatalytic activities
Authors: Wang Di , Chen Guang-Hui , Wang San-Tai , Zhang Jian , Zhang Lei 
Published: March 2022

Two Sn/Cd-oxo clusters, non-alkyltin SnII2SnIV2Cd4 and alkyltin SnIV2Cd12, have been constructed. Comparative electrocatalytic CO2 reduction studies indicate the significant influence of coordination environments and valence states of Sn atoms.