title: PeerJ
description:  Articles published in PeerJ
link: https://peerj.com/articles/index.rss3?journal=peerj&page=678
creator: info@peerj.com PeerJ
errorsTo: info@peerj.com PeerJ
language: en

title: Modeling the potential distribution of different types of Dendrocalamus sinicus, the strongest woody bamboo in the world, with MaxEnt model
link: https://peerj.com/articles/13847
last-modified: 2022-08-02
description: Climate change will significantly affect the distribution area of species. Through establishing distribution model, we can simulate the current and future potential distribution range and provide reference for the introduction and cultivation planning of rare or economic plants. Dendrocalamus sinicus, endemic to Yunnan Province of China, is the strongest woody bamboo in the world. In the present study, the MaxEnt model was performed to simulate the distribution of different types of D. sinicus in China and neighboring countries or regions. The results suggested that the suitable distribution range of “straight type”, the main type for cultivation and utilization, was 8°–30°N and 73°–122°E under the current climate conditions, while the potential distribution range of “bending type” was 6°–31°N and 79°–109°E. The two most key climate variables associated with distribution of “straight type” were “Temperature Annual Range” with 36.6% contribution rate and “Temperature Seasonality” (32.4%), while “Isothermality” (47.8%) and “Precipitation of Driest Month” (24.8%) for “bending type”. Under different climate change scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP5-8.5) and periods (2050, 2090), the potential distribution area of the “straight type” were apparently different, indicating that the distribution area of D. sinicus will be affected significantly by climate changes in the future. Our findings would be not only beneficial to understanding limiting factors for natural distribution of D. sinicus, but also helpful for further germplasm conservation, introduction and cultivation planning of this rare woody bamboo.
creator: Peitong Dou
creator: Yuran Dong
creator: Lingna Chen
creator: Han-Qi Yang
uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13847
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights: ©2022 Dou et al.

title: Variation in the reproductive quality of honey bee males affects their age of flight attempt
link: https://peerj.com/articles/13859
last-modified: 2022-08-02
description: BackgroundHoney bee males (drones) exhibit life histories that enable a high potential for pre- or post-copulatory sperm competition. With a numerical sex ratio of ∼11,000 drones for every queen, they patrol flyways and congregate aerially to mate on the wing. However, colonies and in fact drones themselves may benefit from a relative lack of competition, as queens are highly polyandrous, and colonies have an adaptive advantage when headed by queens that are multiply mated. Previous research has shown that larger drones are more likely to be found at drone congregation areas, more likely to mate successfully, and obtain a higher paternity share. However, the reproductive quality and size of drones varies widely within and among colonies, suggesting adaptive maintenance of drone quality variation at different levels of selection.MethodsWe collected drones from six colony sources over the course of five days. We paint marked and individually tagged drones after taking body measurements at emergence and then placed the drones in one of two foster colonies. Using an entrance cage, we collected drones daily as they attempted flight. We collected 2,420 drones live or dead, analyzed 1,891 for attempted flight, collected emergence data on 207 drones, and dissected 565 upon capture to assess reproductive maturity. We measured drone body mass, head width, and thorax width at emergence, and upon dissection we further measured thorax mass, seminal vesicle length, mucus gland length, sperm count, and sperm viability from the seminal vesicles.ResultsWe found that drones that were more massive at emergence were larger and more fecund upon capture, suggesting that they are of higher reproductive quality and therefore do not exhibit a trade-off between size and fecundity. However, smaller drones tended to attempt initial flight at a younger age, which suggests a size trade-off not with fecundity but rather developmental maturation. We conclude that smaller drones may take more mating flights, each individually with a lower chance of success but thereby increasing their overall fitness. In doing so, the temporal spread of mating attempts of a single generation of drones within a given colony increases colony-level chances of mating with nearby queens, suggesting an adaptive rationale for high variation among drone reproductive quality within colonies.
creator: Bradley N. Metz
creator: David R. Tarpy
uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13859
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights: ©2022 Metz and Tarpy

title: Biological age for chronic kidney disease patients using index model
link: https://peerj.com/articles/13694
last-modified: 2022-08-01
description: The estimation of biological age (BA) is an important asymptomatic measure that can be used to understand the physical changes and the aging process of a living being. Factors that contribute towards profiling the human biological age can be diverse. Therefore, this study focuses on developing a BA model for patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). The procedure commences with the selection of significant biomarkers using a correlation test. Appropriate weighting is then assigned to each selected biomarker using the indexing method to produce a BA index. The BA index is matched to the age variation within the sample to acquire additional terms for the chronological age leading ultimately to the estimated BA. From a sample of 190 patients (133 trained data and 57 testing data) obtained from the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Malaysia, the intensity of the BA is found to be between three to nine years from the chronological age. Visual observations further validate the high similarities between the training and testing data sets.
creator: Shaiful Anuar Abu Bakar
creator: Sharifah Nazatul Shima Syed Mohamed Shahruddin
creator: Noriszura Ismail
creator: Wan Ahmad Hafiz Wan Md Adnan
uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13694
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights: © 2022 Abu Bakar et al.

title: The survival, development, and reproduction of Gonipterus platensis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on the main Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae) genotypes planted in Brazil
link: https://peerj.com/articles/13698
last-modified: 2022-08-01
description: BackgroundGonipterus platensis Marelli (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is the main defoliating beetle of Eucalyptus L’Hér. (Myrtaceae) plants worldwide. The suitability of Eucalyptus to this pest varies among host plant genotypes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the development, reproduction, and survival of G. platensis on Eucalyptus species and hybrids to assess their suitability to this insect pest in Brazil.MethodsThe survival, development, and reproduction parameters were evaluated with G. platensis feeding leaves of Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh., Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill., Eucalyptus urophylla S.T. Blake and on the hybrids of E. grandis ×E. urophylla ‘H13’ and ‘VR3748’ in the laboratory.ResultsThe duration of the larval stage of G. platensis was shorter on E. urophylla. The pupal stage and the period from larva to adult were equally shorter on E. urophylla and E. camaldulensis. The viability of instars of this insect was low on both E. grandis and E. camaldulensis. The complete lifespan, oviposition period and reproduction parameters of G. platensis were greater on E. urophylla, lower on E. camaldulensis and E. grandis, and intermediate on both hybrids tested.SynthesisEucalyptus urophylla is the most suitable host for G. platensis survival, development, and reproduction, while E. grandis and E. camaldulensis are the least suitable.
creator: Nádia Cristina de Oliveira
creator: Murilo Fonseca Ribeiro
creator: Angelo Ottati
creator: Wagner de Souza Tavares
creator: José Eduardo Serrão
creator: José Cola Zanuncio
creator: Ronald Zanetti
creator: Carlos Frederico Wilcken
uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13698
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights: ©2022 Oliveira et al.

title: Fighting ability, personality and melanin signalling in free-living Eurasian tree sparrows (Passer montanus)
link: https://peerj.com/articles/13660
last-modified: 2022-07-29
description: BackgroundIndividuals’ access to resources is often decided during dyadic contests the outcome of which is determined by the fighting (or competitive) ability of the participants. Individuals’ fighting ability (termed also as resource-holding power or potential, RHP) is usually associated with individual features (e.g., sex, age, body size) and is also frequently signalled through various ornaments like the black throat patch (bib) in many birds. Individual personality is a behavioural attribute often linked to fighting ability as well. Based on earlier studies, however, the relationship between personality and fighting ability is far from being straightforward. While accounting for sex and body size, we studied whether exploratory behaviour, an aspect of personality, predicts fighting ability when competing for food during winter in free-living Eurasian tree sparrows (Passer montanus). We also investigated whether the bib can serve as a potential indicator of individual competitiveness in this species.MethodsWe captured adult tree sparrows, marked them with a unique combination of colour rings, and collected data about the individuals’ sex, body size, bib size and exploratory behaviour. Birds were then released and the agonistic behaviour of the marked individuals was recorded while foraging in groups on bird feeding platforms.ResultsThe probability of winning a fight, a proxy for fighting ability of individuals, was not related to exploratory behaviour, in either of the sexes. However, bib size was positively related to probability of winning in females, but not in males. Body size was not associated with probability of winning neither in males, nor in females.ConclusionsOur results suggest that, at least in tree sparrows, the outcome of dyadic encounters over food during the non-breeding period are not determined by the exploratory personality of individuals. However, our findings provide further support for a status signalling role of the black bib in tree sparrows, and hint for the first time that bib size might function as a status signal in females as well. Finally, our results do not confirm that body size could serve as an indicator of fighting ability (i.e., RHP) in this species.
creator: Attila Fülöp
creator: Zoltán Németh
creator: Bianka Kocsis
creator: Bettina Deák-Molnár
creator: Tímea Bozsoky
creator: Gabriella Kőmüves
creator: Zoltán Barta
uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13660
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights: ©2022 Fülöp et al.

title: Blood glucose, insulin and glycogen profiles in Sprague-Dawley rats co-infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA and Trichinella zimbabwensis
link: https://peerj.com/articles/13713
last-modified: 2022-07-29
description: BackgroundPlasmodium falciparum and tissue dwelling helminth parasites are endemic in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The geographical overlap in co-infection is a common phenomenon. However, there is continued paucity of information on how the co-infection influence the blood glucose and insulin profiles in the infected host. Animal models are ideal to elucidate effects of co-infection on disease outcomes and hence, blood glucose, insulin and glycogen profiles were assessed in Sprague-Dawley rats co-infected with P. berghei ANKA (Pb) and Trichinella zimbabwensis (Tz), a tissue-dwelling nematode.MethodsOne-hundred-and-sixty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats (weight range 90–150 g) were randomly divided into four separate experimental groups: Control (n = 42), Pb-infected (n = 42), Tz-infected (n = 42) and Pb- + Tz-infected group (n = 42). Measurement of Pb parasitaemia was done daily throughout the experimental study period for the Pb and the Pb + Tz group. Blood glucose was recorded every third day in all experimental groups throughout the experimental study period. Liver and skeletal muscle samples were harvested, snap frozen for determination of glycogen concentration.ResultsResults showed that Tz mono-infection and Tz + Pb co-infection did not have blood glucose lowering effect in the host as expected. This points to other possible mechanisms through which tissue-dwelling parasites up-regulate the glucose store without decreasing the blood glucose concentration as exhibited by the absence of hypoglycaemia in Tz + Pb co-infection group. Hypoinsulinemia and an increase in liver glycogen content was observed in Tz mono-infection and Tz + Pb co-infection groups of which the triggering mechanism remains unclear.ConclusionsTo get more insights into how glucose, insulin and glycogen profiles are affected during plasmodium-helminths co-infections, further studies are recommended where other tissue-dwelling helminths such as Taenia taeniformis which has strobilocercus as the metacestode in the liver to mimic infections such as hydatid disease in humans are used.
creator: Pretty Murambiwa
creator: Achasih Quinta Nkemzi
creator: Samson Mukaratirwa
uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13713
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights: ©2022 Murambiwa et al.

title: Screening of ferroptosis-related genes in sepsis-induced liver failure and analysis of immune correlation
link: https://peerj.com/articles/13757
last-modified: 2022-07-29
description: PurposeSepsis-induced liver failure is a kind of liver injury with a high mortality, and ferroptosis plays a key role in this disease. Our research aims to screen ferroptosis-related genes in sepsis-induced liver failure as targeted therapy for patients with liver failure.MethodsUsing the limma software, we analyzed the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the GSE60088 dataset downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Clusterprofiler was applied for enrichment analysis of DEGs enrichment function. Then, the ferroptosis-related genes of the mice in the FerrDb database were crossed with DEGs. Sepsis mice model were prepared by cecal ligation and perforation (CLP). ALT and AST in the serum of mice were measured using detection kit. The pathological changes of the liver tissues in mice were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (H & E) staining. We detected the apoptosis of mice liver tissues using TUNEL. The expression of Hmox1, Epas1, Sirt1, Slc3a2, Jun, Plin2 and Zfp36 were detected by qRT-PCR.ResultsDEGs analysis showed 136 up-regulated and 45 down-regulated DEGs. Meanwhile, we found that the up-regulated DEGs were enriched in pathways including the cytokine biosynthesis process while the down-regulated DEGs were enriched in pathways such as organic hydroxy compound metabolic process. In this study, seven genes (Hmox1, Epas1, Sirt1, Slc3a2, Jun, Plin2 and Zfp36) were obtained through the intersection of FerrDb database and DEGs. However, immune infiltration analysis revealed that ferroptosis-related genes may promote the development of liver failure through B cells and natural killer (NK) cells. Finally, it was confirmed by the construction of septic liver failure mice model that ferroptosis-related genes of Hmox1, Slc3a2, Jun and Zfp36 were significantly correlated with liver failure and were highly expressed.ConclusionThe identification of ferroptosis-related genes Hmox1, Slc3a2, Jun and Zfp36 in the present study contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanism of sepsis-induced liver failure, and provide candidate targets for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
creator: Qingli Chen
creator: Luxiang Liu
creator: Shuangling Ni
uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13757
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights: ©2022 Chen et al.

title: LncRNA/miRNA/mRNA ceRNA network analysis in spinal cord injury rat with physical exercise therapy
link: https://peerj.com/articles/13783
last-modified: 2022-07-29
description: Noncoding RNAs have been implicated in the pathophysiology of spinal cord injury (SCI), including cell death, glial scar formation, axonal collapse and demyelination, and inflammation. The evidence suggests that exercise therapy is just as effective as medical treatment in SCI. However, studies of competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA)-mediated regulation mechanisms in the therapy of SCI with exercise are rare. The focus of this research was to investigate the effect of exercise therapy on the expression levels of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), microRNA (miRNA), and mRNA in rats with SCI. The RNA-seq technology has been used to examine the differentially expressed circRNAs (DECs), lncRNAs (DELs), miRNAs (DEMs), and genes (DEGs) between SCI and exercise therapy rats. The ceRNA network was established using interactions between miRNAs and mRNAs, as well as between miRNAs and lncRNAs/circRNAs. The Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery was used to anticipate the underlying functions of mRNAs. Our current study identified 76 DELs, 33 DEMs, and 30 DEGs between groups of SCI rats and exercise therapy rats. Subsequently, these newly discovered ceRNA interaction axes could be important targets for the exercise treatment of SCI.
creator: Jiahuan Wu
creator: Xiangzhe Li
creator: Qinghua Wang
creator: Sheng Wang
creator: Wenhua He
creator: Qinfeng Wu
creator: Chuanming Dong
uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13783
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights: ©2022 Wu et al.

title: Algae from Aiptasia egesta are robust representations of Symbiodiniaceae in the free-living state
link: https://peerj.com/articles/13796
last-modified: 2022-07-29
description: Many cnidarians rely on their dinoflagellate partners from the family Symbiodiniaceae for their ecological success. Symbiotic species of Symbiodiniaceae have two distinct life stages: inside the host, in hospite, and outside the host, ex hospite. Several aspects of cnidarian-algal symbiosis can be understood by comparing these two life stages. Most commonly, algae in culture are used in comparative studies to represent the ex hospite life stage, however, nutrition becomes a confounding variable for this comparison because algal culture media is nutrient rich, while algae in hospite are sampled from hosts maintained in oligotrophic seawater. In contrast to cultured algae, expelled algae may be a more robust representation of the ex hospite state, as the host and expelled algae are in the same seawater environment, removing differences in culture media as a confounding variable. Here, we studied the physiology of algae released from the sea anemone Exaiptasia diaphana (commonly called Aiptasia), a model system for the study of coral-algal symbiosis. In Aiptasia, algae are released in distinct pellets, referred to as egesta, and we explored its potential as an experimental system to represent Symbiodiniaceae in the ex hospite state. Observation under confocal and differential interference contrast microscopy revealed that egesta contained discharged nematocysts, host tissue, and were populated by a diversity of microbes, including protists and cyanobacteria. Further experiments revealed that egesta were released at night. In addition, algae in egesta had a higher mitotic index than algae in hospite, were photosynthetically viable for at least 48 hrs after expulsion, and could competently establish symbiosis with aposymbiotic Aiptasia. We then studied the gene expression of nutrient-related genes and studied their expression using qPCR. From the genes tested, we found that algae from egesta closely mirrored gene expression profiles of algae in hospite and were dissimilar to those of cultured algae, suggesting that algae from egesta are in a nutritional environment that is similar to their in hospite counterparts. Altogether, evidence is provided that algae from Aiptasia egesta are a robust representation of Symbiodiniaceae in the ex hospite state and their use in experiments can improve our understanding of cnidarian-algal symbiosis.
creator: Shumpei Maruyama
creator: Julia R. Unsworth
creator: Valeri Sawiccy
creator: Virginia M. Weis
uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13796
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights: ©2022 Maruyama et al.

title: Baseline scenarios of heat-related ambulance transportations under climate change in Tokyo, Japan
link: https://peerj.com/articles/13838
last-modified: 2022-07-29
description: BackgroundPredictive scenarios of heatstroke over the long-term future have yet to be formulated. The purpose of the present study was to generate baseline scenarios of heat-related ambulance transportations using climate change scenario datasets in Tokyo, Japan.MethodsData on the number of heat-related ambulance transportations in Tokyo from 2015 to 2019 were examined, and the relationship between the risk of heat-related ambulance transportations and the daily maximum wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) was modeled using three simple dose–response models. To quantify the risk of heatstroke, future climatological variables were then retrieved to compute the WBGT up to the year 2100 from climate change scenarios (i.e., RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5) using two scenario models. The predicted risk of heat-related ambulance transportations was embedded onto the future age-specific projected population.ResultsThe proportion of the number of days with a WBGT above 28°C is predicted to increase every five years by 0.16% for RCP2.6, 0.31% for RCP4.5, and 0.68% for RCP8.5. In 2100, compared with 2000, the number of heat-related ambulance transportations is predicted to be more than three times greater among people aged 0–64 years and six times greater among people aged 65 years or older. The variance of the heatstroke risk becomes greater as the WBGT increases.ConclusionsThe increased risk of heatstroke for the long-term future was demonstrated using a simple statistical approach. Even with the RCP2.6 scenario, with the mildest impact of global warming, the risk of heatstroke is expected to increase. The future course of heatstroke predicted by our approach acts as a baseline for future studies.
creator: Marie Fujimoto
creator: Hiroshi Nishiura
uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13838
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights: ©2022 Fujimoto and Nishiura