title: PeerJ description: Articles published in PeerJ link: https://peerj.com/articles/index.rss3?journal=peerj&page=746 creator: info@peerj.com PeerJ errorsTo: info@peerj.com PeerJ language: en title: Microbial community spatial structures in Luzhou-flavored liquor pit muds with different brewing materials link: https://peerj.com/articles/12987 last-modified: 2022-03-08 description: BackgroundAlthough studies have shown that Bacteroidetes, Clostridiales, and Lactobacillales are the main components of the microbial community in pit mud during the brewing of Luzhou-flavored liquor, little is known about the effect of brewing materials on spatial structures of this microbiome.MethodsHigh-throughput sequencing of the V4–V5 region of prokaryotic 16S rRNA gene was performed to analyze the microbial community diversity and spatial heterogeneity in Luzhou-flavored liquor pit muds with different brewing ingredients. The structural characteristics and heterogeneous spatial distribution of the pit mud microbial communities were examined using bioinformatics and multivariate statistical analysis methods.ResultsOur results showed that Euryarchaeota, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chlorobi, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Synergistetes, Tenericutes, and WWE1 were the dominant phyla in the pit mud microbiome. The Shannon and Simpson indices of the pit mud microbiome with three grains (M3G) in the upper layer were significantly lower than those in middle layer and bottom, whereas those of the pit mud microbiome with five grains (M5G) in bottom were significantly lower than those in middle layer (p < 0.05). There were significant differences in the microbial community compositions between the pit muds with different brewing ingredients and locations in the same pit (p < 0.05). T78 of Anaerolinaceae, Butyrivibrio, Dehalobacter_Syntrophobotulus, Desulfosporosinus, Asteroleplasma, and vadinCA02 of Synergistaceae were significantly enriched in M3G, whereas Prevotella, Vagococcus, Caldicoprobacter, Butyrivibrio, Coprococcus, Dorea, Sporanaerobacter, Tepidimicrobium, TissierellaSoehngenia, RFN20 of Erysipelotrichaceae, Sutterella, 125ds10 of Alteromonadales, Vibrio, and Sphaerochaeta were significantly enriched in M5G. This study provides a theoretical basis for exploring the influence of brewing ingredients in pit muds on the production of Luzhou-flavored liquor and the specific influence of pit mud microorganisms in different locations on liquor production. creator: Jinjin Li creator: Hongzhao Sun creator: Qian Wang creator: Yunfei Cai creator: Zhu Shi creator: Jianlei Jia creator: Lei Zheng creator: Ru Jiang creator: Lingmei Gao uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12987 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2022 Li et al. title: Abubidentin A, New Oleanane-type Triterpene Ester from Abutilon bidentatum and its antioxidant, cholinesterase and antimicrobial activities link: https://peerj.com/articles/13040 last-modified: 2022-03-08 description: BackgroundThis work describes the phytochemical and biological investigation of aerial parts of Abutilon bidentatum Hochst. Of Saudi origin.MethodologyPetroleum ether fraction of ethanolic extract A. bidentatum was fractionated on a silica gel column and further purified with different chromatographic procedures for the isolation of chemical compounds. The chemical structures of all the pure isolated compounds were elucidated by the interpretation of their spectral data using IR, UV, 1H, 13C NMR, and MS spectroscopy and chemical methods (alkaline hydrolysis) as well as comparison with data reported in the literature. The extract and isolated compounds were evaluated for antioxidant, cholinesterase inhibitory, and antimicrobial activities.ResultsA new oleanane-type triterpene ester, namely abubidentin A (3) (α, 3β, 30-trihydroxy-29-carboxy-olean-9(11), 12-diene-3-dotriacontanoate), along with two known compounds: 2-hydroxydocosanoic acid (1) and stigmasta-22-ene-3-β-ol (2) were isolated from the aerial parts of Abutilon bidentatum Hochst. (Malvaceae). Concerning the biological potential, the abubidentinA displayed antioxidant, cholinesterase inhibitory and antimicrobial activities. AbubidentinA possessed strong antioxidant activity against DPPH and ABTS+ radical scavenging assays. This new triterpene exhibited high inhibition against acetylcholinesterase (IC50 38.13 ± 0.07 µgmL−1) and butyrylcholinesterase (IC50 32.68 ± 0.37 µgmL−1). Abubidentin A displayed promising antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus (125–150 µgmL−1).ConclusionThese findings suggest A. bidentatum can contribute as a source of new biologically active compounds, especially antioxidants and antimicrobial agents. creator: Gadah A. Al-Hamoud creator: Nawal M. Al-Musayeib creator: Musarat Amina creator: Sabrin R.M. Ibrahim uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13040 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2022 Al-Hamoud et al. title: Comparison of the composition and function of gut microbes between adult and juvenile Cipangopaludina chinensis in the rice snail system link: https://peerj.com/articles/13042 last-modified: 2022-03-08 description: Cipangopaludina chinensis is an important economic value snail species with high medicinal value. The gut microbes of aquatic animals plays a vital role in food digestion and nutrient absorption. Herein, we aimed at high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA to further investigate whether there were differences in the composition and function of gut microbes of adult and juvenile C. chinensis snails, as well as sediments. This study found that the microbial diversity of the sediment was significantly higher than that of the snails gut (P < 0.001), but there was no significant difference between the gut flora of adult and juvenile snails (P > 0.05). A total of 47 phyla and 644 genera were identified from all samples. Proteobacteria and Verrucomicrobia were the two dominant phyla in all samples, and overall relative abundances was 48.2% and 14.2%, respectively. Moreover, the relative abundances of Aeromonas and Luteolibacter in the gut of juvenile snails (30.8%, 11.8%) were higher than those of adults (27.7%, 10.6%) at the genus level (P > 0.05). Then, four indicator genera were found, namely Flavobacterium, Silanimonas, Geobacter and Zavarzinella, and they abundance in the gut of juvenile snails was significantly higher than that of adults (P < 0.05). This results imply the potential development of Silanimonas as a bait for juvenile snail openings. We observed that Aeromonas was the primary biomarker of the snail gut and sediments (P < 0.001), and it may be a cellulose-degrading bacteria. Function prediction revealed significantly better biochemical function in the snail gut than sediments (P < 0.001), but no significant differences in adult and juvenile snail (P > 0.05). In conclusion, studies show that the snail gut and sediment microbial composition differ, but the two were very similar. The microbial composition of the snail gut was relatively stable and has similar biological functions. These findings provide valuable information for in-depth understanding of the relationship between snails and environmental microorganisms. creator: Kangqi Zhou creator: Junqi Qin creator: Haifeng Pang creator: Zhong Chen creator: Yin Huang creator: Wenhong Li creator: Xuesong Du creator: Luting Wen creator: Xianhui Pan creator: Yong Lin uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13042 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2022 Zhou et al. title: Four new species of Ctenodrilus, Raphidrilus, and Raricirrus (Cirratuliformia, Annelida) in Japanese waters, with notes on their phylogenetic position link: https://peerj.com/articles/13044 last-modified: 2022-03-08 description: Four new species of annelids, Ctenodrilus japonicus sp. nov., Raphidrilus misakiensis sp. nov., Raphidrilus okinawaensis sp. nov., and Raricirrus anubis sp. nov., are described based on specimens collected from Japanese waters. Ctenodrilus japonicus sp. nov. inhabits the interstitial environment and can be distinguished from the other congeners by the following features: (i) total of 16 chaetigers, (ii) chaetigers 1–3 with stout hooks, (iii) minute body (approximately 1 mm in length), (iv) all parapodia with the same number of chaetae (two notochaetae; two neurochaetae), and (v) presence of dorsal and ventral papillae. Raphidrilus misakiensis sp. nov. lives under intertidal stones and can be distinguished from other congeners by having pectinate neurochaetae. Raphidrilus okinawaensis sp. nov. inhabits the interstitial environment and can be distinguished from other congeners by: (i) absence of annulation on the peristomium and achaetous segment and (ii) presence of a heart body in chaetigers 4–5. Raricirrus anubis sp. nov. inhabits whale bones and can be distinguished from other congeners by the following features: (i) presence of a heart body in chaetigers 9–14, (ii) presence of capillary neurochaetae on chaetiger 1, and (iii) presence of simple curved spines. A phylogenetic tree based on partial sequences of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and 16S rRNA from the new species and other cirratulid worms showed that Raphidrilus is included in Cirratuliformia. This is the first record of Raphidrilus and Raricirrus from Japanese waters. creator: Naoto Jimi creator: Shinta Fujimoto creator: Yoshihiro Fujiwara creator: Kohei Oguchi creator: Toru Miura uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13044 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2022 Jimi et al. title: Essential…but also vulnerable? Work intensification, effort/reward imbalance, fatigue and psychological health of Spanish cargo drivers during the COVID-19 pandemic link: https://peerj.com/articles/13050 last-modified: 2022-03-08 description: ObjectiveThis study investigates the combined effect of the Effort/Reward Imbalance (ERI) model of stress and work intensification within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological health (general and work-related fatigue, and psychological strain) of cargo drivers, one of the most demanded workforces during the first year of this pandemic.MethodsFor this cross-sectional research, the data provided by n = 1,013 professional drivers from the different 17 autonomous communities (regions) of Spain were analyzed. Participants answered a questionnaire composed of the short version of the Effort Reward Imbalance (ERI) questionnaire, a Work Intensification Scale (WIS) designed for this study, the fatigue subscale of the Checklist Individual Strength (CIS), the Need for Recovery after Work Scale (NFR), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ).ResultsHierarchical regression analyses show that both (ERI and work intensification) models significantly predict driver’s fatigue and psychological strain. The effect of work intensification exists above and beyond the effect of effort/reward imbalance, which has been previously related to the safety performance of cargo drivers.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that the ERI and work intensification models can be complementarily used, especially in scenarios introducing substantial changes in the work environment, such as the COVID-19 crisis. Also, the results of this study support the need to intervene in the working conditions of professional drivers in order to improve their psychological health and well-being during both pandemic and post-pandemic times, as crisis-related management interventions are necessary to promote health and safety in professional drivers in potentially similar contexts in the future. creator: Luis Montoro creator: Boris Cendales creator: Francisco Alonso creator: Adela Gonzalez-Marin creator: Ignacio Lijarcio creator: Javier Llamazares creator: Sergio A. Useche uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13050 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2022 Montoro et al. title: Effect of individualized weight management intervention on excessive gestational weight gain and perinatal outcomes: a randomized controlled trial link: https://peerj.com/articles/13067 last-modified: 2022-03-08 description: It is unclear whether weight management is still effective for pregnant women with excessive weight gain in the second or third trimester in China. This study adopted individualized weight management intervention for pregnant women with abnormal weight gain in the second or third trimester, to analyze the effect of intervention by observing the gestational weight gain and perinatal outcomes. This randomized controlled trial was performed at Aerospace Center Hospital. The obstetrician determined whether the pregnant women gained too much weight in the second or third trimester according to the Institute of Medicine guidelines, and randomly divided the pregnant women who gained too much weight in the second or third trimester into the intervention group or the control group according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The pregnant women in the intervention group and in the control group all received routine prenatal examination and diet nutrition education by the doctors in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The intervention group underwent individualized weight management, including individualized diet, exercise, psychological assessment, cognitive intervention and continuous communication, the whole process is tracked and managed by professional nutritionists. The obstetrician collected the prenatal examination data and pregnancy outcome data of all enrolled pregnant women. The primary outcome measure was weight gain during pregnancy. A generalized linear model and a logistic regression model were used to compare the outcomes between the two groups. In total, 348 pregnant women participated in this study with 203 in the intervention group and 145 in the control group. The whole gestational weight gain in the intervention group (15.8 ± 5.4 Kg) was lower than that in the control group (17.5 ± 3.6 Kg; adjusted β =  − 1.644; 95% CI [−2.660–−0.627]; P = 0.002). The percent of pregnant women with excessive weight gainbefore delivery was 54.2% (110/203) in the intervention group, which was lower than 69.7% (101/145) in the control group (adjusted RR = 0.468; 95% CI [0.284–0.769] P = 0.003). The pregnant women given the individualized weight management intervention from the second to the third trimester experienced less weight gain than that from the third trimester (15.5 ± 5.6 Kg vs. 16.2 ± 5.2 Kg), but without significant difference (P = 0.338). Lower rates of GDM, preeclampsia and gestational hypertension, higher rates of fetal distress and puerperal infection were observed in the intervention group than in the control group (all P < 0.05). Individualized weight management during the second or third trimesters is still beneficial for pregnant women who gain excessive weight and can decrease the associated adverse outcomes. creator: Mei-Yan Xu creator: Yan-Jun Guo creator: Li-Juan Zhang creator: Qing-Bin Lu uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13067 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2022 Xu et al. title: Increased level of FAM19A5 is associated with cerebral small vessel disease and leads to a better outcome link: https://peerj.com/articles/13101 last-modified: 2022-03-08 description: ObjectiveFAM19A5 plays an essential role in the development and acute or chronic inflammation of the central nervous system. The present study aimed to explore the association between FAM19A5 and cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD).MethodsA total of 344 recent small subcortical infarct (RSSI) patients and 265 healthy controls were included in this study. The difference in the FAM19A5 level between the two groups was compared and the correlation between FAM19A5 and cerebral infarction volume was analyzed. Also, the association between FAM19A5 and the total magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) burden with its imaging characteristics was explored. Moreover, the correspondence of FAM19A5 with the outcome was assessed via Δ National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (NIHSS) and the percentage of NIHSS improvement.ResultsFAM19A5 was highly expressed in the RSSI group (P = 0.023), showing a positive correlation with cerebral infarction volume (P < 0.01). It was positively correlated with total MRI cSVD burden (P < 0.001) and reflected the severity of white matter hyperintensity (WMH) (P < 0.01) and enlarged perivascular space (EPVS) (P < 0.01), but did not show any association with cerebral microbleed (CMB) and lacune. Moreover, FAM19A5 suggested a larger Δ NIHSS (P = 0.021) and NIHSS improvement percentage (P = 0.007).ConclusionSerum FAM19A5 was increased in RSSI and positively correlated with the infarct volume. It also reflects the total MRI burden of cSVD, of which the imaging characteristics are positively correlated with WMH and EPVS. In addition, higher FAM19A5 levels reflect better outcomes in RSSI patients. creator: Zhongnan Hao creator: Shaonan Yang creator: Ruihua Yin creator: Jin Wei creator: Yuan Wang creator: Xudong Pan creator: Aijun Ma uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13101 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2022 Hao et al. title: Response of soil microbial community to plant composition changes in broad-leaved forests of the karst area in Mid-Subtropical China link: https://peerj.com/articles/12739 last-modified: 2022-03-07 description: The rapid growth and expansion ofCryptomeria japonica (Thunb. ex L. f.) D. Don in karst area strongly affects plant composition of native deciduous broad-leaved forest, which seriously threat ecosystem function and service. Given the importance of soil microorganisms in regulating nutrients cycling and plant species coexistence, understanding soil microbial attributes and their relationships with soil and vegetation features in forests harboring different C. japonica abundance will help understanding the drivers of ecosystem function changes. Here we examined the diversity and composition of soil bacterial and fungal communities and their correlations with plant diversity as well as soil physicochemical properties in karst broad-leaved forests with different relative abundances of C. japonica (i.e., a high, moderate, low and no proportion level with a stem density of 1,487, 538, 156 and 0 plant/hm2, respectively) in Mid-Subtropical China. We found that soil pH decreased while soil water content (SWC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and total potassium (TK) tended to increase with the increase in C. japonica abundance. In contrast, soil available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP) and available potassium (AK) content declined by 26.1%∼49.3% under the high level of C. japonica abundance. A gradual decrease in relative abundance of Acidobacteria and Chloroflexi while a pronounced increase in relative abundance of Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were observed with increase of C. japonica abundance. Alternations in bacterial composition were closely related to changes in AP and AK, while the change of fungal structure was mainly related to SWC, soil organic carbon (SOC) and pH, indicating that bacterial community was sensitive to declines in soil available nutrients and fungal structure was sensitive to changes in soil physicochemical properties (i.e., pH and SWC) and organic carbon resource. Understory plants had the highest α-diversity in forest containing moderate abundance of C. japonica, which might be related to the high bacterial diversity. Our findings suggest conservation of soil bacterial and fungal taxa that are responsible for nutrients availability and carbon sequestration is of great significance for improving the resistance of natural deciduous broad-leaved forests to the rapid spread of C. japonica in karst areas. Moreover, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, Ascomycota and Basidiomycota are potential indicators for soil properties changes, which should be taken into consideration in karst forest managements. creator: Liling Liu creator: Ninghua Zhu creator: Guangyi Zhou creator: Peng Dang creator: Xiaowei Yang creator: Liqiong Qiu creator: Muyi Huang creator: Yingyun Gong creator: Suya Zhao creator: Jie Chen uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12739 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2022 Liu et al. title: Growth, maturity, and diet of the pearl whipray (Fontitrygon margaritella) from the Bijagós Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau link: https://peerj.com/articles/12894 last-modified: 2022-03-07 description: The pearl whipray Fontitrygon margaritella (Compagno & Roberts, 1984) is a common elasmobranch in coastal western African waters. However, knowledge on their life-history and trophic ecology remains limited. Therefore, we aimed to determine the growth, maturity and diet of F. margaritella from the Bijagós Archipelago in Guinea-Bissau. Growth was modelled with: von Bertalanffy, Gompertz and logistic functions. Model selection revealed no model significantly outperformed another. The sampled age ranged from less than 1 to 7 years (1.8 ± 1.9 cm, mean ± standard deviation) and size (disc width) ranged from 12.2 to 30.6 cm (18.7 ± 5.2 cm). Size-at-maturity was estimated at 20.3 cm (95% CI [18.8–21.8 cm]) for males and 24.3 cm for females (95% CI [21.9–26.5 cm]), corresponding ages of 2.2 and 3.9 years. The diet differed significantly among young-of-the-year (YOY), juveniles and adults (p = 0.001). Diet of all life stages consisted mainly of crustaceans (27.4%, 28.5%, 33.3%) and polychaetes (12.5%, 26.7%, 20.3%), for YOY, juveniles and adults respectively. This study shows that F. margaritella is relatively fast-growing, matures early and experiences ontogenetic diet shifts. These results contribute to status assessments and conservation efforts of F. margaritella and closely related species. creator: Owen N. Clements creator: Guido Leurs creator: Rob Witbaard creator: Ido Pen creator: Yvonne I. Verkuil creator: Laura L. Govers uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12894 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2022 Clements et al. title: Sea urchin harvest inside marine protected areas: an opportunity to investigate the effects of exploitation where trophic upgrading is achieved link: https://peerj.com/articles/12971 last-modified: 2022-03-07 description: BackgroundMarine protected areas (MPAs) usually have both positive effects of protection for the fisheries’ target species and indirect negative effects for sea urchins. Moreover, often in MPAs sea urchin human harvest is restricted, but allowed. This study is aimed at estimating the effect of human harvest of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus within MPAs, where fish exploitation is restricted and its density is already controlled by a higher natural predation risk. The prediction we formulated was that the lowest densities of commercial sea urchins would be found where human harvest is allowed and where the harvest is restricted, compared to where the harvest is forbidden.MethodsAt this aim, a collaborative database gained across five MPAs in Sardinia (Western Mediterranean, Italy) and areas outside was gathered collecting sea urchin abundance and size data in a total of 106 sites at different degrees of sea urchin exploitation: no, restricted and unrestricted harvest sites (NH, RH and UH, respectively). Furthermore, as estimates made in past monitoring efforts (since 2005) were available for 75 of the sampled sites, for each of the different levels of exploitation, the rate of variation in the total sea urchin density was also estimated.ResultsResults have highlighted that the lowest sea urchin total and commercial density was found in RH sites, likely for the cumulative effects of human harvest and natural predation. The overall rate of change in sea urchin density over time indicates that only NH conditions promoted the increase of sea urchin abundance and that current local management of the MPAs has driven towards an important regression of populations, by allowing the harvest. Overall, results suggest that complex mechanisms, including synergistic effects between natural biotic interactions and human pressures, may occur on sea urchin populations and the assessment of MPA effects on P. lividus populations would be crucial to guide management decisions on regulating harvest permits. Overall, the need to ban sea urchin harvest in the MPAs to avoid extreme reductions is encouraged, as inside the MPAs sea urchin populations are likely under natural predation pressures for the trophic upgrading. creator: Giulia Ceccherelli creator: Piero Addis creator: Fabrizio Atzori creator: Nicoletta Cadoni creator: Marco Casu creator: Stefania Coppa creator: Mario De Luca creator: Giuseppe Andrea de Lucia creator: Simone Farina creator: Nicola Fois creator: Francesca Frau creator: Vittorio Gazale creator: Daniele Grech creator: Ivan Guala creator: Mariano Mariani creator: Massimo SG Marras creator: Augusto Navone creator: Arianna Pansini creator: Pieraugusto Panzalis creator: Federico Pinna creator: Alberto Ruiu creator: Fabio Scarpa creator: Luigi Piazzi uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12971 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2022 Ceccherelli et al.