title: PeerJ description: Articles published in PeerJ link: https://peerj.com/articles/index.rss3?journal=peerj&page=802 creator: info@peerj.com PeerJ errorsTo: info@peerj.com PeerJ language: en title: Five undervalued edible species inherent to autumn-winter season: nutritional composition, bioactive constituents and volatiles profile link: https://peerj.com/articles/12488 last-modified: 2021-11-23 description: BackgroundWild edible herbs have historically been used as local nutritional and medicinal sources. These plants grow spontaneously, depending on the season. They adapt well to different edaphoclimatic conditions, generating a diversity constituent beneficial to health. They impart compounds needed in the human diet in regard to macro and micronutrients. When consumed raw, they keep their properties intact and provide health benefits. Five undervalued edible plants: Stellaria media (L.) Vill, Tropaeolum majus L., Sonchus oleraceus L., Chenopodium album L. and Diplotaxis erucoides (L.) DC are characteristic of the autumn-winter season in the Valencian coastal region and could have new sustainable agro-ecological potential for the local commercial sector. However, little information is available from the nutritional quality and bioactive composition viewpoint for these species. Concurrently, the volatiles compounds profiles describing the characteristic flavors are unknown.MethodsNutritional characteristics, bioactive compounds, and other chemical components of the fresh leaves were analyzed. In addition, the volatiles composite profile was performed. The analyzed species come from the soil reservoir; their wild growth is adjusted to the autumn season. The proximate analysis was carried out by Association of Official Analytical Chemists methods. Total antioxidants were measured as 2.2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrzyl hydrate (DPPH) and total polyphenols content via the Folin-Ciocalteu procedure. Volatiles profile was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The vegetative part analyzed was the tender leaves with edible potential.ResultsA high variability has been obtained in the composition of the species studied. The proximate analysis found a considerable content of fiber (1.22–5.4 g·100 g−1), potassium (157.7–1,250.6 mg·100 g−1), iron (0.6–2.0 mg·100 g−1), and a low caloric value (16.1–43.02 kcal·mg·100 g−1). In bioactive compounds analysis, a high level of antioxidants was highlighted (1,604.3–4,874.6 μmol·100 g−1), followed by chlorophylls. Volatiles profile revealed that the species were rich in benzenoids (33.8–89.9%) as the majority family. The pyrazines class was characteristic only in D. erucoides L.DiscussionFresh edible leaves of the undervalued plants show considerable nutritional potential and a high bioactive components level, which highlight the antioxidant capacity. Leaves of C. album L. stand out due to their higher concentration of nutritional compounds, while D. erucoides L. is noted for its higher antioxidant capacity. Aromatic descriptor of pyrazines detected in the leaves of D. erucoides L. is associated with the slightly spicy flavors that characterize this species. Results suggest that studied species could be of great relevance in introducing these five edible herbs as a source of new grown material, postulating them as healthy food ingredients with attractive flavors for the gourmet cuisine industry. creator: Tamara Fukalova Fukalova creator: María Dolores García Martínez creator: María Dolores Raigón uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12488 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2021 Fukalova Fukalova et al. title: Morphometry of cellular behavior of coelomocytes from starfish Asterias amurensis link: https://peerj.com/articles/12514 last-modified: 2021-11-23 description: A comprehensive statistical analysis using a wide range of linear and non-linear morphological parameters enabled identification of the main stages in the in vitro dynamics of cell behavior of immune cells of the marine invertebrate Asterias amurensis (Echinodermata, Asteroidea). Three stages may be distinguished in the cell behavior, which are characterized by the differences in complexity of the cell boundary microsculpture as well as by the size and asymmetry of the cell and convex hull of the cell. The first stage (5 min after placing cells onto a substrate) is characterized by more complex cell morphology and an increase in the process number and spreading area. The second stage (15 min) is characterized by simplification of cell morphology, retraction of some processes, and rounding of cells upon continued cell spreading. At the third stage (60 min), new large processes with rounded contours emerge due to partial retraction of the flattened cell surface. Each stage is characterized by statistically significant differences in several linear and nonlinear parameters of the external morphology for all cell types. creator: Yuriy A. Karetin uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12514 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2021 Karetin title: Long-term follow-up of applying autologous bone grafts for reconstructing tympanomastoid defects in functional cholesteatoma surgery link: https://peerj.com/articles/12522 last-modified: 2021-11-23 description: ObjectivesThis study investigated the long-term surgical outcomes of functional cholesteatoma surgery with canal wall reconstruction using autologous bone grafts as the primary material in patients with acquired cholesteatoma.Subjects and MethodsMedical charts were retrospectively reviewed for all patients admitted to one institution for surgical intervention between 2010 and 2018. We analyzed 66 patients (66 ears) who underwent functional tympanomastoidectomy involving the use of autologous bone grafts for canal wall defect reconstruction. Surgical outcomes were evaluated by comparing preoperative audiometric results with follow-up data (at least 36 months after surgery). Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine prognostic factors related to long-term hearing success. These factors included classification and stage of cholesteatoma, stapes condition, ossicular chain damage, active infection of the middle ear, state of the contralateral ear, preoperative hearing thresholds, gender, and age.ResultsThe mean follow-up period was 49.2 months. The recidivism rate was 6% (four of 66 ears). The pure-tone average significantly improved from 50.78 ± 19.98 to 40.81 ± 21.22 dB hearing level (HL; p < 0.001). Air–bone gaps significantly improved from 26.26 ± 10.53 to 17.58 ± 8.21 dB HL (p < 0.001). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, early-stage disease (p = 0.021) and pars flaccida cholesteatoma (p = 0.036) exhibited statistically significant correlations with successful hearing preservation.ConclusionFunctional cholesteatoma surgery with autologous bone grafts reconstruction is an effective approach to significantly improve hearing with low recidivism rates. Localized disease and pars flaccida cholesteatoma were two independent predictors of successful hearing preservation. creator: Wei-Che Lan creator: Ching-Yuan Wang creator: Ming-Hsui Tsai creator: Chia-Der Lin uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12522 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2021 Lan et al. title: Acceptance of anomalous research findings: explaining treatment implausibility reduces belief in far-fetched results link: https://peerj.com/articles/12532 last-modified: 2021-11-23 description: Research findings are best understood by considering contextual factors such as treatment plausibility: how likely it is that a studied treatment or manipulation is effective, based on theory and data. If a treatment is implausible, then more evidence should be required before believing it has an effect. The current study assessed the extent to which the interpretation of a research finding is affected by treatment plausibility. Participant age varied from 18 to 82 (M = 27.4, SD = 9.4), and about half of the participants (53%) were college students. A total of 600 participants read a brief news article about an experiment with a new type of psychotherapy for weight loss. The current study used a 2 (treatment plausibility) × 3 (results type) between-subjects factorial design. Treatment plausibility had two levels: (1) a plausible cognitive behavioral therapy and (2) an implausible ”psychic reinforcement therapy” that was described as employing psychic messages to promote weight loss. The three levels of the results type factor varied how the study results were presented in the article: (1) standard results with no mention of treatment plausibility, (2) standard results followed by interpretive statements focused on treatment plausibility, and (3) no results—the study was described as still in progress. Participants rated their belief in the effectiveness of the therapy on a scale of 0 to 100% in 10% increments. When treatment plausibility was not discussed in the article, average ratings for the implausible therapy were relatively high (M = 63.1%, SD = 25.0, 95% CI% [58.2–68.1]) and similar to those for the plausible therapy (M = 69.2%, SD = 21.5, 95% CI% [65.0–73.5]). Ratings for the implausible treatment were moderately lower when the article explained why the results supporting it were questionable (M = 48.5%, SD = 26.6, 95% CI% [43.2–53.8]). The findings of the current study suggest that students and other members of the public may draw incorrect inferences from research partly because they do not appreciate the importance of treatment plausibility. This could be remedied, though not completely, by explicitly discussing the plausibility of the treatment based on theory and prior data. creator: W. Burt Thompson creator: Milen L. Radell uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12532 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2021 Thompson and Radell title: Risk factors associated with prolonged viral clearance in patients with a refractory course of COVID-19: a retrospective study link: https://peerj.com/articles/12535 last-modified: 2021-11-23 description: BackgroundThis study aimed to characterize a cohort of patients with a refractory course of COVID-19, and to investigate factors associated with the duration of viral clearance (DoVC).Materials & MethodsA total of 65 patients with refractory COVID-19 were retrospectively enrolled from Huoshenshan Hospital. Univariate analysis and multivariate analysis were performed to examine the potential association between clinicopathologic characteristics and the DoVC.ResultsThe median DoVC in the overall study cohort was 48 days (ranged from 21 to 104 days). Multivariate analysis indicated that fever at illness onset (Hazard ratio (HR) = 4.897, 95% CI [1.809–13.260], p = 0.002), serum level of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) > 21.8 IU/L (HR = 3.010, 95% CI [1.195–7.578], p = 0.019), and titer of SARS-CoV-2 IgG > 142.09 AU/ml (HR = 3.061, 95% CI [1.263–7.415], p = 0.013) were the three independent risk factors associated with delayed viral clearance.ConclusionThe current study suggested that clinical characteristics such as fever at illness onset, a high serum level of AST or SARS-CoV-2 IgG were associated with delayed viral clearance. Patients with these characteristics might need a more individualized treatment strategy to accelerate their recovery from the refractory COVID-19. creator: Weitao Zhuang creator: Shujie Huang creator: Dongya Wang creator: Lulu Zha creator: Wei Xu creator: Guibin Qiao uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12535 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2021 Zhuang et al. title: Which environmental factors control extreme thermal events in rivers? A multi-scale approach (Wallonia, Belgium) link: https://peerj.com/articles/12494 last-modified: 2021-11-22 description: Managers need to know how to mitigate rising stream water temperature (WT) due to climate change. This requires identifying the environmental drivers that influence thermal regime and determining the spatial area where interventions are most effective. We hypothesized that (i) extreme thermal events can be influenced by a set of environmental factors that reduce thermal sensitivity and (ii) the role played by those factors varies spatially. To test these hypotheses, we (i) determined which of the environmental variables reported to be the most influential affected WT and (ii)identified the spatial scales over which those environmental variables influenced WT. To this end, the influence of multi-scale environmental variables, namely land cover, topography (channel slope, elevation), hydromorphology (channel sinuosity, water level, watershed area, baseflow index) and shade conditions, was analyzed on the three model variables (day thermal sensitivity, night thermal sensitivity, and non-convective thermal flux) in the model developed by Georges et al. (2021) of the temporal thermal dynamics of daily maximum WT during extreme events. Values were calculated on six spatial scales (the entire upstream catchment and the associated 1 km and 2 km circular buffer, and 50 m wide corridors on each side of the stream with the associated 1 km and 2 km circular buffer). The period considered was 17 extreme days during the summer identified by Georges et al. (2021) based on WT data measured every 10 min for 7 years (2012–2018) at 92 measurement sites. Sites were located evenly throughout the Wallonia (southern Belgium) hydrological network. Results showed that shade, baseflow index (a proxy of the influence of groundwater), water level and watershed area were the most significant variables influencing thermal sensitivity. Since managers with finite financial and human resources can act on only a few environmental variables, we advocate restoring and preserving the vegetation cover that limits solar radiation on the watercourse as a cost-effective solution to reduce thermal sensitivity. Moreover, management at small spatial scale (50 m riparian buffer) should be strategically promoted (for finance and staffing) as our results show that a larger management scale is not more effective in reducing thermal sensitivity to extreme events. creator: Blandine Georges creator: Adrien Michez creator: Hervé Piegay creator: Leo Huylenbroeck creator: Philippe Lejeune creator: Yves Brostaux uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12494 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2021 Georges et al. title: Applications of the indole-alkaloid gramine modulate the assembly of individual members of the barley rhizosphere microbiota link: https://peerj.com/articles/12498 last-modified: 2021-11-22 description: Microbial communities proliferating at the root-soil interface, collectively referred to as the rhizosphere microbiota, represent an untapped beneficial resource for plant growth, development and health. Integral to a rational manipulation of the microbiota for sustainable agriculture is the identification of the molecular determinants of these communities. In plants, biosynthesis of allelochemicals is centre stage in defining inter-organismal relationships in the environment. Intriguingly, this process has been moulded by domestication and breeding selection. The indole-alkaloid gramine, whose occurrence in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is widespread among wild genotypes but has been counter selected in several modern varieties, is a paradigmatic example of this phenomenon. This prompted us to investigate how exogenous applications of gramine impacted on the rhizosphere microbiota of two, gramine-free, elite barley varieties grown in a reference agricultural soil. High throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed that applications of gramine interfere with the proliferation of a subset of soil microbes with a relatively broad phylogenetic assignment. Strikingly, growth of these bacteria appeared to be rescued by barley plants in a genotype- and dosage-independent manner. In parallel, we discovered that host recruitment cues can interfere with the impact of gramine application in a host genotype-dependent manner. Interestingly, this latter effect displayed a bias for members of the phyla Proteobacteria. These initial observations indicate that gramine can act as a determinant of the prokaryotic communities inhabiting the root-soil interface. creator: Mauro Maver creator: Carmen Escudero-Martinez creator: James Abbott creator: Jenny Morris creator: Pete E. Hedley creator: Tanja Mimmo creator: Davide Bulgarelli uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12498 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2021 Maver et al. title: Atypical functioning of female genitalia explains monandry in a butterfly link: https://peerj.com/articles/12499 last-modified: 2021-11-22 description: Monandrous species are rare in nature, especially in animals where males transfer nutrients to females in the ejaculate. The proximate mechanisms responsible for monandry are poorly studied. In butterflies and moths, the male transfers a nutritious spermatophore into the corpus bursae (CB) of the female. The CB is a multifunctional organ that digests the spermatophore and has partial control of the post-mating sexual receptivity of the female. The spermatophore distends the CB and the post-mating sexual receptivity of the female is inversely proportional to the degree of distension. The CB of many butterfly species has a muscular sheath whose contractions mechanically contribute to digest the spermatophore. As the contents of the CB are absorbed, the degree of distension decreases and the female recovers receptivity. We studied the monandrous butterfly Leptophobia aripa (Boisduval, 1836) (Pieridae) and found that females do not digest the spermatophores. We investigated the structure of the CB and found that a muscular sheath is absent, indicating that in this butterfly females lack the necessary “apparatus” for the mechanical digestion of the spermatophore. We propose that female monandry in this species is result of its incapability to mechanically digest the spermatophore, which results in a constant degree of CB distension after mating and, thus, in the maintenance of the sexually unreceptive state of females. Hypotheses on the evolution of this mechanism are discussed. creator: David Xochipiltecatl creator: Joaquín Baixeras creator: Carlos R. Cordero uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12499 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2021 Xochipiltecatl et al. title: Association of endothelial dysfunction with sarcopenia and muscle function in a relatively young cohort of kidney transplant recipients link: https://peerj.com/articles/12521 last-modified: 2021-11-22 description: BackgroundSarcopenia and endothelial dysfunction are both common among kidney transplant (KT) recipients. We aimed to evaluate the association between endothelial dysfunction and sarcopenia, as well as its individual components.MethodsVascular reactivity index (VRI), skeletal muscle index (SMI = skeletal muscle mass/height2), handgrip strength (HGS), and 6-meter usual gait speed (GS) were measured in 95 KT recipients. Low SMI was defined as SMI less than 10% of the sex-specific reference values from Chinese adults; low HGS as HGS < 28 kg for men and < 18 kg for women; slow GS as GS below 1.0 m/s. Sarcopenia was diagnosed based on the presence of low SMI as an essential criterion, accompanied by either low HGS or slow GS. Vascular reactivity was classified as being indicative of poor (VRI < 1.0), intermediate (1.0 ≤ VRI < 2.0), or good (VRI ≥ 2.0) vascular reactivity.ResultsOf the 95 patients, aged 45.2 ± 10.9 years, 11.6% had sarcopenia and 13.7% had poor vascular reactivity. Patients with sarcopenia were lower in body mass index (p = 0.001) and VRI (p = 0.041), and have a higher proportion of low muscle mass (p < 0.001), low HGS (p < 0.001), and slow GS (p = 0.001). Patients with poor vascular reactivity have a higher proportion of sarcopenia (p = 0.005), low HGS (p = 0.006), and slow GS (p = 0.029). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that patients in the poor VRI group were significantly associated with sarcopenia (odds ratio, OR = 6.17; 95% confidence interval [1.06–36.04]; p = 0.043), comparing to those with good VRI. We further analysed the effects of VRI on individual components of sarcopenia and found that VRI predicted slow GS significantly (OR = 0.41; 95% CI = [0.21–0.79]; p = 0.007), but not low SMI (OR = 1.15; 95% CI [0.53–2.49]; p = 0.718) and HGS (OR = 0.59; 95% CI [0.31–1.16]; p = 0.125).ConclusionsWe concluded that endothelial dysfunction is a key determinant of sarcopenia in KT recipients. Furthermore, endothelial dysfunction is more closely related to gait speed than muscle mass and strength. creator: Siok-Bin Khoo creator: Yu-Li Lin creator: Guan-Jin Ho creator: Ming-Che Lee creator: Bang-Gee Hsu uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12521 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2021 Khoo et al. title: Climate change favours connectivity between virus-bearing pest and rice cultivations in sub-Saharan Africa, depressing local economies link: https://peerj.com/articles/12387 last-modified: 2021-11-19 description: AimsRice is a staple food for many countries, being fundamental for a large part of the worlds’ population. In sub-Saharan Africa, its importance is currently high and is likely to become even more relevant, considering that the number of people and the per-capita consumption are both predicted to increase. The flea beetles belonging to the Chaetocnema pulla species group (pulla group), a harmful rice pest, are an important vector of the Rice Yellow Mottle Virus, a disease which leads even to 80–100% yield losses in rice production. We present a continental-scale study aiming at: (1) locating current and future suitable territories for both pulla group and rice; (2) identifying areas where rice cultivations may occur without suffering the presence of pulla group using an Ecological Niche Modelling (ENM) approach; (3) estimating current and future connectivity among pulla group populations and areas predicted to host rice cultivations, based on the most recent land-use estimates for future agricultural trends; (4) proposing a new connectivity index called “Pest Aggression Index” (PAI) to measure the agricultural susceptibility to the potential future invasions of pests and disease; (5) quantifying losses in terms of production when rice cultivations co‐occur with the pulla group and identifying the SSA countries which, in the future inferred scenarios, will potentially suffer the greatest losses.LocationSub-Saharan Africa.MethodsSince the ongoing climate and land-use changes affect species’ distributions, we first assess the impact of these changes through a spatially-jackknifed Maxent-based Ecological Niche Modelling in GIS environment, for both the pulla group and rice, in two climatic/socioeconomic future scenarios (SSP_2.45 and 3.70). We then assess the connectivity potential of the pulla group populations towards rice cultivations, for both current and future predictions, through a circuit theory-based approach (Circuitscape implemented in Julia language). We finally measure the rice production and GPD loss per country through the spatial index named “Pest Aggression Index”, based on the inferred connectivity magnitude.ResultsThe most considerable losses in rice production are observed for Liberia, Sierra Leone and Madagascar in all future scenarios (2030, 2050, 2070). The future economic cost, calculated as USD lost from rice losses/country’s GDP results are high for Central African Republic (−0.6% in SSP_2.45 and −3.0% in SSP_3.70) and Guinea–Bissau (−0.4% in SSP_2.45 and −0.68% in SSP_3.70), with relevant losses also obtained for other countries.Main conclusionsSince our results are spatially explicit and focused on each country, we encourage careful land-use planning. Our findings could support best practices to avoid the future settlement of new cultivations in territories where rice would be attacked by pulla group and the virus, bringing economic and biodiversity losses. creator: Mattia Iannella creator: Walter De Simone creator: Paola D’Alessandro creator: Maurizio Biondi uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12387 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2021 Iannella et al.