bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predicting Serial Position Effects1
Authors: Whitesmith Martha
Published: May 2021

Chapter four provides details of a meta-analysis conducted into serial position effects. The meta-analysis also identified whether there are any significant differences in the proportion of bias under different analytical conditions between belief adjustment conducted in an intelligence scenario and belief adjustment conducted in non-intelligence scenarios. The chapter argues that there is no compelling evidential basis to suggest that serial position effects or confirmation bias affect intelligence analysis differently from non-intelligence analysis. It will show that the analytical conditions of volume of information, reliance on recall, accountability and type of information likely have an impact on serial position effects. The results undermine key assumptions in predominant predictions models. This includes the belief-adjustment model for serial position effects (Hogarth and Einhorn 1992).
Predicting Confirmation Bias
Authors: Whitesmith Martha
Published: May 2021

Chapter five provides details of the meta-analyses into confirmation bias. It will show that the analytical conditions of diagnostic weighting of initial information, consistency of information, hypothesis testing instructions and type of information likely have an impact on confirmation bias. It will also show that the results undermine key assumptions in predominant predictions models the inability to identify diagnostic value of information theory concerning confirmation bias (Koslowski and Maqueda 1993, and Kuhn et al. 1988). The chapter proposes alternative models for predicting serial position effects and confirmation bias. These models argue that whilst the risk of occurrence of serial position effects and confirmation bias are impacted by different analytical conditions, they share an underlying cognitive process: a force towards forming a focal hypothesis early on in belief acquisition.
The Eye of a Stranger
Authors: Hart Patrick
Published: May 2021

This chapter introduces Henrietta Liston, her travels to and within the Ottoman Empire, and her journals and letters documenting these experiences. After briefly comparing Liston’s voice to that of her predecessor, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, it sets out the editorial rationale behind the present volume, and explains its relationship to the accompanying open-access online resources hosted on the National Library of Scotland’s website. The chapter closes with a short summary of the rest of the book’s contents.
Death and Community, or Metaphors and Materiality
Authors: Fraunhofer Hedwig
Published: May 2021

On the trajectory towards ever-increasing abstraction, modernity perceives any libidinal implication in the sensory as dangerous. In Strindberg’s naturalistic plays, the feminized libidinal other threatens human (male) autonomy with fusion. In the “anthropocentric” theatrical tradition that includes Strindberg’s naturalist work, the lethal threat posed by communitas is more often expressed in metaphors of nonhuman otherness than through nonhuman characters themselves. Strindberg questions the status of his female protagonists as not fully human through their association with the nonhuman (parasites, blood, animals, etc.), while simultaneously enlivening this materiality, which can no longer be reduced to passive matter only. The post-metaphysical coming-to-terms with the autonomy of objects is, however, at the heart of Strindberg’s work. With Strindberg, the enactment of (human and more-than-human) difference starts to move in ontological status from a metaphor, i.e. a representationalist mode safely in the human author’s hands, to (in Artaud, for instance) an agentive element of the performance.
Artaud and the Plague: A Posthumanist Theatre?
Authors: Fraunhofer Hedwig
Published: May 2021

Artaud’s theatrical vision differs markedly from the representationalism and anthropocentrism of the “dramatic” theatrical tradition. Given the close relationality between theory and practice in Artaud’s work, this chapter puts his theatrical practice in conversation with his ground-breaking theoretical statements in The Theatre and its Double (1938), generally considered “the bible of modern theatre”. Sensory perception and affect are central to Artaud’s theatre. As the host of immunological tropes in his theoretical work shows, in Artaud’s theatre affect reaches the intensity of an epidemic. Instead of trying to fend off the anxiety that pervades modernity with dramatic representations, Artaud aims to physically and affectively immerse his audience in the sensory materiality and perpetual movement of the performance, co-producing spectators that experience themselves as physically and ontologically vulnerable. With Artaud’s notion of theatre as plague, the theatre as a performance of the spectators’ bourgeois politeness comes to an end. The immunitarian border shielding the spectators from contagion and violence or cruelty collapses. It is in his view of life as a universal force and in the use of heterogeneous theatrical tools that Artaud arguably becomes posthumanist.
Forgetting and Remembering: Scots and Ulster Scots Memorials in Eighteenth-century Ulster, Pennsylvania and Nineteenth-century New South Wales
Authors: Mytum Harold
Published: May 2021

Mortuary monuments were used by Scots and Ulster Scots as they selectively chose to forget or remember their origins once they settled in new lands around the world. Those who moved to Pennsylvania in the eighteenth century and New South Wales in the nineteenth century employed different strategies regarding how they would create their identities and promote or discard aspects of their origins. Burial monument texts look back over the deceased’s life, but they are also selected by the living to create publicly visible family history and affiliation. Through both text and symbol on the memorials, families create visible, meaningful, biographies. Using survey data from Pennsylvania and New South Wales collected to investigate diasporic remembering and forgetting, this analysis recognises a widespread prevalence of forgetting and an increasing interest in creating new identities in the colonial context. However, some saw their origins as part of their identity and this formed part of the visible family biography.
The Vertigos of Coining: ‘Michel Houellebecq’, Or, What Names Remain(s)?
Authors: Dutton James
Published: May 2021

Writing remains. One could argue that it is precisely because of this uncanny and unpredictable survival that inscription holds an inextricable influence on culture. Deconstructive theory posits this as the ‘biodegradability’ of writing — that culture consumes writing's intended meaning, employing it as fuel for its own survival. In this article, I argue for Michel Houellebecq's awareness of this survival, suggesting that his texts stage their — and their author's — own biodegradability to interweave truth and fiction. Particularly, he utilizes the ‘untranslatability’ of the proper name — its brief resistance to cultural biodegradability — to intercept and write into the future(s) inscription is tied to. This draws attention to the vital paradox of proper names, and suggests that their untranslatability forces every reader to conjure different, contradicting and often ‘out-of-sync’ histories. Houellebecq's names, which necessitate an interminable coining, gesture to the inevitable (re)translation of finitude.
Supporting parents to enhance children's mental health and longer-term outcomes: An example of innovation in UK Government Policy Development - The Reducing Parental Conflict Programme (RPC) — Matthew Garlick
Authors: Garlick Matthew
Published: May 2021

This presentation, from Matthew Garlick from the Department for Work and Pensions, provides a brief overview of the evaluation design for the Reducing Parental Conflict Programme, launched in 2018 and due to finish in 2022. The presentation focuses on the challenges of estimating the impacts of eight new interventions for parents, aiming to reduce inter-parental conflict and improve short and long term outcomes for the children in those families. The coronavirus pandemic and its impacts on parents and children exposed the frailties of the department’s before-and-after impact evaluation design; it is feared that changes in relationship distress amongst workless and low income families during the pandemic may obscure any reductions in conflict detected. The Department is therefore looking to a number of household, family and parent/pupil surveys, conducted before, during and after the pandemic, to understand its effects on the types of families who have participated in parental conflict interventions.
Nonparametric EWMA-Type Control Charts for Monitoring Industrial Processes: An Overview
Authors: Triantafyllou Ioannis S. , Ram Mangey
Published: May 2021

In the present paper we provide an up-to-date overview of nonparametric Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) control charts. Due to their nonparametric nature, such memory-type schemes are proved to be very useful for monitoring industrial processes, where the output cannot match to a particular probability distribution. Several fundamental contributions on the topic are mentioned, while recent advances are also presented in some detail. In addition, some practical applications of the nonparametric EWMA-type control charts are highlighted, in order to emphasize their crucial role in the contemporary online statistical process control.
ANFIS and Cost Optimization for Markovian Queue with Operational Vacation
Authors: Thakur Sonali , Jain Anamika , Jain Madhu
Published: May 2021

In this paper, we investigate the M/M/1/N single server finite capacity Markovian queueing model with operational vacation and impatient behavior of the customers. To recover the server broken down during a busy period, M-threshold recovery policy along with set-up is used. Using the inflow and outflow transition rates, the state probabilities equations for different system states are constructed. For computing the stationary queue length, matrix-geometric analytic is performed. The sensitivity analysis is carried for the validation of the system performance measures. To examine the scope of the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), computational results are presented using matric-geometric and ANFIS approaches.
Bio-Based Hydrogels With Ion Exchange Properties Applied to Remove Cu(II), Cr(VI), and As(V) Ions From Water
Authors: Sánchez Julio , Dax Daniel , Tapiero Yesid , Xu Chunlin , Willför Stefan
Published: May 2021

Hydrogels with ion exchange properties were synthesized from compounds derived from wood biopolymer hemicellulose and from commercial vinyl monomers to be tested as active materials for the removal of Cu(II), Cr(VI), and As(V) ions. The hemicellulose O-acetyl galactoglucomannan (GGM) was used as the precursor material, and through a transesterification reaction, GGM was converted into a macromonomer GGM–glycidyl methacrylate (GGM-GMA). Subsequently, the GGM-GMA macromonomer, containing more than one methacrylate group, was used as a crosslinking agent in the synthesis of hydrogels through free-radical polymerization reactions in combination with a 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid monomer to produce a cation exchange hydrogel. Also, (3-acrylamidopropyl)trimethylammonium chloride monomer was applied together with the GGM-GMA to form hydrogels that can be used as anion exchange hydrogel. The hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR), 1H-NMR spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), as well as derivative thermogravimetry (DTG). The microstructure of the hydrogels was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis with X-ray microanalysis energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results obtained regarding the absorption capacity of the Cu(II), Cr(VI), and As(V) ions were studied as a function of the pH value and the initial concentration of the metal ions in the solutions. Absorption was carried out in consecutive batches, and it was found that the poly(GGM-GMA/AMPSH) hydrogel reached an absorption capacity of 90 mg g–1 for Cu(II). The poly(GGM-GMA/APTACl) hydrogel reached values of 69 and 60 mg g–1 for Cr(VI) and As(V) oxyanions, respectively. Tests with polymer blends (mixtures of anionic and cationic hydrogels) were also carried out to remove Cu(II), Cr(VI), and As(V) ions from multi-ionic solutions, obtaining satisfactory results.
The Role of Tumor-Stroma Interactions in Drug Resistance Within Tumor Microenvironment
Authors: Ni Yanghong , Zhou Xiaoting , Yang Jia , Shi Houhui , Li Hongyi , Zhao Xia , Ma Xuelei
Published: May 2021

Cancer cells resistance to various therapies remains to be a key challenge nowadays. For a long time, scientists focused on tumor cells themselves for the mechanisms of acquired drug resistance. However, recent evidence showed that tumor microenvironment (TME) is essential for regulating immune escape, drug resistance, progression and metastasis of malignant cells. Reciprocal interactions between cancer cells and non-malignant cells within this milieu often reshape the TME and promote drug resistance. Therefore, advanced knowledge about these sophisticated interactions is significant for the design of effective therapeutic approaches. In this review, we highlight cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs), myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), T-regulatory lymphocytes (Tregs), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), cancer-associated adipocytes (CAAs), and tumor endothelial cells (TECs) existing in TME, as well as their multiple cross-talk with tumor cells, which eventually endows tumor cells with therapeutic resistance.
Comparative Genomics of Peroxisome Biogenesis Proteins: Making Sense of the PEX Proteins
Authors: Jansen Renate L. M. , Santana-Molina Carlos , van den Noort Marco , Devos Damien P. , van der Klei Ida J.
Published: May 2021

PEX genes encode proteins involved in peroxisome biogenesis and proliferation. Using a comparative genomics approach, we clarify the evolutionary relationships between the 37 known PEX proteins in a representative set of eukaryotes, including all common model organisms, pathogenic unicellular eukaryotes and human. A large number of previously unknown PEX orthologs were identified. We analyzed all PEX proteins, their conservation and domain architecture and defined the core set of PEX proteins that is required to make a peroxisome. The molecular processes in peroxisome biogenesis in different organisms were put into context, showing that peroxisomes are not static organelles in eukaryotic evolution. Organisms that lack peroxisomes still contain a few PEX proteins, which probably play a role in alternative processes. Finally, the relationships between PEX proteins of two large families, the Pex11 and Pex23 families, were analyzed, thereby contributing to the understanding of their complicated and sometimes incorrect nomenclature. We provide an exhaustive overview of this important eukaryotic organelle.
Arginine Metabolism and Its Potential in Treatment of Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Du Tao , Han Junyi
Published: May 2021

Colorectal cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer globally. The current treatment protocol still heavily relies on early detection and surgery. The molecular mechanisms underlying development of colorectal cancer are clinically important and determine the prognosis and treatment response. The arginine metabolism pathway is hyperactive in colorectal cancer and several molecules involved in the pathway are potential targets for chemoprevention and targeted colorectal cancer therapy. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), argininosuccinate synthetase and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) are the main enzymes for arginine metabolism. Limiting arginine-rich meat consumption and inhibiting ODC activity largely reduces polyamine synthesis and the incidence of colorectal cancer. Arginine transporter CAT-1 and Human member 14 of the solute carrier family 6 (SLC6A14) are overexpressed in colorectal cancer cells and contributes to intracellular arginine levels. Human member 9 of the solute carrier family 38 (SLC38A9) serves as a component of the lysosomal arginine-sensing machinery. Pharmaceutical inhibition of single enzyme or arginine transporter is hard to meet requirement of restoring of abnormal arginine metabolic network. Apart from application in early screening for colorectal cancer, microRNA-based therapeutic strategy that simultaneously manipulating multiple targets involved in arginine metabolism brings promising future in the treatment of colorectal cancer.
The Micro-RNA Cargo of Extracellular Vesicles Released by Human Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Is Modified by Obesity
Authors: Eirin Alfonso , Meng Yu , Zhu Xiang-Yang , Li Yongxin , Saadiq Ishran M. , Jordan Kyra L. , Tang Hui , Lerman Amir , van Wijnen Andre J. , Lerman Lilach O.
Published: May 2021

Obesity is a chronic disease that interferes with normal repair processes, including adipose mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (ASCs) function. ASCs produce extracellular vesicles (EVs) that activate a repair program in recipient cells partly via their micro-RNA (miRNA) cargo. We hypothesized that obesity alters the miRNA expression profile of human ASC-derived EVs, limiting their capacity to repair injured cells. Human ASCs were harvested from obese and age- and gender-matched non-obese (lean) subjects during bariatric or cosmetic surgeries, respectively (n = 5 each), and their EVs isolated. Following high-throughput sequencing analysis, differentially expressed miRNAs were identified and their gene targets classified based on cellular component, molecular function, and biological process. The capacity of human lean- and obese-EVs to modulate inflammation, apoptosis, as well as mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and Wnt signaling in injured human proximal tubular epithelial (HK2) cells was evaluated in vitro. The number of EVs released from lean- and obese-ASCs was similar, but obese-EVs were smaller compared to lean-EVs. Differential expression analysis revealed 8 miRNAs upregulated (fold change > 1.4, p < 0.05) and 75 downregulated (fold change < 0.7, p < 0.05) in obese-EVs vs. lean-EVs. miRNAs upregulated in obese-EVs participate in regulation of NFk-B and MAPK signaling, cytoskeleton organization, and apoptosis, whereas those downregulated in obese-EVs are implicated in cell cycle, angiogenesis, and Wnt and MAPK signaling. Treatment of injured HK2 cells with obese-EVs failed to decrease inflammation, and they decreased apoptosis and MAPK signaling significantly less effectively than their lean counterparts. Obesity alters the size and miRNA cargo of human ASC-derived EVs, as well as their ability to modulate important injury pathways in recipient cells. These observations may guide development of novel strategies to improve healing and repair in obese individuals.
Tipping the Scales With Zebrafish to Understand Adaptive Tumor Immunity
Authors: Miao Kelly Z. , Kim Grace Y. , Meara Grace K. , Qin Xiaodan , Feng Hui
Published: May 2021

The future of improved immunotherapy against cancer depends on an in-depth understanding of the dynamic interactions between the immune system and tumors. Over the past two decades, the zebrafish has served as a valuable model system to provide fresh insights into both the development of the immune system and the etiologies of many different cancers. This well-established foundation of knowledge combined with the imaging and genetic capacities of the zebrafish provides a new frontier in cancer immunology research. In this review, we provide an overview of the development of the zebrafish immune system along with a side-by-side comparison of its human counterpart. We then introduce components of the adaptive immune system with a focus on their roles in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of teleosts. In addition, we summarize zebrafish models developed for the study of cancer and adaptive immunity along with other available tools and technology afforded by this experimental system. Finally, we discuss some recent research conducted using the zebrafish to investigate adaptive immune cell-tumor interactions. Without a doubt, the zebrafish will arise as one of the driving forces to help expand the knowledge of tumor immunity and facilitate the development of improved anti-cancer immunotherapy in the foreseeable future.
Zebrafish Heart Failure Models
Authors: Narumanchi Suneeta , Wang Hong , Perttunen Sanni , Tikkanen Ilkka , Lakkisto Päivi , Paavola Jere
Published: May 2021

Heart failure causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. The understanding of heart failure pathomechanisms and options for treatment remain incomplete. Zebrafish has proven useful for modeling human heart diseases due to similarity of zebrafish and mammalian hearts, fast easily tractable development, and readily available genetic methods. Embryonic cardiac development is rapid and cardiac function is easy to observe and quantify. Reverse genetics, by using morpholinos and CRISPR-Cas9 to modulate gene function, make zebrafish a primary animal model for in vivo studies of candidate genes. Zebrafish are able to effectively regenerate their hearts following injury. However, less attention has been given to using zebrafish models to increase understanding of heart failure and cardiac remodeling, including cardiac hypertrophy and hyperplasia. Here we discuss using zebrafish to study heart failure and cardiac remodeling, and review zebrafish genetic, drug-induced and other heart failure models, discussing the advantages and weaknesses of using zebrafish to model human heart disease. Using zebrafish models will lead to insights on the pathomechanisms of heart failure, with the aim to ultimately provide novel therapies for the prevention and treatment of heart failure.
Regulation of Meiotic Prophase One in Mammalian Oocytes
Authors: Wang Xiaoyi , Pepling Melissa E.
Published: May 2021

In female mammals, meiotic prophase one begins during fetal development. Oocytes transition through the prophase one substages consisting of leptotene, zygotene, and pachytene, and are finally arrested at the diplotene substage, for months in mice and years in humans. After puberty, luteinizing hormone induces ovulation and meiotic resumption in a cohort of oocytes, driving the progression from meiotic prophase one to metaphase two. If fertilization occurs, the oocyte completes meiosis two followed by fusion with the sperm nucleus and preparation for zygotic divisions; otherwise, it is passed into the uterus and degenerates. Specifically in the mouse, oocytes enter meiosis at 13.5 days post coitum. As meiotic prophase one proceeds, chromosomes find their homologous partner, synapse, exchange genetic material between homologs and then begin to separate, remaining connected at recombination sites. At postnatal day 5, most of the oocytes have reached the late diplotene (or dictyate) substage of prophase one where they remain arrested until ovulation. This review focuses on events and mechanisms controlling the progression through meiotic prophase one, which include recombination, synapsis and control by signaling pathways. These events are prerequisites for proper chromosome segregation in meiotic divisions; and if they go awry, chromosomes mis-segregate resulting in aneuploidy. Therefore, elucidating the mechanisms regulating meiotic progression is important to provide a foundation for developing improved treatments of female infertility.
The Regulatory NOD-Like Receptor NLRC5 Promotes Ganglion Cell Death in Ischemic Retinopathy by Inducing Microglial Pyroptosis
Authors: Deng Yang , Fu Yunzhao , Sheng Longxiang , Hu Yixin , Su Lishi , Luo Jiawen , Yan Chun , Chi Wei
Published: May 2021

Retinal ischemia is a common pathological event that can result in retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death and irreversible vision loss. The pathogenic mechanisms linking retinal ischemia to RGC loss and visual deficits are uncertain, which has greatly hampered the development of effective treatments. It is increasingly recognized that pyroptosis of microglia contributes to the indirect inflammatory death of RGCs. In this study, we report a regulatory NOD-like receptor, NOD-, LRR- and CARD-containing 5 (NLRC5), as a key regulator on microglial pyroptosis and the retinal ischemia process. Through an in-depth analysis of our recently published transcriptome data, we found that NLRC5 was significantly up-regulated in retina during ischemia–reperfusion injury, which were further confirmed by subsequent detection of mRNA and protein level. We further found that NLRC5 was upregulated in retinal microglia during ischemia, while NLRC5 knockdown significantly ameliorated retinal ischemic damage and RGC death. Mechanistically, we revealed that knockdown of NLRC5 markedly suppressed gasdermin D (GSDMD) cleavage and activation of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and caspase-3, indicating that NLRC5 promotes both microglial pyroptosis and apoptosis. Notably, we found that NLRC5 directly bound to NLRP3 and NLRC4 in inflammasomes to cooperatively drive microglial pyroptosis and apoptosis mediating retinal ischemic damage. Overall, these findings reveal a previously unidentified key contribution of NLRC5 signaling to microglial pyroptosis under ischemia or hypoxia conditions. This NLRC5-dependent pathway may be a novel therapeutic target for treatment of ischemic retinopathy.
Potentials and Limitations of Educational Videos on YouTube for Science Communication
Authors: Kohler Sarah , Dietrich Tabea Clara
Published: May 2021

YouTube has become a complement learning platform which fosters learning on demand with educational videos. Educational videos are understood as a fruitful strategy to enhance the user’s knowledge and are applied in schools, as well as in science communication, e.g., to inform about climate change. This paper discusses two perspectives which become visible in the current research literature on educational videos on YouTube. First, studies assume that watching educational videos changes the attitude or behavior of the recipients. Second, studies question whether educational videos have a higher impact than other information materials such as texts. We frame both perspectives with regard to theories from media effect studies and learning concepts from education science and discuss their conclusions for educational videos on YouTube. We will first focus on students as a target group for educational videos, but in the further course, we will discuss the results for the public as targeted group of science communication as well. In the final section we will summarize which potentials and limitations educational videos have for educational purposes in science communication.
COVID-19 in Relation to Hyperglycemia and Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Al-kuraishy Hayder M. , Al-Gareeb Ali I. , Alblihed M. , Guerreiro Susana G. , Cruz-Martins Natália , Batiha Gaber El-Saber
Published: May 2021

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), triggered by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), may lead to extrapulmonary manifestations like diabetes mellitus (DM) and hyperglycemia, both predicting a poor prognosis and an increased risk of death. SARS-CoV-2 infects the pancreas through angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), where it is highly expressed compared to other organs, leading to pancreatic damage with subsequent impairment of insulin secretion and development of hyperglycemia even in non-DM patients. Thus, this review aims to provide an overview of the potential link between COVID-19 and hyperglycemia as a risk factor for DM development in relation to DM pharmacotherapy. For that, a systematic search was done in the database of MEDLINE through Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Biology Medicine (CBM), and Wanfang Data. Data obtained underline that SARS-CoV-2 infection in DM patients is more severe and associated with poor clinical outcomes due to preexistence of comorbidities and inflammation disorders. SARS-CoV-2 infection impairs glucose homeostasis and metabolism in DM and non-DM patients due to cytokine storm (CS) development, downregulation of ACE2, and direct injury of pancreatic β-cells. Therefore, the potent anti-inflammatory effect of diabetic pharmacotherapies such as metformin, pioglitazone, sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2Is), and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) inhibitors may mitigate COVID-19 severity. In addition, some antidiabetic agents and also insulin may reduce SARS-CoV-2 infectivity and severity through the modulation of the ACE2 receptor expression. The findings presented here illustrate that insulin therapy might seem as more appropriate than other anti-DM pharmacotherapies in the management of COVID-19 patients with DM due to low risk of uncontrolled hyperglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). From these findings, we could not give the final conclusion about the efficacy of diabetic pharmacotherapy in COVID-19; thus, clinical trial and prospective studies are warranted to confirm this finding and concern.
Acarbose for Postprandial Hypotension With Glucose Metabolism Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Wang Biqing , Zhao Junnan , Zhan Qiuxiao , Wang Rongyanqi , Liu Birong , Zhou Yan , Xu Fengqin
Published: May 2021

Background: Postprandial hypotension (PPH) is an independent predictive factor of all-cause mortality in older people. Drug management has not achieved a satisfactory effect yet. In recent years, many studies have found that acarbose may be effective in the treatment of PPH with glucose metabolism disorders.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of acarbose on PPH with glucose metabolism disorders.

Methods: PubMed (MEDLINE), Cochrane, EMBASE, Web of Science, Clinical Trials, and relevant Chinese databases were searched from inception to October 1, 2020. Randomized controlled studies of acarbose in the treatment of PPH with glucose metabolism disorders were included. Review Manager 5.3 software was used for quality evaluation and meta-analysis. GRADEpro GDT software was used to GRADE the evidence for the research objectives.

Results: A total of 4 randomized controlled studies including 202 participants were identified after screening. The meta-analysis showed that acarbose significantly attenuated the decrease in postprandial systolic blood pressure [weighted mean difference (MD): −9.84, 95% CI: −13.34 to −6.33], diastolic blood pressure (MD: −6.86, 95% CI: −12.89 to −0.83), and mean arterial pressure (MD: −8.10, 95% CI: −12.40 to −3.49) compared with the control group. One study reported a case of adverse reactions that included mild abdominal distension in the acarbose group (4.8%, 1/21). No adverse reactions were reported in the other three studies.

Conclusion: Acarbose may attenuate the decrease in postprandial blood pressure and avoid the occurrence of PPH in patients with PPH and abnormal glucose metabolism disorders. More clinical trials are needed to make a clear conclusion.

Registration: PROSPERO CRD42020171335.
An Evaluation of Temperature-Based Agricultural Indices Over Korea From the High-Resolution WRF Simulation
Authors: Im Eun-Soon , Ha Subin , Qiu Liying , Hur Jina , Jo Sera , Shim Kyo-Moon
Published: May 2021

This study evaluates the performance of dynamical downscaling of global prediction generated from the NOAA Climate Forecast System (CFSv2) at subseasonal time-scale against densein-situobservational data in Korea. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) double-nested modeling system customized over Korea is adopted to produce very high resolution simulation that presumably better resolves geographically diverse climate features. Two ensemble members of CFSv2 starting with different initial conditions are downscaled for the summer season (June-July-August) during past 10-year (2011–2020). The comparison of simulations from the nested domain (5 km resolution) of WRF and driving CFSv2 (0.5°) clearly demonstrates the manner in which dynamical downscaling can drastically improve daily mean temperature (Tmean) and daily maximum temperature (Tmax) in both quantitative and qualitative aspects. The downscaled temperature not only better resolves the regional variability strongly tied with topographical elevation, but also substantially lowers the systematic cold bias seen in CFSv2. The added value from the nested domain over CFSv2 is far more evident in Tmax than in Tmean, which indicates a skillful performance in capturing the extreme events. Accordingly, downscaled results show a reasonable performance in simulating the plant heat stress index that counts the number of days with Tmax above 30°C and extreme degree days that accumulate temperature exceeding 30°C using hourly temperature. The WRF simulations also show the potential to capture the variation of Tmean-based index that represents the accumulation of heat stress in reproductive growth for the mid-late maturing rice cultivars in Korea. As the likelihood of extreme hot temperatures is projected to increase in Korea, the modeling skill to predict the ago-meteorological indices measuring the effect of extreme heat on crop could have significant implications for agriculture management practice.
Geochronological Constraint on the Evolution of the Aktyuz Terrane, Kyrgyz North Tianshan, and the Fate of the Taldybulak Levoberezhny Gold Deposit
Authors: Xi Wei , Li Nuo , Xia Xiaohong , Ling Xiaoxiao , Wu Yanshuang
Published: May 2021

The Aktyuz Terrane in Kyrgyz North Tianshan is of particular interest due to the occurrence of high and ultrahigh pressure (HP–UHP) rocks and it containing the third largest gold deposit in Kyrgyz North Tianshan, i.e., Taldybulak Levoberezhny (abbreviated to Taldybulak Lev.). To constrain the ages of the host Kemin Complex and its auriferous monzogranite porphyry, detailed zircon U–Pb dating [by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS)] and Lu–Hf isotopic analyses were carried out. The intensively altered auriferous monzogranite porphyry yielded two weighted mean ages of 444 ± 3 Ma (n = 14, mean squared weighted deviation (MSWD) = 0.49, by LA-ICPMS) and 440 ± 5 Ma (n = 8, MSWD = 0.82, by SIMS) that are indistinguishable within error ranges. Such ages are consistent with a previously reported sulfide Re–Os isochron age of 434 ± 18 Ma, supporting a Silurian porphyry gold mineralization. The granitic gneiss yielded a protolith age of 773 ± 7 Ma (n = 7, MSWD = 0.04) and two metamorphic ages of 514 ± 4 Ma (n = 8, MSWD = 0.09) and 483 ± 3 Ma (n = 11, MSWD = 0.04). Detrital zircons from one fuchsite schist sample yielded highly variable ages from 729 ± 13 Ma to 2,463 ± 30 Ma, with 12 data points weighted at 740 ± 5 Ma (MSWD = 0.95). The metamorphic overgrowth yielded a weighted mean age of 460 ± 4 Ma (n = 4, MSWD = 0.15). Detrital zircons in the migmatitic amphibolite are aged from 788 ± 7 Ma to 3,447 ± 32 Ma, with two major concentrations at 941 ± 7 Ma (n = 13, MSWD = 0.95) and 794 ± 5 Ma (n = 8, MSWD = 0.19). The metamorphic overgrowth yielded an average age of 555 ± 4 Ma (n = 8, MSWD = 0.65). The detrital and xenocryst zircons, and evolved εHf(t) values (−20.9 to −7.8) and old two-stage Hf model ages (1,367–3,159 Ma), revealed the presence of a Precambrian basement that may be dated back to the Archean Eon. The two metamorphic ages may correlate with oceanic subduction and continental collision, respectively.
Composition and Structure of Phosphate-Rich Parietal Crusts and Nodules in Monte Corchia Cave, Alpi Apuane (Central Italy)
Authors: Piccini Leonardo , Nannoni Alessia , Costagliola Pilario , Paolieri Mario , Vigiani Chiara
Published: May 2021

Cave environment allows long-term processes of rock weathering and chemical deposition that cannot occur on Earth surface directly exposed to meteoric and external biochemical agents. Apart from the common carbonate speleothems, chemical precipitation from infiltration water can also produce phosphate-rich formations usually occurring as parietal dark crusts or spheroidal nodules. Despite the potential purposes of these kind of deposits as paleoenvironmental proxies, they have been still poorly investigated by cave scientists. Monte Corchia cave (NW Tuscany, Central Italy) is one of the most studied caves in the world, particularly for paleoclimate reconstructions from calcite speleothems. Several samples of parietal formations were collected in relict phreatic and epiphreatic passages at different altitudinal levels that reflect different evolutionary stages of this large cave system. Samples were analyzed by diffractometry and SEM-EDS possibly revealing the occurrence of hydroxyapatite or fluorapatite mixed with Fe/Mn incrustations and allogenic clastic particles. Crusts often cover the entire section of relict phreatic or epiphreatic passages and can be related to precipitation during waterfilled phases. Phosphate nodules are almost entirely composed by hydroxyapatite or fluoroapatite and could be the result of long-term chemical (or bio-chemical) precipitation in air-filled environments.
Relative Children’s Lipid Accumulation Product Is a Novel Indicator for Metabolic Syndrome
Authors: Zhang Li , Zhang Zizhe , Wang Bangxuan , Yuan Yongting , Sun Lili , Gao Huaiquan , Fu Lianguo
Published: May 2021

Background

The children’s lipid accumulation product (CLAP) is associated with MS in Chinese children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to develop a more effective indicator, the relative children's lipid accumulation product (RCLAP) was evaluated for correlation with MS and the density of lipid accumulation.

Methods

A stratified cluster sampling method was used to recruit 683 students aged 8–15 years in this study. The presence of MS was defined according to the NCEP-ATP III criteria. The participants’ guardians signed informed consent before the medical examination. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Bengbu Medical College [(2015) No.003] and was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Results

The overall prevalence of MS was 4.8% (male 6.6%, female 2.8%). After adjusting for sedentary activity time, relative children's lipid accumulation product per height (RCLAP-H) and relative children's lipid accumulation product per sitting height (RCLAP-SH) significantly increased the risk of MS in girls [OR (95% CI): 96.13 (11.11–831.97) and 96.13 (11.11–831.97), respectively]. After adjusting for ages and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity time, RCLAP-H, and RCLAP-SH significantly increased the risk of MS in boys [OR (95% CI): 171.75 (33.60–878.00) and 133.18 (27.65–641.39), respectively]. The AUCs of RCLAP-H and RCLAP-SH for predicting MS were 0.950, 0.948 in girls, and 0.952, 0.952 in boys, which were higher than BMI, WHtR, Tg/HDL-C, CLAP, and CLAP combining height, sitting height.

Conclusions

The RCLAP-H and RCLAP-SH were more effective indicators for predicting MS than BMI, WHtR, Tg/HDL-C, and CLAP in children and adolescents.
Economics of Southern Pines With and Without Payments for Environmental Amenities in the US South
Authors: Paudel Karuna , Dwivedi Puneet
Published: May 2021

During the early 1900s, nearly 37 million hectares of land in the Southern United States were under longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) relative to the current area of 1.6 million hectares. This study compares the economics of southern pines (longleaf, loblolly (Pinus taeda), and slash (Pinus elliottii)) to facilitate the decision making of family forest landowners and design suitable financial incentives for increasing the area under longleaf pine in the region. We simulated six growth and yield scenarios for selected southern pines over three site indices in the Lower Coastal Plain of South Georgia. We estimated land expectation values (LEVs) of each scenario for the three cases, i.e., payment for forest products, payment for forest products and net carbon storage, and payment for forest products, net carbon storage, and net water yield. Our findings show that pine straw income significantly increases the LEV of longleaf pine. The financial risk of growing longleaf pine is lower than that of other southern pines. Existing financial support through various governmental incentives or additional monetary support for ecosystem services provided by longleaf pine ecosystems is needed to increase the area under longleaf pine in the Southern United States, in general, and in South Georgia, in particular. However, a need exists to reevaluate the conservation values provided by longleaf plantations considering expected shorter rotation ages due to the income provided by pine straw markets in Southern United States.
Case Report: A Rare Truncating Variant of the CFHR5 Gene in IgA Nephropathy
Authors: Guzzo Gabriella , Sadallah Salima , Fodstad Heidi , Venetz Jean-Pierre , Rotman Samuel , Teta Daniel , Gauthier Thierry , Pantaleo Giuseppe , Superti-Furga Andrea , Pascual Manuel
Published: May 2021

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common primary glomerulonephritis worldwide. Despite appropriate therapy, 20–40% of affected-patients evolve toward end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Mesangial IgA deposits are the hallmark of IgAN, and complement deposition (C3) seems to differentiate latent IgA mesangial deposits from active IgAN. Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), another disease in which complement plays an important role, is caused by inherited or acquired deregulation of the alternative pathway (AP) of complement. A subgroup of IgAN shows thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) lesions in kidney biopsies, the histological characteristic of aHUS. Genetic variants of complement Factor H (CFH), known to be present in aHUS, have been associated with rapidly progressive forms of IgAN and a clinical pattern of aHUS. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have confirmed that the 1q32 region, encoding for CFH and its related proteins, is an IgAN susceptibility locus. A 30 year-old man was admitted for seizures and malignant hypertension. The kidney biopsy showed IgAN associated with features of TMA. Despite five plasma exchanges, the patient remained dialysis-dependent, and ESKD was diagnosed. Functional and genetic complement analysis were performed. A monoallelic protein-truncating, likely loss-of-function variant was identified in the CFHR5 gene. Eculizumab is the treatment of aHUS. As it has been successfully used in a few cases of rapidly progressive IgAN, it was decided to administer eculizumab over a period of 12 months in addition to the usual immunosuppression for renal transplantation. After a follow-up of 3 years, there was no clinical disease recurrence. Systematic biologic and genetic screening of complement in individuals with IgAN might be useful to better delineate the role of the AP of complement in renal disease progression, and this may have therapeutic implications.
Identification of Prognostic Biomarkers and Correlation With Immune Infiltrates in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Based on a Competing Endogenous RNA Network
Authors: Pu Zhangya , Zhu Yuanyuan , Wang Xiaofang , Zhong Yun , Peng Fang , Zhang Yiya
Published: May 2021

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide. Recently, competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNA) have revealed a significant role in the progression of HCC. Herein, we aimed to construct a ceRNA network to identify potential biomarkers and illustrate its correlation with immune infiltration in HCC.

Methods

RNA sequencing data and clinical traits of HCC patients were downloaded from TCGA. The limma R package was used to identify differentially expressed (DE) RNAs. The predicted prognostic model was established using univariate and multivariate Cox regression. A K-M curve, TISIDB and GEPIA website were utilized for survival analysis. Functional annotation was determined using Enrichr and Reactome. Protein-to-protein network analysis was implemented using SRTNG and Cytoscape. Hub gene expression was validated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Oncomine and the Hunan Protein Atlas database. Immune infiltration was analyzed by TIMMER, and Drugbank was exploited to identify bioactive compounds.

Results

The predicted model that was established revealed significant efficacy with 3- and 5-years of the area under ROC at 0.804 and 0.744, respectively. Eleven DEmiRNAs were screened out by a K-M survival analysis. Then, we constructed a ceRNA network, including 56 DElncRNAs, 6 DEmiRNAs, and 28 DEmRNAs. The 28 DEmRNAs were enriched in cancer-related pathways, for example, the TNF signaling pathway. Moreover, six hub genes, CEP55, DEPDC1, KIF23, CLSPN, MYBL2, and RACGAP1, were all overexpressed in HCC tissues and independently correlated with survival rate. Furthermore, expression of hub genes was related to immune cell infiltration in HCC, including B cells, CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells.

Conclusion

The findings from this study demonstrate that CEP55, DEPDC1, KIF23, CLSPN, MYBL2, and RACGAP1 are closely associated with prognosis and immune infiltration, representing potential therapeutic targets or prognostic biomarkers in HCC.
Modulation of Immune Responses by Nutritional Ligands of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor
Authors: De Juan Alba , Segura Elodie
Published: May 2021

Accumulating evidence indicates that nutrition can modulate the immune system through metabolites, either produced by host digestion or by microbiota metabolism. In this review, we focus on dietary metabolites that are agonists of the Aryl hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR). AhR is a ligand-activated transcription factor, initially characterized for its interaction with xenobiotic pollutants. Numerous studies have shown that AhR also recognizes indoles and tryptophan catabolites originating from dietary compounds and commensal bacteria. Here, we review recent work employing diet manipulation to address the impact of nutritional AhR agonists on immune responses, both locally in the intestine and at distant sites. In particular, we examine the physiological role of these metabolites in immune cell development and functions (including T lymphocytes, innate-like lymphoid cells, and mononuclear phagocytes) and their effect in inflammatory disorders.