bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Feeding behaviour and its determinants among healthy toddlers in an urban city of India
Authors: Bhairavabhatla Kameswari C , Epari Venkatarao , Panigrahi Sandeep Kumar 
Published: April 2020

AbstractIntroductionGrowth and development of a child is largely influenced by feeding behaviour. Feeding problem in infancy and childhood is an important aspect since this may be associated with under-nutrition or even childhood obesity. Social, environmental and emotional factors, type and taste of food, perceptions and practices of parents, etc. may all determine feeding behaviour of child. This study tries to find out the proportion of normal toddlers presenting with feeding problem, factors associated with feeding behaviour and their association with physical growth among these toddlers.MethodsA total of 100 mothers of 1 to 3 year-old children visiting for immunization were interviewed using systematic sampling method. A tool was developed by modifying existing tools are review of literature, was pre-tested and used. Association of various factors with eating behaviour and body mass index (BMI) were studied. Variables measured included perceived feeding problem, anthropometric measures, socio-demographic, emotional, environmental, parental factors, etc. Analysis was done using Chi-square test, t-test or Mann-Whitney U test using IBM SPSS v 20.0.ResultsMedian age of the children was 19 months. 35% had a feeding problem. None of the socio-demographic variables were found to have any association with feeding problem. All children born preterm had eating problem. Feeding problem got undetected if fed by anyone other than mother. The mean TV viewing time for children with eating problem was significantly more (p = 0.017). Education status of mothers had a positive association with body mass index of the child (p=0.010). Anger, forced feeding and sleepy/drowsiness were reported to decrease feeding while happiness, caressing while feeding, semi-solid and liquid foods, eating with siblings and friends, and hearing short stories were reported to increase.ConclusionFeeding problem was present in 35% of the toddlers. Preterm birth, long hours of TV viewing during feeding, are associated with eating problem. Mothers are the best persons to identify this problem. Better maternal education decreases the burden of under nourished children though it increases those of overweight and obese.
Dynamic Behavior of Coupled Neuron System from a Game-Theoretic Standpoint
Authors: Kori Avinash 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThis paper is concerned with the theoretical investigation of game theory concepts in analyzing the behavior of dynamically coupled oscillators. Here, we claim that the coupling strength in any neuronal oscillators can be modeled as a game. We formulate the game to describe the effect of pure-strategy Nash equilibrium on two neuron systems of Hopf-oscillator and later demonstrate the application of the same assumptions and methods toN×Nneuronal sheet. We also demonstrate the effect of the proposed method on MNIST data to show the equilibrium behavior of neurons in aN×Nneuronal grid for all different digits. A significant outcome of the paper is a modified Hebbian algorithm, which adapts the coupling weights to neural potential resulting in a stable phase difference. Which in turn, makes it possible for an individual neuron to encode input information.
A Fast High-Affinity Fluorescent Serotonin Biosensor Engineered from a Tick Lipocalin
Authors: Zhang Shen , Li Xinyu , Drobizhev Mikhail , Ai Hui-wang 
Published: April 2020

The authors have withdrawn their manuscript whilst they perform additional experiments to test some of their conclusions. Therefore, the authors do not wish this work to be cited as reference for the project. If you have any questions, please contact the corresponding author.DetailsRegrettably, we, and several other researchers in the corresponding author’s lab and not involved in the original study, have been unable to reproduce some of the reported key results under conditions originally described.We recently used the pDisplay-G-GESS-M plasmid to transfect HEK 293T cells and observed that the membrane localization of the biosensor was sensitive to FBS batches. By using an FBS batch from Gibco (Cat# 16000-044 and Lot #2103017RP), we were able to replicate the membrane localization similar to what was reported in Fig. 1e. However, the cells required the addition of several hundred micromolar of serotonin for robust fluorescence increase. These new results suggest that the affinity of G-GESS to serotonin is worse than that claimed in the initial article.We further used liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) to analyze the serotonin stock solutions identified in our −80°C lab freezer and observed MS peaks suggesting a glutamate contamination in some of the analyzed samples. In addition, we used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or reverse transcription–PCR (RT–PCR) to amplify gene fragments from our viral stocks and the sequencing results indicate that the viral stocks were contaminated with a glutamate biosensor.While we are still performing further investigation, in light of the existing findings, all authors agree to retract this paper.In the initial article, the sensor was tested in several cell culture systems, brain slices and behaving mice. We are presently unable to fully explain the observed sensor responses described in the initial article, but it is highly possible that these responses could be caused by the contaminated chemical or viral stocks.We deeply apologize to the scientific community for not detecting these problems sooner.
A systems pharmacology approach to determine the mechanisms of action of pleiotropic natural products in breast cancer from transcriptome data
Authors: Odongo Regan , Zergeroğlu Asuman Demiroğlu , Çakir Tunahan 
Published: April 2020

AbstractPlant-derived compounds as natural products have attracted a lot of attention in the treatment of complex diseases, especially cancers, primarily due to their poly-pharmacologic mechanisms of action. However, methodological limitations have impeded gaining complete knowledge of their molecular targets. While most of the current understanding of these compounds is based on reductive methods, it is increasingly becoming clear that holistic techniques, leveraging current improvements in omic data collection and bioinformatics methods, are better suited for elucidating their systemic effects. Here, to provide an explanation to the mechanisms of action of plant-derived natural products in breast cancer, we applied a data integration approach to comprehensively study oncogenic signaling pathways targeted by withaferin A, actein, compound kushen injection and indole-3-carbinol. Specifically, we mapped the transcriptome-level response of cancer cell lines to these molecules on a human protein-protein interaction network and constructed the underlying active subnetworks. We used these subnetworks to define the perturbed signaling pathways and validated their relevance in carcinogenesis. The similarity of each identified oncogenic signaling pathway in terms of overlapping genes was subsequently used to construct pathway-pathway interaction networks, which were used to reduce pathway redundancy and to identify pathway crosstalk. Filtered pathways were then mapped on three major carcinogenesis processes. The results showed that the pleiotropic effects of plant-derived drugs at the gene expression level can be used to predict targeted pathways. Thus, from such pathways, it is possible to infer a systemic mechanism of action of such natural products.
A pilot study of assisting IVF by personalized Endo-Gym®exercises
Authors: Csehek Katalin , Tompa Peter 
Published: April 2020

SummaryAssisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), especiallyin vitrofertilization (IVF) have revolutionized human reproduction technology, helping millions of subfertile couples to conceive and deliver a baby. IVF, however, is not an easy procedure, as treatment cycles incur heavy financial, physical and psychological burden, yet they result in live birth less than once in four attempts. Based on our experience with 251 women, many in their 40s, here we suggest that Endo-Gym®method (for endocrine gymnastics), a combination of personalized physical exercises, fertility-optimizing diet and personal coaching, can significantly increase IVF success, probably by both reducing distress caused by repeated cycles and alleviating fertility-affecting problems, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and premature ovarian failure (POF). The program can also relieve other gynecological conditions, such as irregular or painful period, pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and incontinence, and is also often chosen by women as their regular fitness regime for general wellbeing. We provide detailed statistics of success in various conditions and suggest that distinct elements of Endo-Gym®cooperate to exert positive physiological and psychological effects that help re-establish sexual hormone balance and boost reproductive fitness. We anticipate that further, controlled testing will enable to put the benefits of Endo-Gym®on a rational basis and enable to introduce this approach as a beneficial complement of IVF, and maybe also other branches of ART.
The impact of telomere shortening on human hippocampal neurogenesis: Implications for cognitive function and psychiatric disorder risk
Authors: Palmos Alish B. , Duarte Rodrigo R. R. , Smeeth Demelza M. , Hedges Erin C. , Nixon Douglas F. , Thuret Sandrine , Powell Timothy R. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractTelomere shortening is one hallmark of cell ageing that can limit the proliferative capacity of cell populations and increase risk for age-related disease. It has been hypothesized that short telomeres, and subsequently a limited proliferative capacity of hippocampal progenitor cells, could contribute to smaller hippocampal volumes and impaired cognition, amongst psychiatric disorder patients. The current study employed a systematic, multidisciplinary approach which aimed to model the effects of telomere shortening on human hippocampal neurogenesis, and to explore its relationship with cognition and psychiatric disorder risk. We modelled telomere shortening in human hippocampal progenitor cellsin vitrousing a serial passaging protocol that mimics the end-replication problem. Aged progenitors demonstrated shorter telomeres (p<0.05), and reduced rates of cell proliferation, as marked by bromodeoxyuridine staining (p<0.001), with no changes in the ability of cells to differentiate into neurons or glia. RNA-sequencing and gene set enrichment analysis revealed an effect of cell ageing on gene networks related to neurogenesis, telomere maintenance, cell senescence and cytokine production. Downregulated transcripts showed a significant overlap with genes regulating cognitive function and risk for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Collectively, our results suggest that reductions in adult hippocampal neurogenesis, caused by telomere shortening, could represent a cellular mechanism contributing to age-related cognitive impairment and psychiatric disorder risk.
Effects of genomic and functional diversity on stand-level productivity and performance of non-native Arabidopsis
Authors: Turner Kathryn G. , Lorts Claire M. , Haile Asnake T. , Lasky Jesse R. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBiodiversity can affect the properties of groups of organisms, such as ecosystem function and the persistence of colonizing populations. Genomic data offer a newly available window to diversity, complementary to other measures like taxonomic or phenotypic diversity. We tested whether native genetic diversity in field experimental stands ofArabidopsis thalianaaffected their aboveground biomass and fecundity in their colonized range. We constructed some stands of genotypes that wea prioripredicted would differ in performance or show overyielding. We found no relationship between genetic diversity and stand total biomass. However, increasing stand genetic diversity increased fecundity in high resource conditions. Polyculture (multiple genotype) stands consistently yielded less biomass than expected based on the yields of component genotypes in monoculture. This under-yielding was strongest in stands with late-flowering and high biomass genotypes, potentially due to interference competition by these genotypes. Using a new implementation of association mapping, we identified genetic loci whose diversity was associated with stand-level yield, revealing a major flowering time locus associated with under-yielding of polycultures. Our field experiment supports community ecology studies that find a range of diversity-function relationships. Nevertheless, our results suggest diversity in colonizing propagule pools can enhance population fitness. Furthermore, interference competition among genotypes differing in flowering time might limit the advantages of polyculture.
Sensory capability and information integration independently predict cognitive status of healthy older adults
Authors: Misselhorn Jonas , Göschl Florian , Higgen Focko L. , Hummel Friedhelm C. , Gerloff Christian , Engel Andreas K. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractAgeing is characterized by changes in sensory and cognitive abilities. While there is evidence that decline in sensory acuity and enhanced multisensory integration predict cognitive status in healthy older adults, potential mechanistic links between these age-related alterations remain unclear. In the current study, we assessed performance of younger and older healthy adults in a visuotactile delayed match-to-sample task and related indices of multisensory integration to unisensory perceptual thresholds and cognitive assessment data. Additionally, we applied transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) to modulate cortical networks found to underlie visuotactile interactions and working-memory matching in our previous work. Analysing response times and signal detection measures, we found older adults to show enhanced multisensory integration and benefit more from successful working memory matching. Both measures predicted cognitive status and correlated positively with each other, suggesting that they likely reflect a common underlying tendency to integrate information. Sensory capability, however, independently predicted cognitive status. tACS with beta frequency (20 Hz) accelerated task performance and this effect was more pronounced in the older group. We conclude that sensory capability and information integration represent independent predictors of cognitive status. Finally, we discuss a potential role of the parietal cortex in mediating augmented integration in older adults.
Involvement of I-BAR protein IRSp53 in tumor cell growth via extracellular microvesicle secretion
Authors: Hu Hooi Ting , Sasakura Naoto , Matsubara Daisuke , Furusawa Naoko , Mukai Masahiro , Kitamura Narufumi , Obayashi Takeshi , Nishimura Tamako , Oono-Yakura Kayoko , Funato Yosuke , Okamura Yasunobu , Tarao Kento , Nakano Yasushi , Murakami Yoshinori , Kinoshita Kengo , Takahashi Chiaki , Miki Hiroaki , Gonda Kohsuke , Scita Giorgio , Hanawa-Suetsugu Kyoko , Suetsugu Shiro 
Published: April 2020

AbstractCellular protrusions mediated by the membrane-deforming I-BAR domain protein IRSp53 are involved in cell migration, including metastasis. However, the role of IRSp53 in cell proliferation remains unclear. Here, we examined the role of IRSp53 in cell proliferation and found that it acts through secretion. Coculture of gingiva squamous carcinoma Ca9-22 cells and their IRSp53-knockout cells restored proliferation to parental Ca9-22 cell levels, suggesting possible secretion dependent on IRSp53. Notably, the amounts of microvesicle fraction proteins that were secreted into the culture medium were reduced in the IRSp53-knockout cells. The IRSp53-knockout cells exhibited decreased phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase, suggesting the decrease in the proliferation signals. The phosphorylation was restored by the addition of the microvesicles. In mice xenograft Ca9-22 cells, IRSp53-containing particles were secreted around the xenograft, indicating that IRSp53-dependent secretion occursin vivo. In a tumor mice model, IRSp53 deficiency elongated lifespan. In some human cancers, the higher levels of IRSp53 mRNA expression was found to be correlated with shorter survival years. Therefore, IRSp53 is involved in tumor progression and secretion for cellular proliferation.
The relationship between empowering leadership and volunteers' service capability: intention to share knowledge as mediator
Authors: Siachou Evangelia , Gkorezis Panagiotis , Adeosun Faith 
Published: April 2020

PurposeThe purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between empowering leadership and volunteers' service capability in the context of nongovernmental organizations. In doing so, the mediating role of intention to share knowledge was highlighted.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from volunteers from two non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating in Greece through a web-survey tool. To test our hypotheses, we used bootstrapping analysis.FindingsOur study provides support for the positive effect of empowering leadership (EL) on volunteers' service capability. In addition, we highlighted volunteers' intention to share their knowledge as an underlying mechanism that explains the above relationship.Originality/valueThe present study highlights the important role of EL in increasing service capability in the context of NGOs. Even more, the mediating role of intention to share knowledge provided new knowledge into why EL affects employees' extra-role behavior and more specifically, service capability.
Dynamics of energy consumption, real sector value added and growth in energy deficient economies
Authors: Kalu Ebere Ume , Nwafor Uchenna Florence , Okoyeuzu Chinwe R. , Onodugo Vincent A. 
Published: April 2020

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the energy–growth linkage in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with emphasis on real sectors’ contribution to aggregate growth using dynamic panel estimation techniques that are practically and conceptually superior to the static models.

Design/methodology/approach
Dynamic panel econometric techniques pooled mean group, mean group and dynamic fixed effect were used to investigate the linkage among energy consumption, real sector value added and economic growth from 1967 to 2016 in 48 SSA countries.

Findings
A strong empirical evidence in favor of energy dependence and growth hypothesis in the investigated SSA countries was found. The finding that real sector value added and overall growth rate adjust reasonably to the shocks and dynamics of the energy consumption variables makes energy consumption an enabler for growth. This indicates that well thought-out and implemented energy development policy will not only increase energy consumption but also elicit multi-sectoral growth while addressing the obvious energy deficiency in the SSA region.

Research limitations/implications
It is also important to note the policy implications of the high adjustment profiles indicated by the error correction representations. All the speeds of adjustment of the three models denominated in time are slightly above a year and are all within predictable limits (they fall below unity or 100%). We found that when agriculture value added, manufacturing value added and overall economic growth rate in our SSA panel estimation exceed equilibrium levels as a result of deviations arising from energy related variables, downward adjustments at 66%, 62% and 78% per year, respectively, take place.

Practical implications
The study indicates that well thought-out and implemented energy development policy will not only increase energy consumption but also elicit multi-sectoral growth while addressing the obvious energy deficiency in the SSA region.

Social implications
Much as this study has made some addition to the literature on energy-growth nexus in the SSA region, which undoubtedly is an unveiling of economic forces in a collection of developing and energy deficient economies, it will be of great research significance if the form and style of this study is adopted for other economic blocs in the shapes and sizes of the SSA region.

Originality/value
This study ensured currency of data, novelty of approach and disaggregated energy consumption into emerging sources, traditional sources and geographical access.
System dynamics applications in performance measurement research
Authors: Oladimeji Olufunke Olufunmi , Keathley-Herring Heather , Cross Jennifer A. 
Published: April 2020

PurposeThis study investigates system dynamics (SD) applications in performance measurement (PM) research and practice. A bibliometric analysis was conducted to investigate the maturity of this research area and identify opportunities for development.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted to provide a comprehensive and rigorous review of the existing literature. The search was conducted on 10 platforms identifying 97 publications, which were evaluated using bibliometric analysis.FindingsThe analysis revealed that applications of SD are most commonly used in the PM system design phase to model organisational performance. In addition, the bibliometric results showed a highly dispersed author set, with most studies using exploratory methods, suggesting that the research is in a relatively early stage of development. The results also showed that over 50 per cent of the causal models were not validated, emphasizing an important methodological gap in this research area.Research limitations/implicationsThis SLR is limited to indexed publications on 10 platforms, the search strategy was relatively precise and only available papers in English language were used for the literature review.Practical implicationsPM systems supported by SD can help managers understand and improve organisational behaviours by addressing dynamic complexities and relationship between variables. This study evaluates the maturity of this research area including information about the current development of this area and opportunities to build on existing knowledge.Originality/valueThis study identifies how SD approaches are applied to PM and highlights areas that require further research consideration. This paper is the first of two publications to result from this study and focuses on evaluating the current state of this research area.