bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An Assay for Screening Potential Drug Candidates for Alzheimer's Disease That Act as Chaperones of the Transthyretin and Amyloid‐β Peptides Interaction
Authors: Cotrina Ellen Y. , Gimeno Ana , Llop Jordi , Jiménez‐Barbero Jesús , Quintana Jordi , Prohens Rafel , Cardoso Isabel , Arsequell Gemma 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe protein transthyretin (TTR) modulates amyloid‐β (Aβ) peptides deposition and processing and this physiological effect is further enhanced by treatment with iododiflunisal (IDIF), a small‐molecule compound (SMC) with TTR tetramer stabilization properties, which behaves as chaperone of the complex. This knowledge has prompted us to design and optimize a rapid and simple high‐throughput assay that relies on the ability of test compounds to form ternary soluble complexes TTR/Aβ/SMC that prevent Aβ aggregation. The method uses the shorter Aβ(12–28) sequence which is cheaper and simpler to use while retaining the aggregation properties of their parents Aβ(1–40) and Aβ(1–42). The test is carried out in 96‐plate wells that are UV monitored for turbidity during 6 h. Given its reproducibility, we propose that this test can be a powerful tool for efficient screening of SMCs that act as chaperones of the TTR/Aβ interaction that may led to potential AD therapies.
The matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP7) links Hsp90 chaperone with acquired drug resistance and tumor metastasis
Authors: Kumar Pankaj , Siripini Satish , Sreedhar Amere Subbarao 
Published: August 2020

AbstractBackgroundCancer emergence is associated with a series of cellular transformations that include acquired drug resistance followed by tumor metastasis. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and Hsp90 chaperone are implicated in tumor progression, however, they are not studied in the context of drug resistance.AimsIn the present study, we aimed at understanding the cross‐talk between acquired drug resistance and tumor progression, linking MMP7 and Hsp90.Methods and resultsWe have developed an in vitro model system for acquired drug resistance and studied the correlation between MMP7 and Hsp90. We demonstrate that enhanced drug efflux activity correlates with the induced expression and activity of MMP7, and enhanced metastatic potential of cells, however, in Hsp90‐dependent manner. The MMP7 overexpression alone could enhance the drug efflux activity marginally, and metastasis significantly. However, challenging these cells with 17AAG has significantly increased the drug efflux activity and, in contrast, decreased the metastatic potential. Evaluating our in vitro findings in mice xenografts revealed that MMP7 overexpression facilitates altered homing properties. However, these cells, in response to 17AAG treatment, exhibited increased localized tumor growth but decreased tumor metastasis.ConclusionWe demonstrated a cross‐talk between Hsp90 and MMP7 in regulating the acquired drug resistance and tumor progression. Our findings provide novel insights on targeting drug resistant‐tumors.
Dealing with multiple traits in maize: A new approach for selecting progenies
Authors: Crispim‐Filho Ailton José , dos Santos Flávio Pereira , Pinto Jefferson Fernando Naves , Melo Patrícia Guimarães Santos , dos Reis Edésio Fialho , Mendes‐Resende Marcela Pedroso 
Published: August 2020

AbstractMany maize (Zea mays L.) breeding programs select genotypes considering just grain yield. However, this strategy may not be efficient due to undesirable associations between grain yield and other traits. The breeder's challenge is to combine good characteristics in one genotype. The aim of this study was to propose a new approach to select maize progenies considering multiple traits. One hundred forty‐one half‐sib progenies were evaluated for 14 agronomic traits in a 12 by 12 triple lattice design in two environments. Four progeny selection strategies were performed to increase yield. Strategy 1, considering just yield; Strategy 2, considering all traits in a selection index; Strategy 3, considering only traits that have effect in yield, based on path analysis; and Strategy 4, similar to Strategy 3, but disregarding any trait showing undesirable correlation with other traits. Strategies 2, 3, and 4 considered Smith and Hazel index. The progenies selected by Strategy 4 showed more balanced predicted gains considering all traits. Its predicted gain in all traits related to yield was higher than the of Strategies 2 and 3, and it led to smaller gains in height and flowering time, which breeders want to decrease its means. Strategy 1 showed the best gains in yield, as expected, but obtained undesirable phenotypes for the other traits. The use of path analysis to delineate the Smith and Hazel index is a very appealing approach for selecting maize progenies and the Strategy 4 was the most efficient at accomplishing balanced gains for multiple traits.
Exact analysis of the multihop multibranch hybrid AF/DF relaying networks
Authors: Forghani Amir H. , Al Hassan Muath , Ben Mabrouk Ismail , Sultan Amber , Babar Rasheed Muhammad 
Published: August 2020

SummaryIn this paper, the exact analysis of a multihop multibranch (MHMB) relaying network is investigated wherein each relay can operate in amplify‐and‐forward (AF) or decode‐and‐forward (DF) modes depending upon the decoding result of its received signal. If a relay decodes the received signal correctly, it works in DF mode; otherwise, the relay operates in AF mode. Therefore, we name such relaying network as hybrid amplify‐and‐forward and decode‐and‐forward (hybrid AF/DF) relaying network. We first investigate the signal transmission from source to destination node via n number of relays in a hybrid AF/DF MHMB mode. Then, we obtained the statistical features and analyze the end‐to‐end signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR). Finally, a comprehensive performance analysis is conducted by using maximal ratio combining (MRC) scheme at the destination node. For comparison, we also obtained the results using selection combining (SC) scheme at the destination node. To the best of our knowledge, very few works in the literature have considered a general system model of MHMB relaying network wherein each relay can operate in AF or DF modes, that is, a hybrid AF/DF relaying network. Accordingly, the analysis of our system model is not only novel and exact, but also is comprehensive and can be employed in the future works.
Potential wildfire and carbon stability in frequent‐fire forests in the Sierra Nevada: trade‐offs from a long‐term study
Authors: Foster Daniel E. , Battles John J. , Collins Brandon M. , York Robert A. , Stephens Scott L. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractForests are the largest terrestrial carbon stock, and disturbance regimes can have large effects on the structure and function of forests. Many dry temperate forests in the western United States are adapted to a regime of frequent, low‐to‐moderate severity fire. The disruption of this disturbance regime over the last century has shifted forest conditions, making them more susceptible to high‐severity fire. Fuel treatments have been shown to effectively reduce wildfire hazard, often with co‐benefits to ecological values. However, the effects of fuel treatments on forest carbon are complex, often characterized by direct costs (e.g., carbon emissions from prescribed fire) and wildfire‐contingent benefits (increased resistance of live tree carbon to wildfire). In this study, we employ risk‐sensitive carbon accounting and empirical data from a replicated field experiment to evaluate the stand‐scale carbon effects of four management regimes over a 14‐yr period in a historically frequent‐fire adapted forest. All three active treatment regimes immediately increased stable live tree carbon stocks over no‐treatment controls. In most contexts examined, mechanical‐only or no‐treatment controls will maximize expected total carbon stocks when incorporating wildfire risk and the carbon stability of live biomass, dead biomass, and offsite forest products, although we acknowledge our wildfire modeling may underestimate C losses, particularly in the control stands. Undoubtedly, many other ecosystem and social values besides carbon will be important factors that influence fuel and restoration treatments.
Wildfire and drought moderate the spatial elements of tree mortality
Authors: Furniss Tucker J. , Larson Andrew J. , Kane Van R. , Lutz James A. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractBackground tree mortality is a complex process that requires large sample sizes and long timescales to disentangle the suite of ecological factors that collectively contribute to tree stress, decline, and eventual mortality. Tree mortality associated with acute disturbance events, in contrast, is conspicuous and frequently studied, but there remains a lack of research regarding the role of background mortality processes in mediating the severity and delayed effects of disturbance. We conducted an empirical study by measuring the rates, causes, and spatial pattern of mortality annually among 32,989 individual trees within a large forest demography plot in the Sierra Nevada. We characterized the relationships between background mortality, compound disturbances (fire and drought), and forest spatial structure, and we integrated our findings with a synthesis of the existing literature from around the world to develop a conceptual framework describing the spatio‐temporal signatures of background and disturbance‐related tree mortality. The interactive effects of fire, drought, and background mortality processes altered the rate, spatial structuring, and ecological consequences of mortality. Before fire, spatially non‐random mortality was only evident among small (1 < cm DBH ≤ 10)‐ and medium (10 < cm DBH ≤ 60)‐diameter classes; mortality rates were low (1.7% per yr), and mortality was density‐dependent among small‐diameter trees. Direct fire damage caused the greatest number of moralities (70% of stems ≥1 cm DBH), but the more enduring effects of this disturbance on the demography and spatial pattern of large‐diameter trees occurred during the post‐fire mortality regime. The combined effects of disturbance and biotic mortality agents provoked density‐dependent mortality among large‐diameter (≥60 cm DBH) trees, eliciting a distinct post‐disturbance mortality regime that did not resemble the pattern of either pre‐fire mortality or direct fire effects. The disproportionate ecological significance of the largest trees renders this mortality regime acutely consequential to the long‐term structure and function of forests.
Individual‐based simulations suggest mixed impacts of warmer temperatures and a nonnative predator on Chinook salmon
Authors: Hawkins B. L. , Fullerton A. H. , Sanderson B. L. , Steel E. A. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractAs the climate changes, warmer water temperatures may stress populations of native coldwater fishes. Simultaneously, nonnative warmwater predators may expand their ranges and interact with already at‐risk native fish populations. To explore the independent and combined effects of these two stressors on threatened salmon, we present a case study of simulated Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha and largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides interacting under two thermal regimes in the Snoqualmie River, Washington, USA. We applied an individual‐based and spatially explicit model that tracks fish movement and growth. We evaluated changes in Chinook salmon emergence date, outmigration date, mass, and survival. We ran simulations for four scenarios: (1) Baseline, run without either stressor, (2) Warm, run with warmer temperatures, (3) Predator, run with largemouth bass, and (4) Warm‐Predator, run with both stressors. We assessed outcome metrics relative to the Baseline scenario. In the Warm scenario, salmon emerged 37 d and outmigrated 55 d earlier. There were 61% more subyearling migrants that were 31% smaller, and 72% fewer yearlings. In the Predator scenario, salmon survival decreased 64% for subyearlings and 69% for yearlings, and subyearlings were 7% smaller. In the Warm‐Predator scenario, salmon emerged 39 d and outmigrated 59 d earlier, subyearling survival increased 22%, subyearling mass decreased 37%, and 93% fewer yearlings survived. Our results suggest that warmer temperatures shift emergence and outmigration; predation by nonnative species is a threat to salmon survival; and life history strategies experience these stressors in different ways. Whereas subyearling production benefited from warmer temperatures more than it was hurt by predation, yearling production was depressed by both stressors independently and combined. Managers can use our individual‐based and spatially explicit approach to identify key times and areas to address exposure to extreme temperatures, overlap with nonnative species, and their interactive effects on threatened salmon. Our case study addressed three pressing needs identified in the literature: investigate impacts of nonnative species on threatened native salmon, build tools to evaluate management options where bass and salmon overlap, and explore how freshwater fishes will contend with multiple interactive stressors.
Global norm domestication and selective compliance: The case of Mongolia's Oyu Tolgoi mine
Authors: Hatcher Pascale 
Published: August 2020

AbstractMongolia is in the midst of one of the world's largest mining boom and the Gobi Desert is the construction site of what is expected to become the World's third‐largest gold‐copper mine: Oyu Tolgoi. The paper follows the case of Oyu Tolgoi to analyse how a complex array of global norms are being domesticated in the particular context of Mongolia. Building on data gathered in the course of three field visits to Mongolia and the literature rooted in critical political economy, it is argued that in Mongolia, the domestication of market‐oriented norms in extractive governance have taken precedence over any other international norms championed for the sector. In such light, and this is the second argument of the paper, this hierarchy embedded in the complex array of international norms that impact the mining sector has compelled the State to strategically cede some of its former roles and responsibilities to the private sector, leaving civil society elements—in the case of Oyu Tolgoi mine, local nomadic communities—with little recourse to address what is now a highly asymmetric relationship with Rio Tinto, the main shareholder of the mine.
Polyaniline Based Electrochemical Biosensor for α‐Fetoprotein Detection Using Bio‐functionalized Nanoparticles as Detection Probe
Authors: Amarnath Chellachamy Anbalagan , Sawant Shilpa N. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractComposite of polyaniline, bovine serum albumin and silver nanoparticles was used as the enriched immobilization matrix (EIM)‐cum‐electrode material for detection of liver cancer biomarker, α‐fetoprotein (AFP) in blood serum. In the sandwich biosensor, signal amplification was bestowed by EIM and detection probe. EIM entrapped large amount of capture antibody due to its higher surface area and amine‐rich nature, whereas detection probe enhanced the electrochemical signal during its binding with AFP. Biosensor exhibited excellent sensitivity, selectivity, reproducibility with a detection limit of 4.7 pg/mL. The amplification strategy adopted herein has potential for clinical detection of cancer biomarkers in point‐of‐care diagnostics.
The Programmatic Action Framework: An empirical assessment
Authors: Hassenteufel Patrick , Genieys William 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThis article starts with a discussion of the analytical issues of the Programmatic Action Framework (PAF); based on the hypothesis that small groups of individuals, sharing a similar analysis of a policy problem sustaining a common policy change program (including orientations, arguments, and instruments) giving them a collective identity, and behaving strategically as a collective actor, can be main drivers of policy change. We then present the methodological implications of the empirical analysis of such programmatic groups and policy change programs. The methodology of the Programmatic Action Framework combines tools coming from the sociology of elites (positional analysis, analysis of professional trajectories, relational analysis) and the sociology of the policy process. It was first applied in empirical researches on health insurance reforms in France and the United States since the 1980s, shedding the light on the key role of specialized policy elites (specialized senior civil servants in France, long‐term insiders in the United States). We conclude by stressing that, because of its systematic and encompassing empirical methodology, the Programmatic Action Framework can be used in a comparative way, in other policy sectors than health care.
Discussion of user‐defined parameters for recursive subspace identification: Application to seismic response of building structures
Authors: Huang Shieh‐Kung , Chen Jun‐Da , Loh Kenneth J. , Loh Chin‐Hsiung 
Published: August 2020

SummaryStructural damage assessment under external loading, such as earthquake excitation, is an important issue in structural safety evaluation. In this regard, an appropriate data analysis and system identification technique is required to interpret the measured data and to identify the state of the structure. Generally, the recursive system identification algorithm is used. In this study, the recursive subspace identification (RSI) algorithm based on the matrix inversion lemma algorithm with oblique projection technique (RSI‐Inversion‐Oblique) is applied to investigate the time‐varying dynamic characteristics. The user‐defined parameters used in the RSI‐Inversion‐Oblique technique are carefully discussed, which include the size of the data Hankel matrix (i), model order to extract the physical modes, and forgetting factor (FF) to detect the time‐varying system modal frequencies. Response data from the Northridge earthquake from the Sherman Oaks building (CSMIP) is used as an example to examine a systematic method to determine the suitable user‐defined parameters in RSI. It is concluded that the number of rows in the data Hankel matrix significantly influences the identification of the time‐varying fundamental modal frequency of the structure. An algorithmic model order selection method using the eigenvalue distribution of RSI‐Inversion can detect the system modal frequencies at each appending data window without causing any abnormality.
A permission‐combination scalable access control model for Internet of things
Authors: Zhang Qikun , Li Yongjiao , Zheng Chuanyang , Zhu Liang , Yuan Junling , Hu Sikang 
Published: August 2020

AbstractDevelopment of the Internet of things (IoT) is considered as one of the major events in modern manufacturing industry, and IoT devices are expected to create and exchange vast amounts of data, thereby bringing forth unprecedented challenges in terms of robust and vendor‐neutral data sharing. While access control is widely used to protect the security of data sharing, it still has some security flaws and limitations, such as privacy leakage, fixed access permissions, security vulnerabilities, and so on. Aiming at these problems, this article proposes a permission‐combination scalable access control (PCS‐AC) scheme, in which the methods of access permissions assignment, data encryption, and data access are given. In contrast to prior works, PCS‐AC differs in several significant ways: (1) it supports anonymous access and traceability. Anonymous access can prevent leakage of users' privacy. Traceability can track the illegally accessed entity when the resource is illegally accessed; (2) it supports scalable access to data resources. Users use a combination of attribute permissions to access data at different security levels; (3) it achieves high efficiency because the entity can quickly search ciphertext resources by plaintext keywords. After searching and downloading the ciphertext, decrypt it by group key to obtain the corresponding plaintext information. PCS‐AC is proven secure under the hardness assumption of Discrete Logarithm problem and Inverse Computational Diffe‐Hellman problem. The performance analysis shows that PCS‐AC has higher efficiency than the referred works.
The linkage between first‐hand pain sensitivity and empathy for others' pain: Attention matters
Authors: Li Xiaoyun , Liu Yang , Ye Qian , Lu Xuejing , Peng Weiwei 
Published: August 2020

AbstractMany studies suggested shared psychological and neural representations for first‐hand physical pain and empathy for others' pain, both of which depend strongly upon top–down controlled mechanisms such as attention. This study aimed to assess the interindividual variation in first‐hand physical pain and empathy for pain, and whether their relationship is dependent upon attention. We recruited participants exhibiting high and low sensitivity to first‐hand pain (HPS and LPS), and adopted pain empathy paradigms involving attention directed toward or withdrawn from pain of another. Relative to the LPS group, participants in the HPS group estimated greater pain intensity experienced by others, felt greater unpleasantness when viewing others in pain, and exhibited greater sensitivity in discriminating others' pain. Electroencephalographic data showed that when attention was directed toward others' pain, only participants in the HPS group exhibited significant pain empathic effects on the N1 component of event‐related potentials and on the α‐oscillation response. These empathic neural responses mediated the linkage between first‐hand pain sensitivity and empathic behavioral responses. Nevertheless, empathic responses were comparable between two groups when attention was withdrawn from others' pain. These results demonstrate a shared sensitivity to first‐hand pain and empathy for pain provided that attention is directed toward pain.
The performance of the courts in the digital era: The case of insolvency and restructuring proceedings
Authors: Frade Catarina , Fernando Paula , Conceição Ana Filipa 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe performance of the courts has been at the center of both political and public debates around the world and is one of the success indicators in the development of public policies on access to law and justice, particularly as regards the right to obtain a decision in reasonable time. The introduction of new information and communication technologies has been essential in extending this access to law and justice in two ways: as a way of making courts function more efficiently; and as an instrument for measuring and assessing the level of compliance with established policy objectives. Anchored in this “computerization of justice” movement, we intend to analyze its role in the overall performance of the courts in an important and central area for the economy and the functioning of the markets: corporate insolvency and restructuring. In order to achieve this purpose, a series of interviews was carried out with several key judicial players and stakeholders. What has been found in this research shows that day‐to‐day reality is not yet fully in line with policy purposes and legal provisions. Technologies still play an ambivalent role: despite streamlining processes, they raise new difficulties and challenges that require constant improvements.