bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The exchange of letters in early Sufism: A preliminary study
Authors: Salamah-Qudsi Arin 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis paper introduces the exchange of letters in early Sufism, analyses the significance of these exchanges, and examines these documents not for their general literary qualities or for theoretical discussion of appropriate conduct but, rather, for actual data relating to personal and interpersonal relationships. Furthermore, this paper emphasizes the crucial need for creating a corpus of Sufi letters and pieces of correspondence. The discussion is divided into methodological and conceptual-historical perspectives. The methodological perspective includes a survey of sources, the question of transmission, letter fragment usage by later authors, and a reconstruction attempt of the actual circumstances of these documents. The conceptual-historical perspective analyses content, rhetoric, argumentation forms, and self-representation.
Sleep Mediates Age-Related Executive Function for Older Adults with Limited Cognitive Reserve
Authors: Parker Denise , Bucks Romola S. , Rainey-Smith Stephanie R. , Hodgson Erica , Fine Lara , Sohrabi Hamid R. , Martins Ralph N. , Weinborn Michael 
Published: December 2020

AbstractObjective:Sleep quantity and quality are associated with executive function (EF) in experimental studies, and in individuals with sleep disorders. With advancing age, sleep quantity and quality decline, as does the ability to perform EF tasks, suggesting that sleep disruption may contribute to age-related EF declines. This cross-sectional cohort study tested the hypothesis that poorer sleep quality (i.e., the frequency and duration of awakenings) and/or quantity may partly account for age-related EF deficits.Method:Community-dwelling older adults (N = 184) completed actigraphic sleep monitoring then a range of EF tasks. Two EF factors were extracted using exploratory structural equation modeling. Sleep variables did not mediate the relationship between age and EF factors. Post hoc moderated mediation analyses were conducted to test whether cognitive reserve compensates for sleep-related EF deficits, using years of education as a proxy measure of cognitive reserve.Results:We found a significant interaction between cognitive reserve and the number and frequency of awakenings, explaining a small (approximately 3%), but significant amount of variance in EF. Specifically, in individuals with fewer than 11 years of education, greater sleep disturbance was associated with poorer EF, but sleep did not impact EF in those with more education. There was no association between age and sleep quantity.Conclusions:This study highlights the role of cognitive reserve in the sleep–EF relationship, suggesting individuals with greater cognitive reserve may be able to counter the impact of disturbed sleep on EF. Therefore, improving sleep may confer some protection against EF deficits in vulnerable older adults.
Association between tea drinking and plasma folate concentration among women aged 18–30 years in China
Authors: Jia Xiaoqian , Ren Mengyuan , Zhang Yali , Ye Rongwei , Zhang Le , Li Zhiwen 
Published: December 2020

AbstractObjective:Association was found between tea and neural tube defects. However, few studies investigated the relationship between tea consumption and blood folate levels. We aimed to investigate the association between tea consumption and plasma folate concentrations among women aged 18–30 years in different ethnicities of China.Design:Data were obtained from a national cross-sectional study conducted from 2005 to 2006 of women aged 18–30 years in China. Socio-demographic characteristics and lifestyle were obtained from a questionnaire. Dietary folate intake was determined by 24-h dietary recall. Plasma folate concentrations were measured by a microbiological assay. Multiple linear regression model was used to calculate partial regression coefficients after adjusting for confounding factors.Setting:Nine provinces or autonomous regions in China.Participants:A total of 2932 women aged 18–30 years in China.Results:After stratifying by ethnicity and tea type, tea consumption was significantly positively associated with plasma folate levels in Han women who drank unfermented tea weekly (β = 0·067, and P = 0·037) or daily (β = 0·119, and P = 0·031) and in Uighur women who drank fermented tea weekly (β = 0·325, and P = 0·028). For women who drank unfermented tea in Han ethnicity, weekly and daily tea drinkers had 6·77 % (95 % CI: 6·36 %, 7·21 %) and 7·13 % (95 % CI: 6·40 %, 7·96 %) increase in plasma folate concentration compared with no tea drinkers.Conclusions:There is a suggestion of possible positive association between unfermented tea drinking in Han ethnicity and plasma folate concentrations, for Chinese women aged 18–30 years. The relationship between tea drinking in other ethnic groups and plasma folate still needs to be further explored.
Associations between shopping patterns, dietary behaviours and geographic information system-assessed store accessibility among small food store customers
Authors: McGuirt Jared T , Wu Qiang , Laska Melissa N , Truesdale Kimberly P , Rafferty Ann P , Bell Ronny A , Ammerman Alice S , Jilcott Pitts Stephanie B 
Published: December 2020

AbstractObjective:To examine associations between geographic information systems (GIS)-assessed accessibility to small food stores, shopping patterns and dietary behaviours among small food store customers.Design:Residential addresses and customer shopping patterns (frequency of shopping, and previous purchase of fruits and vegetables) were gathered through customer intercept surveys. Addresses were geocoded, and GIS-assessed distance and driving time from the participants’ residence to the store were calculated. Dietary status and behaviours were assessed using an objective non-invasive measure of skin carotenoids, the National Cancer Institute Fruit and Vegetable Screener, and items to assess sugary beverage intake. Associations between distance and driving time, demographics, shopping frequency, prior reported purchase of fruits and vegetables at the store and dietary behaviours were examined.Setting:Small food stores (n 22) across North Carolina.Participants:Cross-sectional convenience samples of English-speaking customers aged 18 years or older (n 692).Results:Participants living closer to the small store had lower income and formal education, were more likely to be Black, more likely to have previously bought fruits and vegetables at the store and more frequently shopped at the store. In adjusted models, skin carotenoids (n 644) were positively associated with distance to the store from home in miles (P = 0·01).Conclusions:Customers who lived closer to the stores were more frequent shoppers and more likely to have previously purchased fruits and vegetables at the store yet had lower skin carotenoids. These results support continued efforts to examine how to increase the availability and promotion of healthful foods at small food retail stores.
Religion and the Israeli Welfare State: The Case of Burial Services
Authors: Holler Roni 
Published: December 2020

AbstractIn recent years, the welfare state literature has been witnessing a “religious turn,” (re)reminding us the pivotal role of religion in shaping the modern welfare state. Notwithstanding its theoretical importance, this turn has been largely confined to European, North American, and antipodean settings. By drawing upon the historical case of Israeli burial services, this study seeks to make a modest step in closing this theoretical and empirical gap. Specifically, its findings point to the historical role of the Judaism in establishing universal burial services, funded by the state and operated almost exclusively by religious burial societies. Moreover, this policy legacy, which already had its roots in the British Mandate rule, is still at work, even in an era of “permanent austerity.” These findings problematize mainstream historical observations, which view the Israeli welfare state as a secular project, by suggesting a more nuanced and progressive role for Judaism in its history.
Preferential Loss of High Trace Element Bearing Inner Calcite in Foraminifera During Physical and Chemical Cleaning
Authors: Fritz‐Endres Theresa , Fehrenbacher Jennifer 
Published: December 2020

AbstractTrace elements (TEs) in the calcite shells of foraminifera are widely used in paleoceanographic reconstructions. Nearly all TE analytical protocols include cleaning to remove contaminant phases. Understanding, how the TE composition is altered during physical and chemical cleaning is of utmost importance in ensuring the accuracy of paleoclimate reconstructions. Aggressive cleaning steps that include corrosive reagents are commonly used to clean shells with elevated Ba/Ca and Mn/Ca ratios, under the assumption that these elements are elevated due to diagenetic overprinting. We provide evidence that elevated intrashell Ba/Ca, Mn/Ca, and Zn/Ca ratios are lattice bound and a primary signal incorporated into inner calcite during calcification in the nonspinose species Neogloboquadrina dutertrei and Pulleniatina obliquiloculata. We first demonstrate, using laser ablation depth profiling analyses, that aggressive cleaning following the full cleaning protocol traditionally used to eliminate Mn and Ba contamination, preferentially removes inner (ontogenic) calcite and favors the low Ba/Ca, Mn/Ca, Zn/Ca, and Mg/Ca crust/cortex calcite. In a separate experiment, we demonstrate that mechanical fragmentation of bulk shells prepared for solution analysis also preferentially removes inner calcite and favors the low TE crust/cortex calcite. Preferential loss of the ontogenic calcite decreases Ba/Ca, Mn/Ca, and Zn/Ca ratios by 50%–90% in N. dutertrei and P. obliquiloculata shells. This biases foraminiferal TE results toward lower values and may yield data that is problematic for the interpretation of downcore records.
Contributions of World Regions to the Global Tropospheric Ozone Burden Change From 1980 to 2010
Authors: Zhang Yuqiang , West J. Jason , Emmons Louisa K. , Flemming Johannes , Jonson Jan Eiof , Lund Marianne T. , Sekiya Takashi , Sudo Kengo , Gaudel Audrey , Chang Kai‐Lan , Nédélec Philippe , Thouret Valérie 
Published: December 2020

AbstractWe investigate the contributions of emission changes from 10 world regions, as well as the global methane concentration change, on the global tropospheric ozone burden change from 1980 to 2010. The modeled global tropospheric ozone burden has increased by 28.1 Tg, with 26.7% (7.5 Tg) of this change attributed to the global methane increase. Southeast Asia (5.6 Tg) and South Asia (4.0) contribute comparably to the global ozone burden change as East Asia (5.6), even though NOx emission increases in each region are less than one‐third of those in East Asia, highlighting the greater sensitivity of global ozone to these regions. Emission decreases from North America, Europe, and Former Soviet Union have led to ozone burden decreases of 2.8, 1.0, and 0.3 Tg. The greater sensitivity of the global ozone burden to emission changes in tropical and subtropical regions emphasizes the importance of controlling emissions in these regions for global ozone.
An Analysis of the Performance of the Houston Lightning Mapping Array During an Intense Period of Convection During Tropical Storm Harvey
Authors: Logan Timothy 
Published: December 2020

AbstractExtreme lightning activity (∼300,000 flashes) was observed by the Houston Lightning Mapping Array (HLMA) network during Tropical Storm Harvey on August 26, 2017–August 27, 2017. There was an overall weak correlation between the lightning flash and precipitation rates (R = 0.14; p ∼ 0.17) likely due to feeder bands transitioning between deep and shallow convection. The peak precipitation rate (14.2 mm hr−1) lagged the peak lightning flash rate (∼18,000 flashes [30 min]−1) by 7 h. Adjusting for the lag, the correlation increased to 0.71 (p < 0.01) indicating a relationship between the uptick in lightning activity in the convective feeder bands and the resulting heavy precipitation during episodes of shallow convection. Peak lightning flash extent densities of 12.4 km−2 min−1 were spatially collocated with precipitation rates exceeding 9 mm hr−1. NEXRAD reflectivity data featured 30 dBZ echo heights in excess of 10 km that were collocated with peak lightning flash extent densities exceeding 3 km−2 min−1. The NEXRAD specific phase (kdp) and differential phase (Zdr) dual‐polarization products were highest (≥2° km−1 and dB) below the melting layer (4.6 km) indicating heavy precipitation and strong updrafts. Negative kdp and Zdr values (≤−0.15° km−1 and dB) collocated with the peak lightning flash extent density altitudes indicated ice particle generation which likely augmented the charge separation process. This is likely the first time a major tropical cyclone has occurred within the confines of a lightning mapping array. The lightning data, when used synergistically with radar and precipitation data, can adequately quantify tropical convection exhibiting an elevated mixed‐phase depth.
Land‐Surface Diurnal Effects on the Asymmetric Structures of a Postlandfall Tropical Storm
Authors: Zhang Feimin , Pu Zhaoxia , Wang Chenghai 
Published: December 2020

AbstractAfter a tropical storm makes landfall, its vortex interacts with the surrounding environment and the underlying surface. It is expected that diurnal variation over land will affect storm structures. However, this has not yet been explored in previous studies. In this paper, numerical simulation of postlandfall Tropical Storm Bill (2015) is conducted using a research version of the NCEP Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) model. Results indicate that during the storm's interaction with midlatitude westerlies over the Great Plains, the simulated storm with the SLAB land‐surface scheme is stronger, with faster eastward movement and attenuation, and more asymmetric structures than that with the NOAH land‐surface scheme. More symmetric structures correspond with a slower weakening and slower eastward movement of the storm over land. Further diagnoses suggest an obvious response of the storm's asymmetric structures to diurnal effects over land. Surface diabatic heating in the storm environment is important for the storm's symmetric structures and intensity over land. Specifically, during the transition from nighttime to daytime, the evident strengthening of convective instability, atmospheric baroclinicity, and the lateral advection of high air in the storm environment, associated with the rapid increase in surface diabatic heating, are conducive to the development of vertical vorticity and storm‐relative helicity, thus contributing to the maintenance of the storm's symmetric structures and intensity after landfall.
A therapeutic combination of two small molecule toxin inhibitors provides broad preclinical efficacy against viper snakebite
Authors: Albulescu Laura-Oana , Xie Chunfang , Ainsworth Stuart , Alsolaiss Jaffer , Crittenden Edouard , Dawson Charlotte A. , Softley Rowan , Bartlett Keirah E. , Harrison Robert A. , Kool Jeroen , Casewell Nicholas R. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractSnakebite is a medical emergency causing high mortality and morbidity in rural tropical communities that typically experience delayed access to unaffordable therapeutics. Viperid snakes are responsible for the majority of envenomings, but extensive interspecific variation in venom composition dictates that different antivenom treatments are used in different parts of the world, resulting in clinical and financial snakebite management challenges. Here, we show that a number of repurposed Phase 2-approved small molecules are capable of broadly neutralizing distinct viper venom bioactivities in vitro by inhibiting different enzymatic toxin families. Furthermore, using murine in vivo models of envenoming, we demonstrate that a single dose of a rationally-selected dual inhibitor combination consisting of marimastat and varespladib prevents murine lethality caused by venom from the most medically-important vipers of Africa, South Asia and Central America. Our findings support the translation of combinations of repurposed small molecule-based toxin inhibitors as broad-spectrum therapeutics for snakebite.
Striking forest revival at the end of the Roman Period in north-western Europe
Authors: Lambert C. , Penaud A. , Vidal M. , Gandini C. , Labeyrie L. , Chauvaud L. , Ehrhold A. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe Holocene period (last 11,700 years BP) has been marked by significant climate variability over decadal to millennial timescales. The underlying mechanisms are still being debated, despite ocean–atmosphere–land connections put forward in many paleo-studies. Among the main drivers, involving a cluster of spectral signatures and shaping the climate of north-western Europe, are solar activity, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) varying atmospheric regimes and North Atlantic oceanic gyre dynamics. Over the last 2500 years BP, paleo-environmental signals have been strongly affected by anthropogenic activities through deforestation and land use for crops, grazing, habitations, or access to resources. Palynological proxies (especially pollen grains and marine or freshwater microalgae) help to highlight such anthropogenic imprints over natural variability. Palynological analyses conducted in a macro-estuarine sedimentary environment of north-western France over the last 2500 years BP reveal a huge and atypical 300 year-long arboreal increase between 1700 and 1400 years BP (around 250 and 550 years AD) that we refer to as the ‘1.7–1.4 ka Arboreal Pollen rise event’ or ‘1.7–1.4 ka AP event’. Interestingly, the climatic 1700–1200 years BP interval coincides with evidence for the withdrawal of coastal societies in Brittany (NW France), in an unfavourable socio-economic context. We suggest that subpolar North Atlantic gyre strengthening and related increasing recurrence of storminess extremes may have affected long-term coastal anthropogenic trajectories resulting in a local collapse of coastal agrarian societies, partly forced by climatic degradation at the end of the Roman Period.
Isolation and molecular characterization of multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli from chicken meat
Authors: Rahman Md. Masudur , Husna Asmaul , Elshabrawy Hatem A. , Alam Jahangir , Runa Nurjahan Yasmin , Badruzzaman A. T. M. , Banu Nahid Arjuman , Al Mamun Mohammad , Paul Bashudeb , Das Shobhan , Rahman Md. Mahfujur , Mahbub-E-Elahi A. T. M. , Khairalla Ahmed S. , Ashour Hossam M. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractAntibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) are common in retail poultry products. In this study, we aimed to isolate and characterize multidrug resistant (MDR) E. coli in raw chicken meat samples collected from poultry shops in Sylhet division, Bangladesh, as well as to determine correlation between resistance phenotype and genotype. A total of 600 chicken meat swabs (divided equally between broiler and layer farms, n = 300 each) were collected and the isolates identified as E. coli (n = 381) were selected. Disc diffusion antimicrobial susceptibility assay showed resistance of these isolates to ampicillin, erythromycin, tetracycline, streptomycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, chloramphenicol, and gentamicin. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) identified several antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in our isolates. Among these ARGs, the prevalence of tetA (for tetracycline) was the highest (72.58%) in broiler chicken isolates, followed by sul1 (for sulfonamide; 44.16%), aadA1 (for streptomycin; 33.50%), ereA (for erythromycin; 27.41%), aac-3-IV (for gentamicin; 25.38%), and the two genes cmlA (24.87%) and catA1 (8.63%) for chloramphenicol. On the other hand, the respective prevalence in layer chicken isolates were 82.06%, 47.83%, 35.87%, 35.33%, 23.91%, 19.02%, and 5.43%. Furthermore, 49.23% of the isolates from broiler chicken were MDR, with the presence of multiple antibiotic resistance genes, including 3 (40.11%) and 4 (9.13%) genes. On the other hand, 51.09% of layer chicken E. coli isolates were MDR, with 3, 4 or 5 ARGs detected in 36.41%, 14.13%, and 0.54% of the isolates, respectively. We also found that 12.8% of broiler chicken E. coli isolates and 7.61% of layer chicken isolates carried genes coding for extended-spectrum SHV beta-lactamases. Lastly, we report the presence of the AmpC beta-lactamase producing gene (CITM) in 4.56% and 3.26% of broiler and layer chicken E. coli isolates, respectively. We found significant correlations between most of the antimicrobial resistant phenotypes and genotypes observed among the investigated E. coli isolates. Our findings highlight the need for the prudent use of antimicrobials in chickens to minimize the development of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains.
Porcine rotavirus B as primary causative agent of diarrhea outbreaks in newborn piglets
Authors: Miyabe Flavia Megumi , Dall Agnol Alais Maria , Leme Raquel Arruda , Oliveira Thalita Evani Silva , Headley Selwyn Arlington , Fernandes Thiago , de Oliveira Admilton Gonçalves , Alfieri Alice Fernandes , Alfieri Amauri Alcindo 
Published: December 2020

AbstractRotavirus (RV) is considered a major cause of acute viral gastroenteritis in young animals. RV is classified into nine species, five of which have been identified in pigs. Most studies worldwide have highlighted diarrhoea outbreaks caused by RVA, which is considered the most important RV species. In the present study, we described the detection and characterization of porcine RVB as a primary causative agent of diarrhoea outbreaks in pig herds in Brazil. The study showed a high frequency (64/90; 71.1%) of RVB diagnosis in newborn piglets associated with marked histopathological lesions in the small intestines. Phylogenetic analysis of the VP7 gene of wild-type RVB strains revealed a high diversity of G genotypes circulating in one geographic region of Brazil. Our findings suggest that RVB may be considered an important primary enteric pathogen in piglets and should be included in the routine differential diagnosis of enteric diseases in piglets.
DriveWays: a method for identifying possibly overlapping driver pathways in cancer
Authors: Baali Ilyes , Erten Cesim , Kazan Hilal 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe majority of the previous methods for identifying cancer driver modules output nonoverlapping modules. This assumption is biologically inaccurate as genes can participate in multiple molecular pathways. This is particularly true for cancer-associated genes as many of them are network hubs connecting functionally distinct set of genes. It is important to provide combinatorial optimization problem definitions modeling this biological phenomenon and to suggest efficient algorithms for its solution. We provide a formal definition of the Overlapping Driver Module Identification in Cancer (ODMIC) problem. We show that the problem is NP-hard. We propose a seed-and-extend based heuristic named DriveWays that identifies overlapping cancer driver modules from the graph built from the IntAct PPI network. DriveWays incorporates mutual exclusivity, coverage, and the network connectivity information of the genes. We show that DriveWays outperforms the state-of-the-art methods in recovering well-known cancer driver genes performed on TCGA pan-cancer data. Additionally, DriveWay’s output modules show a stronger enrichment for the reference pathways in almost all cases. Overall, we show that enabling modules to overlap improves the recovery of functional pathways filtered with known cancer drivers, which essentially constitute the reference set of cancer-related pathways.