bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Full-length and C-terminal neurogranin in Alzheimer’s disease cerebrospinal fluid analyzed by novel ultrasensitive immunoassays
Authors: Öhrfelt Annika , Dumurgier Julien , Zetterberg Henrik , Vrillon Agathe , Ashton Nicholas J. , Kvartsberg Hlin , Bouaziz-Amar Elodie , Hugon Jacques , Paquet Claire , Blennow Kaj 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundNeurogranin (Ng) is a neuron-specific and postsynaptic protein that is abundantly expressed in the brain, particularly in the dendritic spine of the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. The enzymatic cleavage of Ng produces fragments that are released into cerebrospinal (CSF), which have been shown to be elevated in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients and predict cognitive decline. Thus, quantification of distinctive cleavage products of Ng could elucidate different features of the disease.MethodsIn this study, we developed novel ultrasensitive single molecule array (Simoa) assays for measurement of full-length neurogranin (FL-Ng) and C-terminal neurogranin (CT-Ng) fragments in CSF. The Ng Simoa assays were evaluated in CSF samples from AD patients (N = 23), mild cognitive impairment due to AD (MCI-AD) (N = 18), and from neurological controls (N = 26).ResultsThe intra-assay repeatability and inter-assay precision of the novel methods had coefficients of variation below 7% and 14%, respectively. CSF FL-Ng and CSF CT-Ng median concentrations were increased in AD patients (6.02 ng/L,P < 0.00001 and 452 ng/L,P = 0.00001, respectively) and in patients with MCI-AD (5.69 ng/L,P < 0.00001 and 566 ng/L,P < 0.00001) compared to neurological controls (0.644 ng/L and 145 ng/L). The median CSF ratio of CT-Ng/FL-Ng were decreased in AD patients (ratio = 101,P = 0.008) and in patients with MCI-AD (ratio = 115,P = 0.016) compared to neurological controls (ratio = 180). CSF of FL-Ng, CT-Ng, and ratio of CT-Ng/FL-Ng could each significantly differentiate AD patients from controls (FL-Ng, AUC = 0.907; CT-Ng, AUC = 0.913; CT-Ng/FL-Ng, AUC = 0.775) and patients with MCI-AD from controls (FL-Ng, AUC = 0.937; CT-Ng, AUC = 0.963; CT-Ng/FL-Ng, AUC = 0.785).ConclusionsAssessments of the FL-Ng and CT-Ng levels in CSF with the novel sensitive immunoassays provide a high separation of AD from controls, even in early phase of the disease. The novel Ng assays are robust and highly sensitive and may be valuable tools to study synaptic alteration in AD, as well as to monitor the effect on synaptic integrity of novel drug candidates in clinical trials.
Pattern of kidney diseases in Northern India: an overview through histopathological findings in biopsy-proven cases
Authors: Kumar Sanjay , Kumari Anita , Agrawal Satish C. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundA kidney biopsy is being increasingly performed for the diagnosis of renal diseases. It is a reasonably safe procedure that helps not only to reach the correct diagnosis based on histopathological findings but also helps in predicting the clinical course and outcome. The pattern of kidney diseases varies not only in far apart geographical regions but also in the same country. This study was done to evaluate the demographic pattern and spectrum of kidney diseases in renal biopsy-proven cases in an admitted patient of a tertiary care hospital of northern India.ResultsThe mean age of patients was 41.3 years ± 18.39 years, and the male-to-female ratio was 1.7:1. The most common indication for biopsy in this study was nephrotic syndrome (40.5%). The primary glomerular disease was most common, accounting for 57.5% of cases. Membranous nephropathy (MN) was the most frequently observed histopathological diagnosis not only in the primary glomerular disease category (22.9%) but of all cases (13.2%) as well. Among secondary cases, diabetic nephropathy was most frequent, constituting 43.4% cases. Interstitial and vascular diseases accounted for 18.8% and 1.8% of total cases, respectively. While minimal change disease (MCD) was the most common diagnosis in < 18-year age group, membranous nephropathy was most common above this age. Regarding the gender factor, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis had an equal distribution among both genders, while MCD had a female preponderance.ConclusionsPrimary glomerular disease is the predominant kidney disease in northern India with MN being the most common histopathological diagnosis. The spectrum of kidney diseases varied with patient’s age and gender.
MicroRNA-9-5p inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of human hypertrophic scar fibroblasts through targeting peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β
Authors: Chai Chi-Yung , Tai I.-Chun , Zhou Rui , Song Junlong , Zhang Chaoying , Sun Shengrong 
Published: December 2020

ABSTRACTHypertrophic scar (HS) is a dermal fibro-proliferative disorder result from abnormal wound healing after skin injury. MicroRNA-9-5p (miR-9-5p) has been reported to be upregulated and closely related to collagen proteins in human dermal fibroblasts. However, the correlation and possible mechanism between miR-9-5p and HS require further investigation. The expressions of miR-9-5p in HS tissues and HS fibroblasts were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). The expression level of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β (PPARβ) was measured by RT-qPCR assay. The protein levels of PPARβ, α-SMA, Vimentin, COL1A, cyclin D1, bcl-2, and bax were detected by western blot assay. The effect of miR-9-5p and PPARβ on HS fibroblasts proliferation and apoptosis were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry assays. The interaction between miR-9-5p and PPARβ was predicted by TargetScan, and then confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay. MiR-9-5p expression was downregulated in HS tissues and HS fibroblasts. MiR-9-5p inhibited the levels of extracellular matrix-associated genes (α-SMA, Vimentin, COL1A) in HS fibroblasts. MiR-9-5p repressed proliferation and induced apoptosis of HS fibroblasts. PPARβ is a target gene of miR-9-5p. The silencing of PPARβ expression hindered proliferation and expedited apoptosis of HS fibroblasts. MiR-9-5p suppressed proliferation and promoted apoptosis of HS fibroblasts by targeting PPARβ. In this paper, we firstly disclosed that miR-9-5p hampered extracellular matrix deposition and proliferation, and induced apoptosis by targeting PPARβ in HS fibroblasts. Our findings provided a new role of miR-9-5p/PPARβ in the occurrence and development of HS fibroblasts, promising a new target for HS.
Αναθεωρώντας τη διαφοροποιημένη διδασκαλία στο νηπιαγωγείο
Authors: Μαβίδου Αναστασία 
Published: December 2020

Η θεμελιώδης αποδοχή ότι κάθε παιδί είναι μοναδικό σημαίνει την ύπαρξη ποικίλων διαφορών σε γνωστικό και κοινωνικό επίπεδο μεταξύ των παιδιών. Δεδομένου ότι αυτά τα χαρακτηριστικά επηρεάζουν τη μάθηση, οι εκπαιδευτικοί καλούνται να ανταποκριθούν αποτελεσματικά στην αξιοποίηση αυτής της ετερογένειας. Η Διαφοροποιημένη Διδασκαλία (ΔΔ) θεωρείται μία καινοτόμα διδακτική προσέγγιση, η οποία στοχεύει στη μεγιστοποίηση της μάθησης για το κάθε παιδί, λαμβάνοντας υπόψη τις ανάγκες του κάθε παιδιού στην οικοδόμηση της διδασκαλίας. Παρόλο, που υπάρχουν αρκετές έρευνες που να συνηγορούν στη θετική επίδραση της ΔΔ στα παιδιά, υπάρχει σημαντικό έλλειμα στην εφαρμογή της στο πεδίο της προσχολικής εκπαίδευσης, όπου προωθείται η Διαθεματική προσέγγιση της γνώσης. Για το λόγο αυτό, η παρούσα δημοσίευση συζητά τα αδύναμα σημεία της ΔΔ, στα οποία έχει ασκηθεί έντονη κριτική (π.χ. μαθησιακό προφίλ/μαθησιακό στυλ, ερμηνεία των ενδιαφερόντων), η οποία αναπόφευκτα οδηγεί στην αναθεώρηση και τον εκσυγχρονισμό του πλαισίου της ΔΔ, προκειμένου να αυξηθεί η εφαρμοσιμότητά της στην προσχολική εκπαίδευση. Οι προτάσεις του αναθεωρημένου πλαισίου αφορούν την ένταξη της διαθεματικότητας, την έμφαση στην αυθεντική αξιολόγηση, την τοποθέτηση του μαθησιακού στυλ σε δευτερεύοντα ρόλο, την ερμηνεία των ενδιαφερόντων σύμφωνα με σύγχρονα ερευνητικά πορίσματα. Επίσης, συζητώνται οι εκπαιδευτικές προεκτάσεις, αλλά και η ανάγκη για περαιτέρω έρευνα και εφαρμογή, ώστε να αποδειχθεί η αποτελεσματικότητά του στην προσχολική τάξη.
The impact of liver disease on mortality in cystic fibrosis - a systematic review protocol
Authors: Sasame Ao , Connolly Lucy , Fitzpatrick Emer , Stokes Diarmuid , Bourke Billy , Rowland Marion 
Published: December 2020

Background Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a multiorgan disease affecting the lungs pancreas and gastrointestinal tract. Pulmonary complications are the most common manifestation of the disease. Recent advances in the treatment of pulmonary complications have resulted in substantial improvement in life expectancy. Less than 10% of persons with CF (PWCF) develop liver disease (CFLD). There is conflicting evidence about impact of liver disease on mortality in CF, with evidence suggesting that CFLD contributes to increased mortality in CF, while other studies suggest that the impact on mortality is limited. Understanding the contribution of liver disease to mortality in CF is essential if further improvements in life expectancy are to be achieved. Objective: To document the impact of liver disease on life expectancy for PWCF. Methods: This systematic review will be conducted in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P 2015). PubMed, Medline and Embase will be searched for English language publications (1949-2020). Studies reporting the outcome for CFLD will be included where the definition of CFLD is outlined clearly in a CF population. Studies with and without a comparator will be evaluated. Clinical trials of ursodeoxycholic acid will be excluded as well as organ transplantation outcome studies. We will examine all-cause and specific causes of mortality.We will include transplantation in our estimates of all-cause mortality. The Axis Risk of Bias Tool for Observational Studies will be used to evaluate the quality of studies. We will provide a narrative synthesis of our findings using tabular formats to highlight any impact of liver disease on mortality in CF. Conclusion: It is anticipated that this review will bring clarity to the question of whether CFLD shortens life expectancy in PWCF and stimulate new approaches to the management of CFLD.
Domain estimators calibrated on information from another survey
Authors: Särndal Carl-Erik , Traat Imbi 
Published: December 2020

We examine calibration estimation in a setting where two surveys are conducted on the same finite population. Some variables of study are common to the two surveys, but the second one requires greater detail in the statistics produced than the already published first one. More specifically, we require estimates for sub-populations, called domains, that are identified only in the second survey to add up consistently to known or estimated totals published for the common variables in the first survey. We outline and study several options for deriving calibration estimators for the domains identified in the second survey. We obtain explicit expressions showing how the calibration weights are related in the different approaches. The concluding section presents the results of a simulation study, comparing the precisions attained in the different options.
Low-cost MIMO-RoF-PON architecture for next-generation integrated wired and wireless access networks
Authors: Dahawi T. H. , Yusoff Z. , Salleh M. S. , Senior J. M. 
Published: December 2020

Next-generation integrated fiber-wireless access networks will require low-cost and high-capacity deployment to meet customer demand. A new configuration of radio over fiber–passive optical network (RoF-PON) architecture, including two 60 GHz multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) based on a 5G universal filtered multicarrier waveform and wired signal utilizing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), is described. At the optical line terminal, MIMO signals are integrated as upper and lower sidebands of the wired OFDM signal. This integration approach, employing single-sideband frequency translation, reduces the complexity of the transceiver design and provides high spectral efficiency because the two MIMO-RoF and wired signals transmit at the same frequency. Improved techniques are also employed to upconvert and downconvert the 60 GHz millimeter wave (MMW), being remote optical heterodyning and self-heterodyning, respectively. The MIMO-RoF signals are therefore transmitted at low frequency over the standard single-mode fiber to avoid the impairments induced at higher frequencies, and the remote optical local oscillator is reused to downconvert the two 60 GHz MMWs, producing a cost-effective system. Simulation results demonstrate very satisfactory network performance when using a downstream link over a 20 km span standard PON.
Meningitis patients with Angiostrongylus cantonensis may present without eosinophilia in the cerebrospinal fluid in northern Vietnam
Authors: Hiraoka Tomoko , Cuong Ngo Chi , Hamaguchi Sugihiro , Kikuchi Mihoko , Katoh Shungo , Anh Le Kim , Anh Nguyen Thi Hien , Anh Dang Duc , Smith Chris , Maruyama Haruhiko , Yoshida Lay-Myint , Cuong Do Duy , Thuy Pham Thanh , Ariyoshi Koya 
Published: December 2020

Background
Eosinophilic meningitis (EM) is a rare clinical syndrome caused by both infectious and noninfectious diseases. In tropical pacific countries, Angiostrongylus cantonensis is the most common cause. However, the EM definition varies in the literature, and its relation to parasitic meningitis (PM) remains unclear.

Methodology/Principal findings
Adult and adolescent patients of 13 years old or above with suspected central nervous system (CNS) infections with abnormal CSF findings were prospectively enrolled at a tertiary referral hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam from June 2012 to May 2014. Patients with EM or suspected PM (EM/PM) were defined by the presence of either ≥10% eosinophils or an absolute eosinophil cell counts of ≥10/mm3 in the CSF or blood eosinophilia (>16% of WBCs) without CSF eosinophils. In total 679 patients were enrolled: 7 (1.03%) had ≥10% CSF eosinophilia, 20 (2.95%) had ≥10/mm3 CSF eosinophilia, and 7 (1.03%) had >16% blood eosinophilia. The patients with ≥10% CSF eosinophilia were significantly younger (p = 0.017), had a lower body temperature (p = 0.036) than patients with ≥10/mm3 CSF eosinophilia among whom bacterial pathogens were detected in 72.2% (13/18) of those who were tested by culture and/or PCR. In contrast, the characteristics of the patients with >16% blood eosinophilia resembled those of patients with ≥10% CSF eosinophilia. We further conducted serological tests and real-time PCR to identify A. cantonensis. Serology or real-time PCR was positive in 3 (42.8%) patients with ≥10% CSF eosinophilia and 6 (85.7%) patients with >16% blood eosinophilia without CSF eosinophils but none of patients with ≥10/mm3 CSF eosinophilia.

Conclusions
The etiology of PM in northern Vietnam is A. cantonensis. The eosinophil percentage is a more reliable predictor of parasitic EM than absolute eosinophil count in the CSF. Patients with PM may present with a high percentage of eosinophils in the peripheral blood but not in the CSF.
Using WGCNA (weighted gene co-expression network analysis) to identify the hub genes of skin hair follicle development in fetus stage of Inner Mongolia cashmere goat
Authors: Wu Zhihong , Hai Erhan , Di Zhengyang , Ma Rong , Shang Fangzheng , Wang Yu , Wang Min , Liang Lili , Rong Youjun , Pan Jianfeng , Wu Wenbin , Su Rui , Wang Zhiying , Wang Ruijun , Zhang Yanjun , Li Jinquan 
Published: December 2020

ObjectiveMature hair follicles represent an important stage of hair follicle development, which determines the stability of hair follicle structure and its ability to enter the hair cycle. Here, we used weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify hub genes of mature skin and hair follicles in Inner Mongolian cashmere goats.MethodsWe used transcriptome sequencing data for the skin of Inner Mongolian cashmere goats from fetal days 45–135 days, and divided the co expressed genes into different modules by WGCNA. Characteristic values were used to screen out modules that were highly expressed in mature skin follicles. Module hub genes were then selected based on the correlation coefficients between the gene and module eigenvalue, gene connectivity, and Gene Ontology (GO)/Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis. The results were confirmed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).ResultsTen modules were successfully defined, of which one, with a total of 3166 genes, was selected as a specific module through sample and gene expression pattern analyses. A total of 584 candidate hub genes in the module were screened by the correlation coefficients between the genes and module eigenvalue and gene connectivity. Finally, GO/KEGG functional enrichment analyses detected WNT10A as a key gene in the development and maturation of skin hair follicles in fetal Inner Mongolian cashmere goats. qPCR showed that the expression trends of 13 genes from seven fetal skin samples were consistent with the sequencing results, indicating that the sequencing results were reliable.n
Zaynaddīn Ibn al-ʿAǧamī’s (591–674/1195–1276) Kitāb iʿǧāz al-munāǧī fī l-alġāz wa-l-aḥāǧī: A Thirteenth-Century Arabic Riddle Book
Authors: Papoutsakis Nefeli 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
This article presents a hitherto unnoted and unpublished thirteenth-century Arabic work on riddles. Zaynaddīn Ibn al-ʿAǧamī’s (591–674/1195–1276) Kitāb iʿǧāz al-munāǧī fī l-alġāz wa-l-aḥāǧī (The Confidant’s Bemusement: On Riddles and Charades) is the first surviving Arabic collection of literary riddles by a single author. The Aleppine littérateur and religious scholar Ibn al-ʿAǧamī composed this book for al-Malik an-Nāṣir Yūsuf, the last Ayyubid ruler of Aleppo and Damascus (r. 634–658/1236–1260). The work is an extensive collection of riddles in verse and prose. All the riddles were composed and subsequently solved and explained by Ibn al-ʿAǧamī himself. The book, which testifies to the popularity of this genre in Ayyubid Syria, survives in a unique manuscript that has been falsely catalogued as a copy of an earlier work on riddles. Despite its importance for the history of the Arabic literary riddle, its existence has therefore remained unknown.
History, piety and factional politics in the Arabic chronicle of the Maldives: Ḥasan Tāj al-Dīn’s Ta’rīkh and its continuations
Authors: Peacock Andrew C. S. 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The Arabic chronicle (Ta’rīkh) of the Maldives composed by the qadi Ḥasan Tāj al-Dīn (d. 1139/1727) and continued by his nephew Muḥammad Muḥibb al-Dīn (1118/1706-1199/1785) and his grandson Ibrāhīm Sirāj al-Dīn (d. after 1243/1827) is major but unexploited source for not just Maldivian but also Indian Ocean history more broadly. Covering Maldivian history from the purported date of the islands’ conversion to Islam in 548/1143, the Ta’rīkh is also imbued with a specific pious and ethical agenda. It seeks to situate the Maldives in the broader context of Islamic history stretching back to the Rāshidūn Caliphs, while using the past to impart ethical lessons to its audience, ostensibly the Maldivian sultans. However, its authors were also deeply involved in the Maldives’ tumultuous political life, and their presentation of events is also influenced by their own personal experiences and factional affiliations. This article explores the pious, ethical and political agenda of the Ta’rīkh.
Écrire et réécrire l’histoire druze des origines
Authors: Halawi Wissam H. 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
In his work ʿUmdat al-ʿārifīn, Šayḫ al-Ašrafānī, a Druze scholar living in Syria in the 11th/17th century, composed a Druze history of origins for the entire community. This universal history portrays Druzism as an inherent part of human history, like the other monotheistic doctrines. The author thus offers a theological account of the birth of Druzism by tracing a linear discourse of world history from Adam to the Druze daʿwa (preaching) in the 5th/11th century. Al-Ašrafānī also attributes an Islamic character to Druzism by drawing on the Druze sacred text as well as exegetical literature from the late 9th/15th century, while highlighting the Islamic nature of Druzism and its pre-eminence. This rewriting of history in the 11th/17th century contributed to the popularization of Druzism, as attested in other texts from the same period. While al-Ašrafānī did not greatly influence his contemporaries, his work was of considerable importance in the Druze communities of Bilād al-Šām afterwards. Indeed, ʿUmdat al-ʿārifīn had such a substantial impact on Druze historiography that it became a historical source for writing and rewriting the Druze history of origins. Despite being quoted extensively by modern Druze historians, it remains unpublished, being kept secret in the community.
More than Welfare: The Experiences of Employed and Unemployed Ontario Basic Income Recipients
Authors: Ferdosi Mohammad , McDowell Tom 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis article explores the experiences of employed and unemployed Ontario Basic Income recipients in the Hamilton and Brantford pilot site. Integrating data from surveys and interviews, the self-reported outcomes of both groups are summarized. These outcomes pertain to employment, physical health, mental health, use of health services, food security, housing stability, financial well-being and social activities. The article highlights the difference in the degree of improvements between recipients who were working before and during the pilot versus those who were not employed at both times. Its broad conclusion is that both groups reported significant benefits, but it was recipients who were continuously employed that reported the greatest improvements. This suggests that basic income could be an important policy tool to improve the lives of low-income and precarious workers in Ontario and perhaps elsewhere.
Automatisierte Ungleichheit
Authors: Mühlhoff Rainer 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis paper sets out the notion of a current “biopolitical turn of digital capitalism” resulting from the increasing deployment of AI and data analytics technologies in the public sector. With applications of AI-based automated decisions currently shifting from the domain of business to customer (B2C) relations to government to citizen (G2C) relations, a new form of governance arises that operates through “algorithmic social selection”. Moreover, the paper describes how the ethics of AI is at an impasse concerning these larger societal and socioeconomic trends and calls for an ethics of AI that includes, and acts in close alliance with, social and political philosophy. As an example, the problem of Predictive Analytics is debated to make the point that data-driven AI (Machine Learning) is currently one of the main ethical challenges in the ethics of AI.
Composite of polylactic acid and microcellulose from kombucha membranes
Authors: Arteaga-Ballesteros Bárbara Estefanía , Guevara-Morales Andrea , Martín-Martínez Eduardo San , Figueroa-López Ulises , Vieyra Horacio 
Published: December 2020

AbstractPolylactic acid (PLA) is one of the main components of biodegradable and biocompatible composites. Bacterial cellulose from kombucha membranes is an excellent candidate to be used as a natural filler of eco-composites because it is renewable, has low cost, low density, and acceptable specific strength properties, and is biodegradable. The study aimed to prepare composites of PLA and bacterial cellulose to produce a biodegradable and compostable material. The bacterial microcellulose was obtained from kombucha membranes and blended with PLA by extrusion. The composites contained a PLA with 1%, 3%, and 5% of cellulose. We characterized the PLA, bacterial microcellulose, and composites to ascertain their size and aspect, degree of crystallinity, distribution of the cellulose into PLA, and their mechanical properties. We observed an increase in crystallinity proportional to the cellulose content for the blends and found that the 3% cellulose blend withstands the stress of up to 40 MPa and temperatures up to 120°C before distortion.