bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Widespread freshwater carbonate in the Olduvai Basin, a precursor to a major eruption in the East African Rift System
Authors: Ashley Gail M. , de Wet Carol B. , Houser Leah M. , Delaney Jeremy S. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractFreshwater limestones are uncommon in the sedimentary record of the East African Rift System. Recent research in the Olduvai Basin, Tanzania has revealed an extensive carbonate unit ca 1.8 Ma in age that varies spatially in thickness, petrography, trace element and rare earth geochemistry, C and O isotope values and freshwater microfossils. Five distinct lithologies are recognized. Four reflect deposition in carbonate‐rich environments that occurred at the same time in a catena‐like pattern over a heterogeneous landscape: spring, wetland, freshwater lake/pond and saline playa lake. The fifth is carbonate nodular soil that formed by paedogenesis on areas of topographically higher terrane. The δ18O of the carbonate, as negative as −6.5‰, indicates that the groundwater is meteoritic derived. The origin of the carbonate comprising this thick, extensive, isochronostratigraphic deposit has not been determined, but it is believed that carbonatite volcanism may have supplied elevated levels of carbonate to the basin which then entered the groundwater system. The carbonate was deposited just prior to a major trachyte‐phonolite eruption of Mount Olmoti, and the deposition of a basin wide tuff, Tuff IF. The region is seismically active today and seismic events were likely associated with Olmoti volcanism. The widespread carbonate unit may have preceded the Olmoti eruption and formed from a recurring seismically induced increase in aquifer porosity and permeability. The carbonate‐enriched groundwater episodically discharged onto the land surface, interacting locally with both fresh and saline ponded water.
Quantifying water requirements of African ungulates through a combination of functional traits
Authors: Kihwele Emilian S. , Mchomvu Victor , Owen‐Smith Norman , Hetem Robyn S. , Hutchinson Matthew C. , Potter Arjun B. , Olff Han , Veldhuis Michiel P. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractClimate and land use change modify surface water availability in African savannas. Surface water is a key resource for both wildlife and livestock and its spatial and temporal distribution is important for understanding the composition of large herbivore assemblages in savannas. Yet, the extent to which ungulate species differ in their water requirements remains poorly quantified. Here, we infer the water requirements of 48 African ungulates by combining six different functional traits related to physiological adaptations to reduce water loss, namely minimum dung moisture, relative dung pellet size, relative surface area of the distal colon, urine osmolality, relative medullary thickness, and evaporation rate. In addition, we investigated how these differences in water requirements relate to differences in dietary water intake. We observed strong correlations between traits related to water loss through dung, urine and evaporation, suggesting that ungulates minimize water loss through multiple pathways simultaneously, which suggests that each trait can thus be used independently to predict water requirements. Furthermore, we found that browsers and grazers had similar water requirements, but browsers are expected to be less dependent on surface water because they acquire more water through their diet. We conclude that these key functional traits are a useful way to determine differences in water requirements and an important tool for predicting changes in herbivore community assembly resulting from changes in surface water availability.
Reactive fibrosis precedes doxorubicin‐induced heart failure through sterile inflammation
Authors: Tanaka Ryo , Umemura Masanari , Narikawa Masatoshi , Hikichi Mayu , Osaw Kohei , Fujita Takayuki , Yokoyama Utako , Ishigami Tomoaki , Tamura Kouichi , Ishikawa Yoshihiro 
Published: January 2020

AbstractAimsDoxorubicin (DOX)‐induced heart failure has a poor prognosis, and effective treatments have not been established. Because DOX shows cumulative cardiotoxicity, we hypothesized that minimal cardiac remodelling occurred at the initial stage in activating cardiac fibroblasts. Our aim was to investigate the initial pathophysiology of DOX‐exposed cardiac fibroblasts and propose prophylaxis.Methods and resultsAn animal study was performed using a lower dose of DOX (4 mg/kg/week for 3 weeks, i.p.) than a toxic cumulative dose. Histological analysis was performed with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP nick‐end labelling assay, picrosirius red staining, and immunohistochemical staining. The mechanism was analysed in vitro with a low dose of DOX, which did not induce cell apoptosis. Microarray analysis was performed. Differentially expressed genes were confirmed by enrichment analysis. Mitochondrial damage was assessed by mitochondrial membrane potential. The production of inflammatory cytokines and fibrosis markers was assessed by western blot, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and ELISA. A phosphokinase antibody array was performed to detect related signalling pathways. Low‐dose DOX did not induced cell death, and fibrosis was localized to the perivascular area in mice. Microarray analysis suggested that DOX induced genes associated with the innate immune system and inflammatory reactions, resulting in cardiac remodelling. DOX induced mitochondrial damage and increased the expression of interleukin‐1. DOX also promoted the expression of fibrotic markers, such as alpha smooth muscle actin and galectin‐3. These responses were induced through stress‐activated protein kinase/c‐Jun NH2‐terminal kinase signalling. A peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor (PPARγ) agonist attenuated the expression of fibrotic markers through suppressing stress‐activated protein kinase/c‐Jun NH2‐terminal kinase. Furthermore, this molecule also suppressed DOX‐induced early fibrotic responses in vivo.ConclusionsLow‐dose DOX provoked reactive fibrosis through sterile inflammation evoked by the damaged mitochondria.
Characteristics and outcomes of transitions among heart failure categories: a prospective observational cohort study
Authors: Gu Jun , Yin Zhao‐fang , Zhang Hui‐li , Fan Yu‐qi , Zhang Jun‐feng , Wang Chang‐qian 
Published: January 2020

AbstractAimsPatients with heart failure (HF) are typically designated as having reduced, mid‐range, or preserved ejection fraction (EF) (HFrEF, HFmrEF, or HFpEF, respectively) because of the importance of left ventricular EF (LVEF) on therapeutic decisions and prognosis. However, such designations are not necessarily static, as there are many transitions among the three HF phenotypes during follow‐up. This prospective longitudinal cohort study sought to examine the HF transitions over time and their clinical characteristics, prognosis, and response to medical therapy.Methods and resultsWe identified 1920 patients from a prospective cohort with a primary diagnosis of HF between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2012. The enrolled HF patients were re‐classified into three groups on the basis of baseline and 1 year follow‐up echocardiography: HF with improved EF (HFiEF), HF with deteriorated EF (HFdEF), and HF with unchanged EF (HFuEF). The primary outcome was 5 year all‐cause mortality. According to 1 year follow‐up echocardiography, 490 (25.5%) were diagnosed as HFiEF, 179 (9.3%) as HFdEF, and 1251 (65.2%) as HFuEF. Ischaemic heart disease was an independent predictor of HFdEF, and beta‐blocker prescription was an independent predictor of HFiEF. During the 5 year follow‐up, patients with HFdEF had higher mortality, whereas patients with HFiEF had lower mortality. After adjustment, HFiEF, compared with HFuEF, was associated with a 62.1% decreased risk for mortality. Finally, the use of beta‐blockers was associated with improved prognosis of patients with HFiEF and HFuEF.ConclusionsIn this cohort of patients with HF, LVEF is a dynamic factor related to coexisting conditions and drug therapy. HFiEF and HFdEF are distinct HF phenotypes with different clinical outcomes than other phenotypes.
MVF Sensor Enables Analysis of Nucleic Acids with Stable Secondary Structures
Authors: Foguel Marcos V. , Balcarcel Angelica M. , Reed Mark A. , Calvo‐Marzal Percy , Gerasimova Yulia V. , Kolpashchikov Dmitry M. , Chumbimuni‐Torres Karin Y. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractOne major challenge in nucleic acids analysis by hybridization probes is a compromise between the probe's tight binding and sequence‐selective recognition of nucleic acid targets folded into stable secondary structures. We have been developing a four‐way junction (4WJ)‐based sensor that consists of a universal stem‐loop (USL) probe immobilized on an electrode surface and two adaptor strands (M and F). The sensor was shown to be highly selective towards single base mismatches at room temperature, able to detect multiple targets using the same USL probe, and have improved ability to detect folded nucleic acids. However, some nucleic acid targets, including natural RNA, are folded into very stable secondary and tertiary structures, which may represent a challenge even for the 4WJ sensors. This work describes a new sensor, named MVF since it uses three probe stands M, V and F, which further improves the performance of 4WJ sensors with folded targets. The MVF sensor interrogating a 16S rRNA NASBA amplicon with calculated folding energy of −32.82 kcal/mol has demonstrated 2.5‐fold improvement in a signal‐to‐background ratio in comparison with a 4WJ sensor lacking strand V. The proposed design can be used as a general strategy in the analysis of folded nucleic acids including natural RNA.
Spectrum sensing in optical wireless communication network
Authors: Wu Wei‐Chiang 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe main focus of this paper is on the issue of spectrum sensing or channel awareness in an optical wireless scattering communication network. We propose two spectrum sensing algorithms to detect M‐ary pulse‐position modulation signal under Poisson channel statistic. The first algorithm premises on symbol‐by‐symbol block processing, in which the photon‐counting receiver collects the received photons during a symbol interval and a Neyman‐Pearson decision rule is developed to determine the optimum decision threshold, whereas the second algorithm is based on chip‐level sequential as well as diversity detection. Performances of both algorithms are extensively analyzed in terms of the detection probability, the false alarm probability, the average detection delay, and the average false alarm run length. Simulation results demonstrate that scheme 2 outperforms scheme 1 under different scenarios. We also analyze the existing algorithm on the considered signal model and verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms over existing spectrum sensing algorithm.
Epigallocatechin‐3‐O‐gallate modulates the diversity of gut microbiota in ovariectomized rats
Authors: Zhang Beilin , Wang Jinpeng , Wei Qiyan , Liu Yi , Zhang Huiwen , Chen Xiaohui , Xu Kun 
Published: January 2020

AbstractEpigallocatechin‐3‐O‐gallate (EGCG) exists as one of the major active components of green tea and has been studied extensively; however, the relationship between EGCG and the changes in the gut microflora of ovariectomized (OVX) rats as a model of menopause women have not yet been studied. Female Wistar rats were fed on a maintenance material diet and underwent either ovariectomy or SHAM surgery. The ovariectomized rats were divided into OVX group with the treatment of placebo or EGCG group which was treated with EGCG by oral gavage. After 8 weeks of treatment, anxiety‐like behaviors were assessed using elevated plus maze test (EMP) and open field test (OFT). The serum estradiol concentration was assayed through ELISA. High‐throughput V3–V4 16S rDNA sequencing was conducted to assess the microbial diversity in fecal samples collected from all rats. EGCG, at a concentration of 10 mg/kg, caused behavioral changes in rats similar to anxiety. In EPM, OVX rats spent less time in open arms than SHAM group rats and EGCG group rats (F = 16.043, p < .01). In OFT, the total travelled distance and the number of entries for EGCG group were higher compared with OVX group (F = 30.939, H = 13.107, respectively; p < .01). In addition, the distribution and composition of intestinal microflora in rats changed after ovariectomy. EGCG modulated the diversity of gut microbiota in OVX group at the phylum and the genus levels. Our results suggested that the composition of gut microbiota and anxiety in OVX rats were simultaneously affected by EGCG, and therefore, the two conditions might be strongly related, yet the deeper mechanistic links need further exploration.
A cross‐checked global monthly weather station database for precipitation covering the period 1901–2010
Authors: Castellanos‐Acuna Dante , Hamann Andreas 
Published: January 2020

AbstractComprehensive monthly weather station databases are the foundation for many gridded climate data products, and they are widely used to characterize regional climate conditions, track climate change and research the impact of climate on natural and managed ecosystems. However, weather station databases are often regional in coverage, and they can have extensive gaps in station coverage over time. They may also contain errors in climate records, station coordinates or elevation. Here, we assemble a comprehensive monthly weather station database for precipitation from multiple reputable data sources. We use digital elevation models and nearby stations to search for inconsistencies in reported station locations and recorded precipitation values. We also estimated missing values in weather station time series using a linear model approach based on interpolated anomaly surfaces. The resulting station records were ranked into ten classes, according to the completeness of records, the reliability of missing value estimations and other criteria. We corrected incomplete or erroneous location and elevation information for 12% of all available station records. A total of 23% of monthly records that had missing values could be estimated with high or moderate confidence. We sub‐sampled our global database of more than 80,000 stations with various spatial filters, so that only the highest quality station for a given area was retained. Our contribution significantly enhances global data coverage compared to individual databases currently available. Even when accepting only the stations within the top two quality ranks in our combined database, and applying the coarsest spatial filter of one station per approximately 1,600 km2, the remaining station count of more than 20,000 stations exceeds the largest alternative database (without a spatial filter applied) by more than 50%.
Implementation of altered provider incentives for a more individual‐risk‐based assignment of dental recall intervals: evidence from a health systems reform in Denmark
Authors: Gabel Frank , Kalmus Olivier , Rosing Kasper , Trescher Anna‐Lena , Listl Stefan 
Published: January 2020

ABSTRACTEquipping health systems with suitable incentives for efficient resource allocation remains a major health policy challenge. This study examines the impacts of 2015 regulatory changes in Danish dental care which aimed at effectuating a transition from six‐to‐twelve‐monthly dental recall intervals, for every patient, towards a model where patients with higher need receive dental recalls systematically more frequently than patients with lower need. Exploiting administrative data from the years 2012‐2016 from the Danish National Health Insurance database containing 72,155,539 treatment claims for 3,759,721 unique patients, we estimated a series of interrupted time‐series regression models with patient‐level fixed‐effects. In comparison to the pre‐reform period, the proportion of patients with recall intervals of up to 6 months was by 1.2%‐points larger post‐implementation; that of patients with 6‐12‐monthly recalls increased by 0.7%‐points; that of patients with more than 12‐monthly dental recalls decreased by 1.9%‐points. The composition of care shifted more substantially: the proportion of treatment sessions including preventive care increased by 31.5%‐points (95%‐CI: 31.4;31.6); that of sessions including scaling increased by 24.1%‐points (24.0;24.2); that of sessions including diagnostics decreased by 34.5%‐points (34.4;34.6). These findings suggest that dental care providers may have responded differently to regulatory changes than intended by the health policy.
Executive function and screen‐based media use in preschool children
Authors: Jusienė Roma , Rakickienė Lauryna , Breidokienė Rima , Laurinaitytė Ilona 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe aim of this study was to explore associations between time spent using various media devices and executive abilities in preschoolers. Participants were 190 children (44.2% female; mean age 58.75 months, SD = 7.27). The Shape School, the Missing Scan and the Head and Feet tasks were administered to children to assess three core executive functions (mental set shifting, working memory, and inhibitory control). Parents provided information on the daily time children spent watching television and using smartphones, tablets, and computers. Parental education was also taken into consideration. Results of multiple linear regression analysis revealed that separate executive abilities were not predicted by use of any type of screen. To conclude, our findings suggest that screen time is not related to executive functions in typically developing low social risk preschoolers who are not overusing screens.Highlights

This study explored the links between time spent using various screen‐media devices and executive abilities in four‐ and five‐year‐olds.
TV, computer, smartphone and tablet use were not related to inhibitory control, working memory and shifting in preschoolers from low‐risk backgrounds.
Future research should take into consideration screen exposure time and content, and analyse relationships between screen use and executive functions longitudinally.
ACTUAL WATER USE OF YOUNG DATE PALM TREES AS AFFECTED BY AMINOLEVULINIC ACID APPLICATION AND DIFFERENT IRRIGATION WATER SALINITIES
Authors: Abdelhadi A.W. , Salih A.A. , Sultan K. , Alsafi A. , Tashtoush F. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe Arabian Gulf countries are facing unprecedented water management challenges owing to limited water resources and salinization of the soil. Date palm trees represent a crucial socio‐economic asset in the region. Improving water productivity and tolerance to salinity are the most viable options. A split plot experiment was conducted on 4‐year‐old date palm trees in concrete lysimeters. The objective was to study the effects of aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and different irrigation water salinities (EC) on actual water use (ET) and irrigation efficiency (IE). Low: < 1, medium: 12–15 and high: 18–20 (dS m‾¹) EC were used as main plots while zero and 5 ml per tree of ALA represent the subplots. Data were collected during the period between June 2016 and September 2017. Results indicated that ALA application significantly increased tree ET by about 7%. Medium and high EC levels masked the effect of ALA on ET. EC significantly reduced ET by about 70 and 83% for high and medium EC respectively. The highest ET was obtained under low EC with ALA. Highest IE (63%) was obtained under low EC with ALA, followed by 48% for low EC without ALA. All ALA treatments resulted in higher IE compared with no ALA. © 2020 The Authors. Irrigation and Drainage published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Commission for Irrigation and Drainage
Biodistribution and organ oxidative damage following 28 days oral administration of nanosilver with/without coating in mice
Authors: Gan Junying , Sun Jindu , Chang Xiaoru , Li Wenhua , Li Jiangyan , Niu Shuyan , Kong Lu , Zhang Ting , Wu Tianshu , Tang Meng , Xue Yuying 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThis study evaluated the biodistribution and organ oxidative effects of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) coated with/without polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) (AgNP‐20 and AgNP‐PVP) in mice; these were administered by gavage at a dose of 10‐250 mg/kg body weight per day for 28 days. The results showed that both the AgNPs could induce subacute toxicity and oxidative damage to mice and were mainly accumulated in the liver and spleen and excreted by feces. AgNPs could be absorbed into blood and might cross the blood‐brain barrier, and be distributed extensively in mice. The malondialdehyde content in the liver, lungs and kidneys increased in both AgNP groups, while the content of glutathione decreased, and the activity of superoxide dismutase increased at first and then decreased along with the increased doses. Inflammatory pathological changes in the lung and liver at high dose of both AgNPs were consistent with increases in glutamate pyruvic transaminase, glutamate oxaloacetic transaminase and the total protein in serum detection. The Ag content was detected in organs, with the highest content in the liver, followed by spleen, while the Ag content in feces was about 500 times higher than that in urine. AgNP‐PVP could induce higher oxidative stress and subacute toxicity than AgNP‐20 at the same dose, which might be related to the higher concentrations and more Ag+ ions released in mice after AgNP‐PVP exposure. The data from this research provided information on toxicity and biodistribution of AgNPs following gavage administration in mice, and might shed light for future application of AgNPs in daily life.
Bta‐miR‐885 promotes proliferation and inhibits differentiation of myoblasts by targeting MyoD1
Authors: Elsaeid Elnour Ibrahim , Dong Dong , Wang Xiaogang , Zhansaya Toremurat , Khan Rajwali , Jian Wang , Jie Cheng , Chen Hong 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe proliferation and differentiation of myoblasts are essential for the regeneration and development of skeletal muscles. However, the process of skeletal muscle development in cattle is complex and needs to be further investigated. The microRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, small noncoding RNAs that play a critical role during skeletal muscle development. In this study, we evaluated the function of miR‐885 in muscle development in cattle. The results found that the expression of miR‐885 was gradually upregulated during myoblast proliferation, whereas progressively downregulated during myoblast differentiation. The overexpression of miR‐885 promoted cell proliferation of myoblast in cattle. Moreover, we further noted that the overexpression miR‐885 triggered the expression level of various marker genes involved in cell proliferation, including proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), cyclin‐dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), and cyclin B1 (CCNB1). Furthermore, it was observed that overexpression of miR‐885 inhibited cell differentiation, and significantly decreased messenger RNA and protein expression levels of myogenic differentiation 1 (MyoD1) and myogenin (MyoG) in primary bovine myoblasts. Moreover, the miR‐885 inhibitor revealed that miR‐885 inhibited cell proliferation and promoted cell differentiation. In addition, the overexpression of miR‐885 markedly decreased MyoD1 expression in primary bovine myoblasts. The luciferase reporter assay, quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction, and western blot (WB) further indicated that miR‐885 directly binding to 3′ UTR of MyoD1 gene during transcriptional regulation. Conclusively, these results signified that miR‐885 could be critical for the proliferation and differentiation in primary bovine myoblast cells by targeting the MyoD1 gene in cattle.