bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Allometric relationships in morphological traits associated with foraging, swimming ability, and predator defense reveal adaptations toward brackish and freshwater environments in the threespine stickleback
Authors: Taugbøl Annette , Quinn Thomas P. , Østbye Kjartan , Asbjørn Vøllestad Leif 
Published: October 2020

AbstractFreshwater colonization by threespine stickleback has led to divergence in morphology between ancestral marine and derived freshwater populations, making them ideal for studying natural selection on phenotypes. In an open brackish–freshwater system, we previously discovered two genetically distinct stickleback populations that also differ in geometric shape: one mainly found in the brackish water lagoon and one throughout the freshwater system. As shape and size are not perfectly correlated, the aim of this study was to identify the morphological trait(s) that separated the populations in geometric shape. We measured 23 phenotypes likely to be important for foraging, swimming capacity, and defense against predation. The lateral plate morphs in freshwater displayed few significant changes in trait sizes, but the low plated expressed feeding traits more associated with benthic habitats. When comparing the completely plated genetically assigned populations, the freshwater, the hybrids, the migrants and the lagoon fish, many of the linear traits had different slopes and intercepts in trait‐size regressions, precluding our ability to directly compare all traits simultaneously, which most likely results from low variation in body length for the lagoon and migrant population. We found the lagoon stickleback population to be more specialized toward the littoral zone, displaying benthic traits such as large, deep bodies with smaller eyes compared to the freshwater completely plated morph. Further, the lagoon and migrant fish had an overall higher body coverage of lateral plates compared to freshwater fish, and the dorsal and pelvic spines were longer. Evolutionary constraints due to allometric scaling relationships could explain the observed, overall restricted, differences in morphology between the sticklebacks in this study, as most traits have diversified in common allometric trajectories. The observed differences in foraging and antipredation traits between the fish with a lagoon and freshwater genetic signature are likely a result of genetic or plastic adaptations toward brackish and freshwater environments.
Pumping of electrolyte with mobile liquid metal droplets driven by continuous electrowetting: A full‐scaled simulation study considering surface‐coupled electrocapillary two‐phase flow
Authors: Liu Weiyu , Tao Ye , Ge Zhenyou , Zhou Jian , Xu Ruibo , Ren Yukun 
Published: October 2020

AbstractWith the excellent merits of both solid conductors and rheological fluids, liquid metal (LM) provides new opportunities to serve as flexible building blocks of miniaturized electronic and fluidic devices. The phenomenon of continuous electrowetting (CEW) has been long utilized for actuating LM contents in buffer medium, wherein an externally imposed voltage difference is responsible of manipulating the interfacial tension of deformable LM droplets. CEW effectively lowers the surface tension at the LM/electrolyte interface by driving bipolar counterions to the surface of conducting droplet. Since surface tension coefficient relies sensitively on the local voltage drop across the induced double layer, an electric‐analogy Marangoni effect occurs even under a rather weak electric field in the presence of a surface gradient of the interfacial tension. CEW of LM routinely induces unidirectional pumping of electrolyte in the direction of applied electric field, with LM droplet translating oppositely within the device channel. Although this subject has received great attention from the microfluidic society in the past decade, previous reports concerned either the individual delivery of the suspension medium or the transport of LM droplet. Starting from this point, we offer herein a fully coupled physical description of two‐phase flow dynamics occurring in CEW. The proposed simulation model successfully incorporates the synergy of the interfacial electrokinetic momentum transfer, surface tension on a curved surface, contact angle at the three‐phase contact line as well as the gravity force density. The spatial‐temporal motion of the contact interface is traced instantly with a moving mesh approach. By direct numerical simulation, the importance of the direct‐current bias, additional alternating‐current forcing, droplet size, initial ion adsorption in the process of CEW is addressed. Additionally, it is discovered that increasing the number of LM droplet is more cost‐effective than enhancing the volume of a single drop in terms of achieving an improvement of the resulted electrocapillary pump performance, while the translational speed of the discrete droplet carrier does not make an observable change in response to a variation in the drop number. These results prove invaluable in terms of an elaborate design of smart on‐chip electrokinetic frameworks embedding flexible LM contents in modern micro‐total‐analytical systems.
Characterization of flavored milk containing bitter orange peel extract and Gaz‐angubin
Authors: Jalilzadeh‐Afshari Arghavan , Fadaei Vajiheh 
Published: October 2020

AbstractIn this study, the effects of adding Gaz‐angubin at three different levels (5%, 10%, and 15% w/v) and bitter orange peel extract with three different concentrations (0.025%, 0.050%, and 0.075% w/v) on selected characteristics of the flavored milk were investigated during 10‐day storage at 4°C. The results showed that increasing the level of Gaz‐angubin and bitter orange peel extract increased viscosity, antioxidant activity, and total polyphenol content, decreased total microbial count, and improved the sensory characteristics of the flavored milk (p < .05). Generally, the flavored milk sample containing 15% Gaz‐angubin and 0.075% bitter orange peel extract was selected as the best treatment.
Does the elevated estradiol level on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin administration affect embryo quality among women undergoing in vitro fertilization?
Authors: Meng Ye , Tong Xian‐Hong , Liu Ran , Zhang Yu 
Published: October 2020

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the association between estradiol (E2) levels on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration and embryo quality during in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles.MethodsA retrospective study of 6676 IVF cycles among women treated at the Reproductive Center of The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei, China, from June 2014 to May 2017. E2 levels on hCG day were divided into four groups by 25th percentile: 0–1763 pg/mL (group I), 1763–3692 pg/mL (group II), 3692–4800 pg/mL (group III), and higher than 4800 pg/mL (group IV). Analysis of variance and multiple linear regression were used to test associations.ResultsThere were significant differences in the frequency of high‐quality embryos between group I (51.6 ± 1.1%) and groups II (65.6 ± 0.8%), III (62.1 ± 0.7%), and IV (62.3 ± 0.7%). Using E2 as a dummy variable and group II as a control, multiple linear regression showed that E2 levels were associated with the frequency of high‐quality embryos obtained (P < 0.05).ConclusionSerum E2 on hCG day had an impact on embryo quality. Higher E2 levels did not produce the most high‐quality embryos; the highest frequencies were achieved for E2 levels within 1763–3692 pg/mL.
Protective effects of natural compounds against oxidative stress in ischemic diseases and cancers via activating the Nrf2 signaling pathway: A mini review
Authors: Li Wenji , Sun Kai , Hu Fang , Chen Longfei , Zhang Xing , Wang Fuxing , Yan Bingchun 
Published: October 2020

AbstractOxidative stress, an imbalance between reactive oxygen species and antioxidants, has been seen in the pathological states of many disorders such as ischemic diseases and cancers. Many natural compounds (NCs) have long been recognized to ameliorate oxidative stress due to their inherent antioxidant activities. The modulation of oxidative stress by NCs via activating the Nrf2 signaling pathway is summarized in the review. Three NCs, ursolic acid, betulinic acid, and curcumin, and the mechanisms of their cytoprotective effects are investigated in myocardial ischemia, cerebral ischemia, skin cancer, and prostate cancer. To promote the therapeutic performance of NCs with poor water solubility, the formulation approach, such as the nano drug delivery system, is elaborated as well in this review.
Integrated in silico‐in vitro analysis of systematic kinase gatekeeper mutation effects on pan‐kinase inhibitors in targeted liver cancer therapy
Authors: Zhang Danying , Tang Wenqing , Weng Shuqiang , Zhang Ningping , Luo Tiancheng , Shen Xizhong , Dong Ling 
Published: October 2020

AbstractKinase‐targeted therapy has been established as a widely used strategy to treat liver cancer. However, a number of kinase gatekeeper mutations are clinically observed to cause acquired drug resistance during the therapy, which can be overcome by pan‐kinase inhibitors. Here, we create a systematic profile of pan‐kinase inhibitors against clinical kinase gatekeeper mutations in liver cancer pathogenesis by integrating computational modeling and experimental assay. With the profile we are able to identify those gatekeeper mutations that can potentially cause resistance or confer sensitivity to certain pan‐kinase inhibitors. The nine inhibitors are clustered into three groups in terms of their response profile across the investigated mutations. The group‐I and group‐II inhibitors are generally sensitized and caused with resistance by most mutations, respectively, while the group‐III inhibitors exhibit divergent response to different mutations. Structural and energetic analyses reveal that the sensitizing mutations can form additional favorable chemical forces with inhibitor ligands, while the resistant mutations would address unfavorable steric effect and conformational change on inhibitor binding. The marine natural product Hymenialdisine is found to have a general sensitivity for kinase gatekeeper mutations, which could be explored as a novel molecular lead scaffold to develop the wild type‐sparing inhibitors of kinase gatekeeper mutants.
Team job‐related anxiety and creativity: Investigating team‐level and cross‐level moderated curvilinear relationships
Authors: Mao Jianghua , Chang Song , Gong Yaping , Xie Jia Lin 
Published: October 2020

SummaryResearchers have examined the effects of individual job‐related anxiety on employee attitudes and behaviors but have yet to examine whether team job‐related anxiety would have similar or different effects. Building on prior research on negative group affective tone and creativity, we propose that team job‐related anxiety has an inverted U‐shaped curvilinear relationship with both team and individual creativity. Furthermore, we posit that team cooperativeness moderates those curvilinear relationships. Using a two‐wave research design and matched employee‐supervisor data from 290 employees nested in 65 teams, we found support for the proposed inverted U‐shaped relationships. Moreover, the intermediate level of team job‐related anxiety was associated with higher individual creativity in teams with higher cooperativeness. We conclude the study with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.
Variations in northeast Asian summer precipitation driven by the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation
Authors: Si Dong , Jiang Dabang , Hu Aixue , Lang Xianmei 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBy analysing a 113–year (1900–2012) observational dataset, it is shown that the interdecadal fluctuation of the summer precipitation over Northeast Asia differs from that in central East Asia during the 20th century, and has experienced three interdecadal shifts in the 1920s, mid‐1960s and late 1990s. That fluctuation coincides well with the multidecadal fluctuation of the sea surface temperature in the North Atlantic, known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). The AMO affects Northeast Asia via a circumglobal teleconnection pattern extending from the North Atlantic to North America. Corresponding with the positive phase of this teleconnection pattern, a tripolar pattern emerges in the Asian–North Pacific sector, with anomalous low pressure over Northeast Asia and high pressure over Lake Baikal and the mid‐latitude western North Pacific. These results suggest that the positive phase of the AMO favours the occurrence of cold vortex over Northeast Asia and anomalous highs over Lake Baikal and the mid‐latitude western North Pacific in summer, which enhances the East Asian summer monsoon and southward intrusion of high‐latitude cold air, and eventually increases the summer precipitation in Northeast Asia. Furthermore, initialized decadal prediction simulations using the CCSM4 model reproduce well the observed variations of the AMO and its associated atmospheric teleconnection but with slightly shifted geographic locations. The simulated anomalous Northeast Asia cold vortex and strong East Asian summer monsoon, lead to above‐normal summer precipitation over Northeast Asia. The modelling results confirm that the multidecadal variability in the North Atlantic can cause the observed interdecadal variations of Northeast Asia summer precipitation. Our results suggest that to understand and predict interdecadal climate change over Northeast Asia, it is important to consider the key role of the AMO.
Development and validation of ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method for the determination of raloxifene and its phase II metabolites in plasma: Application to pharmacokinetic studies in rats
Authors: Du Ting , Sun Rongjin , Li Li , Ebuzoeme Christabel , Bui Dinh , Zheng Zicong , Yin Taijun , Liang Dong , Hu Ming , Gao Song 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe aim of this study is to establish a reliable liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method to simultaneously quantitate raloxifene, and its major metabolites, raloxifene‐6‐glucuronide, raloxifene‐4′‐glucuronide, and raloxifene‐6‐sulfate in rat plasma samples for pharmacokinetic studies. The separation of the analytes was achieved on a Waters BEH C18 column. Water (0.1% formic acid) and acetonitrile were used as the mobile phases for elution. A one‐step protein precipitation using a mixture solvent was applied for plasma sample preparation. The method was validated following the FDA guidance. The results showed that the linear range were 1.95–1000 nM for raloxifene‐6‐glucuronide, and raloxifene‐4′‐glucuronide, 0.195–100 nM for raloxifene‐6‐sulfate, and 0.195–200 nM for raloxifene, respectively. The lower limit of quantification was 1.95, 1.95, 0.195, and 0.195 nM for raloxifene‐6‐glucuronide, raloxifene‐4′‐glucuronide, raloxifene‐6‐sulfate, and raloxifene, respectively. Only 20 µl of plasma sample was required since the method is sensitive. The intra‐ and interday variance is <15% and the accuracy is within 85–115%. The variance of matrix effect and recovery were <15%. The method was successfully applied in a pharmacokinetic study in rats with oral administration of raloxifene.
More people, more trees: A reversal of deforestation trends in Southern Ethiopia
Authors: Duriaux‐Chavarría Jean‐Yves , Baudron Frédéric , Gergel Sarah E. , Yang Kevin F. , Eddy Ian M. S. , Sunderland Terry 
Published: October 2020

AbstractDespite global commitments to forest restoration, evidence of the pathways through which restoration creates social and ecological benefits remains limited. The objective of this paper is to provide empirical evidence to generate insights on the relationship between forest cover change and key provisioning ecosystem services and reforestation pathways. In Southern Ethiopia, three zones along a gradient of decreasing land cover complexity and tree cover were examined. The land cover change was assessed using satellite remote sensing and complemented ground‐based tree inventory. Perceptions of land cover and ecosystem services change and farmer responses were evaluated through three Participatory Rural Appraisals and eight Focus Group Discussions. Since the 1970s, a landscape shift from a forest‐grassland to a cropland mosaic was associated with increased food production, improved food security, and higher incomes. However, this shift also coincided with reductions in livestock, construction materials, fuelwood and water availability, prompting reforestation efforts designed to recover some of these lost ecosystem services. In particular, some households established Eucalyptus woodlots and encouraged natural regeneration. Natural trees, Eucalyptus woodlots, Ensete plantations (a type of plantain), and grasslands were positively associated with homestead proximity; thus, homestead establishment resulting from population increase in this predominately agricultural landscape appeared to foster a viable forest restoration pathway—that is, 'more people, more trees'. This is a reforestation pathway not previously described in the literature. A return to a more diverse agricultural landscape mosaic provided more secure and diversified income sources along with better provisioning of construction materials, fuelwood, and higher livestock numbers.
FUELING ENGAGEMENT IN TIMES OF CRISIS
Authors: Love Alaina 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe author describes the profound changes happening in today’s workplaces due to upheaval caused by the Covid‐19 pandemic. However, significant progress has been made in the field of relationship psychology that can inform leaders about new ways to manage employee engagement during and after times of crisis. The article expands on the idea that psychologists have developed a “self‐expansion model” that highlights the sources of engagement and underlying motivations that drive employees to fully commit to and identify with their organizations. The model has two principles: (1) At a fundamental level, people are motivated to increase their ability to achieve goals by acquiring new knowledge, developing new skills, obtaining new resources, and expanding their identity. (2) People use close relationships with others as a means to self‐expand, by incorporating others into their own sense of “self.”Two self‐expansion psychological tools are described: the Self‐Expansion Preference Scale, developed by Erin Hughes, Erica Slotter, and Gary Lewandowski; and a workplace self‐expansion tool developed by Kevin McIntyre, Brent Mattingly, Annie Simpson, and Gary Lewandowski. The author presents 10 actions that leaders can apply with their teams, including offering time off for self‐care, and making a habit of of compassionate listening.
Functional impact of cancer patient‐associated Bcl‐xL mutations
Authors: Zhang Tiantian , Na Joseph HyungJoon , Li Samantha , Chen Zhengming , Zhang George , Pang Sharon , Daniyan Anthony F. , Li Yi , Shi Lei , Du Yi‐Chieh Nancy 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBcl‐xL, an antiapoptotic protein, is frequently overexpressed in cancer to promote survival of tumor cells. However, we have previously shown that Bcl‐xL promotes migration, invasion, and metastasis independent of its antiapoptotic function in mitochondria. The pro‐metastatic function of Bcl‐xL may require its translocation into the nucleus. Besides overexpression, patient‐associated mutations of Bcl‐xL have been identified in large‐scale cancer genomics projects. Understanding the functions of these mutations will guide the development of precision medicine. Here, we selected four patient‐associated Bcl‐xL mutations, R132W, N136K, R165W, and A201T, to investigate their impacts on antiapoptosis, migration, and nuclear translocation. We found that all four mutation proteins could be detected in both the nucleus and cytosol. Although all four mutations disrupted the antiapoptosis function, one of these mutants, N136K, significantly improved the ability to promote cell migration. These data suggest the importance of developing novel Bcl‐xL inhibitors to ablate both antiapoptotic and pro‐metastatic functions of Bcl‐xL in cancer.
Lumbar spondylolysis in ancient Siberian Eskimo
Authors: Karapetian Marina 
Published: October 2020

AbstractPrevious studies have shown that North American and Greenland Arctic groups are characterized by high incidence of spondylolysis. The hypotheses explaining the high predilection to spondylolysis in these populations range from genetic predisposition to lifestyle characteristics. To date, however, no study assessed the presence of spondylolysis in the Siberian Eskimo. Thus, the current study presents new data from the Asian side of the Beringia, the original homeland of the North American and Greenland Inuit groups. The skeletal material originates from the Ekven burial site in Chukchi Peninsula, Russia. Most burials belong to the Old Bering Sea tradition of marine mammal hunters, embracing the period from the beginning of the 1st to the beginning of the 2nd millenniumAD. Totally, 71 individuals were studied. Spondylolysis was present in 38% of individuals and in 11% of studied lumbar vertebrae, with higher incidence in juveniles and young adults compared with other ages and in males compared with females. There was an evident increase in the severity of the stress fractures from adolescence to middle adulthood (i.e., more vertebrae affected per individual and higher proportion of bilateral fractures). The reported incidence of spondylolysis in the Ekven is in the range of the values reported for the North American and Greenland Inuit groups and is expectedly high against the values for groups of European and African ancestry. Although the accumulation of gene variants responsible for spondylolysis in Arctic groups is possible, it is more plausible that some adaptive morphological characteristics make them prone to fatigue fractures of the lower spine in the conditions of the specific physical activity.
Brideprice and Prejudice: An Audio‐Visual Ethnography on Marriage and Modernity in Mt Hagen, Papua New Guinea
Authors: Henry Rosita , Vávrová Daniela 
Published: October 2020

ABSTRACTThe relationship between bridewealth and women's autonomy is not only discussed amongst anthropologists, development practitioners and other scholars but also amongst brides themselves. Women continue to embrace such marital exchanges, despite their knowledge of ‘modern’ development discourse about the constraints of the practice on women's status and its links to gender‐based violence. This paper provides a visual exploration of contemporary brideprice practices and women's autonomy in Mt Hagen. We draw on scenes from our ethnographic film (An Extraordinary Wedding:Marriage and Modernity in Highlands PNG) to explore deliberations and developments that occurred in the case of a particular marriage that took place in 2012. We argue that the institution of brideprice has the potential to enhance the visibility of some women and the importance of their contribution to their own and husbands' kin groups. Despite current tensions regarding brideprice, it can serve as an avenue for the enhancement of women's political participation. The particular brideprice exchange featured in our film, raised concerns for the participants, which we consider in terms of three questions: Does brideprice commodify women? Does it play a role in gender‐based violence? Is it inimical to aspirations for modernist individuality? We discuss the importance ofbekim(‘return gift’) and suggest that this practice challenges the notion of brideprice as a commodity transaction. We argue that, while there may be an association between brideprice and gender‐based violence, brideprice, in and of itself, is not causative of violence. The marriage represented in the film, and discussed in this paper, reveals the creativity of participants in adjusting the values inherent in the customary practice of brideprice to their contemporary aspirations.