bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Modeling and optimization of thin‐layer drying data of pretreated taro (Colocasia esculenta) corm slices
Authors: Olagunju Titilope Modupe , Aregbesola Omotayo A. , Akpan Godwin E. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractDrying, an important but energy‐intensive unit operation, is necessary to ensure that perishable food produce is preserved for diverse industrial uses. Hence, modeling and optimizing this unit operation is vital. This study was carried out with the view of modeling and optimizing the thin‐layer drying of pretreated taro corm slices using three‐level factorial design of response surface methodology. Factors studied included different pretreatments (using either or a combination of sodium metabisulfite at concentrations of 1–4% w/w, steam‐blanching for durations of 1–6 min, and varying drying air temperature from 50 to 70°C). Seven responses (total drying time (TDT), specific energy consumption (SEC), final moisture content (FMC), activation energy (Ea), effective moisture diffusivity (Deff), percentage change in thickness (%∆TH) and percentage of moisture loss (%ML) were investigated. The optimum drying condition was further investigated for model fitness using nine existing drying models. The results showed that responses such as TDT and FMC ranged from 395.6 to 699.9 min and 5.29–12.4% wb, respectively. SEC was between 25.7 and 50.6 kWh/kg. Deff and Ea values ranged from 0.88 × 10−10 to 2.96 × 10−10 m2/s. and 33.9–40.9 kJ/mol, respectively. However, %∆TH and %ML ranged from 37.5 to 60.9% and 83.9 to 97.5%, respectively. The models generated were reliable and reproducible. Finally, optimization studies showed that pretreating taro slices by sulfiting at a concentration of 1.73% and blanching at a time of 2.37 min and drying at a temperature of 57.7°C would be optimum and fit Henderson and Pabis model best. In conclusion, the information provided by this study would be beneficial in designing and analyzing drying systems for taro products.Practical applicationsTaro (Colocasia esculenta) corm is an underutilized tuber crop with promising potentials for use in different food applications especially in the production of taro flour. Taro corm is however perishable, having high moisture content, hence, drying is an important unit operation in the production of flour from the corms. There is a need to establish optimum drying conditions to ensure that the drying process is efficient and economical. This study, therefore, was conducted to generate data that would provide information useful for drying pretreated taro slices.
Salicylic acid promotes quiescent center cell division through ROS accumulation and down‐regulation of PLT1, PLT2, and WOX5
Authors: Wang Zhuqing , Rong Duoyan , Chen Dixing , Xiao Yang , Liu Renyi , Wu Shuang , Yamamuro Chizuko 
Published: October 2020

AbstractSalicylic acid (SA) plays a crucial role in plant immunity. However, its function in plant development is poorly understood. The quiescent center (QC), which maintains columella stem cells (CSCs) in the root apical meristem and typically exhibits low levels of cell division, is critical for root growth and development. Here, we show that the Arabidopsis thaliana SA overaccumulation mutant constitutively activated cell death 1 (cad1), which exhibits increased cell division in the QC, is rescued by additional mutations in genes encoding the SA biosynthetic enzyme SALICYLIC ACID INDUCTION DEFFICIENT2 (SID2) or the SA receptor NONEXPRESSER OF PR GENES1 (NPR1), indicating that QC cell division in the cad1 mutant is promoted by the NPR1‐dependent SA signaling pathway. The application of exogenous SA also promoted QC cell division in wild‐type plants in a dose‐dependent manner and largely suppressed the expression of genes involved in QC maintenance, including those encoding the APETALA2 (AP2) transcription factors PLETHORA1 (PLT1) and PLT2, as well as the homeodomain transcription factor WUSCHEL‐RELATED HOMEOBOX5 (WOX5). Moreover, we showed that SA promotes reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, which is necessary for the QC cell division phenotype in the cad1 mutant. These results provide insight into the function of SA in QC maintenance.
Extreme skeletal muscle loss during induction chemotherapy is an independent predictor of poor survival in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer patients
Authors: Yoshino Yasunori , Taguchi Ayumi , Nakajima Yujiro , Takao Maki , Kashiyama Tomoko , Furusawa Akiko , Kino Nao , Yasugi Toshiharu 
Published: October 2020

AbstractAimSkeletal muscle loss is often observed in advanced cancer patients. This study investigates whether skeletal muscle loss is associated with survival outcomes of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients after induction chemotherapy (IC) in a Japanese cohort. Whether serum inflammatory markers are associated with skeletal muscle changes is also addressed.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 60 patients with stage III/IV EOC who underwent IC between 2010 and 2017. Skeletal muscle area (SMA) was measured at the third lumbar vertebrae level on a single axial computed tomography‐scan image. Receiver operating curve analysis was used to determine cut‐off values of pre‐ and post‐IC SMA and SMA ratio (SMAR). Univariate and multivariate analyses of overall survival (OS) were conducted using the log–rank test and Cox proportional hazards regression model, respectively.ResultsThe SMA decreased significantly after IC (P = 0.019). The cut‐off value between low and high SMAR was 0.96. High or low SMAR was observed in 34 (57%) and 26 (43%) patients, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that low SMAR was associated with poor OS (P = 0.025). Multivariate analysis showed that incomplete resection during interval debulking surgery (hazard ratio, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.11–0.80; P = 0.016) and a low SMAR (hazard ratio, 3.17; 95% CI, 1.18–9.06; P = 0.022) were independent predictors of poor OS. Of the serum inflammatory markers investigated, only post‐IC absolute neutrophil count correlated significantly with SMAR (P = 0.012).ConclusionLow SMAR can be used to predict poor prognosis in advanced EOC patients who have undergone IC.
What is the practice of spiritual care? A critical discourse analysis of registered nurses’ understanding of spirituality
Authors: Louise Cooper Katherine , Luck Lauretta , Chang Esther , Dixon Kathleen 
Published: October 2020

AbstractSpirituality has been a part of nursing for many centuries and represents an essential value for people, including nurses and patients. Cumulative evidence points to the positive contribution of spiritually on health and wellbeing. However, there is little clarity about what spirituality means. The literature reveals that nurses have ascribed a diversity of interpretations to spirituality. However, no studies have investigated how registered nurses construct their understanding of spirituality using a critical discourse analysis approach. Therefore, the aim of this study was to uncover how registered nurses construct their understanding of spirituality using a critical discourse analysis approach. Twenty registered nurses from a non‐denominational public hospital and a faith‐based private hospital were interviewed about their understanding of spirituality and practice of spiritual care. A critical discourse analysis approach was used in the examination of the interview texts to uncover underlying social and power features. Links were made between the linguistic features the registered nurses used in their interviews and the broader social context of the study. Three discourses emerged from the interview texts. These include constructing spirituality through personal religious beliefs discourse, holistic discourse and empathetic care discourse. The findings of this study have implications for nurse education and policy makers.
A LMDI decomposition analysis of carbon dioxide emissions from the electric power sector in Northwest China
Authors: Mai Lina , Ran Qiying , Wu Haitao 
Published: October 2020

AbstractTaking advantage of the electrification strategy, Northwest China has made full use of its natural resources endowment, to develop renewable energy as the substitution of thermal power. To evaluate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from electric power sector, an extended Kaya identity equation and the Logarithmic mean Divisia index decomposition method are applied to Northwest China from 1998 to 2017. Six explaining factors are analyzed, including carbon intensity, energy mixes, generating efficiency, electrification, economy and population. The results show that driving forces of CO2 emissions from electricity system varied greatly among provinces. Generally, economic growth has mainly contributed to increase CO2 emission, while the improvement in the power‐generating efficiency has crucially decreased CO2 emission. In 2017, Promoting electrification directly increased CO2 emissions from electric system, but indirectly reduced CO2 emissions from the whole region by 5.10% through the estimation of a clean development mechanism method. Therefore, local governments are suggested continuing to promote electrification to guide future emission reduction, while enterprises and individuals need to make their own contributions to low‐carbon development.Recommendations for Resource Managers:

Variations of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of all five provinces in Northwest China are analyzed.
Logarithmic mean Divisia index analysis is used to study the main drivers of CO2 emission change.
Improvements in the generating efficiency significantly reduced CO2 emissions.
Due to electrification effects, CO2 emissions from electric power increased, but CO2 emissions from the region decreased.
Economy effects were still the biggest drivers affecting CO2 emission.
Clostridial Gas Gangrene ‐ A Rare but Deadly Infection: Case series and Comparison to Other Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections
Authors: Leiblein Maximilian , Wagner Nils , Adam Elisabeth H , Frank Johannes , Marzi Ingo , Nau Christoph 
Published: October 2020

ObjectiveClostridial gas gangrene (GG) or clostridial myonecrosis is a very rare but life‐threatening necrotizing soft tissue infection (NSTI) caused by anaerobic, spore‐forming, and gas‐producing clostridium subspecies. It is the most rapidly spreading and lethal infection in humans, also affecting muscle tissue. The high mortality, of up to 100%, in clostridial GG is mediated by potent bacterial exotoxins. Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is an important differential diagnosis, most often caused by group A streptococci, primarily not affecting musculature but the subcutaneous tissue and fascia. In the early stages of the infection, it is difficult to distinguish between GG and NF. Therefore, we compare both infection types, identify relevant differences in initial clinical presentation and later course, and present the results of our patients in a retrospective review.MethodsPatients diagnosed with GG from 2008 to 2018 in our level one trauma center were identified. Their charts were reviewed retrospectively and data analyzed in terms of demographic information, microbiological and histological results, therapeutic course, outcome, and mortality rates. The laboratory risk indicator for NF (LRINEC) score was applied on the first blood work acquired. Results were compared to those of a second group diagnosed with NF.ResultsFive patients with GG and nine patients with NF were included in the present study. Patients with GG had a mortality rate of 80% compared to 0% in patients with NF. In eight patients with NF, affected limbs could be salvaged; one NF underwent amputation. LRINEC did not show significant differences between the groups; however, C‐reactive protein was significantly increased (P = 0.009) and hemoglobin (Hb) was significantly decreased (P = 0.02) in patients with GG. Interleukin‐6 and procalcitonin levels did not show significant difference. Patients with GG were older (70.2 vs 50 years). Of the isolated bacteria, 86% were sensitive to the initial calculated antibiotic treatment with ampicillin‐sulbactam or imipenem plus metronidazole plus clindamycin.ConclusionBoth GG and NF need full‐scale surgical, antibiotic, and intensive care treatment, especially within the first days. Among patients with NSTI, those with clostridial GG have a significantly increased mortality risk due to early septic shock caused by clostridial toxins. In the initial stages, clinical differences are hardly detectable. Immediate surgical debridement is the key to successful therapy for NSTI and needs to be performed as early as possible. However, patients should be treated in a center with an experienced interdisciplinary intensive care team based on a predetermined treatment plan.
Home sweet host: A cross‐country perspective on prudential and monetary policy spillovers through global banks
Authors: Avdjiev Stefan , Hardy Bryan , McGuire Patrick , von Peter Goetz 
Published: October 2020

AbstractPrudential regulation of banks is multi‐layered: policy changes by home‐country authorities affect banks’ global operations across many jurisdictions; policy changes by host‐country authorities shape banks’ operations in the host jurisdiction regardless of the nationality of the parent bank. Do these policies create (unintended) cross‐border spillovers? Similarly, monetary policy actions by major central banks may also have effects on the behaviour of banks in other countries. This paper examines the effect that changes in home‐ and host‐country prudential measures have on cross‐border dollar credit provision, and how these interact with US monetary policy. We first run panel regressions with both layers of regulation, to examine which has a greater effect on cross‐border lending. We then use a novel approach to decompose growth in cross‐border bank lending into separate home, host and common components, and then match each with the corresponding home or host policies. Our results suggest that prudential policies can have spillover effects, which depend on the instrument used and on whether a bank's home or host country implemented them. Home policies tend to have larger spillovers on cross‐border US dollar lending than host policies. We also find that a tightening of US monetary policy can compound the spillovers of some prudential measures.
Mass Gatherings, Health, and Well‐Being: From Risk Mitigation to Health Promotion
Authors: Hopkins Nick , Reicher Stephen 
Published: October 2020

AbstractMass gatherings are routinely viewed as posing risks to physical health. However, social psychological research shows mass gathering participation can also bring benefits to psychological well‐being. We describe how both sets of outcomes can be understood as arising from the distinctive forms of behavior that may be found when people—even strangers—come to define themselves and each other in terms of a shared social identity. We show that many of the risks and benefits of participation are products of group processes; that these different outcomes can have their roots in the same core processes; and that knowledge of these process provides a basis for health promotion interventions to mitigate the risks and maximize the benefits of participation. Throughout, we offer practical guidance as to how policy makers and practitioners should tailor such interventions.
Integration of reactive oxygen species and hormone signaling during abiotic stress
Authors: Devireddy Amith R. , Zandalinas Sara I. , Fichman Yosef , Mittler Ron 
Published: October 2020

SummaryEach year, abiotic stress conditions such as drought, heat, salinity, cold and particularly their different combinations, inflict a heavy toll on crop productivity worldwide. The effects of these adverse conditions on plant productivity are becoming ever more alarming in recent years in light of the increased rate and intensity of global climatic changes. Improving crop tolerance to abiotic stress conditions requires a deep understanding of the response of plants to changes in their environment. This response is dependent on early and late signal transduction events that involve important signaling molecules such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), different plant hormones and other signaling molecules. It is the integration of these signaling events, mediated by an interplay between ROS and different plant hormones that orchestrates the plant response to abiotic stress and drive changes in transcriptomic, metabolic and proteomic networks that lead to plant acclimation and survival. Here we review some of the different studies that address hormone and ROS integration during the response of plants to abiotic stress. We further highlight the integration of ROS and hormone signaling during early and late phases of the plant response to abiotic stress, the key role of respiratory burst oxidase homologs in the integration of ROS and hormone signaling during these phases, and the involvement of hormone and ROS in systemic signaling events that lead to systemic acquired acclimation. Lastly, we underscore the need to understand the complex interactions that occur between ROS and different plant hormones during stress combinations.
Cytokinin biosynthesis and transport for systemic nitrogen signaling
Authors: Sakakibara Hitoshi 
Published: October 2020

SummaryThe plasticity of growth and development in response to environmental changes is one of the essential aspects of plant behavior. Cytokinins play an important role as signaling molecules in the long‐distance communication between organs in systemic growth regulation in response to nitrogen. The spatial distribution of the expression sites of cytokinin biosynthesis genes leads to structural differences in the molecular species transported through the xylem and phloem, giving root‐borne trans‐hydroxylated cytokinins, namely trans‐zeatin (tZ) type, a specialized efficacy in regulating shoot growth. Furthermore, root‐to‐shoot translocation via the xylem, tZ, and its precursor, the tZ riboside, controls different sets of shoot growth traits to fine‐tune shoot growth in response to nitrogen availability. In addition to nitrogen, photosynthetically generated sugars positively regulate de novo cytokinin biosynthesis in the roots, and contribute to plant growth under elevated CO2 conditions. In shoot‐to‐root signaling, cytokinins also play a role in the regulation of nutrient acquisition and root system growth in cooperation with other types of signaling molecules, such as C‐TERMINALLY ENCODED PEPTIDE DOWNSTREAMs. As cytokinin is a key regulator for the maintenance of shoot apical meristem, deepening our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of cytokinin biosynthesis and transport in response to nitrogen is important not only for basic comprehension of plant growth, but also to ensure the stability of agricultural production.
Globalisation and government spending: Evidence for the ‘hyper‐globalisation’ of the 1990s and 2000s
Authors: Anderson Edward , Obeng Samuel 
Published: October 2020

AbstractIn this paper, we provide an up‐to‐date empirical assessment of the relationship between economic globalisation and government spending for the ‘hyper‐globalisation’ period of the 1990s and 2000s. We use data on government consumption spending and more disaggregated spending components (e.g., social welfare). We also use a range of globalisation measures, including the most recent version of the KOF globalisation index, and a combination of econometric methods, including fixed‐effects and instrumental variable (IV) estimation. The results suggest that hyper‐globalisation has had divergent and conflicting effects on consumption spending: while de jure trade globalisation has tended to raise spending, de jure financial globalisation has tended to reduce it. We also find evidence that the positive effect of de facto trade globalisation on spending weakened significantly during the 1990s and 2000s, in comparison with earlier decades. These effects could have contributed to the growing political backlash witnessed against globalisation since the early 2000s.
Effect of bariatric surgery on circulating and urinary mitochondrial DNA copy numbers in obesity with or without diabetes
Authors: Seo Mihae , Kim Hyoungnae , Noh Hyunjin , Jeon Jin Seok , Byun Dong Won , Kim Sang Hyun , Kim Hye Jeong , Suh Kyoil , Park Hyeong Kyu , Kwon Soon Hyo 
Published: October 2020

IntroductionRecent studies have suggested that extracellular circulating and urinary mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are associated with mitochondrial dysfunction in obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the changes to cell-free serum and urinary mtDNA after bariatric surgery in patients with obesity with T2DM have not been investigated to date.Research design and methodsWe prospectively recruited patients with obesity (n=18), and with obesity and T2DM (n=14) who underwent bariatric surgery, along with healthy volunteers (HV) as a control group (n=22). Serum and urinary mitochondrial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit-1 (mtND-1) and cytochrome-c oxidase 3 (mtCOX-3) copy numbers were measured using quantitative PCR (qPCR). The mtDNA copy numbers of patients with obesity (with and without T2DM) were followed up 6 months after surgery.ResultsThe copy numbers of urinary mtND-1 and mtCOX-3 in patients with obesity, with or without T2DM, were higher than those in the HVs. Moreover, urinary mtCOX-3 copy number increased in patients with obesity with T2DM compared with patients with obesity without T2DM (p=0.018). Meanwhile, serum mtCOX-3 copy numbers in HV were higher in both obesity patient groups (p=0.040). Bariatric surgery reduced urinary mtND-1 and mtCOX-3 copy numbers, as well as serum mtCOX-3 copy numbers only in patients with obesity with T2DM.ConclusionThese results suggest that T2DM induces greater kidney mitochondrial dysfunction in patients with obesity, which can be effectively restored with bariatric surgery.
Andalusian program for early detection of diabetic retinopathy: implementation and 15-year follow-up of a population-based screening program in Andalusia, Southern Spain
Authors: Rodriguez-Acuña Rafael , Mayoral Eduardo , Aguilar-Diosdado Manuel , Rave Reyes , Oyarzabal Beatriz , Lama Carmen , Carriazo Ana , Martinez-Brocca Maria Asuncion 
Published: October 2020

IntroductionDiabetic retinopathy (DR) is a preventable cause of vision loss and blindness worldwide. We aim at analyzing the impact of a population-based screening program of DR using retinal photography with remote reading in terms of population coverage, diagnosis of asymptomatic DR and impact on visual disability, in the region of Andalusia, Spain, in the period 2005–2019.Research design and methodsDescriptive study. Sociodemographic and clinical features included in the Andalusian program for early detection of diabetic retinopathy (APDR) were analyzed. Population coverage, annual incidence of DR, and DR severity gradation were analyzed. Estimated data on prevalence and incidence of legal blindness due to DR were included.Results407 762 patients with at least one successful DR examination during the study period were included. Most of the performed retinographies (784 584, 84.3%) were ‘non-pathological.’ Asymptomatic DR was detected in 52 748 (5.9%) retinographies, most of them (94.2%) being classified as ‘mild to moderate non-proliferative DR.’ DR was detected in 44 815 patients, while sight-threatening DR (STDR) in 6256 patients; cumulative incidence of DR was 11.0% and STDR was 1.5%, as DR and STDR was detected in 44 815 and 6256 patients, respectively. Annual incidence risk per patient recruitment year progressively decreased from 22.0% by January 2005 to 3.2% by June 2019.ConclusionsImplementation of a long-term population-based screening program for early detection of DR is technically feasible and clinically viable. Thus, after 15 years of existence, the program has enabled the screening of the vast majority of the target population allowing the optimization of healthcare resources and the identification of asymptomatic DR.