bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The circular economy concept application to livestock systems: an agroecological approach
Authors: Bona D. , Iussig G. , Silvestri S. 
Published: April 2020

Abstract

Over the last century, livestock systems

have undergone a progressive intensification process, which brought to light many environmental and agronomical issues, mainly related to manure management. An agroecological approach has also been advocated to develop more sustainable systems and ensure a balanced relationship between environmental, social and economic goals. The circular economy (CE) concept was placed next to that of agroecology, and its application to manure management was finalized to reduce the input and use of natural resources, increase sharing of energy and natural resources and reduce pollution. This review comprehensively reports the more interesting opportunities for European Cattle breeding, considering that its waste management plays an important role from the agroecological point of view. Many technologies based on biological and/or thermochemical processes are currently available and different studies on how to improve their efficiency are under way. The biorefinery concept concerns the lignocellulosic fraction exploitation for biofuels, by-products and biochar/hydrochar production. The enhancement of farm nutrient utilization could restore the balance between input and output. The knowledge of the fertilizing/amendment properties of the manure and its by-products could create a synergistic development at landscape scale considering other agricultural production (crops, orchards, vineyards, etc.). Some ecological services such as soil fertility, biological regulations, soil erosion and biological diversity provided by animal farming could be a product of the transition towards circular economy. By adopting an agroecological approach, the enhancement of the energetic, agronomic and biochemical exploitation of manure will be sustainable.
Improving coffee species for pathogen resistance
Authors: Maghuly Fatemeh , Jankowicz-Cieslak Joanna , Bado Souleymane 
Published: April 2020

Abstract

Pathogens are the major limiting factors in coffee productions. Approximately 26% of the global annual coffee production is lost due to diseases, threatening the income of nearly 125 million people worldwide. Therefore, reducing coffee yield losses by improving the resistance of coffee plants to disease and insect attack will provide a major contribution to agricultural sustainability and disease management of many regions. Breeding

varieties that are resistant to a broad spectrum of pathogens, genetically stable and high yielding, requires strategies that will overcome challenges known by coffee breeders. Recently developed genomic tools allow a better understanding of coffee-pathogen interaction and help to identify genes involved in pathogen resistance or susceptibility. Understanding the influence of individual factors and their interaction will help to select interesting accessions and to accelerate breeding strategies for coffee improvement. Additional information on the quantitative effect of pest and disease on coffee crop losses and the understanding of their impact are essential to develop the best pest management strategy. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge of coffee production and recent advances in resistance breeding programs, with emphasis on induced mutagenesis, genomic tools, and genome editing. The focus is on the origin, domestication, evolution, and gene pools of coffee. Moreover

, answers will be given toward: how we can benefit from establishing a genetically diverse coffee population; how genomic resources can play an important role in host resistance; and what are the major pathogens affecting coffee.
Family farming between its past and potential future with the focus on multifunctionality and sustainability
Authors: Quendler Erika , Ikerd John , Driouech Noureddin 
Published: April 2020

AbstractSustainability may be defined in the most general terms as the ability to meet the needs of the present without diminishing opportunities for the future. It is also generally conceded that sustainability is multidimensional in that it depends on ecological, social and economic integrity—the three cornerstones of sustainability. It is no surprise then that the functionality of family farming is increasingly being discussed in scholarly literature as an important element in promoting the multiple ecological, social and economic benefits of a sustainable agriculture. This paper provides a review of that body of literature. By examining literature relevant to the European Union (EU) and the United States (US), this paper also explores the economic and social evolution of farming within these two historical and political contexts, giving specific attention to its motivation and functionality. Whereas in the past family farms have been very diverse in motivation and multifunctional in operation, more recent trends have been veering towards monofunctional farms that are primarily, if not solely, economically motivated. The literature review reveals the potential for multifunctional family farms to alter or reverse this development of agriculture towards unsustainable, monofunctional agri-businesses. This review also highlights the potential of agroecology as the scientific foundation for multifunctional family farming as a means of achieving sustainable agriculture. The essential premise of this review is that multifunctional family farming provides the logical rationale and political rhetoric for farm policies that promote and support the multiple benefits of an agriculture that is sustainable.
Cervical spine fragility fractures in older people: 5-year experience at a regional spine centre
Authors: Tarawneh Ahmad , Taqvi Syed , Salem Khalid , Sahota Opinder 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBackgroundcervical spine fractures are particularly prevalent in older people and commonly occur following a fall from standing height or less. Atlanto-axial complex (AAC) and, particularly, odontoid process (OP) fractures are the most prevalent injuries.Objectiveto investigate the incidence and characteristics of cervical spine fractures in older patients presenting to a regional spine centre.Methodsa retrospective review of the clinical records and imaging of all patients aged 70 years and over presenting to a regional spinal unit with a cervical injury over a 5-year period was performed. Patient demographics, mechanism of injury, level of fracture, stability of the fracture, treatment modality, imaging modality and mortality rates were collected and analysed.Resultsduring the period between 2015 and 2019, a total of 209 patients aged 70 years and over were presented to the regional spine unit. The mean age at presentation was 82.4 (±7.5) years. Low-energy trauma was the commonest mechanism of injury (n = 169; 80.9%). MRI was undertaken in a quarter of the patients. One-hundred and fifty-one patients (72.2%) suffered an AAC Injury with OP fractures forming the majority of this group (n = 119; 78.8%). One-hundred and ninety-nine patients were treated conservatively, and the overall 30-day mortality rate was 8.1%.Conclusioncervical spine fractures are not uncommon amongst older people and are mostly the result of low-energy trauma and predominantly affect the axial cervical spine. The majority of these injuries are managed conservatively with an orthosis. The fractures nevertheless are a serious injury, with a high mortality rate at 30 days.
Cardiovascular Disease and All-Cause Mortality in Male Twins With Discordant Cardiorespiratory Fitness: A Nationwide Cohort Study
Authors: Ballin Marcel , Nordström Anna , Nordström Peter 
Published: April 2020

AbstractWhether genetic and familial factors influence the association between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is unknown. Two cohorts were formed based on data from 1,212,295 men aged 18 years who were conscripted for military service in Sweden during 1972–1996. The first comprised 4,260 twin pairs in which the twins in each pair had different CRF (≥1 watt). The second comprised 90,331 nonsibling pairs with different CRF and matched on birth year and year of conscription. Incident CVD and all-cause mortality were identified using national registers. During follow-up (median 32 years), there was no difference in CVD and mortality between fitter twins and less fit twins (246 vs. 251 events; hazard ratio (HR) = 1.00, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.83, 1.20). The risks were similar in twin pairs with ≥60-watt difference in CRF (HR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.57, 1.64). In contrast, in the nonsibling cohort, fitter men had a lower risk of the outcomes than less fit men (4,444 vs. 5,298 events; HR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.79, 0.86). The association was stronger in pairs with ≥60-watt difference in CRF (HR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.59, 0.71). These findings indicate that genetic and familial factors influence the association of CRF with CVD and mortality.
Unravelling the enigma of cortical tremor and other forms of cortical myoclonus
Authors: Latorre Anna , Rocchi Lorenzo , Magrinelli Francesca , Mulroy Eoin , Berardelli Alfredo , Rothwell John C , Bhatia Kailash P 
Published: April 2020

AbstractCortical tremor is a fine rhythmic oscillation involving distal upper limbs, linked to increased sensorimotor cortex excitability, as seen in cortical myoclonus. Cortical tremor is the hallmark feature of autosomal dominant familial cortical myoclonic tremor and epilepsy (FCMTE), a syndrome not yet officially recognized and characterized by clinical and genetic heterogeneity. Non-coding repeat expansions in different genes have been recently recognized to play an essential role in its pathogenesis. Cortical tremor is considered a rhythmic variant of cortical myoclonus and is part of the ‘spectrum of cortical myoclonus’, i.e. a wide range of clinical motor phenomena, from reflex myoclonus to myoclonic epilepsy, caused by abnormal sensorimotor cortical discharges. The aim of this update is to provide a detailed analysis of the mechanisms defining cortical tremor, as seen in FCMTE. After reviewing the clinical and genetic features of FCMTE, we discuss the possible mechanisms generating the distinct elements of the cortical myoclonus spectrum, and how cortical tremor fits into it. We propose that the spectrum is due to the evolution from a spatially limited focus of excitability to recruitment of more complex mechanisms capable of sustaining repetitive activity, overcoming inhibitory mechanisms that restrict excitatory bursts, and engaging wide areas of cortex. Finally, we provide evidence for a possible common denominator of the elements of the spectrum, i.e. the cerebellum, and discuss its role in FCMTE, according to recent genetic findings.
Investigating the cumulative effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and repetitive mild traumatic brain injury on adolescent rats
Authors: Bhatt Dhyey , Hazari Ali , Yamakawa Glenn R , Salberg Sabrina , Sgro Marissa , Shultz Sandy R , Mychasiuk Richelle 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe prevalence of mild traumatic brain injury is highest amongst the adolescent population and can lead to complications including neuroinflammation and excitotoxicity. Also pervasive in adolescents is recreational cannabis use. Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive component of cannabis, is known to have anti-inflammatory properties and serves as a neuroprotective agent against excitotoxicity. Thus, we investigated the effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol on recovery when administered either prior to or following repeated mild brain injuries. Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to receive Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol or vehicle either prior to or following the repeated injuries. Rats were then tested on a behavioural test battery designed to measure post-concussive symptomology. The hippocampus, nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex were extracted from all animals to examine mRNA expression changes (Bdnf, Cnr1, Comt, GR, Iba-1 and Vegf-2R). We hypothesized that, in both experiments, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol administration would provide neuroprotection against mild injury outcomes and confer therapeutic benefit. Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol administration following repeated mild traumatic brain injury was beneficial to three of the six behavioural outcomes affected by injury (reducing anxiety and depressive-like behaviours while also mitigating injury-induced deficits in short-term working memory). Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol administration following injury also showed beneficial effects on the expression of Cnr1, Comt and Vegf-2R in the hippocampus, nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex. There were no notable benefits of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol when administered prior to injury, suggesting that Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol may have potential therapeutic benefit on post-concussive symptomology when administered post-injury, but not pre-injury.
Brain sterol flux mediated by cytochrome P450 46A1 affects membrane properties and membrane-dependent processes
Authors: Petrov Alexey M , Mast Natalia , Li Young , Denker John , Pikuleva Irina A 
Published: April 2020

AbstractCytochrome P450 46A1 encoded by CYP46A1 catalyzes cholesterol 24-hydroxylation and is a CNS-specific enzyme that controls cholesterol removal and turnover in the brain. Accumulating data suggest that increases in cytochrome P450 46A1 activity in mouse models of common neurodegenerative diseases affect various, apparently unlinked biological processes and pathways. Yet, the underlying reason for these multiple enzyme activity effects is currently unknown. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that cytochrome P450 46A1-mediated sterol flux alters physico-chemical properties of the plasma membranes and thereby membrane-dependent events. We used 9-month-old 5XFAD mice (an Alzheimer’s disease model) treated for 6 months with the anti-HIV drug efavirenz. These animals have previously been shown to have improved behavioural performance, increased cytochrome P450 46A1 activity in the brain, and increased sterol flux through the plasma membranes. We further examined 9-month-old Cyp46a1−/− mice, which have previously been observed to have cognitive deficits and decreased sterol flux through brain membranes. Synaptosomal fractions from the brain of efavirenz-treated 5XFAD mice had essentially unchanged cholesterol levels as compared to control 5XFAD mice. However with efavirenz treatment in these mice, there were changes in the membrane properties (increased cholesterol accessibility, ordering, osmotic resistance and thickness) as well as total glutamate content and ability to release glutamate in response to mild stimulation. Similarly, the cholesterol content in synaptosomal fractions from the brain of Cyp46a1−/− mice was essentially the same as in wild-type mice but knockout of Cyp46a1 was associated with changes in membrane properties and glutamate content and its exocytotic release. Changes in Cyp46a1−/− mice were in the opposite direction to those observed in efavirenz-treated versus control 5XFAD mice. Incubation of synaptosomal fractions with the inhibitors of glycogen synthase kinase 3, cyclin-dependent kinase 5, protein phosphatase 1/2 A, and protein phosphatase 2B revealed that increased sterol flux in efavirenz-treated versus control 5XFAD mice affected the ability of all four enzymes to modulate glutamate release. In contrast, in Cyp46a1−/− versus wild-type mice, decreased sterol flux altered the ability of only cyclin-dependent kinase 5 and protein phosphatase 2B to regulate the glutamate release. Collectively, our results support cytochrome P450 46A1-mediated sterol flux as an important contributor to the fundamental properties of the membranes, protein phosphorylation and synaptic transmission. Also, our data provide an explanation of how one enzyme, cytochrome P450 46A1, can affect multiple pathways and processes and serve as a common potential target for several neurodegenerative disorders.
Agalsidase beta treatment slows estimated glomerular filtration rate loss in classic Fabry disease patients: results from an individual patient data meta-analysis
Authors: Ortiz Alberto , Kanters Steve , Hamed Alaa , DasMahapatra Pronabesh , Poggio Eugene , Maski Manish , Aguiar Mario , Ponce Elvira , Jansen Jeroen P , Ayers Dieter , Goldgrub Rachel , Desnick Robert J 
Published: April 2020

Abstract

Background
Fabry disease is a rare, X-linked genetic disorder that, if untreated in patients with the Classic phenotype, often progresses to end-stage kidney disease. This meta-analysis determined the effect of agalsidase beta on loss of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in the Classic phenotype using an expansive evidence base of individual patient-level data.

Methods
The evidence base included four Sanofi-Genzyme studies and six studies from a systematic literature review. These were restricted to Classic Fabry patients meeting the eligibility criteria from Phases III and IV agalsidase beta trials, including 315 patients (161 treated). Linear regression was first used to model annual change in eGFR for each patient and the resulting annualized eGFR slopes were modelled with treatment and covariates using quantile regression. These results were then used to estimate median annualized eGFR change in agalsidase beta treated versus untreated groups.

Results
Imbalances across treatment groups were found in baseline age, sex and proteinuria, but not in the use of renin–angiotensin system blockers. The adjusted model suggests that treated (agalsidase beta) patients experienced a slower median eGFR decrease [2.46 mL/min/1.73 m2/year slower; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.63–4.29; P = 0.0087] than comparable untreated patients. The median eGFR decrease was 2.64 mL/min/1.73 m2/year slower (95% CI 0.53–4.78; P = 0.0141) in treated Classic males.

Conclusions
Using an expansive evidence base and robust modelling approach, these data indicate that agalsidase beta-treated patients with the Classic phenotype conserve their renal function better than untreated patients.
Testing exogeneity in nonparametric instrumental variables models identified by conditional quantile restrictions
Authors: Fu Jia-Young Michael , Horowitz Joel L , Parey Matthias 
Published: April 2020

Summary
This paper presents a test for exogeneity of explanatory variables in a nonparametric instrumental variables (IV) model whose structural function is identified through a conditional quantile restriction. Quantile regression models are increasingly important in applied econometrics. As with mean-regression models, an erroneous assumption that the explanatory variables in a quantile regression model are exogenous can lead to highly misleading results. In addition, a test of exogeneity based on an incorrectly specified parametric model can produce misleading results. This paper presents a test of exogeneity that does not assume that the structural function belongs to a known finite-dimensional parametric family and does not require estimation of this function. The latter property is important because nonparametric estimates of the structural function are unavoidably imprecise. The test presented here is consistent whenever the structural function differs from the conditional quantile function on a set of nonzero probability. The test has nontrivial power uniformly over a large class of structural functions that differ from the conditional quantile function by $O({n^{ - 1/2}})$. The results of Monte Carlo experiments and an empirical application illustrate the performance of the test.
‘So Much Grief and not a Tongue’: Trauma and Intertextuality in Shakespeare’s The Rape of Lucrece
Authors: Wiltshire Harvey 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
In her 2008 monograph Unto the Breach: Martial Formations, Historical Trauma, and the Early Modern Stage, Patricia A. Cahill argues that critics of Renaissance literature have thus far failed to ‘reckon with the fact that early modern traumatic experience is defined not only by its subject matter … but also by what can be described as its “belated” and “latent” temporal structure’. Which is to say that the hallmark of trauma – both early modern and modern – is the delayed manifestation of the signs and symptoms that evince the originary experience having taken place; as such, trauma is defined by the period of latency that follows the instigating event, known only by the belated arrival of symptoms attesting to it. Since then, scholars have begun to interrogate the ways in which early modern literature appears to anticipate later cultural and theoretical configurations of trauma. By examining the significance of trauma and intertextuality in Shakespeare’s The Rape of Lucrece (1594), this essay builds on the insights of a strong and diverse body of research that continues to attend to the complex role of trauma in early modern literature. By reading The Rape of Lucrece in the context of and also through Shakespeare’s Ovidian source material, this essay suggests that the very act of returning to Ovid formally encodes the distinctive and disturbing structure of trauma into Shakespeare’s depiction of responses to extreme experience.
Chimeric Antigen Receptors Targeting Human Cytomegalovirus
Authors: Ali Ayub , Chiuppesi Flavia , Nguyen Minh , Hausner Mary Ann , Nguyen Jenny , Kha Mindy , Iniguez Angelina , Wussow Felix , Diamond Don J , Yang Otto O 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a ubiquitous pathogen that causes significant morbidity in some vulnerable populations. Individualized adoptive transfer of ex vivo expanded CMV-specific CD8+ T cells has provided proof-of-concept that immunotherapy can be highly effective, but a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) approach would provide a feasible method for broad application. We created 8 novel CARs using anti-CMV neutralizing antibody sequences, which were transduced via lentiviral vector into primary CD8+ T cells. All CARs were expressed. Activity against CMV-infected target cells was assessed by release of cytokines (interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor–α), upregulation of surface CD107a, proliferation, cytolysis of infected cells, and suppression of viral replication. While some CARs showed varying functional activity across these assays, 1 CAR based on antibody 21E9 was consistently superior in all measures. These results support development of a CMV-specific CAR for therapeutic use against CMV and potentially other applications harnessing CMV-driven immunotherapies.
Securing Reproductive Health: A Matter of International Peace and Security
Authors: Davies Sara E , Harman Sophie 
Published: April 2020

AbstractFailure to access reproductive health care is a threat to the security of women around the world. This article offers three propositions to recognize reproductive health as a matter of international peace and security. The first is to recognize current processes of advancement and backlash politics as a silent security dilemma that undermines rights, justice, and public health based approaches to reproductive health. The second is to draw on the human security origins of global health security to reorient the concept away from protecting states to protecting individuals. Finally, a feminist approach to security is incomplete without recognising reproductive health as a threat to women's security and as a barrier to their participation in international peace and security processes. Reproductive health is central to effective peacebuilding yet remains curiously absent from the international peace and security discourse. We discuss how and why reproductive security should become integrated within the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda in order to hold states to account for reproductive health access. Reproductive security defines the urgency and threat of restricted reproductive health care to the lives of women, health-care providers, and sustained international peace and security.