bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A comparative analysis of COVID-19 mortality rate across the globe: An extensive analysis of the associated factors
Authors: Jain Vineet , Nabi Nusrat , Chandra Kailash , Irshad Sana , kashyap Varun , Kohli Sunil , Gupta Arun 
Published: December 2020

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe vast variation in COVID 19 mortality across the globe draws attention to potential risk factors other than the patient characteristics that determine COVID-19 mortality.Subjects and MethodsWe have quantified and analyzed one of the broadest set of clinical factors associated with COVID-19-related death, ranging from disease related co-morbities, socioeconomic factors, healthcare capacity and government policy and interventions. Data for population, total cases, total COVID mortality, tests done, and GDP per capita were extracted from the worldometers database. Datasets for health expenditure by government, hospital beds, rural population, prevalence of smoking, prevalence of overweight population, deaths due to communicable disease and incidence of malaria were extracted from the World Bank website. Prevalence of diabetes was retrieved from the indexmundi rankings. The average population age, 60+ population, delay in lockdown, population density and BCG data were also included for analysis. The COVID-19 mortality per million and its associated factors were retrieved for 56 countries across the globe. Quantitative analysis was done at the global as well as continent level. All the countries included in the study were categorized continent and region wise for comparative analysis determining the correlation between COVID 19 mortality and the aforementioned factors.ResultsThere was significant association found between mortality per million and 60+ population of country, average age, prevalence of diabetes mellitus, and case fatality rate with correlation and p value (p) of 0.422 (p 0.009), 0.386 (p 0.0186), −0.384 (p 0.019) and 0.753 (p 0.000) respectively at 95% CI.ConclusionThe study observations will serve as a evidence based management strategy for generating predictive model for COVID-19 infection and mortality rate.
Content analysis and characterization of medical tweets during the early Covid-19 pandemic
Authors: Prager Ross , Pratte Michael , Unni Rudy R. , Bala Sudarshan , Fat Hing Nicholas Ng , Wu Kay , McGrath Trevor A. , Thomas Adam , Thompson Laura Hilary , Hajjar Julia , Thoma Brent , Rola Philippe , Karovitch Alan , McInnes Matthew DF , Kyeremanteng Kwadwo 
Published: December 2020

ABSTRACTObjectiveThe novel coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) has infected millions worldwide and impacted the lives of many folds more. Many clinicians share new Covid-19 related resources, research, and ideas within the online Free Open Access to Medical Education (FOAM) community of practice. This study provides a detailed content and contributor analysis of Covid-19 related tweets among the FOAM community.Design, Setting, ParticipantsTwitter was searched from November 1st, 2019 to March 21st, 2020 for English tweets discussing Covid-19 in the FOAM community. Tweets were classified into one of 13 pre-specified content categories: original research, editorials, FOAM resource, public health, podcast or video, learned experience, refuting false information, policy discussion, emotional impact, blatantly false information, other Covid-19, and non-Covid-19. Further analysis of linked original research and FOAM resources was performed. 1000 randomly selected contributor profiles and those deemed to have contributed false information were analyzed.ResultsThe search yielded 8541 original tweets from 4104 contributors. The number of tweets in each content category were: 1557 other Covid-19 (18·2%), 1190 emotional impact (13·9%), 1122 FOAM resources (13·1%), 1111 policy discussion (13·0%), 928 advice (10·9%), 873 learned experience (10·2%), 424 non-Covid-19 (5·0%), 410 podcast or video (4·8%), 304 editorials (3·6%), 275 original research (3·2%), 245 public health (2·9%), 83 refuting false information (1·0%), and 19 blatantly false (0·2%).ConclusionsEarly in the Covid-19 pandemic, the FOAM community used Twitter to share Covid-19 learned experiences, online resources, crowd-sourced advice, research, and to discuss the emotional impact of Covid-19. Twitter also provided a forum for post-publication peer review of new research. Sharing blatantly false information within this community was infrequent. This study highlights several potential benefits from engaging with the FOAM community on Twitter.
AF10 (MLLT10) prevents somatic cell reprogramming through regulation of DOT1L-mediated H3K79 methylation
Authors: Uğurlu-Çimen Deniz , Odluyurt Deniz , Sevinç Kenan , Özkan-Küçük Nazlı Ezgi , Özçimen Burcu , Demirtaş Deniz , Enüstün Eray , Aztekin Can , Philpott Martin , Oppermann Udo , Özlü Nurhan , Önder Tamer T. 
Published: December 2020

SummaryThe histone H3 lysine 79 (H3K79) methyltransferase DOT1L is a key chromatin-based barrier to somatic cell reprogramming. However, the mechanisms by which DOT1L safeguards cell identity and somatic-specific transcriptional programs remain unknown. Here, we employed a proteomic approach using proximity-based labeling to identify DOT1L-interacting proteins and investigated their effects on reprogramming. Among DOT1L interactors, suppression of AF10 (MLLT10) via RNA interference or CRISPR/Cas9, significantly increases reprogramming efficiency. In somatic cells and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) higher order H3K79 methylation is dependent on AF10 expression. In AF10 knockout cells, re-expression wildtype AF10, but not a mutant defective in DOT1L binding, rescues overall H3K79 methylation and reduces reprogramming efficiency. Transcriptomic analyses during reprogramming show that AF10 suppression results in downregulation of fibroblast-specific genes and accelerates the activation of pluripotency-associated genes. Our findings establish AF10 as a novel barrier to reprogramming by regulating H3K79 methylation and thereby sheds light on the mechanism by which cell identity is maintained in somatic cells.
Visual recognition is heralded by shifts in local field potential oscillations and inhibitory networks in primary visual cortex
Authors: Hayden Dustin J. , Montgomery Daniel P. , Cooke Samuel F. , Bear Mark F. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractLearning to recognize and filter familiar, irrelevant sensory stimuli eases the computational burden on the cerebral cortex. Inhibition is a candidate mechanism in this filtration process, and oscillations in the cortical local field potential (LFP) serve as markers of the engagement of different inhibitory neurons. We show here that LFP oscillatory activity in visual cortex is profoundly altered as male and female mice learn to recognize an oriented grating stimulus—low frequency (∼15 Hz peak) power sharply increases while high frequency (∼65 Hz peak) power decreases. These changes report recognition of the familiar pattern, as they disappear when the stimulus is rotated to a novel orientation. Two-photon imaging of neuronal activity reveals that parvalbumin-expressing inhibitory neurons disengage with familiar stimuli and reactivate to novelty, whereas somatostatin-expressing inhibitory neurons show opposing activity patterns. We propose a model in which the balance of two interacting interneuron circuits shifts as novel stimuli become familiar.Significance StatementHabituation, familiarity and novelty detection are fundamental cognitive processes that enable organisms to adaptively filter meaningless stimuli and focus attention on potentially important elements of their environment. We have shown that this process can be studied fruitfully in the mouse primary visual cortex by using simple grating stimuli for which novelty and familiarity are defined by orientation, and by measuring stimulus-evoked and continuous local field potentials. Altered event-related and spontaneous potentials, and deficient habituation, are well-documented features of several neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders. The paradigm described here will be valuable to interrogate the origins of these signals and the meaning of their disruption more deeply.
Foreign direct investment and economic growth. Analysis of sectoral foreign direct investment in Tanzania
Authors: Taylor Rosemary Stanley 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis paper assesses the role of foreign direct investment in economic growth by analyzing the contribution of sectoral external finance in Tanzania. Time series data from 1988 to 2017 and 1999 to 2017 for the general and sector‐specific foreign finance respectively is studied using time series econometrics techniques. More specifically, the autoregressive distributive lag bound test for cointegration and error correction model are employed to evaluate the impact of sector foreign direct investment on growth. The diagnostic tests suggest that our models are free from instability, nonnormality, misspecification, heteroscedasticity, and serial correlation. Estimated long‐ and short‐term coefficients show that the effect of the primary sector foreign direct investment is positive and statistically significant at the 10% and 5% significance levels, respectively. In contrast, that of the secondary and tertiary sectors is insignificant. The coefficient of the general foreign direct investment is found to be statistically insignificant. These results confirm that the type rather than the quantity of foreign direct investment may be more relevant in explaining economic growth. Other control variables exhibit their expected signs except that of openness to trade. Based on these findings, the study recommends more and strategic foreign direct investment incentives to the primary sector.
Machine perfusion of donor organs for transplantation
Authors: Tatum Robert , O’Malley Thomas J. , Bodzin Adam S. , Tchantchaleishvili Vakhtang 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe ever‐widening gap between organ supply and demand has resulted in an organ shortage crisis that affects patients all over the world. For decades, static cold storage (SCS) was the gold standard preservation strategy because of its simplicity and cost‐effectiveness, but the rising unmet demand for donor organ transplants has prompted investigation into preservation strategies that can expand the available donor pool. Through ex vivo functional assessment of the organ prior to transplant, newer methods to preserve organs such as perfusion‐based therapy can potentially expand the available organ pool. This review will explain the physiologic rationale for SCS before exploring the advantages and disadvantages associated with the two broad classes of preservation strategies that have emerged to address the crisis: hypothermic and normothermic machine perfusion. A detailed analysis of how each preservation strategy works will be provided before investigating the current status of clinical data for each preservation strategy for the kidney, liver, pancreas, heart, and lung. For some organs there is robust data to support the use of machine perfusion technologies over SCS, and in others the data are less clear. Nonetheless, machine perfusion technologies represent an exciting frontier in organ preservation research and will remain a crucial component of closing the gap between organ supply and recipient demand.
Treatment of tracheal stenosis with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support in infants and newborns
Authors: Pola dos Reis Flavio , Minamoto Helio , Bibas Benoit Jacques , Minamoto Fabio Eiti Nishibe , Cardoso Paulo Francisco Guerreiro , Caneo Luiz Fernando , Pêgo‐Fernandes Paulo Manuel 
Published: December 2020

AbstractTracheal stenosis in children is a challenge for the healthcare team, since it is a rare disease. Patients usually have other clinical comorbidities, mainly previous cardiac surgical interventions. This retrospective single‐center study included infants with tracheal stenosis (congenital or acquired) operated between 2016 and 2020 on venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO). Five patients were operated and the median age of detection of the tracheal disease was 3.7 months, and the median age at the operation was 5 months. All patients had associated cardiac anomalies. Four patients had congenital tracheal stenosis; two with associated pig bronchus. One patient had acquired subglottic stenosis with concomitant stenosis at the carina. After the operation, the patients were referred to ICU on ECMO with an open chest. Minor ECMO‐related complications occurred in two patients (hemothorax and wound infection). All patients required endoscopic evaluation during the postoperative care; median of 3.2 procedures. Two patients are currently in follow‐up and three have died. Slide tracheoplasty with VA‐ECMO can be successfully performed in infants with prior cardiac surgery. Nevertheless, a difficult postoperative course should be anticipated, with possible prolonged ECMO use, readmissions, and higher morbidity and mortality than in children with tracheal stenosis alone.
Race and racism in soil science
Authors: Berhe Asmeret Asefaw , Ghezzehei Teamrat A. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractSoil science is one of the least diverse fields within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Because demographics of groups and institutions provide a window into the culture, climate, equity and inclusion of minoritized scholars, we discuss how lack of diversity continues to affect our science and the scientific community, and its implications for the welfare of the global population. We highlight the role of antiracist practices and policies for improving workplace climate and thereby developing a diverse and inclusive scientific community. We present this article as a starting point for discussions on issues of race and racism in our scientific community and institutions.Highlights
Soil science remains one of the least diverse fields in STEM.
Workplace climate plays a major role in perpetuating the lack of diversity within soil science and other fields within geosciences.
Incorporation of antiracist practices and policies is urgently needed to reverse the current trend and improve representation in our scientific community.
Optimization of calcium carbonate whisker reinforced cement paste for rheology and fracture properties using response surface methodology
Authors: Xie Chaopeng , Cao Mingli , Lv Xingjun 
Published: December 2020

AbstractCement paste is generally used as a grouting joint material for concrete structures. A good rheology property guarantees the workability of fresh cement paste, and an excellent fracture toughness that reflects the good crack resistance of hardened cement paste. Calcium carbonate whisker (CW) is an inorganic mineral reinforcing material with excellent micromechanical performance, microcrack resistance and environmentally friendly nature. In this study, the rheological and three‐point bending tests were conducted on CW reinforced cement paste (CWRCP) to evaluate workability and mechanical properties. The results showed that the yield stress (τ0) and plastic viscosity (μ) were increased with addition of CW. This was because of the large specific surface area of CW which consumed free water and reduced lubricity between cement particles; and meanwhile, fibrous CW overlapped into net and prevented the flow of fresh cement paste. The addition of CW increased the fracture toughness (KIC) of cement paste due to its microscopic crack resistance effect. Also, the environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) analysis was performed to study the microstructural characteristics. The response surface methodology (RSM) was used to evaluate the influence of CW content (vcw) and water–cement ratio (w/c) to response parameters. Additionally, multiobjective optimization technique was performed to determine best settings for design variables which satisfied ideal response parameters. Conclusively, the optimal solution of CWRCP is beneficial to acquire ideal response goal and provides the basis for engineering applications.
Ecosystem‐scale biogeochemical fluxes from three bioenergy crop candidates: How energy sorghum compares to maize and miscanthus
Authors: Moore Caitlin E. , von Haden Adam C. , Burnham Mark B. , Kantola Ilsa B. , Gibson Christy D. , Blakely Bethany J. , Dracup Evan C. , Masters Michael D. , Yang Wendy H. , DeLucia Evan H. , Bernacchi Carl J. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractPerennial crops have been the focus of bioenergy research and development for their sustainability benefits associated with high soil carbon (C) and reduced nitrogen (N) requirements. However, perennial crops mature over several years and their sustainability benefits can be negated through land reversion. A photoperiod‐sensitive energy sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) may provide an annual crop alternative more ecologically sustainable than maize (Zea mays) that can more easily integrate into crop rotations than perennials, such as miscanthus (Miscanthus×giganteus). This study presents an ecosystem‐scale comparison of C, N, water and energy fluxes from energy sorghum, maize and miscanthus during a typical growing season in the Midwest United States. Gross primary productivity (GPP) was highest for maize during the peak growing season at 21.83 g C m−2 day−1, followed by energy sorghum (17.04 g C m−2 day−1) and miscanthus (15.57 g C m−2 day−1). Maize also had the highest peak growing season evapotranspiration at 5.39 mm day−1, with energy sorghum and miscanthus at 3.81 and 3.61 mm day−1, respectively. Energy sorghum was the most efficient water user (WUE), while maize and miscanthus were comparatively similar (3.04, 1.75 and 1.89 g C mm−1H2O, respectively). Maize albedo was lower than energy sorghum and miscanthus (0.19, 0.26 and 0.24, respectively), but energy sorghum had a Bowen ratio closer to maize than miscanthus (0.12, 0.13 and 0.21, respectively). Nitrous oxide (N2O) flux was higher from maize and energy sorghum (8.86 and 12.04 kg N ha−1, respectively) compared with miscanthus (0.51 kg N ha−1), indicative of their different agronomic management. These results are an important first look at how energy sorghum compares to maize and miscanthus grown in the Midwest United States. This quantitative assessment is a critical component for calibrating biogeochemical and ecological models used to forecast bioenergy crop growth, productivity and sustainability.
Body weight of young broilers fed with declining calcium and phosphorus contents during the starter period is irresponsive to changes in the skeleton
Authors: Kop‐Bozbay Canan , Akdag Ahmet , Atan Helin , Ocak Nuh 
Published: December 2020

AbstractTo evaluate the effect of reduced calcium (Ca) and available P (aP) levels in starter diets on growth performance and tibia, sternum and serum characteristics, and to assay the association between Ca and P (aP) intakes and these variables, 600 one‐day‐old broiler chicks (Ross 308) were used in a 21‐days trial. Broilers were randomly allotted to five treatments with five replicate pens. Chicks were fed on one of the five starter diets that were formulated with a 10% reduction in the Ca and aP contents, starting from the control diet and hence, named as C (0.96% Ca, 0.45% aP), L1 (0.85% Ca and 0.42% aP), L2 (0.77% Ca and 0.38% aP), L3 (0.68% Ca and 0.34% aP) and L4 (0.61% Ca and 0.31% aP). Declining dietary Ca and aP levels did not affect body weight and levels of Ca, P and alkaline phosphatase in serum, but reduced linearly feed intake, the feed conversion ratio and the bone weight and ash content. The Ca and aP intakes and Ca:aP ratio displayed a positive correlation with both tibia and sternum weights, and the mass of the bones were equally sensitive to dietary Ca and aP levels. In conclusion, the body weight of young broilers was irresponsive to changes in the skeleton when exposed to early dietary Ca and aP restrictions (up to 0.61% Ca and 0.31% aP) and the mechanostat had limits due to the association between Ca and aP intakes, and bone properties.
The retromer CSC subcomplex is recruited by MoYpt7 and sequentially sorted by MoVps17 for effective conidiation and pathogenicity of the rice blast fungus
Authors: Wu Congxian , Lin Yahong , Zheng Huawei , Abubakar Yakubu Saddeeq , Peng Minghui , Li Jingjing , Yu Zhi , Wang Zonghua , Naqvi Naweed I. , Li Guangpu , Zhou Jie , Zheng Wenhui 
Published: December 2020

AbstractIn eukaryotic cells, Rab GTPases and the retromer complex are important regulators of intracellular protein transport. However, the mechanistic relationship between Rab GTPases and the retromer complex in relation to filamentous fungal development and pathogenesis is unknown. In this study, we used Magnaporthe oryzae, an important pathogen of rice and other cereals, as a model filamentous fungus to dissect this knowledge gap. Our data demonstrate that the core retromer subunit MoVps35 interacts with the Rab GTPase MoYpt7 and they colocalize to the endosome. Without MoYpt7, MoVps35 is mislocalized in the cytoplasm, indicating that MoYpt7 plays an important role in the recruitment of MoVps35. We further demonstrate that the expression of an inactive MoYpt7‐DN (GDP‐bound form) mutant in M. oryzae mimicks the phenotype defects of retromer cargo‐sorting complex (CSC) null mutants and blocks the proper localization of MoVps35. In addition, our data establish that MoVps17, a member of the sorting nexin family, is situated at the endosome independent of retromer CSC but regulates the sorting function of MoVps35 after its recruitment to the endosomal membrane by MoYpt7. Taken together, these results provide insight into the precise mechanism of retromer CSC recruitment to the endosome by MoYpt7 and subsequent sorting by MoVps17 for efficient conidiation and pathogenicity of M. oryzae.
Correlation of shell and aptychus growth provides insights into the palaeobiology of a scaphitid ammonite
Authors: Machalski Marcin 
Published: December 2020

AbstractScaphitids rank among the commonest and best‐known Late Cretaceous ammonites, yet many aspects of their palaeobiology are still unresolved. Here, natural moulds and co‐occurring aptychi (calcitic coverings of the lower jaw) of Hoploscaphites constrictus crassus from the upper Maastrichtian of Poland are studied. For the first time in a scaphitid ammonite, growth marks are identified on the moulds and aptychi, which enable a reconstruction of the successive ontogenetic stages of the shell and aptychus. These are correlated to each other, allowing us to address two open issues in scaphitid palaeobiology: (1) estimation of individual growth rate and age; and (2) assessment of the aptychus as a possible protective operculum. As far as the growth rate of H. c. crassus is concerned, this accelerated rapidly at the onset of the mature body chamber formation and decelerated shortly before the cessation of growth. The resultant growth curve departs significantly from the generalized growth curve previously proposed for ammonites. In contrast, an age of five years at maturity, tentatively estimated here for H. c. crassus, conforms to the previous estimates for shallow‐water ammonites of comparable size. The role of the aptychus as an operculum is rejected for H. c. crassus, based on a significant misfit in size and shape between the aperture and aptychus recorded during ontogeny. These conclusions may probably be extended to closely related members of the European Hoploscaphites constrictus evolutionary lineage and to some other scaphitids with shells similar in size and shape to that of H. c. crassus.