bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Docosahexaenoic Acid Protects Traumatic Brain Injury by Regulating NOX2 Generation via Nrf2 Signaling Pathway
Authors: Zhu Wei , Cui Guangqiang , Li Tuo , Chen Hongguang , Zhu Jian , Ding Yuexia , Zhao Li 
Published: July 2020

AbstractDocosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is verified to have neuroprotective effects on traumatic brain injury (TBI) rats by activating Nrf2 signaling pathway, but the role of NOX2 in this effect has not been illuminated. So this study explored the role of NOX2 in TBI models treated with DHA, aiming to complete the mechanism of DHA. TBI rat models were constructed with or without DHA treatment, and H2O2-induced hippocampal neurons were pretreated with DHA alone or in combination with Nrf2 inhibitor brusatol. The neurological function, cognitive ability, and cerebral edema degree of rats were assessed. The apoptosis rate and viability of cells was measured. The generation of NOX2, Nrf2, HO-1 and NQO-1 expression levels, and ROS content in hippocampal CA1 region and hippocampal neurons were detected. DHA could not only improve the neurological function, brain edema and cognitive ability in TBI rats, but also decrease effectively the contents of NOX2 and ROS in hippocampal CA1 region and hippocampal neurons. DHA promoted the nuclear transposition of Nrf2 and the expression levels of HO-1 and NQO-1 in hippocampal CA1 region and hippocampal neurons. On the contrary, Nrf2 inhibitor brusatol inhibited the nuclear transposition of Nrf2 and the expression levels of HO-1 and NQO-1 in hippocampal neurons, promoted the generation of ROS and NOX2, and accelerated cell apoptosis. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrated that DHA treated TBI by reducing NOX2 generation that might function on Nrf2 signaling pathway, providing a potential evidence for its clinical application.
Reply to “Consequences of dike breaches and dike overflow in a bifurcating river system”
Authors: Bomers A. , Schielen R. M. J. , Hulscher S. J. M. H. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIn this reply, we would like to comment on the discussion paper of AlQasimi and Mahdi (Nat Hazards 97:1–4, 2020. 10.1007/s11069-020-03904-1). We discuss their view and possible improvements of the paper of Bomers et al. (Nat Hazards 97(1):309–334, 2019b. 10.1007/s11069-019-03643-y) in more detail and explain how large-flood modelling methods can benefit from the suggestions given by AlQasimi and Mahdi (2020).
Dynamics of price level changes in the Visegrad group: comparative study
Authors: Białek Jacek , Roszko-Wójtowicz Elżbieta 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIn Poland, as in many other countries, to measure inflation, expressed both by the CPI and HICP, the Laspeyres price index with weights from the base period is used. Thus calculated index does not take into account changes in the consumption structure which are caused by changes in prices in the analysed time interval (i.e.: a year). Therefore, in countries where the CPI is determined based on the Laspeyres index, there is a high probability of its bias due to substitution of goods, but not only. The value of the CPI or HICP should approximate the real inflation as accurately as possible, among others, because these indicators are used to index nominal values in the economy, which in turn is important in price decisions made by enterprises. Searching for an answer to the question about the possibility of effective reduction of the measurement bias in measuring inflation, the authors conducted an empirical study whose main aim was to assess diversity of the level of inflation in the Visegrad countries at different levels of aggregation, with particular emphasis on the scale of the bias in measuring inflation resulting from substitution of goods. The study concentrated on determining the size of differences arising from the change in the index formula used when estimating the level of inflation. The article consists of six parts in which sources and types of bias in inflation measurement are discussed, index formulas divided into weighted and unweighted ones are reviewed, statistics on inflation in the Visegrad countries are presented in a dynamic approach, and the results of empirical research are presented and discussed. For the purpose of the research part and the need to perform a comparative analysis, data on the HICP value from the Eurostat database from the years 2011–2018 were used. Therefore, it seems that both the choice of the calculation formula and the level of data aggregation in the analysis of inflation is significant in its estimates.
Neuro-Doping as a Means to Avert Fascistoid Ideology in Elite Sport
Authors: Tännsjö Torbjörn 
Published: July 2020

AbstractAssume that neuro-doping is safe and efficient. This means that the use of it, and similar future safe methods of enhancement in sport, may help those who are naturally weak to catch up with those who are naturally strong and sometimes even defeat them. The rationale behind anti-doping measures seem to presuppose that this is unfair. But the idea that those who are naturally strong should defeat those who are naturally weak rests on a fascistoid ideology that sport had better leave behind. Neuro-doping may be seen as a means to undermine the fascistoid notion of fairness. The conjecture is that, given that society adopts what will be characterized as a policy of biological egalitarianism, this will happen. Then people will compete in society in general and in sport in particular on more equal biological terms. The fascination with natural strength, and the cheering for the winners, can then go away. Instead we see a liberated sport where we take part in it for the sheer fun of doing so. Neuro-doping, and similar techniques, may be a means that helps to liberate elite sport from its perverse view of fairness.
Rare earth elements (REE) in biology and medicine
Authors: Ascenzi P. , Bettinelli M. , Boffi A. , Botta M. , De Simone G. , Luchinat C. , Marengo E. , Mei H. , Aime S. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThis survey reports on topics that were presented at the workshop on “Challenges with Rare Earth Elements. The Periodic Table at work for new Science & Technology” hold at the Academia dei Lincei in November 2019. The herein reported materials refer to presentations dealing with studies and applications of rare earth elements (REE) in several areas of Biology and Medicine. All together they show the tremendous impact REE have in relevant fields of living systems and highlight, on one hand, the still existing knowledge gap for an in-depth understanding of their function in natural systems as well as the very important role they already have in providing innovative scientific and technological solutions in a number of bio-medical areas and in fields related to the assessment of the origin of food and on their manufacturing processes. On the basis of the to-date achievements one expects that new initiatives will bring, in a not too far future, to a dramatic increase of our understanding of the REE involvement in living organisms as well as a ramp-up in the exploitation of the peculiar properties of REE for the design of novel applications in diagnostic procedures and in the set-up of powerful medical devices. This scenario calls the governmental authorities for new responsibilities to guarantee a continuous availability of REE to industry and research labs together with providing support to activities devoted to their recovery/recycling.
Imperfect food markets in times of crisis: economic consequences of supply chain disruptions and fragmentation for local market power and urban vulnerability
Authors: Ihle Rico , Rubin Ofir D. , Bar-Nahum Ziv , Jongeneel Roel 
Published: July 2020

AbstractAs these lines were written, the Covid-19 pandemic crisis was continuing to threaten countries around the globe. The worldwide consensus that physical distancing is an effective instrument for mitigating the spread of the virus has led policymakers to temporarily limit the freedom of movement of people between and within countries, cities, and even neighborhoods. These public health-related restrictions on human mobility yielded an unprecedented fragmentation of international and national food distribution systems. Focusing on food retailing - usually being modestly oligopolistic - we take a micro-economic perspective as we analyze the potential consequences this disruption has for the physical as well as for the economic access of households to food at the local level. As the mobility constraints implemented substantially reduced competition, we argue that food retailers might have been tempted to take advantage of the implied fragmentation of economic activity by exploiting their temporarily raised market power at the expense of consumers and farmers. We illustrate our point by providing empirical evidences of rising wholesale-retail as well as farm-retail price margins observed during the Covid-19 crisis. Subsequently, we review existing empirical approaches that can be used to quantify and decompose the micro-economic effects of crises on food demand and supply as well as the size and structure of the market, costs of trade, and economic welfare. The employment of such approaches facilitates policymakers’ understanding of micro-economic effects of public health-induced mobility restrictions on economic activity.
The Design of Early-Stage Plant Breeding Trials Using Genetic Relatedness
Authors: Cullis Brian R. , Smith Alison B. , Cocks Nicole A. , Butler David G. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe use of appropriate statistical methods has a key role in improving the accuracy of selection decisions in a plant breeding program. This is particularly important in the early stages of testing in which selections are based on data from a limited number of field trials that include large numbers of breeding lines with minimal replication. The method of analysis currently recommended for early-stage trials in Australia involves a linear mixed model that includes genetic relatedness via ancestral information: non-genetic effects that reflect the experimental design and a residual model that accommodates spatial dependence. Such analyses have been widely accepted as they have been found to produce accurate predictions of both additive and total genetic effects, the latter providing the basis for selection decisions. In this paper, we present the results of a case study of 34 early-stage trials to demonstrate this type of analysis and to reinforce the importance of including information on genetic relatedness. In addition to the application of a superior method of analysis, it is also critical to ensure the use of sound experimental designs. Recently, model-based designs have become popular in Australian plant breeding programs. Within this paradigm, the design search would ideally be based on a linear mixed model that matches, as closely as possible, the model used for analysis. Therefore, in this paper, we propose the use of models for design generation that include information on genetic relatedness and also include non-genetic and residual models based on the analysis of historic data for individual breeding programs. At present, the most commonly used design generation model omits genetic relatedness information and uses non-genetic and residual models that are supplied as default models in the associated software packages. The major reasons for this are that preexisting software is unacceptably slow for designs incorporating genetic relatedness and the accuracy gains resulting from the use of genetic relatedness have not been quantified. Both of these issues are addressed in the current paper. An updating scheme for calculating the optimality criterion in the design search is presented and is shown to afford prodigious computational savings. An in silico study that compares three types of design function across a range of ancillary treatments shows the gains in accuracy for the prediction of total genetic effects (and thence selection) achieved from model-based designs using genetic relatedness and program specific non-genetic and residual models.Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear online.
Analytic approximation to Bessel function $$J_{0}(x)$$
Authors: Maass F. , Martin P. , Olivares J. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThree analytic approximations for the Bessel function $$J_{0}(x)$$

J
0

(
x
)

have been determined, valid for every positive value of the variable x. The three approximations are very precise. The technique used here is based on the multipoint quasi-rational approximation method, MPQA, but here the procedure has been improved and extended. The structure of the approximation is derived considering simultaneously both the power series and asymptotic expansion of $$J_{0}(x)$$

J
0

(
x
)

. The analytic approximation is like a bridge between both expansions. The accuracy of the zeros of each approximant is even higher than the functions itself. The maximum absolute error of the best approximation is 0.00009. The maximum relative error is in the first zero and it is 0.00004.
Procalcitonin for Antibiotic Prescription in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbations: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Clinical Perspective
Authors: Chen Ken , Pleasants Katherine A. , Pleasants Roy A. , Beiko Tatsiana , Washburn Ronald G. , Yu Zhiheng , Zhai Suodi , Drummond M. Bradley 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe 2020 Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease report indicates that the blood biomarker procalcitonin (PCT) may assist in decision-making regarding the initiation of antibiotics for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations. PCT is an acute-phase reactant that increases in response to inflammation and infection, and has been studied in various bacterial infections for initiation and de-escalation of antibacterials. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the strength of the data on the use of PCT to guide antibiotic prescription in COPD exacerbations. Among the randomized clinical trials included in our meta-analysis, almost all of which were conducted exclusively in the hospital setting. PCT was found to decrease overall antibiotic exposure in COPD exacerbations by 2.01 days (p = 0.04), while no apparent effects were found on clinical outcomes (length of hospital stay, p = 0.88; treatment failure p = 0.51; all-cause mortality p = 0.28). However, the majority of blood PCT levels in COPD exacerbations were below the manufacturer-recommended cutoff for antibiotics, and the use of this marker was associated with worse outcomes in the intensive care setting. Further, based on additional sensitivity analysis excluding studies with high risk of bias or with converted outcome value, the effect of PCT on antibiotic duration in RCTs was no longer significant (MD = −1.88 days, 95% CI [−3.95, 0.19] days, p = 0.08, and MD = −1.72 days, 95% CI [−4.28, 0.83] days, p = 0.19, respectively). Our review and analysis does not support the use of PCT to guide antibiotic prescription in COPD exacerbations.
Gradient Wetting Transition from the Wenzel to Robust Cassie-Baxter States along Nanopillared Cicada Wing and Underlying Mechanism
Authors: Xie Heng , Huang Hanxiong 
Published: July 2020

AbstractGradient wettability is important for some living organisms. Herein, the dynamic responses of water droplets impacting on the surfaces of four regions along the wing vein of cicada Cryptotympana atrata fabricius are investigated. It is revealed that a gradient wetting behavior from hydrophilicity (the Wenzel state) to hydrophobicity and further to superhydrophobicity (the Cassie-Baxter state) appears from the foot to apex of the wing. Water droplets impacting on the hydrophilic region of the wing cannot rebound, whereas those impacting on the hydrophobic region can retract and completely rebound. The hydrophobic region exhibits robust water-repelling performance during the dynamic droplet impact. Moreover, a droplet sitting on the hydrophobic region can recover its spherical shape after squeezed to a water film as thin as 0.45 mm, and lossless droplet transportation can be achieved at the region. Based on the geometric parameters of the nanopillars at the hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions on the cicada wing, two wetting models are developed for elucidating the mechanism for the gradient wetting behavior. This work directs the design and fabrication of surfaces with gradient wetting behavior by mimicking the nanopillars on cicada wing surface.
Proteomic Analysis of Uterine Tissues During Peri-Implantation Period in Mice with Experimentally Induced Adenomyosis that Treated with anti-Ngf: Implications for Cell-Cell Adhesion and Metabolic Processes
Authors: Li Yan , Zhang Dan , Jin Bailing , Xia Lan , Zhang Aijun 
Published: July 2020

AbstractNerve growth factor (NGF) has been verified to be expressed with higher level in adenomyosis uteri, and its neutralizing antibody has a strong inhibitory influence on inflammation. The present study aimed to explore the effect of anti-NGF on the expression of proteins in uteri of mice-induced adenomyosis and assessed its potential role in improving pregnancy rate. In this study, we established a mouse model of adenomyosis and administrated NGF-neutralizing antibody into mice. The mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of the uteri during the implantation window was performed to explore the essential proteins participating in therapy. Besides, embryos of healthy mice were transferred into the uteri to assess the implantation rate. The results of MS analysis demonstrated that 119 proteins were changed in the adenomyosis group compared with control group, and 126 proteins were differentially expressed in the anti-NGF group compared with the adenomyosis group (fold change > 1.5, P < 0.05. After performing cluster analysis using Mfuzz package, we found that a group of proteins participated in cell-cell adhesion and metabolic processes, which were attenuated in the adenomyosis group, while those were successfully recovered by anti-NGF treatment. Western blotting confirmed that the expression levels of integrin alpha-1 (ITGA1), integrin beta-1 (ITGB1), laminin subunit gamma-1 (LAMC1), and creatine kinase M-type (CKM) were decreased in adenomyosis group, whereas those levels were elevated after anti-NGF treatment. Embryo implantation rate in the adenomyosis group was significantly decreased compared with that in the control group (2.31% vs. 26.15%, P < 0.001) and anti-NGF treatment slightly enhanced the embryo implantation rate in mice with experimentally induced adenomyosis (9.23% vs. 2.31%, P = 0.017). Our results revealed that anti-NGF therapy can improve fertility of mice with experimentally induced adenomyosis, possibly through promoting integrin-related proteins.
IC4R-2.0: Rice Genome Reannotation Using Massive RNA-Seq Data
Authors: Sang Jian , Zou Dong , Wang Zhennan , Wang Fan , Zhang Yuansheng , Xia Lin , Li Zhaohua , Ma Lina , Li Mengwei , Xu Bingxiang , Liu Xiaonan , Wu Shuangyang , Liu Lin , Niu Guangyi , Li Man , Luo Yingfeng , Hu Songnian , Hao Lili , Zhang Zhang 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Genome reannotation aims for complete and accurate characterization of gene models and thus is of critical significance for in-depth exploration of gene function. Although the availability of massive RNA-seq data provides great opportunities for gene model refinement, few efforts have been made to adopt these precious data in rice genome reannotation. Here we reannotate the rice (Oryza sativa L. ssp. japonica) genome based on integration of large-scale RNA-seq data and release a new annotation system IC4R-2.0. In general, IC4R-2.0 significantly improves the completeness of gene structure, identifies a number of novel genes, and integrates a variety of functional annotations. Furthermore, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) are systematically characterized in the rice genome. Performance evaluation shows that compared to previous annotation systems, IC4R-2.0 achieves higher integrity and quality, primarily attributable to massive RNA-seq data applied in genome annotation. Consequently, we incorporate the improved annotations into the Information Commons for Rice (IC4R), a database integrating multiple omics data of rice, and accordingly update IC4R by providing more user-friendly web interfaces and implementing a series of practical online tools. Together, the updated IC4R, which is equipped with the improved annotations, bears great promise for comparative and functional genomic studies in rice and other monocotyledonous species. The IC4R-2.0 annotation system and related resources are freely accessible at http://ic4r.org/.
Optimal stopping for measure-valued piecewise deterministic Markov processes
Authors: Cloez Bertrand , de Saporta Benoîte , Joubaud Maud 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThis paper investigates the random horizon optimal stopping problem for measure-valued piecewise deterministic Markov processes (PDMPs). This is motivated by population dynamics applications, when one wants to monitor some characteristics of the individuals in a small population. The population and its individual characteristics can be represented by a point measure. We first define a PDMP on a space of locally finite measures. Then we define a sequence of random horizon optimal stopping problems for such processes. We prove that the value function of the problems can be obtained by iterating some dynamic programming operator. Finally we prove via a simple counter-example that controlling the whole population is not equivalent to controlling a random lineage.
Finite-time ruin probabilities under large-claim reinsurance treaties for heavy-tailed claim sizes
Authors: Albrecher Hansjörg , Chen Bohan , Vatamidou Eleni , Zwart Bert 
Published: July 2020

AbstractWe investigate the probability that an insurance portfolio gets ruined within a finite time period under the assumption that the r largest claims are (partly) reinsured. We show that for regularly varying claim sizes the probability of ruin after reinsurance is also regularly varying in terms of the initial capital, and derive an explicit asymptotic expression for the latter. We establish this result by leveraging recent developments on sample-path large deviations for heavy tails. Our results allow, on the asymptotic level, for an explicit comparison between two well-known large-claim reinsurance contracts, namely LCR and ECOMOR. Finally, we assess the accuracy of the resulting approximations using state-of-the-art rare event simulation techniques.
Spatiotemporal variations and implications of luminescence sensitivity of quartz grains on the Chinese Loess Plateau since the last interglaciation
Authors: Lü Tongyan , Sun Jimin , Feathers James K. , Sun Dongxia 
Published: July 2020

AbstractAlthough luminescence sensitivity of quartz grains of desert sands has been used in discriminating provenance, it still remains unclear about its spatiotemporal variations and climatic implications. In this paper, the luminescence sensitivity of quartz grains from the northern margin of the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) was studied using single-aliquot optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and “pseudo” single-grain OSL measurements. Our results indicate that the OSL sensitivities have lower values in sand/loess beds and higher values in paleosols. We suggest that the variations in OSL sensitivity of quartz grains with depth on the CLP are mainly influenced by the origin of the quartz grains as they are related to the loess-sized material production processes and the migration of desert regions. More quartz grains of glacial origin with lower luminescence sensitivity, together with the reduced durations of irradiation and exposure cycles induced by shorter transport distance due to desert expansion, account for the lower luminescence sensitivity of glacial periods. Moreover, both the mountain processes and the retreat–advance of deserts are ultimately related to climatic changes, therefore, the orbital scale variations of luminescence sensitivity are controlled by glacial–interglacial oscillations on the CLP.