bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Soil biogeochemistry across Central and South American tropical dry forests
Authors: Waring Bonnie G. , De Guzman Mark E. , Du Dan V. , Dupuy Juan M. , Gei Maga , Gutknecht Jessica , Hulshof Catherine , Jelinski Nicolas , Margenot Andrew J. , Medvigy David , Pizano Camila , Salgado‐Negret Beatriz , Schwartz Naomi B. , Trierweiler Annette M. , Van Bloem Skip J. , Vargas G. German , Powers Jennifer S. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe availability of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) controls the flow of carbon (C) among plants, soils, and the atmosphere, thereby shaping terrestrial ecosystem responses to global change. Soil C, N, and P cycles are linked by drivers operating at multiple spatial and temporal scales: landscape‐level variation in macroclimate and soil geochemistry, stand‐scale heterogeneity in forest composition, and microbial community dynamics at the soil pore scale. Yet in many biomes, we do not know at which scales most of the biogeochemical variation emerges, nor which processes drive cross‐scale feedbacks. Here, we examined the drivers and spatial/temporal scales of variation in soil biogeochemistry across four tropical dry forests spanning steep environmental gradients. To do so, we quantified soil C, N, and P pools, extracellular enzyme activities, and microbial community structure across wet and dry seasons in 16 plots located in Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Soil biogeochemistry exhibited marked heterogeneity across the 16 plots, with total organic C, N, and P pools varying fourfold, and inorganic nutrient pools by an order of magnitude. Most soil characteristics changed more across space (i.e., among sites and plots) than over time (between dry and wet season samplings). We observed stoichiometric decoupling among C, N, and P cycles, which may reflect their divergent biogeochemical drivers. Organic C and N pool sizes were positively correlated with the relative abundance of ectomycorrhizal trees and legumes. By contrast, the distribution of soil P pools was driven by soil geochemistry, with larger inorganic P pools in soils with P‐rich parent material. Most earth system models assume that soils within a texture class operate similarly, and ignore subgrid cell variation in soil properties. Here we reveal that soil nutrient pools and fluxes exhibit as much variation among four Neotropical dry forests as is observed across terrestrial ecosystems at the global scale. Soil biogeochemical patterns are driven not only by regional differences in soil parent material and climate, but also by local‐scale variation in plant and microbial communities. Thus, the biogeochemical patterns we observed across the Neotropical dry forest biome challenge representation of soil processes in ecosystem models.
CD4+ T cells regulate glucose homeostasis independent of adipose tissue dysfunction in mice
Authors: Brinker Georg , Froeba Janine , Arndt Lilli , Braune Julia , Hobusch Constance , Lindhorst Andreas , Bechmann Ingo , Gericke Martin 
Published: March 2021

AbstractObesity is frequently associated with a chronic low‐grade inflammation in the adipose tissue (AT) and impaired glucose homeostasis. Adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) have been shown to accumulate in the inflamed AT either by means of recruitment from the blood or local proliferation. ATM proliferation and activation can be stimulated by TH2 cytokines, such as IL‐4 and IL‐13, suggesting involvement of CD4‐positive T cells in ATM proliferation and activation. Furthermore, several studies have associated T cells to alterations in glucose metabolism. Therefore, we sought to examine a direct impact of CD4‐positive T cells on ATM activation, ATM proliferation and glucose homeostasis using an in vivo depletion model. Surprisingly, CD4 depletion did not affect ATM activation, ATM proliferation, or insulin sensitivity. However, CD4 depletion led to a significant improvement of glucose tolerance. In line with this, we found moderate disturbances in pancreatic endocrine function following CD4 depletion. Hence, our data suggest that the effect on glucose metabolism observed after CD4 depletion might be mediated by organs other than AT and independent of AT inflammation.
Evaluating the suppression effectiveness of hybrid nitrogen and water mist with a cup burner coflowing flame
Authors: Ni Xiaomin , Zheng Zhong , Li Guochun , Wang Xishi 
Published: March 2021

SummaryThe suppression effectiveness of an intrinsically clean hybrid fire suppressant consisting of nitrogen and water mist was experimentally studied by a cup burner method with methane/air coflowing flame. A series of hybrid agents with different weight ratios of nitrogen and water mist (Sauter mean diameter: 12.6 μm) were tested and compared with nitrogen and water mist used alone. The minimum mass‐based extinction concentration (MEC) of neat nitrogen and water mist was measured as 32.1% and 15.2%, respectively. When combined, MEC of the hybrid agents fell between the limiting values of nitrogen and water mist used alone. An approximately linear relationship was shown for the suppression behavior of nitrogen and water mist in combination. The flow field of suppressants during the flame suppression process was studied by particle imaging velocimetry (PIV) technique. A small portion of water droplets near the flame front evaporated, which contributed to flame extinction by heat absorption and oxygen dilution. The remaining bulk mist was entrained vertically with the air flow, showing little effect on the flame base.
Proton exchange membrane fuel cell degradation model based on catalyst transformation theory
Authors: Ao Yunjin , Chen Kui , Laghrouche Salah , Depernet Daniel 
Published: March 2021

AbstractDurability is a severe problem in the commercial application of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The platinum (Pt) catalyst which greatly affects performance and durability is one of the most important components in PEMFC. However, few PEMFC degradation models focused on the Pt catalyst degradation process in molecule scale. In this paper, a novel PEMFC catalyst degradation model is developed based on the catalyst transformation theory. In this model, the Pt catalyst degrades by changing form and size according to the transformation theory, which includes Pt dissolution and Ostwald ripening mechanisms. The advantage of this new model is that the transformation of every Pt particle is calculated directly, and the characteristics of every particle are considered, thus it can give more accurate catalyst degradation process. Six groups of experimental data have been used to validate the effectiveness of the proposed degradation model of PEMFC. Furthermore, the accuracy of the proposed degradation model is superior to a traditional model, and the application of such a degradation model to the performance prediction of the PEMFC has been discussed.
Solving the Opioid Crisis Isn't Just a Public Health Challenge—It's a Bioethics Challenge
Authors: Rieder Travis N. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractAmong those who discuss America's opioid crisis, it is popular to claim that we know what we, as a society, ought to do to solve the problem—we simply don't want it badly enough. We don't lack knowledge; we lack the will to act and to fund the right policies. In fact, I've heard two versions of this. Among those who focus on prescription opioids, it is clear that we ought to stop prescribing so many powerful opioid painkillers. And among my public health colleagues focusing on illicit drug use, it is clear that we ought to expand addiction treatment and harm‐reduction services. The problem, however, is that the second claim is not obvious (and, indeed, is denied by many Americans), and the first claim probably isn't even true (at least, not in so crude a form). In short, the opioid crisis presents not only a problem of political will but also one of ethics. It will take work to discover or justify our normative claims in this arena.
A Man of Vision: Daniel Callahan on the Nasty Problem and the Noxious Brew
Authors: Marshall Mary Faith 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThis essay, published shortly before the 2020 U.S. presidential election (mired in controversy over a potential judicial appointment to the Supreme Court), celebrates Daniel Callahan's prescient bookAbortion: Law, Choice and Morality.Nothing could be timelier. Callahan's central question was the “moral and social” struggle requisite for coherent policies and laws regulating abortion. He rejected “one‐value” positions and strove to develop an expansive middle ground. He decried emotion untutored by reason, crude polemics, and bludgeoning: his recipe for a “noxious brew.” Callahan's way of thinking preceded the development of a critical health humanities, the advent of moral foundations theory in psychology, and the philosophical concept of a moral imagination. Each of these inheres in his rigorous approach to the abortion problem. His honesty and humility led to a sea change in his position on abortion. Fifty years later, much can still be learned from Callahan's arguments—about abortion and other bioethics issues—most importantly, in how we address wider social issues in these polarized times.
Between Crisis and Convention: How Should We Address Contingency?
Authors: Bibler Trevor 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe Covid‐19 pandemic has brought about renewed conversation about equality and equity in the distribution of medical resources. Much of the recent conversation has focused on creating and implementing policies in times of crisis when resources are exhausted. Depending on how the pandemic develops, some communities may implement crisis measures, but many health care facilities are currently experiencing shortages of staff and materials even if the facilities have not implemented crisis standards. There is a need for shared conversation about equality and equity in these times of contingency between conventional and crisis medicine. To respond well to these challenges, I recommend that institutions rely on policy, professional education, and ethics consultation. As is the case with crisis policies, creating contingency policies requires that health care professionals decide on how, specifically, to achieve equity. A policy is only as effective as its implementation; therefore, institutions should invest in context‐specific education on contingency policies. Finally, ethics consultation should be available for questions that contingency policies cannot address.
Genetic Data Aren't So Special: Causes and Implications of Reidentification
Authors: Kasperbauer T.J. , Schwartz Peter H. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractGenetic information is widely thought to pose unique risks of reidentifying individuals. Genetic data reveals a great deal about who we are and, the standard view holds, should consequently be treated differently from other types of data. Contrary to this view, we argue that the dangers of reidentification for genetic and nongenetic data—including health, financial, and consumer information—are more similar than has been recognized. Before different requirements are imposed around sharing genetic information, proponents of the standard view must show that they are in fact necessary. We further argue that the similarities between genetic and nongenetic information have important implications for communicating risks during consent for health care and research. While patients and research participants need to be more aware of pervasive data‐sharing practices, consent forms are the wrong place to provide this education. Instead, health systems should engage with patients throughout patient care to educate them about data‐sharing practices.
Heart and Soul
Authors: Kaebnick Gregory E. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe lead article in this January‐February 2021 issue—the first of the Hastings Center Report's fiftieth year of publication—does not set out to change medicine. It tries instead to understand it. In “A Heart without Life: Artificial Organs and the Lived Body,” Mary Jean Walker draws on work in phenomenology and on empirical research with people who have received artificial heart devices to argue that such devices may have two very different effects on how a patient experiences the body and the self. Several other pieces in this issue address the ongoing slew of patient care and health policy problems surrounding the Covid‐19 pandemic, and a special report titled Democracy in Crisis: Civic Learning and the Reconstruction of Common Purpose considers the requirements for public involvement in policy‐making about bioethical issues.
Weighted Lotteries and the Allocation of Scarce Medications for Covid‐19
Authors: Jansen Lynn A. , Wall Steven 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe allocation of vaccines and therapeutics for Covid‐19 obviously raises ethical questions, and physicians and ethicists have begun to address them. Writers have identified various criteria that should guide allocation decisions, but the criteria often conflict and need to be balanced against one another. This article proposes a model for thinking about how different considerations that are relevant to the distribution of vaccines and scarce treatments for Covid‐19 could be integrated into an allocation procedure. The model employs the construct of a weighted lottery, which is a construct that has been employed in other contexts that involve the distribution of scarce resources. The article highlights the advantages of applying a weighted lottery to the Covid‐19 context and offers an illustration for how it might work in practice. The primary aim of the article is to articulate the structural features of a weighted lottery for this context and to bring out its advantages over other methods for allocating Covid‐19 medications.
Selective attention modulates neural envelope tracking of informationally masked speech in healthy older adults
Authors: Kurthen Ira , Galbier Jolanda , Jagoda Laura , Neuschwander Pia , Giroud Nathalie , Meyer Martin 
Published: March 2021

AbstractSpeech understanding in noisy situations is compromised in old age. This study investigated the energetic and informational masking components of multi‐talker babble noise and their influence on neural tracking of the speech envelope in a sample of healthy older adults. Twenty‐three older adults (age range 65–80 years) listened to an audiobook embedded in noise while their electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded. Energetic masking was manipulated by varying the signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) between target speech and background talkers and informational masking was manipulated by varying the number of background talkers. Neural envelope tracking was measured by calculating temporal response functions (TRFs) between speech envelope and EEG. Number of background talkers, but not SNR modulated the amplitude of an earlier (around 50 ms time lag) and a later (around 300 ms time lag) peak in the TRFs. Selective attention, but not working memory or peripheral hearing additionally modulated the amplitude of the later TRF peak. Finally, amplitude of the later TRF peak was positively related to accuracy in the comprehension task. The results suggest that stronger envelope tracking is beneficial for speech‐in‐noise understanding and that selective attention is an important ability supporting speech‐in‐noise understanding in multi‐talker scenes.
Symmetry analysis of MHD Casson fluid flow for heat and mass transfer near a stagnation point over a linearly stretching sheet with variable viscosity and thermal conductivity
Authors: Nazim Tufail Muhammad , Zaib Faryal 
Published: March 2021

AbstractIn this article, the impacts of variable viscosity and thermal conductivity on magnetohydrodynamic, heat transfer, and mass transfer flow of a Casson fluid are analyzed on a linearly stretching sheet inserted in a permeable medium along with heat source/sink and viscous dissipation. To reduce the ascendant partial differential equations into ordinary differential equations, Lie group transformation is utilized. Further, the fourth‐order Runge–Kutta strategy is utilized to solve the ordinary differential equations numerically. The numerical results obtained for various parameters by employing coding in MATLAB programming are investigated and considered through graphical representation and tables. We anatomize the impacts of distinctive parameters on velocity, temperature, and concentration distributions.
Responses to global financial standards in emerging markets: Regulatory neoliberalism and the BaselIICapital Accord
Authors: Alvi Farzad Haider , Williamson Peter J. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThis paper examines the diffusion of the Basel II Capital Accord into emerging markets (EMs). The literature on the diffusion of financial standards reinforces determinism: carefully derived standards such as those around financial liberalization are assumed to be applicable to all markets in an effort to promote stability and international harmonization. Attempts to use financial liberalization and macroprudential toolkits such as Basel II, however well intentioned, can increase rather than mitigate financial instability, due in part to unevenness in the adoption of financial standards. We analyse rich, action research data on the response of banks in 19 EMs in Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe to the advent of Basel II. We find heterogeneous rather than universalistic responses, captured as four types of behavioural variations leading to differences in the intensity of diffusion: Reformist, Instigative, Disobliging and Cosmetic. The variations reflect regulatory neoliberalism. The typology contributes to our understanding of the interaction between bank behaviour, regulator stance and institutional context as determinants of the diffusion of global financial standards.
Performance evaluation of bactericidal effect and endotoxin inactivation by low‐temperature ozone/hydrogen peroxide mixed gas exposure
Authors: Nomura Yusuke , Yamamura Junji , Fukui Chie , Fujimaki Hideo , Sakamoto Kazuyuki , Matsuo Ken‐ichi , Kuromatsu Hisashi , Kikuchi Yutaka , Haishima Yuji 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThis study evaluated the performance of a new O3/H2O2 mixed gas sterilization instrument for killing microorganisms and inactivating bacterial endotoxin at low temperatures. Sterility assurance level was achieved by an over 6‐log reduction of Geobacillus stearothermophilus ATCC 12980, and the decimal reduction value was 0.77 min in sterilization mode. A reduction of over 3 logs in Limulus amebocyte lysate coagulation activity of purified endotoxin from Escherichia coli was observed after treatment in endotoxin‐inactivation mode. The same inactivation ability was observed when treating dried bacterial cells. Biomaterials made of polymer or metal did not exhibit cytotoxicity after gas exposure at O3 concentrations below 200 ppm. As the results of human cell‐based pyrogen testing, significant amounts of endotoxin that were over the limit for medical devices contacting cerebrospinal fluid (2.15 EU/device) were detected on scissors washed with a washer‐disinfector and sterilized with ethylene oxide or autoclaving. In contrast, endotoxin decreased to 0.29 ± 0.05 EU/device after O3/H2O2 mixed gas sterilization in endotoxin‐inactivation mode. Compared to conventional gas sterilization methods, O3/H2O2 mixed gas has high sterilization ability and a strong capacity to inactivate endotoxin. It is expected that this sterilization technology will improve the safety of reusable medical devices and utensils for regenerative medicine.
Reduction of Calciprotein Particles in Adults Receiving Infliximab for Chronic Inflammatory Disease
Authors: Tiong Mark K , Smith Edward R , Toussaint Nigel D , Al‐Khayyat Hasan F , Holt Stephen G 
Published: March 2021

ABSTRACTPatients with chronic inflammatory diseases (CID) experience accelerated loss of bone mineral density, which is often accompanied by increased vascular calcification. These disturbances can be attenuated by therapies for inflammation, such as the tumor necrosis factor inhibitor infliximab. Calciprotein particles (CPP) are circulating colloidal aggregates of calcium and phosphate together with the mineral‐binding protein fetuin‐A, which have emerged as potential mediators of vascular calcification. The precise origins of serum CPP are unclear, but bone turnover may be an important source. In this longitudinal observational study, we studied patients with CID undergoing treatment with infliximab to assess the temporal relationship between bone turnover and circulating CPP. Ten patients with active CID receiving infliximab induction therapy and an additional 3 patients with quiescent CID on maintenance infliximab therapy were studied for 8 weeks with repeated measures of bone turnover markers as well as CPP (calciprotein monomers [CPM], primary CPP [CPP‐I], and secondary CPP [CPP‐II]). Therapeutic response was appraised using validated disease activity scores. At baseline, those with active CID had elevated markers of bone resorption and suppressed bone formation markers as well as higher CPM and CPP‐I compared with those with quiescent CID. In responders, there was an early but transient reduction in resorption markers by week 1, but a more sustained increase in bone formation markers compared with non‐responders at week 8. This was accompanied by reductions in CPM (β = −6.5 × 103 AU [95% CI −11.1, −1.8], p = 0.006) and CPP‐I (β = −23.4 × 104 particles/mL [95% CI −34.8, −11.9], p < 0.001). In contrast, no significant changes in any markers were observed in non‐responders or those receiving maintenance therapy. Thus, CPP have a dynamic association with changes in bone turnover in response to infliximab therapy, adding to accumulating evidence of the role of bone as a determinant of systemic levels. © 2021 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Placental neurotrophin levels in gestational diabetes mellitus
Authors: Jadhav Anjali , Khaire Amrita , Gundu Shridevi , Wadhwani Nisha , Chandhiok Nomita , Gupte Sanjay , Joshi Sadhana 
Published: March 2021

AbstractObjectiveNeurotrophins are known to influence the development and maturation of the feto‐placental unit and affect fetal growth trajectories. This study reports the levels of nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain‐derived growth factor (BDNF) in the placenta of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).MethodsA total number of 60 women with GDM and 70 women without GDM (non‐GDM) were included in the study. Placental NGF and BDNF levels were measured using commercially available ELISA kits.ResultsPlacental NGF levels were lower (p < .05) in women with GDM compared to non‐GDM women. Maternal body mass index (BMI), mode of delivery, and the gender of the baby influenced the placental NGF levels. Placental BDNF levels were similar in GDM and non‐GDM women. There was an influence of baby gender on the placental BDNF levels while maternal BMI and mode of delivery did not show any effect. In regression models adjusted for maternal age at delivery, gestational age, maternal BMI, mode of delivery, and baby gender, the placental NGF levels in the GDM group were lower (−0.144 pg/ml [95% CI −0.273, 22120.016] p = .028) as compared to the non‐GDM group. However, there was no difference in the BDNF levels between the groups.ConclusionThis study for the first time demonstrates differential effects on neurotrophic factors such as BDNF and NGF in the placenta in pregnancies complicated by GDM. Alterations in the levels of placental neurotrophins in GDM deliveries may affect placental development and fetal brain growth. This has implications for increased risk for neurodevelopmental pathologies in later life.