bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Investigating metalinguistic written corrective feedback focused on EFL learners’ discourse markers accuracy in mobile-mediated context
Authors: Pourdana Natasha , Nour Payam , Yousefi Fariba 
Published: January 2021

AbstractAmong a growing body of research that examined the contradictory role of written corrective feedback (WCF) in development of L2 writing accuracy, this study investigated the possible impact of focused metalinguistic WCF on discourse markers (DMs) in writing performance of an intact group of 42 Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners over an eight-week period. In an authentic, situated, and personalized learning platform, giving and receiving WCF were made possible only through the mobile-mediated application of WhatsApp. Before participants wrote on selected elicitation topics, they had taken part in a 2004 version of Oxford Preliminary Test in order to be screened for their initial differences in writing performance. After receiving metalinguistic WCF on their scripts, participants were required to work on the coded feedback and try to eliminate the DM errors in their revised writing assignment. After collecting the scripts over an eight-week period, the content of written assignment was thematically analyzed using NVivo 21 Software for the additive, adversative, causal and temporal DMs, following Halliday and Hasan’s (Cohesion in English., 1976) typology. In a convergent mixed-methods design, the content analysis of the qualitative data showed a larger distribution of additive DM than adversative, causal, and temporal DMs in all participants’ written scripts. Exploring the possible impact of metalinguistic WCF on improving the DMs accuracy, analysis of the frequency count data with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) multivariate Chi-square test reported the fluctuation and unsystematic patterns of distribution for four types of DMs with no sign of significant long-term improvement in DMs accuracy after receiving metalinguistic WCF. These findings implied further research on practicing alternative WCF strategies focused on variety of error types in actual and virtual L2 writing environments.
Toxicity of tobacco Nicotiana tabacum Linnaeus (Solanaceae) leaf extracts to the rice weevil Sitophilus oryzae Linnaeus 1763 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
Authors: Kanmani Sekar , Kumar Lokesh , Raveen Rajasingh , Tennyson Samuel , Arivoli Subramanian , Jayakumar Manickkam 
Published: January 2021

AbstractBackgroundRice is the agricultural commodity with the third highest worldwide production and losses in rice storage due to insect pests may drastically affect the food availability for a large number of people. One of its serious pests in tropics is the “rice weevil”,Sitophilus oryzae. Although few effective fumigants are available, there is a global concern about environmental pollution, toxicity to non-target organisms, and pesticide residues. Botanicals are a promising source of pest control compounds as the pool of plants possessing insecticidal substances are enormous and have generated extraordinary interest in recent years as potential sources of natural insect control agents. The present study was conducted to determine the toxicity of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) leaf extracts as an alternative to synthetic insecticides in the management of rice weevils. The crude solvent leaf extracts ofN. tabacumwere analyzed for its phytochemical compounds via GC-MS and tested for its toxicity to the adults ofS. oryzaeat concentrations of 0.625, 1.25, 2.50, 5.00, 10.00, and 20.00 mg/L by Petri dish bioassay method. Adult mortality was calculated 24, 48, and 72 h after exposure.ResultsThe constituent compounds in the chloroform and acetone revealed 13 compounds represented by benzene carboxylic acid ester, alkaloids, and steroids. The major compounds found in GC-MS analysis are nicotine, nicotinonitrile, nornicotine, nicotinic acid, neonicotine, cotinine, indole, farnesol, sclareol, 9,12-octadecadienoic acid, squalene, palmitic acid, and 15-tetracosenoic acid methyl ester. Overall assessment indicates that the chloroform and acetone extracts ofN. tabacumleaves exhibited the highest adulticidal activity againstS. oryzae. Their LD50values were 1.62, 0.64, and 0.48; 1.54, 0.83, and 0.48 mg/L after 24, 48, and 72 h of exposure respectively. In addition, the petroleum ether extract also indicated high adult mortality with LD50value of 0.53 mg/L only at 72 h.ConclusionsThe present research has documented its first report for the management of rice weevil using tobacco leaf extracts, and therefore on the basis of the results of the present study, it is highly encouraging to note that the use of tobacco leaf extracts with its excellent insecticidal activity owing to the action of nicotine would be economically feasible to alleviate the rice weevil problem.
Multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) as a diagnostic tool in assessment of thoracic aortic anomalies in pediatric patients
Authors: Eltatawy Dawlat Nader , Elsharawy Fatma Anas , Elbarbary Aly Aly , Elsheikh Raghda Ghonimy , Badawy Manal Ezzat 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Background
A wide variety of congenital thoracic aortic variants and pathological anomalies could be assessed recently in diagnostic and interventional radiology. Multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) is one of the most important non-invasive diagnostic tools for their detection. The aim of the study was to evaluate role of MDCT scanning for diagnosis of thoracic aortic anatomic variants and diseases in pediatric patients.

Results
Thirty patients (15 male and 15 female), mean age (8.49 ± 20.29 months) were diagnosed with different thoracic aortic anomalies by MDCT then confirmed by surgical results. MDCT was more sensitive than echocardiography in detection of hypo plastic arch, vascular rings, interrupted aortic arch anomalies, and aortic coarctation. Both MDCT and echocardiography showed 100% sensitivity in their detection of TGA, TOF, and PDA. MDCT detected 6 cases of right-sided aortic arch while echo missed 2 cases. Different aortic arch branching patterns and coronary origin were better demonstrated by MDCT.

Conclusion
320-Multi-detector computed tomography is a reliable tool for optimal detection of thoracic aortic anomalies and preoperative planning.
Efficacy, Safety, and Correlative Biomarkers of Toripalimab in Previously Treated Recurrent or Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Phase II Clinical Trial (POLARIS-02)
Authors: Wang Feng-Hua , Wei Xiao-Li , Feng Jifeng , Li Qi , Xu Nong , Hu Xi-Chun , Liao Wangjun , Jiang Yi , Lin Xiao-Yan , Zhang Qing-yuan , Yuan Xiang-Lin , Huang Hai-Xin , Chen Ye , Dai Guang-Hai , Shi Jian-Hua , Shen Lin , Yang Shu-Jun , Shu Yong-Qian , Liu Yun-Peng , Wang Weifeng , Wu Hai , Feng Hui , Yao Sheng , Xu Rui-Hua 
Published: January 2021

PURPOSEAs yet, no checkpoint inhibitor has been approved to treat nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). This study was aimed to evaluate the antitumor activity, safety, and biomarkers of toripalimab, a new programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitor for recurrent or metastatic NPC (RM-NPC) refractory to standard chemotherapy.PATIENTS AND METHODSIn this single-arm, multicenter phase II study, patients with RM-NPC received 3 mg/kg toripalimab once every 2 weeks via intravenous infusion until confirmed disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary end point was objective response rate (ORR). The secondary end points included safety, duration of response (DOR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS).RESULTSAmong all 190 patients, the ORR was 20.5% with median DOR 12.8 months, median PFS 1.9 months, and median OS 17.4 months. Among 92 patients who failed at least two lines of systemic chemotherapy, the ORR was 23.9%. The ORRs were 27.1% and 19.4% in PD-L1+ and PD-L1− patients, respectively ( P = .31). Patients with ≥ 50% decrease of plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA copy number on day 28 had significantly better ORR than those with < 50% decrease, 48.3% versus 5.7% ( P = .0001). Tumor mutational burden had a median value of 0.95 muts/mega-base in the cohort and had no predictive value for response. Whole-exome sequencing results from 174 patients revealed that the patients with genomic amplification in 11q13 region or ETV6 genomic alterations had poor responses to toripalimab.CONCLUSIONThe POLARIS-02 study demonstrated a manageable safety profile and durable clinical response of toripalimab in patients with chemorefractory metastatic NPC. An early decrease in plasma EBV DNA copy number correlated with favorable response.
Dissecting dynamics and differences of selective pressures in the evolution of human pigmentation
Authors: Huang Xin , Wang Sijia , Jin Li , He Yungang 
Published: January 2021

ABSTRACTHuman pigmentation is a highly diverse and complex trait among populations and has drawn particular attention from both academic and non-academic investigators for thousands of years. Previous studies detected selection signals in several human pigmentation genes, but few studies have integrated contribution from multiple genes to the evolution of human pigmentation. Moreover, none has quantified selective pressures on human pigmentation over epochs and between populations. Here, we dissect dynamics and differences of selective pressures during different periods and between distinct populations with new approaches. We use genotype data of 19 genes associated with human pigmentation from 17 publicly available datasets and obtain data for 2346 individuals of six representative population groups from across the world. Our results quantify the strength of natural selection on light pigmentation not only in modern Europeans (0.0259/generation) but also in proto-Eurasians (0.00650/generation). Our results also suggest that several derived alleles associated with human dark pigmentation may be under positive directional selection in some African populations. Our study provides the first attempt to quantitatively investigate the dynamics of selective pressures during different time periods in the evolution of human pigmentation.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the article.
Molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration in the entorhinal cortex that underlie its selective vulnerability during the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Olajide Olayemi Joseph , Suvanto Marcus E. , Chapman Clifton Andrew 
Published: January 2021

ABSTRACT
The entorhinal cortex (EC) is a vital component of the medial temporal lobe, and its contributions to cognitive processes and memory formation are supported through its extensive interconnections with the hippocampal formation. During the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), many of the earliest degenerative changes are seen within the EC. Neurodegeneration in the EC and hippocampus during AD has been clearly linked to impairments in memory and cognitive function, and a growing body of evidence indicates that molecular and functional neurodegeneration within the EC may play a primary role in cognitive decline in the early phases of AD. Defining the mechanisms underlying molecular neurodegeneration in the EC is crucial to determining its contributions to the pathogenesis of AD. Surprisingly few studies have focused on understanding the mechanisms of molecular neurodegeneration and selective vulnerability within the EC. However, there have been advancements indicating that early dysregulation of cellular and molecular signaling pathways in the EC involve neurodegenerative cascades including oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, glia activation, stress kinases activation, and neuronal loss. Dysfunction within the EC can impact the function of the hippocampus, which relies on entorhinal inputs, and further degeneration within the hippocampus can compound this effect, leading to severe cognitive disruption. This review assesses the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying early degeneration in the EC during AD. These mechanisms may underlie the selective vulnerability of neuronal subpopulations in this brain region to the disease development and contribute both directly and indirectly to cognitive loss.
This paper has an associated Future Leader to Watch interview with the first author of the article.
Quantified growth of the human embryonic heart
Authors: Faber Jaeike W. , Hagoort Jaco , Moorman Antoon F. M. , Christoffels Vincent M. , Jensen Bjarke 
Published: January 2021

ABSTRACT
The size and growth patterns of the components of the human embryonic heart have remained largely undefined. To provide these data, three-dimensional heart models were generated from immunohistochemically stained sections of ten human embryonic hearts ranging from Carnegie stage 10 to 23. Fifty-eight key structures were annotated and volumetrically assessed. Sizes of the septal foramina and atrioventricular canal opening were also measured. The heart grows exponentially throughout embryonic development. There was consistently less left than right atrial myocardium, and less right than left ventricular myocardium. We observed a later onset of trabeculation in the left atrium compared to the right. Morphometry showed that the rightward expansion of the atrioventricular canal starts in week 5. The septal foramina are less than 0.1 mm2 and are, therefore, much smaller than postnatal septal defects. This chronological, graphical atlas of the growth patterns of cardiac components in the human embryo provides quantified references for normal heart development. Thereby, this atlas may support early detection of cardiac malformations in the foetus.
This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Auxin confers protection against ER stress in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Bhoi Anupam , Palladino Francesca , Fabrizio Paola 
Published: January 2021

ABSTRACT
Auxins are plant growth regulators that influence most aspects of plant development through complex mechanisms. The development of an auxin-inducible degradation (AID) system has enabled rapid, conditional protein depletion in yeast and cultured cells. More recently, the system was successfully adapted to Caenorhabditiselegans to achieve auxin-dependent degradation of targets in all tissues and developmental stages. Whether auxin treatment alone has an impact on nematode physiology is an open question. Here we show that indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), the auxin most commonly used to trigger AID in worms, functions through the conserved IRE-1/XBP-1 branch of the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) to promote resistance to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Because the UPR not only plays a central role in restoring ER homeostasis, but also promotes lipid biosynthesis and regulates lifespan, we suggest that extreme caution should be exercised when using the AID system to study these and related processes.
SFPQ regulates the accumulation of RNA foci and dipeptide repeat proteins from the expanded repeat mutation in C9orf72
Authors: Malnar Mirjana , Rogelj Boris 
Published: January 2021

ABSTRACT
The expanded GGGGCC repeat mutation in the C9orf72 gene is the most common genetic cause of the neurodegenerative diseases amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The expansion is transcribed to sense and antisense RNA, which form RNA foci and bind cellular proteins. This mechanism of action is considered cytotoxic. Translation of the expanded RNA transcripts also leads to the accumulation of toxic dipeptide repeat proteins (DPRs). The RNA-binding protein splicing factor proline and glutamine rich (SFPQ), which is being increasingly associated with ALS and FTD pathology, binds to sense RNA foci. Here, we show that SFPQ plays an important role in the C9orf72 mutation. Overexpression of SFPQ resulted in higher numbers of both sense and antisense RNA foci and DPRs in transfected human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells. Conversely, reduced SPFQ levels resulted in lower numbers of RNA foci and DPRs in both transfected HEK cells and C9orf72 mutation-positive patient-derived fibroblasts and lymphoblasts. Therefore, we have revealed a role of SFPQ in regulating the C9orf72 mutation that has implications for understanding and developing novel therapeutic targets for ALS and FTD.
This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Automata: Professional Lives and the Time of the Contingent
Authors: Marinou Chryssa 
Published: January 2021

Kostas Peroulis’s collection of short stories Automata (2015) consists of ten short stories that narrate the experience of ten different characters involved in differentkinds of labor. The stories’ characters constitute the book’s labor force and have afoothold in all sectors of economy: the primary sector (agriculture), the secondary sector (industrial production) and the tertiary sector (services, including sex work). The automatisation and repetition that define the work experience of Peroulis's unnamed characters also define their present while the context of the Greek crisis and its social and political effects lurk in the background. This essay reads the characters’relation to labour at a time of historical contingency that is well beyond the austerity measures and what is generally called the financial crisis. I argue that the stories map the experience of the contingent in contemporary Greece as Peroulis’s text focuses onthe minutiae of the characters’ professional lives. The details of their labour reveal the condition of contingency which becomes dominant in a literary text that, as this essay argues, returns to the subject, and thus, to the modern.
A protocol to assess the risk of dementia among patients with coronary artery diseases using CAIDE score
Authors: Omi Fardina Rahman , Barua Lingkan , Banik Palash Chandra , Faruque Mithila 
Published: January 2021

Introduction: The impact of coronary artery disease (CAD) on the later development of dementia is not well studied globally. Therefore, this study aims to determine the long-term risk of dementia using a mobile application-based tool in addition to elucidating the contributing factors among CAD patients. Protocol: This cross-sectional study collected data from 285 stable CAD patients admitted to the “Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital and Research Institute” for coronary revascularization from August 2019 to July 2020. The patients were recruited using a convenient sampling technique due to economic and logistical issues. Data were collected through a face-to-face interview using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire. Physical parameters (blood pressure and anthropometry) were measured while maintaining the adequate privacy of the patients. The biochemical parameters analyzed by the hospital lab were also collected. The next phase of this study involves the use of a mobile application-based tool, “The Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Incidence of Dementia (CAIDE)” risk score, to determine the risk factors associated with dementia. In addition, a descriptive statistical and inferential analysis will also be performed to determine the key contributing risk factors linked to the development of dementia. Ethics and dissemination: The study has been reviewed and approved by the Ethical Review Committee of Bangladesh University of Health Sciences. The results will be actively disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations, social media, online news portal, the internet, and various community/stakeholder engagement activities. Conclusion: As a baseline study of the country, this study will fill a key knowledge gap in the pathway to the development of better interventions for dementia in Bangladesh. Outcomes from this study will also help with raising awareness on the association of mental health-related issues with cardiovascular diseases so that an improved cardiac rehabilitation program can be implemented in Bangladesh.
Real-time monitoring of the rollout of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in rural India using a digital tracking platform
Authors: Nagar Ruchit , Ambiya Mohammad Sarparajul , Dalal Saachi , Bhadauriya Pawan Singh , Abdullah Hamid , Shahnawaz Mohammed , Weinberger Daniel M. 
Published: January 2021

Background: In 2017, the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) was introduced into the Indian immunization program as a priority. However, monitoring the implementation of this program has been a major challenge in rural India. Novel digital health platforms, used to track vaccine delivery, can address this issue. Methods: We analyzed data collected in a rural part of the Udaipur District of India, which recently introduced PCV13 into the routine immunization program. The data were collected by Khushi Baby, a novel technology platform which facilitates tracking the vaccination status of individual children. We assessed the percent of children receiving 1, 2, or 3 doses of the vaccine at different ages and time points, as well as geographic variations in uptake. Only doses received before 12 months of age were considered for this analysis. Results: More than 96% of children captured by the database received the first dose of PCV13. Uptake of the second dose ranged from 69% to 90% across the five regions, and 44% to 76% of children received the third (booster) dose within 3 months of the recommended date. Conclusions: These data provide early evidence that the primary doses of PCV13 are being administered at a high level in rural India; however, there is considerable variability between regions. Additionally, the receipt of the booster dose may be lower than desired. Given the importance of the booster dose in reducing pneumococcal transmission, its delivery is essential to ensure maximal benefit of the vaccine program.
Uptake of core outcome sets by clinical trialists publishing in major medical journals: Protocol
Authors: Matvienko-Sikar Karen , Avery Kerry , Blazeby Jane , Hughes Karen , Jacobsen Pamela , Kirkham Jamie , Kottner Jan , Mellor Katie , Saldanha Ian , Smith Valerie , Terwee Caroline B. , Williamson Paula R. ,   MRC-NIHR TMRP Outcomes Working Group Core Outcome Set Theme
Published: January 2021

Background: Outcome heterogeneity, selective reporting, and choosing outcomes that do not reflect needs and priorities of stakeholders, limit the examination of health intervention effects, particularly in late phase trials. Core outcome sets (COS) are a proposed solution to these issues. A COS is an agreed-upon, standardised set of outcomes that should be measured and reported as a minimum in all trials in a specific area of health or healthcare. COS are intended to increase standardisation of outcome measurement and reporting to better enable comparisons between, and synthesis of findings of trials in a particular health area. Methods: This study will examine late phase trials, published between October 2019 and March 2020 (inclusive), in the following five medical journals: New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, Lancet, BMJ, and Annals of Internal Medicine. Trials will be examined to determine if they refer to a COS, and whether they use a COS. Trialists for each identified trial will subsequently be contacted to complete an online survey examining trialists’ awareness of, and decisions to search for and use a COS. Discussion: This study will provide important information on uptake of COS by later phase trialists in major medical journals, and the views of these trialists on COS use in trials. These findings will inform approaches to increasing awareness and uptake of COS in future health trials.