bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Root decomposition in silvopastures is influenced by grazing, fertility, and grass species
Authors: Ashworth Amanda J. , Adams Taylor , Kharel Tulsi , Philipp Dirk , Owens Phillip , Sauer Thomas 
Published: July 2021

AbstractGrass root production and decomposition is a major source of C entering soils, although rates are largely unknown based on edaphic and management factors. Therefore, study objectives were to evaluate four explanatory variables including forage species (native and nonnative), fertility (poultry litter and a control), soil moisture (udic and aquic), and pasture management (grazed and an ungrazed control) in order to evaluate driving factors for root turnover and subsequent soil organic matter formation in silvopastoral systems using the root litter bag technique. Native grass root decomposition was accelerated relative to the nonnative forage based on root mass balance, as well as the exponential decay function, likely owing to greater five‐ and six‐C sugars and more digestible root tissues of native grasses. These physiochemical results suggest more favorable microbial food sources, which culminate in faster decomposition and greater microbially derived organic matter. Overall, there was greater root sloughing and subsequent soil organic matter formation potential with native grass species and poultry litter applications, with soil moisture affecting decomposition to a lesser extent. This study contributes to the understanding of complex interactions of grass species, soil moisture, nutrients, and grazing, which controls primary productivity, as well as nutrient cycling and C sequestration in silvopastures.
A social media analytics perspective for human‐oriented smart city planning and management
Authors: Miah Shah Jahan , Vu Huy Quan , Alahakoon Damminda 
Published: July 2021

AbstractUnderstanding how people engage in daily activities within a region can provide valuable information for smart city planners and strategic partners to use to assist in their decision‐making processes. Such insights may relate to economic activities, sustainable city design, environmental impacts, and responses to climate change, contributing to the improvement in the quality of human life. Considerable attention is recently directed towards smart city initiatives that benefit majority of people, rather than projects that cater to the political, architectural, or vanity needs of a minority. However, understanding citizen requirements, behaviors, and opinions is difficult, and requires the use of technology and appropriate information sources. While social‐media big data have provided opportunities to develop evidence‐based insights into human daily activities, effective analytical methods to harness these opportunities remain in development. We propose a new analytical method to provide a deeper understanding of citizen activities by constructing building blocks in their activity storylines, with analysis of these storylines providing evidence‐based insights into their activities. Results demonstrate the usefulness of our method to smart city planners and strategic partners, providing invaluable insights to assist them in making decisions regarding sustainable smart city development.
Analysis of the effects of different nitrogen sources and calcium on the production of amphotericin by Streptomyces nodosus based on comparative transcriptome
Authors: Huang Kai , Zhang Bo , Chen Yu , Wu Zhe‐Ming , Liu Zhi‐Qiang , Zheng Yu‐Guo 
Published: July 2021

AbstractStreptomyces nodosus is known as the main manufacturer of amphotericin B (AmB), which is an effective antifungal drug. It is verified that the optimization of fermentation conditions and key growth factors have a great impact on the yield of AmB. The AmB production of S. nodosus in cotton‐seed meal (CM) medium was 1.6 times than that of beef‐paste medium. The transcriptome analysis was used to analyze the effects of different nitrogen media and calcium on S. nodosus. Related genes of the EMP and TCA pathways, such as phosphofructokinase, pyruvate dehydrogenase, and citrate synthase, were upregulated in CM medium. The expression level of the PKS modules of the amphotericin synthesis gene cluster in beef‐paste medium was higher. Other functional genes, such as amphGH and amphRIV, have the advantage of expressing in CM medium. Ca2+ promoted the upregulation of genes in metabolic pathways such as EMP pathway (pyruvate dehydrogenase), TCA pathway (citrate synthase), and amphotericin synthesis genes (PKS modules). The expression of WhiB family genes SNOD_RS 13310 and SNOD_RS 17625 was positively correlated with Ca2+ concentration. In addition, in the presence of calcium, the expression level of Sec transport system genes of S. nodosus was lower.
Design and Operation of an Operando Synchrotron Diffraction Cell Enabling Fast Cycling of Battery Materials
Authors: Gustafsson Olof , Schökel Alexander , Brant William R. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractOperation of a battery typically involves dynamic and non‐equilibrium processes, making real time operando techniques crucial for understanding their nature. Operando X‐ray diffraction is an important technique for investigating metastable intermediates and non‐equilibrium phase transitions in crystalline electrode materials. Currently employed experimental setups often apply a disruptive approach to cell design, whereby the integrity of standard electrochemical cells is compromised to facilitate collection of high‐quality diffraction data. Here, we present a non‐disruptive approach to adapting the use of a standard pouch cell that enables fast and long‐term cell cycling. Suitability of the setup is demonstrated on the well‐studied cathode material LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4. While exhibiting comparable electrochemical behavior to a standard pouch cell up to a current rate of 8 C (∼6.6 mA cm−2), phase transitions could be monitored accurately. Thus, the cell provides a new alternative to investigating non‐equilibrium transitions and long‐term aging effects in battery materials.
Antibiotic use influences outcomes in advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients
Authors: Mohindroo Chirayu , Hasanov Merve , Rogers Jane E. , Dong Wenli , Prakash Laura R. , Baydogan Seyda , Mizrahi Jonathan D. , Overman Michael J. , Varadhachary Gauri R. , Wolff Robert A. , Javle Milind M. , Fogelman David R. , Lotze Michael T. , Kim Michael P. , Katz Matthew H.G. , Pant Shubham , Tzeng Ching‐Wei D. , McAllister Florencia 
Published: July 2021

AbstractRecent studies defined a potentially important role of the microbiome in modulating pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and responses to therapies. We hypothesized that antibiotic usage may predict outcomes in patients with PDAC.We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of patients with resectable or metastatic PDAC seen at MD Anderson Cancer from 2003 to 2017. Demographic, chemotherapy regimen and antibiotic use, duration, type, and reason for indication were recorded.A total of 580 patients with PDAC were studied, 342 resected and 238 metastatic patients, selected retrospectively from our database. Antibiotic use, for longer than 48 hrs, was detected in 209 resected patients (61%) and 195 metastatic ones (62%). On resectable patients, we did not find differences in overall survival (OS) or progression‐free survival (PFS), based on antibiotic intake. However, in the metastatic cohort, antibiotic consumption was associated with a significantly longer OS (13.3 months vs. 9.0 months, HR 0.48, 95% CI 0.34–0.7, p = 0.0001) and PFS (4.4 months vs. 2 months, HR 0.48, 95% CI 0.34–0.68, p = <0.0001). In multivariate analysis, the impact of ATB remained significant for PFS (HR 0.59, p = 0.005) and borderline statistically significant for OS (HR 0.69, p = 0.06). When we analyzed by chemotherapy regimen, we found that patients who received gemcitabine‐based chemotherapy as first‐line therapy (n = 118) had significantly prolonged OS (HR 0.4, p 0.0013) and PFS (HR 0.55, p 0.02) if they received antibiotics, while those receiving 5FU‐based chemotherapy (n = 98) had only prolonged PFS (HR 0.54, p = 0.03).Antibiotics‐associated modulation of the microbiome is associated with better outcomes in patients with metastatic PDAC.
Patients with relapsed/refractory hairy‐cell leukemia
Authors: Paillassa Jérôme , Troussard Xavier 
Published: July 2021

AbstractBackgroundHairy cell leukemia (HCL) is a rare chronic B‐cell neoplasm with good long‐term prognosis. First and second‐line therapies include purine nucleoside analogues (PNAs) and rituximab, but until recently, limited alternative options were available for patients with two or more relapses.AimThe aim of this study is to describe our real‐life experience with HCL patients in third and fourth‐line therapies.Methods and ResultsData from 49 HCL patients with two or more relapses, including 16 patients with three or more relapses, were collected from the French retrospective HCL cohort covering the period from 1980 until 2011. They were analyzed to assess hematological response, relapse free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) after third (L3) and fourth line (L4). The median age at diagnosis was 53 years. PNAs were the most frequently used treatments. As L3 therapy, 29 patients received PNAs (66%) and 15 (34%) other treatments (rituximab [11%] or interferon [7%] alone or in combination [16%]). The distribution of L4 treatments was similar. The overall hematological response rate (OHRR) after L3 was 97% (complete hematological response 86%) with a 40% five‐year cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR), a median RFS of 104 months, and a median OS of 235 months. After L4, the OHRR was 94% with a two‐year CIR of fourth relapse of 27%. Eleven secondary cancers (5‐year cumulative incidence of 12%) were diagnosed in 10 patients. Patients with ≥2 relapses experience frequent further relapses, with increasingly shorter time to next treatment as the number of treatment lines increases. Furthermore, treatment strategies are associated with substantial toxicities.ConclusionAll these points lead to the need for novel treatments.
Analysis of the Oxygen Passivation Effects on MAPbI3and MAPbBr3in Fresh and Aged Solar Cells by the Transient Photovoltage Technique
Authors: Su Lijun , Méndez Maria , Jiménez‐López Jesús , Zhu Miaoli , Xiao Yaoming , Gil Emilio José Palomares 
Published: July 2021

AbstractPrevious studies have revealed that for some perovskite compositions, power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) improved after storing the devices in different ambient conditions. With the aim of better understanding such improvements, we focus our attention on the carrier/ionic dynamic kinetics of fresh and aged PSCs with different perovskite compositions (MAPbI3and MAPbBr3) and using spiro‐OMeTAD as HTM. For that, we use transient photovoltage (TPV), a technique used to analyse the different recombination kinetics at equilibrium and at different illumination times. We observe that the aging treatment causes significant changes on the kinetics behaviour for bromide‐based devices, resulting in a positive influence on the cell performance (from 3.5 % to 6.1 % PCE, in reverse scan). However, the kinetics for those iodide‐based perovskite solar cells remains unchangeable (from 16.3 % to 15.0 % PCE, in reverse scan).
Evaluation of the mental health of care home staff in the Covid‐19 era. What price did care home workers pay for standing by their patients?
Authors: Martín Josune , Padierna Ángel , Villanueva Ane , Quintana José M. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe characteristics of this pandemic increase the potential psychological impact on care homes workers (CHWs). The aims of this study were to analyse the mental health and health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) of a broad sample of CHWs in Spain and to identify potential factors that have a significant effect on their mental health and HRQoL.MethodThis descriptive study comprised 210 CHWs who completed the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7‐item Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire‐9, the Impact Event Scale‐Revised, the Insomnia Severity Index, and the Health‐related Quality of Life Questionnaire. Sociodemographic and clinical data in relation to COVID‐19 were also recorded. Descriptive statistics, univariable analysis and multivariable linear regression models were applied to identify factors associated with mental health and HRQoL.ResultsOf total, 86.19% of participants were female; 86.67% were aged under 55 years; 11% were physicians and 64.19% were nurses or auxiliaries; 77.62% have themselves tested positive for Covid‐19; and 67.94% of CHWs have directly treated patients with Covid‐19. 49.28% had clinical depression; over half (58.57%) had clinical anxiety; 70.95% had clinical stress; and 28.57% had clinical insomnia. Increased use of tranquilizers/sedatives appears to be an explanatory variable of suffering greater anxiety, depression, stress and insomnia, and of having a worse HRQoL amongst our CHWs.ConclusionsOur study confirms that symptomatology of anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia and HRQoL were affected amongst CHWs during the Covid‐19 pandemic.
The curse of modernization? Western fast food and Chinese children's weight
Authors: Kong Nancy , Zhou Weina 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe income‐adjusted price of fast food in China is five times more than in the United States, yet we show that the introduction of Western fast‐food restaurants to China still leads to significant weight gain in children. Using the community‐year‐level presence of Western fast‐food outlets, difference‐in‐differences estimations find a 4.8‐percentage‐point increase in the prevalence of overweight/obese children after controlling for child and year fixed effects. The effect decreases at a distance of 3–4 km from a fast‐food restaurant, and we find no further weight gain 2 years after the restaurant's introduction. The underweight rate is not affected by fast‐food introduction. The increase in fat share of energy intake serves as the channel for weight gain. Children in high‐income families, younger than 11 years, and girls are more affected than other Chinese children.
Have Dutch Hospitals Saved Lives and Reduced Costs? A longitudinal patient‐level analysis over the years 2013–2017
Authors: Sülz Sandra , Wagenaar Holger , van de Klundert Joris 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to shed light on the ongoing Dutch health system reforms and identify whether hospital costs and hospital outcomes have changed over time. We present an empirical analysis that is based on granular micro‐costing data and focuses on conditions for which mortality is indicative of outcome quality, that is, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), chronic heart failure (CHF), and pneumonia (PNE). We deploy a dataset of more than 80,000 inpatient episodes over 5 years (2013–2017) to estimate regression models that control for variation between patients and hospitals. We have three main findings. First, our results do not indicate significant outcome improvements over the years; that is, there is no time trend for mortality. Second, there is heterogeneity in cost developments: for patients who survive their inpatient stay, our data indicate that costs increase significantly by 0.9% per year for AMI patients, while costs decrease significantly by 1.7% per year for CHF patients and by 1.9% per year for PNE patients. For patients who pass away during their inpatient stay, our data do not indicate significant time trends. Third and finally, our results suggest the existence of substantial cost variation between hospitals.
A case report of compassion‐focused therapy for distressing voice‐hearing experiences
Authors: Heriot‐Maitland Charles , Levey Valerie 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThis paper describes a 6‐month period of compassion‐focused therapy (CFT) for a client who has a 35‐year history of hearing voices that are threatening, derogatory, and abusive. In this intervention, the client is encouraged to develop compassionate motives toward herself and to her voices, recognizing that her voices may have been functional in the context of difficult early experiences. The client develops a compassionate self‐identity, which becomes the vehicle through which she approaches therapeutic tasks, such as listening and talking to voices, engaging with traumatic childhood pain, and resolving emotional conflicts. The client is an author on this study, so is able to provide valuable first‐hand insights into the experience of working compassionately with her voices, and of experiencing CFT techniques for the first time.
Human monocytes respond to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation in a sex‐dependent manner
Authors: Campesi Ilaria , Montella Andrea , Franconi Flavia 
Published: July 2021

AbstractMonocytes play a critical role in inflammation and immune response, their activity being sex‐dependent. However, the basis of sex differences is not well understood. Therefore, we investigated the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) effects on tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) release, autophagy, and chemotaxis in freshly isolated monocytes from healthy young men and women. In basal conditions, male and female monocytes had similar TNF‐α release, chemotaxis, and estrogen receptors (ER‐α) and ER‐β expression, while the LC3II/I ratio was significantly higher in males. LPS treatment induced qualitative and quantitative sex differences. It reduced autophagy and increased TNF‐α release only in male monocytes, while, chemotaxis was significantly influenced only in female cells. Moreover, it reduced the expression of ER‐α only in female cells, while ER‐β expression was reduced in both sexes, but more markedly in female cells. Finally, the interplay between LPS treatment and 17‐β‐estradiol (E2) was present only in female cells. Globally, these findings expand the concept that sex plays a role in regulating monocytes' functions, being sex differences cell‐ and parameter‐specific.
Anatomical characterization of 18 commercially important varieties of Phoenix dactylifera L. by using microscopy
Authors: Hussain Amir , Zafar Muhammad , Mahmood Tariq , Khan Amir Muhammad , Arfan Muhammad , Ozdemir Fethi Ahmet , Ahmad Mushtaq , Yaseen Ghulam , Fatima Anam , Sultana Shazia , Asif Amna 
Published: July 2021

AbstractDate palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is an important traditional crop having socioeconomic values. To best of literature review and our knowledge, there is a gap of taxonomic study on the role of morpho‐anatomical features of date palm for correct identification of its varieties. With the advancement in the field of microscopy, anatomical features are considered very effective taxonomical markers. The present study was aimed to analyze the taxonomic variations using leaf epidermal anatomy and to highlight the importance of leaf epidermis to resolve identification ambiguities among the different varieties of date palms. The study includes analysis of leaf epidermal anatomy of 18 different commercial varieties of date palm collected from different areas of Pakistan. A diverse range of shape and size of epidermal cells, subsidiary cells, guard cells, stomata, stomatal pore was observed on abaxial as well as adaxial among studied date palm varieties via LM and found to be very helpful tool in discrimination of varieties. The shape of epidermal cells on both abaxial and adaxial surfaces varies including elongated, irregular, polygonal, curved, and spherical or sometime mixed of these. The values of stomatal indices on both surfaces showed wide variations.
Altered Complexity of Spontaneous Brain Activity in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Patients
Authors: Zhang Nan , Niu Yan , Sun Jie , An Weichao , Li Dandan , Wei Jing , Yan Ting , Xiang Jie , Wang Bin 
Published: July 2021

Slice images of the brain regions with significant difference Slice images showed the differences of (a) the effect of group and (b) the effect of interaction between the control and patient groups after adjusting for age, sex, and education (P < 0.05, GRF corrected). CAL.L: Calcarine fissure, DCG.L: Median Cingulate, LING.L: Lingual Gyrus, PCUN.L: Precuneus, IOG.R: Inferior Occipital Gyrus, MTG.R: Middle Temporal Gyrus, HIP.R: Hippocampus, THA.R: Thalamus, MFG.R: Middle Frontal Gyrus, MTG.L: Middle Temporal Gyrus by N. Zhang et al (586–595)image
Cross‐linking reactions in food proteins and proteomic approaches for their detection
Authors: Renzone Giovanni , Arena Simona , Scaloni Andrea 
Published: July 2021

AbstractVarious protein cross‐linking reactions leading to molecular polymerization and covalent aggregates have been described in processed foods. They are an undesired side effect of processes designed to reduce bacterial load, extend shelf life, and modify technological properties, as well as being an expected result of treatments designed to modify raw material texture and function. Although the formation of these products is known to affect the sensory and technological properties of foods, the corresponding cross‐linking reactions and resulting protein polymers have not yet undergone detailed molecular characterization. This is essential for describing how their generation can be related to food processing conditions and quality parameters. Due to the complex structure of cross‐linked species, bottom‐up proteomic procedures developed to characterize various amino acid modifications associated with food processing conditions currently offer a limited molecular description of bridged peptide structures. Recent progress in cross‐linking mass spectrometry for the topological characterization of protein complexes has facilitated the development of various proteomic methods and bioinformatic tools for unveiling bridged species, which can now also be used for the detailed molecular characterization of polymeric cross‐linked products in processed foods. We here examine their benefits and limitations in terms of evaluating cross‐linked food proteins and propose future scenarios for application in foodomics. They offer potential for understanding the protein cross‐linking formation mechanisms in processed foods, and how the inherent beneficial properties of treated foodstuffs can be preserved or enhanced.
Urodynamic Evaluation in Multiple System Atrophy: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Eschlböck Sabine , Kiss Gustav , Krismer Florian , Fanciulli Alessandra , Kaindlstorfer Christine , Raccagni Cecilia , Seppi Klaus , Kiechl Stefan , Panicker Jalesh N. , Wenning Gregor K. 
Published: July 2021

ABSTRACTBackgroundUrological dysfunction in patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA) is one of the main manifestations of autonomic failure. Urodynamic examination is clinically relevant since underlying pathophysiology of lower urinary tract (LUT) dysfunction can be variable.ObjectiveEvaluation of the pathophysiology of urological symptoms and exploration of differences in urodynamic patterns of LUT dysfunction between MSA‐P and MSA‐C.MethodsRetrospective study of patients with possible and probable MSA who were referred for urodynamic studies between 2004 and 2019. Demographic data, medical history, physical examination and urodynamic studies assessing storage and voiding dysfunction were obtained.ResultsSeventy‐four patients were included in this study (MSA‐P 64.9% n = 48; median age 62.5 (IQR 56.8–70) years). Detrusor overactivity during filling phase was noted in 58.1% (n = 43) of the patients. In the voiding phase, detrusor sphincter dyssynergia and detrusor underactivity were observed in 24.6% (n = 17) and in 62.1% (n = 41) of the patients, respectively. A postmicturition residual volume of over 100 ml was present in 71.4% (n = 50) of the patients. Comparison of MSA subtypes showed weaker detrusor contractility in MSA‐P compared to MSA‐C [pdetQmax 26.2 vs. 34.4 cmH20, P = 0.04]. In 56.2% (n = 41) of patients pathophysiology of LUT dysfunction was deemed to be neurogenic and consistent with the diagnosis of MSA. In 35.6% (n = 26) urodynamic pattern suggested other urological co‐morbidities.ConclusionUrodynamic evaluation is an important tool to analyze the pattern of LUT dysfunction in MSA. Impaired detrusor contractility was seen more in MSA‐P which needs to be investigated in further studies.