bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Insight into phytohormonal modulation of defense mechanisms to salt excess in a halophyte and a glycophyte from Asteraceae family
Authors: Wiszniewska Alina , Koźmińska Aleksandra , Hanus-Fajerska Ewa , Dziurka Kinga , Dziurka Michał 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Aims
The aim of this study was to compare the efficiency of three defense mechanisms (ionic balance, osmotic adjustment and counteracting oxidative stress) under low, moderate and high soil salinity in two related species of contrasting tolerance to salinity: the halophyte Aster tripolium and the glycophyte Aster alpinus, and to elucidate their phytohormone-mediated regulation.

Methods
The phytohormonal profiling was performed to asses correlations between the pool of plant growth regulators and parameters depicting ionic homeostasis, osmotic adjustment and antioxidant system.

Results
Defense mechanisms in both species were based on accumulation/activity of distinct compounds (Na+ and K+ ions, antioxidants), but differences among species concerned particularly soluble carbohydrates and betaines. The halophyte accumulated mannitol, uronic acids and sucrose, while the glycophyte mostly glucose and proline-betaine. The halophyte responses also correlated with changes in the content of plant growth promoting PGRs, as well as jasmonates and benzoic acid. The glycophyte responses corresponded with changes in content of abscisic acid and ethylene precursor, as well as salicylic acid.

Conclusions
We provided evidence that benzoic acid rather than salicylic acid is involved in salt tolerance in the halophyte and elevated SA content may enhance vulnerability to salt excess. An important element of tolerance trait is also JA-GA network that influences the intensity of defense responses. This study uncovers new aspects of internal phytohormonal regulation of plant reaction to soil salinity and enables further insight into extremophyte biology.
Language as a proxy for cultural change. A contrastive analysis for French and Italian lexicon on male homosexuality
Authors: Agovino Massimiliano , Bevilacqua Michele , Cerciello Massimiliano 
Published: March 2021

AbstractDiscrimination against LGBT people represents a significant and long-standing societal problem that occurs in several forms, including lexical discrimination, which consists in frequent usage of discriminatory epithets. Lexical discrimination produces a vicious circle where speakers grow subconsciously accustomed to abusive language and marginalisation becomes institutionalised. A vast literature has tackled lexical discrimination, providing several country-level studies. The cases of France and Italy are described as very different: while the French experience is centred around grassroot mobilisation, Italy features a traditional strategy of silence. This work aims to verify such difference empirically. Using a rich and detailed dataset, we apply time series analysis on the frequencies of usage of the terms that characterise male homosexuality. Our results highlight some similarities and some differences between the French and the Italian case, stressing the importance of lexical resemantisation that occurred in France but not in Italy.
Circulating fatty acids and endocannabinoidome-related mediator profiles associated to human longevity
Authors: Manca Claudia , Carta Gianfranca , Murru Elisabetta , Abolghasemi Armita , Ansar Hastimansooreh , Errigo Alessandra , Cani Patrice D. , Banni Sebastiano , Pes Giovanni Mario 
Published: March 2021

AbstractTo evaluate whether a peculiar plasma profile of fatty acids and endocannabinoidome (eCBome)-related mediators may be associated to longevity, we assessed them in octogenarians (Old;n=42) living in the east-central mountain area of Sardinia, a High-Longevity Zone (HLZ), compared to sexagenarian (Young;n=21) subjects from the same area, and to Olds (n=22) from the Northern Sardinia indicated as Lower-Longevity Zone (LLZ). We found significant increases in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and heptadecanoic acid (17:0) levels in Old-HLZ with respect to younger subjects and Old-LLZ subjects. Young-HLZ subjects exhibited higher circulating levels of pentadecanoic acid (15:0) and retinol. Palmitoleic acid (POA) was elevated in both Young and Old subjects from the HLZ. eCBome profile showed a significantly increased plasma level of the two endocannabinoids,N-arachidonoyl-ethanolamine (AEA) and 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol (2-AG) in Old-HLZ subjects compared to Young-HLZ and Old-LLZ respectively. In addition, we found increasedN-oleoyl-ethanolamine (OEA), 2-linoleoyl-glycerol (2-LG) and 2-oleoyl-glycerol (2-OG) levels in Old-HLZ group with respect to Young-HLZ (as for OEA an d 2-LG) and both the Old-LLZ and Young-HLZ for 2-OG. The endogenous metabolite of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA),N-docosahexaenoyl-ethanolamine (DHEA) was significantly increased in Old-HLZ subjects. In conclusion, our results suggest that in the HLZ area, Young and Old subjects exhibited a favourable, albeit distinctive, fatty acids and eCBome profile that may be indicative of a metabolic pattern potentially protective from adverse chronic conditions. These factors could point to a suitable physiological metabolic pattern that may counteract the adverse stimuli leading to age-related disorders such as neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases.
Influence of a closed-loop controlled laser metal wire deposition process of S Al 5356 on the quality of manufactured parts before and after subsequent machining
Authors: Becker Dina , Boley Steffen , Eisseler Rocco , Stehle Thomas , Möhring Hans-Christian , Onuseit Volkher , Hoßfeld Max , Graf Thomas 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThis paper describes the interdependence of additive and subtractive manufacturing processes using the production of test components made from S Al 5356. To achieve the best possible part accuracy and a preferably small wall thickness already within the additive process, a closed loop process control was developed and applied. Subsequent machining processes were nonetheless required to give the components their final shape, but the amount of material in need of removal was minimised. The effort of minimising material removal strongly depended on the initial state of the component (wall thickness, wall thickness constancy, microstructure of the material and others) which was determined by the additive process. For this reason, knowledge of the correlations between generative parameters and component properties, as well as of the interdependency between the additive process and the subsequent machining process to tune the former to the latter was essential. To ascertain this behaviour, a suitable test part was designed to perform both additive processes using laser metal wire deposition with a closed loop control of the track height and subtractive processes using external and internal longitudinal turning with varied parameters. The so manufactured test parts were then used to qualify the material deposition and turning process by criteria like shape accuracy and surface quality.
Old Friends with Unexploited Perspectives: Current Advances in Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Therapies in Asthma
Authors: Tynecka Marlena , Moniuszko Marcin , Eljaszewicz Andrzej 
Published: March 2021

AbstractMesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have a great regenerative and immunomodulatory potential that was successfully tested in numerous pre-clinical and clinical studies of various degenerative, hematological and inflammatory disorders. Over the last few decades, substantial immunoregulatory effects of MSC treatment were widely observed in different experimental models of asthma. Therefore, it is tempting to speculate that stem cell-based treatment could become an attractive means to better suppress asthmatic airway inflammation, especially in subjects resistant to currently available anti-inflammatory therapies. In this review, we discuss mechanisms accounting for potent immunosuppressive properties of MSCs and the rationale for their use in asthma. We describe in detail an intriguing interplay between MSCs and other crucial players in the immune system as well as lung microenvironment. Finally, we reveal the potential of MSCs in maintaining airway epithelial integrity and alleviating lung remodeling.
Graphical abstract
Computational Tools for the Investigation of the Male Lower Urinary Tract Functionality in Health and Disease
Authors: Fontanella Chiara Giulia , Carniel Emanuele Luigi 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to show the potentialities of computational bioengineering in the field of lower urinary tract pathophysiology. Engineering methods allow the investigation of urine flow in healthy and pathologic conditions and the analysis of urethral occlusion by means of artificial urinary sphincters.

Methods
Computational models of bladder and urethra were developed and exploited to investigate the lower urinary tract physiology in health and in disease. Average male morphometric configurations were assumed, together with typical properties of both biological tissues and fluids. The reliability of the models was assessed by the mutual comparison of results and the investigation of data from experimental and clinical activities.

Results
The developed models allowed to analyze typical situations, such as the micturition in health and in disease, and the lumen occlusion by external devices. The models provided information that clinical and experimental tests barely provide, as the occurrence of turbulent phenomena within urine flow, the shear stresses at the lumen wall, the external pressure that is strictly required to occlude the lumen.

Conclusions
The methods of bioengineering allow broadening and deepening the knowledge of the lower urinary tract functionality. More in detail, modeling techniques provide information that contributes to explain the occurrence of pathological situations, and allows to design and to optimize clinical-surgical procedures and devices.
Near-surface seismic refraction tomography and MASW for site characterization in Phuentsholing, Bhutan Himalaya
Authors: Sarkar Raju , Kolathayar Sreevalsa , Drukpa Dowchu , Choki Kinley , Rai Shrijana , Tshering Sangay Tenzin , Yuden Kezang 
Published: March 2021

AbstractIt is essential to understand the soil characteristics of the subsurface layers for any engineering construction. In difficult terrains like hilly areas, conventional methods of investigation are expensive and difficult to conduct. It calls for nondestructive testing methods to get reliable estimates of subsurface properties. In the present study, seismic refraction tomography (SRT) technique and multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) methods were carried out along five selected profiles in Phuentsholing region of Bhutan Himalaya. The profile length ranges from 37 to 81.5 m, and depth of imaging down to 10 m. While the SRT data imaged the P-wave velocity (Vp) structures, the MASW imaged the shear wave velocity (Vs) structures. The P-wave images provide a fair knowledge of geological layers, while the MASW images provide S-wave velocity structures (Vs). These results are useful to estimate soil parameters, like the density, Poisson’s ratio, Young’s modulus, shear modulus, N-value and the ultimate bearing capacity. The seismic images reveal the presence of sand, sandy clay, gravels and shale layers below the selected sites. Bhutan Himalayas being seismically vulnerable, the obtained results in terms of shear wave velocity were accustomed to categorize the sites as per NEHRP site classes, and a ground response analysis was performed to determine the reliable amplification factors. From the study, it is suggested that the engineering construction is feasible at all the sites except in one site, where an indication of saturated soil is observed which is vulnerable for liquefaction, and ground needs to be improved before construction at that site.
An integrated approach to identify suitable areas for built-up development using GIS-based multi-criteria analysis and AHP in Siliguri planning area, India
Authors: Saha Arjun , Roy Ranjan 
Published: March 2021

AbstractUnplanned and haphazard built-up growth due to immense pressure of population is a common problem for maximum cities of developing countries which paves to create urban sprawl by capturing spacious areas of natural environment. For this, selection of suitable places for built-up development by maintaining ecological balance has become inevitable part for proper urban planning. Siliguri planning area, which has witnessed a tremendous growth in built-up features after the 1990, has been chosen for this work to find out best places for future built-up development with minimum effects on different natural features and also calculates the amount of different types of suitability which will be transferred from different land use and land cover categories in near future which is a novelty of this work. The work has been executed through GIS-based multi-criteria analysis, and a total of nine criteria have been taken to locate best places for built-up development. Analytic hierarchy process or AHP has been used to calculate weights of each criterion by using pair wise comparison matrix. Final site suitability map has been prepared with four different classes: high suitable, moderate suitable, less suitable and restricted area and the percentage of land is high in moderate suitable category that is 52.33% which covers the intermediary portion, mainly wastelands and agricultural land of the study area with higher facility of accessibility. Results from this work would be helpful for the planners, stakeholders, policy makers by identifying best locations for the intensive developmental projects in near future.
Implementing cryptography in LoRa based communication devices for unmanned ground vehicle applications
Authors: Manuel Melvin P. , Daimi Kevin 
Published: March 2021

AbstractIn this study, a Long Range (LoRa) based bidirectional secured communication link for controlling and monitoring the robots from a remote location is proposed. The security features and structure of the LoRa is build upon the standard protocol called LoRa wide area networks (LoRaWAN). To take advantage of these features, LoRa devices/end modules need to be connected to a network server through a LoRa gateway. However, for certain military scenarios like war zones, terrorist attack sites, disaster sites etc., the availability of standard network cannot be guaranteed, and therefore, the security features available with LoRaWAN protocol cannot be guaranteed. To overcome this critical limitation, a LoRa based secured device for establishing a bidirectional communication link between the base station and the robots without relying on any network is proposed. To secure the exchanged data, a cryptographic protocol is developed, and confidentiality, authenticity and integrity of the transmitted data between the base station and the robot are ensured. The protocol is then implemented with a pair of LoRa devices and its functionality is tested from a remote location by controlling and monitoring a Pioneer-P3Dx robot from a distance of 1.2 miles. The test shows that the proposed cryptographic protocol can securely control and track the robot from a remote location.
A meta-analysis of the literature on climate change and migration
Authors: Beine Michel , Jeusette Lionel 
Published: March 2021

AbstractRecent surveys of the literature on climate change and migration emphasize the important diversity of outcomes and approaches of the empirical studies. In this paper, we conduct a meta-analysis in order to investigate the role of the methodological choices of these empirical studies in finding some particular results concerning the role of climatic factors as drivers of human mobility. We code 51 papers representative of the literature in terms of methodological approaches. This results in the coding of more than 85 variables capturing the methodology of the main dimensions of the analysis at the regression level. These dimensions include authors' reputation, type of mobility, measures of mobility, type of data, context of the study, econometric methods, and last but not least measures of the climatic factors. We look at the influence of these characteristics on the probability of finding any effect of climate change, a displacement effect, an increase in immobility, and evidence in favor of a direct vs. an indirect effect. Our results highlight the role of some important methodological choices, such as the frequency of the data on mobility, the level of development, the measures of human mobility and of the climatic factors as well as the econometric methodology.
Those who can't sort, steal: caste, occupational mobility, and rent-seeking in rural India
Authors: Lawson Nicholas , Spears Dean 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThree important features of Indian labor markets enduringly coexist: rent-seeking, occupational immobility, and caste. These facts are puzzling, given theories that predict static, equilibrium social inequality without conflict. Our model explains these facts as an equilibrium outcome. Some people switch caste-associated occupations for an easier source of rents, rather than for productivity. This undermines trust between castes and shuts down occupational mobility, which further encourages rent-seeking due to an inability of workers to sort into occupations. We motivate our contribution with novel stylized facts exploiting a unique survey question on casteism in India, which we show is associated with rent-seeking.
Investigating the long-term effects of child labor on household poverty and food insecurity in Ghana
Authors: Lambon-Quayefio Monica Puoma , Owoo Nkechi S. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThis paper explores the extent to which child labor perpetuates the cycle of household poverty, as well as food insecurity using the sixth round of the Ghana Living Standards Survey. The study employs a counterfactual framework and an endogenous treatment effect econometric technique to accurately examine the causal link between child labor and long-term household poverty and food security. Results suggest a positive relationship between early paid work and long-term poverty and food insecurity. This finding provides empirical evidence to indicate that child labor has the potential to create and perpetuate poverty traps. From a policy perspective, findings from this study also contribute to the modern policy debates surrounding the achievement of the sustainable development goals on reducing poverty and hunger in developing countries.
Seasonal evolution of supraglacial lakes and rivers on the southwest Greenland Ice Sheet
Authors: Yang Kang , Smith Laurence C. , Cooper Matthew G. , Pitcher Lincoln H. , van As Dirk , Lu Yao , Lu Xin , Li Manchun 
Published: March 2021

AbstractSupraglacial lakes and rivers dominate the storage and transport of meltwater on the southwest Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) surface. Despite functioning as interconnected hydrologic networks, supraglacial lakes and rivers are commonly studied as independent features, resulting in an incomplete understanding of their collective impact on meltwater storage and routing. We use Landsat 8 satellite imagery to assess the seasonal evolution of supraglacial lakes and rivers on the southwest GrIS during the 2015 melt season. Remotely sensed meltwater areas and volumes are compared with surface runoff simulations from three climate models (MERRA-2, MAR 3.6 and RACMO 2.3), and with in situ observations of proglacial discharge in the Watson River. We find: (1) at elevations >1600 m, 21% of supraglacial lakes and 28% of supraglacial rivers drain into moulins, signifying the presence of high-elevation surface-to-bed meltwater connections even during a colder-than-average melt season; (2) while supraglacial lakes dominate instantaneous surface meltwater storage, supraglacial rivers dominate total surface meltwater area and discharge; (3) the combined surface area of supraglacial lakes and rivers is strongly correlated with modeled surface runoff; and (4) of the three models examined here, MERRA-2 runoff yields the highest overall correlation with observed proglacial discharge in the Watson River.
Spatial and temporal variations of fractionation of stable isotopes in East-Antarctic snow
Authors: Li Chuanjin , Ren Jiawen , Shi Guitao , Pang Hongxi , Wang Yetang , Hou Shugui , Li Zhongqin , Du Zhiheng , Ding Minghu , Ma Xiangyu , Yang Jiao , Xie Aihong , Wang Puyu , Wang Xiaoming , Sun Bo , Xiao Cunde 
Published: March 2021

AbstractStable isotope ratios (δ18O and δD) in Antarctic snow and ice are basic proxy indices of climate in ice core studies. The relation between the ratios has important indicative significance for moisture sources. In general, the fractionation characteristics of the two isotopes vary with different meteorological and topographical conditions. This paper presents the spatial and temporal distribution of meteoric water line (MWL) slopes along a traverse from the Zhongshan Station (ZSS) to Dome A in East Antarctica. It is found that the slopes decrease with the increasing distance inland from the coast and the lowest slope occurred at Dome A, where the long-range transported moisture dominates and clear sky snowing have an influence. The slopes in different layers of the snowpack showed a decreasing trend with depth and this is attributed to the fractionation during the interstitial sublimation and re-condensation processes of the water vapor. Frost flower development on the interior plateau surface can greatly alter the depth evolution of the MWL slope. The coastal snow pits also go through the post-depositional smoothing effect, but their influences are not so significant as the inland regions.
Accelerated glacier mass loss in the largest river and lake source regions of the Tibetan Plateau and its links with local water balance over 1976–2017
Authors: Chen Wenfeng , Yao Tandong , Zhang Guoqing , Li Shenghai , Zheng Guoxiong 
Published: March 2021

AbstractVariations in glacier meltwater in the source regions of the Tibetan Plateau's (TP) largest lake (Selin Co) and China's longest river (Yangtze River) regulate the local and downstream water balance under the warming climate. However, the magnitude of their variations over the past four decades is still unknown. Here, we examine long-term changes in glacier mass balance over 1976–2017 using KH-9 and CoSSC-TanDEM-X data. We find that the mean rate of glacier mass loss (GML) has accelerated from −0.21 ± 0.11 m a–1over 1976–2000, to −0.28 ± 0.14 m a–1over 2000–11, and subsequently to −0.48 ± 0.10 m a–1over 2011–17. Changes in temperature and precipitation are the major causes of GML. Over 1976–2017, the contribution of decadal GML to Tuotuohe sub-basin runoff ranges from 4.3 to 8.0%, while its contribution to increased lake volume change in Selin Co and Chibzhang Co-Dorsoidong Co ranges from 3.5 to 16.3% and 19.2 to 21.4%, respectively. The GML of source regions made relatively small contributions to river runoff and lake supply, but plays a vital role when precipitation decreases. The quantitative evaluation of the water balance for the sources of great rivers and lakes over the TP is therefore important for water resource management and hydrological cycle studies.