bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Whole‐exome sequencing reveals the major genetic factors contributing to neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder in Chinese patients with aquaporin 4‐IgG seropositivity
Authors: Zhong Xiaonan , Chen Chen , Sun Xiaobo , Wang Jingqi , Li Rui , Chang Yanyu , Fan Ping , Wang Yuge , Wu Yunting , Peng Lisheng , Lu Zhengqi , Qiu Wei 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBackground and objectiveNeuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an autoimmune disease. Although genetic factors are involved in its pathogenesis, limited evidence is available in this area. The aim of the present study was to identify the major genetic factors contributing to NMOSD in Chinese patients with aquaporin 4 (AQP4)‐IgG seropositivity.MethodsWhole‐exome sequencing (WES) was performed on 228 Chinese NMOSD patients seropositive for AQP4‐IgG and 1400 healthy controls in Guangzhou, South China. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) sequencing was also utilized. Genotype model and haplotype, gene burden, and enrichment analyses were conducted.ResultsA significant region of the HLA composition is on chromosome 6, and great variation was observed in DQB1, DQA2 and DQA1. HLA sequencing confirmed that the most significant allele was HLA‐DQB1*05:02 (p < 0.01, odds ratio [OR] 3.73). The genotype model analysis revealed that HLA‐DQB1*05:02 was significantly associated with NMOSD in the additive effect model and dominant effect model (p < 0.05). The proportion of haplotype “HLA‐DQB1*05:02‐DRB1*15:01” was significantly greater in the NMOSD patients than the controls, at 8.42% and 1.23%, respectively (p < 0.001, OR 7.39). The gene burden analysis demonstrated that loss‐of‐function mutations in NOP16 were more common in the NMOSD patients (11.84%) than the controls (5.71%; p < 0.001, OR 2.22). The IgG1‐G390R variant was significantly more common in NMOSD, and the rate of the T allele was 0.605 in patients and 0.345 in the controls (p < 0.01, OR 2.92). The enrichment analysis indicated that most of the genetic factors were mainly correlated with nervous and immune processes.ConclusionsHuman leukocyte antigen is highly correlated with NMOSD. NOP16 and IgG1‐G390R play important roles in disease susceptibility.
Prospects and limitations of genomic offset in conservation management
Authors: Rellstab Christian , Dauphin Benjamin , Exposito‐Alonso Moises 
Published: February 2021

AbstractIn nature conservation, there is keen interest in predicting how populations will respond to environmental changes such as climate change. These predictions can help determine whether a population can be self‐sustaining under future alterations of its habitat or whether it may require human intervention such as protection, restoration, or assisted migration. An increasingly popular approach in this respect is the concept of genomic offset, which combines genomic and environmental data from different time points and/or locations to assess the degree of possible maladaptation to new environmental conditions. Here, we argue that the concept of genomic offset holds great potential, but an exploration of its risks and limitations is needed to use it for recommendations in conservation or assisted migration. After briefly describing the concept, we list important issues to consider (e.g., statistical frameworks, population genetic structure, migration, independent evidence) when using genomic offset or developing these methods further. We conclude that genomic offset is an area of development that still lacks some important features and should be used in combination with other approaches to inform conservation measures.
Vital roles of soil microbes in driving terrestrial nitrogen immobilization
Authors: Li Zhaolei , Zeng Zhaoqi , Song Zhaopeng , Wang Fuqiang , Tian Dashuan , Mi Wenhai , Huang Xin , Wang Jinsong , Song Lei , Yang Zhongkang , Wang Jun , Feng Haojie , Jiang Lifen , Chen Ye , Luo Yiqi , Niu Shuli 
Published: February 2021

AbstractNitrogen immobilization usually leads to nitrogen retention in soil and, thus, influences soil nitrogen supply for plant growth. Understanding soil nitrogen immobilization is important for predicting soil nitrogen cycling under anthropogenic activities and climate changes. However, the global patterns and drivers of soil nitrogen immobilization remain unclear. We synthesized 1350 observations of gross soil nitrogen immobilization rate (NIR) from 97 articles to identify patterns and drivers of NIR. The global mean NIR was 8.77 ± 1.01 mg N kg−1 soil day−1. It was 5.55 ± 0.41 mg N kg−1 soil day−1 in croplands, 15.74 ± 3.02 mg N kg−1 soil day−1 in wetlands, and 15.26 ± 2.98 mg N kg−1 soil day−1 in forests. The NIR increased with mean annual temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, dissolved organic nitrogen, ammonium, nitrate, phosphorus, and microbial biomass carbon. But it decreased with soil pH. The results of structural equation models showed that soil microbial biomass carbon was a pivotal driver of NIR, because temperature, total soil nitrogen, and soil pH mostly indirectly influenced NIR via changing soil microbial biomass. Moreover, microbial biomass carbon accounted for most of the variations in NIR among all direct relationships. Furthermore, the efficiency of transforming the immobilized nitrogen to microbial biomass nitrogen was lower in croplands than in natural ecosystems (i.e., forests, grasslands, and wetlands). These findings suggested that soil nitrogen retention may decrease under the land use change from forests or wetlands to croplands, but NIR was expected to increase due to increased microbial biomass under global warming. The identified patterns and drivers of soil nitrogen immobilization in this study are crucial to project the changes in soil nitrogen retention.
Black lives and bodywork matters: A postcolonial critique of gender and embodiment in Nigeria
Authors: Kagher Loliya Akobo , Otaye‐Ebede Lilian , Metcalfe Beverly 
Published: February 2021

AbstractDrawing on the theories of “Womanism” and “African feminism,” this paper explores the concept of embodiment within an African context. More specifically, we focus on exploring the lived experiences of Nigerian women in male‐dominated organizations (sector) to provide an in‐depth understanding of the dynamics of how the Nigerian society marginalizes qualities and aspects of embodiment and disembodiment of women. Based on 39 interviews, our findings reveal that cultural and social practices significantly influence the concept of gendered embodiment in the Nigerian context. We further highlight the spatialized dynamic of the religious, ethical, and classed identity formations, and the multiplicities of violence experienced on African women's bodies every day. Using a feminist standpoint as a lens, we highlight the practice and relevance of social constructivism in understanding the concept of spatialized embodiment in a Nigerian context. We emphasize the complexity and diversity in African feminisms as we highlight the multiplicities of difference in understanding African experiences. Additionally, we emphasize that men are part of the social construct, and hence cannot be left out of the story, given that their influence and perceptions provide further insight into the concept of gendered embodiment and existing marginalization of and discrimination against women.
The effects of nanocurcumin supplementation on inflammation in hemodialysis patients: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Vafadar‐Afshar Golchin , Rasmi Yousef , Yaghmaei Parichehreh , Khadem‐Ansari Mohammad‐Hassan , Makhdoomi Khadijeh , Rasouli Javad 
Published: February 2021

AbstractIntroductionSerum levels of several pro‐inflammatory cytokines are higher in hemodialysis patients compared to healthy people. Curcumin has been shown to be able to decrease cytokines levels in nonuremic subjects. Our goal was to evaluate the effect of nanocurcumin administration on cytokines levels in hemodialysis patients.MethodsThe study was performed over a 3 months period on 54 hemodialysis patients who had been randomized to receive either nanocurcumin or placebo. Serum levels and gene expressions of tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) and interleukin 6 (IL‐6) were evaluated using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real‐time polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR).FindingsSerum levels of IL‐6 and TNF‐α were similar in the two groups at baseline but were lower after 12 weeks of treatment with nanocurcumin compared to placebo (P = 0.024 for IL‐6 and 0.02 for TNF). In the group given nanocurcumin, serum levels of both cytokines decreased substantially (P < 0.001 for each), whereas they were unchanged in the group given placebo. Gene expression for each cytokine in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was reduced at 12 weeks vs. baseline in the group given nanocurcumin, and changes in gene expression correlated with changes in serum level for each of the two cytokines.DiscussionThe results indicate that nanocurcumin supplementation reduces both serum levels and gene expression of IL‐6 and TNF‐α in hemodialysis patients. The feasibility and potential clinical benefits of nanocurcumin treatment to reduce inflammation in hemodialysis patients warrant further study.
Early warning systems for more effective student counselling in higher education: Evidence from a Dutch field experiment
Authors: Plak Simone , Cornelisz Ilja , Meeter Martijn , van Klaveren Chris 
Published: February 2021

AbstractEarly Warning Systems (EWS) in higher education accommodate student counsellors by identifying at‐risk students and allow them to intervene in a timely manner to prevent student dropout. This study evaluates an EWS that shares student‐specific risk information with student counsellors, which was implemented at a large Dutch university. A randomised field experiment was conducted to estimate the effect of EWS‐assisted counselling on first‐year student dropout and academic performance. The results show that the EWS accurately predicts at‐risk students. Yet, EWS‐assisted counselling did not reduce dropout, nor improved academic performance. Solving the underlying problem of poor academic performance might require additional actionable feedback and recommended counselling practices.
U–Pb ages of zircons from metamorphic rocks in the upper sequence of the Hidaka Metamorphic Belt, Hokkaido, Japan: Identification of two metamorphic events and implications for regional tectonics
Authors: Takahashi Yutaka , Mikoshiba Masumi , Shimura Toshiaki , Nagata Mitsuhiro , Iwano Hideki , Danhara Tohru , Hirata Takafumi 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe Hidaka Metamorphic Belt is a well‐known example of island‐arc crustal section, in which metamorphic grade increases westwards from unmetamorphosed sediment up to granulite facies. It is divided into lower (granulite to amphibolite facies) and upper (amphibolite to greenschist facies) metamorphic sequences. The metamorphic age of the belt was considered to be ~55 Ma, based on Rb–Sr whole‐rock isochron ages for granulites and related S‐type tonalities. However, zircons from the granulites in the lower sequence yield U–Pb ages of ~21–19 Ma, and a preliminary report on zircons from pelitic gneiss in the upper sequence gives a U–Pb age of ~40 Ma. In this paper we provide new zircon U–Pb ages from two pelitic gneisses in the upper sequence to assess the metamorphic age and also the maximum depositional age of the sedimentary protolith. The weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages from a biotite gneiss in the central area of the belt yield 39.6 ± 0.9 Ma for newly grown metamorphic rims and 53.1 ± 0.9 Ma for the youngest detrital cores. The ages of zircons from a cordierite–biotite gneiss in the southern area are 35.9 ± 0.7 Ma for metamorphic rims and 46.5 ± 2.8 Ma for the youngest detrital cores. These results indicate that metamorphism of the upper sequence took place at ~40–36 Ma, and that the sedimentary protolith was deposited after ~53–47 Ma. These metamorphic ages are consistent with the reported ages of ~37–36 Ma plutonic rocks in the upper sequence, but contrast with the ~21–19 Ma ages of metamorphic and plutonic rocks in the lower sequence. Therefore, we conclude that the upper and lower metamorphic sequences developed independently but coupled with each other before ~19 Ma as a result of dextral reverse tectonic movement.
Sleep‐wake patterns in newborns are associated with infant rapid weight gain and incident adiposity in toddlerhood
Authors: Petrov Megan E. , Whisner Corrie M. , McCormick David , Todd Michael , Reyna Lucy , Reifsnider Elizabeth 
Published: February 2021

SummaryBackgroundRapid weight gain (RWG) by 6 months of life is a significant risk factor of childhood overweight (OW)/obesity. Infant sleep patterns are associated with incident OW in childhood, but few have examined its relationship with RWG.ObjectiveExamine associations between newborn sleep‐wake patterns and incident RWG at 6 months of life and OW at 36 months.MethodsLow‐income Mexican/Mexican‐American women with OW/obesity and their infants (n = 126) enrolled in a 1‐year randomized controlled trial designed to prevent incident, infant RWG and toddlerhood OW/obesity. Sleep pattern metrics at 1 month were extracted from the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire‐Revised. Outcome measures included RWG (>0.67 positive change in weight‐for‐age Z‐score) from birth to 6 months and incident OW (body mass index percentile ≥85) at 36 months.ResultsBy 6 months, 35.7% (n = 45) of infants experienced RWG, and by 36 months 42.3% (n = 41) of toddlers were OW. Napping ≥5x/day at 1‐month was significantly associated with decreased odds for RWG compared to napping <5x (OR = 0.11, 95%CI:0.02, 0.63). Each 1‐hour increase in nocturnal vs diurnal sleep was associated with greater odds of incident OW at 36 mos (OR = 1.51, 95%CI:1.13, 2.03).ConclusionsEarly‐life sleep patterns related to infant nap frequency and nocturnal vs diurnal sleep distribution were associated with obesity outcomes and may be important intervention targets to prevent lasting consequences on infant growth.
Melt infiltration studies of 2D Tyranno SA3@ ceramic matrix composite preforms with CrSi2 intermetallic alloy
Authors: Raj Sai 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThis paper reports the results of melt infiltrating 2D Tyranno SA3@ fiber woven preforms with molten CrSi2 between 1768 and 1896 K under a vacuum of 1.3 x 10−4 Pa (10−6 torr). The infiltration times varied between 1800 and 7200 s, which did not have any significant effect on the volume fraction of voids filled with the metal. Optical and scanning electron microscopy, backscattered electron imaging, energy dispersion spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the infiltrated preforms. A plot of the volume fraction of open voids infiltrated against the absolute melt infiltration temperature showed a sharp peak at 1773 K with almost complete infiltration of the voids at this temperature. The extent of silicide infiltration of the preforms dropped steeply above 1773 K with an increasing melt infiltration temperature irrespective of the amount of infiltration time. Above 1805 K, the volume fraction of voids infiltrated with the melt was nearly 0%. It is demonstrated that CrSi2 did not show evidence of a reaction with the SiC fibers. The possibility that a resisting force due to contact angle hysteresis (CAH) may have influenced the diminishing amount of voids filled with increasing temperature above 1773 K was examined. The resistance force was estimated to be extremely small to be consequential. Another possibility that the CrSi2 may have decomposed into Cr(g) and Si(g) in the vacuum melt infiltration furnace appeared to be more plausible based on thermodynamic analyses. An empirical equation is proposed to calculate the amount of remaining charge left to infiltrate the preforms at the infiltration temperature. It is shown that an initial charge of 10 g would rationalize the present observations. While the decomposition of the CrSi2 appeared to mostly explain the present results, some discrepancies were observed, which were inconsistent with the decomposition model.
Scoparone alleviates Ang II‐induced pathological myocardial hypertrophy in mice by inhibiting oxidative stress
Authors: Lyu Linmao , Chen Jiazheng , Wang Wei , Yan Tao , Lin Jiamao , Gao Hongmei , Li Hui , Lv Ruijuan , Xu Feng , Fang Lijun , Chen Yuguo 
Published: February 2021

AbstractLong‐term poorly controlled myocardial hypertrophy often leads to heart failure and sudden death. Activation of ras‐related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (RAC1) by angiotensin II (Ang II) plays a pivotal role in myocardial hypertrophy. Previous studies have demonstrated that scoparone (SCO) has beneficial effects on hypertension and extracellular matrix remodelling. However, the function of SCO on Ang II‐mediated myocardial hypertrophy remains unknown. In our study, a mouse model of myocardial hypertrophy was established by Ang II infusion (2 mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks, and SCO (60 mg/kg bodyweight) was administered by gavage daily. In vitro experiments were also performed. Our results showed that SCO could alleviate Ang II infusion‐induced cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis in mice. In vitro, SCO treatment blocks Ang II‐induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, cardiac fibroblast collagen synthesis and differentiation to myofibroblasts. Meanwhile, we found that SCO treatment blocked Ang II‐induced oxidative stress in cardiomyocytes and cardiac fibroblasts by inhibiting RAC1‐GTP and total RAC1 in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst by overexpression of RAC1 completely abolished SCO‐mediated protection in cardiomyocytes and cardiac fibroblasts in vitro. In conclusion, SCO, an antioxidant, may attenuate Ang II‐induced myocardial hypertrophy by suppressing of RAC1 mediated oxidative stress.
The impact of national lockdown on nutritional status of children with inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Marino Luise V. , Ashton James J. , Beattie Robert Mark 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe COVID‐19 pandemic has had wide‐reaching primary and secondary health implications. The UK government implemented a national lockdown to slow the rate of infection at the end of March 2020, lasting until early summer 2020. The results from a UK nationwide survey suggest the majority of inflammatory bowel disease patients were followed up using technology‐enabled care services (TECS) during this time. We therefore aimed to explore the impact of the pandemic on nutritional status of children with inflammatory bowel disease, focusing on the effect of national lockdown from March to early summer 2020.MethodsA retrospective study was conducted. All patients with a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease, aged <18 years, and under the care of Southampton Children's Hospital were eligible for inclusion. Those patients who attended an outpatient appointment during time period 1 (November 2019 to February 2020), and following the period of national lockdown, time period 2 (July to November 2020), were included in the analysis.ResultsIn total, 116 patients had paired measures. Using the World Health Organization criteria of nutritional status, 19% (n = 22/116) were mildly malnourished with a body mass index Z score (BMIZ) < −1. In this group, the mean BMIZ was –1.3 ± 0.9 at time point 1 versus −1.9 ± 0.9 at time point 2 (p = 0.03). The mean BMIZ score of those children who were overweight at time point 1 was 1.2 ± 1.2 versus 1.6 ± 1.4 at time point 2 (p = 0.2) During the period of lockdown, 27% of malnourished children (n = 6/22), 2% of normally nourished children (BMIZ > −1 to < 1) (n = 1/51) (p ≤ 0.0001) and none of the overweight children (BMIZ > 1) (n = 0/43) children (p ≤ 0.0001) had a TECS nutrition review.ConclusionsDietetic reviews were severely restricted during the first national lockdown. Patients with low BMIZ prior to lockdown became more malnourished. During the ongoing pandemic, it is important to identify those children with nutrition risk, focusing support on this group of children.
MP3RNA‐seq: Massively parallel 3′ end RNA sequencing for high‐throughput gene expression profiling and genotyping
Authors: Chen Jian , Zhang Xiangbo , Yi Fei , Gao Xiang , Song Weibin , Zhao Haiming , Lai Jinsheng 
Published: February 2021

AbstractTranscriptome deep sequencing (RNA‐seq) has become a routine method for global gene expression profiling. However, its application to large‐scale experiments remains limited by cost and labor constraints. Here we describe a massively parallel 3′ end RNA‐seq (MP3RNA‐seq) method that introduces unique sample barcodes during reverse transcription to permit sample pooling immediately following this initial step. MP3RNA‐seq allows for handling of hundreds of samples in a single experiment, at a cost of about $6 per sample for library construction and sequencing. MP3RNA‐seq is effective for not only high‐throughput gene expression profiling, but also genotyping. To demonstrate its utility, we applied MP3RNA‐seq to 477 double haploid lines of maize. We identified 19,429 genes expressed in at least 50% of the lines and 35,836 high‐quality single nucleotide polymorphisms for genotyping analysis. Armed with these data, we performed expression and agronomic trait quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping and identified 25,797 expression QTLs for 15,335 genes and 21 QTLs for plant height, ear height, and relative ear height. We conclude that MP3RNA‐seq is highly reproducible, accurate, and sensitive for high‐throughput gene expression profiling and genotyping, and should be generally applicable to most eukaryotic species.
When redistribution makes personalized pricing of externalities useless
Authors: Fleurbaey Marc , Kornek Ulrike 
Published: February 2021

AbstractWe consider a standard optimal taxation framework in which consumers' preferences are separable in consumption and labor and identical over consumption, but are affected by consumption externalities. For every nonlinear, income‐dependent pricing of goods there is a linear pricing scheme, combined with an adjusted income tax schedule, that leaves all consumers equally well‐off and weakly increases the government's budget. The result depends on whether a linear pricing scheme exists that keeps the aggregate amount of consumption at its initial level observed under nonlinear pricing. We provide sufficient conditions for the assumption to hold. If adjusting the income tax rate is not available, personalized prices for an externality can enhance social welfare if they are redistributive, that is, favor consumers with a larger marginal social value of income.
PoxCbh, a novel CENPB‐type HTH domain protein, regulates cellulase and xylanase gene expression in Penicillium oxalicum
Authors: Li Cheng‐Xi , Liao Lu‐Sheng , Wan Xu‐Dong , Zhang Feng‐Fei , Zhang Ting , Luo Xue‐Mei , Zhao Shuai , Feng Jia‐Xun 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe essential transcription factor PoxCxrA is required for cellulase and xylanase gene expression in the filamentous fungus Penicillium oxalicum that is potentially applied in biotechnological industry as a result of the existence of the integrated cellulolytic and xylolytic system. However, the regulatory mechanism of cellulase and xylanase gene expression specifically associated with PoxCxrA regulation in fungi is poorly understood. In this study, the novel regulator PoxCbh (POX06865), containing a centromere protein B‐type helix‐turn‐helix domain, was identified through screening for the PoxCxrA regulon under Avicel induction and genetic analysis. The mutant ∆PoxCbh showed significant reduction in cellulase and xylanase production, ranging from 28.4% to 59.8%. Furthermore, PoxCbh was found to directly regulate the expression of important cellulase and xylanase genes, as well as the known regulatory genes PoxNsdD and POX02484, and its expression was directly controlled by PoxCxrA. The PoxCbh‐binding DNA sequence in the promoter region of the cellobiohydrolase 1 gene cbh1 was identified. These results expand our understanding of the diverse roles of centromere protein B‐like protein, the regulatory network of cellulase and xylanase gene expression, and regulatory mechanisms in fungi.