bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association of mineral metabolism biomarkers with chronic kidney disease in Chinese adults
Authors: Li Jialin , He Danni , Zhao Wenjing , Wu Xi’ai , Luo Minjing , Wang Ying , Yan Meihua , Niu Wenquan , Li Ping 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background
We aimed to examine the association of three mineral metabolism markers, including serum calcium, inorganic phosphorus, and intact parathyroid hormone with the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) at all stages.

Methods
This retrospective cohort study involved 3563 participants, including 3274 CKD patients and 289 healthy controls. CKD is diagnosed according to clinical guidelines from the 2012 KDIGO. Effect sizes are expressed odds ratio (OR) and 95 confidence interval (CI).

Results
After propensity score matching, per 0.5 mg/dL increment of inorganic phosphorus was significantly associated with 1.33-, 1.61-, and 2.85-fold increased risk of CKD at stages 1–2, 4, and 5, respectively. Regarding per 8 pg/mL increment of intact parathyroid hormone, significance was only noted for stage 5. In subsidiary analyses, the risk prediction of mineral metabolism markers under study was more evident in males and hypertensive subjects. A nomogram prediction model was constructed based on age, sex, and three mineral metabolism markers for CKD, with decent accuracy.

Conclusions
Our findings indicate that serum calcium was associated with all-stage CKD risk, whereas the association for inorganic phosphorus and intact parathyroid hormone was significant at advanced stages.
Transition From Wild to Domesticated Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum) Revealed in Ceramic Temper at Three Middle Holocene Sites in Northern Mali
Authors: Fuller Dorian Q. , Barron Aleese , Champion Louis , Dupuy Christian , Commelin Dominique , Raimbault Michel , Denham Tim 
Published: March 2021

AbstractImprints of domesticated pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) spikelets, observed as temper in ceramics dating to the third millennium BC, provide the earliest evidence for the cultivation and domestication process of this crop in northern Mali. Additional sherds from the same region dating to the fifth and fourth millennium BC were examined and found to have pearl millet chaff with wild morphologies. In addition to studying sherds by stereomicroscopy and subjecting surface casts to scanning electron microscopy (SEM), we also deployed X-ray microcomputed tomography (microCT) on eleven sherds. This significantly augmented the total dataset of archaeological pearl millet chaff remains from which to document the use of the wild pearl millet as ceramic temper and the evolution of its morphology over time. Grain sizes were also estimated from spikelets preserved in the ceramics. Altogether, we are now able to chart the evolution of domesticated pearl millet in western Africa using three characteristics: the evolution of nonshattering stalked involucres; the appearance of multiple spikelet involucres, usually paired spikelets; and the increase in grain size. By the fourth millennium BC, average grain breadth had increased by 28%, although spikelet features otherwise resemble the wild type. In the third millennium BC, the average width of seeds is 38% greater than that of wild seeds, while other qualitative features of domestication are indicated by the presence of paired spikelets and the appearance of nondehiscent, stalked involucres. Nonshattering spikelets had probably become fixed by around 2000 BC, while increases in average grain size continued into the second millennium BC. These data now provide a robust sequence for the morphological evolution of domesticated pearl millet, the first indigenous crop domesticated in western Africa.
Forecasting Betula and Poaceae airborne pollen concentrations on a 3-hourly resolution in Augsburg, Germany: toward automatically generated, real-time predictions
Authors: Muzalyova Anna , Brunner Jens O. , Traidl-Hoffmann Claudia , Damialis Athanasios 
Published: March 2021

AbstractAirborne allergenic pollen impact the health of a great part of the global population. Under climate change conditions, the abundance of airborne pollen has been rising dramatically and so is the effect on sensitized individuals. The first line of allergy management is allergen avoidance, which, to date, is by rule achieved via forecasting of daily pollen concentrations. The aim of this study was to elaborate on 3-hourly predictive models, one of the very few to the best of our knowledge, attempting to forecast pollen concentration based on near-real-time automatic pollen measurements. The study was conducted in Augsburg, Germany, during four years (2016–2019) focusing on Betula and Poaceae pollen, the most abundant and allergenic in temperate climates. ARIMA and dynamic regression models were employed, as well as machine learning techniques, viz. artificial neural networks and neural network autoregression models. Air temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, air pressure, sunshine duration, diffuse radiation, and wind speed were additionally considered for the development of the models. It was found that air temperature and precipitation were the most significant variables for the prediction of airborne pollen concentrations. At such fine temporal resolution, our forecasting models performed well showing their ability to explain most of the variability of pollen concentrations for both taxa. However, predictive power of Betula forecasting model was higher achieving R2 up to 0.62, whereas Poaceae up to 0.55. Neural autoregression was superior in forecasting Betula pollen concentrations, whereas, for Poaceae, seasonal ARIMA performed best. The good performance of seasonal ARIMA in describing variability of pollen concentrations of both examined taxa suggests an important role of plants’ phenology in observed pollen abundance. The present study provides novel insight on per-hour forecasts to be used in real-time mobile apps by pollen allergic patients. Despite the huge need for real-time, short-term predictions for everyday clinical practice, extreme weather events, like in the year 2019 in our case, still comprise an obstacle toward highly performing forecasts at such fine timescales, highlighting that there is still a way to go to this direction.
δ2Hn-alkane and δ18Osugar biomarker proxies from leaves and topsoils of the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia, and implications for paleoclimate reconstructions
Authors: Lemma Bruk , Bittner Lucas , Glaser Bruno , Kebede Seifu , Nemomissa Sileshi , Zech Wolfgang , Zech Michael 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe hydrogen isotopic composition of leaf wax–derived n-alkane (δ2Hn-alkane) and oxygen isotopic composition of hemicellulose–derived sugar (δ18Osugar) biomarkers are valuable proxies for paleoclimate reconstructions. Here, we present a calibration study along the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia to evaluate how accurately and precisely the isotopic composition of precipitation is imprinted in these biomarkers. n-Alkanes and sugars were extracted from the leaf and topsoil samples and compound–specific δ2Hn-alkane and δ18Osugar values were measured using a gas chromatograph–thermal conversion–isotope ratio mass spectrometer (GC–TC–IRMS). The weighted mean δ2Hn-alkane and δ18Osugar values range from − 186 to − 89‰ and from + 27 to + 46‰, respectively. Degradation and root inputs did not appear to alter the isotopic composition of the biomarkers in the soil samples analyzed. Yet, the δ2Hn-alkane values show a statistically significant species dependence and δ18Osugar yielded the same species–dependent trends. The reconstructed leaf water of Erica arborea and Erica trimera is 2H– and 18O–enriched by + 55 ± 5 and + 9 ± 1‰, respectively, compared to precipitation. By contrast, Festuca abyssinica reveals the most negative δ2Hn-alkane and least positive δ18Osugar values. This can be attributed to “signal–dampening” caused by basal grass leaf growth. The intermediate values for Alchemilla haumannii and Helichrysum splendidum can be likely explained with plant physiological differences or microclimatic conditions affecting relative humidity (RH) and thus RH–dependent leaf water isotope enrichment. While the actual RH values range from 69 to 82% (x̄ = 80 ± 3.4%), the reconstructed RH values based on a recently suggested coupled δ2Hn-alkane –δ18Osugar (paleo–) hygrometer approach yielded a mean of 78 ± 21%. Our findings corroborate (i) that vegetation changes, particularly in terms of grass versus non–grassy vegetation, need to be considered in paleoclimate studies based on δ2Hn-alkane and δ18Osugar records and (ii) that the coupled δ2Hn-alkane –δ18Osugar (paleo–) hygrometer approach holds great potential for deriving additional paleoclimatic information compared to single isotope approaches.
Heavy metal pollution of street dust in the largest city of Mexico, sources and health risk assessment
Authors: Aguilera Anahi , Bautista Francisco , Gutiérrez-Ruiz Margarita , Ceniceros-Gómez Agueda E. , Cejudo Rubén , Goguitchaichvili Avto 
Published: March 2021

AbstractIn large industrialized cities, tons of particles containing heavy metals are released into the environment and accumulate on street surfaces. Such particles cause a potential risk to human health due to their composition and size. The heavy metal contamination levels, main emission sources, and human health risks were identified in 482 samples of street dust. Heavy metal concentrations were obtained by microwave-assisted acid digestion and ICP-OES. The results indicated that street dust in Mexico City is contaminated mainly with Pb, Zn, and Cu, according to the contamination factor and the geoaccumulation index. The pollution load index of the street dust was made with the concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, and Ni. The main sources of Pb, Zn, Cu, and Cr are anthropic, probably due to vehicular traffic. The highest levels of Cr and Pb in urban dust represent a health risk for children. Contamination limits were proposed for heavy metals in street dust of Mexico City. These limits might be useful to generate and apply public policies to decrease anthropic emissions of the heavy metals studied, particularly Cr and Pb.
A Local Authority v JB [2020] EWCA Civ 735; [2019] EWCOP 39
Authors: Subhi Emnani 
Published: March 2021

AbstractInRe JB,a local authority, concerned with the risk the respondent posed to vulnerable women, successfully appealed against an order made in the Court of Protection that declared JB, an autistic man with impaired cognition, possessed capacity to consent to sexual relations. In this recent decision, the Court of Appeal has arguably reset the last 15 years of jurisprudence concerning P’s capacity to make decisions in regard to sexual relations. Previous case law focused on P’s ability to consent to such relations, and whether P understood the information relevant to that decision. Notwithstanding the abundance of legal authority, including the recent appellate judgments of Hayden J inLondon Borough of Tower Hamlets v NB and AU (consent to sex)[2019] EWCOP 27. andB v A Local Authority[2019] EWCA Civ 913. there was a lacuna in the existing law in relation to what information was relevant for the purposes of assessing the issue of capacity to consent to sexual relations. Judges have traditionally adopted a protectionist stance in understanding “the information relevant to the decision” under s3(1) of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA), with an emphasis on whether P understood the risks of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. However, the Court of Appeal inRe JBhas broadened its interpretation of ‘relevant’ information to also include the ability to understand the importance of a partner’s consent to such relations. This is a welcome change to previous courts’ interpretations of the ‘nature’ of the sexual act, moving from an approach focused on the physical sexual mechanics to one which views the nature of sex as a mutually consensual engagement. However, a fundamental shift in how we view such cases is likely to have far-reaching consequences, particularly for local authorities and professionals seeking guidance in relation to their care planning.
Situating the “Cultural Reach” of Cities in a Multiscalar Field
Authors: Çağlar Ayşe 
Published: March 2021

AbstractOn the basis of empirical material from a city bordering Syria and Turkey, this article aims to situate the city’s emerging landscape of culture and arts in the 2000s within the dynamics of neoliberalizing city-making. It provides a political economy of the city’s “cultural reach” by connecting the dynamics of cultural production to value creating processes in and through urban regeneration to understand when, how, and which groups and sites become de- and re-valorized. It highlights the futility of nation state-city, state-civil society binaries in analysing the power geometry of multiscalar actors involved in the work, efficacy and the potency of cultural networks, institutions, and “cultural diplomacy.”
Modulation of Amygdala Response by Cognitive Conflict in Adolescents with Conduct Problems and Varying Levels of CU Traits
Authors: Sebastian Catherine L. , Stafford Jean , McCrory Eamon J. , Sethi Arjun , De Brito Stephane A. , Lockwood Patricia L. , Viding Essi 
Published: March 2021

AbstractAdolescents with conduct problems and low callous-unemotional traits are characterised by high levels of reactive aggression. Prior studies suggest that they can have exaggerated neural and behavioural responses to negative emotional stimuli, accompanied by compromised affect regulation and atypical engagement of prefrontal areas during cognitive control. This pattern may in part explain their symptoms. Clarifying how neurocognitive responses to negative emotional stimuli can be modulated in this group has potential translational relevance. We present fMRI data from a cognitive conflict task in which the requirement to visually scan emotional (vs. calm) faces was held constant across low and high levels of cognitive conflict. Participants were 17 adolescent males with conduct problems and low levels of callous-unemotional traits (CP/LCU); 17 adolescents with conduct problems and high levels of callous-unemotional traits (CP/HCU, who typically show blunted reactivity to fear), and 18 typically developing controls (age range 10–16). Control participants showed typical attenuation of amygdala response to fear relative to calm faces under high (relative to low) conflict, replicating previous findings in a healthy adult sample. In contrast, children with CP/LCU showed a reduced (left amygdala) or reversed (right amygdala) attenuation effect under high cognitive conflict conditions. Children with CP/HCU did not differ from controls. Findings suggest atypical modulation of amygdala response as a function of task demands, and raise the possibility that those with CP/LCU are unable to implement typical regulation of amygdala response when cognitive task demands are high.
Kinetics of ion release from a conventional glass-ionomer cement
Authors: Nicholson John W. , Coleman Nichola J. , Sidhu Sharanbir K. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractRelease kinetics for sodium, silicon, aluminium, calcium and phosphorus from conventional glass-ionomer dental cement has been studied in neutral and acid conditions. Specimens (6 mm height × 4 mm diameter) were made from AquaCem (Dentsply, Konstanz, Germany), 6 per experiment. They were matured (37 °C, 1 h), then placed in 5 cm3 storage solution at 20–22 °C. In the first experiment, deionised water, changed daily for 28 days, was used. In the second, deionised water, changed monthly for 21 months, was used. In the third, lactic acid (20 mmol dm−3, pH: 2.7 ± 0.1), changed monthly for 21 months was used. After storage each solution was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Results showed that in neutral conditions, no calcium was released, but in acid, significant amounts were released. The other elements (Na, Al, Si and P) were released in neutral as well as acid conditions, with greater amounts in acid. More frequent changes of water gave greater release. In neutral conditions, release over 21 months followed the equation: [E]c = [E]1t/(t + t½) + β√t ([E]c is the cumulative release of the element). In acid conditions, this became: [E]c = [E]1t/(t + t½) + αt. Hence release of all elements was shown to occur in two steps, a rapid initial one (half-life: 12–18 h) and a longer second one. In neutral conditions, the longer step involves diffusion; in acid it involves erosion. These patterns influence the material’s bioactivity.
The L1-dependant and Pol III transcribed Alu retrotransposon, from its discovery to innate immunity
Authors: Stenz Ludwig 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe 300 bp dimeric repeats digestible by AluI were discovered in 1979. Since then, Alu were involved in the most fundamental epigenetic mechanisms, namely reprogramming, pluripotency, imprinting and mosaicism. These Alu encode a family of retrotransposons transcribed by the RNA Pol III machinery, notably when the cytosines that constitute their sequences are de-methylated. Then, Alu hijack the functions of ORF2 encoded by another transposons named L1 during reverse transcription and integration into new sites. That mechanism functions as a complex genetic parasite able to copy-paste Alu sequences. Doing that, Alu have modified even the size of the human genome, as well as of other primate genomes, during 65 million years of co-evolution. Actually, one germline retro-transposition still occurs each 20 births. Thus, Alu continue to modify our human genome nowadays and were implicated in de novo mutation causing diseases including deletions, duplications and rearrangements. Most recently, retrotransposons were found to trigger neuronal diversity by inducing mosaicism in the brain. Finally, boosted during viral infections, Alu clearly interact with the innate immune system. The purpose of that review is to give a condensed overview of all these major findings that concern the fascinating physiology of Alu from their discovery up to the current knowledge.
Determining Chemical Reaction Systems in Plasma-Assisted Conversion of Methane Using Genetic Algorithms
Authors: Reiser D. , von Keudell A. , Urbanietz T. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractEven for processes with only a few gas species involved the detailed description of plasma-assisted conversion processes in gas mixtures requires a large amount of processes to be taken into account and a large number of neutral and charged particles must be considered. In addition, setting up the corresponding reaction kinetics model needs the knowledge of the rate coefficients and their temperature dependence for all possible reactions between those species. Reduced reaction networks offer a simplified and pragmatic way to obtain an overall reaction kinetics model, already useful for the analysis of experimental data even if not all details of chemistry can be covered. In this paper we present a derivation of a data driven reduced model for plasma-assisted conversion of methane in an helium environment. By consideration of a small number of elementary reactions, a simple model is set up. Experimental data are analyzed by a genetic algorithm that provides best-fit approximations for the open parameters of the model. In a further step non-relevant parameters of the model are identified and a further model reduction is achieved. The data driven analysis of methane conversion serves as an illustrative example of the proposed method. The parameters and reaction channels found are compared with known results from the literature. The method is described in detail. The main goal of this work is to present the potential of this data driven method for a simplified and pragmatic modeling in the increasingly important field of plasma-assisted catalytic processes.
Subtle discrimination: do stereotypes among teachers trigger bias in their expectations and widen ethnic achievement gaps?
Authors: Lorenz Georg 
Published: March 2021

AbstractEthnic and racial disparities in educational outcomes, such as test scores, are a core issue of educational research. While the role of student and family factors in the formation of such disparities is well established, existing studies fail to draw a similarly clear picture of how teachers contribute to ethnic and racial achievement gaps. In contrast to previous studies, which focussed on the consequences of rather blatant forms of discrimination, such as in teachers’ grading practices, this study investigates rather subtle processes that might result in discrimination of ethnic and racial minority students. In particular, I address stereotypes among teachers and analyse if they induce bias in their achievement expectations for ethnic minority school beginners. Additionally, I analyse if such bias results in a self-fulfilling prophecy and contributes to ethnic achievement gaps at the end of first grade. Multilevel regressions applied to a sample of 1007 children and 64 teachers in German primary schools reveal that different teachers internalize distinct stereotypes regarding ethnic achievement gaps and the achievement-related attributes of ethnic minority students. I also find that teachers with more negative stereotypes expect lower mathematics and reading achievements for ethnic minority students at the beginning of first grade. However, although I replicate the finding that inaccurate teacher expectations result in a self-fulfilling prophecy, I find no statistically significant effects of teacher stereotypes on ethnic differences in the development of students’ reading and mathematical skills throughout first grade.
The costs and benefits of environmental sustainability
Authors: Ekins Paul , Zenghelis Dimitri 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe natural science in GEO-6 makes clear that a range and variety of unwelcome outcomes for humanity, with potentially very significant impacts for human health, become increasingly likely if societies maintain their current development paths. This paper assesses what is known about the likely economic implications of either current trends or the transformation to a low-carbon and resource-efficient economy in the years to 2050 for which GEO-6 calls. A key conclusion is that no conventional cost–benefit analysis for either scenario is possible. This is because the final cost of meeting various decarbonisation and resource-management pathways depends on decisions made today in changing behaviour and generating innovation. The inadequacies of conventional modelling approaches generally lead to understating the risks from unmitigated climate change and overstating the costs of a low-carbon transition, by missing out the cumulative gains from path-dependent innovation. This leads to a flawed conclusion as to how to respond to the climate emergency, namely that significant reductions in emissions are prohibitively expensive and, therefore, to be avoided until new, cost-effective technologies are developed. We argue that this is inconsistent with the evidence and counterproductive in serving to delay decarbonisation efforts, thereby increasing its costs. Understanding the processes which drive innovation, change social norms and avoid locking in to carbon- and resource-intensive technologies, infrastructure and behaviours, will help decision makers as they ponder how to respond to the increasingly stark warnings of natural scientists about the deteriorating condition of the natural environment.