bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
On the stochastic robustness of complete clustering predictability for a first‐order consensus model
Authors: Ko Dongnam , Ha Seung‐Yeal , Shim Woojoo 
Published: December 2021

AbstractWe study stochastic noise response on the complete cluster predictability of a first‐order stochastic consensus model on the real line with an odd, bounded, Lipschitz, and monotone coupling function. Emergence of multiclusters is one of the novel dynamical features of the deterministic consensus model, and it has been extensively studied in collective dynamics community. Recently, the second author and his collaborators proposed a complete cluster predictability of the first‐order nonlinear consensus model that can be derived from the Cucker–Smale flocking model on the real line, and they verified that the proposed clustering algorithm explicitly determines the number of asymptotic clusters and their cluster velocities only in terms of the initial data, coupling strength and supremum of coupling function. In this work, we show that the same cluster algorithm does work for the complete clustering predictability problem when the deterministic consensus model is stochastically perturbed in a multiplicative way.
Prognostic value and predictive biomarkers of phenotypes of tumour‐associated macrophages in colorectal cancer
Authors: Kou Yu , Li Zhuoqun , Sun Qidi , Yang Shengnan , Wang Yunshuai , Hu Chen , Gu Huijie , Wang Huangjian , Xu Hairong , Li Yan , Han Baowei 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe roles of different subtypes of tumour‐associated macrophages (TAMs) in predicting the prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) remain controversial. In this study, different subtypes of TAMs were investigated as prognostic and predictive biomarkers for CRC.MethodsExpressions of CD68, CD86 and CD163 were investigated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF), and the correlation between the expression of CD86 and CD163 was calculated in colorectal cancer tissues from 64 CRC patients.ResultsThe results showed that high expressions of CD86+ and CD68+CD86+ TAMs as well as low expression of CD163+ and CD68+CD163+ TAMs were significantly associated with favourable overall survival (OS). The level of CD86 protein expression showed a negative correlation with CD163 protein expression. In addition, CD86 protein expression remarkably negatively correlated with tumour differentiation and tumour node metastasis (TNM) stage, while CD163 protein expression significantly positively correlated with tumour differentiation and tumour size. As an independent risk factor, high expression of CD86 TAMs had prominently favourable prognostic efficacy, while high expression of CD68+CD163+ TAMs had significantly poor prognostic efficacy.ConclusionsThese results indicate that CD86+ and CD68+CD163+ TAMs as prognostic and predictive biomarkers for CRC.
Elucidating the pleiotropic effects of sesame KANADI1 locus on leaf and capsule development
Authors: Teboul Naama , Magder Asher , Zilberberg Michael , Peleg Zvi 
Published: December 2021

SUMMARYAutonomous seed dispersal is a critical trait for wild plants in natural ecosystems; however, for domesticated crop‐plants it can lead to significant yield losses. While seed shattering was a major selection target during the initial domestication of many crops, this trait is still targeted in breeding programs, especially in ‘orphan crops’ such as sesame, whose capsules dehisce upon ripening. Here we used a mapping population derived from a cross between wild‐type (dehiscent) × indehiscent lines to test the hypothesis that the selection against indehiscent alleles in sesame is a consequence of complex genetic interactions associated with yield reduction. We identified a major pleiotropic locus, SiKANADI1, associated with abnormal hyponastic leaf and indehiscent capsule, and genetically dissected its underlying mechanism using a set of near‐isogenic lines. Transcriptional, anatomical and physiological information shed light, for the first time, on the polar regulatory gene network in sesame. The pleiotropic effect of SiKANADI1 on leaf and capsule structure and its influence on photosynthetic capacity and final yield are thoroughly characterized. Overall, our results provide new insights on the genetic and morphological mechanisms regulating capsule indehiscence in sesame, and discuss their evolutionary consequences and potential for future sesame breeding.
Development and Validation of a Novel ELISA for the Specific Detection of Antibodies against Mycobacterium avium Subspecies paratuberculosis Based on a Chimeric Polyprotein
Authors: Moyano Roberto Damián , Romero Magali Andrea , Colombatti Olivieri María Alejandra , Alvarado Pinedo María Fiorella , Traveria Gabriel Eduardo , Romano María Isabel , Alonso María Natalia 
Published: December 2021

Bovine paratuberculosis (PTB) is caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). The optimization of detection tests specific for MAP is crucial to improve PTB control. In this work, we aimed to develop and validate a diagnostic tool based on an ELISA to specifically detect anti-MAP antibodies from bovine serum samples. For that purpose, we designed a recombinant polyprotein containing four specific antigens from MAP and optimized the ELISA. The validation consisted of the assessment of 10 sera from PTB-infected and healthy bovines with different OD values. The diagnostic performance of the polyprotein-ELISA was evaluated by testing 130 bovine serum samples (47 healthy, 48 MAP-infected, and 35 M. bovis-infected bovines). The ELISA using the polyprotein yielded an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.9912 (95% CI, 0.9758–1.007;

P

< 0.0001). Moreover, for this ELISA, the cut-off selected from the ROC curve based on the point with a sensitivity of 95.56% (95% CI, 0.8485–0.9946) and specificity of 97.92 (95% CI, 0.8893–0.9995) was 0.3328. Similar results were obtained with an ELISA using the commercial Paratuberculosis Protoplasmatic Antigen (PPA). However, the ELISA with the polyprotein antigen showed a better performance against sera from animals infected with Mycobacterium bovis compared to the ELISA with PPA: lower cross-reactivity (2.85% versus 25.71%). These results demonstrate a very low cross-reactivity of the polyprotein with antibodies present in serum samples from animals infected with M. bovis. The designed polyprotein and the validated ELISA could be very useful for the specific identification of MAP-infected animals in herds.
Correlation between Renal Artery Anatomy and Hypertension: A Retrospective Analysis of 3000 Patients
Authors: Shen Jiayi , Lyu Lingchun , Wu Xiaoyan , Ji Jiansong , Zeng Chunlai , Li Shan , Zhao Yanan , Xu Jian , Lin Li , Lu Chenyin , Mao Wei , Wei Tiemin 
Published: December 2021

Objective. To assess the correlation between renal artery anatomy and blood pressure in Undiagnosed Hypertension and Diagnosed Hypertension. Methods. The renal artery CT scanning imaging data and laboratory data of 3000 inpatients and outpatients were collected retrospectively in 4 centers of China. Morphometric parameters were assessed using the quantitative vascular analysis (unit: mM). Results. 687 cases (23.2%) had accessory renal arteries unilaterally, and 216 cases (7.3%) had bilateral accessory renal arteries, including left kidney 825 (27.9%) and right kidney 798 (27.0%). The presence of accessory renal arteries and renal artery branches was higher in the diagnosed hypertension group as compared with the undiagnosed hypertension group (MARB,

p

p < 0.001; ARA,

p

< 0.001; others,

p

< 0.001). Consequently, multivariate regression analysis showed that age (OR = 2.519 (95% CI: 0.990–6.411,

p

< 0.001)), dyslipidemia (OR = 1.187 (95% CI: 0.960–1.454,

p

= 0.007)), renal hilum Outside the main renal artery branch (MRAB) (OR = 2.069 (95% CI: 1.614–2.524,

p

= 0.002)), and accessory renal artery (ARA) (OR = 2.071 (95% CI: 1.614–2.634,

p

= 0.001)) were risk factors of hypertension. In addition, higher renin activity was associated with ARA patients (2.19 ± 2.91 vs. 1.75 ± 2.85,

p

< 0.001). Conclusions. When comparing renal arteries side by side, the anatomical length of the renal arteries is significantly different. In addition, the prevalence of accessory renal arteries and renal artery branches is higher in the hypertension group. The auxiliary renal artery and the main renal artery branch outside the renal portal are independent factors of hypertension. Renal sympathetic nerve activity is affected by renin activity and is related to the accessory renal artery.
EIF4A3-Induced circARHGAP29 Promotes Aerobic Glycolysis in Docetaxel-Resistant Prostate Cancer through IGF2BP2/c-Myc/LDHA Signaling
Authors: Jiang Xingkang , Guo Shanqi , Wang Shuo , Zhang Yangyi , Chen Haojie , Wang Yong , Liu Ranlu , Niu Yuanjie , Xu Yong 
Published: December 2021

Abstract

Docetaxel-based chemotherapy is a standard-of-care treatment for metastatic prostate cancer, and chemoresistance remains a major challenge in clinical practice. Recent studies have demonstrated that circular RNAs (circRNA) play critical roles in the development and progression of prostate cancer. However, the biological roles and potential functions of circRNAs in mediating docetaxel-resistant prostate cancer have yet to be well elucidated. In this study, we analyzed the expression profiles of circRNAs in docetaxel-resistant and -sensitive prostate cancer cells through RNA sequencing and found that expression of circARHGAP29 was significantly upregulated in docetaxel-resistant cell lines and clinical samples. Ectopic expression of circARHGAP29 triggered docetaxel resistance and aerobic glycolysis in prostate cancer cells, which was reduced by silencing circARHGAP29. Moreover, eukaryotic initiation factor 4A3, which bound the back-spliced junction site and the downstream flanking sequence of circARHGAP29, induced cyclization and cytoplasmic export of circARHGAP29. circARHGAP29 increased the stability of lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) mRNA by strengthening its interaction with insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 2, leading to enhanced glycolytic metabolism. In addition, circARHGAP29 interacted with and stabilized c-Myc mRNA and protein, which further increased LDHA expression by facilitating its transcription. These findings reveal the crucial function of circARHGAP29 in prostate cancer glycolysis by increasing and stabilizing LDHA mRNA, providing a promising therapeutic target in docetaxel-resistant prostate cancer.

Significance:
Upregulation of a novel circRNA, circARHGAP29, promotes docetaxel resistance and glycolytic metabolism, suggesting it could be a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in chemoresistant prostate cancer.
From Basic Science to Clinical Translation in Kidney Cancer: A Report from the Second Kidney Cancer Research Summit
Authors: Choueiri Toni K. , Albiges Laurence , Atkins Michael B. , Bakouny Ziad , Bratslavsky Gennady , Braun David A. , Haas Naomi B. , Haanen John B.A.G. , Hakimi A. Ari , Jewett Michael A.S. , Jonasch Eric , Kaelin William G. , Kapur Payal , Labaki Chris , Lewis Bryan , McDermott David F. , Pal Sumanta K. , Pels Kevin , Poteat Susan , Powles Thomas , Rathmell W. Kimryn , Rini Brian I. , Signoretti Sabina , Tannir Nizar M. , Uzzo Robert G. , Hammers Hans J. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe second Kidney Cancer Research Summit was held virtually in October 2020. The meeting gathered worldwide experts in the field of kidney cancer, including basic, translational, and clinical scientists as well as patient advocates. Novel studies were presented, addressing areas of unmet need related to different topics. These include novel metabolic targets, promising immunotherapeutic regimens, predictive genomic and transcriptomic biomarkers, and variant histologies of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). With the development of pioneering technologies, and an unprecedented commitment to kidney cancer research, the field has tremendously evolved. This perspective aims to summarize the different sessions of the conference, outline major advances in the understanding of RCC and discuss current challenges faced by the field.
Preclinical Development of the Class-I–Selective Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor OKI-179 for the Treatment of Solid Tumors
Authors: Diamond Jennifer R. , Pitts Todd M. , Ungermannova Dana , Nasveschuk Christopher G. , Zhang Gan , Phillips Andrew J. , Bagby Stacey M. , Pafford Jessica , Yacob Betelehem W. , Newton Timothy P. , Tentler John J. , Gittleman Brian , Hartman Sarah J. , DeMattei John A. , Winkler James D. , Wendt Michael K. , Schiemann William P. , Eckhardt S. Gail , Liu Xuedong , Piscopio Anthony D. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractHistone deacetylases (HDACs) play critical roles in epigenomic regulation, and histone acetylation is dysregulated in many human cancers. Although HDAC inhibitors are active in T-cell lymphomas, poor isoform selectivity, narrow therapeutic indices, and a deficiency of reliable biomarkers may contribute to the lack of efficacy in solid tumors. In this article, we report the discovery and preclinical development of the novel, orally bioavailable, class-I–selective HDAC inhibitor, OKI-179. OKI-179 and its cell active predecessor OKI-005 are thioester prodrugs of the active metabolite OKI-006, a unique congener of the natural product HDAC inhibitor largazole. OKI-006, OKI-005, and subsequently OKI-179, were developed through a lead candidate optimization program designed to enhance physiochemical properties without eroding potency and selectivity relative to largazole. OKI-005 displays antiproliferative activity in vitro with induction of apoptosis and increased histone acetylation, consistent with target engagement. OKI-179 showed antitumor activity in preclinical cancer models with a favorable pharmacokinetic profile and on-target pharmacodynamic effects. Based on its potency, desirable class I HDAC inhibition profile, oral bioavailability, and efficacy against a broad range of solid tumors, OKI-179 is currently being evaluated in a first-in-human phase I clinical trial with plans for continued clinical development in solid tumor and hematologic malignancies.
Targeting IKKε in Androgen-Independent Prostate Cancer Causes Phenotypic Senescence and Genomic Instability
Authors: Gilbert Sophie , Péant Benjamin , Malaquin Nicolas , Tu Véronique , Fleury Hubert , Leclerc-Desaulniers Kim , Rodier Francis , Mes-Masson Anne-Marie , Saad Fred 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Advanced prostate cancer will often progress to a lethal, castration-resistant state. We previously demonstrated that IKKε expression correlated with the aggressiveness of prostate cancer disease. Here, we address the potential of IKKε as a therapeutic target in prostate cancer. We examined cell fate decisions (proliferation, cell death, and senescence) in IKKε-depleted PC-3 cells, which exhibited delayed cell proliferation and a senescent phenotype, but did not undergo cell death. Using IKKε/TBK1 inhibitors, BX795 and Amlexanox, we measured their effects on cell fate decisions in androgen-sensitive prostate cancer and androgen-independent prostate cancer cell lines. Cell-cycle analyses revealed a G2–M cell-cycle arrest and a higher proportion of cells with 8N DNA content in androgen-independent prostate cancer cells only. Androgen-independent prostate cancer cells also displayed increased senescence-associated (SA)-β-galactosidase activity; increased γH2AX foci; genomic instability; and altered p15, p16, and p21 expression. In our mouse model, IKKε inhibitors also decreased tumor growth of androgen-independent prostate cancer xenografts but not 22Rv1 androgen-sensitive prostate cancer xenografts. Our study suggests that targeting IKKε with BX795 or Amlexanox in androgen-independent prostate cancer cells induces a senescence phenotype and demonstrates in vivo antitumor activity. These results strengthen the potential of exploiting IKKε as a therapeutic target.
The Foundational Lawlessness of the Law Itself: Racial Criminalization &
the Punitive Roots of Punishment in America
Authors: Muhammad Khalil Gibran 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Empirical researchers and criminal justice practitioners have generally set aside history in exchange for behavioral models and methodologies that focus primarily on crime itself as the most measurable and verifiable driver of American punitiveness. There are innumerable legal and political questions that have arisen out of these approaches. Everything from the social construction of illegality to the politicization of punishment to the stigmatization of physical identities and social statuses have long called into question the legal structures that underpin what counts as crime and how punishment is distributed. And yet, until quite recently, the question of what history has to offer has mostly been left to historians, historically minded social scientists, critical race and ethnic studies scholars, community and prison-based activists, investigative journalists, and rights advocates. What is at stake is precisely the foundational lawlessness of the law itself. At all times, a White outlaw culture that rewarded brute force and strength of arms against racialized others unsettles basic assumptions about how we are to understand criminalization and punitiveness over time: that is, who has counted as a criminal and to what end has the state used violence or punishment?
Spatial and Temporal Context Jointly Modulate the Sensory Response within the Ventral Visual Stream
Authors: He Tao , Richter David , Wang Zhiguo , de Lange Floris P. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBoth spatial and temporal context play an important role in visual perception and behavior. Humans can extract statistical regularities from both forms of context to help process the present and to construct expectations about the future. Numerous studies have found reduced neural responses to expected stimuli compared with unexpected stimuli, for both spatial and temporal regularities. However, it is largely unclear whether and how these forms of context interact. In the current fMRI study, 33 human volunteers were exposed to pairs of object stimuli that could be expected or surprising in terms of their spatial and temporal context. We found reliable independent contributions of both spatial and temporal context in modulating the neural response. Specifically, neural responses to stimuli in expected compared with unexpected contexts were suppressed throughout the ventral visual stream. These results suggest that both spatial and temporal context may aid sensory processing in a similar fashion, providing evidence on how different types of context jointly modulate perceptual processing.
Is It the End of the COP as We Know It? An Analysis of the First Year of Virtual Meetings in the UN Environment and Sustainable Development Arena
Authors: Chasek Pamela 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
The year 2020 started much like any other on the United Nations multilateral calendar. But then the COVID-19 pandemic forced the UN and the world to shut down. After the initial shock wore off, secretariats and governments began to contemplate how to conduct multilateral negotiations during a pandemic. As they created new virtual working methods, they also had to figure out how to maintain trust among delegations and in the process itself to ensure the outcomes of these meetings would be respected. To understand how UN meetings adapted to a virtual environment and maintained trust, this article analyzes a sample of 18 meetings of UN environmental and sustainable development bodies that took place in the 12 months between April 2020 and March 2021. The research examines these cases to see how these meetings were conducted, how they built the necessary trust, and what can be learned from this experience.
One Text, Many Literary Traditions: The Multidimensionality of Wole Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman
Authors: Ojaruega Enajite Eseoghene 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Death and the King’s Horseman, published in 1975, is undoubtedly Wole Soyinka’s most acclaimed play. When awarding the playwright the Nobel Prize in Literature in October 1986, the Committee specifically cited it as a “drama of existence”. Many literary critics have written about the play from multifarious perspectives. However, the dramatic text is still open to multidimensional interpretations that can further illuminate the rich texture of this canonical work. My study contextualises this dramatic masterpiece as yielding to a form of critical inquiry that makes it cohere with definitions of various literary traditions. It can be interrogated as Yoruba/Nigerian national literature, African literature, postcolonial literature, and world literature. It is, therefore, in this effort to use many approaches to see the play as a holistic text that I have chosen to interrogate it as “one text, many literary traditions”.
Understanding the Socioeconomics of International Migration Decisions and Outcomes Through the Capability-Based Migration Framework
Authors: Obi Chinedu 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
This dissertation critically reviews neoclassical migration theories and conceptualises the capability-based framework as a prospect in migration theory. I show that most of the neoclassical migration theories were formed in the twentieth century. They therefore require an update to accommodate contemporary migration dynamics. I argue that a multifaceted and multidimensional capability-based approach that centralises human agency and capabilities can address the earlier theories’ shortcomings. Hence, I adopt the capability-based migration framework as the main framework in my dissertation. The dissertation differs from previous empirical studies in its unique methodology and exceptional attention to the grey areas in the migration discourse. Using data from prospective Nigerian migrants living in Nigeria, actual migrants living in Italy and a collection of secondary data sources, the dissertation addresses three research questions: how do capabilities influence migration decisions in the home country; what are the capability-depriving constraints faced by migrants in the host country; and how do migrants contribute to capability improvement in the home country?
Human Trafficking in the Context of Global Migration: Modern Manifestation of De Facto Slavery, Servitude and Forced or Compulsory Labour
Authors: Ssenyonjo Manisuli 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
In recent years there has been a significant increase in trafficking in human beings as a global phenomenon. COVID-19 pandemic created conditions that increased the number of persons who were vulnerable to human trafficking and disrupted current and planned anti-trafficking initiatives. Human trafficking treats human beings as commodities to be bought and sold and put to forced labour often for lower or no payment. This constitutes a modern form of de facto slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour. This article provides an overview of international law on human trafficking and considers response to human trafficking in Africa. It further considers whether diplomats can be held accountable for exploitation of migrant domestic workers in receiving States. It further examines whether diplomatic immunity can be used as a bar to the exercise of jurisdiction by domestic courts and tribunals of a state which hosts the diplomat (the ‘receiving state’) in cases of employment of a trafficked person by a former or serving diplomat. It ends by considering whether trafficked persons should be held to bear individual criminal responsibility for crimes they have committed (or were compelled to commit) in the course, or as a direct consequence, of having been trafficked. Such crimes may include unlawful entry into, presence or residence in another country of transit or destination, working without a work permit, sex work, and use of false identity/false passport.