bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dietary Inflammatory Potential and the Risk of Neurodegenerative Diseases in Adults
Authors: Kheirouri Sorayya , Alizadeh Mohammad 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
Nutrition and diet have been suggested to enhance or inhibit cognitive performance and the risk of several neurodegenerative diseases. We conducted a systematic review to elucidate the relationship between the inflammatory capacity of a person’s diet and the risk of incident neurodegenerative diseases. We searched major medical databases for articles published through June 30, 2018. Original, full-text, English-language articles on studies with human participants which investigated the link between dietary inflammatory potential and risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases were included. Duplicate and irrelevant studies were removed, and data were compiled through critical analysis. Initially, 457 articles were collected via the searching method, of which 196 studies remained after removal of duplicates. Fourteen articles were screened and found to be relevant to the scope of the review. After critical analysis, 10 were included in the final review. In all studies but one, a higher dietary inflammatory index (DII) was related to higher risk of developing neurodegenerative disease symptoms, including memory and cognition decline and multiple sclerosis. Of 3 studies that assessed the association of DII with levels of circulating inflammation markers, 2 indicated that DII was positively correlated with inflammatory marker levels. Low literacy, an unhealthy lifestyle, and individual nutritional status were the factors involved in a diet with inflammatory potential. These findings enhance confidence that DII is an appropriate tool for measurement of dietary inflammatory potential and validate the role of diets with inflammatory potential in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases. DII may be correlated with levels of circulating inflammatory markers.
Mental and Physical Health in Couple Relationships: Is It Better to Live Together?
Authors: Rapp Ingmar , Stauder Johannes 
Published: September 2019

AbstractThis study focuses on two main questions. First, do non-cohabiting relationships have an effect on mental and physical health? And second, do non-cohabiting relationships affect health in a similar way as cohabitation and marriage? To differentiate between the selection effects of healthier individuals into a couple relationship and the causal effects of couple relationships on health, we test hypotheses about the accumulation of health effects over time. We apply fixed-effects estimation techniques to data from the German Socio-economic Panel. For women, mental health improves after establishing a non-cohabiting relationship and remains similar after starting cohabitation and after getting married. For men, only marriage improves mental health status. The impacts of couple relationships on physical health primarily depend on the duration of the relationship and slowly accumulate over time. In addition, effects are stronger for younger adults.
Was Antoni van Leeuwenhoek secretive? His experiments with insect corneas
Authors: Robertson Lesley A 
Published: September 2019

ABSTRACT
It is often claimed that Antoni van Leeuwenhoek was secretive about his methods. However, closer examination of his letters suggests that this reputation was not always deserved. Some letters were not published in the Royal Society Proceedings, and others were edited. This paper describes the repetition of his experiments with the eyes of bees and dragonflies using his own account of his experiments, despite the fact that only one of the four letters was published in the Proceedings.
Orally-administered outer-membrane vesicles fromHelicobacter pylorireduceH. pyloriinfection via Th2-biased immune responses in mice
Authors: Liu Qiong , Li Xiuzhen , Zhang Yingxuan , Song Zifan , Li Ruizhen , Ruan Huan , Huang Xiaotian 
Published: September 2019

ABSTRACTAs the trend of antibiotic resistance has increased, prevention and treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection have been challenged by the fact that no vaccines preventing H. pylori infection are available. Scientists continue to make sustained efforts to find better vaccine formulations and adjuvants to eradicate this chronic infection. In this study, we systemically analyzed the protein composition and potential vaccine function of outer-membrane vesicles (OMVs) derived from gerbil-adapted H. pylori strain 7.13. In total, we identified 169 proteins in H. pylori OMVs and found that outer-membrane, periplasmic and extracellular proteins (48.9% of the total proteins) were enriched. Furthermore, we evaluated the immune protective response of H. pylori OMVs in a C57BL/6 mouse model, and mice were orally immunized with OMVs or the H. pylori whole cell vaccine (WCV) alone, with or without cholera toxin (CT) as an adjuvant. The data demonstrated that oral immunization with OMVs can elicit a strong humoral and significantly higher mucosal immune response than the group immunized with the WCV plus the CT adjuvant. Moreover, our results also confirmed that OMVs predominantly induced T helper 2 (Th2)-biased immune responses that can significantly reduce bacterial loads after challenging with the H. pylori Sydney Strain 1 (SS1). In summary, OMVs as new antigen candidates in vaccine design would be of great value in controlling H. pylori infection.
Stakeholders’ perceptions towards non-native acacias and implications for their management in Portugal
Authors: Vaz Ana Sofia , Ribeiro Joana , Honrado João P , Vicente Joana R 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
Humans act as drivers for the introduction of non-native trees. Some non-native species may become invasive and cause undesirable impacts, thereby motivating targeted decision-making and management actions. Australian acacias (or wattles; genus Acacia subgenus Phyllodineae) have been introduced worldwide, offering both opportunities and risks for local communities. Understanding how stakeholders perceive invasive acacias is paramount to assist effective decision-making. We assessed stakeholders’ perceptions about these non-native acacias, their invasion process, social-ecological impacts and management. We conducted a questionnaire-based survey with experienced managers and decision-makers in Northern Portugal, where acacia invasions are widespread. We found that most stakeholders are not able to recognize non-native species, failing to identify the introduction period, drivers of dispersion and appropriate management methods of Australian acacias. We could also identify different stakeholder perceptions on the benefits and negative impacts provided by these species. We call for the implementation of technical training and information outreach strategies to address stakeholders’ lack of knowledge (and experience) on the recognition and identification of non-native trees, as well as on their introduction and invasion history, drivers of dispersion, costs and benefits, and effective management actions. Stakeholders’ engagement should be promoted in the design and implementation of biosecurity efforts to control (and/or adapt to) invasive acacias at relevant scales of invasion management.
Global aid for nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions and proportion of stunted children across low- and middle-income countries: does aid matter?
Authors: Khalid Hina , Gill Sitara , Fox Ashley M 
Published: September 2019

AbstractDevelopment assistance for health (DAH) has increased dramatically over the past two decades, and this increase has led to a debate on the benefits and perverse effects of scaling-up vs scaling back DAH, and the type of interventions DAH should support. Nutrition remains a contested category viewed as essential to achieving primary healthcare objectives but as falling outside of the direct ambit of the health system. Thus, despite the increase in DAH, it continues to remain an underfunded area and little is known about the relationship between aid for nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions and the proportion of stunted children across low- and middle-income countries. We hypothesize that as nutrition-specific aid targets local needs of countries and is less fungible than nutrition-sensitive aid, it will contribute more to a reduction in the proportion of stunted children, with the steepest gains among countries that have the highest burden of malnutrition. We use fixed-effects regressions to examine the relationship between the proportion of stunted children and aid for nutrition interventions (specific and sensitive) to 116 low- and middle-income countries (2002–16). We construct our panel using the Creditor Reporting System, Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, Food and Agriculture Organization, World Health Organization and World Development indicators databases. We find a one-dollar increase in per capita nutrition-specific aid is associated with a reduction in the proportion of stunted children by 0.004 (P < 0.05). When stratified by burden of malnutrition, a one-dollar increase in per capita nutrition-specific aid to countries with the highest burden of malnutrition is associated with sharper reductions in the proportion of stunted children (0.013, P < 0.01). We also find a significant association for per capita nutrition-sensitive aid and proportion of stunted children when per capita aid for nutrition is lagged by 3 and 4 years (0.0002, P < 0.05), suggesting a long-run association between nutrition-sensitive aid and proportion of stunted children. Our findings suggest that in spite of criticisms that development assistance fails to adequately reach its intended beneficiaries, aid for nutrition has been successful at reducing the proportion of stunted children. Our findings imply a need to scale-up nutrition funding and improve targeting of aid.
Energy access in Malawian healthcare facilities: consequences for health service delivery and environmental health conditions
Authors: Reuland Frances , Behnke Nikki , Cronk Ryan , McCord Ryan , Fisher Michael , Abebe Lydia , Suhlrie Laura , Joca Lauren , Mofolo Innocent , Kafanikhale Holystone , Mmodzi Tseka Jennifer , Rehfuess Eva , Tomaro John , Hoffman Irving , Bartram Jamie 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
Many healthcare facilities (HCFs) in low-income countries experience unreliable connectivity to energy sources, which adversely impacts the quality of health service delivery and provision of adequate environmental health services. This assessment explores the status and consequences of energy access through interviews and surveys with administrators and healthcare workers from 44 HCFs (central hospitals, district hospitals, health centres and health posts) in Malawi. Most HCFs are connected to the electrical grid but experience weekly power interruptions averaging 10 h; less than one-third of facilities have a functional back-up source. Inadequate energy availability is associated with irregular water supply and poor medical equipment sterilization; it adversely affects provider safety and contributes to poor lighting and working conditions. Some challenges, such as poor availability and maintenance of back-up energy sources, disproportionately affect smaller HCFs. Policymakers, health system actors and third-party organizations seeking to improve energy access and quality of care in Malawi and similar settings should address these challenges in a way that prioritizes the specific needs of different facility types.
Using structural equation modelling to untangle sanitation, water and hygiene pathways for intervention improvements in height-for-age in children &lt;5 years old
Authors: Reese Heather , Sinharoy Sheela S , Clasen Thomas 
Published: September 2019

AbstractBackgroundDespite a strong theoretical rationale for combining water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) interventions to improve child health, study findings are heterogeneous with little understanding of the mechanisms for these effects. Our study objective was to demonstrate the utility of structural equation modeling (SEM) to assess intervention effects on height-for-age z score (HAZ) through the complex system of WaSH pathways.MethodsWe used data from a matched cohort effectiveness evaluation of a combined on-premise piped water and improved sanitation intervention in rural Odisha, India. Height/length was measured in children 0–59 months old (n = 1826) from 90 matched villages in February–June 2016. WaSH behaviours and infrastructure were assessed through household surveys and observation, respectively. We used SEM to calculate the standardized path coefficients and the total contributions of WaSH pathways to HAZ.ResultsIntervention improvements on HAZ were through the sanitation pathway (coverage → use β: 0.722; use → HAZ β: 0.116), with piped water coverage indirectly affecting HAZ through improved sanitation use (β: 0.148). Although the intervention had a positive association with handwashing station coverage, there was no evidence of a total hygiene pathway effect on HAZ or further direct effects through the water pathways.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates the utility of SEM to assess the mechanisms through which combined WaSH interventions impact HAZ as a system of pathways, providing a more nuanced assessment than estimation of the total intervention effect. Our finding, that water impacts HAZ through the sanitation pathway, is an important and actionable insight for WaSH programming.
Iterative-learning procedures for nonlinear-model-order reduction in discrete time
Authors: Ibrir Salim 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
Efficient numerical procedures are developed for model-order reduction of a class of discrete-time nonlinear systems. Based on the solution of a set of linear-matrix inequalities, the Petrov–Galerkin projection concept is utilized to set up the structure of the reduced-order nonlinear model that preserves the input-to-state stability while ensuring an acceptable approximation error. The first numerical algorithm is based on the construction of a constant optimal projection matrix and a constant Lyapunov matrix to form the reduced-order dynamics. The second proposed algorithm aims to incorporate the output of the original system to correct the instantaneous value of the truncation matrix and maintain an acceptable approximation error even with low-order systems. An extension to uncertain systems is provided. The usefulness and the efficacy of the developed procedures are approved by the consideration of two numerical examples treating a nonlinear low-order system and a high-dimensional system, issued from the discretization of the damped heat-transfer partial-differential equation.
The Lambda Invariants at CM Points
Authors: Yang Tonghai , Yin Hongbo , Yu Peng 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
In this paper, we show that $\lambda (z_1) -\lambda (z_2)$, $\lambda (z_1)$, and $1-\lambda (z_1)$ are all Borcherds products on $X(2) \times X(2)$. We then use the big CM value formula of Bruinier, Kudla, and Yang to give explicit factorization formulas for the norms of $\lambda (\frac{d+\sqrt d}2)$, $1-\lambda (\frac{d+\sqrt d}2)$, and $\lambda (\frac{d_1+\sqrt{d_1}}2) -\lambda (\frac{d_2+\sqrt{d_2}}2)$, with the latter under the condition $(d_1, d_2)=1$. Finally, we use these results to show that $\lambda (\frac{d+\sqrt d}2)$ is always an algebraic integer and can be easily used to construct units in the ray class field of ${\mathbb{Q}}(\sqrt{d})$ of modulus $2$. In the process, we also give explicit formulas for a whole family of local Whittaker functions, which are of independent interest.
Effect of dietary copper sources on performance, gastric ghrelin-RNA expression, and growth hormone concentrations in serum in piglets
Authors: Gonzalez-Esquerra Ricardo , Araujo Raquel B , Haese Douglas , Kill Joao L , Cunha Anderson F , Monzani Paulo S , Lima Cesar G 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
Two performance studies were conducted to investigate the effects of 3 different sources of Cu on production parameters of piglets. A total of 256 piglets weaned at 24 ± 2 d were randomly allocated into 4 treatments with 10 or 8 replicates per treatment of 4 or 3 piglets per pen in Exp. 1 and 2, respectively. The experimental period was divided into 3 feeding phases: Phase 1 (24 to 35 d), Phase 2 (36 to 49 d), and Phase 3 (50 to 70 d). Treatments included a Control group (fed 10 mg/kg of Cu from CuSO4), a group fed 160 mg/kg of either CuSO4 (CuSO4-160) or tri-basic copper chloride (TBCC), and a group fed Cu methionine hydroxy analogue chelated (Cu-MHAC) at 150, 80, and 50 mg/kg in Phases 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The methionine value of Cu-MHAC was accounted during diet formulation to achieve the same levels of methionine across treatments. Phases 1 and 2 diets contained 2,200 and 1,500 ppm of ZnO, respectively; and antibiotics were used as growth promoters. Performance parameters were analyzed as completely randomized block design, in which each experiment was considered as a block. In trial 2, blood serum and mucosal samples, from the fundic region of the stomach, were collected from 1 piglet per replicate at day 70 and tested for serum growth hormone levels (GH) and ghrelin mRNA expression, respectively. The contrast between Cu-MHAC vs. CuSO4-160 + TBCC showed that piglets fed Cu-MHAC exhibited better feed conversion ratio (FCR) in all feeding phases compared with feeding inorganic Cu (P < 0.05). Overall, feeding Cu-MHAC improved body weight (BW), BW gain, feed intake (FI), and FCR vs. Control diet fed piglets; yet, it improved BW and FCR vs. TBCC fed piglets, and improved BW, BW gain, and FI vs. CuSO4-160 fed piglets (P < 0.05). Feeding TBCC promoted similar performance than feeding CuSO4-160, regardless of age (P > 0.05). Both ghrelin expression and growth hormone serum levels were significantly increased by feeding Cu-MHAC vs. Control diet fed animals (P < 0.01). Feeding CuSO4-160 upregulated ghrelin expression vs. Control (P < 0.01) while GH serum levels and ghrelin expression did no change by feeding TBCC compared with Control diet fed animals (P > 0.05). It was concluded that feeding Cu-MHAC at the levels tested herein can improve growth performance of piglets beyond feeding 160 ppm of either CuSO4 or TBCC, which may be partially explained by the increased expression of ghrelin and GH serum levels.
NOX2 Expression Is Increased in Keratinocytes After Burn Injury
Authors: Korkmaz H Ibrahim , Ulrich Magda M W , Çelik Gülbahar , Van Wieringen Wessel N , Van Zuijlen Paul P M , Krijnen Paul A J , Niessen Hans W M 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
Reepithelialization is crucial for effective wound repair in burn wounds. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have shown to be important in this. Recent studies suggest that NOX proteins produce ROS in keratinocytes. In the present study, we have studied NOX proteins in burn wounds, including the effect of C1-esterase inhibitor (C1inh) hereon, which is the endogenous inhibitor of complement activity whereof we have shown previously that it also increased the rate of reepithelialization in burn wounds. Skin tissue derived from healthy control Wistar rats (n = 6) were compared with burn-injured rats, with (n = 7) or without C1inh treatment (n = 7). After 14 days, rats were terminated. From the burn-injured rats, the entire wound and nonburned skin from the hind leg, that is, internal control was excised. From the control rats, dorsal skin was excised. In these skin samples, NOX2 and NOX4 were analyzed immunohistochemically. In nonburned rats, NOX2 was found in keratinocytes in both the basal layer and suprabasal layer of the epidermis; and the number of NOX2-positive keratinocytes was 367/mm2 (254–378). In burned rats, the number of NOX2-positive keratinocytes was significantly increased in the newly forming epidermis in the burned area to 1019/mm2 (649–1172), especially in the suprabasal layer, but significantly decreased in remote nonburned skin to 22/mm2 (6–89). C1inh treatment counteracted these changes in epidermal NOX2 expression in burned rats, both in the burned area as in remote nonburned skin. No NOX4 expression was found in the epidermis in none of the groups. NOX2 expression was increased in keratinocytes in newly forming epidermis after burn injury. C1inh, a drug that increases the rate of reepithelialization, counteracted this effect. These results suggest a role for NOX2 in the reepithelialization of burn wounds.
The Escazú Agreement and the Regional Approach to Rio Principle 10: Process, Innovation, and Shortcomings
Authors: Stec Stephen , Jendrośka Jerzy 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
The adoption in 2018 of the Escazú Agreement by the countries of the Latin American and Caribbean region marks the second regional legal instrument aimed at the implementation of Principle 10 of the 1992 Rio Declaration, joining the Aarhus Convention of the pan-European region. The international community has settled upon the regional level as the appropriate means for implementing standards related to access to information, public participation, and access to justice in environmental matters. The appropriateness of the regional level is demonstrated by the differences and innovations found in the Escazú Agreement, in its scope and definitions, background principles, burden of proof and protections of environmental defenders and vulnerable populations. Yet, the regional approach also entails risks, as demonstrated by the limitation of the scope of rights for nationals of the country where specific activities are planned or occurring.
Functional Analysis of an Epsilon-Class Glutathione S-Transferase From Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphacidae)
Authors: Saruta Fumiko , Yamada Naotaka , Yamamoto Kohji 
Published: September 2019

AbstractGlutathione conjugation is a crucial step in xenobiotic detoxification. In the current study, we have functionally characterized an epsilon-class glutathione S-transferase (GST) from a brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens (nlGSTE). The amino acid sequence of nlGSTE revealed approximately 36–44% identity with epsilon-class GSTs of other species. The recombinant nlGSTE was prepared in soluble form by bacterial expression and was purified to homogeneity. Mutation experiments revealed that the putative substrate-binding sites, including Phe107, Arg112, Phe118, and Phe119, were important for glutathione transferase activity. Furthermore, inhibition study displayed that nlGSTE activity was affected by insecticides, proposing that, in brown planthopper, nlGSTE could recognize insecticides as substrates.