bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of melatonin on the synthesis of estradiol and gene expression in pig granulosa cells
Authors: Liu Ying , Yang Yalan , Li Wentong , Ao Hong , Zhang Yanmin , Zhou Rong , Li Kui 
Published: December 2018

AbstractThe interaction of granulosa cells (GCs) with oocytes is important to regulate follicle development. The exogenous melatonin promoting the maturation of oocytes by GCs has been approved in pig, however, the transcriptome profile and the functions of the genes regulated by melatonin in GCs have not yet to be fully characterized. In this study, we found melatonin could stimulate the synthesis of estradiol in pig GCs. The RNA‐seq was used to explore the effects of melatonin on gene expression, a total of 89 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Gene ontology analysis showed DEGs which associated with regulation of cell proliferation, cell cycle, and anti‐apoptosis were significantly enriched. The functions of two DEGs, NOTCH2 and FILIP1L, were studied in pig GCs. The results showed that NOTCH2 inhibited the synthesis of estradiol, but FILIP1L promoted the synthesis of estradiol. Furthermore, inhibiting NOTCH2 in granulosa cells cocultured with cumulus‐oocyte‐complexes had no obvious effect on the maturation of pig oocyte, but could upregulate the cleavage rate of oocyte. We proved that FILIP1L had no effect on the maturation and cleavage of pig oocytes. Our work deepens the understanding of melatonin's effects on GCs and oocyte. The DEGs we found will be beneficial to reveal mechanisms of melatonin acting on GCs and oocytes and design the pharmacological interventions.
Silage quality as influenced by concentration and type of tannins present in the material ensiled: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Jayanegara Anuraga , Sujarnoko Tekad U. P. , Ridla Muhammad , Kondo Makoto , Kreuzer Michael 
Published: December 2018

AbstractProtein degradation during ensiling is a major problem. Tannins are known to prevent or decelerate protein degradation in the rumen and may be able to do so in silages as well. Therefore, the present evaluation aimed to analyse the influence of tannins on silage quality. This was done by integrating from all suitable experiments found in literature on the topic in a meta‐analysis approach. A total of 122 datasets originating from 28 experiments obtained from 16 published articles and one own unpublished experiment were included in the database. Tannins in the silages originated either from the plants ensiled or from supplementations of tanniferous plants or tannins extracted from such plants. Tannin concentrations ranged from 0 to 57.8 g/kg dry matter, and the ensiling period varied from 30 to 130 days. The analysis was based on the linear mixed model methodology in which the different studies were considered as random effects and tannin‐related properties (either concentration or type of tannins) were treated as fixed effects. Results revealed that greater concentrations of tannins were associated with a decrease of butyrate concentration in the silages (p < 0.05). An increasing tannin concentration was also accompanied with smaller proportions of soluble N, free amino acid N, non‐protein nitrogen and NH3‐N in total silage N (p < 0.05). The relationships between hydrolysable and condensed tannins and the decline in butyrate and NH3‐N concentrations in the silages were of different magnitude (p < 0.05). A higher tannin concentration was associated with a decline in in vitro dry matter digestibility. It was concluded that tannins apparently have the ability to limit extensive proteolysis which may occur during ensiling and thus may improve the fermentative quality of silages. A desired side effect seems to be given by the tannins' apparent property to limit the activity of the butyrate‐producing microbes.
Sex, Drugs, Alcohol and Subjective Well‐Being: Selection or Causation?
Authors: Nikolaou Dimitrios 
Published: December 2018

SummaryThis paper estimates the effects of risky behaviors (e.g., smoking, alcohol, marijuana, risky sex) on subjective well‐being. To identify these effects from endogenous sorting, I use information from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and a system of simultaneous equations for participation in four risky activities and formation of individual happiness. My results provide evidence that smoking and alcohol decrease subjective well‐being by 2.5% and 2.4%, respectively. By contrast, the relationship between having sex with multiple partners, although positive, is not statistically significant at conventional levels. Nevertheless, these effects dwindle over time until participation in any of these behaviors does not have a long‐run impact on well‐being, with the exception of smoking and alcohol consumption, which have a persistent negative impact on subjective well‐being. The results highlight the importance of controlling for endogeneity of risky behaviors and provide an explanation as to why most individuals who engage in such behaviors do not develop longer‐lasting addictions.
The association between acute malnutrition and water, sanitation, and hygiene among children aged 6–59 months in rural Ethiopia
Authors: van Cooten Merel H. , Bilal Selamawit M. , Gebremedhin Samson , Spigt Mark 
Published: December 2018

AbstractThe causes of acute malnutrition—or “wasting”—are complex, and a better understanding of the underlying drivers is necessary in order to design effective interventions. Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) practices may play a fundamental role in acute malnutrition, but more research is needed to confirm this relationship. We investigated the association between WASH practices and acute malnutrition among children 6 to 59 months of age in rural Ethiopia, making use of the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the WASH status of all rural children. Bivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess associations between nutritional status and WASH. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to adjust for confounders. A total of 7,209 children were included in the analysis, of which 867 (12.0%) were acutely malnourished. Proper toilet facilities (AOR = 0.63, 95% CI [0.46, 0.86]) and a water source close to home (AOR = 0.71, 95% CI [0.61, 0.83]) were associated with a lower prevalence of wasting. A safe water source for drinking (COR = 1.03, 95% CI [0.89, 1.19]) and a safe disposal of the child's stool (AOR = 0.97, 95% CI [0.84, 1.13]) were not significantly associated with acute malnutrition. These results suggest that WASH practices are related to acute malnutrition. Future studies—in particular intervention studies—should investigate whether improving WASH practices is effective in reducing malnutrition in infants and young children.
Candida auris otomycosis in Iran and review of recent literature
Authors: Abastabar Mahdi , Haghani Iman , Ahangarkani Fatemeh , Rezai Mohammad Sadegh , Taghizadeh Armaki Mojtaba , Roodgari Somayeh , Kiakojuri Keyvan , Al‐Hatmi Abdullah M. S. , Meis Jacques F. , Badali Hamid 
Published: December 2018

SummaryCandida auris is a multidrug‐resistant yeast emerging in immunocompromised and in otherwise healthy individuals. Due to difficulties in microbiological identification of C. auris because of the lack of available laboratory technology in developing countries, the number of patients affected is most likely underestimated. We report the first case of C. auris otitis which now adds Iran as the fifth country around the Persian Gulf, in addition to Kuwait, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Candida auris is an unknown pathogen in routine laboratories in Iran because most Candida isolates are probably misdiagnosed. Otomycosis seems to be a different clinical presentation of C. auris mainly involving isolates from the East‐Asian clade. We compared the mycological and clinical details of the Iranian patient with other cases of otitis reported since the last review of C. auris otomycosis in 2017.
NCMR's First Decade: An Empirical Examination
Authors: Gross Michael A. , Neuman Eric J. , Adair Wendi L. , Wallace Mallory 
Published: December 2018

AbstractThis retrospective offers an empirical analysis of NCMR author demographics, scholarly content, and article impact over the journal's first decade. Results highlight the journal's broad content and scope including distinct networks of knowledge communities focused on both conflict and negotiation and their subfields. Authors interpret existing network patterns and offer future direction as NCMR continues to evolve and grow within the changing landscape of negotiation and conflict management research.
Suitability of Solanum lycopersicum L. ‘Microtom’ for growth in Bioregenerative Life Support Systems: exploring the effect of high‐LET ionising radiation on photosynthesis, leaf structure and fruit traits
Authors: Arena C. , Vitale E. , Hay Mele B. , Cataletto P. R. , Turano M. , Simoniello P. , De Micco V. 
Published: December 2018

Abstract

The realisation of manned space exploration requires the development of Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS). In such self‐sufficient closed habitats, higher plants have a fundamental role in air regeneration, water recovery, food production and waste recycling. In the space environment, ionising radiation represents one of the main constraints to plant growth.

In this study, we explore whether low doses of heavy ions, namely Ca 25 Gy, delivered at the seed stage, may induce positive outcomes on growth and functional traits in plants of Solanum lycopersicum L. ‘Microtom’. After irradiation of seed, plant growth was monitored during the whole plant life cycle, from germination to fruit ripening. Morphological parameters, photosynthetic efficiency, leaf anatomical functional traits and antioxidant production in leaves and fruits were analysed.

Our data demonstrate that irradiation of seeds with 25 Gy Ca ions does not prevent achievement of the seed‐to‐seed cycle in ‘Microtom’, and induces a more compact plant size compared to the control. Plants germinated from irradiated seeds show better photochemical efficiency than controls, likely due to the higher amount of D1 protein and photosynthetic pigment content. Leaves of these plants also had smaller cells with a lower number of chloroplasts. The dose of 25 Gy Ca ions is also responsible for positive outcomes in fruits: although developing a lower number of berries, plants germinated from irradiated seeds produce larger berries, richer in carotenoids, ascorbic acid and anthocyanins than controls.

These specific traits may be useful for ‘Microtom’ cultivation in BLSS in space, in so far as the crew members could benefit from fresh food richer in functional compounds that can be directly produced on board.
Evaluation of virulence and pathogenicity of Alternaria patula on French marigold (Tagetes patula)
Authors: Wu H. C. , Wu W. S. 
Published: December 2018

Alternaria patula, the cause of French marigold leaf black spot and flower blight, was first isolated from seeds of French marigold cv. Queen Sophia. It is described as a new species of Alternaria and has a considerable morphological variation with a preferential pathogenicity to Asteraceae, Solanaceae and Cucurbitaceae plants. Alternaria patula produces an array of pectin depolymerases that can break 1,4‐α‐glycosidic bonds either by hydrolysis of polygalacturonases (PG, E.C. 3.2.1.15) or via trans‐elimination of pectate lyases (PL, E.C. 4.2.2.2) and pectin lyases (PNL, E.C. 4.2.2.10). This study is the first to emphasize the variability and significance to pathogenesis of the pectinolytic enzymes of A. patula that target various pectic polymers structures during host tissue invasion. Alternaria patula also produced zinniol derivatives as non‐host‐specific toxins (nHSTs), albeit without phytotoxic symptoms in French marigold. The management of Alternaria blight caused by A. patula via the application of pyrifenox and antagonistic Bacillus amyloliquefaciens effectively reduced disease severity, without adverse effects on French marigold in both in vitro and in vivo bioassays.
Additive Quantile Regression for Clustered Data with an Application to Children's Physical Activity
Authors: Geraci Marco 
Published: December 2018

SummaryAdditive models are flexible regression tools that handle linear as well as non-linear terms. The latter are typically modelled via smoothing splines. Additive mixed models extend additive models to include random terms when the data are sampled according to cluster designs (e.g. longitudinal). These models find applications in the study of phenomena like growth, certain disease mechanisms and energy expenditure in humans, when repeated measurements are available. We propose a novel additive mixed model for quantile regression. Our methods are motivated by an application to physical activity based on a data set with more than half a million accelerometer measurements in children of the UK Millennium Cohort Study. In a simulation study, we assess the proposed methods against existing alternatives.
Affiliation motivates children’s prosocial behaviors: Relating helping and comforting to imitation
Authors: Giner Torréns Marta , Kärtner Joscha 
Published: December 2018

AbstractThe current study focuses on the motivation that drives children's prosocial behavior by analyzing the association between prosocial behavior and children's imitative tendencies, which is a well‐established indicator of the motivation to affiliate with others. Therefore, we tested 30‐month‐old children (N = 59) in an imitation task and two domains of prosocial behavior, namely helping and comforting. Using a confirmatory factor analysis, we demonstrated that the two prosocial domains were explained by a common factor, which was in turn significantly related to children's imitation. Overall, our findings suggest that affiliative motives should be considered in order to better understand children's motivations to engage in prosocial behaviors.
Atraumatic splenic rupture following IVIg for parvovirus B19 pure red cell aplasia post renal transplant
Authors: Tiong Mark , Casan Joshua , McLean Catriona 
Published: December 2018

AbstractParvovirus B19 (PB19) associated pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) is an uncommon but well described complication of immunosuppression post solid organ transplantation. We report a unique case of a renal transplant patient with PB19 associated PRCA who developed a spontaneous splenic rupture after receiving IVIg for persistent anemia. He subsequently required splenectomy. Within the spleen we subsequently identified PB19 affected cells.
Evaluation of combined idarucizumab and prothrombin complex concentrate treatment for bleeding related to dabigatran in a lethal porcine model of double trauma
Authors: Honickel Markus , Braunschweig Till , Rossaint Rolf , Schöchl Herbert , Grottke Oliver 
Published: December 2018

BACKGROUNDIdarucizumab (IDA) is approved for emergency reversal of dabigatran; prothrombin complex concentrates (PCCs) are recommended in the absence of specific antidote. The combined effects of IDA and PCC in trauma‐related bleeding are unknown. The efficacy and safety of combined IDA + PCC were assessed in a lethal porcine model of double trauma under dabigatran anticoagulation.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODSMale pigs (n = 28) received oral dabigatran etexilate (30 mg/kg bid) for 3 days; a non‐dabigatran control group (n = 7) received placebo. On Day 4, dabigatran‐treated animals were randomized 1:1:1:1 to receive placebo + placebo (dabigatran‐treated control), IDA + PCC (60 mg/kg + 50 IU/kg), PCC + IDA, or IDA + IDA. Trauma was induced at t = 0 (bilateral femur fractures and blunt liver injury) and t = 60 minutes (second blunt liver injury). Study treatment was administered 15 minutes after each trauma. Animals were monitored for 5 hours or until death.RESULTSTotal blood loss in IDA + PCC, PCC + IDA, and IDA + IDA was 1673 ± 370, 1981 ± 361, and 1417 ± 135 mL, respectively, with 100% survival at 5 hours. Blood loss in dabigatran‐treated controls was 4427 ± 162 mL with 100% mortality. With IDA + IDA, plasma coagulation parameters and thrombin generation were similar to non‐dabigatran control group levels after the second dose and remained stable over time. In the IDA + PCC and PCC + IDA groups, thrombin generation and d‐dimer levels after the second dose were higher than with IDA + IDA. No thromboembolic complications were found.CONCLUSIONIDA and PCC are effective in treating trauma‐related bleeding with dabigatran anticoagulation. IDA is preferable for emergency reversal of dabigatran, but PCC may be valuable when the anticoagulant is unknown.
Leukoreduction system chambers are a reliable cellular source for the manufacturing of T‐cell therapeutics
Authors: Boudreau Gabrielle , Carli Cédric , Lamarche Caroline , Rulleau Caroline , Bonnaure Guillaume , Néron Sonia , Delisle Jean‐Sébastien 
Published: December 2018

BACKGROUNDFollowing solid organ or hematopoietic cell transplantation, refractory opportunistic viral reactivations are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality but can effectively be controlled by virus‐specific T‐cell transfer. Among effective and safe strategies is the use of “third‐party” (neither from the transplant donor nor recipient) virus‐specific T cells that can be manufactured from healthy donors and used as “off‐the‐shelf” therapies. Leukoreduction system chambers (LRSCs), recovered after routine plateletpheresis, were evaluated as a potential source of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) for the manufacturing of clinical‐scale virus‐specific T cell.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODSPBMCs from the same donors obtained either from LRSCs or peripheral blood were compared, focusing on T‐cell function and phenotype as well as the potential to generate cytomegalovirus (CMV)‐specific T‐cell lines from both CMV seropositive and seronegative donors.RESULTSPBMCs from both sources were comparable except for a transient downregulation of CD62L expression on freshly extracted PBMCs from LRSCs. Both nonspecific stimulation using anti‐CD3/CD28 antibodies and CMV peptides revealed that LRSCs or blood T cells were equivalent in terms of expansion, differentiation, and function. Moreover, PBMCs from LRSCs can be used to generate autologous monocyte‐derived dendritic cells to prime and expand CMV‐specific T cells from seronegative donors.CONCLUSIONLRSCs are a reliable source of PBMCs for the generation of virus‐specific T cells for immunotherapy. These findings have implications for the development of third‐party therapeutic T‐cell products from well‐characterized blood product donors.
A multidimensional study of interactive registers in Pakistani and US English
Authors: Shakir Muhammad , Deuber Dagmar 
Published: December 2018

AbstractThe present study is a multidimensional analysis of spoken and interactive online registers—comments, Facebook groups, Facebook status updates, and tweets—of Pakistani English in comparison to U.S. English. Four dimensions of variation are identified, namely oral narrative, abstract informational versus first person focus, interactive focus on mental activities and feelings, and present and future activities. Dimension 1 and 2 are the most prominent indicators of regional variation, while some registers also show variation on dimensions 3 and 4. The results suggest that conveying abstract and other kind of information is the most prominent general communicative purpose in Pakistani registers. US English, in contrast, also has communicative purposes like the expression of feelings and narration, in addition to conveying information. It is also suggested that the Internet is providing new avenues of communication for non‐native speakers of English, which demands further study and inclusion of these registers in corpora of varieties of English around the world.
Electroweak couplings and LHC constraints on alternative Z′ models in E6
Authors: Benavides Richard H. , Muñoz Luis , Ponce William A. , Rodríguez Oscar , Rojas Eduardo 
Published: December 2018

We report the most general expression for the chiral charges of a [Formula: see text] gauge boson coming from an [Formula: see text] unification model, as a function of the electroweak parameters and the charges of the [Formula: see text] factors in the chain of subgroups. These charges are valid for an arbitrary Higgs sector and only depend on the branching rules of the [Formula: see text] fundamental representation and the corresponding rules for the fermionic representations of their subgroups. By assuming [Formula: see text] unification, the renormalization group equations (RGE) allow us to calculate the electroweak parameters at low energies for most of the chains of subgroups in [Formula: see text]. From RGE and unitary conditions, we show that at low energies there must be a mixing between the gauge boson of the standard model hypercharge and the [Formula: see text]. From this, it is possible to delimit the preferred region in the parameter space for a breaking pattern in [Formula: see text]. In general, without unification, it is not viable to determine this region; however, for some models and under certain assumptions, it is possible to limit the corresponding parameter space. By using the most recent upper limits on the cross-section of extra gauge vector bosons [Formula: see text] decaying into dileptons from the ATLAS data at 13 TeV with accumulated luminosities of 36.1 fb[Formula: see text] and 13.3 fb[Formula: see text], we report the 95% C.L. lower limits on the [Formula: see text] mass for the typical [Formula: see text] benchmark models. We also show the contours in the 95% C.L. of the [Formula: see text] mass bounds for the entire parameter space of [Formula: see text].
Computing with Near Data
Authors: Tang Xulong , Kandemir Mahmut Taylan , Zhao Hui , Jung Myoungsoo , Karakoy Mustafa 
Published: December 2018

One cost that plays a significant role in shaping the overall performance of both single-threaded and multi-thread applications in modern computing systems is the cost of moving data between compute elements and storage elements. Traditional approaches to address this cost are code and data layout reorganizations and various hardware enhancements. More recently, an alternative paradigm, called Near Data Computing (NDC) or Near Data Processing (NDP), has been shown to be effective in reducing the data movements costs, by moving computation to data, instead of the traditional approach of moving data to computation. Unfortunately, the existing Near Data Computing proposals require significant modifications to hardware and are yet to be widely adopted.
In this paper, we present a software-only (compiler-driven) approach to reducing data movement costs in both single-threaded and multi-threaded applications. Our approach, referred to as Computing with Near Data (CND), is built upon a concept called "recomputation," in which a costly data access is replaced by a few less costly data accesses plus some extra computation, if the cumulative cost of the latter is less than that of the costly data access. If implemented carefully, CND can successfully trade off data access with computation, and considering the continuously increasing latency gap between the two, doing so can significantly reduce the execution latencies of both sequential and parallel application programs.
We i) quantify the intrinsic recomputability of a set of single-threaded and multi-threaded applications, ii) propose a practical, compiler-driven approach that automatically transforms a given application code fragment to a version that employs recomputation, iii) discuss an optimization strategy that increases recomputability; and iv) compare CND, both qualitatively and quantitatively, against NDC. Our experimental analysis of CND reveals that i) the average recomputability across our benchmarks is 51.1%, ii) our compiler-driven strategy is able to exploit 79.3% of the recomputation opportunities presented by our workloads, and iii) our enhancements increase the value of the recomputability metric significantly. As a result, our compiler-driven approach with the proposed enhancements brings an average execution time improvement of 40.1%.