bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Speech‐in‐noise understanding in older age: The role of inhibitory cortical responses
Authors: Ross Bernhard , Dobri Simon , Schumann Annette 
Published: September 2019

AbstractStudies of central auditory processing underlying speech‐in‐noise (SIN) recognition in aging have mainly concerned the degrading neural representation of speech sound in the auditory brainstem and cortex. Less attention has been paid to the aging‐related decline of inhibitory function, which reduces the ability to suppress distraction from irrelevant sensory input. In a response suppression paradigm, young and older adults listened to sequences of three short sounds during MEG recording. The amplitudes of the cortical P30 response and the 40‐Hz transient gamma response were compared with age, hearing loss and SIN performance. Sensory gating, indicated by the P30 amplitude ratio between the last and the first responses, was reduced in older compared to young listeners. Sensory gating was correlated with age in the older adults but not with hearing loss nor with SIN understanding. The transient gamma response expressed less response suppression. However, the gamma amplitude increased with age and SIN loss. Comparisons of linear multi‐variable modeling showed a stronger brain–behavior relationship between the gamma amplitude and SIN performance than between gamma and age or hearing loss. The findings support the hypothesis that aging‐related changes in the balance between inhibitory and excitatory neural mechanisms modify the generation of gamma oscillations, which impacts on perceptual binding and consequently on SIN understanding abilities. In conclusion, SIN recognition in older age is less affected by central auditory processing at the level of sensation, indicated by sensory gating, but is strongly affected at the level of perceptual organization, indicated by the correlation with the gamma responses.
The relationship of argyrophilic proteins of the nuclear‐organized regions and atopic dermatitis in children
Authors: Gunduz Mehmet , Okan Meliha A. , Sengil Ahmet Z. , Temel Hayrettin , Comert Murat , Okur Mesut 
Published: September 2019

AbstractBackgroundThe argyrophilic proteins of nuclear‐organized regions (AgNOR), visualised with colloidal silver methods as black dots are known as AgNOR. To date, the relationship between AgNOR and cancer and inflammatory conditions has been investigated. However, there has been no report investigating the relationship between AgNOR and atopic dermatitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between atopic dermatitis and AgNOR in paediatric patients.MethodsTwenty‐nine children with atopic dermatitis and 23 healthy children were included in the study. AgNOR test results were analysed prospectively.ResultsThe mean AgNOR number (40.19 ± 21.06) in the patient group was significantly higher than the control group (12.83 ± 10.40) (P < .001).ConclusionsThis study investigated the association between AgNOR and atopic dermatitis for the first time in the literature. In the study, atopic dermatitis and AgNOR were found to be related. In the study, for the first time with the ROC analysis, AgNOR limit values with high sensitivity and specificity levels were determined in the diagnosis of atopic dermatitis.
Arginine methylation augments Sbp1 function in translation repression and decapping
Authors: Bhatter Nupur , Roy Raju , Shah Shanaya , Sastry Sneha P. , Parbin Sabnam , Iyappan Rajan , Kankaria Siddharth , Rajyaguru Purusharth I. 
Published: September 2019

The fate of messenger RNA in cytoplasm plays a crucial role in various cellular processes. However, the mechanisms that decide whether mRNA will be translated, degraded or stored remain unclear. Single stranded nucleic acid binding protein (Sbp1), an Arginine‐Glycine‐Glycine (RGG‐motif) protein, is known to promote transition of mRNA into a repressed state by binding eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4G1 (eIF4G1) and to promote mRNA decapping, perhaps by modulation of Dcp1/2 activity. Sbp1 is known to be methylated on arginine residues in RGG‐motif; however, the functional relevance of this modification in vivo remains unknown. Here, we report that Sbp1 is arginine‐methylated in an hnRNP methyl transferase (Hmt1)‐dependent manner and that methylation is enhanced upon glucose deprivation. Characterization of an arginine‐methylation‐defective (AMD) mutant provided evidence that methylation affects Sbp1 function in vivo. The AMD mutant is compromised in causing growth defect upon overexpression, and the mutant is defective in both localizing to and inducing granule formation. Importantly, the Sbp1‐eIF4G1 interaction is compromised both for the AMD mutant and in the absence of Hmt1. Upon overexpression, wild‐type Sbp1 increases localization of another RGG motif containing protein, Scd6 (suppressor of clathrin deficiency) to granules; however, this property of Sbp1 is compromised in the AMD mutant and in the absence of Hmt1, indicating that Sbp1 repression activity could involve other RGG‐motif translation repressors. Additionally, the AMD mutant fails to increase localization of the decapping activator DEAD box helicase homolog to foci and fails to rescue the decapping defect of a dcp1‐2Δski8 strain, highlighting the role of Sbp1 methylation in decapping. Taken together, these results suggest that arginine methylation modulates Sbp1 role in mRNA fate determination.
Benefits and trade‐offs of replacing synthetic fertilizers by animal manures in crop production in China: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Zhang Xiaoying , Fang Qunchao , Zhang Tao , Ma Wenqi , Velthof Gerard L. , Hou Yong , Oenema Oene , Zhang Fusuo 
Published: September 2019

AbstractRecycling of livestock manure to agricultural land may reduce the use of synthetic fertilizer and thereby enhance the sustainability of food production. However, the effects of substitution of fertilizer by manure on crop yield, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), and emissions of ammonia (NH3), nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) as function of soil and manure properties, experimental duration and application strategies have not been quantified systematically and convincingly yet. Here, we present a meta‐analysis of these effects using results of 143 published studies in China. Results indicate that the partial substitution of synthetic fertilizers by manure significantly increased the yield by 6.6% and 3.3% for upland crop and paddy rice, respectively, but full substitution significantly decreased yields (by 9.6% and 4.1%). The response of crop yields to manure substitution varied with soil pH and experimental durations, with relatively large positive responses in acidic soils and long‐term experiments. NUE increased significantly at a moderate ratio (<40%) of substitution. NH3 emissions were significantly lower with full substitution (62%–77%), but not with partial substitution. Emissions of CH4 from paddy rice significantly increased with substitution ratio (SR), and varied by application rates and manure types, but N2O emissions decreased. The SR did not significantly influence N2O emissions from upland soils, and a relative scarcity of data on certain manure characteristic was found to hamper identification of the mechanisms. We derived overall mean N2O emission factors (EF) of 0.56% and 0.17%, as well as NH3 EFs of 11.1% and 6.5% for the manure N applied to upland and paddy soils, respectively. Our study shows that partial substitution of fertilizer by manure can increase crop yields, and decrease emissions of NH3 and N2O, but depending on site‐specific conditions. Manure addition to paddy rice soils is recommended only if abatement strategies for CH4 emissions are also implemented.
Cumulative biomass curves describe past and present conditions of Large Marine Ecosystems
Authors: Pranovi Fabio , Libralato Simone , Zucchetta Matteo , Anelli Monti Marco , Link Jason S. 
Published: September 2019

AbstractImplementing the Ecosystem Approach in marine ecosystems is moving from preliminary steps—dedicated to defining the optimal features for indicators and developing efficient indicator frameworks—towards an operational phase where multisector marine management decisions are executed using this information. Within this operational context, emergent ecosystem properties are becoming quite promising as they have been demonstrated to be globally widespread and repeatable, and to be quite effective in detecting significant state variations of complex systems. Biomass accumulation across TLs (CumB‐TL) combines two important emergent properties of an ecosystem (energy flow, in terms of transfer efficiency, and storage, expressed as biomass), both amenable to detecting rapid ecosystem change. However, for further application, it is crucial to understand which types of drivers an indicator is sensitive to and how robust it is in relation to modifications of the external conditions and/or the system state. Here we address some outstanding questions of these CumB‐TL curves related to their sensitivity to various drivers by carrying out a global scale assessment (using data from 62 LMEs) over six decades (1950–2010). We confirm the consistency of the S‐pattern across all the LMEs, independent from latitude, ecosystem, environmental conditions, and stress level. The dynamics of the curve shape showed a tendency to stretch (i.e. decrease of steepness), in the presence of external disturbance and conversely to increase in steepness and shift towards higher TL in the case of recovery from stressed conditions. Our results suggest the presence of three main types of ecosystem dynamics, those showing an almost continuous increase in ecological state over time, those showing a continuous decrease in ecological state over time, and finally those showing a mixed behaviour flipping between recovering and degrading phases. These robust patterns suggest that the CumB‐TL curve approach has some useful properties for use in further advancing the implementation of the Ecosystem Approach, allowing us to detect the state of a given marine ecosystem based on the dynamics of its curve shape, by using readily available time series data. The value of being able to identify conditions that might require management actions is quite high and, in many respects, represents the main objective in the context of an Ecosystem Approach, with large applications for detecting and responding to global changes in marine ecosystems.
Ellagic acid, extracted from Sanguisorba officinalis, induces G1 arrest by modulating PTEN activity in B16F10 melanoma cells
Authors: Tan Yi Hsun , Shudo Toshiyuki , Yoshida Tomoki , Sugiyama Yuma , Si Jia Ying , Tsukano Chihiro , Takemoto Yoshiji , Kakizuka Akira 
Published: September 2019

AbstractIn Chinese medicine, herbal medicine is commonly used to treat individuals suffering from many types of diseases. We thus expected that some herbal medicines would contain promising compounds for cancer chemotherapy. Indeed, we found that Sanguisorba officinalis extracts strongly inhibit the growth of B16F10 melanoma cells, and we identified ellagic acid (EA) as the responsible ingredient. B16F10 cells treated with EA exhibited strong G1 arrest accompanied by accumulation of p53, followed by inactivation of AKT. Addition of a PTEN inhibitor, but not a p53 inhibitor, abrogated the EA‐induced AKT inactivation and G1 arrest. The PTEN inhibitor also diminished EA‐induced p53 accumulation. Furthermore, EA apparently increased the protein phosphatase activity of PTEN, as demonstrated by the reduced phosphorylation level of FAK, a protein substrate of PTEN. Furthermore, an in vitro PTEN phosphatase assay on PIP3 showed the direct modulation of PTEN activity by EA. These results suggest that EA functions as an allosteric modulator of PTEN, enhancing its protein phosphatase activity while inhibiting its lipid phosphatase activity. It is notable that a combination of EA and cisplatin, a widely used chemotherapy agent, dramatically enhanced cell death in B16F10 cells, suggesting a promising strategy in chemotherapy.
Tumour immune microenvironment in primary and metastatic papillary renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Eich Marie‐Lisa , Chaux Alcides , Mendoza Rodriguez Maria Angélica , Guner Gunes , Taheri Diana , Rodriguez Pena Maria Del Carmen , Sharma Rajni , Allaf Mohamad E , Netto George J 
Published: September 2019

AimsAmong renal cell carcinoma (RCC) the tumour immune microenvironment has been best characterised in clear cell RCC. In this study we investigated the expression of several immune markers, including PD‐L1, FoxP3 and CD8 in primary and metastatic papillary RCC.Methods and resultsThree tissue microarrays were constructed from 78 cases with primary papillary RCC and paired metastatic tumour (24 cases) from 78 patients treated between 1982 and 2014. Immunohistochemistry analysis was performed using commercially available antibodies for PD‐L1 (clone E1L3N), FoxP3, CD8 and Ki‐67. Markers expression level in tumour and/or associated immune cells was analysed by tissue type (non‐tumour versus primary tumour versus metastatic tumour) and correlated to clinicopathological features and outcome.ConclusionWe found PD‐L1 expression in up to one‐quarter of primary and metastatic papillary RCC. On univariate analysis, CD8/FoxP3 ratio >1 was associated with favourable outcome, whereas papillary RCCs with high numbers of dual CD8/Ki‐67‐positive lymphocytes showed an increased likelihood for tumour progression and overall and cancer‐related mortality. The association of CD8/FoxP3 ratio >1 and high count of CD8/Ki‐67 with outcome remained significant on multivariate analysis when adjusting for stage, grade and patient's age.
The decline and rise of the Kransberg Cape Vulture colony over 35 years has implications for composite population indices and survey frequency
Authors: Benson Patrick C. , McClure Christopher J. W. 
Published: September 2019

Long‐term monitoring is key for detecting population declines. Composite indices allow researchers to combine trends from disparate monitoring programmes into a single estimate of population change. Inferences from composite indices, however, are limited to the time periods and areas studied. We show that the number of breeding pairs in a colony of Cape VulturesGyps coprotheresin South Africa declined between the years 1983 and 2003 but increased in both the number of breeding pairs and fledglings per pair from 2004 to 2017. We performed a retrospective power analysis determining the minimum annual frequency with which the colony could have been monitored without sacrificing inference into population trends. This power analysis revealed the post‐2003 population increase would not have been apparent if we skipped more than 2 years between surveys. We incorporated our estimates into a previously published composite index for Cape Vultures that considered only data collected pre‐2000 and demonstrate that the inference is unchanged if the trend from the decline period or the entire study is incorporated, yet if only the trend during the period of population increase is used, there is no longer a statistically significant decline across the species’ range. Our results demonstrate the utility of long‐term monitoring because if our study had concluded before 2003, there would be little evidence of the current population increase at Kransberg.
Niche dynamics of sympatric non‐breeding shearwaters under varying prey availability
Authors: Carvalho Paloma C. , Davoren Gail K. 
Published: September 2019

Variation in prey availability can cause changes in species interactions among marine predators. Foraging theory predicts that niche breadth will expand when resources become limited, possibly leading to higher niche overlap among sympatric species; however, a species’ niche can become constrained by interactions with other similar species, resulting in an inability to shift niche breadth or position. In coastal Newfoundland, Capelin Mallotus villosus is the main forage fish species and its availability (i.e. biomass) during the summer has varied considerably following a population collapse in the 1990s. During the summer, non‐breeding Great and Sooty Shearwaters Ardenna gravis and A. grisea migrate and aggregate at annually persistent Capelin spawning sites. We used stable isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N) of blood components (plasma, red blood cells) to investigate variation in isotopic niche breadth (95% prediction ellipse areas) and overlap of the two shearwater species during 2014, 2015 and 2016. Capelin availability varied among years, illustrated by lower peak biomass in 2015 (0.126 g/m²) and 2016 (0.027 g/m²) relative to 2014 (0.254 g/m²). The isotopic niche breadth (plasma) of both shearwater species expanded similarly from 2014 (0.65–0.66‰²) to 2015 (2.22–2.57‰²) and 2016 (1.15–1.42‰²), suggesting the incorporation of alternative prey types into their diet during years of lower prey availability. Isotopic niche overlap between Great and Sooty Shearwaters remained high across years (44–63%), however, providing little evidence for dietary niche partitioning during years of lower prey availability. Findings suggest that both shearwater species are flexible foragers and can modify their diet during the non‐breeding season to accommodate fluctuations in prey availability.
Experimental investigation of different morphology textured ceramic tools by in‐situ formed for the dry cutting
Authors: Feng Yihua , Yuan Peidong , Wang Li , Zhang Jiyun , Zhang Jiahui , Zhou Xuan 
Published: September 2019

AbstractSurface texture is considered an important measure to improve the cutting performance of a tool. In this study, we have prepared three types of textured and conventional tools on the rake face by an in‐situ formed method. During the experiment, the best parameters of three types of textured tools were selected for dry cutting AISI 1045 steel at different cutting speeds. Cutting forces, cutting temperatures, workpiece surface roughness, and tool wear were measured during the cutting process. The results showed that textured tools have significantly reduced cutting force, cutting temperature, and tool wear, and the roughness of the workpiece was improved compared with the conventional tool. The micro‐pit texture tool has less stress contact region than the micro‐groove width texture tool, but the micro‐groove width texture tool exhibiting the best cutting performance. This investigation clearly showed that the textured tool prepared by the in‐situ formed method has improved cutting performance.
Enhanced vacuum glazing bonding strength by anodic bonding‐assisted sealing method
Authors: Li Hong , Chen Peng , Zhang Ping , Xiong Dehua , Cao Xin , Shi Lifen , Fang Yueping , Peng Shou 
Published: September 2019

AbstractA novel sealing method of vacuum glazing is introduced in this study. Anodic bonding technology was used to enhance the bonding strength of the sealant of vacuum glazing. Two sheets of plane glass were sealed by V2O5‐P2O5‐TeO2 glass powder with low glass transition temperature (339.3℃) using anodic bonding‐assisted low‐temperature sintering. Through analyzing the results of Shear Strength test, the diagram of microstructures of the sealing bond taken by a micro Super‐depth Microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS), the best bonding treatment schedule was determined for achieving the strongest bond. The experiment results show that anodic bonding has a dramatic influence on bonding performance. When the sealing temperature and bonding time are kept constant, the shear strength of the sample increases by increasing the bonding voltage. With the bonding temperature of 470℃ and the voltage of 600 V, the air tightness of the sealed sample is 3.9 × 10−9 Pa·m3/s. The improved bonding strength can enhance life‐time of vacuum glazing.
Effect of temperature and PH value on the stability of bioactive compounds and antioxidative activity of juice from colour‐fleshed potatoes
Authors: Rytel Elżbieta , Tajner‐Czopek Agnieszka , Kita Agnieszka , Sokół‐Łętowska Anna , Kucharska Alicja Z. , Wojciechowski Wiesław 
Published: September 2019

SummaryThe colour‐fleshed potatoes represent a good raw material for the extraction of juices with a high content of biologically active compounds and a high antioxidant activity. The blue‐fleshed potatoes turned out to be a rich source of total polyphenols, as they had approximately 3.5 times higher content of identified anthocyanidins. Regardless of anthocyanin composition, all juices made of colour‐fleshed potatoes were highly stable. Both, high temperature, exposure time to these temperatures, and medium pH had no significant effect on changes in total polyphenols content of potato juices. The juices examined, especially these made of blue‐fleshed potatoes, demonstrated a higher ABTS+ stability during their heating than during pH changes. In addition, a higher antioxidant activity of juices was determined at neutral and alkaline than at acidic pH value of the medium.
A mixed resilient‐efficient approach toward blood supply chain network design
Authors: Haeri Abdorrahman , Hosseini‐Motlagh Seyyed‐Mahdi , Ghatreh Samani Mohammad Reza , Rezaei Marziehsadat 
Published: September 2019

AbstractUnlike its inherent beneficial attributes, the blood supply chain is very complex due to its uncertain nature and irregular donation besides a high vulnerability to disruptions. In this regard, this study provides a multi‐objective integrated resilient‐efficient model to design a blood supply chain network under uncertainty. To evaluate the efficiency, an augmented form of the data envelopment analysis model is incorporated into the extended model. On the other hand, to improve supply chain resilience, different resiliency measures as optimization tools are introduced and inserted into the considered network. As blood donors have a main role in the blood supply chain, this paper undertakes motivational social aspects to stimulate blood donation for reducing possible shortages. Furthermore, to handle the multi‐objective problem, an interactive fuzzy approach is utilized. Finally, to indicate the applicability of the extended model and its solution approaches, a case study is provided considering realistic data. The results revealed that simultaneously considering all three measures of efficiency, resilience, and cost can assist in improvement of blood supply chain network design and a trade‐off among these three measures can be set by decision maker's preferences.
A biased‐randomized iterated local search for the distributed assembly permutation flow‐shop problem
Authors: Ferone Daniele , Hatami Sara , González‐Neira Eliana M. , Juan Angel A. , Festa Paola 
Published: September 2019

AbstractModern production systems require multiple manufacturing centers—usually distributed among different locations—where the outcomes of each center need to be assembled to generate the final product. This paper discusses the distributed assembly permutation flow‐shop scheduling problem, which consists of two stages: the first stage is composed of several production factories, each of them with a flow‐shop configuration; in the second stage, the outcomes of each flow‐shop are assembled into a final product. The goal here is to minimize the makespan of the entire manufacturing process. With this objective in mind, we present an efficient and parameter‐less algorithm that makes use of a biased‐randomized iterated local search metaheuristic. The efficiency of the proposed method is evaluated through the analysis of an extensive set of computational experiments. The results show that our algorithm offers excellent performance when compared with other state‐of‐the‐art approaches, obtaining several new best solutions.