bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Risk factors for congenital heart defects in two populations residing in the same geographic area: a long-term population-based study, Southern Israel
Authors: Robinson Renana , Stavsky Moshe , Yitshak Sade Maayan , Krymko Hanah , Slanovic Leonel , Novack Victor , Atar Vardi Maya , Broides Arnon , Levitas Aviva 
Published: July 2019

AbstractBackground:Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) are the most common structural defects of newborns. Southern Israel’s population is comprised of Jews (75%) and Arab-Bedouins (25%). The latter has a high rate of consanguinity and low abortion rate compared with the Jewish population, which led us to suspect a higher CHD prevalence in this population. Our aim was to compare maternal risk factors that are associated with CHD in these populations.Methods:All births during 1991–2011 in Soroka University Medical Center (n = 247, 289) with 6078 newborns having CHD were included. To account for same-woman deliveries, general estimating equation models adjusted for ethnicity, gender and birth number were used.Results:The total prevalence of CHD was 24.6/1000 live births, with 21.4 and 30 among Jewish and Bedouin populations, respectively, (p = 0.001). Multi-variant analysis of risk factors for CHD revealed that risk factors common to both populations included conception with fertility medications, sibling CHD, maternal CHD, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and anaemia. Risk factors that were specific for the Bedouin population were – maternal age over 35 years, recurrent pregnancy loss and in vitro fertilisation. However, sibling CHD was more common as a CHD risk factor in the Jewish compared with the Bedouin population (Adjusted OR 10.23 versus 3.19, respectively).Conclusions:The prevalence of CHD is higher in both the Bedouin and Jewish populations than previously reported. Several maternal factors were associated with CHD specifically for a certain population. Risk factors for CHD vary in populations residing in the same geographic area.
Clinical outcomes after the endovascular treatments of pulmonary vein stenosis in patients with congenital heart disease
Authors: Kurita Yoshihiko , Baba Kenji , Kondo Maiko , Eitoku Takahiro , Kasahara Shingo , Iwasaki Tatsuo , Ohtsuki Shinichi , Tsukahara Hirokazu 
Published: July 2019

AbstractBackground:Pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) is a condition with challenging treatment and leads to severe cardiac failure and pulmonary hypertension. Despite aggressive surgical or catheter-based intervention, the prognosis of PVS is unsatisfactory. This study aimed to assess the prognosis and to establish appropriate treatment strategies.Methods:We retrospectively reviewed endovascular treatments for PVS (2001–2017) from the clinical database at the Okayama University Hospital.Results:A total of 24 patients underwent PVS associated with total anomalous pulmonary venous connection and 7 patients underwent isolated congenital PVS. In total, 53 stenotic pulmonary veins were subjected to endovascular treatments; 40 of them were stented by hybrid (29) and percutaneous procedures (11) (bare-metal stent, n = 34; drug-eluting stent, n = 9). Stent size of hybrid stenting was larger than percutaneous stenting. Median follow-up duration from the onset of PVS was 24 months (4–134 months). Survival rate was 71 and 49% at 1 and 5 years, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between stent placement and survival; however, patients who underwent bare-metal stent implantation had statistically better survival than those who underwent drug-eluting stent implantation or balloon angioplasty. Early onset of stenosis, timing of stenting, and small vessel diameter of pulmonary vein before stenting were considered as risk factors for in-stent restenosis. Freedom from re-intervention was 50 and 26% at 1 and 2 years.Conclusions:To improve survival and stent patency, implantation of large stent is important. However, re-intervention after stenting is also significant to obtain good outcome.
Political disagreement and vote volatility: the role of familism across different European countries
Authors: Mancosu Moreno , Hopmann David N. 
Published: July 2019

AbstractInterpersonal influence shapes political behavior and attitudes. So far, however, little efforts have been devoted to testing this mechanism comparatively in Europe. This paper aims at explaining differences in influence patterns in three European countries (Italy, Germany, and the UK). Based on works in demography, we argue that in Mediterranean cultures (characterized by high degrees of familism), people are more prone to be affected by attitudes and behaviors of their relatives with respect to other strong ties (e.g., spouses), while in continental, northern Europe, and the UK, this effect is less important. We test this argument using longitudinal data. Consistent with expectations, results show that the influence of relatives in familistic contexts is stronger than in non-familistic ones. At the same time, the spouse effect (namely, the effect of an intimate, non-relative discussant) is particularly strong in non-familistic contexts (and vice versa). In sum, we demonstrate that public opinion studies can be strengthened by theories developed in other social sciences, such as demography.
Co-Twin Control Studies: Natural Events, Experimental Interventions and Rare Happenings/Twin Research: Cancer Risk in Overweight Twins; Prognosis After Fetal Loss of One Twin; Twin Concordance for Parkinson’s Disease; Neuroanatomy of Musically Discordant MZ Twins/News Articles: Twin Birth with Two Wombs; Twins’ Prenatal Interactions; Switched-at-Birth Twins; Fetus-in-Fetu; Unsolved Paternity
Authors: Segal Nancy L. 
Published: July 2019

AbstractCo-twin control is a well-known methodological twin research design, but its variations and complexities are less well known. Various issues and illustrations are presented with reference to studies involving natural events, experimental interventions and rare happenings that underlie monozygotic (MZ) twins’ environmental differences. This discussion is followed by summaries of recent twin research pertaining to cancer risk in overweight twins, the physical risk to surviving twins after fetal loss of a co-twin, a 20-year update of twin concordance for Parkinson’s disease, and neuroanatomical differences in musically discordant MZ twin pairs. Several twin-related items that have attracted attention in the news are also summarized.
Hybrid Mass Balance/4D‐Var Joint Inversion of NOx and SO2 Emissions in East Asia
Authors: Qu Zhen , Henze Daven K. , Theys Nicolas , Wang Jun , Wang Wei 
Published: July 2019

AbstractAccurate estimates of NOx and SO2 emissions are important for air quality modeling and management. To incorporate chemical interactions of the two species in emission estimates, we develop a joint hybrid inversion framework to estimate their emissions in China and India (2005–2012). Pseudo observation tests and posterior evaluation with surface measurements demonstrate that joint assimilation of SO2 and NO2 can provide more accurate constraints on emissions than single‐species inversions. This occurs through synergistic change of O3 and OH concentrations, particularly in conditions where satellite retrievals of the species being optimized have large uncertainties. The percentage changes of joint posterior emissions from the single‐species posterior emissions go up to 242% at grid scales, although the national average of monthly emissions, seasonality, and interannual variations are similar. In China and India, the annual budget of joint posterior SO2 emissions is lower, but joint NOx posterior emissions are higher, because NOx emissions increase to increase SO2 concentration and better match Ozone Monitoring Instrument SO2 observations in high‐NOx regions. Joint SO2 posterior emissions decrease by 16.5% from 2008 to 2012, while NOx posterior emissions increase by 24.9% from 2005 to 2011 in China—trends which are consistent with the MEIC inventory. Joint NOx and SO2 posterior emissions in India increase by 15.9% and 19.2% from 2005 to 2012, smaller than the 59.9% and 76.2% growth rate using anthropogenic emissions from EDGARv4.3.2. This work shows the benefit and limitation of joint assimilation in emission estimates and provides an efficient framework to perform the inversion.
Creation of the GSFCSSI2 Composite Solar Spectral Irradiance Data Set
Authors: DeLand Matthew T. , Floyd Linton E. , Marchenko Sergey , Tiruchirapalli Ramaswamy 
Published: July 2019

AbstractSolar spectral irradiance (SSI) is a key driver for the Earth's energy budget. Characterizing the spectral and temporal variations in SSI from measurements over multiple decades relies on the creation of a composite SSI product that merges data from multiple instruments. The V1 composite SSI product created by DeLand and Cebula (2008, https://doi.org/10.1029/98JD01204) provides daily spectra covering 120–400 nm by combining data from six instruments but ends in July 2005. We have developed an improved composite SSI product, designated GSFCSSI2, that extends to the present by incorporating additional SSI data sets from the NOAA‐16 SBUV/2, Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), and SORCE SOLSTICE instruments. The NOAA‐16 SBUV/2 SSI data set is a new product that fills a data gap at 170–400 nm in 2005–2006, while the Aura OMI SSI data set represents an improvement over previously published measurements and covers the time period 2006–2018. The SORCE SOLSTICE SSI data set provides data coverage down to 120 nm for the time period 2005–2018. The new GSFCSSI2 composite now spans almost 40 years (November 1978–April 2018) and extends observational coverage into the visible region (500 nm) with OMI data. Comparisons with the NRLSSI2 modelled SSI data set show typical agreement to within ±5% between 120 and 170 nm, ±2%–3% between 170 and 300 nm, and ±1.5% or better between 300 and 500 nm. The GSFCSSI2 composite SSI product is an element of the NASA Solar Irradiance Science Team program and can be further improved by incorporating other data sets being produced through that effort.
Toward Large‐Eddy Simulations of Dust Devils of Observed Intensity: Effects of Grid Spacing, Background Wind, and Surface Heterogeneities
Authors: Giersch S. , Brast M. , Hoffmann F. , Raasch S. 
Published: July 2019

AbstractDust devils are convective vortices with a vertical axis of rotation made visible by lifted soil particles. Currently, there is great uncertainty about the extent to which dust devils contribute to the atmospheric aerosol input and thereby influence Earth's radiation budget. Past efforts to quantify the aerosol transport and study their formation, maintenance, and statistics using large‐eddy simulation (LES) have been of limited success. Therefore, some important features of dust devil‐like vortices simulated with LES still do not compare well with those of observed ones. One major difference is the simulated value of the core pressure drop, which is almost 1 order of magnitude smaller compared to the observed range of 250 to 450 Pa. However, most of the existing numerical simulations are based on highly idealized setups and coarse grid spacings. In this study, we investigate the effects of various factors on the simulated vortex strength with high‐resolution LES. For the fist time, we are able to reproduce observed core pressures by using a high spatial resolution of 2 m, a model setup with moderate background wind and a spatially heterogeneous surface heat flux. It is found that vortices mainly appear at the lines of horizontal flow convergence above the centers of the strongly heated patches, which is in contrast to some older observations in which vortices seemed to be created along the patch edges.
Mesenchymal stem cells prevent the progression of diabetic nephropathy by improving mitochondrial function in tubular epithelial cells
Authors: Lee Seung Eun , Jang Jung Eun , Kim Hyun Sik , Jung Min Kyo , Ko Myoung Seok , Kim Mi-Ok , Park Hye Sun , Oh Wonil , Choi Soo Jin , Jin Hye Jin , Kim Sang-Yeob , Kim Yun Jae , Kim Seong Who , Kim Min Kyung , Sung Chang Ohk , Pack Chan-Gi , Lee Ki-Up , Koh Eun Hee 
Published: July 2019

AbstractThe administration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) was shown to attenuate overt as well as early diabetic nephropathy in rodents, but the underlying mechanism of this beneficial effect is largely unknown. Inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction are major pathogenic factors in diabetic nephropathy. In this study, we found that the repeated administration of MSCs prevents albuminuria and injury to tubular epithelial cells (TECs), an important element in the progression of diabetic nephropathy, by improving mitochondrial function. The expression of M1 macrophage markers was significantly increased in diabetic kidneys compared with that in control kidneys. Interestingly, the expression of arginase-1 (Arg1), an important M2 macrophage marker, was reduced in diabetic kidneys and increased by MSC treatment. In cultured TECs, conditioned media from lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophages reduced peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1α (Pgc1a) expression and impaired mitochondrial function. The coculture of macrophages with MSCs increased and decreased the expression of Arg1 and M1 markers, respectively. Treatment with conditioned media from cocultured macrophages prevented activated macrophage-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in TECs. In the absence of MSC coculture, Arg1 overexpression in macrophages reversed Pgc1a suppression in TECs. These observations suggest that MSCs prevent the progression of diabetic nephropathy by reversing mitochondrial dysfunction in TECs via the induction of Arg1 in macrophages.
iOmicsPASS: network-based integration of multiomics data for predictive subnetwork discovery
Authors: Koh Hiromi W. L. , Fermin Damian , Vogel Christine , Choi Kwok Pui , Ewing Rob M. , Choi Hyungwon 
Published: July 2019

AbstractComputational tools for multiomics data integration have usually been designed for unsupervised detection of multiomics features explaining large phenotypic variations. To achieve this, some approaches extract latent signals in heterogeneous data sets from a joint statistical error model, while others use biological networks to propagate differential expression signals and find consensus signatures. However, few approaches directly consider molecular interaction as a data feature, the essential linker between different omics data sets. The increasing availability of genome-scale interactome data connecting different molecular levels motivates a new class of methods to extract interactive signals from multiomics data. Here we developed iOmicsPASS, a tool to search for predictive subnetworks consisting of molecular interactions within and between related omics data types in a supervised analysis setting. Based on user-provided network data and relevant omics data sets, iOmicsPASS computes a score for each molecular interaction, and applies a modified nearest shrunken centroid algorithm to the scores to select densely connected subnetworks that can accurately predict each phenotypic group. iOmicsPASS detects a sparse set of predictive molecular interactions without loss of prediction accuracy compared to alternative methods, and the selected network signature immediately provides mechanistic interpretation of the multiomics profile representing each sample group. Extensive simulation studies demonstrate clear benefit of interaction-level modeling. iOmicsPASS analysis of TCGA/CPTAC breast cancer data also highlights new transcriptional regulatory network underlying the basal-like subtype as positive protein markers, a result not seen through analysis of individual omics data.
Assessing the extent of citrus trees root apparatus under deficit irrigation via multi-method geo-electrical imaging
Authors: Mary Benjamin , Vanella Daniela , Consoli Simona , Cassiani Giorgio 
Published: July 2019

AbstractTree rooting strategies are driven by external and internal factors such as climate conditions (rain frequency, wind direction), soil structure and crop type. In order to ensure water efficiency for irrigated crops, it is essential to know how each crop adapts its rooting strategy. We couple Mise-a-la-masse (MALM) with Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) for investigating orange tree roots undergoing different irrigation strategies (Partial Root-zone Drying – or PRD - versus Full Irrigation). This is a totally novel approach giving an overall picture of roots structure and functioning in the subsoil. Our results show clear differences of rooting extent between different irrigation strategies, and identify privileged direction of root development due to distinct RWU patterns. These results are corroborated also by seasonal monitoring of evapotranspiration (ET) and soil water content (SWC), which exhibit very large differences in the soil water distribution in space and time for the trees undergoing different irrigation schedules.
Ag Nanoparticles/α-Ag2WO4 Composite Formed by Electron Beam and Femtosecond Irradiation as Potent Antifungal and Antitumor Agents
Authors: Assis M. , Robeldo T. , Foggi C. C. , Kubo A. M. , Mínguez-Vega G. , Condoncillo E. , Beltran-Mir H. , Torres-Mendieta R. , Andrés J. , Oliva M. , Vergani C. E. , Barbugli P. A. , Camargo E. R. , Borra R. C. , Longo E. 
Published: July 2019

AbstractThe ability to manipulate the structure and function of promising systems via external stimuli is emerging with the development of reconfigurable and programmable multifunctional materials. Increasing antifungal and antitumor activity requires novel, effective treatments to be diligently sought. In this work, the synthesis, characterization, andin vitrobiological screening of pure α-Ag2WO4, irradiated with electrons and with non-focused and focused femtosecond laser beams are reported. We demonstrate, for the first time, that Ag nanoparticles/α-Ag2WO4composite displays potent antifungal and antitumor activity. This composite had an extreme low inhibition concentration againstCandida albicans, cause the modulation of α-Ag2WO4perform the fungicidal activity more efficient. For tumor activity, it was found that the composite showed a high selectivity against the cancer cells (MB49), thus depleting the populations of cancer cells by necrosis and apoptosis, without the healthy cells (BALB/3T3) being affected.
Telomere DNA length-dependent regulation of DNA replication timing at internal late replication origins
Authors: Hasegawa Yudai , Yamamoto Mayuko , Miyamori Junki , Kanoh Junko 
Published: July 2019

AbstractDNA replication is initiated at replication origins on chromosomes at their scheduled time during S phase of the cell cycle. Replication timing control is highly conserved among eukaryotes but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Recent studies have revealed that some telomere-binding proteins regulate replication timing at late-replicating origins throughout the genome. To investigate the molecular basis of this process, we analyzed the effects of excessive elongation of telomere DNA on replication timing by deleting telomere-associated shelterin proteins in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. We found that rap1∆ and poz1∆ cells showed abnormally accelerated replication at internal late origins but not at subtelomere regions. These defects were suppressed by removal of telomere DNA and by deletion of the telomere-binding protein Taz1. Furthermore, Sds21—a counter protein phosphatase against Dbf4-dependent kinase (DDK)—accumulated at elongated telomeres in a Taz1-dependent manner but was depleted at internal late origins, indicating that highly elongated telomeres sequester Sds21 at telomeres and perturb replication timing at internal regions. These results demonstrate that telomere DNA length is an important determinant of replication timing at internal regions of chromosomes in eukaryotes.
Unveiling the presence of biosynthetic pathways for bioactive compounds in the Thalassiosira rotula transcriptome
Authors: Di Dato Valeria , Di Costanzo Federica , Barbarinaldi Roberta , Perna Anna , Ianora Adrianna , Romano Giovanna 
Published: July 2019

AbstractDiatoms are phytoplankton eukaryotic microalgae that are widely distributed in the world’s oceans and are responsible for 20–25% of total carbon fixation on the planet. Using transcriptome sequencing here we show for the first time that the ubiquitous diatom Thalassiosira rotula expresses biosynthetic pathways that potentially lead to the synthesis of interesting secondary metabolites with pharmaceutical applications such as polyketides, prostaglandins and secologanin. We also show that these pathways are differentially expressed in conditions of silica depletion in comparison with standard growth conditions.
A multicentric evaluation of dipstick test for serodiagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Ethiopia and Spain
Authors: Ejazi Sarfaraz Ahmad , Ghosh Sneha , Saha Samiran , Choudhury Somsubhra Thakur , Bhattacharyya Anirban , Chatterjee Mitali , Pandey Krishna , Das V. N. R. , Das Pradeep , Rahaman Mehebubar , Goswami Rama Prosad , Rai Keshav , Khanal Basudha , Bhattarai Narayan Raj , Deepachandi Bhagya , Siriwardana Yamuna Deepani , Karunaweera Nadira D. , deBrito Maria Edileuza Felinto , Gomes Yara de Miranda , Nakazawa Mineo , Costa Carlos Henrique Nery , Adem Emebet , Yeshanew Arega , Melkamu Roma , Fikre Helina , Hurissa Zewdu , Diro Ermias , Carrillo Eugenia , Moreno Javier , Ali Nahid 
Published: July 2019

AbstractVisceral leishmaniasis (VL) is one of the leading infectious diseases affecting developing countries. Colloidal gold-based diagnostic tests are rapid tools to detect blood/serum antibodies for VL diagnosis. Lack of uniformity in the performance of these tests in different endemic regions is a hurdle in early disease diagnosis. This study is designed to validate a serum-based dipstick test in eight centres of six countries, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Ethiopia and Spain with archived and fresh sera from 1003 subjects. The dipstick detects antibodies againstLeishmania donovanimembrane antigens (LAg). The overall sensitivity and specificity of the test with 95% confidence intervals were found to be 97.10% and 93.44%, respectively. The test showed good sensitivity and specificity in the Indian subcontinent (>95%). In Brazil, Ethiopia, and Spain the sensitivity and specificity of the dipstick test (83.78–100% and 79.06–100%) were better as compared to the earlier reports of the performance of rK39 rapid test in these regions. Interestingly, less cross-reactivity was found with the cutaneous form of the disease in Spain, Brazil, and Sri Lanka demonstrating 91.58% specificity. This dipstick test can therefore be a useful tool for diagnosing VL from other symptomatically similar diseases and against cutaneous form of leishmaniasis.