bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Neutrophil maturation rate determines the effects of dipeptidyl peptidase 1 inhibition on neutrophil serine protease activity
Authors: Gardiner P , Wikell C , Clifton S , Shearer J , Benjamin A , Peters S A 
Published: May 2016

Background and PurposeNeutrophil serine proteases (NSPs) are activated by dipeptidyl peptidase 1 (DPP1) during neutrophil maturation. The effects of neutrophil turnover rate on NSP activity following DPP1 inhibition was studied in a rat pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model.Experimental ApproachRats were treated with a DPP1 inhibitor twice daily for up to 14 days; NSP activity was measured in onset or recovery studies, and an indirect response model was fitted to the data to estimate the turnover rate of the response.Key ResultsMaximum NSP inhibition was achieved after 8 days of treatment and a reduction of around 75% NSP activity was achieved at 75% in vitro DPP1 inhibition. Both the rate of inhibition and recovery of NSP activity were consistent with a neutrophil turnover rate of between 4–6 days. Using human neutrophil turnover rate, it is predicted that maximum NSP inhibition following DPP1 inhibition takes around 20 days in human.Conclusions and ImplicationsFollowing inhibition of DPP1 in the rat, the NSP activity was determined by the amount of DPP1 inhibition and the turnover of neutrophils and is thus supportive of the role of neutrophil maturation in the activation of NSPs. Clinical trials to monitor the effect of a DPP1 inhibitor on NSPs should take into account the delay in maximal response on the one hand as well as the potential delay in a return to baseline NSP levels following cessation of treatment.
Environmental justice in the environmental non‐governmental organization landscape of Toronto (Canada)
Authors: Teelucksingh Cheryl , Poland Blake , Buse Chris , Hasdell Rebecca 
Published: May 2016

Key Messages

Energy policy in Toronto needs to be sensitive to residents' different social and economic positions.
The study's findings highlight the extent to which ENGOs are adopting environmental justice in Toronto.
In Toronto's neoliberal context, ENGOs have a bridging role between the state and communities.
Imitation, Collaboration, and Their Interaction Among Western and Indigenous Australian Preschool Children
Authors: Nielsen Mark , Mushin Ilana , Tomaselli Keyan , Whiten Andrew 
Published: May 2016

This study explored how overimitation and collaboration interact in 3‐ to 6‐year‐old children in Westernized (N = 48 in Experiment 1; N = 26 in Experiment 2) and Indigenous Australian communities (N = 26 in Experiment 2). Whether working in pairs or on their own rates of overimitation did not differ. However, when the causal functions of modeled actions were unclear, the Indigenous Australian children collaborated at enhanced rates compared to the Western children. When the causal role of witnessed actions was identifiable, collaboration rates were correlated with production of causally unnecessary actions, but in the Indigenous Australian children only. This study highlights how children employ imitation and collaboration when acquiring new skills and how the latter can be influenced by task structure and cultural background.
Maternal total T4 during the first half of pregnancy: physiologic aspects and the risk of adverse outcomes in comparison with free T4
Authors: Korevaar Tim I. M. , Chaker Layal , Medici Marco , de Rijke Yolanda B. , Jaddoe Vincent W. V. , Steegers Eric A. P. , Tiemeier Henning , Visser Theo J. , Peeters Robin P. 
Published: May 2016

SummaryAimWe aimed to investigate TT4 physiological aspects and associations with clinical end‐points.BackgroundTotal T4 (TT4) has been suggested as a marker for maternal thyroid function during pregnancy because as compared to FT4 (i) TT4 measurement is not affected by binding protein interference, (ii) TT4 is considered to be more stable from the second trimester onwards, and (iii) TT4 better reflects changes in the hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid axis. However, this is based on data from small studies, and, more importantly, it is unknown whether TT4 is associated with adverse pregnancy or child outcomes.MethodsWe selected 5647 mother–child pairs from a large population‐based prospective cohort with data on maternal TSH, FT4 and TT4 during early pregnancy (median 13·2 weeks, 95% range 9·8–17·6). We used multivariable (non)linear and logistic regression models to study the association of maternal TT4 with pre‐eclampsia, premature delivery, birthweight and offspring IQ and compare the results with previously obtained results for FT4.ResultsThe change of mean TT4 levels was 27·5% compared to 20·2% for FT4. There was a log‐linear association of TT4 and FT4 with TSH, but the explained variability of TSH was much lower for TT4 than for FT4 (R‐squared TT4: 2·5% vs 8·0% for FT4). In contrast to FT4, there was no independent association of maternal TT4 with pre‐eclampsia, premature delivery, birthweight or offspring IQ.ConclusionMaternal TT4 levels are highly variable in the first half of pregnancy and are poorly related to maternal TSH. This study shows that maternal TT4 levels are either not associated, or not better associated as compared to FT4, with adverse pregnancy or child outcomes. This suggests that the maternal TT4 is inferior to FT4 in the assessment of maternal thyroid function during the first half of pregnancy.
Prediction of outcome by lymph node ratio in patients with parotid gland cancer
Authors: Meyer M.F. , Kreppel M. , Meinrath J. , Grünewald I. , Stenner M. , Drebber U. , Quaas A. , Odenthal M. , Semrau R. , Huebbers C.U. , Zöller J. , Huettenbrink K‐B. , Buettner R. , Beutner D. 
Published: May 2016

ObjectiveLymph node ratio (LNR) has been shown to be an independent predictor of recurrence risk and survival in different entities of carcinoma.MethodsIn this retrospective chart review, 128 patients with parotid gland cancer (PGC) subsequently treated by primary surgery were included. About 64% (n = 82) of these patients were additionally treated with adjuvant radiotherapy. Five‐year overall survival rates were determined by subgroups based on LNR value.ResultsLymph node ratio was found to be significantly associated with overall survival rate (P < 0.001). Using univariate analyses, pathological tumour‐node‐metastasis (TNM)‐stage, UICC‐stage grouping and extracapsular spread were found to be significant predictors of overall survival (P < 0.001). However, with a multivariate analyses, LNR remained the only independent predictor of overall survival (P = 0.043).ConclusionsAfter surgery for PGC, evaluation of the neck using LNR was found to reliably stratify the overall survival rate.
Changes in bird‐migration patterns associated with human‐induced mortality
Authors: Palacín Carlos , Alonso Juan C. , Martín Carlos A. , Alonso Javier A. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractMany bird populations have recently changed their migratory behavior in response to alterations of the environment. We collected data over 16 years on male Great Bustards (Otis tarda), a species showing a partial migratory pattern (sedentary and migratory birds coexisting in the same breeding groups). We conducted population counts and radio tracked 180 individuals to examine differences in survival rates between migratory and sedentary individuals and evaluate possible effects of these differences on the migratory pattern of the population. Overall, 65% of individuals migrated and 35% did not. The average distance between breeding and postbreeding areas of migrant individuals was 89.9 km, and the longest average movement of sedentary males was 3.8 km. Breeding group and migration distance had no effect on survival. However, mortality of migrants was 2.4 to 3.5 times higher than mortality of sedentary birds. For marked males, collision with power lines was the main cause of death from unnatural causes (37.6% of all deaths), and migratory birds died in collisions with power lines more frequently than sedentary birds (21.3% vs 6.3%). The percentage of sedentary individuals increased from 17% in 1997 to 45% in 2012. These results were consistent with data collected from radio‐tracked individuals: The proportion of migratory individuals decreased from 86% in 1997–1999 to 44% in 2006–2010. The observed decrease in the migratory tendency was not related to climatic changes (temperatures did not change over the study period) or improvements in habitat quality (dry cereal farmland area decreased in the main study area). Our findings suggest that human‐induced mortality during migration may be an important factor shaping the migration patterns of species inhabiting humanized landscapes.
Are Children with Siblings Really More Vulnerable Than Only Children in Health, Cognition and Non‐cognitive Outcomes? Evidence from a Multi‐province Dataset in China
Authors: Zhou Hua , Mo Di , Luo Renfu , Yue Ai , Rozelle Scott 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThe general goal of the present study is to analyze whether children with siblings lag behind their only‐child counterparts in terms of health and nutrition, cognition and educational performance, and non‐cognitive outcomes. We draw on a dataset containing 25 871 observations constructed from three school‐level surveys spanning four provinces in China. The analysis compares children with siblings and only children aged 9 to 14 years old in terms of eight different health, cognitive and non‐cognitive indicators. We find that with the exception of the anemia rate, health outcomes of children with siblings are statistically indistinguishable from those of only children. In terms of cognition, children with siblings performed better than only children. Moreover, outcomes of children with siblings are statistically indistinguishable from those of only children in terms of the non‐cognitive outcomes provided by measures of anxiety. According to our results, the same general findings are true regardless of whether the difference between children with and without siblings is disaggregated by gender.
Educational Expectations and Dropout Behavior among Junior High Students in Rural China
Authors: Chang Fang , Min Wenbin , Shi Yaojiang , Kenny Kaleigh , Loyalka Prashant 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThe high level of dropout from junior high school is one of the most serious challenges facing the human capital development of the next generation of workers in China's rural areas. The goal of this paper is to assess to what extent the educational expectations of students are correlated with dropout behavior at the junior high school level in China. Using panel data, this research finds that the cumulative dropout rate is high among grade 7 and 8 students within our sample (as high as 19.5 percent, which implies a 3‐year dropout rate of around 25 percent). Importantly, we find that this high rate of dropout is significantly correlated with students' educational expectations. Specifically, students who reported their expected level of education is “less than high school” or “less than college” are five times and four times more likely to drop out during junior high school than their peers, respectively.
What makes some fisheries references highly cited?
Authors: Branch Trevor A , Linnell Allison E 
Published: May 2016

AbstractWe identify the 199 most‐cited fisheries references up to July 2014, topped by Nelson's Fishes of the World. Few book chapters, databases or reports were included, but review articles and field guides were over‐represented. Publishing in Science, Nature or Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA is associated with a 34‐fold increase in the probability of an article being highly cited, but many highly cited references were also published in journals with impact factors under eight. Proportional contributions to references, taking into account number of authors, author order and other key factors, revealed Bill Ricker and John Roland Brett as the greatest individual contributors, and the US, Canada and the UK as greatest country contributors, with Canada significantly over‐represented. Female representation on the list was historically low before increasing to 21% in the 1990s, and reflected gender changes in the field of fisheries. When compared to >2000 control papers published in the same journal and year, highly cited fisheries papers were significantly longer (20.4 vs. 9.8 pages) and had more authors (5.8 vs. 4.3), references (118 vs. 51), tables and total illustrations; these differences were greater when high‐profile general journals were excluded, but lower when calculated on a per‐page basis. References with more than six authors jumped from 0 to 27% in 2000, coinciding with a rapid uptake of email among fisheries scientists. Overall, we find no shortcut to publishing highly cited references: they require substantial time, effort and knowledge invested in new hypotheses, textbooks, field guides, new discoveries, broad meta‐analyses, new methods and reviews.
Spatially explicit estimates of N2O emissions from croplands suggest climate mitigation opportunities from improved fertilizer management
Authors: Gerber James S. , Carlson Kimberly M. , Makowski David , Mueller Nathaniel D. , Garcia de Cortazar‐Atauri Iñaki , Havlík Petr , Herrero Mario , Launay Marie , O'Connell Christine S. , Smith Pete , West Paul C. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractWith increasing nitrogen (N) application to croplands required to support growing food demand, mitigating N2O emissions from agricultural soils is a global challenge. National greenhouse gas emissions accounting typically estimates N2O emissions at the country scale by aggregating all crops, under the assumption that N2O emissions are linearly related to N application. However, field studies and meta‐analyses indicate a nonlinear relationship, in which N2O emissions are relatively greater at higher N application rates. Here, we apply a super‐linear emissions response model to crop‐specific, spatially explicit synthetic N fertilizer and manure N inputs to provide subnational accounting of global N2O emissions from croplands. We estimate 0.66 Tg of N2O‐N direct global emissions circa 2000, with 50% of emissions concentrated in 13% of harvested area. Compared to estimates from the IPCC Tier 1 linear model, our updated N2O emissions range from 20% to 40% lower throughout sub‐Saharan Africa and Eastern Europe, to >120% greater in some Western European countries. At low N application rates, the weak nonlinear response of N2O emissions suggests that relatively large increases in N fertilizer application would generate relatively small increases in N2O emissions. As aggregated fertilizer data generate underestimation bias in nonlinear models, high‐resolution N application data are critical to support accurate N2O emissions estimates.
Shape selection in Landsat time series: a tool for monitoring forest dynamics
Authors: Moisen Gretchen G. , Meyer Mary C. , Schroeder Todd A. , Liao Xiyue , Schleeweis Karen G. , Freeman Elizabeth A. , Toney Chris 
Published: May 2016

AbstractWe present a new methodology for fitting nonparametric shape‐restricted regression splines to time series of Landsat imagery for the purpose of modeling, mapping, and monitoring annual forest disturbance dynamics over nearly three decades. For each pixel and spectral band or index of choice in temporal Landsat data, our method delivers a smoothed rendition of the trajectory constrained to behave in an ecologically sensible manner, reflecting one of seven possible ‘shapes’. It also provides parameters summarizing the patterns of each change including year of onset, duration, magnitude, and pre‐ and postchange rates of growth or recovery. Through a case study featuring fire, harvest, and bark beetle outbreak, we illustrate how resultant fitted values and parameters can be fed into empirical models to map disturbance causal agent and tree canopy cover changes coincident with disturbance events through time. We provide our code in the r package ShapeSelectForest on the Comprehensive R Archival Network and describe our computational approaches for running the method over large geographic areas. We also discuss how this methodology is currently being used for forest disturbance and attribute mapping across the conterminous United States.
Relevance of environmental impact categories for perennial biomass production
Authors: Wagner Moritz , Lewandowski Iris 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThe decarbonization of the economy will require large quantities of biomass for energy and biomaterials. This biomass should be produced in sufficient quantities and in a sustainable way. Perennial crops in particular are often cited in this context as having low environmental impacts. One example of such crops is miscanthus, a tall perennial rhizomatous C4 grass with high yield potential. There are many studies which have assessed the global warming potential (GWP) of miscanthus cultivation. This is an important impact category which can be used to quantify the environmental benefit of perennial crops. However, the GWP only describes one impact of many. Therefore, the hypothesis of this study was that a holistic assessment also needs to include other impact categories. A life cycle assessment (LCA) with a normalization step was conducted for perennial crops to identify relevant impact categories. This assessed the environmental impact of both miscanthus and willow cultivation and the subsequent combustion for heat production in eighteen categories using a system expansion approach. This approach enables the inclusion of fossil reference system hot spots and thus the evaluation of the net benefits and impacts of perennial crops. The normalized results clearly show the benefits of the substitution of fossil fuels by miscanthus or willow biomass in several impact categories (e.g. for miscanthus: climate change −303.47 kg CO2 eq./MWhth; terrestrial acidification: −0.22 kg SO2 eq./MWhth). Negative impacts however occur, for example, in the impact categories marine ecotoxicity and human toxicity (e.g. for miscanthus: +1.20 kg 1.4‐DB eq./MWhth and +68.00 kg 1.4‐DB eq./MWhth, respectively). The results of this study clearly demonstrate the necessity of including more impact categories than the GWP in order to be able to assess the net benefits and impacts of the cultivation and utilization of perennial plants holistically.
The Spending Multiplier in the Medium Run
Authors: Strulik Holger , Trimborn Timo 
Published: May 2016

Abstract
Most of the discussion about fiscal stimulus focuses on the multiplier of government spending on impact. In this paper we shift the focus to the multiplier at the end, i.e., to the period in which a deficit spending program terminates. We show that recent time-series analyses and neoclassical as well new Keynesian business cycle models predict that the multiplier turns negative before spending expires. This means that aggregate output at the time of expiry of fiscal stimulus is lower than it could be without deficit spending. Here, we show why this phenomenon is a general outcome of mainstream business cycle theory and explain the underlying mechanism. Using phase diagram analysis, we prove that the aggregate capital stock at the time of expiry of fiscal stimulus is lower than it would be without a deficit spending program. This fact explains why aggregate output is below its laissez faire level as well.
Identification and molecular docking studies for novel inverse agonists of SREB, super conserved receptor expressed in brain
Authors: Yanai Toshihiro , Kurosawa Aya , Nikaido Yoshiaki , Nakajima Nozomi , Saito Tamio , Osada Hiroyuki , Konno Ayumu , Hirai Hirokazu , Takeda Shigeki 
Published: May 2016

The identification of novel synthetic ligands for G protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs) is important not only for understanding human physiology, but also for the development of novel drugs, especially for orphan GPCRs for which endogenous ligands are unknown. One of the orphan GPCR subfamilies, Super conserved Receptor Expressed in Brain (SREB), consists of GPR27, GPR85 and GPR173 and is expressed in the central nervous system. We report herein the identification of inverse agonists for the SREB family without their agonists. We carried out an in vitro screening of 5472 chemical compounds from the RIKEN NPDepo chemical library. The binding of [35S]GTPγS to the GPR173–Gsα fusion protein expressed in Sf9 cells was measured and resulted in the identification of 8 novel GPR173 inverse agonists. The most potent compound showed an IC50 of approximately 8 μm. The identified compounds were also antagonists for other SREB members, GPR27 and GPR85. These results indicated that the SREB family could couple Gs‐type G proteins, and SREB–Gsα fusion proteins showed significant constitutive activities. Moreover, a molecular model of GPR173 was constructed using the screening results. The combination of computational and biological methods will provide a unique approach to ligand identification for orphan GPCRs and brain research.
Systemic inflammation and liver damage in HIV/hepatitis C virus coinfection
Authors: Shmagel KV , Saidakova EV , Shmagel NG , Korolevskaya LB , Chereshnev VA , Robinson J , Grivel J‐C , Douek DC , Margolis L , Anthony DD , Lederman MM 
Published: May 2016

ObjectivesChronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV viral infections are characterized by systemic inflammation. Yet the relative levels, drivers and correlates of inflammation in these settings are not well defined.MethodsSeventy‐nine HIV‐infected patients who had been receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) for more than 2 years and who had suppressed plasma HIV levels (< 50 HIV‐1 RNA copies/mL) were included in the study. Two patient groups, HCV‐positive/HIV‐positive and HCV‐negative/HIV‐positive, and a control group comprised of healthy volunteers (n = 20) were examined. Markers of systemic inflammation [interleukin (IL)‐6, interferon gamma‐induced protein (IP)‐10, soluble tumour necrosis factor receptor‐I (sTNF‐RI) and sTNF‐RII], monocyte/macrophage activation [soluble CD163 (sCD163), soluble CD14 and neopterin], intestinal epithelial barrier loss [intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I‐FABP) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)] and coagulation (d‐dimers) were analysed. CD4 naïve T cells and CD4 recent thymic emigrants (RTEs) were enumerated.ResultsPlasma levels of IP‐10, neopterin and sCD163 were higher in HCV/HIV coinfection than in HIV monoinfection and were positively correlated with indices of hepatic damage [aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and the AST to platelet ratio index (APRI)]. Levels of I‐FABP were comparably increased in HIV monoinfection and HIV/HCV coinfection but LPS concentrations were highest in HCV/HIV coinfection, suggesting impaired hepatic clearance of LPS. Plasma HCV levels were not related to any inflammatory indices except sCD163. In coinfected subjects, a previously recognized relationship of CD4 naïve T‐cell and RTE counts to hepatocellular injury was defined more mechanistically by an inverse relationship to sCD163.ConclusionsHepatocellular injury in HCV/HIV coinfection is linked to elevated levels of certain inflammatory cytokines and an apparent failure to clear systemically translocated microbial products. A related decrease in CD4 naïve T cells and RTEs also merits further exploration.