bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A new agenda for antitrust: human rights violations as anti-competitive conduct
Authors: Kastrup Gustavo H 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
This study aims to establish a connection between human rights violations and unlawful conduct as defined by antitrust laws. To this end, it proposes a systematic teleological interpretation of the Brazilian legal system regarding human rights and competition laws to demonstrate that the Administrative Council for Economic Defence (CADE) has the authority to address human rights violations when enforcing antitrust provisions.
The effects of including sprouted barley with alfalfa hay in the diet on ruminal health and performance of cow-calf pairs
Authors: Crump Zachary Cal , Alberto Anthony Fernando , Brown Bailee Lynn , Roholt Bryce Wayne , Okamoto Lillian Lelehua , Sego Mia Lynn , Spurling Ryan Arthur , Ward Robert Edward , Blackett Brady Morris , Harding Robert Lynn , Ranathunga Sanjeewa Dilshan , Thornton Kara Jean 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
The world population is growing exponentially, increasing demand to produce high-quality protein for human consumption. Changes in weather patterns, drought, and decreased land resources due to urbanization have increased the strain on the agriculture sector to meet world demands. An alternative method to combat these issues and continue to produce high-quality livestock feed would be through a controlled environment vertical farming system. Commonly, cereal grains, such as barley, are used in these systems to produce livestock feed. However, there is little information on the viability of feeding sprouted grains to beef cattle. Two diets of either feeder-quality alfalfa hay (n = 10 pairs; ALF) or the same alfalfa hay and sprouted barley (SB; 12.6% dry matter [DM]; n = 10 pairs) were fed for 90 d to Angus pairs with a steer calf during mid to late lactation. On days 0 and 90, body weight (BW), milk, rumen fluid, and body condition score were collected from cows and hip height and BW were recorded for calves. On day 10, BW was recorded for cows and calves and rumen fluid was collected from cows. Rumen fluid was also collected from cows on day 45. On day 55, BW was collected for both cows and calves and milk from cows. Intake was recorded throughout the trial via bunks with Vytelle technology. The PROC MIXED procedure of SAS was used to analyze all data with the day as a repeated measure to determine the main effect of diet. Individual volatile fatty acids (VFA) were measured as a percent of total VFA. No differences (P ≥ 0.16) were observed in calf BW, hip height, milk protein, fat, lactose, calf DM intake (DMI), or cow DMI. Cows fed SB tended (P = 0.08) to have a decreased somatic cell count compared to ALF. Percent butyrate was impacted by diet × day (P = 0.02), but no difference (P &gt; 0.09) at any time points were detected. Additionally, a diet × day effect (P = 0.001) on rumen pH demonstrated that both groups stayed consistent until day 45 and then SB pH decreased the last 45 d. There was a day effect for total VFA (P = 0.0009), acetate:propionate (Ac:Pr; P &lt; 0.0001), acetate (P &lt; 0.0001), and propionate (P &lt; 0.0001) demonstrating that total VFA, acetate, and Ac:Pr all increased throughout the trial, while propionate decreased. These results indicate that SB can be a potential alternative feed at this stage of production as it does not negatively impact health or production, but does affect the rumen pH and proportion of some VFA.
Whole-genome analysis reveals the diversification of Galapagos rail (Aves: Rallidae) and confirms the success of goat eradication programs
Authors: Chavez Daniel E , Hains Taylor , Espinoza-Ulloa Sebastian , Wayne Robert K , Chaves Jaime A 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Similar to other insular birds around the world, the Galapagos rail (Laterallus spilonota Gould, 1841) exhibits reduced flight capacity following its colonization of the archipelago ~1.2 mya. Despite their short evolutionary history, rails have colonized seven different islands spanning the entire width of the archipelago. Galapagos rails were once common on islands with sufficiently high altitudes to support shrubs in humid habitats. After humans introduced goats, this habitat was severely reduced due to overgrazing. Habitat loss devastated some rail populations, with less than 50 individuals surviving, rendering the genetic diversity of Galapagos rail a pressing conservation concern. Additionally, one enigma is the reappearance of rails on the island of Pinta after they were considered extirpated. Our approach was to investigate the evolutionary history and geographic distribution of Galapagos rails as well as examine the genome-wide effects of historical population bottlenecks using 39 whole genomes across different island populations. We recovered an early divergence of rail ancestors leading to the isolated populations on Pinta and a second clade comprising the rest of the islands, historically forming a single landmass. Subsequently, the separation of the landmass ~900 kya may have led to the isolation of the Isabela population with more panmictic populations found on Santa Cruz and Santiago islands. We found that rails genomes contain long runs of homozygosity (&gt;2 Mb) that could be related to the introduction of goats. Finally, our findings show that the modern eradication of goats was critical to avoiding episodes of inbreeding in most populations.
The IL-21/IL-21R signaling axis regulates CD4+ T-cell responsiveness to IL-12 to promote bacterial-induced colitis
Authors: Solaymani-Mohammadi Shahram 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
IL-21/IL-21R signaling dysregulation is linked to multiple chronic intestinal inflammatory disorders in humans and animal models of human diseases. In addition to its critical requirement for the generation and development of germinal center B cells, IL-21/IL-21R signaling can also regulate the effector functions of a variety of T-cell subsets. The antibody-mediated abrogation of IL-21/IL-21R signaling led to the impaired expression of IFN-γ by mucosal CD4+ T cells from human subjects with colitis, suggesting an IL-21/IL-21R–triggered positive feedback loop of the TH1 immune response in the colon. Despite recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning the regulation of proinflammatory immune responses by the IL-21/IL-21R signaling axis, it remains unclear how this pathway or its downstream molecules contribute to inflammation during bacterial-induced colitis. This study found that IL-21 enhances the surface expression of IL-12Rβ2, but not IL-12Rβ1, in CD4+ T cells, leading to TH1 differentiation and stability. Consistently, these findings also point to an indispensable role of the IL-12Rβ2 signaling axis in promoting proinflammatory immune responses during Citrobacter rodentium–induced colitis. Genetic deletion of the IL-12Rβ2 signaling pathway led to the attenuation of C. rodentium–induced colitis in vivo. The genetic deletion of the IL-12Rβ2 signaling pathway did not alter the host's ability to respond adequately to C. rodentium infection or the ability of Il12rb2−/− mice to express antigen-specific cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-17A). IL-21 is a pleiotropic cytokine exerting a wide range of immunomodulatory functions in multiple tissues, and its direct targeting may result in undesirable off-target consequences. These findings highlight the possibility for targeted manipulations of signaling cascades downstream of main regulators of proinflammatory responses to control invading pathogens while preserving the integrity of host immune responses. A better understanding of the novel mechanisms by which IL-21/IL-21R signaling regulates bacterial-induced colitis will provide insights into the development of new therapeutic and preventive strategies to harness IL-21/IL-21R signaling or its downstream molecules to treat infectious colitis.
The below-ground biomass contributes more to wetland soil carbon pools than the above-ground biomass—a survey based on global wetlands
Authors: Pan Yueyan , Liu Jiakai , Zhang Mingxiang , Huang Peisheng , Hipesy Matt , Dai Liyi , Ma Ziwen , Zhang Fan , Zhang Zhenming 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
The biomass of wetland plants is highly responsive to environmental factors and plays a crucial role in the dynamics of the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool. In this study, we collected and analyzed global data on wetland plant biomass from 1980 to 2021. By examining 1134 observations from 182 published papers on wetland ecosystems, we created a comprehensive database of wetland plant above-ground biomass (AGB) and below-ground biomass (BGB). Using this database, we analyzed the biomass characteristics of different climate zones, wetland types and plant species globally. Based on this, we analyzed the differences between the biomass of different plant species and the linkage between AGB and BGB and organic carbon. Our study has revealed that wetland plant AGB is greater in equatorial regions but BGB is highest in polar areas, and lowest in arid and equatorial zones. For plant species, the BGB of the Poales is higher than the AGB but Caryophyllales, Cyperales and Lamiales have higher AGB. Moreover, our findings indicate that BGB plays a more significant role in contributing to the organic carbon pool compared to AGB. Notably, when BGB is less than 1 t C ha−1, even slight changes in biomass can have a significant impact on the organic carbon pool. And we observed that the SOC increases by 5.7 t C ha−1 when the BGB content is low, indicating that the SOC is more sensitive to changes in biomass under such circumstances. Our study provides a basis for the global response of AGB and BGB of wetland plants to organic carbon.
“This Sea of Upturned Faces”: The Rhetorical Role of Audience in Frederick Douglass’s Constitutional Interpretation at Midcentury
Authors: Mielke Laura L 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
On 15 May 1851, Frederick Douglass let it be known in the pages of the North Star that he had come to a new interpretation of the US Constitution as an anti-slavery document, indicating his complete break with Garrisonian abolitionists. This essay argues that Douglass’s change in understanding the Constitution was propelled not only by specific political and personal events detailed in scholarship but also by his rhetorical engagement with audience. In the years leading up to this announcement, and especially in speeches delivered during his 1845-47 British tour and an 1850-51 lecture series in Rochester, New York, Douglass explored the nature of interpretation through figures of audience, including the oratorical critic, contrasting British and American assemblies, and summoned groups. He offered audiences lessons in transformative anti-slavery and anti-racist reading, presenting himself as one who reads for and with audiences and who reads audiences themselves to break through the interpretive lens of white supremacy. The essay ends with a brief look at the implications of this argument for understanding Douglass’s best-known address, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” (1852).
International migration and shifts in subjective well-being: A longitudinal study using German panel data
Authors: Genoni Andreas , Stawarz Nico , Ette Andreas , Rüger Heiko 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
In many economically advanced countries, a relevant proportion of the population migrates across national boundaries every year. For these individuals, migrating abroad brings benefits (e.g. monetary returns) but also potential pitfalls, as migration is accompanied by profound changes in everyday life. However, there are mainly cross-sectional studies of individuals’ migration experiences that analyse the effects of migration on these individuals’ quality of life. This study fills this gap by examining shifts in the subjective well-being (SWB) of internationally mobile German citizens from a longitudinal perspective using data from the German Emigration and Remigration Panel Study and fixed effects panel regressions. To observe SWB over the course of actual migration events, we drew on a sample of repeat migrants: Germans who returned to Germany shortly before the panel and emigrated again during the panel. Consistent with methodologically comparable studies on internal migration, the analyses show a happiness dip before migration and an increase in SWB with the migration event. The increase is consistent, tends to be more pronounced than that observed in internal migration studies, and to some extent persists after the first few years of migration. Moreover, the results suggest that the increase in SWB systematically depends on the influence that individuals can exert on their migration decisions. Individuals without a partner show the highest increases in SWB, followed by so-called leading partners, partners of couples with a mutual migration decision, and trailing partners.
Stellar cluster formation in a Milky Way-sized galaxy at z &gt; 4 – II. A hybrid formation scenario for the nuclear star cluster and its connection to the nuclear stellar ring
Authors: van Donkelaar Floor , Mayer Lucio , Capelo Pedro R , Tamfal Tomas , Quinn Thomas R , Madau Piero 
Published: March 2024

ABSTRACT
Nuclear star clusters (NSCs) are massive star clusters found in the innermost region of most galaxies. While recent studies suggest that low-mass NSCs in dwarf galaxies form largely out of the merger of globular clusters and NSCs in massive galaxies accumulate mass primarily through central star formation, the formation channel of the Milky Way’s NSC is still uncertain. In this work, we use GigaEris, a high-resolution N-body, hydrodynamical, cosmological ‘zoom-in’ simulation, to investigate a possible formation path of the NSC in the progenitor of a Milky Way-sized galaxy, as well as its relation to the assembly and evolution of the galactic nuclear region. We study the possibility that bound, young, gas-rich, stellar clusters within a radius of 1.5 kpc of the main galaxy’s centre at z &gt; 4 are the predecessors of the old, metal-poor stellar population of the Milky Way’s NSC. We identify 47 systems which satisfy our criteria, with a total stellar mass of 107.5 M⊙. We demonstrate that both stellar cluster accretion and in situ star formation will contribute to the formation of the NSC, providing evidence for a hybrid formation scenario for the first time in an N-body, hydrodynamical, cosmological ‘zoom-in’ simulation. Additionally, we find that the gas required for in situ star formation can originate from two pathways: gas-rich stellar clusters and gas influx driven by large-scale non-axisymmetric structures within the galaxy. This is partly supported by the presence of a stellar ring, resulting from gas dynamics, with properties similar to those of the Milky Way’s nuclear stellar disc.
XPA tumor variant leads to defects in NER that sensitize cells to cisplatin
Authors: Blee Alexandra M , Gallagher Kaitlyn S , Kim Hyun-Suk , Kim Mihyun , Kharat Suhas S , Troll Christina R , D’Souza Areetha , Park Jiyoung , Neufer P Drew , Schärer Orlando D , Chazin Walter J 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Nucleotide excision repair (NER) reduces efficacy of treatment with platinum (Pt)-based chemotherapy by removing Pt lesions from DNA. Previous study has identified that missense mutation or loss of the NER genes Excision Repair Cross Complementation Group 1 and 2 (ERCC1 and ERCC2) leads to improved patient outcomes after treatment with Pt-based chemotherapies. Although most NER gene alterations found in patient tumors are missense mutations, the impact of mutations in the remaining nearly 20 NER genes is unknown. Towards this goal, we previously developed a machine learning strategy to predict genetic variants in an essential NER protein, Xeroderma Pigmentosum Complementation Group A (XPA), that disrupt repair. In this study, we report in-depth analyses of a subset of the predicted variants, including in vitro analyses of purified recombinant protein and cell-based assays to test Pt agent sensitivity in cells and determine mechanisms of NER dysfunction. The most NER deficient variant Y148D had reduced protein stability, weaker DNA binding, disrupted recruitment to damage, and degradation. Our findings demonstrate that tumor mutations in XPA impact cell survival after cisplatin treatment and provide valuable mechanistic insights to improve variant effect prediction. Broadly, these findings suggest XPA tumor variants should be considered when predicting chemotherapy response.
A new perspective on obesity: perception of fat taste and its relationship with obesity
Authors: Şeref Betül , Yıldıran Hilal 
Published: March 2024

Abstract

Background: Obesity, which results from a long-term positive energy balance, is affected by many factors, especially nutrition. The sensory properties of foods are associated with increased food intake through hedonic appetite. Taste perception, a component of flavor, is also responsible for increased consumption, through reward and hedonic mechanisms. Foods with high fat and energy content are among the foods that create the reward perception. The perception of fat taste, the primary taste that has recently entered the literature, may also be associated with increased food consumption and body weight. Therefore, in this review, the relationship between fat taste and obesity is examined, using the latest literature.

Results
Different hypotheses have been proposed regarding the mechanism of the relationship between fat-taste perception and obesity, such as hedonic appetite, microbiota, decreased taste perception, and increased taste threshold level. In addition, some studies examining this relationship reported significant associations between the level of fat-taste perception and obesity, whereas others did not find a significant difference.

Conclusion
Considering the prevalence and contribution to obesity of Western-style nutrition, characterized by high amounts of fat and sugar consumption, elucidating this relationship may be an essential solution for preventing and treating obesity.
Dolutegravir/Lamivudine Is Noninferior to Continuing Dolutegravir- and Non-Dolutegravir-Based Triple-Drug Antiretroviral Therapy in Virologically Suppressed People With Human Immunodeficiency Virus: DUALING Prospective Nationwide Matched Cohort Study
Authors: Vasylyev Marta , Wit Ferdinand W N M , Jordans Carlijn C E , Soetekouw Robin , van Lelyveld Steven F L , Kootstra Gert-Jan , Delsing Corine E , Ammerlaan Heidi S M , van Kasteren Marjo E E , Brouwer Annemarie E , Leyten Eliane M S , Claassen Mark A A , Hassing Robert-Jan , den Hollander Jan G , van den Berge Marcel , Roukens Anna H E , Bierman Wouter F W , Groeneveld Paul H P , Lowe Selwyn H , van Welzen Berend J , Richel Olivier , Nellen Jeannine F , van den Berk Guido E L , van der Valk Marc , Rijnders Bart J A , Rokx Casper 
Published: March 2024

Abstract

Background
Confirming the efficacy of dolutegravir/lamivudine in clinical practice solidifies recommendations on its use.

Methods
Prospective cohort study (DUALING) in 24 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment centers in the Netherlands. HIV RNA–suppressed cases were on triple-drug antiretroviral regimens without prior virological failure or resistance and started dolutegravir/lamivudine. Cases were 1:2 matched to controls on triple-drug antiretroviral regimens by the use of dolutegravir-based regimens, age, sex, transmission route, CD4+ T-cell nadir, and HIV RNA zenith. The primary endpoint was the treatment failure rate in cases versus controls at 1 year by intention-to-treat and on-treatment analyses with 5% noninferiority margin.

Results
The 2040 participants were 680 cases and 1380 controls. Treatment failure in the 390 dolutegravir-based cases versus controls occurred in 8.72% and 12.50% (difference: −3.78% [95% confidence interval {CI}, −7.49% to .08%]) by intention-to-treat and 1.39% and 0.80% (difference: 0.59% [95% CI, –.80% to 1.98%]) by on-treatment analyses. The treatment failure risk in 290 non-dolutegravir-based cases was also noninferior to controls. Antiretroviral regimen modifications unrelated to virological failure explained the higher treatment failure rate by intention-to-treat. A shorter time on triple-drug antiretroviral therapy and being of non-Western origin was associated with treatment failure. Treatment failure, defined as 2 consecutive HIV RNA &gt;50 copies/mL, occurred in 4 cases and 5 controls but without genotypic resistance detected. Viral blips occured comparable in cases and controls but cases gained more weight, especially when tenofovir-based regimens were discontinued.

Conclusions
In routine care, dolutegravir/lamivudine was noninferior to continuing triple-drug antiretroviral regimens after 1 year, supporting the use of dolutegravir/lamivudine in clinical practice.

Clinical Trials Registration
NCT04707326.
What win–win lost: rethinking microfinance subsidy in the past and designing for the future
Authors: Morduch Jonathan , Ogden Timothy 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThe modern microfinance industry was built on the idea that lenders could (and should) profit while serving poor and excluded customers. This idea—that lenders could ‘win’ while customers would also ‘win’—inspired the broader field of social enterprise and opened possibilities for business-driven responses to social problems. However, in hindsight it is possible to see that not only was the idea flawed—important claims underpinning the core idea have failed to find empirical support—but the lingering belief that ‘win–win’ was right continues to handicap not only financial inclusion and consumer protection policies, but the social investment and finance industry as a whole. The win–win formulation was driven by the assertion that customers would be indifferent to the level of interest rates on loans and that it was simply access to finance that mattered most to customers. The argument was used to justify charging the highest interest rates to the most operationally expensive customers, who turned out to not coincidentally be the poorest customers. However, studies show that customers are indeed sensitive to interest rates and that high interest rates discourage borrowers. Moreover, despite charging high rates, financial data show that most lenders failed to earn profit after fully accounting for the subsidies received from donors and social investors. Microfinance and the social investment industry it helped spawn remain important tools for addressing poverty and inequality, but both sectors are overdue for a transparent reckoning of the roles of subsidy (including its benefits) and greater recognition of the potential for exclusion caused by high prices and the drive for profitability or ‘sustainability’. Muddled thinking on subsidy and prices handicapped the past but does not need to handicap the future.
Microfinance: an overview
Authors: Meki Muhammad , Quinn Simon 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThis paper presents a summary of this issue of the Oxford Review of Economic Policy, on microfinance. The paper explores the evolving landscape of microfinance, with particular emphasis on its broadening scope. It summarizes the four parts of this journal issue, focusing on: (i) microfinance and its providers; (ii) the challenges of taking microfinance to scale; (iii) microfinance and digital credit; and (iv) microfinance and repayment flexibility.