bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Structural transition of protein intake in urban China: Stage characteristics and driving forces
Authors: Li Yicong , Zhao Qiran , Zhai Tianchang , Si Wei 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThe rapidly growing animal protein demand of Chinese residents has caused multiple pressures, including on food security, health, and the environment. It is critical to study the reasons for the changes in Chinese residents' protein intake structure and make a reasonable judgment about its future trend. This paper uses the Nationwide Urban Household Survey Date from 1992 to 2009 to construct a pseudo panel and conduct research based on the habit formation theory. We find that there is a significant habit formation effect in the consumption of the main protein source foods of Chinese urban residents, especially animal foods. It weakens with the passage of time, which may be the reason for the continuous increase in urbanites' animal protein intake. There are differences in the protein intake structure and changing trend of urban residents in China's different regions. We suggest that government should pay more attention to the development of animal husbandry and the supply security of feed grains; strengthen nutritional intervention efforts to guide residents toward balanced and healthy dietary patterns, with moderate intake of animal protein; and formulate more detailed nutritional standards by region and population to cope with the impact of the growing animal protein demand among China's residents. [EconLit Citations: D12, E21, Q18].
Cost‐effectiveness of zinc interventions in China: A cohort‐based Markov model
Authors: Tan Fuli , Wang Jingjing , Guo Yixuan , Deng Taian , De Steur Hans , Fan Shenggen 
Published: October 2023

AbstractZinc acts as an important cofactor in the body and is essential for normal functions. Several zinc interventions have been implemented worldwide to improve the public's zinc status, but limited studies have assessed their cost‐effectiveness. To help inform decision‐making on zinc interventions to maximize benefits within a fixed budget, we took China as an example and evaluated the cost‐effectiveness of three interventions, that is, supplementation, food fortification, and biofortification. As an essential group at high risk of zinc deficiency, children aged 5–14 years, who account for 10% of the Chinese population, were selected as the target group in this study. We constructed a decision‐analytic Markov model to determine the cost‐effectiveness of interventions in China under different scenarios. In our model, biofortification through conventional breeding was shown to be the most cost‐effective approach in most scenarios. Compared with other interventions, zinc supplementation gained fewer quality‐adjusted life years at a higher net cost, suggesting that this common approach may not be optimal for large‐scale, long‐term implementation at the national level. While the robustness of the results was further confirmed by the sensitivity analysis, more research is needed to assess the cost‐effectiveness of addressing zinc deficiency with other interventions. Further clinical trials are also expected to evaluate the effectiveness of zinc interventions in reducing pneumonia cases [EconLit Citations: I18, Q16, Q18].
School feeding program and urban–rural inequality of child health: Evidence from China
Authors: Ren Jingru , Zheng Xiaodong , Smith Rodney , Fang Xiangming 
Published: October 2023

AbstractSchool feeding programs have served as go‐to policies for addressing child malnutrition in both developed and developing countries. While an increasing number of studies have investigated the health consequences of school feeding programs, empirical evidence regarding their effects on children's health inequality remains limited. This study examines the impact of China's Nutrition Improvement Program (NIP)—A program that provides free meals for rural students at the compulsory education stage—on rural children's health status and urban–rural health status differentials. The analysis uses data from the 2004–2015 China Health and Nutrition Survey. Leveraging county‐by‐county rollouts of the program, we employ difference‐in‐differences approaches as our identification strategy. The results show that the NIP significantly improves children's height‐for‐age z‐scores by 0.136 standard deviations. Moreover, we find that the NIP alleviates the inequality of opportunity in health between urban and rural children by 21.6% in pilot counties. These findings are robust to a series of validity checks. The effect is more pronounced among students who have a younger age, and live in low social status families. Our findings suggest that school feeding programs are effective in decreasing child malnutrition levels and reducing urban‐rural inequality in the long run. [EconLit citations: I10, I18, D63].
E‐commerce improves dietary quality of rural households in China
Authors: Shen Jiexi , Zhu Zhanguo , Qaim Matin , Fan Shenggen , Tian Xu 
Published: October 2023

AbstractE‐commerce is gaining importance in the food sector of many countries, and its potential influence on people's access to food and dietary choices is yet to be thoroughly investigated. In this study, we analyze data from a food consumption survey conducted in rural China in 2021 to examine the impact of e‐commerce on individual food consumption patterns and dietary quality. Our results with instrumental variable models show that e‐commerce significantly reduces the consumption of staple foods, such as cereals and potatoes, while it increases the consumption of legumes, nuts, milk, and milk products, even after controlling for income and other confounding factors. Additionally, e‐commerce contributes to higher dietary diversity and dietary quality among rural households. In the face of shrinking physical markets in rural areas, it seems that rural e‐commerce can serve as an important mechanism to improve food access and meet the diversifying dietary demands of rural residents. [EconLit Citations: Q13, L81].
Emotional states following grooming in female mandrills
Authors: Schino Gabriele , Alessandrini Alessandro , Di Giovanni Massimiliano 
Published: October 2023

AbstractGrooming is a common cooperative behavior whose exact costs and benefits are still to be fully elucidated. In this study, we evaluated the emotional consequences of giving and receiving grooming in mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), and how these may change along time after the termination of grooming. We used scratching as a behavioral indicator of anxiety‐like emotions. Groomees showed increased scratching immediately after the termination of grooming, while in the subsequent minutes scratching decreased below baseline. The initial increase was larger after longer grooming events, suggesting it represented a case of postinhibitory rebound. The subsequent decline in scratching rates was larger after grooming received by a kin, suggesting interactions with kin are particularly relaxing. Scratching rates shown by groomers were unaffected by grooming interactions. These results highlight that the emotional states following grooming can have a complex time course, and may contribute to explain the inconsistencies found in the previous literature.
Biodegradable zinc‐based materials with a polymer coating designed for biomedical applications
Authors: Oriňaková Renáta , Gorejová Radka , Čákyová Viktória , Džupon Miroslav , Kupková Miriam , Sopčák Tibor , Özaltin Kadir , Mičušík Matej , Petruš Ondrej , Omastová Mária , Vojtko Marek , Sáha Petr 
Published: October 2023

AbstractOver the last decades, biodegradable metals have gained popularity for biomedical applications due to their ability to assist in tissue healing. These materials degrade in vivo, while the corrosion products formed are either absorbed or excreted by the body, and no further surgical intervention is required for removal. Intensive research has been carried out mainly on degradable biomaterials based on Mg and Fe. In recent years, zinc‐based degradable biomaterials have been explored by the biomedical community for their intrinsic physiological relevance, desirable biocompatibility, intermediate degradation rate, tuneable mechanical properties and pro‐regeneration properties. Since pure Zn does not exhibit sufficient mechanical properties for orthopedic applications, various Zn alloys with better properties are being developed. In this work, the combined effect of minor Fe addition to Zn and a polyethyleneglycol (PEG) coating on the surface morphology, degradation, cytotoxicity and mechanical properties of Zn‐based materials was studied. There are several studies regarding the influence of the production of Zn alloys, but the effect of polymer coating on the properties of Zn‐based materials has not been reported yet. A positive effect of Fe addition and polymer coating on the degradation rate and mechanical properties was observed. However, a reduction in biocompatibility was also detected.
Linear Localization of Zero Modes in Weakly Coupled Non‐Hermitian Reservoirs
Authors: Qi Bingkun , Ge Li 
Published: October 2023

AbstractTopological and symmetry‐protected non‐Hermitian zero modes have attracted considerable interest in the past few years. Here, it is revealed that they can exhibit an unusual behavior when transitioning between the extended and localized regimes: When weakly coupled to a non‐Hermitian reservoir, such a zero mode displays a linearly decreasing amplitude as a function of space, which is not caused by an EP of a Hamiltonian, either of the entire system or the reservoir itself. Instead, this phenomenon is due to the non‐Bloch solution of a linear homogeneous recurrence relation, together with the underlying non‐Hermitian particle‐hole symmetry and the zeroness of its energy.
5‐Fluoro/(trifluoromethoxy)‐2‐indolinone derivatives with anti‐interleukin‐1 activity
Authors: Soylu‐Eter Özge , Sevinçli Zekiye Şeyma , Ersoy Betül , Hasanusta Bahar , Gatfar Uğur , Lack Nathan A. , Erman Burak , Gül Ahmet , Orer Hakan S. , Karalı Nilgün 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThe pro‐inflammatory cytokine interleukin‐1 (IL‐1) drives the pathogenesis of several inflammatory diseases. Recent studies have revealed that 2‐indolinones can modulate cytokine responses. Therefore, we screened several 2‐indolinone derivatives in preliminary studies to develop agents with anti‐IL‐1 activity. First, the putative efficacies and binding interactions of 2‐indolinones were evaluated by docking studies. Second, previously synthesized 5‐fluoro/(trifluoromethoxy)−1H‐indole‐2,3‐dione 3‐(4‐phenylthiosemicarbazones) (compounds 47–69) which had the highest inhibitory effect in the screening were evaluated for inhibitory effects on the IL‐1 receptor (IL‐1R). Compounds 52 (IC50 = 0.09 µM) and 65 (IC50 = 0.07 µM) were selected as lead compounds for the subsequent synthesis of new derivatives. The novel 5‐fluoro/(trifluoromethoxy)−1H‐indole‐2,3‐dione 3‐(4‐phenylthiosemicarbazones) (compounds 70–116) were designed, synthesized, and in vitro studies were completed. The compounds 76, 78, 81, 91, 100, 105, and 107 tested showed nontoxic inhibitory effects on IL‐1R‐dependent responses in the range of 0.01–0.06 µM and stronger than the lead compounds 52 and 65. In vitro and in silico findings showed that compounds 78 (IC50 = 0.01 µM) and 81 (IC50 = 0.02 µM) had the strongest IL‐1R inhibitory effects and the most favorable drug‐like properties. Molecular modeling studies of the compounds 78 and 81 were carried out to determine the possible binding interactions at the active site of the IL‐1R.
Identification of 3‐(5‐cyano‐6‐oxo‐pyridin‐2‐yl)benzenesulfonamides as novel anticancer agents endowed with EGFR inhibitory activity
Authors: Shaldam Moataz A. , Khalil Ahmed F. , Almahli Hadia , Jaballah Maiy Y. , Angeli Andrea , Khaleel Eman F. , Badi Rehab Mustafa , Elkaeed Eslam B. , Supuran Claudiu T. , Eldehna Wagdy M. , Tawfik Haytham O. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractNew 5‐cyano‐6‐oxo‐pyridine‐based sulfonamides (6a–m and 8a–d) were designed and synthesized to potentially inhibit both the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and carbonic anhydrase (CA), with anticancer properties. First, the in vitro anticancer activity of each target substance was tested using Henrietta Lacks cancer cell line and M.D. anderson metastasis breast cancer cell line cells. Then, the possible CA inhibition against the human CA isoforms I, II, and IX was investigated, together with the EGFR inhibitory activity, with the most powerful derivatives. The neighboring methoxy group may have had a steric effect on the target sulfonamides, which prevented them from effectively inhibiting the CA isoforms while effectively inhibiting the EGFR. The effects of the 5‐cyanopyridine derivatives 6e and 6l on cell‐cycle disruption and the apoptotic potential were then investigated. To investigate the binding mechanism and stability of the target molecules, thorough molecular modeling assessments, including docking and dynamic simulation, were performed.
Social anxiety is more likely to influence reputation management decisions than autistic traits
Authors: Dubey Indu , Groom Maddie , Tahir Ameena , Hamilton Antonia 
Published: October 2023

AbstractPeople manage their social reputation by selectively sharing achievements, thereby shaping the way others think about them. Autistic traits and social anxiety may have opposing impacts on reputation management. This study aimed to identify the influence of autistic traits and social anxiety on reputation management behavior, independently and in co‐occurrence with one another. Seventy‐seven adults with varying levels of autistic and social anxiety traits completed a novel self‐disclosure task that required them to complete a computerized game and decide whether to disclose their scores to another participant. This design provided a safe social environment for sharing performance outcomes and allowed us to manipulate performance outcomes for participants and set a perceived ‘norm’ of high self‐disclosure. Results showed that participants were more likely to disclose their high than low scores to the other player. Social anxiety reliably predicted the likelihood of disclosing their scores while high autistic traits predicted the likelihood of disclosure only in combination with high social anxiety. Additionally, establishing the norm of high disclosure facilitated self‐disclosure in all the participants. This study shows that social anxiety may influence reputation management via selective self‐disclosure more when co‐occurring with high autistic traits. People with varying levels of autistic traits may not behave differently to maintain a social reputation.
Engineering dense tumor constructs via cellular contraction of extracellular matrix hydrogels
Authors: McKee Jae A. , Olsen Elisabet A. , Wills Kpeli Gideon , Brooks Moriah R. , Beitollahpoor Mohamadreza , Pesika Noshir S. , Burow Matthew E. , Mondrinos Mark J. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractPhysical characteristics of solid tumors such as dense internal microarchitectures and pathological stiffness influence cancer progression and treatment. While it is routine to engineer culture substrates and scaffolds with elastic moduli that approximate tumors, these models often fail to capture characteristic internal microarchitectures such as densely compacted concentric ECM fibers at the stromal interface. Contractile mesenchymal cells can solve this engineering challenge by deforming, contracting, and compacting extracellular matrix (ECM) hydrogels to decrease tissue volume and increase tissue density. Here we demonstrate that allowing human fibroblasts of varying origins to freely contract collagen type I‐containing hydrogels co‐seeded with carcinoma cell spheroids produces a tissue engineered construct with structural features that mimic dense solid tumors in vivo. Morphometry and mechanical testing were conducted in tandem with biochemical analysis of proliferation and viability to confirm that dense carcinoma constructs engineered using this approach capture relevant physical characteristics of solid carcinomas in a tractable format that preserves viability and is amenable to extended culture. The reported method is adaptable to the use of multiple mesenchymal cell types and the inclusion of fibrin in the ECM combined with seeding of endothelial cells to produce prevascularized constructs. The physical dense carcinoma constructs engineered using this approach may provide more clinically relevant venues for studying cancer pathophysiology and the challenges associated with the delivery of macromolecular drugs and cellular immunotherapies to solid tumors.
Exploring the potential of amyloids in biomedical applications: A review
Authors: Chowdhury Srijita , Sarkar Nandini 
Published: October 2023

AbstractAmyloid is defined as a fibrous quaternary structure formed by assembling protein or peptide monomers into intermolecularly hydrogen linked β‐sheets. There is a prevalent issue with protein aggregation and the buildup of amyloid molecules, which results in human neurological illnesses including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. But it is now evident that many organisms, like bacteria, fungi as well as humans, use the same fibrillar structure to carry out a variety of biological functions, such as structure and protection supporting interface transitions and cell–cell recognition, protein control and storage, epigenetic inheritance, and memory. Recent discoveries of self‐assembling amyloidogenic peptides and proteins, based on the amyloid core structure, give rise to interesting biomaterials with potential uses in numerous industries. These functions dramatically diverge from the initial conception of amyloid fibrils as intrinsically diseased entities. Apart from the natural ability of amyloids to spontaneously arrange themselves and their exceptional material characteristics, this aspect has prompted extensive research into engineering artificial amyloids for generating various nanostructures, molecular substances, and combined materials. Here, we discuss significant developments in the artificial design of useful amyloids as well as how amyloid materials serve as examples of how function emerges from protein self‐assembly at various length scales.
Evolution of a self‐renewing, participant‐centered workshop series in BMB assessment
Authors: Tyler Ludmila , Kennelly Peter J. , Engelman Shelly , Block Kirsten F. , Bobenko Jennifer C. , Catalano Jaclyn , Jones Jesica A. , Kanipes‐Spinks Margaret I. , Lim Yang Mooi , Loertscher Jennifer , Olafimihan Tejiri , Reiss Hailey , Upchurch‐Poole Territa L. , Wei Yufeng , Linenberger Cortes Kimberly J. , Moore Victoria Del Gaizo , Dries Daniel R. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractWe present as a case study the evolution of a series of participant‐centered workshops designed to meet a need in the life sciences education community—the incorporation of best practices in the assessment of student learning. Initially, the ICABL (Inclusive Community for the Assessment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology/BMB Learning) project arose from a grass‐roots effort to develop material for a national exam in biochemistry and molecular biology. ICABL has since evolved into a community of practice in which participants themselves—through extensive peer review and reflection—become integral stakeholders in the workshops. To examine this evolution, this case study begins with a pilot workshop supported by seed funding and thoughtful programmatic assessment, the results of which informed evidence‐based changes that, in turn, led to an improved experience for the community. Using participant response data, the case study also reveals critical features for successful workshops, including participant‐centered activities and the value of frequent peer review of participants' products. Furthermore, we outline a train‐the‐trainer model for creating a self‐renewing community by bringing new perspectives and voices into an existing core leadership team. This case study, then, offers a blueprint for building a thriving, evolving community of practice that not only serves the needs of individual scientist‐educators as they seek to enhance student learning, but also provides a pathway for elevating members to positions of leadership.
E‐learning and research experience exchange in the online setting of student peer mentor network during COVID‐19 pandemic and beyond: A laboratory case study
Authors: Lubanska Dorota , Alrashed Sami , Oschanney Lia , Cieslukowski Alan , Nadi Ali , Habashy Philip , Renaud Adam , Roye‐Azar Antonio , Soliman Mohamed , Adili Kadila , Baker Allison , Baseet Maliha , Llancari Amy , Mitrevski Aiden , Mouawad Sahar , Nguyen Kim , Sorge Alexandra , Zuccato Katie , Boujeke Emmanuel , Cala Jason , Dinescu Stephanie , Ho Marissa , Khan Almas , Almasri Deya'a , Dunn Daniel , Ghafoor Hasan , Grimmett Eddie , Mouawad Elie , Patel Ria , Paunic Milica , Sharma Depen , Visconti Tiana , Vuong Vanessa , Porter Lisa A. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractFor close to 2 years, we have witnessed the impacts of the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic on research at several different levels. Among the list, limited access to laboratory‐based training for undergraduate students prevented this cohort from gaining exposure to the realities of a research laboratory at a critical time in training when they may have found motivation in this area as a career. COVID exposed a weakness in our training pipeline; an extreme dependency on face‐to‐face training that threatened to create a void in the research talent needed to replenish the scientific community every year. In the classroom, we witnessed a revolution of e‐learning based approaches that could be rapidly implemented based on existing footprints. Out of necessity, our laboratory developed and implemented an e‐learning model of an undergraduate peer mentor network that provides a knowledge and experience exchange platform between students with different levels of research experience. Implementation of the platform was to aid students with gaining knowledge in multiple aspects of scientific research and hands‐on work in a research laboratory. The collaboration between the students of the network was aimed at not only advancing the theoretical and practical research experience, but also at developing feedback implementation and practicing “soft skills” critical for teamwork and leadership. Herein, we present an overview of the model along with survey responses of the students participating in the peer mentor network. We have found that peer delivery of practical benchwork both via scientific presentations and visualized experiments, reduced the time of training and the amount of staff assistance needed when students returned to the bench. Furthermore, this model accelerated student independence in laboratory work and increased research interest overall. In summary, the model of a peer mentor network has the potential to serve as a training platform and as a customized tool, supplementing research laboratory training at the undergraduate level beyond the pandemic.