bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Stanniocalcin‐2 inhibits skeletal muscle growth and is upregulated in functional overload‐induced hypertrophy
Authors: Lionikas Arimantas , Hernandez Cordero Ana I. , Kilikevicius Audrius , Carroll Andrew M. , Bewick Guy S. , Bunger Lutz , Ratkevicius Aivaras , Heisler Lora K. , Harboe Mette , Oxvig Claus 
Published: August 2023

AbstractAimsStanniocalcin‐2 (STC2) has recently been implicated in human muscle mass variability by genetic analysis. Biochemically, STC2 inhibits the proteolytic activity of the metalloproteinase PAPP‐A, which promotes muscle growth by upregulating the insulin‐like growth factor (IGF) axis. The aim was to examine if STC2 affects skeletal muscle mass and to assess how the IGF axis mediates muscle hypertrophy induced by functional overload.MethodsWe compared muscle mass and muscle fiber morphology between Stc2−/− (n = 21) and wild‐type (n = 15) mice. We then quantified IGF1, IGF2, IGF binding proteins −4 and −5 (IGFBP‐4, IGFBP‐5), PAPP‐A and STC2 in plantaris muscles of wild‐type mice subjected to 4‐week unilateral overload (n = 14).ResultsStc2−/− mice showed up to 10% larger muscle mass compared with wild‐type mice. This increase was mediated by greater cross‐sectional area of muscle fibers. Overload increased plantaris mass and components of the IGF axis, including quantities of IGF1 (by 2.41‐fold, p = 0.0117), IGF2 (1.70‐fold, p = 0.0461), IGFBP‐4 (1.48‐fold, p = 0.0268), PAPP‐A (1.30‐fold, p = 0.0154) and STC2 (1.28‐fold, p = 0.019).ConclusionHere we provide evidence that STC2 is an inhibitor of muscle growth upregulated, along with other components of the IGF axis, during overload‐induced muscle hypertrophy.
Birth-related soft tissue injury due to transverse malpresentation at delivery: a case report
Authors: Rohaert Celine , Poleij Anne , Quispel Chantal , de Jong Miranda , Ciet Pierluigi , Cassel Florian 
Published: August 2023

Abstract

Objectives
Birth-related mechanical trauma to the newborn is an important issue and may be underestimated [Chaturvedi A, Chaturvedi A, Stanescu AL, Blickman JG, Meyers SP. Mechanical birth-related trauma to the neonate: an imaging perspective. Insights Imag 2018;9:103–18]. Risk factors for birth-related injuries include vacuum or forceps delivery, large size for gestational age and abnormal presentation before delivery [Gupta R, Cabacungan ET. Neonatal birth trauma: analysis of yearly trends, risk factors, and outcomes. J Pediatr 2021;238:174–80]. When a newborn has a soft tissue mass, there is a wide range of potential diagnoses, ranging from benign traumatic origins to aggressive phenotypes of malignant tumors [Thacker M. Benign soft tissue tumors in children. Orthop Clin N Am 2014;44:433–44]. Diagnosing a congenital tumor in a newborn creates uncertainty for parents and health care providers. Accurate imaging is crucial for distinguishing soft tissue mass origins.

Case presentation
A 32 weeks 6 days pregnant Caucasian woman was admitted after premature prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM). Fetal ultrasound showed no abnormalities, the infant was born by a caesarean section. The delivery was complicated by the infant’s transverse position. A female infant was born with a large left-sided dorsal soft tissue mass at the thoracic level with elastic consistency, and multiple skin lacerations. A broad differential diagnosis was made. Additional imaging was suggestive for a posttraumatic swelling due to transverse position during birth. The mass decreased and disappeared over three days.

Conclusions
The diagnosis of a soft tissue mass in a newborn can be challenging. A birth-related trauma affecting the soft tissue should be considered, especially if prenatal ultrasound findings were normal. Malpresentation during birth is a significant risk factor. Accurate diagnostic imaging is important to do before conducting further diagnostic examinations. The time course of the mass, before and after birth, can aid in determining its origin.
Lexical complexity in exemplar EFL texts: towards text adaptation for 12 grades of basic English curriculum in China
Authors: Su Yanfang , Liu Kanglong , Liu Fengkai , Lee John , Jin Tan 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Lexical complexity has been a key consideration of teaching preparation in determining grade appropriateness of teaching materials. However, the lack of quantified and defined standards for benchmarking lexical complexity has made it difficult for teachers when adapting source texts to target learners. This study has assessed quantitative differences in lexical complexity of exemplar texts at different points of schooling using a range of lexical diversity and sophistication features. The data consists of 2,372 texts from popular curriculum packages adopted from 1 to 12 grades of the English curriculum in China. One-way ANOVAs revealed significant differences in 16 out of 17 lexical complexity indices among different grades. Subsequent post hoc tests identified three lexical diversity features and four sophistication features that helped to differentiate exemplar texts across these 12 grades. These findings on the nature and role of lexical complexity have yielded new insights into the establishment of grade-level benchmarks for material preparation.
What Does the German Minimum Wage Do? The Impact of the Introduction of the Statutory Minimum Wage on the Composition of Low- and Minimum-Wage Labour
Authors: Dütsch Matthias , Altun Orkun , Grundmann Luisa , Himmelreicher Ralf 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
In this article, we examine structural changes in minimum wage and low wage labor following the introduction and first increase of the German minimum wage. Changes in the impact that workers face earning gross hourly wages below the minimum-wage or low-wage thresholds are identified by comparing individual, company and sectoral characteristics based on the Structure of Earnings Surveys (SESs) 2014 and 2018. The SES is a mandatory survey of companies that provides information on wages and working hours for approximately 1 million jobs and nearly 70,000 companies across all industries. Using these rich data, we present the first systematic analysis of how structural changes in individual-, company-, and industry-level determinants affect minimum- and low-wage workers. Using descriptive analysis, we first summarize the changing pattern in jobs, companies, and industries after the introduction of minimum wage. Second, we use random intercept-only models to estimate the explanatory power at the individual, company, and industry levels in 2014 and 2018. Third, we perform logistic and linear regression estimations to assess the changing trends in having a minimum- or low-wage job and the distance between a worker’s actual earnings and the minimum- and low-wage thresholds. We conclude that the minimum wage had an elevator effect on minimum wage labor. However, compositional effects regarding the minimum-wage and low-wage workforce were evident in terms of individual and company factors. There was a selective redistribution of minimum wage employees into slightly higher wage ranges. Furthermore, convergence seems to have occurred predominantly among sectors, as their explanatory power for lower wages declined.
Embedding Inclusive, Equitable Diversity Practices in Nonprofit Organizations: Developing Policy to Account for System Dynamics
Authors: Bernstein Ruth Sessler , Salipante Paul 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
To offer guidance to nonprofit leaders desiring to leverage diversity for inclusion, performance, and equity, we develop a framework for a comprehensive, mission-enhancing policy. The policy fits nonprofit organizations’ distinctive characteristics of shared mission attainment and values focus among members. The framework proceeds from an extensive transdisciplinary review and synthesis of empirical literature. It focuses on lived actions in the form of organizing practices that leaders can institute and sustain. Through a combined lens of practice theory, intergroup contact theory, and systems dynamics, we identify everyday workplace practices that undermine inclusion, performance, and equity. We detail how these anti-inclusive practices produce systemic resistance to current diversity policies by operating in vicious cycles that continually reproduce organizational and social problems. We specify a combination of practices for accountability, inclusive interactions, and personalized socialization that address the anti-inclusive practices and produce virtuous cycles of inclusion among organizational members. Illustrative cases demonstrate how the combination of practices has been effective in producing inclusion and attitude change in nonprofit organizations. To overcome policy resistance, these cases and other evidence suggest nonprofit diversity policy should emphasize inclusive values and mission-attainment rather than legal compliance.
Research progresses on the effects of heavy metals on the circadian clock system
Authors: Xue Qian , Wang Rui , Zhu-ge Ruijian , Guo Li 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Environmental pollution with heavy metals is widespread, thus increasing attention has been paid to their toxic effects. Recent studies have suggested that heavy metals may influence the expression of circadian clock genes. Almost all organs and tissues exhibit circadian rhythms. The normal circadian rhythm of an organism is maintained by the central and peripheral circadian clock. Thus, circadian rhythm disorders perturb normal physiological processes. Here, we review the effects of heavy metals, including manganese, copper, cadmium, and lead, on four core circadian clock genes, i.e., ARNTL, CLOCK, PER, and CRY genes.
Land Titling and Sustainable Agricultural Practices in Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen My 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
This study quantifies the less salient yet important impacts of land titling on the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs) in the context of Vietnam. Exploiting the within-plot variation in titling status, we find that land titling is positively associated with the implementation of SAPs. Specifically, being given formal titles to land makes Vietnamese rural households 6.58, 3.65, and 1.97 percentage points more likely to invest in soil-water conservation, adopt crop rotation, and leave the land fallow, respectively. These estimates represent increases of 8.7, 20.9, and 2 % compared to the sample averages, respectively. Given the substantial stress on the agricultural system generated by conventional farming, raising the adoption of SAPs could improve food security and alleviate hunger. Our findings also imply that strengthening land property rights through land titling can help us achieve sustainable development goals. The study calls for intensified policy efforts to make sure that formal land use certificates are issued for all farmlands.
The Impact of the Tax Reduction on Fuel Prices in Germany – A Synthetic Difference-in-Differences Approach
Authors: Bernhardt Lea , Breiderhoff Xenia , Dewenter Ralf 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
We analyse the impact of the temporary tax reduction on diesel and gasoline prices from June to the end of August 2022 in Germany. By implementing a synthetic difference-in-differences approach with different baskets of European countries, we find a significant reduction in prices by 33.8–34.4 cents per litre for gasoline and 12.2–14.6 cents per litre for diesel. These results are robust to variations of countries as well as different time periods analysed. Therefore, we conclude that the temporary reduction of the tax rate on gasoline and diesel was passed through to consumers by rates of 97 %–99 % for gasoline and 75 %–86 % for diesel, respectively. However, these pass-on rates do not imply a high level of competition. On the contrary, an increase in prices before the introduction of the tax cut and an increase before the end of the discount tend to indicate less intense competition.
Non-Linear Impact of Public Debt on Inflation in Rwanda
Authors: Saungweme Talknice , Maluleke Glenda , Odhiambo Nicholas M. 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
This paper examines Rwanda’s debt-inflation dynamics and the asymmetric effect of government debt on inflation using time series data spanning the years 1980–2021. The study applied a battery of tests to examine the debt-inflation linkage in this country, including the bounds F-test for cointegration, the Brock-Dechert-Scheinkman (BDS) nonlinearity test, the Wald test for asymmetries and the nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) model for short run and long run asymmetric impact. The results of the NARDL bounds F-test for cointegration support a long-run nonlinear link between public debt and inflation in Rwanda. The findings of the BDS test reveal that the series is nonlinear in all dimensions, whereas the results of the Wald test show that public debt has an asymmetric impact on inflation, regardless of the timescale considered. The NARDL findings show that while a rise in public debt tends to be inflationary in the short run, a decline in public debt typically leads to a decrease in inflation in the long run. The study also demonstrates that inflation responds more rapidly and strongly to positive than negative shocks in public debt. The country should think about continuous enforcement of fiscal consolidation measures and reforms, as well as implementing economic growth-friendly policies to reduce debt increases in the short run. This will induce a decline in inflation and enhance macroeconomic stability in the long run.
How Does Takeover Competition Affect the Stock Performance of Targets and Acquirers? Evidence from the European Union
Authors: Kellner Tobias , Maltritz Dominik 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
We examine the impact of M&A announcements on stock prices of targets and acquirers in the European Union from 2002 to 2021. In line with the literature, we find strong positive returns for the target firms’ stocks, whereas returns are low or insignificant for the acquirers. We contribute to the literature by focusing on the effect of takeover competition and distinguishing between the returns of first and later bids. Accordingly, we confirm strong relationships between subsequent offers and target firms’ stock returns. These returns increase if a second order is made and if the premium related to the second offer is higher.
Powers that Reside in Communication
Authors: Thalos Mariam 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Is it possible to measure a people’s capacity for containing the ambitions of any regime at its helm—its ability to resist the power of a tyrant? We begin here from the premise that this power has to be in proportion to individuals’ capacity (both individually and in groups) for communicating, at least among themselves, dissatisfaction with the regime. As the paper subsequently shows, by articulating an ontology of information diffusion on a communication network structure, it is possible to take some stock of the features of a communications network that facilitate resistance to tyranny (among other things), and so to begin answering questions about the sort of power that people living within them might be able to mobilize, while not yet answering outright the question of how to measure the power to resist.
Transtibial protez kullanan bireylerde sağlam tarafta CAD/CAM tabanlık kullanımının plantar basınç ve postüral stabiliteye anlık etkisi
Authors: AKBEN Onur , KUTLUTÜRK YIKILMAZ Seval , ATILGAN Esra 
Published: August 2023

Amaç: Bu çalışmada transtibial protez kullanan bireylerin sağlam ekstremitesinde tabanlık kullanımının plantar basınç ve postüral stabiliteye anlık etkisini incelemek amaçlandı.
Yöntem: Çalışma transtibial protez kullanan 18-65 yaş aralığındaki 16 unilateral transtibial ampute üzerinde yapıldı. Ayak postürü Ayak Postür İndeksi, kalkaneus açısı CJ Ortho mobil uygulaması (Collège des Jeunes Orthopédistes–CJO) ve üniversal gonyometrik ölçüm, ayak plantar basıncı ve postüral stabilite Sensor Medica®️ sistemi, denge Berg Denge Ölçeği ile değerlendirildi. Tabanlık öncesi ve sonrası yapılan değerlendirmeler anlık olarak kaydedildi. Normal dağılım Shapiro Wilk testi ile yapıldı ve tüm verilerin normal dağılım göstermediği belirlendi. İki bağımlı değişken arasındaki farkı ortaya koymak için non-parametrik testlerden Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Testi kullanıldı. Çalışmanın istatistiksel analizi SPSS 21.00 programı kullanılarak 0,05 anlamlılık sınırında yapıldı.
Bulgular: Bireylerin sağlam ekstremitedeki tabanlık ile plantar basınç kuvvetlerinin (ön ayak yüklenme, toplam yüklenme, ön ayak temas yüzeyi, toplam temas yüzeyi) yükseldiği, maksimum basıncın azaldığı gözlemlendi. Tabanlık ile ayak bileğinin subtalar eklem açısının azaldığı ve postüral salınım uzunluğunda ve medio-lateral salınımda azalma meydana geldiği görüldü.
Sonuç: Transtibial protez kullanan amputelerde sağlam ekstremitede kişiye özel tabanlık uygulamasının anlık olarak postüral salınımı azalttığı ve ayağın plantar basınç dağılımını iyileştirdiği bulundu. Sağlam tarafta kişiye özel tabanlık kullanımının protez kullanan ampute bireyler için teşvik edilmesi gerektiğini düşünmekteyiz.
Formulation and evaluation of herbal syrup of onion (Allium Cepa)
Authors: Nerkar Amit G , Pansare Ashutosh 
Published: August 2023

A cepa or onion is the most edible vegetable throughout the world. It also has diverse pharmacological properties. It is a fibrous perennial plant belonging to the Amaryllidaceae family. Onions contain vitamins such as folic acid and vitamin B6. It also contains minerals such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus. It shows diverse pharmacological properties such as anticancer, antidiabetic, antioxidant, anticoagulant, antihypertensive and antidepressant and neuroprotective effects. It is believed to be a carminative and shows beneficial effects on circulatory and respiratory systems as well as the immune system. Allium cepa finds its uses in cancer because of many stress conditions such as oxidative stress can be subsided by the Allium cepa extract and formulations. In this review, an attempt was made to formulate the medicated syrup of A. cepa. Four such formulations were made (F1, F2, F3, F4). The F4 formulation was optimized and was stable. The Formulation F4 can be adopted for preparation of A. cepa syrup on Industrial scale.
Analytical Study of a Case Series Of Vancomycin Associated Adverse Drug Reactions In Paediatric Population at a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Brief Report
Authors: Fernandes Madeline , Daswani Bharti , Aringale Vrushali , Kinikar Aarti 
Published: August 2023

Background: Red man syndrome (RMS) is frequently reported from pediatric ward in patients receiving vancomycin, at the medical store of SGH, Pune. Though common in pediatric patients, not all patients receiving vancomycin developed Red man syndrome. Hence, this study was done to analyse the demographic, pathophysiological, and pharmacological aspects of the subject who experience adverse drug reactions with vancomycin and to determine if this predisposition is associated with any of these factors.
Methods: All adverse drug reactions (ADR) to injection vancomycin in the pediatric ward that were reported from April 2018 - January 2022 were included. Controls were a similar number of randomly selected pediatric cases from the same ward who had received Intravenous vancomycin during the same period but did not experience the adverse drug reactions
Results: The mean age was 29.91 ± 34.87 months in subjects who experienced ADR and 57.37 ± 41.58 months, in non-ADR group (p=0.0286). 37.4% were infants, 29.69% toddlers in ADR Group. Seventy four percent of patients who manifested with ADR were below age of 3 compared to barely 38% in controls (p=0.03). 66.6% were malnourished in the ADR group compared to 27.6% in controls (p=0.007). There was no association between the ADR and ethnicity, religion, gender, diagnosis, co-morbidities, co-administered drugs, or administered dose of vancomycin among the children. There was no apparent seasonal variation in occurrence of the ADR.
Conclusion: RMS is more common in paediatric population than adults and is usually uneventful. Around 75% of the reactions occur within first 4 days of start of Vancomycin and usually occurs within 30 min of the preceding dose. Younger age groups (infants) and malnourishment were the two factors significantly associated with occurrence of RMS. We may also consider using lower than conventional doses and much slower infusions in such at-risk population.
A Cost Variation Analysis of Oral Contraceptive Pills Available in the Indian Market
Authors: Subbarayappa Priyanka , Bovi Chethan 
Published: August 2023

Background: Oral Contraceptive Pills (OCPs) are highly effective contraceptives if used regularly and adequately, and they also have added non-contraceptive benefits. This gives way to their increasing use in recent years, which has led to the introduction of numerous brands of drugs with different costs in the Indian market. Hence the current study was conducted to analyze the cost ratio and cost variation of different brands of OCPs available in the Indian market and to compare the cost of branded and generic drugs.
Materials and Methods: The cost of the drugs was obtained from the Current Index of Medical Specialties (CIMS) - 44th Year April – July 2022 and from the website https://www.mims.com/india/. The Cost Ratio (CR) and Percentage Cost Variation (CV) was calculated. The cost of generic drugs was obtained from the website http://janaushadhi.gov.in/SortingView.aspx.
Results: 124 brands of various OCPs were available in the Indian market. Among all the regular OCPs available, the CR and CV were highest for Ormeloxifene 30mg at 10.19 and 919.4%, respectively, and they were lowest for Dienogest +Ethinylestradiol which comes under combined OCPs with the results of 1.007 and 0.73% respectively. The cost of all generic OCPs was lesser when compared with brand OCPs, and the difference in cost was maximum for Ulipristal.
Conclusion: There is wide variation in the cost of Oral Contraceptive Pills available in the Indian market, and the cost of brand drugs is higher than their generic counterparts. Physicians have to be made aware of this price difference so that they can prescribe drugs that are more affordable to the patients to improve their adherence to the regimen.