bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Short Blankets in Snow Leopard Conservation: The Case of Qilianshan National Park (China) and Surrounding Areas
Authors: Atzeni Luciano , Wang Jun , Philip Riordan , Shi Kun , Cushman Samuel A 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
ContextThe assessment of landscape-level connectivity patterns is centrally important to the conservation management of wildlife species. This is especially true for highly vagile carnivore species, for which conservation efforts should extend beyond protected areas and link core populations.ObjectivesWe investigated the effectiveness of the Qilianshan National Park (China), across the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai, in providing adequate conservation to snow leopard habitat and major dispersal routes.MethodsWe coupled resistant kernel and factorial least-cost path analyses to identify core home-range areas and major corridors connecting them. We compared two resistance surfaces derived from habitat and genetic models in their ability to describe connectivity routes. We ranked core areas and corridors based on their intensity of snow leopard movement flow. ResultsMuch of the extent of core habitat patches, and a vast proportion of corridors length and area, were located outside the National Park. The kernel analyses identified a critical area to range-wide connectivity connected to the park but not formally protected. We identified important patches representing the backbone of snow leopard habitat and stepping-stone patches ensuring landscape structural and functional connectivity. ConclusionsThe Qilianshan National Park effectively protects some core snow leopard habitats. However, it alone appears insufficient to cover several important core areas and a number of critical connectivity linkages. In the context of ensuring meta-population persistence on the Tibetan Plateau and facilitate gene flow, conservation efforts should expand institute new protected areas strategically located to conserve core habitat areas and provide connectivity linkages among them.
Sex-selective Abortions Over the Past Four Decades in China
Authors: Mei Li , Jiang Quanbao 
Published: March 2022

Abstract

Background: China now faces multiple challenging demographic and public policy problems that have emerged from four decades of sex-selective induced abortions The sex-selective induced abortion of female fetuses has been under-examined quantitatively in China.Methods: Using annual data on the officially registered number of births, induced abortions, and SRB data, we estimate the annual number of sex-selective abortions and then estimated two related proportions over the past decades.Results: The annual proportions and number of selective abortions rose in the 1980s with the strict family planning policy and the diffusion of sex identification technology, remained at a high level between 1990 and 2010, and then declined, totaling 29.70 million. The abortion of second-order female fetuses was the largest proportion of all sex-selective abortions but declined after 2000 partly due to the change in birth composition by order. Children's composition affected sex-selective practice. Village selective abortions accounted for the majority of all selective abortions but decreased markedly in 2010 with changes in birth composition by residence. The rural-urban comparison by order indicated that urban couples were not less likely to abort female fetuses than their rural counterparts. Sex-selective abortions still exhibit provincial differences.Conclusions: In China, due to the long-standing preference for sons, easy access to sex-selective technologies, and the spontaneous fertility decline, the practice of selectively aborting female fetuses would existed for a long time despite China has outlawed such practices, and the imbalanced sex structure may take many years to normalize.
Macrophage-derived exosomal miR-342-3p promotes progression of renal cell carcinoma through the NEDD4L/CEP55 axis-mediated PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway
Authors: Feng Jia-fu , Xu Bei , dai chunmei , Wang Yao-dong , Xie Gang , Yang Wen-yu , Zhang Bin , Li Xiao-han , Wang Jun 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is an insidious and common genitourinary malignancy with the incidence rate increasing annually. Due to its difficulty in early diagnosis and lack of sensitivity to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, RCC continues being a frequent cause of cancer-related death. Therefore, it is urgent to study the molecular mechanism of the occurrence and development of RCC and find new and reliable biomarkers or targets for its early diagnosis and treatment.Methods: miRNA data of M2-EVs and RCC were searched on Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and potential downstream target for miRNA was predicted on a public bioinformatic database. Transcriptional and translational levels of target genes were measured via RT-qPCR and Western blot, respectively. M2 macrophage was obtained via flow cytometry and identified by immunofluorescence staining. The morphology and particle size of M2-EVs were examined under a transmission electron microscope, and the internalization by RCC cells was monitored by fluorescence microscopy. The miR-342-3p binding to NEDD4L was validated by a dual-luciferase assay. CO-IP combined with GST-pull down assay was devised to study CEP55 ubiquitination in the presence of NEDD4L. The biological abilities of RCC cells in proliferation, invasion and migration were separately tested by CCK-8 and Transwell assay. Subcutaneous tumor-bearing mouse models and lung metastasis models were built to observe in vivo role of target genes.Results: M2-EVs induced RCC growth and metastasis. miR-342-3p showed high expression in both M2-EVs and RCC cells. M2-EVs carrying miR-342-3p promoted RCC cell abilities to proliferate, invade and migrate. In RCC cells, M2-EV-derived miR-342-3p could specifically bind to NEDD4L, and consequently elevate CEP55 protein expression via suppressing NEDD4L, thereby exerting tumor-promoting effects. Further study showed that CEP55 could be degraded by ubiquitination under the function of NEDD4L, and miR-342-3p within M2-EVs facilitated the RCC occurrence and development by activating PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.Conclusion: In all, M2-EVs promote RCC growth and metastasis by delivering miR-342-3p to suppress E3 ubiquitin ligase NEDD4L and subsequently inhibit CEP55 ubiquitination and degradation via activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, strongly driving the proliferative, migratory and invasive properties of RCC cells.
A Systematic Review and Bayesian Meta-Analysis of the Acoustic Features of Infant-Directed Speech
Authors: Cox Christopher , Bergmann Christina , Fowler Emma , Keren-Portnoy Tamar , Roepstorff Andreas , Bryant Gregory , Fusaroli Riccardo 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
When speaking to infants, adults often produce speech that differs systematically from that directed to other adults. In order to quantify the acoustic implementation of this speech style across a wide variety of languages and cultures, we extracted results from empirical studies on the acoustic features of infant-directed speech (IDS). We analyzed data from 87 unique studies (669 effect sizes) on the following five acoustic parameters that have been systematically examined in the literature: i) fundamental frequency (fo), ii) fo variability, iii) vowel space area, iv) articulation rate, and v) vowel duration. Moderator analyses were conducted in hierarchical Bayesian robust regression models in order to examine how these features change with infant age and differ across languages, experimental tasks and recording environments. The moderator analyses indicated that fo, articulation rate, and vowel duration became more similar to adult-directed speech (ADS) over time, whereas fo variability and vowel space area exhibited stability throughout development. These results point the way for future research to disentangle different accounts of the functions and learnability of IDS by conducting theory-driven comparisons among different languages and using computational models to formulate testable predictions.
Coalition Building: What Happens When External Facilitators Put the CBPR Principles in Practice? Ethnographic Examples From the Massachusetts HEALing Communities Study
Authors: Drainoni Mari-Lynn , Walt Galya , Martinez Linda Sprague , Smeltzer Rebecca , Santarpio Savanna , Munoz-Lopez Rosie , McClay Craig , Keisling Lauren , Harris Aumani , Gillen Faizah , El-Alfi Valerie , Crable Erika L. , Carpenter Jane F. , Barkowski Laura K. , Battaglia Tracy A. 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background
The HEALing Communities Study (HCS) is a large-scale multisite study testing Community Engagement using coalition facilitation as an approach to addressing the worsening overdose crisis. Within Community Engagement, Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) principles guide researchers on best practices for working in partnership with communities, yet these principles have not been well researched in large complex multi-site studies.
Methods
This paper used ethnographic methods to explore how coalitions operationalized the CBPR principles during early coalition formation. Two coders independently analyzed 101 ethnographies from HCS coalition meetings in eight Massachusetts communities held between November 2019 and December 2020. Themes were developed through consensus between the coders followed by group discussions among the authorship team.
Results
We found mutual trust, shared goals, addressing power dynamics, meeting structure and attending to the sociopolitical community context could all serve as barriers or facilitators to operationalizing the CBPR principles.
Conclusions
These findings provide unique suggestions for future community-engaged multisite studies, and demonstrate the importance of research teams to mitigate inherent power imbalances by acknowledging and creating space for community ownership. The findings also highlight the value of a community engaged facilitator role to promote the CBPR principles. Strategies such as transparency, uniting over shared interests and bringing in a wide range of stakeholders were notable facilitators for operationalizing the principles.
Paired analysis of host and pathogen genomes identifies determinants of human tuberculosis
Authors: Raychaudhuri Soumya , Luo Yang , Huang Chuan-Chin , Liu Qingyun , Howard Nicole , Li Xinyi , Zhu Junhao , Amariuta Tiffany , Asgari Samira , Ishigaki Kazuyoshi , Calderon Roger , Moody D. Branch , Lecca Leonid , Fortune Sarah , Murray Megan 
Published: March 2022

Abstract

The outcome of infectious diseases may depend on the interaction between human and pathogen genomic variations. We explore this relationship in tuberculosis (TB) by conducting a genome-to-genome (g2g) study of paired genomes from humans and the infectious agent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) in 1,556 Peruvian TB patients. We identified a significant association between a human variant in the FLOT1 gene and a unique Mtb Lineage 2 (L2) subclade. The host allele affects FLOT1 expression in multiple tissue and cell types including lung, the primary site of TB disease. Phylogenetic analysis shows that the Mtb subclade has expanded rapidly in Peru since its emergence in the 1950s. Unbiased phenotypic profiling demonstrates that strains from the interacting Mtb subclade display different redox metabolism from other L2 strains. This study presents clear evidence that human and bacterial genetic variation interact together to produce different clinical outcomes.
Improving Boosting Methods With A Stable Loss Function Handling Outliers
Authors: WangChao  , LiBo  , WangLei  , PengPai  
Published: March 2022

Abstract

In classification problems, the occurrence of abnormal observations is often encountered. How to obtain a stable model to deal with outliers has always been a subject of widespread concern. In this article, we draw on the ideas of the AdaBoosting algorithm and propose a asymptotically linear loss function, which makes the output function more stable for contaminated samples, and two boosting algorithms were designed, based on two different way of updating, to handle outliers. In addition, a skill for overcoming the instability of Newton's method when dealing with weak convexity is introduced. Several samples, where outliers were artificially added, show that the Discrete L-AdaBoost and Real L-AdaBoost Algorithms find the boundary of each category consistently under the condition where data is contaminated. In real world data sets, we show the effectiveness of suggested algorithms by comparison with other two ensemble learning methods, especially for large dataset.
A tracing method for the botanical origins of six geographical indication (GI) jujube species by the crude polysaccharides characterization
Authors: Mao Kai , Yang Chun , Ding Weiying , Zhang Jiangning , Ye Zheng , Han Jiming , Zhang Ling 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
BackgroundCurrent official standards of geographical indication (GI) jujube species only employed simple parameters like appearance, grown region as distinguishing indicators, but they could not tell the subtle differences. In addition to the genetic method, the most efficient and accurate way to trace botanical origins at present, some researchers successfully tracing the geographical or botanical origin by the content or characteristics of biomacromolecule or functional ingredients such as metabolomics and polysaccharide. This article was to develop an efficient way to trace the botanical origins of 6 GI jujube species by crude polysaccharide characterization.ResultsThe crude polysaccharides from 6 geographical indication (GI) jujube species of Shanxi province were tested with the parameters of purity, uronic acid content, Mw distribution, monosaccharide composition, functional groups and bonds. In the purity and uronic acid content assay, the purity varied within a very narrow band (96%-99%) and presented no negative or positive correlation with uronic acid content. In the experiment of Mw distribution by HPGPC, five peaks (RT1, RT2, RT3, RT4, RT5) were almost observed in 6 jujube species, and the content of RT3 (240–250 Da), with significant correlation to the content of RT4 and RT5, exhibited significant differences among 6 jujube species (RSD = 1.28 > 1.00). The monosaccharides composition indicated that the polysaccharides from 6 jujube species were rich in glucose (55–75%), arabinose (10–15%) and galactose acid (10–20%), with small amounts of rhamonose, glucosamine hydrochloride, galactose, xylose, mannose (less than 5%). The FT-IR spectrum showed that crude polysaccharides from six jujube species shared similar functional groups and chemical bonds.ConclusionsThe results above indicated that the Mw distribution of crude polysaccharides showed both homogeneity and differences in the 6 GI jujube species. First of all, five peaks (RT1, RT2, RT3, RT4, RT5), respectively representing the Mw of 186646–285262 Da (RT1), 4634–17296 Da (RT2), 240–250 Da (RT3), 98–103 Da (RT4) and 57–64 Da (RT5), could be detected in all 6 jujube species. Secondly, the RT3 contents exhibited significant differences among 6 jujube species (RSD = 1.28 > 1.00) and showed significant correlation with RT4 and RT5. Therefore, the Mw distribution may be treated as a potential distinguishing indicator among 6 jujube species.
Do Hospital Workers Experience A Higher Risk Of Respiratory Symptoms And Loss Of Lung Function?
Authors: Heibati Behzad , Jaakkola Maritta S. , Lajunen Taina K. , Ducatman Alan , Veysi Rahmat , Karimi Ali , Jaakkola Jouni J.K. 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background: The hospital work environment contains various biological and chemical exposures that can affect indoor air quality and have impact on respiratory health of the staff. The objective of this study was to investigate potential effects of occupational exposures on the risk of respiratory symptoms and lung function in hospital work, and to evaluate potential interaction between smoking and occupational exposures.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 228 staff members in a hospital and 228 employees of an office building as the reference group in Shiraz, Iran. All subjects completed a standardized respiratory ATS questionnaire and performed a spirometry test. Results: In Poisson regression, the adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) among the hospital staff were elevated for cough (aPR 1.90, 95% CI: 1.15, 3.16), phlegm production (aPR 3.21, 95% CI: 1.63, 6.32), productive cough (aPR 2.83, 95% CI: 1.48, 5.43), wheezing (aPR 3.18, 95% CI: 1.04, 9.66), shortness of breath (aPR 1.40, 95% CI: 0.93, 2.12), and chest tightness (aPR 1.73, 95% CI: 0.73, 4.12). Particularly laboratory personnel experienced increased risk of most symptoms. In linear regression adjusting for confounding, there were no significant differences in lung function between the hospital and office workers. There was an indication of synergism between hospital exposures and current smoking on FEV1/FVC% (β = -5.37, 95%CI: -10.27, -0.47).Conclusions: This study provides evidence that hospital work, especially in laboratories, increases the risk of respiratory symptoms. Smoking appears to enhance these effects considerably. Our findings suggest that policymakers should implement evidence-based measures to prevent these occupational exposures.
Fabrication Of Poly (O-Toluidine) (POT) For DC Conductivity And Schottky Diodes Application By Sandwiching Nano Zno As An Interfacial Region By In Situ Polymerization Technique
Authors: Hari Praveen , M Thushara K 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
The influence of nano ZnO in Poly (O-toluidine) for Schottky diode application was prepared by in situ chemical polymerization method with different weight perctange of nano zinc oxide. FTIR results reveals that the amorphous nature has been faded due to the addition of nano zinc oxide and thus it was effective for crystallinity. SEM images proves that the uniformity arrangement of particles in spherical shape and the composition of particles in the POT-n-ZnO is proved from the EDAX analysis The current increase inside the sample increases due to the external source of light, electrical conductivity inside the sample has enhanced due to increase in Zinc oxide (nano) concentration. DC Conductivity of the prepared samples was high and POT doped with 75wt% of nano ZnO shows highly appropriateness material as direct current conducting substance. The results of this work disclose that the material is appropriate for diode due to increase in barrier height and ideality factor and another factor was forward bias current enhances in all the samples while reverse biased current was fade. Scope of this work was to fabricate the diode and conducting material with cost effective, high yield and vastly efficient material.
Development and characterization of the microsatellite markers for the Neptune whelk, Neptunea cumingii
Authors: Ma Peizhen , Zhang Tao , Li Haizhou , Wang Haiyan 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
BackgroundThe Neptune whelk, Neptunea cumingii, is an economic species endemic to the East Asia Warm Temperate Biotic Subregion. The development of microsatellite markers will be beneficial to the assessment of genetic diversity and conservation of resources on this decreasing gastropod.Methods and ResultsThe microsatellite markers were developed and characterized through Illumina high-throughput sequencing and capillary electrophoresis techniques. 11 polymorphic microsatellite loci were screened and validated. The observed heterozygosity and expected heterozygosity of each locus ranged from 0.0600 to 0.6508 and from 0.7380 to 0.9375, respectively. The average Shannon’s information index, polymorphism information content, F-Statistics and gene flow were 2.0828, 0.8325, 0.0519 and 4.5660, respectively. The genetic diversity analysis indicated a closer genetic distance between populations of Dalian and Lvshun. ConclusionsThe distribution pattern of polymorphic microsatellite loci reveals that the Yellow Sea Warm Current generates the high level of genetic connectivity in N. cumingii. The markers developed in this study are expected as informative for further analysis of genetic diversity in N. cumingii.
Bibliometric analysis of scientific research publications on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (2020 – 2021)
Authors: Sweileh Waleed M. 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background: Vaccine hesitancy is a real threat to the global efforts to end COVID-19 pandemic. Analysis of literature on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy helps develop interventional policies to overcome this threat. The objective of the present study was to analyze worldwide research trends and patterns on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancyMethod: This was a descriptive bibliometric study using SciVerse Scopus to retrieve relevant articles. The research was based on the use of specific phrases in the title/abstract of the articles. The study included the years 2020 and 2021. Only research and review articles were included. VOSviewer program was used to map author keywords, terms, and collaborative ties. Results: The research strategy found 1184 articles with an h-index of 55. The vast majority of the retrieved articles were published in 2021 in an open-access format. Analysis showed the following key findings: (1) research was disseminated in journals with a diverse scope, mainly immunology and public health, (2) authors from different geographic regions participated in publishing articles on the topic with those in the United States participating in one-third of the retrieved literature, (3) authors and institutions in the Arab Gulf countries made a noticeable contribution while those from the African region was limited, (4) cross-country collaboration was adequate but little author-author interaction was found, (5) research themes focused on healthcare workers, misinformation, and ethnic/racial variation, (6) Lancet and BMJ journals in addition to Vaccine and Vaccines journals were pioneering in the emphasis and emergence of the topic, (7) leading global universities such as Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine ranked top in publishing articles on the topic, and (8) the bulk of the retrieved articles was multi-authored suggestive of the multidisciplinary nature of the topic.Conclusion: Research and detailed information on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is needed from all countries and regions to help build interventional policies to face the pandemic and the new emerging COVID-19 variants. Collaborative research efforts in the field should be extended to other world regions where research on the topic was limited.