bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The whole blood DNA methylation patterns of extrinsic apoptotic signalling pathway-related genes in autoimmune thyroiditis among areas with different iodine levels
Authors: Qu Mengying , Wan Siyuan , Wu Huaiyong , Ren Bingxuan , Chen Yao , Liu Lixiang , Shen Hongmei 
Published: March 2022

AbstractAutoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) has a complex aetiology and the susceptibility to it is determined by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, although these are not yet fully understood. The present research aimed to explore the DNA methylation patterns in whole blood of extrinsic apoptotic signalling pathway-related genes in AIT among areas with different iodine levels. We selected the iodine-fortification areas, iodine-adequate areas and water-based iodine-excess areas from Shandong Province of China as survey sites. Totally, 176 AIT cases and 176 controls were included. MethylTargetTM and QT-PCR technology were used to detect candidate genes’ DNA methylation levels and mRNA expression levels, respectively. We found that death associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) DNA methylation levels in AIT cases (especially in female) were significantly higher than controls (t = 2·7715, P = 0·0059; t = 2·4638, P = 0·0143 in female). There were differences in DAPK1 (t = 2·5384, P = 0·0121), TNF superfamily member 8 (t = 2·1667, P = 0·0334) and TNF-α-induced protein 8 (TNFAIP8) (t = 2·5672, P = 0·0121) genes methylation between cases and controls with different water iodine levels. The mRNA expression of DAPK1 (t = 4·329, P < 0·001) and TNFAIP8 (t = 3·775, P < 0·001) in the cases was increased. We identified the differences in the DNA methylation status of the extrinsic apoptotic signalling pathway-related genes between AIT and controls and in different iodine levels areas. The results were verified at the mRNA level. The environmental iodine may affect DNA methylation to some extent.
A NEGLECTED SENSE OF Ἤ?
Authors: Roberts Clifford M. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThis article introduces and clarifies a neglected sense of the word ἤ (‘or’) employed by Aristotle and other authors. In this sense, called ‘indifferent’, ἤ signifies ‘one or the other, regardless of which’. It is shown how attention to this use makes it possible to explain the source of the ambiguity of certain sentences, most obviously, though not exclusively, sentences that make a necessity claim about an embedded disjunction, for example ‘It is necessary that A or B’. Why this sense cannot be explained, as some scholars have suggested, by the distinction between exclusive and inclusive ἤ is also discussed. Finally, it is shown how awareness of this sense might rescue Aristotle from a gross inconsistency.
Merchants, Maidens, and Mohammedans: A History of Muslim Stereotypes in Sinhala Literature of Sri Lanka
Authors: McKinley Alexander 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThis article analyzes stereotypes of Muslims that have recurred in Sinhala literature over the past seven centuries. This temporal span includes (1) a precolonial time when Muslims were a curiosity in Sinhala poetry as rich traders, wild men, and seductive women; (2) an early colonial time when the Portuguese and Dutch displaced more Muslims into the island interior, and Sinhala authors increasingly wrote of them as religious others akin to Tamils; and (3) a late colonial time when British policies forged religo-racial political categories in the decades leading up to the anti-Muslim pogroms of 1915. Each case is also connected to postcolonial instantiations or transformations of these typecasts. This history therefore eschews linear narratives of change to show the recurrent tendencies of social reasoning through stereotyping, past and present.
First records of the ornate eagle ray Aetomylaeus vespertilio from the Inhambane Province, Mozambique
Authors: Venables Stephanie K. , Conradie Janneman , Marshall Andrea D. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractWe report two separate sightings of the ornate eagle ray Aetomylaeus vespertilio (Bleeker, 1852) in the Bazaruto Seascape of southern Mozambique. In May 2021, a single individual was encountered at a depth of 30 m during an in-water survey in the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park. Another solitary individual was documented ~55 km away during an aerial survey in the Vilanculos Coastal Wildlife Sanctuary three days later. These represent the first documented sightings of A. vespertilio in the Inhambane Province of Mozambique, confirming the presence of the species in the region and extending the known range northward along the south-east African coastline. Given the rarity of reported sightings, additional records are particularly valuable for these threatened and elusive rays in order to expand current knowledge of their distribution and range.
Sarcocystis neurona,Neosporaspp. andToxoplasma gondiiinfections in horses and equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM): five decades of personal experience, perspectives and update
Authors: Dubey J. P. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractSarcocystis neurona,Neosporaspp. andToxoplasma gondiiare related protozoans; they were considered the same parasite until 1970s. Two of these parasites,S. neuronaandNeosporaspp. are associated with a neurological syndrome in horses, called equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). The diagnosis and treatment of EPM are difficult. Most cases of EPM are related toS. neuronawhile only a few are due toNeosporaspp. infections. There are two species ofNeospora,Neospora caninumthat has a wide host range andNeospora hughesithat has been found only in horses. Currently,T. gondiiis not considered as a cause of EPM in horses, although it causes neurological illness in many other hosts, including humans. The present review provides an update on history, life cycle, diagnosis and treatment of these three infections in horses.
Fear of COVID-19 and quality of life: the mediating role of loneliness among older Turkish adults
Authors: Altay Melih , Arisoy Azime 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has affected living standards around the world, and pandemic anxiety has changed social habits. In this context, this paper investigates the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and quality of life, and assesses the mediating effect of loneliness on this relationship among a sample of older adults in Turkey. The study considers data from approximately 400 people, all of whom completed the CASP-19 Quality of Life Scale in Older People, the Loneliness Scale for the Elderly and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed to confirm a one-factor structure for each instrument. Subsequently, mediation analysis, correcting for age as a continuous covariate, was performed to assess the nature of the relationship between fear and quality of life, and the extent to which that relationship is mediated by loneliness. Our study showed that there is a negative and direct relationship between loneliness and quality of life. Another important finding of our research is that fear of COVID-19 has a significant effect on loneliness. Finally, loneliness mediates the relation between fear of COVID-19 and quality of life. This finding strongly suggests that fear of COVID-19 influences quality of life via loneliness. This result is noteworthy, as we could not find any similar finding in the literature.
The experience of dependence on homecare among people ageing at home
Authors: Martinsen Bente , Norlyk Annelise , Gramstad Astrid 
Published: March 2022

AbstractBeing dependent on homecare potentially threatens a person's integrity and autonomy, particularly when people are dependent on help to manage basic bodily functions that involve intimacy and nudity, making the person vulnerable despite being in his or her own home. As the population continues to age and live longer, more people are expected to be dependent on homecare. The aim of this study was to investigate the phenomenon of dependence on homecare among people ageing at home. Individual in-depth interviews were used to explore 15 Danish and Norwegian homecare receivers’ experiences of dependence on homecare. Interview records were transcribed and analysed in a hermeneutical phenomenological process described by van Manen. First and foremost, the experience of dependence on homecare is a question of adaption. The older people in this study struggled to get used to their deteriorating body and at the same time they continuously had to negotiate to get care in accordance with their values. Being dependent on care could be experienced as being reduced to a task or a problem to be solved though the participants had a significant need for undivided mental attention. The presence of homecare staff in the participants’ homes could entail a change where the participants experienced that they lost control over the surroundings. According to the voices of the older people in this study, future homecare should be accommodated in an organisational set-up that gives priority to stability and continuity in the relation between the homecare receiver and the homecare staff. Also it is significant that homecare staff do not have a task-oriented approach to their job and are sensitive to the values of the homecare receivers.
Social patterns of ageism: expert perspectives from Austria and Ireland
Authors: Hopf Stefan , Walsh Kieran , Georgantzi Nena 
Published: March 2022

AbstractFor older persons, age discrimination can undermine equal participation in modern service and consumer societies. One way to tackle age discrimination is to implement anti-discrimination policy and legislation. However, age discrimination is an ambiguous concept that can be interpreted in different ways and differences in the interpretation can impact the scope and application of related policy and legislation. Hence, to understand how policy, legislation and their central constructs operate within society, it is necessary to look beyond the letter of the law or policy text and explore the interpretations of age discrimination employed by actors in the field. We interviewed experts from Austria and Ireland, who by virtue of their professional or representative position co-structure the conditions for people to claim they have experienced age discrimination. Based on 12 expert interviews and two focus groups, each involving six representatives of the major national advocacy and interest organisations on ageing, we reconstructed four interpretation patterns of age discrimination: age discrimination as the ‘denial of dignity’, as the ‘denial of recognition of contribution’, as the ‘denial of participation’ and as the ‘lack of consideration of need’. The findings are discussed with reference to the concepts of recognition and representation, and considerations are provided on possible legal and political implications of this research.
Bush-lost children’s place in new ‘moral communities’: the emergence of a cultural rite in colonial Victoria (and across Australia), 1850s–1890s
Authors: Calabria Tim , Joyce Tash 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIn the 1850s goldrush, new communities emerged in Victoria with members from diverse origins of place, faith and ethnicity. Settlers usually migrated to pursue wealth; however, the social cohesion these young towns required often came from beyond logics of economy. As the goldrush waned from the 1860s, communal searches for children lost in the bush became a secular ‘rite’ that helped produce ‘moral communities’, which articulated shared values through common beliefs and social practices associated with lost children. Entire segments of communities would gather, suspend economic pursuits and search for lost children, often for days or weeks at a time. The euphoria of finding the child alive, or the solemn reverie when the child perished, forged communal goodwill through shared sentiment. The rite of the search became disseminated through newspapers, literature and word-of-mouth, while the ‘bush’ – a construction referring to various landscapes in Australia – enabled readers to participate in the searches remotely, as part of an imagining and feeling community in the colonies’ various climates. In the gradually secularising settler colonies of Australia in the late nineteenth century, lost children functioned as a fulcrum on which communities could pivot, while establishing social cohesion and communal belonging.
The right to water for internally displaced persons in the Sahel region
Authors: Traoré Sâ Benjamin , Dabiré Tiérowé Germain 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has drastically increased over the last five years in the countries of the Sahel region. This situation is linked to the rise of countless armed groups, especially in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. The present paper aims to assess the existence and contours of a right to water for IDPs in the Sahel region. In doing so, it examines international humanitarian law and other international law regimes to determine the legal foundations that protect and guarantee IDPs’ right to water. The contribution provides the contextual background of armed conflict-induced displacement in the Sahel region, and demonstrates the existence of a right to water for IDPs in the Sahel countries. This right derives not only from international humanitarian law but also from other complementary international rules applicable even in conflict situations. The paper finally discusses and recommends legal and practical ways in which IDPs’ right to water can be better realized in the current context of the Sahel region.
Topographic Influences on Diurnally Driven MJO Rainfall Over the Maritime Continent
Authors: Bai Hedanqiu , Schumacher Courtney 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThis work investigates impacts of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO) on the daily and diurnal rainfall over the Maritime Continent, with emphasis on the influences of topography over Sumatra, Borneo and New Guinea. Eighty‐nine MJO events were identified during 2001–2019 using IMERG satellite data. Daily and diurnal rainfall maxima on the east side of topography lag the west side as the MJO passes. In addition, the island vanguard (pre‐MJO) rain is more convective, while the island rearguard (behind the main MJO body) rain is more stratiform. The timing and magnitude of diurnal rainfall is defined using the maximum hourly rain rate instead of the first diurnal harmonic to avoid smoothing. While a single sharp peak is observed over the mountains around 19 LT, a much broader delayed peak occurs over land to the west of topography and two peaks are observed over land to the east of topography at 15 and 2 LT. Rain peaks offshore from 3 to 7 LT. Cluster analysis shows that the afternoon and nighttime rainfall peaks are highest before the MJO arrives, then gradually decrease and become earlier on the west side of the topography, whereas the afternoon (nighttime) peak east of the topography is enhanced before (after) the MJO arrives. The contrasting east‐west features can be attributed to topographic influences on the moisture flux convergence of the mean column moisture by MJO‐induced winds. The MJO wind modulation of diurnal rainfall over most of the open ocean areas is insignificant.
Multimodal evaluation of an interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein-induced mouse model of experimental autoimmune uveitis
Authors: Yang Jee Myung , Yun KyungA , Jeon Jehwi , Yang Hae Young , Kim Bora , Jeong Sunhong , Lee Junyeop , Oh Wang-Yuhl , Uemura Akiyoshi , Song Joon Seon , Kim Pilhan , Lee Joo Yong 
Published: March 2022

AbstractWe aimed to characterize the vascular phenotypes of an experimental autoimmune retinal uveitis (EAU) model induced by interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) using multimodal imaging techniques. We systemically administered IRBP or vehicle to adult C57BL/6 mice. Fundus photography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), in vivo live confocal imaging using different tracers, OCT angiography (OCTA), and electroretinography (ERG) were performed after IRBP immunization. Hematoxylin and eosin and immunofluorescence staining were performed to characterize the immune response and vascular permeability. Mice with EAU exhibited perivascular inflammation, vitritis, and superficial retinal inflammation on fundus photography and OCT. H&E revealed immune cell infiltration in the perivascular area of the retina and choroid accompanied by a significant degree of perivasculitis that subsequently damaged photoreceptors 3 weeks postimmunization. Immunofluorescence staining showed subsequent transcytosis induction after local microglial activation followed by neutrophil recruitment in the perivascular area. Transcytosis in the superficial and deep vascular areas was improved by immune cell suppression. Intravital in vivo confocal imaging showed signs of neutrophil infiltration and obstructive vasculitis with perivascular leakage 3 weeks postimmunization. OCTA revealed a significant decrease in vascular flow in the deep capillary layer of the retina. Functional analysis showed that scotopic responses were intact at 2 weeks; however, normal photopic and scotopic responses were hardly detected in mice with EAU mice at 3 weeks postimmunization. Our data suggest that inflammatory cell activation and subsequent transcytosis induction in endothelial cells might be a major pathogenic factor for vascular leakage in uveitis, providing new insights into the pathophysiology of retinal vasculitis in noninfectious uveitis.
Time trends in primary therapy and relative survival of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma by stage: a nationwide, population-based study in the Netherlands, 1989–2018
Authors: Durmaz Müjde , Visser Otto , Posthuma Eduardus F. M. , Brouwer Rolf E. , Issa Djamila E. , de Jong Daphne , Lam King H. , Blijlevens Nicole M. A. , Zijlstra Josée M. , Chamuleau Martine E. D. , Lugtenburg Pieternella J. , Kersten Marie José , Dinmohamed Avinash G. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIt is unclear whether survival in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) continues to increase in an era where rituximab-containing chemotherapy reigns for almost two decades. Therefore, we evaluated trends in primary therapy and relative survival (RS) among Dutch DLBCL patients diagnosed between 1989 and 2018. Analyses were performed separately according to the stage I (N = 6952) and stage II–IV disease (N = 20,676), stratified by calendar period and age (18–64, 65–74, and ≥75 years). The use of chemotherapy ± radiotherapy increased over time across all age and stage groups. As of the mid-2000s, >95% of chemotherapy-treated patients received chemoimmunotherapy, irrespective of age and stage. Overall, RS increased significantly over time across all age groups, especially after 2003 when rituximab-containing chemotherapy had become the standard of care. However, RS increased less pronounced between 2003–2010 and 2011–2018 than between 1989–2002 and 2003–2010. These findings were congruent across all studied stage groups. Five-year RS across the three age groups during 2011–2018 was 96%, 84%, and 67% for stage I DLBCL and 75%, 60%, and 46% for stage II–IV DLBCL. Collectively, survival in DLBCL increased modestly beyond the initial introduction of rituximab, with apparent survival differences across age and stage that warrant novel treatment approaches.
SGSM2 inhibits thyroid cancer progression by activating RAP1 and enhancing competitive RAS inhibition
Authors: Su Xi , Chen Dong , Zhu Lizhang , Jia Hao , Cai Jiaxuan , Li Peng , Han Bin , Wang Donglai , Li Hongtao , Fan Jiaqian , Gu Mengwei , Zhou Yaqi , Guan Haixia , Wei Wei 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThyroid cancer (TC) is one of the most common malignancies involving the head and neck, and its incidences are increasing every year. Small G protein signaling modulators 2 (SGSM2) belongs to a newly identified protein group that contributes to numerous cancer progression. However, its role in TC remains unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the functions and underlying molecular mechanism of SGSM2 in the progression of thyroid tumorigenesis. Here, we demonstrated that SGSM2 expression was markedly decreased in TC, and that lower SGSM2 expression was potentially related to worse patient prognosis. Meanwhile, the SGSM2 levels were not directly correlated with BRAF or RAS mutations in TC. Based on our functional analysis, ectopic SGSM2 expression strongly prevented cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and tumorigenic activity in TC cells that harbored wild type RAS. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that SGSM2 interacted with Small G protein Ras-associated protein 1(RAP1) and augmented its activity. Activated RAP1 then competitively suppressed RAS activation and thereby downregulated output of MAPK/ERK and PI3K/Akt networks, which are primary contributors of TC. In summary, the present study reports a tumor suppressive role of SGSM2 in TC. Moreover, we revealed the underlying molecular mechanism, thus providing a potential therapeutic target for TCs that harbor wild type RAS.
Nematicidal activity of seaweed-synthesized silver nanoparticles and extracts against Meloidogyne incognita on tomato plants
Authors: Ghareeb Rehab Y. , Shams El-Din Nihal Galal El-Din , Maghraby Dahlia M. El , Ibrahim Dina S. S. , Abdel-Megeed Ahmed , Abdelsalam Nader R. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to test the nematicidal activity of extracts of two marine algae (Colpomenia sinuosa and Corallina mediterranea) and their synthesized silver nanoparticles against root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita) that infest tomato plants. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that nanoparticles had aggregated into anisotropic Ag particles, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the particle sizes were less than 40 nm. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis revealed that the obtained nanoparticles had a sharp absorbance between 440 and 4000 cm−1, with 13 distinct peaks ranging from 474 to 3915 cm−1. Methylene chloride extracts and nanoparticles synthesized from both algae species were used to treat M. incognita. C. sinuosa nanoparticles had the highest nematicidal activity of any treatment. Furthermore, and in contrast to other treatments, C. sinuosa nanoparticles reduced the number of nematode galls, egg-masses per root, and eggs/egg mass, while also improving plant growth parameters. C. sinuosa's methylene chloride extract was more active than C. mediterranea's, and the most effective eluent of this solvent was hexane: methylene chloride: ethyl acetate (1: 0.5: 0.5, v/v/v). When applied to M. incognita, the third fraction of this eluent was the most effective, resulting in 87.5% mortality after 12 h and 100% mortality after 24 and 72 h of exposure. The presence of seven bioactive constituents was discovered during the analysis of this fraction. In conclusion, the silver nanoparticles synthesized from C. sinuosa could be used as alternative chemical nematicides.