bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Physico‐chemical properties of international simple glass (ISG) nuclear waste simulants: Luminescence baseline study
Authors: Jiménez José A. , Crawford Charles L. , Lascola Robert J. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractBorosilicate glass has been adopted internationally for the treatment of nuclear waste with the object of long‐term stabilization through vitrification. Aiming to facilitate experimental comparisons across laboratories, the six‐component international simple glass (ISG) was developed as benchmark. The original ISG produced by Mo‐SCI Corporation (Rolla, MO) was distributed and characterized for different physical properties thus serving as reference for further studies. Still, photoluminescence (PL) properties, which may be useful for scrutinizing radiation‐induced damage, have not been reported. Further, the original ISG contained significant iron impurities, which may present interference in various studies (e.g., optical). Consequently, two new ISG analogs lacking iron impurities (labeled ISG‐1 [closest composition to original ISG] and ISG‐2 [some MgO added at expense of CaO]) were synthesized by Corning Inc. (Corning, NY) (also doped with lanthanum for subsequent corrosion tests involving atom probe tomography), which remain to be fully characterized. Accordingly, this work was undertaken to perform a comprehensive study comparing the three ISG specimens. Various characterizations were then performed on the pristine glasses: X‐ray diffraction and vibrational spectroscopy (structural properties); static‐leach product consistency test (PCT, dissolution behavior); dilatometry and calorimetry measurements (thermal properties); and optical absorption with Tauc and Urbach plots analysis, followed by PL spectroscopy with decay kinetics assessment (optical properties). While the general structural features appeared similar among the glasses, the deconvolution of Raman spectra suggested a lower degree of connectivity in the silica network for ISG‐2. In addition, some differences were indicated from the PCT results and thermal properties assessed, which were discussed based on compositional variations. Further on, the optical properties were shown to be the most distinct. The optical absorption of the original ISG was characterized by Fe2+/Fe3+ impurities not detected for ISG‐1 and ISG‐2. The glasses all exhibited two main PL features (∼1.8 and 2.5 eV) with multiexponential decay behavior apparently of intrinsic origin. In addition, ISG‐1 and ISG‐2 showed a third high‐energy (∼3.4 eV) fast‐decaying contribution tentatively credited to tin impurities, which appeared most significantly for ISG‐1. The results are expected to serve as baseline for future studies simulating the effects of radioactive element decay.
Role of yeasts in the qualitative structuring of extra virgin olive oil
Authors: Zullo Biagi Angelo , Ciafardini Gino 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
This review sought to describe the role played by some components of the microbiota of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), particularly yeasts, in structuring the physicochemical and sensorial quality of freshly produced olive oil. Yeasts can survive during the entire storage period of the product. To date, approximately 25 yeast species isolated from oil produced in more than six countries have been identified, eight of which are classified as new species. Some yeast species improve the health qualities of oil, whereas many others improve the chemical composition and sensory characteristics based on β-glucosidase and esterase enzymes, which are involved in the hydrolysis of the bitter glucoside known as oleuropein. However, some species, which are typically favoured by the high water content in the oily matrix, such as lipase-producing yeasts, can worsen the initial chemical characteristics of EVOO oil during storage. Some physical treatments that are compatible with the EVOO production specification affect the biotic component of the oil by reducing the concentration of yeasts. The possibility of minimizing the invasive action on the biotic component of the oil by appropriately selecting the physical treatment for each oil is discussed.
Melanoma and intellectual disability: do prognostic factors at diagnosis differ from general population?
Authors: Lesage C. , Habib‐Hadef S. , Trétarre B. , Lesage F.‐X. , Bessaoud F. , Varey E. , Guillot B. , Satgé D. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractBackgroundFew melanoma cases are reported in individuals with intellectual disability (ID), and prognostic factors at diagnosis are unknown in this population. This work was designed to investigate whether prognostic factors at diagnostic are different in patients with ID compared with a general population.MethodsMelanoma cases retrieved from Hérault's Tumour Registry (HTR) from 1995 to 2015 were cross‐referenced against a list of adult patients with ID, living in Hérault. Major prognostic factors were compared with those in non‐ID melanoma patients included in HTR and in patients followed by Montpellier University Hospital and included in the Réseau pour la Recherche et l'Investigation Clinique sur le Mélanome (RIC‐Mel) database.ResultsTen melanoma cases in individuals with ID were identified and compared with 3804 non‐ID melanoma cases in HTR and 1024 non‐ID melanoma cases included in RIC‐Mel. Mean Breslow thickness at diagnosis was 4.6 mm in melanoma cases among those with ID versus 1.89 mm in HTR (P = 0.109) and 2.36 mm in RIC‐Mel (P = 0.156). Stage at diagnosis was superior to stage IIB in 42.9% of ID cases versus 11.4% of non‐ID cases in HTR (P < 0.05) and 8.5% in RIC‐Mel (P < 0.05).ConclusionsMelanomas in patients with ID had less favourable prognostic factors at diagnosis, including higher Breslow thickness and more advanced stage, than melanomas in non‐ID patients. These adverse prognostic factors indicate a later diagnosis in this population, leading to a poorer prognosis. This work underlines the need to improve melanoma screening among individuals with ID.
Variations within Toll‐like receptor (TLR) and TLR signaling pathway‐related genes and their synergistic effects on the risk of Guillain‐Barré syndrome
Authors: Dutta Debprasad , Nagappa Madhu , Sreekumaran Nair Binu V. , Das Sumit Kumar , Wahatule Rahul , Sinha Sanjib , Vasanthapuram Ravi , Taly Arun B. , Debnath Monojit 
Published: February 2022

AbstractGuillain‐Barré syndrome (GBS) is the commonest post‐infectious polyradiculopathy. Although genetic background of the host seems to play an important role in the susceptibility to GBS, genes conferring major risk are not yet known. Dysregulation of Toll‐like receptor (TLR) molecules exacerbates immune‐inflammatory responses and the genetic variations within TLR pathway‐related genes contribute to differential risk to infection. The aim of this study was to delineate the impact of genetic variations within TLR2, TLR3, and TLR4 genes as well as TLR signaling pathway‐related genes such as MyD88, TRIF, TRAF3, TRAF6, IRF3, NFκβ1, and IκBα on risk of developing GBS. Fourteen polymorphisms located within TLR2 (rs3804099, rs111200466), TLR3 (rs3775290, rs3775291), TLR4 (rs1927911, rs11536891), MyD88 (rs7744, rs4988453), TRIF (rs8120), TRAF3 (rs12147254), TRAF6 (rs4755453), IRF3 (rs2304204), NFκβ1 (rs28362491), and IκBα (rs696) genes were genotyped in 150 GBS patients and 150 healthy subjects either by PCR‐RFLP or TaqMan Allelic Discrimination Assay. Genotypes of two polymorphic variants, Del/Del of rs111200466 insertion and deletion (INDEL) polymorphism of TLR2 gene and TT of rs3775290 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of TLR3 gene had significantly higher frequencies among GBS patients, while the frequencies of TT genotype of rs3804099 SNP of TLR2 gene and TT genotype of rs11536891 SNP of TLR4 gene were significantly higher in controls. Gene‐gene interaction study by Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction analysis also suggested a significant combined effect of TLR2, and NFκβ1 genes on the risk of GBS. The SNPs in the IκBα and IRF3 genes correlated with severity of GBS. The genes encoding TLRs and TLR signaling pathway‐related molecules could serve as crucial genetic markers of susceptibility and severity of GBS.
Ambient air pollution and cardiovascular diseases: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta‐analyses
Authors: de Bont Jeroen , Jaganathan Suganthi , Dahlquist Marcus , Persson Åsa , Stafoggia Massimo , Ljungman Petter 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe available evidence on the effects of ambient air pollution on cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) has increased substantially. In this umbrella review, we summarized the current epidemiological evidence from systematic reviews and meta‐analyses linking ambient air pollution and CVDs, with a focus on geographical differences and vulnerable subpopulations. We performed a search strategy through multiple databases including articles between 2010 and 31 January 2021. We performed a quality assessment and evaluated the strength of evidence. Of the 56 included reviews, the most studied outcomes were stroke (22 reviews), all‐cause CVD mortality, and morbidity (19). The strongest evidence was found between higher short‐ and long‐term ambient air pollution exposure and all‐cause CVD mortality and morbidity, stroke, blood pressure, and ischemic heart diseases (IHD). Short‐term exposures to particulate matter <2.5 μm (PM2.5), <10 μm (PM10), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) were consistently associated with increased risks of hypertension and triggering of myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke (fatal and nonfatal). Long‐term exposures of PM2.5 were largely associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis, incident MI, hypertension, and incident stroke and stroke mortality. Few reviews evaluated other CVD outcomes including arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation, or heart failure but they generally reported positive statistical associations. Stronger associations were found in Asian countries and vulnerable subpopulations, especially among the elderly, cardiac patients, and people with higher weight status. Consistent with experimental data, this comprehensive umbrella review found strong evidence that higher levels of ambient air pollution increase the risk of CVDs, especially all‐cause CVD mortality, stroke, and IHD. These results emphasize the importance of reducing the alarming levels of air pollution across the globe, especially in Asia, and among vulnerable subpopulations.
Epicondylar plate fixation of humeral condylar fractures in immature French bulldogs: 45 cases (2014‐2020)
Authors: Kvale E. , Kalmukov I. , Grassato L. , Kalff S. , Solano M. 
Published: February 2022

ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to report outcome and postoperative complications following stabilisation of humeral condylar fractures in skeletally immature French bulldogs with a transcondylar screw combined with locking or hybrid locking plates.Materials and MethodsMedical records from one referral hospital were reviewed to identify skeletally immature French bulldogs with humeral condylar fractures treated with a transcondylar screw and epicondylar locking or hybrid locking plates crossing the distal humeral physis.ResultsForty‐five fractures in 41 different dogs with a mean age of 4 months (range 3.5 to 5) were identified. Six cases had complications: two (4.4%) minor and four (8.9%) major. Short‐term clinical outcome was excellent in 35 (77.8%), good in nine (20%) and poor in one (2.2%) case. Forty‐one of 45 fractures reached radiographic union without further surgical intervention; the remaining four cases reached union following revision surgery. Long‐term owner assessed outcome by telephone interview was graded as excellent in all available cases (26 of 41 dogs).Clinical SignificanceThis study suggests that the stabilisation of humeral condylar fractures in skeletally immature French bulldogs with combinations of a transcondylar screw and epicondylar locking or hybrid locking plates crossing the distal humeral physis was safe and led comparable outcomes and complication rates to previous reports.
The effect of commercial and artisanal fishing practices on the behavioral budget of bottlenose dolphins off the coast of Montenegro, South Adriatic Sea
Authors: Rudd Laura E. , Awbery Tim , Waller Romina , Crowe Molly , Bauer Julianna , Jacquemart Anna , Nikpaljevic Natasa , Akkaya Aylin 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe spatial–temporal distribution of cetacean species often overlaps with fishing practices in the Mediterranean, having direct and indirect consequences. This is the first long‐term study focusing on the effects of fisheries on the behavior of T. truncatus in Montenegro. Focal group scan sampling was used during surveys between September 2016 and August 2020 to create transition probability matrices using first‐order Markov chains for behavioral states in both control (absence of fishery practices) and impact chains (presence of fishery practices). Despite the low number of dolphin‐fishery interactions in Montenegro, results revealed that the behavioral budgets of T. truncatus were significantly altered both for commercial and artisanal fisheries. However, the magnitude of the threat differed between practices, with commercial fisheries altering three out of the four behaviors in the behavioral budget while artisanal fisheries altered just one. Significant behavioral changes due to disturbance can have negative consequences on the energy budget of individuals and while the Montenegrin fishing fleet is currently limited to 224 vessels, the significant effects already witnessed are concerning for Montenegrin bottlenose dolphins. To develop in‐situ mitigation strategies, there is a clear need to better understand the impact that fisheries interactions have on these individuals.
Knowledge, Freedom and the Meaning of Life according to Herbert McCabe
Authors: Manni Franco 
Published: February 2022

AbstractHerbert McCabe was not an academic, he was a teacher and a preacher. He was a scholar also, but aiming to the truth for its own sake and, subsequently, for his own life improvement. Not in order to be ‘up-to-date’ with the intellectual fashions of the moment or to flatter his peers. Therefore he focused on the classics, most of all on Aquinas. The result of McCabe's peculiar intellectual attitude was the vast amount of original and impressive ideas he conceived and conveyed despite having written little, in terms of the number of texts and the length of them. The right tribute of praise to a thinker is the presentation of his/her ideas, the test of truth, coherence, originality and power they have in explaining the reality in which we live. This is one of the things that strikes a reader of McCabe's writings. While it is hard to name a single original idea of many authors in vogue, and of most of them only one, it is easy to name many ideas from McCabe. This paper focuses on two of them: 1) freedom as based on knowledge; 2) the meaning of life.
Cerebellar ataxia following antitubercular therapy
Authors: Chittilappilly Jomal Mathew , Kalampadan Jerry Jose , Kaitharath Sholy Vareed 
Published: February 2022

AbstractCerebellar ataxia following antitubercular therapy is extremely rare and occurs in certain susceptible individuals. MRI Brain showed characteristic Dentate nucleus T2/FLAIR hyperintensity. Prompt recognition of this uncommon adverse event is crucial as it is reversible with Pyridoxine supplementation and withdrawal of the culprit drugs.
Rice increases phosphorus uptake in strongly sorbing soils by intra‐root facilitation
Authors: Kuppe Christian W. , Kirk Guy J. D. , Wissuwa Matthias , Postma Johannes A. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractUpland rice (Oryza sativa) is adapted to strongly phosphorus (P) sorbing soils. The mechanisms underlying P acquisition, however, are not well understood, and models typically underestimate uptake. This complicates root ideotype development and trait‐based selection for further improvement. We present a novel model, which correctly simulates the P uptake by a P‐efficient rice genotype measured over 48 days of growth. The model represents root morphology at the local rhizosphere scale, including root hairs and fine S‐type laterals. It simulates fast‐ and slowly reacting soil P and the P‐solubilizing effect of root‐induced pH changes in the soil. Simulations predict that the zone of pH changes and P solubilization around a root spreads further into the soil than the zone of P depletion. A root needs to place laterals outside its depletion‐ but inside its solubilization zone to maximize P uptake. S‐type laterals, which are short but hairy, appear to be the key root structures to achieve that. Thus, thicker roots facilitate the P uptake by fine lateral roots. Uptake can be enhanced through longer root hairs and greater root length density but was less sensitive to total root length and root class proportions.
Reproductive biology of wild and domesticated Ensete ventricosum: Further evidence for maintenance of sexual reproductive capacity in a vegetatively propagated perennial crop
Authors: Tamrat S. , Borrell J. S. , Shiferaw E. , Wondimu T. , Kallow S. , Davies R. M. , Dickie J. B. , Nuraga G. W. , White O. , Woldeyes F. , Demissew S. , Wilkin P. 
Published: February 2022

Abstract

Loss of sexual reproductive capacity has been proposed as a syndrome of domestication in vegetatively propagated crops, but there are relatively few examples from agricultural systems. In this study, we compare sexual reproductive capacity in wild (sexual) and domesticated (vegetative) populations of enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman), a tropical banana relative and Ethiopian food security crop.

We examined floral and seed morphology and germination ecology across 35 wild and domesticated enset. We surveyed variation in floral and seed traits, including seed weight, viability and internal morphology, and germinated seeds across a range of constant and alternating temperature regimes to characterize optimum germination requirements.

We report highly consistent floral allometry, seed viability, internal morphology and days to germination in wild and domesticated enset. However, seeds from domesticated plants responded to cooler temperatures with greater diurnal range. Shifts in germination behaviour appear concordant with a climatic envelope shift in the domesticated distribution.

Our findings provide evidence that sexual reproductive capacity has been maintained despite long‐term near‐exclusive vegetative propagation in domesticated enset. Furthermore, certain traits such as germination behaviour and floral morphology may be under continued selection, presumably through rare sexually reproductive events. Compared to sexually propagated crops banked as seeds, vegetative crop diversity is typically conserved in living collections that are more costly and insecure. Improved understanding of sexual propagation in vegetative crops may have applications in germplasm conservation and plant breeding.
Two Readings of Bentham's Theory of Meaning as Applied to Moral and Political Discourse
Authors: Palmer Simon 
Published: February 2022

AbstractIn this paper, I sketch out and assess two readings of Bentham's theory of meaning, one reductive (Section 2), the other quasi‐pragmatist (Section 3)—both implicating Bentham's ontological and epistemological views. I focus on the way these readings would understand Bentham's analyses of claims in moral and political discourse that rely on putatively normative notions such as obligations and rights, good and bad, and what ought to be the case. I conclude the paper by suggesting tentatively that the independent merits of both readings could signal an irreconcilable tension at the heart of Bentham's thought (Section 4).
Relationship between neuromuscular fatigue, muscle activation and the work done above the critical power during severe‐intensity exercise
Authors: Ducrocq Guillaume P. , Blain Grégory M. 
Published: February 2022

New Findings
What is the central question of this study?
Does the work done above critical power (W′) or muscle activation determine the degree of peripheral fatigue induced by cycling time trials performed in the severe‐intensity domain?

What is the main finding and its importance?
Peripheral fatigue increased when power output and muscle activation increased, whereas W′ did not change between the time trials. Therefore, no relationship was found between W′ and exercise‐induced peripheral fatigue such as previously postulated in the literature. In contrast, we found a significant association between EMG amplitude during exercise and exercise‐induced reduction in the potentiated quadriceps twitch, suggesting that muscle activation plays a key role in determining peripheral fatigue during severe‐intensity exercise.

AbstractIn order to determine the relationship between peripheral fatigue, muscle activation and the total work done above critical power (W′), 10 men and four women performed, on separated days, self‐paced cycling time trials of 3, 6, 10 and 15 min. Exercise‐induced quadriceps fatigue was quantified using pre‐ to postexercise (15 s to 15 min recovery) changes in maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) peak force, voluntary activation and potentiated twitch force (QT). Voluntary activation was measured using the interpolated twitch technique, and QT was evoked by electrical stimulations of the femoral nerve. Quadriceps muscle activation was determined using the root mean square of surface EMG of vastus lateralis (VLRMS), vastus medialis (VMRMS) and rectus femoris (RFRMS). Critical power and W′ were calculated from the power–duration relationship from the four time trials. Mean power output and mean VLRMS, VMRMS and RFRMS were greater during shorter compared with longer exercise periods (P < 0.05), whereas no significant between‐trial change in W′ was found. The magnitude of exercise‐induced reductions in QT increased with the increase in power output (P < 0.001) and was associated with mean VLRMS, VMRMS and RFRMS (P < 0.001, r2 > 0.369) but not W′ (P > 0.150, r2 < 0.044). Reduction in voluntary activation tended (P = 0.067) to be more pronounced with the lengthening in time trial duration, whereas no significant between‐trial changes in MVC peak force were found. Our data suggest that peripheral fatigue is not related to the amount of work done above the critical power but rather to the level of muscle activation during exercise in the severe‐intensity domain.