bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Use of benznidazole to treat chronic Chagas disease: An updated systematic review with a meta-analysis
Authors: Crespillo-Andújar Clara , Comeche Belén , Hamer Davidson H. , Arevalo-Rodriguez Ingrid , Alvarez-Díaz Noelia , Zamora Javier , Pérez-Molina José A. 
Published: May 2022

Background
Approximately 6 million people worldwide are affected by Chagas disease, with many in the chronic phase of the disease (CCD). It is crucial to evaluate the effectiveness of benznidazole for CCD treatment.

Methods/Principal findings
We updated a meta-analysis published in 2009 up to February 2021, including controlled trials (RCT) and prospective observational studies (OBS) that compared benznidazole vs placebo/no-treatment (P/nT). Main outcomes evaluated were clinical progression (CP) and seroreversion with subgroup analysis performed according to study design and participants’ age. Parasitological response and safety were also described.
We identified 879 articles and selected nine for inclusion (corresponding to eight studies). After adding the nine articles from the previous meta-analysis, 17 studies were analyzed corresponding to 6640 patients. The odds ratio (OR) for seroreversion in children treated with benznidazole vs P/nT was 38.3 (95%CI: 10.7–137) and 34.9 (95%CI: 1.96–624.09) in RCT and OBS, respectively. In adults the OR for seroreversion in OBS was 17.1 (95%CI: 2.3–129.1). CP was only evaluated in adults, where benznidazole did not demonstrate a beneficial effect: OR 0.93 (95%CI: 0.8–1.1) and OR 0.49 (95%CI:0.2–1.2) for RCT and OBS, respectively. Most outcomes were deemed to have a low level of certainty, except for the beneficial effect in children and the low efficacy in adults (moderate certainty).

Conclusions
Benznidazole should be recommended for CCD in children, though this is only based on serological response and a moderate grade of evidence, while in adults benznidazole efficacy remains uncertain. More data on clinical efficacy of benznidazole in CCD is needed in both children and adults.
A model for isoform-level differential expression analysis using RNA-seq data without pre-specifying isoform structure
Authors: Liu Yang , Wang Junying , Wu Song , Yang Jie 
Published: May 2022

Motivation
Next generation sequencing (NGS) technology has been widely used in biomedical research, particularly on those genomics-related studies. One of NGS applications is the high-throughput mRNA sequencing (RNA-seq), which is usually applied to evaluate gene expression level (i.e. copies of isoforms), to identify differentially expressed genes, and to discover potential alternative splicing events. Popular tools for differential expression (DE) analysis using RNA-seq data include edgeR and DESeq. These methods tend to identify DE genes at the gene-level, which only allows them to compare the total size of isoforms, that is, sum of an isoform’s copy number times its length over all isoforms. Naturally, these methods may fail to detect DE genes when the total size of isoforms remains similar but isoform-wise expression levels change dramatically. Other tools can perform isoform-level DE analysis only if isoform structures are known but would still fail for many non-model species whose isoform information are missing. To overcome these disadvantages, we developed an isoform-free (without need to pre-specify isoform structures) splicing-graph based negative binomial (SGNB) model for differential expression analysis at isoform level. Our model detects not only the change in the total size of isoforms but also the change in the isoform-wise expression level and hence is more powerful.

Results
We performed extensive simulations to compare our method with edgeR and DESeq. Under various scenarios, our method consistently achieved a higher detection power, while controlling pre-specified type I error. We also applied our method to a real data set to illustrate its applicability in practice.
Narrating Migration: Intimacies of Exclusion in Northern Italy, Sabina Perrino (2021)
Authors: Burns Jennifer 
Published: May 2022

Review of: Narrating Migration: Intimacies of Exclusion in Northern Italy, Sabina Perrino (2021)
New York and London: Routledge, 188 pp.,
ISBN 978-1-03208-450-3, p/bk, £36.99
Interview with Dr. Ole Skovmose
Authors: Castiblanco Olga 
Published: May 2022

Professor emeritus at the Department of Culture and Learning at Aalborg University, Denmark. He develops his research from the perspective of critical mathematics education. He studies the political dimension of mathematical knowledge, and analyses the mechanisms of power as related to bringing mathematics in action.
His work contributes to developing central concepts of critical mathematics education (landscapes of investigation, mathematics in action, close-ups of students and the ghetto) without forgetting the per- manent relationship with its practical possibilities. He has published several books, including Towards a Philosophy of Critical Mathematics Education, translated into Spanish, Dialogue and Learning in Mathematics Education (together with Helle Alrø),

Traveling Through Education, In Doubt, Critique as Uncertainty, Students’ Foregrounds, and Connecting Humans With Equations (together with Ole Ravn)
Variación morfológica en el siglo XIX: rivalidad y bloqueo de los sufijos ‑ción y ‑miento
Authors: de la Mata Cristina Buenafuentes , Raab Matthias 
Published: May 2022

Resumen
En el paradigma de los nomina actionis destacan los sufijos ‑ción y ‑miento como los más productivos de la derivación nominal en español actual. Además de su alta frecuencia, los dos morfemas se hallan en una situación de competencia sufijal. El principal objetivo del estudio es realizar un análisis de la evolución de la competencia sufijal de ‑ción y ‑miento a partir de su participación en la formación de neologismos en el siglo XIX. El análisis pretende evidenciar los factores de tipo lingüístico que favorecen o bloquean la existencia de un doblete en ‑ción y ‑miento.
Lines of Flight and Aquatic Environments. The Pampa as Experimental Space of the Aesthetic in the Novels of César Aira and Juan José Saer
Authors: Dünne Jörg 
Published: May 2022

AbstractHistorians and literary critics have described the Argentinean Pampa as a space predominantly connected to the foundational acts and discourses of the Argentinean nation. At the same time at which Argentina emerged as a nation, foundational discourses modeled the sparsely populated region lying beyond the capital Buenos Aires as a flat, unstructured landscape, as the allegedly empty space of a “desert”. The article analyzes how these geopolitical discourses are rewritten in two Argentinean novels from the last decade of the 20th century, CésarAira’s La liebre(The Hare, 1991) and Juan José Saer’sLas nubes(The Clouds, 1997), which both perform an act of un-founding by creating alternative literary environments. In doing so, both novels also enact a narrative transculturation of spatial concepts drawn from European cultural theory by reterritorializing them on the territory of the Pampa.
Jorge Semprún: un intelectual europeo
Authors: Nicolás Teresa Rosell 
Published: May 2022

ResumenEn el presente trabajo se articulará la idea de Europa que Semprún propone en “Qué significa para mí ser «europeo»” (Semprún 2006: 277–285) a partir de dos escenarios, Viena y Weimar, que constituyen un espacio cultural determinante: el de laMitteleuropa. No hay que olvidar que el concepto cultural deMitteleuroparesultó contradictorio desde la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Por un lado, participa de la noción de un espacio cultural cosmopolita, plurinacional e intelectual; por otro, no puede olvidarse que esteespíritu(Geist) acabó transformado en doctrina nacionalsocialista. En este sentido, Semprún parte de una idea de Europa sustentada en la cultura judeo-alemana, fiel a una tradición arraigada a la Viena finisecular y que encontró su consolidación en la República de Weimar. Así, a la filosofía de la Viena de fin de siglo habría que añadir el elemento marxista, vital para comprender la doble vertiente sempruniana. Weimar, además, aportará un hecho determinante y radical: Buchenwald.
Assessment of possibilities of using waste foundry sand – review
Authors: Schwarz Marián , Salva Jozef , Vanek Miroslav , Poništ Juraj , Prepilková Veronika , Lobotková Martina , Turčániová Eszter 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
This review is focused on various possibilities of application of foundry sands. The evaluation was performed by summarizing available resources. The application of waste sand as an admixture in concrete brings with it economic advantages compared to the use of exclusively natural sand in the production of concrete. On the other hand, due to the mechanical properties, only a 10–20 % substitution of natural material with waste sand appears to be optimal. Road construction works provide an opportunity to reuse large amounts of surplus material, including foundry sand waste. High demands on the properties of the embankment (low internal deformation, sufficient shear strength, homogeneity, erosion resistance) are required for this application. Waste sands are a suitable substitute for clay cladding material. It is necessary to consider various criteria for the application of waste sand – economic, technical or environmental benefits. In the future, research should focus on evaluating the use of waste foundry sands in grasslands. There is currently insufficient knowledge to evaluate this application.
Writing in the Green: Imperatives towards an Eco-n-temporary Theatre Canon
Authors: Angelaki Vicky 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
This article reflects on the sociopolitical, cultural, and health landscape(s) of our current moment in time, addressing how intersecting crises have delivered us to an unprecedented moment for drama, theatre, and performance. As communities across the world have had to dispense with staples of everyday life – attending live theatre performances being one of these –, so art, in all its forms, has never been more significant in its capacity to bring us together, even if modes of togetherness have shifted in their referentiality and locationality. As the article proposes, we need to take an intuitive approach to the appreciation of how our ecologies – in their broadest iteration – have been impacted and realigned by the COVID-19 pandemic in such ways that we can expect that our future scholarship(s) on plays, place, and landscape will and, indeed, ought to reflect this experience. Dialogues on theatre and environment, which are already intersectional, are now receiving yet another focusing lens through the pandemic.The article also suggests that our understandings of how our ecologies have been adapted invite a consideration of new modes of engaging with the environment in our discourses – and of the very term itself and what it might encompass – and new economies in calibrating our discourses to reflect our radically redistributed individual and collective experiences. The text offers examples of categories that emerge particularly strongly where spatial liminality is key; in so doing, it asserts that in-betweenness is a central element towards understanding our contemporary role and responsibilities: from collapsing binaries (environment/economy) to the unmoored experience of our times.
Racial and ethnic distribution of US randomized controlled trials in obstetrics: a retrospective review
Authors: Anzai Yuzuru , Cercizi Noel , Wu Yifei , Park Crystal , Sefah Narvella , Gomez Isabella , Yao Nicole , Gulati Jasmine , Lee Seoho , McClelland W. Spencer , Cheon Teresa , Benedetto-Anzai Maria Teresa , Chervenak Francis A. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract

Objectives
To determine the racial and ethnic compositions of the participants in obstetric randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and compare them to the US general population.

Methods
RCTs published in two premier US journals, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecology from January 2010 to April 2020 were analyzed. The racial and ethnic distributions of the study participants were extracted and expressed as percentages for each article. Obstetrics articles were selected and then further divided into subcategories. Statistical analyses were performed on racial and ethnicity representation in each subcategory compared to a US population norm.

Results
Overall, a wide variation of racial and ethnic distribution was noted among studies. However, statistically significant overrepresentation of Non-Hispanic Black population and underrepresentation of White and Asian races were noted while Hispanic population’s representation was comparable to the US general population. This observation was persistent across most of the subcategories.

Conclusions
RCTs in the field of Obstetrics showed an overrepresentation of Black population. This observation was unique when we consider the previous reports in other fields of medicine. These findings should be taken into consideration when interpreting the results of RCTs conducted in US.
Nuraghi as Ritual Monuments in the Sardinian Bronze and Iron Ages (circa 1700–700 BC)
Authors: Leighton Robert 
Published: May 2022

AbstractStarting with a brief review of different theories about the residential and defensive uses of Sardinian nuraghi (monumental stone towers), the author assesses their ritual significance and functions from the standpoint of architecture and design, similarities to other cult buildings, and associated features and finds. Evidence for cult activities in certain towers has grown in recent years and is widely accepted for the Iron Age (circa 950–700 BC) and later. By contrast, ritual practices are not often recognized for the much longer period of tower construction and usage in the Bronze Age (circa 1700–950 BC). This is attributable partly to the now dominant hypothesis of a transformation in the function and status of nuraghi in the Iron Age and an assumed separation between sacred and secular buildings in the nuragic period. The author challenges this perspective while discussing the contribution of ritual to the social, economic, and political uses of nuraghi in the Bronze Age.
Synthesis and application of organotellurium compounds
Authors: Sahoo Biswa Mohan , Banik Bimal Krishna , Tiwari Abhishek , Tiwari Varsha , Jain Adya , Borah Preetismita 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Organotellurium compounds define the compounds containing carbon (organic group) and tellurium bond (C–Te). The first organic compound containing tellurium was prepared by Wohler in 1840 after the discovery of the metal by the Austrian chemist F. J. Muller von Reichenstein in the year 1782. The term tellurium was derived from Latin tellus. Tellurium was observed first time in ores mined in the gold districts of Transylvania. Naturally occurring tellurium compounds are present in various forms based on their oxidation states such as TeO2 (+4) and TeO3 (+6). These oxidation states of tellurium compounds are more stable as compared to the other oxidation states. Tellurium is a rare element and is considered a non-essential, toxic element. Tellurium possesses only one crystalline form which consists of a network of spiral chains similar to that of hexagonal selenium. Tellurium is used for the treatment and prevention of microbial infections prior to the development of antibiotics. Hence, the utilization of organotellurium compounds plays a significant role as reagents and intermediates in various organic syntheses.
Toxicity of tellurium and its compounds
Authors: Ashraf Muhammad Waqar , Haider Syed Iqleem , Solangi Amber Rehana , Memon Almas Fatima 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Tellurium (Te) is widely used in industry because of its unique physicochemical properties. In the general population, foodstuff like meat, dairy products, and cereals is the major source of tellurium exposure. In the occupational environment, inhalational exposure predominates. Due to its exceptional properties as a metalloid, Te is broadly used in the industry. For example, Te is used as an alloy for solar panels, phase change optical magnetic disks, and Peltier devices. Recently, alloys of Te with cadmium, zinc, and other metals are used for nanomaterials, such as quantum dots. Thus, it is suggested that there is an existence of risk of exposure to Te in everyday life. Commercial Te is mostly obtained from slimes of electrolytic copper refineries. Te concentration in the slimes can extend up to 10% or more. Slight levels of its organic compounds may also be absorbed via skin. Not much information is available to prove Te as carcinogenic but its toxicity is well established. The present paper will review the toxicity of Te and its compounds.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) and plastic pollution during COVID-19: strategies for a sustainable environment
Authors: Mazahir Fatima Ali , Al Qamari Ali Mazahir 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, plastic medical waste poses significant threat to our land, aquatic and atmospheric ecosystems via generation of criteria pollutants (micro/nano plastics and greenhouse gas emissions). Global strategic planning is urgently needed for environmental sustainability coupled with integrated efforts by the governments, industries and academia. Rational utilization of single-use plastic-based PPE with efficient recycling and waste disposal methods should be adopted as interim strategies till more sustainable solutions are designed and implemented. Redesigning plastic production decoupled from fossil fuels, such as Bioplastics, is a way towards sustainable plastic alternatives.
Research progress in the removal of heavy metals by modified chitosan
Authors: Ji Zheng , Zhang Yansong , Wang Huchuan , Li Chuanrun 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Chitosan and its modifiers have been widely studied for their good biocompatibility and excellent adsorption properties for heavy metal ions. The synthesis and application of modified chitosan, the effects of process variables (such as pH, amount of adsorbent, temperature, contact time, etc.), adsorption kinetics, thermodynamics and the adsorption mechanism on the removal of heavy metal ions are reviewed. The purpose is to provide the latest information about chitosan as adsorbent and to promote the synthesis of modified chitosan and its application in the removal of heavy metals.
Nlrp3 inflammasome activation in macrophages suffices for inducing autoinflammation in mice
Authors: Frising Ulrika C , Ribo Silvia , Doglio M Giulia , Malissen Bernard , van Loo Geert , Wullaert Andy 
Published: May 2022

AbstractCryopyrin‐associated periodic syndromes (CAPS) are a spectrum of autoinflammatory disorders caused by gain‐of‐function NLRP3 mutant proteins that form hyperactive inflammasomes leading to overproduction of the pro‐inflammatory cytokines IL‐1β and IL‐18. Expressing the murine gain‐of‐function Nlrp3A350V mutant selectively in neutrophils recapitulates several autoinflammatory features of human CAPS, but the potential contribution of macrophage inflammasome hyperactivation to CAPS development is poorly defined. Here, we show that expressing Nlrp3A350V in macrophages is sufficient for driving severe multi‐organ autoinflammation leading to perinatal lethality in mice. In addition, we show that macrophages contribute to autoinflammation also in adult mice, as depleting macrophages in mice ubiquitously expressing Nlrp3A350V significantly diminishes splenic and hepatic IL‐1β production. Interestingly, inflammation induced by macrophage‐selective Nlrp3A350V expression does not provoke an influx of mature neutrophils, while neutrophil influx is still occurring in macrophage‐depleted mice with body‐wide Nlrp3A350V expression. These observations identify macrophages as important cellular drivers of CAPS in mice and support a cooperative cellular model of CAPS development in which macrophages and neutrophils act independently of each other in propagating severe autoinflammation.
BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF Rubia tinctorum (L) ROOT AND AERIAL PART EXTRACTS THEREOF.
Authors: HOUARI Fatima Zohra , ERENLER Ramazan , HARIRI Ahmed 
Published: May 2022

In the present study, the phytochemical composition, antioxidant and anti-hemolytic activities of root and aerial part Rubia tinctorum hydromethanolic extracts were investigated. Phytochemical screening reveals the presence of phenol, alkaloids, coumarin, flavonoids, and tannins in both extracts. LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis showed the presence of 15 and 17 components in the root and the aerial part extracts, respectively. The quantitative analysis indicates the richness of root extracts in phenolic compounds (118.38 mg GAE/g) and flavonoids (45.29±0.04 mg GAE/g), the aerial part extract has the highest levels in tannins (134.1±0.1 mg GAE/g). Besides, aerial part extracts revealed the highest antioxidant activity for DPPH (83.23 %) and FRAP (1.51±0.22), while the root extract exhibited the highest potential for TAC and antihemolytic activity (61.09 %). Rubia tinctorum contains different active compounds to prevent diseases related to oxidative stress.
EFECTO DE BORDE EN LA DIVERSIDAD Y COLONIZACIÓN DE ECTOMICORRIZAS DE Quercus humboldtii (FAGACEAE) EN ARCABUCO- BOYACÁ-COLOMBIA
Authors: Blanco Vargas Catalina , Vargas Estupiñán Natalia , Peña Cañón Ehidy Rocio 
Published: May 2022

Los robledales en Colombia están dominados por la especie Quercus humboldtii Bonpl. Esta especie se encuentra en categoría de vulnerable debido a la deforestación para generar cultivos, zonas ganaderas y plantaciones de especies exóticas, ocasionando la formación de bordes por el deterioro del ecosistema. Estos bosques establecen asociaciones simbióticas con especies de hongos ectomicorrícicos, permitiendo el intercambio de nutrientes entre las hifas de los hongos y las raíces de las plantas. Este estudio analiza el efecto de borde en un área al interior (BNI-C) y al borde de un bosque de roble no intervenido (BNI-B), además de dos bordes de bosque con intervención antropogénica, una en contacto con plantación de Eucalyptus sp. (BE) y otro con ganadería (BG). Se estableció el borde de bosque mediante variables ambientales (temperatura ambiente, luminosidad temperatura y humedad del suelo). Se colectaron raicillas de siete árboles tanto de interior como de borde para medir la colonización y caracterizar morfológicamente las ectomicorrizas asociadas a las raíces de roble. Se evidenció el efecto de borde en el grado de colonización ectomicorrícica en las raíces de Q. humboldtii con porcentajes de 18 a 30 % en BNI, 15 % en BE y 47 % en BG. Los géneros ectomicorrícicos Cenococcum sp. y Lactarius sp. presentaron la mayor abundancia en los tres bosques, variando considerablemente cerca a los bordes en BG y BE. Se evidenciaron cambios de porcentaje de colonización y diversidad de morfotipos de ectomicorrizas en los bordes de los dos bosques intervenidos.
Organización desigual del cuidado en salud mental infanto-juvenil: estudio sobre las responsabilidades sociales y la certificación de discapacidad en un hospital argentino
Authors: Levin Axel 
Published: May 2022

Este trabajo problematiza la noción de cuidado a partir de una investigación etnográfica en el hospital argentino Carolina Tobar García. Me centro en el trabajo de los y las profesionales junto a las familias de los pacientes, la distribución de responsabilidades y los estigmas sociales con los que deben lidiar. Analizo la desigualdad de género en las tareas de cuidado en salud mental infanto-juvenil y valoro su carácter productivo para la vida socio-familiar. A la vez abordo los móviles de la certificación de discapacidad como estrategia de acceso a derechos y sus implicancias. Por último, destaco las iniciativas para extender las redes de cuidado al ámbito socio-comunitario como otra forma de organización social en desarrollo.