bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
CFN: A coarse‐to‐fine network for eye fixation prediction
Authors: Xu Binwei , Liang Haoran , Liang Ronghua , Chen Peng 
Published: April 2022

AbstractMany image‐to‐image computer vision approaches have made great progress by an end‐to‐end framework with the encoder–decoder architecture. However, the same image‐to‐image eye fixation prediction task is not the same as those computer vision tasks in that it focuses more on salient regions rather than precise predictions for every pixel. Thus, it is not appropriate to directly apply the end‐to‐end encoder–decoder to the eye fixation prediction task. In addition, although high‐level feature is important, the contribution of low‐level feature should also be kept and balanced in computational model. Nevertheless, some low‐level features that attract attention are easily neglected while transiting through the deep network. Therefore, the effective way to integrate low‐level and high‐level features for improving eye fixation prediction performance is still a challenging task. In this paper, a coarse‐to‐fine network (CFN) that encompasses two pathways with different training strategies are proposed: coarse perceiving network (CFN‐Coarse) can be a simple encoder network or any of the existing pretrained network to capture the distribution of salient regions and generate high‐quality feature maps; fine integrating network (CFN‐Fine) uses fixed parameters from the CFN‐Coarse and combines features from deep to shallow in the deconvolution process by adding skip connections between down‐sampling and up‐sampling paths to efficiently integrate deep and shallow features. The saliency map obtained by the method is evaluated over 6 standard benchmark datasets, namely SALICON, MIT1003, MIT300, Toronto, OSIE, and SUN500. The results demonstrate that the method can surpass the state‐of‐the‐art accuracy of eye fixation prediction and achieves the competitive performance to date under most evaluation metrics on SALICON Saliency Prediction Challenge (LSUN2017).
Transit along the vas deferens results in a high percentage of filiform spermatozoa with compacted chromatin in the rooster (
Authors: Bernal B. , Behnamifar A. , Álvarez-Rodríguez C. , Toledano-Díaz A. , Castaño C. , Velázquez R. , Gil M. G. , Gutiérrez-Adán A. , Woelders Henri , Blesbois E. , Santiago-Moreno J. 
Published: April 2022

The present work aimed to evaluate the chromatin compaction of rooster spermatozoa along the male reproductive tract, and to study the vas deferens lining cells, potentially involved in sperm maturation. Chromomycin A3 (CMA3) was used to determine the chromatin compaction of spermatozoa from testis (T), proximal (including epididymis, V1), intermediate (V2) and distal (V3) vas deferens, and ejaculate (E). Six Birchen Leonesa roosters were used. E was obtained in vivo by dorso-ventral massage. V1, V2 and V3 sperm were obtained post mortem (six pairs of vasa deferentia), by flushing. T was obtained by washing the testes, cut in halves. The fixed cells were stained with CMA3 and propidium iodide for flow cytometry assessment. Results showed higher (P < 0.01) median fluorescence intensity (lower chromatin compaction) of T (693.8 ± 30.2) than V1 (546.3 ± 17.7), V2 (515.1 ± 12.1), V3 (517.6 ± 12.3) and E (491.4 ± 16.1). Regarding the percentage of intensely stained cells, T differs (P < 0.05) from V2, V3 and E, V1 differs (P < 0.05) from V3 and E, while V2, V3 and E do not differ. The histological analysis revealed secretory capacity of the vas deferens. Our findings specified that the transit though the vas deferens results in high percentage of compacted chromatin spermatozoa in E.
Transcriptome analyses of potential regulators of pre- and post-ovulatory follicles in the pigeon (
Authors: Lu Lizhi , Zhang Long , Zeng Tao , Du Xue , Tao Zhengrong , Li Guoqin , Zhong Shengliang , Wen Jihui , Zhou Caiquan , Xu Xiaoqin 
Published: April 2022

To identify the dominant genes controlling follicular maturation, ovulation and regression for pigeon, we used RNA-seq to explore the gene expression profiles of pre- and post-ovulatory follicles of pigeon. We obtained total of 4.73 million (96% of the raw data) high-quality clean reads, which could be aligned with 20 282 genes. Gene expression profile analysis identified 1461 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the pre- (P4) and post-ovulatory follicles (P5). Of these, 843 genes were upregulated, and 618 genes were down-regulated. Furthermore, many DEGs were significantly enriched in some pathways closely related to follicle maturation, ovulation and regression, such as ECM–receptor interaction, vascular smooth muscle contraction, progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation, phagosome. Importantly, the DGEs in ECM–receptor interaction pathway included COL1A1, COL1A2, COL4A1, COL4A2, ITGA11, ITGB3 and SDC3, in the progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation pathway involved CDK1, CDC25A, CCNB3, CDC20 and Plk1, and in the vascular smooth muscle contraction covered CALD1, KCNMA1, KCNMB1, CACNA1, ACTA2, MYH10, MYL3, MYL6, MYL9, closely related to promoting follicular maturation and ovulation in pre-ovulatory follicles. Moreover, it seems that the lysosomal cathepsin family has a decisive role in the regression of early stage of post-ovulatory follicle. Taken together, these data enrich the research of molecular mechanisms of pigeon follicular activities at the transcriptional level and provide novel insight of breeding-related physiology for birds.
Evaluating the impact of integrating SMART goal setting in preceptor development using the Habits of Preceptors Rubric
Authors: Afolabi Titilola M , Pogge Elizabeth K , Early Nicole K , Larson Suzanne , Stein Jane , Hanson Laura , Storjohann Tara , Raney Erin , Davis Lindsay E 
Published: April 2022

Abstract

Purpose
The impact of goal setting in pharmacy preceptor development was evaluated using the Habits of Preceptors Rubric (HOP-R), a criterion-referenced assessment developed to assess, quantify, and demonstrate growth across 11 preceptor habits.

Methods
This study retrospectively evaluated initial and follow-up survey responses from the 2019-2020 Clinician Educators Program cohort at Midwestern University College of Pharmacy, Glendale Campus. Enrollees in this teaching and learning curriculum (TLC) were invited to assess their precepting habits using the HOP-R after attending the first seminar and again toward the end of the longitudinal program. Using online surveys, participants rated their precepting capabilities as developing, proficient, accomplished, or master level for each habit. In the initial survey, each participant selected a habit of focus for deliberate development and established an individualized goal using the specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) framework. In the follow-up survey, participants indicated their satisfaction with and progress toward accomplishing their precepting goal.

Results
Initial survey results from 55 study participants identified developing as the most frequently self-reported habit level (53%; n = 605 ratings), while master was the least frequently reported (1%). In the follow-up assessment, accomplished (45%) was the most frequently self-reported habit level, while master (5%) remained the least reported. The cohort reported a median progress in SMART goal accomplishment of 69% (range, 12% to 100%; n = 54).

Conclusion
Preceptor and resident pharmacists reported perceived advancement in precepting capabilities within the conceptual framework of the HOP-R encompassing both their self-selected habit of focus and adjacent habits while enrolled in a TLC. SMART goals facilitated qualitative and quantitative assessment of development.
Recent progress of proteomic analysis on spermatogenesis
Authors: Zhang Haotian , Situ Chenghao , Guo Xuejiang 
Published: April 2022

AbstractTestis, the only organ responsible for generating sperm, is by far the organ with the largest variety of proteins and tissue-specific proteins in humans. In testis, spermatogenesis is a multi-step complex process well-accepted that protein and mRNA are decoupled in certain stages of spermatogenesis. With the fast development of mass spectrometry-based proteomics, it is possible to systemically study protein abundances and modifications in testis and sperm to help us understand the molecular mechanisms of spermatogenesis. This review provides an overview of the recent progress of proteomics analysis on spermatogenesis, including protein expression and multiple post-translational modifications, such as phosphorylation, glycosylation, ubiquitylation, and acetylation.
Use of anti-inhibin monoclonal antibody for increasing the litter size of mouse strains and its application to in vivo-genome editing technology
Authors: Hasegawa Ayumi , Mochida Keiji , Nakamura Ayaka , Miyagasako Rico , Ohtsuka Masato , Hatakeyama Masahiko , Ogura Atsuo 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
The litter size of mouse strains is determined by the number of oocytes naturally ovulated. Many attempts have been made to increase litter sizes by conventional superovulation regimens (e.g., using equine or human gonadotropins, eCG/hCG but had limited success because of unexpected decreases in the numbers of embryos surviving to term. Here, we examined whether rat-derived anti-inhibin monoclonal antibodies (AIMAs) could be used for this purpose. When C57BL/6 female mice were treated with an AIMA and mated, the number of healthy offspring per mouse increased by 1.4-fold (11.9 vs. 8.6 in controls). By contrast, treatment with eCG/hCG or anti-inhibin serum resulted in fewer offspring than in nontreated controls. The overall efficiency of production based on all females treated (including nonpregnant ones) was improved 2.4 times with AIMA compared with nontreated controls. The AIMA treatment was also effective in ICR mice, increasing the litter size from 15.3 to 21.2 pups. We then applied this technique to an in vivo genome-editing method (improved genome-editing via oviductal nucleic acid delivery, i-GONAD) to produce C57BL/6 mice deficient for tyrosinase. The mean litter size following i-GONAD increased from 4.8 to 7.3 after the AIMA treatment and genetic modifications were confirmed in 80/88 (91%) of the offspring. Thus, AIMA treatment is a promising method for increasing the litter size of mice and may be applied for the easy proliferation of mouse colonies as well as in vivo genetic manipulation, especially when the mouse strains are sensitive to handling.
Effects of dehydration speed on the metabolism of membrane lipids and its relation to the browning of the Thompson seedless grape
Authors: Liu Fengjuan , Huang Wei , Fan Yingying , He Weizhong , Tao Yongxia , Wang Cheng 
Published: April 2022

AbstractXinjiang is the main producing area of raisins and the largest green raisins production base in China. The browning of Thompson seedless grape raisin is extremely serious during the drying process, and has become the key issue in the development of Xinjiang raisin industry. Previous studies have shown that dehydration speed has a great impact on the browning of Thompson seedless grape, but few relevant mechanisms have been studied. Here, we demonstrate the effect of dehydration speed on lipid metabolism and its relation to the browning of the Thompson seedless grape during drying. Compared to slow dehydration treatment, rapid dehydration treatment of the Thompson seedless grape exhibited a lower degree of browning and activities of lipoxygenase (LOX), a higher index of unsaturated fatty acids and degree of unsaturated fatty acid. Moreover, the Thompson seedless grape treated with rapid dehydration resulted in a lower rate of superoxide anion production, hydrogen peroxide content, membrane permeability, and malondialdehyde content. These findings demonstrate that rapid dehydration inhibiting the browning of Thompson seedless grapes might be due to the inhibiting activities of LOX and the lower accumulation of reactive oxygen species. These activities can inhibit lipid peroxidation and slow the decomposition of unsaturated fatty acid in the membrane in Thompson seedless grapes, protecting the cellular membrane structural integrity, which may result in less contact of polyphenol oxidase with phenolic substrates and less enzymatic browning during drying. The results provide a theoretical basis for the application of rapid dehydration in drying Thompson seedless grapes.
Italy's embrace of the Belt and Road Initiative: populist foreign policy and political marketing
Authors: Pugliese Giulio , Ghiretti Francesca , Insisa Aurelio 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Are populist governments harbingers of foreign policy disruption? The foreign policy of western Europe's first all-out populist coalition government constitutes a good window to address this question. Italy's ‘Yellow–Green’ government's decision to embrace China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2019 has been understood as an important rupture from Italy's traditional Euro-Atlantic foreign policy. On the basis of substantial empirical research, especially elite interviews and official documentation, this article finds instead continuity with previous administrations' overtures to Beijing, including non-opposition from the EU and active engagement by the bureaucratic establishment. This article makes a contribution to the study of populism and foreign policy by positing that political marketing constitutes the key intervening variable that accounts for populist governments' rhetorical differentiation to local electorate and international counterparts alike. The Italian case demonstrates that populist ‘ruptures’ may well be about style and electioneering tactics, over substance and policy strategy. Considering the still growing number of governments that decide to sign into the BRI, most lately that of Argentina, policy-makers and observers ought to assess to what extent these are real commitments, or rather a smokescreen of marketing practices that does not change the relationship between China and the target country in any substantial manner.
Rethinking armed groups and order: Syria and the rise of militiatocracies
Authors: Voller Yaniv 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
In recent years, the relations between weak central governments and armed groups in the periphery have attracted great attention. Rebels, warlords and other actors have not only undermined the authorities' grip on power, but gradually come to shape the nature of governance and political system in their countries. Warlordism, rebelocracies and aliocracies are just a few of the political systems identified by students of conflict and armed groups. However, the literature has generally overlooked one category of armed groups and their implications on political order: pro-government militias (PGMs). As PGMs have become ubiquitous in civil wars, this article identifies a new political order emerging in countries where central governments have become reliant on PGMs in counter-insurgency operations. The article defines this order as a militiatocracy. Unlike armed groups in other political orders, PGMs do not seek to overthrow, undermine or replace the central government. Instead, in militiatocracies, PGMs and central governments develop symbiotic relations, which on the one hand help the government to survive an insurgency, but on the other allow militia leaders to secure an increasing presence in politics. The article illustrates the emergence and nature of militiatocracies by employing the case of Syria during the civil war.
Nuclear weapon-free zones and the issue of maritime transit in Latin America
Authors: Rodriguez J Luis , Mendenhall Elizabeth 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Why did Latin American states exclude a prohibition on maritime nuclear transit from their regional nuclear weapon-free zone (NWFZ)? Latin American countries and nuclear powers shared common anxieties about the dangers of the nuclear arms race in the early 1960s. Thus, they decided to craft a regional nuclear non-proliferation mechanism. Latin American states favoured limiting maritime nuclear transit as part of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean, known as the Treaty of Tlatelolco. However, they disagreed on defining transit and the zone of application of a ban, and they faced US opposition. This article identifies issue bracketing as a negotiating tactic Latin America used to ensure a successful treaty codification. It argues that Latin American states bracketed the maritime nuclear transit issue out of the NWFZ discussions and onto the agenda of the negotiations establishing ocean governance rules in the 1970s. The Latin American construction of a NWFZ questions assumptions in international law and nuclear politics studies about the agency of the global South in the global nuclear order. Latin American concessions in Tlatelolco were not impositions from nuclear powers. Their compromises were strategic decisions that helped them promote their governance preferences.
In silico target-based strain engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for terpene precursor improvement
Authors: Paramasivan Kalaivani , Abdulla Aneesha , Gupta Nabarupa , Mutturi Sarma 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Systems-based metabolic engineering enables cells to enhance product formation by predicting gene knockout and overexpression targets using modeling tools. FOCuS, a novel metaheuristic tool, was used to predict flux improvement targets in terpenoid pathway using the genome-scale model of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, iMM904. Some of the key knockout target predicted includes LYS1, GAP1, AAT1, AAT2, TH17, KGD-m, MET14, PDC1 and ACO1. It was also observed that the knockout reactions belonged either to fatty acid biosynthesis, amino acid synthesis pathways or nucleotide biosynthesis pathways. Similarly, overexpression targets such as PFK1, FBA1, ZWF1, TDH1, PYC1, ALD6, TPI1, PDX1 and ENO1 were established using three different existing gene amplification algorithms. Most of the overexpression targets belonged to glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathways. Each of these targets had plausible role for improving flux toward sterol pathway and were seemingly not artifacts. Moreover, an in vitro study as validation was carried with overexpression of ALD6 and TPI1. It was found that there was an increase in squalene synthesis by 2.23- and 4.24- folds, respectively, when compared with control. In general, the rationale for predicting these in silico targets was attributed to either increasing the acetyl-CoA precursor pool or regeneration of NADPH, which increase the sterol pathway flux.
Phosphatases are predicted to govern prolactin-mediated JAK–STAT signaling in pancreatic beta cells
Authors: Simoni Ariella D , Huber Holly A , Georgia Senta K , Finley Stacey D 
Published: April 2022

AbstractPatients with diabetes are unable to produce a sufficient amount of insulin to properly regulate their blood glucose levels. One potential method of treating diabetes is to increase the number of insulin-secreting beta cells in the pancreas to enhance insulin secretion. It is known that during pregnancy, pancreatic beta cells proliferate in response to the pregnancy hormone, prolactin (PRL). Leveraging this proliferative response to PRL may be a strategy to restore endogenous insulin production for patients with diabetes. To investigate this potential treatment, we previously developed a computational model to represent the PRL-mediated JAK–STAT signaling pathway in pancreatic beta cells. Here, we applied the model to identify the importance of particular signaling proteins in shaping the response of a population of beta cells. We simulated a population of 10 000 heterogeneous cells with varying initial protein concentrations responding to PRL stimulation. We used partial least squares regression to analyze the significance and role of each of the varied protein concentrations in producing the response of the cell. Our regression models predict that the concentrations of the cytosolic and nuclear phosphatases strongly influence the response of the cell. The model also predicts that increasing PRL receptor strengthens negative feedback mediated by the inhibitor suppressor of cytokine signaling. These findings reveal biological targets that can potentially be used to modulate the proliferation of pancreatic beta cells to enhance insulin secretion and beta cell regeneration in the context of diabetes.
Evaluating the impact of neurosurgical rotation experience in Africa on the interest and perception of medical students towards a career in neurosurgery: a protocol for a continental, cross-sectional study
Authors: Ooi Setthasorn Zhi Yang , Dada Olaoluwa Ezekiel , Bukenya George William , Kenfack Yves Jordan , Le Chi , Ohonba Efosa , Adeyemo Emmanuel , Narain Kapil , Awad Ahmed Khaled , Barrie Umaru , Sichimba Dawin , Ogunfolaji Oloruntoba , Kitonga Lilian Mwende , Oriaku Adaeze Juanita , Bamimore Michael Abayomi , Okor Douglas Emeka , Rominiyi Ola 
Published: April 2022

Abstract

Introduction
Africa has the second highest neurosurgical workforce deficit globally. Despite the many recent advancements in increasing neurosurgical access in Africa, published reports have shown that the vast majority of undergraduate students have little or no exposure to neurosurgery. The lack of exposure may pose a challenge in reducing the neurosurgical workforce deficit, which is one of the long-term strategies of tackling the unmet burden of disease. Students may also miss the opportunity to appreciate the specialty and its demands as well as nurture their interest in the field. This study aims to assess the impact of a neurosurgical rotation during medical school in shaping the perception and interest of students towards a career in neurosurgery.

Methods
The cross-sectional study will be conducted through the dissemination of a self-administered e-survey hosted on Google Forms from 21st February 2021 to 20th March 2021. The survey will contain five-point Likert scale, multiple-choice and free-text questions. The structured questionnaire will have four sections with 27 items: (i) socio-demographic background, (ii) neurosurgical experience, (iii) perception towards a neurosurgical career and (iv) interest in a neurosurgical career. All consenting medical students in African medical schools who are in their clinical years (defined as fourth to sixth years or higher years of study) will be eligible. Odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, Welch t-test and adjusted logistic regression models will be used to test for associations between independent and dependent variables. Statistical significance will be accepted at P &lt; 0.05.