bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Measuring Policy Performance, Democracy, and Governance Capacities: A conceptual and methodological assessment of the Sustainable Governance Indicators (SGI)
Authors: Croissant Aurel , Pelke Lars 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThis paper provides a critical assessment of the Sustainable Governance Indicators (SGI) and compares it with other prominent indices that address specific components of governance: V‐Dem, WGI, and BTI. We offer a comparative assessment of content validity of these governance measures, their data generation processes, and their convergent validity. We conclude that the SGI’s most important contribution is the conceptualization of policy performance as a discrete index. Other relative strengths are the theoretical embeddedness and the exclusion of irrelevant meanings of governance, and the conceptualization of three governance components (Governance, Policy Performance, and Democracy). However, in terms of geographic and temporal coverage, the SGI is clearly inferior to WGI and V‐Dem. The handling of third‐party statistical data, the absence of uncertainty scores, and the (a‐theoretical) aggregation of different indicators are additional shortcomings of the SGI. Finally, the SGI’s iterative process of expert deliberation has merits but is prone to biases.
Analyzing national policy styles empirically using the Sustainable Governance Indicators (SGI): insights into long‐term patterns of policy‐making
Authors: Tosun Jale , Howlett Michael 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThe concept of national policy styles differs between states in respect of whether their governments react to policy changes in an anticipatory or reactive fashion and whether they seek to achieve consensus with societal actors or impose decisions on them. To date, this conceptualization has been applied to a limited number of states and produced only a small set of case studies due to the absence of large‐n data. We assess whether the dimensions on strategic planning and public consultation of the Bertelsmann Sustainable Governance Indicators (SGI) provide conceptually sound and empirically insightful indicators of national policy styles. Our explorative analysis reveals that the SGI are useful for operationalizing the concept of national policy styles and could advance the debate on it. Our analysis shows that differences exist between countries in terms of their policy styles, and that the policy styles remained stable in most countries between 2014 and 2020.
Effect of stevia leaves (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) on diabetes: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of preclinical studies
Authors: Chowdhury Akibul Islam , Rahanur Alam Mohammad , Raihan M Maruf , Rahman Tanjina , Islam Saiful , Halima Oumma 
Published: April 2022

AbstractStevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) is a natural herb with biological activities such as anticancer, antidiabetic, anticardiovascular disease, anti‐inflammatory, and antimicrobial. The current systematic review and meta‐analysis of previously published data were performed to assess the antidiabetic effect of stevia leaves. Three electronic databases (PubMed, CENTRAL, and DOAJ) had been used for searching articles published before September 2020. Meta‐analysis via random‐effect model had been performed to assess the effects of different doses of stevia on blood glucose level (BGL) and studies were weighted according to an estimate of the standard mean difference (SMD). Overall, 16 eligible studies were selected for qualitative analysis and 9 were included for quantitative analysis. The results of the meta‐analysis for BGL showed that at the doses of 200, 300, and 400 mg/kg of stevia leaves there was a significant difference in means of BGL between the intervention and control group and the dose of 500 mg/kg showed no significance (Standard mean difference (SMD): −3.84 (−9.96, 2.27); p = .22). Based on the duration of intervention, subgroup analysis of articles showed a significant difference between the groups (p < .001). The results of the meta‐analysis support the hypothesis that stevia leaf has an antihyperglycemic effect and reduces the blood glucose level at doses of 200, 300, and 400 mg/kg. Therefore, more clinical trials on animals and humans have to be done to investigate the antidiabetic and antihyperglycemic effects along with the efficacy and safety of these medicinal leaves.
Differences in working memory coding of biological motion attributed to oneself and others
Authors: Woźniak Mateusz , Schmidt Timo Torsten , Wu Yuan‐hao , Blankenburg Felix , Hohwy Jakob 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThe question how the brain distinguishes between information about self and others is of fundamental interest to both philosophy and neuroscience. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we sought to distinguish the neural substrates of representing a full‐body movement as one's movement and as someone else's movement. Participants performed a delayed match‐to‐sample working memory task where a retained full‐body movement (displayed using point‐light walkers) was arbitrarily labeled as one's own movement or as performed by someone else. By using arbitrary associations we aimed to address a limitation of previous studies, namely that our own movements are more familiar to us than movements of other people. A searchlight multivariate decoding analysis was used to test where information about types of movement and about self‐association was coded. Movement specific activation patterns were found in a network of regions also involved in perceptual processing of movement stimuli, however not in early sensory regions. Information about whether a memorized movement was associated with the self or with another person was found to be coded by activity in the left middle frontal gyrus (MFG), left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), bilateral supplementary motor area, and (at reduced threshold) in the left temporoparietal junction (TPJ). These areas are frequently reported as involved in action understanding (IFG, MFG) and domain‐general self/other distinction (TPJ). Finally, in univariate analysis we found that selecting a self‐associated movement for retention was related to increased activity in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex.
Alcohol‐associated fibrosis in females is mediated by female‐specific activation of lysine demethylases KDM5B and KDM5C
Authors: Schonfeld Michael , Averilla Janice , Gunewardena Sumedha , Weinman Steven A. , Tikhanovich Irina 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Alcohol‐associated liver disease is a major cause of alcohol‐related mortality. However, the mechanisms underlying disease progression are not fully understood. Recently we found that liver molecular pathways are altered by alcohol consumption differently in males and females. We were able to associate these sex‐specific pathways with two upstream regulators: H3K4‐specific demethylase enzymes KDM5B and KDM5C. Mice were fed the Lieber‐DeCarli alcohol liquid diet for 3 weeks or a combination of a high‐fat diet with alcohol in water for 16 weeks (western diet alcohol model [WDA] model). To assess the role of histone demethylases, mice were treated with AAV‐shControl, AAV‐shKdm5b, and/or AAV‐shKdm5c and/or AAV‐shAhR vectors. Gene expression and epigenetic changes after Kdm5b/5c knockdown were assessed by RNA‐sequencing and H3K4me3 chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis. We found that less than 5% of genes affected by Kdm5b/Kdm5c knockdown were common between males and females. In females, Kdm5b/Kdm5c knockdown prevented fibrosis development in mice fed the WDA alcohol diet for 16 weeks and decreased fibrosis‐associated gene expression in mice fed the Lieber‐DeCarli alcohol liquid diet. In contrast, fibrosis was not affected by Kdm5b/Kdm5c knockdown in males. We found that KDM5B and KDM5C promote fibrosis in females through down‐regulation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) pathway components in hepatic stellate cells. Kdm5b/Kdm5c knockdown resulted in an up‐regulation of Ahr, Arnt, and Aip in female but not in male mice, thus preventing fibrosis development. Ahr knockdown in combination with Kdm5b/Kdm5c knockdown restored profibrotic gene expression. Conclusion: KDM5 demethylases contribute to differences between males and females in the alcohol response in the liver. The KDM5/AhR axis is a female‐specific mechanism of fibrosis development in alcohol‐fed mice.
The impact of adjuvant therapy on outcome in UICC stage I pancreatic cancer
Authors: Guenther Michael , Boeck Stefan , Heinemann Volker , Werner Jens , Engel Jutta , Ormanns Steffen 
Published: April 2022

AbstractAdjuvant chemotherapy has become standard of care for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) as it improves patient outcome. However, its clinical meaning in early‐stage, UICC I tumors remains uncertain. We examined the effect of adjuvant therapy on disease‐free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) of UICC stage I PDAC patients treated at an academic tertiary care center between 2000 and 2016. Among 124 patients (69 male, 55 female; median age 68 years, range 41‐84 years) with UICC stage I disease, adjuvant therapy improved both DFS (19.8 vs 12.8 months, HR 0.59, 95% CI: 0.37‐0.94, P = .03) and OS (40.9 vs 20.3 months, HR 0.54, 95% CI: 0.35‐0.84, P = .005). Multivariate analyses and propensity score matching confirmed the prognostic impact of adjuvant therapy independent of localization, differentiation and R‐status. Thus, every patient with UICC I PDAC should receive adjuvant chemotherapy as it may improve outcome significantly. Our findings support the concept of PDAC as systemic disease from early stages on.
The combined signatures of hypoxia and cellular landscape provides a prognostic and therapeutic biomarker in hepatitis B virus‐related hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Chen Shipeng , Gao Yuzhen , Wang Ying , Daemen Toos 
Published: April 2022

AbstractPrognosis and treatment options of hepatitis B virus‐related hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV‐HCC) are generally based on tumor burden and liver function. Yet, tumor growth and therapeutic resistance of HBV‐HCC are strongly influenced by intratumoral hypoxia and cells infiltrating the tumor microenvironment (TME). We, therefore, studied whether linking parameters associated with hypoxia and TME cells could have a better prediction of prognosis and therapeutic responses. Quantification of 109 hypoxia‐related genes and 64 TME cells was performed in 452 HBV‐HCC tumors. Prognostic hypoxia and TME cells signatures were determined based on Cox regression and meta‐analysis for generating the Hypoxia‐TME classifier. Thereafter, the prognosis, tumor, and immune characteristics as well as the benefit of therapies in Hypoxia‐TME defined subgroups were analyzed. Patients in the Hypoxialow/TMEhigh subgroup showed a better prognosis and therapeutic responses than any other subgroups, which can be well elucidated based on the differences in terms of immune‐related molecules, tumor somatic mutations, and cancer cellular signaling pathways. Notably, our analysis furthermore demonstrated the synergistic influence of hypoxia and TME on tumor metabolism and proliferation. Besides, the classifier allowed a further subdivision of patients with early‐ and late‐HCC stages. In addition, the Hypoxia‐TME classifier was validated in another independent HBV‐HCC cohort (n = 144) and several pan‐cancer cohorts. Overall, the Hypoxia‐TME classifier showed a pretreatment predictive value for prognosis and therapeutic responses, which might provide new directions for strategizing patients with optimal therapies.
The impact of taxing sugar‐sweetened beverages in México: A censored QUAI demand system approach
Authors: Nava Noé J. , Dong Diansheng 
Published: April 2022

AbstractIn 2014, México imposed a 20% price hike on sugar‐sweetened beverages (SSB) to curb its obesity epidemic, paving the road for other Latin‐American countries to adopt similar measures. This paper estimates a beverage demand system with a censored Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand system. Our study finds that a 20% tax on SSB can reduce SSB consumption between 16.6% and 19.0%. Additionally, the price increase is associated with increased water consumption if an equivalent income compensation accompanies the fiscal approach. Finally, while the effect is small, our results indicate that education is the primary demographic factor in decreasing SSB consumption.
LncRNA SNHG1 promotes renal cell carcinoma progression through regulation of HMGA2 via sponging miR‐103a
Authors: Ye Zhi‐hua , Gui Ding‐wen , Wang Xiao‐ying , Wang Jing , Fu Jin‐lun 
Published: April 2022

AbstractBackgroundLong noncoding RNAs (LncRNAs) plays a vital role in tumorigenesis and development. The molecular mechanism of SNHG1 in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has not been illustrated. The aim of this research was to explore the expression and function of LncRNA SNHG1 in RCC.Material and MethodsThe expression of SNHG1 in clinical tissues and RCC cell lines was detected. Luciferase reporter assay was performed to verify the correlation between SNHG1, miR‐103a, and HMGA2. CCK‐8 assay was performed to examine cell viability. Cell apoptosis was analyzed using flow cytometry. Cell invasion capacity was determined by Transwell assays. The protein level of HMGA2 was analyzed by Western blotting.ResultsThe expression of SNHG1 markedly increased in RCC tissues and cell lines. Subsequent studies identified SNHG1 as a miRNA sponge for miR‐103a. In addition, SNHG1 knockdown and miR‐103a overexpression significantly inhibited progression of RCC. miR‐103a also regulated HMGA2 levels.ConclusionOur findings showed that SNHG1 was upregulated in RCC cells and tissues. SNHG1 promoted the malignant characteristics of RCC cells. Its regulatory effect may be regulation of HMGA2 by sponging miR‐103a. Therefore, Our study facilitates the understanding of SNHG1 function in RCC.
Artificial intelligence applied to cardiovascular imaging, a critical focus on echocardiography: The point‐of‐view from “the other side of the coin”
Authors: Dell'Angela Luca , Nicolosi Gian Luigi 
Published: April 2022

AbstractCardiovascular imaging has achieved a crucial role in the management of cardiovascular diseases. In this field, echocardiography advantages include wide availability, portability, and affordability, at a relatively low cost. However, echocardiographic assessment requires highly trained operators, and implies high observer variability, as compared with the other cardiac imaging modalities. Hence, artificial intelligence might be extremely helpful. From the point‐of‐view of the peripheral “Spoke” Hospital potential user (“the other side of the coin”), artificial intelligence development appears very slow in the clinical arena. Many limitations are still present, and require full involvement, cooperation, and coordination of professional operators into Hub‐and‐Spoke network.
Direct and indirect regulation of the tumor immune microenvironment by VEGF
Authors: Zhang Yuqing , Brekken Rolf A 
Published: April 2022

AbstractVascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF) is the predominant angiogenic factor that is expressed in solid tumors. Besides its critical function in mediating tumor angiogenesis, multiple studies have demonstrated that VEGF also contributes to tumor immunosuppression. VEGF interferes with immune cell trafficking indirectly by promoting a vascular immune barrier through VEGF receptor (VEGFR) activity on endothelial cells. However, VEGFRs are also expressed on multiple immune cell types, including T cells (effector T cells, Tregs) and myeloid cells (DCs, TAMs, MDSCs), where VEGF can have direct effects on immune cell phenotype and function. Thus, it is not surprising that strategies targeting VEGF/VEGFRs have shown efficacy in alleviating tumor-associated immunosuppression and have been combined with immunotherapies, especially immune checkpoint blockade. In this review, we discuss the direct and indirect effects of VEGF on the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment with particular focus on the direct regulation of immune cells through VEGFR2 activity. We also summarize preclinical and clinical observations of combining antiangiogenesis agents with immunotherapies for the treatment of solid tumors.
Exploring long‐term datasets of land use, economy, and demography variations in karst wetland areas to detect possible microclimate changes
Authors: Lan Funing , Zhao Yi , Jiang Zhongcheng , Yu Yang , Li Yanqing , Caballero‐Calvo Andrés , Senciales González José María , Rodrigo‐Comino Jesús 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThis study explores the possibility of deciphering changes in the total area of a karst wetland due to shifts inland use, economy and population over a long‐term period (35 years) and microclimate changes (1958–2019). To achieve this goal, we focused on Huangcaozhou Karst Wetland, a national karst wetland park located in China. Based on remote sensing interpretation, long‐term climate data, and statistical yearbook datasets, our results showed that from 1984 to 2019, owing to the rapid rates of urbanization and economic development, swamplands in our study area decreased by 16.4%, while urban lands increased up to 16.7%. The inflection point on the land use and land cover (LUCC) curve we constructed appeared in 2006, after which the areas of swampland, rocky desertification land, and wasteland sharply decreased and those of urban land and farmland increased. This is consistent with the increase in gross domestic production (GDP) and the totalnumber of inhabitants. From 1958, when Luxi registered an annual average temperature of 14.8°C, to 2019, the air temperature increased with a gradient of 0.157°C per decade, until it reached an average of 15.3°C. We did not find a clear trend for the number of annual rainy days (average of 140.6 rainy days per year) but the mean torrentiality (average annual volume divided by the annual number of rainy days) shows a slight trend of increase (0.72 mm per day per decade). Precipitation we found has gradually declined. We concluded that economic and demographic changes are interacting with microclimate changes, which are affected by the regional eco‐environment over a long‐time scale in the Huangcaozhou Karst Wetland, causing the wetland quality significantly varied in recent decades. This would help to develop more efficient land management plans to better correctly handle new human activities allowing policymakers to regulate the wetland ecosystem in Southwestern China.
Shift in soil bacterial communities from K‐ to r‐strategists facilitates adaptation to grassland degradation
Authors: Peng Junwei , Liu Hong , Hu Yang , Sun Yang , Liu Qin , Li Jiangang , Dong Yuanhua 
Published: April 2022

AbstractNumerous studies have investigated bacterial community structure and bacterial responses to human management at various spatial and temporal scales in grassland ecosystems; however, research on soil bacterial community assembly dynamics in the course of grassland degradation is limited. Here, the authors investigate the response and assembly processes of bacterial communities adopted in two grasslands with different degrees of degradation. Stochastic processes dominated bacterial community assembly in response to grassland degradation. With an increase in degree of grassland degradation, bacterial richness decreased from 3526 to 2930 and from 3573 to 3021 in Grassland 1 (G1) and Grassland 2 (G2), respectively; however, functional gene richness increased from 6760 to 6887 and from 6851 to 7040 in G1 and G2, respectively. The KO gene numbers of each operational taxonomic units were positively correlated with standardized effect size measure of the mean nearest taxon distance (R2 = 0.38 and 0.68 in G1 and G2, respectively), indicating that phylogenetic dispersion in community assembly under grassland degradation increases functional genes. Furthermore, different phyla exhibited distinct response strategies: Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes, as r‐strategists, exhibited positive productivity, with increases in diversity, abundance, and niche breadth; other phyla exhibited greater phylogenetic dispersion, and less diversity and niche overlap, highlighting the role of K‐strategists in improving resource‐use efficiency in response to nutrient loss. The transition of communities from K‐ to r‐strategists could help communities adapt to environmental disturbance. The results enhance our understanding of bacterial community assembly and ecology‐associated functions in underground grassland ecosystems, which could facilitate degradation prediction and grassland management.
Association of matrix metalloproteinase‐9 and nitric oxide with hypertension in obstructive sleep apnea
Authors: Zeng Shiying , Li Shisheng , Tang Qinglai , Tuerdi Ayinuer , Tong Xinying , Tang Xiaojun , Yin Danhui , Li Mengmeng , Yang Qian 
Published: April 2022

AbstractBackgroundPatients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are more likely to suffer from hypertension. At the same time, the serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase‐9 (MMP‐9) and nitric oxide (NO) in patients with OSA are also changed in OSA patients. We investigated the correlation between serum levels of MMP‐9, NO in patients with OSA and their association with hypertension in those patients, and the effects of continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP) on these serum biomarkers and blood pressure.MethodsSerum MMP‐9 and NO levels and blood pressure of 57 patients with newly diagnosed OSA and 30 controls were measured; among them, 30 patients with moderate to severe OSA underwent 3‐month CPAP treatment.ResultsIn comparison to the control group, the MMP‐9 serum levels were higher (232.8 ± 103.2 ng/ml versus 161.6 ± 56.5 ng/ml, p < .001*), there was no statistical significance difference among serum NO (26.7 ± 9.1 IU/ml versus 31.0 ± 11.7 IU/ml, p = .06), and MMP‐9 was negatively correlated to NO, especially in patients with hypertension (r = −.644, p = .02*). MMP‐9, NO, and blood pressure were significantly recovered in the patients with OSA after CPAP treatment for 3 months (p < .05*).ConclusionThe MMP‐9 level and the NO level were altered in OSA patients. The relationship between the two especially in patients with hypertension suggests the potential mechanism of OSA‐induced hypertension.
Fast Exciton Diffusion in Monolayer PtSe2
Authors: Wang Pengzhi , He Dawei , Wang Yongsheng , Zhang Xiaoxian , He Jiaqi , Zhao Hui 
Published: April 2022

AbstractRecently, 2D noble metal dichalcogenides have drawn considerable attention due to their thickness‐tunable electronic and optical properties. However, the dynamical properties of photocarriers in these materials are less studied. Here, photocarrier dynamics in monolayer and bilayer PtSe samples prepared by chemical vapor deposition are studied by transient absorption microscopy. Spatially and temporally resolved differential reflectance measurements yield room‐temperature exciton lifetimes of 25 and 50 ps for monolayer and bilayer samples, respectively. The exciton diffusion coefficient in monolayer PtSe is found to be as large as 48 cm s. This value is higher than exciton diffusion coefficients of most known monolayer semiconductors. The deduced exciton mobility is close to the theoretical limit of charge carrier mobility of monolayer PtSe. The superior exciton transport property is unique to monolayers, as the exciton diffusion coefficient drops to 6.7 cm s in bilayers PtSe. The novel exciton transport properties, along with its high air stability, make monolayer PtSe an attractive material for ultrathin excitonic devices. These results provide insights on the exciton dynamic properties of 2D PtSe and help develop fundamental understanding on the performance of various optoelectronic devices based on 2D PtSe.