bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cathepsin B prevents cell death by fragmentation and destruction of pathological amyloid fibrils
Authors: Sulatsky Maksim I. , Stepanenko Olesya V. , Stepanenko Olga V. , Mikhailova Ekaterina V. , Sulatskaya Anna I.
Published: February 2025

Amyloid fibrils cause organ and tissue dysfunction in numerous severe diseases. Despite the prevalence and severity of amyloidoses, there is still no effective and safe anti-amyloid therapy. This study investigates the impact of cysteine protease cathepsin B (CTSB) on amyloids associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, hemodialysis, and lysozyme amyloidosis. We analyzed the effect of CTSB on the size, structure, and proteotoxicity of amyloid fibrils formed from alpha-synuclein, abeta peptide (1-42), insulin, and lysozyme using a combination of spectroscopic, microscopic, electrophoretic, and colorimetric methods. Our comprehensive research revealed a dual effect of CTSB on amyloid fibrils. Firstly, CTSB induced amyloid fragmentation while preserving their ordered morphology, and, secondly, it “loosened” the tertiary structure of amyloids and reduced the regularity of the secondary structure. This dual mechanism of action was universal across fibrils associated with different pathologies, although the disruption efficacy and predominant type of degradation products depended on the amyloids’ structure, size, and clustering. Notably, CTSB-induced irreversible degradation significantly reduced the toxicity for immortalized and primary cell lines of low-clustered fibrils, such as alpha-synuclein amyloids associated with Parkinson’s disease. These findings enhance our understanding of how endogenous CTSB may regulate amyloid content at the molecular level in different neuropathologies. In addition, our results suggest the potential of CTSB as a component of anti-amyloid drugs in combination with agents that enhance the accessibility of proteolytic sites within amyloid clots and reduce these clusters stability.
Severe plastic deformation of Al strips through equal multi and single channel angular pressing
Authors: Gadallah Elshafey Ahmed , Abd Mohamed Ibrahim , Aal El
Published: February 2025

Equal channel multi-angular pressing (ECMAP) and equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) of Al-1050 strips were carried out. The ECMAP and ECAP load-displacement behavior, peak load, microhardness distribution maps, homogeneity, and average values were investigated. Finite element simulations (FEM) of the ECMAP and ECAP were performed using the DEFORM-3D program. The experimental and FEM load-displacement curves were close to each other, with deviations between the FEM and experimental peak loads of 2.3–9.5 and 0.9–3.1% in the ECMAP and ECAP. The ECAP experimental and FEM peak loads were lower by 149.4-163.4 and 127.9-151.8% than that of the ECMAP after one to three passes. FEM average effective plastic strain was obtained with high accuracy in the different plans. The ECAP sample’s deformation homogeneity was higher by 19-62.6% relative to that of ECMAP samples. The microhardness results verify the 3D FEM simulation one that ECAP samples have a higher deformation homogeneity. Moreover, the average microhardness values of ECAP samples were higher by 4.5–13.3% than the ECMAP samples in the different plans. ECAP processing of Al-1050 strips is recommended rather than using ECMAP to produce large samples with a higher degree of deformation homogeneity and microhardness.
ANN-ANFIS model for optimising methylic composite biodiesel from neem and castor oil and predicting emissions of the biodiesel blend
Authors: Zhu Chao-zhe , Samuel Olusegun David , Taheri-Garavand Amin , Elboughdiri Noureddine , Paramasivam Prabhu , Hussain Fayaz , Enweremadu Christopher C. , Ayanie Abinet Gosaye
Published: February 2025

Researchers and stakeholders have shown interest in heterogeneous composite biodiesel (HCB) due to its enhanced fuel properties and environmental friendliness (EF). The lack of high viscosity datasets for parent hybrid oils has hindered their commercialisation. Reliable models are lacking to optimise the transesterification parameters for developing HCB, and the scarcity of predictive models has affected climate researchers and environmental experts. In this study, basic fuel properties were analysed, and models were developed models for the yield of HCB and kinematic viscosity (KV) for composite biodiesel/neem castor seed oil methyl ester (NCSOME) using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS). Statistical indices such as computed coefficient of determination (R2), root-mean-square-error (RMSE), standard error of prediction (SEP), mean average error (MAE), and average absolute deviation (AAD) were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the techniques. Emission models for NCSOME-diesel blends were also established. The study investigated the impact of optimised fuel types/NCSOME-diesel (10–30 vol%), ZnO nanoparticle dosage (400–800 ppm), engine speed (1100–1700 rpm), and engine load (10–30%) on emission characteristics and environmental friendliness indices (EFI) such as carbon monoxide (CO), Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), and Unburnt Hydrocarbon (UHC) using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The ANFIS model demonstrated superior performance in terms of R2, RMSE, SEP, MAE, and AAD compared to the ANN model in predicting yield and KV of HCB. The optimal emission levels for CO (49.26 ppm), NOx (0.5171 ppm), and UHC (2.783) were achieved with a fuel type of 23.4%, nanoparticle dosage of 685.432 ppm, engine speed of 1329.2 rpm, and engine load of 10% to ensure cleaner EFI. The hybrid ANFIS and ANN models can effectively predict and model fuel-related characteristics and improve the HCB process, while the RSM model can be a valuable tool for climate and environmental stakeholders in accurate forecasting and promoting a cleaner environment. The valuable datasets can also provide reliable information for strategic planning in the biodiesel and automotive industries.
Rurality and relative poverty drive acquisition of a stable and diverse gut microbiome in early childhood in a non-industrialized setting
Authors: Seco-Hidalgo Victor , Witney Adam A. , Chico Martha E. , Vaca Maritza , Arevalo Andrea , Schuyler Alexander J. , Platts-Mills Thomas A. E. , Ster Irina Chis , Cooper Philip J.
Published: February 2025

There are limited longitudinal data from non-industrialized settings on patterns and determinants of gut bacterial microbiota development in early childhood. We analysed epidemiological data and stool samples collected from 60 children followed from early infancy to 5 years of age in a rural tropical district in coastal Ecuador. Data were collected longitudinally on a wide variety of individual, maternal, and household exposures. Extracted DNA from stool samples were analysed for bacterial microbiota using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Both alpha and beta diversity indices suggested stable profiles towards 5 years of age. Greater alpha diversity and lower beta diversity were associated with factors typical of rural poverty including low household incomes, overcrowding, and greater agricultural and animal exposures. Consumption of unpasteurized milk was consistently associated with greater alpha diversity indices. Delivery method and antibiotic exposures during pregnancy and early childhood appeared to have limited effects on developmental trajectories of gut microbiota. Infants living in a non-industrialized setting in conditions of greater poverty and typically rural exposures appeared to acquire more rapidly a stable and diverse gut bacterial microbiome during childhood.
Selenium foliar application alleviates salinity stress in sweet william (Dianthus barbatus L.) by enhancing growth and reducing oxidative damage
Authors: Alvan Haider Adnan , Jabbarzadeh Zohreh , Fard Javad Rezapour , Noruzi Parviz
Published: February 2025

Salinity is considered as one of the most important environmental stresses in plant growth and productivity around the world by arid and semi-arid areas; therefore, the development of an efficient strategy against salt stress in crops is urgently needed. Application of Se thus appeared to be an efficient approach for the improvement of plant growth and productivity under saline condition. This study investigated the effects of salinity stress by applying different NaCl levels (0, 30, 60, and 90 mM) in combination with foliar application of Se at different levels (0, 5, 10, and 15 µM) on morpho-physiological and biochemical traits of Dianthus barbatus. Done in a factorial design and completely randomized layout with three replications, the findings showed that salinity caused significant reduction in growth, increased electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde levels, and increased activities of antioxidant enzymes. At an increase in growth defects among the saline treatments, a positive level of 90 mM NaCl was recorded, whereas the imposition of Se improved some growth traits in most aspects: phenolic and flavonoid contents; antioxidant capacity was boosted in Se-stressed plants. Indeed, at 10µM application level in most of salinity treatments and controls, enhancing the salinity tolerance was reflected. These evidences show cell membrane stabilization of Se through maintaining compounds with various protective functions coupled with enhancing their antioxidant enzyme capacity at efficient low doses. In conclusion, Se application through foliage was an effective method to enhance the plant’s tolerance capacity against salinity in sweet william and could turn out to be a sustained solution for agricultural production under salinity conditions.
Dexmedetomidine ameliorates hepatic ischemia reperfusion injury via modulating SIRT3 mediated mitochondrial quality control
Authors: Ning Xiaqing , Tang Jilang , Li Xueqin , Wang Jiaqi , Zhai Fan , Jiang Congcong , Zhang Shixia
Published: February 2025

Ischaemia-reperfusion (IR) damage is an inevitable adverse effect of liver surgery. Recent research has found that IR damage is involved in severe mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondrial biosynthesis and dynamics control mitochondrial mass, distribution, and function. Sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) is widely known for preserving health and functionality of mitochondria. DEX has been proven to alleviate liver damage through antioxidant and anti-apoptotic pathways. But it’s unclear how DEX protects mitochondria at this time. In this research, the mechanism behind the protective benefits of DEX was examined using the rat liver IR model and the rat liver cells (BRL-3 A) hypoxia reoxygenation (HR) model. We discovered that DEX treatment restored mitochondrial membrane potential, promoted ATP production, prevented oxidative stress, and decreased apoptosis in BRL-3 A cells. Furthermore, HR damage increased mitochondrial fission while decreasing mitochondrial fusion and biogenesis in BRL-3 A cells, which DEX partially corrected. The benefits of DEX on mitochondrial protection were reversed after addition of SR-18,292. Additionally, DEX showed the ability to enhance SIRT3 expression, and after cells were transfected with SIRT3 siRNA, DEX’s effects on mitochondria were partially prevented. Similarly, in the rat model, DEX alleviating liver histopathological injury and oxidative stress. DEX inhibited IR-induced mitochondrial damage through improving ETC complex I- IV activities and ATP content, reducing apoptosis, controlling mitochondrial quality, and upregulating the expression of SIRT3. Additionally, our research shows that DEX’s ability to protect the liver against IR damage is mediated by the modulation of mitochondrial quality control. Overall, the modification of SIRT3 activity could be responsible for this outcome.
Sub-milliwatt threshold power and tunable-bias all-optical nonlinear activation function using vanadium dioxide for wavelength-division multiplexing photonic neural networks
Authors: Parra Jorge , Navarro-Arenas Juan , Sanchis Pablo
Published: February 2025

The increasing demand for efficient hardware in neural computation highlights the limitations of electronic-based systems in terms of speed, energy efficiency, and scalability. Wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) photonic neural networks offer a high-bandwidth, low-latency alternative but require effective photonic activation functions. Here, we propose a power-efficient and tunable-bias all-optical nonlinear activation function using vanadium dioxide (VO2) for WDM photonic neural networks. We engineered a SiN/BTO waveguide with a VO2 patch to exploit the phase-change material’s reversible insulator-to-metal transition (IMT) for nonlinear activation. We conducted numerical simulations to optimize the waveguide geometry and VO2 parameters, minimizing propagation and coupling losses while achieving a strong nonlinear response and low-threshold activation power. Our proposed device features a sub-milliwatt threshold power, a footprint of 5 μm, and an ELU-like activation function. Moreover, the bias of our device could be thermally tuned, improving the speed and power efficiency. On the other hand, performance evaluations using the CIFAR-10 dataset confirmed the device’s potential for convolutional neural networks (CNN). Our results show that a hybrid VO2/SiN/BTO platform could play a prominent role in the path toward the development of high-performance photonic neural networks.
Double and single stranded detection of 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine with nanopore sequencing
Authors: Halliwell Dominic Oliver , Honig Floris , Bagby Stefan , Roy Sandipan , Murrell Adele
Published: February 2025

5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) are modified versions of cytosine in DNA with roles in regulating gene expression. Using whole genomic DNA from mouse cerebellum, we benchmark 5mC and 5hmC detection by Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing against other standard techniques. In addition, we assess the ability of duplex base-calling to study strand asymmetric modification. Nanopore detection of 5mC and 5hmC is accurate relative to compared techniques and opens means of studying these modifications. Strand asymmetric modification is widespread across the genome but reduced at imprinting control regions and CTCF binding sites in mouse cerebellum. Here we demonstrate the unique ability of nanopore sequencing to improve the resolution and detail of cytosine modification mapping.
KDM5C and KDM5D mutations have different consequences in clear cell renal cell carcinoma cells
Authors: Müller Marvin , Zodel Kyra , Abhari Behnaz A. , Cuomo Francesca , Nizamuddin Sheikh , Metzger Patrick , Boerries Melanie , Timmers H. T. Marc , Frew Ian J.
Published: February 2025

KDM5C is commonly mutated in clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCC) in men but rarely in women. Introducing KDM5C mutation into two male and two female KDM5C wild-type ccRCC cell lines caused different phenotypes and non-overlapping transcriptional consequences, indicative of context-dependent functions of KDM5C. We identify that loss of the Y chromosome, harbouring the KDM5C homologue KDM5D, occurs in most male KDM5C mutant ccRCCs. Mutation of KDM5D in male 786-O cells prevented xenograft tumour formation and this phenotype was unexpectedly rescued by co-mutation of KDM5C, consistent with the co-occurrence of KDM5C mutation and loss of the Y chromosome in ccRCC. Transcriptional analyses showed that KDM5C and KDM5D regulate the expression of both overlapping as well as distinct sets of genes. While KDM5C and KDM5D bind to at least some overlapping genomic sites, gene expression changes induced by KDM5C or KDM5D mutation are apparently unrelated to the direct functions of these proteins at the relevant gene promoters or enhancers. Our findings identify similarities and differences in KDM5C and KDM5D functions, challenging the idea that KDM5D in male cells functions equivalently to the second KDM5C allele in female cells, and implicate an interplay between KDM5C mutation and Y chromosome loss in ccRCC development in men.
Nanophotonic biosensors for COVID-19 detection: advances in mechanisms, methods, and design
Authors: Li Jiawei , Zhou Linyan , Hao Yabin , Xing Chenyang
Published: February 2025

The growing societal impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has underscored the urgent need for innovative strategies to address the ongoing challenges posed by the pandemic.
Diastereoselective three-component 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition: concise synthesis of functionalized tetrahydrocarboline-fused spirooxindoles
Authors: Wang Yongchao , Zheng Lihua , Zi Rongmei , Niu Yanqin , Yang Shuyuan , Hu Donghua , Dong Jianwei
Published: February 2025

A diastereoselective and regioselective three-component 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of isatins, tetrahydrocarbolines and 5-(2-nitroaryl)-2,4-dienones for the concise synthesis of functionalized tetrahydrocarboline-containing spirooxindoles is reported.
Highly dispersed nanostructured platinum catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction: the roles of the platinum precursor and the synthesis conditions
Authors: Prytkova Anna , Brusko Vasiliy , Kirsanova Maria , Yanilkin Igor , Dimiev Ayrat M.
Published: February 2025

Highly dispersed Pt based catalysts made from non-aqueous Pt(NO3)4 solution and annealed graphene oxide for the oxygen reduction reaction.
Conformational regulation to realize modifiable ESIPT (excited-state intramolecular proton transfer) through intermolecular interactions
Authors: Yi Shao-Zhe , Li Bao-Ning , He Wen , Pan Mei
Published: February 2025

Conformational regulation to realize modifiable ESIPT emissions was achieved by tuning the intermolecular interactions of a dual-ESIPT site molecule with different crystallizers.
Modified You Only Look Once Network Model for Enhanced Traffic Scene Detection Performance for Small Targets
Authors: Shi Lei , Ren Shuai , Fan Xing , Wang Ke , Lin Shan , Liu Zhanwen
Published: February 2025

In order to address the challenge of small target recognition in traffic scenes, we propose a model based on you only look once version 8X (Yolov8X) network model, which has been combined with receptive fields block (RFB) and multidimensional collaborative attention (MCA). First, the model employs the RFB to extract reliable and distinctive features, thereby enhancing the precision of small target identification. Furthermore, the MCA structure is introduced to simulate multidimensional attention through three parallel branches, thereby enhancing the feature expression ability of the model. This fragment describes a compression transformation and an excitation transformation that captures the differentiated feature representation of the command. These transformations facilitate the network's ability to locate and predict the location of small objects more accurately. Utilizing these transformations enhances the expressiveness and diversity of features, thereby improving the detection performance of small objects. Furthermore, data augmentation and hyperparameter optimization techniques are employed to enhance the model's generalisability. The validation results on the Argoverse 1.1 autonomous driving dataset demonstrate that the enhanced network model outperforms the prevailing detectors, achieving an F1 score of 78.6, an average precision of 55.1, and an average recall of 72.4. The algorithm's excellent performance for small target detection was demonstrated through visual analysis, proving its high application value and potential for promotion in fields such as autonomous driving.
TLBP: Tomography‐Aided Local Binary Patterns With High Discrimination for Image Classification
Authors: Liu Yichen , Zhang Xin , Jiang Yanan , Zhang Chunlei , Feng Hanlin
Published: February 2025

Local binary patterns (LBP) play a vital role in image classification as a computationally efficient feature descriptor. A crucial reason for its limitation of discriminability is the lack of neighbourhood information description from a global perspective. Previous research has attempted to improve its performance by introducing global thresholds, but such threshold selection is not optimal. To address this issue, we propose a novel tomography‐aided local binary patterns (TLBP), inspired by the tomographic process of sample separation. TLBP considers constructing visual feature representations under multi‐level non‐local information to compensate for the lack of LBP possessing only a single shallow feature. In addition to the basic LBP features from local visual context, TLBP captures refined neighbourhood greyscale information through multi‐quantile thresholds from a global visual perspective, thereby greatly enhancing discriminability. Experimental results in texture classification, face recognition, and hyperspectral pixel‐wise classification demonstrate that the proposed TLBP descriptor outperforms the competitors, achieving 94.39% (KTH‐TIPS), 81.22% (KTH‐TIPS‐ROT), 93.81% (Indian Pines), 99.85% (Salinas), and 99.50% (ORL) accuracy. Furthermore, the performance of the T‐variants that apply the tomographic idea to classic LBP descriptors improve significantly, especially for their rotation‐invariant versions.
Multi‐Task Collaboration for Cross‐Modal Generation and Multi‐Modal Ophthalmic Diseases Diagnosis
Authors: Yu Yang , Zhu Hongqing , Qian Tianwei , Hou Tong , Huang Bingcang
Published: February 2025

Multi‐modal diagnosis of ophthalmic disease is becoming increasingly important because combining multi‐modal data allows for more accurate diagnosis. Color fundus photograph (CFP) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) are commonly used as two non‐invasive modalities for ophthalmic examination. However, the diagnosis of each modality is not entirely accurate. Compounding the challenge is the difficulty in acquiring multi‐modal data, with existing datasets frequently lacking paired multi‐modal data. To solve these problems, we propose multi‐modal distribution fusion diagnostic algorithm and cross‐modal generation algorithm. The multi‐modal distribution fusion diagnostic algorithm first calculates the mean and variance separately for each modality, and then generates multi‐modal diagnostic results in a distribution fusion manner. In order to generate the absent modality (mainly OCT data), three sub‐networks are designed in the cross‐modal generation algorithm: cross‐modal alignment network, conditional deformable autoencoder and latent consistency diffusion model (LCDM). Finally, we propose multi‐task collaboration strategy where diagnosis and generation tasks are mutually reinforcing to achieve optimal performance. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method yield superior results compared to state‐of‐the‐arts.
Application of 3D-Printed Patient-Specific Guides for Femoral Bone Preparation in Cementless Total Hip Arthroplasty in a Dog
Authors: Charochak Julia H. , Petrovsky Brian , Lirtzman Ross
Published: February 2025

This case report presents the first successful Biomedtrix BFX™ total hip replacement in a dog with Legg–Calve–Perthes disease utilizing patient-specific 3D-printed guides to aid in femoral reaming. An 11-month-old, male, neutered goldendoodle weighing 11.8 kg presented with left hindlimb lameness of 2 to 3 months secondary to Legg–Calve–Perthes disease. Computed tomography and radiographs were used for surgical planning. Patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) and 3D bone models were printed out of a biocompatible material and used for preoperative rehearsal and intraoperative use. Patient-specific instrumentation enabled coaxial initial drilling and reaming. The PSI facilitated coaxial alignment during the initial drilling and reaming process. However, coaxial alignment was not maintained during broaching and stem insertion, deviating from the guided preparation of the initial bed. In the authors' opinion, PSI improved the precision of a major procedural step compared to traditional techniques. While this novel technique for BFX total hip replacement with PSI demonstrated promising results in this case, the limitations highlighted underscore the necessity for further research.
Role of the Goddard Score in Predicting Prolonged Air Leak in Pulmonary Segmentectomies
Authors: Galetin Thomas , Rheinhold Lisann , Klamer Rachel , Alkhatam Ahmet , Koryllos Aris
Published: February 2025

Background Prolonged air leak (PAL) is a major cause of morbidities and increased treatment costs following lung resection. The Goddard score (GS) quantifies pulmonary emphysema on computed tomography, a risk factor for PAL, from 0 to 24.

Methods We evaluated the GS as a predictor of PAL in pulmonary segmentectomies by retrospectively analyzing 131 patients with anatomical segmentectomy. We identified predictors of PAL and performed logistic regression.

Results Eighty-three percent of patients had a history of smoking. The mean air leak duration was 4.2 days; 16% had PAL (>7 days). Median GS was 1. The optimal cutoff was GS ≥ 6 (area under the curve AUC = 0.625). GS did not correlate with air leak duration. In combination, body mass index, cumulative pack-years, immunosuppression, adhesiolysis, operation time, and GS ≥ 6 best predicted PAL with AUC = 0.914. Omitting GS still leads to an AUC = 0.864.

Conclusion The GS does not add enough information to be of practical value in anatomic segmentectomies, but it is of academic significance to quantify and compare lung emphysema in the context of clinical studies.
Sedierung in der Palliativversorgung. Ergebnisse einer Onlinebefragung zum Test der Anwendung von Definitionen auf Fallszenarien unter den Mitgliedern der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Palliativmedizin und der Österreichischen Palliativgesellschaft
Authors: Kremling Alexander , Bausewein Claudia , Klein Carsten , Nadolny Stephan , Ostgathe Christoph , Schildmann Eva , Ziegler Kerstin , Schildmann Jan
Published: February 2025

Zur Weiterentwicklung der Terminologie zum Thema Sedierung in der Palliativmedizin sollte getestet werden, wie gut Personen mit Berufserfahrung in der Palliativmedizin Definitionen auf Fälle anwenden können.

Onlineumfrage unter Mitgliedern der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Palliativmedizin (DGP) und der Österreichischen Palliativgesellschaft (OPG) mit Anwendung von 4 Definitionen auf 4 Fallszenarien.

380/12 Mitglieder der DGP/OPG nahmen teil. 3105/6272 möglichen Antworten waren korrekt (49,5%) mit einer durchschnittlichen Anzahl (max. 4 Punkte möglich) von 2,3 (SD=1,07) für die SedPall-Definition, jeweils 2,0 für die Definitionen der European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) (SD=0,99), der norwegischen (SD=0,97) sowie 1,7 für die Definition der japanischen Leitlinie (M=2, SD=1,11).

Definitionen werden häufig nicht korrekt angewandt, was Praxis und Forschung negativ beeinflussen könnte.
Consumer value dimensions in conversational and mobile commerce
Authors: Schultz Carsten D. , Kaiser Saskia
Published: February 2025

Voice is becoming a frontline interface across the customer journey. However, the role of digital assistants, such as chatbots and voice assistants, in shopping remains underexplored and a comprehensive understanding of the value that these assistants provide is still missing. This study addresses this gap by applying consumption value theory to identify the dimensions influencing the use of such digital assistants for shopping. By integrating this theory into the technology acceptance model, we develop a coherent framework to analyze the values driving digital assistant adoption. The research model highlights the importance of epistemic, conditional, emotional, and functional values in determining the perceived usefulness of digital assistants for shopping, while social value and ease of use are less impactful. Trust positively influences both attitude and behavioral intention, while perceived risk negatively affects attitude but not intention; digital assistants in conversational commerce share similarities with smartphones in mobile shopping. When comparing chatbots and smartphones, trust has a stronger impact on consumer attitudes in mobile shopping. In contrast, perceived usefulness plays a more prominent role in shaping attitudes toward the use of voice assistants rather than chatbots. The empirical findings also highlight significant differences across demographic groups.
Morning wake-time and the time of teaching/assessment session can influence test score
Authors: Mehta Kosha J.
Published: February 2025

Circadian rhythm affects cognition and learning. However, there is insufficient data on the influence of circadian rhythm on academic performance of higher education students. It is crucial to understand the association between test scores and the elements of circadian rhythm like morning wake-time, time of teaching-learning session, nap, and nap duration. This study aimed to examine whether the time of session (in which teaching was followed by a formative assessment), and morning wake-time, napping or nap duration on the assessment day differed between high and low scorers. Data showed that mean and median wake-times were 8 am (n = 807). Wake-time of 8:30 am showed the largest proportion of high scorers (73.1% students) and wake-time of 7:30 am showed the largest proportion of low scorers (21.6% students). However, the distribution of wake-times did not significantly differ between high scorers (score > =75%) and low scorers (score < =25%) and waking up before the most frequently reported wake-times did not increase the odds of scoring high. Regarding time of session, the largest proportion of high scorers were from session timeslot 9 am to 11 am (69.2% students), while the smallest proportion (44.2%) of high scorers were from session timeslot 3 pm till late. Session time of before or at 11 am and before or at 2 pm significantly increased the odds of high score compared to a session after these times (OR:1.7, CI:1.1–2.4 & OR:3.4, CI:2.4–4.8, respectively). Session after 2 pm associated with increased odds (OR:1.69, CI:1.0–2.6) and relative risk (RR:1.5, CI:1.07–2.2) of low scores. A 20-minute-nap on assessment day associated with increased odds of high score, compared to napping for longer (OR:2.5, CI:1.0–6.3). Such valuable information can i) make students aware of the times of day that promote optimal learning/performance, and ii) greatly aid the academics in structuring students’ timetable, and thereby help promote optimal learning.
Study on the electronic structure of a narrow-gap semiconductor KAg3Te2
Authors: Feng Rong , Zheng Haotian , Liu Haoran , Zhao Binru , Yin Xunqing , Liu Zhihua , Liu Feng , Wang Guohua , Xu Xiaofeng , Zhang Wentao , Luo Weidong , Zhou Wei , Qian Dong
Published: February 2025

KAg3Te2 with a layered crystal structure has been predicted to be a possible topological insulator. Through electrical transport measurements, we revealed its semiconducting behavior with a narrow band gap of ~0.4 eV and p-type character. The infrared transmission spectra of single crystals yielded an optical band gap of ~0.3 eV. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy reveals a bulk energy gap at the Brillouin zone center, with no observable surface state, suggesting that KAg3Te2 is a topological trivial narrow-gap semiconductor. The experimentally determined effective mass of the holes in KAg3Te2 is very small (~0.12 m
e). The valence band maximum is quasi-two-dimensional, while the conduction band minimum is fully three-dimensional. Such intriguing dimensional anisotropy can be attributed to the distinct orbital contributions from K, Ag and Te atoms to the respective bands.
Suppression of glycolysis decreases sugar-induced cell death in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Valiakhmetov Airat
Published: February 2025

Although 30 years have passed since the description of sugar-induced cell death (SICD), the specific molecular mechanism that triggers this process remains unclear. This paper attempts to shed light on the relationship between SICD and glucose catabolism. In yeast cells, glucose is involved not only in energy-producing processes but also in the synthesis of reserve hydrocarbons. It is known that disruption of trehalose synthesis leads to significant changes in the physiology of S. cerevisiae. The present study shows that deletion of the TPS1 gene resulted in a 44% suppression of SICD and a 75% reduction in the number of cells with excess ROS. The suppression was comparable to the suppression of SICD (38%) and ROS (71%) with deletion of the HXK2 gene. Since HXK2 is the first enzyme in the glycolytic pathway, the effect of two other key glycolytic enzymes on SICD was tested. Deletion of the TDH3 gene (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) resulted in a 39% suppression of SICD and ROS by 48%. Inhibition of Tdh3p with 1 mM iodoacetamide also suppressed SICD by 67% and ROS by 58%. Deletion of the PFK1 (phosphofructokinase 1) gene resulted in a complete block of SICD (97%) but unexpectedly resulted in a significant increase in the number of cells with excess ROS. The results obtained suggest that such a phenomenon as SICD is the result of an imbalance in the cellular pathways of glucose catabolism.
Incremental Healthcare Costs of Dementia and Cognitive Impairment in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Sheets Kerry M , Fink Howard A , Langsetmo Lisa , Kats Allyson M , Schousboe John T , Yaffe Kristine , Ensrud Kristine E
Published: February 2025

Background

Cognitive impairment and dementia are associated with higher healthcare costs; whether these increased costs are attributable to greater comorbidity burden is unknown. We sought to determine associations of cognitive impairment and dementia with subsequent total and sector-specific healthcare costs after accounting for comorbidities and to compare costs by method of case ascertainment.

Methods

Index examinations (2002-2011) of four prospective cohort studies linked with Medicare claims. 8,165 community-dwelling Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries (4,318 women; 3,847 men). Cognitive impairment identified by self-or-proxy report of dementia and/or abnormal cognitive testing. Claims-based dementia and comorbidities derived from claims using Chronic Condition Warehouse algorithms. Annualized healthcare costs (2023 dollars) ascertained for 36 months following index examinations.

Results

521 women (12.1%) and 418 men (10.9%) met criteria for cognitive impairment; 388 women (9%) and 234 men (6.1%) met criteria for claims-based dementia. After accounting for age, race, geographic region, and comorbidities, mean incremental costs of cognitive impairment versus no cognitive impairment in women (men) were $6,883 ($7,276) for total healthcare costs, $4,160 ($4,047) for inpatient costs, $1,206 ($1,587) for SNF costs, and $689 ($668) for HHC costs. Mean adjusted incremental total and inpatient costs associated with claims-based dementia were smaller in magnitude and not statistically significant. Mean adjusted incremental costs of claims-based dementia versus no claims-based dementia in women (men) were $759 ($1,251) for SNF costs and $582 ($535) for HHC costs.

Conclusions

Cognitive impairment is independently associated with substantial incremental total and sector-specific healthcare expenditures not fully captured by claims-based dementia or comorbidity burden.
Healthy Aging in Subsidized Housing in the United States: Exploring Older Adults’ Views of Service Coordination
Authors: Abiad Alia , Graupner Jeffrey , Kroplewski Renée , Gleason Lauren J , Thompson Katherine
Published: February 2025

Background and Objectives

Low-income older adults face many barriers to healthy aging, including housing cost burden. Publicly subsidized rental units for older adults are one affordable housing option; these typically have a service coordinator who helps tenants access community resources. Previous research has indicated that service coordinators can support resident health. However, little is known about older adults’ perspectives on service coordination. Our study aimed to explore how older adults living in subsidized housing perceive the relationship between service coordinators and healthy aging.

Research Design and Methods

We conducted five focus group discussions with residents of three subsidized housing communities for older adults, all in medically underserved urban areas. Participants, 48 in total, were asked about barriers to healthy aging, resources for healthy aging, and what role, if any, service coordinators play in supporting healthy aging. Content analysis was used to identify themes emerging from the data.

Results

Data analysis yielded 90 codes and sub-codes falling under four themes: challenges in healthy aging, assets for healthy aging, perceptions of service coordinator role, and suggestions for improvement. Across focus groups, participants highlighted that service coordinators can connect residents to health-related assets. Participants also desired future opportunities to make their perspectives on healthy aging heard.

Discussion and Implications

Service coordinators are important, under-recognized collaborators for older adult health. Future healthcare interventions and policies should seek to support service coordinators and leverage their ability to connect older adults with healthcare professionals and community services.
Psychoactive cocktail consumption on Reunion Island: a case report
Authors: Guyon Joris , Maillot Adrien , Bastard Sophie , Weisse Flore , Daveluy Amélie , Mété David
Published: February 2025

Reunion Island is a French department located in the southwestern Indian Ocean, with distinct trends in drug use, drug diversion, and intoxication compared with metropolitan France (e.g. the misuse of drugs—clonazepam and trihexyphenidyl—combined with cannabis or cocaine, which is not observed in metropolitan France). The authors report a case of atypical intoxication in a 16-year-old female who consumed cannabis in conjunction with an unusual powdered mixture containing psychotropic substances. The intoxication led to confusion, hallucinations, sinus tachycardia, and hospitalization. A comprehensive high-resolution mass spectrometry and liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry analysis of her plasma, her urine and a powder found in her possession revealed the presence of the same five medicines: citalopram/escitalopram, paroxetine, sertraline, venlafaxine, and trihexyphenidyl. This case underscores the intricate interactions between psychoactive substances that are never prescribed together in clinical settings, along with the issue of diverted prescription drugs like trihexyphenidyl. It also emphasizes the potential circulation and use of crushed mixtures of medication for recreational purpose. Fortunately, powder analysis provided crucial insight to understand the intoxication.
Enhancing Thermal Stability in Prismatic Lithium-ion Battery Pack in Electric Vehicle through Optimization for an Indirect Liquid-cooling System
Authors: Park Cheonha , Lee Jun , Lee Hamin , Chang HyukKyun , Kim Chang-Wan
Published: February 2025

In an electric vehicle battery pack, thermal stability degradation due to temperature differences is the cause of performance degradation and thermal runaway. Therefore, an effective battery cooling system design is essential to increase the thermal stability of the battery pack. In this study, surrogate model-based optimization is used to minimize the maximum temperature difference of a prismatic lithium-ion battery pack with an indirect cooling system. In the optimization process, the cooling system mass is constrained along with the maximum temperature of the battery and pumping power. Design of experiments is utilized to identify significant design variables, analyze influence of design variables on responses, and generate a surrogate model. The optimization results showed a 14.48% reduction in the maximum temperature difference, from 8.21 K to 7.02 K, relative to the initial cooling system design.
Divergence-Free Finite Volume WENO Scheme for Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamics Preserving Positivity and Subluminal Velocity
Authors: Ding Shengrong , Wu Kailiang , Yuan Caiyou
Published: February 2025

This paper presents a high-order, locally divergence-free finite volume weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) scheme for special relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (RMHD) with a general equation of state. The scheme rigorously enforces essential physical bounds, including positivity of density and pressure and the subluminal constraint on fluid velocity, achieving bound-preserving (BP) properties. Maintaining BP properties in RMHD simulations requires a discrete divergence-free magnetic field. To address this, we introduce a local projection technique tailored for WENO schemes, without reconstructing approximation polynomials and solving additional equations, thus enhancing computational efficiency and ease of implementation. We also develop a simplified BP limiter for the WENO reconstructed point values and a precondition for BP properties of updated cell averages, maintaining the discretely divergence-free property enforced by the projection. We provide a theoretical proof of BP properties for the updated cell averages in the proposed scheme, overcoming challenges posed by RMHD’s nonlinear couplings, complex variable transformations, and nonlinear physical constraints. Our approach uses geometric quasilinearization to reformulate these nonlinear constraints into equivalent linear forms relative to the conserved variables. Additionally, a provably convergent Newton–Raphson method robustly recovers primitive variables from conserved quantities, ensuring physical validity. Extensive numerical experiments validate the robustness of our method across challenging RMHD scenarios, including those with strong shocks, high Lorentz factors, and conditions of low density, low pressure, and low plasma beta.
Yes to Koch, No to Woke: Public Opinion, Free Markets, and Business Involvement in Politics
Authors: Goidel Spencer , Madsen Bradley , Freeman Craig , Goidel Kirby
Published: February 2025

In this paper, we use data from the 2022 Cooperative Election Study to explore the relationship between partisanship, attitudes toward free markets, and corporate social responsibility. We find that while Republicans continue to express abstract support for free markets and business involvement in politics, they respond negatively to more specific descriptions of CEO activism, particularly when that activism is directed toward environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. Overall, individual support for business involvement in politics depends on the noneconomic impact of corporate behavior. In this respect, our findings echo the literature on political tolerance: abstract support for free markets slips when applied to specific environmental, social, and governance contexts. Within this context, “business involvement in politics,” which Republicans support, translates into “corporate political activity,” which Republicans oppose.
UnFATE: A Comprehensive Probe Set and Bioinformatics Pipeline for Phylogeny Reconstruction and Multilocus Barcoding of Filamentous Ascomycetes (Ascomycota, Pezizomycotina)
Authors: Ametrano Claudio G , Jensen Jacob , Lumbsch H Thorsten , Grewe Felix
Published: February 2025

The subphylum Pezizomycotina (filamentous ascomycetes) is the largest clade within Ascomycota. Despite the importance of this group of fungi, our understanding of their evolution is still limited due to insufficient taxon sampling. Although next-generation sequencing technology allows us to obtain complete genomes for phylogenetic analyses, generating complete genomes of fungal species can be challenging, especially when fungi occur in symbiotic relationships or when the DNA of rare herbarium specimens is degraded or contaminated. Additionally, assembly, annotation, and gene extraction of whole-genome sequencing data require bioinformatics skills and computational power, resulting in a substantial data burden. To overcome these obstacles, we designed a universal target enrichment probe set to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships of filamentous ascomycetes at different phylogenetic levels. From a pool of single-copy orthologous genes extracted from available Pezizomycotina genomes, we identified the smallest subset of genetic markers that can reliably reconstruct a robust phylogeny. We used a clustering approach to identify a sequence set that could provide an optimal trade-off between potential missing data and probe set cost. We incorporated this probe set into a user-friendly wrapper script named UnFATE (https://github.com/claudioametrano/UnFATE) that allows phylogenomic inferences without requiring expert bioinformatics knowledge. In addition to phylogenetic results, the software provides a powerful multilocus alternative to ITS-based barcoding. Phylogeny and barcoding approaches can be complemented by an integrated, pre-processed, and periodically updated database of all publicly available Pezizomycotina genomes. The UnFATE pipeline, using the 195 selected marker genes, consistently performed well across various phylogenetic depths, generating trees consistent with the reference phylogenomic inferences. The topological distance between the reference trees from literature and the best tree produced by UnFATE ranged between 0.10 and 0.14 (nRF) for phylogenies from family to subphylum level. We also tested the in vitro success of the universal baits set in a target capture approach on 25 herbarium specimens from ten representative classes in Pezizomycotina, which recovered a topology congruent with recent phylogenomic inferences for this group of fungi. The discriminating power of our gene set was also assessed by the multilocus barcoding approach, which outperformed the barcoding approach based on ITS. With these tools, we aim to provide a framework for a collaborative approach to build robust, conclusive phylogenies of this important fungal clade.