bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New generation low level laser effect on masseter muscle oxygenation, bite force and algometric changes in myofacial pain syndrome: a randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial
Authors: Karagözoğlu İrem , Demirkol Nermin , Parlar Öz Özge , Yılmaz Sümeyye , Özcan Mutlu
Published: January 2025

The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of different types of low level laser treatment (LLLT) in reducing pain levels, changing oxygen saturation and bite force in patients with myofacial pain syndrome (MPS). 45 patients were randomly assigned to three groups: Group 1 (GRR laser, n = 15) received LLLT with Gallium-Aluminium-Arsenide (GaAlAs) diode laser with a wavelength of 904 nm and red laser with a wavelength of 650 nm over masseter muscle region. Group 2 (Nd: YAG laser, n = 15) were treated with Neodymium-doped Yttrium Aluminium Garnet laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm and the same protocol with Nd: YAG laser was performed in the Group 3 (placebo, n = 15) using sham device. Pain was evaluated by visual analogue scale (VAS), change in oxygen concentration in the masseter muscle was measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy- fNIRS and bite force was measured with Flexiforce sensors before and after treatment. There was a significant decrease in VAS scores after treatment in all three groups. When pain scores were compared, a greater reduction was seen in the Group 1 and Group 2. The change in oxygen saturation level was not statistically significant in all three groups (p > 0.05). Bite force values showed a significant decrease in treatment groups (p < 0.05), while there was no significant change in the placebo group (p > 0.05). Nd: YAG and GRR laser treatments were effective in reducing the pain caused by MPS and in reducing bite force values. Clinically, GRR laser system provides more effective results with its regional and practical application. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT06442553.
Automated Integration of AI Results into Radiology Reports Using Common Data Elements
Authors: Mehdiratta Garv , Duda Jeffrey T. , Elahi Ameena , Borthakur Arijitt , Chatterjee Neil , Gee James , Sagreiya Hersh , Witschey Walter R. T. , Kahn Charles E.
Published: January 2025

Integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into radiology practice can create opportunities to improve diagnostic accuracy, workflow efficiency, and patient outcomes. Integration demands the ability to seamlessly incorporate AI-derived measurements into radiology reports. Common data elements (CDEs) define standardized, interoperable units of information. This article describes the application of CDEs as a standardized framework to embed AI-derived results into radiology reports. The authors defined a set of CDEs for measurements of the volume and attenuation of the liver and spleen. An AI system segmented the liver and spleen on non-contrast CT images of the abdomen and pelvis, and it recorded their measurements as CDEs using the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine Structured Reporting (DICOM-SR) framework to express the corresponding labels and values. The AI system successfully segmented the liver and spleen in non-contrast CT images and generated measurements of organ volume and attenuation. Automated systems extracted corresponding CDE labels and values from the AI-generated data, incorporated CDE values into the radiology report, and transmitted the generated image series to the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) for storage and display. This study demonstrates the use of radiology CDEs in clinical practice to record and transfer AI-generated data. This approach can improve communication among radiologists and referring providers, harmonize data to enable large-scale research efforts, and enhance the performance of decision support systems. CDEs ensure consistency, interoperability, and clarity in reporting AI findings across diverse healthcare systems.
Effect of forest loss and fragmentation per se on arboreal and ground mammals of the Lacandon rainforest, Mexico
Authors: Martínez-Ruiz Marisela , Arroyo-Rodríguez Víctor , San-José Miriam , Arce-Peña Norma , Cudney-Valenzuela Sabine , Galán-Acedo Carmen
Published: January 2025

Understanding the effects of forest loss and fragmentation per se (independent of forest loss) on wildlife is urgently needed to design biodiversity-friendly landscape scenarios, particularly for forest-specialist species, such as many ground and arboreal tropical mammals. As this topic remains contentious, we assessed the species-specific response of 14 arboreal and ground mammals to landscape-scale forest loss and fragmentation measured across different scales in the Lacandon rainforest, Mexico. Surprisingly, most species (6 of 14 species, 43%) were weakly related to forest loss, or positively associated with it (7 of 14, 50%), likely because in this young agricultural frontier some individuals can crowd in the remaining forest patches. Only the Geoffroy’s spider monkey was negatively impacted by forest loss. We did not find evidence of extinction thresholds (nonlinear responses to forest loss) in any species. Only in four species fragmentation per se provided a slightly better fit to the data, but as expected, its effect was non-significant. Our multiscale analysis revealed that the scale of effect of forest loss and fragmentation was independent of body mass and habitat use (arboreal vs. ground). Taken together, our findings suggest that landscape composition is more important than configuration, and highlight the conservation value of the studied landscapes for arboreal and ground mammals. In fact, they add to growing evidence indicating that, on a per-area basis, a piece of forest land in a highly deforested landscape has a similar conservation value to that of a more forested one.
Rage Against the Dying of the Light: Employees’ Moral Outrage, Anger Expression, and Generalized Well-Being
Authors: Giacalone Robert A. , Valentine Sean R. , Yin Bingqing , Promislo Mark D.
Published: January 2025

Past work demonstrates that ethical ideologies and behaviors are associated with the physical and psychological well-being of employees. Drawing from ethical impact theory and related research, this investigation utilizes two studies of working adults to examine the relationships among employees’ moral outrage, anger expression, and generalized well-being, with the latter construct being operationalized with multi-variable measures of ill-being, positive life outlook, and health consciousness. In the first study, two dimensions of moral outrage were identified, with results indicating that these components variably related to the ill-being/well-being measures and similar health behaviors. In the second study, anger expression was accounted for, thus disentangling it from the moral outrage dimensions, with results demonstrating that such anger changed the nature of some relationships between the moral outrage dimensions and the well-being outcomes. Overall, anger expression was associated more closely with negative outcomes, while the moral outrage dimensions were more closely associated with positive outcomes. These findings suggest that moral outrage may be cathartic, which contributes to further theory development and enhances understanding of the complex relationships among individual moral outrage, anger expression, and well-being. The practical considerations of the results are discussed, and the study’s limitations and suggestions for future research directions are highlighted.
Dinosaurs, Mushrooms, and Geometric Forms - Conversations with Young Children About Natural Science and Mathematics
Authors: Skalstad Ingunn , Bjerknes Anne-Line , Svendsen Siv
Published: January 2025

In this case study, we explore how early childhood education and care (ECEC) teachers can foster children’s participation in conversations about natural science and mathematics and what factors influence it. Data consisted of 29 conversations between ECEC teachers and children. The results showed that eight of the conversations were open dialogues in which the teachers and children participated equally. In 19 of the conversations, the ECEC teachers led the conversation, and the children, to various degrees, were active and engaged participants. Two conversations were led by the children. The results showed that the children participated more actively in conversations about natural science than mathematics, and that multisensory artifacts and physical activities enhanced their participation in the conversations. The study suggests that ECEC settings should provide more opportunities for multisensory experiences and physical activities, and that teachers need more guidance on how to explain concepts and phenomena, within natural science and mathematics, to children of different ages.
Ill-informed Consensus or Truthful Disagreement? How Argumentation Styles and Preference Perceptions Affect Deliberation Outcomes in Groups with Conflicting Stakes
Authors: Stein Jonas , Romeijn Jan-Willem , Mäs Michael
Published: January 2025

In groups where members deliberate with limited information, consensus can emerge where, under complete information, fundamental disagreement would prevail. Using an agent-based model, we explore the factors contributing to group consensus by comparing argumentation styles in two types of groups: agents in groups of advocates communicate arguments for options perceived as personally beneficial. Agents in groups of diplomats do the same but avoid disagreement in that they bring up arguments supporting a second-best option whenever their interaction partner perceives to benefit the least from what the sender finds best. Results show that consensus depends on argumentation style, but also on what members initially perceive as preferred. Diplomats are more likely to form consensus when initial perceptions accurately align with full information preferences, which diverge within the group. Conversely, and perhaps counterintuitively, in the presence of inaccurate initial perceptions, groups of advocates converge while diplomats part in disagreement. Our results imply that the ideal argumentation style must be considered carefully in light of both the desired outcome and the initial information distribution: when conflicting stakes produce a trade-off between consensus and truthful perceptions, polite versus selfish ways of deliberation may produce one or the other outcome, depending on the initial information members are equipped with.
Plastics underground: microplastic pollution in South African freshwater caves and associated biota
Authors: Mutshekwa Thendo , Motitsoe Samuel N. , Naidoo Trishan , Majingo Zamabhisi , Mlambo Musa C.
Published: January 2025

Microplastics (MPs) have been characterised in South African rivers, lakes, and the marine environment, yet we know less about MPs in subterranean environments. In this study, we assessed MP pollution in the sediment, subsurface water, and resident freshwater amphipod, Sternophysinx species across six South African subterranean cave systems. We hypothesised that MP pollution will increase with human visitations and activities in and around selected subterranean caves. We found MPs in sediments, subsurface waters, and amphipod species ranging from 4.9 ± 1.2 to 25.0 ± 6.9 particles/kg–1, 2.7 ± 0.7 to 15.0 ± 1.7 particles/L–1 and 2.1 ± 0 to 9.8 ± 3.1 particles/dry mass, respectively, with polypropylene being the most abundant polymer according to FTIR analysis. White fibres were dominant in sediments and water samples, whereas blue fibres were dominant in amphipods. Our results supported the hypothesis that MPs densities were correlated with human visitation and activities in and around the caves. The presence of MPs in subterranean caves presents a biodiversity and conservation threat to endemic and understudied cave-dwelling aquatic invertebrates, due to MPs ability to be transferable between trophic levels causing physiological constraints.
Performance Evaluation of PρT-SAFT, PρT-PC-SAFT, PC-SAFT, and CPA Equations of State for Predicting Density, Thermal Expansion Coefficient, Isothermal Compressibility, Isobaric Heat Capacity, Speed of Sound, and Saturated Vapor Pressure of Three Pure Ethylene Glycols and Their Mixtures
Authors: Pakravesh Arash , Mohammadi Amir H. , Richon Dominique
Published: January 2025

Ethylene glycols are a group of versatile industrial solvents with broad applications across various sectors. Accurate thermodynamic modeling of these compounds is essential for enhancing their utilization and optimizing industrial processes. Among the advanced models available, the Statistical Associating Fluid Theory (SAFT) type equation of state (EoS) stands out for its effectiveness in capturing the thermodynamic behavior of complex fluids. This study employs the PρT-SAFT, PρT-PC-SAFT, PC-SAFT, and CPA EoSs to model pure monoethylene glycol (MEG), diethylene glycol (DEG), triethylene glycol (TEG), and their mixtures. Furthermore, the predictive capabilities of these models are critically evaluated for polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400). The performance of the PρT-SAFT, PρT-PC-SAFT, PC-SAFT, and CPA EoSs was evaluated for predicting key thermodynamic properties, including density, thermal expansion coefficient, isothermal compressibility, isobaric heat capacity, speed of sound, and saturated vapor pressure, for pure MEG, DEG, TEG, and PEG 400. Among the models, the PρT-SAFT demonstrated superior accuracy in modeling their properties. Subsequently, the volumetric properties and vapor–liquid equilibrium data of binary mixtures of MEG, DEG, and TEG were predicted using the same EoSs, without incorporating any binary interaction parameters. Under these conditions, the PρT-SAFT achieved the highest accuracy. Furthermore, predictions of the volumetric properties for the ternary mixture of MEG, DEG, and TEG also indicated that the PρT-SAFT outperformed the other models. The overall average absolute deviation percentages for the PρT-SAFT, PρT-PC-SAFT, PC-SAFT, and CPA EoSs across all examined thermodynamic properties and systems were 7.0, 8.2, 22.2, and 30.2, respectively, confirming the robustness of the PρT-SAFT.
Leadership Dynamics in Teams: The Reciprocity of Shared and Empowering Leadership
Authors: Klasmeier Kai N. , Güntner Amelie V. , Schleu Joyce Elena
Published: January 2025

Until now, leadership has mostly been considered a unidirectional process centered on leaders influencing their followers. However, more recent theoretical developments indicate that leadership is a dynamic team process, valuing the contributions of leaders and followers alike. In this pre-registered study, we investigate the reciprocal interplay between shared leadership and formal team leadership (i.e., empowering leadership). We assume that leaders generally interpret their team’s shared leadership as an investment to reach for common goals. Accordingly, their team’s effort should improve leader trust in the team, which in turn should increase empowering leadership behavior of the leader. Furthermore, we propose that this indirect relationship is first-stage moderated by leader self-efficacy. We invited 721 team members and their leaders nested in 169 teams to join a three-wave longitudinal study. Results from Bayesian cross-lagged panel modeling support our predicted mediation effect while also showing the established reverse effect of empowering leadership on shared leadership. The moderation effect was not supported. This study provides insights into the dynamic and reciprocal interplay between shared and formal leadership. Our findings underline that formal leaders do not perceive shared leadership as a threat but instead value the team’s effort reflected in higher trust and decision latitude.
Quantum MEP Hydrodynamical Model for Charge Transport
Authors: Camiola V. D. , Romano V. , Vitanza G.
Published: January 2025

A well known procedure to get quantum hydrodynamical models for charge transport is to resort to the Wigner equations and deduce the hierarchy of the moment equations as in the semiclassical approach. If one truncates the moment hierarchy to a finite order, the resulting set of balance equations requires some closure assumption because the number of unknowns exceed the number of equations. In the classical and semiclassical kinetic theory a sound approach to get the desired closure relations is that based on the Maximum Entropy Principle (MEP) (Jaynes in Phys Rev 106:620–630, 1957) [see Camiola et al. (Charge transport in low dimensional semiconductor structures, the maximum entropy approach. Springer, Cham, 2020) for charge transport in semiconductors]. In Romano (J Math Phys 48:123504, 2007) a quantum MEP hydrodynamical model has been devised for charge transport in the parabolic band approximation by introducing quantum correction based on the equilibrium Wigner function (Wigner in Phys Rev 40:749–749, 1932). An extension to electron moving in pristine graphene has been obtained in Luca and Romano (in: Atti della Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti—Classe di Scienze Fisiche, Matematiche e Naturali, [S.l.], p. A5, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1478/AAPP.96S1A5). Here we present a quantum hydrodynamical model which is valid for a general energy band considering a closure of the moment system deduced by the Wigner equation resorting to a quantum version of MEP. Explicit formulas for quantum correction at order

$$\hbar ^2$$

ħ
2

are obtained with the aid of the Moyal calculus for silicon and graphene removing the limitation that the quantum corrections are based on the equilibrium Wigner function as in Romano (J Math Phys 48:123504, 2007), Luca and Romano (in: Atti della Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti—Classe di Scienze Fisiche, Matematiche e Naturali, [S.l.], p. A5, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1478/AAPP.96S1A5). As an application, quantum correction to the mobilities are deduced.
RGCVAE: relational graph conditioned variational autoencoder for molecule design
Authors: Rigoni Davide , Navarin Nicolò , Sperduti Alessandro
Published: January 2025

Identifying molecules that exhibit some pre-specified properties is a difficult problem to solve. In the last few years, deep generative models have been used for molecule generation. Deep Graph Variational Autoencoders are among the most powerful machine learning tools with which it is possible to address this problem. However, existing methods struggle to capture the true data distribution and tend to be computationally expensive. In this work, we propose RGCVAE, an efficient and effective Graph Variational Autoencoder based on: (i) an encoding network exploiting a new powerful Relational Graph Isomorphism Network; (ii) a novel probabilistic decoding component. Compared to several State-of-the-Art VAE methods on two widely adopted datasets, RGCVAE shows State-of-the-Art molecule generation performance while being significantly faster to train. The Python code implementing RGCVAE is openly accessible for download at: https://github.com/drigoni/RGCVAE.
Masked autoencoder for multiagent trajectories
Authors: Rudolph Yannick , Brefeld Ulf
Published: January 2025

Automatically labeling trajectories of multiple agents is key to behavioral analyses but usually requires a large amount of manual annotations. This also applies to the domain of team sport analyses. In this paper, we specifically show how pretraining transformer models improves the classification performance on tracking data from professional soccer. For this purpose, we propose a novel self-supervised masked autoencoder for multiagent trajectories to effectively learn from only a few labeled sequences. Our approach builds upon a factorized transformer architecture for multiagent trajectory data and employs a masking scheme on the level of individual agent trajectories. As a result, our model allows for a reconstruction of masked trajectory segments while being permutation equivariant with respect to the agent trajectories. In addition to experiments on soccer, we demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed pretraining approach on multiagent pose data from entomology. In contrast to related work, our approach is conceptually much simpler, does not require handcrafted features and naturally allows for permutation invariance in downstream tasks.
Adaptive transformer modelling of density function for nonparametric survival analysis
Authors: Zhang Xin , Mehta Deval , Hu Yanan , Zhu Chao , Darby David , Yu Zhen , Merlo Daniel , Gresle Melissa , van der Walt Anneke , Butzkueven Helmut , Ge Zongyuan
Published: January 2025

Survival analysis holds a crucial role across diverse disciplines, such as economics, engineering and healthcare. It empowers researchers to analyze both time-invariant and time-varying data, encompassing phenomena like customer churn, material degradation and various medical outcomes. Given the complexity and heterogeneity of such data, recent endeavors have demonstrated successful integration of deep learning methodologies to address limitations in conventional statistical approaches. However, current methods typically involve cluttered probability distribution function (PDF), have lower sensitivity in censoring prediction, only model static datasets, or only rely on recurrent neural networks for dynamic modelling. In this paper, we propose a novel survival regression method capable of producing high-quality unimodal PDFs without any prior distribution assumption, by optimizing novel Margin-Mean-Variance loss and leveraging the flexibility of Transformer to handle both temporal and non-temporal data, coined UniSurv. Extensive experiments on several datasets demonstrate that UniSurv places a significantly higher emphasis on censoring compared to other methods.
iSOUP-SymRF: Symbolic feature ranking with random forests in online multi-target regression and multi-label classification
Authors: Osojnik Aljaž , Panov Panče , Džeroski Sašo
Published: January 2025

The task of feature ranking has received considerable attention across various predictive modelling tasks in the batch learning scenario, but not in the online learning setting. Available methods that estimate feature importances on data streams have so far predominantly focused on ranking the features for the tasks of classification and occasionally multi-label classification. We propose a novel online feature ranking method for online multi-target regression iSOUP-SymRF, which estimates feature importance scores based on the positions at which a feature appears in the trees of a random forest of iSOUP-Trees, and additionally extend it to task of online feature ranking for multi-label classification. By utilizing iSOUP-Trees, which can address multiple structured output prediction tasks on data streams, iSOUP-SymRF promises feature ranking across a variety of online structured output prediction tasks. We examine the ranking convergence of iSOUP-SymRF in terms of the methods’ parameters, the size of the ensemble and the number of selected features, as well as their stability under different random seeds. Furthermore, to show the utility of iSOUP-SymRF and its rankings we use them in conjunction with two state-of-the-art online multi-target regression and multi-label classification methods, iSOUP-Tree and AMRules, and analyze the impact of adding features according to the rankings obtained from iSOUP-SymRF.
Uncovering temporal patterns in visualizations of high-dimensional data
Authors: Poličar Pavlin G. , Zupan Blaž
Published: January 2025

With the increasing availability of high-dimensional data, analysts often rely on exploratory data analysis to understand complex data sets. A key approach to exploring such data is dimensionality reduction, which embeds high-dimensional data in two dimensions to enable visual exploration. However, popular embedding techniques, such as t-SNE and UMAP, typically assume that data points are independent. When this assumption is violated, as in time-series data, the resulting visualizations may fail to reveal important temporal patterns and trends. To address this, we propose a formal extension to existing dimensionality reduction methods that incorporates two temporal loss terms that explicitly highlight temporal progression in the embedded visualizations. Through a series of experiments on both synthetic and real-world datasets, we demonstrate that our approach effectively uncovers temporal patterns and improves the interpretability of the visualizations. Furthermore, the method improves temporal coherence while preserving the fidelity of the embeddings, providing a robust tool for dynamic data analysis.
The underlying mechanisms of the association of bone health with depression – an experimental study
Authors: Houtenbos Sanne Paulien , He Yangyang , Cazzanelli Petra , Soultoukis George , Wuertz-Kozak Karin , Schulz Tim J. , Wippert Pia-Maria
Published: January 2025

Background

Depression constitutes a risk factor for osteoporosis, but underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms are not fully understood. MiRNAs influence gene expression and are carried by extracellular vesicles (EV), affecting cell-cell communication. Aims: (1) Identify the difference in miRNA expression between depressed patients and healthy controls; (2) Analyze associations of these miRNAs with bone turnover markers; (3) Analyze target genes of differentially regulated miRNAs and predict associated pathways regarding depression and bone metabolism.

Methods and results

Blood samples from depressed patients (n = 11) were obtained from a previous study and healthy controls (n = 9) were recruited. Sociodemographic, depression diagnosis and depressive symptom (BDI-II) data were collected through questionnaires. Blood plasma was collected from each participant and real-time-quantitative PCR was performed on isolated plasma EVs; differences in miRNA expression between groups were analyzed using qbase+. Regression models assessed the associations of differentially regulated miRNAs with bone turnover markers procollagen-1 N-terminal-peptide, osteocalcin, and crosslaps; enriched pathways and miRNA target gene networks were analyzed. 19 miRNAs were differentially expressed between groups (p
 < 0.05). MiR-26b-5p and miR-106a-5p showed an association with procollagen-1 N-terminal-peptide; miR-330-5p and miR-377-3p were associated with osteocalcin, and miR-26b-5p, miR-34c-3p and miR-145 with crosslaps. Pathway analysis including the differentially expressed miRNAs predicted enriched pathways, including the FoxO signaling and p53 signaling pathway. Seven target genes were identified.

Conclusions

MiRNAs (e.g. miR-26b-5p, miR-377-3p), genes (TNRC6B, HSPA8), and pathways (FoxO- and Hippo-signaling pathway) are identified which could be mediators between the influence of depression on bone health and could possibly serve as biomarkers in the treatment of bone diseases among people with mental disorders.
How Important are Carer Tasks in Determining Carer Quality of Life? Evidence from a Shapley Decomposition Approach
Authors: Candon David , Hewitt Michael , Liu-Smith Yu-Ling , Murphy Peter
Published: January 2025

While there is a large literature that examines the determinants of carer quality of life, there is a dearth of research that focuses on the usual activities that carers perform and how they are related to carer-specific measures of quality of life. We use data from the Survey of Adult Carers in England to investigate the role that the tasks that carers perform play in determining carer quality of life. We model the relationship between the variables through a series of simple linear regressions, multiple linear regressions, and a Shapley decomposition. We find that all of the individual tasks that we have information on are statistically significant predictors of carer quality of life. In addition, the Shapley decomposition shows that, when taken together, carer tasks explain a higher proportion of variance in carer quality of life than any other group of determinants. These results are largely robust to different measures of carer tasks, different measures of carer quality of life, and different subgroups. We also find that there is evidence of a causal link between carer tasks and carer quality of life as carers report that their caring responsibilities have affected tangible health outcomes such as illnesses and GP visits. From a policy perspective, local government services that are used to support carers should know that policies designed to help carers with their tasks could have a large impact on carer quality of life.
AuPd/TiO2 Catalysts in the CO Oxidation: Insights into the Synthesis Procedure and In-situ Spectroscopy Studies
Authors: Araiza Daniel G. , Fernández Misael , Sánchez-Ugalde Mariana , Miranda Aida , Solís-Casados Dora A. , Maturano-Rojas Viridiana , Zanella Rodolfo
Published: January 2025

A series of bimetallic AuPd/TiO2 catalysts (Au/Pd = 1) were prepared through either the impregnation or the deposition-precipitation in urea (DPU) approach and tested in the CO oxidation reaction. Among these, the sample synthesized through a sequential impregnation (Pd) followed by DPU (Au), with an intermediate thermal treatment in air, presented a remarkable CO conversion at sub-ambient temperatures and an enhanced catalytic stability, compared to the monometallic samples. The ex-situ characterization revealed that the synthesis procedure led to the formation of well-dispersed bimetallic AuPd nanoparticles over the TiO2 support. The in-situ characterization helped to propose that bimetallic NPs were composed of an intermetallic Au-Pd phase with both atoms available in the surface. Both in-situ FTIR and UV-vis spectroscopies helped to recognize the active sites during the reaction: Au in close interaction with the TiO2 at low temperatures, and step/edges Pd sites at high temperatures. Finally, the pivotal role of the TiO2 reducibility in the CO oxidation reaction, promoted by the bimetallic AuPd NPs, was determined through in-situ Raman spectroscopy.
Differential Myf5 and Myf6 expression and muscle fiber traits in Angora, Hair, Honamlı, and Kilis goats
Authors: Bayrak Büşra , Şen Uğur , Gökçek Dilek , Şirin Emre
Published: January 2025

The present study was conducted on specific skeletal muscles of six weaned male kids from each of the Angora, Hair, Honamlı, and Kilis goat breeds. The relationships between the expression of myogenic factor 5 (Myf5) and myogenic factor 6 (Myf6) genes and muscle fibre characteristics were analysed. Muscle samples from the longissimus dorsi (LD) and semitendinosus (ST) were collected from six 90-day-old weaned male kids of each breed. Muscle fiber characteristics were assessed through histochemical staining, while expression levels of Myf5 and Myf6 genes were quantified using real-time PCR. Total RNA content in the LD and ST muscles was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in Honamlı kids compared to those of the other breeds. Similarly, the expression of Myf5 gene in Honamlı kids was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that observed in kids from the other breeds in LD muscle. Conversely, in the ST muscle, Hair kids exhibited a significantly lower expression of Myf5 (p < 0.05) when compared to both Honamlı and Kilis kids Additionally, Kilis kids demonstrated a significant reduced expression of Myf6 gene (p < 0.05) relative to the other breeds. The highest expression levels of the Myf6 gene (p < 0.05) were detected in the ST muscle of Honamlı and Angora kids, significantly surpassing those observed in Hair and Kilis kids. Moreover, significant correlations (p < 0.05) were observed among Myf5 and Myf6 gene expression levels and various muscle fiber characteristics differing across breeds. The results of this study underscore the pivotal role of these myogenic regulatory factors in muscle development, offering insights into the molecular mechanism driving breed-specific muscle growth. This association between gene expression and muscle phenotype could have profound implications for targeted breeding programs aimed at optimizing muscle traits in livestock species.
Efficacy and safety of teriparatide in kidney transplant recipients with osteoporosis and low bone turnover: a real-world experience
Authors: Vetrano Daniele , Aguanno Francesco , Passaseo Alessia , Barbuto Simona , Tondolo Francesco , Catalano Veronica , Zavatta Guido , Pagotto Uberto , La Manna Gaetano , Cianciolo Giuseppe
Published: January 2025

Introduction

Kidney transplantation is the preferred treatment for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), enhancing survival and quality of life. However, kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) are at high risk for bone disorders, particularly low bone turnover disease, which increases fracture risk. Teriparatide, an anabolic agent, may provide a beneficial treatment option for these patients.

Materials and methods

This single-center, retrospective observational study involved 18 KTRs with osteoporosis, low bone turnover, and a history of vertebral or non-vertebral fractures. Patients received teriparatide (20 μg/day) for up to 2 years. Areal bone mineral density (aBMD) at the lumbar spine (LS), total hip (TH), femoral neck (FN), and trabecular bone score (TBS) were measured at baseline, 1 year, and 2 years. In addition, bone turnover markers (BTMs), serum calcium, phosphorus, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and kidney function were monitored.

Results

Significant increases in LS aBMD were observed after 1 year (0.941 ± 0.152 vs 1.043 ± 0.165, p = 0.04) and maintained after 2 years compared to baseline (0.941 ± 0.152 vs 1.074 ± 0.154, p = 0.03). TH aBMD significantly increased after 2 years (0.753 ± 0.145 vs 0.864 ± 0.141, p = 0.04), while FN and TBS showed non-significant improvement. Teriparatide was well-tolerated, with mild and transient hypercalcemia and hypophosphatemia.

Conclusion

Teriparatide significantly improved BMD at the LS and TH in KTRs with osteoporosis and low bone turnover, showing a favorable safety profile.
Modelling Water Management using SWAT+ : Application of Reservoirs Release Tables and the New Water Allocation Module in a Highly Managed River Basin
Authors: Sánchez-Gómez Alejandro , Arnold Jeffrey G. , Bieger Katrin , Čerkasova Natalja , Sammons Nancy B. , Martínez-Pérez Silvia , Molina-Navarro Eugenio
Published: January 2025

Incorporating the simulation of water management actions in hydrological models is paramount to enhance their reliability and usefulness. SWAT + (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) includes novelties in this aspect compared to its previous versions: the decision tables and the water allocation module provide enhanced capabilities for configuring management actions. Despite their potential, these features have not yet been applied due to their novelty. This study pioneers the use of SWAT + ’s new features applied in the Upper Tagus River Basin, a densely populated and highly regulated catchment. Irrigation, reservoir management, and various kinds of water transfers were incorporated in a SWAT + model of this basin. The implementation of management actions and their impact on the model performance were evaluated. The model accurately reproduced water demand for irrigation and water transfers, capturing both the demand volume and timing. The water sources were configured to meet most of the demand, with 73% of irrigation and 90% of water transfer requirements being satisfied. Release decision tables were configured for 31 reservoirs, resulting in an accurate simulation of outflow and storage in many of them. Incorporating management actions improved the streamflow simulation at the basin outlet, both considering the hydrograph and performance metrics (e.g., PBIAS was reduced by more than 50%). Some potential improvements in the model configuration and in the code were identified and will be addressed in future studies. This work provides a comprehensive guide to SWAT + ’s new features and the methodology employed, making it valuable for anyone working with the model.
Aging-Induced Microstructural and Property Changes in Direct Laser Energy Deposited NiCrFeSiBC Hardfacing Alloy Bushes
Authors: Haribabu S. , Sudha C. , Paul C. P. , Srihari V.
Published: January 2025

Wear resistant NiCrFeSiBC hardfacing alloy bushes for fast breeder reactor applications are fabricated through direct laser energy deposition (DLED) using CO2 laser with optimized parameters for laser power (2.5 kW), scan speed (4.2 mm/s), powder feed rate (4 g/min) and 60% of track to track overlap. DLED bushes have significantly different microstructure than weld deposited ones. As-deposited bushes have predominantly uniform fine dendritic solidification structure of γ-Ni + Ni3B, γ-Ni + Ni3B + Cr3C2 and Ni-B-Si eutectics with low volume fractions of Cr-rich borides and carbides. Microstructural heterogeneity is observed only in layer overlap regions characterized by coarsening of carbides that resulted in lower hardness (625 ± 11 HV0.1) compared to layer interiors (740 ± 19 HV0.1). Effect of aging at 550 °C on the microstructure and properties of the bushes is investigated using experimental and thermo-kinetic simulation techniques. Microstructure of the bushes remains stable without significant coarsening of the γ-Ni + Ni3B eutectic structures even after heat treatment for 4000 h. However, precipitation and coarsening behavior of Cr7C3 and Cr23C6 carbides are affected by aging which is reflected in the variation in hardness. Hardness of the bushes increases up to 100 h of aging due to the precipitation of fine Cr-rich carbides, and with increase in the duration of aging, carbides coarsen thereby reducing the hardness. Based on the study, it is concluded that direct laser energy deposited bushes may have better stability with respect to microstructure and properties at service temperatures.
The mediating role of mental health in the relationship between childhood experiences and social media use disorder among university students: a mixed-methods study
Authors: Bakır Vedat , Dilmaç Bülent
Published: January 2025

This mixed-methods study examines the impact of childhood trauma and family dynamics on mental health and the development of social media use disorder (SMUD) among university students. Through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, this research offers a comprehensive investigation into how early life experiences influence social media addiction and the mediating role of mental health. The independent variable is childhood experiences, the dependent variable is social media use disorder, and mental health serves as the mediating variable. The study, conducted in 2024 with a sample of 330 university students, employs correlation analysis and mediation testing, with bootstrapping used to evaluate the significance of indirect effects. The results demonstrate that mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and stress, mediate the relationship between childhood experiences and social media use disorder. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) further reveals that adverse childhood experiences contribute to mental health challenges in adulthood, which in turn exacerbate social media addiction. Qualitative findings offer rich insights into how social media affects daily routines, family interactions, and psychological well-being, revealing its central role in the participants’ lives. Moreover, this study highlights how childhood experiences shape social media use patterns. These findings significantly advance the understanding of the complex interplay between early life trauma, mental health, and social media use, addressing critical gaps in the literature on digital addiction.
Production of sorbet with persimmon using green pea aquafaba: physicochemical characterization and bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds
Authors: Kilicli Mahmut , Erol Kübra Feyza , Akdeniz Esra , Toker Ömer Said , Törnük Fatih , Bayram Mustafa
Published: January 2025

The purpose of this study was to valorize green pea cooking water (aquafaba) as a foaming agent in sorbet samples using with persimmon. Significant amount (22.34% ±1.22) of protein was determined in GPA (green pea aquafaba) at 10 Brix as a dry basis. GPA was added to the homogeneous puree mixture in varying concentrations (2.5, – 5, – 7.5, – 10 and 15%) and sorbet was produced in ice cream machine. The results showed that protein and dietary fiber content increased with the increasing of GPA. While the L value increased with increasing of GPA, the overrun improved from 8 to 51%. According to the experimental data, the Herschel–Bulkley model was fitted to samples, and the flow behavior index values varied between 0.29 and 0.37 (R
2 > 0.97). Total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (CUPRAC and DPPH) of the resulting sorbet samples were also determined. Moreover, bioaccessibility of phenolics and antioxidant activities were also determined using in vitro digestion. All of the bioactive parameters are positively affected at sorbet samples. Using GPA as a foaming agent improved the overrun as well as bioactive characteristics of the sorbets. It can be said that 10% GPA gives better results, especially when considering overrun and sensory evaluation.
Phytochemical, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties of Bellardia trixago methanol and ethanol extracts: insights from ADMET and molecular docking approaches
Authors: Aytar Erdi Can , Aydın Betül , Durmaz Alper , Torunoğlu Emine Incilay
Published: January 2025

This study investigates the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and phytochemical properties of ethanol and methanol extracts derived from Bellardia trixago flowers alongside molecular docking and pharmacokinetic assessments of stigmasterol, a key bioactive compound. The antioxidant activities of the ethanol and methanol extracts were determined, with the methanol extract demonstrating higher activity, 0.370 ± 0.002 mg/mL, compared to the ethanol extract, 0.95 ± 0.09 mg/mL. The total phenolic content of the ethanol extract was 79.14 ± 2.30 mg GAE/g extract DW, and its flavonoid content was 244.31 ± 12.51 mg QE/g extract DW. The methanol extract contained a lower phenolic content of 51.50 ± 1.43 mg GAE/g extract DW but a higher flavonoid content of 251.67 ± 6.68 mg QE/g extract DW. The ethanol extract exhibited a superior iron chelation capacity of 8.21 ± 0.09 mg/mL relative to the methanol extract of 6.68 ± 0.28 mg/mL. Antimicrobial assays demonstrated that both extracts exhibited strong bactericidal and bacteriostatic effects, with MIC values ranging from < 0.39 mg/mL to > 125 mg/mL. The highest antimicrobial activity was observed against Bacillus cereus NRRL B-3711. Phytochemical analysis identified 25 compounds in the methanol extract and 20 in the ethanol extract. Stigmasterol was the major constituent in both extracts, accounting for 26.51% in ethanol and 12.65% in methanol. Molecular docking studies of stigmasterol revealed strong binding affinities with several protein targets, including Candida albicans Complex III2 (-8.7 kcal/mol), Escherichia coli HipBST (-7.2 kcal/mol), and the ribosomal subunit of Staphylococcus aureus (-7.0 kcal/mol). These interactions highlight stigmasterol’s potential role in modulating bacterial and fungal protein functions, emphasising the potential therapeutic applications of B. trixago, particularly in antimicrobial and antioxidant contexts.
Hydrogeochemical characterization of groundwater using water quality index and multivariate statistical analysis in Binji town and environs, Sokoto basin, Northwestern Nigeria
Authors: Abdullahi Ibrahim Mohammed , Abubakar Lawali , Saidu Garba , Yusuf Hassan
Published: January 2025

The hydrogeochemistry of groundwater from Binji community and surroundings was assessed. The main aim of the study was to characterize the groundwater in the study area through the application of indexing and statistical methods. Measured PH revealed 12 samples to be acidic and 15 samples to be alkaline with majority of the samples from dug wells having PH that indicates alkalinity. The concentration of analyzed chemical parameters in sampled water revealed the dominance of Ca over other metals detected in the groundwater, with the dominance given in the order Ca˃ Mg ˃ Na ˃ K. The anions were dominated by HCO3 in the order HCO3 ˃ Cl ˃ SO4 ˃ CO3. Ca ion exceeded the Nigerian standard for drinking water quality (NSDWQ) and the World Health Organization (WHO) set limits in one sample, Mg in 14 samples while K exceeded in four samples. HCO3 exceeded both standards in 21 samples; Total dissolved solids and electrical conductivity were above the maximum permissible limits in four samples. Five different water types were identified in the area with Ca + Mg- HCO3 dominating other types. Computed water quality index (WQI) for drinking water gave values that are within the range of 18–77.5 indicating the groundwater to be within the excellent and good classes of suitable drinking water quality. Irrigation water quality index revealed the groundwater to be suitable except for the magnesium hazard. Correlation analysis gave a moderate positive correlation that ranges from 0.632 to 0.659 between total hardness, Mg and HCO3, and that between Mg and HCO3 indicates the contribution of these elements to the hardness of water. Principal component analysis gave six components with a total variance of 76.19% with eigenvalues above 1 with the range of 1.52 – 4.26. Cluster analysis performed on the hydrogeochemical parameters demarcated four clusters based on the sources, hydrogeochemical environment, and reactions between chemical variables. Correlation between many chemical species revealed formation under a common hydrogeochemical environment. Gibb’s plot showed the sources of chemical constituents of groundwater to be dominated by precipitation source. The groundwater of the area is hard water that is fresh and safe for drinking and other domestic uses.
Amplification of Secondary Flow at the Initiation Site of Intracranial Sidewall Aneurysms
Authors: Csippa Benjamin , Friedrich Péter , Szikora István , Paál György
Published: January 2025

Purpose

The initiation of intracranial aneurysms has long been studied, mainly by the evaluation of the wall shear stress field. However, the debate about the emergence of hemodynamic stimuli still persists. This paper builds on our previous hypothesis that secondary flows play an important role in the formation cascade by examining the relationship between flow physics and vessel geometry.

Methods

A composite evaluation framework was developed to analyze the simulated flow field in perpendicular cross-sections along the arterial centerline. The velocity field was decomposed into secondary flow components around the centerline in these cross-sections, allowing the direct comparison of the flow features with the geometrical parameters of the centerline. Qualitative and statistical analysis was performed to identify links between morphology, flow, and the formation site of the aneurysms.

Results

The normalized mean curvature and curvature peak were significantly higher in the aneurysmal bends than in other arterial bends. Similarly, a significant difference was found for the normalized mean velocity (

$$p=0.0274$$

p
=
0.0274

), the circumferential (

$$p=0.0029$$

p
=
0.0029

), and radial (

$$p=0.0057$$

p
=
0.0057

) velocity components between the arterial bends harboring the aneurysm than in other arterial bends. In contrast, the difference of means for the normalized axial velocity is insignificant (

$$p=0.1471$$

p
=
0.1471

).

Conclusion

Thirty cases with aneurysms located on the ICA were analyzed in the virtually reconstructed pre-aneurysmal state by an in-silico study. We found that sidewall aneurysm formation on the ICA is more probable in these arterial bends with the highest case-specific curvature, which are accompanied by the highest case-specific secondary flows (circumferential and radial velocity components) than in other bends.