bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Octapeptide repeat alteration mutations of the prion protein gene in clinically diagnosed Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia
Authors: Nan Haitian , Liu Li , Chen Zhongyun , Chu Min , Li Jieying , Jing Donglai , Wang Yihao , Wu Liyong
Published: May 2023

Studies focusing on octapeptide repeat alteration mutations in PRNP in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) cohorts have been rare. We aim to screen sporadic AD and FTD patients with unknown etiology for the octapeptide repeat insertions and deletions in PRNP. Two hundred and six individuals were screened for alterations to the repeat region in the PRNP gene, including 146 sporadic AD and 60 sporadic FTD patients. Our study showed a 1.5% (3/206) occurrence of the octapeptide repeat alteration mutations in PRNP in a Chinese cohort of sporadic dementia. One late‐onset FTD patient and one early‐onset AD patient each had a two‐octapeptide repeat deletion in PRNP, while one early‐onset AD patient had a five‐octapeptide repeat insertion mutation. PRNP octapeptide repeat alteration mutations are present in sporadic AD and FTD patients. The genetic investigation for PRNP octapeptide repeat alteration mutations in sporadic dementia patients should be carried out in future clinical studies.
Redefining rights‐based conservation through philanthropy: The Ford Foundation in Mesoamerica
Authors: Sauls Laura Aileen , López Illescas Victor
Published: May 2023

The role of the philanthropic sector in climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation is gaining renewed attention as new pledges to dramatically increase funding for nature‐based climate solutions mount. Despite their significant role in the conservation space, philanthropies are relatively understudied as donors; in particular, the lack of accountability and transparency in philanthropy have made them a “black box”, including in conservation‐related efforts. Based on extensive document and database review alongside interviews with philanthropic grant‐makers and recipients, this article seeks to analyze the conservation‐related efforts of the Ford Foundation—a long‐standing philanthropic actor in international sustainable development. Specifically, we examine how Ford Foundation practices in Mexico and Central America have shifted since 2000 to center Indigenous Peoples and local communities, both in terms of thematic focus and strategic approach. In explaining how Ford Foundation grant‐makers themselves understand the process of change, and their lessons from this process, this article highlights the ongoing challenges to and possible methods for centering inclusive, territorial approaches to produce more effective, lasting conservation outcomes.
A single ascending dose study of single‐stranded oligodeoxyribonucleotide RO7062931 in Chinese healthy volunteers
Authors: Cheung Tsang Tommy , Luk Andrea On Yan , Zhang Yuchen , Pavlovic Vedran , Wat Cynthia , Das Sudip , Surujbally Bernadette , Triyatni Miriam , Grippo Joseph F.
Published: May 2023

RO7062931 is an N‐acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc)‐conjugated single‐stranded oligodeoxyribonucleotide complementary to hepatitis B virus RNA. GalNAc conjugation targets the liver through the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR). This phase I single ascending dose (SAD) study evaluated the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of RO7062931 in Chinese healthy volunteers. There were four SAD cohorts (0.3, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 mg/kg), in each of which healthy volunteers were randomized to a single subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of RO7062931 or matching placebo in a 4:1 ratio. Placebo recipients were pooled as one treatment group for safety assessments. A total of 41 healthy Chinese men received one dose of RO7062931 (n = 33) or placebo (n = 8) and completed the study (85‐day follow‐up). Adverse events (AEs) were reported in 22 of 33 (66.6%) RO7062931 recipients (n = 80 treatment‐related) and seven of eight (87.5%) placebo recipients (n = 1 treatment‐related). Apart from two moderate‐intensity AEs, all AEs were mild. The most frequently reported AEs were influenza, injection‐related reactions, and headache. Dose‐proportional increases in plasma RO7062931 exposure were observed between the 0.3 and 1.0 mg/kg doses, whereas a supra‐dose‐proportional increase occurred at doses greater than or equal to 2.0 mg/kg, along with a marked increase in urinary excretion. Single s.c. dose of RO7062931 up to 4.0 mg/kg were safe and well‐tolerated in healthy Chinese volunteers. Pharmacokinetic data suggested that ASGPR saturation had commenced between doses of 2.0 and 4.0 mg/kg. Results were broadly consistent with observations in primarily White subjects in the global first‐in‐human study of RO7062931.
“Cruel optimism” in the universities: A discursive‐deconstructive reading of promising promotional projects of gender equality
Authors: Meade Rosie R. , Kiely Elizabeth , O’Donovan Órla
Published: May 2023

The article illuminates how gender inequality in Ireland's higher education sector continues to be constituted at policy and at local institutional levels as a problem that requires ‘fixing the women”. It analyses two gender equality projects' discursive materials targeting female academics in Irish universities, showing that while these projects embrace elements of feminist praxis and critique, they ultimately propagate “cruel optimism”. They do this by exhorting women academics' subjectification to burdensome practices of strategizing, self‐auditing and self‐promotion, lured by the promise of awards that only a few will attain. Presented are two cases of what we call “promising promotional projects” that we have encountered in our work in our university. We use the term “projects” to refer to time‐limited, bounded interventions that respond to “gender equality” as a field of government, where problems have been diagnosed and where practicable and pragmatic solutions are seen to be required. Our discursive‐deconstructive reading of these projects' discursive materials highlights how gender equality projects target women for “promotion” through mobilizing gendered technologies of the self.
A multidimensional free market and income inequality in developing Asia: How does the quality of governance matter?
Authors: Huynh Cong Minh , Le Quoc Nha , Huynh Gia Linh
Published: May 2023

This paper empirically examines how a free market, a governance quality (GQ) and their interaction simultaneously affect income inequality in 23 Asian developing countries over the period 2000–2019. Especially, different dimensions of a free market proxied by various components of economic freedom (EF) are analysed. Results show that the overall EF and three of its components, including labour freedom, trade freedom and investment freedom, reduce income inequality; but other components, including business freedom (BF), monetary freedom (MF) and financial freedom (FF), widen income inequality. Meanwhile, the GQ not only decreases income inequality but also intensifies the beneficial impacts of the overall EF and those respective components of EF on income equality. Notably, at certain thresholds of GQ, the detrimental impacts of BF, MF and FF on income equality turn into the advantageous ones. The findings consolidate the appropriate combination of free market with specific dimensions and the GQ in boosting the equality of income distribution in Asian developing countries.
Screening of barley germplasm for drought tolerance based on root architecture, agronomic traits and identification of novel allelic variants ofHVA1
Authors: Manju  , Yadav Shashank Kumar , Wankhede Dhammaprakash Pandhari , Saroha Ankit , Jacob Sherry Rachel , Pandey Rakesh , Sharma Axma Dutt , Sheela  , Kumar Manoj , Kaur Vikender
Published: May 2023

Drought is a major constraint for barley production as it is normally cultivated in rainfed and marginal areas lacking optimum productivity. The domestication bottleneck and further selection pressure have resulted in reduced genetic diversity in barley. Genebank germplasm holds a huge potential for identifying new alleles for stress tolerance. In the present study, a diverse set of 214 accessions from Indian National Genebank were screened for drought tolerance in hydroponics and field conditions. Analysis of variance revealed a significant effect of drought on root architecture, relative water content, membrane stability index, chlorophyll content, plant height, and yield attributes. Cumulative stress response in terms of better root phenotype, physiological and agronomic traits showed accessions IC113045, EC578521, IC582699, EC492318, EC578711, EC667420, IC393980 and IC594943 as most promising donors for breeding programmes in drought‐prone areas. Further allelic variation of candidate gene,Hordeum vulgare aleurone 1(HVA1), and its promoter sequence was studied in a subset of drought‐tolerant and ‐susceptible accessions. TheHVA1gene showed six SNPs and one indel in the genic regions whereas three SNPs and one indel in promoter. Two alleles ofHVA1gene, one in exotic and other in indigenous accession, were found to be associated with drought tolerance. These results were confirmed by qRT‐PCR analysis exhibiting significant increase in transcript abundance ofHVA1in drought‐tolerant accessions in comparison with susceptible accessions, thereby highlighting its possible role in imparting drought tolerance. The study helped identify genetic resources for drought tolerance in barley and unravelled new alleles ofHVA1.
Structure–function relationship during the early and long‐term hydration of one‐part alkali‐activated slag
Authors: Liberto Teresa , Dalconi Maria Chiara , Dal Sasso Gregorio , Bellotto Maurizio , Robisson Agathe
Published: May 2023

Understanding the mechanisms controlling the early (fresh) and long‐term (hardened) hydration of one‐part alkali‐activated slags (AAS) is key to extend their use as low CO2substitutes for ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Their “just add water” use makes them easier and less hazardous to manipulate than the more studied two‐part ones. This is due to the absence of liquid alkaline activators, which are environmentally and energy demanding. In this work, numerous experimental techniques have been linked to obtain a comprehensive physico‐chemical characterization of a one‐part AAS activated with Na2CO3and Ca(OH)2powders at several water to solid ratios (w/s). Calorimetry and pH/conductivity measurements describe the functioning of the activators immediately after contact with water. Early reactivity is characterized through in situ X‐ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and small amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS) rheology, which reveal a rapid precipitation of nanometric hydration products (nano‐C‐A‐S‐H), which results in a continuous increase in the paste cohesivity until setting. Moreover, SAOS shows that rejuvenating the paste by means of shearing (performed externally to the rheometer in this study) is enough to restore the initial cohesion (i.e., workability) for long time spans until setting occurs. The long‐term hydration is characterized by ex situ XRPD on aged AAS pastes, in parallel with mechanical testing on AAS mortar. A correlation can be observed between the amount of nano‐C‐A‐S‐H and the increase in compressive strength. Overall, this formulation shows satisfactory fresh and solid properties, demonstrating suitability for low‐ and normal‐strength applications.
The identification of exceptional skills in school‐age autistic children: Prevalence, misconceptions and the alignment of informant perspectives
Authors: Clark Trevor , Jung Jae Yup , Roberts Jacqueline , Robinson Ainslie , Howlin Patricia
Published: May 2023

Background

Although autism is commonly described in terms of deficits, many autistic individuals have been found to demonstrate exceptional skills. The shift to a strengths‐based approach in the field of autism necessitates increased understanding of these skills.

Aims

This study examined (1) rates of exceptional skills in autistic school‐age children as reported by parents and teachers, (2) associations between exceptional skills, autism severity and intellectual disability and (3) correlations between parent and teacher reports of exceptional skills.

Method

Parents and teachers of 76 children attending autism‐specific schools in Australia completed online questionnaires. Thereafter, 35 parents and teachers who identified their child as having one or more exceptional skills were interviewed by a clinical psychologist.

Results

Forty parents (53%) and 16 (21%) teachers reported that their child had at least one exceptional skill (agreement between the parent and teacher reports was low; κ = .03, p = .74). In comparison, clinical psychologist assessments identified 22 children (29%) as having at least one such skill. No statistically significant relationships were identified between exceptional skills, autism severity and intellectual disability.

Conclusion

While different exceptional skills were identified, regardless of children's intellectual functioning or autism severity, parents and teachers varied substantially in their evaluations of these skills. Furthermore, the identified prevalence rates of exceptional skills did not always align with the rates identified in previous studies. The study findings highlight the need for definitional consensus on different types of exceptional skills, and the importance of multiple criteria/multi‐instrument approaches in the identification of exceptional skills in autistic children.
Hidradenitis suppurativa and social disadvantage: A nationwide administrative data study of the French hospitalized population
Authors: Bulsei Julie , Fontas Eric , Passeron Thierry
Published: May 2023

Background

A lower socioeconomical status (SES) has been reported in patients suffering from hidradenitis suppurative (HS). However, limitations in the available studies prevent drawing definitive conclusions.

Objectives

The objective of this study was to assess the SES of HS patients using a specific SES indicator, the French DEPrivation index (FDep), specifically designed and validated for the French population.

Methods

This cross‐sectional cohort study compared the HS hospitalized population with the general hospitalized population without HS. Data were extracted from the French national hospital discharge database, an exhaustive database on all reimbursed hospital stay in the country with a rolling 10‐year history (2012–2021). We included all patients aged 7–75 years with at least one stay in a French hospital. A 1:40 propensity score matching, adjusted for age, sex, smoking status and obesity, was performed to create 2 groups of comparable patients. Subgroup analysis was done in the minor (7–17 years) and major (25–75 years) populations independently.

Results

In the overall population, we identified 33,880 patients with HS and 24,445,337 patients without HS. After propensity score matching, logistic regression showed a significant association between HS and social disadvantage. There is a 22.5% increased risk of developing HS for individuals being in quintile 5 (the most disadvantaged quintile) versus quintile 1 (the least disadvantaged quintile) (p < 0.0001). After propensity score matching, the logistic regression showed no association between HS and social disadvantage in the 7–17 subgroup. In this minor population, an association between HS and social disadvantage was observed when propensity score matching was performed on age and sex only.

Conclusions

We demonstrate a significant association between HS and low SES in the adult population. In children between 7 and 17, low SES was associated with obesity and tobacco consumption, but not with HS when the populations were matched on these confounding factors.
Topical ruxolitinib: A new treatment for vitiligo
Authors: Tavoletti G. , Avallone G. , Conforti C. , Roccuzzo G. , Maronese C. A. , Mattioli M. A. , Quaglino P. , Zalaudek I. , Marzano A. V. , Ribero S. , Alberti‐Violetti S.
Published: May 2023

Vitiligo is a chronic autoimmune skin disorder whose diagnosis is often psychologically upsetting. The efficacy of the available therapies, including topical corticosteroids and topical calcineurin inhibitors, has historically been limited and the management of vitiligo is still challenging. As vitiligo is a chronic disease limited to the skin, topical rather than systemic therapies may be preferable (especially among patients with localised lesions) to avoid the long‐term side‐effects of the latter. A topical formulation of ruxolitinib, a selective JAK1/2 inhibitor, has recently been approved in the United States for the treatment of non‐segmental vitiligo in patients aged >12 years based on data from the phase III TRuE‐V1 and TRuE‐V2 clinical trials. The aim of this review is to describe the current evidence concerning the efficacy and safety of topical ruxolitinib in the treatment of vitiligo, and discuss issues regarding its use in younger children and pregnant or breastfeeding women, as well as the duration and durability of treatment. The promising results obtained so far suggest that 1.5% ruxolitinib cream is an effective means of treating vitiligo.
Prevalence of scabies worldwide—An updated systematic literature review in 2022
Authors: Schneider S. , Wu J. , Tizek L. , Ziehfreund S. , Zink A.
Published: May 2023

Scabies is a World Health Organization‐defined neglected tropical disease, with continuously rising incidence worldwide in recent years. The aim of this study was to provide an update of the worldwide prevalence and new treatment approaches of scabies in population‐based settings. MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase and LILACS databases were reviewed for English and German language population‐based studies from October 2014 to March 2022. Two authors independently screened the records for eligibility, extracted all data and one critically appraised the quality of the studies and risk of bias. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42021247140. Overall, 1273 records were identified through database searching, of which 43 studies were included for the systematic review. Most of the studies (n = 31) examined the scabies prevalence in medium or low human development index countries. The highest prevalence of scabies reported in the general population (children and adults) was recorded in five randomly selected communities in Ghana (71.0%), whereas the highest scabies prevalence in studies, which only examined children (76.9%), was recorded in an Indonesian boarding school. The lowest prevalence was recorded in Uganda (0.18%). The systematic review highlights the prevalence of scabies worldwide, showing that scabies is still a serious, increasing disease that occurs globally and is clustered in developing countries. More transparent data on scabies prevalence are needed to identify risk factors to find new prevention measures.
Metabolic performance of black soldier fly larvae during entomoremediation of brewery waste
Authors: Hansen Rasmus Juhl , Nielsen Signe Hannesbo Møller , Johansen Math , Nielsen Frederik Kjær , Dragsbæk Freja Broholm , Sørensen Oliver Schwarz Baden , Eriksen Niels Thomas
Published: May 2023

This study aims to evaluate the metabolic performance, in terms of specific rates of growth and feed assimilation, as well as the cost of growth and maintenance of black soldier fly larvae, BSF, Hermetia illucens on brewery waste, a potential worldwide available resource for industrial scale insect production. Brewery waste lacks starch and thus has a nutritional profile substantially different from chicken feed, which is a well‐established and excellent starchy food source for BSF larvae. It is therefore interesting to gain insight into how BSF larvae perform on brewery waste. Larvae of the BSF were reared on chicken feed, on brewery waste and on mixtures of the two. Measurements of the weight of the larvae and their respiratory CO2 production were used to estimate metabolic performance on daily basis. The BSF larvae grew on all the substrates. They reached the highest weight on chicken feed, but their specific growth and feed assimilation rates were highest on the mixed substrates, in which the larvae also reached their maximal weight in the shortest time. Substrate‐dependent costs of growth were not observed while maintenance rates tended to be only slightly lower on the mixed substrates. Overall, the BSF larvae converted the low‐starch brewery waste and the starchy chicken feed into larval biomass about equally efficiently, although brewery waste led to smaller larvae and mixing of the two substrates enhanced feed assimilation and growth. Brewery waste seems thus a suitable resource for BSF larvae, comparable with chicken feed, with respect to their metabolic performance.
First record of partial albinism in the critically endangered Angelshark (Squatina squatina) (Linnaeus, 1758)
Authors: Jimenez‐Alvarado David , Meyers Eva , Guerra‐Marrero Airam , Espino‐Ruano Ana , Couce‐Montero Lorena , Barker Joanna , Sealey Michael , Toledo Héctor , Caro Belén , Pike Charlotte , Jacoby David M.P. , Mead Lucy , Castro José J.
Published: May 2023

We report the first case of partial albinism in the Critically Endangered angelshark, Squatina squatina. The encounter with this specimen took place while SCUBA diving on the beach of Tufia, located on the east coast of the island of Gran Canaria on 2 April 2021. This is also the first confirmed finding of an albino elasmobranch specimen in the Canary Island archipelago.
Risk factors of tooth wear in permanent dentition: A scoping review
Authors: Oudkerk Julie , Grenade Charlotte , Davarpanah Anoushka , Vanheusden Alain , Vandenput Sandrina , Mainjot Amélie K.
Published: May 2023

Background

Tooth wear (TW) prevalence is high and increasing and has important consequences on the patient's quality of life. Knowledge of risk factors is crucial to promote diagnosis, prevention strategies and timely interceptive treatment. Many studies have identified TW risk factors.

Objective

This scoping review aims to map and describe suspected available factors associated with TW in permanent dentition based on quantitative measurement.

Methods

The scoping review was conducted using the PRISMA extension of the Scoping Reviews checklist. The search was conducted in October 2022 from the Medline® (PubMed® interface) and Scopus® databases. Two independent reviewers selected and characterised the studies.

Results

2702 articles were identified for assessment of titles and abstracts, and 273 articles were included in the review. The results show a need to standardise TW measurement indices and the study design. The included studies highlighted various factors, classified into nine domains: sociodemographic factors, medical history, drinking habits, eating habits, oral hygiene habits, dental factors, bruxism and temporomandibular disorders, behavioural factors, and stress. Results related to chemical TW (erosion) risk factors underline the importance of eating disorders, gastroesophageal reflux and lifestyle, particularly drinking and eating behaviours, which supports developing public health information campaigns and interventions. Besides chemical, this review identifies evidence of several mechanical TW risk factors, such as toothbrushing and bruxism; the influence of this last factor needs to be further explored.

Conclusions

TW management and prevention require a multidisciplinary approach. Dentists are in the first line to detect associated diseases such as reflux or eating disorders. Consequently, practitioners' information and guideline diffusion should be promoted, and a TW risk factors checklist (the ToWeR checklist) is proposed to help diagnostic approaches.
Incidence of acute kidney injury in dogs with systemic mycotic infections treated with amphotericin B (1996‐2020)
Authors: Chan Jennifer C. , Dear Jonathan , Palm Carrie , Reagan Krystle
Published: May 2023

Background

Amphotericin‐B (AmB) is an essential medication for the treatment of life‐threatening systemic mycoses but the incidence and risk factors for acute kidney injury (AKI) after its administration are not known in dogs.

Objective

Determine the incidence of and risk factors for AKI in dogs receiving AmB.

Animals

Fifty‐one client owned dogs receiving AmB for the treatment of systemic mycoses.

Methods

Retrospective study. Signalment, potential risk factors, AKI development (creatinine ≥0.3 mg/dL from baseline), drug formulation (deoxycholate [AmB‐D] or lipid complex [ABLC]), dose, and treatment duration were recorded. The probability of an AKI diagnosis was evaluated using a log‐rank test. The incidence of AKI and odds ratios were calculated for potential risk factors.

Results

Incidence of AKI was 5/12 (42%) for dogs receiving AmB‐D and 14/39 (36%) for dogs receiving ABLC. Of the 19 dogs that developed AKI, 16 (84%) continued treatment after a pause in the planned dosing protocol. Fifty percent of dogs received a cumulative dose of 6.9 mg/kg for AmB‐D and 22.5 mg/kg for ABLC (P < .01) at time of AKI diagnosis. ICU hospitalization (odds ratio [OR] 0.21, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.58‐0.87) and inpatient status (OR 0.25, 95% CI: 0.07‐0.86) were associated with decreased odds of AKI.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Incidence of AKI with AmB is common but does not always preclude continued treatment. The incidence of AKI is similar between AmB‐D and ABLC, but dogs receiving ABLC tolerated a higher cumulative total dose before AKI diagnosis.
Chronic kidney disease prevalence and awareness in middle age and young old: Regional comparative study in Japan
Authors: Li Qi , Nishi Hiroshi , Inoue Reiko , Ueda Sae , Nangaku Masaomi
Published: May 2023

Aim

Patients with chronic kidney disease are not aware of the illness because of its asymptomatic nature, but the association of disease progression and awareness in general population has not been sufficiently analysed on a large scale.

Methods

We analysed the nationwide annual specific health checkup covering more than a half of the overall population at aged 40–74 in Japan, approximately 29.4 million people as of 2018, in combination with parameters to represent regional characteristics.

Results

The rate of the examinees with kidney dysfunction, an estimated glomerular filtration rate of <45 mL/min/1.73 m2, was 1.0%, while that of examinees with of dipstick proteinuria ≥ (+) was 3.7%. Next, we conducted a regional comparative study on 335 medical administrative areas divided in the country. The regional rate of examinees aged 65–74 over the total examinees was positively correlated with the prevalence of kidney dysfunction (r = 0.72, p < .0001). Additionally, the mean rate of examinees aware of their ‘chronic kidney failure’ was 0.6%, and the awareness rate was correlated with the prevalence of both kidney dysfunction (r = 0.36, p < .001) and positive dipstick proteinuria (r = 0.31, p < .001) in those aged 65–74 at the regional level. Association of nephrology care resources with the prevalence or awareness was unclear at the regional level.

Conclusion

We found a regional association of chronic kidney disease prevalence and awareness in a recent young old population in Japan. Further studies are needed to evaluate the patient screen and referral at the individual level.
Small object detection leveraging density‐aware scale adaptation
Authors: Wan Yu , Liao Zhaohong , Liu Jia , Song Weiwei , Ji Hong , Gao Zhi
Published: May 2023

Albeit general object detection has made impressive progress in the last decade, as a significant subfield, small object detection still performs far from satisfactorily, which is impeded by several challenges, such as small size, severe occlusion and variant scales. To tackle these challenges, we propose a coarse‐to‐fine small object detection method leveraging density‐aware scale adaptation. Firstly, we employ global sketchy prediction via a coarse network in large scenes and generate adaptively scaled block regions with potential targets. Subsequently, we perform local accurate detection by a fine network for instances in densely packed areas with approximately unified scales. In particular, a density map with object distribution information is utilised to provide a scene classification auxiliary to instruct scale transformation. Extensive experiments on the popular remote sensing benchmark AI‐TOD and representative small object datasets VisDrone and UAVDT demonstrate the superiority of our method for small object detection, achieving an improvement of 2.9% mAP‐vt and 2.1% mAP on AI‐TOD, and outperforming the state‐of‐the‐art methods on VisDrone and UAVDT with an enhancement of 1.7% mAP and 2.0% mAP50, respectively.
Specnuezhenide ameliorates ultraviolet‐induced skin photoaging in mice by regulating the Sirtuin 3/8‐Oxoguanine DNA glycosylase signal
Authors: Tang Nan , Ren Ying‐Yun , Wu Hao‐Tian , Lv Xi‐Ting , Liu Xiao‐Ting , Li Qi‐lin , Wang Guo‐En , Wu Yan‐Hua
Published: May 2023

Purpose

Ultraviolet‐induced skin photoaging was involved in DNA oxidative damage. Specnuezhenide, one of the secoiridoids extracted from Ligustri Lucidi Fructus, possesses antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory effects. Whether specnuezhenide ameliorates skin photoaging remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of specnuezhenide on skin photoaging induced by ultraviolet and explore the underlying mechanism.

Methods

Mice were employed to treat with ultraviolet to induce skin photoaging, then administrated 10 and 20 mg/kg of specnuezhenide. Histological analysis, protein expression, network pharmacology, and autodock analysis were conducted.

Results

Specnuezhenide ameliorated ultraviolet‐induced skin photoaging in mice via the increase in collagen contents, and decrease in epidermal thickness, malondialdehyde content, and β‐galactosidase expression in the skin. Specnuezhenide reduced cutaneous apoptosis and inflammation in mice with skin photoaging. In addition, network pharmacology data indicated that specnuezhenide possessed potential targets on the NOD‐like receptor signaling pathway. Validation experiment found that specnuezhenide inhibited the expression of NOD‐like receptor family pyrin domain‐containing 3, gasdermin D‐C1, and Caspase 1. Furthermore, the expression of 8‐Oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (OGG1), sirtuin 3 (SIRT3), and superoxide dismutase 2 was increased in specnuezhenide‐treated mice with photoaging.

Conclusion

Specnuezhenide protected against ultraviolet‐induced skin photoaging in mice via a probable activation of SIRT3/OGG1 signal.
TheEU'swork‐lifebalance directive: Institutional change of father‐specific leave across member states
Authors: de la Porte Caroline , Im Zhen Jie , Pircher Brigitte , Szelewa Dorota
Published: May 2023

This paper examines institutional change in father‐specific leave ‐ a centre‐piece of the EU's work‐life balance directive (WLBD) ‐ from the perspective of gradual institutional change. The WLBD, a highly contentious directive, represents a litmus test for the possible impact of the European pillar of social rights (EPSR), on welfare state institutions, which are responsible for the organisation, financing and delivery of social rights in member states. The analysis comprises in‐depth case studies in Denmark, Germany, France and Poland, with different combinations of family and parental leave policies prior to the WLBD. The findings reveal that the EU's directive is leading to convergence in paternity leave, but to divergence in parental leave. Our study is important because it shows that even if EU directives in social policy in principle can lead to upwards social convergence across the EU, when they are relatively weak in terms of precise constraint, for instance, for the level of remuneration for leave, this leads to differentiated integration. This could undermine the very purpose of the EPSR, which seeks to improve social rights for all citizens across the EU. Similar dynamics are likely to be present in other areas at the welfare state‐labor market nexus, such as minimum wages or platform work, where the EU is also developing regulation under the auspices of the EPSR.
Some examples of separable convex‐cocompact subgroups
Authors: Hagen Mark , Sisto Alessandro
Published: May 2023

Reid asked whether all convex‐cocompact subgroups of mapping class groups are separable. Using a construction of Manning–Mj–Sageev, we give examples of separable convex‐cocompact subgroups that are free of arbitrary finite rank, while prior examples seem to all be virtually cyclic.
Random walks on the circle and Diophantine approximation
Authors: Berkes István , Borda Bence
Published: May 2023

Random walks on the circle group whose elementary steps are lattice variables with span or taken mod exhibit delicate behavior. In the rational case, we have a random walk on the finite cyclic subgroup , and the central limit theorem and the law of the iterated logarithm follow from classical results on finite state space Markov chains. In this paper, we extend these results to random walks with irrational span , and explicitly describe the transition of these Markov chains from finite to general state space as along the sequence of best rational approximations. We also consider the rate of weak convergence to the stationary distribution in the Kolmogorov metric, and in the rational case observe a phase transition from polynomial to exponential decay after steps. This seems to be a new phenomenon in the theory of random walks on compact groups. In contrast, the rate of weak convergence to the stationary distribution in the total variation metric is purely exponential.
Multi-Temporal Image Analysis for Preventive Conservation of Historical Musical Instruments
Authors: Rezaei Alireza , Aldea Emanuel , Dondi Piercarlo , Le Hégarat-Mascle Sylvie , Malagodi Marco
Published: May 2023

Artworks need to be constantly monitored to check their state of conservation and to quickly spot the eventual presence of alterations or damages. Preventive conservation is the set of practices employed to reach this goal. Unfortunately, this results generally in a cumbersome process involving multiple analytical techniques. Consequently, methods able to provide a quick preliminary examination of the artworks (e.g., optical monitoring) seem very promising to streamline preventive conservation procedures. We are especially interested in the study of historical wood musical instruments, a kind of artwork particularly subject to mechanical wear since they are both held in museums and also occasionally played in concerts. Our primary goal is to detect possible altered regions on the surface of the instruments early and thus provide the experts some precise indications on where to apply more in-depth examinations to check for potential damages. In this work, we propose an optical monitoring method based on the a-contrario probabilistic framework. Tests were conducted on the “Violins UVIFL imagery” dataset, a collection of UV-induced fluorescence image sequences of artificially altered wood samples and violins. Obtained results showed the robustness of the proposed method and its capability to properly detect altered regions while rejecting noise.
Combining Molecular and Radiomic Features for Risk Assessment in Breast Cancer
Authors: Nguyen Alex A. , McCarthy Anne Marie , Kontos Despina
Published: May 2023

Breast cancer risk is highly variable within the population and current research is leading the shift toward personalized medicine. By accurately assessing an individual woman's risk, we can reduce the risk of over/undertreatment by preventing unnecessary procedures or by elevating screening procedures. Breast density measured from conventional mammography has been established as one of the most dominant risk factors for breast cancer; however, it is currently limited by its ability to characterize more complex breast parenchymal patterns that have been shown to provide additional information to strengthen cancer risk models. Molecular factors ranging from high penetrance, or high likelihood that a mutation will show signs and symptoms of the disease, to combinations of gene mutations with low penetrance have shown promise for augmenting risk assessment. Although imaging biomarkers and molecular biomarkers have both individually demonstrated improved performance in risk assessment, few studies have evaluated them together. This review aims to highlight the current state of the art in breast cancer risk assessment using imaging and genetic biomarkers.
Mechanism of Activation of the Visual Receptor Rhodopsin
Authors: Smith Steven O.
Published: May 2023

Rhodopsin is the photoreceptor in human rod cells responsible for dim-light vision. The visual receptors are part of the large superfamily of G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) that mediate signal transduction in response to diverse diffusible ligands. The high level of sequence conservation within the transmembrane helices of the visual receptors and the family A GPCRs has long been considered evidence for a common pathway for signal transduction. I review recent studies that reveal a comprehensive mechanism for how light absorption by the retinylidene chromophore drives rhodopsin activation and highlight those features of the mechanism that are conserved across the ligand-activated GPCRs.
Application of System Dynamics in Construction Engineering and Management: Content Analysis and Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Kedir Nebiyu , Siraj Nasir , Fayek Aminah Robinson
Published: May 2023

Researchers have increasingly used system dynamics (SD) as a modelling tool to understand the behaviour of systems with varying degrees of dynamism and complexity. SD has had a particularly significant impact in improving system representation, modelling, and abstraction of problems within the construction domain. However, there is a lack of comprehensive systematic literature review and content analysis on application of SD in construction engineering and management (CEM). In this study, a systematic literature review and content analysis were used to investigate 213 journal articles published from 1995 through 2021, presenting applications of SD in CEM research. This included analysis of SD research in terms of contributing authors and their affiliations; identifying the major CEM research areas and patterns of SD research within those areas; study of the current focus of SD research, future trends, and potential for future research in these CEM areas; investigating the SD modelling paradigm in terms of hybridization with other modelling techniques; and a review of issues and challenges of SD modelling. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by (1) addressing the lack of a comprehensive systematic review and content analysis in the application of SD in CEM research, (2) providing construction researchers and practitioners with the state-of-the-art in SD research and application within the construction industry, and (3) assessing the potential for SD hybridization with other modelling approaches and proposing areas of future research to improve SD modelling capabilities. This study found that (1) the concept of SD was mostly used in the research areas of decision making and policy analysis, performance, and rework and change, (2) the areas of scheduling and health and safety have acquired more interest in SD relative to previous trends, and (3) researchers have the lowest interest in the research area of bidding and procurement.
Road Adhesion Coefficient Estimation Based on Vehicle-Road Coordination and Deep Learning
Authors: Li Chunjie , Liu Pan , Xie Zhenlong , Li Zhibin , Huan Huan
Published: May 2023

Accurate estimation of the road adhesion coefficient can help drivers and vehicles perceive changes in road state effectively, reducing the occurrence of traffic crashes accordingly. Therefore, this paper proposes a road adhesion coefficient estimation method based on vehicle-road coordination and deep learning. Firstly, a vehicle-based data feedback system combined with a vehicle-road network cloud is introduced, and CarSim simulation is used to expand the data set and train the model effectively. Then, the dynamic analysis of the whole vehicle is carried out, and the vehicle operation data related to the adhesion coefficient are obtained as the input of the estimation model. Then a combined model of road adhesion coefficient estimation based on self-attention (SA), convolutional neural network (CNN), and long short-term memory (LSTM) is established, to reduce the instability of the prediction, Q-learning is used to optimize the weight of the model. Finally, the model is verified by the simulation data and the actual vehicle-based data. The results show that the vehicle-based data feedback system combined with the vehicle-road network Ccloud is effective, and compared with other commonly used model, the estimation model proposed in this paper can effectively predict the road adhesion coefficient.
Ground-Air Traffic Congestion Propagation Model Based on Hierarchical Control Interdependent Network
Authors: Jiang Furong , Zhang Zhaoning , Dai Xiaoxu
Published: May 2023

A multilayer network approach to model and analyze air traffic networks is proposed. These networks are viewed as complex systems with interactions between airports, airspaces, procedures, and air traffic flows (ATFs). A topology-based airport-airspace network and a flight trajectory network are developed to represent critical physical and operational characteristics. A multilayer traffic flow network and an interrelated traffic congestion propagation network are also formulated to represent the ATF connection and congestion propagation dynamics, respectively. Furthermore, a set of analytical metrics, including those of airport surface (AS), terminal controlled airspace (TCA), and area-controlled airspace (ACA), is introduced and applied to a case study in central and south-eastern China. The empirical results show the existence of a fundamental diagram of the airport, terminal, and intersections of air routes. Moreover, the dynamics and underlying mechanisms of congestion propagation through the AS-TCA-ACA network are revealed and interpreted using the classical susceptible-infectious-removed model in a hierarchical network. Finally, a high propagation probability among adjacent terminals and a high recovery probability are identified at the network system level. This study provides analytical tools for comprehending the complex interactions among air traffic systems and identifies future developments and automation of layered coupled air traffic management systems.
Road Rescue Demand Prediction for the Improvement of Traffic System Resilience
Authors: Yang Zhenzhen
Published: May 2023

Road rescue can provide rescue services for faulty vehicles, such as fuel delivery, tire replacement, battery connection, on-site repair, clearing, and towing, which plays an important role in reducing casualties and property losses in traffic accidents. Based on the historical data of road rescue, this paper analyzes the influencing factors of the road rescue demand and establishes a prediction model of the road rescue demand without data grouping. In order to further improve the prediction accuracy, the data are divided into nine groups according to the importance of the influencing factors, and nine submodels are established for the nine groups of data. When the influencing factors are known, the submodel corresponding to the most important influencing factor is selected to predict the road rescue demand. A case study in Beijing is used to verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed models, which can effectively predict the road rescue demand under various conditions, including the normal condition, the Spring Festival, National Day, the three-day holiday (e.g., Qingming, May Day, the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and New Year’s Day,), and extreme weather (e.g., low temperature, high temperature, heavy snow, heavy rain, and rainstorm). The research findings can provide scientific basis for the rescue department to deploy rescue equipment and rescue personnel in advance, raise the efficiency and quality of rescue, and improve the resilience of the transportation system.
Information Exchange Pairs Simulation Method Based on Discrete Event Simulation for Autonomous Transportation System
Authors: Zhang Ji , Chen Zhenwu , Yang Liang , Guo Zihan , Feng Xianglong , Liu Xiang , Huang Zhijun , Deng Puyang , Zhang Xiaochun , Liang Chen
Published: May 2023

Research on the complicated and indeterminate autonomous transportation system (ATS) has drawn increased interest in order to better address issues associated with contemporary transportation development. Hoping to make transportation more sustainable, economical, safe, convenient, and efficient, researchers try to address the expanding demands with the help of ATS characteristics, i.e., sensing, learning, deciding, and reacting autonomously. The majority of research is focused on the ATS architecture, which is currently in the design phase. To refine the relationship between entities in the architecture, this paper proposes DESIEP, a method based on discrete event simulation (DES) for information exchange pairs (IEPs) in ATS. This method can provide an intelligible description of the information stream while conveniently illustrating the control relationship of sequential logic amongst the entities in the architecture. It helps researchers better understand the running mechanisms driven by internal demands and external technologies of the system so as to diagnose, evaluate, verify, and optimize the designed architecture. Meanwhile, this method also supports further research on the system evolution and architecture analysis, including the functions, logic, and physical architectures of each generation, as well as their mapping relationships and parallel evolution mechanisms.
Evaluating the Potential of High-Resolution Visible Remote Sensing to Detect Shiraz Disease in Grapevines
Authors: Wang Yeniu Mickey , Ostendorf Bertram , Pagay Vinay
Published: May 2023

Background and Aims. Shiraz disease (SD) is a viral disease associated with Grapevine virus A that causes significant yield loss in economically important grape cultivars in Australia such as Shiraz and Merlot. Current diagnostic methods are time-consuming and costly. This study evaluates an alternative methodology using visible remote sensing imagery to detect SD in Shiraz grapevines. Methods and Results. High-resolution visible remote sensing images were captured of Shiraz grapevines in two South Australian viticultural regions over two seasons. The projected leaf area (PLA) of individual grapevines was estimated from the images. Virus-infected vines had significantly lower PLA than healthy vines in the early season but fewer difference after veraison. The lower PLA was only observed in grapevines coinfected with grapevine leafroll-associated viruses (GLRaVs) and Grapevine virus A (GVA). Shiraz vines infected with either GLRaVs or GVA had similar PLA to healthy vines. Conclusions. High-resolution RGB remote sensing technology has the potential to rapidly estimate SD infection in Shiraz grapevines. Our observations of shoot devigouration only in coinfected vines calls into question the etiology of SD. Further validation of the PLA technique incorporating different regions, seasons, cultivars, and combinations of viruses is needed for improving the robustness of the method. Significance of the Study. This preliminary study presents a new rapid and low-cost surveillance method to estimate SD infections in Shiraz vineyards, which could significantly lower the cost for growers who conduct on-ground SD visual assessments or lab-based tissue testing at the vineyard scale.