bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Qualitative investigation into the functional problems of transtibial prostheses when amputees perform agricultural work
Authors: Ortega Bedoya Yessika María , Rendón Vélez Elizabeth , Mejía Londoño Valentina , Valencia Legarda Fanny , Plata Contreras Jesús Alberto 
Published: December 2024

Background:
A significant number of Colombian farmers who are transtibial amputees are civilian victims of landmines. Current prostheses are inadequately adapted for agricultural work, resulting in functional challenges in this context.

Objective(s):
This study aims to analyze and categorize the functional problems of transtibial prostheses in the Colombian agricultural context, incorporating perspectives from prosthesis users, manufacturers, and designers.

Study Design:
Descriptive qualitative research involving 49 transtibial amputees using prostheses and 18 professionals engaged in prosthesis design, manufacture, or prescription.

Methods:
Participants were interviewed. Each interview was transcribed, and a conventional content analysis was conducted to identify functional problems with transtibial prostheses in agricultural settings.

Results:
Interviewees reported that sockets become loose from residual limbs, and soft sockets and socks are prone to damage and maladjustment. The prosthetic foot undergoes stress due to stiffness, causing cracks and accelerated deterioration. Fastening screws loosen, break, and rust, while cosmetic foam retains moisture, perforates, and deteriorates in sunlight. Prosthesis deterioration is exacerbated by weather, moisture, mud, tall grass, and uneven or sloping terrain.

Conclusions:
Prosthesis designs should facilitate sweat drainage or quick drying to address issues with soft sockets and socks. Sockets should be padded to minimize residual limb injuries. Durable, low-cost, and easily replaceable soft sockets are essential for farming environments. Additionally, farmers need a prosthetic foot that flexes when caught in brush or walking on uneven/inclined surfaces, allowing movement in two physiological planes without compromising strength and durability.
Hypothermic Oxygenated Machine Perfusion and Static Cold Storage Drive Distinct Immunomodulation During Liver Transplantation: A Pilot Study
Authors: Aspord Caroline , Macek Jílková Zuzana , Bonadona Agnes , Gerster Theophile , Lesurtel Mickael , Girard Edouard , Saas Philippe , Decaens Thomas 
Published: December 2024

Background.
Organ injury is a major problem in liver transplant. Prolonged liver ischemia may result in ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI), leading to inadequate activation of innate immunity. Hypothermic oxygenated machine perfusion (HOPE) of the graft emerges as a more physiologic method for liver preservation compared with static cold storage (SCS) by reducing IRI, which improves the quality of the graft. Despite being crucial, the immunological aspects of IRI in liver transplantation remained poorly explored.

Methods.
We designed a pilot study to assess intrahepatic immune responses to HOPE compared with SCS (6 patients in each group). We explored immunologic and inflammatory pathways using both bulk RNA-sequencing and single-cell multiparametric flow cytometry analyses from liver biopsies performed on the graft before and after transplantation.

Results.
Despite a limited number of patients and heterogeneous effects on IRI, we observed immune changes in liver biopsies before and after organ storage and distinct functional modulations of intrahepatic immune cells from the transplanted liver that underwent SCS versus HOPE. A significant increase of infiltrated monocytes, conventional type 2 dendritic cells (cDC2s), and neutrophils (P < 0.05) and a trend toward reduced immune cell viability were observed after SCS but not after HOPE.

Conclusions.
This pilot study did not allow us to conclude on IRI but showed that HOPE perfusion dampens liver infiltration of some innate immune cells. It reveals that the inclusion of additional transplanted patients and analysis of later time points after transplantation are needed to draw a definitive conclusion. However, it can guide future studies evaluating the development of new strategies to prevent IRI.
When children can explain why they believe a claim, they suggest a better empirical test for that claim
Authors: Hermansen Tone K. , Mathisen Kamilla F. , Ronfard Samuel 
Published: December 2024

We tested the hypothesis that children’s ability to reflect on the causes of their uncertainty about a surprising claim allows them to better target their empirical investigation of that claim—and that this ability increases with age. We assigned 4–7-year-old children (
n
=174, M
age
= 68.77 months, 52.87% girls) to either a prompted or an unprompted condition. In each condition, children witnessed a series of vignettes where an adult presented a surprising claim about an object. Children were then asked whether they thought the claim was true or not, how certain or uncertain they were, and how they would test that claim. In the prompted condition, children were also asked why they were certain or uncertain. As predicted, older children were more likely to justify their beliefs and to suggest targeted empirical tests, compared with younger children. Being prompted to reflect on their uncertainty did not increase children’s ability to
generate
an efficient test for those claims. However, exploratory analyses revealed that children’s ability to provide a plausible reason for their beliefs did, controlling for their ability to
select
an efficient test for a claim. This suggests that developments in children’s reasoning about their beliefs allow them to more effectively assess those beliefs empirically.
LC3-associated endocytosis facilitates extracellular Tau aggregate internalization and degradation in microglia
Authors: Chidambaram Hariharakrishnan , Chinnathambi Subashchandrabose 
Published: December 2024

AbstractBackgroundMicroglia, which are resident phagocytic cells in the brain, are involved in the active clearance of microbes, misfolded proteins, and cell debris, among others. In Alzheimer’s disease, microglia play a pivotal role in clearing extracellular amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and intracellular Tau aggregates from the brain. Microglial cells have several mechanisms for Tau internalization, including macropinocytosis, heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs), dynamin- dependent endocytosis, and receptor-mediated endocytosis. Internalized Tau seeds either undergo proteasomal or lysosomal degradation or are exocytosed into the extracellular space via exosomes. Microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3)-associated endocytosis (LANDO) is a recently discovered microglial mechanism for an effective clearance of Aβ aggregates and alleviates neurodegeneration in murine Alzheimer’s disease. Several microglial receptors are reported to be involved in misfolded Aβ and Tau aggregate internalization such as triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell 2 (TREM-2), P2Y purinoceptor 12 (P2Y12R), C- X3-C motif chemokine receptor 1 (CX3CR1), etc.MethodsIn this study, we report the LANDO of Tau monomers and aggregates by murine microglial cells, which are further degraded by lysosomal fusion. LANDO of extracellular Tau is demonstrated by several biochemical and cell-biology studies including western blotting, fluorescence and confocal imaging of microglial cells.ResultsWe analyzed microglial activation by measuring the upregulation of Ionized Calcium- binding Adapter Molecule 1 (Iba-1) expression. Later, we demonstrated the LANDO of human full-length Tau species, where LC3 colocalizes with internalized Tau, followed by lysosomal degradation by microglia. The accumulation of internalized Tau in the perinuclear region of the cell in the presence of chloroquine supports phagolysosomal fusion and degradation.ConclusionHence, we concluded that microglia internalize extracellular Tau species via LANDO, which further undergoes degradation via the lysosomal pathway.
Investing in Open Science: Key Considerations for Funders
Authors: Cobb-Lewis Dana E. , Synder Devin , Dumanis Sonya , Thibault Robert , Marebwa Barbara , Clark Elisia , St. Clair Lara , Kirsch Leslie , Durborow Michelle , Riley Ekemini 
Published: December 2024

AbstractThe open science movement aims to transform the research landscape by promoting research transparency in order to enable reproducibility and replicability, lower the barriers for collaboration, and reduce unnecessary duplication. Recently, in recognition of the value of open science, funding agencies have begun to mandate open science policies as a condition in grantee awards. However, operationalization and implementation of an open science policy can have unanticipated costs and logistical barriers, which can impact both the funder, as well as the grantee. These factors should be considered when implementing an open science policy.The Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) initiative utilizes a comprehensive open science policy, which, in addition to requiring immediate free online access to all publications, also requires all newly-generated datasets, protocols, code, and key lab materials be shared by the time of publication. Moreover, preprints must be posted to a preprint repository by the time of manuscript submission to a journal for review.Here, we outline the potential costs associated with implementing and enforcing this open science policy. We recommend that funders take these considerations into account when investing in open science policies within the biomedical research ecosystem.
Variation in Resource Environment Drives Adaptive Divergence inDrosophila melanogaster
Authors: Beltz Jack K. , Bitter Mark Christopher , Goldfischer August , Petrov Dmitri A. , Schmidt Paul 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTNatural populations often experience heterogeneity in the quality and abundance of environmentally acquired resources across both space and time, and this variation can influence population demographics and evolutionary dynamics. In this study, we directly manipulated diet in replicate populations ofDrosophila melanogastercultured in experimental mesocosms in the field. We found no significant effect of resource variation on demographic patterns. Furthermore, while resource variation altered the patterns of phenotypic and genomic evolution, this effect is secondary to population responses to seasonally fluctuating selective pressures. Seasonal adaptation was observed for all traits assayed and elicited genome-wide signatures of selection; in contrast, adaptation to the resource environment was trait-specific and exhibited an oligogenic architecture. This illustrates the capacity of populations to adapt to a specific axis of variation (the resource environment) without hindering the adaptive response to seasonal change. This in turn, suggests that resource variation may be an important force driving fluctuating selection across natural populations, ultimately contributing to the maintenance of genetic and phenotypic variation.
Reversible and reusable compartmentalized microfluidic chip for coculture of dorsal root ganglion neurons
Authors: Moreau Solène , Flores-Berdines Raul , Jalkh Tatiana El , Simon Anne , Taret Guillaume , Fomina Anna , Dargenet-Becker Céline , Estevez-Torres André , Bernard Sophie , Salmon Hugo 
Published: December 2024

AbstractCompartmentalized microfluidic chips play an important role in understanding the cellular mechanisms involved in neurodegenerative disorders. Dorsal root ganglia are a well-established model for modelling the peripheral nervous system (PNS), but their development on a chip remains limited. Furthermore, it would be beneficial for the devices to be openable in order to access the biological material inside for analyses. Easy to prototype and biocompatible, styrenic block copolymers (SBC) are an alternative to polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) that offer both reversible and permanent bonding properties. This paper presents a fast and straightforward method to produce compartmentalized SBC chips. The study validates the culture of murine dorsal root ganglia explants, comparing it to the standard methods, to obtain a model of the PNS. Moreover, the reversible bonding properties of the SBC permit the reuse of the chip with a quick and easy cleaning protocol. It provides direct access to the cells, opening the way for imaging and molecular biology analysis. The comparison of the resources required to produce PDMS and SBC chips highlights the importance of moving to reusable devices. These detachable, easy-to-manufacture and sustainable all-thermoplastic platforms provide an alternative way of prototyping compartmentalized devicesfor in vitroPNS modeling.
Beacon Reconstruction Attack: Reconstruction of genomes in genomic data-sharing beacons using summary statistics
Authors: Saleem Kousar , Cicek A. Ercument , Sav Sinem 
Published: December 2024

AbstractGenomic data sharing beacon protocol, developed by the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH), offers a privacy-preserving mechanism for querying genomic datasets while restricting direct data access. Despite their design, beacons remain vulnerable to privacy attacks. This study introduces a novel privacy vulnerability of the protocol: One can reconstruct large portions of the genomes of all beacon participants by only using the summary statistics reported by the protocol. We introduce a novel optimization-based algorithm that leverages beacon responses and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) correlations for reconstruction. By optimizing for the SNP correlations and allele frequencies, the proposed approach achieves genome reconstruction with a substantially higher F1-score (70%) compared to baseline methods (45%) on beacons generated using individuals from the HapMap and OpenSNP datasets. Our findings reveal critical vulnerabilities in beacon protocol, underscoring the need for enhanced privacy-preserving mechanisms to protect genomic data. Our implementation is available athttps://github.com/ASAP-Bilkent/Beacon-Reconstruction-Attack.
Interplay between mitochondrial and nuclear DNA in gene expression regulation
Authors: Giannoulis Xenofon , Wengert Simon , Ratajczak Florin , Heinig Matthias , Cai Na 
Published: December 2024

AbstractUsing data from 48 tissues and 684 European individuals in the GTEx dataset, we investigate the role of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and its encoded genes in gene regulation. We perform a comprehensive multi-tissue eQTL analysis on mtDNA encoded protein-coding genes, identifying 111 mtDNA-cis-eQTLs (FDR<5%) and 260 nucDNA trans-eQTLs (P<5×10−8). We further identify 108 mtDNA associations with 68 nucDNA encoded genes (FDR<5%). Our results are not driven by nuclear mitochondrial sequences (NUMTs) or minority cell types within tissues. Incorporating mtDNA trans-eQTLs in gene expression networks improves prediction of nucDNA genes with mitochondrial function. nucDNA trans-eQTLs for mtDNA genes are enriched in genes involved in mitochondrial pathways and GWAS hits for complex traits and diseases, implicating dual regulation by both genomes in maintaining mitochondrial function and organismal health. Our multi-tissue map of dual-genome gene regulation is an essential step towards understanding mito-nuclear cross-talk in health and disease.
Management control systems and dynamic capabilities as antecedents to financial performance
Authors: Silva Thiago Bruno de Jesus , Dal Magro Cristian Bau , Rocha Joséilton Silveira da , Lavarda Carlos Eduardo Facin 
Published: December 2024

PurposeThe resource-based theory (RBT) explains that the management control system (MCS) represents a resource that complements dynamic capabilities by steering employees toward strategies, leading to superior performance. This study aims to identify the impacts of the MCS and dynamic capabilities such as entrepreneurship, innovation, organizational learning and market orientation on financial performance.Design/methodology/approachThe research sample included 200 managers from grain-producing agribusiness organizations in Brazil. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to conduct a symmetric analysis, while fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was applied for an asymmetric analysis.FindingsIn the symmetric analysis, the linear association model did not fully explain how the use of MCSs and dynamic capabilities drive financial performance. However, the findings indicate that diagnostic and interactive MCSs positively affect dynamic capabilities. In the asymmetric analysis, the results suggest that the high financial performance of the analyzed organizations can be achieved without considering the need for Entrepreneurship or Innovation.Research limitations/implicationsThe study broadens and complements the interpretive scope of previous studies and allows for comparisons.Practical implicationsMCSs must be used in a balanced and synergistic manner (diagnostic and interactive), with an emphasis on monitoring goals and discussions with managers. This is important and contributes to developing internal capabilities, which are embodied in decisions and actions, potentially impacting financial performance. These results are crucial for Brazilian agribusiness organizations, as they provide actionable insights into how the strategic use of MCSs can directly enhance financial performance. By revealing that the balanced and synergistic use of diagnostic and interactive MCSs fosters dynamic capabilities such as innovation and market orientation, the study offers practical guidance for managers aiming to boost organizational effectiveness. This research not only informs management practices but also positions Brazilian agribusinesses to remain competitive in a global market.Originality/valueThis study has generated new discussions based on possible combinations and interactions between MCSs and dynamic capabilities to predict high organizational performance. In practical terms, MCSs and dynamic capabilities can be designed in various manners to reach optimal performance levels.
Robot teleoperation assisted by composite virtual fixtures in dynamic environment
Authors: Shao Xingmao , Xie Lun , Li Weiqiang , Liu Chenjun 
Published: December 2024

Purpose
This study aims to propose a virtual fixture (VF) – assisted robot teleoperation framework that modulates the generated trajectory from demonstrations to response varying obstacles in complex environment.

Design/methodology/approach
First, a single trajectory is learned from demonstration using dynamic movement primitives (DMP). Then, the classic DMP is improved by integrating adaptive terms and updating the radial basis function kernel weights, allowing the single-skill trajectory to alter to respond to obstacles dynamically. Finally, composite virtual forces are generated on the haptic device to enhance operational stability and prevents unintentional operations that could bring the robot into close proximity with obstacles.

Findings
The VF method can accomplish online obstacle avoidance and operation guidance. The experimental results show that the operation trajectory based on VFs is smoother compared to the operation without assistance. Moreover, the operational speed has increased by up to 44.37% compared to the demonstrations.

Originality/value
The proposed composite VF-based protection framework solves the problem that classical DMP method cannot dynamically avoid obstacles, and effectively improves the operational safety and efficiency.
Delivering an inclusive built environment for students with disabilities in a Malaysian public university
Authors: Liu Zhifang , Jamil Emynordiana , Sawadengdist Anan , Hui Xianxin , Kalai K. , Tang Lingjie 
Published: December 2024

PurposeThis case study investigates the accessibility and inclusivity of the built environment for students with disabilities at a Malaysian public university.Design/methodology/approachUtilizing a qualitative approach, the research captures the lived experiences of four undergraduates with physical and visual disabilities through semi-structured interviews guided by the Americans with Disabilities Act checklist.FindingsFindings reveal mixed levels of accessibility across campus, highlighting well-designed areas with accessible pathways and ramps, contrasted with others lacking adequate features and posing significant risks, especially for visually impaired students. The study identifies key design shortcomings, including insufficient safety features in staircases and inconsistent availability of modern technological aids and human assistance. Despite some commendable initiatives, the research underscores the need for comprehensive accessibility audits, consistent application of universal design principles and improved support services. Limitations of the study include its small sample size and focus on a single institution.Originality/valueBy addressing these challenges, universities can foster a more inclusive and supportive environment for students with disabilities, promoting equality within higher education.
Does financial sector development promote economic globalization in Africa?
Authors: Baidoo Samuel Tawiah , Sakyi Daniel , Buabeng Emmanuel 
Published: December 2024

PurposeThis paper investigates whether financial sector development promotes economic globalization (EG) using data from 45 African countries.Design/methodology/approachUsing panel data of the selected African countries, the two-step system generalized method of moments estimation technique which is capable of solving any possible endogeneity problem is employed for the empirical analysis.FindingsThe main finding is that all measures of financial sector development have a significant positive impact on EG in Africa. The results suggest that improving the financial sector development in a holistic manner is key in fostering EG in Africa.Originality/valueThis present paper uses broader measures of EG and financial sector development. Using broader measures of these variables widens the policy scope in terms of policy adoption and implementation.
Cooperative maximum adhesion tracking control for multi-motor electric locomotives
Authors: Zhao Leiting , Wang Yongxiang , Liu Kan , Li Liran , Zhan Jingyuan , Liu Qingliang 
Published: December 2024

PurposeThis study aims to propose a cooperative adhesion control method for trains with multiple motors electric locomotives. The method is intended to optimize the output torque of each motor, maximize the utilization of train adhesion within the total torque command, reduce the train skidding/sliding phenomenon and achieve optimal adhesion utilization for each axle, thus realizing the optimal allocation of the multi-motor electric locomotives.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, a model predictive control (MPC)-based cooperative maximum adhesion tracking control method for multi-motor electric locomotives is presented. Firstly, train traction system with multiple motors is constructed in accordance with Newton’s second law. These equations include the train dynamics equations, the axle dynamics equations, and the wheel-rail adhesion coefficient equations. Then, a new MPC-based multi-axle adhesion co-optimization method is put forward. This method calculates the optimal output torque through real-time iteration based on the known reference slip speed to achieve multi-axle co-optimization under different circumstances.FindingsThis paper presents a MPC system designed for the cooperative control of multi-axle adhesion. The results indicate that the proposed control system is able to optimize the adhesion of multiple axles under numerous different conditions and achieve the optimal power distribution based on the reduction of train skidding/sliding.Originality/valueThis study presents a novel cooperative adhesion tracking control scheme. It is designed for multi-motor electric locomotives, which has rarely been studied before. And simulations are carried out in different conditions, including variable surfaces and motor failing.