bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Molecular Characterization and Elucidation of Pathways to Identify Novel Therapeutic Targets in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Authors: Yao Xiaoting , Jing Tian , Wang Tianxing , Gu Chenxin , Chen Xi , Chen Fengqiang , Feng Hao , Zhao Huiying , Chen Dekun , Ma Wentao 
Published: July 2021

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a life-threatening chronic cardiopulmonary disease. However, there are limited studies reflecting the available biomarkers from separate gene expression profiles in PAH. This study explored two microarray datasets by an integrative analysis to estimate the molecular signatures in PAH.Methods: Two microarray datasets (GSE53408 and GSE113439) were exploited to compare lung tissue transcriptomes of patients and controls with PAH and to estimate differentially expressed genes (DEGs). According to common DEGs of datasets, gene and protein overrepresentation analyses, protein–protein interactions (PPIs), DEG–transcription factor (TF) interactions, DEG–microRNA (miRNA) interactions, drug–target protein interactions, and protein subcellular localizations were conducted in this study.Results: We obtained 38 common DEGs for these two datasets. Integration of the genome transcriptome datasets with biomolecular interactions revealed hub genes (HSP90AA1, ANGPT2, HSPD1, HSPH1, TTN, SPP1, SMC4, EEA1, and DKC1), TFs (FOXC1, FOXL1, GATA2, YY1, and SRF), and miRNAs (hsa-mir-17-5p, hsa-mir-26b-5p, hsa-mir-122-5p, hsa-mir-20a-5p, and hsa-mir-106b-5p). Protein–drug interactions indicated that two compounds, namely, nedocromil and SNX-5422, affect the identification of PAH candidate biomolecules. Moreover, the molecular signatures were mostly localized in the extracellular and nuclear areas.Conclusions: In conclusion, several lung tissue-derived molecular signatures, highlighted in this study, might serve as novel evidence for elucidating the essential mechanisms of PAH. The potential drugs associated with these molecules could thus contribute to the development of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to ameliorate PAH.
How Do Spelling, Handwriting Speed, and Handwriting Quality Develop During Primary School? Cross-Classified Growth Curve Analysis of Children's Writing Development
Authors: Gosse Claire , Parmentier Michael , Van Reybroeck Marie 
Published: July 2021

Aim: Longitudinal studies are rare in the field of writing research, and little is known about the concurrent development of the two transcription skills: spelling and handwriting. This study was designed to provide a comprehensive picture of the development and the longitudinal relations between spelling, handwriting speed, and handwriting quality at the word level.Method: Over a period of 3 years (coh1: Grades 2–4; coh2: Grades 3–5), 117 French-speaking children were assessed on a single-word dictation task. At each testing time, measures of spelling accuracy, handwriting speed, and handwriting quality were collected on 40 words. Words varied in both orthographic and graphic complexity, making it possible to investigate the influence of these levels of complexity on transcription abilities.Results: Linear growth analyses using cross-classified Bayesian structural equation modeling (CC-BSEM) revealed that spelling and speed continued to improve until Grade 5, while handwriting quality reached an early plateau in Grade 2. In the younger cohort, graphic complexity had a significant influence on the pace of development of handwriting speed and on spelling and handwriting quality performance in Grade 2. In the older cohort, a positive relation between spelling and speed and a negative relation between handwriting speed and handwriting quality were found, indicating that fast handwriting is associated with high spelling ability and that fast handwriting is detrimental to handwriting quality. By providing a better understanding of writing development, this study yields innovative findings not only regarding the development of transcription skills but also regarding how spelling, handwriting speed, and handwriting quality can influence each other's performance throughout primary school.
Depression in the Mirror: Depression Severity and Its Link to Negative Judgments of Symptoms
Authors: Visco-Comandini Federica , Gragnani Andrea , Giacomantonio Mauro , Romano Giuseppe , Petrucci Manuel , Mancini Francesco 
Published: July 2021

Background and Objectives: Depressive states represent a normal and physiological response to the experience of loss. However, it is possible to identify some elements that allow distinguishing physiological depressive states from pathological ones. Over the years, research has confirmed that a stable tendency to negative self-evaluation is a transdiagnostic factor that triggers and amplifies dysfunctional emotional reactivity, thus contributing to the shift from normal to pathological reaction. In this sense, the secondary problem, or meta-emotional problem, referring to the negative evaluation of one's depressive state and the consequent dysfunctional attempts to solve it, seems to play an important role. The aim of the present study is to investigate how dysfunctional beliefs and the evaluations of depressive symptoms (meta-emotional problems) are related to depression severity.Methods: We asked to a community sample to focus on the depressive symptoms they regard as most distressful and evaluate them through specific questionnaires. One-hundred and eighty nine participants were asked to complete a set of questionnaires: (1) the Meta-Emotional Problem Questionnaire; (2) the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale; (3) the Beck Depression Inventory; (4) the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale-24 in order to investigate the relation between dysfunctional beliefs, meta-emotional problems, and depressive symptoms severity.Results: Our results show that higher levels of depression are associated both to more pervasive dysfunctional attitudes and increased evaluation of meta-emotional problem. In addition, we conduct a regression analysis to disentangle the impact of the two different measures of depressive symptoms (i.e., BDI-II and CES-D) with two explanatory variables (dysfunctional attitudes and meta-emotional problem). Results show that meta-emotional problem remains a significant and robust predictor of the severity of depressive symptomatology, while dysfunctional beliefs has a rather weak and non-significant relation with the criterion. In other words, meta-emotional problem consistently explains the higher variance of depressive symptoms than dysfunctional beliefs. In conclusion, our study shows a clear link between meta-emotional problem and depression severity. This is relevant for clinical practice, as it highlights the importance of specifically targeting beliefs about the depressive condition in cognitive-behavioral treatment of depression, since they represent crucial factors maintaining depressive symptomatologies.
Equity Effects of Dietary Nudging Field Experiments: Systematic Review
Authors: Schüz Benjamin , Meyerhof Hannah , Hilz Lisa Karla , Mata Jutta 
Published: July 2021

Background: Dietary behaviours are among the key modifiable risk factors for non-communicable diseases. Importantly, dietary behaviours vary substantially between groups and individuals with different socioeconomic positions, with more disadvantaged groups and individuals being exposed to more dietary risk factors. The goal of this review is to summarise the existing research on equity effects of dietary nudging interventions.Methods: Systematic review of nudging interventions conducted in a field setting that report an observable indicator of dietary behaviour, include a control group, and report effect sizes stratified by indicators of socioeconomic status as outlined in the PROGRESS-Plus framework. Two databases (scopus, Pubmed) were searched (last search June 2021), and 18 articles with 19 studies (k = 46 equity comparisons) were included. Risk of bias was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool. Due to heterogeneity in equity dimensions and study outcomes, a harvest plot was used to summarise data.Results: The majority of equity comparisons (38 out of 46) were available for cognitive nudges. Most of these (22 out of 38 comparisons) found that cognitive nudges worked equally well in more and less disadvantaged populations; however, in 12 out of the 38 comparisons, they favoured those who were less disadvantaged. Two out of four comparisons on behavioural nudges favoured more disadvantaged persons.Conclusions: The differential effects of dietary nudging interventions in this review can contribute to increases in health inequalities. At the same time, a substantial number of interventions showed no equity effects. Importantly, this review suggests that more research on nudging interventions and health equity is needed. Future interventions should report effect sizes stratified by indicators of social inequality.Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO (CRD42019137469)
Knowledge and Use of PEP and PrEP Among Key Populations Tested in Community Centers in Portugal
Authors: Simões Daniel , Meireles Paula , Rocha Miguel , Freitas Rosa , Aguiar Ana , Barros Henrique 
Published: July 2021

Background: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) have been increasingly available in Europe. Due to the high burden of HIV in key populations, these could benefit from their use. In 2016, in Portugal, an open, non-interval, prospective cohort study was established in a network of 26 community-based voluntary HIV/STI counseling and testing centers. Data collected included questions on PEP and PrEP knowledge and use. We aimed to estimate the proportion of PEP and PrEP knowledge and its use among key populations, visiting the centers between 2016 and 2019.Method and results: Individuals who self-identify as being among at least one key population for HIV, men who have sex with men (MSM), people who inject drugs (PWID), sex workers (SW), migrants, and male-to-female transgender individuals (MTF), responded to questions on PEP and PrEP knowledge and use while waiting for their test results between 2016 and 2019 (n = 12,893 for PEP; n = 10,973 for PrEP). Reported knowledge was low in all key populations for both tools: 15.7% of respondents reported knowing about PEP and 10.9% about PrEP over the course of 4 years. PEP was used by 1.8% and PrEP by 0.4% of the respondents, MSM being 88.9% of PrEP users, and 52.8% of PEP users. Multivariate logistic regression showed multiple factors associated with knowing the tools, including age, education, country of birth, gender, year of test, having a reactive HIV test in the same visit, reporting an STI or condomless sex in the last 12 months, and identifying with being MSM or SW.Conclusions: Knowledge and use of PEP and PrEP remain low among key populations in Portugal. The need remains to increase knowledge and use among those at risk for HIV infection.
Higher Leptin-to-Adiponectin Ratio Strengthens the Association Between Body Measurements and Occurrence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Liao Pei-Ju , Ting Ming-Kuo , Wu I-Wen , Chen Shuo-Wei , Yang Ning-I , Hsu Kuang-Hung 
Published: July 2021

Aim: This case–control study aimed to investigate the interrelations of body measurements and selected biomarkers in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods: We recruited 98 patients with T2DM and 98 controls from 2016 to 2018 in Taiwan. Body measurements were obtained using a three-dimensional body surface scanning system. Four biomarkers related to insulin resistance, adipokines, and inflammation were assayed. A multiple logistic regression model was used to perform multivariable analyses.Results: Four body measurements, namely waist circumference (odds ratio, OR = 1.073; 95% confidence interval, CI = 1.017–1.133), forearm circumference (OR = 1.227; 95% CI = 1.002–1.501), thigh circumference (OR = 0.841; 95% CI = 0.73–0.969), and calf circumference (OR = 1.25; 95% CI = 1.076–1.451), were significantly associated with T2DM. Leptin (OR = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.036–1.146) and adiponectin (OR = 0.982; 95% CI = 0.967–0.997) were significantly associated with T2DM. Six body measurement combinations, namely body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio, waist-to-thigh ratio, forearm-to-thigh ratio, and calf-to-thigh ratio (CTR), were significantly associated with T2DM. CTR had the strongest linear association with T2DM. Moderating effects of significant biomarkers, namely leptin and adiponectin, were observed. Participants with high leptin-to-adiponectin ratios and in the fourth CTR quartile were 162.2 times more prone to develop T2DM.Conclusions: We concluded that a combination of leptin and adiponectin modulated the strength of the association between body measurements and T2DM while providing clues for high-risk group identification and mechanistic conjectures of preventing T2DM.
Chlorella Vulgaris Photobioreactor for Oxygen and Food Production on a Moon Base—Potential and Challenges
Authors: Detrell Gisela 
Published: July 2021

A base on the Moon surface or a mission to Mars are potential destinations for human spaceflight, according to current space agencies’ plans. These scenarios pose several new challenges, since the environmental and operational conditions of the mission will strongly differ than those on the International Space Station (ISS). One critical parameter will be the increased mission duration and further distance from Earth, requiring a Life Support System (LSS) as independent as possible from Earth’s resources. Current LSS physico-chemical technologies at the ISS can recycle 90% of water and regain 42% of O2 from the astronaut’s exhaled CO2, but they are not able to produce food, which can currently only be achieved using biology. A future LSS will most likely include some of these technologies currently in use, but will also need to include biological components. A potential biological candidate are microalgae, which compared to higher plants, offer a higher harvest index, higher biomass productivity and require less water. Several algal species have already been investigated for space applications in the last decades, being Chlorella vulgaris a promising and widely researched species. C. vulgaris is a spherical single cell organism, with a mean diameter of 6 µm. It can grow in a wide range of pH and temperature levels and CO2 concentrations and it shows a high resistance to cross contamination and to mechanical shear stress, making it an ideal organism for long-term LSS. In order to continuously and efficiently produce the oxygen and food required for the LSS, the microalgae need to grow in a well-controlled and stable environment. Therefore, besides the biological aspects, the design of the cultivation system, the Photobioreactor (PBR), is also crucial. Even if research both on C. vulgaris and in general about PBRs has been carried out for decades, several challenges both in the biological and technological aspects need to be solved, before a PBR can be used as part of the LSS in a Moon base. Those include: radiation effects on algae, operation under partial gravity, selection of the required hardware for cultivation and food processing, system automation and long-term performance and stability.
Insecticidal Effect of Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles against Bactericera cockerelli Sulc. (Hemiptera: Triozidae) on Tomato Solanum lycopersicum
Authors: Gutiérrez-Ramírez José A. , Betancourt-Galindo Rebeca , Aguirre-Uribe Luis A. , Cerna-Chávez Ernesto , Sandoval-Rangel Alberto , Ángel Epifanio Castro-del , Chacón-Hernández Julio C. , García-López Josué I. , Hernández-Juárez Agustín 
Published: July 2021

The use of nanoparticles (NPs) has generated an alternative pest control. The objective was to evaluate the insecticidal effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs), and their combination on Bactericera cockerelli (Hemiptera: Triozidae) second-stage nymphs under laboratory and greenhouse conditions in tomato. The laboratory research was carried out with the leaf immersion bioassay method under a complete randomized design, and in the greenhouse by direct plant spraying under a randomized block design; in both designs, a control without NPs was added. Mortality was recorded every 24 h for 4 days. Both NPs in the laboratory and greenhouse showed toxicity to B. cockerelli nymphs. Results in the laboratory showed that NPs significantly caused increased mortality of 88, 99, and 100% 96 h after treatment of ZnO NPs, TiO2 NPs, and their combinations, at 1000, 100, and 250 ppm, respectively. Direct spray of plants in the greenhouse showed low mortality with 27, 32, and 23% after 96 h of ZnO NPs, TiO2 NPs, and their combinations, at 3000, 500, and 250 ppm, respectively. These results on B. cockerelli control seem promising. Nanoparticles as insecticides are a novel strategy, however, further investigation is required in field tests to obtain suitable efficacy for use in a pest management system.
Forest Biomass Collection from Systematic Mulching on Post-Fire Pine Regeneration with BioBaler WB55: Productivity, Cost and Comparison with a Conventional Treatment
Authors: Tolosana Eduardo , Bados Raquel , Laina Rubén , Bacescu Narcis Mihail , de la Fuente Teresa 
Published: July 2021

Post-wildfire regenerated Mediterranean pine stands have a high risk of wildfire recurrence. Preventive clearings are frequently applied in a mix of systematic and selective ways, being a potential biomass source using technologies such as the collector-bundler BioBaler WB55. Our research aimed to compare the BioBaler with a chain mulcher performing systematic mulching of 50% vs. 67% of stand surface over 11.4 ha dominated by Pinus pinaster Ait. regenerated after a severe wildfire. Time studies included the machinery GPS follow-up and the weighing of each produced bale. Environmental aspects were also assessed. A regression curve related BioBaler weight productivity (odt·Workh−1) to pine biovolume (cover (%) average tree height, m). Surface productivity (stand ha·Workh−1) was greater for both technologies when a lower percentage of the total surface was cleared, but less than theoretically predicted. The BioBaler’s economic balance, including the cost of further selective clearing and the income from biomass selling, was costlier than that of the mulcher—in the most representative strata, 475 EUR·ha−1 vs. 350 EUR·ha−1. Under the studied conditions, BioBaler was not economically competitive with the conventional treatment, its main constraint being low collection efficiency (31% of the standing biomass in the cleared surface, 5.33 out of 17.1 fresh tonnes·ha−1).
High Foam Phenotypic Diversity and Variability in Flocculant Gene Observed for Various Yeast Cell Surfaces Present as Industrial Contaminants
Authors: de Figueiredo Catarina M. , Hock Daniella H. , Trichez Débora , Magalhães Maria de Lourdes B. , Lopes Mario L. , de Amorim Henrique V. , Stambuk Boris U. 
Published: July 2021

Many contaminant yeast strains that survive inside fuel ethanol industrial vats show detrimental cell surface phenotypes. These harmful effects may include filamentation, invasive growth, flocculation, biofilm formation, and excessive foam production. Previous studies have linked some of these phenotypes to the expression of FLO genes, and the presence of gene length polymorphisms causing the expansion of FLO gene size appears to result in stronger flocculation and biofilm formation phenotypes. We performed here a molecular analysis of FLO1 and FLO11 gene polymorphisms present in contaminant strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae from Brazilian fuel ethanol distilleries showing vigorous foaming phenotypes during fermentation. The size variability of these genes was correlated with cellular hydrophobicity, flocculation, and highly foaming phenotypes in these yeast strains. Our results also showed that deleting the primary activator of FLO genes (the FLO8 gene) from the genome of a contaminant and highly foaming industrial strain avoids complex foam formation, flocculation, invasive growth, and biofilm production by the engineered (flo8∆::BleR/flo8Δ::kanMX) yeast strain. Thus, the characterization of highly foaming yeasts and the influence of FLO8 in this phenotype open new perspectives for yeast strain engineering and optimization in the sugarcane fuel-ethanol industry.
Growth, Chemical Composition, Histology and Antioxidant Genes of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) Fed Whole or Pre-Processed Nannochloropsis oceanica and Tetraselmis sp.
Authors: Sørensen Solveig Lysfjord , Ghirmay Ateshm , Gong Yangyang , Dahle Dalia , Vasanth Ghana , Sørensen Mette , Kiron Viswanath 
Published: July 2021

New sustainable feed ingredients are a necessity for the salmon aquaculture industry. In this study, we examined the effect of pre-extrusion processing of two microalgae, Nannochloropsis oceanica and Tetraselmis sp., on the growth, fatty acid content in the flesh and health of Atlantic salmon. The fish were fed one of the following five diets for nine weeks: (1) CO: a fish meal-based control (basal) diet, (2) NU: a Nannochloropsis diet, (3) NE: a pre-extruded Nannochloropsis diet, (4) TU: a Tetraselmis diet, and (5) TE: a pre-extruded Tetraselmis diet. The algae-incorporated diets contained 30% of the respective microalgae. Our results showed that the best growth performance was achieved by the CO diet, followed by the NE diets. Feeding of unprocessed Nannochloropsis and Tetraselmis resulted in a significant reduction in enterocyte vacuolization compared to the CO feeding. A significant effect of processing was noted in the fillet fatty acid content, the intestine and liver structure and the expression of selected genes in the liver. The expression of antioxidant genes in both the liver and intestine, and the accumulation of different fatty acids in the fillet and liver of the extruded algae-fed groups, warrants further investigation. In conclusion, based on the short-term study, 30% inclusion of the microalgae Nannochloropsis oceanica and Tetraselmis sp. can be considered in Atlantic salmon feeds.
Multimodal Patient-Specific Registration for Breast Imaging Using Biomechanical Modeling with Reference to AI Evaluation of Breast Tumor Change
Authors: Xue Cheng , Tang Fuk-Hay , Lai Christopher W. K. , Grimm Lars J. , Lo Joseph Y. 
Published: July 2021

Background: The strategy to combat the problem associated with large deformations in the breast due to the difference in the medical imaging of patient posture plays a vital role in multimodal medical image registration with artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives. How to build a breast biomechanical model simulating the large-scale deformation of soft tissue remains a challenge but is highly desirable. Methods: This study proposed a hybrid individual-specific registration model of the breast combining finite element analysis, property optimization, and affine transformation to register breast images. During the registration process, the mechanical properties of the breast tissues were individually assigned using an optimization process, which allowed the model to become patient specific. Evaluation and results: The proposed method has been extensively tested on two datasets collected from two independent institutions, one from America and another from Hong Kong. Conclusions: Our method can accurately predict the deformation of breasts from the supine to prone position for both the Hong Kong and American samples, with a small target registration error of lesions.