bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Psychological state of a sample of patients with mood disorders during the first French COVID-19 lockdown
Authors: Olié Emilie , Dubois Jonathan , Benramdane Myriam , Guillaume Sébastien , Courtet Philippe 
Published: December 2021

AbstractSince the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, evidence shows the negative psychological impact of lockdown measures in the general population. It is also important to identify predictors of psychological distress in vulnerable people, particularly patients with history of depressive episodes (the most prevalent psychiatric disorder), in order to adapt mental health strategies for future lockdown measures. This study aim was to (1) compare in 69 healthy controls (HC) and 346 patients with a major depressive episode in the two previous years (PP) self-reported psychological symptoms (depression, anxiety, insomnia, suicidal ideation, traumatic stress, anger) and living conditions during the first national French lockdown, and (2) identify predictors of significant psychological distress in PP. The levels of psychological symptoms were very low in HC compared with PP, independently of the living conditions. Half of PP had no psychiatric contact during the lockdown. Loneliness and boredom were independent predictors of depression, anxiety and insomnia, whereas daily physical activity was a protective factor. Virtual contacts protected against suicidal ideation. Our results highlight the need of specific strategies to target loneliness and boredom and to improve care access, including telepsychiatry. Longitudinal studies must investigate the COVID-19 pandemic psychological impact in clinical samples.
The improved grasshopper optimization algorithm and its applications
Authors: Qin Peng , Hu Hongping , Yang Zhengmin 
Published: December 2021

AbstractGrasshopper optimization algorithm (GOA) proposed in 2017 mimics the behavior of grasshopper swarms in nature for solving optimization problems. In the basic GOA, the influence of the gravity force on the updated position of every grasshopper is not considered, which possibly causes GOA to have the slower convergence speed. Based on this, the improved GOA (IGOA) is obtained by the two updated ways of the position of every grasshopper in this paper. One is that the gravity force is introduced into the updated position of every grasshopper in the basic GOA. And the other is that the velocity is introduced into the updated position of every grasshopper and the new position are obtained from the sum of the current position and the velocity. Then every grasshopper adopts its suitable way of the updated position on the basis of the probability. Finally, IGOA is firstly performed on the 23 classical benchmark functions and then is combined with BP neural network to establish the predicted model IGOA-BPNN by optimizing the parameters of BP neural network for predicting the closing prices of the Shanghai Stock Exchange Index and the air quality index (AQI) of Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. The experimental results show that IGOA is superior to the compared algorithms in term of the average values and the predicted model IGOA-BPNN has the minimal predicted errors. Therefore, the proposed IGOA is an effective and efficient algorithm for optimization.
The proteome, not the transcriptome, predicts that oocyte superovulation affects embryonic phenotypes in mice
Authors: Taher Leila , Israel Steffen , Drexler Hannes C. A. , Makalowski Wojciech , Suzuki Yutaka , Fuellen Georg , Boiani Michele 
Published: December 2021

AbstractSuperovulation is the epitome for generating oocytes for molecular embryology in mice, and it is used to model medically assisted reproduction in humans. However, whether a superovulated oocyte is normal, is an open question. This study establishes for the first time that superovulation is associated with proteome changes that affect phenotypic traits in mice, whereas the transcriptome is far less predictive. The proteins that were differentially expressed in superovulated mouse oocytes and embryos compared to their naturally ovulated counterparts were enriched in ontology terms describing abnormal mammalian phenotypes: a thinner zona pellucida, a smaller oocyte diameter, increased frequency of cleavage arrest, and defective blastocyst formation, which could all be verified functionally. Moreover, our findings indicate that embryos with such abnormalities are negatively selected during preimplantation, and ascribe these abnormalities to incomplete ovarian maturation during the time of the conventional superovulation, since they could be corrected upon postponement of the ovulatory stimulus by 24 h. Our data place constraints on the common view that superovulated oocytes are suitable for drawing general conclusions about developmental processes, and underscore the importance of including the proteins in a modern molecular definition of oocyte quality.
Intramammary treatment using allogeneic pure platelet-rich plasma in cows with subclinical mastitis caused by Gram-positive bacteria
Authors: Duque-Madrid Paulo C. , Velasco-Bolaños Juan , Ceballos-Márquez Alejandro , López Catalina , Carmona Jorge U. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe aims of the study were (1) to compare the cure risk of intramammary treatment of pure platelet rich plasma (P-PRP) or cefquinome sulfate (CS) in cows with subclinical mastitis (SCM) caused by Gram-positive bacteria, evaluated via somatic cell count (SCC) and the microbiological analysis of milk; (2) to compare the inflammatory/anti-inflammatory response of mammary gland to both treatments through the analyses of interleukins (IL), interferon gamma (IFN-γ), and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in milk. A non-inferiority randomized clinical trial was conducted. The null hypothesis was that cure risk in the experimental group (P-PRP) was inferior to the reference group (CS). A total of 103 cows were selected according to SCC and presence of Gram-positive bacteria, 49 cows were treated with CS and 54 cows were treated with P-PRP after determination of its cellular and molecular quality control. Cure was assessed by milk analyses at day 21 and 22 after treatment. Cows that remained with SCM were retreated at day 26, and cure assessed at day 47 and 48. Overall, bacteriological cure was observed in 16 cows (30%) of the P-PRP group, and 35 cows (71%) in CS group. Staphylococcus aureus cure risk was higher in CS group, but inconclusive for Streptococcus spp. The mean SCC increased in relation to time only in the P-PRP group. A direct relation between time and treatment for IL-1, IL-2, and IL-6 was observed, while no differences were observed for IL-4. Furthermore, IL-1 and IL-2 increased in cows treated twice in both groups. IL-8, IFN-γ, and TNF-α showed a significant interaction between time and treatment. IFN-γ concentration was lower in the P-PRP group compared to the CS on days 0 and 22. Leukocyte counts were lower in P-PRP when compared to whole blood. TGF-β1 and PF4 concentrations were higher in platelet lysates in comparison to P-PRGS and plasma. Moreover, PDGF-BB concentration was significantly higher in platelet lysates in comparison to plasma. Results obtained in this study demonstrate that SCM treated with PRP showed a lower rate of bacteriologic cure when compared to animals treated with CS.
Peptide backbone modifications of amyloid β (1–40) impact fibrillation behavior and neuronal toxicity
Authors: Schwarze Benedikt , Korn Alexander , Höfling Corinna , Zeitschel Ulrike , Krueger Martin , Roßner Steffen , Huster Daniel 
Published: December 2021

AbstractFibril formation of amyloid β (Aβ) peptides is one of the key molecular events connected to Alzheimer’s disease. The pathway of formation and mechanism of action of Aβ aggregates in biological systems is still object of very active research. To this end, systematic modifications of the Phe19–Leu34 hydrophobic contact, which has been reported in almost all structural studies of Aβ40 fibrils, helps understanding Aβ folding pathways and the underlying free energy landscape of the amyloid formation process. In our approach, a series of Aβ40 peptide variants with two types of backbone modifications, namely incorporation of (i) a methylene or an ethylene spacer group and (ii) a N-methylation at the amide functional group, of the amino acids at positions 19 or 34 was applied. These mutations are expected to challenge the inter-β-strand side chain contacts as well as intermolecular backbone β-sheet hydrogen bridges. Using a multitude of biophysical methods, it is shown that these backbone modifications lead, in most of the cases, to alterations in the fibril formation kinetics, a higher local structural heterogeneity, and a somewhat modified fibril morphology without generally impairing the fibril formation capacity of the peptides. The toxicological profile found for the variants depend on the type and extent of the modification.
Low bend loss femtosecond laser written waveguides exploiting integrated microcrack
Authors: Lee Timothy , Sun Qi , Beresna Martynas , Brambilla Gilberto 
Published: December 2021

AbstractWe introduce the fabrication and use of microcracks embedded in glass as an optical element for manipulating light propagation, in particular for enhancing waveguide performance in silica integrated optics. By using a femtosecond laser to induce a strong asymmetric stress pattern in silica, uniform cracks with set dimensions can be created within the substrate and propagated along a fixed path. The smoothness of the resulting cleave interface and large index contrast can be exploited to enhance waveguide modal confinement. As a demonstration, we tackle the longstanding high bend-loss issue in femtosecond laser written silica waveguides by using this technique to cleave the outer edge of laser written waveguide bends, to suppress radiative bend loss. The microcrack cross section is estimated to be 15 μm in height and 30 nm in width, for the 10 $$\times$$
×
10 μm waveguides. At 1550 nm wavelength, losses down to 1 dB/cm at 10 mm bend radius were achieved, without introducing additional scattering. Both the cleave stress pattern and waveguide are fabricated with the same multiscan writing procedure, without requiring additional steps, and re-characterisation of the waveguides after 1 year confirm excellent long term performance stability.
Uncovering the characteristics of air pollutants emission in industrial parks and analyzing emission reduction potential: case studies in Henan, China
Authors: Gao Gengyu , Wang Shanshan , Xue Ruoyu , Liu Donghui , Ren He , Zhang Ruiqin 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIndustrial parks contribute greatly to China’s economic development while emitting huge air pollutants. It is necessary to study the characteristics of air pollutant emissions in industrial parks. In this study, emission inventories for 11 industrial parks were established. Meanwhile, the source emission and spatial distribution characteristics of the industrial park were analyzed. The cluster analysis was used to classify these parks into “4Hs”, “Mixed” and “4Ls” parks. “4Hs”, “Mixed” and “4Ls” represent that the levels of energy intensity, economic proportion of energy-intensive industries, coal proportion and pollution performance value are high, medium and low in turn. Then three emission reduction measures were set up to estimate the emission reduction potential and environmental impacts. The results show that: (1) the emissions of SO2, NOx, CO, PM10, PM2.5, VOCs and NH3 of 11 industrial parks in 2017 were 11.2, 23.1, 30.8, 8.3, 3.5, 5.1, and 1.1 kt, respectively. (2) Power plants were the largest source of SO2 and NOx emissions, and industrial processes were the largest emission source of CO, PM10, PM2.5, VOCs and NH3. (3) “4Hs” parks with traditional energy-intensive industries as the leading industries should be the emphasis of air pollutant emission reduction. (4) Through the optimal emission reduction measures, SO2, NOx, PM10, PM2.5 and VOCs were reduced by 81, 46, 51, 46 and 77%, respectively. Environmental impact reductions include 1.6 kt SO2eq acidified gas emissions, 1.4 kt PO43−eq eutrophication substances, 4.2 kt PM10eq atmospheric particulate emissions, 7.0 kt 1,4-DCEeq human toxic substances, and 5.2 kt PM2.5 eq breathing Inorganic. This study is helpful to understand the characteristics of air pollutants emissions in industrial parks and promotes the proposal and implementation of air pollutant emissions reduction strategies.
Life-long sports engagement enhances adult erythrocyte adenylate energetics
Authors: Pospieszna Barbara , Kusy Krzysztof , Slominska Ewa Maria , Zieliński Jacek 
Published: December 2021

AbstractRegular physical activity reduces age-related metabolic and functional decline. The energy stored in adenine nucleotides (ATP, ADP, and AMP) is essential to enable multiple vital functions of erythrocytes and body tissues. Our study aimed to predict the rate of age-related changes in erythrocyte adenylate energetics in athletes and untrained controls. The erythrocyte concentration of adenylates was measured in 68 elite endurance runners (EN, 20–81 years), 58 elite sprinters (SP, 21–90 years), and 62 untrained individuals (CO, 20–68 years). Resting concentrations of ATP, total adenine nucleotide pool, and ADP/AMP ratio were lowest in the CO group and highest in the SP group. The concentration of erythrocyte ADP and AMP was lowest in the EN group and highest in the CO group. In all studied groups, we found a significant increase in the concentration of most erythrocyte adenylate metabolites with age. For ADP and AMP, the trend was also significant but decreasing. Our study strongly suggests that lifelong sports and physical activity participation supports erythrocyte energetics preservation. Although the direction and the predicted rates of change are similar regardless of the training status, the concentrations of particular metabolites are more advantageous in highly trained athletes than in less active controls. Of the two analyzed types of physical training, sprint-oriented training seems to be more efficient in enhancing erythrocyte metabolism throughout adulthood and old age than endurance training.
Alpha-diversity and microbial community structure of the male urinary microbiota depend on urine sampling method
Authors: Hrbacek Jan , Morais Daniel , Cermak Pavel , Hanacek Vitezslav , Zachoval Roman 
Published: December 2021

AbstractConsiderable variation exists in the methodology of urinary microbiota studies published so far including the cornerstone of any biomedical analysis: sample collection. The aim of this study was to compare the urinary microbiota of first-catch voided urine (FCU), mid-stream voided urine (MSU) and aseptically catheterised urine in men and define the most suitable urine sampling method. Forty-nine men (mean age 71.3 years) undergoing endoscopic urological procedures were enrolled in the study. Each of them contributed three samples: first-catch urine (FCU), mid-stream urine (MSU) and a catheterised urine sample. The samples were subjected to next-generation sequencing (NGS, n = 35) and expanded quantitative urine culture (EQUC, n = 31). Using NGS,Bacteroidetes,Firmicutes,andProteobacteriawere the most abundant phyla in our population. The most abundant genera (in order of relative abundance) included:Prevotella,Veillonella,Streptococcus,Porphyromonas,Campylobacter,Pseudomonas,Staphylococcus,Ezakiella,EscherichiaandDialister. Eighty-two of 105 samples were dominated by a single genus. FCU, MSU and catheterised urine samples differed significantly in three of five alpha-diversity measures (ANOVA,p < 0.05): estimated number of operational taxonomic units, Chao1 and abundance-based coverage estimators. Beta-diversity comparisons using the PIME method (Prevalence Interval for Microbiome Evaluation) resulted in clustering of urine samples according to the mode of sampling. EQUC detected cultivable bacteria in 30/31 (97%) FCU and 27/31 (87%) MSU samples. Only 4/31 (13%) of catheterised urine samples showed bacterial growth. Urine samples obtained by transurethral catheterisation under aseptic conditions seem to differ from spontaneously voided urine samples. Whether the added value of a more exact reflection of the bladder microbiota free from urethral contamination outweighs the invasiveness of urethral catheterisation remains to be determined.
Past climate conditions predict the influence of nitrogen enrichment on the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration
Authors: Tian Peng , Liu Shengen , Zhao Xuechao , Sun Zhaolin , Yao Xiong , Niu Shuli , Crowther Thomas W. , Wang Qingkui 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe response of soil carbon release to global warming is largely determined by the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration, yet how this relationship will be affected by increasing atmospheric nitrogen deposition is unclear. Here, we present a global synthesis of 686 observations from 168 field studies to investigate the relationship between nitrogen enrichment and the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration. We find that the temperature sensitivity of total and heterotrophic soil respiration increased with latitude. In addition, for total and autotrophic respiration, the temperature sensitivity responded more strongly to nitrogen enrichment with increasing latitude. Temperature and precipitation during the Last Glacial Maximum were better predictors of how the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration responds to nitrogen enrichment than contemporary climate variables. The tentative legacy effects of paleoclimate variables regulate the response through shaping soil organic carbon and nitrogen content. We suggest that careful consideration of past climate conditions is necessary when projecting soil carbon dynamics under future global change.
Pathological manifestation of human endogenous retrovirus K in frontotemporal dementia
Authors: Phan Katherine , He Ying , Fu YuHong , Dzamko Nicolas , Bhatia Surabhi , Gold Julian , Rowe Dominic , Ke Yazi D. , Ittner Lars M. , Hodges John R. , Piguet Olivier , Kiernan Matthew C. , Halliday Glenda M. , Kim Woojin Scott 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Background
Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is a common form of younger-onset dementia with a proportion of cases overlapping pathologically and genetically with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Previous studies have identified that the human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K) is elevated in ALS serum and is associated with ALS TDP-43 pathology. In contrast, little is known about HERV-K changes in bvFTD. Here, we investigated the possible role of HERV-K in bvFTD.

Methods
We measured the HERV-K env gene in sporadic bvFTD (N = 63), sporadic ALS (N = 89), and control (N = 21) serum by ddPCR. We also analyzed HERV-K env, by qPCR, and the HERV-K reverse transcriptase protein, by confocal immunofluorescence microscopy, in the disease-affected superior frontal cortex of bvFTD with TDP-43 pathology.

Results
Here, we show that HERV-K env levels are significantly elevated (P = 3.5 × 10−6) in bvFTD compared to control serum, differentiating cases with an AUC value of 0.867. HERV-K env levels are also specifically elevated in the superior frontal cortex of bvFTD with TDP-43 pathology, with the HERV-K reverse transcriptase protein and TDP-43 deposit localized to the neuronal cytoplasm. Furthermore, in a neuronal cell line overexpression of TDP-43 induces HERV-K env transcription.

Conclusions
These results suggest that manifestation of HERV-K is associated with bvFTD TDP-43 pathology. Analysis of HERV-K in bvFTD may provide insight into an unrecognized but targetable perturbed pathology.
Direct synthesis of β-acyloxy aldehydes from linear allylic esters using O2 as the sole oxidant
Authors: Lei Shu-Hui , Zhong Ya , Cai Xian-Peng , Huang Qing , Qu Jian-Ping , Kang Yan-Biao 
Published: December 2021

A simple and practical preparation of β-O substituted aldehydes directly from linear allylic esters using oxygen as the sole oxidant and tert-butyl nitrite as a simple and sole redox cocatalyst is developed.
Highly insulating thermoplastic blends comprising a styrenic copolymer for direct‐current power cable insulation
Authors: Ouyang Yingwei , Pourrahimi Amir Masoud , Östergren Ida , Mellqvist Marcus , Ånevall Jakob , Soroudi Azadeh , Lund Anja , Xu Xiangdong , Gkourmpis Thomas , Hagstrand Per‐Ola , Müller Christian 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe impact of the composition of blends comprising low‐density polyethylene (LDPE), isotactic polypropylene (PP) and a styrenic copolymer additive on the thermomechanical properties as well as the direct‐current (DC) electrical and thermal conductivity is investigated. The presence of 5 weight percent (wt%) of the styrenic copolymer strongly reduces the amount of PP that is needed to enhance the storage modulus above the melting temperature of LDPE from 40 to 24 wt%. At the same time, the copolymer improves the consistency of the thermomechanical properties of the resulting ternary blends. While both the DC electrical and thermal conductivity strongly decrease with PP content, the addition of the styrenic copolymer appears to have little influence on either property. Evidently, PP in combination with small amounts of a styrenic copolymer not only allows to reinforce LDPE at elevated temperatures but also functions as an electrical conductivity‐reducing additive, which makes such thermoplastic ternary formulations possible candidates for the insulation of high‐voltage power cables.
Research on efficiency optimisation of DAB converters considering current stress and soft‐switching
Authors: Zeng Jinhui , Rao Yao , Lan Zheng , He Dong , Yu Xueping , Tu Chunming , Xiao Fan , Liu Bei 
Published: December 2021

AbstractTo solve the problem of low efficiency of the dual active bridge (DAB) converter under the traditional single‐phase‐shift control, a natural soft‐switching current stress optimisation (NSS‐CSO) method is proposed by considering the current stress optimisation and soft‐switching operation under dual‐phase‐shift (DPS) control. This study establishes the current stress and the soft‐switching analytical models of the DPS control global mode. Based on these models, the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker (KKT) condition is used to analyse the influence of the current stress optimisation methods on the efficiency when all switches achieve controlled soft‐switching or some switches achieve natural soft‐switching. It is found that the NSS‐CSO method is more efficient. Furthermore, the optimal phase‐shift ratio combinations and the corresponding current stress extremums of the NSS‐CSO method under various ranges of transmission power and voltage conversion ratio are deduced completely. The results of this study show that the NSS‐CSO method can effectively improve the operation efficiency of the DAB converter over the entire power range when the voltage conversion ratio does not match. Finally, experimental results confirm the accuracy of the theoretical analysis and the effectiveness of the proposed optimisation method.