bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
S-Press leg strengthening device in community inpatient wards: patient suitability, sit-to-stand ability, and patient-rated comfort outcomes
Authors: Griffiths Chris , Walker Kate , Lakkappa Bharath 
Published: December 2024

AbstractBackgroundLeg muscle deconditioning due to hospitalisation results in loss of muscle strength, physical immobility, and decreased ability to carry out activities of daily living. This causes delayed discharges, more nursing, carer, or social service support following discharge, possible discharge to care home rather than the patient’s own home, and increased risk of readmissions. Leg muscle deconditioning is associated with increased mortality, infections, and depression. Enhancing leg muscle strength should form part of in-patients’ rehabilitation plans. Progressive resistance training (PRE) offers a cost-effective way of preserving and improving muscle strength and function; however, it is not typically carried out in hospital.ObjectiveTo examine patient suitability, sit-to-stand ability, and patient-rated comfort outcomes of a leg strength training device (S-Press) in five community inpatient wards in England’s National Health Service (NHS).MethodsDesign: an open-label patient cohort design with no control group. Collection of the following data: reason for admission, number of times S-Press was used, number of repetitions, set up position used in, resistance levels used, increase in resistance level over use, time for five-times sit-to-stand, and patient reported comfort rating. Measures of sit-to-stand were conducted before use of S-Press and before discharge.ResultsAn extensive range of admission reasons were recorded for 45 patients who used S-Press, indicating widespread suitability. Forty patients had information on set up position used in: 25 (62.5%) in chair, 13 (32.5%) on bed, and 2 (5%) in wheelchair. Out of 28 people who used S-Press more than once, the average number of S-Press sessions was 5.2, with 57% increasing resistance level and number of repetitions. Five-times sit-to-stand data collected for 16 participants showed all had a reduced length of time taken to sit-to-stand. There was an average reduction in five-times sit-to-stand of 17.4 seconds. Thirty-seven patients rated comfort out of 10, the most frequent rating was 10 out of 10 (15 out of the 37); average rating was 8.73.ConclusionThe S-Press is beneficial for patients’ rehabilitation by offering PRE that is simple and easy to use and can be integrated as part of their rehabilitation plans. Patients with a wide variety of reasons for admission can use S-Press to strengthen their legs, either in a chair, wheelchair or bed as required. The majority of patients increased resistance and repetitions that they could do, indicating increased leg strength. Most patients find S-Press to be very comfortable to use. Five-times sit-to-stand improvements were seen for all those measured; speeding up this essential functional process is linked to increased mobility and ability to carry out activities of daily living. S-Press could be introduced to the most hospital wards.
Impact of climate change on diarrhoea risk in low- and middle-income countries
Authors: Fatima Syeda H. , Judge Melinda A. , Le Souëf Peter N. , Bradshaw Corey J. A. 
Published: December 2024

AbstractDiarrhoea remains a leading cause of mortality among children under five years of age, with over 99% of deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Poor water quality, inadequate sanitation, poverty, undernutrition, and limited healthcare access contribute to this lingering problem, along with emerging environmental stressors driven by climate change. We analysed long-term spatial relationships between environmental, socioeconomic, and maternal/child factors usingDemographic and Health SurveysandWorldClimdata across eight South and Southeast Asian countries (n= 66,545 clusters; 3,143,811 child-level observations).We employed boosted regression trees to assess variable importance across five thematic phases: socio-economic, maternal, child, climate, and combined. We selected variables based on biological plausibility, collinearity checks, and completeness. We addressed uncertainty through multiple imputation and stochastic resampling, and we evaluated model performance using cross-validation.The main predictors of diarrhoea incidence included annual temperature variability, precipitation in the wettest month, maternal education, and household size. Higher annual temperature range (30–40 °C) was associated with a ∼ 39% increase in diarrhoea probability, while lower precipitation in the wettest month (< 600 mm) increased risk by ∼ 29%, highlighting the role of drier conditions. We found that maternal education < 8 years increased diarrhoea probability by ∼ 18%, and household sizes exceeding six members increased it by ∼ 9%.Our findings emphasise the need for climate-resilient public-health policies that integrate social and environmental determinants of diarrhoea. Targeted interventions — including improved maternal education, water and sanitation infrastructure, and resource management in densely populated households — are necessary to mitigate diarrhoea risk in vulnerable regions under changing climate conditions.
TSvelo: Comprehensive RNA velocity by modeling cascade of gene regulation, transcription and splicing
Authors: Li Jiachen , Wang Zhe , Shen Hong-Bin , Yuan Ye 
Published: December 2024

AbstractRNA velocity approaches fit gene dynamics and infer cell fate by modeling the splicing process using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. However, due to short time scale of splicing, high noise and large complexity of data, existing RNA velocity methods often fail to precisely capture the complex velocity dynamics for individual gene and single cell, which makes its downstream analysis less reliable and less robust. We proposeTSvelo, a comprehensive RNAvelocity mathematics framework that can model cascade of gene regulation,Transcription andSplicing using highly interpretable neural Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) with an Expectation-Maximization (EM) solution. TSvelo can precisely capture the transcription-unspliced-spliced 3D dynamics of all genes simultaneously, infer unified latent time shared by genes within single cell, detect key gene regulatory relations and be applied to multi-lineage datasets. Experiments on six scRNA-seq datasets, including two multi-lineage datasets, demonstrate TSvelo’s superiority.
Slow-growingSalmonella entericaTyphi mis-identified asSalmonellaGallinarum in Ibadan, Nigeria
Authors: Sunmonu Gabriel Temitope , Ogunleye Veronica O , Ikhimiukor Odion O. , Popoola Oluwafemi , Osadebamwen Precious E. , Kehinde Aderemi , Okeke Iruka N 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTSalmonella enterica serovar Typhi is endemic in Nigeria whereS. Gallinarum is rarely reported. ProbableS. Gallinarum was blood-cultured from three Ibadan patients within 10-days leading to suspicion of an outbreak. All three isolates were re-identified using VITEK-2, whole genome sequenced on Illumina and Oxford Nanopore platforms and confirmed asS. Typhi genotype 3.1.1. Two isolates from the same household had no single nucleotide polymorphisms, suggesting a point-source, but the third was an independent infection event. The isolates formed small colonies, were negative for motility by hanging drop method, and in Sulphide-Indole-Motility medium at 24h, but positive after 48h incubation. Hybrid genome assemblies revealed chromosomal fragment arrangements with imbalances on either side oforiandter, which has been shown to slowS. Typhi growth. SuspectedS. Gallinarum isolates in typhoid endemic areas should be evaluated biochemically and for motility after extended incubation, and verified by serological or molecular methods.Main contributions of the researchThis study demonstrates that slow-growingSalmonellaTyphi can be mis-identified asS. Gallinarum in resource-limited endemic countries.Extended motility testing and confirmatory testing can avoid S. Gallinarum miss-calls.The genetic basis for slow-growth may be chromosomal rearrangements at rrn operons, which are known to occur in S.Typhi
Perceiving direction of deformation-based motion
Authors: Kawabe Takahiro 
Published: December 2024

AbstractTransparent liquid flow deforms its background through light refraction, creating complex spatiotemporal patterns that challenge the visual system in discerning flow direction. This study investigates how the visual system perceptually resolves the direction of transparent liquid flow. Using two-dimensional 1/f noise as background, we sequentially deformed the noise with pre-defined displacement maps displaced across frames, systematically manipulating spatial frequency and displacement magnitude. Participants reported the perceived direction of deformation-based motion. The results emphasize the critical role of the relationship between the minimum wavelength and displacement magnitude. Performance declined when the displacement magnitude exceeded a certain proportion relative to the wavelength. Conversely, performance also dropped significantly under conditions of small displacements combined with low cut-off frequencies. Further analysis revealed the local deformation possibly hinders the detection of deformation-based motion. These findings enhance understanding of how global and local motion cues interact, providing insight into the visual system’s processing of deformation-induced motion and transparency.
Longer Interstimulus Intervals Enhance Efficacy of Automated Phase-Targeted Auditory Stimulation on Procedural Memory Consolidation
Authors: Kasties Vanessa , Meier Nicole , Moser Nora-Hjördis , Sassenburg Renske , Karlen Walter , Ferster Maria Laura , Fattinger Sara , Maric Angelina , Huber Reto 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTUp-phase-targeted auditory stimulation (up-PTAS) during slow-wave sleep has become a valuable tool for modulating slow oscillations and slow-oscillation-spindle-coupling in favor of overnight memory retention. Developing effective, automated protocols for translation into more naturalistic or clinical settings is an ongoing challenge, especially given that current PTAS protocols and their behavioral effects vary greatly between different studies. Here, we assessed the electrophysiological and behavioral effects of systematically varying interstimulus intervals (ISIs) in automated up-PTAS in the home setting, using a mobile PTAS device and app-based behavioral tasks. Building on studies suggesting a non-linear relationship between stimulus number and PTAS effects, we show that applying fewer stimuli with longer ISIs enhanced overnight memory consolidation of a finger-tapping sequence more effectively than applying more stimuli with shorter ISIs. The behavioral response was predicted by the number of stimuli with auditory evoked K-complexes relative to the number of stimuli without K-complexes. PTAS stimuli applied at longer ISIs (> 1.25) were associated with a higher likelihood of K-complex responses and fast spindles nesting in the K-complex up-phase. Our results suggest that up-PTAS can be optimized for overnight memory consolidation by introducing ISIs of at least 1.25s. Our study highlights the feasibility of longitudinal at-home PTAS combined with app-based behavioral tasks in healthy participants while leveraging the mechanistic insights such data can offer.Statement of SignificancePhase-targeted auditory stimulation (PTAS) holds great promise for non-invasively enhancing essential functions of slow-wave sleep. However, current protocols have produced variable results and are often confined to laboratory settings. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of a mobile application of automated PTAS and provides experimental evidence that prolonging interstimulus intervals positively affects overnight procedural memory consolidation via K-complexes and coupled sleep spindles. As K-complexes may also be involved in cardiovascular function and brain waste clearance, the proposed protocol optimization may have effects beyond memory enhancement. Together, our findings lay a foundation for a broader application of PTAS in clinical longitudinal studies to improve patient care and recovery outcomes.
Modulating Peripheral Neural Activity: Prolonged Low-Intensity Ultrasound for Controlled Excitation and Suppression in Rat Sciatic Nerve
Authors: Badawe Heba M. , Mourad Pierre D. , Khraiche Massoud L. 
Published: December 2024

AbstractObjectiveLow-intensity, low-frequency ultrasound has shown promise for neuromodulation, particularly for influencing peripheral neural activity. However, the precise parameters required to modulate neuronal activity consistently remain poorly understood, limiting its broader application. Here, we investigate the effects of varying sonication duration (SD) and duty cycle (DC) on motor neuronal responses in the rat sciatic nerve, focusing on understanding how cumulative energy exposure influences the activation, enhancement, or suppression of peripheral neural activity during ultrasound neuromodulation.ApproachWe apply low-intensity, low-frequency ultrasound to the rat sciatic nerve in vivo at different sonication durations (30s, 60s, 90s, and 120s) and duty cycles (30%, 50%, and 80%). The cumulative energy exposure is calculated as the product of spatial-peak pulse-average intensity, SD, and DC. Electromyographic (EMG) activity in the gastrocnemius muscle is measured, and the thermal effects are monitored to ensure a non-cavitational, non-thermal application.Main ResultsOur findings demonstrate that higher cumulative energy exposures suppress EMG activity in the gastrocnemius muscle (enervated by the sciatic nerve). However, lower cumulative energy exposures enhance EMG activity and motor stimulation. Notably, the ultrasound-induced EMG changes persisted for 5 minutes post-sonication – three to five times longer than the application duration -- underscoring the therapeutic potential of ultrasound for precise neural control. In vivo evaluations suggest the mechanical nature of the observed effects without any significant temperature increase or induction of cavitation. In vivo evaluations suggest the mechanical nature of the observed effects without any significant temperature increase or induction of cavitation.SignificanceInterestingly, our results show a switch from excitation to suppression of electrically evoked EMG activity following ultrasound sonication depending on the acquired cumulative energy. This study establishes a safe parameter space for prolonged neuromodulation, demonstrating its potential for therapeutic applications that can precisely modulate peripheral nervous system activity. These findings contribute to the development of ultrasound-based treatments for neurological conditions, offering a novel and controllable method for peripheral nerve stimulation.
DIS3L2 is essential for neural crest survival by modulating Akt signaling
Authors: D’Silva Sian , Prasad Tuhina , Kumar Megha 
Published: December 2024

AbstractDIS3 like 3’-5’ exoribonuclease 2 (DIS3L2), an exoribonuclease is known to preferentially degrade uridylated RNA substrates, miRNAs, and ncRNAs. Recent reports show that DIS3L2 also plays a key role in cell proliferation and tumor growth. Mutations inDIS3L2are associated with congenital disorders such as Perlman syndrome, yet the developmental functions of DIS3L2 remain unknown. We report the developmental role ofdis3l2in neural crest specification, patterning, and survival in the zebrafish embryo.Dis3l2morphants exhibited reduced expression of neural crest specifier genes coupled with extensive apoptosis in the neural tissue. Our study demonstrates that DIS3L2 regulates neuronal apoptosis and progenitor functions through the Akt –GSK3β signaling pathway. Additionally, we show that DIS3L2 is essential for early mitoses in the zebrafish blastula and plays a key role in maintaining spindle length at metaphase, chromosome congression, spindle pole integrity, and cytokinesis. In summary, we identify new functions of exoribonuclease DIS3L2 in cell fate specification, neural progenitor survival, and mitosis during embryogenesis which form the underlying basis ofDIS3L2-associatedovergrowth Perlman syndrome.Plain English summaryDIS3 like 3’-5’ exoribonuclease 2 (DIS3L2) degrades mRNAs and various RNA substrates in the eukaryotic cells. DIS3L2 mutations are associated with congenital overgrowth syndromes like Perlman syndrome and Wilm’s tumor. The role of DIS3L2 in regulating the embryonic processes remains poorly understood. Our study delineates the developmental functions of DIS3L2 in cell fate determination, survival, and proliferation during vertebrate embryogenesis using zebrafish embryos as a model. We show that DIS3L2 plays a key role in neural crest survival and patterning by modulating Akt-GSKβ signaling. We also report unique molecular functions of DIS3L2 in mitotic fidelity and cytokinesis during embryonic mitoses. Our study provides novel insights into the molecular functions of DIS3L2 in regulating neuronal apoptosis during embryonic brain morphogenesis and associated CNS disorders.
Hot QCD matter around the chiral crossover: A lattice study with
O(a)
-improved Wilson fermions
Authors: Krasniqi Ardit , Cè Marco , Hudspith Renwick J. , Meyer Harvey B. 
Published: December 2024

Using lattice QCD simulations with O(a)-improved Wilson quarks and physical up, down, and strange quark masses, we investigate the properties of thermal QCD matter at the temperatures T={128,154,192}  MeV with a fixed lattice spacing a=0.064  fm and volume V=(6.1  fm)3. We find that the pion quasiparticle, defined as the low-energy pole in the two-point function of the axial charge, becomes lighter as the temperature increases, and we give an argument based on hydrodynamics as to why the pole becomes purely diffusive above the chiral crossover. We study the thermal modification of the isovector vector spectral function using the Backus-Gilbert method, finding an enhancement at low energies and a depletion at energies around 1 GeV. The analogous study of the axial-vector channel reveals a larger enhancement at energies below 1 GeV, and we show that these findings are consistent with rigorous spectral sum rules. The difference between vector and axial-vector correlators, an order parameter for chiral symmetry, turns out to be overall suppressed by more than an order of magnitude at the crossover.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Substrate, temperature, and magnetic field dependence of electric polarization in mixed-stacking tetralayer graphenes
Authors: Sarsfield Patrick Johansen , Garcia-Ruiz Aitor , Fal'ko Vladimir I. 
Published: December 2024

Polytypes of tetralayer graphene (TLG: Bernal, rhombohedral, and mixed stacking) are crystalline structures with different symmetries. Among those, mixed-stacking tetralayers lack inversion symmetry, which allows for intrinsic spontaneous out-of-plane electrical polarization, inverted in the mirror-image pair, ABCB and ABAC stackings. Here, we compare the intrinsic polarization of such TLGs with the symmetry-breaking effect of a substrate, which can also generate out-of-plane electric dipole moments with different sizes in all four polytypes, including ABCB and ABAC twins. We analyze their temperature and magnetic field dependence, in view of understanding the origin of the recently measured Kelvin probe force microscopy maps of tetralayer flakes [S. S. Atri ], and notice that the intrinsic contribution could be singled out based on magnetic field dependence of polarization measured at low temperatures.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Exploring factors influencing consumer behavior towards food waste reduction in buffet style restaurants
Authors: Zhu Qianni (Jacqueline) , Liu Pei 
Published: December 2024

PurposeThis research examines the elements that influence consumer behavior regarding food waste reduction in buffet style restaurants. It specifically analyzes the factors that affect consumers' efforts to reduce food waste in these establishments by incorporating the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the norm activation model (NAM), and the social exchange theory (SET). Additionally, this study provides practical coping strategies for the restaurant industry.Design/methodology/approachDrawing upon an integrated framework, the study collected 547 valid responses through an online survey on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) for structural equation analysis. Participants who are 18 years or older and have prior experience dining in buffet style restaurants were eligible to participate in the study.FindingsThe findings underscore the profound impact of consumer awareness on their attitudes (ATT) toward minimizing food waste. Moreover, subjective norms (SN), perceived behavioral control (PBC), personal norms (PN) and establishment policies emerge as critical drivers of consumer behavior in buffet style dining settings. In light of these results, recommended strategies include enhancing consumer awareness initiatives and introducing house policies within restaurant operations.Originality/valueThis study employs an integrated framework that combines the NAM and TPB, taking into account the impact of house policies grounded in the SET. It provides a beneficial insight on reducing food waste in the buffet style foodservice operations from an interactive dynamic perspective between restaurants and consumers. Furthermore, this research offers valuable implications to the industry’s efforts to address food waste concerns and foster environmentally responsible behavior among consumers.
The dilemma of accuracy in bankruptcy prediction: a new approach using explainable AI techniques to predict corporate crises
Authors: Fasano Francesco , Adornetto Carlo , Zahid Iliess , La Rocca Maurizio , Montaleone Luigi , Greco Gianluigi , Cariola Alfio 
Published: December 2024

Purpose Our aim is to develop a highly precise corporate crisis prediction model that surpasses previous versions, rooted in the forefront of technological advancements.Design/methodology/approach Artificial Intelligence (AI) for corporate default prediction with a novel approach based on a mix of techniques, enabling it to achieve a higher accuracy. We investigated models with sequence lengths that were both fixed and variable, and we chose the best variable sequence length model.Findings Our findings demonstrate that the artificial techniques implemented lead to very high accuracy in predicting business crises compared to previous research efforts, even those utilising long-time sequences or a high volume of observations.Research limitations/implications We highlight the key variables with a higher predictive power that need monitoring to prevent business crises. We also aim to open a new avenue of research that, starting from the use of these techniques and our results, can implement models incorporating non-accounting variables to prevent business crises.Practical implications We provide a model/tool that assesses a possible business crisis in advance through a monitoring and alert system. Policymakers can use our research’s output as a tool to combine with current credit-scoring systems and to assess the effectiveness of the new corporate crisis reforms that are upcoming in many European countries. The results of our research can be useful also to banks, public entities, and consulting firms that interact with companies and are interested in the evaluation of a firm’s financial health and stability.Originality/value Our innovative work leverages cutting-edge methodologies such as deep Recurrent Neural Networks and explainable AI. This choice is driven by the rapid evolution of AI techniques in practical application.