bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of pretreatment type on the physico-chemical properties of activated carbons derived from an invasive weed Prosopis juliflora: potential applications
Authors: Sivaraman Subramaniyasharma , Shanmugam Saravanan Ramiah , Venkatachalam Ponnusami , Shanmugam Ratheeshkumar , Chan Basha Arul , Saady Noori M Cata 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
This study investigates the effects of various pretreatment methods on the physico-chemical properties of activated carbons produced from the biochar of an invasive weed species, Prosopis juliflora. Utilizing a thermochemical conversion technique such as pyrolysis, followed by chemical and physical activation processes, we aimed to assess the functional characteristics of the resulting biochar for potential industrial applications. The pretreatments involved acidic (H2SO4, H3PO4, and ZnCl2), basic (KOH and NH4OH) and oxidizing agents (H2O2), and physical methods like air activation. Comprehensive characterization techniques, namely BET analysis, x-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Ultimate Analysis, and pHpzc, were utilized to assess the influence of activation conditions. Principal component analysis was employed to elucidate the relationships between different activation methods and the physico-chemical properties of the activated carbons. Results from this study revealed that the choice of activation agent significantly influences the material’s structure and chemistry. The activation process of activated carbon (AC) is significantly influenced by temperature and the agent used. KOH-AC exhibited bulk oxygen content (5.96%) with a high bulk carbon content (91.73%), while Air-AC has a comparatively high bulk oxygen content (40.71%). The XPS data shows variations in carbon content and oxygen functional groups, influenced by the activation agent and temperature used during the process. The ranking of surface oxygen content was Air-AC (39.93%) > H2O2-AC (22.77%) > NH4OH-AC (17.61%). This study highlights the potential of Prosopis juliflora-derived biochar in diverse applications by tailoring its physico-chemical properties through specific activation processes, thereby also contributing to the upcycling of this invasive species.
Tropical tree species with high wood specific gravity have higher concentrations of wood phosphorus and are more efficient at resorbing it
Authors: González-Melo Andrés , Posada Juan Manuel , Beauchêne Jacques , Lehnebach Romain , Clair Bruno 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) play important roles in plant metabolism and hydraulic balance, respectively, while calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) are important components of cell walls. Although significant amounts of these nutrients are found in wood, relatively little is known on how the wood concentrations of these nutrients are related to other wood traits, or on the factors driving the resorption of these nutrients within stems. We measured wood nutrient (i.e. P, K, Ca, and Mg) concentrations, wood specific gravity (WSG), as well as wood fibre and parenchyma fractions, in both inner (i.e. close to the pith) and outer (i.e. close to the bark) wood, for 22 tree species from a rainforest of eastern Amazonia. We first examined the associations of wood nutrient concentrations with WSG, fibre fractions, and parenchyma fractions. Then, we assessed whether resorption rates (i.e. difference between heartwood and sapwood nutrient contents) differed among nutrients, and whether nutrient resorption rates were related to species ecological strategies. WSG was unrelated to wood Ca, positively related to wood P in outer wood, and negatively related to inner wood Mg, as well as to both inner and outer wood K. Overall, nutrients were unrelated or negatively related to fibre and parenchyma fractions, except for wood Ca and wood P, which were positively related to fibre and axial parenchyma fractions in outer wood, respectively. We found that resorption rates did not differ among nutrients, and that P resorption rates were higher in high WSG, while K, Ca, and Mg resorption rates were unrelated to WSG. This study illustrates that the relationships of wood nutrient concentration with WSG and cell type fractions can be nutrient-specific. Our results indicate that, excluding a positive association between wood Ca and fibre fractions, and between wood P and axial parenchyma fractions, wood nutrients were mostly unrelated to anatomical traits. Our findings also suggest that high-WSG (i.e. shade-tolerant) species store higher amounts of wood P, and are more efficient at resorbing wood P, than low-WSG (i.e. fast-growing) species. These insights are important to increase our understanding on wood nutrient allocation, nutrient resorption, and tree ecological strategies in lowland tropical forests.
The Colombian Santurbán Páramo saga and its contribution to the development of international investment law and arbitration
Authors: Andreotti Nicolò 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
The Colombian Santurbán Páramo saga is a series of three arbitral proceedings initiated by Canadian companies claiming that Colombia’s actions with regard to the protection of the Santurbán Páramo area, a high-altitude wetland ecosystem on the Colombian Andes, had negatively impacted their mining activities. The three proceedings, which concluded with three awards in 2024, were characterized by the presence of different interests at stake. In fact, while markets represent the Santurbán Páramo as a source of gold to feed the global economy, local communities see the area as a key source of water as well as a fragile ecosystem deserving protection. From an international investment law’s standpoint, the analysis of the Colombian Santurbán Páramo saga offers the possibility to reflect on several key aspects of investment treaty provisions as well as customary international law. In this light, the findings of the three tribunals on expropriation, minimum standard of treatment, and exception clauses will likely be considered by future investment tribunals which have to adjudicate environmental-related disputes. This holds a fortiori true if one considers that more and more disputes will be based on new-generation investment agreements, which generally contain provisions like those of the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Area.
The Linear Retrograde Infiltration (LiRi) Technique for Buttock Fat Infiltration: A Cohort Evolution
Authors: Durán Vega Héctor César , Sieber David , Magallanes Sofia , Manzaneda Raul , Flores Emanuel , Viaro Mauricio , Uribe Humberto , Echaury Alejandro Lopez 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background
Autologous fat grafting in the buttocks has gained great popularity However, one of the main risks is infiltration of fat into the systemic venous system, leading to potential complications such as macroscopic fatty embolism, which can be fatal.

Objectives
This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of linear retrograde infiltration (LiRi) for autologous fat grafting in the buttocks, and its evolution over a 6-month follow-up period.

Methods
The procedure was performed in 114 patients. The technique used strict ultrasound guidance with a 4- to 5-mm basket cannula or a cannula with 4 crosshead holes. The cannula was placed in the deep subcutaneous space, and its path was confirmed with ultrasound to avoid penetrating the deep gluteal fascia. Once confirmed, the ultrasound was removed, and fat was infiltrated retrogradely.

Results
A minor complication rate of 7% was observed, consisting of fat cysts (7%), asymmetries (5%), contour irregularities (2%), and fat necrosis in 1 case, with no infections or fat embolisms. Statistical analysis showed no significant correlation between complications and variables such as BMI or the total volume of infiltration.

Conclusions
The results suggest that the LiRi technique is safe and effective for gluteal augmentation, demonstrating consistent fat integration and minimal complications, although further long-term research is recommended to confirm these findings.

Level of Evidence: 4 (Therapeutic)
ProteinF3S: boosting enzyme function prediction by fusing protein sequence, structure, and surface
Authors: Yuan Mingzhi , Shen Ao , Ma Yingfan , Du Jie , An Bohan , Wang Manning 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Proteins can be represented in different data forms, including sequence, structure, and surface, each of which has unique advantages and certain limitations. It is promising to fuse the complementary information among them. In this work, we propose a framework called ProteinF3S for enzyme function prediction that fuses the complementary information across protein sequence, structure, and surface. To achieve more effective fusion, we propose a multi-scale bidirectional fusion strategy between protein structure and surface, in which the hierarchical features of a surface encoder and a structure encoder interact with each other bidirectionally. Based on these interactions, more distinctive features can be obtained. After that, we achieve further fusion by concatenating the sequence features with the features containing structure and surface information, so that better performance can be achieved. To validate our method, we conduct extensive experiments on tasks including enzyme reaction classification and enzyme commission number prediction. Our method achieves new state-of-the-art performance and shows that fusing different forms of data is effective in enzyme function prediction.
Quantitative analysis of the dexamethasone side effect on human-derived young and aged skeletal muscle by myotube and nuclei segmentation using deep learning
Authors: Park Seonghwan , Kim Min Young , Jeong Jaewon , Yang Sohae , Kim Minseok S , Moon Inkyu 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Motivation
Skeletal muscle cells (skMCs) combine together to create long, multi-nucleated structures called myotubes. By studying the size, length, and number of nuclei in these myotubes, we can gain a deeper understanding of skeletal muscle development. However, human experimenters may often derive unreliable results owing to the unusual shape of the myotube, which causes significant measurement variability.

Results
We propose a new method for quantitative analysis of the dexamethasone side effect on human-derived young and aged skeletal muscle by simultaneous myotube and nuclei segmentation using deep learning combined with post-processing techniques. The deep learning model outputs myotube semantic segmentation, nuclei semantic segmentation, and nuclei center, and post-processing applies a watershed algorithm to accurately distinguish overlapped nuclei and identify myotube branches through skeletonization. To evaluate the performance of the model, the myotube diameter and the number of nuclei were calculated from the generated segmented images and compared with the results calculated by human experimenters. In particular, the proposed model produced outstanding outcomes when comparing human-derived primary young and aged skMCs treated with dexamethasone. The proposed standardized and consistent automated image segmentation system for myotubes is expected to help streamline the drug-development process for skeletal muscle diseases.

Availability and implementation
The code and the data are available at https://github.com/tdn02007/QA-skMCs-Seg
Masters of puppets: could the ecdysteroid route be a common pathway for behavioural manipulation in spiders by different parasites?
Authors: Delazari Ítalo M , Mendes-Pereira Thairine , Saltamachia Stephen J , Kloss Thiago G 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Certain parasites improve their fitness by manipulating their host’s behaviour. Some evidence suggests that parasites exploit innate pathways in the host to manipulate their behaviour. Furthermore, phylogenetically unrelated parasites can generate similar behavioural changes in hosts from the same taxonomic group. Spiders are hosts for several parasites that appear to induce behavioural changes, such as building modified webs that may benefit the parasites. Additionally, some observations on spiders parasitized by Ichneumonidae wasps suggest that the construction of modified webs may merely result from activating the innate ecdysis process. Considering that different parasites may use similar manipulation pathways, we review and examine evidence in the literature that phylogenetically distant parasites (wasps, dipterans, and fungi) may converge on the manipulation mechanism of host spiders through activation of the preexisting mechanism of ecdysis. Also, we suggest that webs built by fungus-infected spiders represent an extended phenotype of these parasites. We conclude that the strategy of behavioural manipulation through activation of innate ecdysis in hosts may have converged in the different spider parasites, which have been favoured over evolutionary time. Therefore, we propose possible pathways for activating this mechanism, and provisions for future investigations to test these hypotheses.
Hydrogen as a clean energy carrier: advancements, challenges, and its role in a sustainable energy future
Authors: Akpasi Stephen Okiemute , Smarte Anekwe Ifeanyi Michael , Tetteh Emmanuel Kweinor , Amune Ubani Oluwaseun , Mustapha Sherif Ishola , Kiambi Sammy Lewis 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
This comprehensive review examines hydrogen’s potential as a pivotal clean energy carrier, focusing on its role in replacing fossil fuels across various industries. This study also examines recent advancements in hydrogen production technologies, including electrolysis, steam methane reforming, and biomass gasification, emphasizing their economic and environmental impacts. Special attention is given to hydrogen produced from renewable sources like solar and wind energy, emphasizing its benefits in reducing carbon emissions and contributing to a sustainable energy future. The review discusses technological challenges, cost factors, and the necessary infrastructure for hydrogen production and storage, particularly in relation to achieving global energy transition goals. Furthermore, the study stresses the importance of government policies and international collaboration to drive the adoption of hydrogen technologies. The study concludes by outlining the transformative potential of hydrogen in decarbonizing key sectors such as transportation and heavy industry. It demonstrates the significant contribution of hydrogen to a low-carbon global energy system and provides valuable insights into its role in improving grid stability, energy security, and supporting sustainable industrial practices.
Impact of Higher Cell-Free DNA Yields on Liquid Biopsy Testing in Glioblastoma Patients
Authors: Iorgulescu J Bryan , Blewett Timothy , Xiong Kan , Crnjac Andjela , Liu Ruolin , Sridhar Sainetra , Braun David A , Sellars MacLean C , Cheng Ju , Rhoades Justin , Reardon David A , Makrigiorgos G Mike , Wu Catherine J , Adalsteinsson Viktor A 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background
Minimally invasive molecular profiling using cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is increasingly important to the management of cancer patients; however, low sensitivity remains a major limitation, particularly for brain tumor patients. Transiently attenuating cfDNA clearance from the body—thereby, allowing more cfDNA to be sampled—has been proposed to improve the performance of liquid biopsy diagnostics. However, there is a paucity of clinical data on the effect of higher cfDNA recovery. Here, we investigated the impact of collecting greater quantities of cfDNA on circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) sensitivity in the “low-shedding” cancer type glioblastoma by analyzing up to approximately 15-fold more plasma than routinely obtained clinically.

Methods
We tested 70 plasma samples (median 17.0 mL, range 2.5–66.5) from 8 IDH-wild-type glioblastoma patients using an optimized version of the MAESTRO-Pool ctDNA assay. Results were compared with simulated single-blood-tube equivalents of cfDNA. ctDNA results were then compared with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and pathology assessments of true progression vs pseudoprogression in glioblastoma patients.

Results
Larger cfDNA yields exhibited a doubling in ctDNA-positivity while achieving a median specificity of 99% and more precise ctDNA quantification. In 8 glioblastoma patients, ctDNA was detected in 88%, including at multiple timepoints in 6/7. In the setting of indeterminate progression by MRI, our data suggested that MAESTRO-Pool with large plasma volumes can help distinguish true glioblastoma progression from pseudoprogression.

Conclusions
Our findings provide a proof-of-principle that most glioblastomas shed ctDNA into plasma and that greater ctDNA yields could help improve liquid biopsies for “low-shedding” cancer types such as glioblastoma.
Routine Prenatal cfDNA Screening for Autosomal Dominant Single-Gene Conditions
Authors: Adams Sophie , Trocki Olivia Maher , Miller Christina , Studwell Courtney , Bombalicki Meghan , Dobson Lori , Horan Sofia , Sargent Jordan , Duyzend Michael , Gray Kathryn J , Guseh Stephanie , Wilkins-Haug Louise 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background
Genetic screening has advanced from prenatal cell-free DNA (cfDNA) screening for aneuploidies (cfDNA-ANP) to single-gene disorders (cfDNA-SGD). Clinical validation studies have been promising in pregnancies with anomalies but are limited in the general population.

Methods
Chart review and laboratory data identified pregnancies with cfDNA-SGD screening for 25 autosomal dominant conditions at our academic center. Screening was identified as routine by International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 10 codes and chart review. Ultrasound anomalies or known family history of a condition on the panel were excluded. Retrospective chart review investigated test concordance, outcomes, and phenotypes.

Results
cfDNA-SGD was completed for 3480/37 050 (9.4%) pregnancies, of which 2745 (78.9%) were for routine screening. Fourteen (0.51%, 14/2745) had high-risk results defined as pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants: 6 (0.22%) likely fetal variants, and 8 (0.29%) maternal variants with 50% risk for fetal inheritance. Diagnostic testing detected 6/6 fetal and 6/8 maternal cfDNA-SGD variants (2/8 pregnant individuals declined testing but had clinical features on physical exam). Variants were detected in 11/14 pregnancies/newborns and in 9/14 (64.3%) parents/gamete donors. There were no false positives identified by cfDNA-SGD; however, 2 variants were discrepantly classified between the cfDNA-SGD and diagnostic testing laboratories. All pregnancies had normal imaging and 9 had mild postnatal phenotypes. Three terminated pregnancy following diagnostic testing.

Conclusions
Our study demonstrated that 0.51% of routine cfDNA-SGD was high risk, prompting comprehensive evaluation for pregnancies and parents. Routine cfDNA-SGD allowed for early identification and intervention, but raises counseling challenges due to variable expressivity, limited genotype–phenotype correlations, and discrepant variant classification.
Newborn Screening for Deafness/Hard of Hearing in the Genomic Era
Authors: Giersch Anne B S , Morton Cynthia C 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background
Newborn hearing screening is a physiologic screen to identify infants who may be deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) and would benefit from early intervention. Typically, an infant who does not pass the newborn hearing screen is referred for clinical audiology testing, which may be followed by genetic testing to identify the etiology of an infant’s DHH.

Content
The current newborn hearing screening paradigm can miss mild cases of DHH or later-onset DHH, leaving a child at risk for unrecognized DHH, which could impact long-term language, communication, and social development. Genomic technologies are improving the diagnosis of DHH in newborns who fail their newborn hearing screen, and a case is being made for genomic screening for DHH in all newborns.

Summary
The genomic era brings a wealth of opportunities to screen newborns for genetic causes of hearing loss on a population wide basis, some of which are already being implemented in a clinical setting.
Describing the use of remote dielectric sensing and handheld ultrasound in assessing lung congestion in heart failure patients within a primary care setting
Authors: Kato Naoko P , Mattisson Marie , Grahn Pernilla , Liljeroos Maria , Johansson Peter , Strömberg Anna , Jaarsma Tiny 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Thorough consideration of user experiences and the weighing of advantages and disadvantages are essential when implementing new technology in clinical practice. This article describes a primary care nurse’s experience using two technologies to monitor lung congestion in six patient cases: a remote dielectric sensing device for non-invasive lung fluid measurement and a portable handheld ultrasound device. Both can support decision-making when assessing lung congestion in heart failure patients. However, technical difficulties and interpretational complexities are inherent in their use. Balancing these advantages and disadvantages and finding effective strategies to address challenges is crucial for successful clinical implementation.
Competition between AI foundation models: dynamics and policy recommendations
Authors: Schrepel Thibault , Pentland Alex ‘Sandy’ 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Generative AI is set to become a critical technology for our modern economies. If we are currently experiencing a strong, dynamic competition between the underlying foundation models, legal institutions have an important role to play in ensuring that the spring of foundation models does not turn into a winter with an ecosystem frozen by a handful of players.
A Quantum H*(T)-Module via Quasimap Invariants
Authors: Hwang Lee Jae 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
For $X$ a smooth projective variety, the quantum cohomology ring $QH^{*}(X)$ is a deformation of the usual cohomology ring $H^{*}(X)$, where the product structure is modified to incorporate quantum corrections. These correction terms are defined using Gromov–Witten invariants. When $X$ is toric with geometric quotient description $V/\!/ T$, the cohomology ring $H^{*}(V/\!/ T)$ also has the structure of a $H^{*}(T)$-module. In this paper, we introduce a new deformation of the cohomology of $X$ using quasimap invariants with a light point. This defines a quantum $H^{*}(T)$-module structure on $H^{*}(X)$ through a modified version of the WDVV equations. We explicitly compute this structure for the Hirzebruch surface of type 2. We conjecture that this new quantum module structure is isomorphic to the natural module structure of the Batyrev ring for a semipositive toric variety.