bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Short-Latency Trigeminocervical Reflex Obtained Without Muscle Activation: Topographic Distribution and Methodological Approach
Authors: Melo Denise Lima Medeiros de , Comerlato Enio Alberto , Tavares Eduardo Santos , Pinheiro Denise Spinola , Manzano Gilberto Mastrocola 
Published: November 2024

Purpose:
Electrical stimulation of trigeminal nerve branches elicits early and late reflex responses in the cervical muscles, known as the trigeminocervical reflex (TCR). This study aimed to evaluate the neurophysiological aspects, stimulation patterns, and topographic distribution of short-latency TCR components in humans in the absence of voluntary muscle activation.

Methods:
This prospective observational study included 30 participants. Trigeminocervical reflex responses were simultaneously recorded from the bilateral sternocleidomastoid, trapezius, and splenius capitis muscles (without voluntary muscle activation), after electrical stimulation of the supraorbital and infraorbital nerves. Two different stimulation protocols were evaluated: a 3 Hz stimulation protocol (using averaging) and a single-pulse stimulation protocol.

Results:
Using a 3 Hz stimulation protocol, short-latency TCR responses were recorded in the sternocleidomastoid, trapezius, and splenius capitis muscles, ipsilateral and/or contralateral, but with variable recordability depending on the recording site. The most reliable response was obtained in ipsilateral sternocleidomastoid muscle. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the elicitation of short-latency TCR components in the sternocleidomastoid muscle in the absence of voluntary muscle activation in humans without craniocervical junction disorders or lower brainstem abnormalities.

Conclusions:
The choice of an appropriate stimulation protocol is particularly relevant for recording short-latency TCR components, considering that the visualization of early or late responses seems to be facilitated by different stimulation methodologies.
Fair voting outcomes with impact and novelty compromises? Unravelling biases in electing participatory budgeting winners
Authors: Maharjan Sajan , Majumdar Srijoni , Pournaras Evangelos 
Published: November 2024

Participatory budgeting, as a paradigm for democratic innovations, engages citizens in the distribution of a public budget to projects, which they propose and vote for implementation. So far, voting algorithms have been proposed and studied in social choice literature to elect projects that are popular, while others prioritize a proportional representation of voters’ preferences, for instance, the rule of equal shares. However, the anticipated impact and novelty in the broader society by the winning projects, as selected by different algorithms, remains totally under-explored, lacking both a universal theory of impact for voting and a rigorous unifying framework for impact and novelty assessments. This article tackles this grand challenge towards new axiomatic foundations for designing effective and fair voting methods. This is through new and striking insights derived from a large-scale analysis of biases over 345 real-world voting outcomes, characterized for the first time by a novel portfolio of impact and novelty metrics. We find strong causal evidence that equal shares comes with impact loss in several infrastructural projects of different cost levels that have been so far over-represented. However, it also comes with a novel, yet over-represented, impact gain in welfare, education and culture. We discuss the broader implications of these results and how impact loss can be mitigated at the stage of campaign design and project ideation.
This article is part of the theme issue ‘Co-creating the future: participatory cities and digital governance’.
Mapping sidewalk accessibility with smartphone imagery and Visual AI: a participatory approach
Authors: Morra Diego , Zhu Xiaosheng , Liu Chang , Fu Kyle , Duarte Fábio , Mora Simone , He Zhengbing , Ratti Carlo 
Published: November 2024

Evaluating sidewalk accessibility is conventionally a manual and time-consuming task that requires specialized personnel. While recent developments in Visual AI have paved the way for automating data analysis, the lack of sidewalk accessibility datasets remains a significant challenge. This study presents the design and validation of Sidewalk AI Scanner, a web app that enables quick, crowdsourced and low-cost sidewalk mapping. The app enables a participatory approach to data collection through imagery captured using smartphone cameras. Subsequently, dedicated algorithms automatically identify sidewalk features such as width, obstacles or pavement conditions. Though not a replacement for high-resolution sensing methods, this method leverages data crowdsourcing as a strategy to produce a highly scalable, city-level dataset of sidewalk accessibility, offering a novel perspective on the city’s inclusivity; fostering community empowerment and participatory planning.
This article is part of the theme issue ‘Co-creating the future: participatory cities and digital governance’.
Resisting technological inevitability: Google Wing’s delivery drones and the fight for our skies
Authors: Zenz Anna , Powles Julia 
Published: November 2024

Efforts to realize on-demand delivery drone networks present a stark example of how the technology industry seeks to dominate new markets, regardless of societal consequences. Analyzing the most advanced of these efforts—Google Wing’s operations in Australia since 2017—we identify the instrumental role of narratives of technological inevitability (of tech expansion, and societal adaptation) in catalyzing new sky-based commerce. Yet the interest of this case study lies in a twist. Google Wing’s rollout in Australia’s capital, Canberra, initially proceeded as a textbook example of tech expansion. However, citizen engagement and public governance dramatically intervened and, we argue, disrupted the logic of technological inevitability. This article is the first to analyze these dynamics, many of which originated with Bonython Against Drones (BAD), a community action group forged from those who first lived under Google’s food delivery drones. The article exposes the flawed logic of technological inevitability as the enabling force of tech expansion; characterizes the governance failures that help install corporate visions for public goods; animates the potentialities of communities living with new technologies; and identifies the sky itself, as both a public commons and a vital, living habitat, as a key future locus for participatory governance.
This article is part of the theme issue ‘Co-creating the future: participatory cities and digital governance’.
Participatory design based on opinion pooling
Authors: Batty Michael , Shao Tianqu , Lopane Fulvio D. 
Published: November 2024

We focus here on methods for locating future urban development, ranging from entire towns to site designs. These methods articulate the urban design problem in terms of a series of factors pertaining to different measures of land suitability that are represented as spatial surfaces or maps. In realistic problems, these factors inevitably conflict with one another, and we thus define various design methods that enable us to select optimal locations for development based on weighting these factors in different ways. We begin with methods for resolving conflicts between the suitability maps using simple averaging with equal weights and then introduce methods for representing the interactions between the factors as a hierarchy for how these factors can be related to each other following an order for their differential weighting. We then generalize this method to ways in which a variety of individual experts can pool their knowledge of the problem to achieve a consensus solution using a process of group dynamics. The implication is that these kinds of dynamics might be used to enable effective public participation where conflicts between opinions can be resolved collectively. We are currently exploring this through methods of geodesign where networks of stakeholders, planners and designers can be brought together to solve these problems both empirically as well as formally.
This article is part of the theme issue ‘Co-creating the future: participatory cities and digital governance’.
Pan-cancer study on transition of signaling systems from primary to metastatic tumors
Authors: Zhou Wenjia , Zhang Junhua 
Published: November 2024

AbstractMetastatic progression is responsible for the majority of cancer-related deaths. A better understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms driving metastasis therefore remains of utmost importance. Here we take efforts to excavate mutant driver factors of metastases in the level of signaling pathways. We introduce two models, EntCDP and ModSDP, to detect the similarity and specificity of pathways in a pan-cancer context. The simulation studies confirm their feasibility and identification accuracy. Using mutation profiles of 17 cancer types with primary and metastatic cohorts from MSK-IMPACT, we apply the two models to investigate the transition of signaling systems from primary to metastatic tumors mainly from five perspectives. 1) We initially perform a comprehensive comparison of 15 primary-metastatic cancer pairs. Nearly all shared common driver genes or pathways, while specific driver gene sets of primary or/and metastatic tumors can be seen for almost each pair, except for breast cancer. 2) We use ModSDP to identify the specificity of metastases with the same primary site and highlight calcium signaling in breast cancer with bone metastasis, FoxO signaling for melanoma/lung lymph node metastasis, etc. 3) Oppositely, we use EntCDP to identify common factors yielding three frequently metastatic sites (liver, lung and brain), and recognized cushing syndrome, microRNAs in cancer and MAPK signaling pathway, separately. 4) Regarding high-tropism metastatic patterns, we investigated the relationship between the metastatic tumor and primary tumors in both locations. In the typical pattern of colorectal cancer metastasis to the liver, we detected hepatic signals in primary colorectal cancer. 5) Finally, we focused on the common and specific characteristics of relevant cancer types, such as gender-related cancers and gastrointestinal cancers. Study on gynecologic tumors suggest endocrine hormone change and virus infection as their common risk factors, while for male we highlight hedgehog signaling and EPH-related receptors as invasive potential of prostate cancer. Multiple interesting findings revealed by this study may be helpful for the understanding of the extent of signal changes during tumor metastasis. We expect that this study will provide a valuable resource for transforming our knowledge about signals in cancer metastasis into alternative clinical practice for advanced patients.
GRIP: physics-informed neural network for gradient retention time prediction in liquid chromatography
Authors: George Kevin , Haeckl F.P. Jake , Großmann Gerrit , Gurevich Alexey , Tagirdzhanov Azat 
Published: November 2024

AbstractGradient liquid chromatography has numerous applications in life sciences. Retention time prediction remains challenging due to complex underlying physical processes and highly variable chromatographic conditions. Here, we present GRIP, a physics-informed neural network for gradient retention time prediction that explicitly uses experimental setup parameters. GRIP demonstrates zero-shot generalization to unseen chromatographic systems while being on par or out-performing the transfer learning-based baseline. This approach can computationally guide the experimental setup configuration tailored to specific compounds of interest.
Trained innate immunity attenuates macrophage efferocytosis of cancer cells
Authors: Chatzis Alexandros , Lukaszonek Jakub , Lagos Dimitris , Boucher Dave , Kourtzelis Ioannis 
Published: November 2024

AbstractMacrophage phagocytosis has been implicated in regulating anti-tumour immunity. Trained innate immunity (TII), inducedviamodulation of mature myeloid cells or their bone marrow progenitors, mediates sustained increased responsiveness to secondary challenges. Despite the advances in the study of TII-mediated anti-tumour activity, the impact of TII on the orchestration of phagocytosis in the tumour setting requires further elucidation. Here, we investigated whether macrophage phagocytosis of tumour cells can be modulated through induction of TII.To this end, mice were pre-treated with β-glucan, a fungal-derived agonist of TII, and bone marrow was isolated for macrophage differentiation. Macrophages were then co-cultured with tumour cells that were either apoptotic or opsonised with an antibody recognising a tumour antigen, to mimic efferocytosis and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP), respectively.While TII did not have any impact in the modulation of ADCP, efferocytosis was decreased in trained macrophages. Along the same line, gene expression analysis demonstrated that mRNA levels of molecules promoting efferocytosis were downregulated in trained macrophages. Trained macrophages exerted decreased levels of active caspase-1 and produced decreased levels of interleukin-1β upon efferocytosis of tumour cells.Our findings reveal a hitherto unknown role of TII in the regulation of anti-tumour immunity and may set the stage for designing new cancer immunotherapeutic approaches targeting macrophage efferocytosis.
Reconciling conflicting selection pressures in the plant collaborative non-self recognition self-incompatibility system
Authors: Jangid Amit , Erez Keren , Feldheim Ohad Noy , Friedlander Tamar 
Published: November 2024

AbstractHow do complex biological systems reconcile conflicting selection pressures acting on their components? We study this question in the context of the collaborative non-self recognition selfincompatibility, a system that inhibits self-fertilization in plants. Self-incompatibility relies on specific molecular recognition between proteins, expressed in female and male reproductive organs. These proteins co-evolved to enable fertilization between individuals and disable self-fertilization simultaneously. We study the impact of these opposing selection pressures on the amino acid frequencies in these proteins’ recognition domain. We construct a theoretical framework enabling promiscuous recognition between proteins and multiple partners each, as found empirically, and employ stochastic simulations. We find asymmetric responses to selection affecting mostly the female, but not the male protein composition. Using large deviations theory, we well-approximate the simulated frequencies and find agreement with genomic data. We expect our methodology to be broadly applicable to analyze the balance between conflicting pressures in additional biological systems.
Melanin concentrating hormone projections to the nucleus accumbens enhance the reward value of food consumption and do not induce feeding or REM sleep
Authors: Furman Katherine L. , Baron Lorelei , Lyons Hannah C. , Cha Timothy , Evans Jack R. , Manna Jayeeta , Zhu Limei , Mattis Joanna , Burgess Christian R. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractRegulation of food intake and energy balance is critical to survival. Hunger develops as a response to energy deficit and drives food-seeking and consumption. However, motivations to eat are varied in nature, and promoted by factors other than energy deficit. When dysregulated, non-homeostatic drives to consume can contribute to disorders of food intake, adding to the increasing prevalence of restrictive eating disorders and obesity. Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) neurons have been implicated in the regulation of feeding behavior, in addition to a number of other fundamental behaviors including sleep, anxiety, and maternal behavior. Several studies suggest that MCH peptide increases food consumption, while studies of MCH neurons show effects only on cued feeding, and others show no effect of MCH neuron manipulation on feeding. MCH neurons have widespread projections to diverse downstream brain regions yet few studies have investigated the function of specific projections or differentiated the behaviors they regulate. Here we use optogenetics, in combination with different behavioral paradigms, to elucidate the role of MCH projections to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in sleep and feeding behavior. We show that MCH neurons projecting to the NAc do not induce changes in baseline feeding or REM sleep, but do enhance the preference for a food paired with optogenetic stimulation. Furthermore, this effect is diminished in female mice relative to males, in line with previous results suggesting sex differences in the functional role of MCH neurons. These results suggest that MCH projections to the NAc can enhance the rewarding value of consumed food.Significance StatementWhile feeding is often driven by hunger, there are non-homeostatic reasons why animals consume food. Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) neurons have been implicated in the regulation of many fundamental behaviors, including feeding, sleep and reward. They project broadly throughout the brain, suggesting that they may mediate this diverse set of behaviors independently via specific projections to downstream regions. We used optogenetic activation of MCH neurons and their projections to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in combination with complex behavioral paradigms to demonstrate that MCH projections to the NAc do not induce baseline feeding or increases in REM sleep but do enhance the value of a paired food. These results suggest that MCH neurons contribute to non-homeostatic consumption via projections to the NAc.
Assessing the quality of generative artificial intelligence for science communication in environmental research
Authors: Worden David , Richards Daniel 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThe adoption of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools is drastically changing the way that researchers work. While debate on the quality of GenAI outputs continues, there is optimism that GenAI may help human experts to address the most significant environmental challenges facing society. No previous research has quantitatively assessed the quality of GenAI outputs intended to inform environmental management decisions. Here we surveyed 98 environmental scientists and used their expertise to assess the quality of human and GenAI content relevant to their discipline. We analysed the quality and relative preference between human and GenAI content across three use cases in environmental science outreach and communication. Our results indicate that the GenAI content was generally deemed adequate in quality by human experts, with an average of 82% of respondents indicating a quality of “adequate” or better across the three use cases. Respondents exhibited strong preferences for GenAI over human-only content when using GenAI imageery of future park management scenarios. For the use cases of generating a wetland planting guide and answering a question about invasive species management, preferences were heterogeneous amongst respondents. Our findings raise substantive questions about GenAI content as a complement to human expertise when research is transferred to public audiences.
Acute Inhibition of Adipose Triglyceride Lipase by NG497 Dysregulates Insulin and Glucagon Secretion from Human Islets
Authors: Kim Lucy B , Liu Siming , Richtsmeier Syreine , Górniak Michał , Vikram Anamika , Imai Yumi 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTAdipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), which catalyzes the breakdown of triglycerides in lipid droplets (LDs), plays a critical role in releasing fatty acids to support insulin secretion in pancreatic beta cells. Based on genetic downregulation of ATGL in beta cells, multiple mechanisms are proposed that acutely or chronically regulate insulin secretion. Currently, the contribution of acute versus chronic mechanisms in the regulation of insulin secretion is unclear. Also, little is known whether ATGL affects alpha cell function. Using the human-specific ATGL inhibitor, NG497, this study investigates the impact of acute inhibition of ATGL on hormone secretion from human islets. When lipolysis by ATGL was assessed via morphological differences in LDs in confocal images of beta and alpha cells, beta cells exposed to NG497 showed notable increases in LD size and number under glucose-sufficient culture. The effect of NG497 on LD accumulation in alpha cells was more prominent under fasting-simulated conditions than glucose-sufficient conditions, pointing toward a critical role for ATGL lipolysis under conditions that stimulate hormone secretion in beta and alpha cells. When exposed to NG497 acutely, human islets reduced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion mildly, particularly first-phase insulin secretion, to an extent less pronounced than the impacts of chronic ATGL downregulation. Thus, chronic mechanisms play a predominant role in reducing insulin secretion when ATGL is downregulated. Acute exposure of human islets to NG497 significantly reduced glucagon secretion at low glucose concentration, highlighting an important potential role of ATGL lipolysis in promoting hormone secretion acutely from alpha cells.
TLL1 knockdown attenuates prostate cancer progression by enhancing antitumor immunity
Authors: Hao Jing-Lan , He Jia-Qi , Hu Hang , Wu Xiao-Yu , Zhu Zi-Heng , Zhao Xi , Li Lan , Ruan Yong-Tong , Yang Juan , Fu Ming , Zhang Kai , Gao Ping , Dong Xiao-Ming 
Published: November 2024

AbstractDue to the inevitable progression to castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) following treatment with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), it is essential to develop novel treatment approaches for managing CRPC. Here we showed that metalloproteinase TLL1 was positively associated with prostate cancer aggressiveness. Mechanistically, TLL1 promoted prostate cancer cells migration and metastasis through cleaving latent TGF-β1 to activate TGF-β signaling pathway. Moreover,LINC01179interacted with Miz1 to attenuate TLL1 expression andLINC01179impaired prostate cancer cell proliferation and migration ability by suppressing TLL1 expression to deactivate TGF-β signaling activity. Meanwhile, we observed that TLL1 increased the expression of PD-L1 by activating TGF-β signaling pathway and TLL1 depletion enhanced the antitumor efficacy by anti-PD-1 antibody via augmenting the infiltration proportions of CD8+T cells in tumors. In addition, T cell-specific overexpression of TLL1 disrupted T cell development in the thymus. TLL1 overexpression in T cells accelerated RM-1 prostate tumor growth in mice by decreasing the infiltration of CD8+T cells into tumors. Collectively, our results revealed that TLL1 may be a potential therapeutic target to alter prostate cancer progression.