bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Neurofilaments as a biomarker of axonal loss in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Massoud Hoda Mohamed Ali , Eldeen Eman Mohamed Saif , Khattab Sahar Saied Abd , Alazim Ghada Saed Abd 
Published: April 2018

Background
Neurofilaments (NF-H) might be a potential biomarker of CNS tissue damage in MS, but their potential predictive value for the future disease course, disability, disease progression, and treatment response needs to be investigated.

Aim of the work
The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of serum phosphorylated neurofilament H as a marker in multiple sclerosis and correlate it's level with clinical expanded disability status scale (EDSS) and magnetic resonance imaging findings.

Subjects and methods
Study included 40 patients and 20 healthy control, 20 patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and 20 patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). All patients in this study were subjected to full history taking and clinical examination and scoring according to the EDSS scores, routine laboratory investigations, measuring of serum phosphorylated neurofilament-H (PNF-H) levels and neuroradiological assessment.

Results
Patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis were more likely to have a high serum (PNF-H) titer compared to patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis, and these levels were significantly correlated with EDSS scores in both patients groups.

Conclusion
The increase in (PNF-H) titer during the progressive phase of the disease together with the correlation of (PNF-H) levels with all clinical scales and radiological lesions (e.g. gadolinium-enhanced lesions and black holes) suggests that cumulative axonal loss is responsible for sustained disability and that high (PNF-H) level is a poor prognostic sign.
Pattern and clinical profile of thalassemia among pediatric patients attending the Yemeni Society Centers for Thalassemia and Genetic Blood Disorders in Yemen
Authors: Al-Kherbash Hala A. , Al-Awdi Ahmed , Hasan Nawal S. 
Published: April 2018

Background
Thalassemia is a type of inherited anemia. Its management is complex and expensive, and requires a multiple-team approach. Optimal and sufficient clinical care is demanding.

Aim
The aim of this study was to determine the magnitude, sex and age distribution, clinical profile, complications, investigation, and management of transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia major among Yemeni pediatric patients attending the Yemeni Society Centers for Thalassemia and Genetic Blood Disorders in Yemen as, to our knowledge, no similar previous study has been carried out in Yemen.

Patients and methods
This was a prospective, cross-sectional, descriptive study carried out during the period from January 2015 to December 2016. A total of 109 Yemeni pediatric transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia major patients who attended the Yemeni Society Centers for Thalassemia and Genetic Blood Disorders in Yemen were included. Detailed assessment of history, clinical examination, investigations, treatment, and follow-up were performed for every patient. The data were collected from the medical records of the patients.

Results
There was a slight male predominance (53.2%), with a male to female ratio of 1.14 : 1. Approximately 33% of the patients were in the age group 7–10 years, followed by the age group 3–6 years. The mean age of the cases was 7.68±5.8 years. Positive parent consanguinity was present (74.2%) and the majority (64.2%) were first-degree relatives. The best outcome of thalassemia was among those patients 1.7 years old or younger at the time of diagnosis and those patients 2 years old or younger at first blood transfusion. Earlier initiation of chelating therapy yielded better outcomes and reduced the mortality rate with a highly statistically significant difference. The usage of a combination of both oral chelation and subcutaneous iron chelation (iron pump) therapies led to a noticeably better outcome and reduced the mortality rate markedly. A proportional relation was detected between serum ferritin level and mortality among the cases, with a statistically significant difference. The complication rate was high (40.2%). The mortality rate was also high (27.5%). Cardiac dysfunction was the major risk factor of death among our thalassemic patients as about 60% of the deaths were because of cardiac complications, with a highly statistically significant difference.

Conclusion
Increasing awareness of the morbidity and mortality of transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia major among pediatric Yemeni patients, with an emphasis on the great importance of premarital screening before marriage in Yemen, is mandatory. For better outcomes, routine investigations to detect early complications with proper treatment of the predisposing factors and complications are necessary.
Jawbreaker's 24 Hour Revenge Therapy
Authors: Givony Ronen 
Published: April 2018

Two and a half decades on, Jawbreaker's 24 Hour Revenge Therapy(1993-94) is the rare album to have lost none of its original loyalty, affection, and reverence. If anything, today, the cult of Jawbreaker—in their own words, "the little band that could but would probably rather not"—is now many times greater than it was when they broke up in 1996. Like the best work of Fugazi, The Clash, and Operation Ivy, the album is now is a rite of passage and a beloved classic among partisans of intelligent, committed, literary punk music and poetry.
Why, when a thousand other artists came and went in that confounding decade of the 90s, did Jawbreaker somehow come to seem like more than just another band? Why do they persist, today, in meaning so much to so many people? And how did it happen that, two years after releasing their masterpiece, the band that was somehow more than just a band to its fans—closer to equipment for living—was no longer?
Ronen Givony's 24 Hour Revenge Therapy is an extended tribute in the spirit of Nicholson Baker's U & I: a passionate, highly personal, and occasionally obsessive study of one of the great confessional rock albums of the 90s. At the same time, it offers a quizzical look back to the toxic authenticity battles of the decade, ponders what happened to the question of "selling out," and asks whether we today are enriched or impoverished by that debate becoming obsolete
Bank Loan Financing Decisions of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: The Significance of Owner/Managers’ Behaviours
Authors: Jude Forbeneh Agha , Adamou Ntieche 
Published: April 2018

The objective of this study is to highlight the influence of entrepreneurs’ behaviour on the decisions to apply for bank loans. A mixed research methodology known as triangulation was employed in order to achieve the objective of the study. Data were sourced from a stratified randomly selected sample of 450 Cameroonian SMEs and analysed using logistic regression. The result of the study revealed that both control aversion and overconfidence behaviours of the owner/managers influence significantly the decisions of SMEs to apply for bank loans. From the result, it is found that behavioural finance theory explains the decisions of SMEs to seek for bank credits. Contrary to the predictions of the pecking order theory, managerial behaviours such as the fear to loss the control of the firm, and overconfidence provide explanations on the decisions of SMEs to seek for bank loans. For instance, the fact that debt does not entail any loss of business control urges SMEs to prefer debt than external equity.
Construcción del discurso en torno a la Educación Inclusiva
Authors: Jiménez Ruíz María , Rodríguez Navarro Henar , Sánchez Fuentes Sergio , Rodríguez Medina Jairo 
Published: April 2018

<p>En este trabajo se realiza un análisis cualitativo sobre los discursos de 85 profesionales en torno a la conceptualización de la Educación Inclusiva. Para ello, se usa la técnica del <em>text mining</em> para contabilizar la frecuencia de los términos utilizados unido a la categorización axial de los discursos. Posteriormente se reconstruye esta información mediante un marco de análisis. Los tres ámbitos están basados en la toma de decisión curricular de un docente. Todo ello con la intencionalidad de llegar a acuerdos teóricos en torno a este fenómeno y poder establecer puentes de conexión entre los postulados <em>étics</em> ofrecidos por la literatura y los producidos por los sujetos en la práctica de carácter <em>émic</em>. Concluimos el texto, por tanto, con una serie de postulados en torno a los que giran estos discursos y que condicionan de forma notable la práctica diaria de las escuelas. </p>
Titration Protocol for Upper Airway Stimulation in Pediatric Patients With Down Syndrome
Authors: Frederick Robert M. , Baldassari Cristina M. 
Published: October 2024

ImportanceUpper airway stimulation (UAS) was recently approved to treat persistent obstructive sleep apnea in pediatric patients with Down syndrome. Appropriate titration of the UAS implantable device is essential to achieve optimal outcomes, but standardized titration protocols for young patients are lacking.ObjectiveTo develop and share a UAS titration protocol for pediatric patients with Down syndrome.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis small cohort study of pediatric patients with Down syndrome presents a standardized UAS stimulation titration protocol for conducting postimplantation polysomnograms. The protocol was developed through a multidisciplinary collaboration at a tertiary children’s hospital with a dedicated pediatric polysomnogram laboratory. The initial titration polysomnogram was performed on the night of device activation, with subsequent titration polysomnograms performed at 1 month, 2 to 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after implantation. The initial titration goal is acclimation, promoting AHI optimization in later polysomnograms. Pediatric patients with Down syndrome and persistent obstructive sleep apnea who have undergone UAS titration from June 2022 to January 2024 participated in this study.ExposureA novel standardized UAS titration polysomnogram protocol.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe main outcomes were apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) change and nightly device use in hours.ResultsThis study included 5 pediatric patients with Down syndrome who have undergone UAS implantation. Three patients were male, and 4 identified as White. The median (range) age at implantation was 15 years (12-20 years), and the median (range) preoperative AHI was 20.1 (15.6-38.8). The median (range) incoming voltage for a 1-month postimplant UAS titration polysomnogram was 1.7 V (0.4-1.7 V). All 5 patients completed UAS titration polysomnograms at the aforementioned postoperative time course; all patients also experienced an AHI reduction from baseline and adequate tolerance of UAS (ie, nightly device use of more than 6 hours). A titration protocol for UAS in pediatric patients with Down syndrome, a sample polysomnogram report form, and general information for sleep technologists are provided.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this study, a standardized UAS protocol for device titration during polysomnogram promoting acclimation and optimized AHI reduction demonstrated UAS efficacy in pediatric patients with Down syndrome. The protocol can be used as a model for other institutions creating programs for UAS titration in pediatric patients with Down syndrome. As more pediatric patients undergo UAS device implants, protocols can be refined to ensure optimal outcomes.
Skin Temperature‐Activated Multifunctional Thermoelectric Dressing for Bacterial Infected Wound Treatment
Authors: Gao Shuna , Rao Yu , Wang Xiaowei , He Qingxiang , Yang Mingchen , Wang Yuxuan , Zhou Yuting , Guo Jiangna , Yan Feng 
Published: October 2024

AbstractEndogenous electric field (EEF) is weakened in wounds due to electrolyte loss, hindering wound repair. Reshaping and repairing EEF play important roles in accelerating wound healing. The design of antibacterial dressings coupled with an EEF recovery ability to promote wound healing is urgent and significant. Herein, a self‐powered wearable thermoelectric dressing with antibacterial, antioxidant, and EEF reshaping activities for methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus‐infected wound therapy is fabricated. The dressing is based on a wearable thermoelectric device constructed of a polyanionic thermoelectric hydrogel loaded with tannic acid (TA). By taking advantage of the natural temperature difference between infected wounds and the external environment, the dressing is activated to convert thermal energy into electricity, producing a continuous and compensating electric field to reshape damaged EEF and stimulate tissue regeneration. Combined with the antibacterial and antioxidant properties of the TA released from the thermoelectric hydrogel, the self‐powered dressing can accelerate wound healing in vivo by topical targeted sterilization, reducing inflammation and reshaping the EEF of the wounds. Thus, this dressing provides a promising and facile self‐powered therapeutic strategy without the need for external stimuli to treat infected wounds.
Microenvironment Self‐Adaptive Nanomedicine Promotes Spinal Cord Repair by Suppressing Inflammation Cascade and Neural Apoptosis
Authors: Qian Dingfei , Xu Jiaqi , Zhang Xuelian , Hu Fanqi , Cao Shiqi , Dong Yuan , Liu Xiaole , Yao Yawei , Yu Haichao , Lu Yichao , Ma Xiaotu , Cheng Keman , Zhao Xiao , Nie Guangjun , Zhang Xuesong 
Published: October 2024

AbstractDespite various biomaterial‐based strategies are tried in spinal cord injury (SCI), developing safe and effective microinvasive pharmacotherapy strategies is still an unmet clinical need. Stimuli‐responsive nanomedicine has emerged as a promising non‐invasion technology, which enhances drug delivery and promotes functional recovery following SCI. Considering the multiple progressive pathological events and the blood spinal cord barrier (BSCB) associating SCI, a microenvironment self‐adaptive nanoparticle (custom‐designed with rabies virus glycoprotein 29‐RVG29 and hyaluronic acid‐HA, RHNP) capable of consistently crossing the BSCB and selectively targeting inflammatory cells and neural cells based on different stages of SCI are developed. The data indicated that RHNP can effectively traverse the BSCB through RVG29, and adaptively modulate cellular internalization by selectively exposing either HA or RVG29 through diselenide bonds, depending on pathological reactive oxygen species (ROS) signals. Furthermore, curcumin is loaded into RHNP (RHNP‐Cur) to improve motor function and coordination of hind‐limbs in a traumatic SCI mouse model. This study finds that RHNP‐Cur exhibited inhibitory effects on the inflammatory cascade originating from M1 microglia/macrophages and neurotoxic astrocytes, and protected neural cells from inflammation‐induced apoptosis during nerve regeneration. Collectively, the work provides a microenvironment self‐adaptive nanomedicine which enables efficient microinvasive treatment of SCI.
Tillandsia‐Inspired Ultra‐Efficient Thermo‐Responsive Hygroscopic Nanofibers for Solar‐Driven Atmospheric Water Harvesting
Authors: Wang Jiayun , Ying Wenjun , Lin Bowen , Li Chunfeng , Deng Chaohe , Zhang Hua , Wang Shige , Wang Ruzhu 
Published: October 2024

AbstractSorption‐based atmospheric water harvesting (SAWH) is a promising approach for supplying water in off‐grid arid regions. However, it is difficult to improve the SAWH efficiency because water undergoes multiple phase transformations, such as water vapor–water (desorption and condensation) in the desorption phase. To address this issue, an ultrahygroscopic temperature‐responsive hydrogel nanofiber inspired by Tillandsia is developed, comprising poly N‐isopropylacrylamide, poly N‐dimethylacetamide, and carbon nanotubes and impregnated with lithium chloride (PCP@LiCl). The hydrophobicity of the nanofiber membrane is enhanced with increasing temperature, facilitating water separation from the hydrogel in liquid form. Moreover, PCP@LiCl exhibits unique kinetics at 25 °C and 15%–30% relative humidity, capable of adsorbing moisture to saturation within 2 h, and oozing liquid water within 5 min under sunlight. Through global potential modeling, it is demonstrated that PCP@LiCl has potential applications in arid and semiarid regions. This study provides new insights into the design of high‐performance composites for solar‐powered atmospheric water harvesting.
Phase‐Coherent Transport in GeSn Alloys on Si
Authors: Kaul Prateek , Concepción Omar , Wielens Daan H. , Zellekens Patrick , Li Chuan , Ikonic Zoran , Ishibashi Koji , Zhao Qing‐Tai , Brinkman Alexander , Grützmacher Detlev , Buca Dan 
Published: November 2024

AbstractGermanium‐Tin (GeSn) is a novel semiconductor Group IV alloy that can be tuned from indirect to direct bandgap semiconductors by adjusting the Sn content. This property makes this alloy class attractive for integrated photonic applications and high‐mobility electronic devices. In this work, the GeSn alloy properties are investigated in the view of applications fields such as spintronics and quantum computing. Using low‐temperature magneto‐transport measurements, electron interference effects and deriving typical mesoscopic benchmark parameters such as the phase‐coherence length in GeSn‐based Hall bar structures for Sn concentrations up to 14 at.% is investigated. Furthermore, Shubnikov–de Haas oscillations provide direct access to the effective mass of the Γ‐valley electrons as well as the charge carrier mobility. This work provides a new insight into advanced group IV alloys desired for the study of spin dynamics and its quantum computing applications.
Assessing management factors limiting yield and starch content of cassava in the western Brazilian Cerrado
Authors: Zebalho Cleiton Simão , Pilecco Isabela Bulegon , Streck Nereu Augusto , Cardoso Paula de Souza , Freitas Charles Patrick de Oliveira de , Vieira Eduardo Alano , Soares Mauricio Fornalski , Tagliapietra Bruna Lago , Ferigolo Alexandre Alves , Swarowsky Alexandre , Follmann Diego Nicolau , Souza João Vitor Santos de , Zanon Alencar Junior 
Published: October 2024

AbstractCassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) was declared the “crop of the 21st century” by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations due to its high starch content and low input requirements. The management factors that govern yields and starch content in cassava in Brazil are still unclear. The aim of this study was to identify the main factors that limit the yield and starch content of cassava fields in Brazilian Cerrado. The data were collected as part of a survey covering 300 cassava fields in two growing seasons (2020–2021 and 2021–2022). Throughout the development cycle, management practices, yield, and percentage starch content in the roots were described. The database was divided into high and low yield tertiles. Mean comparison tests, regression tree analyses, and boundary functions were applied. The importance of genetics, environment, and associated crop constraints on cassava production (yields and starch content) was assessed. The yield gap in cassava was 44.6 Mg ha−1. The most important factors leading to yield and starch losses were variety, planting date, and potassium fertilization. By adapting optimal practices, it is possible to produce an additional 1.5 million tons of cassava on the current cultivation area in the western Brazilian Cerrado, which corresponds to 8.3% of total production in Brazil and could increase the production of cassava starch by more than 400,000 Mg.
Widespread male sterility and trioecy in androdioecious Mercurialis annua: Its distribution, genetic basis, and estimates of morph‐specific fitness components
Authors: Nguyen Mai Thu , Martignier Thomas , Pannell John R. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractPremiseAngiosperms range in sexual system from hermaphroditism through gynodioecy and androdioecy to dioecy. Trioecy, where females and males coexist with hermaphrodites, is rare. Recently, trioecy was documented in hexaploid populations of the wind‐pollinated herb Mercurialis annua in Spain.MethodsWe surveyed the frequency of males, hermaphrodites, and females in M. annua across its distribution in the Iberian Peninsula, tracked sex‐ratio variation in several populations over consecutive generations, and assessed evidence for pollen limitation. In a common garden, we estimated male, female, and hermaphroditic fitness. We used controlled crosses to infer the genetic basis of male sterility. Finally, we compared predictions of a deterministic model with the distribution of observed sex ratios in the field based on our fitness estimates and the inferred genetics of sex determination.ResultsTrioecy is widespread in Spanish and Portuguese populations of M. annua. Males are determined by a dominant (Y‐linked) allele, and female expression results from the interaction between cytoplasmic male sterility and multiple nuclear male sterility restorers partially linked to the male determiner. Male pollen production is approximately 12 times that of hermaphrodites, while female seed production is less than 1.12 times the observed hermaphroditic levels. The distribution of sex ratios in natural populations conforms with predictions of our deterministic simulations.ConclusionsOur study documents and accounts for a clear case of trioecy in which sex is determined by both maternally and biparentally inherited genes.
Membrane‐Free Water Electrolysis for Hydrogen Generation with Low Cost
Authors: Gao Xintong , Wang Pengtang , Sun Xiaogang , Jaroniec Mietek , Zheng Yao , Qiao Shi‐Zhang 
Published: October 2024

AbstractConventional water electrolysis relies on expensive membrane‐electrode assemblies and sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the anode, which makes the cost of green hydrogen (H2) generation much higher than that of grey H2. Here, we develop an innovative and efficient membrane‐free water electrolysis system to overcome these two obstacles simultaneously. This system utilizes the thermodynamically more favorable urea oxidation reaction (UOR) to generate clean N2 over a new class of Cu‐based catalyst (CuXO) for replacing OER, fundamentally eliminating the explosion risk of H2 and O2 mixing while removing the need for membranes. Notably, this membrane‐free electrolysis system exhibits the highest H2 Faradaic efficiency among reported membrane‐free electrolysis work. In situ spectroscopic studies reveal that the new N2Hy intermediate‐mediated UOR mechanism on the CuXO catalyst ensures its unique N2 selectivity and OER inertness. More importantly, an industrial‐type membrane‐free water electrolyser (MFE) based on this system successfully reduces electricity consumption to only 3.78 kWh Nm−3, significantly lower than the 5.17 kWh Nm−3 of commercial alkaline water electrolyzers (AWE). Comprehensive techno‐economic analysis (TEA) suggests that the membrane‐free design and reduced electricity input of the MFE plants reduce the green H2 production cost to US$1.81 kg−1, which is lower than those of grey H2 while meeting the technical target (US$2.00–2.50 kg−1) set by European Commission and United States Department of Energy.