bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Central Nervous System 5-HT2B Receptor as a Potential Target for Regulating Ejaculatory Behaviour in Male Rats
Authors: Zhang Wei , Geng Hao , Zhou Tao , Zhang Xiansheng , Zou Ci 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Objective: To investigate whether 5-HT and the newest member of the 5-HT2B receptor family 5-HT2B receptor in the central system, have a key role in ejaculation regulation by constructing an animal model of primary premature ejaculation.
Materials and Methods: A rat model of primary premature ejaculation was constructed, and the differential expression profiles of 5-HT2B and 5-HT in the central system were established.
Results: Compared with the "normal ejaculation " and "delayed ejaculation" rats’ group, the "rapid ejaculation" rats’ group had shorter mount latency and intromission latency, and fewer mount frequency and intromission frequency before the first ejaculatory. In the "rapid ejaculation", "normal ejaculation" and "delayed ejaculation" groups, there were significant differences in the levels of 5-HT in the hippocampus and raphe nucleus of rats. The 5-HT levels in the hippocampus and raphe nucleus of rats in the "rapid ejaculation" group were significantly lower than those in the "normal ejaculation" and "delayed ejaculation" groups. In the hippocampus and raphe nucleus of the central system of rats, the concentration of 5-HT was significantly lower than that of the "normal" and "delayed" groups. The expression levels of 5-HT2B receptor proteins were significantly higher in the "rapid ejaculation" group than in the "normal ejaculation" and "delayed ejaculation" groups.
Conclusion: We found that rats with different ejaculatory behaviors have a different 5-HT2B expression in the central nervous system. The expression of 5-HT2B receptors in different brain regions of the CNS is closely related to the different sexual behaviors of rats, suggesting that it may have a key role in the regulation of ejaculation in the central system of rats.
Trans-2-hexenal reduces postharvest mango stem-end rot by oxidative damage to Neofusicoccum parvum cell membranes
Authors: Tan Xiaoli , Jiang Xiaobing , Chen Xiumei , Reymick Okwong Oketch , Zhu Chen , Tao Nengguo 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Neofusicoccum parvum is one of the most hazardous pathogens causing mango fruit decay. The present study utilized trans-2-hexenal (TH), a typical antifungal component of plant essential oils (EOs), to control N. parvum both in vivo and in vitro, and attempted to explore the mechanisms involved. The findings showed that at concentrations greater than 0.4 µL/mL, TH exhibited exceptional antifungal activity against N. parvum in vitro. TH application led to the disruption of the structural integrity of both cell walls and cell membranes, with a particular impact on the latter, as evidenced by the dramatically increased propidium iodide level, as well as reduced total lipids and ergosterol content. Further DCFH-DA staining experiments showed that TH induced mycelial reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, which exacerbated cell membrane lipid peroxidation. For easier application of TH, we fabricated aerogel-loaded TH (ALTH) materials, which demonstrated excellent antifungal activity in vitro. Infestation studies on fruits demonstrated that ALTH mitigated mango stem-end rot in a dose-dependent fashion, with a concentration of 40 µL/L showing efficacy comparable to the conventional fungicide prochloraz, while maintaining fruit quality. In light of these results, TH works by inducing ROS buildup and oxidative damage to the cell membrane of P. parvum, and is a particularly promising preservative for preventing postharvest infections in mangoes.
Comparing the efficiency of forest mitigation strategies: climate change and windthrow as overarching drivers
Authors: Coșofreț Cosmin , Bouriaud Laura , Costa Maximiliano , Bouriaud Olivier 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Context
Forests are being scrutinized for their capacity to store large amounts of carbon over long periods and for their contribution regarding climate change mitigation. However the interactions between climate change, forest management, and wind disturbances could challenge management strategies based on setting aside forests.
Objectives
This study aimed to compare the contribution of forests to mitigation according to three opposing strategies of forest management differing by their share area set aside (SA) from wood procurement: SA0, business as usual management; SA30, 30% of the forest areas are set aside; and SA100, 100% of the forest areas are set aside.
Methods
A dynamic forest landscape model (LandClim) was used to compare the effects of different management strategies on the potential for forest mitigation. The model outputs were used to quantify the potential for carbon sequestration and substitution under RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 climate scenarios.
Results
Under the RCP2.6 climate, the highest carbon storage capacity was achieved by the SA100 management. Wind-induced losses in the SA0 and SA30 remained at similar magnitudes until 2120. Thus, under RCP2.6 climate, the effects of substitution from SA0 exceeded the increase in storage expected from SA100.
Under the RCP8.5 climate, stocks increased for three decades but then collapsed. The management strategy did not influence these losses, which were negligible after 2080 owing to the very small standing stocks.
Conclusions
Strategies based on setting aside forests for carbon storage could be a viable solution in RCP2.6 climate. However, windthrow events strongly limit their potential.
Effects of Gut Microbiota and Inflammatory Cytokines on Anxiety Disorders: Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Analysis and Mediation Analysis
Authors: Li Jun , Wu Dingze , Zhang Yongquan , Xu Litang , Jiang Ying 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Background
Research has indicated that the gut microbiota may be associated with anxiety disorders. However, the causal connection between the gut microbiota and anxiety, and whether cytokines serve as a mediating role, remains uncertain. This study was intended to examine whether inflammatory cytokines mediate the pathway from the gut microbiota to anxiety disorders and to establish the causal relationships among the gut microbiota, inflammatory cytokines, and anxiety disorders.
Methods
Data regarding the gut microbiota, 91 inflammatory cytokines, and anxiety disorders were acquired from large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We employed Mendelian randomization (MR) to evaluate the causal relationships between the gut microbiota and inflammatory cytokines. Multivariate Mendelian randomization (MVMR) was utilized to further analyze whether inflammatory cytokines mediate the pathway from the gut microbiota to anxiety.
Results
We identified five negative causal relationships and one positive causal relationship between specific gut microbiota and anxiety disorders. The negative causal relationships were observed in class Clostridia (OR = 0.803, 95% CI = 0.691–0.931, P_IVW = 0.004, P_FDR = 0.023), genus Eubacterium nodatum group (OR = 0.902, 95% CI = 0.837–0.972, P_IVW = 0.007, P_FDR = 0.014), genus Ruminococcaceae UCG011 (OR = 0.905, 95% CI = 0.831–0.987, P_IVW = 0.023, P_FDR = 0.035), order Clostridiales (OR = 0.849, 95% CI = 0.734–0.983, P_IVW = 0.028, P_FDR = 0.028), and phylum Firmicutes (OR = 0.827, 95% CI = 0.725–0.943, P_IVW = 0.004, P_FDR = 0.013). A positive causal relationship was found in genus Lachnospiraceae UCG010 (OR = 1.251, 95% CI = 1.028–1.522, P_IVW = 0.025, P_FDR = 0.030).Three positive causal relationships were found between inflammatory cytokines and anxiety: macrophage colony-stimulating factor 1 (OR = 1.161, 95% CI = 1.001–1.348, P_IVW = 0.049, P_FDR = 0.049), fibroblast growth factor 5 (OR = 1.074, 95% CI = 1.025–1.124, P_IVW = 0.003, P_FDR = 0.013), and vascular endothelial growth factor A (OR = 1.076, 95% CI = 1.019–1.135, P_IVW = 0.008, P_FDR = 0.020). Notably, macrophage colony-stimulating factor 1 was identified as a mediator in the pathway from gut microbiota to anxiety.
Conclusion
There exists a causal relationship among intestinal flora, inflammatory cytokines, and anxiety. Some inflammatory cytokines mediated the pathway from the intestinal flora to anxiety.
SPSTNet: Image Super-Resolution Using Spatial Pyramid Swin Transformer Network
Authors: Sun Yemei , Wang Jiao , Yang Yue , Zhang Yan 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Recent research on enhancing image resolution using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have shown encouraging outcomes. While due to the intrinsic locality of the convolution operator, CNN-based methods limit the capacity to obtain contextual information and long-range dependency. To address this problem, we propose a hybrid network by integrating CNN and Transformer which show impressive performance to learn long-range contextual information for image SR. Specifically, by introducing a spatial pyramid pooling (SPP) module into the multi-head attention (MHA), the Spatial Pyramid Swin Transformer (SPST) module achieves linear computational complexity and integrates multi-scale features. This enables the model to learn a wider range of multi-scale features and enhances the capabilities of the attention matrix. Moreover, the gated convolution (GC) module employs the abundant low-frequency information from low-resolution to assist reconstruction and provides a learnable dynamic feature selection mechanism to further constrain the training to improve performance. Extensive experiments were carried out to assess the efficacy of our approach utilizing a benchmark dataset. The results of indicate that our method surpasses alternative approaches in terms of parameter count and computational efficiency. Especially, the proposed method increases PSNR by 0.05 dB and uses 1.6M fewer parameters than SwinIR, resulting in a shorter inference time.
Alexithymia, emotion regulation and autistic traits in Familial adenomatous polyposis
Authors: Vieira Anaís Virginie Olívia , Martins Ana Filipa Santos , Sousa Fabiana Filipa Silva , Balsinha Maria Manuela Baptista , Grangeia Rosa Maria Loureiro Sousa Lopes , Machado Ana Sofia Monteiro 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and Lynch Syndrome (LS) are both associated with colorectal cancer, but FAP patients tend to have lower adherence to regular endoscopic surveillance, possibly due to lower emotional distress levels. This study aimed to compare alexithymia, autistic traits, and emotion regulation strategies in patients with FAP and LS. In a cross-sectional design, we assessed 20 patients (10 FAP, 10 LS) using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS vs. 29 and R vs. 4.4.0. Results showed a high prevalence of alexithymia, present in 80% of FAP patients compared to 50% in LS patients, with a higher mean TAS-20 score in FAP (70.5 vs. 61.5; p = 0.14), though not statistically significant. Autistic traits were noted in 25% of all participants, with higher mean AQ scores in FAP patients (23.4) than in LS (20.2), but the difference was not significant (p = 0.192). Regarding emotion regulation, most participants (70%) used Expressive Suppression. LS patients scored higher than FAP patients in Cognitive Reappraisal (4.42 vs. 4.25) and Expressive Suppression (5.50 vs. 4.38). These findings suggest that FAP patients may exhibit greater alexithymia and autistic traits compared to LS patients, potentially impacting their approach to healthcare and surveillance adherence.
Novel genomic approaches support Xenacoelomorpha as sister to all Bilateria
Authors: Álvarez-Presas Marta , Ruiz-Trillo Iñaki , Paps Jordi 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

One of the most contentious debates in animal evolution is whether the first bilaterian animal was simple or complex. At the centre of this debate is the phylogenetic placement of the enigmatic lineage known as Xenacoelomorpha. For the last 25 years, different phylogenies have shown Xenacoelomorpha to be either a sister group to the rest of the bilaterians or inside the deuterostomes, with some analyses challenging the monophyly of deuterostomes. To solve this conundrum, we mined thousands of gene families from 91 complete genomes and analysed them using various alignment-free genome-wide evolutionary processes. We also applied these approaches to inform the construction of a novel metazoan gene matrix 15 times larger than previous datasets. This dataset was also used to reconstruct the protein complement present in the genome of the last common ancestor of bilaterians. These datasets were thoroughly analysed with approaches and evolutionary models to reduce systematic artifacts. Our results strongly support Xenacoelomorpha as the sister group to all other bilaterians and the monophyly of deuterostomes, pointing to a simple bilaterian, while illustrating the phylogenetic potential of genomic-level approaches.
Prevalence of tick infestation among domestic animals in Sargodha, Khushab and Attock districts of Punjab, Pakistan
Authors: Hussain Imtiaz , Faheem Kiran , Mehmood Sundas , Ahmad Muhammad Zeeshan 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

The present study was designed primarily for the investigation of tick infestation in three districts (Sargodha, Khushab and Attock) of Punjab, Pakistan. Ticks are arachnids responsible for major economic losses in livestock industry. Anemia, abortion, anorexia, irritation and depression due to tick infestation is not only a problem for livestock sector but ticks are also responsible for the spread of various bacterial, protozoal and viral diseases. Tick infestation in animals have also public health significance as many zoonotic diseases are also spread by ticks. Ticks can act both mechanical and biological vectors. Main objective of the present study was the isolation and identification of different tick species infesting domestic animals in Sargodha, Khushab and Attock districts. Ticks were collected from 2148 animals including cows, buffaloes, sheep, goats, horses and dogs out of total 4950 animals inspected from three districts. Overall prevalence of tick infestation among these animals was calculated to be 43.39%. Highest prevalence of tick infestation with 44.18% was observed in Attock. Cattle with the prevalence of 54.13% were the most infested animals in all three districts whereas lowest prevalence of tick infestation was observed in horses with prevalence rate of 10.67%. Sheep and goats showed almost similar prevalence rates of 44.90% and 45.97% respectively. 11.65% of dogs were found to be infested with ticks in present study. Five species of ticks namely, Hyalomma anatolicum, Rhiphicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, Riphicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus, Rhiphicephalus sanguneus and Hemaphysalis spp. were identified morphologically. Most prevalent specie among these five was the Hyalomma anatolicum with the prevalence of 42.18%. High prevalence of Hyalomma anatolicumwas observed in Sargodha. Lowest identification rate of Hemaphysalis spp. was observed in all three districts with the prevalence of 4.59% in Attock and 4.00% in both Sargodha and Khushab districts. Data of tick infestation can be very handy while making control strategies for ticks. Many pandemics can be avoided by making policies keeping in view of the prevalence of ticks which are responsible for the spread of many pathogens including, protozoa, bacteria and viruses in animals and humans.
Effects analysis of higher flexural additives to increase crack resistance in rigid pavements
Authors: Dewanto Dewanto , Djakfar Ludfi , Wisnumurti Wisnumurti , Wicaksono Achmad 
Published: November 2024

Road pavements basically must be able to serve traffic properly without any damage conditions that can endanger road users. The condition of road damage still occurs a lot starting with damage in the form of cracks. To overcome road damage, research needs to be done either in the form of selecting the right design material or design to reduce the risk of premature damage to road pavement. Therefore, there is a need for an approach where additives are needed that can increase the resistance to cracking in concrete pavement. With these background conditions, this study was conducted with the aim of looking for a mixture of materials and types of road pavements that can reduce the condition of cracks in concrete road pavements. The method used in conducting this research is by conducting laboratory testing by making test objects in the form of concrete with the addition of flekson material so as to make obtain flexibility properties. The test is carried out by assessing the crack pattern of the specimen with different levels of flekson. The analysis method used in this study is the analysis of the variant method, while to determine the difference in cracks in the material added to the flekson additive using the regression method. The results of the study found that with the addition of flekson additives, the value of cracks in the concrete road pavement will decrease. Flekson levels that have a good influence on the condition of concrete road pavements. The optimum flekson content in the concrete mixture is 1.5 %, if the flekson content mixed exceeds that it will further reduce the flexural strength of the concrete. Regression modeling results of flekson content and crack width relationship y=0.6x+5 with R2 equal to 0.9529
Drying of andrographis paniculata with hot air controlled with artificial intelligence
Authors: Nramat Wichai , Traiphat Wasakorn , Sukruan Phuachat , Utaprom Prachum , Phatedoung Luedate , Piamboriboon Pitichon , Nramat Sutep 
Published: November 2024

This article presents the development of drying Andrographis paniculata with hot air controlled by artificial intelligence system together with infrared rays. The tools used in the research are Andrographis paniculata drying cabinet with hot air controlled by artificial intelligence system together with infrared rays. The part consists of an oven with a width of 1204 millimeters and a length of 380 millimeters. A 65-watt blower fan serves to blow air to move heat evenly into the dryer. The source of heat release uses a heating coil, Fin Heater/fin heater. Voltage size 220 V 1,000 W, length 450 mm, metal weave size 11 mm, fin size 31 mm. Heat with a thermocouple was checked to compare with the temperature set. In the event that the temperature in the Andrographis paniculata dryer has not decreased, the thermal camera will turn on the ventilation fan to carry the heat outside. and ordered to reduce the temperature of the heater. The measured temperature data will be saved to the Raspberry Pi server. Research found that the machine can dry Andrographis paniculata according to the machine's operating conditions. And can dry Andrographis paniculata at a temperature of 40 °C according to the value specified in drying. The humidity before drying was 100 % and after drying – 0.73 %. The weight before drying was – 30g and after drying – 8.1g. The drying rate was 1.37 and the average temperature – 60 °C according to the value specified in drying. Moisture before drying was 100 % and after drying – 0.79 %. Weight before drying was 60g and after drying – 12.6g. Drying rate was 1.27. The system also uses a low heat source with a power of 1 kW. Electrical voltage – 220 V
Otorhinogenic intracranial complications in children: Optimization of diagnostics and treatment
Authors: Kuznetsova N. E. , Zakharov S. D. 
Published: November 2024

Introduction. Intracranial complications (IC) of sinusitis and acute otitis media (AOM) in children are rare but life-threatening phenomena. Both intracranial and extracranial complications require early diagnosis and timely interdisciplinary approach to treatment. The article considers data on the prevalence of otorhinogenic complications in children, the possibilities of their early diagnosis, treatment and prognosis at the present stage.Aim. To study the prevalence of otolaryngogenic complications, the possibility of their early diagnosis and prediction of the occurrence of complications in children.Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis of medical records of patients aged ≤ 18 years who were treated in the pediatric otolaryngology department of the Tyumen Regional Clinical Hospital No. 2 from 2013–2023 was performed. A patient database was created, the prevalence of intracranial complications was studied, the significance of clinical, laboratory parameters, and integral blood indices was assessed, and a model for predicting otolaryngogenic intracranial complications was created based on the logistic regression method.Results. A total of 21 495 people were treated over the past period, 233 (1.1%) had verified otogenic complications, 55 (0.3%) had intracranial complications, and 178 (0.8%) had extracranial complications. The average age of children with otogenic intracranial complications (OIC) was 6.3 ± 4.1 years, and rhinogenic intracranial complications (RIC) was 11.3 ± 4.5 years. With Ht ≤ 34.2 and ISL ≥ 3.98, OIC is diagnosed, and with ISL ≥ 4.75, RIC is diagnosed, requiring surgical treatment by an ENT doctor and a neurosurgeon. Using logistic regression, a model for predicting complications was created, the sensitivity of which was 97.6%, specificity – 94.0%, and efficiency – 95.6%. The first-line antibiotic therapy used was penicillin group drugs, including combination drugs with clavulanic acid, as well as cephalosporins.Conclusions. The prevalence of otorhinogenic intracranial complications in children of the Tyumen region was 0.3%. Early diagnostics, prognosis, otorhinogenic complications using integral blood indices and logistic regression is a modern and informative method in pediatric practice. The use of amoxicillin in the form of dispersible tablets as a starting antibacterial therapy in children with uncomplicated acute otorhinolaryngitis has good efficiency due to high bioavailability.
Ensino remoto em tempos de pandemia: Uma análise das dificuldades enfrentadas pelos estudantes de graduação
Authors: Silva Rafael Felix da , Zapszalka Franklin , Razzolini Filho Edelvino 
Published: November 2024

Essa pesquisa teve por objetivo identificar as dificuldades enfrentadas pelos estudantes de graduação da Universidade Federal do Paraná, em relação ao ensino remoto. Os dados foram coletados através de questionário, e tratados por meio de estatística descritiva, teste qui-quadrado e V de Cramer, além de análise de conteúdo. Os resultados apontaram que as principais dificuldades enfrentadas pelos estudantes se referem à: conexão com a internet, local inadequado para os estudos; falta de tempo; excesso de conteúdo; dispositivos digitais; professores; saúde mental, e ao próprio ensino remoto.