bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dissociation between liver fat content and fasting metabolic markers of selective hepatic insulin resistance in humans
Authors: Westcott Felix A , Nagarajan Shilpa R , Parry Sion A , Savic Dragana , Green Charlotte J , Marjot Thomas , Johnson Elspeth , Cornfield Thomas , Mózes Ferenc E , O’Rourke Paige , Mendall Jessica , Dearlove David , Fielding Barbara , Smith Kieran , Tomlinson Jeremy W , Hodson Leanne 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Objective
Fasting hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia are characteristic of insulin resistance (IR) and rodent work has suggested this may be due to selective hepatic IR, defined by increased hepatic gluconeogenesis and de novo lipogenesis (DNL), but this has not been shown in humans.

Design
Cross-sectional study in men and women across a range of adiposity.

Methods
Medication-free participants (n = 177) were classified as normoinsulinemic (NI) or hyperinsulinemic (HI) and as having low (LF) or high (HF) liver fat content measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Fractional gluconeogenesis (frGNG) and hepatic DNL were measured using stable isotope tracer methodology following an overnight fast.

Results
Although HI and HF groups had higher fasting plasma glucose and triglyceride concentrations when compared to NI and LF groups respectively, there was no difference in frGNG. However, HF participants tended to have lower frGNG than LF participants. HI participants had higher DNL compared to NI participants but there was no difference observed between liver fat groups.

Conclusions
Taken together, we found no metabolic signature of selective hepatic IR in fasting humans. DNL may contribute to hypertriglyceridemia in individuals with HI but not those with HF. Glycogenolysis and systemic glucose clearance may have a larger contribution to fasting hyperglycemia than gluconeogenesis, especially in those with HF, and these pathways should be considered for therapeutic targeting.
The natural course of bone mineral density in transgender youth before medical treatment; a cross sectional study
Authors: van der Loos Maria Anna Theodora Catharina , Boogers Lidewij Sophia , Klink Daniel Tatting , den Heijer Martin , Wiepjes Chantal Maria , Hannema Sabine Elisabeth 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Objective
Bone mineral density (BMD) Z-scores decrease during puberty suppression in transgender youth. Assessment of treatment impact has been based on the assumption that without intervention, BMD Z-scores remain stable. However, the natural course of BMD in this population is unknown.

Design
Retrospective cross-sectional study.

Methods
Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans prior to medical intervention were included from 333 individuals assigned male at birth (AMAB) and 556 individuals assigned female at birth (AFAB) aged 12–25 years. The relationship between age and BMD Z-scores of sex assigned at birth was analysed for the lumbar spine (LS), total hip (TH), femoral neck (FN), and total-body-less-head (TBLH), adjusted for height SDS, height-adjusted lean mass Z-score, and whole body percentage fat Z-score.

Results
In individuals AMAB, the BMD Z-score was negatively associated with age between 12 and 22 years: LS −0.13/year (95% confidence interval, CI −0.17; −0.10); TH −0.05/year (95% CI −0.08; −0.02); FN −0.06/year (95% CI −0.10; −0.03); and TBLH −0.12/year (95% CI −0.15; −0.09). Adjusting for height-adjusted lean mass Z-score attenuated the association at the LS and TBLH and eliminated the association at the TH and FN. BMD Z-scores and age were not associated between 22 and 25 years. In individuals AFAB, BMD Z-scores were only associated with age at the TBLH (−0.08/year, 95% CI −0.12; −0.04) between age 12 and 20 years.

Conclusion
In individuals AMAB aged 12–22 years prior to any treatment, BMD Z-scores were inversely correlated with age. This could imply that BMD increases less in individuals AMAB than in the general population, and that changes in Z-score during puberty suppression and subsequent hormone supplementation are not necessarily due to treatment, but possibly related to lifestyle factors.
Participation in formal adult education and family life—a gendered story
Authors: Pöyliö Heta , McMullin Patricia 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Previous literature on adult education (AE) has focused on various aspects of social inequalities, and although many acknowledge the critical role of gender, the mechanisms influencing gender differences in participation are rarely to the fore. Specifically, women report family responsibilities as the main reason for not enrolling in AE. This article examines whether family responsibilities, measured as the age and number of children, act as motivators or barriers to formal AE participation differently among men and women with varying time and monetary resources, that is, partnership status and relative income, in two societies with high formal AE enrolment rates; Finland and Great Britain. The results from Finnish registers and Understanding Society for 1998–2019 demonstrate clearly that family responsibilities related to having young children in the household restrict women from participating in formal AE to a greater extent than men in both countries. Further, while Finnish society enables individuals who traditionally have fewer resources to attend formal AE, that is, single parents and larger families, in Britain, formal AE is mainly taken up by individuals without children or those in stable family situations. The results highlight the importance of institutions in providing equal access to further educational qualifications.
A New “Cult of the Offensive?” Elite Perceptions of Artificial Intelligence in Military Affairs in the United States and the People’s Republic of China
Authors: Selden Zachary 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in military affairs is largely limited to logistics, transport, reconnaissance, and other support functions at present. Yet, the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are also making significant progress in developing autonomous combat vehicles and other offensive applications of AI. The ambiguous nature and multifaceted applications of AI in military affairs could be seen as either increasing or decreasing the relative cost of offensive military action. The critical question, therefore, is not a technical determination of whether the emerging uses of AI favor the offensive or defensive force, but rather an assessment of how AI is perceived by policymakers. Similar to the World War I era cult of the offensive, ambiguous emerging technology may drive leaders to focus on the offensive advantages of that technology when expectations of conflict are rising. This paper examines the policy elite discourse surrounding the military applications of AI in both the United States and the PRC between 2014 and 2022. It finds that over this period, elite discussion of the use of AI in military affairs has shifted in both states in ways that indicate more focus on the offensive rather than defensive applications of this emerging technology. While by no means determinative, it is an indicator that perceptions of the offense–defense balance may be moving in a destabilizing direction.
The Power of a Complex Systems Perspective to Elucidate Aging
Authors: Cohen Alan A , Olde Rikkert Marcel G M 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
It is becoming highly accepted that aging, age-related diseases, and geriatric healthcare can move forward if reductionist research is complemented by integrative research uniting knowledge on specific aging mechanisms, multiple biomedical, social, psychological, lifestyle, and environmental factors and their interactions. In this special issue, we present exciting papers that illustrate how complexity science theory and practice can be applied to aging research and provide a better understanding and quantification of healthy aging and vulnerability to disease. Recent insights on biomarkers, clocks of aging, frailty, and resilience are covered and studied in interaction with a dynamic multiscale perspective. The editorial and closing viewpoint guide you through basic principles of gerontological complexity science and shed light on new research horizons, including innovative systems-based interventions.
Age Differences in Consulting Others During Decision Making
Authors: Wild Tess , Löckenhoff Corinna E 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Objectives
Many choices are made in the context of one’s social network, but age differences in consulting others during decision making remain underexplored. This preregistered study examined age differences in the composition of decision-related social networks and associated social preferences and motivations. Based on prior findings regarding age differences in information-seeking and socioemotional preferences, we predicted that with advanced age people would consult fewer and more emotionally close social partners, consult them less frequently, rate consultations as more helpful, and prioritize social goals during decision making.

Methods
An adult lifespan sample (N = 485; Mage = 51.08; SDage = 19.63, rangeage = 18–96 years) considered hypothetical choices and reported how many and what types of people they would consult and how often they would consult them. They also identified their most important decision consultants and evaluated interactions with those individuals.

Results
As predicted, age was associated with consulting fewer people less frequently and this was not explained by having a smaller range of potential consultants in one’s network. Contrary to predictions, the proportion of close social partners in decision networks and the perceived helpfulness of consultants did not vary significantly by age. Moreover, older adults were less likely than younger adults to prioritize relationship quality over decision quality. Controlling for potential covariates did not diminish the observed age effects.

Discussion
These findings align with the prior literature on age-related decrements in pre-decisional information seeking but suggest that age-related preferences for close social partners and socioemotional goals do not extend to decision-related consultations.
The WTO as Multilateral Diffusion Hub: Institutional Learning in WTO Disputes and the Design of Preferential Trade Agreements
Authors: Stiller Kenneth T 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Institutions are not created in a vacuum—but how do extant institutions influence design choices? Leveraging fragmentation in the global trade order, this paper stresses the relevance of experience and argues that the institutional influence of the World Trade Organization (WTO) extends beyond its jurisdiction through its centrality as multilateral diffusion hub: When states negotiate preferential trade agreements (PTAs), previous dispute settlement experiences in the WTO shape the design of dispute settlement mechanisms (DSMs). National bureaucracies undergo institutional learning processes when participating in multilateral trade disputes and subsequently conclude PTAs with DSMs that are similar to the institutions of the WTO, thus fostering their—decentralized—spread to the network of PTAs. The learning effect is particularly pronounced for states with low bureaucratic capacity. Employing a novel, unitary conceptualization of DSMs in terms of complainant rights shows that the results of this diffusion process generally entail increased levels of complainant rights in PTAs. Importantly, institutional learning is more than mere emulation: States also adapt institutional design to individual context by considering the prior dispute experience of their trading partners. A dual empirical strategy and interviews with PTA negotiators corroborate the learning effect and its relevance during PTA negotiations.
Quantitation of Usnic Acid from Three Usnea Species, Its Commercial Formulations Using High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (HPTLC–MS) and Their Metabolite Profiling Using UPLC–QTof-MSE
Authors: Tatapudi Kiran Kumar , Bandi Siva , Kotta Ramulu , Kanivebagilu Shankaranarayana Vinayaka , Ramalingam Vaikundamoorthy , Babu Katragadda Suresh 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Background
The genus Usnea (Parmeliaceae; lichenized Ascomycetes) is pale grayish-green fruticose lichens, which grow as leafless mini-shrubs and comprise about 360 species. Most of the Usnea species are edible and are utilized in preparation of traditional foods as well as in medicines to combat a wide range of ailments.

Objective
This study aimed to quantify usnic acid (UA) in three Usnea spp. (Usnea ghattensis [UG], Usnea orientalis [UO], and Usnea undulata [UU]) using HPTLC–MS. Additionally, chemical profiling of acetone extracts using UPLC–QTof-MSE resulted in the identification of 16 compounds based on their MS/MS fragmentation patterns.

Methods
Hyphenated techniques, HPTLC–MS, and UPLC–QTof-MSE have been proposed to quantify UA and analyze metabolites in crude extracts qualitatively. This method allowed tentative characterization of metabolites from Usnea spp.

Results
The quantification study showed excellent linearity for UA at 0.25–1 µg/band with a correlation coefficient r2 &gt; 0.99, and the LOD and LOQ were found to be 51.7 and 156.6 ng/band, respectively. Furthermore, UPLC–QTof-MSE analysis of crude extracts led to identification of lichen secondary metabolites through their exact molecular masses and MS/MS fragmentation studies.

Conclusion
The present study summarizes an HPTLC method for quantification of UA in three different Usnea spp. Additionally, two herbal formulations containing Usnea spp. as an ingredient, the developed method was validated as per the ICH guidelines and further UPLC–QTof-MSE analysis facilitated tentative characterization of 16 different secondary metabolites based on their MS/MS fragmentation patterns.

Highlights
A rapid HPTLC method for quantification of UA in three different Usnea spp., along with two herbal formulations, and metabolite profiling using UPLC–QTof-MSE.
The fecundity costs of building domed nests in birds
Authors: Taylor Claire J , Mainwaring Mark C , Medina Iliana 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Animal nests provide a beneficial environment for offspring development and as such, contribute to fitness. Gathering and transporting materials to construct nests is energetically costly, but the life history trade-offs associated with the types of nests built are largely unknown. Who contributes to building the nest could also mediate these trade-offs, as building a nest as a couple is expected to be less costly per individual than building alone. Using a comparative analysis of 227 songbird species globally, we found a fecundity cost associated with the type of nest a species builds. Species that build domed nests produce fewer broods per year than species building cups or platforms. Dome nesting species also have larger clutch sizes than open nesting species, but only when the nest is built by a couple and not when females build nests alone. This suggests that building domed nests represents a trade-off with investment in young, especially when females are solely responsible for nest building. More broadly, our results could explain macroevolutionary patterns, such as the recent finding that females, building on their own, more often build open cups rather than domed nests.
Updated checklist with new records and molecular data for the mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of Hong Kong
Authors: Han Shaolin , Miot Elliott F , Liao Yunshi , Somboon Pradya , Harbach Ralph E , Sze-To Ka Mei , Tang Lilia Tsz-Wing , Guénard Benoit , Lam Tommy Tsan-Yuk 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
An extensive mosquito survey was carried out in Hong Kong from September to October 2022, employing a variety of collection methods. Specimens were identified using a combination of morphology and mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit 1 (COI) barcode sequences. Twenty-nine species, including three new records, i.e., Culex bicornutus (Theobald), Culex cinctellus Edwards, and Lutzia chiangmaiensis Somboon & Harbach, were collected. Phylogenetic analysis of COI sequences of Culex annulus Theobald and Culex vishnui Theobald collected in Hong Kong and elsewhere revealed that the sequences of the two nominal species are genetically very similar and are included in the same clade. Consequently, the synonymy of Cx. annulus with Cx. vishnui is reinstated. Lutzia halifaxii (Theobald) is removed from the list of species in Hong Kong and is replaced with Lutzia vorax Edwards, the identification of which is confirmed in the present study. The record of Culex spiculothorax Bram recorded in Hong Kong is replaced with the senior synonym Culex sasai Kano, Nitahara & Awaya. The occurrence of Anopheles fluviatilis James and Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) is discussed. Finally, an updated checklist of the mosquitoes of Hong Kong, which now includes 76 species representing 14 genera, is provided, with notation of those species that vector pathogens of human diseases.
Feeling at home: Bildung and the clash between nostalgic and universal values: singing together in a plural world
Authors: Wiberg Merete 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
The article explores the tensions of belonging by focusing on the clash between nostalgic and universal values. Because of the inherent tension that they share, the concepts of Bildung and nostalgia provide an opening for understanding human belonging as ranging between nostalgic rootedness and the search for universality. Johann Gottfried Herder’s and Nikolai Frederik Severin Grundtvig’s theories of Bildung, exemplify this clash between nostalgic and universal values. Wilhelm von Humboldt’s thinking offers a theory of Bildung that transcends nostalgic values and points to the world as a place of belonging. In this article I problematize feelings of nostalgia, such as a sense of national belonging, by demonstrating how they might turn into educational values that exclude individuals who do not share the same idea of home and sense of belonging. I employ Agnes Heller’s term ‘value- orientational categories’ to understand how feelings might transform into values. I question and discuss nostalgia’s potential to uphold diversity, given human longing for local versions of home with different languages, cultures, and customs. I then suggest that embracing nostalgia in an educational context can provide a foundation for fostering universal values such as diversity, openness, and flexibility among citizens. Barbara Cassin’s vision of the ‘world freed from belonging’ and her idea of ‘airborne roots’ contribute to this discussion.
The effect of puboperiurethral suspension stitch placement on climacturia after robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy
Authors: Unal Selman , Kutluhan Musab Ali , Uzundal Halil , Soydas Turker , Okulu Emrah , Ozayar Asim , Kayigil Onder 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Background
Climacturia is defined as urine leakage associated with orgasm and can negatively affect patients’ quality of life. The high prevalence of climacturia after radical prostatectomy (RP) has led to continued efforts to reduce climacturia rates. It has been shown that puboperiurethral suspension stitch placement during RP assists in the recovery of urinary continence.

Aim
To evaluate the impact of puboperiurethral suspension stitch placement during RP on post-RP climacturia.

Methods
We conducted a retrospective study of patients who underwent nerve-sparing robot-assisted laparoscopic RP (RALP) at our institution between 2016 and 2023. The patients were categorized into 2 groups: Group 1 (n = 32) that underwent nerve-sparing RALP with puboperiurethral suspension stitch placement and Group 2 (n = 62) that underwent nerve-sparing RALP alone. Patients who were not able to achieve penetration at the last follow-up visit were excluded from the study. The clinical history, parameters of prostate cancer, details of medical and surgical treatments, and follow-up data were evaluated.

Outcomes
Differences in sexual and urinary function, climacturia rates, and complications between nerve-sparing RP with and without puboperiurethral suspension stitch placement.

Results
There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of surgical complications. The mean follow-up time was 14.62 ± 3.55 months in Group 1 and 14.43 ± 4.44 months in Group 2 (P = .42). Postoperative erectile functions were similar between the groups. At the last follow-up visit, climacturia was present in 4 patients (12.5%) in Group 1 and 24 patients (38.7%) in Group 2 (P = .016). The long-term stress urinary incontinence rates were similar between the groups.

Clinical Implications
This study provides comparative results on postoperative climacturia rates between nerve-sparing RALP groups with and without puboperiurethral suspension stitch placement. These results show that puboperiurethral suspension stitch can help to prevent postoperative climacturia after RP.

Strength and Limitations
This is the first study in the literature that evaluates the effect of puboperiurethral suspension stitch on climacturia. The limitations include the single-center, retrospective design with potential selection bias, possible inaccuracies in the recorded medical data, and challenges in controlling confounding variables.

Conclusion
Our study demonstrated that puboperiurethral suspension stitch was a feasible option for the prevention of climacturia after RALP without an increased risk of complications.
Knee joint dysfunction in the patients immediately before arthroplasty was well reflected by locomotive syndrome, not physical frailty
Authors: Inui Kentaro , Maeda Shingo , Yamada Shuji , Mandai Koji , Minami Yoshito , Ueno Kentaro , Ohashi Hirotsugu , Ikawa Tesshu 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACT

Objectives
We assessed physical function by three different methods in patients with knee osteoarthritis just before total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and investigated the relationship with pre-operative factors.

Methods
All patients scheduled to undergo TKA were assessed for basic attributes, clinical assessment, radiography, whole-body mode dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, knee muscle strength, and frailty, sarcopenia, locomotive syndrome (LS) were evaluated.

Results
Among 204 patients (213 knees), 172 women the overall distribution in frailty was no: 14.6%, pre-frailty: 58.5%, frailty: 26.8%; in sarcopenia no: 93.3%, yes: 3.4%, severe: 3.4%; and in LS Stage 0: 0%, Stage 1: 3.3%, Stage 2: 11.4%, Stage 3: 85.3% . Eighty-seven per cent of the patients with frailty and 92% with LS Stage 3 did not suffer from sarcopenia. Statistically significant relationships were observed between sarcopenia and frailty, while there was no relationship between LS and frailty or LS and sarcopenia. Multivariate analysis of related factors with severity levels for frailty and LS revealed statistically significant correlations for frailty with gait speed, and LS with Knee Society Score and muscle strength.

Conclusion
In patients with knee osteoarthritis frailty and LS were not related to sarcopenia. Knee joint dysfunction without sarcopenia was well reflected by LS, but not by frailty.