bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Viral gene therapeutic strategies to obtain abluminal protein secretion from brain endothelial cells denoting the blood-brain barrier
Authors: Moos Torben , Laczek Bartosz , Burkhart Annette , Thomsen Maj Schneider , Körbelin Jakob 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) formed by brain endothelial cells (BECs) limits the passage of biopharmaceuticals from the circulation into the brain parenchyma. An emerging strategy suggests that viral vectors may specifically target and productively transduce BECs leading to protein secretion into the brain. To study protein secretion, different AAV-BR1 vector constructs encoding mCherry were designed containing either an endothelial specific promotor or the more ubiquitous CAG promotor. Intending to enhance abluminal secretion, a fragment of platelet-derived growth factor subunit B (PDGF-B) protein was fused to the N-terminus of mCherry. Post-translational removal of PDGF-B using a furin cleavage site was also examined. Secretion of mCherry from BECs occurred primarily without post-translational processing, hence limiting the applicability of PDGF-B fusion to proteins among which bioactivity is not abolished by N-terminal modifications. Modelling the BBB in vitro using primary BECs co-cultured with glial cells, mCherry secretion across the abluminal membrane was particularly favorable, following transduction with constructs containing the CAG promoter and PDGF-B fragment. Systemically administered AAV-BR1 vector transduced BECs in vivo, but tracing mCherry secretion into the brain was complicated by additional BBB crossing of the vector with neuronal off-target transduction. In conclusion, the AAV-BR1 vectors transduce BECs and enable abluminal protein secretion with potential for protein delivery to the brain.
Optimization of Betulinic and Ursolic Acids and Phenolics Extraction from Endemic Rosa pisiformis Using Box-Behnken Design in Relation to Cytotoxic Activities
Authors: DEMİRAY Hatice , Emir Mesut , ÖZEL Onur 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Despite its important pharmacological bioactivities, betulinic acid is still primarily obtained through extraction from heartwood and bark or synthesized synthetically, with less than 3% efficiency. Our endemic rose species, Rosa pisiformis (Christ.) D. Sosn., which is a new alternative source of betulinic acid and traditionally valued for its medicinal properties, was collected from its natural distribution in Gümüşhane province. The plant’s organs, such as root, stem, leaf and fruit were air-dried and pulverized. The compounds were separately extracted using three different solvents (ethanol, dichloromethane and hexane) with an optimized Box-Behnken method. The amounts of quercetin, rutin, catechin, betulinic, ursolic and oleanolic acids in roots, stems, leaves, and fruits were determined using HPLC-DAD techniques with standard substances. Optimisation data revealed a 65% solvent ratio and five-times maceration with 75 ml of solvents. The highest amounts of catechin were found in the leaves (DCM) as 15.61 µg/ml. Stems were rich in rutin (28.96 µg/ml) and quercetin (39.90 µg/ml). Betulinic acid content was determined for the first time in stems (hexane, 11.84 µg/ml) and roots (9.32 µg/ml). Their cytotoxic activities against prostate and lung carcinoma cells were evaluated using ABTS-assay, revealing that stems exhibited the highest activity, followed by leaves and roots.
The rare bacteria in the rhizosphere enhanced the tolerance of tea plants to drought
Authors: You Xinhan , Zhao Xiaoxia , Han Xiaoyang 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Drought can seriously affect the yield and quality of tea. The interaction between rhizosphere microorganisms and tea plants could enhance the drought resistance of tea plants. However, there are few studies on the effects of abundant and rare microorganisms on tea plants. In this study, the contributions of abundant and rare bacteria in the rhizosphere microorganisms of ‘FudingDabaicha’ and ‘Baiye No.1’ to the resistance of tea plants to drought stress were studied using 16SrRNA sequencing, co-occurrence network analysis, and PLS-PM modeling analysis. The results showed that the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the content of osmotic substances increased significantly after drought stress. In the co-occurrence network of the two varieties, the average degree, clustering coefficient, and modularity index of the rare bacteria were greater than those of the abundant bacteria, and the path coefficient of the rare bacteria to drought was greater than that of the abundant bacteria. The contribution of rare microorganisms in ‘FudingDabaicha’ to drought stress was greater than that in ‘Baiye No.1’. The rare bacteria of the two varieties were positively correlated with amino acids and negatively correlated with lipids. The results of this study will provide new insights for the use of rhizosphere microorganisms in improving the drought resistance of tea plants.
Development and validation of a questionnaire to assess clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with Carbapenem-Resistant Urinary Tract Infections.
Authors: Senaratne Thamarasi , Jayathilaka Nishadi , Nakkawita Dilini 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Background and aim:
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by carbapenem-resistant (CR) bacteria cause poor outcomes in infected patients. An interviewer administered questionnaire to collect data on clinical characteristics and outcomes is needed to assess the clinical outcome and to improve patient care. Present study developed and validated a questionnaire to assess clinical characteristics and outcomes during hospital stay and after discharge over three months, among patients with CR-UTI.
Method
A four-phase methodology was followed. (1) item generation by literature search, (2) content validation by an expert panel review (n = 3), (3) face validation by conducting a pilot study (n = 20), (4) construct validity and reliability analysis with the participation of 123 patients confirmed with CR-UTIs.
Results
Questionnaire with 14 items were generated by the end of phase 1. Content validation indicated a strong item content validity index for relevance. Several revisions were done to improve clarity. Exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis showed that items loaded > 0.04 on a single item explained total variance of 71.67%. The Kaiser-Mayer-Olkin value was acceptable (0.34), with significant Bartlett’s sphericity test (p < 0.05). The Cronbach’s alpha value indicated sufficient reliability (0.53) for a newly developed questionnaire. At the end of four phases, 21-item questionnaire was generated.
Conclusion
The questionnaire validated for clinical characteristics and outcome assessment of CR-UTI patients was with excellent psychometric properties. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to develop and validate a standardized questionnaire, to enhance patient care through monitoring of clinical characteristics and outcome assessment of patients diagnosed with CR-UTIs.
The influencing mechanism of thermo-oxidative aging of waste cotton textiles on mechanical properties of their regenerated fibers
Authors: Guo Mengsheng , Miao Yaping , Su Jinhui , Zhang Xinyan , Zhang Haiyang , Chen Sisi , Zhang Wenli , Liu Lin , Hou Lin , Fan Wei 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Recycling and reuse of waste cotton textiles reduces environmental pollution and lowers energy consumption. Currently, researchers have conducted a lot of studies on the reuse of waste cotton textiles, but there are fewer studies on how the degree of their aging affects the properties of the regenerated fibers. In particular, the higher the degree of aging, the greater the change of physical and chemical properties of them, thus limiting their reuse value. In this paper, ionic liquids were used to dissolve cotton textiles with different degree of aging, and the effect of aging degree of cotton textiles on the viscosity of spinning solution was investigated by measuring the rheological behavior of spinning solution. The regenerated fibers were prepared by wet spinning and the mechanical and chemical properties of the regenerated fibers were characterized. When comparing regenerated fibers made from cotton textiles that have not been aged with those made from cotton textiles aged at 200°C, the tensile strength of the regenerated fibers decreases from 204.83 MPa to 47.5 MPa, and the hydroxyl vibration peaks of the regenerated fibers are weakened. With the help of molecular dynamics simulation, the aging process of cotton textiles under different temperature conditions was explored, at high temperatures, cellulose molecular chains break and intramolecular hydrogen bonding is reduced, resulting in reduced mechanical properties. Therefore, the selection of waste cotton textiles with the appropriate degree of aging according to the recycling purpose can help to realize the efficient use of waste textiles.
18F-FAPI-42 PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with malignant digestive system neoplasms: a head-to-head comparative study
Authors: Xiong Min , You HongJi , Feng Jingmin , Liu Yipei , Luo Xiaoming , Liu Ying , Jiang Sheng-Nan 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Purpose
Radionuclide-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI) is an emerging tumor tracer. We sought to assess the uptake and diagnostic performance of 18F-FAPI-42 PET/CT compared with simultaneous 2-deoxy-2[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (18F-FDG) PET/CT in primary and metastatic lesions in patients with malignant digestive system neoplasms and determine the potential clinical benefit.
Procedures
Forty-two patients (men = 30, women = 12, mean age = 56.71 ± 13.26 years) who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT and 18F-FAPI-42 PET/CT simultaneously for diagnosis, staging, and restaging were enrolled. Quantitative data, including standardized uptake value (SUV), tumor-to-liver ratio (TLR), and tumor-to-blood pool ratio (TBR), were analyzed. Two independent readers performed a visual assessment of lesion number and location on PET/CT images. Interobserver agreement between two examinations was calculated using Cohen’s kappa (κ).
Results
Primary tumor locations included the liver (n = 20), stomach (n = 9), pancreas (n = 5), and intestine (n = 10). More intense 18F-FAPI-42 uptake and higher tumor-to-background contrast were detected in most primary and metastatic lesions compared with 18F-FDG, contributing to improved diagnostic accuracy ranging from 95.24–100%. Moreover, additional lesions showing 18F-FAPI-42 uptake in primary, locoregional and distant metastatic lesions were visualized, especially in multiple liver and peritoneal metastases. Patient-based interobserver agreement varied from moderate to strong, with suboptimal outcomes observed in primary tumors (κ = 0.441, P = 0.01) and preferable results derived from metastatic liver and bone lesions (κ = 1 and 0.896, both P < 0.01). 18F-FAPI-42 PET/CT resulted in modified treatment strategies for 40.48% (17/42) of patients, while 18F-FDG PET/CT led to altered therapeutic regimens in only 4.8% (2/42) of patients.
Conclusions
In selected patients with malignant digestive system neoplasms, our study shows that 18F-FAPI-42 PET/CT is a promising and alternative tool for assessing primary tumors and metastases and aiding staging, restaging, and decision-making, with higher uptake and better lesion visualization compared with 18F-FDG. In addition, it may shed light into the treatment selection and response assessment for FAP-targeted therapy or immunotherapy.
Design and Characterization of a Magnetorheological Elastomer Linear Actuator
Authors: Bellelli Alberto , Vairo Antonio , Spaggiari Andrea 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

This work presents the design and characterization of an innovative linear actuator based on a magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) disc coupled to an electromagnet. MREs are a class of smart materials in which micrometre-sized magnetic particles are suspended in an elastomeric matrix. Most research works study their applicability as semi-active systems, but less effort is devoted to their applicability in actuators. The MRE is activated by a commercial electromagnet, and it is used to provide linear motion. The stiffness of the elastomeric matrix is exploited to bring the system back to its initial position, so that the system is monostable. The magneto-mechanical behaviour is modelled both analytically and by means of finite element magneto-mechanical simulations, and the models are compared with the experimental tests. Two membrane thicknesses and two different gaps between the membrane and the electromagnetic actuator were manufactured and characterized. The results show the effect of the design variable on the actuator behaviour and confirm that the analytical model provided can predict the actuator's behaviour with a good approximation in all the configuration analysed. The dynamic range of the proposed system, regardless of the configuration selected, demonstrates that the magnetic contribution is always able to increase the actuator force by 50% and that the provided model can easily be used as a reliable design tool for this kind of smart system.
P-Mamba: Marrying Perona Malik Diffusion with Mamba for Efficient Pediatric Echocardiographic Left Ventricular Segmentation
Authors: Ye Zi , Chen Tianxiang , Wang Fangyijie , Zhang Hanwei , Zhang Lijun 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

In pediatric cardiology, the accurate and immediate assessment of cardiac function through echocardiography is crucial since it can determine whether urgent intervention is required in many emergencies. However, echocardiography is characterized by ambiguity and heavy background noise interference, causing more difficulty in accurate segmentation. Present methods lack efficiency and are prone to mistakenly segmenting some background noise areas, such as the left ventricular area, due to noise disturbance. To address these issues, we introduce P-Mamba, which integrates the Mixture of Experts (MoE) concept for efficient pediatric echocardiographic left ventricular segmentation. Specifically, we utilize the recently proposed ViM layers from the vision mamba to enhance our model's computational and memory efficiency while modeling global dependencies. In the DWT-based Perona-Malik Diffusion (PMD) Block, we devise a PMD Block for noise suppression while preserving the left ventricle's local shape cues. Consequently, our proposed P-Mamba innovatively combines the PMD's noise suppression and local feature extraction capabilities with Mamba's efficient design for global dependency modeling. We conducted segmentation experiments on two pediatric ultrasound datasets and a general ultrasound dataset, namely Echonet-dynamic, and achieved state-of-the-art (SOTA) results. Leveraging the strengths of the P-Mamba block, our model demonstrates superior accuracy and efficiency compared to established models, including vision transformers with quadratic and linear computational complexity.
Experimental study and acoustic characteristics analysis of defective-state Helmholtz-ring phononic crystal muffler
Authors: Bai Yang , Chen Yuehua , Zheng Jiahui 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

To improve the sound absorption performance of the expansion chamber muffler at low frequencies, a Helmholtz-ring phononic crystal muffler is designed based on the local resonance mechanism. The phononic crystal muffler exhibits strong sound attenuation performance at deep sub-wavelength scales. Firstly, the phononic crystal scatterer is designed as a ring-type Helmholtz resonant chamber, and a certain amount of cell units is periodically arranged inside an expansion chamber muffler. Secondly, the effects of the dimension parameters of scatterers on the bandgaps are studied. The transmission loss of the phononic crystal muffler, together with the pressure loss at low Mach numbers, is investigated. Subsequent focus is devoted to analyzing the effects of point and linear defective states on the acoustic transmission characteristics of the phononic crystal muffler. The results show that a significant improvement in both transmission loss and aerodynamic performance of the proposed phononic crystal muffler is observed when compared to the original expansion chamber muffler. Additionally, the transmission loss within the bandgap can be further enhanced when the phononic crystal muffler is in a defective state. Finally, experimental investigations were conducted to validate the effectiveness of the phononic crystal muffler within its bandgap range.
Study on the mechanism and prevention system of creep induced instability of isolated coal pillars considering time effect
Authors: Song Weihua , Yu Shiqi , Rong Hai 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

In response to the frequent occurrence of impact manifestations of isolated coal pillars in the middle of mining areas without obvious mining disturbances, taking multiple isolated coal pillar impact events that occurred in Zhaolou Coal Mine and Gengcun Coal Mine as examples, a study was conducted on the mechanism of induced rock burst by isolated coal pillars considering time effects,The occurrence of such rockburst accidents often exhibits significant "lag" and "spontaneity". Due to the unclear mechanism of occurrence and the difficulty in grasping the timing of pressure relief, this type of rockburst has become a typical hidden disaster, posing a serious threat to the deep mining of coal mines.Based on the analysis of creep mechanical properties of coal and rock mass and FLAC3D numerical simulation, a creep model of coal and rock mass was established, revealing the mechanism of creep instability and impact. The starting conditions for the occurrence of rock burst in isolated coal pillars under unstable creep during deep mining were studied, and the study showed that high ground stress is a necessary condition for the occurrence of "hysteresis" rock burst in isolated coal pillars. Long term unstable creep weakens the support strength of tunnels, When the elastic energy accumulated in an isolated coal pillar exceeds its ultimate bearing capacity, impact instability occurs.Based on the mechanism of such impact accidents, targeted prevention and control measures for deep hole blasting pressure relief have been proposed, providing good reference value for the prevention and control of isolated coal pillar "hysteresis" impact ground pressure accidents.
Misconceptions, prejudice and social distance towards people with alcohol use disorders in China
Authors: Yang Qingyan , Rüsch Nicolas , Yang Kebing , Niu Yajuan , Xiao Yanxia , Zhou Yanfang , Tan Yunlong , Zhang Yi , Corrigan Patrick W. , Xu Ziyan 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Purpose:
Research from Western societies indicates pervasive public stigma against people with alcohol use disorders (AUDs). However, there is a lack of knowledge about the interactions between different components of stigma and their contribution to discriminatory behaviour towards individuals with AUDs within the Chinese cultural context. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate the relationships of (mis-)conceptions, stereotypes, emotional reactions, perceived public stigma and their contribution to the desire for social distance among the Chinese adults.
Methods:
(Mis-)conceptions, stereotypes, emotional responses, willingness to help and avoid, perceived stigma, and the desire for social distance from individuals with AUDs were assessed via a cross-sectional online survey with a sample of 1,100 adults from the Chinese population.
Results:
Three-fourth of the participants recognised AUDs as mental illnesses, though 70% of the sample did not support health insurance coverage for the treatment of AUDs. A stronger desire for social distance was associated with increased perceived public stigma, greater recognition of alcohol use disorders as mental illnesses, heightened perceptions of personal responsibility, increased fear, and more willingness to avoid and withhold help, controlling for age, gender, education, employment, and alcohol consumption.
Conclusions:
To improve social integration for individuals with AUDs in China, culturally tailored anti-stigma programmes are needed to reduce negative attitudes and discriminatory behaviours among the Chinese population.
Transcriptome analysis reveals the potential molecular mechanism involved in fatty acids biosynthesis of Sunflower
Authors: Guo Shuchun , Zhang Yanfang , Shao Ying , Zhao Lingmin , Zuo Yongchun , Li Suping , Nie Hui , Mou Yingnan , Zhang Congzi , Che Yingxue , Zhang Haiyang , Miao Hongmei , Yu Haifeng 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Background
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is one of the most important oilseed crops worldwide. To reveal the molecular mechanism of biosynthesis and accumulation of major fatty acid components in sunflower, and to clarify the primary and secondary relationships between temperature, genes, and fatty acid synthesis in sunflower. In this study, as our study materials, we chose the sunflower inbred lines J9 and P50 with high and low oleic acids, respectively. Sampling at the same period of sowing at different periods (S-test) and sampling at different periods of sowing at the same time (A-test) were used to determine the fatty acid fractions and contents of different samples of seeds after pollination, respectively; and RNA-Seq technology was utilized to sequence the different samples to obtain the gene expression data related to fatty acid synthesis for each sample.
Results
Five main fatty acids were detected, including Oleic acid, linoleic acid, stearic acid, linolenic acid, palmitic acid, and the relative contents of oleic acid and linoleic acid were negatively correlated, while the relative contents of linolenic acid and palmitic acid were lower and showed a continuous decreasing trend during seed development. The crucial turning point in sunflower fatty acid synthesis occurs at 20 days after flowering (DAF), and fatty acid fractions and contents of high oleic sunflower lines were little affected by temperature, while low oleic lines were susceptible to temperature. A total of 81,676 unigenes were obtained by transcriptome sequencing. There were 15885 and 18220 genes obtained in the S dataset and A dataset, respectively, were annotated in the GO and KEGG functional databases. Based on the KEGG database, a total of 19 pathways associated with lipid metabolism, with a cumulative enrichment of 29 DEGs. Through the analysis of metabolic pathways, a total of 42 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) directly related to sunflower fatty acid metabolism were identified. These DEGs belong to 22 different types of enzymes, including PIGT, KCS, ACC, SAD, MFP, ACX, ACP, and FAB, which are key genes involved in the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids and oil accumulation in sunflowers.
Conclusions
We predicted that PIGT, KCS, ACC, SAD, MFP, ACX, ACP, and FAB were the key enzymes, regulating their genes in the fatty acid biosynthesis and oil accumulation in sunflower seed. This study provides the first comprehensive genomic resources characterizing sunflowers seed gene expression at the transcriptional level. These data lay the foundation for elucidating the molecular mechanisms of fatty acid biosynthesis and oil accumulation for sunflower.