bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Refraining from spontaneous face touch is linked to personality traits, reduced memory performance and EEG changes
Authors: Butz Kevin H. G. , Mueller Stephanie M. , Spille Jente L. , Martin Sven , Grunwald Martin 
Published: June 2024

AbstractSpontaneous touches of one’s face (sFST) were suggested to serve cognitive-emotional regulation processes. During the pandemic, refraining from face-touching was recommended, yet, accompanying effects and the influence of personal attributes remain unclear. Ninety participants (45 female, 45 male) filled out a questionnaire concerning personality, anxiety screening and ADHD screening. Subsequently, they performed a delayed verbal memory recall task four times. After two times, sixty participants were instructed to refrain from face-touching (experimental group). Thirty participants did not receive behavioral instructions (control group). To identify face-touches and conduct further analysis, Video, EMG, and EEG data were recorded. Two samples were formed, depending on the adherence to completely refrain from face-touching (adherent, non-adherent sample) and compared to each other and the control group. EEG analyses uncovered that refraining from face-touching is accompanied by increased beta-power at sensorimotor sites and, exclusively in the non-adherent sample, at frontal sites. Decreased memory performance was found exclusively in subsamples, who non-adherently touched their face while retaining words. In terms of questionnaire results, lower Conscientiousness and higher ADHD screening scores were revealed by the non-adherent compared to the adherent sample. No differences were found among the subsamples. The presented results indicate that refraining from face-touching is related to personal attributes, accompanied by neurophysiological shifts and for a portion of humans by lower memory performance, supporting the notion that sFST serve processes beyond sensorimotor.
Examination of internal metabolome and VOCs profile of brewery yeast and their mutants producing beer with improved aroma
Authors: Jabłoński Sławomir Jan , Mielko-Niziałek Karolina Anna , Leszczyński Przemysław , Gasiński Alan , Kawa-Rygielska Joanna , Młynarz Piotr , Łukaszewicz Marcin 
Published: June 2024

AbstractVolatile organic compounds (VOCs) are metabolites pivotal in determining the aroma of various products. A well-known VOC producer of industrial importance is Saccharomyces cerevisiae, partially responsible for flavor of beers and wines. We identified VOCs in beers produced by yeast strains characterized by improved aroma obtained in UV-induced mutagenesis. We observed significant increase in concentration of compounds in strains: 1214uv16 (2-phenylethyl acetate, 2- phenylethanol), 1214uv31 (2-ethyl henxan-1-ol), 1214uv33 (ethyl decanoate, caryophyllene). We observed decrease in production of 2-phenyethyl acetate in strain 1214uv33. Analysis of intracellular metabolites based on 1H NMR revealed that intracellular phenylalanine concentration was not changed in strains producing more phenylalanine related VOCs (1214uv16 and 1214uv33), so regulation of this pathway seems to be more sophisticated than is currently assumed. Metabolome analysis surprisingly showed the presence of 3-hydroxyisobutyrate, a product of valine degradation, which is considered to be absent in S. cerevisiae. Our results show that our knowledge of yeast metabolism including VOC production has gaps regarding synthesis pathways for individual metabolites and regulation mechanisms. Detailed analysis of 1214uv16 and 1214uv33 may enhance our knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms of VOC synthesis in yeast, and analysis of strain 1214uv31 may reveal the pathway of 2-ethyl henxan-1-ol biosynthesis.
Designing prepacked aggregate concrete for improved mechanical properties and its field application in constructing steel tube concrete
Authors: Zhou Xiaojun , Bai Shiming , Zhang Yingda , Xie Lin , Zhou Xianliang 
Published: June 2024

AbstractPrepacked aggregate concrete (PAC) is made by placing coarse aggregates of various sizes into a formwork and then filling the voids between coarse aggregate and grout. The mechanical performance of PAC is dominated by the compactness due to grout filling, but few study considered the pouring methods and grout performance synchronously. The coupled effect of pouring methods and grout performance on the compactness of PAC is investigated in this study. The results show that the gravity pouring method is only suitable for grouts with good flowability. The pump pouring method is more widely used. It can be adapted to grout with poorer fluidity and coarse aggregate with greater apparent density. The ultrasonic pulse velocity test method provides a relatively accurate evaluation of the compactness of PAC. Furthermore, due to the enhanced mechanical properties of PAC, the filed application potential in the preparation of steel tube concrete columns has also been confirmed, where the results exhibited that PAC based steel tube concrete contributed to an enhanced ductility and autogenous shrinkage.
Molecular profiling of NOD mouse islets reveals a novel regulator of insulitis onset
Authors: Mathisen Andreas Frøslev , Vacaru Andrei Mircea , Unger Lucas , Lamba Elena Mirela , Mardare Oana-Ana-Maria , Daian Laura Maria , Ghila Luiza , Vacaru Ana-Maria , Chera Simona 
Published: June 2024

AbstractNon-obese diabetes (NOD) mice are an established, spontaneous model of type 1 diabetes in which diabetes develops through insulitis. Using next-generation sequencing, coupled with pathway analysis, the molecular fingerprint of early insulitis was mapped in a cohort of mice ranging from 4 to 12 weeks of age. The resulting dynamic timeline revealed an initial decrease in proliferative capacity followed by the emergence of an inflammatory signature between 6 and 8 weeks that increased to a regulatory plateau between 10 and 12 weeks. The inflammatory signature is identified by the activation of central immunogenic factors such as Infg, Il1b, and Tnfa, and activation of canonical inflammatory signaling. Analysis of the regulatory landscape revealed the transcription factor Atf3 as a potential novel modulator of inflammatory signaling in the NOD islets. Furthermore, the Hedgehog signaling pathway correlated with Atf3 regulation, suggesting that the two play a role in regulating islet inflammation; however, further studies are needed to establish the nature of this connection.
ANN-based swarm intelligence for predicting expansive soil swell pressure and compression strength
Authors: Jalal Fazal E. , Iqbal Mudassir , Khan Waseem Akhtar , Jamal Arshad , Onyelowe Kennedy , Lekhraj  
Published: June 2024

AbstractThis research suggests a robust integration of artificial neural networks (ANN) for predicting swell pressure and the unconfined compression strength of expansive soils (PsUCS-ES). Four novel ANN-based models, namely ANN-PSO (i.e., particle swarm optimization), ANN-GWO (i.e., grey wolf optimization), ANN-SMA (i.e., slime mould algorithm) alongside ANN-MPA (i.e., marine predators’ algorithm) were deployed to assess the PsUCS-ES. The models were trained using the nine most influential parameters affecting PsUCS-ES, collected from a broader range of 145 published papers. The observed results were compared with the predictions made by the ANN-based metaheuristics models. The efficacy of all these formulated models was evaluated by utilizing mean absolute error (MAE), Nash–Sutcliffe (NS) efficiency, performance index ρ, regression coefficient (R2), root mean square error (RMSE), ratio of RMSE to standard deviation of actual observations (RSR), variance account for (VAF), Willmott’s index of agreement (WI), and weighted mean absolute percentage error (WMAPE). All the developed models for Ps-ES had an R significantly > 0.8 for the overall dataset. However, ANN-MPA excelled in yielding high R values for training dataset (TrD), testing dataset (TsD), and validation dataset (VdD). This model also exhibited the lowest MAE of 5.63%, 5.68%, and 5.48% for TrD, TsD, and VdD, respectively. The results of the UCS model’s performance revealed that R exceeded 0.9 in the TrD. However, R decreased for TsD and VdD. Also, the ANN-MPA model yielded higher R values (0.89, 0.93, and 0.94) and comparatively low MAE values (5.11%, 5.67, and 3.61%) in the case of PSO, GWO, and SMA, respectively. The UCS models witnessed an overfitting problem because the aforementioned R values of the metaheuristics were 0.62, 0.56, and 0.58 (TsD), respectively. On the contrary, no significant observation was recorded in the VdD of UCS models. All the ANN-base models were also tested using the a-20 index. For all the formulated models, maximum points were recorded to lie within ± 20% error. The results of sensitivity as well as monotonicity analyses depicted trending results that corroborate the existing literature. Therefore, it can be inferred that the recently built swarm-based ANN models, particularly ANN-MPA, can solve the complexities of tuning the hyperparameters of the ANN-predicted PsUCS-ES that can be replicated in practical scenarios of geoenvironmental engineering.
Performance evaluation of geopolymer mortars containing waste ferrochrome slag and fly ash for sustainable green building
Authors: Koçyiğit Şermin 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThe aim of the present study, an attempt to shed light on the use of industrial-based wastes as alkali-activated binder (AAB) material is mainly. The present novel research work, the characterization of waste ferrochrome slag (FCS) and the performance of alkali-activated mortar consisting of fly ash (FA) were investigated. The characterization of used materials were carried out using advanced microstructural analysis techniques (XRF, XRD and SEM). A total of thirty two mortars are prepared using FCS (90–60%) and FA (10–40%) with 5 M, 10 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH), Na2SiO3/NaOH (SS/SH = 1 and 2) solution. All specimens were cured in an oven at 70 °C and 100 °C for 24 h. After oven curing, the geopolymer mortars were kept in the laboratory for 28 days and thermal and mechanical tests were applied to them. The A5 mixture (SS/SH = 1 with 10%FA, 90%FCS and 5 M NaOH) was found to be optimum in terms of thermal insulation properties, making it suitable for use in sustainable construction in terms of low energy cost through exterior insulation. The C8 mixture (SS/SH = 1 with 40%FA, 60% FCS and 10 M NaOH) was found to be optimum in terms of strength and durability, making it suitable for use in sustainable construction. As a result, in this study, an optimum mixture of waste FCS and FA was obtained and geopolymer building materials that provide thermal insulation and structural performance and are resistant to external influences were produced.
Age-adjusted 5-factor modified frailty index as a valuable tool for patient selection in bilateral simultaneous total knee arthroplasty
Authors: Yamaguchi Yuichi , Matsumura Yosuke , Fujii Masanori , Ide Shuya , Sakai Tatsuya , Nagamine Satomi , Eto Shuichi , Shimazaki Takafumi , Tajima Tomonori , Mawatari Masaaki 
Published: June 2024

AbstractAlthough bilateral simultaneous total knee arthroplasty (BSTKA) is an effective treatment for bilateral knee osteoarthritis, safety concerns and lack of precise patient selection criteria persist. The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the complication rate and the role of frailty in patient selection for BSTKA. We analyzed data from 434 patients who underwent BSTKA between February 2012 and January 2021, examining demographic factors and preoperative blood test results. Complications occurred in 77 patients (18%), with anemia requiring transfusion being the most common (26 patients, 5.9%). In the univariate analysis, age ≥ 75 years, age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥ 5, age-adjusted 5-factor modified Frailty Index (aamFI-5) ≥ 3, hemoglobin ≤ 11.0 g/dL, albumin ≤ 3.5 g/dL, estimated glomerular filtration rate < 45 ml/dl/1.73 m2, and D-dimer ≥ 2.0 μg/mL contributed to postoperative complications (p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis identified aamFI-5 ≥ 3 as an independent risk factor (p = 0.002). Our findings underscore the practical utility of aamFI-5 in predicting complications after BSTKA, providing valuable guidance to surgeons in the selection of BSTKA candidates and ultimately improving clinical outcomes.
Topical application of simvastatin acid sodium salt and atorvastatin calcium salt in vitiligo patients. Results of the randomized, double-blind EVRAAS pilot study
Authors: Niezgoda Anna , Winnicki Andrzej , Krysiński Jerzy , Niezgoda Piotr , Nowowiejska Laura , Czajkowski Rafał 
Published: June 2024

AbstractContemporary treatment of vitiligo remains a great challenge to practitioners. The vast majority of currently conducted clinical trials of modern therapeutic methods are focused on systemic medications, while there is only a very limited number of reports on new topical treatment in vitiligo. With their pleiotropic activities statins turned out to be efficient in the treatment of various autoimmune/autoinflammatory disorders. The randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study of topical administration of the active forms of simvastatin and atorvastatin has been designed to evaluate their efficacy in patients with vitiligo. The study was registered in clinicaltrials.gov (registration number NCT03247400, date of registration: 11th August 2017). A total of 24 patients with the active form of non-segmental vitiligo were enrolled in the study. The change of absolute area of skin lesions, body surface area and vitiligo area scoring index were evaluated throughout the 12 week application of ointments containing simvastatin and atorvastatin. Measurements were performed with planimetry and processed using digital software. Use of active forms of simvastatin and atorvastatin did not result in a significant repigmentation of the skin lesions throughout the study period. Within the limbs treated with topical simvastatin, inhibition of disease progression was significantly more frequent than in the case of placebo (p = 0.004), while the difference was not statistically significant for atorvastatin (p = 0.082). Further studies of topical simvastatin in vitiligo patients should be considered.
The MYB-like protein MylA contributes to conidiogenesis and conidial germination in Aspergillus nidulans
Authors: Son Ye-Eun , Cho He-Jin , Park Hee-Soo 
Published: June 2024

AbstractMyeloblastosis (MYB)-like proteins are a family of highly conserved transcription factors in animals, plants, and fungi and are involved in the regulation of mRNA expression of genes. In this study, we identified and characterized one MYB-like protein in the model organism Aspergillus nidulans. We screened the mRNA levels of genes encoding MYB-like proteins containing two MYB repeats in conidia and found that the mRNA levels of four genes including flbD, cicD, and two uncharacterized genes, were high in conidia. To investigate the roles of two uncharacterized genes, AN4618 and AN10944, deletion mutants for each gene were generated. Our results revealed that AN4618 was required for fungal development. Therefore, we further investigated the role of AN4618, named as mylA, encoding the MYB-like protein containing two MYB repeats. Functional studies revealed that MylA was essential for normal fungal growth and development. Phenotypic and transcriptomic analyses demonstrated that deletion of mylA affected stress tolerance, cell wall integrity, and long-term viability in A. nidulans conidia. In addition, the germination rate of the mylA deletion mutant conidia was decreased compared with that of the wild-type conidia. Overall, this study suggests that MylA is critical for appropriate development, conidial maturation, dormancy, and germination in A. nidulans.
Hub stability in the calcium calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II
Authors: Chien Chih-Ta , Puhl Henry , Vogel Steven S. , Molloy Justin E. , Chiu Wah , Khan Shahid 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThe calcium calmodulin protein kinase II (CaMKII) is a multi-subunit ring assembly with a central hub formed by the association domains. There is evidence for hub polymorphism between and within CaMKII isoforms, but the link between polymorphism and subunit exchange has not been resolved. Here, we present near-atomic resolution cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures revealing that hubs from the α and β isoforms, either standalone or within an β holoenzyme, coexist as 12 and 14 subunit assemblies. Single-molecule fluorescence microscopy of Venus-tagged holoenzymes detects intermediate assemblies and progressive dimer loss due to intrinsic holoenzyme lability, and holoenzyme disassembly into dimers upon mutagenesis of a conserved inter-domain contact. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations show the flexibility of 4-subunit precursors, extracted in-silico from the β hub polymorphs, encompassing the curvature of both polymorphs. The MD explains how an open hub structure also obtained from the β holoenzyme sample could be created by dimer loss and analysis of its cryo-EM dataset reveals how the gap could open further. An assembly model, considering dimer concentration dependence and strain differences between polymorphs, proposes a mechanism for intrinsic hub lability to fine-tune the stoichiometry of αβ heterooligomers for their dynamic localization within synapses in neurons.
Transcriptomic diversity of innate lymphoid cells in human lymph nodes compared to BM and spleen
Authors: Hashemi Elaheh , McCarthy Colleen , Rao Sridhar , Malarkannan Subramaniam 
Published: June 2024

AbstractInnate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are largely tissue-resident, mostly described within the mucosal tissues. However, their presence and functions in the human draining lymph nodes (LNs) are unknown. Our study unravels the tissue-specific transcriptional profiles of 47,287 CD127+ ILCs within the human abdominal and thoracic LNs. LNs contain a higher frequency of CD127+ ILCs than in BM or spleen. We define independent stages of ILC development, including EILP and pILC in the BM. These progenitors exist in LNs in addition to naïve ILCs (nILCs) that can differentiate into mature ILCs. We define three ILC1 and four ILC3 sub-clusters in the LNs. ILC1 and ILC3 subsets have clusters with high heat shock protein-encoding genes. We identify previously unrecognized regulons, including the BACH2 family for ILC1 and the ATF family for ILC3. Our study is the comprehensive characterization of ILCs in LNs, providing an in-depth understanding of ILC-mediated immunity in humans.
ATP/azobenzene-guanidinium self-assembly into fluorescent and multi-stimuli-responsive supramolecular aggregates
Authors: Abodja Olivier , Touati Nadia , Morel Mathieu , Rudiuk Sergii , Baigl Damien 
Published: June 2024

AbstractBuilding stimuli-responsive supramolecular systems is a way for chemists to achieve spatio-temporal control over complex systems as well as a promising strategy for applications ranging from sensing to drug-delivery. For its large spectrum of biological and biomedical implications, adenosine 5’-triphosphate (ATP) is a particularly interesting target for such a purpose but photoresponsive ATP-based systems have mainly been relying on covalent modification of ATP. Here, we show that simply mixing ATP with AzoDiGua, an azobenzene-guanidium compound with photodependent nucleotide binding affinity, results in the spontaneous self-assembly of the two non-fluorescent compounds into photoreversible, micrometer-sized and fluorescent aggregates. Obtained in water at room temperature and physiological pH, these supramolecular structures are dynamic and respond to several chemical, physical and biological stimuli. The presence of azobenzene allows a fast and photoreversible control of their assembly. ATP chelating properties to metal dications enable ion-triggered disassembly and fluorescence control with valence-selectivity. Finally, the supramolecular aggregates are disassembled by alkaline phosphatase in a few minutes at room temperature, resulting in enzymatic control of fluorescence. These results highlight the interest of using a photoswitchable nucleotide binding partner as a self-assembly brick to build highly responsive supramolecular entities involving biological targets without the need to covalently modify them.
Observation of topologically enhanced third harmonic generation in doubly resonant nonlinear topolectrical circuits
Authors: Hu Weipeng , Ruan Banxian , Lin Wei , Liu Chao , Dai Xiaoyu , Wen Shuangchun , Xiang Yuanjiang 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThe ability to confine and guide wave makes topological physics a promising platform for large local field enhancement and strong scattering immunity, which enables efficient nonlinear processes. In this research, we employ a mirror-stacking approach to achieve resonance through two distinct frequency localized states (LSs) in one-dimensional topological circuits, introducing a novel method for validating topological states to facilitate harmonic enhancement. Experimental results reveal that the harmonic wave power increases significantly, by two orders of magnitude, when both the fundamental and harmonic waves are in LSs, in contrast to cases where only one wave is localized. The conversion efficiency is 15.7 times that when the fundamental wave is in a localized state and the harmonic is in a transmission mode. This method, leveraging double-resonance in topological LSs, not only advances harmonic generation in topolectrical circuits but also opens up possibilities for innovative applications in the broader field of photonic technology.
Controlling lithium cobalt oxide phase transition using molten fluoride salt for improved lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Mikami Mayumi , Saito Jo , Ochiai Teruaki , Takahashi Masahiro , Takahashi Tatsuyoshi , Momma Yohei , Kuriki Kazutaka , Wada Rihito , Yokomizo Kazune , Kobayashi Genki , Komaba Shinichi , Yamazaki Shunpei 
Published: June 2024

AbstractLiCoO2 is a historic lithium-ion battery cathode that continues to be used today because of its high energy density. However, the practical capacity of LiCoO2 is limited owing to the harmful phase transition at high voltages, which prevents the realization of its theoretical capacity. Here, we treat LiCoO2 particles with a molten salt of MgF2–LiF as a reaction accelerator to facilitate the diffusion and doping of magnesium into bulk LiCoO2 and to form a stable coating layer on the particle surface. Ex situ X-ray diffraction analysis confirms the inhibition of the harmful phase transition and the emergence of a different phase as the modified LiCoO2 was charged up to 4.7 V. The modified LiCoO2 shows high electrochemical performance during high-voltage operation. This technology provides a guideline for the suppressing fundamental degradation associated with phase transition and achieving ultra-high energy density LiCoO2 cathodes.