bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The role of C-reactive protein and ferritin in the diagnosis of HLH, adult-onset Still’s disease, and COVID-19 cytokine storm
Authors: Goubran Mariam , Spaner Caroline , Stukas Sophie , Zoref-Lorenz Adi , Shojania Kamran , Beckett Madelaine , Li Amanda , Peterson Erica , Sekhon Mypinder , Grey Rebecca , Wellington Cheryl , Cheng Catherine V , Biggs Catherine M , Mattman Andre , Jordan Michael B. , Chen Luke Y. C. , Setiadi Audi 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Objectives
Cytokine storm syndromes such as hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD), and COVID-19 cytokine storm (CCS) are characterized by markedly elevated inflammatory cytokines. However clinical measurement of serum cytokines is not widely available. This study examined the clinical utility of C-reactive protein (CRP) and ferritin, two inexpensive and widely available inflammatory markers, for distinguishing HLH from AOSD and CCS.
Methods
This single centre retrospective study included 44 secondary HLH patients, 14 AOSD patients, and 13 CCS patients. Baseline CRP and ferritin measured within 72 hours of diagnosis and before administration of corticosteroids or other anti-inflammatory therapies were analyzed.
RESULTS
The median CRP in HLH patients was lower than AOSD (71 mg/L vs. 172 mg/L, p < 0.001) and CCS (71 mg/L vs. 121 mg/L, p = 0.0095) patients. Serum ferritin levels were lower in CCS compared to HLH (1,386 µg/L vs. 29,019 µg/L, p < 0.001) and AOSD (11,359 µg/L vs. 29,019 µg/L, p = 0.035).
A CRP < 130 mg/L when combined with an HScore >136 improves the specificity of HScore alone for HLH from 85.2% to 96.3%. Adding CRP < 130 mg/L to ferritin >15,254 µg/L increases specificity for HLH from 88.9% to 100%.
CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates that median CRP is lower in HLH than in AOSD and CCS, and median ferritin is lower in CCS than in HLH or AOSD. This study demonstrates the clinical utility of these widely available inflammatory markers for distinguishing between different cytokine storm syndromes.
Using Hierarchical Multiple Regression Model to investigate the impact of AI-Powered Adaptive Testing on Student Academic Fortunes and Test Anxiety in Ghana
Authors: Ntumi Simon 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

This study explored the impact of AI-powered adaptive testing on student academic fortunes and test anxiety, with a focus on the effectiveness of adaptive testing compared to traditional methods. Utilizing a quantitative research design, the study employed hierarchical regression analysis to examine how AI-powered adaptive testing influences student outcomes, accounting for factors such as demographics, prior academic performance, and familiarity with technology. The sample comprised 250 senior high school students in Ghana, selected through stratified random sampling. The results indicated that AI-powered adaptive testing significantly enhanced student academic fortunes and reduced test anxiety relative to traditional testing methods. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that adaptive testing explained an additional 20% of the variance in student academic fortunes and 16% in test anxiety. The study also found that student demographics, prior academic performance, and familiarity with technology significantly influenced the effectiveness of adaptive testing. Normality tests confirmed the robustness of the regression results. The findings suggest that AI-powered adaptive testing offers a more personalized and effective approach to student assessment, potentially improving educational outcomes and reducing anxiety. Recommendations include integrating adaptive testing systems into educational practices, providing training for educators, addressing technological familiarity, ensuring equitable access, and conducting further research to explore long-term impacts and effectiveness in diverse educational contexts.
Novel Cisplatin-Magnetosome Complex Shows Enhanced Antitumor Activity via Hyperthermia
Authors: Jiménez-López M. Carmen , Moreno-Maldonado Ana Carolina , Martín-Morales Natividad , O’Valle Francisco , Ibarra M. Ricardo , Goya Gerardo F. , Molina Ignacio J. 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

There are many approaches to enhance the survival rate of cancer patients based on hyperthermia of tumor tissues, increasing their temperature above 41°C. These approaches use different energy sources to deliver the desired heat to the target region, including light, microwaves or radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. We have developed a new, magnetically responsive nanovector, composed by liposomes loaded with magnetic nanoparticles and cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II) (CDDP), which is commonly known as Cisplatin. The resulting synthetic magnetosome (SM) is rapidly internalized by lung and pancreas tumor cell lines, stored in intracellular vesicles, and capable of inducing hyperthermia under magnetic fields. Additionally, it efficiently releases the cytotoxic drug upon an increase in temperature. The SM has no significant toxicity both in vitro and in vivo and, most importantly, enhances cell death by apoptosis after magnetic hyperthermia. This indicates that the intracellular release of low-dose CDDP increases the antitumor effect over CDDP-encapsulated liposomes and empty SM. Remarkably, mice bearing induced lung tumors, treated with CDDP-loaded nanovectors and subjected to an applied electromagnetic field, showed an improved survival rate over those treated with either soluble CDDP or hyperthermia alone. Therefore, our approach of magnetic hyperthermia plus CDDP- SM significantly enhances in vitro cell death and in vivo survival of treated animals.
Histological evaluation of pulpal responses after full pulpotomy in mature dogs' teeth using mineral trioxide aggregate with and without the addition of zinc oxide
Authors: Bolhari Behnam , Khouzestani Neda Kardouni , Assadian Hadi , Farzad-Mohajeri Saeed , Dehghan Mohammad Mehdi , Niavarzi Soheil , Dorost Behnam , Nagendrababu Venkateshbabu , F Duncan Henry , Heboyan Artak 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Background: Addition of zinc oxide (ZnO) to mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) has been shown to overcome the problem of tooth discoloration; however, the biological effects of ZnO addition have not been elucidated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pulpal responses to MTA containing 5% ZnO when used in full pulpotomy in dogs’ teeth.
Methods: Forty caries-free premolars were selected from mixed-breed dogs and were subjected to full pulpotomy. The exposed pulpal tissues were randomly capped with either Angelus MTA (MTA) or Angelus MTA mixed with 5% ZnO (MTA+ZnO) (n = 20 each). After 4 weeks, the teeth were extracted and processed for histological evaluation and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Data related to tissue response were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U test with a significance level of 95%.
Results: The incidence, thickness and continuity of hard-tissue bridge formation was significantly lower for the MTA+ZnO (p = 0.007, p =0 .001 and p=0.002, respectively). In both experimental groups, most samples exhibited no inflammatory cells. None of the samples in either group demonstrated necrosis.
Conclusions:Incorporation of ZnO into Angelus MTA compromised the quantity and quality of hard-tissue bridge formation observed subsequent to full pulpotomy in dogs’ premolars.
Selection and quantification of key functional genes of some selected bacterial species in a microcosms study for biodegradation of crude oil
Authors: Gani Mustapha , Rahman Azizur 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

GC-MS and qPCR have been used to facilitate the profiling of metabolites from a wide range of oil materials leading to the wide coverage of comprehensive central pathways involving primary metabolism and the quantification of functional genes responsible for the biodegradation of crude oil components. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the ability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas lurida for the biodegradation of crude oil. The results of the GC-MS analysis showed an extensive elimination of hydrocarbons of mostly low and medium-chain hydrocarbons. The qPCR analysis was carried out to determine the activity of the functional genes and showed a substantially higher relative fold expression of 4-hydroxybenzoate monooxygenase gene (Ben) of 2.1x1014 fold after the first week (T1) during the biodegradation study with P. lurida. However, low relative gene fold of 60.91 for catechol-2,3-dioxtgenase gene (cat23) was observed. In the same vein, the relative fold expression of 2156.87 was detected for alkane monooxygenase (alkB) gene from a study with P. aeruginosa. This is substantially higher than the expression for cat23 gene and greatly lower than the Ben gene. The overall results of this study could evidently prove the environmental application of these bacterial species – B. endophyticus P. aeruginosa and P. lurida for the management of crude oil polluted environments. Hence, the overall finding from this study could be utilised as a tool to design an engineered bioremediation process to address the long devastating crude oil pollution across the Niger Delta and beyond.
Real-Time Obstacle Perception Method for UAVs with An RGB-D Camera in Low-Light Environments
Authors: Wang Hua , Wang Hao , Liu Yan-Jun , Liu Lei 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

This paper presents a real-time obstacle perception method (ROPM) for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with an RGB-D camera, which aims to address the difficulty of perceiving obstacles in real-time for UAVs in low-light environments. First of all, a novel obstacle detector is designed based on the ensemble detection strategy to rapidly detect dynamic and static obstacles in low-light environments. Moreover, a new tracker is constructed based on Kernel Correlation Filter (KCF), which uses the detection results to obtain obstacle features for regression matching. At the same time, a constant-acceleration Kalman filter is used to estimate the state of the dynamic obstacles in order to achieve the objective of constant and stable dynamic tracking. Furthermore, an obstacle reposition method in the region of obstacle tracking loss is designed, in order to address the problem of occlusion during obstacle perception in unknown low-light environments. Finally, an experiment conducted on a UAV platform in a low-light environment demonstrates the efficiency and accuracy of the aforementioned method.
Highly oxidation desulphurization of gasoline catalyzed by PW 9 La 3 @GO(gly)@CS as an efficient nanocatalyst with excellent recycle performance
Authors: Rezvani Mohammad Ali , Khalafi Nasrin , Khoshkbari Yeganeh , Mirsadri Seyed Amirhosein 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Air pollution and its problems have led scientists to define new ways of overcoming these obstacles, which among the catalytic oxidative (CODS) process is more noteworthy. Herein, a new green organic/inorganic nanocomposite was designed with keggin-type polyoxometalate, graphene oxide, and chitosan. The PW9La3@GO(gly)@CS (PGC) was fabricated via the sol-gel method and was conducted to the oxidative desulfurization process under mild conditions. The two-step desulfurization of oxidation and oil/water phase separation resulted in marvelous efficiency. This temperature-dependent reaction was further investigated via pseudo-first order kinetics which approved the mechanism of the desulfurization process and its temperature dependency. The three substituted keggin POM showed more efficiency when immobilized on a firm natural polymer like chitosan. Therefore, the PGC was characterized by FT-IR, XRD, XRF, and SEM which confirmed the successful synthesis of this hybrid material.
Alpha-amylase Inhibitory and Antioxidant Properties of Protein Hydrolysates Derived from Cucumeropsis mannii Seed
Authors: Babatunde Oladimeji Taiwo , Bewaji Clement Olatunbosun , Igunnu Adedoyin 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a leading cause of death. Managing postprandial hyperglycemia, a key aspect of the disease, can be achieved through α-amylase inhibition and free radical scavenging. Recent studies highlight the potential of plant-derived peptides to inhibit α-amylase and scavenge free radicals. This study investigated the α-amylase inhibitory and antioxidant properties of protein hydrolysates from Cucumeropsis mannii (C. mannii) seed, a protein-rich antidiabetic used in traditional medicine. The amino acid composition of the hydrolysates was determined using amino acid analyzer. The results showed that C. mannii seed yielded 22.8% protein. The pancreatin- and pepsin-derived hydrolysate contained predominantly glutamate (10.61, 7.20 g/100g), leucine (9.32, 5.23 g/100g) and aspartate (7.11, 6.11 g/100g), respectively. The pancreatin- and pepsin-derived hydrolysates yielded alpha-amylase inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 8.77 ± 0.35 mg/mL and > 9.00 ± 0.00 mg/mL, respectively. Kinetics analyses revealed that pancreatin- and pepsin-derived hydrolysates exhibited uncompetitive and mixed uncompetitive inhibitions, respectively at 9 mg/mL. The pancreatin- and pepsin-derived hydrolysates exhibited 2,20-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonate cation radical (ABTS+) scavenging activity with IC50 values of 2.58 ± 0.01 mg/mL and > 5.00 ± 0.00 mg/mL; 1,1-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) scavenging activity with IC50 values of > 5.00 ± 0.00 mg/mL and > 5.00 ± 0.00 mg/mL, respectively; and reducing power with 20.01 ± 1.20 mM Fe2+ equivalent and 22.80 ± 1.45 mM Fe2+ equivalent, respectively at 5 mg/mL. In conclusion, these findings suggest that the hydrolysates can manage postprandial hyperglycemia in diabetes mellitus by inhibiting α-amylase activity and reducing free radical production.
Homologous expression of Aspergillus niger α-L-rhamnosidase and its application in enzymatic debittering of Ougan juice.
Authors: Zhang Fei , Wang Xue , Pan Lixia , Wang Zhao , zheng jianyong 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

The α-L-rhamnosidase (rha1) gene was homologously expressed in Aspergillus niger strains CCTCC 206047 and CCTCC 206047ΔpyrG, using hygromycin B and auxotrophic as selection markers. The engineered A. niger strains RHA001-1 and RHA003-1 were screened, yielding α-L-rhamnosidase activities of 20.81 ± 0.56 U/mL and 15.35 ± 0.87 U/mL, respectively. The copy numbers of the rha1 gene in strains RHA001-1 and RHA003-1 were found to be 18 and 14, respectively. Correlation analysis between copy number and enzyme activity in the A. niger strains revealed that α-L-rhamnosidase activity increased with the copy number of the rha1 gene. Recombinant α-L-rhamnosidase was utilized for the enzymatic debittering of Ougan juice, and its process conditions were optimized. Furthermore, the primary bitter substance neohesperidin (2.22 g/L) in Ougan juice was converted into hesperetin 7-O-glucoside (1.47 g/L) and hesperidin (0.143 g/L). This study presents a novel approach for the production of food-grade α-L-rhamnosidase and establishes a technical foundation for its application in the beverage industry.
Caregiver Assistance with Young Children’s Emotion Regulation Strategies: Correspondence between Global and Momentary Reports
Authors: Wright Joanna H. , Cox Maggie N. , Giuliani Nicole R. 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Caregivers play a central role in children’s emotion regulation development. Caregiver assistance with children’s deployment of specific emotion regulation strategies has gained attention in the literature as a key component of emotion socialization. Many studies have examined caregiver support for child emotion regulation strategies using global caregiver self-report measures, but few have leveraged ecological momentary assessment methods to learn about these momentary co-regulatory behaviors in daily life. Furthermore, the degree to which global and momentary reports correspond with each other remains unknown. Discrepancies between global versus momentary reports have important implications for research design and interpretation. The present study evaluated the degree to which caregiver reports of assistance with child emotion regulation strategies collected using ecological momentary assessment aligned with global, retrospective reports. Analyses focused on four emotion regulation strategies: acceptance, distraction, cognitive reappraisal, and expressive suppression. A United States sample of 174 primary caregivers with children ages 1–5.5 years completed online check-ins up to three times per day for seven days. Caregivers reported their child’s emotion and the emotion regulation strategies they helped their child use. Before they began the week of check-ins, caregivers completed a global measure of assistance with child emotion regulation strategies. Correlation and regression analyses showed evidence of correspondence between global and momentary reports for acceptance and expressive suppression, but not for distraction or cognitive reappraisal. Results caution against assuming that global measures of caregiver assistance with child emotion regulations strategies uniformly reflect implementation in the context of daily parent-child interaction.
Monitoring the impacts of climatic seasons on air quality and VOC concentration trends at Lanseria International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Authors: Moolla Raeesa , Nyathi Clinton 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

High emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) pose a serious health risk, including cancer. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) list these substances as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). Air travel and airport operations are major contributors to VOC emissions. Within the VOCs, a group referred to as BTEX (i.e. benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene and xylenes) pose several health implications on exposure. Therefore, monitoring VOC concentrations at airport settings are imperative. The research was undertaken at Lanseria International Airport for this pilot study. Sampling was conducted in the winters of 2019 and 2020 and the summer of 2020. Monitoring campaigns lasted 14 days, using Radiello Passive Samplers and meteorological data acquired from the South Africa Weather Service (SAWS). BTEX data indicated that winter 2019 pollutant levels were higher than winter 2020. While summer typically produces lower concentrations than winter, summer 2021 saw greater concentrations than winter 2020. This may be attributed to the changing conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown conditions that were experienced. BTEX results for winter 2019, winter 2020, and summer 2021 were 250.8 µg/m³, 133.63 µg/m³, and 232.5 µg/m³, respectively. The kriging interpolation technique was used to construct hotspot spatial distribution maps. Specifically, the paint shop, the fuel farm, and the apron office at the airport had elevated VOC concentrations over the three years. In contrast, the fire training area had some of the lowest concentration levels mapped. In conclusion, seasonal change, environmental conditions, and lockdown regulations significantly influenced BTEX VOC concentrations.
Sex dimorphism and tissue specificity of gene expression changes in aging mice
Authors: Zhu Dantong , Arnold Matt , Samuelson Brady , Wu Judy , Mueller Amber , Sinclair David A. , Kane Alice E. 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Background
Aging is a complex process that involves all tissues in an organism and shows sex dimorphism. While transcriptional changes in aging have been well characterized, the majority of studies have focused on a single sex and sex differences in gene expression in aging are poorly understood. In this study, we explore sex dimorphism in gene expression in aging mice across three tissues.
Methods
We collected gastrocnemius muscle, liver and white adipose tissue from young (6 months, n = 14) and old (24 months, n = 14) female and male C57BL/6NIA mice and performed RNA-seq. To investigate sex dimorphism in aging, we considered two levels of comparisons: a) differentially expressed genes between females and males in the old age group and b) comparisons between females and males across the aging process. We utilized differential expression analysis and gene feature selection to investigate candidate genes. Gene set enrichment analysis was performed to identify candidate molecular pathways. Furthermore, we performed a co-expression network analysis and chose the gene module(s) associated with aging independent of sex or tissue-type.
Results
We identified both tissue-specific and tissue-independent genes associated with sex dimorphism in aged mice. Unique differentially expressed genes between old males and females across tissues were mainly enriched for pathways related to specific tissue function. We found similar results when exploring sex differences in the aging process, with the exception that in the liver genes enriched for lipid metabolism and digestive system were identified in both females and males. Combining enriched pathways across analyses, we identified amino acid metabolism, digestive system, and lipid metabolism as the core mechanisms of sex dimorphism in aging. Although the vast majority of age-related genes were sex and tissue specific, we identified 127 hub genes contributing to aging independent of sex and tissue that were enriched for the immune system and signal transduction.
Conclusions
There are clear sex differences in gene expression in aging across liver, muscle and white adipose. Core pathways, including amino acid metabolism, digestive system and lipid metabolism, contribute to sex differences in aging.
Design Optimization for Hydrostatic Pressure in Hybrid Composite Cylinders
Authors: Ngwa Akongnwi Nfor , Chaudhary Birendra , Matos Helio , Shukla Arun 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

This study explores an optimization system to achieve the highest collapse pressure on glass-carbon hybrid composite cylinders under hydrostatic loading conditions. This work evaluates and validates previously established composite buckling solutions for cylindrical composite structures under hydrostatic pressure with experimental results of hybrid composite shells. It utilizes the validated analytical solution to optimize the buckling pressure by varying layup configuration, optimum layup angle, material content, and thickness of each lamina. The optimization is performed on asymmetric and symmetric layup cases to evaluate the influence of the hybrid layup construction on the buckling performance of the structure. Results show that the thicker glass fiber plies are preferred for inner layers and the stiffer carbon fiber plies for the outermost layers to achieve maximum buckling collapse pressure for all the optimization cases, as this configuration provides superior flexural rigidity. For hybrid composite structures with asymmetric configurations, the collapse pressure can be higher when most layers are made of glass fiber if the glass layers are at least twice as thick as the carbon layers. Similarly, axial-load-resistant layers (0o) should be located around the laminate’s geometric center with the hoop-load-resistant layers (90o) on or near the outermost layers and shear-resistant layers (45o) between these layers for both symmetric and asymmetric hybrid structures. Moreover, long tubes with small diameters (L/D > 10) favor hoop bending stiffnesses (90o) for all layers in the laminate due to less influence of boundary conditions at endcap locations.