bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mitochondria as determinants of reproductive senescence and competence: implications for diagnosis of embryo competence in assisted reproduction
Authors: Yildirim Raziye Melike , Seli Emre 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
Mitochondria are commonly recognized as the powerhouses of the cell, primarily responsible for energy production through oxidative phosphorylation. Alongside this vital function, they also play crucial roles in regulating calcium signaling, maintaining membrane potential, and modulating apoptosis. Their involvement in various cellular pathways becomes particularly evident during oogenesis and embryogenesis, where mitochondrial quantity, morphology, and distribution are tightly controlled. The efficiency of the mitochondrial network is maintained through multiple quality control mechanisms that are essential for reproductive success. These include mitochondrial unfolded protein response, mitochondrial dynamics, and mitophagy. Not surprisingly, mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in infertility and ovarian aging, prompting investigation into mitochondria as diagnostic and therapeutic targets in assisted reproduction. To date, mitochondrial DNA copy number in oocytes, cumulus cells, and trophectoderm biopsies, and fluorescent lifetime imaging microscopy-based assessment of NADH and flavin adenine dinucleotide content have been explored as potential predictors of embryo competence, yielding limited success. Despite challenges in the clinical application of mitochondrial diagnostic strategies, these enigmatic organelles have a significant impact on reproduction, and their potential role as diagnostic targets in assisted reproduction is likely to remain an active area of investigation in the foreseeable future.
Identification of the M2 Macrophage-associated Gene THBS2 as a Predictive Marker for Inflammatory Cancer Transformation
Authors: Lin Jianxiu , Zuo Lugen , Yang Bolin , Yang Ran , Zhang Shuai , Zhang Zhaoyang , Tian Yun 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
Ulcerative colitis (UC)-induced colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC) has a worse prognosis than sporadic colorectal cancer. And with the incidence of ulcerative colitis on the rise, it is critical to identify new therapeutic targets in time to stop the progression of inflammation to cancer. Through immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database analysis, we acquired the gene M2DEG, which is differentially expressed in M2 macrophages. The impact of M2DEG on the immune environment and clinical variables was confirmed through various data sets and actual tissue samples. Our findings indicate that patients with UC exhibiting reduced M2 macrophage infiltration tend to have more widespread disease, elevated endoscopic Mayo scores, and a higher probability of developing CAC. Through examining the string of M2DEG between UC and CAC, THBS2 emerged as a key marker. Elevated levels of THBS2 were notably linked to reduced overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (RFS), and this heightened THBS2 expression played a crucial role in the spread of tumors, as verified by immunohistochemical studies. To sum up, patients with UC exhibiting reduced M2 macrophage infiltration have a higher propensity for CAC development, making THBS2 a crucial focus for converting UC into CAC. Furthermore, identifying antibody analogues targeting THBS2 could potentially lower the likelihood of CAC transformation in patients with UC.
Qualitative modeling for representing the social-ecological system of the Groix–Belle-île offshore wind farm project
Authors: Thermes Maud , Fofack-Garcia Rhoda , Scotti Marco , Niquil Nathalie 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
The increasing numbers of offshore wind farm (OWF) projects question the impacts of such infrastructures on the social-ecological system (SES) in which they are to be constructed. Some answers can be given using qualitative modeling and loop analysis. We used participatory modeling to co-construct a qualitative model of the socio-ecosystem together with stakeholders of the APPEAL project. The goal of the project was to evaluate the potential impacts of the pilot OWF in the Groix–Belle-île region. Then, loop analysis was used to study the characteristics of the SES created by the setting-up of an OWF. We focused on the impacts of SES variables on each other by evaluating their effects through direct and indirect pathways. Pleasure boating appeared as one of the SES components prone to suffer from the OWF construction, whereas industrial tourism was likely to benefit from it. This article presents the methodology used to obtain such results, for it to be used in spatial planning or in citizen-science processes.
Path planning of substation inspection robot based on high-precision positioning and navigation technology
Authors: Du Zexu , Zhang Guoliang , Zhang Yi , Chen Jiangqi , Zhang Xi 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
Outdoor substation is an important part of power system. Substation inspection robot based on intelligent autonomous inspection system has become the research focus of substation unmanned inspection. In order to improve the positioning accuracy and speed of the system, a high-precision positioning algorithm of transformer detection robot is proposed in this paper. Tikhonov regularization is used to correct the pathological problem of the localization algorithm model. The observation amount of the receiver is increased by using four signals of a single base station with double frequency and double antenna, and the position is solved by using single difference carrier phase observation and the integer ambiguity is fixed. The input–output mapping of the neural network is designed according to the information acquisition and two-wheel angular velocity control of the detection robot. Using the hyperbolic tangent function as the activation function of MLP neural network, the MLP neural network with 32 neurons in each of the three hidden layers is determined. By optimizing reinforcement learning reward function, adding scoring rules, and reward parameters, this paper carries out the following simulation exploration work. The high-precision positioning algorithm of transformer inspection robot is compared with the existing algorithm, and the superiority of the algorithm is verified. The basic motion ability of the robot installed with the system was tested.
Battery state of charge estimation solution based on optimized Ah counting and online calibration strategy for electric vehicle
Authors: Zhou Kaiwen , Wang Xiyu , Li Yakun 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
State of charge (SOC) estimation is critical for electric vehicles (EVs); the typical solution is the ampere-hour (Ah) counting strategy + open circuit voltage (OCV) strategy as they are straightforward and easy to implement. However, this solution makes a significant SOC estimation error if the driver needs to drive long distances or in winter. This article aims to optimize the Ah counting strategy and propose an online SOC calibration strategy. For the former, we evaluate the effects of temperature, initial SOC, and current on the Coulomb efficiency and the impact of temperature and discharge current on the battery capacity and take them into account when estimating the battery SOC; for the latter, we conduct theoretical analysis and argue that after a while of small-current fluctuations in the battery, the OCV of the battery can be obtained based on the battery voltage, current, and direct current (DC) resistance, and can be calibrated online. We designed experiments to validate the proposed strategy. The experimental results show that the optimized Ah counting strategy does not pull away from the standard Ah counting strategy at room temperature or high temperature, which is because the effects of the Coulombic efficiency and the battery capacity can be canceled out, but the optimized Ah counting strategy has a better performance at low temperature, and vice versa for standard Ah counting performs poorly; for SOC online calibration, the OCV estimated online by the proposed strategy differs from the reference OCV by only 2 mV, and its performance is excellent. The solution proposed in this article can be applied to EVs to obtain better performance.
Digital screens in community pharmacy for public health messaging; a mixed-methods study
Authors: Ashcroft Naomi , Cooper Matthew , Nazar Hamde 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Objectives
An independent evaluation was undertaken to investigate the perceived impact of installing digital screens in a group of community pharmacies as an approach to provide public health messaging.

Methods
Community pharmacy staff were interviewed prior to screen installation to investigate experience and perceptions of conventional public health campaigns using written materials. Staff were interviewed after the digital screen installation to investigate their opinions of the installation and its impact on public health delivery in the pharmacy. Patients and public representatives were recruited to visit the pharmacies and asked to complete a survey about what they observed and thought about the public health messaging. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. Surveys consisted of open, closed, and rating questions. The results of which were descriptively analysed.

Key findings
Community pharmacy staff found paper-based campaigns work-intensive and created paper wastage. The digital screen installation was received positively by pharmacy staff and patient, and public representatives found them eye-catching and engaging. Staff were unable to report any conversations with members of the public triggered by the screens, but the patient and public volunteers were able to recall some of the health messages.

Conclusions
Digital messaging is common practice and digital screens are already in use in areas where patients and the public have conventionally been in attendance, e.g. GP surgeries. Digital screens in community pharmacy for public health messaging could be considered an inevitable progression for public health messaging given concerns about wastage and up-to-date information. The impact, however, on triggering healthier choices and lifestyles requires further investigation.
Female Genital Tract Host Factors and Tenofovir and Lamivudine Active Metabolites
Authors: Lantz Alyssa M , Kiweewa Matovu Flavia , Johnson Reilly , Isingel Esther , Nakalega Rita , Kabwigu Samuel , Beksinska Mags E , Nicol Melanie R 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Background
We previously reported the effect of contraception on cervical tenofovir concentrations in Ugandan women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Here we explored the role of cervicovaginal cytokines and drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters (DMETs) to elucidate female genital tract (FGT) drug disposition in a Ugandan cohort.

Methods
Cervicovaginal fluid and cervical biopsies were collected from Ugandan women with HIV receiving tenofovir/lamivudine-based therapy and intramuscular depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (n = 25), copper intrauterine device (cuIUD; n = 12), or condoms (n = 13) as contraception. Cytokines were measured in cervicovaginal fluid (CVF). Ectocervical tenofovir diphosphate (TFVdp), lamivudine triphosphate (3TCtp), and deoxyadenosine triphosphate (dATP)/deoxycytidine triphosphate (dCTP) concentrations and immune marker/DMET gene expression were measured in cervical biopsies.

Results
Cervical 3TCtp was not correlated with any CVF cytokines. Cervical TFVdp was correlated with IL-10, IL-7, and IL-17 in CVF. CCR5 mRNA expression in cervical biopsies was higher in cuIUD users versus condom users. Using multivariable linear regression, CVF IL-17, tissue dATP, plasma estradiol, and plasma tenofovir were all significant predictors of cervical TFVdp. Tissue dCTP and plasma lamivudine were significant predictors of cervical 3TCtp.

Conclusions
TFVdp concentrations in cervix appear to be influenced by local inflammation. In contrast, 3TCtp FGT exposure was not affected by genital inflammation or DMETs. CuIUD users have more immune cells present, which may in turn influence local TFVdp disposition.

Main Finding
We investigated changes in tenofovir diphosphate and lamivudine triphosphate due to the microbiome and inflammation. While lamivudine triphosphate was not affected by either, tenofovir diphosphate appeared to be affected by local inflammation. Specifically, Th17 cells may influence tenofovir disposition.
Struggle, Exit, “Resilience”—or How Precarious Workers Cope with Late Neoliberalism. Individual and Collective Agency of Female Migrant Domestic Workers in Spain
Authors: Hellgren Zenia 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
This article inquires the individual and collective agency of female migrant domestic workers in Spain. I use fieldwork conducted between 2013 and 2023 to examine the interplay between the migrant workers’ individual coping strategies, the claims-making strategies of the domestic workers’ trade union Sindihogar, and the structures they operate within and attempt to challenge. Drawing on contemporary research about precarious workers’ movements, I aim to explore to what extent this social movement union has the potential to reduce the power of structural constraints and increase the power of agency. Implicit is a broader, more provocative question: To what extent is substantial change possible within the current political-economic order, here defined as late neoliberalism? I found that while the movement’s community-building approach may empower activists at an individual level, there are significant structural barriers to its potential to accomplish change in terms of better job conditions for this highly precarious workforce. In addition, I suggest that an increasing focus on precarious workers’ “resilience” risks undermining narratives of structural transformation.
‘Hi Chatbot, let’s Talk about Politics!’ Examining the Impact of Verbal Anthropomorphism in Conversational Agent Voting Advice Applications (CAVAAs) on Higher and Lower Politically Sophisticated Users
Authors: Hankel Stef , Liebrecht Christine , Kamoen Naomi 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
During elections, millions of voters consult online Voting Advice Applications (VAAs) to gain insights into political party stances. However, voters often struggle to understand VAA statements. Previous studies show that incorporating a Conversational Agent (CA) that addresses voters’ inquiries about VAA statements enhances the users’ factual and perceived political knowledge, as well as their evaluation of the tool. The current paper reports on two experimental studies (n = 141; n = 164) delving into the prospect of enhancing these CAVAAs by investigating how the choice of an anthropomorphic communication style (Conversational Human Voice vs. formal) influences tool evaluation and political measures among users with higher and lower levels of political sophistication. Results suggest that especially lower politically sophisticated users could benefit from CAVAAs since they felt more informed to vote after using a CAVAA, and because they answered more factual knowledge questions correctly after using the anthropomorphic CAVAA. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Bringing “Religion as Such” to the City: Sacred History and Nation Branding in Contemporary Germany
Authors: Tzuberi Hannah 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
This article focuses on a multireligious building project named House of One in contemporary Berlin. Initiated in 2012 by a Protestant community at the center of Berlin, House of One consists of a synagogue, a church, a mosque, and a communal room. My central suggestion is that House of One is invested in a pluralist re-branding of (liberal) Protestantism, a rebranding that underlies the post-unification emergence of a new national German imaginary: out of “soil” marked as historically Christian spreads an “Abrahamic” future that transcends its particularity via its assumed ability to incorporate Islam and Judaism. Liberal, Christian-secularized norms and affects are thus being rearticulated in a language of religious pluralism, so that a normative, Christian-secularized category of religion can be extended to Christianity’s “monotheistic brothers.” Elaborations of this building project’s intended purpose, I argue, are thus animated by a broader question about the appropriate relation between religion and the state, and conjointly, between the self and culture at a moment in time in which hitherto normative, Christian-secularized assumptions concerning this relation are challenged. As such, the discursive representation that sustains the yet-to-be-built House of One is conducive to the making of a new national imaginary: it is driven both by the desire to renounce past evil through a recognition and inclusion of alterity into the body politic, as much as by the simultaneous de-politization and scrutinization of such alterity.
(The) Discipline and the Confessional: Toward Methodological Numenism and an Engaged, Embodied Study of Religion
Authors: Wilcox Melissa M 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
For all its transdisciplinarity, religious studies remains a field focused on boundaries, especially those between scholars and practitioners and between confessional and nonconfessional scholarship. The disciplinary use of the confessional in religious studies calls for a Foucauldian analysis that has not yet been central to our discussion of methods, despite important work on Foucault and religion from a number of prominent scholars. Disentangling the threads of the disciplinary and the confessional in religious studies and (re)articulating scholars’ often disjointed response to the uncanniness of the worlds beyond the human, I build on the critiques offered by scholars such as Masuzawa, Beliso-De Jesús, Driscoll and Miller, and Schaefer to argue for methodological numenism and an engaged, embodied study of religion as critical steps in the decolonization of the field.
Rapid initiation of bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide as first-line therapy in HIV infection. A prospective study
Authors: Ugarte Ainoa , De La Mora Lorena , De Lazzari Elisa , Chivite Iván , Fernández Emma , Inciarte Alexy , Laguno Montserrat , Ambrosioni Juan , Solbes Estela , Berrocal Leire , González-Cordón Ana , Martínez-Rebollar María , Foncillas Alberto , Calvo Júlia , Blanco José Luis , Martínez Esteban , Mallolas Josep , Torres Berta 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Introduction
Rapid initiation of ART after HIV diagnosis is recommended for individual and public health benefits. However, certain clinical and ART-related considerations hinder immediate initiation of therapy.

Methods
An open-label, single-arm, single-centre 48-week prospective clinical trial involving ART-naïve HIV-diagnosed adults who started bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (BIC/FTC/TAF) within a week from the first hospital visit, before the availability of baseline laboratory and genotype results. The primary aim was to determine the proportion of people with at least one condition that would hinder immediate initiation of any recommended ART regimen other than BIC/FTC/TAF. Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04416906.

Results
We included 100 participants: 79% men, 64% from Latin America, median age 32 years. According to European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) and US Department of Health and Human Services 2023 guidelines, 11% (95%CI 6; 19) of participants had at least one condition that made any ART different from BIC/FTC/TAF less appropriate for a rapid ART strategy. Seventy-nine percent of the people started BIC/FTC/TAF within the first 48 hours of their first hospital visit. There were 16 early discontinuations (11 lost to follow-up). By week 48, 92% (95%CI 86; 98) of the participants of the ITT population with observed data achieved viral suppression. Eight grade 3–4 adverse events (AEs), five serious AEs and six ART-related AEs were identified. Adherence remained high.

Conclusions
BIC/FTC/TAF is an optimal treatment for rapid initiation of ART. However, additional strategies to improve retention in care must be implemented.
Recent Recall of Iron Reagent—Investigation of Potential Reagent Contamination and Assay Improvement Strategy
Authors: Narasimhan Madhusudhanan , Jaleta Kefyalew , Adhikari Shishir , Berihun Mizanu , SataraNatarajan Kavithalakshmi , Mahimainathan Lenin , Cao Jing , Jones Patricia Mary , Hashim Ibrahim , Muthukumar Alagar R 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Background
Recently, a major manufacturer recalled several lots of iron assay reagent due to positive bias of roughly 15%–30% and the cause remains unknown. This study investigated the root cause of this positive bias and evaluated a simple practical approach to improve the assay.

Methods
Performance comparison of recalled and unimpacted iron assay kits was done utilizing calibrators, quality control (QC) materials, and 42 remnant patient samples. Spectral scan and trace elements analysis of R1 and R2 reagents was performed. Copper (Cu) and thiourea (TU) spiking experiments were utilized to elucidate the cause and prevention of positive bias seen with recalled lots.

Results
Iron measurements in QC materials and patient samples using recalled reagents generated a positive bias of 17.5% and 21%, respectively. Correspondingly, the recalled R2 reagents, but not R1, showed a rise in basal absorbance along with an unanticipated presence of Cu (22.7 µg/dL) and lead (7.5 µg/L). Cu spiking to recalled and unimpacted R2 reagent intensified the reagent color besides falsely increasing its absorbance, calibration factor, and patient iron measurements. Interestingly, addition of TU (65 mmol/L) to R2 reagent from unimpacted lot prevented the short-term and prolonged Cu-induced spurious rise in calibration factor and patient iron estimations.

Conclusions
We conclude that accidental copper contamination of R2 reagent during manufacturing could be a reason underlying the positive bias in the recalled iron reagent lots. Addition of TU in ferene-containing R2 reagent is a simple and effective means to prevent Cu-induced false elevation in iron values.
allofus: an R package to facilitate use of the All of Us Researcher Workbench
Authors: Smith Louisa H , Cavanaugh Robert 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Objectives
Despite easy-to-use tools like the Cohort Builder, using All of Us Research Program data for complex research questions requires a relatively high level of technical expertise. We aimed to increase research and training capacity and reduce barriers to entry for the All of Us community through an R package, allofus. In this article, we describe functions that address common challenges we encountered while working with All of Us Research Program data, and we demonstrate this functionality with an example of creating a cohort of All of Us participants by synthesizing electronic health record and survey data with time dependencies.

Target audience
All of Us Research Program data are widely available to health researchers. The allofus R package is aimed at a wide range of researchers who wish to conduct complex analyses using best practices for reproducibility and transparency, and who have a range of experience using R. Because the All of Us data are transformed into the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership Common Data Model (OMOP CDM), researchers familiar with existing OMOP CDM tools or who wish to conduct network studies in conjunction with other OMOP CDM data will also find value in the package.

Scope
We developed an initial set of functions that solve problems we experienced across survey and electronic health record data in our own research and in mentoring student projects. The package will continue to grow and develop with the All of Us Research Program. The allofus R package can help build community research capacity by increasing access to the All of Us Research Program data, the efficiency of its use, and the rigor and reproducibility of the resulting research.