bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Change in cognitive performance during seven-year follow-up in midlife is associated with sex, age, and education – The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study
Authors: Heiskanen Marja A. , Nevalainen Jaakko , Pahkala Katja , Juonala Markus , Hutri Nina , Kähönen Mika , Jokinen Eero , Laitinen Tomi P. , Tossavainen Päivi , Taittonen Leena , Viikari Jorma S. A. , Raitakari Olli T. , Rovio Suvi P. 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
Objective
Sex, age, and education are associated with the level of cognitive performance. We investigated whether these factors modulate the change in cognitive performance in midlife by leveraging the longitudinal data from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (YFS).

Methods
Participants of the YFS cohort performed a computer-based Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) in 2011 and 2018 (n = 1671, age 41–56 years in 2018). Overall cognitive performance and domains representing learning and memory, working memory, reaction time, and information processing were extracted by common principal component analysis from the longitudinal cognitive data. Linear models adjusted for baseline cognitive performance were used to study the association of sex, age, and education with changes in overall cognitive performance and in the cognitive domains.

Results
Cognitive performance decreased in all domains (overall cognition -0.56 SD, p < 0.001; working memory -0.81 SD, p < 0.001; learning and memory -0.70 SD, p < 0.001; reaction time -0.06 SD, p = 0.019; information processing -0.03 SD, p = 0.016). The decrease in working memory and information processing was greater in females compared to males. Cognitive performance decreased more in older participants in all domains. Education alleviated the decrease in cognitive performance in all domains except reaction time. The beneficial effect of education was greater for males.

Conclusions
This study describes the natural course of aging-related changes in cognitive performance in midlife, the critical time window for early prevention of clinical cognitive decline. These findings provide a reference for studies focusing on determinants of pathological cognitive decline deviating from normal changes in cognitive performance.
A novel artificial hummingbird algorithm improved by natural survivor method
Authors: Bakır Hüseyin 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThe artificial hummingbird algorithm (AHA) has been applied in various fields of science and provided promising solutions. Although the algorithm has demonstrated merits in the optimization area, it suffers from local optimum stagnation and poor exploration of the search space. To overcome these drawbacks, this study redesigns the update mechanism of the original AHA algorithm with the natural survivor method (NSM) and proposes a novel metaheuristic called NSM-AHA. The strength of the developed algorithm is that it performs population management not only according to the fitness function value but also according to the NSM score value. The adopted strategy contributes to NSM-AHA exhibiting powerful local optimum avoidance and unique exploration ability. The optimization ability of the proposed NSM-AHA algorithm was compared with 21 state-of-the-art algorithms over CEC 2017 and CEC 2020 benchmark functions with dimensions of 30, 50, and 100, respectively. Based on the Friedman test results, it was observed that NSM-AHA ranked 1st out of 22 competitive algorithms, while the original AHA ranked 8th. This result highlights that the NSM update mechanism provides a remarkable evolution in the convergence performance of the original AHA algorithm. Furthermore, two constrained engineering problems including the optimization of single-diode solar cell model (SDSCM) parameters and the design of a power system stabilizer (PSS) are solved with the proposed algorithm. The NSM-AHA algorithm provided better results compared to other algorithms with a value of 9.86E − 04 root mean square error for SDSCM and 1.43E − 03 integral time square error for PSS. The experimental results showed that the proposed NSM-AHA is a competitive optimizer for solving global and engineering problems.
Cervical kyphosis after posterior cervical laminectomy with and without fusion
Authors: Jentzsch Thorsten , Wetzel Oliver T. , Malhotra Armaan K. , Lozano Christopher S. , Massicotte Eric M. , Spirig José M. , Fehlings Michael G. , Farshad Mazda 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
Background
Cervical posterior instrumentation and fusion is often performed to avoid post-laminectomy kyphosis. However, larger comparative analyses of cervical laminectomy with or without fusion are sparse.

Methods
A retrospective, two-center, comparative cohort study included patients after stand-alone dorsal laminectomy with (n = 91) or without (n = 46) additional fusion for degenerative cervical myelopathy with a median follow-up of 59 (interquartile range (IQR) 52) months. The primary outcome was the C2-7 Cobb angle and secondary outcomes were Neck Disability Index (NDI), modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) scale, revision rates, T1 slope and C2-7 sagittal vertical axis (C2-7 SVA) at final follow-up. Logistic regression analysis adjusted for potential confounders (i.e. age, operated levels, and follow-up). Results: Preoperative C2-7 Cobb angle and T1 slope were higher in the laminectomy group, while the C2-7 SVA was similar. The decrease in C2-7 Cobb angle from pre- to postoperatively was more pronounced in the laminectomy group (− 6° (IQR 20) versus −1° (IQR 7), p = 0.002). When adjusting for confounders, the decrease in C2-7 Cobb angle remained higher in the laminectomy group (coefficient − 12 (95% confidence interval (CI) −18 to −5), p = 0.001). However, there were no adjusted differences for postoperative NDI (− 11 (− 23 to 2), p = 0.10), mJOA, revision rates, T1 slope and C2-7 SVA. Conclusion: Posterior cervical laminectomy without fusion is associated with mild loss of cervical lordosis of around 6° in the mid-term after approximately five years, however without any clinical relevance regarding NDI or mJOA in well-selected patients (particularly in shorter segment laminectomies of < 3 levels).
Exploring caspase functions in mouse models
Authors: Svandova Eva , Vesela Barbora , Janeckova Eva , Chai Yang , Matalova Eva 
Published: June 2024

AbstractCaspases are enzymes with protease activity. Despite being known for more than three decades, caspase investigation still yields surprising and fascinating information. Initially associated with cell death and inflammation, their functions have gradually been revealed to extend beyond, targeting pathways such as cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. These processes are also associated with disease mechanisms, positioning caspases as potential targets for numerous pathologies including inflammatory, neurological, metabolic, or oncological conditions. While in vitro studies play a crucial role in elucidating molecular pathways, they lack the context of the body’s complexity. Therefore, laboratory animals are an indispensable part of successfully understanding and applying caspase networks. This paper aims to summarize and discuss recent knowledge, understanding, and challenges in caspase knock-out mice.
Slovenian parliamentary corpus siParl
Authors: Meden Katja , Erjavec Tomaž , Pančur Andrej 
Published: June 2024

AbstractParliamentary debates represent an essential part of democratic discourse and provide insights into various socio-demographic and linguistic phenomena - parliamentary corpora, which contain transcripts of parliamentary debates and extensive metadata, are an important resource for parliamentary discourse analysis and other research areas. This paper presents the Slovenian parliamentary corpus siParl, the latest version of which contains transcripts of plenary sessions and other legislative bodies of the Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia from 1990 to 2022, comprising more than 1 million speeches and 210 million words. We outline the development history of the corpus and also mention other initiatives that have been influenced by siParl (such as the Parla-CLARIN encoding and the ParlaMint corpora of European parliaments), present the corpus creation process, ranging from the initial data collection to the structural development and encoding of the corpus, and given the growing influence of the ParlaMint corpora, compare siParl with the Slovenian ParlaMint-SI corpus. Finally, we discuss updates for the next version as well as the long-term development and enrichment of the siParl corpus.
The causal relationship between public debt and economic growth in G7 countries: new evidence from time and frequency domain approaches
Authors: Bozatli Oguzhan , Serin Seref Can , Demir Murat 
Published: June 2024

AbstractInvestigators of the public debt-economic growth nexus have yet to fully address the crucial issue of determining the direction of causality. There is an implicit assumption—or perception—that the causal relationship is mostly from public debt to economic growth. Beyond this, causal relationships may vary according to the presence of structural breaks as well as different frequency characteristics. The focus of this study is to address these issues. In this context, we comparatively investigate how structural changes and frequency characteristics affect the public debt-economic growth nexus using historical data covering the period 1870–2020 for G7 countries. Methodologically, we use Fourier Toda-Yamamoto and frequency-domain causality techniques from time and frequency-based approaches, respectively. Consistent with our expectations, we show that in the link between public debt and economic growth, they differ from or in some cases confirm each other based on the time and frequency-domain approaches. According to both approaches, in Italy and Japan, the feedback effect is valid, implying a mutual interaction between public debt and economic growth. Also, we find that this relationship is permanent. Similarly, we conclude that there is no causal relationship for France according to both approaches. For the remaining countries, however, we provide diverse evidence on both the direction of causality and the temporary/permanent nature of the causal relationship. The results on temporary or permanent causality at different frequencies offer policymakers and researchers detailed insights into an obscure aspect of the existing literature.
Exploring nut quality traits in almond varieties: a comparative study of local and foreign cultivars and their F1 hybrid offsprings
Authors: Özcan Hatice , Güney Müjgan , Karcı Harun , Tevfik Habibullah , Kafkas Salih , Acar İzzet , Kafkas Ebru 
Published: June 2024

AbstractAlmonds are one of the most popular and widely consumed tree nuts in the world, prized for their taste, texture, and nutritional benefits. However, the quality and characteristics of almonds can vary significantly depending on the variety and growing conditions. In this context, a comparative study was conducted to explore the nut quality traits of almond local and foreign cultivars, as well as their F1 hybrid offspring resulting from crossbreeding. “Nut quality” is a dynamic concept changing based on consumer needs and perceptions that reflect sociocultural evolution. The aim of this study was to identify the most promising almond varieties and hybrids based on some nut quality traits including macro–micro elements and tocopherol contents. To accomplish this goal, samples were collected from local (Gulcan 2 and Nurlu) and foreign (Lauranne and Guara) almond cultivars, as well as F1 hybrid offspring resulting in two cross-breading (“Gulcan 2 × Lauranne” and “Guara × Nurlu”), and conducted a comprehensive analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography and atomic absorption spectroscopy. Our results showed that the nut quality traits of almonds can vary significantly among different cultivars and hybrids, with some varieties and hybrids exhibiting superior characteristics compared to others. These findings provide important insights into the potential for improving almond quality through crossbreeding and the development of new varieties with improved characteristics which can help inform breeding programs and improve the quality of almonds available in the market.
Effect of identical twins on deep speaker embeddings based forensic voice comparison
Authors: Abed Mohammed Hamzah , Sztahó Dávid 
Published: June 2024

AbstractDeep learning has gained widespread adoption in forensic voice comparison in recent years. It is mainly used to learn speaker representations, known as embedding features or vectors. In this work, the effect of identical twins on two state-of-the-art deep speaker embedding methods was investigated with special focus on metrics of forensic voice comparison. The speaker verification performance has been assessed using the likelihood-ratio framework by likelihood ratio cost and equal error rate. The AVTD twin speech dataset was applied. The results show a significant reduction in speaker verification performance when twin samples are present. Neither the adaptation of LR score calculation to twin samples, nor fine-tuning the pre-trained speaker embedding models seemed to be able to leverage this limitation. It was found that the recognition of same or different speakers was possible even in the case of identical twins but the performance dropped greatly. The lowest EER of the best performing model was 3.4% in the case of non-twin; at the same time, EER was 25.3% when twins were present. This doesn’t mean that the presented methods are useless in case of identical twins, but it must be taken into consideration that in case of a higher likelihood-ratio score (which indicates same speakers on the tested samples), the possibility of twins must also be considered in a real casework.
Influence of La additions on solidification and microstructure in the as-cast state of the aluminium alloy EN AW-7175
Authors: Balaško Tilen , Vončina Maja , Nagode Aleš , Medved Jožef 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThe high-strength aluminium alloys of the 7xxx series, which belong to the Al–Zn–Mg–Cu system, are known for their exceptional properties and are often used for applications where strength, fatigue resistance, stress corrosion resistance and wear resistance are required. The alloy EN AW-7175 requires an understanding of the precipitation process during solidification and cooling, where different phases are formed depending on the Zn/Mg ratio and cooling rate. Microstructural defects in the as-cast state affect the mechanical properties, prompting the investigation of La additions to refine the microstructure and improve the mechanical properties. In this study, the influence of La additions on the solidification and microstructure of the alloy EN AW-7175 in the as-cast state is investigated. Thermodynamic calculations, DSC and SEM analyses were performed. Samples with La additions (0.05–0.17 mass%) were compared with a reference sample (0 mass% La). La additives have only a minimal effect on the liquidus temperature and show minor differences in the solidus temperature in equilibrium calculations. The solidification interval decreases slightly compared to the reference sample, which is consistent with the Scheil simulations. The DSC results show reduced liquidus and solidus temperatures, while the solidification interval remains largely unchanged by the addition of La. The addition of La alongside Al13Fe4, Mg2Si and the eutectic α(Al) + σ[Mg(Zn, Cu, Al)2] leads to the formation of two new La-based phases: Al20Cr2La and LaSi2. Al20Cr2La modifies the Al45Cr7 phase and solidifies first, while LaSi2 modifies Mg2Si. As the La content increases, the Mg2Si content decreases until it completely disappears at a La content of more than 0.1 mass%. On the contrary, according to the literature, the grain size increases somewhat with a higher La content.
Exploring the response of PACAP on thermal endurance of F-actin by differential scanning calorimetry
Authors: Bukovics Péter , Lőrinczy Dénes 
Published: June 2024

AbstractPituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a bioactive peptide known for its diverse effects on the nervous system. While numerous studies have demonstrated the neuroprotective properties of PACAP, its role in tissue regeneration and potential as a therapeutic agent remain to be fully understood. Specifically, the understanding of PACAP’s impact on cytoskeletal dynamics, particularly the organization and disorganization of actin filament networks, is limited due to the scarcity of in vitro studies in this area. Additionally, the interaction between PACAP and actin has been minimally explored, and the influence of PACAP on the thermal stability of actin is completely unknown. To address these gaps, the current study aimed to investigate the impact of different forms and fragments of PACAP on the thermal denaturation and renaturation of Ca2+-F-actin using a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) approach. Our primary objective was to determine whether PACAP modulates the thermal stability of Ca2+-F-actin and establish a temperature-dependent pattern of any structural alterations that may occur as a result of PACAP interaction. Two PACAP forms exist in vivo: the 38 amino acid length PACAP38 and the PACAP27, the latter truncated at the C-terminal. Both in the PACAP38 + Ca2+-F-actin and in the PACAP6-38 + Ca2+-F-actin mixtures, the DSC scans exhibited a significant decrease of actin denaturation temperature compared to the control; however, the PACAP27 + Ca2+-F-actin and PACAP6-27 + Ca2+-F-actin revealed no remarkable differences compared to the actin control sample. The calorimetric enthalpy of the truncated PACAP27 and PACAP6-27 + actin mixture also followed the tendencies mentioned above. Thus, in PACAP27 and PACAP6-27 mixture, there was no change in the denaturation temperature of actin, and no significant ΔHcal was observed. Through this research, we sought to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of PACAP’s effects on actin dynamics using thermal de- and renaturation cycles.
The New Mechanistic Approach and Cognitive Ontology—Or: What Role do (Neural) Mechanisms Play in Cognitive Ontology?
Authors: Krickel Beate 
Published: June 2024

AbstractCognitive ontology has become a popular topic in philosophy, cognitive psychology, and cognitive neuroscience. At its center is the question of which cognitive capacities should be included in the ontology of cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience. One common strategy for answering this question is to look at brain structures and determine the cognitive capacities for which they are responsible. Some authors interpret this strategy as a search for neural mechanisms, as understood by the so-called new mechanistic approach. In this article, I will show that this new mechanistic answer is confronted with what I call the triviality problem. A discussion of this problem will show that one cannot derive a meaningful cognitive ontology from neural mechanisms alone. Nonetheless, neural mechanisms play a crucial role in the discovery of a cognitive ontology because they are epistemic proxies for best systematizations.
Optical Soliton solutions for stochastic Davey–Stewartson equation under the effect of noise
Authors: Iqbal Muhammad Sajid , Inc Mustafa 
Published: June 2024

AbstractIn this manuscript, we investigates the stochastic Davey–Stewartson equation under the influence of noise in It$${\hat{o}}$$

o
^

sense. This equations is a two-dimensional integrable equations, are higher-dimensional variations of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation. Plasma physics, nonlinear optics, hydrodynamics, and other fields have made use of the solutions to the stochastic Davey–Stewartson equations. The Sardar subequation method is used that will gives us the the stochastic optical soliton solutions in the form of dark, bright, combine and periodic waves. These exact optical soliton solutions are helpful in understanding a variety of fascinating physical phenomena because of the importance of the Davey- Stewartson equations in the theory of turbulence for plasma waves or in optical fibers. Additionally, we use Mathematica tools to plot our solutions and exhibit a series of three-dimensional, two-dimensional and their corresponding contour graphs to show how the noise affects the exact solutions of the stochastic Davey–Stewartson equation. We show how the stochastic Davey–Stewartson solutions are stabilised at around zero by the multiplicative Brownian motion.
ET1 acts as a potential plasma biomarker and therapeutic target in deep venous thrombosis rat model
Authors: Wang Zhanqi , Wu Zhangmin , Hu Zhongzhou , Zheng Huanqin , Chen Zhong 
Published: June 2024

AbstractDeep venous thrombosis (DVT) is the third leading cause of death in cardiovascular disease, following heart attacks and strokes. Early diagnosis and intervention are crucial for effective DVT therapy. We aim to investigate whether endothelin-1 (ET-1) could serve as an early diagnostic marker or a potential therapeutic target in a DVT rat model. CCK8 assay, invasion assay, and flow cytometry were used to detect the proliferation, migration and apoptosis of HUVECs, respectively. Elisa assay was used to detect ET-1 and coagulation factor VII in cell supernatant and rat?s plasma. Western blot was used to detect antioxidant signaling protein. Inferior vena cava stenosis was used to construct the DVT rat model. Lentivirus mediated overexpression of ET-1 in HUVECs impaired the cell proliferation and migration, increased cell apoptosis, inhibited the antioxidant signaling pathway proteins expression (e.g., NQO1, GCLC, Nrf-2), and upregulated coagulation factor VII. Furthermore, overexpression of ET-1 further impaired antioxidant signaling pathway protein in response to H2O2 treatment. However, lentivirus mediated ET-1 knockdown and BQ123 (an ET-1 inhibitor), showed the opposite results with ET-1 overexpression. We then established a DVT rat model by inferior vena cava stenosis. The stenosis induced early expression of ET-1 and coagulation factor VII in plasma at day 1 and restore their level at day 10. BQ123 could downregulate the coagulation factor VII to ameliorate the stenosis effects. Our findings suggest that ET-1 might serve as an early diagnostic marker for DVT rat model and a potential therapeutic target for treating DVT.