bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Semi-supervised segmentation of abdominal organs and liver tumor: uncertainty rectified curriculum labeling meets X-fuse
Authors: Lyu Pengju , Liu Wenjian , Lin Tingyi , Zhang Jie , Liu Yao , Wang Cheng , Zhu Jianjun 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
Precise liver tumors and associated organ segmentation hold immense value for surgical and radiological intervention, enabling anatomical localization for pre-operative planning and intra-operative guidance. Modern deep learning models for medical image segmentation have evolved from convolution neural networks to transformer architectures, significantly boosting global context understanding. However, accurate delineation especially of hepatic lesions remains an enduring challenge due to models’ predominant focus solely on spatial feature extraction failing to adequately characterize complex medical anatomies. Moreover, the relative paucity of expertly annotated medical imaging data restricts model exposure to diverse pathological presentations. In this paper, we present a three-phrased cascaded segmentation framework featuring an X-Fuse model that synergistically integrates spatial and frequency domain’s complementary information in dual encoders to enrich latent feature representation. To enhance model generalizability, building upon X-Fuse topology and taking advantage of additional unlabeled pathological data, our proposed integration of curriculum pseudo-labeling with Jensen–Shannon variance-based uncertainty rectification promotes optimized pseudo supervision in the context of semi-supervised learning. We further introduce a tumor-focus augmentation technique including training-free copy-paste and knowledge-based synthesis that show efficacy in simplicity, contributing to the substantial elevation of model adaptability on diverse lesional morphologies. Extensive experiments and modular evaluations on a holdout test set demonstrate that our methods significantly outperform existing state-of-the-art segmentation models in both supervised and semi-supervised settings, as measured by the Dice similarity coefficient, achieving superior delineation of bones (95.42%), liver (96.26%), and liver tumors (89.53%) with 16.41% increase comparing to V-Net on supervised-only and augmented-absent scenario. Our method marks a significant step toward the realization of more reliable and robust AI-assisted diagnostic tools for liver tumor intervention. We have made the codes publicly available [https://github.com/lyupengju/X-Fuse].
Are vehicle lifespan caps an effective and efficient method for reducing US light-duty vehicle fleet GHG emissions?
Authors: Striepe Melissa Cusack , Milovanoff Alexandre , Abdul-Manan Amir F N , McKechnie Jon , Posen I Daniel , MacLean Heather L 
Published: May 2024

AbstractWith light duty vehicles (LDVs) responsible for 17% of annual US greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, integrating emerging GHG-reducing technologies into the fleet is essential. However, the slow rate of vehicle turnover presents a significant barrier to the market penetration of new technologies, with adoption delayed by the low number of vehicles needing replacement each year. A strategy of accelerated vehicle turnover through a vehicle lifespan cap could potentially mitigate this limit. While older studies reach differing conclusions on their effectiveness, two newer studies that incorporate life cycle assessment find that accelerated turnover strategies can be effective if coupled with high levels of electric vehicle deployment. We seek to determine whether a vehicle lifespan cap strategy can be an effective and efficient (cost-effective) method for reducing US LDV fleet GHG emissions. We augment the capabilities of the Fleet Life Cycle Assessment and Material Flow Estimation (FLAME) fleet life cycle assessment model, integrating vehicle lifespan caps and comprehensive calculations of cost along with sensitivity analysis for electric vehicle survival curves and battery degradation. The augmented FLAME model is used to analyse the impact of vehicle lifespan caps of varying lengths on a suite of scenarios, including a business as usual (BAU) scenario and eight scenarios modelling different technology improvement assumptions. This work confirms that vehicle lifespan caps have limited effectiveness in reducing GHG emissions under a BAU scenario but show potential to meaningfully reduce GHG emissions in a scenario with accelerated deployment of electric vehicles. However, abatement costs are high, exceeding 2020 USD 1000/tCO2eq under baseline assumptions, but falling within the range of current estimates of the social cost of carbon under more optimistic assumptions. Overall, vehicle lifespan caps must be carefully considered as they accelerate both the benefits and costs of new vehicle technologies, and are best positioned as part of a larger integrated strategy for tackling transportation GHG emissions.
Against the Standard View, Part One
Authors: Foley Richard 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
One tenet of the standard view is that considerations indicating the likely truth of a claim always provide a reason to believe it. A second is that other kinds of considerations never do. It wouldn’t matter if someone offered you a belief bribe that guaranteed the permanent elimination of torture worldwide. Not even benefits of this magnitude give anyone the slightest reason to believe anything. When put this starkly, the second tenet looks too extreme. Things can have value for their own sake or instrumentally, and there are countless ways in which a state of one kind can help bring about a state of another kind even if it rarely does. These observations tend to undermine categorical claims that something Y-like can never be a reason for something X-like. According to some proponents of the standard view, non-truth-related considerations are also the wrong kind to motivate beliefs. But just as it’s implausible to think that non-truth-related considerations never provide reasons for our views, it’s implausible to think that they never motivate our views.
Musical Ontology: Works, Versions, and Lineages
Authors: Alward Peter 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
In this paper, I develop a novel account of musical works according which they are situated heir lines, consisting of actual and possible work-versions that are situated in specific musical-historical contexts. And I argue that this account offers a better explanation of three core phonenomena - musical multiplicity, musical flexibility, and musical audibility - than its competitors. Finally, I introduce the broader category of musical lineages - sequences of work-versions each of which has evolved in certain ways from its predecessors - and argue that musical works can be viewed as lineages that are initiated by the requisite sorts of compositional intentions and whose constituent work-versions must satisfy standards of similarity from their original contexts of composition.
Association of dietary and nutritional factors with cognitive decline, dementia, and depressive symptomatology in older individuals according to a neurogenesis-centred biological susceptibility to brain ageing
Authors: Du Preez Andrea , Lefèvre-Arbogast Sophie , González-Domínguez Raúl , Houghton Vikki , de Lucia Chiara , Lee Hyunah , Low Dorrain Y , Helmer Catherine , Féart Catherine , Delcourt Cécile , Proust-Lima Cécile , Pallàs Mercè , Sánchez-Pla Alex , Urpi-Sardà Mireia , Ruigrok Silvie R , Altendorfer Barbara , Aigner Ludwig , Lucassen Paul J , Korosi Aniko , Manach Claudine , Andres-Lacueva Cristina , Samieri Cécilia , Thuret Sandrine 
Published: May 2024

AbstractHippocampal neurogenesis (HN) occurs throughout the life course and is important for memory and mood. Declining with age, HN plays a pivotal role in cognitive decline (CD), dementia, and late-life depression, such that altered HN could represent a neurobiological susceptibility to these conditions. Pertinently, dietary patterns (e.g., Mediterranean diet) and/or individual nutrients (e.g., vitamin D, omega 3) can modify HN, but also modify risk for CD, dementia, and depression. Therefore, the interaction between diet/nutrition and HN may alter risk trajectories for these ageing-related brain conditions. Using a subsample (n = 371) of the Three-City cohort—where older adults provided information on diet and blood biobanking at baseline and were assessed for CD, dementia, and depressive symptomatology across 12 years—we tested for interactions between food consumption, nutrient intake, and nutritional biomarker concentrations and neurogenesis-centred susceptibility status (defined by baseline readouts of hippocampal progenitor cell integrity, cell death, and differentiation) on CD, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), vascular and other dementias (VoD), and depressive symptomatology, using multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models. Increased plasma lycopene concentrations (OR [95% CI]  =  1.07 [1.01, 1.14]), higher red meat (OR [95% CI]  =  1.10 [1.03, 1.19]), and lower poultry consumption (OR [95% CI]  =  0.93 [0.87, 0.99]) were associated with an increased risk for AD in individuals with a neurogenesis-centred susceptibility. Increased vitamin D consumption (OR [95% CI]  =  1.05 [1.01, 1.11]) and plasma γ-tocopherol concentrations (OR [95% CI]  =  1.08 [1.01, 1.18]) were associated with increased risk for VoD and depressive symptomatology, respectively, but only in susceptible individuals. This research highlights an important role for diet/nutrition in modifying dementia and depression risk in individuals with a neurogenesis-centred susceptibility.
Policing Vulnerability: The Care and Control of Sex Workers Through Designated Police Officers
Authors: Brown Kate , Grace Sharon , Redman Scarlett 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
The state’s duty to protect vulnerable people gives rise to powerful forms of social intervention, especially in policing. This article reports from co-produced multimethods research focussed on one form of policing vulnerability within an English police force; the role of a specialist sex worker liaison officer (SWLO). Findings highlight that an enhanced focus on vulnerability through the role was highly valued by sex workers; building trust and improving investigations of crimes against sex workers. However, social control was the defining parameter for the intervention, with different implications across the diversity of the sex industry. Drawing on Gilson’s (2021) intersectional feminist philosophy work, we situate findings within critical attention to policing vulnerability, arguing the embedding of vulnerability within governance apparatus orientated to social control must be met with vigilance if it is to be progressive rather than reactionary.
Discovery of a novel photosensitizer based on the enediyne antibiotic N1999A2 and its application as a glutathione-activatable theranostic agent
Authors: Matsunaga Kotono , Takahashi Minami , Kagaya Tugumi , Takahashi Daisuke , Toshima Kazunobu 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
The 2-naphthol derivative 2, which corresponds to the aromatic moiety of the enediyne antibiotic N1999A2, was found to degrade protein under irradiation with long-wavelength UV light in the absence of any additives. Structure–activity relationship studies of 2 indicated that 3, in which the primary hydroxyl group at the C5 position of 2 is modified with a t-butyldiphenylsilyl group, has strong protein photodegradation ability. Furthermore, the theranostic molecule 5 was designed and synthesized. Compound 5 comprises a disulfide moiety linked to the hydroxyl group at the C2 position of 3 and to the fluorescent molecule dicyanomethylene-4H-pyran (DCM) chromophore derivative 6. The disulfide moiety is cleaved in the presence of glutathione (GSH), 5 showed significantly reduced photolytic activity and fluorescence compared to 3 and 6, but produced 3 and 6 when reacted with GSH. 5 showed selective fluorescence and photocytotoxicity against cancer cells that highly express GSH.
Development and Validation of a RP-HPLC Method for the Simultaneous Determination of Silver Sulfadiazine and Sodium Hyaluronate in the Presence of Methyl and Propyl Paraben in a Pharmaceutical Cream for Burns
Authors: Boltia Shereen A , Ibrahim Manal , Ibrahim Magda M , Ramadan Nesrin K 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
A direct and precise isocratic RP-HPLC method for simultaneous determination of silver sulfadiazine (SSD) and sodium hyaluronate (SH) in the presence of methyl (MP) and propyl parabens (PP) was developed and validated. Agilent chromatograph with X-Select C18 column (250 × 4.6 mm2, 5 μm) was used. Chromatographic separation was achieved using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and 0.05 M phosphate buffer (pH 5.0 to which added triethyl amine 0.5 ml/L), at a ratio 35: 65 v/v. Elution was used at flow rate of 1.0 mL/min at ambient temperature with UV detection at 205 nm. The retention times for SH, SSD, MP and PP were 1.49, 3.3, 6.7 and 19.5 min, respectively. The presented chromatographic method was fully validated in accordance with ICH requirements, it was valid over linearity ranges of (0.80–100.00 μg/mL) and (3.20–100.00 μg/mL) for SSD and SH, respectively. Acceptable precision and accuracy were obtained for concentrations over the standard curve ranges and the sensitivity of the method, as the limits of detection and quantification for each active ingredient was also determined. The validated method was successfully applied for the quantification of SSD and SH in pharmaceutical cream formulation and the mean recovery % ± SD were 100.93 ± 0.985 and 100.05 ± 0.668 for SSD and SH; respectively, indicating satisfactory accuracy of the method.
Impact of Intrapartum Azithromycin on the Carriage and Antibiotic Resistance of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in Mothers and Their Newborns: A Substudy of a Randomized, Double-Blind Trial Conducted in The Gambia and Burkina Faso
Authors: Getanda Pauline , Jagne Isatou , Bognini Joel D , Camara Bully , Sanyang Bakary , Darboe Saffiatou , Sambou Ellen , Barry Momodou , Kassibo Kady , Cham Aminata , Mendy Harriet , Singateh Bintou K J , Ndure Ebrahim , Rouamba Toussaint , Bojang Abdoulie , Bottomley Christian , Howden Benjamin P , D’Alessandro Umberto , Tinto Halidou , Roca Anna ,   PregnAnZI-2 Carriage Study Group, Sillah Fatoumata , Beloum Nathalie , Nakakana Usman N , Danso Madikoi , Jones Joquina C , Graves Shashu , Sabally Edrissa , Badjie Siaka , Bah Sulayman , Jarra Omar B , Suso Abdoulie 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Background
Limited data exist on the effects of intrapartum azithromycin on the prevalence of carriage and antibiotic resistance of Enterobacterales.

Methods
We conducted a randomized trial in The Gambia and Burkina Faso where women received intrapartum azithromycin (2 g) or placebo. We determined the impact of treatment on the prevalence of carriage and antibiotic resistance of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae by analyzing rectal swabs (RS), nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS), breast milk, and rectovaginal swabs (RVS). Bacteria were isolated microbiologically; antibiotic susceptibility was confirmed with an E-test. Prevalence ratios (PRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used for comparison between arms.

Results
In infants, E. coli carriage in RS was lower in the intervention than in the placebo arm at day 6 (63.0% vs 75.2%; PR, 0.84; 95% CI, .75–.95) and day 28 (52.7% vs 70.4%; 0.75; 0.64–0.87) post-intervention. Prevalence of azithromycin-resistant E. coli was higher in the azithromycin arm at day 6 (13.4% vs 3.6%; 3.75; 1.83–7.69) and day 28 (16.4% vs 9.6%; 1.71; 1.05–2.79). For K. pneumoniae, carriage in RS was higher in the intervention than in the placebo arm at day 6 (49.6% vs 37.2%, 1.33; 1.08–1.64) and day 28 (53.6% vs 32.9%, 1.63; 1.31–2.03). Prevalence of azithromycin-resistant K. pneumoniae was higher in the azithromycin arm at day 28 (7.3% vs 2.1%; 3.49; 1.30–9.37). No differences were observed for other sample types.

Conclusions
Intrapartum azithromycin decreased E. coli carriage but increased both K. pneumoniae carriage and azithromycin resistance in both bacteria. These data need to be considered together with efficacy results to balance the potential short- and long-term impact of the intervention.
Clinical Trials Registration. www.clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03199547.
Association of biological age acceleration with cardiac morphology, function, and incident heart failure: insights from UK Biobank participants
Authors: Mao Rui , Wang Fan , Zhong Yun , Meng Xin , Zhang Tongtong , Li Ji 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Aims
Advanced age is associated with an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events. The relationship between biological age acceleration (BAA), cardiac size, cardiac function, and heart failure (HF) is not well-defined.

Methods and results
Utilizing the UK Biobank cohort, we assessed biological age using the Klemera–Doubal and PhenoAge methods. BAA was quantified by residual analysis compared with chronological age. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging provided detailed insights into cardiac structure and function. We employed multivariate regression to examine links between BAA and CMR-derived cardiac phenotypes. Cox proportional hazard regression models analysis was applied to explore the causative relationship between BAA and HF. Additionally, Mendelian randomization was used to investigate the genetic underpinnings of these associations. A significant correlation was found between increased BAA and deleterious changes in cardiac structure, such as diminished left ventricular mass, lower overall ventricular volume, and reduced stroke volumes across ventricles and atria. Throughout a median follow-up of 13.8 years, participants with greater biological aging showed a heightened risk of HF [26% per standard deviation (SD) increase in KDM-BA acceleration, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 23–28%; 33% per SD increase in PhenoAge acceleration, 95% CI: 32–35%]. Mendelian randomization analysis suggests a likely causal link between BAA, vital cardiac metrics, and HF risk.

Conclusion
In this cohort, accelerated biological aging may serve as a risk indicator for altered cardiac dimensions, functionality, and the onset of heart failure among middle-aged and elderly adults. It holds promise as a focal point for evaluating risk and developing targeted interventions.
Self-reported dyspnoea and shortness of breathing deterioration in long-term survivors after segmentectomy or lobectomy for early-stage lung cancer
Authors: Brunelli Alessandro , Tariq Javeria , Mittal Anannda , Lodhia Joshil , Milton Richard , Nardini Marco , Papagiannopoulos Kostas , Tcherveniakov Peter , Teh Elaine , Chaudhuri Nilanjan 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to assess the self-reported current dyspnoea and perioperative changes of dyspnoea in long-term survivors after minimally invasive segmentectomy or lobectomy for early-stage lung cancer.

METHODS
Cross-sectional telephonic survey of patients alive and disease-free as of March 2023, with pathologic stage IA1–2, non-small-cell lung cancer, assessed 1–5 years after minimally invasive segmentectomy or lobectomy (performed from January 2018 to January 2022). Current dyspnoea level: Baseline Dyspnoea Index score &lt;10. Perioperative changes of dyspnoea were assessed using the Transition Dyspnoea Index. A negative Transition Dyspnoea Index focal score indicates perioperative deterioration in dyspnoea. Mixed effect models were used to examine demographic, medical and health-related correlates of current dyspnoea and changes in dyspnoea level.

RESULTS
A total of 152 of 236 eligible patients consented or were available to respond to the telephonic interview(67% response rate): 90 lobectomies and 62 segmentectomies. The Baseline Dyspnoea Index score was lower (greater dyspnoea) in lobectomy patients (median 7, interquartile range 6–10) compared to segmentectomy (median 9, interquartile range 6–11), P = 0.034. 70% of lobectomy patients declared to have a current dyspnoea vs 53% after segmentectomy, P = 0.035. 82% of patients after lobectomy reported a perioperative deterioration in their dyspnoea compared to 57% after segmentectomy, P = 0.002. Mixed effect logistic regression analysis adjusting for patient-related factors and time elapsed from operation showed that segmentectomy was associated with a reduced risk of perioperative dyspnoea deterioration (as opposed to lobectomy) (Odds ratio (OR) 0.31, P = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS
Our findings may be valuable to inform the shared decision-making process by complementing objective data on perioperative changes of pulmonary function.
Is biased mutation sufficient to save runaway sexual selection?
Authors: Dashtbali Mohammadali , Henshaw Jonathan M 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
In the 1980s, groundbreaking theoretical studies showed that ornaments displayed during courtship can coevolve with preferences for such ornaments, leading to extreme exaggeration of both traits. Later models cast doubt on such “runaway” sexual selection, showing that even a small cost of preferences can prevent exaggerated ornaments from persisting long-term. It was subsequently shown that if mutations acting on the ornament are biased—tending to produce smaller rather than larger ornaments—then exaggeration can persist even in the presence of preference costs, seemingly vindicating the original models. Here, we unpack an implicit assumption of these “biased mutation” models: Mutations are assumed to lead, on average, to both smaller and less costly ornaments. Biased mutation consequently generates both a fitness cost (due to reduced mating success) and a fitness benefit (due to increased survival). We lift this assumption by separating an individual’s investment in an ornament from their efficiency in converting such investment into ornament size. We assume that biased mutation acts only on efficiency but not on investment, and discuss the plausibility of this alternative assumption. Our model predicts that exaggerated ornaments and preferences can persist stably once they arise, but that strong initial preferences are needed to kick-start the runaway process. Consequently, biased mutation alone may not always be sufficient to save runaway sexual selection.
Relationships between Bitter Taste Receptor Gene Evolution, Diet, and Gene Repertoire in Primates
Authors: Feng Ping , Wang Hui , Liang Xinyue , Dong Xiaoyan , Liang Qiufang , Shu Fanglan , Zhou Qihai 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
Bitter taste perception plays a critical role in deterring animals from consuming harmful and toxic substances. To characterize the evolution of primate Tas2r, test the generality of Tas2r duplication in Cercopithecidae species, and examine whether dietary preferences have shaped the Tas2r repertoire of primate species, we identified Tas2r in the genomes of 35 primate species, including 16 Cercopithecidae, 6 Hominidae, 4 Cebidae, 3 Lemuridae, and 6 other species. The results showed that the total number of primate Tas2r ranged from 27 to 51, concentrating on 2 to 4 scaffolds of each species. Closely related genes were tandemly duplicated in the same scaffold. Phylogenetic construction revealed that Tas2r can be divided into 21 clades, including anthropoid-, Strepsirrhini-, and Cercopithecidae-specific Tas2r duplications. Phylogenetically independent contrast analysis revealed that the number of intact Tas2r significantly correlated with feeding preferences. Altogether, our data support diet as a driver of primate Tas2r evolution, and Cercopithecidae species have developed some specific Tas2r duplication during evolution. These results are probably because most Cercopithecidae species feed on plants containing many toxins, and it is necessary to develop specialized Tas2r to protect them from poisoning.