bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dog Ownership, Physical Activity, Loneliness and Mental Health: A Comparison of Older Adult and Younger Adult Companion Animal Owners
Authors: Zablan Kirrily , Melvin Glenn , Hayley Alexa 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Background and Aim: Dog ownership has been suggested as an intervention to increase physical activity and improve mental health, but few studies have investigated the relationships between dog ownership, physical activity, and mental health outcomes together. This study aimed to (1) investigate whether dog ownership, CA-related physical activity, and non-CA-related physical activity were explanatory variables for the relationships between CA ownership, depression, and anxiety via loneliness and (2) examine whether the relationships between these variables differed for older adult CA owners compared to younger adult CA owners.
Method: Participants were Australian CA owners from the community (N=588, 76.3% female) aged 18-84 years (M=55.34, SD=14.90). A cross-sectional design and online/phone survey methodology were used.
Results: Path analysis showed that dog owners (compared to owners of other CA types) engaged in higher levels of both CA-related and non-CA-related physical activity, but only non-CA-related physical activity was associated with mental health outcomes.
Conclusion: Our findings indicate people who choose to own dogs over other CA types engage in more active lifestyles, but it is the physical activity they perform independently of their dog that is associated with less loneliness and greater mental health. Members of the public should not be universally encouraged by health or other professionals to own a dog to support their mental health based on a belief that dog ownership leads to beneficial physical activity.
A clinical study to evaluate the efficacy of the medical food, SBD111, versus placebo for the clinical dietary management of postmenopausal bone loss and menopause symptoms in otherwise healthy menopausal women: a randomized, double blind placebo-controlled trial.
Authors: Steels Elizabeth , Huntress Harry , Zuscik Michael J. , Bukata Susan , Rosen Clifford , Kiel Douglas P. , Travison Thomas G. , Charbonneau Mark , Toledo Gerardo V. , Schott Eric M. , Vitetta Luis 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Background
Adverse shifts in the diversity and abundance of the intestinal microbiome contribute to the progression of musculoskeletal diseases. Hormonal changes that occur during menopause with reduction in estrogen levels, affect bone density, vasomotor, and other physical, psychosocial, and sexual related symptoms. Reductions in endogenous estrogen production have been linked to an increase in cytokines in the skeleton that potentiate bone resorption. Prompting the intestinal microbiome with a dietary intervention that can support an anti-inflammatory environment presents a plausible approach to maintenance of skeletal homeostasis in menopausal women.
Methods
Three-hundred healthy women within 6 years of menopause will be targeted for enrollment in a prospective, multicentre double-blind 1:1 randomised, placebo-controlled medical food study. Participants will receive an oral medical food or placebo as capsules, two times a day for 12 months. The medical food is a constructed Defined Microbial Assemblage™ (DMA™) product (designated SBD111) composed of four strains of microorganisms isolated from various foods, namely Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus plantarum, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, and Pichia kudriavzevii. The primary endpoint is percent change in bone mineral density (BMD) as measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at the lumbar spine (L1-L4) from baseline to 12-months. Secondary endpoint changes include percent change in BMD as measured by DXA at the lumbar spine (L1-L4) from baseline to 6-months), the percent change in trabecular volumetric BMD (vBMD) measured by quantitative computed tomography (qCT) at the lumbar spine (L1 & L2) from baseline to 12-months, and change in bone turnover markers and C-reactive protein (CRP) at 6- and 12-months. Tertiary endpoints include change in BMD from baseline to 6- and 12-months at the femoral neck and hip, menopausal symptoms, body composition, inflammatory markers, gut microbiome composition and function, and safety and tolerability.
Discussion
The administration of a synbiotic medical food formulation for the dietary management of bone mineral density in healthy postmenopausal women, if successful, represents a large unmet need to develop effective strategies to maintain bone mass after menopause in women.
Plant defensin PgD1 a biotechnological alternative against plant pathogens
Authors: Matos A. C.B. , Telli Elisa Maria Pazinatto , Camillo Luana C. , Silva Gustavo Da da , Gonçalves Mayra Juline , Casa Ricardo , Rufatto Leo , Magalhães Maria de Lourdes 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Plant defensins are antimicrobial proteins (AMP) with a molecular weight of approximately 5 kDa that participate in the immune defense of plants through their antimicrobial, antiviral and antifungal activities. PgD1 is a defensin from Picea glauca (Canadian Pine) and presents antifungal activity against plant pathogens. This activity positions it as an alternative biotechnological route to pesticides commonly used against these diseases. The present study aimed to recombinantly produce PgD1 in Escherichia coli to report its in vitro antifungal potential against different phytopathogens. To achieve this, the coding gene was amplified and cloned into pET30a(+). Recombinant plasmid was subsequently introduced into E. coli for the soluble expression defensin PgD1. To evaluate the antifungal activity of the expressed protein, the growth inhibition test was used in solid and liquid media for approximately 7 days against significant plant pathogens: Botrytis cinerea, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Colletotrichum musae, Colletotrichum graminicola and Fusarium oxysporum. Additionally, stability assessments involved temperature variation experiments and inhibition tests using dithiothreitol (DTT). The results show that there was significant inhibition of the fungal species tested when in the presence of PgD1. Furthermore, defensin proved to be resistant to temperature variations and demonstrated that part of its stability is due to its primary structure rich in cysteine ​​residues through the denaturation test with dithiothreitol (DTT) where the antifungal activity of PgD1 defensin was inhibited.
Polarization-Independent Dynamic Beam Steering based on Liquid Crystal- Integrated Metasurface
Authors: Yu Dian , Lou Shaozhen , Ou Xiangnian , Yu Ping , Duan Huigao , Hu Yueqiang 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Digital Micromirror Devices, extensively employed in projection displays offer rapid, polarization-independent beam steering. However, they are constrained by microelectromechanical system limitations, resulting in reduced resolution, limited beam steering angle and poor stability, which hinder further performance optimization. Liquid Crystal on Silicon technology, employing liquid crystal (LC) and silicon chip technology, with properties of high resolution, high contrast and good stability. Nevertheless, its polarization-dependent issues lead to complex system and low efficiency in device applications. This paper introduces a hybrid integration of metallic metasurface with nematic LC, facilitating a polarization-independent beam steering device capable of large-angle deflections. Employing principles of geometrical phase and plasmonic resonances, the metallic metasurface, coupled with an electronically controlled LC, allows for dynamic adjustment, achieving a maximum deflection of ± 27.1°. Additionally, the integration of an LC-infused dielectric grating for dynamic phase modulation and the metasurface for polarization conversion ensures uniform modulation effects across all polarizations within the device. We verify the device's large-angle beam deflection capability and polarization insensitivity effect in simulations and propose an optimization scheme to cope with the low efficiency of individual diffraction stages.
The context-dependent epigenetic and organogenesis programs determine 3D vs. 2D cellular fitness of MYC-driven cancer
Authors: Yang Jun , Fang Jie , Singh Shivendra , Wells Brennan , Wu Qiong , Jin Hongjian , Janke Laura , Wan Shibiao , Steele Jacob , Connelly Jon , Murphy Andrew , Wang Ruoning , Davidoff Andrew , Ashcroft Margaret , Pruett-Miller Shondra 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

3D cellular-specific epigenetic and transcriptomic reprogramming is critical to organogenesis and tumorigenesis. Here we dissect the distinct cell fitness in 2D (normoxia vs. chronic hypoxia) vs 3D (normoxia) culture conditions. We identify over 600 shared essential genes and additional context-specific fitness genes and pathways. Knockout of the VHL-HIF1 pathway results in incompatible fitness defects under normoxia vs. 1% oxygen or 3D culture conditions. Moreover, deletion of each of the mitochondrial respiratory electron transport chain complex has distinct fitness outcomes. Notably, multicellular organogenesis signaling pathways including TGFβ-SMAD specifically constrict the uncontrolled cell proliferation in 3D while inactivation of epigenetic modifiers (Bcor, Kmt2d, Mettl3 and Mettl14) has opposite outcomes in 2D vs. 3D. We further identify a 3D-dependent synthetic lethality with partial loss of Prmt5 due to a reduction of Mtap expression resulting from 3D-specific epigenetic reprogramming. Our study highlights unique epigenetic, metabolic and organogenesis signaling dependencies under different cellular settings.
A predictive model for secondary central nervous system infection after craniotomy based on machine learning
Authors: Chen Junjie , Hu Tingting , Yang Jiuxiao , Yang Xiao , Zhong Hui , Zhang Zujian , Wang Fei , Li Xin 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

To analyze the risk factors of secondary Central nervous system infections (CNSIs) after craniotomy, and to establish an individualized prediction model for CNSIs risk.The independent risk factors were screened by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Logistic regression, naive bayes, random forest, light GBM and adaboost algorithms were used to establish prediction models for secondary CNSIs after craniotomy. The prediction model based on Adaboost algorithm had better prediction performance than the other four models. Under 5-fold cross validation, the accuracy was 0.80, the precision was 0.69, the recall was 0.85, the F1 score was 0.76, and the area under the ROC curve was 0.897. The top 5 variables of importance in Adaboost model were operation time, indwelling time of lumbar drainage tube, indwelling lumbar drainage tube during operation, indwelling epidural drainage tube during operation, and GCS score. In addition, Adaboost model with the best prediction performance was used for clinical verification, and the prediction results were compared with the actual occurrence of CNSIs after surgery. The results showed that the accuracy of Adaboost model in predicting CNSIs was 60%, the accuracy of Adaboost model in predicting non-CNSIS was 92%, and the overall prediction accuracy was 76%.
Kekulé-modulated Topological Bulk Cavity for Intrinsic Lateral Beam Shifting of High-purity Linear-polarized Light Emission
Authors: Han Song , Li Zichen , Zhu Bofeng , Li Ying , Yang Yihao , Chong Yidong , Wang Qi jie , Chen Hongsheng 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Beam shaping and polarization manipulation are of great importance for the design of microcavity lasers. Recently, topological photonic cavities have emerged as excellent platforms for surface-emitting lasers. In this class of lasers, beam engineering has not thus far been extensively studied. Here, we demonstrate how to achieve an intrinsic lateral shift of the beam emitted by a topological laser. This is achieved by designing a Kekulé-modulated topological bulk cavity, in which the continuous Kekulé modulation partially lifts a set of fourfold-degenerate Dirac cones into two twofold degeneracies. The resulting photonic cavity supports a range of interesting beam emission profiles, including vector beams with polarization winding, and laterally-shifted linearly-polarized Gaussian beams. Notably, it is possible to achieve lateral beam shifts in opposite directions and orthogonal polarizations for the degenerate photonic p-/d-orbitals, a feature that may be useful for photonic sensing applications.
Research on high-precision recognition model for multi-scene asphalt pavement distresses based on deep learning
Authors: Zhang Sheng , Bei Zhenghao , Ling Tonghua , Chen Qianqian , Zhang Liang 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Accurate detection of asphalt pavement distress is crucial for road maintenance and traffic safety. However, traditional convolutional neural networks usually struggle with this task due to the varied distress patterns and complex backgrounds in the images. To enhance the accuracy of asphalt pavement distress identification across various scenarios, this paper introduces an improved model named SMG-YOLOv8, based on the YOLOv8s framework. This model integrates the space-to-depth module and the multi-scale convolutional attention mechanism, while optimizing the backbone's C2f structure with a more efficient G-GhostC2f structure. Experimental results demonstrate that SMG-YOLOv8 outperforms the YOLOv8s baseline model, achieving Pmacro and mAP@50 scores of 81.1% and 79.4% respectively, marking an increase of 8.2% and 12.5% over the baseline. Furthermore, SMG-YOLOv8 exhibits clear advantages in identifying various types of pavement distresses, including longitudinal cracks, transverse cracks, mesh cracks, and potholes, when compared to YOLOv5n, YOLOv5s, YOLOv6s, and YOLOv8n models. This enhancement optimizes the network structure, reducing the number of parameters while maintaining excellent detection performance. In real-world scenarios, the SMG-YOLOv8 model has demonstrated strong generalization capability and practical utility, providing crucial technical support for intelligent pavement distress detection.
A multi-trait epigenome-wide association study identified DNA methylation signature of inflammation among people with HIV
Authors: Chen Junyu , Hui Qin , Titanji Boghuma K. , So-Armah Kaku , Freiberg Matthew , Justice Amy C. , Xu Ke , Zhu Xiaofeng , Gwinn Marta , Marconi Vincent C. , Sun Yan V. 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Inflammation underlies many conditions causing excess morbidity and mortality among people with HIV (PWH). A handful of single-trait epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) have suggested that inflammation is associated with DNA methylation (DNAm) among PWH. Multi-trait EWAS may further improve statistical power and reveal pathways in common between different inflammatory markers. We conducted single-trait EWAS of three inflammatory markers (soluble CD14, D-dimers, and interleukin 6) in the Veteran Aging Cohort Study (n = 920). The study population was all male PWH with an average age of 51 years, and 82.3% self-reported as Black. We then applied two multi-trait EWAS methods—CPASSOC and OmniTest—to combine single-trait EWAS results. CPASSOC and OmniTest identified 189 and 157 inflammation-associated DNAm sites respectively, of which 112 overlapped. Among the identified sites, 56% were not significant in any single-trait EWAS. Top sites were mapped to inflammation-related genes including IFITM1, PARP9 and STAT1. These genes were significantly enriched in pathways such as “type I interferon signaling” and “immune response to virus”. We demonstrate that multi-trait EWAS can improve the discovery of inflammation-associated DNAm sites, genes, and pathways. These DNAm sites suggest molecular mechanisms in response to inflammation associated with HIV and might hold the key to addressing persistent inflammation in PWH.
The impact of intervention ability and event fairness on the third-party intervention: from the perspective of dynamic emotional state
Authors: Qu Jiachen , Drewes Jan , Yuan Jiajin 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Perception of injustice is considered closely related to third-party intervention, which refers to sacrificing self-interest to maintain fairness during a perpetration situation. However, the role of emotion during injustice perception and its relation with third-party intervention remains elusive. To this end, we measured individuals' emotional states in pre- and post-tests in a variant of the third-party intervention paradigm, where fairness perception and intervention ability were concurrently assessed. The results show that more unfair events prompted more frequent and intense interventions, irrespective of one’s intervention ability. Moreover, we observed that negative emotion caused by unfair events is a direct promotor of third-party intervention. Participants expressed improved emotional state after the intervention. Those with stronger intervention abilities or perceiving more unfair events received more emotional benefit from the intervention. Furthermore, compensatory intervention produced more emotional improvement than punishment intervention. In summary, the present study demonstrated the promotor role of emotional benefit in the implementation of third-party intervention, which provides a new explanation for self-sacrifice altruistic behavior.
Study of Enterocytozoon bieneusi from cats and dogs in Shanghai in China
Authors: Zhang Yidan , Zhang Yan , Mi Rongsheng , Xia Luming , Han Hongxiao , Ma Tao , Gong Haiyan , Huang Yan , Han Xiangan , Chen Zhaoguo 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Background
Enterocytozoon bieneusi is reported to be a common microsporidian of humans and animals in various countries. However, scarce information on E. bieneusi has been recorded in cats (Felis catus) and dogs (Canis familiaris) in China. As such, we undertook molecular epidemiological investigation of E. bieneusi in cats and dogs in Shanghai, China.
Methods
A total of 359 genomic DNAs were extracted from individual faecal samples from cats (n = 59) and dogs (n = 300), and then tested using a nested PCR-based sequencing approach employing internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA as the genetic marker.
Results
Enterocytozoon bieneusi was detected in 34 of all 359 (9.5%) faecal samples from cats (32.2%; 19/59) and dogs (5.0%; 15/300), including 24 stray cats and dogs (22.6%; 24/106), as well as ten household/raised cats and dogs (4.0%; 10/253). Correlation analyses revealed that E. bieneusi positive rates were significantly associated with stray cats and dogs (P < 0.05). The analysis of ITS sequence data revealed the presentation of five known genotypes CD7, CHN-HD2, D, PtEb IX and Type IV and two novel genotypes D-like1 and PtEb IX-like1. Zoonotic genotype D was the predominant type with percentage of 61.8% (21/34). Phylogenetic analysis of ITS sequence data sets showed that genotypes D, D-like1 and Type IV clustered within Group 1, showing zoonotic potential. The others were assigned into Group 10 with host specificity.
Conclusions
These findings suggested that cats and dogs in Shanghai harbor zoonotic genotype D of E. bieneusi and may have a significant risk for zoonotic transmission. Further insight into the epidemiology of E. bieneusi in other animals, water and the environment from other areas in China will be important to have an informed position on the public health significance of microsporidiosis caused by this microbe.
In-band full-duplex dual-band transceiver based on single-core multiport architecture
Authors: Cheong Pedro , TU MENGTING , Liu Shidi , Chen Ronghao , Choi Wai-Wa , Tam Kam-Weng , Wu Ke 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Ultra-fast and energy-efficient connections are the keys to future wireless communication technologies. However, even in full duplex communication systems, the accessible spectrum is portioned because up-links and down-links are set to occupy non-overlapping frequency channels. Here we report an unprecedented in-band full-duplex transceiver architecture, a significant departure from conventional designs. This architecture allows the up-links and down-links to co-exist in the same frequency bands with the same multiport network simultaneously. Leveraging the unique orthogonal properties of the multiport network in signal transmission and reception, we ensure a high degree of isolation between the two links. Our findings demonstrate that this in-band full-duplex dual-band communication system can achieve up to 1 gigabit per second when operating at sub-6 GHz. Furthermore, we show that this transceiver system exhibits excellent immunity to interference and extremely low fluctuations in bit error rates during communication.
Developing an Automatic Treatment Record Review System for Quality Assurance of Patient Treatment Delivery in Radiation Therapy
Authors: Huang Peng , Xu Yingjie , Huan Fukui , Zhang Yanxin , Ma Min , Men Kuo , Dai Jianrong 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Background and Purpose
Treatment record contains most of information related to treatment plan delivery in radiation therapy. Reviewing treatment record is an important quality assurance (QA) task for safety and quality of patient treatments. This task is usually performed by senior medical physicists. However, it is time-consuming, tedious, and error-prone. To assist this process, a treatment record review system (TRRS) is developed to automatically review items related to treatment delivery record.
Methods
The treatment record is firstly extracted from oncology information system(OIS). Based on the daily patient treatment information, the original plan from the treatment planning system is identified. Then the original plan and the delivered plan are correlated. Eight review categories (parameter consistency, treatment completeness, treatment progression, image guidance, override, treatment couch, documentation, and treatment mode) are defined. Tailored rules are designed for various review items to automate the review process. As a result, for each treatment record on a daily basis, a review flag (pass, failure, warning, and N/A) is determined by TRRS. Finally, this system is evaluated using six months patient treatment records collected in our institute and compared to the manual process on the same database.
Results
TRRS automatically reviewed a total of 76651 treatment fractions from 4230 patients with an average of 574 treatments per day. The average abnormality rate was 0.76%. The average processing time per treatment record was 3.9 seconds and 282 seconds for the automatic and manual processes, respectively. Comparing with the manual process, the time efficiency of TRRS is improved by a factor of 72. The average numbers of anomalies detected by the automatic and manual processes are 21 and 13 per day, respectively. TRRS detects 61.5% more anomalies than those of the manual process.
Conclusion
TRRS is not only efficient in processing a large amount of treatment records on a daily basis but also effective in finding more anomalies than those of physics weekly check. The application of the automatic review system could significantly reduce the work of review physicists and let them focus on more important works related to patient safety.