bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Metabolic Biomarkers and Endotypes as Predictors of Sepsis Outcomes: A Prospective Population-Based Cohort Analysis from the UK Biobank
Authors: Bai Hao , Yihui Li , Xue Yue , Zhao Shaohua , Meng Tingyu , Lu Ming , Wang Hao 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Background
Understanding the impact of population metabolic landscapes on susceptibility and outcomes of sepsis is crucial for guiding clinical consultations. This study explores the relationship between plasma metabolites and the incidence and mortality of sepsis among affected populations.
Methods
The analysis utilized data from the UK Biobank community study, which involved Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of 118,461 baseline plasma samples generated by Nightingale Health, up to December 31, 2013. Risk factors were identified through multivariate logistic regression analysis. Finally, principal component analysis was used to determine the major influencing factors. The data analysis period was from October 1, 2023, to December 1, 2023. Cox regression analysis was conducted to produce adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for the relationships between individual metabolic biomarkers and 11 principal components of metabolic biomarkers (which together explained 90% of the total variance in individual biomarkers) and their association with the incidence and mortality of sepsis.
Results
A total of 106,533 participants were included in the primary analysis (average age 60.67 years and 96% Caucasian). Total 3,486 cases of sepsis as defined by the study were identified, and among these, 635 instances of sepsis-related mortality occurred. The results showed that lipid and related lipoprotein (HR from 0.89 to 0.95), albumin (HR, 0.87 ,95% (confidence interval) CI, 0.84–0.90) are protective factors for the incident sepsis after adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, qualifications, socio-economic status, chronic diseases. Metabolites of glycolysis, lipolysis and inflammation are risk factors for the sepsis incident and death. Subgroup analyses conducted on age, gender, and C-reactive protein levels, along with the reanalysis excluding the first two years of follow-up results, demonstrated robust findings. Overall, 13 metabolic biomarker PCs were independently associated with incidence sepsis. addition of PCs to an established risk prediction model, improved incidence sepsis (from 0.737 95% CI: 0.729, 0.744] to 0.792 (95% CI: 0.774, 0.807). Findings from this cohort study suggest that certain metabolic endotype: lower lipid and albumin levels, higher glycolysis, lipolysis, inflammatory plasma metabolites may be associated with an increased risk of sepsis and higher mortality.
Physical activity and social anxiety symptoms among Chinese college students: a chain mediation model of psychological resilience and sleep problems
Authors: Li Xin , Liu Yu , Rong Fan , Wang Rui , Li lanlan , Wei Runyu , Zhang Shichen , Wan Yuhui 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Background
Social anxiety symptoms are common and harmful psychological illness in college students. Although some studies have illustrated that physical activity could reduce social anxiety symptoms, the specific mechanism is still unclear. Based on theoretical studies on resilience and sleep, this study constructed a chain mediation model to explore whether they mediate between physical activity and social anxiety symptoms among college students.
Methods
This study surveyed 9,530 college students from three colleges in China to explore the mediating effect of physical activity and sleep problems between physical activity and social anxiety symptoms. Participants were investigated with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Sleep-related problems, and the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale and the Social Phobia Scale.
Result
The study found that physical activity was negatively associated with social anxiety symptoms and sleep problems, but positively with psychological resilience. After controlling for sociodemographic variables, physical activity can not only indirectly alleviate social anxiety symptoms through the separate mediation of psychological resilience and sleep problems, but also through the chain mediation of psychological resilience and sleep problems.
Conclusion
These results suggest that improving physical activity levels could reduce social anxiety scores by increasing psychological resilience and sleep quality. This is of great reference significance for the prevention and intervention of college students' mental health.
SPBA-Net: Point Cloud Object Detection with Sparse Attention and Box Aligning
Authors: Sha Haojie , Li Kai , Gao Qingrui , Li Wang , Zhang Xuande , Wang Xiaohui 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Object detection in point clouds is essential for various applications, including autonomous navigation, household robots,and augmented/virtual reality. However, during voxelization and Bird’s Eye View transformation, local point cloud data often remains sparse due to non-target areas and noise points, posing a significant challenge for feature extraction. In this paper,we propose a novel mechanism named Sparse Attention to enhance the semantic information of point clouds by calculating Euclidean distances between selected keypoints and others. Additionally, we introduce Instance-wise Box Aligning, a method for expanding predicted boxes and clustering the points within them to achieve precise alignment between predicted bounding boxes and ground-truth targets. Experimental results demonstrate the superiority of our proposed SPBA-Net in 3D object detection on point clouds compared to other state-of-the-art methods.
Establishing neuroanatomical correspondences across mouse and marmoset brain structures
Authors: Mitra Partha , Mezias Chris , Huo Bingxing , Bota Mihail , Jayakumar Jaikishan 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Interest in the common marmoset is growing due to evolutionarily proximity to humans compared to laboratory mice, necessitating a comparison of mouse and marmoset brain architectures, including connectivity and cell type distributions. Creating an actionable comparative platform is challenging since these brains have distinct spatial organizations and expert neuroanatomists disagree. We propose a general theoretical framework to relate named atlas compartments across taxa and use it to establish a detailed correspondence between marmoset and mice brains. Contrary to conventional wisdom that brain structures may be easier to relate at higher levels of the atlas hierarchy, we find that finer parcellations at the leaf levels offer greater reconcilability despite naming discrepancies. Utilizing existing atlases and associated literature, we created a list of leaf-level structures for both species and establish five types of correspondence between them. One-to-one relations were found between 43% of the structures in mouse and 47% in marmoset, whereas 25% of mouse and 10% of marmoset structures were not relatable. The remaining structures show a set of more complex mappings which we quantify. Implementing this correspondence with volumetric atlases of the two species, we make available a computational tool for querying and visualizing relationships between the corresponding brains. Our findings provide a foundation for computational comparative analyses of mesoscale connectivity and cell type distributions in the laboratory mouse and the common marmoset.
Lyapunov stability of suspension bridges in turbulent flow
Authors: Barni Niccolò , Bartoli Gianni , Mannini Claudio 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

In the era of sleek, super slender suspension bridges, facing the issue of stability against dynamic wind actions represents an increasingly complex challenge. Despite the significant progress over the last decades, the impact of atmospheric turbulence on bridge stability remains partially not understood, evoking the need for innovative research approaches. This study aims to address a gap in current research by investigating the random flutter stability associated with variations in the angle of attack due to turbulence, which has not formally been addressed yet. The present investigation employs the 2D rational function approximation (2D RFA) model to express self-excited forces in a turbulent flow. The application of this type of models to bridge dynamics yields a viscoelastic coupled dynamic system characterized by memory effects and driven by broad-band long-time-scale noise, described here by a linear homogeneous time-variant differential equation, which shows apparent nonlinear features, and which has rarely been matter of research. Utilizing a Monte Carlo methodology, this work innovates in applying the largest Lyapunov exponent (LE) and the moment Lyapunov exponents (MLE) to study bridge random flutter stability. The calculation of LE and MLE under diverse turbulent wind conditions uncovers lower flutter stability than without turbulence effects. In most cases, sample and low-order p-th moment stability thresholds closely align with the bridge dynamic response pattern; therefore, the flutter critical wind speed is unequivocal. However, under certain turbulence scenarios, it is necessary to resort to MLE for a complete description of stability, evoking some additional consideration of which statistical moments should be considered for the engineering assessment of the flutter limit. Finally, this work provides a qualitative insight into the instability mechanisms by approximating the random parametric excitation with a sinusoidal gust and evaluating the time-periodic system stability via Floquet theory.
Can lithium salts alter the size and morphology of the Madagascar hissing cockroach’s neuroendocrine system?
Authors: Wojciak Rafal W . , Marciniak Paweł , Slocinska Malgorzata 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Lithium salts have been used in psychiatry for decades as normothymics. The full mechanism of action of these drugs is not yet known. The limited work on lithium suggests that it may affect brain structure and size in humans and animals. This study aimed to determine the effect of lithium citrate and carbonate on the neuroendocrine system of Madagascar cockroaches. The animals were fed with the control and test diets (enriched with lithium citrate and carbonate at 0.1 and 0.01%, respectively). After anaesthesia, the insects were decapitated, and the brain and retrocerebral complex were removed. The study showed significant changes in the morphology of the examined elements of the neuroendocrine system of insects consuming lithium in the diet, mainly consisting of the enlargement of the examined structures, with increased doses of lithium and the preparation administered in the form of citrate having a greater effect. The morphotic changes in the endocrine system of the Madagascar cockroach exposed to lithium shown in this study may suggest that a similar phenomenon occurs in humans and animals exposed to lithium from the environment, food, or drugs. Further research on this topic may shed more light on the phenomenon.
Sophisticated Planar Chromatographic Method Estimation and Validation for Newer Combination of Lidocaine HCl and Diltiazem HCl For Anal Fissure
Authors: Shah Maitri , Kachhiya Hetaben , Tandel Jinal , Chhalotiya Usmangani , Shah Dimal , Patelia Adarsh , Patel Mehul 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Newer drugs and drugs combinations for treatment of different diseases are approved by regulatory authorities. Such new combination of existing drugs like Lidocaine HCl and Diltiazem HCl has been approved for anal fissure treatment. The present study represents validated method for estimation of Lidocaine HCl and Diltiazem HCl in a combined gel dosage form applying High- performance thin layer chromatography. The stationary phase used in this method was pre-coated silica gel G60 F254 aluminium sheet (10 × 10 cm, 0.2 mm layer thickness), and the mobile phase was a mixture of toluene, methanol, ethyl acetate and two drops of ammonia (7: 2: 1% v/v/v). Resolved peaks of both drugs were obtained at the Rf value 0.59 for Lidocaine HCl and 0.48 for Diltiazem HCl. Analytical wavelength of 220 nm was selected based on overlay UV spectra of both the drugs. The correlation coefficient (r2) for Lidocaine HCl and Diltiazem HCl was found to be 0.9987 and 0.9980, respectively indicating a linear approach in the concentration range of 400–1200 ng/band for both. The method was found reproducible, accurate, precise, and robust for simultaneous estimation of Lidocaine HCl and Diltiazem HCl in bulk and pharmaceutical dosage form.
A science-based approach to classifying light vehicles in Europe: methodology and case studies
Authors: Laveneziana Lorenzo , Marin Andres L. , O’Brien Dermot , Prussi Matteo , Fontaras Georgios 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Proper categorisation of light vehicles is crucial for analysing and comprehending the developments taking place in the road transport sector, that impact the environment, road safety, transport operation, and urban planning. However, current vehicle classification methods in Europe are based on empirical or legacy approaches, sometimes founded on obsolete criteria, and do not fully reflect recent changes in the vehicle fleet and market. This paper aims to establish a scientific approach for the classification of light vehicles by introducing a Bayesian statistical method to define vehicle segments in an explicit and reproducible way. Contrarily to previous studies that mostly depend on machine learning techniques, which, despite their high accuracy typically lack explainability, the proposed approach prioritises the transparency of classification decisions. Through an in-depth examination of vehicle physical attributes, key variables were identified and utilised to determine clear boundaries between segments. These boundaries were articulated through simple linear relationships of the chosen variables, thus providing well-defined criteria open for interpretation and verification. The algorithm could assign up to 82\% of the vehicles to the original segments. The accuracy demonstrated is comparable to that of several unsupervised machine learning models and transparently reveals the boundaries among different segments. The findings can be used by researchers and modellers to update existing vehicle fleet models, particularly those treating environmental and energy consumption impacts, or used as a possible standard for multi-purpose vehicle classification.
Disclosure of HIV/AIDS Status to Adolescents: Experiences of Care Givers in the Context of Culture Driven Setting in Katete District, Eastern Province, Zambia
Authors: Hamangaba Moses , Munakampe Margarate 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Background
The population has been impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa in both direct and indirect ways. The epidemic has had a significant impact on those who care for HIV-positive people.
Methods
This study used a qualitative technique, namely a phenomenological design. Aiming to explain and analyze these meanings in the ways that they originate from and are molded by consciousness, language, our cognitive and non-cognitive sensitivities, as well as our preconceptions and presuppositions, phenomenological research is the study of lived or experiencing meaning. The 50-person sample size for this study was chosen to obtain a wide range of caregiver experiences regarding the disclosure and non-disclosure of HIV status among HIV-positive adolescents in the Katete District. Purposive sampling was used in the study's sampling technique to identify individuals who may offer insightful opinions on the research topic. A broad and representative sample was made possible by the deliberate selection of participants who met predetermined criteria.
Results
The emotional responses of both caregivers and adolescents following HIV/AIDS disclosure represent a shared journey marked by initial shock, sadness, and confusion. While adolescents may initially grapple with the emotional impact of their diagnosis, caregivers similarly experience profound emotional reactions. These parallel emotional experiences underscore the deep emotional bond between caregivers and adolescents. This bond forms the foundation for ongoing support, understanding, and shared resilience.
Conclusions
The techniques used by caregivers to disclose their HIV status were evaluated in this study, along with the facilitators and impediments to disclosure, and the effects that revelation had on adolescents' emotional, social, and physical well-being in the Katete District. The results shed important light on the disclosure procedure and how it affected the lives of the young people who were affected. According to this study, care-givers employ a variety of techniques that are adapted to their unique situations and the demands of teenagers.
A simple route of providing a soft interface for PEDOT:PSS film metallic electrodes without loss of their electrical interface parameters
Authors: Cysewska Karolina , Pawłowska Sylwia 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

The work presents the procedure of developing a soft interface at PEDOT:PSS film without changing its electrical interface parameters. In the first step, PEDOT:PSS is electrodeposited on the commercial platinum electrode under the state-of-the-art conditions desirable for different electrochemical electrodes. Secondly, a pure hydrogel layer is deposited on the top of the electrodeposited PEDOT:PSS film under conditions, that provide desirable mechanical properties (Young’s modulus ~ 10–20 kPa) and high permeability to ions from the solution. As a result, a PEDOT:PSS electrode with a soft interface desirable for different electrode applications is fabricated. The electrode exhibits electrical parameters at the same level as the state-of-the-art PEDOT:PSS film applied already for electrode applications. Moreover, the hydrogel layer supports additionally the electrochemical stability of the polymeric film by inhibiting its oxidative degradation. The work shows that the specific choice of the hydrogel type and fabrication conditions allows to synthesis of the hydrogel interface on a stiff polymeric film, which does not block the ionic and electrical transfer. Moreover, the fabricated PEDOT:PSS electrode with hydrogel interface reveals interfacial impedance and potential window comparable or even better to the already published studies on PEDOT:PSS hydrogels.
Application of carbon dioxide capture technology in the process of polyethylene foaming materials
Authors: Liu Xiaoke , Jin Shuang , Yang Jiaxin , Zhou Yuhui 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Lightweight and multifunctional polymer foams reveal a promising prospect, in terms of reducing energy consumption, and saving materials and resources. Herein, carbon dioxide (CO2) was captured through three amines, such as ethylenediamine (EDA), 1,3-propylenediamine (PDA) and 1,2-cyclohexanediamine (TRK). CO2 then released under heat, used as a foaming agent in the preparation of polyethylene (PE) foams. Cyclodextrin nanosponge (NS) was used as a heterogeneous nucleating agent and a carrier for complex of captured CO2. Evaluation system was developed to control the conditions of combine process, such as thermal and crystallization properties. Results showed that TRK was the proper CO2 capture candidate, with mass ratio of 1:4 for NS and TRK (NS:TRK-CO2(1:4)), and the release temperature of CO2 was 137 ℃. Foamed PE composite was prepared by molding process with NS:TRK-CO2(1:4). The optimum cell morphology was obtained with 5 wt% NS:TRK-CO2(1:4), the cell diameter was 116 µm, and the cell density was 7.9×104 cell/cm3. The best fabricated microcellular PE/NS:TRK-CO2(1:4) composite presented excellent mechanical, thermal and sound insulating performance. The maximum tensile strength of the PE composite was 25.48 MPa, and the maximum bending strength was 11.27 MPa. The impact strength was 5.77 KJ•m-2, more than 1.5 times higher than pure PE. The thermal conductivity was as low as 0.076 W/m•k, the sound absorption coefficient was 0.737 at 1500 Hz, and the noise reduction coefficient was 0.459.
Investigating the pore evolution and fractal characteristics of carbonate rocks under dissolution
Authors: Wen Xiaosong , Wang Chen , Li Zichen , Yong Chaoyuan , Li Aoli 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

The dissolution of carbonate rocks under deep burial conditions significantly affects reservoir quality, garnering recent research attention. The study focuses on a carbonate rock formation in southwest China, where dissolution experiments are conducted using a self-constructed experimental platform. Pore mechanical characteristics, fractal properties, and pore structure of carbonate rocks were analyzed using fractal theory, mercury intrusion method, and rock triaxial compression experiments. Core characteristics and reservoir space types were determined through thin section observation, while the pre- and post-dissolution morphology of rock samples was examined under a microscope. The results suggest that dissolution alters the pore structure of carbonate rock, widening primary fractures, facilitating interconnection, and generating secondary fractures, thereby enhancing pore connectivity. Mean values of macropore fractal dimension (D1), mesopore fractal dimension (D2), and micropore fractal dimension (D3) range from 2 to 3. The fractal dimension (D1) of macropores decreases gradually with increased dissolution time, while that of mesopores (D2) and micropores (D3) increases. There is a robust correlation between fractal dimensions and reservoir physical properties, with higher values indicating a more complex micropore structure. Under constant pore pressure and confining pressure, the peak strength of carbonate rocks diminishes with prolonged dissolution time, while strain increases. Dissolution selectively dissolves minerals based on their composition and rock microstructure, with calcite exhibiting higher solubility than dolomite. Moreover, the specific surface area and porosity of rock sample pores positively correlate with dissolution time. These findings offer a theoretical framework for understanding the origin, distribution, and fractal characteristics of carbonate dissolution pores.
HLA class I peptidome analysis of synthetic long peptide-fed human dendritic cells for therapeutic vaccine design
Authors: Buschow Sonja , Kessler Amy , Doff Wouter , Pieterman Roel , Bezstarosti Karel , Bouzid Rachid , Klarenaar Kim , Jansen Diahann , Luijten Robbie , Demmers Jeroen 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Synthetic long peptides (SLPs) are a promising vaccine modality that exploit dendritic cells (DC) to treat chronic infections or cancer. Currently, the design of SLPs relies on in silico prediction and multifactorial T cells assays to determine which SLPs are best cross-presented on DC human leukocyte antigen class I (HLA-I). Furthermore, it is unknown how TLR ligand-based adjuvants affect DC cross-presentation. Here, we generated a unique, high-quality immunopeptidome dataset of human DCs pulsed with 12 hepatitis B virus (HBV)-based SLPs combined with either a TLR1/2 (Amplivant®) or TLR3 (PolyI:C) ligand. The obtained immunopeptidome reflected adjuvant-induced differences, but no differences in cross-presentation of SLPs. We uncovered dominant (cross-)presentation on B-alleles, and identified 33 unique SLP-derived HLA-I peptides, several of which were not in silico predicted and some were consistently found across donors. Our work puts forward DC immunopeptidomics as a valuable tool for therapeutic vaccine design.