bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Integration of passive sensing technology to enhance delivery of psychological interventions for mothers with depression: the StandStrong study
Authors: van Heerden Alastair , Poudyal Anubhuti , Hagaman Ashley , Maharjan Sujen Man , Byanjankar Prabin , Bemme Dörte , Thapa Ada , Kohrt Brandon A. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractPsychological interventions delivered by non-specialist providers have shown mixed results for treating maternal depression. mHealth solutions hold the possibility for unobtrusive behavioural data collection to identify challenges and reinforce change in psychological interventions. We conducted a proof-of-concept study using passive sensing integrated into a depression intervention delivered by non-specialists to twenty-four adolescents and young mothers (30% 15–17 years old; 70% 18–25 years old) with infants (< 12 months old) in rural Nepal. All mothers showed a reduction in depression symptoms as measured with the Beck Depression Inventory. There were trends toward increased movement away from the house (greater distance measured through GPS data) and more time spent away from the infant (less time in proximity measured with the Bluetooth beacon) as the depression symptoms improved. There was considerable heterogeneity in these changes and other passively collected data (speech, physical activity) throughout the intervention. This proof-of-concept demonstrated that passive sensing can be feasibly used in low-resource settings and can personalize psychological interventions. Care must be taken when implementing such an approach to ensure confidentiality, data protection, and meaningful interpretation of data to enhance psychological interventions.
Sustainable fabrication of dimorphic plant derived ZnO nanoparticles and exploration of their biomedical and environmental potentialities
Authors: Naiel Bassant , Fawzy Manal , Mahmoud Alaa El Din , Halmy Marwa Waseem A. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractAlthough, different plant species were utilized for the fabrication of polymorphic, hexagonal, spherical, and nanoflower ZnO NPs with various diameters, few studies succeeded in synthesizing small diameter ZnO nanorods from plant extract at ambient temperature. This work sought to pioneer the ZnO NPs fabrication from the aqueous extract of a Mediterranean salt marsh plant species Limoniastrum monopetalum (L.) Boiss. and assess the role of temperature in the fabrication process. Various techniques have been used to evaluate the quality and physicochemical characteristics of ZnO NPs. Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–VIS) was used as the primary test for formation confirmation. TEM analysis confirmed the formation of two different shapes of ZnO NPs, nano-rods and near hexagonal NPs at varying reaction temperatures. The nano-rods were about 25.3 and 297.9 nm in diameter and in length, respectively while hexagonal NPs were about 29.3 nm. The UV–VIS absorption spectra of the two forms of ZnO NPs produced were 370 and 365 nm for nano-rods and hexagonal NPs, respectively. FT-IR analysis showed Zn–O stretching at 642 cm−1 and XRD confirmed the crystalline structure of the produced ZnO NPs. Thermogravimetric analysis; TGA was also used to confirm the thermal stability of ZnO NPs. The anti-tumor activities of the two prepared ZnO NPs forms were investigated by the MTT assay, which revealed an effective dose-dependent cytotoxic effect on A-431 cell lines. Both forms displayed considerable antioxidant potential, particularly the rod-shaped ZnO NPs, with an IC50 of 148.43 µg mL−1. The rod-shaped ZnO NPs were superior candidates for destroying skin cancer, with IC50 of 93.88 ± 1 µg mL−1 ZnO NPs. Thus, rod-shaped ZnO NPs are promising, highly biocompatible candidate for biological and biomedical applications. Furthermore, both shapes of phyto-synthesized NPs demonstrated effective antimicrobial activity against various pathogens. The outcomes highlight the potential of phyto-synthesized ZnO NPs as an eco-friendly alternative for water and wastewater disinfection.
Analogous electronic states in graphene and planer metallic quantum dots
Authors: Othman Ahmed M. , Kher-Elden Mohammad A. , Ibraheem Fatma , Hassan Moukhtar A. , Farouk Mohammed , Abd El-Fattah Zakaria M. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractGraphene nanostructures offer wide range of applications due to their distinguished and tunable electronic properties. Recently, atomic and molecular graphene were modeled following simple free-electron scattering by periodic muffin tin potential leading to remarkable agreement with density functional theory. Here we extend the analogy of the $$\pi$$
π
-electronic structures and quantum effects between atomic graphene quantum dots (QDs) and homogeneous planer metallic counterparts of similar size and shape. Specifically, we show that at high binding energies, below the $$\overline{M}$$

M
¯

-point gap, graphene QDs enclose confined states and standing wave quasiparticle interference patterns analogous to those reported on coinage metal surfaces for nanoscale confining structures such as vacancy islands and quantum corrals. These confined and quantum corral-like states in graphene QDs can be resolved in tomography experiments using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Likewise, the shape of near-Fermi frontier orbitals in graphene quantum dots can be reproduced from electron confinement within homogeneous metal QDs of identical size and shape. Furthermore, confined states analogous to those found in metallic quantum stadiums can be realized in coupled QDs of graphene for reduced separation. The present study offer a simple fundamental understanding of graphene electronic structures and also open the way towards efficient modeling of novel graphene-based nanostructures.
Isothermal and kinetic screening of methyl red and methyl orange dyes adsorption from water by Delonix regia biochar-sulfur oxide (DRB-SO)
Authors: Eleryan Ahmed , Hassaan Mohamed , Nazir Muhammad A. , Shah Syed S. A. , Ragab Safaa , El Nemr Ahmed 
Published: June 2024

AbstractIn this study, Delonix regia seed pods (DRSPs) as a locally available material were refluxed in 90% H2SO4 to yield a novel D. regia seed pods biochar-sulfur oxide (DRB-SO). FTIR, BET, BJH, SEM, EDX, XRD, DSC and TGA were applied to investigate the characterizations of the prepared DRB-SO. Various adsorption parameters like pH effect, dye concentration effect, adsorbent dose, reaction time isotherm and kinetic study were carried out to explain the process of adsorption of methyl orange (MO) and methyl red (MR) onto DRB-SO. Langmuir's adsorption model perfectly explained the adsorption process onto the surface of DRB-SO as a monolayer. The maximum adsorption efficiency of DRB-SO was (98%) and (99.6%) for MO and MR respectively which attained after 150 min with an adsorbent dose of 0.75 g/L. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model best explained the process of adsorption of MO and MR dyes by DRB-SO. The highest observed adsorption amount was as high as 144.9 mg/g for MO dye and 285.7 mg/g for MR dye, comparable with other reported materials based on activated carbon materials. All of the outcomes signposted a prodigious perspective of the fabricated biochar composite material in wastewater treatment. Using the regenerating DRB-SO through an acid–base regeneration process, six cycles of adsorption/desorption were examined. Over the course of the cycles, there was a minor decrease in the adsorption and desorption processes. Also, it was revealed what the most plausible mechanism was for DRB-SO to absorb the ions of the MO and MR dyes.
Pharmacological studies and pharmacokinetic modelling to support the development of interventions targeting ecological reservoirs of Lyme disease
Authors: Pelletier Jérôme , Bouchard Catherine , Aenishaenslin Cécile , Beaudry Francis , Ogden Nicholas H. , Leighton Patrick A. , Rocheleau Jean-Philippe 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThe development of interventions targeting reservoirs of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto with acaricide to reduce the density of infected ticks faces numerous challenges imposed by ecological and operational limits. In this study, the pharmacokinetics, efficacy and toxicology of fluralaner were investigated in Mus musculus and Peromyscus leucopus mice, the main reservoir of B. burgdorferi in North America. Fluralaner showed rapid distribution and elimination, leading to fast plasma concentration (Cp) depletion in the first hours after administration followed by a slow elimination rate for several weeks, resulting in a long terminal half-life. Efficacy fell below 100% while Cp (± standard deviation) decreased from 196 ± 54 to 119 ± 62 ng/mL. These experimental results were then used in simulations of fluralaner treatment for a duration equivalent to the active period of Ixodes scapularis larvae and nymphs. Simulations showed that doses as low as 10 mg/kg have the potential to protect P. leucopus against infestation for a full I. scapularis active season if administered at least once every 7 days. This study shows that investigating the pharmacology of candidate acaricides in combination with pharmacokinetic simulations can provide important information to support the development of effective interventions targeting ecological reservoirs of Lyme disease. It therefore represents a critical step that may help surpass limits inherent to the development of these interventions.
Elevated fecal calprotectin is associated with gut microbial dysbiosis, altered serum markers and clinical outcomes in older individuals
Authors: Heinzel Sebastian , Jureczek Jenna , Kainulainen Veera , Nieminen Anni I. , Suenkel Ulrike , von Thaler Anna-Katharina , Kaleta Christoph , Eschweiler Gerhard W. , Brockmann Kathrin , Aho Velma T. E. , Auvinen Petri , Maetzler Walter , Berg Daniela , Scheperjans Filip 
Published: June 2024

AbstractFecal calprotectin is an established marker of gut inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Elevated levels of fecal calprotectin as well as gut microbial dysbiosis have also been observed in other clinical conditions. However, systemic and multi-omics alterations linked to elevated fecal calprotectin in older individuals remain unclear. This study comprehensively investigated the relationship between fecal calprotectin levels, gut microbiome composition, serum inflammation and targeted metabolomics markers, and relevant lifestyle and medical data in a large sample of older individuals (n = 735; mean age ± SD: 68.7 ± 6.3) from the TREND cohort study. Low (0–50 μg/g; n = 602), moderate (> 50–100 μg/g; n = 64) and high (> 100 μg/g; n = 62) fecal calprotectin groups were stratified. Several pro-inflammatory gut microbial genera were significantly increased and short-chain fatty acid producing genera were decreased in high vs. low calprotectin groups. In serum, IL-17C, CCL19 and the toxic metabolite indoxyl sulfate were increased in high vs. low fecal calprotectin groups. These changes were partially mediated by the gut microbiota. Moreover, the high fecal calprotectin group showed increased BMI and a higher disease prevalence of heart attack and obesity. Our findings contribute to the understanding of fecal calprotectin as a marker of gut dysbiosis and its broader systemic and clinical implications in older individuals.
Undrained behavior of marine clay under one-way cyclic loading with variable confining pressure
Authors: Sun Lei 
Published: June 2024

AbstractSettlement of roads or railway caused by traffic loading has a serious effect on the safety and service performance of transport infrastructures constructed on soft marine clay. While simple cyclic triaxial test with constant confining pressure (CCP) were used in most of the previous studies, a series of cyclic triaxial tests with variable confining pressure (VCP) were carried out on normally consolidated (NC) and overconsolidated (OC) reconstituted Wenzhou soft clay in this paper to study the undrained behavior of soft marine clay due to surcharge preloading as well as cyclic traffic loading. VCP test is able to approximate the complicated stress path than CCP test caused by traffic loading. The test results indicate that NC specimens show significantly different pore water pressure (u) evolution compared with OC specimens. However, a change in the overconsolidation ratio (OCR) of OC specimens does not have a significant influence on variation of u with identical cyclic stress ratio (CSR) and total stress path (η). The slope of the effective stress path is dependent on the total stress path under which the specimen was loaded cyclically, regardless of the OCR and whether variable confining pressure was applied. The slope of the effective stress path is broadly in line with the slope of corresponding total stress path. In addition, the development of permanent axial strain (εpa) due to one-way cyclic loading was shown to depend significantly on the values of η and OCR. Both the variable confining pressure and OCR limited the strain accumulation of saturated marine clay under undrained one-way cyclic loading. Finally, the effects of η and OCR on the magnitude of εpa after 1000 loading cycles are quantified and incorporated in a power law function for the permanent deformation prediction of soft marine clay due to traffic loading.
C1s targeting antibodies inhibit the growth of cutaneous squamous carcinoma cells
Authors: Nissinen Liisa , Riihilä Pilvi , Viiklepp Kristina , Rajagopal Vaishnavi , Storek Michael J. , Kähäri Veli-Matti 
Published: June 2024

AbstractCutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the most common metastatic skin cancer. The incidence of cSCC is increasing globally and the prognosis of metastatic disease is poor. Currently there are no specific targeted therapies for advanced or metastatic cSCC. We have previously shown abundant expression of the complement classical pathway C1 complex components, serine proteases C1r and C1s in tumor cells in invasive cSCCs in vivo, whereas the expression of C1r and C1s was lower in cSCCs in situ, actinic keratoses and in normal skin. We have also shown that knockdown of C1s expression results in decreased viability and growth of cSCC cells by promoting apoptosis both in culture and in vivo. Here, we have studied the effect of specific IgG2a mouse monoclonal antibodies TNT003 and TNT005 targeting human C1s in five primary non-metastatic and three metastatic cSCC cell lines that show intracellular expression of C1s and secretion of C1s into the cell culture media. Treatment of cSCC cells with TNT003 and TNT005 significantly inhibited their growth and viability and promoted apoptosis of cSCC cells. These data indicate that TNT003 and TNT005 inhibit cSCC cell growth in culture and warrant further investigation of C1s targeted inhibition in additional in vitro and in vivo models of cSCC.
A comparative Monte Carlo simulation study on shielding features of the CaF2–CaO–B2O3–P2O5–SrO–Ta2O5 glass system against X-ray by GEANT4 and MCNPX codes
Authors: Isazadeh Farzad , Abdi Saray Akbar 
Published: June 2024

AbstractRegarding to their unique physical and mechanical features, glasses and glass–ceramics are suitable materials for shielding purposes. The present study evaluates the shielding properties of the CaF2–CaO–B2O3–P2O5–SrO–Ta2O5 glass system using Monte Carlo GEANT4 and MCNPX codes for X-ray radiations with an energy range of 20 to 100 keV. MAC values of the Ta0, Ta1, Ta2, Ta2.5, and Ta3 samples of the CaF2–CaO–B2O3–P2O5–SrO–Ta2O5 glass were computed using Phy-X/PSD, GEANT4, and MCNPX codes and compared. According to the results, the programs have good compatibility with each other. For instance, in the energy of 40 keV and for the Ta2 sample, GEANT4 and MCNP codes are 1.445765406 and 1.517801204 cm2/g, respectively, indicating 7.419529525 and 2.829628418% differences with 1.562 cm2/g obtained using the Phy-X/PSD software. According to recent estimations, the Ta3 sample of the CaF2–CaO–B2O3–P2O5–SrO–Ta2O5 glass system can be selected as the best shield compared with the other samples.
Effects of woodland slope on heavy metal migration via surface runoff, interflow, and sediments in sewage sludge application
Authors: Xian Lihua , Lu Dehao , Yang Yuantong , Feng Jiayi , Fang Jianbo , Jacobs Douglass F. , Wu Daoming , Zeng Shucai 
Published: June 2024

AbstractSewage sludge (SS) application to forest plantation soils as a fertilizer and/or soil amendment is increasingly adopted in plantation forest management. However, the potential risks of SS-derived heavy metals (HMs) remain a concern. Many factors, including woodland slope may affect the risks, but the understanding of this issue is limited. This research evaluated the HMs migration via surface runoff, interflow, and sediments when SS was applied in woodlands of varying slopes. We conducted indoor rainfall simulations and natural rainfall experiments to clarify the effect of slope on the migration of HMs via runoff (including surface and interflow) and sediments. In the simulated rainfall experiment, HMs lost via sediments increased by 9.79–27.28% when the slope increased from 5° to 25°. However, in the natural rainfall experiment, when the slope of forested land increased from 7° to 23°, HMs lost via surface runoff increased by 2.38% to 6.13%. These results indciate that the surface runoff water on a high slope (25°) posed high water quality pollution risks. The migration of HMs via surface runoff water or interflow increased as the steepness of the slope increased. The total migration of Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cr and Cd via sediment greatly exceeded that via surface runoff and interflow. Particles ≤ 0.05 mm contributed the most to the ecological risks posed by sediments. Cd was the main source of potential ecological risks in sediments under both experimental conditions.
Variant ranking pipeline for complex familial disorders
Authors: Ralli Sneha , Vira Tariq , Robles-Espinoza Carla Daniela , Adams David J. , Brooks-Wilson Angela R. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractIdentifying genetic susceptibility factors for complex disorders remains a challenging task. To analyze collections of small and large pedigrees where genetic heterogeneity is likely, but biological commonalities are plausible, we have developed a weights-based pipeline to prioritize variants and genes. The Weights-based vAriant Ranking in Pedigrees (WARP) pipeline prioritizes variants using 5 weights: disease incidence rate, number of cases in a family, genome fraction shared amongst cases in a family, allele frequency and variant deleteriousness. Weights, except for the population allele frequency weight, are normalized between 0 and 1. Weights are combined multiplicatively to produce family-specific-variant weights that are then averaged across all families in which the variant is observed to generate a multifamily weight. Sorting multifamily weights in descending order creates a ranked list of variants and genes for further investigation. WARP was validated using familial melanoma sequence data from the European Genome-phenome Archive. The pipeline identified variation in known germline melanoma genes POT1, MITF and BAP1 in 4 out of 13 families (31%). Analysis of the other 9 families identified several interesting genes, some of which might have a role in melanoma. WARP provides an approach to identify disease predisposing genes in studies with small and large pedigrees.
Decoding depression by exploring the exposome-genome edge amidst COVID-19 lockdown
Authors: Farré Xavier , Blay Natalia , Espinosa Ana , Castaño-Vinyals Gemma , Carreras Anna , Garcia-Aymerich Judith , Cardis Elisabeth , Kogevinas Manolis , Goldberg Ximena , de Cid Rafael 
Published: June 2024

AbstractRisk of depression increased in the general population after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. By examining the interplay between genetics and individual environmental exposures during the COVID-19 lockdown, we have been able to gain an insight as to why some individuals are more vulnerable to depression, while others are more resilient. This study, conducted on a Spanish cohort of 9218 individuals (COVICAT), includes a comprehensive non-genetic risk analysis, the exposome, complemented by a genomics analysis in a subset of 2442 participants. Depression levels were evaluated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Together with Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS), we introduced a novel score; Poly-Environmental Risk Scores (PERS) for non-genetic risks to estimate the effect of each cumulative score and gene-environment interaction. We found significant positive associations for PERSSoc (Social and Household), PERSLife (Lifestyle and Behaviour), and PERSEnv (Wider Environment and Health) scores across all levels of depression severity, and for PRSB (Broad depression) only for moderate depression (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.03–1.40). On average OR increased 1.2-fold for PERSEnv and 1.6-fold for PERLife and PERSoc from mild to severe depression level. The complete adjusted model explained 16.9% of the variance. We further observed an interaction between PERSEnv and PRSB showing a potential mitigating effect. In summary, stressors within the social and behavioral domains emerged as the primary drivers of depression risk in this population, unveiling a mitigating interaction effect that should be interpreted with caution.
Emergence of potentially disinfection-resistant, naturalized Escherichia coli populations across food- and water-associated engineered environments
Authors: Yu Daniel , Stothard Paul , Neumann Norman F. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThe Escherichia coli species is comprised of several ‘ecotypes’ inhabiting a wide range of host and natural environmental niches. Recent studies have suggested that novel naturalized ecotypes have emerged across wastewater treatment plants and meat processing facilities. Phylogenetic and multilocus sequence typing analyses clustered naturalized wastewater and meat plant E. coli strains into two main monophyletic clusters corresponding to the ST635 and ST399 sequence types, with several serotypes identified by serotyping, potentially representing distinct lineages that have naturalized across wastewater treatment plants and meat processing facilities. This evidence, taken alongside ecotype prediction analyses that distinguished the naturalized strains from their host-associated counterparts, suggests these strains may collectively represent a novel ecotype that has recently emerged across food- and water-associated engineered environments. Interestingly, pan-genomic analyses revealed that the naturalized strains exhibited an abundance of biofilm formation, defense, and disinfection-related stress resistance genes, but lacked various virulence and colonization genes, indicating that their naturalization has come at the cost of fitness in the original host environment.
Visualization of strain distribution in rubber bulk during friction
Authors: Nishi Toshiaki , Ueno Kyohei , Nomoto Tomohiro , Sugisawa Shinya , Shin Daiki , Yamaguchi Ken , Kuwayama Isao , Yamaguchi Takeshi 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThis study employed a digital image correlation method (DICM) to experimentally quantify horizontal strain distribution in silicone rubber bulk during horizontal displacement against a stainless-steel sphere with/without glycerol. The strain distribution at different depth levels was measured by capturing the position of white powders in transparent rubber bulk. The experimental results indicated that each point in the rubber bulk moved while describing a horizontal loop during horizontal displacement depending on the position and lubrication conditions. This caused changes in the horizontal strain during horizontal displacement. These results suggest that the hysteresis term could be caused by changes in the vertical and horizontal strains.