bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of different constraining boundary conditions on simulated femoral stresses and strains during gait
Authors: Bavil Alireza Y. , Eghan-Acquah Emmanuel , Diamond Laura E. , Barrett Rod , Carty Christopher P. , Barzan Martina , Nasseri Azadeh , Lloyd David G. , Saxby David J. , Feih Stefanie 
Published: May 2024

AbstractFinite element analysis (FEA) is commonly used in orthopaedic research to estimate localised tissue stresses and strains. A variety of boundary conditions have been proposed for isolated femur analysis, but it remains unclear how these assumed constraints influence FEA predictions of bone biomechanics. This study compared the femoral head deflection (FHD), stresses, and strains elicited under four commonly used boundary conditions (fixed knee, mid-shaft constraint, springs, and isostatic methods) and benchmarked these mechanics against the gold standard inertia relief method for normal and pathological femurs (extreme anteversion and retroversion, coxa vara, and coxa valga). Simulations were performed for the stance phase of walking with the applied femoral loading determined from patient-specific neuromusculoskeletal models. Due to unrealistic biomechanics observed for the commonly used boundary conditions, we propose a novel biomechanical constraint method to generate physiological femur biomechanics. The biomechanical method yielded FHD (< 1 mm), strains (approaching 1000 µε), and stresses (< 60 MPa), which were consistent with physiological observations and similar to predictions from the inertia relief method (average coefficient of determination = 0.97, average normalized root mean square error = 0.17). Our results highlight the superior performance of the biomechanical method compared to current methods of constraint for both healthy and pathological femurs.
Adults with cerebral palsy exhibit uncharacteristic cortical oscillations during an adaptive sensorimotor control task
Authors: Hinton Erica H. , Busboom Morgan T. , Embury Christine M. , Spooner Rachel K. , Wilson Tony W. , Kurz Max J. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractPrior research has shown that the sensorimotor cortical oscillations are uncharacteristic in persons with cerebral palsy (CP); however, it is unknown if these altered cortical oscillations have an impact on adaptive sensorimotor control. This investigation evaluated the cortical dynamics when the motor action needs to be changed “on-the-fly”. Adults with CP and neurotypical controls completed a sensorimotor task that required either proactive or reactive control while undergoing magnetoencephalography (MEG). When compared with the controls, the adults with CP had a weaker beta (18–24 Hz) event-related desynchronization (ERD), post-movement beta rebound (PMBR, 16–20 Hz) and theta (4–6 Hz) event-related synchronization (ERS) in the sensorimotor cortices. In agreement with normative work, the controls exhibited differences in the strength of the sensorimotor gamma (66–84 Hz) ERS during proactive compared to reactive trials, but similar condition-wise changes were not seen in adults with CP. Lastly, the adults with CP who had a stronger theta ERS tended to have better hand dexterity, as indicated by the Box and Blocks Test and Purdue Pegboard Test. These results may suggest that alterations in the theta and gamma cortical oscillations play a role in the altered hand dexterity and uncharacteristic adaptive sensorimotor control noted in adults with CP.
Exploratory factor analysis yields grouping of brain injury biomarkers significantly associated with outcomes in neonatal and pediatric ECMO
Authors: Huang Victoria , Roem Jennifer , Ng Derek K. , McElrath Schwartz Jamie , Everett Allen D. , Padmanabhan Nikhil , Romero Daniel , Joe Jessica , Campbell Christopher , Sigal George B. , Wohlstadter Jacob N. , Bembea Melania M. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractIn this two-center prospective cohort study of children on ECMO, we assessed a panel of plasma brain injury biomarkers using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to evaluate their interplay and association with outcomes. Biomarker concentrations were measured daily for the first 3 days of ECMO support in 95 participants. Unfavorable composite outcome was defined as in-hospital mortality or discharge Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category > 2 with decline ≥ 1 point from baseline. EFA grouped 11 biomarkers into three factors. Factor 1 comprised markers of cellular brain injury (NSE, BDNF, GFAP, S100β, MCP1, VILIP-1, neurogranin); Factor 2 comprised markers related to vascular processes (vWF, PDGFRβ, NPTX1); and Factor 3 comprised the BDNF/MMP-9 cellular pathway. Multivariable logistic models demonstrated that higher Factor 1 and 2 scores were associated with higher odds of unfavorable outcome (adjusted OR 2.88 [1.61, 5.66] and 1.89 [1.12, 3.43], respectively). Conversely, higher Factor 3 scores were associated with lower odds of unfavorable outcome (adjusted OR 0.54 [0.31, 0.88]), which is biologically plausible given the role of BDNF in neuroplasticity. Application of EFA on plasma brain injury biomarkers in children on ECMO yielded grouping of biomarkers into three factors that were significantly associated with unfavorable outcome, suggesting future potential as prognostic instruments.
A modular motion compensation pipeline for prospective respiratory motion correction of multi-nuclear MR spectroscopy
Authors: Wampl Stefan , Körner Tito , Meyerspeer Martin , Zaitsev Maxim , Wolf Marcos , Trattnig Siegfried , Wolzt Michael , Bogner Wolfgang , Schmid Albrecht Ingo 
Published: May 2024

AbstractMagnetic resonance (MR) acquisitions of the torso are frequently affected by respiratory motion with detrimental effects on signal quality. The motion of organs inside the body is typically decoupled from surface motion and is best captured using rapid MR imaging (MRI). We propose a pipeline for prospective motion correction of the target organ using MR image navigators providing absolute motion estimates in millimeters. Our method is designed to feature multi-nuclear interleaving for non-proton MR acquisitions and to tolerate local transmit coils with inhomogeneous field and sensitivity distributions. OpenCV object tracking was introduced for rapid estimation of in-plane displacements in 2D MR images. A full three-dimensional translation vector was derived by combining displacements from slices of multiple and arbitrary orientations. The pipeline was implemented on 3 T and 7 T MR scanners and tested in phantoms and volunteers. Fast motion handling was achieved with low-resolution 2D MR image navigators and direct implementation of OpenCV into the MR scanner’s reconstruction pipeline. Motion-phantom measurements demonstrate high tracking precision and accuracy with minor processing latency. The feasibility of the pipeline for reliable in-vivo motion extraction was shown on heart and kidney data. Organ motion was manually assessed by independent operators to quantify tracking performance. Object tracking performed convincingly on 7774 navigator images from phantom scans and different organs in volunteers. In particular the kernelized correlation filter (KCF) achieved similar accuracy (74%) as scored from inter-operator comparison (82%) while processing at a rate of over 100 frames per second. We conclude that fast 2D MR navigator images and computer vision object tracking can be used for accurate and rapid prospective motion correction. This and the modular structure of the pipeline allows for the proposed method to be used in imaging of moving organs and in challenging applications like cardiac magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided radiotherapy.
Inflammatory corpuscle AIM2 facilitates macrophage foam cell formation by inhibiting cholesterol efflux protein ABCA1
Authors: Zhuo Shujiang , Song Sufei , Wang Chaoyi , Wang Zhe , Zhang Ming , Lin Daobin , Chen Kaili 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThe inflammatory corpuscle recombinant absents in melanoma 2 (AIM2) and cholesterol efflux protein ATP binding cassette transporter A1(ABCA1) have been reported to play opposing roles in atherosclerosis (AS) plaques. However, the relationship between AIM2 and ABCA1 remains unclear. In this study, we explored the potential connection between AIM2 and ABCA1 in the modulation of AS by bioinformatic analysis combined with in vitro experiments. The GEO database was used to obtain AS transcriptional profiling data; screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and construct a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to obtain AS-related modules. Phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) was used to induce macrophage modelling in THP-1 cells, and ox-LDL was used to induce macrophage foam cell formation. The experiment was divided into Negative Control (NC) group, Model Control (MC) group, AIM2 overexpression + ox-LDL (OE AIM2 + ox-LDL) group, and AIM2 short hairpin RNA + ox-LDL (sh AIM2 + ox-LDL) group. The intracellular cholesterol efflux rate was detected by scintillation counting; high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to detect intracellular cholesterol levels; apoptosis levels were detected by TUNEL kit; levels of inflammatory markers (IL-1β, IL-18, ROS, and GSH) were detected by ELISA kits; and levels of AIM2 and ABCA1 proteins were detected by Western blot. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that the turquoise module correlated most strongly with AS, and AIM2 and ABCA1 were co-expressed in the turquoise module with a trend towards negative correlation. In vitro experiments demonstrated that AIM2 inhibited macrophage cholesterol efflux, resulting in increased intracellular cholesterol levels and foam cell formation. Moreover, AIM2 had a synergistic effect with ox-LDL, exacerbating macrophage oxidative stress and inflammatory response. Silencing AIM2 ameliorated the above conditions. Furthermore, the protein expression levels of AIM2 and ABCA1 were consistent with the bioinformatic analysis, showing a negative correlation. AIM2 inhibits ABCA1 expression, causing abnormal cholesterol metabolism in macrophages and ultimately leading to foam cell formation. Inhibiting AIM2 may reverse this process. Overall, our study suggests that AIM2 is a reliable anti-inflammatory therapeutic target for AS. Inhibiting AIM2 expression may reduce foam cell formation and, consequently, inhibit the progression of AS plaques.
Problems of operation of positive pressure ventilators on the basis of surveys of Polish officers of the State Fire Service
Authors: Kaczmarzyk Piotr , Warguła Łukasz , Janik Paweł , Krawiec Piotr , Bąk Damian , Klapsa Wojciech 
Published: May 2024

AbstractPositive pressure ventilators (PPV) used by 97.7% of officers of the National Fire Service in Poland, are characterized by work that is not in line with the expectations of the firefighters. In order to improve the technical and operational features of these devices, a survey was conducted among 25,000 eligible firefighters, identifying the application of these devices, problems in use and expected development directions. A total of 682 officers voluntarily completed the survey. Based on their findings, it was determined that ventilators are most often used to smoke out buildings after or during a fire. Mentioned problems when using these devices were mainly noise (78.2%), exhaust emissions (68.5%), and impediments to mobility through the device’s relatively heavy weight (40.2%). Other inconveniences were mentioned by less than 20% of firefighters. Polish firefighters expect the development of these devices mainly in terms of the above-mentioned features (noise reduction (81.7%) and reduction of the weight and size of the ventilators (about 50%)). Other expectations relate to the improvement of smoke removal in buildings: increasing the efficiency of smoke removal (46.4%) and efficiency regarding the rate of smoke removal in a building by increasing the size of the incoming airflow from the building’s surroundings (33.2%). About 15% of firefighters expect changes in the operation of the ventilator itself, that is, an increase in the effective operating time (electric ventilators) and an increase in the device’s uptime. The aim of the article is to identify the issues encountered during the operation and to indicate the expected direction of development for PPV by users. This information can be used by engineers to initiate new development work on these devices.
Impact of the leptin receptor gene on pig performance and quality traits
Authors: Suárez-Mesa Rafael , Ros-Freixedes Roger , Pena Ramona N. , Reixach Josep , Estany Joan 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThe recessive T allele of the missense polymorphism rs709596309 C > T of the leptin receptor gene is associated with intramuscular fat. However, its overall impact on pork production is still partial. In this work, we investigated the all-round effects of the TT genotype on lean growth efficiency and carcass, meat and fat quality using data from an experiment that compared the performance of 48 TT and 48 C– (24 CT and 24 CC) Duroc barrows. The TT pigs were less efficient for lean growth than the C– pigs. Although heavier, their carcasses had less lean content, were shorter and had lighter loins. Apart from increasing marbling and saturated fatty acid content, changes caused by the TT genotype in meat and fat quality are likely not enough to be perceived by consumers. The effect on visual marbling score exceeded that on intramuscular fat content, which suggests a direct influence of the T allele on the pattern of fat distribution in muscle. With current low-protein diets, the T allele is expected to be cost-effective only in niche markets where a very high level of marbling is critical.
Mechanism for sound dissipation in a two-dimensional degenerate Fermi gas
Authors: Gawryluk Krzysztof , Brewczyk Mirosław 
Published: May 2024

AbstractWe numerically study the transport properties of a two-dimensional Fermi gas in a weakly and strongly interacting regimes, in the range of temperatures close to the transition to a superfluid phase. For that we excite sound waves in a fermionic mixture by using the phase imprinting technique, follow their evolution, and finally determine both their speed and attenuation. Our formalism, originated from a density-functional theory, incorporates thermal fluctuations via the grand canonical ensemble description and with the help of Metropolis algoritm. From numerical simulations we extract temperature dependence of the sound velocity and diffusivity as well as the dependence on the interaction strength. We emphasize the role of virtual vortex–antivortex pairs creation in the process of sound dissipation.
Leaching of NMC industrial black mass in the presence of LFP
Authors: Zou Yuanmin , Chernyaev Alexander , Ossama Muhammad , Seisko Sipi , Lundström Mari 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThis study focuses on the effect of an emerging source of waste, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode materials, on the hydrometallurgical recycling of the currently dominant industrial battery waste that is rich in transition metals (Ni, Co, Mn, and Li). The effects of the dosage of LFP, initial acidity, and timing of LFP reductant addition were investigated in sulfuric acid (H2SO4) leaching (t = 3 h, T = 60 °C, ω = 300 rpm). The results showed that addition of LFP increased both transition metal extraction and acid consumption. Further, the redox potential was lowered due to the increased presence of Fe2+. An initial acidity of 2.0 mol/L H2SO4 with acid consumption of 1.3 kg H2SO4/kg black mass provided optimal conditions for achieving a high leaching yield (Co = 100%, Ni = 87.6%, Mn = 91.1%, Li = 100%) and creating process solutions (Co 8.8 g/L, Ni 13.8 g/L, Li 6.7 g/L, Mn 7.6 g/L, P 12.1 g/L) favorable for subsequent hydrometallurgical processing. Additionally, the overall efficiency of H2O2 decreased due to its decomposition by high concentrations of Fe2+ and Mn2+ when H2O2 was added after t = 2 h, leading to only a minor increase in final battery metals extraction levels.
Investigating the in-vitro bioactivity, biodegradability and drug release behavior of the newly developed PES/HA/WS biocompatible nanocomposites as bone graft substitute
Authors: Salimi Esmaeil , Asim Mulazim Hussain , Abidin Muhammad Nidzhom Zainol 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThe nucleation of carbonate-containing apatite on the biomaterials surface is regarded as a significant stage in bone healing process. In this regard, composites contained hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, HA), wollastonite (CaSiO3, WS) and polyethersulfone (PES) were synthesized via a simple solvent casting technique. The in-vitro bioactivity of the prepared composite films with different weight ratios of HA and WS was studied by placing the samples in the simulated body fluid (SBF) for 21 days. The results indicated that the the surface of composites containing 2 wt% HA and 4 wt% WS was completely covered by a thick bone-like apatite layer, which was characterized by Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, field emission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (EDX). The degradation study of the samples showed that the concentration of inorganic particles could not influence the degradability of the polymeric matrix, where all samples expressed similar dexamethasone (DEX) release behavior. Moreover, the in-vitro cytotoxicity results indicated the significant cyto-compatibility of all specimens. Therefore, these findings revealed that the prepared composite films composed of PES, HA, WS and DEX could be regarded as promising bioactive candidates with low degradation rate for bone tissue engineering applications.
Design and psychometric evaluation of the collaborative coping with infertility questionnaire in candidate of assisted reproductive techniques
Authors: Reisi Marzie , Kazemi Ashraf 
Published: May 2024

AbstractEvaluating couples’ coping with infertility and its impact on their mental health is valuable in designing supportive programs. Since infertility is a shared problem in married life, coping with it requires collaborative coping strategies. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to design and psychometrically evaluate the collaborative coping with infertility questionnaire (CCIQ) in candidates of assisted reproductive techniques (ART). The exploratory factor analysis of a 27-item questionnaire designed based on the Likert scale in the Persian language was evaluated through the principal component analysis method in a cross-sectional study conducted on 200 couples who volunteered for ART. The cut-off point of factor loadings was considered 0.4. Furthermore, the criterion validity of the questionnaire was evaluated using a 12-item revised Fertility Adjustment Scale (R-FAS) and its relationship with the score of the CCIQ. Moreover, the internal consistency of the questionnaire was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha correlation coefficient. In the exploratory factor analysis, 20 items with a factor loading above 0.4 were extracted under three factors. The three extracted factors with a value above one explained 43.78% of the variance of CCIQ. The factor loading of the accepted items ranged between 0.402 and 0.691. External reliability was confirmed with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.98. The relationship between CCIQ and R-FAS score was significant (p < 0.0001). The results of the study showed that the 20-item CCIQ enjoyed acceptable validity and reliability in the three dimensions of ‘dynamic interaction,’ ‘reorganizing married life goals,’ and ‘perception about infertility,’ which can be used to evaluate collaborative coping with infertility questionnaire in ART candidates.
Nickel-copper-cobalt mixed oxide electrode material for high performance asymmetric supercapacitor
Authors: Manikandan M. , Manikandan E. , Swetha V. , Kurpaa S. , Vijay Sukkrishvar , Kiruthika V. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractNickel copper cobalt oxide (NiCuCoO) ternary metal oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by employing the hydrothermal method. NiCuCoO electrode demonstrates a specified capacity of 596 C g−1 at 1 A g−1, high capacitance retaining of 99% even if 1000 sequences at the density of current 10 A g−1, and significant extended cyclic strength over 1000 sequences. The gathered asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) tool via NiCuCoO as the cathode and activated carbon as anode materials achieve a specified capacity of 168 C g−1 at a current density of 1 Ag−1, an excellent capacity retaining of 95% even later than 5000 sequences at a density of current 10 A g−1. The fabricated device exhibits a high density of energy and power is 96 Wh kg−1 and 841 W kg−1. The prepared material confirms an excellent capacitance routine, so this work represents for a next-generation energy storage device.
PEG-crosslinked O-carboxymethyl chitosan films with degradability and antibacterial activity for food packaging
Authors: Yang Bing , Liu Baoliang , Gao Yuanyuan , Wei Junjie , Li Gang , Zhang Hui , Wang Linlin , Hou Zhaosheng 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThis study developed a kind of PEG-crosslinked O-carboxymethyl chitosan (O-CMC–PEG) with various PEG content for food packaging. The crosslinking agent of isocyanate-terminated PEG was firstly synthesized by a simple condensation reaction between PEG and excess diisocyanate, then the crosslink between O-carboxymethyl chitosan (O-CMC) and crosslinking agent occurred under mild conditions to produce O-CMC–PEG with a crosslinked structure linked by urea bonds. FT-IR and 1H NMR techniques were utilized to confirm the chemical structures of the crosslinking agent and O-CMC–PEGs. Extensive research was conducted to investigate the impact of the PEG content (or crosslinking degree) on the physicochemical characteristics of the casted O-CMC–PEG films. The results illuminated that crosslinking and components compatibility could improve their tensile features and water vapor barrier performance, while high PEG content played the inverse effects due to the microphase separation between PEG and O-CMC segments. The in vitro degradation rate and water sensitivity primarily depended on the crosslinking degree in comparison with the PEG content. Furthermore, caused by the remaining –NH2 groups of O-CMC, the films demonstrated antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. When the PEG content was 6% (medium crosslinking degree), the prepared O-CMC–PEG−6% film possessed optimal tensile features, high water resistance, appropriate degradation rate, low water vapor transmission rate and fine broad-spectrum antibacterial capacity, manifesting a great potential for application in food packaging to extend the shelf life.
Moisture-induced power generator fabricated on a lateral field-excited quartz resonator
Authors: Baek Hyerim , Choi Jihun , Jeon Sangmin 
Published: May 2024

AbstractWe fabricated a moisture-induced power generator on a lateral field-excited quartz resonator to simultaneously measure changes in mass and voltage generation during water vapor adsorption. Circularly interdigitated gold electrodes were vacuum deposited on the top surface and used to measure changes in mass, and two symmetric semicircular gold electrodes were vacuum deposited on the bottom surface and used to measure changes in voltage generation. After coating a thin film of a mixture comprising sodium alginate, carbon black, and polyvinyl alcohol (SCP) on the top surface, an electric field was applied to create a concentration gradient of sodium ions between the interdigitated electrodes. The changes in the resonant frequency and voltage generation of the SCP-coated quartz resonator were measured simultaneously under various relative humidity conditions. The results revealed, for the first time, three distinct voltage-generation regions during moisture adsorption: (i) a region of negligible voltage generation, (ii) that of an increase in voltage generation, and (iii) that of a decrease in voltage generation.