bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Elevated Blood Pressure: A Genetically Determined Risk Factor for Cerebral Artery Dissection
Authors: Xu Xinchun , Chen Qiuping , Wang Haibo , Yuan Lili , Wu Chuchu , Yue Chaoyan 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Objectives
We aim to investigate the potential causal link between blood pressure (BP) levels and cerebral artery dissection (CAD) risk employing a two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) framework.
Methods
Utilizing large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS)-retrieved data, we employed various MR techniques, including inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger regression, weighted median, and weighted mode, to ascertain BP's causal impact on CAD. The MR-Egger intercept was calculated to assess pleiotropy presence, determining heterogeneity by Cochran's Q statistic.
Results
The findings highlighted a significant association between elevated systolic BP (SBP; IVW: OR = 3.09, 95% CI: 1.11–8.61, p = 0.031) and increased diastolic BP (DBP; IVW: OR = 2.17, 95% CI: 1.14–6.21, p = 0.023) with CAD risk. Sensitivity analyses reinforced the robustness and reliability of these results.
Conclusions
The results from this TSMR study suggest a causal link between high SBP and DBP and the increased likelihood of CAD, underscoring the importance of effective BP control.
Protonation of enniatin B: Experimental and theoretical study
Authors: Vaňura Petr , Böhm Stanislav 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

On the basis of extraction experiments, the exchange extraction constant corresponding to the equilibrium H3O+(aq) + 1.Na+(nb) 1.H3O+(nb) + Na+(aq) occurring in the two–phase water–nitrobenzene system (1 = enniatin B; aq = aqueous phase, nb = nitrobenzene phase) was evaluated as log Kex (H3O+, 1.Na+) = 0.9 ± 0.1. Further, the stability constant of the 1.H3O+ complex in nitrobenzene saturated with water was calculated for a temperature of 25 oC: log βnb (1.H3O+) = 6.4 ± 0.2. Finally, by using quantum mechanical DFT calculations, the most probable structure of the cationic complex species 1.H3O+ was derived. In the resulting complex, the “central” cation H3O+ is bound by three relatively strong hydrogen bonds to the corresponding three carbonyl oxygens of the parent enniatin B ligand. The interaction energy, E(int), of the considered complex 1.H3O+ was found to be -424.8 kJ/mol, confirming also the formation of this investigated complex.
Air-film coupling in prefilming airblast atomisers and the implications for subsequent atomisation
Authors: Wetherell Jack R. J. , Garmory Andrew 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Prefilming airblast atomisers are commonly used in gas turbine combustion system fuel injectors. As the film propagates across the prefilmer it interacts with the high velocity gas stream above it. In this paper a numerical investigation into this interaction is presented. A Coupled Level Set \& Volume of Fluid method is used to simulate the development of the film along the KIT-ITS planar prefilmer (Gepperth et al., 2010). Initial results showed the importance of correctly specifying the contact angle as too high a value leads to the formation of rivulets instead of a continuous film. An analysis of the film and air showed two-way coupling. The presence of the film increases the growth rate of the gas phase boundary layer, and the strength and size of the turbulent structures within it. Surface waves form in the film, initially driven by the turbulent fluctuations, but developing into transverse waves. These waves are shown to be independent, stochastic events instead of a periodic wave system. At the trailing edge of the prefilmer the increased turbulence level in the air, the variations in the film thickness and the associated change in fuel mass flow and momentum will have large implications for the atomisation process and subsequent fuel spray. These will also impact simulation of the atomisation, as the boundary condition complexity is much greater than commonly used, and the variations will require larger domains and longer simulation times to obtain fully converged atomisation statistics.
Prevalence, patterns, and determinants of physical activity and sedentary behavior in women in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Authors: Shabu Sherzad A. , Saka Mariwan H. , Boya Manhal N. , Saleh Abubakir M. , Ahmed Hamdia M. , Zaki Sahar M. , Shabila Nazar P. , Shakely Delér 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Background
Understanding the prevalence and determinants of physical activity among women is crucial for developing effective interventions to promote physical activity and improve health outcomes. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, patterns, and determinants of physical activity, leisure-time exercise, and sedentary behavior among women in Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Method
This cross-sectional study was conducted on 540 women in Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. We used the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire to assess the prevalence of work- and transportation-related physical activity, leisure-time physical exercise, and sedentary behavior.
Results
The prevalence of sufficient physical activity related to work and transportation was 31.5%. Physical activity was significantly associated with employment status, residence area, and chronic diseases. The prevalence of engagement in regular leisure-time physical exercise was 14.8%. Approximately 33% of the participants had a high level of sedentary behavior, which was significantly associated with the participants' age, marital status, education level, employment status, and economic status. The area of residence and chronic disease status were independently associated with physical activity. Age was significantly associated with leisure-time physical exercise. Marital and employment status were significantly associated with high levels of sedentary behavior.
Conclusion
The prevalence of sufficient physical activity was relatively low in the female population. The very high level of sedentary behavior, especially among students, is alarming. The prevalence of physical exercise was very low. There is a clear need to adopt proper strategies to promote physical activity, especially regular leisure-time physical exercise, and reduce sedentary behavior.
Enabling CV-MDI-QKD for weakly squeezed states using non-Gaussian operations
Authors: Ahmad Farsad , Li Jian , Khalique Aeysha 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

We propose a new non-Gaussian version of the continuous variables measurement device independent quantum key distribution (CV-MDI-QKD) protocol by utilizing a photon added-then-subtracted (PAS) state. We report that our single and two-mode PAS-CV-MDI-QKD protocols outperform pure state CV-MDI-QKD protocol when considering weak squeezing and high noise, which is the practical regime. With such resources, CV-MDI-QKD is inaccessible when using a pure TMSV state, while PAS-CV-MDI-QKD can generate a useful key rate in this regime. We also compare PAS-CV-MDI-QKD with a two-mode photon replaced (2PR) state, which was not studied in low squeezing for MDI-QKD before.
Modifying the radiation ratio of tonewoods through wood degradation
Authors: Nefdt Keenan , Meincken Martina 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

This work investigates different wood modification techniques to modify the acoustical properties of tonewoods, in particular the sound radiation ratio (R). The treatments used were heat- and fungal exposure, as well as immersion into NaOH and Na2SO3 solution and a combination of the most successful treatments. All initial experiments were performed on pine (Pinus patula) due to cost factors, before replicating the best performing treatment on high quality spruce tonewood (Picea abies). The main objective was to reduce the hemicellulose content without severely degrading cellulose, which results in a reduction of density, while maintaining, or even improving the elasticity (MOEL), which results in an increase of R. Overall, the combined heat-fungal and heat-sodium treatments performed best and increased R by up to 20%. Sodium treatment led to the best increases in R, but compromised the wood structure in spruce and the treatment protocol needs to be developed further. Consequently, the most successful wood treatment to improve acoustical properties was determined to be exposure to white rot combined with heat treatment.
MERTK in the trigeminal system: a novel target for cluster headache and other headache disorders?
Authors: Edvinsson Jacob Carl Alexander , Edvinsson Lars , Ran Caroline , Olofsgård Felicia Jennysdotter , Steinberg Anna , Belin Andrea Carmine 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

The trigeminal system is key to the pathophysiology of migraine and cluster headache, two primary headache disorders that share many features. Recently, MER proto-oncogene tyrosine kinase (MERTK), a cell surface receptor, was strongly associated with cluster headache through genetic studies. Further, the MERTK ligand Galectin-3 has been found to be elevated in serum in migraine patients. In this study, MERTK and MERTK ligands were investigated in key tissue to better understand their potential implication in the pathophysiology of primary headache disorders.
Immunohistochemistry was used to map MERTK and Galectin-3 expression in rodent trigeminal ganglia (TG). RT-qPCR was used to assess MERTK gene expression in blood and ELISA immunoassays were used for MERTK ligand quantification in serum from study participants with and without cluster headache.
MERTK gene expression was elevated in blood samples from study participants with cluster headache patients as compared to controls. In addition, MERTK ligand Galectin-3 was found at increased concentration in the serum of study participants with cluster headache, while the ligands Growth Arrest Specific 6 and protein S levels were unaffected. MERTK and Galectin-3 were both expressed in rat TG. Galectin-3 was primarily located to smaller neurons and to a lesser extent in C-fibres, while MERTK was found in satellite glia cells (SGC) and in the outer membrane of Schwann cells. Interestingly, a strong MERTK signal was found specifically in the region proximal to the nodes of Ranvier.
The overexpression of MERTK and Galectin-3 in study participants with cluster headache, as well as the presence of MERTK in peripheral SGC and Schwann cells in the TG, further highlights MERTK signalling as an interesting therapeutic target in primary headache.
Impacts of health investments on agricultural productivity in Togo
Authors: ATAKE Esso-Hanam , GOUNTANTE Kassimou , AMEGADZE Abla , LITAABA Youmane , DANDONOUGBO Yevessé 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Healthy workers are more productive, are absent less often and earn higher incomes than sick workers. In this paper, we examine the impacts of health investments on agricultural productivity in Togo. Using the instrumental variables method and data from the Harmonized Household Living Conditions Survey (2018–2019), we find that 96% of agricultural households are not covered by health insurance. Nearly 76% of agriculture households benefited from the free distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets. The results show that the opening of new health facilities within 5 km of residences, the availability of qualified and skilled health staff as well as campaigns for free distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets positively influence agricultural productivity. The availability of infrastructure and health staff play a key role in the healthcare-seeking behavior of rural households, offering farmers tangible benefits in terms of health and productivity. On the other hand, out-of-pocket payments reduce agricultural productivity. To increase agricultural productivity, it is necessary to boost investment in rural health infrastructure, promote investment in prevention policies and implement a universal health insurance strategy that responds to the needs of agriculture households.
JEL classification: I10, I13, Q13
The potential associations of antimicrobial resistance in clinical Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus across the human-animal interfaces in Chongming Island, Shanghai
Authors: Lv Chao , Leng Jun , Qian Minjian , Sun Bingqing , Ye HuiPing , Li Min , Zhou Nan , Cheng Zile , Guo Xiaokui , Shang Jun , Zhang Li , Zhu Yongzhang 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Background： AMR is a significant concern within the One Health framework due to its ongoing spread across humans, animals, and the environment. Phenotypic data remains the primary form of surveillance data for AMR. Yet, there is a noticeable absence of thorough data analysis across various interfaces.
Methods: The AMR phenotypic data of clinical and food animal E. coli and S. aureusfrom Chongming Island over the past five years were analyzed to determine the key characteristics of AMR and its association at the human-animal interface.
Results: The clinical isolates of E. coli and S. aureus demonstrated a significant level of AMR rates, including penicillins (83.92%), cephems (63.05%), fluoroquinolones (62.21%), tetracyclines (57.77%) for E. coli and penicillinase-labile penicillins (90.89%), macrolides (51.51%), penicillinase-stable penicillins (43.96%), lincosamides (43.55%) for S. aureus.. ESBL-positive E. coli isolates account for 53.26% (1398/2526), with MRSA prevalence at 43.81% (435/993). Notably, there has been an increase in the number of E. coli isolates resistant to 8 to 12 antimicrobial classes, and that of S. aureus isolates resistant to 5 to 9 classes. Furthermore, certain MDR phenotypes were first identified in food animal isolates. No significant association was found in the identical AMR phenotype between food animals and clinical isolates. However, several MDR phenotypes shared by the two interfaces were identified, with 44 in E. coli and 12 in S. aureus. Through further co-occurrence analysis, 16 pairs of phenotypes were found in both clinical and food animal E. coli isolates. Moreover, two unique co-occurrence clusters of MDR were identified: Pen-βLac-Cep in clinical interface and Ami-Tet-Fpa in food animal interface. Meanwhile, three clusters were identified in clinical S. aureus, namely Ami-Mac-Lin, Ami-Mac-Flu-Lin, and PSPen-Ami-Flu-Lin and two clusters were identified in food animal isolates, namely PSPen-Mac and PSPen-Flu-Lin.
Conclusion: A heightened MDR prevalence in clinical E. coli and S. aureus have been discovered. Some MDR profiles manifest in food animal interface before clinical settings, highlighting the potential for AMR association and its transmission between humans and food animals. Within the One Health framework, integrating genomic data into AMR monitoring is an essential next step.
Unraveling the Mysteries Behind Resistance and Mortality in China's Carbapenem-Resistant Bacteria
Authors: Zhao Yi-Chang , Sun Zhi-Hua , Li Jia-Kai , Liu Huai-yuan , Cai Hua-Lin , Cao Wei , Feng Yu , Zhang Bi-Kui , Yan Miao 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Background: The current situation of bacterial resistance is severe. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between four Gram-negative bacteria and the environment, diet, and mortality.
Methods: Data for this study were sourced from the China Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (CARSS). monitoring the prev-alence of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii in 31provinces (city) over the period from 2014 to 2021. Subsequently, a comprehensive multivariate regression analysis was employed, culminating in the successful formulation of a logarithmic linear regression model.
Result: The drug resistance rate of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae was increasing year by year, and the mortality rate increases with the resistance level of Klebsiella pneumoniae. This study revealed that the most significant factors influencing the resistance of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are related to dietary habits, with egg consumption showing a positive correlation (Coefficient = 0.52, P<0.001) and beef consumption demonstrating a negative correlation (Coefficient = -0.558, P=0.036). In contrast, the resistance patterns of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii appear to be strongly associated with medical economy, as indicated by the number of hospitals (Coefficient for Klebsiella pneumoniae = 0.490, P<0.001; Coefficient for Acinetobacter baumannii = -0.735, P<0.001).
Pre-pandemic artificial MERS analog of pathogenic polyfunctional SARS-CoV-2 S1/S2 furin cleavage site domain is unique among betacoronaviruses
Authors: Lisewski Andreas Martin 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) glycoprotein furin cleavage site is a key determinant of SARS-CoV-2 virulence and COVID-19 pathogencity. Located at the S1/S2 junction, it is unique among sarbecoviruses but frequently found among betacoronaviruses. Recent evidence suggests that this site includes two additional functional motifs: a pat7 nuclear localization signal and two flanking O-glycosites. However, a systematic overview of spikes bearing this polyfunctional sequence domain has been missing. Here we report that among spike sequences of genus Betacoronavirus and outside of the SARS-CoV-2 clade an analogous domain was found in only one other virus: an artificial MERS infectious clone, described already in 2017, which was rationally selected from serial passage in genetically humanized mice. As the evolutionarily closest betacoronaviruses outside of the SARS-CoV-2 clade lack all its three functional motifs, this critical domain becomes an unlikely product of natural evolution alone, which extends the current view on SARS-CoV-2 origins, evolution and pathogenesis.
DMMNet: A Pedestrian Trajectory Prediction Method based on Decomposed Multimodal Modelling of Human Dynamics
Authors: Gao Yanfei , Miao Xiongwei , Guoye Zhang 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Pedestrian trajectory prediction has wide applications in various engineering disciplines and in autonomous driving. It can effectively enhance traffic safety, improve traffic flow, optimize urban planning, and enhance the safety of autonomous driving. However, current methods can only perform unimodal predictions and cannot consider the diversity and uncertainty of pedestrian behavior. While some generative models can generate diverse prediction results, they cannot guarantee coverage of key modes and have limited control over the attributes of predicted trajectories. To address these issues, we propose a pedestrian trajectory prediction method based on Decomposed Multimodal Modeling of human dynamics, DMMNet, considering both the uncertainty of decision variables and the stochastic nature of random decision. Firstly, we adopt a decomposed modeling approach to effectively model the target uncertainty and the randomness of targets and paths in pedestrian trajectory prediction. This allows us to better capture the diversity and uncertainty of pedestrian behavior. Secondly, our method can generate explicit probability maps, providing better spatial constraints and control capabilities to improve the accuracy and interpretability of prediction results. This, in turn, offers better guidance and adaptability for other intelligent systems. Finally, our method extends the prediction range, capable of predicting pedestrian trajectories over a longer time period in the future. The proposed pedestrian trajectory prediction method in this paper has clear advantages in considering multimodality, providing spatial constraints, and expanding the application scope. It can offer more accurate, interpretable, and controllable pedestrian trajectory prediction capabilities for intelligent transportation systems and other related research and applications. The proposed method achieved an improvement of 47.7% in the ADE metric and 62.6% in the FDE metric on the ETH/UCY dataset. In the SDD dataset, there was an improvement of 18.4% in the ADE metric and 35.2% in the FDE metric.
Efficient biodegradation of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) in mild temperature by cutinases derived from a marine fungus
Authors: Sun Chaomin , Fei Fan , Su Zhenjie , Liu Rui , Gao Rongrong 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) is a polyester widely used in various fields and its waste gradually accumulates in the environment, posing ecological risks. Enzymatic hydrolysis holds great potential in the end-of-life management of PBAT, but reported enzymes need to be incubated at a high temperature (e.g. 70 °C), which is supposed to cost huge amount of energy and thereby limiting its wide industrial application. Here, we found that the marine fungus Alternaria alternata FB1 could efficiently degrade PBAT in the moderate temperature (e. g. 37 °C). Two fungal cutinases (named AaCut4 and AaCut10) were predicted to determine the degradation process by establishing a hidden Markov model of PBAT hydrolases, which were verified by an in vivo gene knockout method. The in vitro expressed AaCut10 could completely depolymerize the PBAT film in 48 h, whereas AaCut4 achieved a 63.59% breakdown in 96 h at 37 °C, and no product inhibition of either enzyme was detected. Targeting AaCut10, we accomplished to increase the yield of terephthalic acid monomer to 96.01% in 96 h at 37 °C through performing site-directed mutagenesis and supplementing Ca2+ or Mg2+ in the reaction buffer. We also found PBAT hydrolases broadly distributed in different species and environments, indicating their great potential in resolving plastics contamination. Overall, our study provides novel enzyme candidates for efficient decomposition of PBAT in mild temperature and paves a way to recover plastic wastes in a low energy consumption manner, which is important for sustainable use of PBAT waste.
Ranunculus integer DUNKEL spec. nov. – Neubeschreibung einer altbekannten Art
Authors: Dunkel Franz G. 
Published: April 2024

Populationen aus dem Ranunculus-auricomus-Komplex mit ungeteilten Mittelsegmenten der Frühlingsblätter werden seit der Dissertation von Borchers-Kolb 1985 R. integerrimus (Julin) Borch.-Kolb zugeordnet. Dieses Taxon findet sich nur in drei benachbarten Provinzen Südschwedens. Eine echte Disjunktion ist im R.-auricomus-Komplex sehr unwahrscheinlich, die bayerischen Populationen weichen durch schmälere Stängelblattsegmente, meist unvollständige Blüten und etwas anders geschnittene Mittelsegmente ab. Sie werden als R. integer Dunkel beschrieben und abgebildet. Aufgrund der Verbreitung in Moor- und Feuchtwiesen ist die Art stark gefährdet und sollte als Endemit Bayerns besonderen Schutz genießen.