bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of size on silver nanoparticle stability and inhibition of Vibro parahaemolyticus bacterial cell growth in high chloride media
Authors: Nguyen Duc Toan , Nguyen Thi Minh Huyen , Nguyen Thi Thuy , Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc , Nguyen Trong Nghia , Nguyen Minh Hue , Nghiem Thi Ha Lien 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
The stability of silver nanoparticles at average sizes of 10 nm, 30 nm, and 50 nm with polyvinylpyrrolidone stabiliser was evaluated in a medium with high chloride ion concentration. The antibacterial activity of these silver nanoparticles against marine cholera Vibrio parahaemolyticus was studied and compared with ionic Ag+ and a bactericidal agent, Benzalkonium chloride. The results show that the smaller the silver nanoparticles, the higher the stability, and the higher the antibacterial ability, which is closer to the antibacterial ability of the ionic Ag+. These results show the outstanding bactericidal activity of small silver nanoparticles and the potential application of these tiny particles in inhibiting pathogenic bacteria in aquaculture.
Experimental conditions for room temperature ferromagnetism in Fe-doped SnO2 via mechanochemical milling and thermal treatment
Authors: Sánchez L C , Beltrán J J , Baggio Saitovitch E M , Barrero C A 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
Identifying optimal experimental conditions, preferably through a simple and cost-effective method, for the fabrication of oxide-diluted magnetic semiconductors, such as Fe-doped SnO2, holds great significance in the quest for spintronic materials operating at room temperature (RT). While mechanochemical milling is a well-established technique meeting these requirements, its numerous milling variables necessitate careful consideration of restricted experimental conditions. In this study, we present some experimental mechanochemical milling conditions to prepare impurity-free iron-doped tin dioxide nanoparticles exhibiting RT ferromagnetic signal. To achieve this, we investigated the effects of milling time, the choice of the starting Sn reactant, and iron concentration on the purity of Sn1−xFexO2 (x = 0, 0.03, and 0.05) nanopowders obtained through mechanochemical milling followed by thermal treatment. Characterization through XRD, XANES, and EXAFS at the Fe K-edge, RT Raman spectroscopy, 119Sn and 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopies, and magnetic measurements was conducted. Among the experimental techniques, micro-Raman spectroscopy proved the most effective in detecting the formation of hematite as an impurity phase. Our results indicate that extending the milling time to 12 h, as opposed to 3 h, employing anhydrous SnCl2, instead of SnCl2·2H2O and using the low iron concentration of x = 0.03, results in proper conditions for producing impurity-free samples with a robust RT ferromagnetic signal. The oxidation states for iron and tin ions were determined to be 3+ and 4+, respectively, with both occupying octahedral sites, suggesting iron’s replacement of tin. Our findings propose that both the bound magnetic polaron and RKKY models offer potential explanations for the origin of the ferromagnetic signal observed at room temperature in Sn0.97Fe0.03O2 sample milled for 12 h.
Quasi-in-situ observation of fatigue crack growth behavior of friction stir welded 2024-T4 joint
Authors: Yang Jun , Samiuddin Muhammad , Chen Xianmin , Chen Hao , Shen Zishi , Jin Feng 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
This study presents a quasi-in situ observation of the fatigue crack growth behavior in a friction stir welded 2024-T4 joint. The microstructure and fatigue properties of the joint were investigated using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and fatigue crack growth tests. The fatigue crack growth behavior of the joint was examined by conducting fatigue crack growth tests with different notch locations. The results show that the sample with the notch in the stir zone (SZ) exhibited the highest resistance to fatigue crack growth, followed by the notched samples of the Advancing side (AS) and Retreating side (RS) weldments. Microstructural observations showed a homogeneous microstructure with a fine grain size in SZ and it was observed that this fine-grained structure significantly enhanced the material’s resistance to fatigue crack growth. The experimental results were further analyzed using the Paris model to provide a quantitative understanding of the crack growth behavior. The study underlines the impact of microstructural characteristics and notch location on the fatigue performance of the weldment. Overall, the quasi-in situ observations and experimental findings contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the fatigue crack growth behavior in friction stir welded 2024-T4 joints.
Radiofrequency and Electrical Muscle Stimulation: A Synergistic Treatment That Achieves Lipolysis and Circumferential Waist Reduction in Noninvasive Body Contouring
Authors: Vranis Neil M , Ghavami Ashkan , Rohrich Rodney J , Theodorou Spero 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Background
Surgeons and providers in aesthetic medicine seek noninvasive devices that can be utilized for safe, efficient, and effective body contouring. Patient demand has propelled the development of novel devices that can simultaneously improve skin laxity, adipolysis along with stimulation of muscle hypertrophy.

Objectives
To determine the efficacy of body contouring after 3 treatments using the noninvasive Transform (InMode, Lake Forest, CA) device.

Methods
A prospective, multicenter study was performed. Outcomes evaluated include: standardized caliper and ultrasound measurements of abdominal skin/soft-tissue thickness, waist circumference, histologic evaluation, patient comfort, and satisfaction assessments.

Results
Forty-four patients were successfully enrolled in the study and completed the series of 3 treatments which involved combined electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) and noninvasive bipolar radiofrequency (RF). Abdominal ultrasound measurements reveal a decrease in soft-tissue thickness (average 3.1 mm; P = .001), there was a significant decrease in caliper measurements of periumbilical skin thickness (P &lt; .003), and the average reduction of abdominal circumference was 1.9 cm (P &lt; .0001) 3 months after the treatment series. Histology confirmed subcutaneous adipolysis without damaging the dermal layer. Patients reported a high degree of satisfaction with the overall result (P = .003) and that each of the 3 treatments were progressively more comfortable (P &lt; .005).

Conclusions
This study demonstrates that a series of simultaneous noninvasive RF with EMS treatments to the abdomen decreases subcutaneous soft-tissue thickness of the treated area. These comfortable treatments ultimately result in a high degree of patient satisfaction at 3 months.

Level of Evidence: 4
Visuospatial processing in early brain-based visual impairment is associated with differential recruitment of dorsal and ventral visual streams
Authors: Pamir Zahide , Manley Claire E , Bauer Corinna M , Bex Peter J , Dilks Daniel D , Merabet Lotfi B 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
Visuospatial processing impairments are prevalent in individuals with cerebral visual impairment (CVI) and are typically ascribed to “dorsal stream dysfunction” (DSD). However, the contribution of other cortical regions, including early visual cortex (EVC), frontal cortex, or the ventral visual stream, to such impairments remains unknown. Thus, here, we examined fMRI activity in these regions, while individuals with CVI (and neurotypicals) performed a visual search task within a dynamic naturalistic scene. First, behavioral performance was measured with eye tracking. Participants were instructed to search and follow a walking human target. CVI participants took significantly longer to find the target, and their eye gaze patterns were less accurate and less precise. Second, we used the same task in the MRI scanner. Along the dorsal stream, activation was reduced in CVI participants, consistent with the proposed DSD in CVI. Intriguingly, however, visual areas along the ventral stream showed the complete opposite pattern, with greater activation in CVI participants. In contrast, we found no differences in either EVC or frontal cortex between groups. These results suggest that the impaired visuospatial processing abilities in CVI are associated with differential recruitment of the dorsal and ventral visual streams, likely resulting from impaired selective attention.
The Zhongyong Dialectic: A Bridge into the Relational World
Authors: Qin Yaqing 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
Three tensions are said to exist in my relational theory, i.e. between ontology and behavior, between structure and process, and between substance and procedure. Underlying these tensions is a crucial question: How to identify the subject and object and understand the domination–subordination power relationship therein? These seeming inconsistencies appear if observed through a dualistic lens but may well disappear when viewed from the zhongyong dialectic, which, as an epistemological and methodological device, assumes no binary dichotomy in the first place. It believes in immanent relationality and dynamic transformability, holding that interaction based on difference rather than homogeneity generates healthy life and arguing that subject and object, structure and process, substance and procedure—all these categories constructed as dichotomous opposites are in fact mutually transformable as related parts of a whole. The evolution of global society, from international society of nation-states, to global society of humans, and to planetary society of all on earth (or beyond), clearly indicates the relational transformability across the ostensible subject–object divide. Power relations exist, but any unilateral exercise of power is ephemeral, for power over will not last, while power to will.
Algorithms For Cold-Start Game Recommendation Based On GNN Pre-training Model
Authors: Yang Hongjuan , Tian Gang , Xu Chengrui , Wang Rui 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
In the absence of sufficient user behavior data, game recommendation systems face the cold-start problem. To address this issue, this paper proposes a solution based on the Graph Neural Network pre-training model to alleviate the cold-start problem. The proposed model directly reconstructs cold-start user/game embeddings using a meta-learning setup based on dataset training simulations and uses an adaptive neighbor sampler to improve user interaction relations and thereby to improve game recommendation performance. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and practicality of the recommendation model proposed in this study. Moreover, the proposed model is embedded in the game recommendation system to visualize the recommendation results.
Structural properties of extended pseudo-fractal scale-free network with higher network efficiency
Authors: Liu Jia-Bao , Zhang Xue , Cao Jinde 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
Complex networks, as an important model for studying complex systems, have been gradually studied in various extension models. Firstly, the network is proved to be sparse by calculating the density of the extending pseudo-fractal network. Secondly, it is proved that the network nodes conform the power-law distribution by enumerate the degree sequence of nodes with power law index $ 2 \lt \gamma \leq 2.585 $ shows that the network has scale-free feature. Thirdly, it is also demonstrated that the average clustering coefficient $ \overline{C_{g}} $ can reach a theoretical lower limit value 0.8182 and the increase of extension coefficient m makes the $ \overline{C_{g}} $ higher than traditional fractal networks. Fourthly, we derive the analytical expression and limit expression of the average path length, and conclude that it has small-world effect. Meanwhile, it is shown that the average path length $ \overline{D_{g}} $ is logarithmically related to Ng growth relationship in Fg. Finally, it is concluded that this extended pseudo-fractal network becomes more effective under the effect of m.
DUVEL: an active-learning annotated biomedical corpus for the recognition of oligogenic combinations
Authors: Nachtegael Charlotte , De Stefani Jacopo , Cnudde Anthony , Lenaerts Tom 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
While biomedical relation extraction (bioRE) datasets have been instrumental in the development of methods to support biocuration of single variants from texts, no datasets are currently available for the extraction of digenic or even oligogenic variant relations, despite the reports in literature that epistatic effects between combinations of variants in different loci (or genes) are important to understand disease etiologies. This work presents the creation of a unique dataset of oligogenic variant combinations, geared to train tools to help in the curation of scientific literature. To overcome the hurdles associated with the number of unlabelled instances and the cost of expertise, active learning (AL) was used to optimize the annotation, thus getting assistance in finding the most informative subset of samples to label. By pre-annotating 85 full-text articles containing the relevant relations from the Oligogenic Diseases Database (OLIDA) with PubTator, text fragments featuring potential digenic variant combinations, i.e. gene–variant–gene–variant, were extracted. The resulting fragments of texts were annotated with ALAMBIC, an AL-based annotation platform. The resulting dataset, called DUVEL, is used to fine-tune four state-of-the-art biomedical language models: BiomedBERT, BiomedBERT-large, BioLinkBERT and BioM-BERT. More than 500 000 text fragments were considered for annotation, finally resulting in a dataset with 8442 fragments, 794 of them being positive instances, covering 95% of the original annotated articles. When applied to gene–variant pair detection, BiomedBERT-large achieves the highest F1 score (0.84) after fine-tuning, demonstrating significant improvement compared to the non-fine-tuned model, underlining the relevance of the DUVEL dataset. This study shows how AL may play an important role in the creation of bioRE dataset relevant for biomedical curation applications. DUVEL provides a unique biomedical corpus focusing on 4-ary relations between two genes and two variants. It is made freely available for research on GitHub and Hugging Face.
Database URL: https://huggingface.co/datasets/cnachteg/duvel or https://doi.org/10.57967/hf/1571
Relation of changes in ABC pathway compliance status to clinical outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation: a report from the COOL-AF registry
Authors: Krittayaphong Rungroj , Chichareon Ply , Methavigul Komsing , Treewaree Sukrit , Lip Gregory Y H 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Aims
The Atrial fibrillation Better Care (ABC) pathway provides a framework for holistic care management of atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. This study aimed to determine the impact of changes in compliance to ABC pathway management on clinical outcomes.

Methods and results
This is a prospective multicenter AF registry. Patients with non-valvular AF were enrolled and followed-up for 3 years. Baseline and follow-up compliance to the ABC pathway was assessed. The main outcomes were all-cause death, ischaemic stroke/systemic embolism, major bleeding, and heart failure. There studied 3096 patients (mean age 67.6 ± 11.1 years, 41.8% female). Patients were categorized into four groups: Group 1: ABC compliant at baseline and 1 year [n = 1022 (33.0%)]; Group 2: ABC non-compliant at baseline but compliant at 1 year [n = 307 (9.9%)]; Group 3: ABC compliant at baseline and non-compliant at 1 year [n = 312 (10.1%)]; and Group 4: ABC non-compliant at baseline and also at 1 year [n = 1455 (47.0%)]. The incidence rates [95% confidence intervals (CI)] of the composite outcome for Group 1–4 were 5.56 (4.54–6.74), 7.42 (5.35–10.03), 9.74 (7.31–12.70), and 11.57 (10.28–12.97), respectively. With Group 1 as a reference, Group 2–4 had hazard ratios (95% CI) of the composite outcome of 1.32 (0.92–1.89), 1.75 (1.26–2.43), and 2.07 (1.65–2.59), respectively.

Conclusion
Re-evaluation of compliance status of the ABC pathway management is needed to optimize integrated care management and improve clinical outcomes. AF patients who were ABC pathway compliant at baseline and also at follow-up had the best clinical outcomes.
Heterogeneity of European farmers’ risk preferences: an individual participant data meta-analysis
Authors: Garcia Viviana , McCallum Chloe , Finger Robert 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
We present a new approach to establish an empirical overview of farmers’ risk preferences and the characteristics associated with these preferences. We rely on an Individual Participant Data Meta-analysis whereby we identify studies eliciting risk preferences through self-assessments and Holt and Laury lotteries, and construct and analyse a unique dataset of 5,157 farmers from 19 studies in 13 European countries. Our results reveal significant heterogeneity in risk preferences across elicitation methods, within and across studies, risk domains and farm and farmer characteristics. European farmers are on average risk-averse when risk preferences are elicited by lotteries, and on average risk-neutral when elicited by self-assessments. Beyond differences in the average risk aversion, there are distributional differences pointing to a limited convergence between elicitation methods and a larger explanatory power of farm and farmer characteristics to determine risk preferences elicited with self-assessments compared to lotteries.
Enrichment and characterization of human-associated mucin-degrading microbial consortia by sequential passage
Authors: Fricker Ashwana D , Yao Tianming , Lindemann Stephen R , Flores Gilberto E 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
Mucin is a glycoprotein secreted throughout the mammalian gastrointestinal tract that can support endogenous microorganisms in the absence of complex polysaccharides. While several mucin-degrading bacteria have been identified, the interindividual differences in microbial communities capable of metabolizing this complex polymer are not well described. To determine whether community assembly on mucin is deterministic across individuals or whether taxonomically distinct but functionally similar mucin-degrading communities are selected across fecal inocula, we used a 10-day in vitro sequential batch culture fermentation from three human donors with mucin as the sole carbon source. For each donor, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was used to characterize microbial community succession, and the short-chain fatty acid profile was determined from the final community. All three communities reached a steady-state by day 7 in which the community composition stabilized. Taxonomic comparisons amongst communities revealed that one of the final communities had Desulfovibrio, another had Akkermansia, and all three shared other members, such as Bacteroides. Metabolic output differences were most notable for one of the donor’s communities, with significantly less production of acetate and propionate than the other two communities. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of developing stable mucin-degrading communities with shared and unique taxa. Furthermore, the mechanisms and efficiencies of mucin degradation across individuals are important for understanding how this community-level process impacts human health.
MIKC type MADS-box transcription factor LcSVP2 is involved in dormancy regulation of the terminal buds in evergreen perennial litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.)
Authors: Ma Meng-Meng , Zhang Hui-Fen , Tian Qi , Wang Hui-Cong , Zhang Fang-Yi , Tian Xue , Zeng Ren-Fang , Huang Xu-Ming 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE (SVP), a member of the MADS-box transcription factor family, has been reported to regulate bud dormancy in deciduous perennial plants. Previously, three LcSVPs (LcSVP1, LcSVP2 and LcSVP3) were identified from litchi genome, and LcSVP2 was highly expressed in the terminal buds of litchi during growth cessation or dormancy stages and down-regulated during growth stages. In this study, the role of LcSVP2 in governing litchi bud dormancy was examined. LcSVP2 was highly expressed in the shoots, especially in the terminal buds at growth cessation stage, whereas low expression was showed in roots, female flowers and seeds. LcSVP2 was found to be located in the nucleus and have transcription inhibitory activity. Overexpression of LcSVP2 in Arabidopsis thaliana resulted in a later flowering phenotype compared to the wild-type control. Silencing LcSVP2 in growing litchi terminal buds delayed re-entry of dormancy, resulting in significantly lower dormancy rate. The treatment also significantly up-regulated litchi FLOWERING LOCUS T2 (LcFT2). Further study indicates that LcSVP2 interacts with an AP2-type transcription factor, SMALL ORGAN SIZE1 (LcSMOS1). Silencing LcSMOS1 promoted budbreak and delayed bud dormancy. Abscisic acid (200 mg/L), which enforced bud dormancy, induced a short-term increase in the expression of LcSVP2 and LcSMOS1. Our study reveals that LcSVP2 may play a crucial role, likely together with LcSMOS1, in dormancy onset of the terminal bud and may also serve as a flowering repressor in evergreen perennial litchi.
Reviewing the constitution-making process in Kenya: The failure of the 2005 constituent process
Authors: Arias Sonsoles 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
Kenya began its democratic era after its declaration of independence and the adoption of its first constitution in 1963. However, this supreme norm of the country would undergo countless reforms by the political elites from the very beginning, mostly to satisfy the partisan demands of the political leaders of the moment. These reforms succeeded in transforming the initially democratic model into an authoritarian, one-party system. After two decades of corruption and abuses of power, political changes in the country, and a wave of democratization after the fall of the Berlin Wall fueled the popular clamor for constitutional change. This article analyses the development of the constitution-making process, which began with the first constitutional amendments introduced to the constitution of the independence, as well as the main factors that led to the rejection of a new draft constitution in the ratification referendum held on November 21, 2005. A key element contributing to the failure of the whole process is the strong influence of political forces in the process, all using partisan methods to achieve perceived political advantages.
Bridging distance: Transnational and local family ties in refugees’ social support networks
Authors: Heidinger Ellen 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
This study examines the familial ties in the social support network of refugees in Germany. It investigates whether distance to family plays a role in the provision of emotional and informational support and how this relationship is moderated by social network services (SNS). Using data from the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees (N = 5237), the paper provides evidence for a family-centred network. Increasing distance to family is generally negatively associated with receiving support. However, the strength of support from the partner and sibling is less affected by distance than support from parents. Findings indicate that emotional support can generally be conveyed across greater distances, while informational support, often entailing location-bound aid, is not as easily transmittable. This study contributes to the understanding of refugee networks as transnational families with intergenerational differences in support. It also refines the depiction of support dynamics as being multifaceted and potentially limited due to fragmented contacts.