bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Detection of rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) infection by real-time PCR from the peripheral blood of animals: a preliminary study
Authors: Jarvi Susan , Jacob John , Mina Alfred , Lyons Malia 
Published: June 2024

AbstractRat lungworm disease or neuroangiostrongyliasis is a cerebral parasitic infection that affects humans and animals alike. Its clinical signs and symptoms can range from mild self-resolving to serious life-threatening conditions. Studies suggest therapeutic interventions during the early stages of infection to be more effective than in later stages. However, early diagnosis of infection is usually problematic without the knowledge of exposure and/or detection of the parasite’s DNA or antibody against the parasite in the cerebrospinal fluid. This requires a lumbar puncture, which is an invasive procedure that generally requires hospitalization. This study evaluates an affordable and less invasive alternative to detect parasitic DNA by PCR from the peripheral blood of potentially infected animals. Blood samples from 58 animals (55 dogs and 3 cats) with clinical suspicion of infection were submitted to our lab between February 2019 and August 2022 by local, licensed veterinarians. DNA was extracted from whole blood, plasma, serum, and/or packed cells using the Qiagen DNeasy Blood & Tissue Kit as per the manufacturer’s protocol. All 58 animals were tested by real-time PCR using the AcanITS1 assay and 32 of these animals (31dogs; 1 cat) were also tested using the AcanR3990 assay. The PCR results for both assays were classified into strongly positive > positive > weakly positive > negative, and equivocal for ambiguous results, based on the strength of the signal. The percent infection detected using the AcanITS1 and AcanR3990 assays was 12.72% (7/55) and 20.68% (6/29), respectively. The overall percent infection detected was 34.37% (11/32), with only two animals testing positive by both assays. The three cats involved in this study tested negative by both assays. These results are promising and warrant further investigations to increase sensitivity including variables that might affect detection in the blood, such as parasite load, and laboratory methodologies.
Association between serum neurofilament light chain and periodontitis
Authors: Zhao Jing , Zhao Panwen 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
Objectives
The association between serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) and periodontitis remains unclear, and there is a need to examine the contribution of serum albumin (SA) in this association. The objective of the study is to investigate the correlation between sNfLand periodontitis, while examining the potential mediator role of SA in this association.

Methods
The study, which included 1218 participants from the 2013–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), aimed to evaluate the association between sNfL and periodontitis through weighted multivariable logistic regression analysis, restricted cubic spline (RCS) models, and stratified models. In addition, mediation analysis was used to investigate the role of SA in mediating this association.

Results
The multivariable logistic regression models revealed that sNfL was significantly linked to periodontitis (model 1: odds ratio [OR], 3.08, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.48 to 6.39, model 2: OR, 3.69; 95% CI, 1.73 to 7.90, model 3: OR, 3.58, 95% CI, 1.52 to 8.43). The RCS models suggested a linear relationship between sNfL and periodontitis. The stratified analysis revealed no significant moderating effects (p-value > 0.05). The mediation analysis demonstrated that SA mediated the correlation between sNfL and periodontitis, with a mediation proportion of 10.62%.

Conclusions
The results point to sNfL being a factor in the heightened risk of periodontitis. Additionally, SA may mediate the changes in periodontitis that are associated with sNfL.

Clinical relevance
sNfL may contribute to the development of periodontitis by mediating changes in SA in humans.
Temporal Development of Microhabitats on Living Habitat Trees in Temperate European Forests
Authors: Spînu A. P. , Nicolaie M. A. , Asbeck T. , Kozak D. , Paillet Y. , Cateau E. , Mikoláš M. , Svoboda M. , Bauhus J. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractTree-related microhabitats (TreMs) have been promoted as indicators of forest biodiversity and to guide conservation practices. Ensuring the provision of diverse TreMs in the long term is crucial for the survival of many forest-dwelling species. Yet, this task is challenging in the absence of information regarding TreM dynamics. We analysed the temporal development of TreMs on 11,569 living trees in temperate European forests. To identify drivers of change in TreM abundance and richness over a period of 3–12 years, we estimated the rates of TreM persistence and loss events at the tree-level using survival analysis methods: persistence was characterised by consistency and increment events (when TreM numbers were maintained or increased) and loss was defined as a reduction in TreM numbers or their disappearance. Stratified Cox proportional hazards models were fitted for different TreM groups. Our study revealed a highly dynamic TreM development on living habitat trees, particularly on large trees. While specific TreMs are prone to disappearing, irrespective of tree species or TreM groups, total TreM richness persists over a 12-year period. TreMs such as crown deadwood, epiphytes or woodpecker cavities are prone to decrease in the long term. However, large trees were more likely to maintain a certain degree of TreM richness. Increasing diameters resulted in high persistence rates in seven TreM groups and concomitantly low loss rates in four of them (exposed sap- and heartwood, concavities). Selecting habitat trees based on TreMs should consider the likelihood of TreMs being lost over time, to ensure the long-term provision of microhabitats for associated species.
Graphical Abstract
Streamlining Acute Abdominal Aortic Dissection Management—An AI-based CT Imaging Workflow
Authors: Raj Anish , Allababidi Ahmad , Kayed Hany , Gerken Andreas L. H. , Müller Julia , Schoenberg Stefan O. , Zöllner Frank G. , Rink Johann S. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractLife-threatening acute aortic dissection (AD) demands timely diagnosis for effective intervention. To streamline intrahospital workflows, automated detection of AD in abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans seems useful to assist humans. We aimed at creating a robust convolutional neural network (CNN)-based pipeline capable of real-time screening for signs of abdominal AD in CT. In this retrospective study, abdominal CT data from AD patients presenting with AD and from non-AD patients were collected (n 195, AD cases 94, mean age 65.9 years, female ratio 35.8%). A CNN-based algorithm was developed with the goal of enabling a robust, automated, and highly sensitive detection of abdominal AD. Two sets from internal (n = 32, AD cases 16) and external sources (n = 1189, AD cases 100) were procured for validation. The abdominal region was extracted, followed by the automatic isolation of the aorta region of interest (ROI) and highlighting of the membrane via edge extraction, followed by classification of the aortic ROI as dissected/healthy. A fivefold cross-validation was employed on the internal set, and an ensemble of the 5 trained models was used to predict the internal and external validation set. Evaluation metrics included receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and balanced accuracy. The AUC, balanced accuracy, and sensitivity scores of the internal dataset were 0.932 (CI 0.891–0.963), 0.860, and 0.885, respectively. For the internal validation dataset, the AUC, balanced accuracy, and sensitivity scores were 0.887 (CI 0.732–0.988), 0.781, and 0.875, respectively. Furthermore, for the external validation dataset, AUC, balanced accuracy, and sensitivity scores were 0.993 (CI 0.918–0.994), 0.933, and 1.000, respectively. The proposed automated pipeline could assist humans in expediting acute aortic dissection management when integrated into clinical workflows.
Are generics and negativity about social groups common on social media? A comparative analysis of Twitter (X) data
Authors: Peters Uwe , Quintana Ignacio Ojea 
Published: June 2024

AbstractMany philosophers hold that generics (i.e., unquantified generalizations) are pervasive in communication and that when they are about social groups, this may offend and polarize people because generics gloss over variations between individuals. Generics about social groups might be particularly common on Twitter (X). This remains unexplored, however. Using machine learning (ML) techniques, we therefore developed an automatic classifier for social generics, applied it to 1.1 million tweets about people, and analyzed the tweets. While it is often suggested that generics are ubiquitous in everyday communication, we found that most tweets (78%) about people contained no generics. However, tweets with generics received more “likes” and retweets. Furthermore, while recent psychological research may lead to the prediction that tweets with generics about political groups are more common than tweets with generics about ethnic groups, we found the opposite. However, consistent with recent claims that political animosity is less constrained by social norms than animosity against gender and ethnic groups, negative tweets with generics about political groups were significantly more prevalent and retweeted than negative tweets about ethnic groups. Our study provides the first ML-based insights into the use and impact of social generics on Twitter.
Adjuvant Analgesics in Acute Pain – Evaluation of Efficacy
Authors: Kummer Isabelle , Lüthi Andreas , Klingler Gabriela , Andereggen Lukas , Urman Richard D. , Luedi Markus M. , Stieger Andrea 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
Purpose of the Review
Acute postoperative pain impacts a significant number of patients and is associated with various complications, such as a higher occurrence of chronic postsurgical pain as well as increased morbidity and mortality.

Recent Findings
Opioids are often used to manage severe pain, but they come with serious adverse effects, such as sedation, respiratory depression, postoperative nausea and vomiting, and impaired bowel function. Therefore, most enhanced recovery after surgery protocols promote multimodal analgesia, which includes adjuvant analgesics, to provide optimal pain control. In this article, we aim to offer a comprehensive review of the contemporary literature on adjuvant analgesics in the management of acute pain, especially in the perioperative setting.

Summary
Adjuvant analgesics have proven efficacy in treating postoperative pain and reducing need for opioids. While ketamine is an established option for opioid-dependent patients, magnesium and α2-agonists have, in addition to their analgetic effect, the potential to attenuate hemodynamic responses, which make them especially useful in painful laparoscopic procedures. Furthermore, α2-agonists and dexamethasone can extend the analgesic effect of regional anesthesia techniques. However, findings for lidocaine remain inconclusive.
The Relational Dimension of Liberation (vimutti) in the Pāli Discourses of the Buddha
Authors: Sangiacomo Andrea 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThis paper investigates the embodied dimension of liberation (vimutti) in the Pāli discourses of the Buddha. Liberation is to be understood in relation to different kinds of “persons”’ who experience reality in different ways. For the ordinary person, there might be a presumption of being free, but there is actually no experience of liberation. For the disciple in training, liberation starts to become real and shows itself to be different to the ordinary person’s way of life. Eventually, for the awakened disciple, the ordinary way of life is entirely left behind. This does not necessarily entail an escape from the world of embodied life, but it does open new possibilities for choice and freedom in the overall psychophysical and social ecosystem. In all these cases, liberation (or its lack thereof) must be understood from a relational perspective, namely, in connection with how one functions and behaves in relation to other living beings.
Development and Validation of the Inventory of Meditation Experiences (IME)
Authors: Van Dam Nicholas T. , Targett Jessica , Burger Alex , Davies Jonathan N. , Galante Julieta 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
Objectives
Meditation is increasingly popular, and yet studies of meditation-related adverse effects, or experiences of unusual psychological states, have mostly focused on those of extremely unpleasant or pleasant nature, respectively, despite the wide range of possible experiences. We aimed to create an instrument to capture meditation-related experiences of varied intensity and subjective valence.

Method
We collected detailed data from 886 US meditators after screening over 3000 individuals to generate a sample representative of major types of meditation practices and experience levels. Participants answered questions about meditation history, mental health, and 103 meditation-related experiences identified for the development of the Inventory of Meditation Experiences (IME).

Results
Parallel analysis guided the eventual determination of factors; exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis yielded good model-to-data fit on a 30-item, 3-factor version of the scale. The total scale and subscales showed expected correlations with measures of adverse effects, meditation characteristics, and mental health symptoms. Analysis indicated utility in examining experience intensity and valence as potentially distinct or combined features of experiences.

Conclusions
The IME is a psychometrically valid tool that may prove useful to assess a variety of meditation-related experiences that account for both the intensity and subjective valence of those experiences.

Preregistration
While several hypotheses were preregistered (https://osf.io/r8beh/), the present study pertains only to the development and validation of the instrument.
Resection of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in octogenarians: a single-center analysis
Authors: Weigle Clara A. , Beetz Oliver , Wiemann Bengt A. , Tessmer Philipp , Störzer Simon , Cammann Sebastian , Vondran Florian W. R. , Oldhafer Felix , Schmelzle Moritz , Richter Nicolas 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThe rapidly aging population in industrialized countries comes with an increased incidence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCC) which presents new challenges for oncological treatments especially in elderly patients. Thus, the question arises to what extent the benefit of surgical resections, as the only curative treatment option, outweighs possible perioperative risks in patients ≥ 80 years of age (octogenarians). We therefore retrospectively analyzed 311 patients who underwent resection for iCC at Hannover Medical School between January 1996 and December 2022. In total, there were 11 patients older than 80 years in our collective. Despite similar tumor size, octogenarians underwent comparatively less extensive surgery (54.5% major resections in octogenarians vs. 82.7% in all other patients; p = 0.033) with comparable rates of lymphadenectomy and tumor-free resection margins. Furthermore, we did not observe increased major postoperative morbidity (Clavien-Dindo ≥ IIIa complications: 27.3% vs. 34.3% in all other patients; p = 0.754) or mortality (estimated 1-year OS of 70.7% vs. 72.5% in all other patients, p = 0.099). The length of intensive care unit (ICU) or intermediate care unit (IMC) stay was significantly longer in octogenarians, however, with a comparable length in total hospital stay. The estimated overall survival (OS) did also not differ significantly, although a trend towards reduced long-term survival was observed (14.5 months vs. 28.03 months in all other patients; p = 0.099). In conclusion, primary resection is a justifiable and safe therapeutic option even in octogenarians but requires an even more thorough preoperative patient selection.
Coercive inequalities on Carnot groups: taming singularities
Authors: Bou Dagher E. , Zegarliński B. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractIn the setting of Carnot groups, we propose an approach of taming singularities to get coercive inequalities. To this end, we develop a technique to introduce natural singularities in the energy function U in order to force one of the coercivity conditions. In particular, we explore explicit constructions of probability measures on Carnot groups which secure Poincaré and even Logarithmic Sobolev inequalities. As applications, we get analogues of the Dyson–Ornstein–Uhlenbeck model on the Heisenberg group and obtain results on the discreteness of the spectrum of related Markov generators.
How Can Practitioners Support Citizen Volunteers in Disaster Risk Reduction? Insight from “Good and Ready” in Aotearoa New Zealand
Authors: Le Dé Loïc , Ronoh Steve , Kyu Ei Mon Thinn , Rive Brigitte 
Published: June 2024

AbstractGlobal and national policy frameworks emphasize the importance of people’s participation and volunteers’ role in disaster risk reduction. While research has extensively focused on volunteers in disaster response and recovery, less attention has been paid on how organizations involved in disaster risk management can support volunteers in leading and coordinating community-based disaster risk reduction. In 2019, the New Zealand Red Cross piloted the Good and Ready initiative in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand, with the objective to empower local people in resilience building with a focus on volunteers and community participation. This research examined the positive and negative outcomes of Good and Ready and investigated volunteers’ experiences in the disaster resilience initiative. It involved the codesign of a questionnaire-based survey using participatory methods with Good and Ready volunteers, the dissemination of the survey to gather volunteers’ viewpoints, and a focus group discussion with participatory activities with Red Cross volunteers. The findings highlight that a key challenge lies in finding a balance between a program that provides flexibility to address contextual issues and fosters communities’ ownership, versus a prescriptive and standardized approach that leaves little room for creativity and self-initiative. It pinpoints that supporting volunteers with technical training is critical but that soft skills training such as coordinating, communicating, or facilitating activities at the local level are needed. It concludes that the sustainability of Good and Ready requires understanding and meeting volunteers’ motivations and expectations and that enhancing partnerships with local emergency management agencies would strengthen the program.
Mangroves in Egypt and the Middle East: current status, threats, and opportunities
Authors: Waleed T. A. , Abdel-Maksoud Y. K. , Kanwar R. S. , Sewilam H. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractMangrove forests are among the Nature Based Solutions (NBS) that help in mitigating climate change effects as they sequester carbon dioxide gas four times greater than normal forests. They stabilize coastlines, reduce coastal flooding, and provide nurseries to wildlife. Only two mangrove species exist in the Middle East: Avicennia marina and Rhizophora mucronata, due to their high tolerance to the region’s harsh and dry environmental conditions. This paper presents a comprehensive review on the current mangrove status in these countries, threats facing them, and rehabilitation initiatives taken to increase mangrove plantations in the Middle East. The review showed that Middle Eastern mangroves are dwarves, grow in dispatched form, have limited access to freshwater inflow, and are dominated by Avicennia marina specie. The largest and smallest mangrove cover were 20,400 ha and 80 ha found in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain respectively. Uncontrolled camel grazing, oil spills, habitat destruction, irresponsible tourism, and solid waste accumulation are from the major threats facing mangrove ecosystems. Climate change impacts through increased seawater salinity and temperature, microplastics, and heavy metals introduction to seawater threaten mangroves health. Various mangrove rehabilitation initiatives have taken place in Oman, Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt as they have planted 1.5 million, 140 thousand, 1 million, 4.3 million, and 0.3 million mangrove trees respectively. This research presents some regulatory framework and policies needed for mangrove plantations rehabilitation for the mitigation of Green House Gases (GHG) and improve the livelihood of the indigenous people living along the coastal areas of the world.
Time-dependent design of hyperelastic bonded joints in structural glass
Authors: Schaaf Benjamin , Feldmann Markus 
Published: June 2024

AbstractFor glass constructions with a high degree of transparency, facade systems with structural sealant glazing are increasingly being used. However, the use of bonded joints is also suitable for many other applications in glass construction. Even today, the design of bonded joints is still based on the outdated global safety concept according to ETAG 002. Although the safety and predictability of hyperelastic silicone bonds have been continuously shown by research activities during recent years, high levels of safety are still required in the design, which is mainly due to the expected degradation of the adhesive. From a design perspective, it is necessary to consider the time dependency. On the one hand, the bonded joint must be able to withstand variable loads of different strain rates at any time during its service life, taking degradation into account. On the other hand, if the bonded joint is also under a permanent load due to dead load of the glazing, it must also be ensured that the failure time would only be attained at the end of the component's service life. This article presents a fully probabilistic method that considers the degradation of the adhesive as well as various statistical influencing quantities (such as wind effects, manufacturing tolerances or material scattering) and determines a modification coefficient $${k}_{mod}$$

k

mod

for silicone adhesives under variable loads by calibrating to specified reliability indices. In addition, partial safety factors are determined in accordance with Eurocode 0, which are investigated as part of a sensitivity analysis.
Adaptive Real Time Efficient Control Algorithm for Buildings Under Wind and Earthquake Forces
Authors: Abdulateef Wisam S. , Hejazi Farzad 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThe study aims to tackle two key issues: the dependency of optimal controllers on available training data and their limited capability in managing multi-component structural responses. Real Time Fuzzy Logic Efficient Control system (RTFLEC) was developed to address these challenges. This system integrates a fuzzy logic inference system with a multi-verse optimization algorithm and utilizes real time training for real-time optimal controller derivation. It incorporates decentralized systems and optimal controller memory concepts and employs a magnetorheological damper (MR) for adjustable vibration control. Two case studies were conducted to evaluate the RTFLEC system's effectiveness. The first study focused on a three-story shear building under seismic loads, while the second analyzed a 76-story building facing multi-directional wind loads. The results showed that RTFLEC system reduced structural drifts by 28.33% and 51.5% during near-field and far-field earthquakes, respectively. It also decreased structural acceleration by 27.66% and 53% during near-field and far-field earthquakes, respectively. For wind-induced structures, it reduced story displacement by 37.5%, 14.5%, and 12% against across-wind, along-wind, and rotational forces, respectively. RTFLEC system demonstrated robust performance against uncertainties in external excitations, providing exceptional structural responses. Its key advantage lies in real-time adaptability, requiring minimal training data and computational processing. These findings highlight its significant potential in enhancing the performance of adaptive vibration control systems under unpredictable real-world loads.