bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Urinary calprotectin as a diagnostic tool for detecting significant bacteriuria
Authors: Waldecker-Gall Sabina , Waldecker Christoph B. , Babel Nina , Baraliakos Xenofon , Seibert Felix , Westhoff Timm H. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractPyuria in dipstick examination serves as the most widespread screening tool for urinary tract infections (UTI). The absence of pyuria, however, does not exclude UTI. We investigated the diagnostic value of urinary calprotectin, a mediator protein of the innate immune system, which is released by leukocytes, for the detection of UTI and compared it with dipstick pyuria. Since even low numbers of leukocytes in the urine significantly increase urinary calprotectin concentrations, calprotectin might be a more sensitive marker than pyuria detected by dipstick. All 162 patients were prospectively included and underwent a urine dipstick, urine culture, quantification of proteinuria and determination of calprotectin in the urine. Urinary calprotectin was determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). UTI was defined as urine cultures with detection of one or a maximum of two uropathogenic bacteria with ≥ 105 colony-forming units per millilitre (CFU/ml). Exclusion criteria were acute kidney injury, chronic renal insufficiency and tumors of the urinary tract. 71 (43.8%) patients had a UTI. Of the 91 patients without UTI, 23 had a contamination and 19 had evidence of ≥ 105 CFU/ml considered to be asymptomatic bacteriuria. The median calprotectin concentration in patients with UTI and pyuria was significantly higher than in patients with UTI and without pyuria (5510.4 vs. 544.7 ng/ml). In ROC analyses, calprotectin revealed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.70 for the detection of significant bacteriuria. Pyuria in dipstick examinations provided an AUC of 0.71. There was no significant difference between these AUCs in the DeLong test (p = 0.9). In patients with evidence of significant bacteriuria but without pyuria, a significantly higher calprotectin concentration was measured in the urine than in patients with neither pyuria nor UTI (544.7 ng/ml vs 95.6 ng/ml, p = 0.029). Urinary calprotectin is non-inferior to dipstick pyuria in the detection of UTI.
Shining a light on UV-fluorescent floral nectar after 50 years
Authors: Zenchyzen Brandi , Acorn John H. , Merkosky Kian , Hall Jocelyn C. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractNature is aglow with numerous captivating examples of UV-fluorescence in the animal kingdom. Despite a putative role as a visual signal, exploration of UV-fluorescence in plants and its role in plant-animal interactions is lagging in comparison. Almost 50 years ago, UV-fluorescence of floral nectar, a crucial reward for pollinators, was reported for 23 flowering plant species. Since this intriguing discovery, UV-fluorescent nectar has only seldom been addressed in the scientific literature and has not been scrutinized in a phylogenetic or ecological context. Here, we report the prevalence of vibrant UV-fluorescent floral nectar across the family Cleomaceae, including the first photographic documentation in vivo colour for flowering plants. Though Cleomaceae flowers are morphologically diverse varying in colour, nectary prominence, and nectar volume, UV-fluorescent floral nectar may be a ubiquitous characteristic of the family. Fluorescence spectra show that the identity and number of fluorescent compounds in floral nectar may differ among Cleomaceae species. As Cleomaceae pollinators range from insects to bats and birds, we suggest that the UV-fluorescent floral nectar not only functions as a visual cue for the diurnal pollinators but also for the nocturnal/crepuscular pollinators in low light settings.
Kinematic descriptors of arm reaching movement are sensitive to hemisphere-specific immediate neuromodulatory effects of transcranial direct current stimulation post stroke
Authors: Lowenthal-Raz Justine , Liebermann Dario G. , Friedman Jason , Soroker Nachum 
Published: May 2024

AbstractTranscranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) exerts beneficial effects on motor recovery after stroke, presumably by enhancement of adaptive neural plasticity. However, patients with extensive damage may experience null or deleterious effects with the predominant application mode of anodal (excitatory) stimulation of the damaged hemisphere. In such cases, excitatory stimulation of the non-damaged hemisphere might be considered. Here we asked whether tDCS exerts a measurable effect on movement quality of the hemiparetic upper limb, following just a single treatment session. Such effect may inform on the hemisphere that should be excited. Using a single-blinded crossover experimental design, stroke patients and healthy control subjects were assessed before and after anodal, cathodal and sham tDCS, each provided during a single session of reaching training (repeated point-to-point hand movement on an electronic tablet). Group comparisons of endpoint kinematics at baseline—number of peaks in the speed profile (NoP; smoothness), hand-path deviations from the straight line (SLD; accuracy) and movement time (MT; speed)—disclosed greater NoP, larger SLD and longer MT in the stroke group. NoP and MT revealed an advantage for anodal compared to sham stimulation of the lesioned hemisphere. NoP and MT improvements under anodal stimulation of the non-lesioned hemisphere correlated positively with the severity of hemiparesis. Damage to specific cortical regions and white-matter tracts was associated with lower kinematic gains from tDCS. The study shows that simple descriptors of movement kinematics of the hemiparetic upper limb are sensitive enough to demonstrate gain from neuromodulation by tDCS, following just a single session of reaching training. Moreover, the results show that tDCS-related gain is affected by the severity of baseline motor impairment, and by lesion topography.
Discriminatory ability of perioperative heart rate variability in predicting postoperative complications in major urologic surgery: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Ryan Talia , Walker Andrew M. , Liepert David 
Published: May 2024

AbstractWe aimed to determine if continuous perioperative heart rate variability (HRV) monitoring could improve risk stratification compared to a short preoperative measurement in radical cystectomy patients. Electrocardiography (ECG) recordings were collected continuously preoperatively to discharge in 83 patients. Two, 5-min ECG signal segments (preoperative and at 24-h post ECG placement) were analyzed offline to extract HRV metrics. HRV metric discriminatory ability to identify patients with 30-day postoperative complications were analyzed using receiver operating characteristics curves. Sixty participants were included for analysis of which 27 (45%) developed a complication within 30 days postoperative. HRV was reduced in patients with complications. Postoperative standard deviation NN intervals and root mean square of successive differences had area under the curves (AUC) of 0.67 (95% CI 0.54 to 0.81) and 0.68 (95% CI 0.54 to 0.82), respectively. Significant discriminatory abilities were also reported for postoperative frequency metrics of absolute low frequency (LF) [AUC = 0.65 (95% CI 0.51 to 0.79)] and high frequency (HF) powers [AUC = 0.69 (95% CI 0.55 to 0.83)] and total power [AUC = 0.66 (95% CI 0.53 to 0.80)]. Postoperative acquired HRV metrics demonstrated improved discriminatory ability. Our findings suggest that longer-term perioperative HRV monitoring presents with superior ability to stratify complication risk.
Research on the mechanism of academic stress on occupational burnout in Chinese universities
Authors: Cao Jifeng , Dai Tongliang , Dong Hua , Chen Jingyuan , Fan Yuejin 
Published: May 2024

AbstractIn recent years, with the unremitting advancement of higher education reform, academics have been experiencing stress associated with conducting scientific research. In this study focusing on university teachers in China, we adopted a stepwise regression method and reviewed related literature to construct a mechanism of academic stress and occupational burnout. Specifically, we tested job satisfaction and relative deprivation as mediating and moderating variables and conducted empirical research on 1239 teachers from 15 universities in eastern, central, and western China. Our findings show that: (1) academic stress has a significant positive effect on occupational burnout; (2) job satisfaction has a partial role as the intermediary agent between academic stress and occupational burnout; and (3) relative deprivation positively moderates the relationship between academic stress and job satisfaction, indicating that teachers in universities and colleges are also affected by relative deprivation and the perception of inequity. These findings have significant value in the management of higher education and academic research.
Neutralizing antibody responses and cellular responses against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants after mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in kidney transplant recipients
Authors: Kawashiro Keita , Suzuki Rigel , Nogimori Takuto , Tsujino Shuhei , Iwahara Naoya , Hirose Takayuki , Okada Kazufumi , Yamamoto Takuya , Fukuhara Takasuke , Hotta Kiyohiko , Shinohara Nobuo 
Published: May 2024

AbstractAlthough the mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine has improved the mortality rate in the general population, its efficacy against rapidly mutating virus strains, especially in kidney transplant recipients, remains unclear. We examined the anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein IgG antibody and neutralizing antibody titers and cellular immunity against B.1.1, BA.1, and BA.5 antigens in 73 uninfected kidney recipients and 16 uninfected healthy controls who received three doses of an mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. The IgG antibody titers were significantly lower in recipients than in healthy controls. Similarly, neutralizing antibody titers against three viral variants were significantly lower in recipients. When the virus was mutated, the neutralizing antibody titers decreased significantly in both groups. In cellular immunity analysis, the number of spike-specific CD8 + non-naïve T cells against three variants significantly decreased in recipients. Conversely, the frequency of spike-specific Th2 CD4 + T-cells in recipients was higher than that in healthy controls. Nineteen recipients and six healthy controls also received a bivalent omicron-containing booster vaccine, leading to increase IgG and neutralizing antibody titers in both groups. After that, eleven recipients and five healthy controls received XBB.1.5 monovalent vaccines, increasing the neutralizing antibody titers against not only XBB.1.5, but also EG.5.1 and BA.2.86 antigens in kidney recipients. Although kidney recipients did not gain sufficient immunity against Omicron BA.5 with the third dose of vaccine, humoral response against mutant SARS-CoV-2 lineages significantly increased after bivalent Omicron-containing booster vaccine and the XBB.1.5 monovalent vaccine. Therefore, it is important for kidney recipients to continue to administer updated vaccines.
Mastering thermal transport across carbon nanotube contacts through morphological control
Authors: Li Dawei , Takahashi Koji , Li Qin-Yi 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThermally conductive nanomaterials hold great promise for applications in thermal management. However, the interfaces between nanomaterials can significantly impede heat flow, and a comprehensive understanding of thermal transport across nanoscale contacts is highly desired. Here, by integrating a movable nano-manipulator within an electron microscope with a nanofabricated thermal sensor, we adjusted the contact positions, overlapping length, and crossing angles between two carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as desired, while concurrently measuring the thermal contact resistance (TCR) at the van der Waals junction. The TCR far surpassed that of the studied 6 μm-long CNTs, particularly in contacts affected by inevitable nanoscale surface contamination. The TCR per unit area exhibited significant variations across different contact morphologies, spanning two orders of magnitude even for identical pairs of samples, attributable to structural non-uniformity within the CNTs. This in-situ approach and the notable morphology effects can guide the control of heat at the nanoscale.
Influence of Cr3+ cluster defects on crystal structure and optical properties of KDP crystals studied by DFT and UV-Vis
Authors: Li Yang , Zhang Lisong , Sun Xun , Xu Mingxia , Liu Baoan , Zhao Xian , Hao Guokai , Bai Jianyu , Lin Xiaojing 
Published: May 2024

Cr3+ cluster defects induce impurity states in the crystal band gap, which may cause multiphoton absorption and optical absorption in KDP crystals under a 355 nm laser.
Federated knowledge distillation for enhanced insulator defect detection in resource‐constrained environments
Authors: Huang Xiaohu , Jia Minghui , Tai Xianghua , Wang Wei , Hu Qi , Liu Dongping , Guo Peiheng , Tian Shengxiang , Yan Dequan , Han Haishan 
Published: May 2024

AbstractInsulator defect detection is crucial for the stable operation of power systems. It has become a mainstream research direction to realise insulator defect detection based on the combination of line images captured by UAVs and deep learning techniques. However, the existing high‐quality insulator defect detection models still face problems such as relying on massive‐labelled data and huge model parameters. Especially on resource‐constrained devices, it becomes a challenge to strike a balance between model lightweighting and performance. Although the knowledge distillation technique provides a solution for model lightweighting, the loss of information in the distillation process leads to the performance degradation of small models, which in turn creates a paradox between lightweighting and performance. Hence, an insulator defect detection method based on federated knowledge distillation is proposed. The method not only realises the lightweighting of the model, but also effectively improves the model performance by collaboratively training the model through the federated learning approach. Moreover, the asynchronous aggregation approach and model freshness mechanism designed in the method further enhance the training efficiency and collaborative effect. The experimental results show that the detection accuracy and efficiency of this paper's method on public datasets are significantly better than the benchmark algorithm.
Accumulation characteristics of precipitation static on rotating wind turbine blades and its influence on the lightning attachment characteristics
Authors: Jiang Lingfeng , Jiang Zhenglong , Lu Jiazheng , Hu Dexiong , Xie Pengkang , Huang Xiaoqi 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThe linear velocity at the tip of large wind turbine blades can reach 100 m/s, generating static electricity through friction with airborne particles. However, the accumulation characteristics of precipitation static on the blade surface and its impact on the lightning attachment characteristics are rarely reported. The authors constructed a platform for measuring charges on rotating wind turbine blades and employed the electrostatic probe method to obtain the accumulation characteristics of surface charges under different environmental conditions. The experimental results show that positive charges accumulate on the blade surfaces, peaking at 0.69 μC/m2 under experimental conditions. The charge density is positively correlated with airborne particle concentration and blade rotation speed, while it is negatively correlated with relative air humidity. Additionally, the authors developed a model of the electric field distribution on wind turbine blades considering the effects of precipitation static. Simulation results indicate that the electrostatic field induced by precipitation static weakens the field strength in the vicinity of receptors, reaching a minimum of only 38% of the original strength, thereby increasing the probability of lightning protection failure. The findings provide an effective supplement to the lightning attachment mechanism of rotating wind turbine blades.
Identifying the plane position of the receiver coil in a multi‐transmitter IPT system through the identification of parameters
Authors: Li Da , Sun Pan , Wu Xusheng , Liang Yan , Liu Yilin 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThe study introduces a method for identifying the location of receiver coils within a multi‐transmitter IPT system that utilizes shared transmitter coils. In contrast to the conventional receiver coil position recognition methods, this approach eliminates the need for additional detection coils and position sensors. Identifying the location of the receiver coil in a multi‐transmitter IPT system is achieved through the concurrent optimization of the transmitter coil and its electrical characteristics. The study presents the design of coil grouping and control mechanisms for a 3×3 multi‐transmitter. A mathematical model has been developed for the mutual inductance between receiver and transmitter coils on the X–Y plane. Adaptive cooperative particle swarm optimizer (ACPSO) facilitates the identification of mutual inductance and load parameters in a multi‐transmitter IPT system, positioning the receiver coil in a 2D plane using genetic particle swarm optimization (GAPSO) and a mutual inductance mathematical model. The discrepancy in accuracy between the receiver coil's test coordinates and the absolute coordinates remains below 3.5%.
Calcul explicite du coefficient de sécurité au glissement d’un sol meuble et détermination du cercle de rupture le plus probable avec 3 formules simples
Authors: Bangratz Jean-Louis 
Published: May 2024

On présente trois relations originales assorties de quelques constantes adimensionnelles indépendantes du sol permettant le calcul du coefficient de sécurité et la détermination du cercle de rupture le plus probable d’une pente uniforme en sol homogène. La première relation traduit le concept de « courbe intrinsèque de stabilité limite d’une pente en coordonnées réduites ». Elle fait indirectement référence à la forme de la surface de rupture et pourrait être générale dans le cadre des théories de stabilité de pente établies sur le critère de Mohr-Coulomb. Le point milieu de la courbe représente le sol fictif appelé « sol central limite attaché à la pente » et à la taille du glissement. On propose une façon de ramener le cas d’un profil quelconque au profil rectiligne par une voie purement géométrique donc indépendante de la cohésion et de l’angle de frottement du sol, en ne changeant que son poids volumique. Ces formules permettent l’estimation de la zone à renforcer éventuellement. Elles permettent aussi l’estimation des caractéristiques limites ou résiduelles d’un sol où s’est déclaré un glissement, etc.
Transcaval and Intracardiac Extension of Type A Thymoma and Myxoma: A Report of Two Rare Cases
Authors: Taghiyev Zulfugar T. , Beier Lili-Marie , Moustafine Vadim , Bechtel Matthias , Strauch Justus T. , Boening Andreas 
Published: May 2024

AbstractWe report two cases of rare invasive tumors presenting with transvenous and intracardiac extensions. In one instance, an unusual invasive thymoma type A penetrated into the heart chamber; the other case was an extension of a myxoma into the right atrium that was associated with superior vena cava syndrome. Our interest was stimulated by the rarity of these clinicopathological observations and the unusual clinical features of diagnostic and therapeutic methods presented by these cases.
Cost mitigation of factor investing in emerging equity markets
Authors: Stankov Kay , Schiereck Dirk , Flögel Volker 
Published: May 2024

AbstractAt the beginning of factor investing research, the investment universe concentrated on developed markets and transaction costs were paid little attention. Expensive trading costs of factor investing in emerging equity markets influence optimal portfolio decisions. Based on a total costs estimate of factor-based portfolio tilts, a simple cost-mitigation approach increases net performance. Exploiting the structure of market impact, we indirectly control the costs by limiting order sizes relative to their underlying stocks’ short-term liquidity. This cost-efficient strategy yields better implementability and lower-priced turnover while a possible negative effect on gross performance is more than offset.
Spatio-temporal variations of habitat quality in the Greater Bay Area around Hangzhou Bay, based on LUCC and simulation
Authors: He Yu , Ai Wanzheng 
Published: May 2024

Context Habitat quality (HQ) is vital for achieving sustainable regional development. Understanding the spatial patterns and temporal evolution of HQ in the context of land use–cover change (LUCC) is crucial for promoting ecological civilisation and high-quality growth, especially for regions with rapid economic development. Aims In order to analyse the impact of LUCC on habitat quality in the coastal areas with frequent human activities. Methods This study focused on the Greater Bay Area around Hangzhou Bay and analysed the HQ on the basis of LUCC data during 2010–2020 by using the InVEST model and spatial autocorrelation analysis. Additionally, land-use data for multiple scenarios in 2030 were predicted using the PLUS model, and the variations in land use and HQ in the study region during 2020–2030 were assessed. Key results During 2010–2020, the construction land in the region expanded by 1932.79 km2, primarily at the expense of cropland and water areas. The mean HQ values were 0.6287, 0.6181 and 0.6037 for 2010, 2015 and 2020 respectively, indicating a continuous decline. Spatially, HQ exhibited strong clustering during this period. However, there was a clear trend of fragmentation and reduction in ‘high–high’ cluster areas along the coast, mostly owing to the transformation of water areas and wetlands into construction land and cropland. In the projected scenarios (natural development, ND; economic development, ED; crop protection, CP; and ecological protection, EP) for 2030, the mean HQ values are estimated to be 0.5881, 0.5837, 0.5915 and 0.5965 respectively. Compared with 2020, there will be a certain decrease in HQ, with the EP scenario showing the lowest decrease of 0.0052. Conclusions The HQ changes were closely linked to LUCC, the construction-land expansion was the main cause of HQ destruction in the Greater Bay Area around Hangzhou Bay. To alleviate the trend of declining HQ, it is essential to select appropriate development scenarios for each city in the region and coordinate the development of the cities. Implications These findings provide valuable insights for promoting sustainable economic growth in the Greater Bay Area around Hangzhou Bay.
Surface encapsulation of layered oxide cathode material with NiTiO3 for enhanced cycling stability of Na-ion batteries
Authors: Hu 胡 Zilin 紫霖 , Tang 唐 Bin 彬 , Lin 林 Ting 挺 , Zhang 张 Chu 楚 , Niu 牛 Yaoshen 耀申 , Liu 刘 Yuan 渊 , Gao 高 Like 立克 , Xie 谢 Fei 飞 , Rong 容 Xiaohui 晓晖 , Lu 陆 Yaxiang 雅翔 , Hu 胡 Yongsheng 勇胜 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
In Na-ion batteries, O3-type layered oxide cathode materials encounter challenges such as particle cracking, oxygen loss, electrolyte side reactions, and multi-phase transitions during the charge/discharge process. This study focuses on surface coating with NiTiO3 achieved via secondary heat treatment using a coating precursor and the surface material. Through in-situ x-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS), along with crystal structure characterizations of post-cycling materials, it was determined that the NiTiO3 coating layer facilitates the formation of a stable lattice structure, effectively inhibiting lattice oxygen loss and reducing side reaction with the electrolyte. This enhancement in cycling stability was evidenced by a capacity retention of approximately 74% over 300 cycles at 1 C, marking a significant 30% improvement over the initial sample. Furthermore, notable advancements in rate performance were observed. Experimental results indicate that a stable and robust surface structure substantially enhances the overall stability of the bulk phase, presenting a novel approach for designing layered oxide cathodes with higher energy density.