bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
From wires to waves, a novel sensor system for in vivo pressure monitoring
Authors: Wright Daniel Nilsen , Züchner Mark , Annavini Eis , Escalona Manuel J. , Hammerlund Teige Lena , Whist Tvedt Lars Geir , Lervik Andreas , Haga Henning A. , Guiho Thomas , Clausen Ingelin , Glott Thomas , Boulland Jean-Luc 
Published: March 2024

AbstractPressure monitoring in various organs of the body is essential for appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. In almost all situations, monitoring is performed in a hospital setting. Technological advances not only promise to improve clinical pressure monitoring systems, but also engage toward the development of fully implantable systems in ambulatory patients. Such systems would not only provide longitudinal time monitoring to healthcare personnel, but also to the patient who could adjust their way-of-life in response to the measurements. In the past years, we have developed a new type of piezoresistive pressure sensor system. Different bench tests have demonstrated that it delivers precise and reliable pressure measurements in real-time. The potential of this system was confirmed by a continuous recording in a patient that lasted for almost a day. In the present study, we further characterized the functionality of this sensor system by conducting in vivo implantation experiments in nine female farm pigs. To get a step closer to a fully implantable system, we also adapted two different wireless communication solutions to the sensor system. The communication protocols are based on MICS (Medical Implant Communication System) and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) communication. As a proof-of-concept, implantation experiments in nine female pigs demonstrated the functionality of both systems, with a notable technical superiority of the BLE.
Population genetic structure of Randall’s threadfin bream Nemipterus randalli in Indian waters based on mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences
Authors: Raj Neenu , Sukumaran Sandhya , Jose Anjaly , Nisha K. , Roul Subal Kumar , Rahangdale Shikha , Kizhakudan Shoba Joe , Gopalakrishnan A. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractNemipterus randalli, commonly known as Randall’s threadfin bream, is a commercially important marine finfish. Understanding its genetic structure is critical to effective management and conservation efforts. Previous investigations on population structure in this species were limited by geographic coverage. In this study, we utilized the mitochondrial Cytochrome b gene and nuclear Ribosomal protein gene intron Rp S7 sequences to investigate the population genetic structure, demography and genetic diversity of N. randalli along Indian waters. Our results revealed high haplotype diversity but low nucleotide diversity. AMOVA revealed that the variation among the population was highly significant. Hierarchical AMOVA provided further evidence of significant genetic differentiation between the west and east coasts, which was corroborated by the Bayesian tree and the median-joining network diagram. The mtDNA sequences revealed significant genetic structure between populations based on fixation index analysis following the isolation-by-distance model. Furthermore, the neutrality test and mismatch analysis suggest that N. randalli populations may have experienced a population expansion. However, nuclear marker RpS7, showed a high level of polymorphism, which obscured the population structuring observed with the mitochondrial marker. Consequently, concordant results were not obtained when comparing the mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences. The strong genetic differentiation between the east and west coast observed using mitochondrial marker could be attributed to a combination of geographic and environmental factors. These findings lay the groundwork for developing effective conservation and management strategies for N. randalli, considering its genetic structure.
The updated genome of the Hungarian population of Aedes koreicus
Authors: Nagy Nikoletta Andrea , Tóth Gábor Endre , Kurucz Kornélia , Kemenesi Gábor , Laczkó Levente 
Published: March 2024

AbstractVector-borne diseases pose a potential risk to human and animal welfare, and understanding their spread requires genomic resources. The mosquito Aedes koreicus is an emerging vector that has been introduced into Europe more than 15 years ago but only a low quality, fragmented genome was available. In this study, we carried out additional sequencing and assembled and characterized the genome of the species to provide a background for understanding its evolution and biology. The updated genome was 1.1 Gbp long and consisted of 6099 contigs with an N50 value of 329,610 bp and a BUSCO score of 84%. We identified 22,580 genes that could be functionally annotated and paid particular attention to the identification of potential insecticide resistance genes. The assessment of the orthology of the genes indicates a high turnover at the terminal branches of the species tree of mosquitoes with complete genomes, which could contribute to the adaptation and evolutionary success of the species. These results could form the basis for numerous downstream analyzes to develop targets for the control of mosquito populations.
Neutrophil to lymphocytes ratio in deep infiltrating endometriosis as a new toll for clinical management
Authors: Dominoni Mattia , Pasquali Marianna Francesca , Musacchi Valentina , De Silvestri Annalisa , Mauri Matteo , Ferretti Virginia Valeria , Gardella Barbara 
Published: March 2024

AbstractSeveral mechanisms, including altered local and systemic immune system, apoptosis, and new angiogenesis, are responsible for the development and progression of endometriosis. Over the years many markers have been studied, like CA 125 and, recently, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR). This tool is cost-effectiveness and non-invasiveness as a marker of systemic inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study is to assess the role of NLR in the real-life management of patients with endometriosis in order to evaluate the possible association between this value and symptoms. We performed a retrospective analysis of 199 premenopausal women affected by endometriosis, from January 2013 to December 2020, evaluating the characteristics of disease, the symptoms and the NLR. Analyzing the neutrophiles, the mean ± SD value was 6.1 ± 4.5 × 103/ul, while for lymphocytes mean ± SD value was 1.8 ± 0.7.NLR was categorized according to its median value (> 2.62 vs ≤ 2.62). The comparison between NLR values and CA 125, endometriosis stage, dysmenorrhea and presence of chronic pelvic pain, adjusting for previous therapy did not find a significant association. An interesting result, although not significant, was the association between NLR and chronic pelvic pain (OR = 1.9). In the sub-group of patients without previous therapy this association is even stronger (OR = 4.8, 95% CI 0.5–50.2, p = 0.190). The link between NLR and chronic pelvic pain can provide a further hint to the clinician even when taking symptoms into account to develop a particular therapeutic treatment related to the various expressions of NLR. Finally, NLR may enable the creation of customized follow-up protocols that divide patients into high- and low-risk categories for endometriosis recurrence.
Risk assessment and source analysis of heavy metals in soil around an asbestos mine in an arid plateau region, China
Authors: Li Xuwei , Ding Da , Xie Wenyi , Zhang Ya , Kong Lingya , Li Ming , Li Mei , Deng Shaopo 
Published: March 2024

AbstractAsbestos is widely used in construction, manufacturing, and other common industrial fields. Human activities such as mining, processing, and transportation can release heavy metals from asbestos into the surrounding soil environment, posing a health hazard to the mining area's environment and its surrounding residents. The purpose of the present study was to determine the extent of ecological and human health damage caused by asbestos pollution, as well as the primary contributors to the contamination, by examining a large asbestos mine and the surrounding soil in China. The level of heavy metal pollution in soil and sources were analyzed using methods such as the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), potential ecological risk index (RI), and positive matrix factorization (PMF) model. A Monte Carlo simulation-based health risk model was employed to assess the health risks of heavy metals in the study area’s soil to human beings. The results showed that the concentrations of As, Pb, Cr, Cu, and Ni in the soil were 1.74, 0.13, 13.31, 0.33, and 33.37 times higher than the local soil background values, respectively. The Igeo assessment indicated significant accumulation effects for Ni, Cr, and As. The RI evaluation revealed extremely high comprehensive ecological risks (RI ≥ 444) in the vicinity of the waste residue heap and beneficiation area, with Ni exhibiting strong individual potential ecological risk (Eir ≥ 320). The soil health risk assessment demonstrated that As and Cr posed carcinogenic risks to adults, with mean carcinogenic indices (CR) of 1.56E − 05 and 4.14E − 06, respectively. As, Cr, and Cd posed carcinogenic risks to children, with mean CRs of 1.08E − 04, 1.61E − 05, and 2.68E − 06, respectively. Cr also posed certain non-carcinogenic risks to both adults and children. The PMF model identified asbestos contamination as the primary source of heavy metals in the soil surrounding the asbestos mining area, contributing to 79.0%. According to this study, it is recommended that management exercise oversight and regulation over the concentrations of Ni, Cr, Cd, and As in the soil adjacent to asbestos mines, establish a designated control zone to restrict population activities, and locate residential zones at a safe distance from the asbestos mine production zone.
Diagnostic value of IgG antibody and stool antigen tests for chronic Helicobacter pylori infections in Ibb Governorate, Yemen
Authors: Al Ofairi Bashir A. , Saeed Marwan K. , Al-Qubaty Mohammed , Abdulkareem Ahmed. M. , Al-Jahrani Majed A. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThe stool antigen test (SAT) and the serumHelicobacter pylori(H. pylori) IgG antibody assays exhibit significant utility in the clinical diagnosis ofH. pyloriinfection and in distinguishing between acute and chronic infections. The main objective of the current study was to identify the diagnostic value of serumH. pyloriIgG antibody and SAT in the detection ofH. pyloriinfections among chronicH. pylori-infected patients residing in Ibb Governorate, Yemen. 200 patients withH. pyloriinfection, confirmed through positive results in the serum immunochromatographic antibody test, were selected forH. pyloriinfection confirmation using serumH. pyloriIgG antibodies and SAT across diverse hospitals, gastroenterology, and Hepatology clinics in Ibb Governorate. After the selection of patients, blood and stool specimens were obtained from all participants and underwent analysis via the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The prevalence ofH. pyloriinfection demonstrated variability based on the confirmatory tests, with rates of 54% for SAT and 78.5% for serumH. pyloriIgG antibody, contrasting with a 100% prevalence observed in the screening serum immunochromatographic antibody test. Clinically, the study categorizedH. pyloriinfections into four stages, whereby a significant proportion of patients (40.5%) exhibited positivity for both serumH. pyloriIgG antibody and SAT, indicative of active chronic infections. The majority of positive cases only manifested serumH. pyloriIgG antibody presence (chronic infections) at 38%, whereas 13.5% exclusively tested positive for SAT, corresponding to acute infections. Moreover, 88% of patients did not have either serumH. pyloriIgG antibody or SAT (absence of infections) during confirmatory tests. Noteworthy is the study's approach employing multiple tests forH. pyloriinfection detection, focusing predominantly on chronic infections-prevailing types caused byH. pylori. The results revealed a significant association between serum levels ofH. pyloriIgG antibody and SAT results with the presence of diverse gastrointestinal symptoms among patients, which increased with longH. pyloriinfection durations.
Predicting current and future habitat of Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) under climate change
Authors: Qasim Siddiqa , Mahmood Tariq , Rakha Bushra Allah , Nadeem Muhammad Sajid , Akrim Faraz , Aslam Asad , Belant Jerrold L. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractClimate change is among the greatest drivers of biodiversity loss, threatening up to 15–30% of described species by the end of the twenty-first century. We estimated the current suitable habitat and forecasted future distribution ranges of Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) under climate change scenarios. We collected occurrence records of Indian pangolin using burrow counts, remote camera records and previously published literature in Pakistan during 2021–2023. We downloaded bioclimatic data for current (1970–2000) and future (2041–2060, 2061–2080, 2081–2100) climate scenarios from the WorldClim database using the Hadley Global Environment Model (HadGEM3-GC31-LL). We used MaxEnt software to predict current and future distributions of Indian pangolin, then computed the amount of habitat lost, gained, and unchanged across periods. We obtained 560 Indian pangolin occurrences overall, 175 during the study, and 385 from our literature search. Model accuracy was very good (AUC = 0.885, TSS = 0.695), and jackknife tests of variable importance showed that the contribution of annual mean temperature (bio1) was greatest (33.4%), followed by the mean temperature of the coldest quarter (bio-12, 29.3%), temperature seasonality (bio 4, 25.9%), and precipitation seasonality (bio 15, 11.5%). The maxent model predicted that during the current time period (1970–2000) highly suitable habitat for Indian pangolin was (7270 km2, 2.2%), followed by moderately suitable (12,418 km2, 3.7%), less suitable (49,846 km2, 14.8%), and unsuitable habitat (268,355 km2, 79.4%). Highly suitable habitat decreased in the western part of the study area under most SSPs and in the central parts it declined under all SSPs and in future time periods. The predicted loss in the suitable habitat of the Indian pangolin was greatest (26.97%) under SSP 585 followed by SSP 126 (23.67%) during the time 2061–2080. The gain in suitable habitat of Indian pangolin was less than that of losses on average which ranged between 1.91 and 13.11% under all SSPs during all time periods. While the stable habitat of the Indian pangolin ranged between 64.60 and 83.85% under all SSPs during all time periods. Our study provides the current and future habitat ranges of Indian pangolin in the face of a changing climate. The findings of our study could be helpful for policymakers to set up conservation strategies for Indian pangolin in Pakistan.
Electrophysiological signatures of spelling sensitivity development from primary school age to adulthood
Authors: Larionova Ekaterina , Rebreikina Anna , Martynova Olga 
Published: March 2024

AbstractRecognizing spelling errors is important for correct writing and reading, and develops over an extended period. The neural bases of the development of orthographic sensitivity remain poorly understood. We investigated event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with spelling error recognition when performing the orthographic decision task with correctly spelled and misspelled words in children aged 8–10 years old, early adolescents aged 11–14 years old, and adults. Spelling processing in adults included an early stage associated with the initial recognition of conflict between orthography and phonology (reflected in the N400 time window) and a later stage (reflected in the P600 time window) related to re-checking the spelling. In children 8–10 years old, there were no differences in ERPs to correct and misspelled words; in addition, their behavioral scores were worse than those of early adolescents, implying that the ability to quickly recognize the correct spelling is just beginning to develop at this age. In early adolescents, spelling recognition was reflected only at the later stage, corresponding to the P600 component. At the behavioral level, they were worse than adults at recognizing misspelled words. Our data suggest that orthographic sensitivity can develop beyond 14 years.
Mathematical topology and geometry-based classification of tauopathies
Authors: Sugiyama Masumi , Kosik Kenneth S. , Panagiotou Eleni 
Published: March 2024

AbstractNeurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s, are associated with the presence of neurofibrillary lesions formed by tau protein filaments in the cerebral cortex. While it is known that different morphologies of tau filaments characterize different neurodegenerative diseases, there are few metrics of global and local structure complexity that enable to quantify their structural diversity rigorously. In this manuscript, we employ for the first time mathematical topology and geometry to classify neurodegenerative diseases by using cryo-electron microscopy structures of tau filaments that are available in the Protein Data Bank. By employing mathematical topology metrics (Gauss linking integral, writhe and second Vassiliev measure) we achieve a consistent, but more refined classification of tauopathies, than what was previously observed through visual inspection. Our results reveal a hierarchy of classification from global to local topology and geometry characteristics. In particular, we find that tauopathies can be classified with respect to the handedness of their global conformations and the handedness of the relative orientations of their repeats. Progressive supranuclear palsy is identified as an outlier, with a more complex structure than the rest, reflected by a small, but observable knotoid structure (a diagrammatic structure representing non-trivial topology). This topological characteristic can be attributed to a pattern in the beginning of the R3 repeat that is present in all tauopathies but at different extent. Moreover, by comparing single filament to paired filament structures within tauopathies we find a consistent change in the side-chain orientations with respect to the alpha carbon atoms at the area of interaction.
Effect of pre-season and in-season training on anthropometric variables, somatotype, body composition and body proportion in elite basketball players
Authors: Díaz-Martínez A. S. , Vaquero-Cristóbal R. , Albaladejo-Saura M. , Esparza-Ros F. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThe aims of the study were: 1) to evaluate the changes in anthropometric variables, body composition, somatotype and body proportions of elite basketball players throughout the pre-season period; 2) to evaluate the changes in anthropometric variables, body composition, somatotype and body proportions of elite basketball players throughout the in-season period; and 3) to observe if the age and position influenced the variables analyzed. A total of 17 players belonging to the men’s ACB league team competing in the Euroleague (age = 23.42 ± 5.28 years-old) participated in the study. The players underwent an anthropometric measurement before and after the pre-season, as well as four evaluations throughout the in-season. Anthropometric indices, somatotype components according to Heath and Carter, and adiposity were calculated. The results show that during the pre-season, body mass, BMI, sum of 6 and 8 skinfolds, waist/hip ratio, adipose tissue (kg), adipose tissue percentage, and endomorphy decreased, while ectomorphy increased. However, no significant changes were found in the variables analyzed throughout the season; except for endomorphy, which increased along the in-season. Playing position and age did not have a significant influence on the changes in the anthropometric variables throughout the pre-season and the in-season. In conclusion, while changes in the anthropometric variables in the pre-season were observed, these remained the same during the in-season.
Complete electromagnetic consideration of plasmon mode excitation in graphene rectangles by incident terahertz wave
Authors: Mashinsky K. V. , Popov V. V. , Fateev D. V. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThe excitation of terahertz plasmon modes in a graphene rectangle by normally incident linearly polarized electromagnetic wave has been theoretically studied. The complete electromagnetic approach based on formulation of the integral equations for sought-for electromagnetic quantities has been developed. The influence of edge-field effects on excitation of plasmon modes for different polarization of the incident wave and different shapes of graphene rectangle has been studied. The absorption cross-section spectra and the charge density distributions in graphene rectangle for different plasmon modes have been studied. It has been found that the edge-field effect, which results in spreading the plasmon field beyond the geometric boundaries of graphene rectangle, leads to considerable red shifts of the plasmon mode frequencies and modifies the plasmon mode dispersion.
Caldomycin, a new guanidopolyamine produced by a novel agmatine homocoupling enzyme involved in homospermidine biosynthesis
Authors: Kobayashi Teruyuki , Sakamoto Akihiko , Hisano Tamao , Kashiwagi Keiko , Igarashi Kazuei , Takao Koichi , Uemura Takeshi , Furuchi Takemitsu , Sugita Yoshiaki , Moriya Toshiyuki , Oshima Tairo , Terui Yusuke 
Published: March 2024

AbstractAn extreme thermophilic bacterium, Thermus thermophilus produces more than 20 unusual polyamines, but their biosynthetic pathways, including homospermidine, are not yet fully understood. Two types of homospermidine synthases have been identified in plants and bacteria, which use spermidine and putrescine or two molecules of putrescine as substrates. However, homospermidine synthases with such substrate specificity have not been identified in T. thermophilus. Here we identified a novel agmatine homocoupling enzyme that is involved in homospermidine biosynthesis in T. thermophilus. The reaction mechanism is different from that of a previously described homospermidine synthase, and involves conjugation of two molecules of agmatine, which produces a diamidino derivative of homospermidine (caldomycin) as an immediate precursor of homospermidine. We conclude that there is a homospermidine biosynthetic pathway from agmatine via caldomycin synthase followed by ureohydrolase in T. thermophilus. Furthermore, it is shown that caldomycin is a novel compound existing in nature.