bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Barriers toward xenotransplantation in Arab World
Authors: Ghazi Maya , Saleh Aalaa , Abdallah Malak , El Masri Diala , El Masri Jad , El Ayoubi Lemir Majed , Hawi Jihad , Jurjus Abdo 
Published: March 2024

AbstractOrgan transplant is a crucial therapeutic strategy offering a life‐saving and transformative medical intervention. It provides an opportunity to improve their quality of life and increase their lifespan. The shortage of organs remains a critical global challenge, leading to a prolonged waiting times for organ receivers, which contributes to an increase in morbidity and mortality rates. Hence, xenotransplantation offered a promising solution to the global shortage of organs through the use of animal organs, leading to an increase in donor availability, reducing waiting times, minimizing organ trafficking, improving genetic engineering advancements, and driving scientific innovation. Even though xenotransplantation has many benefits in the clinical setting, it has many barriers that are hindering its achievements and constraining its occurrence. Some barriers to xenotransplant are general, such as the immunological barrier, while others are specific to certain regions due to local causes. The Arab region exhibits disparities in clinical settings compared to the global context, marked by the huge economic crisis and a shortage of trained healthcare professionals. Considering the huge resources and advancements needed in the field of xenotransplantation, this review aims to explore the specific barriers toward xenotransplantation in the Arab countries, highlighting the challenges to overcome these barriers.
Elliptic Rigid Inclusion in Soft Materials of Harmonic Type
Authors: Miao Kui , Dai Ming , Gao Cun-Fa 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
We investigate finite plane deformations of an elliptic rigid inclusion embedded in a soft matrix that is made of a particular class of harmonic-type hyperelastic materials. The inclusion is assumed to be perfectly bonded to the matrix, which is subjected to a constant remote in-plane loading. Utilizing the Cauchy integral techniques associated with conformal mappings, we derive closed-form solutions for the full-field deformation, Piola stress, and Cauchy stress in the entire matrix. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the current solutions in comparison with those established from linear elasticity theory. We find that in terms of the Cauchy stress around the inclusion, the maximum normal stress component always appears at the endpoints of the major axis of the inclusion, irrespective of the magnitude of the remote loading, while the maximum hoop stress component occurs not exactly at the above-mentioned endpoints when the remote loading exceeds a certain value. In particular, we identify an exact explicit formula for determining the relative rotation of the inclusion during deformation induced by a remote uniaxial loading of arbitrarily given magnitude and direction.
Updated antimicrobial dosing recommendations for obese patients
Authors: Castro-Balado Ana , Varela-Rey Iria , Mejuto Beatriz , Mondelo-García Cristina , Zarra-Ferro Irene , Rodríguez-Jato Teresa , Fernández-Ferreiro Anxo 
Published: March 2024

ABSTRACT

The prevalence of obesity has increased considerably in the last few decades. Pathophysiological changes in obese patients lead to pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) alterations that can condition the correct exposure to antimicrobials if standard dosages are used. Inadequate dosing in obese patients can lead to toxicity or therapeutic failure. In recent years, additional antimicrobial PK/PD data, extended infusion strategies, and studies in critically ill patients have made it possible to obtain data to provide a better dosage in obese patients. Despite this, it is usually difficult to find information on drug dosing in this population, which is sometimes contradictory. This is a comprehensive review of the dosing of different types of antimicrobials (antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, and antituberculosis drugs) in obese patients, where the literature on PK and possible dosing strategies in obese adults was critically assessed.
Constraining activity and growth substrate of fungal decomposers via assimilation patterns of inorganic carbon and water into lipid biomarkers
Authors: Jabinski Stanislav , d. M. Rangel Wesley , Kopáček Marek , Jílková Veronika , Jansa Jan , Meador Travis B. 
Published: March 2024

ABSTRACT

Fungi are among the few organisms on the planet that can metabolize recalcitrant carbon (C) but are also known to access recently produced plant photosynthate. Therefore, improved quantification of growth and substrate utilization by different fungal ecotypes will help to define the rates and controls of fungal production, the cycling of soil organic matter, and thus the C storage and CO
2
buffering capacity in soil ecosystems. This pure-culture study of fungal isolates combined a dual stable isotope probing (SIP) approach, together with rapid analysis by tandem pyrolysis-gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry to determine the patterns of water-derived hydrogen (H) and inorganic C assimilated into lipid biomarkers of heterotrophic fungi as a function of C substrate. The water H assimilation factor (
α
W
) and the inorganic C assimilation into C
18:2
fatty acid isolated from five fungal species growing on glucose was lower (0.62% ± 0.01% and 4.7% ± 1.6%, respectively) than for species grown on glutamic acid (0.90% ± 0.02% and 7.4% ± 3.7%, respectively). Furthermore, the assimilation ratio (R

IC/
α
W

) for growth on glucose and glutamic acid can distinguish between these two metabolic modes. This dual-SIP assay thus delivers estimates of fungal activity and may help to delineate the predominant substrates that are respired among a matrix of compounds found in natural environments.

IMPORTANCE

Fungal decomposers play important roles in food webs and nutrient cycling because they can feed on both labile and more recalcitrant forms of carbon. This study developed and applied a dual stable isotope assay (
13
C-dissolved inorganic carbon/
2
H) to improve the investigation of fungal activity in the environment. By determining the incorporation patterns of hydrogen and carbon into fungal lipids, this assay delivers estimates of fungal activity and the different metabolic pathways that they employ in ecological and environmental systems.
Characterization of humoral and cellular immunologic responses to an mRNA-based human cytomegalovirus vaccine from a phase 1 trial of healthy adults
Authors: Wu Kai , Hou Yixuan Jacob , Makrinos Dan , Liu Runxia , Zhu Alex , Koch Matthew , Yu Wen-Han , Paila Yamuna D. , Chandramouli Sumana , Panther Lori , Henry Carole , DiPiazza Anthony , Carfi Andrea 
Published: March 2024

ABSTRACT

mRNA-1647 is an investigational mRNA-based vaccine against cytomegalovirus (CMV) that contains sequences encoding the CMV proteins glycoprotein B and pentamer. Humoral and cellular immune responses were evaluated in blood samples collected from healthy CMV-seropositive and CMV-seronegative adults who participated in a phase 1 trial of a three-dose series of mRNA-1647 (NCT03382405). Neutralizing antibody (nAb) titers against fibroblast and epithelial cell infection in sera from CMV-seronegative mRNA-1647 recipients were higher than those in sera from control CMV-seropositive samples and remained elevated up to 12 months after dose 3. nAb responses elicited by mRNA-1647 were comparable across 14 human CMV (HCMV) strains. Frequencies of antigen-specific memory B cells increased in CMV-seropositive and CMV-seronegative participants after each mRNA-1647 dose and remained elevated for up to 6 months after dose 3. mRNA-1647 elicited robust increases in frequencies and polyfunctionality of CD4
+
T helper type 1 and effector CD8
+
T cells in samples from CMV-seronegative and CMV-seropositive participants after stimulation with HCMV-specific peptides. The administration of three doses of mRNA-1647 to healthy adults elicited high nAb titers with wide-breadth, long-lasting memory B cells, and strong polyfunctional T-cell responses. These findings support further clinical development of the mRNA-1647 vaccine against CMV.

IMPORTANCE
Cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common virus that can infect people of all ages, may lead to serious health problems in unborn babies and those with a weakened immune system. Currently, there is no approved vaccine available to prevent CMV infection; however, the investigational messenger RNA (mRNA)–based CMV vaccine, mRNA-1647, is undergoing evaluation in clinical trials. The current analysis examined samples from a phase 1 trial of mRNA-1647 in healthy adults to better understand how the immune system reacts to vaccination. Three doses of mRNA-1647 produced a long-lasting immune response, thus supporting further investigation of the vaccine in the prevention of CMV infection.

CLINICAL TRIALS

Registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (
NCT03382405
).
Draft genome sequence of
Pediococcus acidilactici
3G3 isolated from Philippine fermented pork
Authors: Lara Zachary B. , Amoranto Mia Beatriz C. , Elegado Francisco B. , Dalmacio Leslie Michelle M. , Balolong Marilen Parungao 
Published: March 2024

ABSTRACT

Pediococcus acidilactici
is a well-studied fermentative bacterium reported to have potential probiotic properties. Here, we report the draft genome of
P. acidilactici
3G3 previously isolated from
burong babi
, a Philippine fermented pork dish. The 3G3 draft genome has 1,886,498 bp, a GC content of 42.27%, and a completeness of 99.38%.
Choriocapillaris flow features in children with myopic anisometropia
Authors: Jiang Zhihao , Bo Wu , Yang Zhengfei , Luo Xiaoling , Ni Yao , Zeng Junwen 
Published: March 2024

Aims
To examine differences between the eyes in choriocapillaris perfusion and choroidal thickness in children with myopic anisometropia.

Methods
In this observational and prospective study, 46 children with myopic anisometropia were enrolled. Choriocapillaris perfusion parameters, including the percentage of flow voids, the total number of flow voids and the average flow void area were obtained by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). The OCTA image was divided into a 1 mm-diameter central circle (C1) and a 2.5 mm-diameter annulus (without the inner central 1 mm circle, C1-2.5). Both C1 and C1-2.5 are centred on the foveola. The C1-2.5 was divided into nasal (N1-2.5), temporal (T1-2.5), inferior (I1-2.5) and superior (S1-2.5) areas. Differences in these parameters in different regions between eyes were analysed.

Results
There were no significant differences in the percentage of flow voids and the average flow void area between the fellow eyes. The total number of signal voids was significantly higher in the less myopic eyes in C1-2.5 (p=0.032), S1-2.5 (p=0.008) and N1-2.5 (p=0.019). Changes in spherical equivalent refraction and axial length were both correlated with the changes in the total number of flow voids in N1-2.5 (R=−0.431, p=0.03; R=−0.297, p=0.047).

Conclusions
The choroid in the macular region becomes thinner and the total number of flow voids in the nasal macular region decreased with the amplitude of myopia. This suggests that a decrease in total number of flow voids may indicate an early change in myopia.
A coupled-fluid approach to explore bounce and inflationary cosmology with Barrow holographic as the driving dark fluid
Authors: Saha Sanghati , Chattopadhyay Surajit , Güdekli Ertan 
Published: March 2024

AbstractAssuming that viscous fluid in the form of Barrow holographic dark energy (BHDE) (a particular case of more generalized version of HDE elaborated in Nojiri et al. in Phys Lett B 825:136844, 2022; Symmetry 13(6):928, 2021) and pressure-less dark matter are present across the flat Friedmann–Robertson–Walker universe, we find the precise solutions of viscous BHDE models in non-interacting and interacting scenarios for different choices of scale factor. We show the evolution of the EoS parameters in the viscous non-interacting and interacting situations together with the deceleration parameters for observing the transition time frame. Afterwards, we investigate a bounce inflation model using the analytical results of model’s slow-roll parameters, scalar spectral index, and tensor-to-scalar ratio. We investigated an association between BHDE and scalar field models since inflation is typically attributed to the existence of scalar fields. The evolution of the generated potential from the scalar fields are plotted against time. Finally, we investigated the GSL of the thermodynamics.
Gravitational slip parameter and gravitational waves in Einstein–Cartan theory
Authors: Ranjbar Maryam , Akhshabi Siamak , Shadmehri Mohsen 
Published: March 2024

AbstractWe study the evolution of scalar and tensor cosmological perturbations in the framework of the Einstein–Cartan theory of gravity. The value of the gravitational slip parameter which is defined as the ratio of the two scalar potentials in the Newtonian gauge, can be used to determine whether or not the gravity is modified. We calculate the value of slip parameter in the Einstein–Cartan cosmology and show that it falls within the observed range. We also discuss the evolution of the cosmic gravitational waves as another measure of the modification of gravity.
Cycle discrete-time quantum walks on a noisy quantum computer
Authors: Wadhia Vivek , Chancellor Nicholas , Kendon Viv 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
The rapid development of quantum computing has led to increasing interest in quantum algorithms for a variety of different applications. Quantum walks have also experienced a surge in interest due to their potential use in quantum algorithms. Using the qiskit software package, we test how accurately the current generation of quantum computers provided by IBM can simulate a cycle discrete-time quantum walk. Implementing an 8-node, 8-step walk and a simpler 4-node, 4-step discrete-time quantum walk on an IBM quantum device known as , the results for each step of the respective walks are presented. A custom noise model is developed in order to estimate that noise levels in the quantum device would need to be reduced by at least 94% in order to execute a 16-node, 16-step cycle discrete-time quantum walk to a reasonable level of fidelity.

Graphic abstract
Diagnostic Performance of Carotid Ring Sign on CT-Angiography in Internal Carotid True Occlusion
Authors: Yi Tingyu , Sui Yi , Zheng Dinghuan , Ren Xinwen , Lin Xiaohui , Wu Yanmin , Lin Dinglai , Pan Zhinan , Zheng Xiufen , Hong Ganji , Wu Meihua , Zeng Lisan , Chen Wenhuo 
Published: March 2024

BACKGROUND:
To differentiate between pseudo occlusion (PO) and true occlusion (TO) of internal carotid artery (ICA) is important in thrombectomy treatment planning for patients with acute ischemic stroke. Although delayed contrast filling has been differentiated carotid PO from TO, its application has been limited by the implementations of multiphasic computed tomography angiography. In this study, we hypothesized that carotid ring sign, which is readily acquired from single-phasic CTA, can sufficiently differentiate carotid TO from PO.

METHODS:
One thousand four hundred and twenty patients with anterior circulation stroke receiving endovascular therapy were consecutively recruited through a hospital- and web-based registry. Two hundred patients with nonvisualization of the proximal ICA were included in the analysis after a retrospective screening. Diagnosis of PO or TO of the cervical segment of ICA was made based on digital subtraction angiography. Diagnostic performances of carotid ring sign on arterial-phasic CTA and delayed contrast filling on multiphasic computed tomography angiography were evaluated and compared.

RESULTS:

One-hundred twelve patients had ICA PO and 88 had TO. Carotid ring sign was more common in patients with TO (70.5% versus 6.3%;
P
<0.001), whereas delayed contrast filling was more common in PO (94.9% versus 7.7%;
P
<0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of carotid ring sign in diagnosing carotid TO were 0.70 and 0.94, respectively, whereas sensitivity and specificity of delayed contrast filling was 0.95 and 0.92 in judging carotid PO.

CONCLUSIONS:
Carotid ring sign is a potent imaging marker in diagnosing ICA TO. Carotid ring sign could be complementary to delayed contrast filling sign in differentiating TO from PO, in particular in centers with only single-phasic CTA.
R-tPA Resistance Is Specific for Platelet-Rich Stroke Thrombi and Can Be Overcome by Targeting Nonfibrin Components
Authors: Vandelanotte Sarah , François Olivier , Desender Linda , Staessens Senna , Vanhoorne Alexander , Van Gool Fréderick , Tersteeg Claudia , Vanhoorelbeke Karen , Vanacker Peter , Andersson Tommy , De Meyer Simon F. 
Published: March 2024

BACKGROUND:
Resistance to r-tPA (recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator) is a well-known but poorly understood phenomenon that hampers successful recanalization in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Using clinically relevant thrombi from patients with acute ischemic stroke, we investigated if and how thrombus composition impacts r-tPA-mediated lysis. In addition, we explored strategies to overcome r-tPA resistance.

METHODS:

Thrombi were split into 2 parts, 1 of which was used for thrombolysis and the other for detailed histological analysis. Thrombolysis was performed in normal human plasma using r-tPA alone, using r-tPA in combination with DNase-1 or using r-tPA in combination with N,N′-diacetyl-
l
-cystine. Thrombus lysis was calculated as the percentage of residual thrombus weight compared with its initial weight and the degree of lysis was linked to thrombus composition determined via histology.

RESULTS:

Interestingly, we found that the efficacy of r-tPA-mediated thrombolysis was strongly correlated with the composition of the thrombi. Thrombi containing high amounts of red blood cells and low amounts of DNA and von Willebrand Factor were efficiently degraded by r-tPA, whereas thrombi containing low amounts of red blood cells and higher amounts of DNA and von Willebrand Factor were resistant to r-tPA. Importantly, combination of r-tPA with DNase-1 or N,N′-diacetyl-
l
-cystine significantly and specifically improved the lysis of these r-tPA-resistant thrombi.

CONCLUSIONS:

Using patient thrombus material, our results for the first time show that the composition of stroke thrombi largely determines their susceptibility to r-tPA-mediated thrombolysis. Red blood cell-poor thrombi have a specific resistance to r-tPA, which can be overcome by targeting nonfibrin components using DNase-1 or N,N′-diacetyl-
l
-cystine.
Familiarity Alters the Bandwidth of Perceptual Awareness
Authors: Cohen Michael A. , Sung Skyler , Alaoui Zaki 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Results from paradigms like change blindness and inattentional blindness indicate that observers are unaware of numerous aspects of the visual world. However, intuition suggests that perceptual experience is richer than these results indicate. Why does it feel like we see so much when the data suggests we see so little? One possibility stems from the fact that experimental studies always present observers with stimuli that they have never seen before. Meanwhile, when forming intuitions about perceptual experience, observers reflect on their experiences with scenes with which they are highly familiar (e.g., their office). Does prior experience with a scene change the bandwidth of perceptual awareness? Here, we asked if observers were better at noticing alterations to the periphery in familiar scenes compared with unfamiliar scenes. We found that observers noticed changes to the periphery more frequently with familiar stimuli. Signal detection theoretic analyses revealed that when observers are unfamiliar with a stimulus, they are less sensitive at noticing (d′) and are more conservative in their response criterion (c). Taken together, these results suggest that prior knowledge expands the bandwidth of perceptual awareness. It should be stressed that these results challenge the widely held idea that prior knowledge fills in perception. Overall, these findings highlight how prior knowledge plays an important role in determining the limits of perceptual experience and is an important factor to consider when attempting to reconcile the tension between empirical observation and personal introspection.
Prefrontal–Amygdala Pathways for Object and Social Value Representation
Authors: Pujara Maia S. , Murray Elisabeth A. 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
This special focus article was prepared to honor the memory of our National Institutes of Health colleague, friend, and mentor Leslie G. Ungerleider, who passed away in December 2020, and is based on a presentation given at a symposium held in her honor at the National Institutes of Health in September 2022. In this article, we describe an extension of Leslie Ungerleider's influential work on the object analyzer pathway in which the inferior temporal visual cortex interacts with the amygdala, and then discuss a broader role for the amygdala in stimulus–outcome associative learning in humans and nonhuman primates. We summarize extant data from our and others' laboratories regarding two distinct frontal–amygdala circuits that subserve nonsocial and social valuation processes. Both neuropsychological and neurophysiological data suggest a role for the OFC in nonsocial valuation and the ACC in social valuation. More recent evidence supports the possibility that the amygdala functions in conjunction with these frontal regions to subserve these distinct, complex valuation processes. We emphasize the dynamic nature of valuation processes and advocate for additional research on amygdala–frontal interactions in these domains.
Cortical and Subcortical Mechanisms of Orthographic Word-form Learning
Authors: Tao Yuan , Schubert Teresa , Wiley Robert , Stark Craig , Rapp Brenda 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
We examined the initial stages of orthographic learning in real time as literate adults learned spellings for spoken pseudowords during fMRI scanning. Participants were required to learn and store orthographic word forms because the pseudoword spellings were not uniquely predictable from sound to letter mappings. With eight learning trials per word form, we observed changes in the brain's response as learning was taking place. Accuracy was evaluated during learning, immediately after scanning, and 1 week later. We found evidence of two distinct learning systems—hippocampal and neocortical—operating during orthographic learning, consistent with the predictions of dual systems theories of learning/memory such as the complementary learning systems framework [McClelland, J. L., McNaughton, B. L., & O'Reilly, R. C. Why there are complementary learning systems in the hippocampus and neocortex: Insights from the successes and failures of connectionist models of learning and memory. Psychological Review, 102, 419–457, 1995]. The bilateral hippocampus and the visual word form area (VWFA) showed significant BOLD response changes over learning, with the former exhibiting a rising pattern and the latter exhibiting a falling pattern. Moreover, greater BOLD signal increase in the hippocampus was associated with better postscan recall. In addition, we identified two distinct bilateral brain networks that mirrored the rising and falling patterns of the hippocampus and VWFA. Functional connectivity analysis revealed that regions within each network were internally synchronized. These novel findings highlight, for the first time, the relevance of multiple learning systems in orthographic learning and provide a paradigm that can be used to address critical gaps in our understanding of the neural bases of orthographic learning in general and orthographic word-form learning specifically.