bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Validation of a novel western blot assay to monitor patterns and levels of alpha dystroglycan in skeletal muscle of patients with limb girdle muscular dystrophies
Authors: Rajasingham Thulashitha , Rodriguez Hector M. , Betz Andreas , Sproule Douglas M. , Sinha Uma 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe cell membrane protein, dystroglycan, plays a crucial role in connecting the cytoskeleton of a variety of mammalian cells to the extracellular matrix. The α-subunit of dystroglycan (αDG) is characterized by a high level of glycosylation, including a unique O-mannosyl matriglycan. This specific glycosylation is essential for binding of αDG to extracellular matrix ligands effectively. A subset of muscular dystrophies, called dystroglycanopathies, are associated with aberrant, dysfunctional glycosylation of αDG. This defect prevents myocytes from attaching to the basal membrane, leading to contraction-induced injury. Here, we describe a novel Western blot (WB) assay for determining levels of αDG glycosylation in skeletal muscle tissue. The assay described involves extracting proteins from fine needle tibialis anterior (TA) biopsies and separation using SDS-PAGE followed by WB. Glycosylated and core αDG are then detected in a multiplexed format using fluorescent antibodies. A practical application of this assay is demonstrated with samples from normal donors and patients diagnosed with LGMD2I/R9. Quantitative analysis of the WB, which employed the use of a normal TA derived calibration curve, revealed significantly reduced levels of αDG in patient biopsies relative to unaffected TA. Importantly, the assay was able to distinguish between the L276I homozygous patients and a more severe form of clinical disease observed with other FKRP variants. Data demonstrating the accuracy and reliability of the assay are also presented, which further supports the potential utility of this novel assay to monitor changes in ⍺DG of TA muscle biopsies in the evaluation of potential therapeutics.
Trade-off independent image watermarking using enhanced structured matrix decomposition
Authors: Khan Ahmed , Wong KokSheik , Baskaran Vishnu Monn 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Image watermarking plays a vital role in providing protection from copyright violation. However, conventional watermarking techniques typically exhibit trade-offs in terms of image quality, robustness and capacity constrains. More often than not, these techniques optimize on one constrain while settling with the two other constraints. Therefore, in this paper, an enhanced saliency detection based watermarking method is proposed to simultaneously improve quality, capacity, and robustness. First, the enhanced structured matrix decomposition (E-SMD) is proposed to extract salient regions in the host image for producing a saliency mask. This mask is then applied to partition the foreground and background of the host and watermark images. Subsequently, the watermark (with the same dimension of host image) is shuffled using multiple Arnold and Logistic chaotic maps, and the resulting shuffled-watermark is embedded into the wavelet domain of the host image. Furthermore, a filtering operation is put forward to estimate the original host image so that the proposed watermarking method can also operate in blind mode. In the best case scenario, we could embed a 24-bit image as the watermark into another 24-bit image while maintaining an average SSIM of 0.9999 and achieving high robustness against commonly applied watermark attacks. Furthermore, as per our best knowledge, with high payload embedding, the significant improvement in these features (in terms of saliency, PSNR, SSIM, and NC) has not been achieved by the state-of-the-art methods. Thus, the outcomes of this research realizes a trade-off independent image watermarking method, which is a first of its kind in this domain.
Simulating block-scale flood inundation and streamflow using the WRF-Hydro model in the New York City metropolitan area
Authors: Kilicarslan Berina Mina , Temimi Marouane 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThis study assesses the performance of the Weather Research and Forecasting-Hydrological modeling system (WRF-Hydro) in the simulation of street-scale flood inundation. The case study is the Hackensack River Watershed in New Jersey, US, which is part of the operational Stevens Flood Advisory System (SFAS), a one-way coupled hydrodynamic-hydrologic system that currently uses the Hydrologic Engineering Center's Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) to simulate streamflow. The performance of the 50-m gridded WRF-Hydro model was assessed for potential integration into the operational SFAS system. The model was calibrated with the dynamically dimensioned search algorithm using streamflow observations. The model performance was assessed using (i) streamflow observations, (ii) USGS HWMs, and (iii) crowdsourced data on street inundation. Results show that WRF-Hydro outperformed the HEC-HMS model. WRF-Hydro over and underestimated flood inundation extent due to the inaccuracy of the synthetic rating curves and the modeling structure errors. An agreement was noticed between WRF-Hydro and crowdsourced data on flood extent.
Overdamped Ising machine with stochastic resonance phenomena in large noise condition
Authors: Liao Zhiqiang , Ma Kaijie , Sarker Md Shamim , Yamahara Hiroyasu , Seki Munetoshi , Tabata Hitoshi 
Published: April 2024

AbstractGain-dissipative Ising machines (GIMs) are dedicated devices that can rapidly solve combinatorial optimization problems. The noise intensity in traditional GIMs should be significantly smaller than its saturated fixed-point amplitude, indicating a lower noise margin. To overcome the existing limit, this work proposes an overdamped bistability-based GIM (OBGIM). Numerical test on uncoupled spin network show that the OBGIM has a different bifurcation dynamics from that of the traditional GIM. Moreover, the domain clustering dynamics on non-frustrated network proves that the overdamped bistability enables the GIM to suppress noise-induced random spin-state switching effectively; thus, it can function normally in an environment with a relatively large noise level. Besides, some prevalent frustrated graphs from the SuiteSparse Matrix Collection were adopted as MAXCUT benchmarks. The results show that the OBGIM can induce stochastic resonance phenomenon when solving difficult benchmarks. Compared with the traditional GIM, this characteristic makes the OBGIM achieve comparable solution accuracy in larger noise environment, thus achieving strong noise robustness.
Assessing feasibility of conducting medication review with follow-up among older adults at community pharmacy: a pilot randomised controlled trial
Authors: Christopher Christina Malini , Blebil Ali Qais , Bhuvan KC , Alex Deepa , Ibrahim Mohamed Izham Mohamed , Ismail Norhasimah , Cheong Mark Wing Loong 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Background
Medication review with follow-up is essential for optimising medication utilisation among the older adult population in primary healthcare.

Aim
This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of implementing medication reviews with follow-up for older adults in community pharmacies and examined potential outcomes on medication use.

Method
A pilot randomised controlled trial was conducted with 4 cluster-randomised community pharmacies to assess the feasibility of the intervention. Two community pharmacies served as intervention and control groups. Both groups recruited older adults over 60 who were followed over 6 months. The translated Medication use Questionnaire (MedUseQ) was administered at baseline and 6 months for both groups. The outcomes were to assess the feasibility of conducting medication review with follow-up and the probable medication use outcomes from the intervention.

Results
The intervention and control groups comprised 14 and 13 older adults. A total of 35 recommendations were made by pharmacists in the intervention group and 8 in the control group. MedUseQ was easily administered, providing some evidence the feasibility of the intervention. However, there were feasibility challenges such as a lack of pharmacists, collaborative practice, difficulties with the tool language, time constraints, and limited funds. Questionnaire results provided a signal of improvement in medication administration, adherence, and polypharmacy among intervention participants. The incidence of drug related problems was significantly higher in the control group (median = 1) after 6 months, U = 15, z = − 2.98, p = 0.01.

Conclusion
Medication review with follow-up is potentialy practical in community pharmacies, but there are feasibility issues. While these challenges can be addressed, it is essential to study larger sample sizes to establish more robust evidence regarding outcomes.
Clinical trial registry: ClinicalTrials.Gov NCT05297461.
The Practical Epistemologies of Design and Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Billingsley William 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThis article explores the epistemological trade-offs that practical and technology design fields make by exploring past philosophical discussions of design, practitioner research, and pragmatism. It argues that as technologists apply Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to more domains, the technology brings this same set of epistemological trade-offs with it. The basis of the technology becomes the basis of what it finds. There are correlations between questions that designers face in sampling and gathering data that is rich with context, and those that large-scale machine learning faces in how it approaches the rich context and subjectivity within its training data. AI, however, processes enormous amounts of data and produces models that can be explored. This makes its form of pragmatic inquiry that is amenable to optimisation. Finally, the paper explores implications for education that stem from how we apply AI to pedagogy and explanation, suggesting that the availability of AI-generated explanations and materials may also push pedagogy in directions of pragmatism: the evidence that explanations are effective may precede explorations of why they should be.
How to Do “Ought” with “Is”? A Cognitive Linguistics Approach to the Normativity of Legal Language
Authors: Zeifert Mateusz 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
The paper addresses the question how descriptive language is used to express legal norms. Sentences we find in legislative acts, i.e. statutes, constitutions and regulations, express legal norms. Linguistically speaking, there are various grammatical and lexical ways of expressing norms, such as imperative mood, modal verbs, deontic verbs, etc. However, norms may also be expressed by descriptive sentences, namely sentences in present or future tense and indicative (declarative) mood (i.e. The minister determines the tax rate). In many civil law countries (including Poland), this is a very common, if not the default, form of expressing norms in legislative texts. Often presented as a legal peculiarity, this phenomenon has yet to draw much academic attention. The normative meaning of descriptive sentences is usually attributed to purely pragmatic factors stemming from our shared assumptions about the legal system. However, a closer look reveals that similar grammatical constructions are ubiquitous in everyday communication and in different languages. We tend to utter various sorts of directives using descriptive sentences (Now we add a spoon of salt to the sauce; credit cards are not accepted). This suggests the possibility for a linguistic (as opposed to exclusively legal) explanation. This paper aims to offer such an explanation. Rather than resorting to formal semantics, so prevalent in legal theory, it borrows from Cognitive Linguistics to reveal the cognitive underpinnings of our surprising tendency to express normativity in descriptive terms. This involves four different, yet complementary, theories. Firstly, the theory of conceptual metaphor by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson which explains the phenomenon in question in terms of the metaphor “ought is is”; with “ought” as the more abstract target domain and “is” as the more concrete, cognitively simpler source domain. Secondly, the theory of speech act metonymy by Panther and Thornburg which presents descriptive legal sentences as referring to various components of the underlying cognitive scenario of obligation. Thirdly, Ronald Langacker’s notion of the virtuality of language as the explanation for non-present, including future, perpetual and directive, uses of the present tense. Fourtly, the notion of normative generics which points to the nominal, as opposed to verbal, structure of descriptive legal sentences as the source of their normativity.
Spatial model for daily air quality high resolution estimation
Authors: Jacquinot Morgan , Derain Romain , Armengaud Alexandre , Oppo Sonia 
Published: April 2024

AbstractIn air quality modeling, fine-scale daily mapping is generally calculated from dispersion models involving multiple parameters linked in particular to emissions, which require regular updating and a long computation time. The aim of this work is to provide a simpler model, easily adaptable to other regions and capable of estimating nitrogen dioxide concentrations to a good approximation. To this end, we examine the relationship between daily and annual nitrogen dioxide values. We find that this relationship depends on the range of daily values. Then we provide a statistical model capable of estimating daily concentrations over large areas on a fine spatial scale. The model’s performance is compared with standard geostatistical method such as external drift kriging with cross-validation over one year. The reduced computation time means that daily maps can be produced for use by French air quality observatories.
Murine and Human-Purified very Small Embryonic-like Stem Cells (VSELs) Express Purinergic Receptors and Migrate to Extracellular ATP Gradient
Authors: Bujko Kamila , Brzezniakiewicz-Janus Katarzyna , Jarczak Justyna , Kucia Magdalena , Ratajczak Mariusz Z. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractPurinergic signaling is an ancient primordial signaling system regulating tissue development and specification of various types of stem cells. Thus, functional purinergic receptors are present in several types of cells in the body, including multiple populations of stem cells. However, one stem cell type that has not been evaluated for expression of purinergic receptors is very small embryonic stem cells (VSELs) isolated from postnatal tissues. Herein, we report that human umbilical cord blood (UCB) and murine bone marrow (BM) purified VSELs express mRNA for P1 and P2 purinergic receptors and CD39 and CD73 ectonucleotidases converting extracellular ATP (eATP) into its signaling metabolite extracellular adenosine (eAdo), that antagonizes eATP effects. More importantly, we demonstrate that human and murine VSELs respond by chemotaxis to eATP, and eAdo inhibits this migration. These responses to eATP are mediated by activation of Nlrp3 inflammasome, and exposure of VSELs to its specific inhibitor MCC950 abolished the chemotactic response to ATP. We conclude that purinergic signaling plays an essential, underappreciated role in the biology of these cells and their potential role in response to tissue/organ injuries.
Graphical Abstract
Accuracy of patient-specific CT organ doses from Monte Carlo simulations: influence of CT-based voxel models
Authors: Verfaillie Gwenny , Rutten Jeff , D’Asseler Yves , Bacher Klaus 
Published: April 2024

AbstractMonte Carlo simulations using patient CT images as input are the gold standard to perform patient-specific dosimetry. However, in standard clinical practice patient’s CT images are limited to the reconstructed CT scan range. In this study, organ dose calculations were performed with ImpactMC for chest and cardiac CT using whole-body and anatomy-specific voxel models to estimate the accuracy of CT organ doses based on the latter model. When the 3D patient model is limited to the CT scan range, CT organ doses from Monte Carlo simulations are the most accurate for organs entirely in the field of view. For these organs only the radiation dose related to scatter from the rest of the body is not incorporated. For organs lying partially outside the field of view organ doses are overestimated by not accounting for the non-irradiated tissue mass. This overestimation depends strongly on the amount of the organ volume located outside the field of view. To get a more accurate estimation of the radiation dose to these organs, the ICRP reference organ masses and densities could form a solution. Except for the breast, good agreement in dose was found for most organs. Voxel models generated from clinical CT examinations do not include the overscan in the z-direction. The availability of whole-body voxel models allowed to study this influence as well. As expected, overscan induces slightly higher organ doses.
Assessing the Influences of Noise Suppression Filters on Ultrasonic Concrete Images Generated by an Innovative CMU-SAFT Algorithm
Authors: Tayfur Sena 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Ultrasonic imaging is a useful nondestructive testing technology for visualizing internal structural defects in structures. Despite its utility, since synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT) algorithm demands using advanced equipment to superimpose the measurements, this paper introduces a novel approach named CMU-SAFT to broaden applicability of SAFT on conventional ultrasonic data obviating the necessity for matrix antenna array-equipped devices and preventing hyperbolic patterns. To validate the feasibility of the proposed algorithm, experimental tests were conducted on a laboratory-produced concrete specimen including delamination defects at varying depths. Since other reflectives causing distortion in the ultrasonic image can interfere with the signal, the study also evaluated the influences of different noise suppression filters along with their combinations (band pass, wavelet transform, Wiener, and Savitzky–Golay). CMU-SAFT images were constructed using eleven filter combinations, and their performances were quantitatively assessed using signal-to-noise ratio, signal-to-noise and distortion ratio, total harmonic distortion, root mean square, mean squared ratio, mean absolute error and cross-correlation. The most effective filters and performance indices aligning with CMU-SAFT images considering defect depth and scanning width were suggested. The findings of the study revealed the leading potential of CMU-SAFT algorithm to overcome the need for specialized equipment by utilizing recommended filters and indicators under specific conditions.
Aggressive variant prostate cancer with multiple subcutaneous metastases: a case report
Authors: Hoshino Yusuke , Kanao Kent , Miyama Yu , Kosaka Takeo , Kaneko Go , Shirotake Suguru , Yasuda Masanori , Oyama Masafumi 
Published: April 2024

AbstractA 71-year-old man with bone metastasis of hormone-sensitive prostate cancer was treated with androgen deprivation therapy and apalutamide. Radium-223 and radiation therapy were administered after it become castration resistant. Although prostate-specific antigen levels remained low, multiple subcutaneous metastases of neuroendocrine prostate cancer were observed. A review of the pre-treatment prostate needle biopsy revealed a small component with features suggestive of neuroendocrine differentiation. Phosphatase and tensine homolog loss and tumor protein p53 overexpression were observed, confirming the diagnosis of aggressive variant prostate cancer. Platinum-based chemotherapy was administered; however, the patient died 28 months after diagnosis. In this case, if the diagnosis of aggressive variant prostate cancer had been made at an earlier time by biopsy specimens, there might have been a possibility to improve the prognosis by the earlier introduction of the platinum-based regimen.
Significance of colonization by antibiotic-resistant organisms prior to congenital heart disease surgery in children from low- to middle-income countries sent by non-governmental organizations to Switzerland
Authors: Cousin Vladimir L. , Mwizerwa Leonce , Joye Raphael , Wagner Noémie , Nalecz Tomasz , Bouhabib Maya , Sologashvili Tornike , Wacker Julie , Schrenzel Jacques , Beghetti Maurice , Polito Angelo 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Purpose
Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) from low- to middle-income countries (LMIC) are suspected to have a high prevalence of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms (ARMOs) carriage, but data are currently lacking. Carriage of ARMOs could impact the post-operative course in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of ARMOs carriage in children with CHD from LMIC and its impact on post-operative outcomes.

Methods
This was a retrospective monocentric study from 01/2019 to 12/2022. Included patients were children (0–18 years) from a LMIC admitted after CHD surgery and with AMRO screening performed the week before. Infections and post-operative evolution were compared based on ARMOs carriage status.

Findings
Among 224 surgeries (median age 38.5 months (IQR 22–85.5)), ARMOs carriage was evidenced in 95 cases (42.4%). Main organisms isolated were Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) producing E. coli (75/224) 33.5%)) and ESBL-K. pneumoniae (30/224) 13.4%)). Median mechanical ventilation duration was 1 day (IQR 0–1), PICU stay 3 days (IQR 2–4) and hospital stay 6.5 days (IQR 5–10). A total of 17 infectious episodes occurred in 15 patients, mostly consisting in hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) (12/17). Only two infections were caused by a colonizing ARMO. Occurrence of infections and patients’ outcome were similar between ARMO carriers and non-carriers. Higher use of carbapenems (6 (6.3%) vs 1 (0.8%), p = 0.04) and a trend to a higher use of vancomycin (14 (13.7%) vs 9 (6.9%), p = 0.04) in case of ARMOs carriage. Applying current guidelines, negative swab screening could have led to sparing most of empirical vancomycin therapy (11/12) for HAP based on current guidelines.

Conclusion
Prevalence of AMROs carriage is high in children from LMIC and has a limited impact on patients’ outcome. However, ARMOs carriage leads to higher consumption of antibiotics. Screening may help saving use of broad-spectrum antibiotic in non-carrier patients.
Modest governance as a condition for separating benevolent from malevolent recycling practices in the Netherlands
Authors: Bok Jordi , Colombijn Freek 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe municipal government of Hengelo (Netherlands) has introduced reversed collection and differentiated tariffs for waste collection as two policies to stimulate the separation of household waste at source and reduce residual waste. It has also launched other innovative ways of reducing residual solid waste. While most people comply with the new policies, the citizenry has also reacted with fierce protests and in an astounding diversity of ways to the disposal of their waste, unforeseen by the municipality. Two negative effects of the citizens’ creative reactions have been haphazard separation and the littering of the street. The municipality has reacted with condescension by imposing a mixture of control and pedagogic strategies. The aim of this article is first to demonstrate the amazing width of municipal policies, second, to understand the negative reactions of citizens, and, third, the reasons why municipal responses to these reactions have partly remained without success. We argue that ‘modest governance’, which is more sensitive to the citizens’ life worlds, is necessary if the service co-production of waste management is to be a success.