bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Rational design of metal-responsive functional DNA supramolecules
Authors: Takezawa Yusuke 
Published: February 2024

AbstractDNA molecules have excellent molecular recognition abilities through the complementary hydrogen-bonded base pairing. Since the hybridization of oligonucleotides can be programmed based on the sequences of the nucleobases, a great number of DNA supramolecular architectures have been constructed via self-assembly processes. The development of stimuli-responsive DNA supramolecules has attracted increasing interests because it will contribute to the construction of dynamic molecular systems such as molecular machines. Metal ions are considered as useful chemical stimuli, but the construction of metal-responsive DNA systems is still in the early stage. This review article describes current progress on the development of DNA supramolecules whose structure and function can be regulated in response to metal ions, with mainly focusing on our recent studies. The basic strategy is the introduction of unnatural metal ligands that form interstrand metal complexes in DNA structures. For example, artificial metal-mediated base pairs, formed through complexation between ligand-type nucleobase analogs and a bridging metal ion, were incorporated into known DNAzymes (catalytic DNA) to allosterically regulate their activity in a metal-responsive manner. Novel ligand-type nucleobases that form both metal-mediated and hydrogen-bonded base pairs have been recently devised as metal-responsive building blocks, and were used to construct a simple prototype of DNA molecular machines. Branched DNA structures bearing metal ligands at the junction core were also synthesized as novel structural motifs, with which metal-mediated structure transformation was demonstrated. These metal-responsive DNA supramolecules are expected to expand the toolbox of DNA-based supramolecular chemistry and nanotechnology.
Pseudo-value regression trees
Authors: Schenk Alina , Berger Moritz , Schmid Matthias 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThis paper presents a semi-parametric modeling technique for estimating the survival function from a set of right-censored time-to-event data. Our method, named pseudo-value regression trees (PRT), is based on the pseudo-value regression framework, modeling individual-specific survival probabilities by computing pseudo-values and relating them to a set of covariates. The standard approach to pseudo-value regression is to fit a main-effects model using generalized estimating equations (GEE). PRT extend this approach by building a multivariate regression tree with pseudo-value outcome and by successively fitting a set of regularized additive models to the data in the nodes of the tree. Due to the combination of tree learning and additive modeling, PRT are able to perform variable selection and to identify relevant interactions between the covariates, thereby addressing several limitations of the standard GEE approach. In addition, PRT include time-dependent effects in the node-wise models. Interpretability of the PRT fits is ensured by controlling the tree depth. Based on the results of two simulation studies, we investigate the properties of the PRT method and compare it to several alternative modeling techniques. Furthermore, we illustrate PRT by analyzing survival in 3,652 patients enrolled for a randomized study on primary invasive breast cancer.
New Insight into Toughness Enhancement in a Lath Martensitic Steel
Authors: Mirzaei Ahmad , Barrett Christopher D. , Ma Xiang , Hodgson Peter D. , Beladi Hossein 
Published: February 2024

AbstractGrain refinement of the parent austenite led to a significant change in the intervariant boundary network of martensite, ultimately improving the mechanical properties (i.e., toughness and hardness). Molecular dynamics simulation demonstrated that the propensity for crack propagation was largely governed by the intervariant boundary energy, where the crack propagation rate was much faster for the high-energy 60 deg/[110] twist boundary than the low-energy 60 deg/[111] symmetric tilt boundary. This agreed with experimental observations where parent austenite grain refinement increased the low-energy boundary population at the expense of high-energy intervariant boundaries in martensite. In turn, this led to a significant toughness improvement without sacrificing the strength. This finding demonstrates that the mechanical properties of a martensitic microstructure can be significantly improved through intervariant boundary network engineering.
Impact of two Erwinia sp. on the response of diverse Pisum sativum genotypes under salt stress
Authors: Ilahi Houda , Zampieri Elisa , Sbrana Cristiana , Brescia Francesca , Giovannini Luca , Mahmoudi Roghayyeh , Gohari Gholamreza , El Idrissi Mustapha Missbah , Alfeddy Mohamed Najib , Schillaci Martino , Ouahmane Lahcen , Calvo Alice , Sillo Fabiano , Fotopoulos Vasileios , Balestrini Raffaella , Mnasri Bacem 
Published: February 2024

AbstractCurrently, salinization is impacting more than 50% of arable land, posing a significant challenge to agriculture globally. Salt causes osmotic and ionic stress, determining cell dehydration, ion homeostasis, and metabolic process alteration, thus negatively influencing plant development. A promising sustainable approach to improve plant tolerance to salinity is the use of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB). This work aimed to characterize two bacterial strains, that have been isolated from pea root nodules, initially called PG1 and PG2, and assess their impact on growth, physiological, biochemical, and molecular parameters in three pea genotypes (Merveille de Kelvedon, Lincoln, Meraviglia d’Italia) under salinity. Bacterial strains were molecularly identified, and characterized by in vitro assays to evaluate the plant growth promoting abilities. Both strains were identified as Erwinia sp., demonstrating in vitro biosynthesis of IAA, ACC deaminase activity, as well as the capacity to grow in presence of NaCl and PEG. Considering the inoculation of plants, pea biometric parameters were unaffected by the presence of the bacteria, independently by the considered genotype. Conversely, the three pea genotypes differed in the regulation of antioxidant genes coding for catalase (PsCAT) and superoxide dismutase (PsSOD). The highest proline levels (212.88 μmol g−1) were detected in salt-stressed Lincoln plants inoculated with PG1, along with the up-regulation of PsSOD and PsCAT. Conversely, PG2 inoculation resulted in the lowest proline levels that were observed in Lincoln and Meraviglia d’Italia (35.39 and 23.67 μmol g−1, respectively). Overall, this study highlights the potential of these two strains as beneficial plant growth-promoting bacteria in saline environments, showing that their inoculation modulates responses in pea plants, affecting antioxidant gene expression and proline accumulation.
A Psychological Need-Fulfillment Perspective for Designing Social Robots that Support Well-Being
Authors: Janssen Suzanne , Schadenberg Bob R. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThis conceptual paper presents a novel framework for the design and study of social robots that support well-being. Building upon the self-determination theory and the associated Motivation, Engagement, and Thriving in User Experience (METUX) model, this paper argues that users’ psychological basic needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness should be put at the center of social robot design. These basic needs are essential to people’s psychological well-being, engagement, and self-motivation. However, current literature offers limited insights into how human–robot interactions are related to users’ experiences of the satisfaction of their basic psychological needs and thus, to their well-being and flourishing. We propose that a need-fulfillment perspective could be an inspiring lens for the design of social robots, including socially assistive robots. We conceptualize various ways in which a psychological need-fulfillment perspective may be incorporated into future human–robot interaction research and design, ranging from the interface level to the specific tasks performed by a robot or the user’s behavior supported by the robot. The paper discusses the implications of the framework for designing social robots that promote well-being, as well as the implications for future research.
Visual conservation treatment dilemmas in neuroblastoma with bilateral blindness
Authors: Cheng Haiyan , Lin Yu , Yang Wei , Chang Xiaofeng , Feng Jun , Yang Shen , Liu Shan , Yu Tong , Peng Xiaojiao , Zheng Panpan , Zhang Chengyue , Jia Haiwei , Qin Hong , Wang Huanmin 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Objective
To investigate the clinical features, treatment strategies, and prognosis of neuroblastoma with bilateral blindness.

Methods
The clinical data of five patients with bilateral blindness neuroblastoma admitted to Beijing Children’s Hospital from April 2018 to September 2020 were retrospectively collected to summarize their clinical characteristics.

Results
All patients were female and the median age at presentation was 25 (23, 41) months. The median intervention time from the onset of symptoms of bilateral blindness to the start of treatment was 10 (10, 12) days. All five cases were staged as stage M and grouped as high risk. Four cases were MYCN gene amplification and one case was MYCN acquisition. Five children were treated according to a high-risk neuroblastoma treatment protocol. Four children did not recover their vision after treatment, and one case improved to have light perception. All patients were effectively followed up for a median of 20 (12, 31) months, with three deaths, one tumor-free survival, and one recurrent tumor-bearing survival.

Conclusion
Neuroblastoma with bilateral blindness is rare in the clinic, mostly in children of young age, and is often associated with MYCN amplification and multiple metastases. Early hormone shock therapy and optic nerve decompression are beneficial for preserving the child’s vision. A joint multi-disciplinary treatment may help in the formulation of treatment decisions. Achieving a balance between good visual preservation and survival within the short optic nerve neurotherapeutic window is extremely challenging.
Current and future of immunotherapy for thyroid cancer based on bibliometrics and clinical trials
Authors: Wang Ke , Zhang Ying , Xing Yang , Wang Hong , He Minghua , Guo Rui 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Background
Thyroid cancer is a leading endocrine malignancy, with anaplastic and medullary subtypes posing treatment challenges. Existing therapies have limited efficacy, highlighting a need for innovative approaches.

Methods
We analyzed 658 articles and 87 eligible clinical trials using bibliometric tools and database searches, including annual publication and citation trends, were executed using Web of Science, CiteSpace, and VOS Viewer.

Results
Post-2018, there is a surge in thyroid cancer immunotherapy research, primarily from China and the University of Pisa. Of the 87 trials, 32 were Phase I and 55 were Phase II, mostly exploring combination therapies involving immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Conclusion
The study's dual approach verifies the swift advancement of thyroid cancer immunotherapy from diverse perspectives. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have become the preferred regimen for advanced MTC and ATC in late therapeutic lines. However, since ICB plays a pivotal role in ATC, current clinical trial data show that ATC patients account for more and the curative effect is more accurate. Anticipated future developments are inclined toward combination regimens integrating immunotherapy with chemotherapy or targeted therapies. Emerging approaches, such as bispecific antibodies, cytokine-based therapies, and adoptive cell therapies like CAR-T and TCR-T, are exhibiting considerable potential. Upcoming research is expected to concentrate on refining the tumor immune milieu and discovering novel biomarkers germane to immunotherapeutic interventions.
From climate perceptions to actions: A case study on coffee farms in Ethiopia
Authors: Gomm Xenia , Ayalew Biruk , Hylander Kristoffer , Zignol Francesco , Börjeson Lowe , Tack Ayco J. M. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractIncreasing temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns have major consequences for smallholder farmers, especially in the Global South. Our study examined spatial patterns and climatic drivers of farmers' perceptions of climate change, and how these perceptions translated into adaptation actions. We interviewed 56 farmers in southwestern Ethiopia and analyzed ERA5-Land reanalysis climate data from 1971 to 2020. The majority of farmers perceived the recorded temperature increase as well as a decrease and shift in the timing of rainfall. Perceived climate change varied with local climate factors and not with the rate of climate change itself. Farmers' adaptation practices showed associations with local temperature, but not with farmers’ perceptions of climate change. Our findings highlight that even if farmers perceive climate change, perceptions are most common in areas where climate action is already urgent, and perceptions may not translate into adaptation. Thus, targeted and timely information and extension programs are crucial.
Advances in Cerebral Small Vessel Disease: Sandra E. Black Lecture to the Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation
Authors: Smith Eric E. 
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT:Cerebral small vessel diseases (CSVDs) are among the most common age-related pathologies of the brain. Arteriolosclerosis and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) are the most common CSVDs. In addition to causing stroke and dementia, CSVDs can have diverse covert radiological manifestations on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging including lacunes, T2-weighted white matter hyperintensities, increased density of visible perivascular spaces, microbleeds and cortical superficial siderosis. Because they cannot be visualized directly, research on the pathophysiology of CSVD has been difficult. However, advances in quantitative imaging methods, including physiological imaging such as measurement of cerebrovascular reactivity and increased vascular permeability, are beginning to allow investigation of the early effects of CSVD in living people. Furthermore, genomics, metabolomics and proteomics have the potential to illuminate previously unrecognized pathways to CSVD that could be important targets for new clinical trials.
Political change through the culture of the Radical Party (1962–89)
Authors: Bonfreschi Lucia 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThe article aims to sketch out the main features of the political culture of the Radical Party (PR). This political culture is paradigmatic of a much broader phenomenon that has affected the politics of Western democracies since the 1970s: the critique of traditional parties in the name of a party model formed by spontaneous groupings of society; the extreme emphasis placed on individual choices in political action, and the programmatic tracing of the latter back to the former; and the call for a less ‘mediated’ relationship between citizens and institutions. Yet, this culture contained certain ingredients that would distance it from the populist forms of the twenty-first century. After grafting anti-authoritarianism onto its liberal matrix the PR identified the promotion of civil rights as the goal and battle for the transformation of the relationship between politics and the citizen. This transformation emphasised the sphere of individual freedom and the liberty to participate in community decisions, and thus implied a transformation of the ways and means of doing politics. In the late 1970s, the PR deepened its critique of parties and partitocracy and, at the same time, emphasised a supranational view of politics, eventually becoming a ‘transnational transparty’ party in 1989.
HISTORIC LIME MORTARS COMPOSITION AND TERMINOLOGY FOR RADIOCARBON DATING—CASE STUDIES BASED ON THIN-SECTION PETROGRAPHY AND CATHODOLUMINESCENCE
Authors: Wojcieszak Marine , Fontaine Laurent , Elsen Jan , Hayen Roald , Lehouck Alexander , Boudin Mathieu 
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACTSince the first developments of anthropogenic lime materials radiocarbon (14C) dating in the 1960s, numerous studies have been undertaken and developed to investigate the topic further. Historic mortars are complex composite and open system materials that can incorporate a large range of components. Due to the complexity of the historic lime mortars composition, they are not part of a routine protocol in most radiocarbon laboratories and reliable dating is not always achieved. A thorough characterization needs to be performed and different preparation methods can be considered as a function of their compositions. A vast range of terms are employed to qualify the lime mortars components and alterations that can possibly have an influence on the dating result. Here, a detailed description of these components and the various terms used is listed. To illustrate this, images obtained by thin-section petrography and cathodoluminescence are presented in addition to radiocarbon results using stepwise acid hydrolysis on Belgian mortars having different provenance, state, age and composition. Depending on the type of aggregate used, the type of binder and its conservation state, the eventual presence of weathering carbonates and the assumed speed of the carbonation process, the reliability of radiocarbon measurements using the stepwise acid hydrolysis technique is discussed and confronted with presumed historical constraints.
Rebels and Turcophiles? The Hungarian Protestant Clergy's Resistance against the Habsburg Counter Reformation
Authors: Michels Georg B. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractIn March 1674, Hungary's Lutheran and Calvinist clergy stood collectively accused of fomenting rebellion against the Habsburgs and seeking protection from the Ottomans. A widely publicized tribunal in Pozsony (Bratislava, Pressburg) resulted in systematic expulsions, incarcerations, and the sale of forty-two pastors as galley slaves. A voluminous body of historiography has been dedicated to the victims of the tribunal and their tribulations. It is commonly assumed that the accusations against the Protestant clergy were fabricated. This article shifts the focus from martyrologies, sermons, and narratives written after the year 1674 to eyewitness accounts in inquisitorial records, letters, petitions, official reports, and military dispatches from the years leading up to the Pozsony Tribunal. These unstudied testimonies in the Hungarian and Austrian archives reveal that a significant number of pastors participated in popular resistance and revolt against a brutal Habsburg Counter Reformation. Many put their hopes in the Ottomans whom they considered protectors against the destruction of their religion. These little-known developments shed light on important larger historical realities that have been eclipsed by Habsburg and Central European historians, namely, Hungarian popular hopes for liberation from the Habsburgs by the Ottomans which culminated in two major revolts in 1670 and 1672.
Derivation and travelling wave analysis of phenotype-structured haptotaxis models of cancer invasion
Authors: Lorenzi Tommaso , Macfarlane Fiona R. , Painter Kevin J. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractWe formulate haptotaxis models of cancer invasion wherein the infiltrating cancer cells can occupy a spectrum of states in phenotype space, ranging from ‘fully mesenchymal’ to ‘fully epithelial’. The more mesenchymal cells are those that display stronger haptotaxis responses and have greater capacity to modify the extracellular matrix (ECM) through enhanced secretion of matrix-degrading enzymes (MDEs). However, as a trade-off, they have lower proliferative capacity than the more epithelial cells. The framework is multiscale in that we start with an individual-based model that tracks the dynamics of single cells, which is based on a branching random walk over a lattice representing both physical and phenotype space. We formally derive the corresponding continuum model, which takes the form of a coupled system comprising a partial integro-differential equation for the local cell population density function, a partial differential equation for the MDE concentration and an infinite-dimensional ordinary differential equation for the ECM density. Despite the intricacy of the model, we show, through formal asymptotic techniques, that for certain parameter regimes it is possible to carry out a detailed travelling wave analysis and obtain invading fronts with spatial structuring of phenotypes. Precisely, the most mesenchymal cells dominate the leading edge of the invasion wave and the most epithelial (and most proliferative) dominate the rear, representing a bulk tumour population. As such, the model recapitulates similar observations into a front to back structuring of invasion waves into leader-type and follower-type cells, witnessed in an increasing number of experimental studies over recent years.
Motivating organic farmers to adopt practices that support the pest-suppressive microbiome relies on understanding their beliefs
Authors: Bloom Elias H. , Atallah Shady S. , Casteel Clare L. 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Certified organic farming is a suite of regulated practices that can support social, economic, and ecological sustainability in agriculture. Despite the standardization and regulation of certifying bodies, practices adopted by organic farmers vary with potential heterogeneous effects on environmental outcomes. While it is accepted that beliefs can enable or constrain the adoption of farming practices, it remains unclear if variation in organic farmer beliefs mediates observed heterogeneity in practices and the ecology of farms. Communities of soil microorganisms that induce plant resistance and regulate insect herbivores offer a lens to explore the relationship between beliefs and practice adoption. Variation in insect herbivores across organic farms is common but none have studied the role of farmer beliefs in regulating pests through the soil microbiome. Herein, we hypothesized that variation in adoption of microbiome-supportive practices by organic farmers is driven by heterogeneity in their microbiome beliefs. We also investigate the importance of demographic variables and farm characteristics, compared to farmer beliefs, for adoption of practices that support the microbiome. To test our hypothesis, we surveyed the microbiome beliefs, farming practices, and motivations of 85 organic farmers in New York State, USA. We used affinity propagation to cluster farmers by their beliefs, and statistical models to evaluate variation in farming practice adoption and farmer motivations. Our survey received a 30.5% response rate, most organic farmers (≈96%) believed the soil microbiome was important for supporting plant defenses and reducing pests, and <16% believed their farming practices were unimportant for promoting beneficial microbiomes. Seven clusters of farmers were identified that varied in their microbiome beliefs. Among the clusters ≈42% of farmers believed on-farm management and external factors (e.g., climate change) were important for promoting the microbiome. These farmers used fewer pesticides and synthetic mulches, more pre-planting practices (e.g., solarization), and were more motivated to adopt new practices to support the microbiome than their peers. The most important factors motivating adoption were reductions in pests, increased yields, and biodiversity benefits. Beliefs, demographics, and farm characteristics (e.g., time in organic management) were correlated with similar suites of farming practices, but only beliefs predicted farmer motivations. Our study suggests beliefs are key to understanding farmer motivations and promoting organic farming system sustainability via the pest-suppressive microbiome. More broadly, we suggest the need for socio-ecological approaches that account for farmer beliefs when studying the adoption of conservation practices in agroecosystems.