bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Non-coding RNA-related FCGBP downregulation in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a novel biomarker for predicting paclitaxel resistance and immunosuppressive microenvironment
Authors: Ding Qin , Lin Fengjie , Huang Zongwei , Li Ying , Cai Sunqin , Chen Xin , Liu Hui , Qiu Sufang 
Published: February 2024

AbstractIn head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC), chemoresistance is a major reason for poor prognosis. Nevertheless, there is a lack of validated biomarkers to screen for patients for categorical chemotherapy. Fc gamma binding protein (FCGBP) is a mucus protein associated with mucosal epithelial cells and has immunological functions that protect against tumors and metastasis. However, the effect of FCGBP on HNSC is unclear. In pan-cancer tissues, the expression of FCGBP and the survival status of patients were analyzed using information from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Correlation analysis and Cox regression analysis were conducted to confirm the relationship and survival outcome. Bioinformatics analysis was utilized to predict the probable upstream non-coding RNA. FCGBP functioned as a potential tumor suppressor gene in HNSC. Notably, FCGBP expression was negatively correlated with enriched tumor-infiltrating macrophages and paclitaxel resistance. Cox regression with gene, clinical, and immune factors showed that FCGBP was a risk factor acting in an independent manner. In HNSC, the utmost possibly upstream non-coding RNA-related pathway of FCGBP was also discovered to be the PART1/AC007728.2/LINC00885/hsa-miR-877-5p/FCGBP axis. According to the present study, non-coding RNA-related low levels of FCGBP are a prognostic indicator and are linked to an HNSC-related immunosuppressive state.
Assessing peptic ulcer risk with the HAMPROW score in the general Chinese population
Authors: Wang Binli , Yu Weitao , Zhang Zheyu , Jin Weili , Chen Haojun , Wang Linfeng , Xu Min , Hou Chaoqun , Qian Zhiquan , Qiu Ziyue , Zhang Sheng 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThe timely identification of individuals at high risk for peptic ulcers (PUs) is vital in preventing gastrointestinal bleeding after antiplatelet therapy. This study was designed to determine PU risk factors and develop a risk assessment model for PU detection in the general Chinese population. In a prospective dataset, clinical data from individuals undergoing gastroscopic evaluation between April 2019 and May 2022 were recorded. PUs were defined as mucosal defects exceeding 5 mm confirmed via gastroscopy. Participants were categorized into development (April 2019 to April 2021) and validation (May 2021 to May 2022) sets based on chronological order. LASSO-derived logistic regression analysis was employed to create a score, which was further validated via temporal validation. A total of 902 patients were ultimately enrolled, 204 (22.6%) of whom had PUs based on endoscopic findings. In the development cohort (n = 631), seven independent risk factors emerged: male sex (OR = 2.35, P = 0.002), white blood cell (WBC) count (OR = 1.16, P = 0.010), red blood cell (RBC) count (OR = 0.49, P < 0.001), globulin level (OR = 0.92, P = 0.004), albumin level (OR = 0.94, P = 0.020), pepsinogen I (PGI) level (OR = 1.01, P < 0.001), and positive Helicobacter pylori (HP) antibody (OR = 2.50, P < 0.001). Using these factors, a nomogram (HAMPROW score [hazard ratio (HP) antibody, albumin, male, PGI, RBC, globulin, and WBC]) was developed for individual PU prediction. The ability of the HAMPROW score to predict survival was confirmed with AUCs of 0.854 (95% CI 0.816–0.891) and 0.833 (95% CI 0.771–0.895) in the development and validation sets, respectively. In conclusion, the HAMPROW score can be used to screen for PUs effectively in the general Chinese population, facilitating personalized early detection of high risk of gastrointestinal bleeding before antiplatelet therapy.
Lightweight active back exosuit reduces muscular effort during an hour-long order picking task
Authors: Chung Jinwon , Quirk D. Adam , Applegate Megan , Rouleau Michael , Degenhardt Nathalie , Galiana Ignacio , Dalton Diane , Awad Louis N. , Walsh Conor J. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractOccupational back exoskeletons and exosuits aim to reduce low back injuries in the workplace. For these technologies to be adopted, it is important that they provide biomechanical benefits to the wearer and do not disrupt job performance. To address this challenge, here we developed a lightweight, soft, active back exosuit that can autonomously control virtual impedance to apply differing assistance during lowering and lifting. In usability tests, participants rated the exosuit as easy to learn and use and reported feeling confident while wearing it. In an experiment involving an hour-long order picking task we demonstrated that the exosuit reduced peak and median muscle activations in the back by 18% and 20%, respectively. Despite the complexity of the movements required, such as walking, bending, and navigating around obstacles while lifting boxes from under a rack, our controller demonstrated impressive robustness with only 14 mistriggers out of 9600 lifts (0.1%). The results of this research suggest that active exosuit technology has the potential to be a highly usable solution to aid warehouse workers in real-world settings.
NINJ1 induces plasma membrane rupture and release of damage-associated molecular pattern molecules during ferroptosis
Authors: Ramos Saray , Hartenian Ella , Santos José Carlos , Walch Philipp , Broz Petr 
Published: February 2024

AbstractFerroptosis is a regulated form of necrotic cell death caused by iron-dependent accumulation of oxidized phospholipids in cellular membranes, culminating in plasma membrane rupture (PMR) and cell lysis. PMR is also a hallmark of other types of programmed necrosis, such as pyroptosis and necroptosis, where it is initiated by dedicated pore-forming cell death-executing factors. However, whether ferroptosis-associated PMR is also actively executed by proteins or driven by osmotic pressure remains unknown. Here, we investigate a potential ferroptosis role of ninjurin-1 (NINJ1), a recently identified executor of pyroptosis-associated PMR. We report that NINJ1 oligomerizes during ferroptosis, and that Ninj1-deficiency protects macrophages and fibroblasts from ferroptosis-associated PMR. Mechanistically, we find that NINJ1 is dispensable for the initial steps of ferroptosis, such as lipid peroxidation, channel-mediated calcium influx, and cell swelling. In contrast, NINJ1 is required for early loss of plasma membrane integrity, which precedes complete PMR. Furthermore, NINJ1 mediates the release of cytosolic proteins and danger-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) molecules from ferroptotic cells, suggesting that targeting NINJ1 could be a therapeutic option to reduce ferroptosis-associated inflammation.
New precision medicine avenues to the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease from insights into the structure and function of γ-secretases
Authors: De Strooper Bart , Karran Eric 
Published: February 2024

AbstractTwo phase-III clinical trials with anti-amyloid peptide antibodies have met their primary goal, i.e. slowing of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progression. However, antibody therapy may not be the optimal therapeutic modality for AD prevention, as we will discuss in the context of the earlier small molecules described as “γ-secretase modulators” (GSM). We review here the structure, function, and pathobiology of γ-secretases, with a focus on how mutations in presenilin genes result in early-onset AD. Significant progress has been made in generating compounds that act in a manner opposite to pathogenic presenilin mutations: they stabilize the proteinase-substrate complex, thereby increasing the processivity of substrate cleavage and altering the size spectrum of Aβ peptides produced. We propose the term “γ-secretase allosteric stabilizers” (GSAS) to distinguish these compounds from the rather heterogenous class of GSM. The GSAS represent, in theory, a precision medicine approach to the prevention of amyloid deposition, as they specifically target a discrete aspect in a complex cell biological signalling mechanism that initiates the pathological processes leading to Alzheimer’s disease.
TORC1 is an essential regulator of nutrient-controlled proliferation and differentiation in Leishmania
Authors: Myburgh Elmarie , Geoghegan Vincent , Alves-Ferreira Eliza VC , Nievas Y Romina , Grewal Jaspreet S , Brown Elaine , McLuskey Karen , Mottram Jeremy C 
Published: February 2024

AbstractLeishmania parasites undergo differentiation between various proliferating and non-dividing forms to adapt to changing host environments. The mechanisms that link environmental cues with the parasite’s developmental changes remain elusive. Here, we report that Leishmania TORC1 is a key environmental sensor for parasite proliferation and differentiation in the sand fly-stage promastigotes and for replication of mammalian-stage amastigotes. We show that Leishmania RPTOR1, interacts with TOR1 and LST8, and identify new parasite-specific proteins that interact in this complex. We investigate TORC1 function by conditional deletion of RPTOR1, where under nutrient-rich conditions RPTOR1 depletion results in decreased protein synthesis and growth, G1 cell cycle arrest and premature differentiation from proliferative promastigotes to non-dividing mammalian-infective metacyclic forms. These parasites are unable to respond to nutrients to differentiate into proliferative retroleptomonads, which are required for their blood-meal induced amplification in sand flies and enhanced mammalian infectivity. We additionally show that RPTOR1−/− metacyclic promastigotes develop into amastigotes but do not proliferate in the mammalian host to cause pathology. RPTOR1-dependent TORC1 functionality represents a critical mechanism for driving parasite growth and proliferation.
Orthographic Learning in French-Speaking Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children
Authors: Sabatier Elodie , Leybaert Jacqueline , Chetail Fabienne 
Published: February 2024

Purpose:
Children are assumed to acquire orthographic representations during autonomous reading by decoding new written words. The present study investigates how deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children build new orthographic representations compared to typically hearing (TH) children.

Method:
Twenty-nine DHH children, from 7.8 to 13.5 years old, with moderate-to-profound hearing loss, matched for reading level and chronological age to TH controls, were exposed to 10 pseudowords (novel words) in written stories. Then, they performed a spelling task and an orthographic recognition task on these new words.

Results:
In the spelling task, we found no difference in accuracy, but a difference in errors emerged between the two groups: Phonologically plausible errors were less common in DHH children than in TH children. In the recognition task, DHH children were better than TH children at recognizing target pseudowords. Phonological strategies seemed to be used less by DHH than by TH children who very often chose phonological distractors.

Conclusions:
Both groups created sufficiently detailed orthographic representations to complete the tasks, which support the self-teaching hypothesis. DHH children used phonological information in both tasks but could use more orthographic cues than TH children to build up orthographic representations. Using the combination of a spelling task and a recognition task, as well as analyzing the nature of errors, in this study, provides a methodological implication for further understanding of underlying cognitive processes.
No‐reference image quality assessment via a dual‐branch residual network
Authors: Ji Peng , Liu Chang , Chen Hao 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThe No‐Reference Image Quality Assessment (NR‐IQA) method can predict quality scores of distorted images without the reference image. However, due to the variability in both color and structure of images, existing NR‐IQA methods struggle to accurately predict quality scores of distorted images. Therefore, an NR‐IQA method based on a Dual‐Branch Residual Network (DBRIQA) for evaluating the quality scores of color‐distorted images is proposed. First, guided filtering is applied to the hue images in the HSV space to extract distortion information from the image's color. Then, due to significant differences in distorted images, enhancements are made to the traditional residual blocks, forming a feature extraction module that captures multi‐scale features from the image. In order to capture the global relationships in the distorted image, a Global‐Level Attention Block (GLAB) is introduced, facilitating the interaction of information among the extracted features. Experiments were conducted across four publicly available IQA datasets, including LIVE, CSIQ, TID2008, and TID2013. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method exhibits strong performance and generalization capabilities in predicting image quality compared to peer methods.
Freeway congestion management on multiple consecutive bottlenecks with RL‐based headway control of autonomous vehicles
Authors: Elmorshedy Lina , Smirnov Ilia , Abdulhai Baher 
Published: February 2024

AbstractAdaptive cruise control (ACC) is the core building block of future full autonomous driving. Numerous recent research demonstrated that Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) adopting shorter headways generally increase road capacity and may relieve congestion at bottlenecks for moderate demand scenarios. However, with high demand scenarios, bottlenecks can still be activated causing capacity breakdown. Therefore, extra control measures as dynamic traffic control near bottlenecks is necessary. The challenge is harder on urban freeways with consecutive bottlenecks which affect each other. This paper aims to improve the performance of ACC systems in a high demand scenario. A multi‐bottleneck dynamic headway control strategy based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL) that adapts headways to optimize traffic flow and minimize delay is proposed. The controller dynamically assigns an optimal headway for each controlled section, based on state measurement representing the current traffic conditions. The case study is a freeway stretch with three consecutive bottlenecks which is then extended to include eight bottlenecks. Three different RL agent configurations are presented and compared. It is quantitatively demonstrated that the proposed control strategy improves traffic and enhances the system delay by up to 22.30%, and 18.87% compared to shortest headway setting for the three‐bottleneck and the eight‐bottleneck networks, respectively.
Optimal sizing of battery energy storage system for a large‐scale offshore wind power plant considering grid code constraints: A Turkish case study
Authors: Mokhtare Mohammad Hossein , Keysan Ozan 
Published: February 2024

AbstractIntegration of large‐scale wind farms (WFs) into the grid has to meet the critical constraints set in the national grid code. Wind farm operators (WFOs) are inclined to comply with these constraints and avoid heavy penalty costs for violating such regulations. However, this may result in reduced power sent to the grid. Moreover, the addition of new rules to account for the increased penetration of WFs brings challenges to the profitability of the WFs. A battery energy storage system (BESS), if sized optimally, can be a reliable method to fulfill the grid code requirements without sacrificing profit. This paper provides a techno‐economic model to find the optimal rated capacity and power for a BESS in WFs. This optimization model takes the absolute production and delta production constraints into account. Two approaches are studied for integrating these constraints into the grid code. It is shown that the flexible strategy financially outperforms the strict addition of the new rules. This will be useful, especially to attract investments in wind energy projects despite the abovementioned limitations in the grid code. All the modeling and analysis are done for a potential offshore wind power plant (OWPP) in Turkey. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the optimal BESS in increasing the amount of energy delivered to the grid and improving the profitability of the OWPP.
Les effets de l’implication active des patients sur le développement de la réflexivité chez les étudiants en médecine : une étude interventionnelle
Authors: Gozo Jean-Jonathan Cocou , Renaud Jean-Sébastien , Massé Julie , Giguère Anik , Douville Frédéric , Tremblay Marie-Claude 
Published: February 2024

Contexte :L’engagement des patients comme partenaires à part entière dans divers secteurs de la santé transforme l’organisation du système de soins. En éducation médicale, les patients agissant comme formateurs ou enseignants permettraient de réels bénéfices au niveau des apprentissages des étudiants. Cependant, l’intégration active des patients à l’éducation médicale est encore peu documentée et peu étudiée. Cette étude vise à évaluer les effets de la participation de patients-formateurs à un cours de premier cycle en médecine sur la réflexivité des étudiants.Méthodes :Nous avons mené une étude quasi-expérimentale pré-post ciblant les étudiants d’un cours de première année du doctorat de médecine à l’Université Laval. L’intervention consiste en la participation de patients-formateurs à une série de 5 ateliers de discussion du cours. La réflexivité des étudiants a été évaluée en comparant les scores pré- et post-interventionnels à l’aide d’un questionnaire auto-administré comportant un outil de mesure de la réflexivité.Résultats :Cent quarante-quatre étudiants ont participé à l’étude. Les résultats démontrent une différence non significative de variation des scores de réflexivité dans le temps (2,73 [−1,47 ; 6,93], échelle allant de 28 à 168, avec des scores plus élevés indiquant plus de réflexivité) entre les groupes expérimentaux et de contrôle.Conclusion :Ce projet est le premier à faire intervenir des patients partenaires dans le cadre d’une approche d’apprentissage réflexif en éducation médicale au Québec. Les résultats ne permettent pas de démontrer un effet de l’implication des patients sur le développement de la réflexivité en éducation médicale.
Viser le bien-être des étudiant·e·s en médecine : résultats d’une intervention psychoéducative implantée en faculté de médecine à l’Université de Namur
Authors: Schittek Alice , Givron Hélène , Desseilles Martin 
Published: February 2024

Contexte : Les étudiant·e·s en médecine présentent des taux particulièrement hauts de stress et de burn-out ainsi qu’un déclin d’empathie. Des auteurs invitent les pédagogues à mettre en place des interventions visant à endiguer ce phénomène dès le début des études en médecine. Objectifs : Cette étude vise à évaluer l’efficacité d’une nouvelle intervention psychoéducative de quinze heures visant à améliorer le bien-être des étudiants en médecine. Méthodes : Les sujets proviennent de trois filières de la faculté de médecine de l’Université de Namur : médecine, sciences pharmaceutiques et biomédicales. Les étudiants en médecine, qui constituaient le groupe expérimental, ont reçu une intervention psychoéducative de septembre à décembre 2021. Le groupe contrôle (étudiants en sciences pharmaceutiques et biomédicales) a poursuivi son cursus, sans recevoir d’intervention. Les deux groupes ont répondu à un questionnaire avant et après l’intervention. Ces questionnaires mesuraient leurs scores de stress, dépression, burn-out estudiantin, compétences émotionnelles, soutien social perçu et empathie. Résultats : On observe une augmentation atténuée du stress perçu, de la dépression, du burn-out estudiantin et une légère diminution des compétences émotionnelles intrapersonnelles dans le groupe expérimental par rapport au groupe contrôle. Les résultats montrent également une légère augmentation de la détresse personnelle et de la prise de perspective pour le groupe expérimental. Conclusion : Une intervention psychoéducative de 15 heures semble avoir des effets positifs, en atténuant l’augmentation des niveaux de stress, dépression et burn-out et améliorant la capacité de prise de perspective des étudiant·e·s en médecine.
Wunsch und Wirklichkeit: Diskrepanz zwischen tatsächlicher
und beabsichtigter Nutzung von ambulanten Entlastungsangeboten
Authors: Scheerbaum Petra , Gräßel Elmar , Wasic Catharina , Pendergrass Anna 
Published: February 2024

Zusammenfassung
Ziel  Pflegebedürftige Menschen in Deutschland werden im
Rahmen der häuslichen Pflege hauptsächlich von ihren
Angehörigen versorgt, die dabei unterschiedliche Entlastungs- und
Unterstützungsangebote in Anspruch nehmen. Ziel dieser Studie ist es,
die Häufigkeit der tatsächlichen Nutzung sowie die
gewünschte Nutzung von ambulanten Entlastungs- und
Unterstützungsangeboten zu ermitteln. Als Ursache für die
Pflegebedürftigkeit werden dabei Demenzerkrankungen und
Nicht-Demenzerkrankungen unterschieden.Methodik  Die Daten
stammen aus einer repräsentativen Stichprobe pflegender
Angehöriger von gesetzlich versicherten Pflegebedürftigen, die
vom MD Bayern zur Pflegegradeinstufung begutachtet wurden (N=958). Die
Nutzung folgender ambulanter Entlastungs- und Unterstützungsangebote
wurde untersucht: ambulanter Pflegedienst, Haushaltshilfe, Tagespflege, Essen
auf Rädern, Fahrdienst, Betreuungsdienst, 24-Stunden-Betreuung und
Betreuungsgruppe. Charakteristika der pflegebedürftigen Personen, der
pflegenden Angehörigen und der Pflegesituation wurden erfasst.
Unterschiedsanalysen wurden mittels Chi2-Tests sowie t-Tests
durchgeführt. Ergebnisse  Die Inanspruchnahme der
ambulanten Unterstützungsangebote fiel trotz hoher Pflegebelastung der
pflegenden Angehörigen eher gering aus: Sie reichte von 1,7% bei
der Betreuungsgruppe bis 38,4% beim ambulanten Pflegedienst.
Über 40% der Befragten nutzten keines der acht Angebote. Von
diesen Nicht-Nutzern hatten jedoch 72% den Wunsch, in Zukunft mindestens
eines dieser Angebote nutzen zu wollen. Die Haushaltshilfe und der ambulante
Pflegedienst waren von den Nicht-Nutzern die am häufigsten
gewünschten Angebote. Bei Demenzerkrankungen war die
tatsächliche und gewünschte Nutzung, insbesondere bei
Tagespflege, Betreuungsgruppe und Betreuungsdienst, häufiger als bei
anderen Ursachen der Pflegebedürftigkeit.
Schlussfolgerung  Der Wunsch nach Nutzung ist deutlich
höher als die Wirklichkeit der Inanspruchnahme, die bei ambulanten
Entlastungsangeboten von niedrigen Nutzungsraten geprägt ist. Es gilt,
die Ursachen für diese Diskrepanz zu erforschen. Daraus sollten wirksame
Strategien entwickelt werden, die pflegenden Angehörigen so zu beraten,
dass passende Entlastungsangebote die pflegenden Familien auch erreichen und
damit die häusliche Pflegesituation stärken.