bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparative analysis of perioperative and long‐term outcomes of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease versus viral hepatitis
Authors: Matsumoto Takatsugu , Shiraki Takayuki , Tanaka Genki , Yamaguchi Takamune , Park Kyung‐Hwa , Mori Shozo , Iso Yukihiro , Ishizuka Mitsuru , Kubota Keiichi , Aoki Taku 
Published: March 2024

AbstractBackgroundDespite the accumulating evidence regarding the oncological differences between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)‐related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and viral infection‐related HCC, the short‐ and long‐term outcomes of surgical resection of NAFLD‐related HCC remain unclear. While some reports indicate improved postoperative survival in NAFLD‐related HCC, other studies suggest higher postoperative complications in these patients.MethodsPatients with NAFLD and those with hepatitis viral infection who underwent hepatectomy for HCC at our department were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical, surgical, pathological, and survival outcomes were compared between the two groups.ResultsAmong the 1047 consecutive patients who underwent hepatectomy for HCC, 57 had NAFLD‐related HCC (NAFLD group), and 727 had virus‐related HCC (VH group). The body mass index and serum glycated hemoglobin levels were significantly higher in the NAFLD group than in the VH group. There were no significant differences in operative time and bleeding amount. Moreover, the morbidity and the length of postoperative hospital stays were similar across both groups. The pathological results showed that the tumor size was significantly larger in the NAFLD group than in the VH group. No significant differences between the groups in overall or recurrence‐free survival were found. In a subgroup analysis with matched tumor diameters, patients in the NAFLD group had a better prognosis after hepatectomy than those in the VH group.ConclusionSurgical outcomes after hepatectomy were comparable between the groups. Subgroup analysis reveals early detection and surgical intervention in NAFLD‐HCC may improve prognosis.
Electrical discharge drilling of blind holes with injection flushing dielectric and stepped electrodes
Authors: Mao Xuanyu , Wu Ge , Tran Minh , Yi Shuang , Ding Songlin 
Published: March 2024

AbstractElectrical discharge drilling of blind holes has been a challenging task due to the inherent difficulties in removing debris from the discharging gap. This paper investigates the working mechanism and effects of new stepped electrodes which are used in conjunction with injection flushing in drilling deep blind holes. A series of theoretical simulations and comparative experiments were conducted using cylindrical electrodes and two types of stepped electrodes. Pulse waveforms were captured to analyse the discharge status. Surface topography and machining quality were analysed using scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. The machining performance was evaluated by studying the material removal rate (MRR) and tool wear ratio (TWR). Experiment results show that internal flushing caused the debris to circulate in the machining zone and led to abnormal discharges, disrupting the formation of the plasma channel. The MRR was increased by 75% and 82% when using cylindrical electrodes with pressures of 120 psi and 40 psi, respectively. In contrast, the MRR with injection flushing was about 80% of that without injection flushing when using stepped electrodes. Regardless of the type of electrode, the application of injection flushing resulted in the increase in the maximum effective machining depth.
Morroniside improves AngII-induced cardiac fibroblast proliferation, migration, and extracellular matrix deposition by blocking p38/JNK signaling pathway through the downregulation of KLF5
Authors: Zheng Haotian , Yang Linxin , Huang Huashang , Lin Yazhou , Chen Lin 
Published: March 2024

AbstractMyocardial fibrosis (MF), which is an inevitable pathological manifestation of many cardiovascular diseases in the terminal stage, often contributes to severe cardiac dysfunction and sudden death. Morroniside (MOR) is the main active component of Cornus officinalis with a variety of biological activities. This study was designed to explore the efficacy of MOR in MF and to investigate its pharmacological mechanism. The viability of MOR-treated human cardiac fibroblast (HCF) cells with or without Angiotensin II (AngII) induction was assessed with Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8). The migration of AngII-induced HCF cells was appraised with a transwell assay. Gelatin zymography analysis was adopted to evaluate the activities of MMP2 and MMP9, while immunofluorescence assay was applied for the estimation of Collagen I and Collagen III. By means of western blot, the expressions of migration-, fibrosis-, and p38/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signal pathway-related proteins were resolved. The transfection efficacy of oe-Kruppel-like factor 5 (KLF5) was examined with reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blot. In this study, it was found that MOR treatment inhibited AngII-induced hyperproliferation, migration, and fibrosis of HCF cells, accompanied with decreased activities of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2), matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), Fibronectin, and α-SMA, which were all reversed by KLF5 overexpression. Collectively, MOR exerted protective effects on MF by blocking p38/JNK signal pathway through the downregulation of KLF5.
Real-world characteristics and use patterns of patients treated with vericiguat: A nationwide longitudinal cohort study in Germany
Authors: Kerwagen Fabian , Ohlmeier Christoph , Evers Thomas , Herrmann Stefan , Bayh Inga , Michel Alexander , Kruppert Silvia , Wilfer Joanna , Wachter Rolf , Böhm Michael , Störk Stefan 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Purpose
Vericiguat reduced clinical endpoints in patients experiencing worsening heart failure in clinical trials, but its implementation outside trials is unclear.

Methods
This retrospective analysis of longitudinally collected data was based on the IQVIA™ LRx database, which includes ~ 80% of the prescriptions of the 73 million people covered by the German statutory health insurance.

Results
Between September 2021 and December 2022, vericiguat was initiated in 2916 adult patients. Their mean age was 73 ± 13 years and 28% were women. While approximately 70% were uptitrated beyond 2.5 mg, only 36% reached 10 mg. Median time to up-titration from 2.5 mg to 5 mg was 17 (quartiles: 11–33) days, and from 2.5 to 10 mg 37 (25–64) days, respectively. In 87% of the patients, adherence to vericiguat was high as indicated by a medication possession ratio of  ≥ 80%, and 67% of the patients persistently used vericiguat during the first year. Women and older patients reached the maximal dose of 10 mg vericiguat less often and received other substance classes of guideline-recommended therapy (GDMT) less frequently. The proportion of patients receiving four pillars of GDMT increased from 29% before vericiguat initiation to 44% afterwards.

Conclusion
In a real-world setting, despite higher age than in clinical trials, adherence and persistence of vericiguat appeared satisfactory across age categories. Initiation of vericiguat was associated with intensification of concomitant GDMT. Nevertheless, barriers to vericiguat up-titration and implementation of other GDMT, applying in particular to women and elderly patients, need to be investigated further.
Measurement properties of the EQ-5D-3L, EQ-5D-5L, and SF-6Dv2 in patients with late-onset Pompe disease
Authors: Xu Richard Huan , Luo Nan , Dong Dong 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Objective
The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the EQ-5D (3L and 5L) and SF-6Dv2 in a group of Chinese patients with late-on Pompe disease (PD), and compare their performance in this patient group.

Methods
The data used in this study were obtained from a web-based and cross-sectional survey conducted in China. All participants completed the 3L, 5L, and SF-6Dv2. Information about their sociodemographic status and health conditions was also collected. The measurement properties were assessed by examining ceiling and floor effects, evaluating convergent validity, known-group validity, and test–retest reliability (Intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] and Gwet’s AC).

Results
A total of 117 PD patients completed the questionnaire. All dimensions of the 3L showed strong ceiling effects, ranging between 17.1 and 42.7%. All three measures showed good test–retest reliability, with ICC values ranging from 0.85 to 0.87. The Gwet’s AC values showed that four out of five dimensions of the 3L showed very good agreement. All hypothesized correlations between the 3L, 5L, SF-6Dv2, and items of WHODAS were supported, indicating satisfactory convergent validity. The 5L showed stronger correlations (|r|= 0.53–0.84) with WHODAS than the other two measures. The outcomes of ANOVA indicated that the 5L had higher F-statistics than the 3L and SF-6Dv2, indicating a stronger discriminant ability to differentiate most condition groups.

Conclusion
The 5L demonstrates lower ceiling and floor effects, higher discriminant ability, and better convergent validity than the SF-6Dv2 and 3L in patients with PD. In addition, the 5L may generate a larger utility gain compared to the other two instruments when conducting cost-effectiveness analysis.
On the Edge of Psychopathology: Strong Relations Between Reversed Self-compassion and Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression in Young People
Authors: Muris Peter , Fernández-Martínez Iván , Otgaar Henry 
Published: March 2024

AbstractSelf-compassion is assumed to have a protective role in the etiology of emotional problems in adolescents. This assumption is primarily based on correlational data revealing negative correlations between the total score on the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) and symptom measures of anxiety and depression. Recently, however, the SCS has been criticized because this scale not only consists of items measuring compassionate self-responding (i.e., self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness), but also includes ‘reversed’ items measuring uncompassionate self-responding (i.e., self-criticism, isolation, and overidentification), which would undermine the validity of the scale as an index of a protective construct. The present article used two methods to demonstrate that compassionate (positive) and uncompassionate (negative) self-responding have differential effects on emotional problems in youths. In the first part, a meta-analysis based on 16 relevant studies demonstrated a modest protective effect of positive self-compassion on anxiety/depression and a large (and significantly stronger) vulnerability effect of negative self-compassion on such emotional symptoms. In the second part, network analyses were conducted on three previously collected data sets and these analyses again showed that negative self-compassion is more closely connected to young people’s symptoms of anxiety and depression than positive self-compassion. It is argued that the observed differential effects should not be discarded as a subversive fallacy, but rather offer an opportunity for studying the role of self-compassion in adolescents’ emotional psychopathology in a more sophisticated way, taking into account both protection and vulnerability.
Absolute gradable adjectives and loose talk
Authors: Dinges Alexander 
Published: March 2024

AbstractKennedy (Linguist Philos 30:1–45, 2007) forcefully proposes what is now a widely assumed semantics for absolute gradable adjectives. On this semantics, maximum standard adjectives like “straight” and “dry” ascribe a maximal degree of the underlying quantity. Meanwhile, minimum standard adjectives like “bent” and “wet” merely ascribe a non-zero, non-minimal degree of the underlying quantity. This theory clashes with the ordinary intuition that sentences like “The stick is straight” are frequently true while sentences like “The stick is bent” are frequently informative, and fans of the indicated theory of absolute gradable adjectives appeal to loose talk in response. One goal of this paper is to show that all extant theories of loose talk are inconsistent with this response strategy. Another goal is to offer a revised version of Hoek’s (Philos Rev 127:151–196, 2018, in: Proceedings of the 22nd Amsterdam Colloquium, 2019) recent theory of loose talk that accommodates absolute gradable adjectives after all, while being defensible against a range of important concerns.
Unravelling the fate of foliar-applied nickel in soybean: a comprehensive investigation
Authors: de Oliveira Jessica Bezerra , Lavres Jose , Kopittke Peter M. , Chaney Rufus L. , Harris Hugh H. , Erskine Peter D. , Howard Daryl L. , dos Reis André Rodrigues , van der Ent Antony 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Background and aims
Nickel (Ni) deficiency has been reported to occur in soybean (Glycine max) grown on leached tropical soils in Brazil. We aimed to determine whether an internal or external Ni supply can compensate for low Ni within the seed by assessing whether the amount of Ni in the seed whether the foliar-application of aqueous NiSO4 influenced the uptake of Ni by the leaf, the nutritional status of the plant, urease activity and growth.

Methods
We used Ni-depleted seeds (<0.35 μg Ni per g) and Ni-sufficient seeds (11.1 μg Ni g−1) for hydroponic experiments. Seedlings were grown either with or without an external Ni supply (0 or 0.85 μM Ni in nutrient solution) and either with or without an internal Ni supply (with or cotyledons removed). In addition, we used synchrotron-based micro-X-ray fluorescence analysis to examine the distribution of foliar-applied Ni (50 and 100 mg L-1).

Key results
Leaf Ni concentration and urease activity were both enhanced by increasing either the internal (cotyledon seed store) or external (solution) Ni supply. In addition, plants derived from Ni-depleted seed that received external Ni supply had 9.2% higher biomass relative to plants derived from Ni-sufficient seeds which received Ni. When foliar-applied, Ni accumulated in the pedicles of the trichomes within 15 minutes of application, and then moved to the vascular bundles before dispersing further into tissues within 3 hours.

Conclusions
Trichomes are an important pathway for foliar Ni absorption in soybean, but there are still major knowledge gaps our understanding of the physiological function of trichomes in the uptake of metal ions from foliar micro-nutrient treatments.
Opportunities and Challenges Associated with the Uptake of Residential Clean Fuel Usage
Authors: Das Darpan , Ahmad Sohail , Kirshner Joshua 
Published: March 2024

AbstractPurpose of ReviewAlmost 3 billion people worldwide use solid fuel for cooking and heating. This review examines (i) household energy practices and infrastructures and their influence on fuel usage in different contexts; (ii) barriers in adoption of household clean energy technologies and uses in diverse settings and population groups and (iii) potential air pollution exposure reduction in homes through using processed fuel.Recent FindingsPopulation health burden from solid fuel combustion-derived particulate air pollution has been estimated in several low- and middle-income countries. However, such studies have not been carried out in high income countries (e.g., UK). Irrespective of the region, fuel prices are the most dominant factor influencing the choice of fuel. Laboratory studies suggest processed fuel — pellets and briquettes — reduce particulate matter emissions by 70–80% and can be a promising alternative.SummaryAdoption of clean fuels for domestic energy needs facilitates progress towards five of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There is evidence that a variety of factors, including cost savings, encourage and hinder such uptake. These factors include price fluctuations, expenses, and the usage of clean fuels. Due to their distinct development scenarios, more expansive policy frameworks, and political economies of energy, these determinants are localized in character and differ significantly amongst economies. Therefore, in order to create innovative plans for the adoption of clean fuel use, strategies centred on local settings must be developed while keeping broad socio-technical and socio-economic issues in mind. Solid fuel processing — pelletization and briquetting — have the potential to reach Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)–like emissions, and could be a potential strategy to mitigate exposure to household air pollution
Assessment of the relevance of features associated with corn crop yield prediction in Colombia, a country in the Neotropical zone
Authors: Sierra-Forero Brayan-Leonardo , Baron-Velandia Julio , Vanegas-Ayala Sebastian-Camilo 
Published: March 2024

AbstractObtaining highly accurate predictive models to precisely estimate corn crop yields is essential for making informed decisions in a sustainable agriculture environment. There are various approaches to achieve this goal, including models based on Fuzzy Logic, Association Rules, and Machine Learning. However, some of these models have limitations in terms of the accuracy of their predictions, attributable to the high complexity and non-linearity in the interactions between factors. While Machine Learning techniques alone can achieve high precision, the inclusion of multiple attributes can reduce it. This study focuses on identifying the most influential factors at the regional level through a comprehensive analysis of the relevance of features associated with corn crop yields in Colombia, a country in the Neotropical zone. To accomplish this, climatological time series and historical yield records are used through a methodology based on CRISP- DM, widely used in the field of data mining, involving a review of related work, data cleaning and transformation, relevance evaluation using the RReliefF algorithm, and verification of the performance of the most influential factors through prediction algorithms. The results obtained demonstrate that solar radiation, precipitation, vapor pressure, and maximum and minimum temperatures exert the greatest influence on corn crop yield prediction, with a relevance factor of 0.033, 0.032, 0.026, 0.022, and 0.021, respectively. In the validation of the performance of the selected factors, two predictive models were implemented. The first, based on Artificial Neural Networks, yielded a RMSE of 0.1216 with the subset of variables and 0.1403 with all available variables. In the second, Linear Regression was applied, resulting in an RMSE of 0.1417 with the subset of variables and 0.1424 with all available variables. These results highlight the importance of the selected features as the most influential climatic factors in defining highly accurate predictive models in the Neotropical zone.
Effectiveness of natural dye adsorption on ILSS and optical properties of bio synthesised TiO2 nano particles and reinforced with flax seed fiber/epoxy based hybrid composites
Authors: Natrayan L. , Surakasi Raviteja , Kaliappan S. , Muthu G. , Paramasivam Prabhu , Shanmugam Kirubanandan 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThe study explores how dyes can improve the strength and optical properties of composites made from flax seed fiber and epoxy, which are incorporated with biosynthesised TiO2 nanoparticles derived from the Curcuma longa plant. The TiO2 nanoparticles were produced using a synthesis method that involved curcumin from Curcuma longa as a reducing and stabilizing agent. By introducing dyes to these composites, it enhances the bonding between layers. Optimizes their ability to absorb UV light. The research findings analyze how the ILSS (interlaminar shear strength) improves by adding natural dye additives and measurable enhancements in their optical characteristics. The results indicate that composite materials containing 5 wt% of nanoTiO2 exhibit the ILSS value (52.31 MPa). This is because the TiO2 particles are evenly distributed throughout the substance at this concentration. The crystal orientation and size (71.02 nm) of biosynthesized TiO2 nanoparticles were determined using X-ray diffraction techniques. Regarding optical properties, observations were made across a wavelength range of 450–2300 nm. Compared to a surface, it was observed that incorporating dyes into adsorbents led to increased absorption and reduced transparency across light wavelengths. This study offers insights into the uses of composites infused with natural dyes in sustainable engineering and materials that protect against sunlight.
Assessment of radionuclide concentration and associated risks in soils from Iperindo mining sites, Nigeria
Authors: Amodu F. R. , Ben F. , Agbele A. T. , Ben-Festus B. N. , Oyebanjo O. A. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThe assessment of natural radionuclides in soil samples from artisanal gold mine sites in Iperindo, Nigeria was conducted using different analysis methods. Soil samples collected across three locations and within a control area were analyzed using well-calibrated gamma spectroscopy fitted with a sodium iodide detector. The average activity concentrations (ranges) of 238U, 232Th, and 40 K were found to be 61.55 ± 13.97 (33.40–87.00) Bqkg−1, 72.65 ± 16.83 (41.90–105.10) Bqkg−1, and 1134.99 ± 142.24 (720.50–1722.10) Bqkg−1, respectively for the mining areas and 15.26 ± 6.96 (10.90–20.10) Bqkg−1, 21.46 ± 9.35 (17.40–25.30) Bqkg−1, and 381.04 ± 51.27 (280.30–511.70) Bqkg−1, respectively for the control locations. The average activity concentrations of the radionuclides assessed were above the worldwide permissible limits for the Iperindo mining areas and below the worldwide average for the control areas. The investigation also assessed various radiological parameters, encompassing the radium equivalent, dose rate, annual effective dose rate, internal and external hazard indices, alpha and gamma indices, annual gonadal equivalent, and excess lifetime cancer risk. The recorded values for mine locations were 252.83 Bqkg−1, 119.98 nGyh−1, 0.15 mSvy−1, 0.85 Bqkg−1, 0.68 Bqkg−1, 0.31 Bqkg−1, 1.89 Bqkg−1, 850.23 μSvy−1, and 0.52 $$\times$$
×
10−3, respectively. Except for the radium equivalent, external and internal hazard risks, and the alpha index, which were notably below the recommended threshold, all the other radiological parameters exceeded the globally advised limits. All the radiological parameters from the control areas were below the worldwide average values.