bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Unraveling the complex interplay between obesity and vitamin D metabolism
Authors: Alzohily Bashar , AlMenhali Asma , Gariballa Salah , Munawar Nayla , Yasin Javed , Shah Iltaf 
Published: March 2024

AbstractVitamin D deficiency and obesity are a worldwide health issue. Obesity refers to the accumulation of excessive fats in the body which could lead to the development of diseases. Obese people have low vitamin D levels for several reasons including larger volume of distribution, vitamin D tightly bound in fatty tissues, reduced absorption, and diets with low vitamin D. Accurately measuring vitamin D metabolites is challenging. The Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the analysis of vitamin D metabolites in the serum. Blood samples were collected from 452 subjects which consisted of baseline (vitamin D deficient obese subjects), follow-up (supplemented obese subjects), and healthy volunteers. The vitamin D metabolites were separated adequately by the developed UHPLC-MS/MS method. Moreover, the validation criteria for the method were within an acceptable range. The baseline, follow-up and even healthy volunteers were deficient in 25OHD3 and 25OHD2. The baseline and healthy subjects had comparable concentration of vitamin D2 and D3. However, healthy subjects had a higher concentration of 25OHD and its epimer compared to the baseline subjects. The vitamin D3 was increased significantly in the follow- up subjects; therefore, the 25OHD3 was increased significantly compared to the baseline as well; however, the increase was insufficient to achieve the optimal range. The UHPLC-MS/MS method test was applied successfully on estimation of vitamin D metabolites in subjects. This study indicates the significance of taking into account the metabolic and storage effects when evaluating the vitamin D status in obese subjects.
Supervised representation learning based on various levels of pediatric radiographic views for transfer learning
Authors: Kyung Sunggu , Jang Miso , Park Seungju , Yoon Hee Mang , Hong Gil-Sun , Kim Namkug 
Published: March 2024

AbstractTransfer learning plays a pivotal role in addressing the paucity of data, expediting training processes, and enhancing model performance. Nonetheless, the prevailing practice of transfer learning predominantly relies on pre-trained models designed for the natural image domain, which may not be well-suited for the medical image domain in grayscale. Recognizing the significance of leveraging transfer learning in medical research, we undertook the construction of class-balanced pediatric radiograph datasets collectively referred to as PedXnets, grounded in radiographic views using the pediatric radiographs collected over 24 years at Asan Medical Center. For PedXnets pre-training, approximately 70,000 X-ray images were utilized. Three different pre-training weights of PedXnet were constructed using Inception V3 for various radiation perspective classifications: Model-PedXnet-7C, Model-PedXnet-30C, and Model-PedXnet-68C. We validated the transferability and positive effects of transfer learning of PedXnets through pediatric downstream tasks including fracture classification and bone age assessment (BAA). The evaluation of transfer learning effects through classification and regression metrics showed superior performance of Model-PedXnets in quantitative assessments. Additionally, visual analyses confirmed that the Model-PedXnets were more focused on meaningful regions of interest.
Cigarette craving in virtual reality cue exposure in abstainers and relapsed smokers
Authors: Schröder Benedikt , Kroczek Agnes , Kroczek Leon O. H. , Ehlis Ann-Christine , Batra Anil , Mühlberger Andreas 
Published: March 2024

AbstractCue exposure therapy (CET) in substance-use disorders aims to reduce craving and ultimately relapse rates. Applying CET in virtual reality (VR) was proposed to increase its efficacy, as VR enables the presentation of social and environmental cues along with substance-related stimuli. However, limited success has been reported so far when applying VR-CET for smoking cessation. Understanding if effects of VR-CET differ between future abstainers and relapsing smokers may help to improve VR-CET. Data from 102 participants allocated to the intervention arm (VR-CET) of a recent RCT comparing VR-CET to relaxation in the context of smoking cessation was analyzed with respect to tolerability, presence, and craving during VR-CET. Cue exposure was conducted in four VR contexts (Loneliness/Rumination, Party, Stress, Café), each presented twice. Relapsed smokers compared to abstainers experienced higher craving during VR-CET and stronger craving responses especially during the Stress scenario. Furthermore, lower mean craving during VR-CET positively predicted abstinence at 6-month follow-up. Attempts to improve smoking cessation outcomes of VR-CET should aim to identify smokers who are more at risk of relapse based on high craving levels during VR-CET. Specifically measuring craving responses during social stress seems to be well suited to mark relapse. We propose to investigate individualized treatment approaches accordingly.
Paternal DDT exposure induces sex-specific programming of fetal growth, placenta development and offspring’s health phenotypes in a mouse model
Authors: Chen Elaine , da Cruz Raquel Santana , Nascimento Aallya , Joshi Meghali , Pereira Duane Gischewski , Dominguez Odalys , Fernandes Gabriela , Smith Megan , Paiva Sara P. C. , de Assis Sonia 
Published: March 2024

AbstractMounting evidence suggests that environmentally induced epigenetic inheritance occurs in mammals and that traits in the progeny can be shaped by parental environmental experiences. Epidemiological studies link parental exposure to environmental toxicants, such as the pesticide DDT, to health phenotypes in the progeny, including low birth and increased risk of chronic diseases later in life. Here, we show that the progeny of male mice exposed to DDT in the pre-conception period are born smaller and exhibit sexual dimorphism in metabolic function, with male, but not female, offspring developing severe glucose intolerance compared to controls. These phenotypes in DDT offspring were linked to reduced fetal growth and placenta size as well as placenta-specific reduction of glycogen levels and the nutrient sensor and epigenetic regulator OGT, with more pronounced phenotypes observed in male placentas. However, placenta-specific genetic reduction of OGT only partially replicates the metabolic phenotype observed in offspring of DDT-exposed males. Our findings reveal a role for paternal pre-conception environmental experiences in shaping placenta development and in fetal growth restriction. While many questions remain, our data raise the tantalizing possibility that placenta programming could be a mediator of environmentally induced intergenerational epigenetic inheritance of phenotypes and needs to be further evaluated.
Living in public rental housing is healthier than private rental housing a 9-year cohort study from Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study
Authors: Koga Chie , Saito Tami , Hanazato Masamichi , Kondo Naoki , Saito Masashige , Ojima Toshiyuki , Kondo Katsunori 
Published: March 2024

AbstractHousing tenure is an important aspect to determine health. However, even though renters tend to have more socioeconomic disadvantages than homeowners, mortality risk between private and public renters compared with homeowners remains unclear. Japanese public rented housing, such as the Urban Renaissance Agency, has been developed for supplying an adequate living environment since 1950s. This study aimed to examine the mortality risk among older Japanese residents living in private and public rented houses compared with those living in owner-occupied houses using 9-year follow-up data. This study drew upon a 9-year follow-up of participants in the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, a population-based cohort study of Japanese independent adults aged ≥ 65 years. Mortality from 2010 to 2019 was analyzed for 44,007 respondents. Housing tenure was defined by a questionnaire. Cox regression models were used for calculating the hazard ratio for mortality. Bonferroni correction was used to account for multiple testing between rental houses. Overall, 10,638 deaths occurred during the follow-up period. Compared with housing owners, all rental housing groups had a significantly higher risk of mortality. Among renters, participants who lived in public rental housing had the lowest risk of mortality even after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, health status, social status, and environmental status. Multiple testing among renters with Bonferroni correction showed that public renters had 0.80 times (95% CI 0.72–0.89) lower mortality risk than private renters. Although Japanese older adults living in public rental housing had a higher mortality risk than homeowners, this risk was lower than that among private renters. A positive neighborhood environment based on well-planned urban development may have contributed to this result. The results suggest that planned urban development lowers the risk of mortality in older renters in Japan.
All-dielectric polarization-sensitive metasurface for terahertz polarimetric imaging
Authors: Baek Juhoon , Kim Jaehoon , Seol Jae Hun , Kim Minkyung 
Published: March 2024

AbstractTerahertz polarimetric imaging, capable of capturing not only intensity profiles but also the polarization states of the incident pattern, is an essential technique with promising applications such as security scans and medical diagnoses. Recently, a novel approach for terahertz imaging has been proposed using a metasurface absorber that converts terahertz light into a temperature profile. However, polarization remains indistinguishable in the imaging process due to the isotropic geometry of the metasurface. To address this issue, this study introduces an all-dielectric, polarization-sensitive metasurface absorber and showcases its suitability for terahertz polarimetric imaging. Optical and thermal simulations confirm that the polarization dependence of our metasurface is translated into the thermal domain, allowing us to distinguish both intensity and polarization states in the incoming image. Additionally, we demonstrate that polarimetric imaging under general, elliptical polarization is attainable. This metasurface facilitates terahertz polarimetric imaging, eliminating the need for complex setups or bulky components, thereby reducing the form factor and enabling widespread use.
Identity-based controlled delegated outsourcing data integrity auditing scheme
Authors: Du Jianming , Dong Guofang , Ning Juangui , Xu Zhengnan , Yang Ruicheng 
Published: March 2024

AbstractWith the continuous development of cloud computing, the application of cloud storage has become more and more popular. To ensure the integrity and availability of cloud data, scholars have proposed several cloud data auditing schemes. Still, most need help with outsourced data integrity, controlled outsourcing, and source file auditing. Therefore, we propose a controlled delegation outsourcing data integrity auditing scheme based on the identity-based encryption model. Our proposed scheme allows users to specify a dedicated agent to assist in uploading data to the cloud. These authorized proxies use recognizable identities for authentication and authorization, thus avoiding the need for cumbersome certificate management in a secure distributed computing system. While solving the above problems, our scheme adopts a bucket-based red–black tree structure to efficiently realize the dynamic updating of data, which can complete the updating of data and rebalancing of structural updates constantly and realize the high efficiency of data operations. We define the security model of the scheme in detail and prove the scheme's security under the difficult problem assumption. In the performance analysis section, the proposed scheme is analyzed experimentally in comparison with other schemes, and the results show that the proposed scheme is efficient and secure.
Molecular modeling of CO2 affecting competitive adsorption within anthracite coal
Authors: Hong Lin , Lin Jiaxing , Gao Dameng , Zheng Dan 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThis study aimed to investigate the adsorption properties of CO2, CH4, and N2 on anthracite. A molecular structural model of anthracite (C208H162O12N4) was established. Simulations were performed for the adsorption properties of single-component and multi-component gases at various temperatures, pressures, and gas ratios. The grand canonical ensemble Monte Carlo approach based on molecular mechanics and dynamics theories was used to perform the simulations. The results showed that the isotherms for the adsorption of single-component CO2, CH4, and N2 followed the Langmuir formula, and the CO2 adsorption isotherm growth gradient was negatively correlated with pressure but positively correlated with temperature. When the CO2 injection in the gas mixture was increased from 1 to 3% for the multi-component gas adsorption, the proportion of CO2 adsorption rose from 1/3 to 2/3, indicating that CO2 has a competing-adsorption advantage. The CO2 adsorption decreased faster with increasing temperature, indicating that the sensitivity of CO2 to temperature is stronger than that of CH4 and N2. The adsorbent potential energies of CO2, CH4, and N2 diminished with rising temperature in the following order: CO2 < CH4 < N2.
Hometronics – accessible production of graphene suspensions for health sensing applications using only household items
Authors: Aljarid Adel K. A. , Winder Jasper , Wei Cencen , Venkatraman Arvind , Tomes Oliver , Soul Aaron , Papageorgiou Dimitrios G. , Möbius Matthias E. , Boland Conor S. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractNanoscience at times can seem out of reach to the developing world and the general public, with much of the equipment expensive and knowledge seemingly esoteric to nonexperts. Using only cheap, everyday household items, accessible research with real applications can be shown. Here, graphene suspensions were produced using pencil lead, tap water, kitchen appliances, soaps and coffee filters, with a children’s glue-based graphene nanocomposite for highly sensitive pulse measurements demonstrated.
Contemporary attitudes and beliefs on coronary artery calcium from social media using artificial intelligence
Authors: Somani Sulaiman , Balla Sujana , Peng Allison W. , Dudum Ramzi , Jain Sneha , Nasir Khurram , Maron David J. , Hernandez-Boussard Tina , Rodriguez Fatima 
Published: March 2024

AbstractCoronary artery calcium (CAC) is a powerful tool to refine atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk assessment. Despite its growing interest, contemporary public attitudes around CAC are not well-described in literature and have important implications for shared decision-making around cardiovascular prevention. We used an artificial intelligence (AI) pipeline consisting of a semi-supervised natural language processing model and unsupervised machine learning techniques to analyze 5,606 CAC-related discussions on Reddit. A total of 91 discussion topics were identified and were classified into 14 overarching thematic groups. These included the strong impact of CAC on therapeutic decision-making, ongoing non-evidence-based use of CAC testing, and the patient perceived downsides of CAC testing (e.g., radiation risk). Sentiment analysis also revealed that most discussions had a neutral (49.5%) or negative (48.4%) sentiment. The results of this study demonstrate the potential of an AI-based approach to analyze large, publicly available social media data to generate insights into public perceptions about CAC, which may help guide strategies to improve shared decision-making around ASCVD management and public health interventions.
Procrustes is a machine-learning approach that removes cross-platform batch effects from clinical RNA sequencing data
Authors: Kotlov Nikita , Shaposhnikov Kirill , Tazearslan Cagdas , Chasse Madison , Baisangurov Artur , Podsvirova Svetlana , Fernandez Dawn , Abdou Mary , Kaneunyenye Leznath , Morgan Kelley , Cheremushkin Ilya , Zemskiy Pavel , Chelushkin Maxim , Sorokina Maria , Belova Ekaterina , Khorkova Svetlana , Lozinsky Yaroslav , Nuzhdina Katerina , Vasileva Elena , Kravchenko Dmitry , Suryamohan Kushal , Nomie Krystle , Curran John , Fowler Nathan , Bagaev Alexander 
Published: March 2024

AbstractWith the increased use of gene expression profiling for personalized oncology, optimized RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) protocols and algorithms are necessary to provide comparable expression measurements between exome capture (EC)-based and poly-A RNA-seq. Here, we developed and optimized an EC-based protocol for processing formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples and a machine-learning algorithm, Procrustes, to overcome batch effects across RNA-seq data obtained using different sample preparation protocols like EC-based or poly-A RNA-seq protocols. Applying Procrustes to samples processed using EC and poly-A RNA-seq protocols showed the expression of 61% of genes (N = 20,062) to correlate across both protocols (concordance correlation coefficient > 0.8, versus 26% before transformation by Procrustes), including 84% of cancer-specific and cancer microenvironment-related genes (versus 36% before applying Procrustes;N = 1,438). Benchmarking analyses also showed Procrustes to outperform other batch correction methods. Finally, we showed that Procrustes can project RNA-seq data for a single sample to a larger cohort of RNA-seq data. Future application of Procrustes will enable direct gene expression analysis for single tumor samples to support gene expression-based treatment decisions.
CircEYA3 aggravates intervertebral disc degeneration through the miR-196a-5p/EBF1 axis and NF-κB signaling
Authors: Wang Tianfu , Yan Xiaobing , Song Dehui , Li Yingxia , Li Zhengwei , Feng Dapeng 
Published: March 2024

AbstractIntervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a well-established cause of disability, and extensive evidence has identified the important role played by regulatory noncoding RNAs, specifically circular RNAs (circRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs), in the progression of IDD. To elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying IDD, we established a circRNA/miRNA/mRNA network in IDD through standardized analyses of all expression matrices. Our studies confirmed the differential expression of the transcription factors early B-cell factor 1 (EBF1), circEYA3, and miR-196a-5p in the nucleus pulposus (NP) tissues of controls and IDD patients. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, and extracellular mechanisms of degradation in NP cells (NPC) are mediated by circEYA3. MiR-196a-5p is a direct target of circEYA3 and EBF1. Functional analysis showed that miR-196a-5p reversed the effects of circEYA3 and EBF1 on ECM degradation, apoptosis, and proliferation in NPCs. EBF1 regulates the nuclear factor kappa beta (NF-кB) signalling pathway by activating the IKKβ promoter region. This study demonstrates that circEYA3 plays an important role in exacerbating the progression of IDD by modulating the NF-κB signalling pathway through regulation of the miR196a-5p/EBF1 axis. Consequently, a novel molecular mechanism underlying IDD development was elucidated, thereby identifying a potential therapeutic target for future exploration.
On the nature of Con±/0 clusters reacting with water and oxygen
Authors: Geng Lijun , Wang Pengju , Lin Shiquan , Shi Ruili , Zhao Jijun , Luo Zhixun 
Published: March 2024

AbstractBulk cobalt does not react with water at room temperature, but cobalt nanometals could yield corrosion at ambient conditions. Insights into the cobalt cluster reactions with water and oxygen enable us to better understand the interface reactivity of such nanometals. Here we report a comprehensive study on the gas-phase reactions of Con±/0 clusters with water and oxygen. All these Con±/0 clusters were found to react with oxygen, but only anionic cobalt clusters give rise to water dissociation whereas the cationic and neutral ones are limited to water adsorption. We elucidate the influences of charge states, bonding modes and dehydrogenation mechanism of water on typical cobalt clusters. It is unveiled that the additional electron of anionic Con– clusters is not beneficial to H2O adsorption, but allows for thermodynamics- and kinetics-favourable H atom transfer and dehydrogenation reactions. Apart from the charge effect, size effect and spin effect play a subtle role in the reaction process. The synergy of multiple metal sites in Con– clusters reduces the energy barrier of the rate-limiting step enabling hydrogen release. This finding of water dissociation on cobalt clusters put forward new connotations on the activity series of metals, providing new insights into the corrosion mechanism of cobalt nanometals.
Controlling effective field contributions to laser-induced magnetization precession by heterostructure design
Authors: Jarecki Jasmin , Mattern Maximilian , Weber Fried-Conrad , Pudell Jan-Etienne , Wang Xi-Guang , Rojas Sánchez Juan-Carlos , Hehn Michel , von Reppert Alexander , Bargheer Matias 
Published: March 2024

AbstractNanoscale heterostructure design can control laser-induced heat dissipation and strain propagation, as well as their efficiency for driving magnetization precession. Here, we incorporate MgO layers into the experimental platform of metallic Pt-Cu-Ni heterostructures to block the propagation of hot electrons. We show via ultrafast x-ray diffraction the capability of our platform to control the spatio-temporal shape of the transient heat and strain. Time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr experiments with systematic tuning of the magnetization precession frequency showcase control of the magnetization dynamics in the Ni layer. Our experimental analysis highlights the role of quasi-static strain as a driver of precession when the magnetic material is rapidly heated via electrons. The effective magnetic field change originating from demagnetization partially compensates the change induced by quasi-static strain. The strain pulses can be shaped via the nanoscale heterostructure design to efficiently drive the precession, paving the way for opto-magneto-acoustic devices with low heat energy deposited in the magnetic layer.
Sulfide-based composite solid electrolyte films for all-solid-state batteries
Authors: Li Shenghao , Yang Zhihua , Wang Shu-Bo , Ye Mingqiang , He Hongcai , Zhang Xin , Nan Ce-Wen , Wang Shuo 
Published: March 2024

AbstractAll-solid-state batteries with non-flammable solid electrolytes offer enhanced safety features, and show the potential for achieving higher energy density by using lithium metal as the anode. Among various solid electrolytes, sulfides are favored for their high room-temperature ionic conductivity and low-temperature processing. However, making large-scale thin electrolyte films via pressing sulfide powder is still challenging. A polymer has recently been introduced as a binder or framework to obtain a flexible thin sulfide-based composite electrolyte film with high ionic conductivity. In this Review, we initially discuss the ionic transport mechanism of sulfide/polymer composite electrolyte films. Then, the preparation methods and the properties of sulfide-based composite electrolytes are introduced in detail, and the advantages and disadvantages of each method are also analyzed. We later discuss the application of composite electrolyte films in all-solid-state batteries. Finally, we provide a perspective on the future development direction of sulfide-based composite electrolyte films.