bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Metabolic syndrome in the Philippine general population: prevalence and risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus
Authors: Morales Dante D , Punzalan Felix Eduardo R , Paz-Pacheco Elizabeth , Sy Rody G , Duante Charmaine A 
Published: April 2008

The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) and its component risk factors among Filipinos using three sets of criteria and to evaluate the association between MS and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus. The study utilised a multi-staged cluster sampling design. The prevalence of MS was found to be 11.9% by National Cholesterol Education Program/Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP/ATP III) criteria, 14.5% by International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria and 18.6% by NCEP/ATP III criteria modified by the American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NCEP/ATP III-AHA/NHLBI) criteria. Low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) occurred in 60.2% of men and 80.9% of women. Abdominal obesity was noted in 17.7% of men and 35.1% of women. Blood pressure (BP) ≥ 130/85 mmHg was seen in 33.3%, hypertriglyceridaemia in 20.6% and fasting blood sugar ≥ 100 mg/dL (5.55 mmol/L) in 7.1%. Age-adjusted odds ratios showed that MS, by all three definitions, predisposed an individual to diabetes mellitus (DM) and stroke while MS by the IDF definition predisposed an individual to myocardial infarction (MI). Individuals with MS did not have a significant predisposition to angina and peripheral artery disease (PAD). Thus, the metabolic syndrome is common in Filipinos, with low HDL-C as the most prevalent component. The metabolic syndrome predisposes to diabetes mellitus and stroke, with a tendency to MI using the IDF criteria.
Characterisation of atherosclerotic lesions with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of wet tissue
Authors: Kamari Yehuda , Cohen Hofit , Shaish Aviv , Bitzur Rafael , Afek Arnon , Shen Shlomzion , Vainshtein Anya , Harats Dror 
Published: April 2008

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the universal leading cause of mortality and a major cause of morbidity. Additionally, the global epidemic of diabetes is associated with considerable cardiovascular mortality risk due to accelerated premature atherosclerosis. Development of effective therapies for atherosclerosis is dependent upon improved tools to assess atherosclerotic lesion progression in animal models. We present a novel technique that utilises scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for imaging wet biological specimens, thus enabling rapid and high-resolution imaging of atherosclerotic lesions. This wet SEM technique was used in an apoE-deficient mice model for morphological characterisation of early and advanced atherosclerotic lesions. Further demonstration of lipid-rich atherosclerotic lesions was carried out with osmium tetroxide staining for cholesterol. Gold immunolabelling of specific epitopes was applied in identification of the cellular and molecular components within the atherosclerotic lesions, namely foam cells, smooth muscle cells and collagen. The wet SEM technique demonstrates an accurate and detailed structural evaluation of the pathological process of atherosclerosis. Understanding the mechanisms that precipitate the atherosclerotic process, utilising this novel technique, may assist in the development of innovative therapeutic interventions for CVD management and prevention in the general population and in those with diabetes.
Drinking modulates monocyte migration in healthy subjects: a randomised intervention study of water, ethanol, red wine and beer with or without alcohol
Authors: Imhof Armin , Blagieva Roza , Marx Nikolaus , Koenig Wolfgang 
Published: April 2008

Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality compared to non-consumption of alcohol and heavy drinking. Experimental data suggest a direct effect of alcohol on atherosclerotic lesion development. We assessed the effect of consumption of moderate amounts of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages on monocyte migration, a crucial step in atherogenesis. Forty-nine healthy men and women (aged 22–56 years) were enrolled in this randomised controlled trial. After wash-out, participants were assigned to either ethanol (concentration 12.5%), beer (5.6%) or red wine (12.5%) equivalent to 30 grams of ethanol per day (g/d) for men and 20 g/d for women, or to the same amount of de-alcoholised beer or red wine, or to water. Monocyte migration was evaluated ex vivo using a modified Boyden chamber. Intake of ethanol or de-alcoholised red wine significantly reduced monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1)- induced monocyte migration by 58% (p<0.05; n=6) and 36% (p<0.05; n=7) and FMLP (N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine)-induced migration by 41% (p<0.05) and 36% (p<0.05), respectively. MCP-1 receptor expression was not affected by these interventions, as shown by flow cytometry. Short-term intervention with moderate amounts of ethanol and de-alcoholised red wine inhibits monocyte migration ex vivo. This might represent one mechanism by which alcoholic beverages lower cardiovascular risk.
Re-writing the History of Australian Tropical Rainforests: 'Alien Invasives' or 'Ancient Indigenes'?
Authors: Sanderson Rachel 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
In 1860 in the Flora Tasmaniae , J.D. Hooker characterised the vegetation of north-eastern Australia as 'Polynesian and Malayan'. Hooker was arguing against the notion that Australian flora and fauna were so different from that found elsewhere that their origin was only explicable by an act of separate creation. Botanist and geologists following Hooker also highlighted the similarities between Australian tropical rainforests and those of South-east Asia; however a number suggested that despite appearances, the Australian rainforests were not recent arrivals, but were comprised of ancient and distinctive species. From the 1980s, ecologists Webb and Tracey utilised evidence provided by palaeoecological studies and the new theory of continental drift to argue that these rainforests were an ancient and truly Australian environment - a relict of the Gondwanan vegetation that preceded the sclerophyllous vegetation more commonly regarded as uniquely 'Australian'. They represented their findings as overturning previous notions of rainforest as 'alien and invasive'. Their reclaiming of the rainforest as a symbol of nationhood, while involving a re-writing of previous scientific views, played a significant role in the subsequent arguments over the rainforests' conservation.
Landscape Histories: Mapping Environmental and Ecological Change Through the Landscape Art of the Swan River Region of Western Australia
Authors: Gaynor Andrea , McLean Ian 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
What can works of landscape art tell us about past ecologies? This article describes a pilot study in which a method for systematically recording the aesthetic, ecological and environmental content of landscape artworks was investigated. Using database software that allows for the identification and evaluation of relationships between aesthetic criteria (such as style) and environmental content (such as vegetation characteristics), we surveyed landscape artworks of the Swan River region of Western Australia created between 1827 and 1950. The database was first populated with aesthetic and ecological surveys of selected artworks, then the data was analysed in order to identify patterns of ecological change that are readily amenable to historical explanation. The veracity of such explanations was supported by a more fine-grained analysis of a specific site, for which the depiction of the environment in artworks was compared with that in written and photographic sources. Collectively, the artworks appeared to reflect probable changes in the prevalence of large trees and the broad composition of flora, with the site-specific study finding more specific correspondences between artworks and other sources. Although further research is required in order to expand and verify findings, these initial results suggest that there is scope for more extensive use of fine art in the production of the environmental histories and historical ecologies that increasingly inform ecological restoration and management projects.
The Spectre at the Feast: The Emergence of Salt in Victoria's Irrigated Districts
Authors: Howes Hilary Susan 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
Salinity in Victoria's irrigated districts can be understood as the result not only of environmental predisposition and technological inadequacies, but of a prevailing political philosophy which considered irrigation as a social and economic good per se. Victorian authorities (governments and water institutions), anxious to secure the state's economic prosperity and to encourage the establishment of independent family smallholdings, tended to underestimate the actual and potential severity of salinity problems, and to blame their development on the farming practices of individual landholders rather than on systemic failure. Their dismissal of farmers' concerns as 'ignorance' and their tardiness in implementing remedial measures in salt-affected areas were indicative not only of the restrictions imposed by insufficient knowledge, primitive technologies, and limited finances, but also of official resistance to the challenging of 'progress-through-irrigation' narratives. The salinity problems experienced today in many of Victoria's irrigated districts therefore reflect the long-term consequences of a broadly progress-oriented philosophy of natural resource management.
'Folk-Ecology' in the Australian Alps: Forest Cattlemen and the Royal Commissions of 1939 and 1946
Authors: Soeterboek Chris 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
Folk-ecology is a term more commonly used by anthropologists describing small-scale subsistence societies. I use the concept to explain the environmental understandings of the forest cattlemen or 'bushmen' of Victoria's alpine forests, in particular their understanding of fire-ecology in alpine and mountain ash landscapes on which they based their use of fire. Confident in their local knowledge, mountain cattlemen challenged the dominant scientific understandings of the environment held to by foresters and ecologists of the time. I argue in this paper that the basis of these cattlemen's use of fire to manage the land was their understanding of the practices during the 'pioneering' period of European settlement and of Aboriginal people before that. This peculiar view of the 'natural' state of the environment made it difficult for many of them to see their own environmental impacts. Information from ecologists and foresters that often highlighted the existence of environmental problems was dismissed as merely the 'theoretical' understandings of those who had not experienced the landscape as intimately as the high-country bushmen.
Selling the 'Untold Wealth' in the Seas: A Social and Cultural History of the South-east Australian Shelf Trawling Industry, 1915-1961
Authors: Gowers Richard J. 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
Between 1915 and 1961 a state-run trawling industry operated on the South-east Australian shelf targeting tiger flathead (Neoplatycephalus richardsoni) as its principal species. When the last steam-trawlers left in 1961, stocks in flathead had effectively collapsed. The familiar experience of overfishing, however, was due as much to social and cultural pressures as it was to increasing numbers of fishers targeting a delicate species with ever improving technologies. Flathead stocks declined as a direct result of a government initiative, designed to induce New South Wales residents to consume the Shelf's neglected wealth. In the intersection between the consuming masses, trawling nets, and government-directed marketing campaigns, tiger flathead became a new 'cheap food' and it could not withstand those forces. This article analyses the emergence of the Shelf fishery in 1915 and its evolution through the twentieth century. The history it details reveals the impact of the culture of consumerism on fishing ecosystems and the process through which a species declined from abundant to exhausted.
Extension of Aqueous Zinc Battery Life Using a Robust and Hydrophilic Polymer Separator
Authors: Wu Gang , Zhu Ruijie , Yang Wuhai , Yang Yang , Okagaki Jun , Lu Ziyang , Sun Jianming , Yang Huijun , Yoo Eunjoo 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe use of zinc (Zn) metal as an anode in aqueous batteries offers an eco‐friendly and cost‐effective energy storage solution. However, Zn dendrite formation severely restricts the cycle life of the battery toward practical application. Herein, a commercially hydrophilic polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane is demonstrated as a separator to significantly extend the cycle life of the Zn metal anode. In contrast with the conventional fragile glass fiber separator, a wetted PTFE separator exhibited high mechanical strength (stress of 34.3 MPa at 41.4% strain) and favorable hydrophilicity, which both efficiently suppress dendrite growth. The uniform and robust pore structures are proven to facilitate a homogeneous Zn2+ ion flux and a high transfer number of Zn2+ (0.81), which has guaranteed reversible Zn plating/stripping. As a proof of concept, the PTFE separator extended the cycle life considerably to over 3000 h and promoted a Zn plating/stripping efficiency of 99.5% in the unmodified 2 m ZnSO4 aqueous electrolyte. This advancement underscores the significant potential of the PTFE separator for enhancement of the cycling durability of aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs).
All‐Fluorinated Low‐Solvation Electrolytes for High‐Voltage Sodium Metal Batteries with Appealing Stability
Authors: Yu Qingtao , Xiao Ying , Zhao Shunshun , Miao Yue , Wan Shuang , Zhou Luoyuan , Rong Junfeng , Hou Guolin , Chen Shimou 
Published: April 2024

AbstractHigh‐voltage sodium‐metal batteries (SMBs) are considered a promising battery system due to their abundant sodium source and high energy density. However, the instability of electrolytes, notorious reactivity of Na metal, and severe dissolution of solid electrolyte interface (SEI) film impede their long lifespan and high safety. Herein, a low‐solvation modulating strategy is proposed to design an all‐fluorinated electrolyte consisting of 1 m NaPF6 in fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC), methyl 2, 2, 2‐trifluoroethyl carbonate (FEMC), and lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate (LiDFOB), realizing high working voltage and excellent cycling stability of SMBs. Theoretical calculations and experimental characterizations confirm that the presence of FEMC significantly improves the antioxidant property of the electrolyte and contributes to the formation of high‐quality interfacial phases on both anode and cathode. While LiDFOB benefits to optimize the energy bandgap and the solvated structure and stabilizing the FEMC. Consequently, excellent oxidative stability up to 5 V and ultra‐stable cycling of Na||Na3(VOPO4)2F battery (with a capacity retention of 82.9% after 1800 cycles at 4.4 V) are obtained, exhibiting superior stability to its counterparts. The proposed strategy provides a new insight to design SMBs operated at high voltages.
Brain‐On‐A‐Chip Based on Human Pluripotent Stem Cell‐Derived Neurons and Astrocytes for Neurotoxicity Testing: Communicative Astrocyte–Neuron DYnamics (CANDY) Chip
Authors: Choi Geonho , Yang Han‐Yeol , Cho Sungwoo , Kwon Dohyung , Kim Dong‐Wook , Ko Sungho 
Published: April 2024

AbstractMethylmercury (MeHg), an environmental pollutant, is a ubiquitous neurotoxicant that ultimately leads to neurodegenerative diseases. New experimental models are needed for public health toxicity testing associated with this pollutant. In this study, a human pluripotent stem cell‐based brain‐on‐a‐chip, named Communicative Astrocyte–Neuron DYnamics chip (CANDY chip), is reported, which enables observation of the interactions of neurons with astrocytes and accurate assessment of responses to penetration of MeHg across the blood‐brain barrier. Five neurophysiological characteristics of the CANDY chip provide an exact emulation of the brain: i) co‐culture of neurons with astrocytes, ii) transport of nutrients from blood vessels to neurons via astrocytes, iii) glia‐to‐neurons ratio of 1:1, iv) low‐speed flow of brain interstitial fluid, and v) neuroprotection by astrocytes against MeHg‐induced toxicity. The remarkable vulnerability of neurons is identified to MeHg toxicity as shattered neurites and verifies the tolerance of astrocytes to MeHg toxicity despite morphological changes such as cell shrinkage. It is also confirmed that the chip faithfully recapitulates actual neurophysiological responses through high neuronal cell viability because of the astrocytes and increased brain‐derived neurotrophic factor as a neuroprotector. The CANDY chip can be a powerful platform for accurate neurotoxicity testing and modeling of complex neurodegenerative diseases.
Transparent Nanofibrous Membranes with Optimized Optical Channel Structure for Window Screens
Authors: Sun Feifei , Lin Yanyan , Li Xueqin , Wang Chao , Cheng Ningbo , Meng Na , Wang Xianfeng , Yu Jianyong , Ding Bin 
Published: April 2024

AbstractNanofibrous membranes, characterized by their flexibility, high porosity, and tunable structure, are emerging as a promising contender for advanced transparent materials with sufficient breathability and pliability. However, the considerable surface light reflection and internal light scattering of nanofibrous membranes pose a challenging task in achieving transparency. In this study, transparent nanofibrous membranes are fabricated by constructing a topological structure with optimized optical transmission channels, which provide the minimum equivalent thickness to minimize light loss in nanofibrous membranes. The resultant fabricated membrane exhibits a high light transmittance of up to 81%, along with a sufficient porosity of 84% and flexibility. Additionally, the membrane demonstrated effective PM0.3–10 removal efficiency (>91%), low air pressure drops (<110 Pa), high air permeability (≈104 mm s−1), and good waterproof performance. Therefore, the prepared transparent nanofibrous membrane may serve as a transparent air filtration window screen to enhance indoor comfort for people.
Organoselenium Catalyzed Electrochemical Cascade Cyclization: An Access to Naphthofuran‐2‐carboxaldehyde
Authors: Dagar Neha , Singh Swati , Raha Roy Sudipta 
Published: April 2024

AbstractWe have developed an approach for the construction of naphthofuran‐2‐carboxaldehyde derivatives utilizing the synergy of electrochemical oxidation and organo‐selenium catalysis at room temperature. The compatibility of various functional groups and scalability of this protocol demonstrate the practicality of the electrochemical strategy. The synthetic utility of this strategy is furthermore demonstrated by synthesizing diversified molecules through downstream transformations.
Boosted Enzyme Activity via Encapsulation within Metal–Organic Frameworks with Pores Matching Enzyme Size and Shape
Authors: Liu Ying , Chen Ziman , Wang Zheng , Lv Yongqin 
Published: April 2024

AbstractA novel and versatile approach called “physical imprinting” is introduced to modulate enzyme conformation using mesoporous materials, addressing challenges in achieving improved enzyme activity and stability. Metal–organic frameworks with tailored mesopores, precisely matching enzyme size and shape, are synthesized. Remarkably, enzymes encapsulated within these customized mesopores exhibit over 1670% relative activity compared to free enzymes, maintaining outstanding efficiency even under harsh conditions such as heat, exposure to organic solvents, wide‐ranging pH extremes from acidic to alkaline, and exposure to a digestion cocktail. After 18 consecutive cycles of use, the immobilized enzymes retain 80% of their initial activity. Additionally, the encapsulated enzymes exhibit a substantial increase in catalytic efficiency, with a 14.1‐fold enhancement in kcat/KM compared to native enzymes. This enhancement is among the highest reported for immobilized enzymes. The improved enzyme activity and stability are corroborated by solid‐state UV–vis, electron paramagnetic resonance, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, and solid‐state NMR spectroscopy. The findings not only offer valuable insights into the crucial role of size and shape complementarity within confined microenvironments but also establish a new pathway for developing solid carriers capable of enhancing enzyme activity and stability.
Auxetic Structure‐Assisted Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Efficient Energy Collection and Wearable Sensing
Authors: Yue Ouyang , Wang Xuechuan , Zhou Yi , Bai Zhongxue , Zou Xiaoliang , Xie Long , Liu Xinhua 
Published: April 2024

AbstractTriboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are recognized for energy conversion efficiency and applications including electronics and energy storage devices. This study introduces a groundbreaking development in TENG by incorporating negative Poisson's ratio metamaterials to fabricate auxetic‐assisted triboelectric nanogenerators (Auxetic‐TENG), subversively overcoming the low power density of traditional materials. Subtly, an integrated layer‐by‐layer‐assembly and core–shell accumulation strategy is employed to create a synclastic polytetrafluoroethylene negative friction shell‐skeleton, into which positive Poisson's ratio nature collagen aggregate (CA) foam is inwardly embedded as the positive friction core‐material. Surprisingly, the on‐demand introduction of metamaterials in synergy with CA significantly increases the contact area and mechanical energy absorption of the Auxetic‐TENG under pressure. This enhancement in the conversion efficiency of mechanical to electricity capitalizes on the contraction origins of negative Poisson's ratio metamaterials, integrated with the expansion characteristics of the positive Poisson's ratio materials within the structure, facilitating the synergistic compression of the positive and negative friction stratum. Consequently, Auxetic‐TENG achieves an open‐circuit voltage of 85 V, an overturning four times compared to conventional contact–separation TENG, and a power density of 4.2 W m−2. Application experiments demonstrate the superior performance of auxetic‐TENG under various compression ratios and stress conditions, highlighting its potential for real‐time monitoring in healthcare applications.
Lobster quality indicators for grading
Authors: Thériault Michelle , David Aleasha , Samson Simone , Frame Stacey , Mdaini Zied , Lane Daniel 
Published: April 2024

AbstractMale lobsters (Homarus americanus) harvested as ‘quarters’ (1.25 lbs/567 g) in two time periods (winter, N = 16, and summer, N = 25) of 2018 are examined. Indicators of quality data were collected for each lobster, including non‐invasive measures (shell hardness, carapace length, sex, live weight, colour, body shape, location, time of harvest) and invasive measures (blood protein [BRIX] level at time of harvest, cooked weight, meat content). Lobster BRIX levels are used as a proxy for actual meat content and as the key indicator of lobster quality. A regression model of the relationship between the natural logarithmic transformation of lobster BRIX levels (independent variable) and meat content yield as a percentage of shell‐on (uncooked) weight (dependent variable) is presented. The objective of this study is to evaluate alternative BRIX‐based decision rules for achieving desired meat content percentage yields for preparing shipments to global markets. The present study found that BRIX‐based grading rules can be determined to achieve minimum desired meat yields, minimum overall shipment yields and minimum proportions of shipments below desirable yield rate. For a minimum desired industry threshold of 24% meat content, the preferred BRIX value rules are (i) 8.5 mg mL−1 and (ii) ‘9 mg mL−1 with 10% plus condition’. These rules improve the admissibility of samples and reduce the risk of below desirable meat yields.