bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Designing Primers for Amplification of Coi, Cyt-B, Nd2 and Fib7 in Swiftlet (Aerodramus spp.)
Authors: Quy Tran Ngoc , Hung Chau Huu , Thi Nguyen Pham Anh , Ay Nguyen Van , Men Tran Thanh , Khang Do Tan 
Published: February 2025

Background: Edible bird’s nests (EBN) are highly nutritious and valued food for their numerous health benefits. Consequently, their high economic value and increasing global consumption demand for EBN have contributed to a rise in counterfeited food issue. Currently, the common method for identifying the origin of edible bird nests is the DNA barcoding PCR-based technique because of the limitations of morphological identification methods; however, the primers currently used for PCR face specific challenges in amplifying DNA from edible bird nests. Thus, newly designed primers are necessary. Methods: This study aims to redesign primers from the DNA barcode sequences of the mitochondrial genes cytochrome-c oxidase subunit I (COI), NADH dehydrogenase subunit II (ND2), cytochrome b (Cyt-b) and the nuclear gene â-fibrinogen intron 7 (Fib7) of Swiftlet belonging to the Aerodramus genus. Result: Four primer pairs AeroCOIf/AeroCOIr, AeroND2f/AeroND2r, AeroCytbf/AeroCytbr Cyt-b gene and AeroFib7f/AeroFib7r were designed successfully amplifying DNA from Aerodramus spp. The resulting amplicon sizes were 157 bp for COI, 150 bp for ND2, 130 bp for Cyt-b and 173 bp for Fib7 with the optimal annealing temperature of 60oC. For the result of the primers sensitivity investigation, the AeroCOIf/AeroCOIr, AeroND2f/AeroND2r, AeroCytbf/AeroCytbr and AeroFib7f/AeroFib7r primers was able to detect DNA concentration at 15´10-4 ng/µL, 15 ng/µL, 15´10-3 ng/µL and 15 ng/µL, respectively. These results demonstrate that these new primers could effectively amplify DNA from EBN belonging to Aerodramus spp.
Inkulturasi Dan Dakwah: Studi Mengenai Penyampaian Ajaran Islam Di Kalangan Mualaf Tionghoa di Masjid Lautze Jakarta [Inculturation and Da'wah: Studies Concerning the Transmission of Islamic Teachings Among Chinese Converts at Lautze Mosque in Jakarta]
Authors: Nur Ratri Okviosa Audhiandra 
Published: February 2025

Penelitian ini menyelidiki proses inkulturasi budaya, khususnya yang berfokus pada Muslim Tionghoa di Masjid Lautze di Jakarta. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengeksplorasi dinamika unik inkulturasi yang dialami komunitas Muslim Tionghoa di tengah masyarakat mayoritas Muslim Indonesia. Dengan menggunakan metode kualitatif, termasuk wawancara, observasi partisipan, dananalisis dokumen, penelitian ini menggali berbagai aspek adaptasi budaya, praktik keagamaan, dan interaksi sosial di kalangan Muslim Tionghoa di lingkungan masjid tertentu. Temuan penelitian ini menyoroti berbagai pengalaman strategi dakwah yang dilakukan pendakwah dengan mengkolaborasikan strategi komunikasi budaya Tionghoa dalam mengajarkan ajaran agama Islam. Hambatan yang tercermin berupa kendala identitas yang menghambat Muslim Tionghoa menjalani pembelajaran agama Islam. Mualaf Muslim Tionghoa di Masjid Lautze Jakarta menunjukkan respons positif terhadap komunikasi ajaran Islam oleh para Ustadz Tionghoa. Proses ini tidak hanya meningkatkan pemahaman agama, tetapi juga menciptakan pengalaman keagamaan yang mendalam. Interaksi positif dengan para Ustadz Tionghoa memperkuat keterlibatan aktif dalam kegiatan keagamaan, membentuk identitas keagamaan yang kuat, dan memberikan makna hidup yang berarti.

This research investigates the process of cultural inculturation, specifically focusing on Chinese Muslims at the Lautze Mosque in Jakarta. This research aims to explore the unique dynamics of inculturation experienced by the Chinese Muslim community in Indonesia’s Muslim majority society. Using qualitative methods, including interviews, participant observation, and document analysis, this research explores various aspects of cultural adaptation, religious practices, and social interactions among Chinese Muslims in certain mosque environments. The findings of this research highlight various experiences of da'wah strategies carried out by preachers by collaborating with Chinese cultural communication strategies in teaching Islamic religious teachings. The obstacles that are reflected are identity barriers that prevent Chinese Muslims from studying Islam. Chinese Muslim converts at Mosque Lautze Jakarta show a positive response to the communication of Islamic teachings by Chinese Ustazs. This process not only enhances religious understanding but also creates a profound religious experience. Positive interactions with Chinese Ustazs strengthen active participation in religious activities, shaping a strong religious identity, and providing meaningful life significance.
Long-term impact of corticosteroid therapy on adult height in juvenile myasthenia gravis patients: a retrospective multicenter cohort study
Authors: Tan Ying , Xie Qiucheng , Huang Yangyu , Yan Jingwen , Shi Jiayu , Li Mei , Zhang Yu , Guan Yuzhou , Jing Yun 
Published: February 2025

Aim: This study aims to assess the final adult height of patients with juvenile myasthenia gravis (JMG) who received glucocorticoid treatment during childhood.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at two neurology centers in Beijing, China, including patients diagnosed with JMG between March 2006 and April 2022. Participants were stratified into two groups: those receiving long-term corticosteroid therapy (≥ 6 months) and those without such treatment. Further subgroup analysis was performed based on treatment timing (prepubertal vs . postpubertal). Mean differences in adult height were calculated, and binary logistic regression was used to evaluate associations between treatment variables and growth outcomes.
Results: Of 120 diagnosed JMG patients, 47 who reached adult height were analyzed. Adult height in the long-term steroid group (168.64 ± 7.58 cm) did not significantly differ from the control group (171.45 ± 9.58 cm) (P = 0.26). A negative correlation was observed between the age at steroid initiation and the final-predicted height difference (r = 0.23, P = 0.04), and between steroid duration and adult height (r = -3.11, P = 0.04). Prepubertal steroid initiation was associated with a significant negative final-predicted height difference (Z = -2.12, P = 0.03) and a higher likelihood of failing to achieve predicted height (χ2 = 6.18, P = 0.03). Prepubertal steroid use emerged as an independent risk factor for not attaining predicted height (OR = 11.07, 95%CI: 1.24-99.15, P = 0.03).
Conclusion: In JMG patients, steroid treatment after puberty appears to have a relatively smaller impact on adult final height compared to treatment before puberty.
Towards Generalist Robot Policies: What Matters in Building Vision-Language-Action Models
Authors: Liu Huaping , Li Xinghang , Li Peiyan , Liu Minghuan , Wang Dong , Liu Jirong , Kang Bingyi , Ma Xiao , Kong Tao , Zhang Hanbo 
Published: February 2025

Abstract

Foundation Vision Language Models (VLMs) exhibit strong capabilities in multi-modal representation learning, comprehension, and reasoning. By injecting action components into the VLMs, Vision-Language-Action models (VLAs) can be naturally formed and also show promising performance. Existing work has demonstrated the effectiveness and generalization of VLAs in multiple scenarios and tasks. Nevertheless, the transfer from VLMs to VLAs is not trivial since existing VLAs differ in their backbones, action-prediction formulations, data distributions, and training recipes. This leads to a missing piece for a systematic understanding of the design choices of VLAs. In this work, we disclose the key factors that significantly influence the performance of VLA and focus on answering three essential design choices: which backbone to select, how to formulate the VLA architectures, and when to add cross-embodiment data. The obtained results convince us firmly to explain why we prefer VLA and develop a new family of VLAs, RoboVLMs, which require very few manual designs and achieve a new state-of-the-art performance in three simulation tasks and real-world experiments. Through our extensive experiments, which include over 8 VLM backbones, 4 policy architectures, and over 600 distinct designed experiments, we provide a detailed guidebook for the future design of VLAs. In addition to the study, the highly flexible RoboVLMs framework, which supports easy integrations of new VLMs and free combinations of various design choices, is made public to facilitate future research. We open-source all details, including codes, models, datasets, and toolkits, along with detailed training and evaluation recipes at: robovlms.github.io.
Manganese Catalyzed Oximation of Hydrocarbons to Oximes
Authors: Xiao Jianliang , Song Menghui , Li Hong , Xie Li , Zhang Xiaoxin , Weilian Xiaotian , Wang Rucao , Steiner Alexander , Sun Huaming , Wang Chao , Li Chaoqun 
Published: February 2025

Abstract

Oximes are used in many scientific and industrial domains, ranging from organic synthesis through biotechnology to materials science. Traditionally, their synthesis necessitates the use of hydrocarbons with specific functional groups, such as carbonyls, which are often more challenging and expensive to obtain compared to their non-functionalized counterparts. Here we introduce a new approach that enables the direct synthesis of oximes from hydrocarbons via the oxidative oximation of methylene C-H bonds — the most prevalent molecular unit in the world of molecules. Under the catalysis of a manganese complex with hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant and hydroxylamine sulfate as the amine source, we demonstrate that a diverse array of molecules — from simple chemicals like propane and cyclohexane to complex compounds such as the antimalarial drug artemisinin — can be oximated at methylene C-H bonds with synthetically significant yields under mild conditions. The catalyst displays a good level of functionality tolerance and often predictable site selectivity in complex molecule settings. Our approach opens new avenues for oxime synthesis and is anticipated to have broad applications in the production of fine and commodity chemicals, bioactive molecules, and new materials.
Mapping Global Resource-Driven Nature Loss in the Mining Sector
Authors: Kanemoto Keiichiro , Cheng Yu-Tong , Hoang Nguyen , Shinoda Yushin , Islam Kamrul , Motoshita Masaharu , Kadoya Taku 
Published: February 2025

Abstract

Global mineral extraction is expected to surge due to the growing demand for clean energy transition. While mining is critical to modern society, its environmental impacts—often documented at local or regional scales—remain underexplored at the commodity level. Here, we introduce a novel approach integrating remote sensing, machine learning, and cloud computing to classify approximately 40,000 mining sites by commodity. Using this newly detailed dataset, we quantify the nature loss associated with 20 extracted commodities, focusing on deforestation and habitat destruction. From 2001 to 2022, mining activities worldwide resulted in the removal of 14,619 km² of forest cover, with 67.28% occurring in tropical and subtropical regions. Notably, over half of this deforestation was attributed to the extraction of coal, gold, iron, bauxite, and nickel-cobalt, primarily in countries intersecting the Amazon and Southeast Asian rainforests. Our analysis also reveals that deforestation-to-mining area ratios and biodiversity risks vary by mining location, and conservation threats do not always scale with deforestation rates. By providing commodity-specific maps of mining-induced nature loss, our work equips companies and organisations with actionable insights to identify risks within their supply chains and implement targeted mitigation strategies.
Strong four-phonon interactions in α-GeTe
Authors: Hong Jiawang , Li Yongheng , Wei Bin , Zhang Xinyue , Ren Qi , Yang Chao , Gao Ziyan , Wang Xueyun , Pan Feihao , Wang Jinchen , KAMAZAWA Kazuya , Nakamura Mitsutaka , Luo Wei , Pei Yanzhong 
Published: February 2025

Abstract

High-order phonon interactions have recently garnered significant attention due to their critical role in understanding anharmonic phonon decay and accurately predicting lattice thermal conductivity κL. Here, we report a pronounced four-phonon scattering effect in α-GeTe by the inelastic neutron scattering experiment and temperature dependent molecular dynamic simulation. Strong four-phonon interactions lead to remarkably reduced intensities of imaginary dynamical susceptibility at elevated temperatures and a strong temperature dependence of phonon linewidths. The phonon dispersion nesting and strong anharmonicity at high temperatures contribute to the significant four-phonon interactions in α-GeTe. These interactions result in a deviation from the typical κL ~ T⁻¹ trend in α-GeTe, attributed to an increased scattering rate caused by the enlarged four-phonon scattering phase space at high temperature. Our work provides a detailed microscopic insight to the thermal transport of α-GeTe, offering valuable guidance for the design of advanced thermoelectric materials, and highlights the critical role of four-phonon interactions in solids at high temperatures.
Data-Driven Insights into Mental Health: Mapping Multi-Level Predictors to Longitudinal Outcomes
Authors: Jirsaraie Robert , Barch Deanna , Bogdan Ryan , Marek Scott , Bijsterbosch Janine , Sotiras Aristeidis , Karcher Nicole 
Published: February 2025

Abstract

A key challenge in predicting a person’s internal state of mind is that there are a wide range of contributing factors that each have a subtle, yet significant, influence on mental health. To address this challenge, we trained machine learning algorithms on multiple sources of variation that could meaningfully contribute to psychological distress. Data mining techniques were used to identify key risk factors for predicting current symptoms and longitudinal outcomes from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Developmental dataset (n = 11,552). Our results consistently revealed that social conflicts were the strongest indicators of psychopathology. Family fighting was the best predictor of current symptoms, whereas social victimization among peers was the top predictor of changes across time and future symptom severity. Sex-differences also emerged as a critical factor for predicting psychopathology, as females exhibited greater symptoms on average, and their symptoms became more severe over time. The long-term mental health of females was best predicted by social exclusion and reputational damage, whereas aggression and anti-social tendencies were the strongest predictors among males. While these findings provide novel insight into the developmental origins of psychopathology, our best performing models could only explain up to 40% of the variation between individuals. Future research is needed to obtain a more complete understanding of all the factors that meaningfully contribute to mental health.
SARS-CoV-2 nonspike structural proteins hijack mucosa epithelial cell fate
Authors: Gao Yan , Souza Lucas Lacerda , Kang Hong Soon , Li Zehan , Hernandez-Guerrero Juan Carlos , Alves Fábio Abreu , Zhang Wei , Sharma Vikram , Hanks Sally , Yu Jinhua , Tredwin Christopher , Jetten Anton M. , Soares Ciro Dantas , Hu Bing 
Published: February 2025

Abstract

COVID-19 patients readily present with severe epithelial damage, such as tissue ulceration and erosion, along with disrupted tissue repair, in multiple organs. The mucous membranes of the lung alveoli 1,2, gastrointestinal tract 3,4, nasal 5and oral cavity 6,7 are the primary targets of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The infected epithelium triggers a dysregulated immune response that further damages tissues and organs 8-10. Increasing evidence suggests that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can cause direct damage to epithelial cells and fibroblasts 11-13. Here, we report that the mucosa epithelia of COVID-19 patients can undergo cellular dedifferentiation before any pathological features are observed. SARS-CoV-2 nonspikestructural proteins, particularly the Envelope protein, can rapidly induce epithelial cell dedifferentiation, micronuclei formation, cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase and apoptosis. The protein can also severely affect the progenitor cell stratification program. Mechanistically, we identified a unique molecule, calponin 2 (CNN2), as a downstream effector of nonspike structural proteins. Moreover, CNN2 levels were elevated in the epithelia of COVID-19 patients. Downregulating CNN2 could inhibit epithelial cell apoptosis and promote cell differentiation. CNN2 expression is negatively regulated by GLIS2, a transcription factor associated with the disruption of ciliary dynamics in epithelial cells. Therefore, we propose that SARS-CoV-2 damages mucosal epithelium integrity via a novel “double hijack” mechanism and suggest new therapeutic targets for COVID-19 treatment.
Viļa Plūdoņa personības atspulgi Rakstniecības un mūzikas muzeja materiālos
Authors: Miezīte Ilona 
Published: February 2025

Raksts veltīts Viļa Plūdoņa (dz. Lej(e)nieks, 1874–1940) apjomīgajai kolekcijai Rakstniecības un mūzikas muzeja krājumā (ap 3200 eksemplāru). Tajā izsekots, kā muzeja priekšmeti atspoguļo dzejnieka mūža gaitu, personības savdabību un radošos procesus. Plūdoņa autobiogrāfiskajās piezīmēs atrodamas spilgtas bērnības dienu ainas. Baltijas Skolotāju semināra gadus ataino Roberta Klaustiņa (1875–1962) atmiņu manuskripts par Plūdoni ar titullapas stūrī redzamu piezīmi: “Nav publicējams.” Tajā iezīmēts kolorīts topošā dzejnieka portretējums, atklājot arī viņa personības negatīvās šķautnes. Saglabājušās Plūdoņa pārdomas par viņa radošajiem principiem un daiļrades metodēm, kas aizsāktas jau pirmajā jaunā skolotāja darbavietā Liezērē. Vētrainos meklējumu gadus Rīgas posmā raksturo gan dokuments par alimentu maksātnespēju, gan poēma prozā “Fantāzija par puķēm”. Muzejā ir tās manuskripts Plūdoņa sievas rokrakstā ar autora labojumiem. Pašaizliedzīgā Elfrīda Plūdone (dz. Melbārde, 1885–1982) pārrakstījusi daudzus dzejnieka sacerējumus. Vēlākie materiāli atspoguļo Plūdoņa dzīvi un personību brieduma gados: viņa rūpes par lielo ģimeni un dzimtajām Lejenieku mājām, skolotāja darbu, attieksmi pret dabu, sabiedriskajiem procesiem, garīgiem jautājumiem. Konstantīna Karuļa (1915–1997) atmiņas “Skolotājs Plūdonis” iezīmē pretrunīgu personību. Krājumā ir arī piemiņas lietas, kas veidojušas dzejnieka neatkārtojamo stilu un dzīves vidi. No plašā materiālu klāsta izcelti tie, kas atklāj mazāk zināmus Plūdoņa darbības un personības aspektus. Bet viņa kolekcija muzejā noteikti piedāvā arī daudz citu pētniecības iespēju.
Latvijas jauniešu interneta lietošanas modeļi un attieksme pret interneta izmantošanu mācībās
Authors: Koroļeva Ilze , Šņitņikovs Aleksejs , Aleksandrovs Aleksandrs 
Published: February 2025

Datortehnoloģijas un internets ir mainījuši veidu, kā jaunieši sazinās cits ar citu, kā viņi strādā, kā izklaidējas, piedalās sabiedriskajā dzīvē un politikā, un, protams, arī to, kā viņi iegūst jaunu informāciju un mācās. Izmantojot Latvijas skolēnu un studentu tiešsaistes kvantitatīvās aptaujas datus (n = 2912), kas iegūti Latvijas Zinātnes padomes atbalstītajā projektā “Interneta lietošanas paternu ietekme uz jauniešu kognitīvo stilu attīstību”, šajā rakstā tiek analizēti jauniešu interneta lietošanas paradumi un to saistība ar jauniešu kognitīvajām orientācijām attiecībā uz interneta lietošanu mācību procesā. Jauniešu tiešsaistes aktivitāšu veida un biežuma mērījumos balstītā faktoranalīze ļāva identificēt četras interneta lietošanas dimensijas jeb modeļus, kas atbilstoši dominējošajām aktivitātēm tiek raksturoti šādi: radošā dimensija (orientācija uz satura radīšanu), orientācija uz saziņu, orientācija uz spēlēm un publisko komunikāciju un informatīvi analītiskā dimensija (orientācija uz informācijas meklēšanu/patērēšanu). Tāpat tika identificētas četras attieksmes pret interneta izmantošanu mācībās uzskatu dimensijas. Datu turpmākā analīze parādīja, ka pastāv būtiskas sakarības starp interneta lietošanas modeļiem un jauniešu kognitīvo orientāciju. Intelektuāli orientētie jaunieši vairāk izmanto internetu informācijas meklēšanai, savukārt internetpaļāvīgo vidū dominē datorspēļu spēlēšana u. tml. Uz sadarbību orientētajiem visvairāk raksturīgas saziņas aktivitātes, satura radīšana un spēles internetā, bet izklaidīgajiem tipiska ir tīklošanās un komunikācija internetā. Gan intelektuālā, gan internetpaļāvīgo orientācija visai spēcīgi ietekmē interneta lietošanas praksi; pirmo orientāciju var nosacīti raksturot kā pozitīvu, otro kā negatīvu. Trešā (“daudzuzdevumu veicēji”) un ceturtā (“izklaidīgie”) orientācija raksturojas ar mazāk apzinātām metakognitīvām izvēlēm. Šo orientāciju ietekme uz interneta lietošanas modeļiem nav tik spēcīga, iespējams, tāpēc ka šīm grupām piederošie jaunieši atrodas lielākā ārējās sociālās vides un tehnoloģiju ietekmē un viņu interneta lietošanas modeļus visdrīzāk nosaka viņu tiešā interneta lietošanas prakse un stihiski izveidojušies paradumi.
Cirvis sieviešu dzimtes indivīdu 8.–9. gadsimta apbedījumos latgaļu un sēļu apdzīvotajā teritorijā Latvijā
Authors: Gerhards Guntis , Vilcāne Antonija , Pētersone-Gordina Elīna 
Published: February 2025

Pētījuma mērķis – skaidrot vikingu laikmeta sieviešu dzimtes indivīdu apbedījumus ar cirvi kapa inventārā saistībā ar apbedīšanas tradīcijām. Rakstā analizēti apbedījumi no Lejasbitēnu, Upmaļu, Boķu, Kalniešu II, Lucu, Smoņu un Kristapiņu kapulaukiem. Pētījums balstīts uz arheoloģiskā materiāla starpdisciplināru izpēti. Cirvis konstatēts gan pieaugušu sieviešu, gan nepieaugušu sieviešu dzimtes indivīdu apbedījumos. Šie cirvji ir mazāki un vieglāki nekā vīriešu cirvji. Vairākiem sieviešu cirvjiem kāts bija aptīts ar bronzas lenti. Šādus cirvjus uzskata par kaujas cirvjiem, bet nav pamata apbedītās sievietes uzskatīt par karotājām. Stabilo izotopu dati par iztikas resursu pieejamību liecina, ka šīm sievietēm bija līdzvērtīgs statuss ar vīriešiem, un cirvja līdzi došanas tradīcija sievietēm kapā, iespējams, to apstiprina.
Training Investment and Screening on Employee Attributes: A Complementarity View
Authors: Baruah Raginee , Grabner Isabella , Moers Frank 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACT
We examine how investments in training and employee selection interact to address the control problem of establishing a productive and stable relationship between employees and firms. Taking a complementarity theory perspective, we show that firms that invest highly in training also invest highly in employee selection processes and vice versa. We propose that specific employee attributes (i.e., stability and trainability) enhance the returns to training and are thus demanded and screened for by firms when committing resources to training. In turn, when firms invest in costly employee selection processes to screen for these attributes, investing in training further improves the productivity and stability of the employee-firm relationship. Examining the boundary conditions of this interdependence, we find that the complementarity between investments in training and that in screening for stability of employees increases in the creativity dependence of a firm.