bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Segmentation of bone surface from ultrasound using a lightweight network UBS-Net
Authors: Peng Fan , Zhang Yunxian , Cui Shangqi , Wang Binbin , Wang Dan , Shi Zhe , Li Lanlin , Fang Xiutong , Yang Zhi 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Objective. Ultrasound-assisted orthopaedic navigation held promise due to its non-ionizing feature, portability, low cost, and real-time performance. To facilitate the applications, it was critical to have accurate and real-time bone surface segmentation. Nevertheless, the imaging artifacts and low signal-to-noise ratios in the tomographical B-mode ultrasound (B-US) images created substantial challenges in bone surface detection. In this study, we presented an end-to-end lightweight US bone segmentation network (UBS-Net) for bone surface detection. Approach. We presented an end-to-end lightweight UBS-Net for bone surface detection, using the U-Net structure as the base framework and a level set loss function for improved sensitivity to bone surface detectability. A dual attention (DA) mechanism was introduced at the end of the encoder, which considered both position and channel information to obtain the correlation between the position and channel dimensions of the feature map, where axial attention (AA) replaced the traditional self-attention (SA) mechanism in the position attention module for better computational efficiency. The position attention and channel attention (CA) were combined with a two-class fusion module for the DA map. The decoding module finally completed the bone surface detection. Main Results. As a result, a frame rate of 21 frames per second (fps) in detection were achieved. It outperformed the state-of-the-art method with higher segmentation accuracy (Dice similarity coefficient: 88.76% versus 87.22%) when applied the retrospective ultrasound (US) data from 11 volunteers. Significance. The proposed UBS-Net for bone surface detection in ultrasound achieved outstanding accuracy and real-time performance. The new method out-performed the state-of-the-art methods. It had potential in US-guided orthopaedic surgery applications.
Patterns and trends in the spatial heterogeneity of land surface phenology of global forests
Authors: Girardello Marco , Checcherini Guido , Duveiller Gregory , Migliavacca Mirco , Cescatti Alessandro 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Land-surface phenology is a widely used indicator of how terrestrial ecosystems respond to environmental change. The spatial variability of this plant functional trait has also been advocated as an indicator of the functional composition of ecosystems. However, a global-scale assessment of spatial patterns in the spatial heterogeneity of forest phenology is currently lacking. To address this knowledge gap, we developed an index based on satellite retrievals and used it to quantify phenological diversity across global forest biomes. We show that there is considerable variation in phenological diversity among biomes, with the highest overall levels occurring in arid and temperate regions. An analysis of the drivers of the spatial patterns revealed that temperature-related factors primarily determine the variation in phenological diversity. Notably, temperature seasonality and mean annual temperature emerged as the most significant variables in explaining this global-scale variability. Furthermore, an assessment of temporal changes over an 18-year period revealed strong climate-driven shifts of phenological diversity in boreal and arid regions, suggesting that there may be an ongoing widespread homogenisation of land surface phenology within forest ecosystems. Our findings ultimately contribute to the development of a novel Essential Biodiversity Variable, which may enable scientists and practitioners to quantify the functional composition of ecosystems at unprecedented spatial and temporal scales.
Performance and reliability assessment of source work function engineered charge plasma based Ti/HfO2/Al2O3/Ge, double gate TFET
Authors: Yadav Ajeet K , Chappa Vinay K , Baghel Gaurav S , Khosla Robin 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
The Tunnel Field Effect Transistor (TFET) often suffers from low ON current (I
ON), charge traps, and thermal variability, which limits its performance and reliability. To address these issues, the source work function engineered Ge Charge Plasma Double Gate Tunnel Field Effect Transistor (CP-DGTFET) device structure with HfO2/Al2O3 bilayer gate dielectric is designed and investigated using numerical TCAD simulations. The proposed Ti/HfO2/Al2O3/Ge CP-DGTFET device structure showed excellent DC characteristics with exceptional I
ON, I
ON/I
OFF ratio, and minimal sub-threshold swing (S) of ∼3.04 × 10−4 A μm−1, ∼1.2 × 1010, and ∼3.4 mV/dec, respectively. Furthermore, the device’s analog characteristics displayed good transconductance, cut-off frequency, and gain bandwidth product of ∼0.75 mS/μm, ∼0.97 THz, and ∼102 GHz, respectively. Moreover, the charge trap exploration divulges that positive ITCs can enhance device performance, whereas negative ITCs can adversely impact the electrical characteristics of CP-DGTFET. Additionally, the temperature-dependent analysis showed that the OFF-state leakage current increases from ∼1.7 × 10−15 A μm−1 to 2.4 × 10−10 A μm−1 with temperature fluctuations from 275 K to 375 K. Overall, the work function-engineered CP-based Ti/HfO2/Al2O3/Ge DGTFET device structure shows great potential for improving the performance and reliability of Ge TFET technology.
Classifying rock types by geostatistics and random forests in tandem
Authors: Dutta Parag Jyoti , Emery Xavier 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Rock type classification is crucial for evaluating mineral resources in ore deposits and for rock mechanics. Mineral deposits are formed in a variety of rock bodies and rock types. However, the rock type identification in drill core samples is often complicated by overprinting and weathering processes. An approach to classifying rock types from drill core data relies on whole-rock geochemical assays as features. There are few studies on rock type classification from a limited number of metal grades and dry bulk density as features. The novelty in our approach is the introduction of two sets of feature variables (proxies) at sampled data points, generated by geostatistical leave-one-out cross-validation and by kriging for removing short-scale spatial variation of the measured features. We applied our proposal to a dataset from a porphyry Cu–Au deposit in Mongolia. The model performances on a testing data subset indicate that, when the training dataset is not large, the performance of the classifier (a random forest) substantially improves by incorporating the proxy features as a complement to the original measured features. At each training data point, these proxy features throw light based on the underlying spatial data correlation structure, scales of variations, sampling design, and values of features observed at neighboring points, and show the benefits of combining geostatistics with machine learning.
NetMe 2.0: a web-based platform for extracting and modeling knowledge from biomedical literature as a labeled graph
Authors: Di Maria Antonio , Bellomo Lorenzo , Billeci Fabrizio , Cardillo Alfio , Alaimo Salvatore , Ferragina Paolo , Ferro Alfredo , Pulvirenti Alfredo 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Motivation
The rapid increase of bio-medical literature makes it harder and harder for scientists to keep pace with the discoveries on which they build their studies. Therefore, computational tools have become more widespread, among which network analysis plays a crucial role in several life-science contexts. Nevertheless, building correct and complete networks about some user-defined biomedical topics on top of the available literature is still challenging.

Results
We introduce NetMe 2.0, a web-based platform that automatically extracts relevant biomedical entities and their relations from a set of input texts—i.e. in the form of full-text or abstract of PubMed Central’s papers, free texts, or PDFs uploaded by users—and models them as a BioMedical Knowledge Graph (BKG). NetMe 2.0 also implements an innovative Retrieval Augmented Generation module (Graph-RAG) that works on top of the relationships modeled by the BKG and allows the distilling of well-formed sentences that explain their content. The experimental results show that NetMe 2.0 can infer comprehensive and reliable biological networks with significant Precision–Recall metrics when compared to state-of-the-art approaches.

Availability and implementation
https://netme.click/.
Allergens induce upregulated IL-18 and IL-18Rα expression in blood Th2 and Th17 cells of patients with allergic asthma
Authors: Wang Junling , Zhan Mengmeng , Zhai Yaping , Wang Siqin , Gu Fangqiu , Zhao Zhuo , Zhang Zhaolong , Li Yifei , Dong Xin , Zhang Yijie , Qin Bingyu 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Allergic asthma (AA) is closely associated with the polarization of T helper (Th)2 and Th17 cells. Interleukin (IL)-18 acts as an inducer of Th2 and Th17 cell responses. However, expressions of IL-18 and IL-18 receptor alpha (IL-18Rα) in blood Th2 and Th17 cells of patients with AA remain unclear. We therefore investigated their expressions in Th2 and Th17 cells using flow cytometric analysis, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), and murine AA model. We observed increased proportions of Th2, Th17, IL-18+, IL-18+ Th2, and IL-18+ Th17 cells in blood CD4+ T cells of patients with AA. Additionally, house dust mite seemed to upregulate further IL-18 expression in Th2 and Th17, and upregulate IL-18Rα expression in CD4+ T, Th2, and Th17 cells of AA patients. It was also found that the plasma levels of IL-4, IL-17A, and IL-18 in AA patients were elevated, and they were correlated between each other. In ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma mouse (AM), we observed that the percentages of blood CD4+ T, Th2, and Th17 cells were increased. Moreover, OVA-induced AM expressed higher level of IL-18Rα in blood Th2 cells, which was downregulated by IL-18. Increased IL-18Rα expression was also observed in blood Th2 cells of OVA-induced FcεRIα−/− mice. Collectively, our findings suggest the involvement of Th2 cells in AA by expressing excessive IL-18 and IL-18Rα in response to allergen, and that IL-18 and IL-18Rα expressing Th2 cells are likely to be the potential targets for AA therapy.
Evaluation standards regulate the generation and selection of novel ideas in creative behaviors: insights from individual differences in event-related potentials
Authors: Jia Lujia , Ren Jingyuan , Li Fuhong , Huang Furong 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Evaluation is generally considered to occur after the generation of novel ideas to select truly creative ideas; however, evaluation may occur concurrently with the generation and regulate its efficiency. To test this hypothesis, 120 participants who held strict, moderate, or loose evaluation standards were grouped, and neural responses related to novel idea generation were compared retrospectively. The results showed that lower N400 amplitudes and greater LSP amplitudes were simultaneously elicited by objectively defined novel and usable options than by novel but unusable options among participants with moderate standards but not among participants with strict or loose standards. Evaluation standards influence the efficiency of novel idea generation; neither strict nor loose evaluation standards are conducive to fully resolving cognitive conflicts and generating novel ideas. Moreover, lower N400 amplitudes and greater LSP amplitudes were simultaneously elicited by the subjectively rated novel and usable option than by the novel but unusable option among participants with strict and moderate standards but not among participants with loose standards. Evaluation standards influence the selection among the generated ideas; participants in the strict and moderate groups made a wise choice based on the degree of conflict resolution, whereas participants in the loose group did not.
Synthesis of N-doped MgTiO3 with ilmenite structure working as photocatalysts for O2 evolution under visible light
Authors: Yoshino Shunya , Shindo Shuma , Kato Hideki 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Synthesis of N-doped MgTiO3 with an ilmenite structure was examined as a new ilmenite-type oxynitride material. N-doped MgTiO3 with Sc-substitution was successfully obtained by flux-assisted nitridation using a LiCl-KCl eutectic under pure NH3 or 5% NH3. The oxynitrides gave visible light absorption which MgTiO3 did not show, and were active for sacrificial O2 evolution using AgNO3 under visible light irradiation.
The trilogy of human musk receptors: linking receptor activation, genotype, and sensory perception
Authors: Emter Roger , Merillat Christel , Dossenbach Sandro , Natsch Andreas 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
The scent of musk plays a unique role in the history of perfumery. Musk odorants comprise 6 diverse chemical classes and perception differences in strength and quality among human panelists have long puzzled the field of olfaction research. Three odorant receptors (OR) had recently been described for musk odorants: OR5AN1, OR1N2, and OR5A2. High functional expression of the difficult-to-express human OR5A2 was achieved by a modification of the C-terminal domain and the link between sensory perception and receptor activation for the trilogy of these receptors and their key genetic variants was investigated: All 3 receptors detect only musky smelling compounds among 440 commercial fragrance compounds. OR5A2 is the key receptor for the classes of polycyclic and linear musks and for most macrocylic lactones. A single P172L substitution reduces the sensitivity of OR5A2 by around 50-fold. In parallel, human panelists homozygous for this mutation have around 40–60-fold higher sensory detection threshold for selective OR5A2 ligands. For macrocyclic lactones, OR5A2 could further be proven as the key OR by a strong correlation between in vitro activation and the sensory detection threshold in vivo. OR5AN1 is the dominant receptor for the perception of macrocyclic ketones such as muscone and some nitromusks, as panelists with a mutant OR5A2 are still equally sensitive to these ligands. Finally, OR1N2 appears to be an additional receptor involved in the perception of the natural (E)-ambrettolide. This study for the first time links OR activation to sensory perception and genetic polymorphisms for this unique class of odorants.
Non-contrast preoperative MRI for determining renal perfusion and visualizing renal arteries in potential living kidney donors at 1.5 Tesla
Authors: Andersson Julian , Meik Rosalie , Pravdivtseva Mariya S , Langguth Patrick , Gottschalk Hannes , Sedaghat Sam , Jüptner Michael , Koktzoglou Ioannis , Edelman Robert R , Kühn Bernd , Feldkamp Thorsten , Jansen Olav , Both Marcus , Salehi Ravesh Mona 
Published: April 2024

ABSTRACT

Background
The aim of this work was to create and evaluate a preoperative non-contrast-enhanced (CE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/angiography (MRA) protocol to assess renal function and visualize renal arteries and any abnormalities in potential living kidney donors.

Methods
In total, 28 subjects were examined using scintigraphy to determine renal function. In addition, 3D-pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL), a 2D-non-CE electrocardiogram-triggered radial quiescent interval slice-selective (QISS-MRA), and 4D-CE time-resolved angiography with interleaved stochastic trajectories (CE-MRA) were performed to assess renal perfusion, visualize renal arteries and detect any abnormalities. Two glomerular filtration rates [described by Gates (GFRG) and according to the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration formula (GFRCKD-EPI)]. The renal volumes were determined using both MRA techniques.

Results
The mean value of regional renal blood flow (rRBF) on the right side was significantly higher than that on the left. The agreements between QISS-MRA and CE-MRA concerning the assessment of absence or presence of an aberrant artery and renal arterial stenosis were perfect. The mean renal volumes measured in the right kidney with QISS-MRA were lower than the corresponding values of CE-MRA. In contrast, the mean renal volumes measured in the left kidney with both MRA techniques were similar. The correlation between the GFRG and rRBF was compared in the same manner as that between GFRCKD-EPI and rRBF.

Conclusion
The combination of pCASL and QISS-MRA constitute a reliable preoperative protocol with a total measurement time of &lt;10 min without the potential side effects of gadolinium-based contrast agents or radiation exposure.
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and risk of esophageal cancer in patients with diabetes mellitus: a nationwide cohort study
Authors: Jeon Yeong Jeong , Han Kyungdo , Lee Seung Woo , Lee Ji Eun , Park Junhee , Cho In Young , Cho Jong Ho , Shin Dong Wook 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is closely associated with type 2 diabetes and a developing several cancers including esophageal cancer (EC). However, the association between MASLD and EC in diabetic patients has not been investigated. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the relation between MASLD and developing EC in diabetic patients. This was a population-based retrospective cohort study of data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS). A total of 1,904,468 subjects diagnosed with diabetes who underwent NHIS-provided health checkups from 2009 to 2012 were included. We constructed a Cox proportional hazard model for the association of fatty liver index (FLI) and the risk of EC stratified by potential confounders. Over a mean follow-up duration of 6.9 years, the incidence of EC was higher in the high (≥60) FLI group compared to the low (&lt;30) FLI group (14.4 vs. 13.7 event per 100,000 person-years). The risk of EC correlated with the degree of FLI, particularly in older (P = 0.002), female (P = 0.033), non-smoking (P = 0.002), and non-drinking patients (P = 0.025). Among obese patients, the risk of EC was not associated with FLI; however, the risk of EC was higher in the high FLI group in non-obese patients. Lean MASLD patients had the highest risk of EC (adjusted hazard ratio 1.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.5–2.13). MASLD was associated with an increased risk of EC in diabetic patients, and lean MASLD has the highest risk. Further studies are required to determine the causal relationship between MASLD and EC.
A multi-component intervention increased access to smoking cessation treatment after hospitalization for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: a randomized trial
Authors: Pleym Karin , Dammen Toril , Wedon-Fekjær Harald , Husebye Einar , Sverre Elise , Tonstad Serena , Munkhaugen John 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Aims
To evaluate the effects of a multi-component intervention for smokers hospitalized for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) on the participation rate in community-based cessation programmes and the use of cessation drugs. Additionally, to explore the impact on the cessation rates at 6 months.

Methods and results
A randomized parallel-group study was conducted at a Norwegian secondary care hospital in 2021. The intervention group was: (i) counselled using motivational interviewing techniques during hospitalization; (ii) given an information leaflet, detailing the cessation programme; and (iii) referred to the community-based smoking cessation treatment including a post-discharge pro-active telephone invitation. The control group received usual care and the same information leaflet containing clear contact details for initiating participation. Data were collected at baseline, 1, 3, and 6 months. Among 99 smokers hospitalized with ASCVD, 40 were excluded. Of 59 randomized patients, 4 were lost to follow-up and 55 completed the study. The mean age was 65.1 (standard deviation 9.3) years, 35% were female, and 88% had smoked &gt;20 years. Co-morbidity was prevalent (mean Charlson score 4.8). The intervention group was more likely to participate in the smoking cessation treatment {48 vs. 7%, difference: 41% [95% confidence interval (CI): 14%, 63%]} and used cessation drugs more frequently [59 vs. 21%, difference: 38% (95% CI: 17%, 59%)]. At the 6 months point prevalence, we observed notable between-group differences in self-reported cessation rate (48 vs. 25%).

Conclusion
The intervention significantly increased the participation rate at community-based smoking cessation programmes and the use of cessation drugs among multi-morbid smokers hospitalized for ASCVD.
The Three Careers of the Solemn League and Covenant: Presbyterianism and Scottish Religious Diversity, 1643–1800
Authors: Raffe Alasdair 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
This article examines the changing significance of the Solemn League and Covenant in the century and a half following its negotiation by the parliamentary regimes of England and Scotland in 1643. The Solemn League had three careers. Until the late 1640s, it was the basis for an Anglo-Scottish alliance. But by the 1660s, Scottish Presbyterians conceived of the Solemn League’s religious commitments as binding particularly in Scotland, rather than across the three Stuart kingdoms. Well into the eighteenth century, the Solemn League continued to constrain the attitudes and behaviour of large numbers of conscientious Scottish Presbyterians. In its third career, however, Scots understood the Solemn League more historically than constitutionally. They revered its seventeenth-century adherents, even as they criticised the Solemn League’s terms and objectives. Though previous scholars have explored each of the Solemn League’s three careers, the transitions between them are not well understood. This article reconstructs the ways in which Scots rethought the Solemn League from the late 1640s to the early 1660s, to explain how its first career gave way to its second. The article then analyses a series of mid- and late eighteenth-century debates about the Solemn League. The more historical and critical perspectives on the Solemn League associated with its third career emerged from disputes within the Church of Scotland and rivalry between its ministers and members of new dissenting Presbyterian Churches. By tracing changes in how the Solemn League was understood, therefore, the article comments on the growth of religious diversity in Scotland.