bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Stimulatory Effect of Mammalian Exosomes on Intradermal Fibroblast Proliferation
Authors: Kilasoniya Alina , Zabegina Lidia , Shalaev Andrey , Artemyeva Anna , Malek Anastasia 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTBackgroundThis study investigates the potential of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in skin regeneration and rejuvenation. EVs, nanoscale vesicles released by various cell types, play a crucial role in intercellular communication.ObjectiveTo reaffirm the pivotal role of blood‐derived exosomes in intercellular communication and their potential for skin tissue regeneration, leveraging existing research, including human data, to advocate for exosomes as a viable cell‐free therapy for skin health.MethodsThe study employs a novel isolation technique combining PEG and Dextran with ultracentrifugation to extract EVs from plasma. Characterization techniques, including NTA, AFM, Cryo‐TEM, and FC, confirm the successful isolation and characterization of EVs.ResultsThe study demonstrates positive effects of blood‐derived EVs on fibroblast proliferation, collagen, and elastin production in murine and human models. Despite advancements, challenges persist in obtaining consistent EVs quality and concentration. The findings support the clinical relevance of EVs in skin health and suggest potential applications for skin rejuvenation. Future research directions and study limitations are also discussed, contributing to the evolving understanding of EVs‐based therapies.
The quality, accuracy and appropriateness of UK optometric age‐related macular degeneration referrals
Authors: Fulcher Corinne , Davey Christopher , Denniss Jonathan 
Published: February 2025

AbstractPurposeLittle is known about the quality of optometrists' referrals to secondary care for neovascular age‐related macular degeneration (nAMD), despite the need for timely intervention. We analysed the content and accuracy of optometrists' referrals for nAMD. Adherence to UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines and the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic were assessed as secondary measures.MethodsOptometric referrals to a specialist macular treatment centre in Bradford, United Kingdom, between March 2019 and March 2021 were retrospectively analysed and compared with subsequent electronic medical records. Data were extracted on legibility, reason for referral, patient and optometrist demographics, visual acuity, reported signs and symptoms, patient diagnosis and patient outcomes. Binomial logistic regression models were constructed to determine whether signs or symptoms noted in the referral were associated with subsequent nAMD diagnosis in secondary care and whether optometrist gender or experience influenced nAMD referral accuracy.ResultsAcross all 394 referrals analysed, 256 were for nAMD. Referral accuracy for nAMD was 39.8% (95% CI [34.0%, 45.9%]), with the most common reason for misdiagnosis being dry AMD. However, 76.8% of patients referred for suspected nAMD were either treated in secondary care or observed over multiple visits. 20% of suspected nAMD patients were seen within the NICE recommended 14‐day window pre‐COVID, dropping to 5% during the pandemic (p < 0.001). Visual acuity was most strongly associated with nAMD diagnosis (χ2(1) = 13.71, p < 0.001) followed by macular haemorrhage (χ2(1) = 5.89, p = 0.02). Neither optometrist gender nor experience was significantly associated with confirmed nAMD. Legibility of referrals was 91–95% for patient details and 94–97% for the referring optometrist.ConclusionsAlthough the overall quality and legibility of optometrists' macular referrals to secondary care were of a high standard, the diagnostic accuracy of nAMD was below 40%. Referred visual acuity was the main sign/symptom associated with confirmed nAMD diagnosis.
Permanent trials for spinal cord stimulation
Authors: Bandlamuri Sruti , Harland Tessa A. , Pilitsis Julie G. , Sukul Vishad V. 
Published: February 2025

AbstractIntroductionPrior to the permanent implant of a spinal cord stimulator, patients typically undergo a screening trial using a percutaneously placed lead to ensure adequate response. However, due to several factors, patients may not be candidates for this screening trial and therefore instead undergo a “permanent trial” where either a percutaneous lead or paddle lead is placed using a tunneled extension for the trial, with the intent of conversion to a permanent system. If these patients proceed with an implant, the epidural space is not re‐accessed and only an impulse generator (IPG) is needed. Although this technique is commonly employed, there is a paucity of literature describing outcomes with the “permanent trial” methodology. We present here our clinical experience with this technique.MethodsParticipants who underwent permanent trials at a single institution between 2014 and 2020 were identified. Charts were reviewed to collect demographic information, numerical rating score (NRS) data, length of follow‐up, revisions, complications, and removals.ResultsA total of 27 patients who underwent permanent trial placement were identified from a database of 762 patients who underwent SCS placement (3.54%). The permanent placement group included 7 paddle trials, 14 percutaneous trials, and 6 dorsal root ganglion (DRG) trials. The reasons for pursuing a permanent trial included previously aborted percutaneous trial (n = 8), inability to hold anticoagulation for a prolonged period (n = 4), previous thoracic spine surgery or presence of thoracic stenosis on MRI (n = 4), and significant medical comorbidities precluding typical percutaneous trial lead placement at a surgery center (n = 3). 24/27 (88.8%) proceeded to permanent implant, and 16/24 (66.7%) were considered responders (greater than 50% reduction in pain) after 3 months. Over an average follow‐up of 28.7 months, complications included 1 peri‐operative intracranial hemorrhage delaying IPG placement, 2 lead fractures, 1 lead migration, and 1 CSF leak. Three patients required revision surgery for lead migration, lead fracture, and CSF leak, respectively. One patient had his system explanted 25.9 months after initial placement due to increased pain from stimulation.ConclusionThis study aims to characterize our experience with permanent trials for SCS. Here we demonstrate a higher rate of trial‐to‐implant conversion than previously documented for traditional percutaneous trials. We show similar rates of revisions and complications, elucidating the important role of permanent SCS trials in high‐risk patients.
Salt secretion in the mangrove Avicennia marina: effects of hypersalinity
Authors: Naidoo Gonasageran 
Published: February 2025

AbstractThe effects of salinity on the structure of salt glands and salt secretion were determined by comparing adult Avicennia marina trees growing in the field at two contrasting salinities: seawater and hypersalinity. Electron microscopy was used to determine gland frequency and ultrastructure. Ecophysiological measurements included ion analyses of soils and leaves, soil and xylem water potentials and photosynthesis. In the hypersalinity site, salt gland frequency was 47% lower than that at seawater conditions. Salt glands in the hypersalinity site were sunken within crypts, partially collapsed, degenerated, and covered with salt crystals. In the hypersalinity site, salt secretion during the day was lower than that in the seawater site by 33% (p < 0.05), while there were no differences in night secretion. In both sites, salt secretion was higher at night and lower during the day. In the hypersalinity site, the cytoplasm of the salt glands had fewer ribosomes and mitochondria and larger vacuolar and vesicular volume than at the seawater site. CO2 exchange, conductance, transpiration and intrinsic Photosystem II efficiency. were significantly lower in the hypersalinity site than in the seawater site. Lower salt secretion in the hypersalinity site was probably due to lower salt gland frequency induced by xeromorphic characteristics such as smaller, thicker leaves, lower specific area, and thicker cuticles. The ecophysiological data supported the ultrastructural evidence that salt secretion is compromised by prolonged hypersalinity in adult Avicennia marina trees.
Targeted introduction of premature stop codon in plant mitochondrial mRNA by a designer pentatricopeptide repeat protein with C‐to‐U editing function
Authors: Manavski Nikolay , Abdel‐Salam Eslam , Schwenkert Serena , Kunz Hans‐Henning , Brachmann Andreas , Leister Dario , Meurer Jörg 
Published: February 2025

SUMMARYRNA editing is a crucial post‐transcriptional modification in endosymbiotic plant organelles, predominantly involving C‐to‐U conversions. Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins play a key role in this process. To establish a system for gene expression manipulation in genetically inaccessible mitochondria, we engineered a synthetic PPR protein, dPPR‐nad7‐DYW, to induce de novo C‐to‐U editing in the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 7 (nad7) mRNA of Arabidopsis thaliana, thereby creating a premature stop codon. This designer protein, composed of 13 P‐type PPR domains, was fused with the DYW‐type cytidine deaminase domain from Physcomitrium patens PpPPR_56 and programmed to bind a specific nad7 mRNA segment. In vitro binding assays confirmed the specificity of dPPR‐nad7‐DYW for its target sequence. When expressed in Arabidopsis plants, dPPR‐nad7‐DYW achieved up to 85% editing efficiency at the target site, successfully introducing a premature stop codon in nad7 mRNA. This resulted in reduced polysome loading of nad7 transcripts and a phenotype characteristic of mitochondrial complex I dysfunction. RNA‐sequencing revealed potential off‐target editing events, albeit at lower frequencies. Our study demonstrates the successful application of an editing factor with a synthetic P‐type PPR tract targeting a de novo editing site in plant mitochondria, achieving high editing efficiency. This approach opens new avenues for manipulating organellar gene expression and studying mitochondrial gene function in plants and other eukaryotes.
Dual Role of Hydrogen Effect on Surface Dislocation Nucleation in Nickel
Authors: Li Jiachen , Gu Tang , Zhang Yin , Chen Dengke 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Hydrogen embrittlement poses a significant challenge to hydrogen transportation and storage in advancing the hydrogen economy. Despite extensive research, uncertainty regarding how hydrogen affects dislocation nucleation, owing to the lack of quantitative evidence, hinders our understanding of hydrogen embrittlement. In this study, we demonstrate that hydrogen atoms influence surface dislocation nucleation differently depending on their locations: hydrogen at the surface inhibits nucleation, while hydrogen in the bulk promotes it. This dual behavior is attributed to differences in hydrogen binding energies at various sites, a phenomenon further validated through nudged elastic band calculations and transition state theory. Additionally, we propose a modified nucleation rate that incorporates thermal expansion effects, which aligns closely with results from molecular dynamics simulations. These findings at the individual dislocation level offer promising guidance, suggesting that strategies such as suppressing hydrogen accumulation at the surface might effectively mitigate hydrogen embrittlement issues.
Geometry-Driven Mechanical Memory in a Random Fibrous Matrix
Authors: Sarkar Mainak , Laukaitis Christina , Wagoner Johnson Amy 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Disordered fibrous matrices, formed by the random assembly of fibers, provide the structural framework for many biological systems and biomaterials. Applied deformation modifies the alignment and stress states of constituent fibers, tuning the nonlinear elastic response of these materials. While it is generally presumed that fibers return to their original configurations after deformation is released, except when neighboring fibers coalesce or individual fibers yield, this reversal process remains largely unexplored. The intricate geometry of these matrices leaves an incomplete understanding of whether releasing deformation fully restores the matrix or introduces new microstructural deformation mechanisms. To address this gap, we investigated the evolution of matrix microstructures during the release of an applied deformation. Numerical simulations were performed on quasi-two-dimensional matrices of random fibers under localized tension, with fibers modeled as beams in finite element analysis. After tension release, the matrix exhibited permanent mechanical remodeling, with greater remodeling occurring at higher magnitudes of applied tension, indicative of the matrix preserving its loading history as mechanical memory. This response was surprising; it occurred despite the absence of explicit plasticity mechanisms, such as activation of interfiber cohesion or fiber yielding. We attributed the observed remodeling to the gradient in fiber alignment that developed within the matrix microstructure under applied tension, driving the subsequent changes in matrix properties during the release of applied tension. Therefore, random fibrous matrices tend to retain mechanical memory due to their intricate geometry.
A Variable Stiffness Soft Robotic Hand Featuring Ball-Jointed Skeleton Coupled With Particles
Authors: Liu Xiulu , Lin Lekang , Song Zirui , Li Jiale , Xu Liqiang 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Compared with a rigid robotic hand, the soft robotic hand has the advantages of strong safety and high adaptability, but it has problems such as insufficient grasping force, poor attitude retention ability, and poor dynamic stability. Therefore, it is of great significance to introduce a variable stiffness mechanism so that the soft robotic hand can flexibly change its stiffness under different task requirements, thus improving its grasping stability. An innovative design of a novel particle clogging variable stiffness soft robotic hand, featuring superior stiffness performance, is presented in this article, which incorporates a novel particle-clogging variable stiffness structure coupled with a ball-jointed skeleton and particles, resulting in a 29.4% stiffness enhancement over traditional designs lacking a ball-jointed skeleton, while boasting a 217.7% increase in single-finger fingertip force, and an elevation of embracing grasping performance by 110.56% along with a 280.2% improvement in fingertip grasp performance, thereby significantly improving grasping force, stability and effectiveness for daily food, and tool grasping.
Learning-Based Position and Orientation Control of a Hybrid Rigid-Soft Arm Manipulator
Authors: Koe Kendall , Marri Samhita , Walt Benjamin , Kamtikar Shivani , Uppalapati Naveen Kumar , Krishnan Girish , Chowdhary Girish 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
We present a position and orientation controller for a hybrid rigid-soft manipulator arm where the soft arm is extruded from a two degrees-of-freedom rigid link. Our approach involves learning the dynamics of the hybrid arm operating at 4Hz and leveraging it to generate optimal trajectories that serve as expert data to learn a control policy. We performed an extensive evaluation of the policy on a physical hybrid arm capable of jointly controlling rigid and soft actuation. We show that with a single policy, the arm is capable of reaching arbitrary poses in the workspace with 3.73cm (&lt;6% overall arm length) and 17.78 deg error within 12.5s, operating at different control frequencies, and controlling the end effector with different loads. Our results showcase significant improvements in control speed while effectively controlling both the position and orientation of the end effector compared to previous quasistatic controllers for hybrid arms.
Design of Reconfigurable Articulated Walking Mechanisms for Diverse Motion Behaviors
Authors: Hernandez Severino , Robson Nina 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Legged robots are able to move across irregular terrains and those based on 1-degreeof-freedom planar linkages can be energy efficient, but are often constrained by a limited range of gaits which can limit their locomotion capabilities considerably. This article reports the design of novel reconfigurable parallel linkages that produce a variety of gait cycles, opening new possibilities for innovative robotics applications. It is shown that such reconfigurable linkages significantly extend the capabilities of one degree-of-freedom planar parallel mechanisms to not only produce different useful walking patterns but also to realize behaviors beyond locomotion. Experiments with an implemented wearable device able to guide the lower extremity through multiple human-like walking trajectories is presented and the preliminary results validate the proposed approach. Here we would like to note that the main departure of this work from the state of the art in the area is that large solution spaces are generated using 1-degree-of-freedom planar linkages, producing gait variance via re-assembly.
Dynamics Modeling and Control Strategy Research on Multi-Joint Soft Lower Limb Assistive Exoskeletons
Authors: Wang Yu , Li Jian , Liang Peng , Ye Riwei 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
In response to elderly individuals and stroke patients with weakened lower limb muscle strength, this study proposes a multi-joint soft lower limb assistive exoskeleton designed to assist hip and knee joint flexion and extension during human walking. To achieve smooth control of the flexible exoskeleton, a hardware control system based on STM32 is constructed. The study establishes the theoretical dynamics model and motion characteristic equations for the soft exoskeleton. To minimize assistive errors, a control strategy is designed based on the proportional derivative iterative learning control methods, and control algorithm simulations are performed. For precise assistance of the soft exoskeleton, a mean prediction method is employed to forecast the gait cycle of the human body. To validate the correctness of the dynamic model and the practicality of the soft exoskeleton, tracking experiments with a dummy and walking assistance experiments with human subjects are conducted separately. The dummy tracking experiment results indicate that the percentage errors of peak assistive values for hip and knee joint flexion are 4.77% and 5.81%, respectively, while for extension, the percentage errors are 8.94% and 9.13%. The human walking assistance experiment results show that the peak assistive values provided by the soft exoskeleton for hip joint flexion and extension reach 152.46 N and 150.26 N, respectively, while for knee joint flexion and extension, the peak assistive values are 107.64 N and 106.13 N, respectively.
Thermal Characteristic Optimization of Two-Sided Curvilinear Rib-Roughened Solar Air Heater
Authors: Singh Dharam , Kumar Vikash 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
The use of artificial roughness to improve the performance and efficiency of solar air heater is one of the most adopted approaches. The selection of geometrical and flow parameters and their ranges draw the attention of researchers to reach optimum design value. The present experimental and simulation-based investigation deals with the optimization of thermal characteristics (Nusselt number and friction factor) and geometric roughness parameters for a two-sided curvilinear transverse rib-roughened solar air heater. Data collected from the experiment and simulation were further processed by response surface methodology to optimize the thermal characteristics and roughness parameters. The main roughness parameter for two-sided curvilinear rib roughness was the relative roughness height (e/Dh) ranges from 0.7 to 1.4, relative roughness pitch (p/e) ranges from 10 to 25, and Reynolds number (Re) ranges from 3800 to 18,000. Data collected from the simulation are used to develop a mathematical model using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) approach. To adopt the significant value predicted by the model, the coefficient of regression (R2) and confidence interval (p-value and F-value), with a probability of 95%, were considered. Nusselt number and friction factor achieve its optimum value (Nu maximum and f minimum) of 123.84 and 0.012 at e/Dh = 0.031, p/e = 21.42, and Re = 10,900.
Superposition of Overall Cooling Effectiveness on a Turbine Blade Leading Edge
Authors: Hopkins Bailey W. , Rutledge James L. 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Increasingly harsh turbine environments necessitate the design of more advanced cooling techniques as well as the prediction of those cooling schemes' performance at engine conditions. For several decades, film cooling design has been accelerated through a low-order superposition of adiabatic effectiveness in order to quickly approximate the combined effect of multiple rows of cooling holes, the individual rows of which have already been characterized. While that legacy technique can approximately superpose the benefits of multiple rows of external film cooling holes, it is unable to superpose the added benefits of additional internal cooling features. This limitation of traditional film cooling superposition has been overcome with a new technique that allows superposition of overall effectiveness, which is influenced by both external film cooling and internal cooling. In this article, the new overall effectiveness superposition technique is evaluated in a turbine airfoil leading edge showerhead region. The superposition technique is effective at predicting the added benefit of an additional row of cooling holes in the leading-edge region along with the associated internal cooling that accompanies the additional row of cooling holes. Special care must be taken, however, due to pressure gradients associated with the leading-edge curvature.
Current Practices of Lesson Planning in Physical Education Teacher Education Programs
Authors: Tsuda Emi , Olsen Edward , Xie Xiuye , Wyant James , Watson Leanne , Machamer Lauren 
Published: February 2025

Purpose: This study aimed to explore current practices associated with lesson planning in physical education teacher education programs. Method: The study employed a descriptive quantitative research design using survey and lesson plan templates as data sources. A total of 64 physical education teacher education faculty members’ survey responses and 38 lesson plan templates were collected. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the survey results, and content analyses were employed to examine the lesson plan templates. Results: The majority of the participants responded that they increased the demands on lesson plans as preservice teachers progressed through the program and spent less than 30 min per lesson plan review. The lesson plan templates primarily consisted of three major areas, including lesson overview, tasks and activities, and reflection. Discussion/Conclusion: The practice associated with lesson planning varies at each program. Further investigation into effective practice for lesson planning is essential in future studies.