bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Alanine transferase levels (ALT) and triglyceride-glucose index are risk factors for type 2 diabetes mellitus in obese patients
Authors: Folli Franco , Pontiroli Antonio E. , Zakaria Ahmed S. , Centofanti Lucia , Tagliabue Elena , La Sala Lucia 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Aims
The role of liver steatosis and increased liver enzymes (ALT) in increasing incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is debated, because of their differential effects on different ethnicities and populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of elevated ALT in the development of T2DM in non-diabetic obese subjects receiving routine medical treatment.

Methods
A total of 1005 subjects [296 men and 709 women, aged 45.7 ± 13.12 years, body mass index (BMI) 39.5 ± 4.86 kg/m2] were followed for a mean period of 14.3 ± 4.44 years. Subjects were evaluated for several metabolic variables, including the triglyceride-glucose index and the presence of metabolic syndrome (IDF 2005 definition), and were subdivided into ALT quartiles.

Results
T2DM developed in 136 subjects, and the difference was significant between the first and the fourth ALT quartile (p = 0.048). Both at univariate analysis and at stepwise regression, ALT quartiles were associated with incident T2DM. Traditional risk factors for T2DM coexisted, with a somehow greater predictive value, such as triglyceride-glucose index, age, arterial hypertension, LDL-cholesterol, and metabolic syndrome.

Conclusions
These data suggest an association between elevated ALT levels and the risk of incident T2DM in obesity.
Elevated luteinizing hormone receptor signaling or selenium treatment leads to comparable changes in adrenal cortex histology and androgen-AR/ZIP9 signaling
Authors: Wieczorek Jaroslaw , Pawlicki Piotr , Zarzycka Marta , Pardyak Laura , Niedbala Piotr , Duliban Michal , Yurdakok-Dikmen Begum , Kotula-Balak Malgorzata 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThe importance and regulation of adrenal androgen production and signaling are not completely understood and are scarcely studied. In addition, there is still a search for appropriate animal models and experimental systems for the investigation of adrenal physiology and disease. Therefore, the main objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of luteinizing hormone (LH) signaling and selenium (Se2+) exposure on androgen adrenal signaling via canonical androgen receptor (AR), and membrane androgen receptor acting as zinc transporter (zinc- and iron-like protein 9; ZIP9). For herein evaluations, adrenals isolated from transgenic mice with elevated LH receptor signaling (KiLHRD582G) and adrenals obtained from rabbits used for ex vivo adenal cortex culture and exposure to Se2+ were utilized. Tissues were assessed for morphological, morphometric, and Western blot analyses and testosterone and zinc level measurements.Comparison of adrenal cortex histology and morphometric analysis in KiLHRD582G mice and Se2+-treated rabbits revealed cell hypertrophy. No changes in the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were found. In addition, AR expression was decreased (p < 0.001) in both KiLHRD582G mouse and Se2+-treated rabbit adrenal cortex while expression of ZIP9 showed diverse changes. Its expression was increased (P < 0.001) in KiLHRD582G mice and decreased (P < 0.001) in Se2+-treated rabbits but only at the dose 10 ug/100 mg/ tissue. Moreover, increased testosterone levels (P < 0.05) and zinc levels were detected in the adrenal cortex of KiLHRD582G mice whereas in rabbit adrenal cortex treated with Se2+, the effect was the opposite (P < 0.001).
Association between motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and swallowing disorders
Authors: Nakamori Masahiro , Toko Megumi , Yamada Hidetada , Hayashi Yuki , Ushio Kai , Yoshikawa Kohei , Haruta Azusa , Hiraoka Aya , Yoshikawa Mineka , Nagasaki Toshikazu , Mikami Yukio , Maruyama Hirofumi 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Background
Parkinson’s disease (PD) presents with motor symptoms that hinder physical activity. This study aimed to thoroughly investigate swallowing dysfunction in patients with PD using videofluoroscopy (VF) and the Movement Disorder Society (MDS)-Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS) sub-scores.

Methods
This study was part of an intervention project to evaluate the effectiveness of cervical percutaneous interferential current stimulation in patients with Hoehn and Yahr stages 2–4 PD. Baseline data, including swallowing-related indicators such as VF, were obtained and compared to the MDS-UPDRS sub-scores including rigidity, tremor, postural instability/gait difficulty, and limb scores.

Results
Twenty-seven patients were included in this study. In the VF analysis, laryngeal penetration/aspiration, oral cavity residue, epiglottic vallecular residue, and pharyngeal residue were observed with remarkable frequency. The multivariate analysis revealed that the mean rigidity score of UPDRS was an independent and significantly correlated factor with laryngeal penetration/aspiration during the ingestion of 10 mL of water (odds ratio 1.294, 95% confidence interval 1.035–1.617; p = 0.024).

Conclusion
This study revealed a correlation between muscle rigidity and laryngeal penetration or aspiration risk. The detailed comparative analysis of various individual PD symptoms and swallowing disorders was substantial, which enabled early detection of the risk of swallowing disorder and the implementation of appropriate measures.

Trial registration number
jRCTs062220013.
Genomic reconsideration of fish non-monophyly: why cannot we simply call them all ‘fish’?
Authors: Kuraku Shigehiro , Sato Mana , Yoshida Kohta , Uno Yoshinobu 
Published: December 2023

AbstractExtant ‘fishes’ belong to jawless, cartilaginous, actinopterygian, or sarcopterygian fish lineages. They comprise a non-monophyletic group of vertebrates from which tetrapods are excluded, and they are therefore paraphyletic. Recent advances in whole-genome sequencing have shed light on phylogenetic relationships, divergence times among major fish lineages, and the molecular basis of phenotypic diversity. This review encompasses the diversity of extant fishes and explores the variation in genomic organization and its evolutionary origins. This review begins with evaluating available genomic sequence resources with a focus on literally complete (‘telomere-to-telomere’) sequencing. Next, it discusses among-lineage variations in genomic contents, considering karyotype reports, genome sizes, and whole-genome duplication events. Additionally, we investigate three families of protein-coding genes, visual opsins, aquaporins (Aqps), and Hox genes, as they offer insights into morphological and physiological differences among major fish lineages. Overall, our technical basis of analyzing fish genomes and the knowledge of genomic organization provide valuable insights into our vertebrate-wide understanding of how molecular mechanisms specifying variable phenotypes are encoded in genomic sequence information.
A general and modular framework for dark web analysis
Authors: Ruiz Ródenas José Manuel , Pastor-Galindo Javier , Gómez Mármol Félix 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThe dark web, often linked with illegal activities, can be monitored with different solutions. However, these tools are typically purpose-specific and designed for unique use cases. In this study, we propose a flexible and scalable framework that facilitates the easy integration of new workflows for dark web analysis. The design is based on the control, logic and operations layers, supplemented by a tools module, logs management, asynchronous message-based communication and a database. The implementation maps the features into a microservice approach, utilizing the open-source technologies Docker Swarm, Kafka, ELK Stack (Elastic Search, Logstash and Kibana), and PostgreSQL. A workflow to scrape web elements of Tor onion services is deployed and validated, demonstrating considerable framework performance despite the time-consuming task of navigating the dark web. Over 16 h, the framework collected over half million onion domains (84,371 unique ones) and made 78,555 accesses to them.
Generation of mathematical programming representations for discrete event simulation models of timed petri nets
Authors: Zhang Mengyi , Alfieri Arianna , Matta Andrea 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThis work proposes a mathematical programming (MP) representation of discrete event simulation of timed Petri nets (TPN). Currently, mathematical programming techniques are not widely applied to optimize discrete event systems due to the difficulty of formulating models capable to correctly represent the system dynamics. This work connects the two fruitful research fields, i.e., mathematical programming and Timed Petri Nets. In the MP formalism, the decision variables of the model correspond to the transition firing times and the markings of the TPN, whereas the constraints represent the state transition logic and temporal sequences among events. The MP model and a simulation run of the TPN are then totally equivalent, and this equivalence has been validated through an application in the queuing network field. Using a TPN model as input, the MP model can be routinely generated and used as a white box for further tasks such as sensitivity analysis, cut generation in optimization procedures, and proof of formal properties.
Remote Working and Task Innovativeness – an Integrated Resource Based View and Antecedent-Behaviour-Consequence Perspective
Authors: Dzandu Michael D. , Hatsu Sylvester , De Cesare Sergio 
Published: December 2023

AbstractIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, organisations across the world have been adopting different strategies, including remote working (RW), to continue with their normal routines. However, little is known about the impact of RW strategy on task innovativeness, organisational performance, and employees’ continuance intention to remote work post-COVID-19. Using a variant of the resource-based view and the antecedent-behaviour-consequence models, data was collected from a total of 643 employees in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ghana; and analysed using structural equation modelling (Study 1). The results showed and confirmed a positive effect of RW strategy, information systems (IS) resource availability and capabilities on employees’ task innovativeness leading to improved organisational performance. Further, interviews were then conducted with 22 participants from Ghana and the UK (Study 2) to understand the reasons for the outcomes in Study 1. These provided a basis for employees’ continuance intention to remote work. The need to upgrade the current levels of IS resources to support job redesign and responsive workaround in times of uncertainty is highlighted for the consideration of businesses, organisations, and policymakers.
Autistic Characteristics in a Nationally Representative Clinical Sample of Adolescents Seeking Medical Gender-Affirming Treatment in Norway
Authors: David Linda W. , Stenberg Nina , Diseth Trond H. , Helverschou Sissel Berge , Nyquist Cecilie Bjertness , Øien Roald A. , Waehre Anne 
Published: December 2023

Abstract

Purpose
Several studies have reported on the intersection of autism and gender incongruence (GI) in clinical populations. This study aims to investigate autistic characteristics and registered autism spectrum diagnoses (ASD) in a clinical cohort of 83 adolescents referred to the National Gender Team for Children and Adolescents in Norway during 2020.

Methods
Parents completed the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Background information and registered psychiatric diagnoses were extracted from patient files.

Results
The results showed that 25% of the participants scored within the clinical range on the SRS: 27.4% of adolescents who were assigned female at birth (AFAB) and 19.0% of adolescents who were assigned male at birth (AMAB). AFAB had significantly higher scores on SRS Total Scale and the Social Motivation and Autistic Mannerisms subscales compared to the female norm group. AMAB had higher scores on the Social Motivation subscale and lower scores on the Social Awareness subscale, compared to the male norm population. Information from patient files revealed that 67.5% had one or more registered psychiatric diagnosis. 9.6% had received an ASD diagnosis, all AFAB. 18.1% had received an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. The most common psychiatric diagnoses were depression (25.3%) and anxiety disorders (18.1%). Further, 44.6% had a history of self-harm, and 15.7% had a history of a suicide attempt.

Conclusion
The results showed an overrepresentation of ASD diagnoses and autistic characteristics measured by SRS for AFAB. There was an overrepresentation of psychiatric diagnoses for both the AFAB and the AMAB group in this study sample. Implications for treatment and future research are discussed.
Eros and Anxiety
Authors: Yao Vida 
Published: December 2023

AbstractRecent philosophical interest in “transformative experiences” is largely motivated by L. A. Paul’s arguments that such experiences challenge our hopes to live up to an ideal she believes is upheld within western, wealthy cultures. If these experiences reveal information to us about the world and ourselves that is in principle unavailable to us before we undergo them, it seems that there is no hope for us to be “rational”, “authentic” and “autonomous” masters of our own lives. Supposing that Paul is right about this, how concerned should we be? Here, I challenge the ideal of rational “self-realization” that guides Paul’s project, and which must be granted in order to motivate the problem purportedly generated by experiences that drastically change what we want and what we know.
Stress tolerant species are keys to plant communities success on extensive green roof: an experimental test of CSR strategy dynamic
Authors: Rivière Lucie , Meeûs Sophie , Mahy Gregory 
Published: December 2023

AbstractSelecting appropriate native plant species to ensure the resilience of plant communities and ecosystem services on extensive green roofs is a challenge. Plant functional strategy models provide a useful framework for identifying plant characteristics that promote plant success on green roofs, and for generalizing results obtained with a limited number of species to a global flora. We analysed the dynamics of floristic composition and CSR strategies of seeded plant communities on experimental extensive green roofs under different stress conditions (substrate depths and fertilization treatments) at early establishment (4 years). Floristic composition evolved strongly over four years, with a significant reduction in species richness and equitability due to the increasing dominance of the stress-tolerant Sedum album. CSR strategies shifted from initial communities co-dominated by C and R strategies to communities largely dominated by S strategy four years later. Changes in plant communities strategy were modulated by substrate depth, with a higher increase in S strategy under more stressful conditions. At the installation of vegetation, the dominant factor discriminating CSR composition was fertilization supply. Substrate depth emerged as the primary factor determining CSR strategy after four years of plant community establishment. Our study supports the pattern that stress-tolerant species tend to rapidly dominate plant communities on extensive green roofs and suggests that native species selection for implementing analogous habitat on extensive green roofs, in a temperate climate, should primarily focus on natural habitats composed of stress-tolerant species. A mix of different functional strategies can be favourable to vegetation success on green roofs with environmental heterogeneity.
Effects of temperature, humidity, light, and soil on drug stability in hair: a preliminary study for estimating personal profiles using micro-segmental analysis of corpse hair
Authors: Kuwayama Kenji , Miyaguchi Hajime , Kanamori Tatsuyuki , Tsujikawa Kenji , Yamamuro Tadashi , Segawa Hiroki , Okada Yuki , Iwata Yuko T. 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Purpose
Micro-segmental hair analysis (MSA), which enables detailed measurement of the distribution of drugs in a single hair strand, is useful for examining the day of death and drug use history of a person. However, corpses are often found in severe environments, such as soil and freezers, which affect the drug contents in hair. Therefore, we examined the effects of temperature, humidity, light, and soil on drug stability in hair as a preliminary study to estimate personal profiles using MSA of corpse hair.

Methods
Four hay-fever medicines (fexofenadine, epinastine, cetirizine, and desloratadine) were used as model drugs to evaluate drug stability in hair. Reference hair strands consistently containing the four medicines along the hair shaft were collected from patients with hay-fever who ingested the medicines daily for 4 months. The hair strands were placed in chambers with controlled temperatures (− 30 to 60 °C) and relative humidities (ca. 18 % and > 90 %), exposed to light (sunlight and artificial lights) or buried in soil (natural soil and compost).

Results
Sunlight and soil greatly decomposed the hair surfaces and decreased the drug contents in hair (up to 37 %). However, all analytes were successfully detected along the hair shaft, reflecting the intake history, even when the hair was exposed to sunlight for 2 weeks and buried in the soil for 2 months.

Conclusions
Although the exposure to sunlight and storage in soil for long times made drug-distribution analysis difficult, MSA could be applied even to hair strands collected from corpses left in severe environments.
Multi-material additive manufacturing-functionally graded materials by means of laser remelting during laser powder bed fusion
Authors: Schmidt Alexander , Jensch Felix , Härtel Sebastian 
Published: December 2023

AbstractMany processes may be used for manufacturing functionally graded materials. Among them, additive manufacturing seems to be predestined due to near-net shape manufacturing of complex geometries combined with the possibility of applying different materials in one component. By adjusting the powder composition of the starting material layer by layer, a macroscopic and step-like gradient can be achieved. To further improve the step-like gradient, an enhancement of the in-situ mixing degree, which is limited according to the state of the art, is necessary. In this paper, a novel technique for an enhancement of the in-situ material mixing degree in the melt pool by applying laser remelting (LR) is described. The effect of layer-wise LR on the formation of the interface was investigated using pure copper and low-alloy steel in a laser powder bed fusion process. Subsequent cross-sectional selective electron microscopic analyses were carried out. By applying LR, the mixing degree was enhanced, and the reaction zone thickness between the materials was increased. Moreover, an additional copper and iron-based phase was formed in the interface, resulting in a smoother gradient of the chemical composition than the case without LR. The Marangoni convection flow and thermal diffusion are the driving forces for the observed effect.
Phase Equilibria in the Quasi-Ternary System Cu2Se-In2Se3-CuI and the Crystal Structure of the AIBIII2XVI3YVII Compounds, Where AI-Cu, Ag; BIII-Ga; XVI-Cl, Br, I; YVII-S, Se, Te
Authors: Ivashchenko I. A. , Kozak V. S. , Gulay L. D. , Galyan V. V. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThe quasi-ternary system Cu2Se-In2Se3-CuI has been investigated by x-ray diffraction and differential thermal analysis. The isothermal section at 770 K and the liquidus surface projection of the system have been built. For the first time, the primary crystallization regions, and the coordinates of the invariant and monovariant equilibria have been determined. In the system, the regions of the solid solutions based on the binary, ternary, and quaternary compounds have been investigated. The formation of the CuIn2Se3I quaternary compound, which melts congruently at 1213 K and has a homogeneity region of 15 and 9 mol.% CuI within the composition triangle has been established. For the first time, the crystal structures of CuGa2Te3I and AgGa2Te3Br compounds have been studied using a powder method. They crystallize in the tetragonal symmetry, Space Group I-4, a = 5.9147(4) Å, c = 11.952(2) Å for CuGa2Te3I; a = 6.2977(3) Å, c = 11.9473(7) Å for AgGa2Te3Br compound, respectively. The connection of their structures with the structures of the defective diamond-like semiconductors has been discussed.
Anthelmintic and Hepatoprotective Activities of the Green-Synthesized Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Against Parascaris equorum Infection in Rats
Authors: Ali Sara Bayoumi , Mohamed Ayman Saber , Fahmy Sohair R. , El–Garhy Manal , Mousa Mohamed R. , Abdel-Ghaffar Fathy 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Main conclusions
Green-synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticle is a promising treatment modality against parasitic infection through its powerful anthelmintic, antioxidant, healing promotion, and anti-inflammation effects.

Background
Nanoparticles have many properties, depending on their size, shape, and morphology, allowing them to interact with microorganisms, plants, and animals.

Objectives
Investigation of the therapeutic effects of green-synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) on Parascaris equorum infection in rats.

Methods
Thirty-six rats were divided into two divisions: the first division is noninfected groups were allocated into three groups. Group 1: Control, group 2: ZnO NPs (30 mg/kg), and group 3: ZnO NPs (60 mg/kg). The second division is infected groups were allocated into three groups. Group 1: vehicle, group 2: ZnO NPs (30 mg/kg), and group 3: ZnO NPs (60 mg/kg).

Findings
Ten days post-infection, two larvae per gram of liver tissue were present in the vehicle group compared to the control group. No larvae were recovered from ZnO NPs (30 mg/kg), and one larva/g.tissue from ZnO NPs (60 mg/kg)-treated groups compared to untreated infected animals. Green-synthesized ZnO NPs caused a significant decrease in liver functions, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), cholesterol, triglycerides, malondialdehyde (MDA), and nitric oxide (NO). While it caused a significant increase in hemoglobin (HB), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), butyrylcholinesterase (BCHE), glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) in infected treated rats. The histological inflammation and fibroplasia scores showed a significant enhancement during the treatment with ZnO NPs (30, 60 mg/kg) compared to the infected untreated animals that scored the highest pathological destruction score. Immunohistochemical markers of NF-κB showed a significant decrease during the treatment with ZnO NPs (30, 60 mg/kg) compared to the infected untreated animals.
An all-silicon design of a high-efficiency broadband transmissive terahertz polarization convertor
Authors: Xing Xiaohua , Zou Die , Ding Xin , Yao Jianquan , Wu Liang 
Published: December 2023

AbstractPolarization, a fundamental behavior of electromagnetic waves, holds immense potential across diverse domains such as environmental monitoring, biomedicine, and ocean exploration. However, achieving efficient modulation of terahertz waves with wide operational bandwidth poses significant challenges. Here, we introduce an all-silicon polarization converter designed specifically to operate in the terahertz range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Simulation results demonstrate that the average conversion efficiency of cross-linear waves exceeds 80% across a wide frequency range spanning from 1.00 to 2.32 THz, with the highest conversion efficiency peaking at an impressive 99.97%. Additionally, our proposed structure facilitates linear-to-circular polarization conversion with an ellipticity of 1 at 0.85 THz. Furthermore, by rotating the cross-shaped microstructure, active control over arbitrary polarization states can be achieved. To summarize, the proposed structure offers remarkable flexibility and ease of integration, providing a reliable and practical solution for achieving broadband and efficient polarization conversion of terahertz waves.
Graphical abstract