bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quantification of expected information gain in visual acuity and contrast sensitivity tests
Authors: Lu Zhong-Lin , Zhao Yukai , Lesmes Luis Andres , Dorr Michael 
Published: October 2023

AbstractWe make use of expected information gain to quantify the amount of knowledge obtained from measurements in a population. In the first application, we compared the expected information gain in the Snellen, ETDRS, and qVA visual acuity (VA) tests, as well as in the Pelli–Robson, CSV-1000, and qCSF contrast sensitivity (CS) tests. For the VA tests, ETDRS generated more expected information gain than Snellen. Additionally, the qVA test with 15 rows (or 45 optotypes) generated more expected information gain than ETDRS, whether scored with VA threshold alone or with both VA threshold and VA range. Regarding the CS tests, CSV-1000 generated more expected information gain than Pelli–Robson, and the qCSF test with 25 trials generated more expected information gain than CSV-1000, whether scored with AULCSF or with CSF at six spatial frequencies. The active learning-based qVA and qCSF tests have the potential to generate more expected information gain than traditional paper chart tests. Although we have specifically applied it to compare VA and CS tests, expected information gain is a general concept that can be used to compare measurements in any domain.
Data-driven networking of global transcriptomics and male sexual development in the main malaria vector, Anopheles funestus
Authors: Koekemoer L. L. , Hajkazemian M. , Zawada J. W. , Mirzaie M. , Dahan-Moss Y. L. , Emami S. N. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractDeaths from malaria remain staggering despite global support that drives research into new territories. One major gap is our understanding of the sexual biological aspects of the male mosquito, which maintain the vector population solidity. Although Anopheles funestus s.s. is an extremely efficient African vector, little is known about the network between its sexual physiology and gene expression. The Culicidae male’s sexual maturity involves a suite of physiological changes, such as genitalia rotation that is necessary for successful mating to occur. We show that mating success is guided by genes and physiological plasticity. Transcriptome analysis between newly emerged males (immature) versus males with rotating genitalia (maturing) provides insight into possible molecular mechanisms regulating male sexual behaviour. Putative transcripts that were associated with male sexual maturation were identified and validated. The discovery of the functions of these transcripts could lead to identifying potential targets for innovative vector control interventions, and mosquito population suppression.
Pan-tissue mitochondrial phenotyping reveals lower OXPHOS expression and function across cancer types
Authors: Boykov Ilya N. , Montgomery McLane M. , Hagen James T. , Aruleba Raphael T. , McLaughlin Kelsey L. , Coalson Hannah S. , Nelson Margaret A. , Pereyra Andrea S. , Ellis Jessica M. , Zeczycki Tonya N. , Vohra Nasreen A. , Tan Su-Fern , Cabot Myles C. , Fisher-Wellman Kelsey H. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractTargeting mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) to treat cancer has been hampered due to serious side-effects potentially arising from the inability to discriminate between non-cancerous and cancerous mitochondria. Herein, comprehensive mitochondrial phenotyping was leveraged to define both the composition and function of OXPHOS across various murine cancers and compared to both matched normal tissues and other organs. When compared to both matched normal tissues, as well as high OXPHOS reliant organs like heart, intrinsic expression of the OXPHOS complexes, as well as OXPHOS flux were discovered to be consistently lower across distinct cancer types. Assuming intrinsic OXPHOS expression/function predicts OXPHOS reliance in vivo, these data suggest that pharmacologic blockade of mitochondrial OXPHOS likely compromises bioenergetic homeostasis in healthy oxidative organs prior to impacting tumor mitochondrial flux in a clinically meaningful way. Although these data caution against the use of indiscriminate mitochondrial inhibitors for cancer treatment, considerable heterogeneity was observed across cancer types with respect to both mitochondrial proteome composition and substrate-specific flux, highlighting the possibility for targeting discrete mitochondrial proteins or pathways unique to a given cancer type.
Tipping point arises earlier under a multiple-stressor scenario
Authors: Carrier-Belleau Charlotte , Pascal Ludovic , Tiegs Scott D. , Nozais Christian , Archambault Philippe 
Published: October 2023

AbstractAnthropogenic impacts and global changes have profound implications for natural ecosystems and may lead to their modification, degradation or collapse. Increases in the intensity of single stressors may create abrupt shifts in biotic responses (i.e. thresholds). The effects of multiple interacting stressors may create non-additive responses, known as synergistic or antagonistic interactions. Here we combine both concepts—ecological thresholds and interactions between multiple stressors—to understand the effects of multiple interacting stressors along environmental gradients, and how this can affect the occurrence of thresholds. Using an experimental approach to investigate the effect of nutrient enrichment and saltwater intrusion on mortality in the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, we show that multiple stressors can create thresholds at lower levels of an environmental gradient. Our results reveal a major shortcoming in how we currently investigate these two ecological concepts, as considering them separately may be causing underestimation of thresholds and stressor-interaction impacts.
The importance of anchoring ligands of binuclear sensitizers on electron transfer processes and photovoltaic action in dye-sensitized solar cells
Authors: Bartkowiak Aleksandra , Korolevych Oleksandr , Gierczyk Błażej , Pelczarski Daniel , Bossi Alberto , Klein Maciej , Popenda Łukasz , Stampor Waldemar , Makowska-Janusik Malgorzata , Zalas Maciej 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThe relatively low photon-to-current conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells is their major drawback limiting widespread application. Light harvesting, followed by a series of electron transfer processes, is the critical step in photocurrent generation. An in-depth understanding and fine optimization of those processes are crucial to enhance cell performance. In this work, we synthesize two new bi-ruthenium sensitizers with extended anchoring ligands to gain insight into underlying processes determining photovoltaic action mechanisms. The structure of the compounds has been confirmed, and their properties have been thoroughly examined by various techniques such as NMR, IR, elemental analysis UV–Vis, cyclic voltammetry, and electroabsorption. The experimental characterization has been supported and developed via extensive quantum-chemical calculations, giving a broad view of the presented molecules’ properties. Finally, the DSSC devices have been assembled utilizing obtained dyes. The photovoltaic and EIS measurements, combined with performed calculations and fundamental dyes characterization, unraveled an intramolecular electron transfer as an initial step of the electron injection process at the dye/semiconductor interface. The overall photovoltaic action mechanism has been discussed. Our study demonstrates the significance of the anchoring group architecture in the molecular design of new sensitizers for DSSC applications.
pressuRe: an R package for analyzing and visualizing biomechanical pressure distribution data
Authors: Telfer Scott , Li Ellen Y. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractIn many biomechanical analyses, the forces acting on a body during dynamic and static activities are often simplified as point loads. However, it is usually more accurate to characterize these forces as distributed loads, varying in magnitude and direction, over a given contact area. Evaluating these pressure distributions while they are applied to different parts of the body can provide effective insights for clinicians and researchers when studying health and disease conditions, for example when investigating the biomechanical factors that may lead to plantar ulceration in diabetic foot disease. At present, most processing and analysis for pressure data is performed using proprietary software, limiting reproducibility, transparency, and consistency across different studies. This paper describes an open-source software package, ‘pressuRe’, which is built in the freely available R statistical computing environment and is designed to process, analyze, and visualize pressure data collected on a range of different hardware systems in a standardized manner. We demonstrate the use of the package on pressure dataset from patients with diabetic foot disease, comparing pressure variables between those with longer and shorter durations of the disease. The results matched closely with those from commercially available software, and individuals with longer duration of diabetes were found to have higher forefoot pressures than those with shorter duration. By utilizing R’s powerful and openly available tools for statistical analysis and user customization, this package may be a useful tool for researchers and clinicians studying plantar pressures and other pressure sensor array based biomechanical measurements. With regular updates intended, this package allows for continued improvement and we welcome feedback and future contributions to extend its scope. In this article, we detail the package’s features and functionality.
NK cells from Men Who Have Sex with Men at high risk for HIV-1 infection exhibit higher effector capacity
Authors: Rincón Daniel S. , Flórez-Álvarez Lizdany , Taborda Natalia A. , Hernandez Juan C. , Rugeles María T. , Zapata-Builes Wildeman 
Published: October 2023

AbstractDespite being under constant exposure to HIV-1, some individuals do not show serological or clinical evidence of infection and are known as HESN (HIV-Exposed Seronegative). Multiple studies in different HESN cohorts have linked the NK cells as a correlate of resistance; however, little is known about the role of these cells in Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) with high risk sexual behaviors. We evaluated a general overview of activation and effector features of NK cells of MSM co-cultured with LT CD4+ HIV+ in which MSM at high risk of HIV-1 infection (HR-MSM) exhibit higher capacity to eliminate infected cells, reduced percentages of CD69+ cells when compared to MSM at low risk of infection (LR-MSM). In addition, we found that, despite the lower levels of CD69+ NK cells on HR-MSM group, within this population, higher percentages of CD69+ IFN-γ+ and CD69+ NKG2D+ NK cells were found together with higher levels of RANTES and Granzyme B production with higher antiviral capacity, resulting in a lower concentration of p24 protein and p24+ CD4+ T cells. Altogether, this information suggests that NK cells of MSM could impact the capacity to face the viral infection.
Kisspeptin treatment reverses high prolactin levels and improves gonadal function in hypothyroid male rats
Authors: Santos Luciano Cardoso , dos Anjos Cordeiro Jeane Martinha , da Silva Santana Larissa , Barbosa Erikles Macêdo , Santos Bianca Reis , Mendonça Letícia Dias , Cunha Maria Clara da Silva Galrão , Machado William Morais , Santana Larissa Rodrigues , Kersul Maíra Guimarães , Henriques Patrícia Costa , Lopes Roberta Araújo , Snoeck Paola Pereira das Neves , Szawka Raphael Escorsim , Silva Juneo Freitas 
Published: October 2023

AbstractWe evaluated whether the administration of kisspeptin-10 (Kp10) is capable of restoring gonadal function in hypothyroid male rats. Hypothyroidism was induced with 6-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU) for three months. In the last month, half of the hypothyroid animals were treated with Kp10. Hypothyroidism reduced testicular and sex gland mass, decreased the proliferation of the seminiferous epithelium, and compromised sperm morphology, motility, and vigor. A decrease in plasma LH and testosterone levels and an increase in prolactin secretion were observed in the hypothyroid rats. Hypothyroidism reduced Kiss1 and Kiss1r protein and gene expression and Star and Cyp11a1 mRNA levels in the testis. Furthermore, it reduced Lhb, Prl, and Drd2 and increased Tshb and Gnrhr expression in the pituitary. In the hypothalamus, hypothyroidism increased Pdyn and Kiss1r while reducing Gnrh1. Kp10 treatment in hypothyroid rats restored testicular and seminal vesicle morphology, improved sperm morphology and motility, reversed high prolactin levels, and increased LH and testosterone levels. In addition, Kp10 increased testicular expression of Kiss1, Kiss1r, Fshr, and Nr5a1 and pituitary Kiss1 expression. Our findings describe the inhibitory effects of hypothyroidism on the male gonadal axis and sperm quality and demonstrate that Kp10 treatment reverses high prolactin levels and improves gonadal function and sperm quality in hypothyroid rats.
Assessment of spatio-temporal evolution trends and driving factors of green development in Harbin-Changchun urban agglomeration
Authors: Tang Yang , Yuan Yongbo , Tian Boquan 
Published: October 2023

AbstractAs China has entered a new stage of high-quality development, clarifying the mechanism and spatial characteristics of green development for urban agglomerations are critical to sustainable development. Based on the data of 11 major cities in the Harbin-Changchun urban agglomeration (HCUA) from 2010 to 2020, this study constructs an evaluation system of green development index (GDI) is composed of four dimensions, i.e. urban green construction (UGC), industrial green development (IGD), resource and environmental carrying capacity (RECC), and technological innovation support (TIS). Furthermore, using the entropy weight method to obtain the weights of evaluation indicators. And then, the comprehensive index calculation is used to evaluate the GDI. The driving factors of each level of GDI are determined by the Pearson correlation coefficient. The results infer some novel findings as follows: (1) the overall tendency of the GDI of the HCUA has gradually increased from 0.358 in 2010 to 0.379 in 2020 which is at the average level. The dimension of TIS shows the highest rate of contribution while IGD and RECC show a fluctuating trend over the time window. (2) The GDI in the HCUA exhibits a patchy clustering differentiation feature that spreads from the central area to the surrounding areas with a “high in the south and low in the north” pattern. Specifically, Changchun, Harbin, and Daqing form an “inverted triangle” structure in geographical location to drive the green development of neighboring areas. (3) The core cities of the HCUA, Changchun, and Harbin, show a much higher level than the other cities. Jilin and Daqing are at the average level, and besides, the rest of the cities of GDI are at the poor level with significant fluctuations in ranking. (4) There are different driving factors between each level of GDI. For cities with good and average levels should focus on protecting resources and the environment. Meanwhile, cities with poor level of GDI need to improve IGD to optimize the urban green structure. Thus, it is suggested to strengthen the flow of factors and implement differentiated strategies to promote coordinated development and spatial clustering.
Tunable strain and bandgap in subcritical-sized MoS2 nanobubbles
Authors: Gastaldo Michele , Varillas Javier , Rodríguez Álvaro , Velický Matěj , Frank Otakar , Kalbáč Martin 
Published: October 2023

AbstractNanobubbles naturally formed at the interface between 2D materials and their substrate are known to act as exciton recombination centers because of the reduced bandgap due to local strain, which in turn scales with the aspect ratio of the bubbles. The common understanding suggests that the aspect ratio is a universal constant independent of the bubble size. Here, by combining scanning tunneling microscopy and molecular dynamics, we show that the universal aspect ratio breaks down in MoS2 nanobubbles below a critical radius (≈10 nm), where the aspect ratio increases with increasing size. Accordingly, additional atomic-level analyses indicate that the strain increases from 3% to 6% in the sub-critical size range. Using scanning tunneling spectroscopy, we demonstrate that the bandgap decreases as a function of the size. Thus, tunable quantum emitters can be obtained in 2D semiconductors by controlling the radius of the nanobubbles.
Environmental impact assessments not the main barrier to timely forest management in the United States
Authors: Struthers Cory L. , Murenbeeld Kathryn J. , Williamson Matthew A. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractEnvironmental impact assessment (EIA) processes are commonly used by government agencies to evaluate the merits and environmental risks of natural resource management decisions. Citing EIA as red tape, decision makers from across the political spectrum are increasingly circumventing EIA to expedite implementation of necessary actions for climate resilience and clean energy. Few studies have quantified the extent that EIA is the main barrier to efficient implementation. We combine administrative data from the US Forest Service with survival analysis to show that, for most actions, the Forest Service takes as long or longer to award first contracts and roll out initial activities than to comply with the 1970 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and that NEPA compliance accounts for approximately one-fifth of planned implementation time.
Decoding speech perception from non-invasive brain recordings
Authors: Défossez Alexandre , Caucheteux Charlotte , Rapin Jérémy , Kabeli Ori , King Jean-Rémi 
Published: October 2023

AbstractDecoding speech from brain activity is a long-awaited goal in both healthcare and neuroscience. Invasive devices have recently led to major milestones in this regard: deep-learning algorithms trained on intracranial recordings can now start to decode elementary linguistic features such as letters, words and audio-spectrograms. However, extending this approach to natural speech and non-invasive brain recordings remains a major challenge. Here we introduce a model trained with contrastive learning to decode self-supervised representations of perceived speech from the non-invasive recordings of a large cohort of healthy individuals. To evaluate this approach, we curate and integrate four public datasets, encompassing 175 volunteers recorded with magneto-encephalography or electro-encephalography while they listened to short stories and isolated sentences. The results show that our model can identify, from 3 seconds of magneto-encephalography signals, the corresponding speech segment with up to 41% accuracy out of more than 1,000 distinct possibilities on average across participants, and with up to 80% in the best participants—a performance that allows the decoding of words and phrases absent from the training set. The comparison of our model with a variety of baselines highlights the importance of a contrastive objective, pretrained representations of speech and a common convolutional architecture simultaneously trained across multiple participants. Finally, the analysis of the decoder’s predictions suggests that they primarily depend on lexical and contextual semantic representations. Overall, this effective decoding of perceived speech from non-invasive recordings delineates a promising path to decode language from brain activity, without putting patients at risk of brain surgery.
Problem-Solving in the Lidcombe Program: A Single Case Report
Authors: Santayana Gissella 
Published: October 2023

Purpose:
This case study describes how problem-solving was used in the case of a 4-year 10-month-old girl, who presented with stuttering.

Method:
The treatment described is the Lidcombe Program for young children who stutter. The problem-solving process that is integral to providing this therapy is explored in four problems encountered during Mia's therapy.

Results:
As a result of this ongoing process, therapy becomes individualized for each family, and these decisions support continuous progress.

Conclusion:
This clinical focus article is an example of how problem-solving can be carried out within the structure of the Lidcombe Program.
Overcomplete graph convolutional denoising autoencoder for noisy skeleton action recognition
Authors: Guo Jiajun , Ji Qingge , Shan Guangwei 
Published: October 2023

AbstractCurrent skeleton‐based action recognition methods usually assume the input skeleton is complete and noise‐free. However, it is inevitable that the captured skeletons are incomplete due to occlusions or noisy due to changes in the environment. When dealing with these data, even State Of The Art (SOTA) recognition backbones experience significant degradation in recognition accuracy. Though a few methods have been proposed to address this issue, they still lack flexibility, efficiency and interpretability. In this work, an overcomplete Graph Convolutional Denoising Autoencoder (GCDAE) is proposed which can act as a flexible preprocessing module for pretrained recognition backbones and improve their robustness. Taking advantages of the overcomplete and fully graph convolutional structure, GCDAE is able to rectify noisy joints while keeping information of unspoiled details efficiently. On two large scale skeleton datasets NTU RGB+D 60 and 120, the introducing of GCDAE brings significant robustness improvements to SOTA backbones towards different types of noises.
Medium‐term forecasting of daily aggregated peak loads from heat pumps using clustering‐based load duration curves to calculate the annual impact on medium to low voltage transformers
Authors: Rouwhorst George , Pondes Albert , Nguyen Phuong H. , Slootweg Han 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThe energy transition drives the adoption of heat pumps (HPs). Their peak loads have a large impact on distribution networks. Therefore, the proposed methodology calculates the annual impact on medium to low voltage (MV/LV) transformers based on a medium‐term forecast of daily aggregated peak loads from HPs using the number, their rated power, a normalised load duration curve, and the daily average ambient temperature. The forecast differentiates between daily aggregated peak loads of HPs with different heating demands and the varying impact due to seasonal weather differences. First, 221 measured residential HPs over two years were randomly selected and clustered to identify different heating demands. These clusters were used to calculate four representation functions. Second, 108 other measured HPs were clustered and used to forecast the aggregated peak load with the calculated four representation functions. These forecasts were used to calculate the annual impact on an MV/LV transformer with a daily time resolution. These results indicate the periods over a year that the MV/LV transformer is at risk of congestion and it indicates the potential to mitigate congestion through demand‐side management.