bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of CX3CR1 or CCR2 deficiency on circulating immune cell infiltration, microglia activation and neurophysiological property in white matter tract following endotoxemia
Authors: SHI Xue , YANG Xinglong , ZHAO Huangying , ZHU Junyi , ZHANG Jingdong , GAO Feng 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Background
Brain white matter (WM) malfunction is deeply involved in many neurological and psychiatric disorders, and may lead to problems with cognition. Neuroinflammation occurs in the majority of WM injuries regardless of pathogenesis. Adverse effects of neuroinflammation on neurophysiological properties of the WM tracts has been observed before. The fractalkine (CX3CL1) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (CCL2) and their respective receptors, CX3CR1 and CCR2, play important roles in immune cell infiltration and microglia activation. Whether the CX3CL1 or CCL2 and their receptors associated neuroinflammation would change neurophysiological property of the WM tract remains unknown.
Methods
In this work, we used a common leukocyte marker CD45 to explore the extent to which the circulating immune cells were recruited into the corpus callosum (CC) WM, and the CC microglia were activated, reflected by proportional area, in the CCR2+/+CX3CR1−/− or CX3CR1+/+CCR2−/− mouse following systemic lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Then, electrophysiological recording of WM tract compound action potentials (CAP) was performed in normal and LPS treated CCR2+/+CX3CR1−/− or CX3CR1+/+CCR2−/− mouse.
Results
1) Nearly significant more infiltrated circulating immune cells were found in the CC of CX3CR1+/+CCR2−/− mouse following systemic LPS. 2) Significant larger microglial proportional area was identified, after endotoxemia, in the CC of CX3CR1+/+CCR2−/− mouse, comparing to that in the CCR2+/+CX3CR1−/− mouse. 3) Absence of either CX3CR1 or CCR2 reduced the density of microglia in the normal CC WM. 4) Endotoxemia induced a nearly significant downshift of N1 (myelinated axon) input-output curve, and a slight downshift of N2 (unmyelinated axon) input-output curve recorded from the CC of CX3CR1+/+CCR2−/− mouse, which was not detected in the CCR2+/+ CX3CR1−/− mouse.
Conclusions
CX3CR1 plays more significant roles in guiding infiltration of circulating immune cells into the CC WM, and in activation of CC microglia following systemic LPS. Consequently, CX3CR1 mediated inflammation evidently declines the WM tract conductivity during endotoxemia. A possibility that endotoxin-mediated microglial pseudopodia distortion may impact WM tract signal transmission was discussed, as we had demonstrated microglial pseudopodia directly contact with Ranvier’s node and paranodal segment. We thought inflammation-mediated declination of WM tract conductivity may interrupt brain network connectivity and lead to cognitive problems.
Prevalence of Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Its Association with Body Features and social anxiety among Female University Students
Authors: Alfakeh Sulhi A. , Durayq Aseel M. Ba , Alsatty Anwaar N. , Albaiti Shahad A. , Alghumgham Dana R. , Bahanan Shahad F. 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is characterized by significant distress or impaired thoughts. It is a common mental health disorder; however, it remains underdiagnosed in clinical settings. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of BDD and social anxiety among female students, which is important because both conditions may adversely affect academic performance. This cross-sectional study on female students was conducted at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between January and February 2023. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire distributed in electronic format on university electronic platforms (blackboard). Participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire comprising three parts: 1) sociodemographic data, 2) BDD Symptomology Questionnaire, and 3) Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS). In this study, among 437 female students, most were concerned about their body parts/flaws (80.5%, n = 352). The body features of major concern included skin (32.3%, n = 141), obesity (23.6%, n = 103), teeth (21.5%, n = 94), and hair (21.3%, n = 93). In addition, our results showed a significant association between SIAS and all reported symptoms of BDD (p < 0.001). Notably, a significantly higher number of those with social anxiety extremely/very often experienced symptoms of BDD than those without social anxiety.
Yield Gap and Its Spatial Variation for Bread Wheat and Malt Barley Production in parts of Southeastern Ethiopia: A quantitative Analysis Using Crop Simulation model
Authors: Abu  
Published: November 2023

Abstract

Despite the extensive area coverage of cereals in Ethiopia, their national productivity is below the average for world yield productivity. Analyzing the yield gap, i.e. the difference between yield potential and the actual yield is essential to explore intervention options that can minimize the yield gap. Therefore, this paper is aimed at estimating the yield gap and mapping its spatial variation for bread wheat and malt barley production in southeastern parts of Ethiopia. The process-based Decision Support System for Agro-technology Transfer (DSSATv4.7.5) crop model was calibrated for two wheat varieties (Hidase and Ogolcho) and one barley variety (Ibon) and used to estimate the potential yield. Potential yield was calculated for each selected reference weather station, and compared with the corresponding actual yields achieved by farmers averaged at district level to estimate the yield gap. The model simulated the highest potential yields of 7 and 6.3 t/ha, respectively for Hidase and Ogolcho varieties at Dinsho site while the lowest yield was simulated at Ziway-Dugda (4.9 t/ha) for Hidase and at Merti (4.4 t/ha) for Ogolcho varieties. Moreover, the highest yield gap (78%) was determined at Amigna and the lowest yield gap (26%) was determined at Lemu and Bilbilo district for malt barley. Generally, the analysis of yield gap revealed that there are high yield gaps and spatial variation across study sites for both crops.
Prediction of rolling contact fatigue loci: a comparison between dynamic and a simplified quasi-static approaches
Authors: Pacheco P. A.P. , Ramos P. G. , Sá T. L. , Santos G. F.M. , Neto A. Gay , Santos A. A. 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Predicting fatigue and wear on wheels and rails is a key to find ways to improve the service life of a railway track and the rolling stock. Rails experience contact with a range of wheel profiles that will pummel their surface at different positions with different intensities. This work compares two methods for evaluating pummelling analyses for the wheel-rail interaction: simplified quasi-static model and multibody dynamics simulations. The first one is solved using the GIRAFFE program and simulates the interaction of a single wheelset with the rail in a quasi-static approach. The second one evaluates the full dynamics of a railway wagon on a track layout using multibody dynamics simulation programs SIMPACK® and VAMPIRE®. The proposal of a quasi-static model is to reduce the time and computational effort to perform a pummelling analysis and quickly evaluate thousands of cases of wheel-rail contact. Track parameters and vehicle loads of a heavy haul railway are considered for the simulations. The results showed that the quasi-static model has a good correlation with the dynamic models on tangent track sections. For the curved sections, differences were observed in the distribution of pressures due to the absence of creep forces in the quasi-static model. The comparison between the models also showed slight distinct results due to the difference in how the contact is calculated in each approach. The quasi-static approach reduced the time consuming by at least 73.4% over the multibody approach. Notwithstanding, the proposed model shows to be promising on replacing complete dynamic analysis for time consuming tasks as pummelling.
Uncovering the biological mechanism of acupuncture alleviating diabetic nephropathy through homeostasis regulation the of intestinal flora and T lymphocytes
Authors: Lu Xuan , Li Mengmeng , Ji Xuequn , Wang Xu , Hou Chunguang , Li Si , Wang Man , Xie Yanlong , Wu Hong , Shi Zongyan , Zhang Zhilong 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major healthcare challenge in the management of diabetic patients.The aim of this study was to investigate the protective role of acupuncture treatment in the treatment of DN.After DN modelling, DN rats were treated with acupuncture (4 weeks) and diabetic metabolic parameters and urinary proteins were measured. Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) staining and Periodic Acid-Schiff(PAS) staining were conducted to assess the degree of renal structural damage. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect inflammatory factors mediated by renal T-lymphocyte polarization.Western Blotting (WB) was used to analyze the FOXP3/NF-κB signaling pathway. Composition of T-lymphocyte taxa was detected by flow cytometric analysis. Furtherment, the composition of intestinal microorganisms was detected by 16S rDNA sequencing to explore the effects of acupuncture treatment on the composition and structure of intestinal flora in DN rats.Herein, our results show that acupuncture treatment alleviates renal pathological changes, reduces expression of pro-inflammatory factors, and remodels T-lymphocyte homeostasis in DN rats. Detection of intestinal microorganisms showed that acupuncture improved the composition and structure of intestinal flora and up-regulated the content of probiotics. Our study reveals that remodeling of T-lymphocyte homeostasis through the microbial-gut-kidney axis and consequent inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokine activation may be the underlying biological mechanism of acupuncture in the treatment of DN.
Can periodontitis lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes：A Mendelian Randomization study
Authors: Yan Tianxing , Wei Yiping , Hu Wenjie 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Objectives
We aim to investigate the potential uni-directional association from periodontitis to the Adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) by Mendelian randomization (MR) method.
Materials and Methods
The present study used genetic instruments for periodontitis as exposures. The outcomes included low birthweight (LBW), preterm delivery (PD), preeclampsia or eclampsia (PET) and spontaneous abortion (SAB). The data were collected from the FinnGen consortium R9 datasets and second release analysis in Neale lab of UK Biobank data. Causal analysis uses the inverse variant weighted (IVW), MR Egger and Weighted median methods. A set of sensitivity analyses also be used to test the robustness of the results comprehensive.
Results
The IVW analysis indicate no association of genetically predicted periodontitis will cause the APOs (LBW [IVW OR = 1.003, P = 0.619], PD [IVW OR = 0.984, P = 0.630], PET [IVW OR = 1.005, P = 0.895], SAB [IVW OR = 0.964, P = 0.221]). Results of the other methods did not show significant differences. Sensitivity analyses showed that horizontal pleiotropy could not distort the results of the causal estimation.
Conclusions
The outcomes indicated there was no potential causal effect of periodontitis on APOs.
Clinical Relevance
Mendelian Randomization studies effectively prevent reverse causality and confounding factors. It complements previous studies, thereby informing clinical diagnosis and deepening understanding of periodontitis and systemic diseases.
Snow contamination by heavy metals and metalloids in a polar town (a case study of Nadym, Russia)
Authors: Moskovchenko Dmitriy Valerievich , Pozhitkov Roman , Soromotin Andrey 
Published: November 2023

Abstract

The article presents the results of a study of snow composition in the town of Nadym (Western Siberia) During the studies conducted in 2021–2022, we determined dust load, concentrations and ratio of dissolved and suspended forms of metals and metalloids (MMs). In the background area, the snow composition depends on the long-range transport of pollutants. We analyzed air mass trajectories using the HYSPLIT model, and the analysis showed the industrial regions of the southern Urals, southeastern Siberia, and Kazakhstan to be the sources of MMs. The content of the insoluble fraction increases 23 times in the town. The dust load in Nadym is higher than in the urban communities situated in the temperate climate zone, although the town is smaller in population and has no large industrial enterprises. A significant increase in the dust load in the town leads to a ten- and hundredfold increase in the content of many MMs. Local soils (Fe, Al), vehicles (W), building dust (Mg, Ca), and anti-icing agents (Na) are the sources of pollution. We showcase that the high dust load is caused by meteorological factors which reduces the dispersion of pollution, such as temperature inversions and a large number of calm days. The case of Nadym demonstrates that winter air quality in polar settlements can be worse than in urban areas in the temperate zone even with few pollution sources. The trend towards an increase in the number of windless days, observed in Siberia as a result of global climate change, increases the risk of anthropogenic pollution of the atmosphere of polar cities.
X-Ray and Microstructure of Rice Husk Ash-Admixed Concrete
Authors: Elinwaa Augustine Uchechukwu Elinwa 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Morphological changes which occured during the hydration of concrete containing rice husk ash (RHA) and Conplast SP 430 admixture (CP-admixture) were observed. X-ray analyses were used to identify phases, while the scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses were used for the corresponding changes in microstructure with changes in the physical and mechanical properties. The effects of the admixtures and RHA on the concrete samples were investigated with and without Conplast SP 430. RHA was at 10 % replacement by wt. % of cement, and the dosage of admixture was 5.7 ml by wt. % of cement, and the water to cement ratio was 0.5. The results clearly showed the morphological changes that took place as hydration proceeded and showed the specific influences of each of the two admixtures. The additions of RHA and CP-admixture or both, modified the pore network and the composition of the main hydration product.
Study on genetic differentiation of Schistosome japonicum intermediate hosts Oncomelania hupensis in hilly regions of China: using the complete mitochondrial genome
Authors: Song Jing , Wang Hongqiong , Li Shizhu , Zhang Zongya , Li Chunying , Zhou Jihua , Shen Meifen , Qian Peijun , Wang Wenya , Zhang Yun , Chen Chunqiong , Wang Lifang , Sun Jiayu , Hao Yuwan , Du Chunhong , Dong Yi 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Objective
Oncomelania hupensis robertsoni is the only intermediate host of Schistosoma japonicum in western China, its genetic differentiation directly impacts the susceptibility of Schistosoma japonicum. This study aimed to sequence the complete mitochondrial genome of Oncomelania hupensis robertsoni Yunnan strain and analyze the genetic differentiation of Oncomelania hupensis robertsoni in hilly regions of China.
Methods
Samples were from 14 administrative villages in Yunnan Province of China, with 30 Oncomelania hupensis per village, and the complete mitochondrial genome was sequenced. Additionally, we retrieved 14 other region Oncomelania hupensis of complete mitochondrial sequences from GenBank, and a comprehensive analysis of the genetic differentiation of Oncomelania hupensis robertsoni was conducted by constructing phylogenetic trees, calculating genetic distances, and analyzing homogeneity.
Results
A total of 26 complete mitochondrial sequences were determined. The length of genome ranged from 15,181 to 15,187 bp, and the base composition of the genome was A + T (67.5%) and G + C content (32.5%). This genome encoded 37 genes, including 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes and a non-coding region rich in A + T. Using the Philippines genotypes as outgroup, the phylogenetic trees and homology analysis confirmed the existence of two distinct phylogroups, Oncomelania hupensis robertsoni and the remaining 9 provincial genotypes. Oncomelania hupensis robertsoni is subdivided into Oncomelania hupensis robertsoni Yunnan strain and Sichuan strain, with a genetic distance of 0.0834. Oncomelania hupensis robertsoni Yunnan strain is subdivided into two subbranches, "Yunnan North" and "Yunnan South", with a genetic distance of 0.0216, and the samples exhibited over 97% homology.
Conclusion
Oncomelania hupensis robertsoni Yunnan strain exhibits a higher level of genetic homology and clear north-south differentiation, the distribution characteristics were closely associated with watershed distribution. This work reported the first mitochondrial genome of Oncomelania hupensis robertsoni Yunnan strain, which could be used as an important reference genome for Oncomelania hupensis, and also provide a theoretical basis for explaining the distribution pattern of Oncomelania hupensis robertsoni and control of schistosomiasis.
Phytochemical and Elemental analysis of Culinary Herbs and Spices used in Traditional Cuisines of Asian subcontinent
Authors: Mangi Irfan Ali , Jatoi Wahid Bux , Katohar Nisar Ahmed , Jatoi Ashique Hussain 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Plant based natural products are the oldest therapeutic agents throughout the history of mankind. Spices and herbs derived from plants are used in food to produce taste and aroma. These are considered as an essential element in cooking practices of many cultures. Spices and herbs are also a rich source of bioactive compounds of medicinal interest known as phytochemicals or secondary metabolites. There are a number of active drugs that has been isolated from plant materials. The phytochemical screening of selected spices demonstrated that most of them contained compounds of great medicinal and dietary values like saponins, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids, phenolic compounds, cardiac glycosides, anthocyanins, tannins, and carbohydrates. The essential and trace metal concentration was determined by ICP-OES. All the samples were rich in amount of Na, K, Ca, Fe, Zn, Cu, Co and Mn that play various vital physiological roles in human health. This study revealed that the use of spices and herbs not only enhance the flavor of the food but also impart the health benefits due to presence of important phytochemicals and essential elements.
Robust optimality and duality for composite uncertain multiobjective optimization in Asplund spaces with its applications
Authors: Saadati Maryam , Oveisiha Morteza 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
This article is devoted to investigate a nonsmooth/nonconvex uncertain multiobjective optimization problem with composition fields ((CUP) for brevity) over arbitrary Asplund spaces. Employing some advanced techniques of variational analysis and generalized differentiation, we establish necessary optimality conditions for weakly robust efficient solutions of (CUP) in terms of the limiting subdifferential. Sufficient conditions for the existence of (weakly) robust efficient solutions to such a problem are also driven under the new concept of pseudo-quasi convexity for composite functions. We formulate a Mond-Weir-type robust dual problem to the primal problem (CUP), and explore weak, strong, and converse duality properties. In addition, the obtained results are applied to an approximate uncertain multiobjective problem and a composite uncertain multiobjective problem with linear operators.
Cross-domain aspect term extractionincorporating character-level features
Authors: wang WangDengXiong , Li LiWeiJiang 
Published: November 2023

Abstract

The aspect term extraction task requires a large amount of labeled data, which will be costly in money and manpower. To reduce the dependence of the aspect term extraction task on labeled data, existing approaches mainly utilize the existence of similar syntactic information or semantic information in the source and target domains. However, relying only on syntactic or semantic information as pivotal information to bridge the gap between the source and target domains is always limited. In order to further extend more similar elements to improve the performance upper bound of the cross-domain aspect term extraction task, we propose to introduce characterlevel features via character-based word embeddings to assist the semantic information for crossdomain aspect term extraction and design a parallel multi-encoder learning framework to learn character-level and word-level features respectively, which ultimately achieves the current best performance on the benchmark dataset.
Calcium alginate microspheres coated by bio-based UV-cured resin with high water retention performance
Authors: Yu Tingting , Wang Xu , Hu Yuehang , Zhao Yang , Zhu Cenming , Cheng Liang , Kong Linghan , Zheng Han , Yue Baoshan , Zhan Jianbo , Yu Zhenhua , Wang Hao , Zhang Ying 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
In this work, a bio-based resin of acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO) mixed with three types of active diluents (isoborneol methacrylates [IBOMA], tripropylene glycol diacrylate [TPGDA], and ethoxylated trimethylolpropane triacrylate [ETPTA]) is used to form a protective UV-curable coating film on Calcium alginate water-carrying microspheres (CA-WCMs). Calcium alginate microspheres (CAMs) have previously been used to encapsulate only ester soluble or oil-in-water core materials, thus limiting their application. After UV-curing with an increased active diluent dose, the pencil hardness, pendulum hardness, and mechanical strength of the CAMs increased. A photopolymerization kinetics study reveals that the maximum double bond (C = C) conversion rates of AESO-IBOMA, AESO-TPGDA, and AESO-ETPTA are 95%, 92%, and 86%, respectively, and the maximum conversion rate of C = C bond is 87% in their mixed system. Additionally, the water retention rate of the water-carrying microspheres (WCMs) increased with an increasing number of coating layers, plateauing after the number of layers exceeded four. The water retention is favorable, with more than 75% of the water stored for a duration of 50 days. Overall, the cost-effective and environmentally friendly method has shown encouraging results in the acquisition of water-absorbing CAMs, with the potential to overcome existing implementation constraints.
RPTOR is an Alzheimer’s Disease susceptibility gene associated with Alzheimer’s Disease risk factors BMI and infectious encephalitis
Authors: Lehrer Steven , Rheinstein Peter 
Published: November 2023

Abstract

Background: In comparison to persons who did not have viral encephalitis, people with viral encephalitis had a later-life risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) that was 31 times higher. In a previous study, we were able to confirm the association of viral encephalitis with AD and suggest that West Nile Virus infection is a significant AD risk factor. A genome wide association study (GWAS) with UK Biobank data revealed that the gene RAR Related Orphan Receptor B (RORB), previously linked to AD, is significantly associated with viral encephalitis.
Methods: In the current study we used data from PheWeb to identify genes other than RORB that might be involved in both infectious encephalitis and AD. We used UK Biobank data to examine gene expression and phenotypic expression.
Results: PheWeb identified additional genes associated with both infectious encephalitis and AD. RPTOR, a gene associated with the mTOR pathway, emerges as significant. Analyses of UK Biobank data reveal the impact of RPTOR on AD risk, with carriers of the minor allele A exhibiting decreased prevalence in subjects under age 55. Further analysis demonstrates that RPTOR genotypes influence Body Mass Index (BMI) in subjects of all ages, with carriers of the minor allele A having lower BMI. Logistic regression analyses confirm the association between reduced BMI and increased AD risk, along with the established factor of age.
Conclusion: RPTOR may represent an early onset AD gene, though mTOR's role in AD and BMI is complex. Nevertheless, RPTOR and mTOR could represent potential therapeutic targets for AD.