bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Diverging responses to natural and anthropogenic habitats in aftrotropical birds and butterflies
Authors: Habel Jan Christian , Mulwa Moses , Wagner Laura , Schmitt Thomas , Teucher Mike , Ulrich Werner 
Published: February 2024

AbstractSpecies respond differently to landscape structures and environmental changes. In nature conservation, however, responses of a few indicator groups are often generalised to the ecosystem level. In this study, we analyse how birds and butterflies respond to identical landscape structures and environmental gradients across a habitat mosaic in southern Kenya. The study area represents natural coastal forest (forest interior and forest edge) as well as different agro-environments (such as orchards and pastures), which partly may also be suitable surrogate habitats for forest species. We assessed birds and butterflies during the same time along identical line transects, covering the dry and the rainy season. The obtained results indicate that both species groups depict habitat types in some aspects similarly but in others in somewhat different ways. Thus, strongest differences in community similarity were visible between forest interior and the open landscape like pastures for both taxa. The forest community strongly overlapped with orchards for birds but less so for butterflies. Thus, orchards in close geographic proximity to natural forests might be a possible surrogate habitat for certain forest bird species, but less so for more sedentary forest butterfly species. The temporal variation in species richness, abundances, and community structures was much stronger for butterflies compared to birds. Thus, seasonality in tropical ecosystems has to be considered especially when interpreting community structures of butterflies, but much less so in birds. In general, birds and butterflies proved to be suitable indicator groups to evaluate ecologically landscape structures in East Africa, with birds more representing the landscape level and butterflies more the fine-grained habitat scale.
Heavy metals in biological samples of cancer patients: a systematic literature review
Authors: Coradduzza Donatella , Congiargiu Antonella , Azara Emanuela , Mammani Ismaeil Mohammed Abulkahar , De Miglio Maria Rosaria , Zinellu Angelo , Carru Ciriaco , Medici Serenella 
Published: February 2024

Abstract The majority of the so-called heavy metals are suspected to be involved in a number of pathologies and play a role in human carcinogenesis. Some of them (i.e. arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg) and nickel (Ni)) have been defined as carcinogens, increasing the susceptibility of tumor development and progression in humans. Moreover, Ni, Cr, Cd, Hg, and Pb together with zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe), may be capable of stimulating the progression of breast cancer and reducing a patient’s sensitivity to treatment through alterations to DNA methylation. In patients with gastric cancers, levels of various heavy metals are augmented and hypothesized to amplify the expression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 gene. Cd may increase the risk of lung cancer development and have a negative impact on the overall survival of lung cancer patients. To investigate the relation between heavy metals in biological samples and risk, occurrence and survival cancer individuals, a comprehensive review work was performed, with a focus on breast, lung, prostate and gastric cancers. An extensive search strategy was devised to ensure relevant literature could be identified, with the PECO framework being adopted to facilitate this and identify key search terms. As evidenced in this review, there is substantial data to support the hypothesis that heavy metals influence tumor development and progression. Unluckily the number of papers dealing with the determination of metals directly in samples from cancer tissues is still rather limited, so we decided to expand the scope of this review also to analyses carried out on other biological samples, as urine, plasma, hair, nail, etc. The studies reviewed showed that several limitations and current knowledge gaps are present in the literature that require further investigation to improve our comprehension of the impact of different heavy metals on tumorigenesis.
Graphical abstract
Three-body periodic collisionless equal-mass free-fall orbits revisited
Authors: Hristov Ivan , Hristova Radoslava , Dmitrašinović Veljko , Tanikawa Kiyotaka 
Published: February 2024

AbstractLi and Liao announced (New Astron 70:22–26, 2019, arXiv:1805.07980v1) discovery of 313 periodic collisionless orbits’ initial conditions (i.c.s), 30 of which have equal masses, and 18 of these 30 orbits have physical periods (scale-invariant periods) $$T^{*}<80$$

T

∗

<
80

. We revisited this work with the intention to improve both, its logical consistency and the numerical efficiency of the method. We have conducted a new search for periodic free-fall orbits, limited to the equal-mass case. Our search produced 24,582 i.c.s of equal-mass periodic orbits with scale-invariant period $$T^{*}<80$$

T

∗

<
80

, corresponding to 12,409 distinct solutions, 236 of which are self-dual.
Self-Perceived Infertility is Not Always Associated with Having Fewer Children: Evidence from German Panel Data
Authors: Greil Arthur L. , Wallace Desmond D. , Passet-Wittig Jasmin , McQuillan Julia , Bujard Martin , Lowry Michele H. 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Proximate determinants theory considers infertility rates a risk factor for lower fertility rates, but the assumption that people who perceive infertility will have fewer children has not been tested. This study investigates the association of self-perceived infertility with the number of children people have had after 11 years. Infertility implies reduced chances of conception (rather than sterility), but people do not always consistently perceive infertility over time. If people who think they are infertile at one time can later report no infertility, then does self-perceived infertility necessarily lead to having fewer children? We answer this question by analyzing 11 waves of the German family panel (pairfam) data using negative binomial growth curve models for eight core demographic subgroups created by combinations of gender (men/women), parity (0/1+children), and initial age groups (25–27 and 35–37). Those who repeatedly perceived themselves to be infertile (three times or more) had fewer children than those who perceived themselves to be infertile once or twice in only four of eight gender by initial parity by age groups. Only in four groups did people who perceived themselves to be infertile once or twice have fewer children than those who never perceived themselves to be infertile in both the unadjusted and adjusted models. Thus, self-perceived infertility does not necessarily result in fewer children. Rather, the association depends upon life course context and gender.
The comparison of corneal densitometry in cases with glaucoma following childhood cataract surgery and juvenile glaucoma
Authors: Elgin Ufuk , Simsek Mert , Sen Emine , Hondur Gozde , Bayraktar Serdar , Acar Atakan 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Purpose
To compare the corneal densitometry (CD) in pediatric cases with glaucoma following childhood cataract surgery and juvenile open-angle glaucoma (JOAG).

Methods
This prospective comparative study involved 13 eyes with JOAG, 12 eyes with pseudophakic glaucoma, 13 eyes with aphakic glaucoma, and 15 control subjects. Pentacam HR Scheimpflug corneal topography was employed to evaluate corneal thickness (CCT) and CD values.

Results
The mean intraocular pressure (IOP) and CCT were significantly higher in aphakic glaucoma cases than the other groups (p = 0.001). In aphakic eyes, the mean CD values were higher in most of the anterior, center, and posterior layers of 0–2 mm, 2–6 mm, 6–10 mm, and total zones (p < 0.001 for all). In pseudophakic eyes, the mean CD values were statistically similar with that of aphakic eyes and higher than that of JOAG and control eyes in all layers of 0–2 mm zone and in anterior layer of 10–12 mm and anterior and total layers of 2–6 mm zones (p < 0.05 for all). The CD values demonstrated significant correlations with CCT values in both aphakic and pseudophakic eyes. However, a significant correlation of CD values with IOP was only demonstrated in aphakic eyes (p = 0.01 for all).

Conclusion
The probable effects of childhood cataract surgery especially aphakia might cause corneal backscatter of light and increased CD in all layers in all zones of the cornea. Increased CD values and its correlation with CCT and IOP in aphakic glaucoma eyes may be of importance in clinical management.
Heavy metal decontamination by ion exchange polymers for water purification: counterintuitive cation removal by an anion exchange polymer
Authors: Sgreccia Emanuela , Rogalska Celina , Gallardo Gonzalez Francia Sarhaly , Prosposito Paolo , Burratti Luca , Knauth Philippe , Di Vona Maria Luisa 
Published: February 2024

AbstractIon exchange polymers were used for mercury and lead ions removal in water. The heavy metal ion concentration was analyzed by two independent methods: inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and gravimetry. The studied cation exchange polymer (CEP) was sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK), and the anion exchange polymer (AEP) was poly(sulfone trimethylammonium) chloride (PSU-TMA). The removal capacity was connected with the ion exchange capacity (IEC) equal to 1.6 meq/g for both polymers. The concentration ranges were 0.15–0.006 mM for Hg2+ and 10.8–1.0 mM for Pb2+. SPEEK achieved 100% removal efficiency for mercury and lead if the concentration was below the maximum sorption capacity (Qmax), which was about 210 mg/g for Pb2+ with SPEEK. For PSU-TMA, the surprising removal efficiency of 100% for Hg2+, which seemed incompatible with ion exchange, was related to the formation of very stable complex anions that can be sorbed by an AEP. Langmuir adsorption theory was applied for the thermodynamic description of lead removal by SPEEK. A second-order law was effective to describe the kinetics of the process.
Determination of 93Zr, 237Np and Th radionuclides in radioactive waste and mineral samples: extension of the method for determination of actinides
Authors: Papp István , Vajda Nóra , Bokori Edit , Molnár Zsuzsa 
Published: February 2024

AbstractA novel method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of difficult-to-measure (DTM) nuclides 93Zr, 237Np, 232Th, 230Th and 228Th using a DGA resin® (containing N,N,N′,N′-tetra-n-octyl-diglycolamide) column for simultaneous separation of Zr and actinides followed by purification of Zr, Np and Th on a TEVA resin® (containing Aliquat 336) column. Samples are destroyed by fusion with sodium hydroxide or by acid destruction using HNO3, HCl and HF. Pre-concentration procedure tailored to the extraction chromatography is based on co-precipitation of Zr and actinides and removal of alumina, silica, iron and calcium. The concentrations of 93Zr, 237Np and Th nuclides are determined by ICP-MS and α spectrometry, respectively. High chemical recoveries (≥ 73%) and separation factors were obtained for Zr, Np and Th both in evaporation concentrates of an NPP and various samples of mineral origin such as soil and concrete. The procedure can be easily combined with the simultaneous separation of other actinides (Pu, Am, U) using the same DGA column that has been described in our previous papers (Cassette et al. in Appl Radiat Isot 68:122–130, 2010 and Groska et al. in J Radioanal Nucl Chem 309(3):1145–1158, 2016).
Don’t stop it now: functional and structural habitat connectivity assessment suggests further expansion in Southern Europe for the Eurasian beaver
Authors: Serva Davide , Biondi Maurizio , Mantoni Cristina , Iannella Mattia 
Published: February 2024

AbstractContextAfter being close to extinction, the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) is now recovering throughout Europe. The Eurasian beaver is a keystone species, and an ecosystem engineer, capable of modifying ecosystems at multiple levels. In the last years, the species reappeared in Italy due to natural recolonization and illegal reintroductions, while in Spain, after being confined to the Ebro basin, the beaver has been recently reported at the border with Portugal.ObjectivesIn this study, we evaluated both functional and structural connectivity for the Eurasian beaver in Italy and in the Iberian Peninsulas, to deepen the understanding of its expansion process, and to prioritize the barriers that occur in the areas where the species is reported, and that could limit this expansion.MethodsWe generated resistance layers for each study area, based on key variables for the target species. Circuit theory was applied to evaluate functional connectivity, summarizing it at the basin and protected areas (PAs) level. We applied different fluvial connectivity indices to characterize, at-reach-scale, structural connectivity, and identify barriers within each hydrographic network.ResultsIn both study areas, there are several corridors mainly linked to rivers with high tree cover that occur in flat areas, like the valleys in the Apennines and the Cantabrian mountain systems. Despite the distances and the extant barriers, the occurrences in Central Italy and Spain are respectively well-connected. In general, in each hydrographic network, only a few barriers impede connectivity, with the Iberian Peninsula more impacted, especially in the Douro basin. In the Ebro basin, several barriers contribute to fragmentation, especially in the northern area considering the Population Connectivity Indices; however, high connectivity is found within the protected areas.ConclusionsThe recent return of the Eurasian beaver in Italy, and its recent expansion in the Iberian Peninsula, could continue in the near future, considering both the fair habitat connectivity and the adaptability of the species. Although both areas are impacted by man-made dams, only a specific set possibly limits the Eurasian beavers’ expansion. In general, the current PAs arrangement does not protect the areas important for the beaver connectivity, with some of them impacted by man-made dams.
A study of Bianchi type I spacetime according to their Ricci collineations
Authors: Akhtar Sumaira Saleem , Ahmad Israr , Shakeel Mehnaz , Zahir Hina , Inc Mustafa 
Published: February 2024

AbstractRici collineations (RCs) have been used in this research to study the locally rotationally symmetric (LRS) Bianchi type I spacetimes. To accomplish our objectives, the RC equations are typically integrated for both situations of the Ricci tensor, degenerate and non-degenerate. Throughout this work, a number of situations occur that provide various finite and infinite dimensional Lie algebras of RCs.
Quality of life, cognitive and behavioural impairment in people with motor neuron disease: a systematic review
Authors: Radakovic Ratko , Radakovic Chelsea , Abrahams Sharon , Simmons Zachary , Carroll Amy 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Purpose
Motor neuron disease (MND) is a neurodegenerative disease, progressively impacting function and self-perceived quality of life (QoL). Up to 50% of people with MND can present with cognitive and behavioural impairment, with an associated increase in caregiver burden or strain. However, there has been no systematic exploration of the relationship between QoL and cognitive or behavioural impairment in MND. The aim was to determine if there is a relationship between QoL and cognitive/behavioural impairment in MND, while also supplementarily looking to determine the types of cognitive/behavioural and QoL measures utilised in these studies.

Methods
A systematic search was performed across multiple databases (PsychINFO, Embase, Medline, AMED) for research published up to the date of February 22, 2023. Studies utilising quantitative methods of measuring QoL, cognitive/behavioural functioning/impairment were included. Findings examining relationships between QoL-cognitive/behavioural impairment were extracted and synthesised.

Results
A total of 488 studies were identified, with 14 studies included in the systematic review. All 14 studies were observational (11 cross-sectional, 3 longitudinal). 13 studies utilised MND non-specific measures, particularly in relation to QoL and cognitive impairment. Of 8 studies measuring behavioural impairment 62.5% (N = 5) found either a lower QoL difference or association. Only 33.3% (N = 4) of 12 studies measuring cognitive impairment found a lower QoL difference or association.

Conclusions
This systematic review shows that behavioural impairment may have an impact on QoL in MND. There is variability in types of assessments used to measure QoL and also cognitive/behavioural impairment, most of which are disease-non-specific. Recommendations for future research are to use comprehensive disease-specific, multidomain measures to further elucidate the QoL-cognitive/behavioural impairment relationship.
Low on-clopidogrel ADP- and TRAP-6-induced platelet aggregation in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: an observational pilot study
Authors: Gjermeni Diona , Anfang Viktoria , Vetter Hannah , Szabó Sofia , Hesselbarth David , Gauchel Nadine , Siegel Patrick M. , Kaier Klaus , Kille Alexander , Franke Kilian , Leggewie Stefan , Trenk Dietmar , Duerschmied Daniel , Bode Christoph , Westermann Dirk , Olivier Christoph B. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractHigh on-clopidogrel platelet reactivity (HPR) associates with ischemic risk in patients after percutaneous intervention (PCI). This study aimed to evaluate the association of HPR as assessed by multiple electrode aggregometry (MEA) with ischemic, thromboembolic, and bleeding risk in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing PCI. Patients with AF and an indication for oral anticoagulation (OAC) were included in this prospective cohort study on day 1–3 after PCI. Platelet aggregation [U] was analyzed by MEA. HPR and low platelet reactivity (LPR) were defined as ADP-induced aggregation ≥ 46 U and ≤ 18 U, respectively. TRAP-6-induced aggregation reference was 94–156 U. The primary outcome was time to all-cause death, myocardial infarction, or stroke at 6 months. The secondary outcome was time to non-major clinically relevant bleedings or major bleedings. 159 patients were enrolled between May 2020 and May 2021. The median age was 78 years (interquartile range 72–82) and 111 (70%) were male. Median ADP- and TRAP-induced aggregation were 12 (6–17) and 49 (35–68) U, respectively. 147 (93%) patients had a low overall aggregability. HPR was detected in 2 patients (1%) and 125 (79%) had LPR. ADP-induced aggregation did not significantly associate with the primary outcome (r = 0.081, p = 0.309) but correlated inversely with bleeding risk (r = − 0.201, p = 0.011). HPR status as assessed by MEA among patients with AF after PCI was rare and overall aggregability was low. Conventional cut-off values for HPR might be inappropriate for these patients. ADP-induced aggregation might be helpful to identify patients at risk for bleeding.
Classification and online clustering of zero-day malware
Authors: Jurečková Olha , Jureček Martin , Stamp Mark , Di Troia Fabio , Lórencz Róbert 
Published: February 2024

AbstractA large amount of new malware is constantly being generated, which must not only be distinguished from benign samples, but also classified into malware families. For this purpose, investigating how existing malware families are developed and examining emerging families need to be explored. This paper focuses on the online processing of incoming malicious samples to assign them to existing families or, in the case of samples from new families, to cluster them. We experimented with seven prevalent malware families from the EMBER dataset, four in the training set and three additional new families in the test set. The features were extracted by static analysis of portable executable files for the Windows operating system. Based on the classification score of the multilayer perceptron, we determined which samples would be classified and which would be clustered into new malware families. We classified 97.21% of streaming data with a balanced accuracy of 95.33%. Then, we clustered the remaining data using a self-organizing map, achieving a purity from 47.61% for four clusters to 77.68% for ten clusters. These results indicate that our approach has the potential to be applied to the classification and clustering of zero-day malware into malware families.
Exploration of tumor size measurement methods in preoperative breast cancer assessment using whole-body silicon photomultiplier PET: feasibility and first results
Authors: Kuroda Hiroyuki , Yoshizako Takeshi , Yada Nobuhiro , Kamimura Tomomi , Yamamoto Nobuko , Maruyama Mitsunari , Yoshida Rika , Fukuda Mizuki , Kataoka Yuko , Itakura Masayuki , Kaji Yasushi 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Purpose
Whole-body silicon photomultiplier positron emission tomography (WB SiPM PET) could be used to diagnose breast cancer spread before lumpectomy. We aimed to investigate the method of measuring the tumor size by WB SiPM PET as a basis for diagnosing breast cancer spread in the breast.

Materials and methods
We retrospectively reviewed 35 breast cancer lesions in 32 patients who underwent WB SiPM PET/CT in the prone position as preoperative breast cancer examinations from September 2020 to March 2022.
In all cases, a 20-mm spherical VOI was placed in the normal mammary gland to measure the mean standardised uptake value (SUVmean) and the standard deviation (SD) of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake. We prepared four types of candidates (SUVmean + 2 SD, SUVmean + 3 SD, 1.5 SUVmean + 2 SD, 1.5 SUVmean + 3 SD) for thresholds for delineating tumor contours on PET images. On the semiautomatic viewer soft, the maximum tumor sizes were measured at each of the four thresholds and compared with the pathological tumor sizes, including the extensive intraductal component (EIC).

Results
The lesion detection sensitivity was 97% for WB SiPM PET. PET detected 34 lesions, excluding 4-mm ductal carcinomas in situ (DCIS). PET measurements at the '1.5 SUVmean + 2 SD' threshold demonstrated values closest to the pathological tumor sizes, including EIC. Moreover, '1.5 SUVmean + 2 SD' had the highest concordance (63%).

Conclusions
The study demonstrated that among various PET thresholds, the '1.5 SUVmean + 2 SD' threshold exhibited the best performance. However, even with this threshold, the concordance rate was limited to only 63%.
Review: synthesis and anticancer activity of pyrimido[4,5-b]quinolines in the last twenty years
Authors: Ibrahim Nahla Said M. , Kadry Hanan H. , Zaher Ashraf F. , Mohamed Khaled O. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractPyrimido[4,5-b]quinoline is a vital structural motif. The synthesis of pyrimido[4,5-b]quinolines has been a challenging topic in medicinal chemistry. A wide range of starting materials have been employed to achieve this nucleus such as quinoline derivatives and isatins. Multi-component one-pot synthestic approaches were employed either by using barbituric or thiobarbituric acid, amines and aldehydes or from 6-aminouracils, aldehydes and cyclohexanone derivatives. Recent synthetic strategies and many green chemistry techniques have improved pyrimido[4,5-b]quinolines synthesis over the last twenty years. Among the many reported biological activities of pyrimido[4,5-b]quinolines, anticancer activity attracted research attention over the past couple of decades. Many derivatives have shown promising anticancer activity on different cancer cell lines such as MCF-7, A549, K562 and others. They also demonstrated activity on different enzymes and receptors such as tyrosine kinases, tyrosyl-DNA Phosphodiesterase II and HDM2 ubiquitin ligase (E3) that promote apoptosis, repair DNA damage, and induce cell cycle arrest. This review critically examines the recent synthetic approaches employed for the synthesis of pyrimido[4,5-b]quinolines and explores their reported anticancer activities.