bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Responses of drinking water bulk and biofilm microbiota to elevated water age in bench-scale simulated distribution systems
Authors: Healy Hannah Greenwald , Ehde Aliya , Bartholow Alma , Kantor Rose S. , Nelson Kara L. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractReductions in nonresidential water demand during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of understanding how water age impacts drinking water quality and microbiota in piped distribution systems. Using benchtop model distribution systems, we aimed to characterize the impacts of elevated water age on microbiota in bulk water and pipe wall biofilms. Five replicate constant-flow reactors were fed with municipal chloraminated tap water for 6 months prior to building closures and 7 months after. After building closures, chloramine levels entering the reactors dropped; in the reactor bulk water and biofilms the mean cell counts and ATP concentrations increased over an order of magnitude while the detection of opportunistic pathogens remained low. Water age, and the corresponding physicochemical changes, strongly influenced microbial abundance and community composition. Differential initial microbial colonization also had a lasting influence on microbial communities in each reactor (i.e., historical contingency).
Altermagnetism with non-collinear spins
Authors: Cheong Sang-Wook , Huang Fei-Ting 
Published: January 2024

AbstractAltermagnetism is introduced as a category of magnetic states with ‘collinear’ antiferromagnetic spins and alternating variations of local structures around spins in such a way that the symmetry allows typical ferromagnetic behaviors. Altermagnets exhibiting ferromagnetic behaviors without any external perturbations (type-I) turn out to belong to the ferromagnetic point group. Other altermagnets (type-II and type-III) can have ferromagnetic behaviors only with external perturbations such as electric current or stress, which conserve parity-time-reversal (PT) symmetry. All types of altermagnets themselves have broken PT symmetry. The concept of altermagnetism can be extended to accommodate non-collinear spins and multiple local-structure variations.
Whole genome sequencing of a novel sea anemone (Actinostola sp.) from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent
Authors: Liu Chang , Bian Chao , Gao Qiang , Gao Zijian , Huang Yu , Wang Lingling , Shi Qiong , Song Linsheng 
Published: January 2024

AbstractDeep-sea hydrothermal vents are usually considered as extreme environments with high pressure, high temperature, scarce food, and chemical toxicity, while many local inhabitants have evolved special adaptive mechanisms for residence in this representative ecosystem. In this study, we constructed a high-quality genome assembly for a novel deep-sea anemone species (Actinostola sp.) that was resident at a depth of 2,971 m in an Edmond vent along the central Indian Ocean ridge, with a total size of 424.3 Mb and a scaffold N50 of 383 kb. The assembled genome contained 265 Mb of repetitive sequences and 20,812 protein-coding genes. Taken together, our reference genome provides a valuable genetic resource for exploring the evolution and adaptive clues of this deep-sea anemone.
Prediction of the aggregation rate of nanoparticles in porous media in the diffusion-controlled regime
Authors: Nguyen Vi T. , Pham Ngoc H. , Papavassiliou Dimitrios V. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThe fate and aggregation of nanoparticles (NPs) in the subsurface are important due to potentially harmful impacts on the environment and human health. This study aims to investigate the effects of flow velocity, particle size, and particle concentration on the aggregation rate of NPs in a diffusion-limited regime and build an equation to predict the aggregation rate when NPs move in the pore space between randomly packed spheres (including mono-disperse, bi-disperse, and tri-disperse spheres). The flow of 0.2 M potassium chloride (KCl) through the random sphere packings was simulated by the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). The movement and aggregation of cerium oxide (CeO2) particles were then examined by using a Lagrangian particle tracking method based on a force balance approach. This method relied on Newton's second law of motion and took the interaction forces among particles into account. The aggregation rate of NPs was found to depend linearly on time, and the slope of the line was a power function of the particle concentration, the Reynolds (Re) and Schmidt (Sc) numbers. The exponent for the Sc number was triple that of the Re number, which was evidence that the random movement of NPs has a much stronger effect on the rate of diffusion-controlled aggregation than the convection.
Residual dynamics learning for trajectory tracking for multi-rotor aerial vehicles
Authors: Kulathunga Geesara , Hamed Hany , Klimchik Alexandr 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThis paper presents a technique to model the residual dynamics between a high-level planner and a low-level controller by considering reference trajectory tracking in a cluttered environment as an example scenario. We focus on minimising residual dynamics that arise due to only the kinematical modelling of high-level planning. The kinematical modelling is sufficient for such scenarios due to safety constraints and aggressive manoeuvres that are difficult to perform when the environment is cluttered and dynamic. We used a simplified motion model to represent the motion of the quadrotor when formulating the high-level planner. The Sparse Gaussian Process Regression-based technique is proposed to model the residual dynamics. Recently proposed Data-Driven MPC is targeting aggressive manoeuvres without considering obstacle constraints. The proposed technique is compared with Data-Driven MPC to estimate the residual dynamics error without considering obstacle constraints. The comparison results yield that the proposed technique helps to reduce the nominal model error by a factor of 2 on average. Further, the proposed complete framework was compared with four other trajectory-tracking approaches in terms of tracking the reference trajectory without colliding with obstacles. The proposed approach outperformed the others with less flight time without losing computational efficiency.
Glyoxal-derived advanced glycation end products (GO-AGEs) with UVB critically induce skin inflammaging: in vitro and in silico approaches
Authors: Sultana Razia , Parveen Amna , Kang Min-Cheol , Hong Seong-Min , Kim Sun Yeou 
Published: January 2024

AbstractAdvanced glycation end products (AGEs) have potential implications on several diseases including skin inflammation and aging. AGEs formation can be triggered by several factors such as UVB, glyoxal and methylglyoxal etc. However, little attention has been paid to glyoxal-derived AGEs (GO-AGEs) and UVB-induced skin inflammaging, with none have investigated together. This study aimed to investigate the possible role of GO-AGEs and UVB in skin inflammaging focusing on revealing its molecular mechanisms. The effects of GO-AGEs in the presence or absence of UVB were studied by using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, western blotting, qPCR, flow cytometry and in silico approaches. In HaCaT cells, GO-AGEs in the presence of UVB irradiation (125 mJ/cm2) dramatically enhanced the release of different pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) with further activation of RAGE signaling pathways (NF-κB, COX 2, and IL- 1β) and increased oxidative stress also noticed in NHEK cells. In NHDF cells, extracellular matrix disruption noted via increasing matrix metalloproteinase release and decreasing collagen type 1 and SIRT1 expression. Besides that, the docking scores obtained from the molecular docking study support the above-mentioned results. This study strongly suggests the pivotal role of GO-AGEs in skin inflammaging and illuminates novel molecular pathways for searching most effective and updated anti-aging therapy.
Advancing energy storage and supercapacitor applications through the development of Li+-doped MgTiO3 perovskite nano-ceramics
Authors: Magar Hend S. , Mansour A. M. , Hammad Ali B. Abou 
Published: January 2024

AbstractPerovskite oxide materials, specifically MgTiO3 (MT) and Li-doped MgTiO3 (MTxLi), were synthesized via a sol–gel method and calcination at 800 °C. This study explores the impact of varying Li doping levels (x = 0, 0.01, 0.05, and 0.1) on the crystalline structure and properties of MgTiO3. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed a well-defined rhombohedral MgTiO3 phase. Optical diffuse reflectance measurements provided insights into energy gap values, refractive index, and dielectric constant. Li+ doping enhanced the electrical properties of MgTiO3, with a notable phase transition observed at 50 °C. The study investigated impedance and AC conductivity under varying temperature and frequency conditions (25–120 °C, 4 Hz to 8 MHz). Electrochemical analysis through cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy confirmed highly electrocatalytic properties for MTxLi, particularly when modified onto screen-printed electrodes. This work not only advances the understanding of Li-doped MgTiO3 nanostructures but also highlights their significant potential for direct electrochemical applications, particularly in the realm of energy storage.
Second order topology in a band engineered Chern insulator
Authors: Lahiri Srijata , Basu Saurabh 
Published: January 2024

AbstractHaldane model is a celebrated tight binding toy model of a Chern insulator in a 2D honeycomb lattice that exhibits quantized Hall conductance in the absence of an external magnetic field. In our work, we deform the bands of the Haldane model smoothly by varying one of its three nearest neighbour hopping amplitudes ($$t_1$$

t
1

), while keeping the other two (t) fixed. This breaks the $$C_3$$

C
3

symmetry of the Hamiltonian, while the $$M_x*T$$

M
x

∗
T

symmetry is preserved. The symmetry breaking causes the Dirac cones to shift from the K and the K$$'$$

′

points in the Brillouin zone (BZ) to an intermediate M point. This is evident from the Berry curvature plots which show a similar shift in the corresponding values as a function of the deformation parameter, namely $$\frac{t_1}{t}$$

t
1

t

. We observe two different topological phases of which, one is a topological insulator (TI) and the other is a second order topological insulator (SOTI). The Chern number (C) remains perfectly quantized at a value of $$C=1$$

C
=
1

for the TI phase and it goes to zero in the SOTI phase. Furthermore, the evolution of the Wannier charge center (WCC) as the band is smoothly deformed shows a jump in the TI phase indicating the presence of conducting edge modes. We also study the SOTI phase and diagonalize the real space Hamiltonian on a rhombic supercell which shows the presence of in-gap zero energy corner modes. The polarization of the system, namely $$p_x$$

p
x

and $$p_y$$

p
y

, are evaluated, along the x and the y directions, respectively. We see that both $$p_x$$

p
x

and $$p_y$$

p
y

are quantized in the SOTI phase owing to the presence of the inversion symmetry of the system. Finally we establish the SOTI phase as an example of a topological phase with zero Berry curvature and provide an analogy with the two dimensional Su–Schrieffer–Heeger model.
Cardioaortic dimensions in German landrace pigs derived from cardiac magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Meissner Florian , Galbas Michelle Costa , Szvetics Sophie , von zur Mühlen Constantin , Heidt Timo , Maier Alexander , Bock Michael , Czerny Martin , Bothe Wolfgang , Reiss Simon 
Published: January 2024

AbstractPigs are frequently applied as animal models in cardiovascular research due to their anatomical and physiological similarity to humans. For study planning and refinement, precise knowledge of the cardioaortic dimensions is essential. In a retrospective single-center study, the cardioaortic dimensions and left ventricular function of German Landrace pigs were assessed using cardiac MRI. All parameters were compared between male and female pigs and analyzed for correlation with body weight. In total, 15 pigs were included (7 male and 8 female, weight 60.9 ± 7.0 kg). The left ventricle revealed an end-diastolic diameter of 50.5 ± 4.4 mm and an ejection fraction of 51.2 ± 9.8%. The diameters of the ascending and descending aorta were 21.3 ± 2.3 and 16.2 ± 1.4 mm, respectively. There were no significant differences between male and female pigs, except that males had a smaller end-diastolic left ventricular volume (p = 0.041). A moderate correlation was found between body weight and the aortic annulus diameter (R = 0.57, p = 0.027). In conclusion, cardiac MRI allows precise quantification of porcine cardioaortic dimensions. For medical device testing, size differences between pigs and humans should be considered.
Using digital technologies to diagnose in the home: recommendations from a Delphi panel
Authors: Simon David A. , Raza Sara , Shachar Carmel , Glenn Cohen I. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractRapid advances in digital technology have expanded the availability of diagnostic tools beyond traditional medical settings. Previously confined to clinical environments, these many diagnostic capabilities are now accessible outside the clinic. This study utilized the Delphi method, a consensus-building approach, to develop recommendations for the development and deployment of these innovative technologies. The study findings present the 29 consensus-based recommendations generated through the Delphi process, providing valuable insights and guidance for stakeholders involved in the implementation and utilization of these novel diagnostic solutions. These recommendations serve as a roadmap for navigating the complexities of integrating digital diagnostics into healthcare practice outside traditional settings like hospitals and clinics.
Sound suppresses earliest visual cortical processing after sight recovery in congenitally blind humans
Authors: Sourav Suddha , Kekunnaya Ramesh , Bottari Davide , Shareef Idris , Pitchaimuthu Kabilan , Röder Brigitte 
Published: January 2024

AbstractNeuroscientific research has consistently shown more extensive non-visual activity in the visual cortex of congenitally blind humans compared to sighted controls; a phenomenon known as crossmodal plasticity. Whether or not crossmodal activation of the visual cortex retracts if sight can be restored is still unknown. The present study, involving a rare group of sight-recovery individuals who were born pattern vision blind, employed visual event-related potentials to investigate persisting crossmodal modulation of the initial visual cortical processing stages. Here we report that the earliest, stimulus-driven retinotopic visual cortical activity (<100 ms) was suppressed in a spatially specific manner in sight-recovery individuals when concomitant sounds accompanied visual stimulation. In contrast, sounds did not modulate the earliest visual cortical response in two groups of typically sighted controls, nor in a third control group of sight-recovery individuals who had suffered a transient phase of later (rather than congenital) visual impairment. These results provide strong evidence for persisting crossmodal activity in the visual cortex after sight recovery following a period of congenital visual deprivation. Based on the time course of this modulation, we speculate on a role of exuberant crossmodal thalamic input which may arise during a sensitive phase of brain development.
S100A8/A9 promotes endometrial fibrosis via regulating RAGE/JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway
Authors: Xin Xing , Liu Hao , Zhang Siwen , Li Pingping , Zhao Xinyang , Zhang Xudong , Li Shuyu , Wu Shanshan , Zhao Fujie , Tan Jichun 
Published: January 2024

AbstractIntrauterine adhesion (IUA) is characterized by endometrial fibrosis. S100A8/A9 plays an important role in inflammation and fibroblast activation. However, the role of S100A8/A9 in IUA remains unclear. In this study, we collect normal and IUA endometrium to verify the expression of S100A8/A9. Human endometrial stromal cells (hEnSCs) are isolated to evaluate fibrosis progression after S100A8/A9 treatment. A porcine IUA model is established by electrocautery injury to confirm the therapeutic effect of menstrual blood-derived stromal cells (MenSCs) on IUA. Our study reveals increased S100A8/A9 expression in IUA endometrium. S100A8/A9 significantly enhances hEnSCs proliferation and upregulates fibrosis-related and inflammation-associated markers. Furthermore, S100A8/A9 induces hEnSCs fibrosis through the RAGE-JAK2-STAT3 pathway. Transplantation of MenSCs in a porcine IUA model notably enhances angiogenesis, mitigates endometrial fibrosis and downregulates S100A8/A9 expression. In summary, S100A8/A9 induces hEnSCs fibrosis via the RAGE-JAK2-STAT3 pathway, and MenSCs exhibit marked effects on endometrial restoration in the porcine IUA model.
Characterization of phyllosphere endophytic lactic acid bacteria reveals a potential novel route to enhance silage fermentation quality
Authors: Zhou Hongzhang , Jia Shangang , Gao Yu , Li Xiaomei , Lin Yanli , Yang Fuyu , Ni Kuikui 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThe naturally attached phyllosphere microbiota play a crucial role in plant-derived fermentation, but the structure and function of phyllosphere endophytes remain largely unidentified. Here, we reveal the diversity, specificity, and functionality of phyllosphere endophytes in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) through combining typical microbial culture, high-throughput sequencing, and genomic comparative analysis. In comparison to phyllosphere bacteria (PB), the fermentation of alfalfa solely with endophytes (EN) enhances the fermentation characteristics, primarily due to the dominance of specific lactic acid bacteria (LAB) such as Lactiplantibacillus, Weissella, and Pediococcus. The inoculant with selected endophytic LAB strains also enhances the fermentation quality compared to epiphytic LAB treatment. Especially, one key endophytic LAB named Pediococcus pentosaceus EN5 shows enrichment of genes related to the mannose phosphotransferase system (Man-PTS) and carbohydrate-metabolizing enzymes and higher utilization of carbohydrates. Representing phyllosphere, endophytic LAB shows great potential of promoting ensiling and provides a novel direction for developing microbial inoculant.
The evolution of social-ecological system interactions and their impact on the urban thermal environment
Authors: Chen Bin , Kong Fanhua , Meadows Michael E. , Pan Huijun , Zhu A-Xing , Chen Liding , Yin Haiwei , Yang Lin 
Published: January 2024

AbstractWhile heat mitigation is crucial to achieving sustainable urban development, an inadequate understanding of the evolution of the urban thermal environment (UTE) and its relationship with socio-ecological systems (SESs) constrains the development of effective mitigation strategies. In this study, we use satellite observations from 2000–2021 to explore the evolving impact of SES interactions on the UTE of 136 Chinese urban areas. The results reveal a nonlinear intensification of the UTE over the period and an indication that an increasing number of urban areas have successfully applied UTE mitigation measures. Spatio-temporal patterns in UTE are shown to be strongly influenced by social and ecological factors and their interactions, whereby the higher the SES status, the stronger the decreasing UTE trend. These findings highlight the need for, and advantages of, developing win-win solutions for urban society and ecology and have important implications in creating integrated strategies for heat mitigation in promoting urban sustainability.
The Molecular Twin artificial-intelligence platform integrates multi-omic data to predict outcomes for pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients
Authors: Osipov Arsen , Nikolic Ognjen , Gertych Arkadiusz , Parker Sarah , Hendifar Andrew , Singh Pranav , Filippova Darya , Dagliyan Grant , Ferrone Cristina R. , Zheng Lei , Moore Jason H. , Tourtellotte Warren , Van Eyk Jennifer E. , Theodorescu Dan 
Published: January 2024

AbstractContemporary analyses focused on a limited number of clinical and molecular biomarkers have been unable to accurately predict clinical outcomes in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Here we describe a precision medicine platform known as the Molecular Twin consisting of advanced machine-learning models and use it to analyze a dataset of 6,363 clinical and multi-omic molecular features from patients with resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma to accurately predict disease survival (DS). We show that a full multi-omic model predicts DS with the highest accuracy and that plasma protein is the top single-omic predictor of DS. A parsimonious model learning only 589 multi-omic features demonstrated similar predictive performance as the full multi-omic model. Our platform enables discovery of parsimonious biomarker panels and performance assessment of outcome prediction models learning from resource-intensive panels. This approach has considerable potential to impact clinical care and democratize precision cancer medicine worldwide.
Identification of a non-canonical chemokine-receptor pathway suppressing regulatory T cells to drive atherosclerosis
Authors: Döring Yvonne , van der Vorst Emiel P. C. , Yan Yi , Neideck Carlos , Blanchet Xavier , Jansen Yvonne , Kemmerich Manuela , Bayasgalan Soyolmaa , Peters Linsey J. F. , Hristov Michael , Bidzhekov Kiril , Yin Changjun , Zhang Xi , Leberzammer Julian , Li Ya , Park Inhye , Kral Maria , Nitz Katrin , Parma Laura , Gencer Selin , Habenicht Andreas J. R. , Faussner Alexander , Teupser Daniel , Monaco Claudia , Holdt Lesca , Megens Remco T. A. , Atzler Dorothee , Santovito Donato , von Hundelshausen Philipp , Weber Christian 
Published: January 2024

AbstractCCL17 is produced by conventional dendritic cells, signals through CCR4 on regulatory T (Treg) cells and drives atherosclerosis by suppressing Treg functions through yet undefined mechanisms. Here we show that conventional dendritic cells from CCL17-deficient mice display a pro-tolerogenic phenotype and transcriptome that is not phenocopied in mice lacking its cognate receptor CCR4. In the plasma of CCL17-deficient mice, CCL3 was the only decreased cytokine/chemokine. We found that CCL17 signaled through CCR8 as an alternate high-affinity receptor, which induced CCL3 expression and suppressed Treg functions in the absence of CCR4. Genetic ablation of CCL3 and CCR8 in CD4+ T cells reduced CCL3 secretion, boosted FoxP3+ Treg numbers and limited atherosclerosis. Conversely, CCL3 administration exacerbated atherosclerosis and restrained Treg differentiation. In symptomatic versus asymptomatic human carotid atheroma, CCL3 expression was increased, whereas FoxP3 expression was reduced. Together, we identified a non-canonical chemokine pathway whereby CCL17 interacts with CCR8 to yield a CCL3-dependent suppression of atheroprotective Treg cells.