bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Compartmentalized ciliation changes of oligodendrocytes in aged mouse optic nerve
Authors: Ning Ke , Tran Matthew , Kowal Tia J. , Mesentier‐Louro Louise A. , Sendayen Brent E. , Wang Qing , Lo Chien‐Hui , Li Tingting , Majumder Rishab , Luo Jian , Hu Yang , Liao Yaping Joyce , Sun Yang 
Published: November 2023

AbstractPrimary cilia are microtubule‐based sensory organelles that project from the apical surface of most mammalian cells, including oligodendrocytes, which are myelinating cells of the central nervous system (CNS) that support critical axonal function. Dysfunction of CNS glia is associated with aging‐related white matter diseases and neurodegeneration, and ciliopathies are known to affect CNS white matter. To investigate age‐related changes in ciliary profile, we examined ciliary length and frequency in the retinogeniculate pathway, a white matter tract commonly affected by diseases of aging but in which expression of cilia has not been characterized. We found expression of Arl13b, a marker of primary cilia, in a small group of Olig2‐positive oligodendrocytes in the optic nerve, optic chiasm, and optic tract in young and aged C57BL/6 wild‐type mice. While the ciliary length and ciliated oligodendrocyte cells were constant in young mice in the retinogeniculate pathway, there was a significant increase in ciliary length in the anterior optic nerve as compared to the aged animals. Morphometric analysis confirmed a specific increase in the ciliation rate of CC1+/Olig2+ oligodendrocytes in aged mice compared with young mice. Thus, the prevalence of primary cilia in oligodendrocytes in the visual pathway and the age‐related changes in ciliation suggest that they may play important roles in white matter and age‐associated optic neuropathies.
Verification of Si wafer first‐order phonon peaks for reliable calibration of Raman microscopes
Authors: Itoh Nobuyasu 
Published: November 2023

AbstractRaman microscopes are widely used in various fields and their spectral resolutions differ greatly depending on the system and optical components. Thus, the microscopes must be calibrated before measurement to obtain reliable results. Although the first‐order phonon peak of Si wafers at ⁓520 cm−1 is generally used as a calibrant of Raman microscopes, not only is it unclear how the positions of the first‐order phonon peaks are comparable over Si wafers of different manufacturers, dopant types and crystal orientations, but they also shift with the temperature and residual stress. We examined the changes in the position of the first‐order phonon peak at different temperatures using a HeNe laser at 633 nm and its plasma lines. Because a comparable linear relationship between the temperature and the wavenumber was obtained regardless of the Si wafer examined, most commercially available Si wafers can be used for the calibration of Raman microscopes. Although shifting of the peak was introduced by the laser power due to an increase in temperature at the laser spot, it was less sensitive than broadening of the peak width. A peak shift was observed with a 532‐nm laser at 2.1 mW using a 100× air objective lens (numerical aperture: 0.9), but this did not occur with a 633‐ or 785‐nm laser even at more than 10 mW. Thus, less laser power should be used to calibrate Raman microscopes using the first‐order phonon peak of Si wafers under high‐resolution conditions, especially for a 532‐nm laser.
Survival, cause‐specific mortality, and population growth of white‐tailed deer in western Virginia
Authors: Clevinger Garrett B. , Ford W. Mark , Kelly Marcella J. , Alonso Robert S. , DeYoung Randy W. , Lafon Nelson W. , Cherry Michael J. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractUnderstanding the role of recruitment in population dynamics of white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is important for management. In the central Appalachian Mountains, deer are part of a largely forested ecosystem that supports 3 carnivore species thought to be capable of influencing white‐tailed deer recruitment: black bears (Urus americanus), coyotes (Canis latrans), and bobcats (Lynx rufus). Yet little is known about predation, how other environmental factors influence recruitment, or the importance of neonate survival to white‐tailed deer population performance in the region. Our objectives were to identify causes of mortality for neonates, analyze effects of landscape attributes on survival of neonates, estimate survival rates for neonates and adult female white‐tailed deer, and to model population growth trends based on current vital rates and hypothetical harvest and neonate survival scenarios. During 2019–2020, we captured 57 neonate deer in Bath County, Virginia, USA, by monitoring 38 pregnant females equipped with global positioning system collars and vaginal implant transmitters and by conducting transect searches for recently born neonates. We observed 37 neonate mortalities and identified cause of death using field and genetic evidence. Mortalities included 28 predation events and 9 deaths from other causes (e.g., abandonment, malnutrition, disease). Black bears accounted for 48.6% of neonate mortalities, and 64.2% of predation events (n = 18), followed by bobcats (n = 5) and coyotes (n = 3). Annual survival for adult female deer was 0.871 and neonate survival to 12 weeks old was 0.310. Elevation was a significant predictor of neonate survival; mortality risk increased 20% for every 100‐m increase in elevation. Models of annual population growth using observed vital rates predicted an increasing population (λ = 1.10). A 10% increase in female harvest would still result in a potential population increase of 2% (λ = 1.02), but a 20% increase in harvest rate would result in a potential 7% decline (λ = 0.93). Neonate survival was higher near fertile valley bottoms and lower along forested ridges characterized by shallow, infertile soils and limited edge or early successional forests. While predation, largely influenced by black bears, was the leading cause of neonate mortality and contributed to low neonate survival, we observed little evidence of population decline, and suggest there is opportunity for a modest increase in harvest of female deer.
Cyclical prey shortages for a marine polar predator driven by the interaction of climate change and natural climate variability
Authors: Lohmann Amanda C. , Morton Joseph P. , Schofield Oscar M. , Nowacek Douglas P. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractBetween 1992 and 2018, the breeding population of Adélie penguins around Anvers Island, Antarctica declined by 98%. In this region, natural climate variability drives five‐year cycling in marine phytoplankton productivity, leading to phase‐offset five‐year cycling in the size of the krill population. We demonstrate that the rate of change of the Adélie breeding population also shows five‐year cycling. We link this population response to cyclical krill scarcity, a phenomenon which appears to have arisen from the interaction between climate variability and climate change trends. Modeling suggests that, since at least 1980, natural climate variability has driven cycling in this marine system. However, anthropogenic climate change has shifted conditions so that fewer years in each cycle now prompt strong krill recruitment, triggering intervals of krill scarcity that result in drastic declines in Adélie penguins. Our results imply that climate change can amplify the impacts of natural climate oscillations across trophic levels, driving cycling across species and disrupting food webs. The findings indicate that climate variability plays an integral role in driving ecosystem dynamics under climate change.
Reduced snow and increased nutrients show enhanced ice‐associated photoautotrophic growth using a modified experimental under‐ice design
Authors: Knoll Lesley B. , Fry Benton , Hayes Nicole M. , Sauer Hailey M. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractUnder‐ice photoautotrophs in lakes are generally considered to be limited by light rather than nutrients. Despite reduced light intensity under the ice, there is increasing evidence that suggests some lakes support high levels of photoautotrophs. We explored how snow cover (i.e., light) and nutrients (i.e., nitrogen and phosphorus) influence ice‐associated photoautotroph growth in a Minnesota, USA lake. Using a novel under‐ice approach, we deployed nutrient diffusing substrates (single or combined nutrient amendments) under two different light scenarios (snow covered, reduced light; snow removed, increased light) near the water‐ice interface to mimic a range of conditions ice‐associated photoautotrophs may be exposed to. Natural snow cover reduced light compared with snow removal, particularly early in the experiment before snow began to melt. When comparing photoautotroph chlorophyll a (Chl a) between snow treatments, we found a significant snow effect with higher concentrations in the snow removed treatment. We also found a significant nutrient effect, for all nutrient treatments, on Chl a concentrations in both snow conditions. The effect of any nutrient treatment on Chl a concentrations was similar. Our results suggest that ice‐associated photoautotrophs were able to grow in all snow conditions, but snow removal resulted in higher growth and nutrient availability also mediated responses. Thus, both light and nutrient conditions in the winter may strongly affect ice‐associated photoautotroph dynamics.
The “De−Re Polymerization” Strategy: From Nondegradable Pet to Degradable Peat
Authors: Xu Zhe , Yin Wang , Guan Yong , Lang Meidong 
Published: November 2023

AbstractPolyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a widely used plastic, but its short service life and non‐degradable features make it a major source of white pollution. In this context, the efficient recycling and rational reuse of PET have become a global research priority. In this paper, a deep eutectic solvent（DES）is prepared using methylurea and zinc chloride to catalyze the efficient PET glycolysis, which produces a high purity product bis(2‐hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET), in 83.75% of yield. The product is condensed with diethyl adipate to produce Poly (ethyleneadipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PEAT). The relationships between the structural, thermal, mechanical, and degradation properties of PEAT with different intrinsic viscosities and composition ratios are studied. The addition of benzene ring improves the thermal properties and tensile strength of PEAT, but also makes them stiffer and less degradable. An increase in intrinsic viscosity can improve the thermal and mechanical properties to some extent but has little effect on the degradation. In general, the PEAT produced by the above process has good thermal properties, controllable degradation properties, and better mechanical properties than Poly (butyleneadipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT). This work achieves the conversion of waste PET to high value‐added PEAT and has potential development prospects in recycling of PET.
Widening the Application Range of PLA‐Based Thermoplastic Materials through the Synthesis of PLA‐Polyether Block Copolymers: Thermal, Tensile, and Rheological Properties
Authors: Rodríguez Hernández Benjamín , Lieske Antje 
Published: November 2023

AbstractPolyethylene glycol (PEG), polypropylene glycol (PPG), and poly(ethylene glycol‐co‐propylene glycol) (PEPG) of number average molar masses (Mn) of 6–20 kDa are used as macroinitiators in the ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) ofl‐lactide to synthesize high molar mass (50 kDa <MnCopo< 120 kDa) PLLA‐b‐polyether‐b‐PLLA linear triblock and starblock copolymers. At the studied block lengths, PEG and PEPG blocks exhibit miscibility with the PLLA blocks in the amorphous domains leading to a plasticization effect. As the PEG or PEPG block content is increased to 18 %wt, theTg(Tg≈ 24 °C) and the elastic modulus (E≈ 500 MPa) are reduced, while the elongation at break (εb≈ 280%) and crystallization rate are increased. At the same time, small angle oscillatory shear (SAOS) rheometric measurements show that the plasticized copolymers have a reduced melt viscosity. In contrast, SAOS and DSC measurements of the PPG‐containing block copolymers reveal phase separation of the PPG and PLA blocks leading to microstructures in the melt. Tensile tests show that the phase‐separated PPG‐containing block copolymers are more ductile than PLA homopolymers, but more brittle than the PEG‐ or PEPG‐plasticized block copolymers.
Cerebellar, Not Nigrostriatal Degeneration Impairs Dexterity in Multiple System Atrophy
Authors: Rau Alexander , Hosp Jonas A. , Rijntjes Michel , Weiller Cornelius , Kellner Elias , Berberovic Emir , Oikonomou Panteleimon , Jost Wolfgang H. , Reisert Marco , Urbach Horst , Schröter Nils 
Published: November 2023

AbstractBackgroundMultiple system atrophy (MSA) clinically manifests with either predominant nigrostriatal or cerebellopontine degeneration. This corresponds to two different phenotypes, one with predominant Parkinson's symptoms (MSA‐P [multiple system atrophy‐parkinsonian subtype]) and one with predominant cerebellar deficits (MSA‐C [multiple system atrophy‐cerebellar subtype]). Both nigrostriatal and cerebellar degeneration can lead to impaired dexterity, which is a frequent cause of disability in MSA.ObjectiveThe aim was to disentangle the contribution of nigrostriatal and cerebellar degeneration to impaired dexterity in both subtypes of MSA.MethodsWe thus investigated nigrostriatal and cerebellopontine integrity using diffusion microstructure imaging in 47 patients with MSA‐P and 17 patients with MSA‐C compared to 31 healthy controls (HC). Dexterity was assessed using the 9‐Hole Peg Board (9HPB) performance.ResultsNigrostriatal degeneration, represented by the loss of cells and neurites, leading to a larger free‐fluid compartment, was present in MSA‐P and MSA‐C when compared to HCs. Whereas no intergroup differences were observed between the MSAs in the substantia nigra, MSA‐P showed more pronounced putaminal degeneration than MSA‐C. In contrast, a cerebellopontine axonal degeneration was observed in MSA‐P and MSA‐C, with stronger effects in MSA‐C. Interestingly, the degeneration of cerebellopontine fibers is associated with impaired dexterity in both subtypes, whereas no association was observed with nigrostriatal degeneration.ConclusionCerebellar dysfunction contributes to impaired dexterity not only in MSA‐C but also in MSA‐P and may be a promising biomarker for disease staging. In contrast, no significant association was observed with nigrostriatal dysfunction. © 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
The miRNA variants MIR196A2 (rs11614913) and MIR423 (rs6505162) contribute to an increase in the risk of myocardial infarction
Authors: Uzair Muhammad , Haq Taqweem Ul , Ali Sajjad , Hussain Manzar , Jalil Fazal , Ali Yasir , Shah Aftab Ali 
Published: November 2023

AbstractIntroductionMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, single‐stranded RNA molecules that negatively regulate gene expression and play a key role in the pathogenesis of human diseases. Recent studies have suggested that miRNAs contribute to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, the association between single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miRNAs and myocardial infarction (MI) remains in infancy.AimThe current study was designed to find out the association of SNPs in MIR196A2 and MIR423 (rs11614913 and rs6505162, respectively).MethodsUsing Tetra‐Primer Amplification Refractory Mutation System‐Polymerase Chain Reaction (T‐ARMS PCR) in 400 cases (MI patients) and 336 healthy controls. Using different inheritance models (co‐dominant, homozygous dominant, homozygous recessive, and additive models), the association of these SNPs was genotyped with MI risk.ResultsFor variant rs11614913, significant distribution of the genotypes among the cases and controls was determined by co‐dominant [χ2 = 29.19, 2; p value < 0.0001], dominant (C/C vs. C/T + T/T) [OR = 0.45 (0.34 to 0.61); p < 0.0001], recessive (T/T vs. C/T + C/C) [OR = 1.009 (0.63 to 1.63); p‐value p value > 0.999], and additive models [OR = 0.65 (0.52 to 0.80); p value = 0.0001]. Similarly, a significant association of rs6505162 was determined by co‐dominant [χ2 = 24.29, 2; p value < 0.0001], dominant (C/C vs. A/C+ A/A) [OR = 0.44 (0.32 to 0.61); p value < 0.0001], recessive (A/A vs. A/C + C/C) [OR = 1.29 (0.85 to 1.98); p value = 0.28], and additive models [OR = 0.65 (0.52 to 0.81); p value = 0.0001].ConclusionTherefore, the current study showed that both variants rs11614913 and rs6505162 are significantly associated with MI in the Pakistani population.
Clinical and ocular abnormalities in DEGCAGS syndrome—Developmental delay with gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, genitourinary, and skeletal abnormalities
Authors: Ali Syed M. , AlMasri Dua A. , Prada Carlos E. , Lin Doris , Bosley Thomas M. , Kozak Igor 
Published: November 2023

AbstractPurposeTo describe clinical and ocular abnormalities in a case of Developmental Delay with Gastrointestinal, Cardiovascular, Genitourinary, and Skeletal Abnormalities (DEGCAGS syndrome).MethodsA clinical report.Case descriptionAn infant born to a consanguineous Middle Eastern family who was delivered by cesarean section because of in utero growth restriction, premature labor, and breech presentation. Post‐partum medical problems included hypotension, generalized hypotonia, bradycardia, apnea requiring resuscitation and positive pressure ventilation, facial dysmorphia, skeletal malformations, and disorders of the gastrointestinal, immune, urinary, respiratory, cardiac, and visual systems. The family reported that a previous child had severe hypotonia at birth and was given the diagnosis of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy; that child remains on a ventilator in a chronic care facility. Our patient was found to be homozygous for a novel pathogenic missense variant in theZNF699 zinc finger gene on chromosome 19p13 causing a syndrome known as Developmental Delay with Gastrointestinal, Cardiovascular, Genitourinary, and Skeletal Abnormalities (DEGCAGS syndrome). We review this variable syndrome, including abnormalities of the visual system not described previously.ConclusionsWe describe the 15th child to be presumably identified with the DEGCAGS syndrome and the first individual with homozygous missense variants in the ZNF699 gene who had complete clinical examination and detailed retinal imaging.
PLU‐Net: Extraction of multiscale feature fusion
Authors: Song Weihu , Yu Heng , Wu Jianhua 
Published: November 2023

AbstractIn recent years, deep learning algorithms have achieved remarkable results in medical image segmentation. These networks with an enormous number of parameters often encounter challenges in handling image boundaries and details, which may result in suboptimal segmentation results. To solve the problem, we develop atrous spatial pyramid pooling (ASPP) and combine it with the squeeze‐and‐excitation block (SE block), as well as present the PS module, which employs a broader and multiscale receptive field at the network's bottom to obtain more detailed semantic information. We also propose the local guided block (LG block) and also its combination with the SE block to form the LS block, which can obtain more abundant local features in the feature map, so that more edge information can be retained in each down sampling process, thereby improving the performance of boundary segmentation. We propose PLU‐Net and integrate our PS module and LS block into U‐Net. We put our PLU‐Net to the test on three benchmark datasets, and the results show that by fewer parameters and FLOPs, it outperforms on medical semantic segmentation tasks.
Synthetic CT generation from MRI using 3D transformer‐based denoising diffusion model
Authors: Pan Shaoyan , Abouei Elham , Wynne Jacob , Chang Chih‐Wei , Wang Tonghe , Qiu Richard L. J. , Li Yuheng , Peng Junbo , Roper Justin , Patel Pretesh , Yu David S. , Mao Hui , Yang Xiaofeng 
Published: November 2023

AbstractBackground and purposeMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI)‐based synthetic computed tomography (sCT) simplifies radiation therapy treatment planning by eliminating the need for CT simulation and error‐prone image registration, ultimately reducing patient radiation dose and setup uncertainty. In this work, we propose a MRI‐to‐CT transformer‐based improved denoising diffusion probabilistic model (MC‐IDDPM) to translate MRI into high‐quality sCT to facilitate radiation treatment planning.MethodsMC‐IDDPM implements diffusion processes with a shifted‐window transformer network to generate sCT from MRI. The proposed model consists of two processes: a forward process, which involves adding Gaussian noise to real CT scans to create noisy images, and a reverse process, in which a shifted‐window transformer V‐net (Swin‐Vnet) denoises the noisy CT scans conditioned on the MRI from the same patient to produce noise‐free CT scans. With an optimally trained Swin‐Vnet, the reverse diffusion process was used to generate noise‐free sCT scans matching MRI anatomy. We evaluated the proposed method by generating sCT from MRI on an institutional brain dataset and an institutional prostate dataset. Quantitative evaluations were conducted using several metrics, including Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Peak Signal‐to‐Noise Ratio (PSNR), Multi‐scale Structure Similarity Index (SSIM), and Normalized Cross Correlation (NCC). Dosimetry analyses were also performed, including comparisons of mean dose and target dose coverages for 95% and 99%.ResultsMC‐IDDPM generated brain sCTs with state‐of‐the‐art quantitative results with MAE 48.825 ± 21.491 HU, PSNR 26.491 ± 2.814 dB, SSIM 0.947 ± 0.032, and NCC 0.976 ± 0.019. For the prostate dataset: MAE 55.124 ± 9.414 HU, PSNR 28.708 ± 2.112 dB, SSIM 0.878 ± 0.040, and NCC 0.940 ± 0.039. MC‐IDDPM demonstrates a statistically significant improvement (with p < 0.05) in most metrics when compared to competing networks, for both brain and prostate synthetic CT. Dosimetry analyses indicated that the target dose coverage differences by using CT and sCT were within ± 0.34%.ConclusionsWe have developed and validated a novel approach for generating CT images from routine MRIs using a transformer‐based improved DDPM. This model effectively captures the complex relationship between CT and MRI images, allowing for robust and high‐quality synthetic CT images to be generated in a matter of minutes. This approach has the potential to greatly simplify the treatment planning process for radiation therapy by eliminating the need for additional CT scans, reducing the amount of time patients spend in treatment planning, and enhancing the accuracy of treatment delivery.