bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Construction of an efficient editing system for forest tree genomes based on a visual screening marker in Eucalyptus urophylla × Eucalyptus grandis
Authors: Su Ming , Wu Xinlin , Wang Zechen , Li Limei , Ouyang lejun , Shen Chao 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

In this study, The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) technology for genome editing was used to develop an efficient gene editing system for Eucalyptus urophylla × Eucalyptus grandis and generate a new Eucalyptus germplasm with reduced lignin contents in the pulp for environmental sustainability in papermaking. By targeting the Cinnamate-4-hydroxylase (C4H) gene in E. urophylla × E. grandis, the recombinant plasmid pHEE401E-35S-RUBY-EuC4H was constructed through homologous recombination. This plasmid was then transformed into E. urophylla × E. grandis callus tissue. Using the RUBY gene as a marker, positive transformants were screened based on the callus tissue phenotype. Subsequent polymerase chain reaction and sequencing confirmed the successful creation of mutants with a significantly edited EuC4H gene. The method used in this study for identifying positive transformants with a visually screened marker gene offers a valuable framework and guidance for genetically improving and establishing an efficient gene editing system in Eucalyptus.
Relationship between Neuroimaging and Cognition in Frontotemporal Dementia: A [ 18 F]FDG PET and Structural MRI Study
Authors: Cayir Salih , Volpi Tommaso , Toyonaga Takuya , Gallezot Jean-Dominique , Yanghong Yang , Sadabad Faranak Ebrahimian , Mulnix Tim , Mecca Adam P. , Fesharaki-Zadeh Arman , Matuskey David 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a clinically and pathologically heterogeneous condition with a prevalence comparable to Alzheimer’s Disease for patients under sixty-five years of age. Gray matter (GM) atrophy and glucose hypometabolism are important biomarkers for the diagnosis and evaluation of disease progression in FTD. However, limited studies have systematically examined the association between cognition and neuroimaging in FTD using different imaging modalities in the same patient group.
Methods
We examined the association of cognition using Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) with both GM volume and glucose metabolism using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scanning ([18F]FDG PET) in 21 patients diagnosed with FTD. Standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) using the brainstem as a reference region was the primary outcome measure for [18F]FDG PET. Partial volume correction was applied to PET data to account for disease-related atrophy.
Results
Significant positive associations were found between whole-cortex GM volume and MoCA scores (r = 0.461, p = 0.035). The association between whole-cortex [18F]FDG SUVR and MoCA scores was not significant (r = 0.374, p = 0.094). GM volumes of the frontal cortex (r = 0.540, p = 0.011), caudate (r = 0.616, p = 0.002), and insula (r = 0.568, p = 0.007) were also significantly correlated with MoCA, as were SUVR values of the insula (r = 0.508, p = 0.018), thalamus (r = 0.478, p = 0.028), and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) (r = 0.472, p = 0.030).
Discussion
Whole-cortex atrophy is associated with cognitive dysfunction, and this effect is larger than for cortical hypometabolism as measured with [18F]FDG PET. At the regional level, focal atrophy and/or hypometabolism in the frontal lobe, insula, PCC, thalamus, and caudate seem to imply the importance of these regions for the decline of cognitive function in FTD. Furthermore, these results highlight how functional and structural changes may not overlap and might contribute to cognitive dysfunction in FTD in different ways. Our findings provide insight into the relationships between structural, metabolic, and cognitive changes due to FTD.
Evaluation of serum adipokine levels in girls with central precocious puberty
Authors: Caglayan Ilkin seda Can , Çelik Nurullah , Bolat Serkan 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Purpose
Adipose tissue has an important endocrine function by secreting a variety of hormones known as adipokines such as Visfatin, Omentin-1, and Chemerin. On the other hand, these hormones are also secreted from places other than fatty tissues in the girl genital system. The goal of this study was to demonstrate the secretory status of Adipokines in patients with Cental Precocious Puberty (CPP) and their utility in the diagnosis of Precocious Puberty.
Method
A total of 105 patients were included in the study (53 in the CPP group and 52 in the control group). The following were used as the CPP diagnostic criteria; breast development, basal LH measurement higher than 0.3 IU/L, peak LH level ≥ 5 IU/L, peak LH/FSH ratio ≥ 0.66 (after 0.1 mg GnRH stimulation test), and a difference of at least 1 year between bone and chronological age.
Results
A statistically significant difference was detected between the groups in serum Omentin-1 and Chemerin levels, and no significant differences were detected between the groups in Visfatin values. The cut-off values for the diagnosis of CPP were calculated as ≤ 48.9 with 81% sensitivity and 54% specificity for omentin-1, and as ≥ 417 with 85% sensitivity and 60% specificity for Chemerin.
Conclusion
Omentin-1 and Chemerin levels may be used as diagnostic marker in lean girls with CPP. More studies are needed to elucidate how adipokines play roles in explaining the onset of CPP, and whether they may be used as a reliable marker for the diagnosis of CPP.
Flight Path and Flight Dynamic Analysis of the Starting Procedure of a Flying Wing for an Airborne Wind Energy System
Authors: Fuest Hendrik , Duda Dominik F. , Islam Tobias , Moormann Dieter 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Airborne Wind Energy is an emerging technology that harvests wind energy with flight systems connected via a tether to a generator at the ground. A flying wing promises a high energy output during the power generation phase due to its aerodynamic efficiency, while being able to take-off as a tailsitter. Yet not part of the generation phase, the starting procedure raises main challenges to the flight system in general but especially to a flying wing. A fast transition from hover to crosswind flight is striven under minimal power consumption and high wind robustness, while considering the limited trim range of the flying wing in hover state. This paper conducts a detailed analysis of the stationary trim states of the flying wing from thrust-borne to wing-borne flight and introduces a lateral yaw-roll transition to keep the angle of attack in controllable limits at all times. Based on the trim states, different options for the starting procedure are evaluated and an appropriate path is selected that entails a straight-lined transition segment to enter forward flight, followed by curved flight to built up tether tension and to navigate into the power-generation zone. The first part of this transition from hover to horizontal forward flight is demonstrated in the simulation to verify the selected flight path.
An integrated pilot scale UASB and aerotank system for the treatment of rice paper production wastewater: A case study from Phu Hoa Dong, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Authors: Hiep Nguyen Trong , Chau Vu Thi Minh , Thuy Le Thu , Tuan Le Minh , Rene Eldon R. , Binh Tran Ngoc , James Anina , Tang Van Tai 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using an integrated pilot-scale UASB (up flow anaerobic sludge blanket) and aerotank system for treating high organic load wastewater generated during household rice paper manufacturing. There was no significant change in the mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) content in the UASB over a 30-day period. However, the MLSS in the aerotank increased from 1.62 ± 0.06 to 3.23 ± 0.05 g/L over a 7-day period. The DNA sequence analysis indicated that the anaerobic sludge was predominantly populated by the Bacillus sp. The UASB achieved a removal efficiency of 69.2–82.2% for total suspended solids (TSS), 66.5–82.9% for chemical oxygen demand (COD), and 81.2–92.8% for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) while treating the rice paper production effluent over a 30-day period. The UASB achieved removal efficiencies of 80.6–90.3% for TSS, 82.2–83.3% for COD, and 85.6–86.4% for BOD5 over a 20-week period. The aerotank achieved a removal efficiency of 89.0-94.1% for TSS, 94.5–95.5% for COD, 96.8–98.1% for BOD5, 91.8–95.4% for total nitrogen (TN), and 89.2–94.6% for total phosphorous (TP) during a period of 7 days. The findings demonstrated that the integrated pilot-scale UASB and aerotank system exhibited high removals of TSS, COD, and BOD5 for the treatment of high organic load containing rice paper production effluent.
Patients with Acute Severe Ulcerative Colitis Treated with IV Cyclosporine Who Require Colectomy Within 3 Months of Discharge Have Lower Serum Cyclosporine Levels
Authors: Friedberg Scott , Steinberg Joshua M. , Klein Jeremy A. , Choi Natalie K. , Choi David , Shabbir Zaheera , Rodriguez Tina , Traboulsi Cindy , Pekow Joel , Micic Dejan , Cohen Russell D. , Dalal Sushila R. , Cohen Nathaniel A. , Rubin David T. 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background: Cyclosporine (CYS) is a calcineurin inhibitor commonly used as induction therapy in steroid-refractory patients with acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASUC) during hospitalization.
Aim: To identify the relationship between post-hospitalization CYS serum levels and adverse clinical outcomes.
Methods: Electronic medical records of patients with established diagnosis of UC hospitalized for ASUC discharged on oral CYS following IV CYS induction between May 2013 to December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed.
Results: Of thirty-nine patients, five patients underwent colectomy during initial hospitalization; thirty-four remaining patients were analyzed. Twenty patients experienced CYS-related adverse events (AEs); five patients were dose-reduced and three patients were discontinued. CYS dose-reduced or discontinued patients were significantly more likely to have undergone colectomy within three months (62.5% vs 11.5%, p=0.009). Fifteen (44%) total patients who underwent colectomy within one year post-hospitalization; eight (23.5%) patients underwent colectomy within three months. Logistic regression analysis adjusting for age, sex, weight, albumin, CRP and AEs demonstrated subtherapeutic serum CYS level (<200 ng/mL) was independently associated with increased risk of three-month colectomy (aHR 20.95, 95% CI 1.5-284, p=0.02). Adjusting the model for selective inclusion of AEs requiring dose adjustment or discontinuation, subtherapeutic CYS levels remained independently associated with three-month colectomy (aHR 14.9, 95% CI 1.12-198.9, p=0.02). No significant differences in CYS levels or clinical characteristics in patients who underwent one-year colectomy were observed.
Conclusions: We demonstrate independent association of subtherapeutic serum CYS levels following conversion to oral therapy with an increased risk of three-month colectomy, but not with one-year colectomy.
Non-Exchange Bias in Soft-Hard Nanoparticle Composites
Authors: Maltoni Pierfrancesco , López-Martín Raúl , Sánchez Elena Hernandez , Normile Peter Stephen , Vasilakaki Marianna , Lee Su Seong , Burgos Benito Santos , Castillo Eloy Antonio López , Peddis Davide , Binns Chris , Trohidou Kalliopi , Mathieu Roland , Nogués Josep , De Toro José Angel 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Exchange bias has been extensively studied both in exchange-coupled thin films and nanoparticle composite systems. However, the role of non-exchange mechanisms in the overall hysteresis loop bias are far from being understood. Here, dense soft-hard binary nanoparticle composites are used as a novel tool not only to unravel the effect of dipolar interactions on the hysteresis loop shift, but as a new strategy to enhance the bias of any magnet exhibiting an asymmetric magnetization reversal. Mixtures of equally sized, 6.8 nm, soft γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles (no bias – symmetric reversal) and hard cobalt doped γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles (large exchange bias – asymmetric reversal) reveal that, for certain fractions of soft particles, the loop shift of the composite can be significantly larger than the exchange-bias field of the hard particles in the mixture. Simple calculations indicate how this emerging phenomenon can be further enhanced by optimizing the parameters of the hard particles (coercivity and loop asymmetry). In addition, the existence of a dipolar-induced loop shift (“dipolar bias”) is demonstrated both experimentally and theoretically, where, for example, a bias is induced in the initially unbiased γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles due to the dipolar interaction with the exchange-biased hard nanoparticles. These results open a new paradigm in the large field of hysteresis bias and pave the way for novel approaches to tune loop shifts in magnetic hybrid systems beyond interface exchange coupling.
Agroecology in wine production. Assessing the sustainability of viticulture through the framework AESIS
Authors: Ferretti Lorenzo , Pacini Gaio Cesare , Blasi Stefano Di , Landers Luke , Elli Francesca , O'Connor Ray 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
In the wine sector, the importance of producing sustainably and obtaining a genuine product has been well known for years, just as organic and agroecological farming practices are widespread and have become a priority for most farms. On the other hand, sustainability assessments, are often carried by using tools such as life cycle assessments, carbon, and water footprints, which do not consider certain ecological and socio-economic aspect and cannot properly communicate sustainability performance to consumers and society at large. In this paper the framework AgroEnvironmental Sustainability Information System (AESIS) was applied, utilizing a set of indicators suitable to evaluate different dimensions of an agroecosystem (physical, ecological, productive, and social) and providing data useful for the sustainability assessment of two case studies located in Tuscany and Lombardy regions, Italy. In the case study located in Tuscany represented by Tenuta Casadei, organic and biodynamic-based farming method named BioIntegrale (BIOINT) was evaluated, while in the case study located in Lombardy represented by Castello di Cigognola, conventional farming (CONV) was compared with organic combined with precision farming (ORGP). The assessment of those farming systems was carried out using a set of agro-environmental indicators based on a conceptual framework for the evaluation of sustainability of land use options. CONV, ORGP and BIOINT were compared with different management systems or techniques and with scientifically determined sustainability thresholds, targets, or politically determined critical limits identified for each single indicator. Although the comparison layout was not the same for both case studies, results highlighted an improvement gradient in terms of sustainability performance in the order CONV < ORGP < BIOINT. BIOINT showed a 92% of compliance with thresholds, ORGP showed a lower but still virtuous level of compliance with thresholds, i.e. 87%, while CONV was considerably worse with 47% of indicators performing above thresholds. Nevertheless, several agroecological based interventions might be carried out within both case studies to enhance sustainability within ecological and social dimension at Castello di Cigonola and within physical dimension at Tenuta Casadei, respectively. As it concerns the method, AESIS provided useful information on the state of sustainability which give several entry-point for actions to farmers.
The Base Flipping of A Form DNA-a Molecular Dynamic Simulation Study
Authors: wang Shudong , Zheng Xuan , Wu Jingjie 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Due to different solvent conditions, double helix DNA exists in various conformations, such as B-DNA, A-DNA, C-DNA and Z-DNA. Recent studies have found that A-DNA is present in complexes with proteins, and has an important biological role in the context of cellular defense mechanisms under harsh conditions. In this study, the well-tempered meta-dynamics (WTM-eABF) were used to explore the free energy barriers for base flipping of the four natural bases, Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine, and Thymine in both A-form and B-form DNA duplex. The results show that the free energy barriers for base flipping was lower in A-DNA than that in B-DNA for all of the four natural bases. We analyzed the factors that may affect base flipping, such as π-π stacking, SASA, and conformational changes, and proved that conformational changes and π-π stacking are the most important factors affecting base flipping.
Downscaling Taiwan Precipitation with a Residual Deep Learning Approach
Authors: Hsu Li-Huan , Chiang Chou-Chun , Lin Kuan-Ling , Lin Hsin-Hung , Chu Jung-Lien , Yu Yi-Chiang , Fahn Chin-Shyurng 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

In response to the growing demand for high-resolution rainfall data to support disaster prevention in Taiwan, this study presents an innovative approach for downscaling precipitation data. We employed a hierarchical architecture of Multi-Scale Residual Networks (MSRN) to downscale rainfall from a coarse 0.25-degree resolution to a finely 0.0125-degree resolution, representing a substantial challenge due to a resolution increase of over 20 times. Our results demonstrate that the hierarchical MSRN outperforms both the one-step MSRN and linear interpolation methods when reconstructing high-resolution daily rainfall. It surpasses the linear interpolation method by 15.1% and 9.1% in terms of mean absolute error and root mean square error, respectively. Furthermore, the hierarchical MSRN excels in accurately reproducing high-resolution rainfall for various rainfall thresholds, displaying minimal biases. The threat score (TS) highlights the hierarchical MSRN's capability to replicate extreme rainfall events, achieving TS scores exceeding 0.54 and 0.46 at rainfall thresholds of 350 and 500 mm per day, outperforming alternative methods. This method is also applying on an operational global model, the ECMWF’s daily rainfall forecasts over Taiwan. The evaluation results indicate that our approach is effective at improving rainfall forecasts for thresholds greater than 100 mm per day, with more significant improvement for the1-3-day lead forecast. This approach also offers a realistic visual representation of fine-grained rainfall distribution, showing promise for making significant contributions to disaster preparedness and weather forecasting in Taiwan.
Carbon Quantum Dots of Ginsenoside Rb1 for Application in a Mouse Model of Intracerebral Hemorrhage
Authors: Tang Xiaolong , Yang Xinyu , Yu Yamei , Wu Miaojing , Li Yuanyuan , Zhang Zhe , Jia Guangyu , Wang Qi , Tu Wei , Wang Ye , Zhu Xingen , Li Shiyong 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
After intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) occurs, the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and iron ion overload are the leading causes of secondary damage. Removing excess iron ions and ROS in the meningeal system can effectively alleviate the secondary damage after ICH. This study synthesized ginsenoside Rb1 carbon quantum dots (RBCQDs) using ginsenoside Rb1 and ethylenediamine via a hydrothermal method. RBCQDs exhibit potent capabilities in scavenging ABTS+ free radicals and iron ions in solution. After intrathecal injection, the distribution of RBCQDs is predominantly localized in the subarachnoid space. RBCQDs can eliminate ROS and chelate iron ions within the meningeal system. Treatment with RBCQDs significantly improves blood flow in the meningeal system, effectively protecting dying neurons, improving neurological function, and providing a new therapeutic approach for the clinical treatment of ICH.
A Lightweight and Secure PUF-Based Authentication and Key-exchange Protocol for IoT Devices
Authors: Gupta Chandranshu , Varshney Gaurav 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly becoming a common technology that will improve people's lives by seamlessly integrating into many facets of modern life and facilitating information sharing across platforms. Device Authentication is a significant challenge for IoT devices as they are placed in unprotected environments, vulnerable to physical attacks and common security risks. Large computational requirements and communication costs during Authentication make the existing methods, like Public Key Cryptography and Identity-based Encryption, unsuitable for resource-constrained IoT devices. Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) offers a lightweight security mechanism instead of traditional sophisticated cryptosystems by providing an unclonable and tamper-sensitive unique signature. Therefore, we use lightweight operations like bitwise XOR, hash function, and PUF, suitable for resource-constrained IoT devices to authenticate IoT devices. Despite several studies employing the PUF, to the authors' knowledge, existing solutions require an intermediary verifier/gateway and/or active internet by the IoT device to directly interact with a Server to authenticate itself and, hence, are not scalable when the IoT device works technologies like Bluetooth Low Energy, Zigbee, etc. To address the aforementioned issue, we present a system in which the IoT device does not require an active internet connection to communicate with the server. The results of a thorough security study are validated against adversarial attacks and PUF-modelling attacks. For formal security validation, the AVISPA verification tool is also used. Performance study recommends this protocol's lightweight characteristics. The proposed protocol's acceptability and defenses against various adversarial assaults are supported by a prototype developed with ESP32.