bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Lipoprotein(a): from Causality to Treatment
Authors: Kronenberg Florian 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Purpose of Review
This paper reviews the evidence why lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is a causal risk factor for cardiovascular disease and how high Lp(a) concentrations should be managed now and with an outlook to the future.

Review Findings
No optimal and widely available animal models exist to study the causality of the association between Lp(a) and cardiovascular disease. This has been a major handicap for the entire field. However, genetic studies turned the page. Already in the early 1990s, the principle of Mendelian randomization studies was applied for the first time ever (even if they were not named so at that time). Genetic variants of the LPA gene such as the apolipoprotein(a) isoform size, the number and sum of kringle IV repeats and later single nucleotide polymorphisms are strongly associated with life-long exposure to high Lp(a) concentrations as well as cardiovascular outcomes. This evidence provided a basis for the development of specific Lp(a)-lowering drugs that are currently in clinical testing phase.

Summary
Lp(a) is one of the most important genetically determined risk factors for cardiovascular disease. With the specific Lp(a)-lowering therapies, we might get tools to fight this common risk factor in case the outcome trials will be positive.
Evaluation of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum P. Mill.) By-product Extracts Obtained by Different Extraction Methods as Exploitation Strategy of High-Value Polyphenols
Authors: López-Téllez Jared Mauricio , del Pilar Cañizares-Macías María 
Published: January 2024

AbstractTomato has antioxidant properties from polyphenols, but tomato by-products have been little studied, which can have significant added value for the pharmaceutical or food industry. Several polyphenol extraction processes cause variability in detected compounds and their concentrations, making it necessary to characterize each method for a suitable exploitation strategy. In this research, tomato by-products were first dried using an oven or a dehydrator, resulting in oven-dried extracts with higher polyphenols than dehydrator-dried ones. Four solid–liquid methods by Soxhlet extraction (SOX), stirring extraction (SE), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) were developed and employed for obtaining oven-dried extracts. Suitable and green extraction processes were carried out using different ethanol/water extractants, sample–extractant ratios, extraction times, and exposing conditions to physical energies, depending on optimal conditions calculated by multivariate optimization. Total polyphenols and antioxidant capacity indices and gallic acid, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, quercetin, and kaempferol concentrations were determined in extracts. Principal component analysis found an excellent relationship between caffeic acid and total polyphenol index and gallic acid and antioxidant capacity. SE and UAE extracted more amounts of all polyphenols, but UAE was exhaustive at only 5 min. MAE was also fast, completing extraction at 20 min, but reducing phenol concentration by around 30% than SE and UAE. SOX showed the lowest indices and phenol concentrations after a long extraction time. To sum up, the present study evidences the importance of the extraction method on the quality and quantity of polyphenols in tomato by-product extracts.
Graphical Abstract
Reliability generalization meta-analysis: comparing different statistical methods
Authors: López-Ibáñez Carmen , López-Nicolás Rubén , Blázquez-Rincón Desirée M. , Sánchez-Meca Julio 
Published: January 2024

AbstractReliability generalization (RG) is a kind of meta-analysis that aims to characterize how reliability varies from one test application to the next. A wide variety of statistical methods have typically been applied in RG meta-analyses, regarding statistical model (ordinary least squares, fixed-effect, random effects, varying-coefficient models), weighting scheme (inverse variance, sample size, not weighting), and transformation method (raw, Fisher’s Z, Hakstian and Whalen’s and Bonett’s transformation) of reliability coefficients. This variety of methods compromise the comparability of RG meta-analyses results and their reproducibility. With the purpose of examining the influence of the different statistical methods applied, a methodological review was conducted on 138 published RG meta-analyses of psychological tests, amounting to a total of 4,350 internal consistency coefficients. Among all combinations of procedures that made theoretical sense, we compared thirteen strategies for calculating the average coefficient, eighteen for calculating the confidence intervals of the average coefficient and calculated the heterogeneity indices for the different transformations of the coefficients. Our findings showed that transformation methods of the reliability coefficients improved the normality adjustment of the coefficient distribution. Regarding the average reliability coefficient and the width of confidence intervals, clear differences among methods were found. The largest discrepancies were found between the different strategies for calculating confidence intervals. Our findings point towards the need for the meta-analyst to justify the statistical model assumed, as well as the transformation method of the reliability coefficients and the weighting scheme.
260 fs, 403 W coherently combined fiber laser with precise high-order dispersion management
Authors: Peng Shuangxi , Wang Zhihao , Hu Feilong , Li Zhengyan , Zhang Qingbin , Lu Peixiang 
Published: January 2024

AbstractAn ultrafast fiber laser system comprising two coherently combined amplifier channels is reported. Within this system, each channel incorporates a rod-type fiber power amplifier, with individual operations reaching approximately 233 W. The active-locking of these coherently combined channels, followed by compression using gratings, yields an output with a pulse energy of 504 μJ and an average power of 403 W. Exceptional stability is maintained, with a 0.3% root mean square (RMS) deviation and a beam quality factor M2 < 1.2. Notably, precise dispersion management of the front-end seed light effectively compensates for the accumulated high-order dispersion in subsequent amplification stages. This strategic approach results in a significant reduction in the final output pulse duration for the coherently combined laser beam, reducing it from 488 to 260 fs after the gratings compressor, while concurrently enhancing the energy of the primary peak from 65% to 92%.
Graphical Abstract
Accelerating Elevation Gain Indicates Land Loss Associated with Erosion in Mississippi River Deltaic Plain Tidal Wetlands
Authors: Stagg Camille LaFosse , Sharp Leigh Anne , Fromenthal Emily , Couvillion Brady , Woltz Victoria , Piazza Sarai 
Published: January 2024

AbstractIn recent years, the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain (MRDP) has experienced the highest rates of wetland loss in the USA. Although the process of vertical drowning has been heavily studied in coastal wetlands, less is known about the relationship between elevation change and land loss in wetlands that are experiencing lateral erosion and the contribution of erosion to land loss in the MRDP. We quantified relationships of elevation change and land change in ten submerging tidal wetlands and found that, despite significant land loss, elevation trajectories in seven of the land loss study sites were positive. Furthermore, we observed an acceleration in elevation gain preceding the conversion from vegetated marsh to open water.To identify regional contributions of lateral erosion to land loss, we quantified the relationship of elevation change and land change in 159 tidal marsh sites in the MRDP. Approximately half the sites were persistently losing land, and 82% of these sites were vulnerable to erosion, identifying erosion as a dominant mechanism of coastal wetland loss in this region. Notably, the sites that were vulnerable to erosion were experiencing land loss while also gaining elevation, and sites with the highest land loss exhibited accelerating elevation gain. Together, these data illustrate that (1) erosion is a dominant mechanism of wetland loss in the MRDP, (2) accelerated elevation gain is an indicator of erosion, and (3) consideration of elevation change trajectories within the context of land change is critical for providing accurate coastal wetland vulnerability assessments.
Robot-Locust Social Information Transfer Occurs in Predator Avoidance Contexts
Authors: Romano Donato , Stefanini Cesare 
Published: January 2024

AbstractSocial learning is an evolutionarily important ability increasingly attributed also to invertebrate species. Interfacing robots with animals represents a promising strategy to investigate social learning. Herein, we studied if the gregarious form of Locusta migratoria, a particularly suited model to examine social learning, can use social information provided by robotic demonstrators to optimize their predator avoidance. Robotic demonstrators with different silhouettes and colours (biomimetic or neutral) were used to investigate if their rotation on a rod (e.g. hiding behaviour) elicited the same behaviour in neighbouring locusts. Locusts’ responses were affected by different robotic demonstrators, observing a significant impact of the biomimetic silhouette in reducing the latency duration, and in promoting social learning (e.g. locusts displaying hiding behaviour after observing it in robotic demonstrators). A significant impact of colour patterns in triggering socially induced hiding behaviour was also recorded, especially when the biomimetic silhouette was coloured with the gregarious-like pattern. This research indicates gregarious locusts exploit social information in specific ecological contexts, providing basic knowledge on the complex behavioural ecology and social biology in invertebrates. The proposed animal-robot interaction paradigm shows the role of robots as carrier of social information to living organisms, suggesting social biorobotics as advanced and sustainable approach for socio-biology investigation, and environmental management.
Production of a Bacteriocin Like Protein PEG 446 from Clostridium tyrobutyricum NRRL B-67062
Authors: Liu Siqing , Lu Shao-Yeh , Patel Maulik , Qureshi Nasib , Dunlap Christopher , Hoecker Eric , Skory Christopher D. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractClostridium tyrobutyricum strain NRRL B-67062 was previously isolated from an ethanol production facility and shown to produce high yields of butyric acid. In addition, the cell-free supernatant of the fermentation broth from NRRL B-67062 contained antibacterial activity against certain Gram-positive bacteria. To determine the source of this antibacterial activity, we report the genome and genome mining of this strain. The complete genome of NRRL B-67062 showed one circular chromosome of 3,242,608 nucleotides, 3114 predicted coding sequences, 79 RNA genes, and a G+C content of 31.0%. Analyses of the genome data for genes potentially associated with antimicrobial features were sought after by using BAGEL-4 and anti-SMASH databases. Among the leads, a polypeptide of 66 amino acids (PEG 446) contains the DUF4177 domain, which is an uncharacterized highly conserved domain (pfam13783). The cloning and expression of the peg446 gene in Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis confirmed the antibacterial property against Lactococcus lactis LM 0230, Limosilactobacillus fermentum 0315-25, and Listeria innocua NRRL B-33088 by gel overlay and well diffusion assays. Molecular modeling suggested that PEG 446 contains one alpha-helix and three anti-parallel short beta-sheets. These results will aid further functional studies and facilitate simultaneously fermentative production of both butyric acid and a putative bacteriocin from agricultural waste and lignocellulosic biomass materials.
Development and physicochemical characteristics of multicomponent freeze-dried snacks obtained with blackcurrant pomace powder and calcium ions as structuring agents
Authors: Karwacka Magdalena , Galus Sabina , Janowicz Monika 
Published: January 2024

AbstractConsumers seek healthy and sustainable products, whereas the food industry faces the challenge of processing by-products management. The application of fruit pomace as an additive could be a solution addressing the needs of both consumers and producers. The research objective has been to assess the effect of dried blackcurrant pomace powder (BP) and calcium ions in varied concentration on the physicochemical properties of multicomponent freeze-dried snacks as compared to the influence of low-methoxyl pectin (LMP). The snacks were prepared using varied content of BP (1, 3, 5%) and calcium lactate (0, 0.01, 0.05%). Water content and activity, hygroscopic properties, structure, texture, colour, polyphenols content (TPC), and antioxidant activity were analysed. The addition of BP resulted in lowering water activity and porosity. The microstructure of the snacks consisted of a large number of small and unevenly distributed pores. Consequently, the reduction of hygroscopic properties with the growing amount of BP was observed. Applied additives strengthened the structure and caused changes in compression curves indicating enhanced hardness and crispiness. The effect given by 5% of BP was comparable to that obtained with 0.5% of LMP. Additionally, blackcurrant pomace infusion increased TPC and enhanced antioxidant activity but it also caused significant changes in the colour of the snacks. Overall, obtained results have shown that dried blackcurrant pomace powder (BP) can be successfully applied as a food additive supporting stability, texture, and bioactive compounds content, thus fortifying the physicochemical properties of freeze-dried fruit and vegetable snacks.
Monocropping and Intercropping of Maize with Six Food Legumes at Malkerns in Eswatini: Their Effects on Plant Growth, Grain Yield and N2 Fixation, Measured using the 15N Natural Abundance and Ureide Techniques
Authors: Ngwenya Zanele D. , Mohammed Mustapha , Dakora Felix D. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractIntercropping of legumes and cereals has many benefits to both plant partners. In this study, the effect of legume-maize intercropping on plant growth, grain yield and N2 fixation of six legumes was assessed using the 15N natural abundance and ureide techniques. For this, a field experiment involving six legume species and two cropping systems was established at the Malkerns Research Station, Eswatini during the 2017/2018 cropping season. Based on the 15N isotopic and ureide analysis, the six test legumes respectively obtained 39.06 – 70.19% and 16.46 – 55.79% of their N nutrition from symbiosis. The amounts of N-fixed ranged from 12.66 to 66.57 kg ha−1. In general, high amount of N-fixed by legumes correlated strongly with greater shoot dry matter accumulation (r = 0.7981; p < 0.001) and high grain yield (r = 0.5905; p < 0.001), indicating the importance of N2 fixation in plant growth and reproduction. Legumes grown under monocropping recorded higher plant growth, symbiotic performance and grain yield when compared to those grown in mixed culture with maize. However, shoot %Ndfa was much higher under intercropping than sole cropping due to competition by cereal and legume for soil N. Components of maize yield were similar for the two cropping systems. The %N derived from fixation and %relative ureide-N abundance were significantly correlated (r = 0.4005; p < 0.001), indicating that the 15N natural abundance technique and the ureide method were complementary in measuring N2 fixation in the test legumes. These results have provided some insights on the impact of cropping system on plant growth, symbiotic performance and grain yield of six selected legumes.
Mechanical properties and acoustic emission characteristics of two dissimilar layers of rock-like specimens with prefabricated parallel fissures
Authors: Hu Jun , Wang Hukun , Xia Zhiguo , Chen Bing , Gu Qingheng , Wang Xinrong , Cao Jinpeng , Liu Xu 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThrough the uniaxial compression test of double parallel fissured layered rock mass, the mechanical properties of layered rock mass with different fissure dip angle, and the characteristics of acoustic emission (AE) parameters in the process of fracture are studied. The influence of fissure dip angle on the progressive damage, and macroscopic fracture of layered rock mass is explored. The fracture mode, local stress variation characteristics, and stress field evolution law of fissured layered rock mass are analyzed from a mesoscopic point of view. The results show that with the increase of the fissure dip angle α, the peak strength and the elastic modulus of the layered rock mass decrease first and then increase. The low frequency-high amplitude (LF-HA) signals of AE all appear in the crack propagation stage. With the increase of fissure dip angle α, the LF-HA signal ratio increases first, then decreases and then increases, and shows significant stage characteristics. The cracks are mainly generated around the relatively low strength A rock and prefabricated fissures, and all pass through the interface between A rock and B rock. Eight types mesoscopic displacement field models are found, and the final failure mode of the model is tensile-shear mixed failure. The upper and lower regions of the fissure are tensile stress areas, while the left and right regions are compressive shear stress areas, which are distributed in a “butterfly” type. The stress difference at the fissure tip is negatively correlated with the mechanical parameters of the layered rock mass.
Sprachförderliches Unterrichten im Sachunterricht der Grundschule
Authors: Gabler Katrin , Henschel Sofie , Hardy Ilonca , Sontag Christine , Heppt Birgit 
Published: January 2024

ZusammenfassungDie enge Verknüpfung sprachlicher und fachlicher Lernprozesse erfordert in allen Unterrichtsfächern ein sprachsensibles Unterrichten, das durch sprachliches Scaffolding erreicht werden kann. Studien zeigen, dass Lehrkräfteprofessionalisierungen zur fachintegrierten Sprachbildung zu einem sprachförderlichen Handeln beitragen können, zu dem unter anderem ein sprachanregendes Frageverhalten zählt. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird untersucht, welches Frageverhalten entsprechend professionalisierte Grundschullehrkräfte in einem handlungsorientierten naturwissenschaftlichen Sachunterricht im Vergleich zu einer Kontrollgruppe ohne diese Professionalisierung umsetzen, inwieweit es mit dem Partizipationsverhalten der Schüler:innen verknüpft ist und zur Vorhersage ihrer fachsprachlichen und fachlichen Kompetenzen am Ende einer Unterrichtseinheit zum Thema „Schwimmen und Sinken“ beiträgt. Die Video- und Transkriptanalysen zu Unterrichtsgesprächen zeigen, dass die zusätzlich professionalisierten Lehrkräfte der Experimentalgruppe (EG, N = 8) insgesamt mehr Fragen stellen als die Lehrkräfte der Kontrollgruppe (KG, N = 17). Sie verwenden insbesondere mehr offene Fragen, die explizit fach- und bildungssprachliche Antworten einfordern, sowie solche, die längere und kognitiv herausfordernde Äußerungen anregen. Zwar werden die Unterschiede im Frageverhalten unterschiedlich professionalisierter Lehrkräfte nicht in der unmittelbar beobachteten Unterrichtspartizipation der Schüler:innen sichtbar, zusätzlich durchgeführte Mehrebenenanalysen deuten aber darauf hin, dass Schüler:innen der EG am Ende der Unterrichtseinheit bessere Leistungen im Fachwortschatz und Fachwissen aufweisen, wenn deren Lehrkräfte häufiger sprachförderliche Fragen in ihrem Unterricht einsetzen. Somit stützen die Ergebnisse die Wirksamkeit der Professionalisierung bezogen auf das Frageverhalten der Lehrkräfte und geben Hinweise auf dessen positiven Einfluss auf die fachsprachliche und fachliche Leistungsentwicklung der Schüler:innen. Anhand der in dieser Arbeit vorgeschlagenen Fragenkategorisierung kann die Lehrkräfteprofessionalisierung gezielter auf dieses sprachförderliche Frageverhalten ausgerichtet werden.
Novel Associations Between Mid-Pregnancy Cardiovascular Biomarkers and Preeclampsia: An Explorative Nested Case-Control Study
Authors: Callbo Paliz Nordlöf , Junus Katja , Gabrysch Katja , Bergman Lina , Poromaa Inger Sundström , Lager Susanne , Wikström Anna-Karin 
Published: January 2024

AbstractPrediction of women at high risk of preeclampsia is important for prevention and increased surveillance of the disease. Current prediction models need improvement, particularly with regard to late-onset preeclampsia. Preeclampsia shares pathophysiological entities with cardiovascular disease; thus, cardiovascular biomarkers may contribute to improving prediction models. In this nested case-control study, we explored the predictive importance of mid-pregnancy cardiovascular biomarkers for subsequent preeclampsia. We included healthy women with singleton pregnancies who had donated blood in mid-pregnancy (~ 18 weeks’ gestation). Cases were women with subsequent preeclampsia (n = 296, 10% of whom had early-onset preeclampsia [< 34 weeks]). Controls were women who had healthy pregnancies (n = 333). We collected data on maternal, pregnancy, and infant characteristics from medical records. We used the Olink cardiovascular II panel immunoassay to measure 92 biomarkers in the mid-pregnancy plasma samples. The Boruta algorithm was used to determine the predictive importance of the investigated biomarkers and first-trimester pregnancy characteristics for the development of preeclampsia. The following biomarkers had confirmed associations with early-onset preeclampsia (in descending order of importance): placental growth factor (PlGF), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-12), lectin-like oxidized LDL receptor 1, carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 8, serine protease 27, pro-interleukin-16, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1. The biomarkers that were associated with late-onset preeclampsia were BNP, MMP-12, alpha-L-iduronidase (IDUA), PlGF, low-affinity immunoglobulin gamma Fc region receptor II-b, and T cell surface glycoprotein. Our results suggest that MMP-12 is a promising novel preeclampsia biomarker. Moreover, BNP and IDUA may be of value in enhancing prediction of late-onset preeclampsia.
Transformative Breast Cancer Diagnosis using CNNs with Optimized ReduceLROnPlateau and Early Stopping Enhancements
Authors: R Mahesh T , Thakur Arastu , Gupta Muskan , Sinha Deepak Kumar , Mishra Kritika Kumari , Venkatesan Vinoth Kumar , Guluwadi Suresh 
Published: January 2024

AbstractBreast cancer stands as a paramount public health concern worldwide, underscoring an imperative necessity within the research sphere for precision-driven and efficacious methodologies facilitating accurate detection. The existing diagnostic approaches in breast cancer often suffer from limitations in accuracy and efficiency, leading to delayed detection and subsequent challenges in personalized treatment planning. The primary focus of this research is to overcome these shortcomings by harnessing the power of advanced deep learning techniques, thereby revolutionizing the precision and reliability of breast cancer classification. This research addresses the critical need for improved breast cancer diagnostics by introducing a novel Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model integrated with an Early Stopping callback and ReduceLROnPlateau callback. By enhancing the precision and reliability of breast cancer classification, the study aims to overcome the limitations of existing diagnostic methods, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes and reduced mortality rates. The comprehensive methodology includes diverse datasets, meticulous image preprocessing, robust model training, and validation strategies, emphasizing the model's adaptability and reliability in varied clinical contexts. The findings showcase the CNN model's exceptional performance, achieving a 95.2% accuracy rate in distinguishing cancerous and non-cancerous breast tissue in the integrated dataset, thereby demonstrating its potential for enhancing clinical decision-making and fostering the development of AI-driven diagnostic solutions.