bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Detection of heavy metals and VOCs in streambed sediment indicates anthropogenic impact on intermittent streams of the U.S. Virgin Islands
Authors: Lancellotti Brittany V. , Hensley David A. , Stryker Race 
Published: October 2023

AbstractGlobal surges in industrialization and human development have resulted in environmental contamination. Streambed sediment contamination threatens ecological and human health due to groundwater leaching and downstream contaminant mobilization. This is especially true in the wider Caribbean region, where streambed sediment contamination is understudied. In the current study, we assessed human impact on intermittent streams by measuring heavy metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in streambed sediment on St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), where intermittent streams receive limited conservation and research attention. In contrast to our hypothesis that streambed sediment pollutant concentrations would be higher in developed, compared to undeveloped areas, contaminant concentrations did not vary significantly according to land cover. Elevated lead, mercury, and zinc concentrations were correlated with commercial building density, suggesting an unnatural origin of these elements in streambed sediment. At some sites, levels of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, nickel, lead, thallium, or zinc exceeded regulatory limits. The most prevalent VOCs at both developed and undeveloped sites were benzene and toluene. Sub-groups of heavy metals identified by principal component analysis indicated potential pollution sources, including fuel combustion (chromium, nickel, arsenic, selenium), vehicle exhaust, oil refining, and gasoline leaks (2-butanone and xylenes), and plastics (acetone and styrene). Our results suggest USVI intermittent streams require further research attention and intervention strategies for pollution reduction.
Identification of novel therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker in matrix metalloproteinase gene family in pancreatic cancer
Authors: Luan Hong , Jian Linge , Huang Yuyan , Guo Yutong , Zhou Liping 
Published: October 2023

AbstractMatrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an essential role in various physiological events. Recent studies have revealed its carcinogenic effect in malignancies. However, the different expression patterns, prognostic value, and immunological value of MMPs in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are yet to be comprehensively explored. We utilized Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) and Gene Expression Omnibus databases to explore the abnormal expression of MMPs in PDAC. Then, Kaplan–Meier survival curve and Cox regression analysis were performed to assess the prognostic value of MMPs. Association between MMPs expression and clinicopathological features was analyzed through UALCAN website. Functional annotations and GSEA analysis were performed to excavate the possible signaling pathways involving prognostic-related MMP. TIMER and TISCH database were used to performed immune infiltration analysis. The expression of prognostic-related MMP in pancreatic cancer cell lines and normal pancreatic cells was detected by Real time quantitative PCR. We observed that 10 MMP genes were consistently up-regulated in GEPIA and GSE62452 dataset. Among them, five highly expressed MMPs (MMP1, MMP3, MMP11, MMP14, MMP28) were closely related to poor clinical outcomes of PDAC patients. Cox regression analysis indicated MMP28 was a risk factor influencing the overall survival of patients. In the clinicopathological analysis, up-regulated MMP28 was significantly associated with higher tumor grade and the mutation status of TP53. GSEA analysis demonstrated that high expression of MMP28 was involved in “interferon_alpha_response” and “P53_pathway”. Immune infiltration analysis showed that there was no correlation between MMP28 expression and immune cell infiltration. Single-cell sequencing analysis showed MMP28 has strong correlations with malignant cells and stromal cells infiltration in the tumor microenvironment. And MMP28 was highly expressed in various pancreatic cancer cell lines. In conclusion, MMP28 may represent a potential prognosis biomarker and novel therapeutic molecular targets for PDAC.
Resting metabolic rate is increased after a series of whole body vibration in young men
Authors: Maciejczyk Marcin , Bawelski Marek , Wiecek Magdalena , Palka Tomasz , Bujas Przemyslaw , Piotrowska Anna , Szygula Zbigniew 
Published: October 2023

AbstractResting metabolic rate (RMR) is the largest component of total energy expenditure and increasing it can be of great importance in reducing excess body fatness. Whole body vibration (WBV) can affect energy expenditure during single session of WBV, but the effects of repeated WBV on resting metabolic rate have not been reported. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a series of WBV would increase resting metabolism in young men. Thirty-two healthy men aged of 21–23 were recruited and randomly assigned to two 16-member groups: a group participating in the WBV intervention and a group without the intervention. The intervention lasted 2 weeks and WBV was performed 5 times a week. Diet, physical activity, body composition and resting metabolic rate were analyzed in the participants. In WBV group significantly increased resting oxygen uptake (p = 0.049) and consequently RMR (p = 0.035) after the intervention. Similar changes were not observed in the control group. This indicates that applied type of vibration in this study can be an addition to obesity therapy, in which, WBV can, among other beneficial metabolic effects, increase RMR and thus total energy expenditure.
Association between obesity and urinary incontinence in older adults from multiple nationwide longitudinal cohorts
Authors: Chen Xiyin , Jiang Shaoxiang , Yao Yao 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Background
Obesity and urinary incontinence (UI) among older adults, particularly older men, are yet to be fully explored. Utilizing multiple nationwide prospective longitudinal cohorts representative of the US, UK, and European samples, we examined the association of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) with UI among both older women and men.

Methods
We derived the data from multiple longitudinal cohorts that surveyed UI. Participants were asked if they had experienced urine leakage within the past 12 months or within the past six months. The measure of obesity was based on BMI and WC. We employed a random-effect logistic model to associate BMI and WC with UI, adjusting for covariates including age, race, education, residence area, marital status, number of children, smoking, drinking, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, stroke, functional ability, and cognitive impairment. We visualized the associations by using restricted cubic spline curves.

Results
A total of 200,717 participants with 718,822 observations are included in the baseline analysis. Compared to those without UI, both female and male participants with UI demonstrate a higher BMI and WC. Among females, the fully adjusted models show linear associations between BMI, WC, and UI (Ps < 0.001). However, we observe U-shaped associations of BMI, WC with UI among males. The lowest likelihood of having UI is found among male participants with a BMI between 24 and 35 kg/m2.

Conclusions
Interventions aimed at preventing UI among older adults must take sex into account. Weight loss intervention could be an effective treatment among older females who are overweight and with obesity as well as older males with obesity rather than all older males.
A novel Q‐band asymmetric T/R switch in GaAs pHEMT using second‐order band‐stop filter for wideband RX‐mode isolation
Authors: Fu Jia‐Shiang 
Published: October 2023

AbstractTo improve the RX‐mode isolation of asymmetric T/R switches, a new circuit topology is proposed. The proposed asymmetric T/R switch topology features a second‐order band‐stop filter in its TX path, which extends the bandwidth of isolation in the RX mode. Based on the proposed topology, a Q‐band asymmetric T/R switch is designed and implemented in a 0.15‐µm GaAs pHEMT technology. Measured isolation in the RX mode is greater than 18.4 dB from 31.7 to 46.3 GHz, corresponding to a 1.46:1 bandwidth.
Ecc‐RCNN: An efficient and high‐accuracy object detection framework for transmission line defect identification
Authors: Li Yaocheng , Xu Yongpeng , Sun Weihao , Qian Qinglin , Li Zhe , Jiang Xiuchen 
Published: October 2023

AbstractIn order to improve the accuracy of image‐based transmission line defect detection, while reducing the computational complexity and the high demand on chip performance, an object detection framework is proposed, which aims to improve model performance without increasing the scale of the model and the amount of calculation. An efficient feature fusion module to combine different‐level semantic features in non‐linear transformations is introduced. It includes channel‐level hierarchy features, linear projection and residual mappings to gather task‐oriented features across different spatial locations and scales. Then a context information modelling module is proposed to extract features around the target objects, which further increases the detection accuracy. Finally, an Intersection‐over‐Union‐based training examples sampling strategy is adopted to alleviate the class imbalance problem. Experiments on dataset show that the proposed method, with a similar number of model parameters, has an accuracy improved by 8.1% compared to the baseline, and outperforms all the competitors in the area of transmission line defect detection.
Todesfälle in einem Wurf französischer Bulldoggen
Welpen im Zusammenhang mit dem caninen Herpesvirus 1
Authors: Schmid Sarah , Sievert Maren , Wehrend Axel 
Published: October 2023

ZusammenfassungDieser Fallbericht beschreibt das Auftreten einer caninen Herpesvirus 1-Infektion
bei einem Wurf französischer Bulldogen. Zudem wurde die Literatur zum
Thema infektiöses Welpensterben zusammengefasst. Zwei neonatale Welpen
wurden aufgrund von Dyspnoe vorgestellt. Im Verlauf der Nacht entwickelte einer
der Welpen Diarrhoe sowie ein hochgradig gestörtes Allgemeinbefinden und
wurde am nächsten Tag euthanasiert. Der zweite Welpe wurde 6 Stunden
später ebenfalls mit hochgradig gestörtem Allgemeinbefinden
euthanasiert. In der Sektion konnten Hinweise auf eine Infektion mit dem caninen
Herpesvirus gefunden werden. Dies bestätigte sich in der virologischen
Untersuchung. Dieser Fallbericht zeigt, dass auch in Deutschland die Infektion
mit dem caninen Herpesvirus als Todesursache von neugeborenen Welpen beachtet
werden muss.
Listening, reading, writing – which method leads to the best
learning outcome?
Authors: Güldenpfennig Janine , Bartel Alexander , Arlt Sebastian 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Objective Innovative teaching strategies such as case-based learning and
hands-on training are more and more integrated into undergraduate veterinary
teaching. Nevertheless, it can be assumed that lectures still play an important
role in many vet schools. Nowadays, however, lectures are questioned to be
motivating and engaging enough for a long-lasting learning retention. In this
context, we compared acceptance and learning outcome of the teaching methods
reading, writing, and listening to a presentation.
Material and methods In structured settings based on a cross-over design,
151 students in their fifth year attending a 2-weeks clinical rotation at the
Clinic for Animal Reproduction were asked to read papers, listen to a
presentation by a lecturer, and to write a summary in group work. Each task
dealt with 1 of 3 topics from the field of animal reproduction. A week later,
the students were asked to complete a multiple-choice test and an evaluation
form. The test contained questions about each of the covered topics as well as a
fourth topic, which was not taught in context of this project to assess the
students’ prior knowledge.
Results The results revealed that writing a summary in group work led to
the best learning outcome, but it cannot be ruled out that learning success may
have depended to a large extent on group work. Furthermore, the results did not
differ significantly from the second-best teaching method listening to a
presentation. The teaching method students preferred most was the lecture,
followed by reading papers and writing a summary.
Conclusions We conclude that presentations by lecturers are still an
important teaching method but can be complemented by writing tasks, which may be
used in specific settings as a possible way to improve learning outcome in
veterinary education.
Conclusion for practice Our project supports the assumption that more
active, student-centered learning approaches such as writing summaries can lead
to more engagement and a better learning retention. In addition, training
writing skills is important because clinical reports and other written
communication are relevant parts of daily veterinary routine.
Diagnostischer Nutzen des Anti-Müller-Hormons in der
Kleintierpraxis
Authors: Walter Beate 
Published: October 2023

ZusammenfassungDas Anti-Müller-Hormon ist ein Glykoprotein, das bei männlichen
Individuen von den Sertolizellen und bei weiblichen von den Granulosazellen
sezerniert wird. Bei Hunden und Katzen wurde es erstmals 2011 im Blutserum
bestimmt. Inzwischen konnten mehrere Studien die klinischen Anwendungen der
Anti-Müller-Hormon-Bestimmung als Parameter in der endokrinen Diagnostik
aufzeigen. Dieser Übersichtsartikel fasst den momentanen Wissensstand
über die klinischen Anwendungen der
Anti-Müller-Hormon-Bestimmung in der Kleintierpraxis zusammen und
beschreibt mögliche zukünftige diagnostische
Ansätze.
Bildgebende Diagnostik im Rahmen der Trächtigkeit beim
Hund
Authors: Zelck Alexandra B. , Köhler Claudia , Kiefer Ingmar 
Published: October 2023

ZusammenfassungIm Rahmen der Trächtigkeitsüberwachung des Hundes spielen die
bildgebenden Verfahren eine entscheidende Rolle. Die Sonografie hat sich zu der
Modalität der Wahl bei der Trächtigkeitsdiagnose etabliert und
bietet die Möglichkeit, eine Trächtigkeit bereits ab dem
17.–20. Tag nach dem LH-Peak nachzuweisen. Weiterhin ermöglicht
sie eine Beurteilung der fetalen Vitalität und Entwicklung, die
Darstellung von fetalen Missbildungen und die frühzeitige Erkennung von
fetalem Stress. Hierbei kann auch die Doppler-Sonografie unterstützend
eingesetzt werden. Die Bestimmung des Wurfzeitpunktes kann über die
Beurteilung des fetalen Entwicklungsstandes und über Messungen der
fetalen und extrafetalen Strukturen erfolgen. Die Röntgendiagnostik
ermöglicht einen Trächtigkeitsnachweis ca. ab dem 43. Tag nach
dem LH-Peak und bietet eine Beurteilung der Wurfgröße und der
Größe der einzelnen Feten. Bei Geburtsstörungen und
Dystokiepatienten liefern beide Verfahren komplementär schnelle Aussagen
zu verschiedenen Fragestellungen, die die Entscheidung für einen
operativen Eingriff unterstützen und das Management von Hündin
und Welpen bestimmen.
Glycemic Variability and the Risk of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy:
A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Song Ying , Zhang Haiyan , Sun Ju , Long Ying , Zhang Kaixiang , Yin Qian , Duan Xiaorong 
Published: October 2023

AbstractGlycemic variability (GV) has been related to complications in patients with
diabetes. The aim of the systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate
whether GV is also associated with the incidence of diabetic peripheral
neuropathy (DPN). A systematic search of Medline, Web of Science, Embase, and
Cochrane Library database was conducted to identify relevant observational
studies with longitudinal follow-up. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used for
study quality evaluation. A random-effects model was utilized to pool the
results, accounting for heterogeneity. Ten observational studies including 72
565 patients with diabetes were included. The quality score was 8–9,
indicating generally good quality of the included studies. With a mean follow-up
duration of 7.1 years, 11 532 patients (15.9%) were diagnosed as DPN.
Compared to patients with low GV, patients with high GV were associated with an
increased risk incidence of DPN (risk ratio: 1.51, 95% confidence
interval: 1.23 to 1.85, p<0.001; I2=78%). In addition,
subgroup analysis showed consistent results in patients with type 1 and type 2
diabetes, and in studies evaluating the short-term and long-term GV (p for
subgroup difference=0.82 and 0.53). Finally, results of subgroup
analysis also suggested that the association between GV and risk of DPN were not
significantly affected by study design, follow-up durations, diagnostic methods
for DPN, adjustment of mean glycated hemoglobin A1c, or study quality scores (p
for subgroup difference all>0.05). A high GV may be associated with an
increased incidence of DPN.
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound reveals perfusion differences between benign lipoma and semi-malignant atypical lipomatous tumors: A prospective clinical study
Authors: Mick Paul , Seeberger Antonia , Renkawitz Tobias , Lehner Burkhard , Hariri Mustafa , Fischer Christian , Doll Julian 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Purpose Soft tissue tumors (STT) are difficult to diagnose accurately, and distinguishing between benign and malignant tumors is challenging. Lipoma is the most common STT, while atypical lipomatous tumors (ALT) can dedifferentiate into malignant lipomatous tumors like grade 1 liposarcoma and require more radical therapy. This study aims to investigate the potential of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to differentiate between lipoma and ALT based on tumor perfusion.
Materials and Methods We prospectively examined 52 patients who were scheduled for biopsy for suspected lipoma or ALT. The CEUS examination was performed using SonoVue as a contrast agent to quantify tumor perfusion using VueBox V7.1 software. Peak enhancement (PE), rise time (RT), wash-in perfusion index (WiPI), and wash-out rate (WoR) were used to assess contrast enhancement inside the STT.
Results Among 50 tumors examined, 30 were lipomas, and 20 were ALTs. We found significant differences in perfusion between lipomas and ALTs (PE: 49.22 ± 45.75 a.u. vs. 165.67 ± 174.80; RT: 23.86 ± 20.47s vs. 10.72 ± 5.34 s; WiPI: 33.06 ± 29.94 dB vs. 107.21 ± 112.43 dB; WoR: 2.44 ± 3.70 dB/s vs. 12.75 ± 15.80 dB/s; p<.001). ROC analysis of PE resulted in a diagnostic accuracy of 74% for the detection of an ALT, and 77% for the detection of a lipoma.
Conclusion CEUS may enhance the differential diagnosis of benign lipomas and ALTs, with ALTs showing higher levels of perfusion. If larger prospective studies confirm these findings, CEUS could enhance diagnostic accuracy, guide surgical planning, and potentially reduce unnecessary treatments for patients presenting with ambiguous lipomatous tumors like lipoma or ALT.
Thyroid Diseases and Intestinal Microbiome
Authors: Legakis Ioannis , Chrousos George P. , Chatzipanagiotou Stylianos 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThe human microbiome plays an integral role in health. In particular, it is
important for the development, differentiation, and maturation of the immune
system, 70% of which resides in the intestinal mucosa. Microbiome
studies conducted to date have revealed an association between disturbances in
the microbiota (dysbiosis) and various pathological disorders, including changes
in host immune status. Autoimmune thyroid diseases are one of the most common
organ-specific autoimmune disorders, with a worldwide prevalence higher than
5%. The predominant autoimmune thyroid diseases are Hashimoto’s
thyroiditis and Grave’s disease. Several factors, such as genetic and
environmental ones, have been studied. In accordance with recent studies, it is
assumed that the gut microbiome might play a significant role in triggering
autoimmune diseases of the thyroid gland. However, the exact etiology has not
yet been elucidated. The present review aims to describe the work carried out so
far regarding the role of gut microflora in the pathogenesis of autoimmune
thyroid diseases and its involvement in the appearance of benign nodules and
papillary thyroid cancer. It appears that future work is needed to elucidate
more precisely the mechanism for gut microbiota involvement in the development
of autoimmune thyroid diseases.
Solvent Selection in the Detritylation Reaction for the Solid-Phase Synthesis of Oligonucleotides
Authors: Sanghvi Yogesh S. , Yan Hongbin , Li Quanjian 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThis study examined the choice of solvent in the detritylation reaction for solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis. In addition to being chemically inert under detritylation conditions, such a solvent should not bind with acid used in this reaction. These considerations explained the only two choices of solvent currently used in the detritylation reaction: dichloromethane and toluene. Other solvents, such as ethyl acetate, acetonitrile, THF, and nitromethane are shown by NMR spectroscopy to bind with trichloroacetic acid. Therefore, these are undesirable solvents for the detritylation reaction, confirmed by solid-phase synthesis experiments.
In situ synthesis of C–SiO2 enhanced Pd nanoparticles for catalytic dehydrogenation of formic acid
Authors: Li Xia , Deng Min , Cao Tingting , Ma Jun , Geng Shuo , Ren Yuan , Yao Mengqin , Liu Fei , Dong Yonggang 
Published: October 2023

Formic acid (FA, HCOOH), as a liquid chemical hydrogen storage carrier with low cost, high hydrogen content, and convenient storage and transportation, has attracted extensive attention. Pd-based catalysts for hydrogen production from FA are easy to aggregate and deactivate in the reaction process, which hinders the further development of FA as a hydrogen storage carrier. Therefore, the exploitation of carriers with simple preparation methods and excellent performance can effectively improve the catalytic activity of Pd-based catalysts. Porous carbon and SiO2 have been widely used for their unique structural properties, and the preparation of composite carriers by combining the advantages of both is a current research hotspot. Herein, this work synthesized C–SiO2 for the deposition of Pd nanoparticles by a one-step method, and the obtained Pd/C–SiO2 exhibits a superior FA dehydrogenation activity with a turnover frequency value of 1278 h−1 and a favorable stability with only a slight decrease in activity after five cycles.
Fast-sampling fast-ion D-alpha measurement using multi-anode photomultiplier tube in large helical device
Authors: Kawachi Y. , Ogawa K. , Osakabe M. , Kawamoto Y. , Isobe M. , Ida K. 
Published: October 2023

A fast-sampling fast-ion D-alpha (F-FIDA) measurement has been developed in the large helical device in order to investigate fast ion dynamics associated with helically trapped fast-ion-driven Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) bursts. F-FIDA consists of a multi-anode photomultiplier tube (PMT) and achieves a sampling rate of 10 kHz. During the deuterium experiment campaign in 2022, F-FIDA measured the spectrum of perpendicular fast ions, using perpendicular lines of sight. We compared F-FIDA with conventional FIDA, using an electron multiplying charge coupled device, and confirmed that the time-averaged images were generally consistent between the two. The statistical properties of the temporal evolution associated with MHD bursts were analyzed using a conditional sampling technique. The results showed that the PMT signal varied in different spatial and wavelength channels. Although the signal-to-noise ratio was poor and there was room for improvement, it could provide useful information for studies on the phase-space dynamics of fast ions.