bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fickian yet non-Gaussian diffusion of a quasi-2D colloidal system in an optical speckle field: experiment and simulations
Authors: Ciarlo Antonio , Pastore Raffaele , Greco Francesco , Sasso Antonio , Pesce Giuseppe 
Published: May 2023

AbstractWe investigate a quasi-2D suspension of Brownian particles in an optical speckle field produced by holographic manipulation of a laser wavefront. This system was developed to study, in a systematic and controllable way, a distinctive instance of diffusion, called Fickian yet Non Gaussian diffusion (FnGD), observed, during the last decade, for colloidal particles in a variety of complex and biological fluids. Our setup generates an optical speckle field that behaves like a disordered set of optical traps. First, we describe the experimental setup and the dynamics of the particles, focusing on mean square displacements, displacement distributions and kurtosis. Then, we present Brownian Dynamics simulations of point-like particles in a complex energy landscape, mimicking that generated by the optical speckle field. We show that our simulations can capture the salient features of the experimental results, including the emergence of FnGD, also covering times longer than the ones so far achieved in experiments. Some deviations are observed at long time only, with the Gaussian restoring being slower in simulations than in experiments. Overall, the introduced numerical model might be exploited to guide the design of upcoming experiments targeted, for example, to fully monitor the recovery of Gaussianity.
Mitochondrial citrate metabolism and efflux regulate BeWo differentiation
Authors: Mahr Renee M. , Jena Snehalata , Nashif Sereen K. , Nelson Alisa B. , Rauckhorst Adam J. , Rome Ferrol I. , Sheldon Ryan D. , Hughey Curtis C. , Puchalska Patrycja , Gearhart Micah D. , Taylor Eric B. , Crawford Peter A. , Wernimont Sarah A. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractCytotrophoblasts fuse to form and renew syncytiotrophoblasts necessary to maintain placental health throughout gestation. During cytotrophoblast to syncytiotrophoblast differentiation, cells undergo regulated metabolic and transcriptional reprogramming. Mitochondria play a critical role in differentiation events in cellular systems, thus we hypothesized that mitochondrial metabolism played a central role in trophoblast differentiation. In this work, we employed static and stable isotope tracing untargeted metabolomics methods along with gene expression and histone acetylation studies in an established BeWo cell culture model of trophoblast differentiation. Differentiation was associated with increased abundance of the TCA cycle intermediates citrate and α-ketoglutarate. Citrate was preferentially exported from mitochondria in the undifferentiated state but was retained to a larger extent within mitochondria upon differentiation. Correspondingly, differentiation was associated with decreased expression of the mitochondrial citrate transporter (CIC). CRISPR/Cas9 disruption of the mitochondrial citrate carrier showed that CIC is required for biochemical differentiation of trophoblasts. Loss of CIC resulted in broad alterations in gene expression and histone acetylation. These gene expression changes were partially rescued through acetate supplementation. Taken together, these results highlight a central role for mitochondrial citrate metabolism in orchestrating histone acetylation and gene expression during trophoblast differentiation.
Explainable semi-supervised deep learning shows that dementia is associated with small, avocado-shaped clocks with irregularly placed hands
Authors: Bandyopadhyay Sabyasachi , Wittmayer Jack , Libon David J. , Tighe Patrick , Price Catherine , Rashidi Parisa 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThe clock drawing test is a simple and inexpensive method to screen for cognitive frailties, including dementia. In this study, we used the relevance factor variational autoencoder (RF-VAE), a deep generative neural network, to represent digitized clock drawings from multiple institutions using an optimal number of disentangled latent factors. The model identified unique constructional features of clock drawings in a completely unsupervised manner. These factors were examined by domain experts to be novel and not extensively examined in prior research. The features were informative, as they distinguished dementia from non-dementia patients with an area under receiver operating characteristic (AUC) of 0.86 singly, and 0.96 when combined with participants’ demographics. The correlation network of the features depicted the “typical dementia clock” as having a small size, a non-circular or“avocado-like”shape, and incorrectly placed hands. In summary, we report a RF-VAE network whose latent space encoded novel constructional features of clocks that classify dementia from non-dementia patients with high performance.
Innovative solid desiccant dehumidification using distributed microwaves
Authors: Ybyraiymkul Doskhan , Chen Qian , Burhan Muhammad , Akhtar Faheem Hassan , AlRowais Raid , Shahzad Muhammad Wakil , Ja M. Kum , Ng Kim Choon 
Published: May 2023

AbstractDehumidification is one of the key challenges facing the air conditioning (AC) industry in the treatment of moist air. Over many decades, the dual role of heat exchangers of AC chillers for the sensible and latent cooling of space has hindered the thermal-lift reduction in the refrigeration cycle due to the requirements of water vapor removal at dew-point and heat rejection to the ambient air. These practical constraints of AC chillers have resulted in the leveling of energy efficiency of mechanical vapor compressors (MVC) for many decades. One promising approach to energy efficiency improvement is the decoupling of dehumidification from sensible processes so that innovative but separate processes can be applied. In this paper, an advanced microwave dehumidification method is investigated in the laboratory, where the microwave (2.45 GHz) energy can be irradiated onto the dipole structure of water vapor molecules, desorbing rapidly from the pores of adsorbent. Results show a significant improvement in performance for microwave dehumidification, up to fourfold, as compared to data available in the literature.
The difference in the cellular uptake of tocopherol and tocotrienol is influenced by their affinities to albumin
Authors: Nakatomi Takashi , Itaya-Takahashi Mayuko , Horikoshi Yosuke , Shimizu Naoki , Parida Isabella Supardi , Jutanom Mirinthorn , Eitsuka Takahiro , Tanaka Yoshikazu , Zingg Jean-Marc , Matsura Tatsuya , Nakagawa Kiyotaka 
Published: May 2023

AbstractVitamin E is classified into tocopherol (Toc) and tocotrienol (T3) based on its side chains. T3 generally has higher cellular uptake than Toc, though the responsible mechanism remains unclear. To elucidate this mechanism, we hypothesized and investigated whether serum albumin is a factor that induces such a difference in the cellular uptake of Toc and T3. Adding bovine serum albumin (BSA) to serum-depleted media increased the cellular uptake of T3 and decreased that of Toc, with varying degrees among α-, β-, γ-, and δ-analogs. Such enhanced uptake of α-T3 was not observed when cells were incubated under low temperature (the uptake of α-Toc was also reduced), suggesting that Toc and T3 bind to albumin to form a complex that results in differential cellular uptake of vitamin E. Fluorescence quenching study confirmed that vitamin E certainly bound to BSA, and that T3 showed a higher affinity than Toc. Molecular docking further indicated that the differential binding energy of Toc or T3 to BSA is due to the Van der Waals interactions via their side chain. Overall, these results suggested that the affinity of Toc and T3 to albumin differs due to their side chains, causing the difference in their albumin-mediated cellular uptake. Our results give a better mechanistic insight into the physiological action of vitamin E.
Numerical analysis of predatory potentiality of Toxorhynchites splendens against larval Aedes albopictus in laboratory and semi-field conditions
Authors: Malla Rajesh Kumar , Mandal Koushik Kumar , Burman Sunanda , Das Shubhaisi , Ghosh Anupam , Chandra Goutam 
Published: May 2023

AbstractLarvae of the elephant mosquitoes, Toxorhynchites spp. (Diptera: Culicidae) are predacious on larvae of other mosquito species and some small aquatic organisms; this predatory behavior can be applied in (mosquito) vector control. The present study examined the feeding behavior of Toxorhynchites splendens on Aedes albopictus in relation to search area [volume of water (X1)] and prey density (X2), prey instars, predatory preference and larvae's functional response on variable prey densities. Experiments were conducted to determine changes in the feeding activity of T. splendens with different search areas and showed that rate of prey consumption was inversely proportional to the search area as evidenced by a negative value of X1 in the regression equation and positively related to prey density. The non-linear polynomial logistic regression estimated a significant linear parameter (P1 < 0) for the functional response analysis suggesting a Type II functional response. Differences in feeding response related to the different combinations of prey instars were statistically not significant (p > 0.05), expressing that all the instars of prey were equally susceptible to the predator. Toxorhynchites splendens preferred to consume Ae. albopictus larvae rather than Tubifex when supplied together as a food source.
Prenatal DEHP exposure predicts neurological disorders via transgenerational epigenetics
Authors: Tran Mita T. M. T. , Kuo Fu-Chen , Low Jie-Ting , Chuang Yu-Ming , Sultana Sofia , Huang Wen-Long , Lin Zhe-Young , Lin Guan-Ling , Wu Chia-Fang , Li Sih-Syuan , Suen Jau-Ling , Hung Chih-Hsing , Wu Ming-Tsang , Chan Michael W. Y. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractRecent experimental and observational research has suggested that childhood allergic asthma and other conditions may be the result of prenatal exposure to environmental contaminants, such as di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). In a previous epidemiological study, we found that ancestral exposure (F0 generation) to endocrine disruptors or the common plasticizer DEHP promoted allergic airway inflammation via transgenerational transmission in mice from generation F1 to F4. In the current study, we employed a MethylationEPIC Beadchip microarray to examine global DNA methylation in the human placenta as a function of maternal exposure to DEHP during pregnancy. Interestingly, global DNA hypomethylation was observed in placental DNA following exposure to DEHP at high concentrations. Bioinformatic analysis confirmed that DNA methylation affected genes related to neurological disorders, such as autism and dementia. These results suggest that maternal exposure to DEHP may predispose offspring to neurological diseases. Given the small sample size in this study, the potential role of DNA methylation as a biomarker to assess the risk of these diseases deserves further investigation.
Human sperm cooperate to transit highly viscous regions on the competitive pathway to fertilization
Authors: Xiao Sa , Riordon Jason , Lagunov Alex , Ghaffarzadeh Mahta , Hannam Thomas , Nosrati Reza , Sinton David 
Published: May 2023

AbstractHuman sperm compete for fertilization. Here, we find that human sperm, unexpectedly, cooperate under conditions mimicking the viscosity contrasts in the female reproductive tract. Sperm attach at the head region to migrate as a cooperative group upon transit into and through a high viscosity medium (15-100 cP) from low viscosity seminal fluid. Sperm groups benefit from higher swimming velocity, exceeding that of individual sperm by over 50%. We find that sperm associated with a group possess high DNA integrity (7% fragmentation index) – a stark contrast to individual sperm exhibiting low DNA integrity (> 50% fragmentation index) – and feature membrane decapacitation factors that mediate sperm attachment to form the group. Cooperative behaviour becomes less prevalent upon capacitation and groups tend to disband as the surrounding viscosity reduces. When sperm from different male sources are present, related sperm preferentially form groups and achieve greater swimming velocity, while unrelated sperm are slowed by their involvement in a group. These findings reveal cooperation as a selective mode of human sperm motion – sperm with high DNA integrity cooperate to transit the highly viscous regions in the female tract and outcompete rival sperm for fertilization – and provide insight into cooperation-based sperm selection strategies for assisted reproduction.
Interplay between alpha and theta band activity enables management of perception-action representations for goal-directed behavior
Authors: Wendiggensen Paul , Prochnow Astrid , Pscherer Charlotte , Münchau Alexander , Frings Christian , Beste Christian 
Published: May 2023

AbstractGoal-directed behavior requires integrated mental representations of perceptions and actions. The neurophysiological underpinnings of these processes, however, are not yet understood. It is particularly undetermined, which oscillatory activities in which brain regions are involved in the management of perception-action representations. We examine this question with a focus on response inhibition processes and show that the dynamics of perception-action representations reflected in theta band activity (TBA) are particularly evident in the supplementary motor area and the occipito-temporal cortex. Mental representations coded in alpha band activity (ABA) during perception-action integration are associated with the occipito-temporal cortex. Crucially, perception-action representations are exchanged between theta and alpha frequency bands. The results imply that ABA functions as dynamic top-down control over binding, retrieval and reconfiguration processes during response inhibition, which in turn are reflected by TBA. Our study thus highlights how the interplay of oscillatory activity enables the management of perception-action representations for goal-directed behavior.
Dislocation loop bias and void swelling in irradiated α-iron from mesoscale and atomistic simulations
Authors: Yu Ziang , Xu Haixuan 
Published: May 2023

AbstractDislocation loops are ubiquitous in irradiated materials, and dislocation loop bias plays a critical role in void swelling. However, due to complicated interactions between dislocation loops and point defects, it is challenging to evaluate the bias factors of dislocation loops. Here, we determine the bias of sessile < 100 > loops in α-iron using a recently developed atomistic approach based on the lifetime of point defects. We establish a mechanistic understanding of the loop interaction based on the diffusion tendency of point defects near the loop core region. Mobile self-interstitial atoms tend to be absorbed from the edge of the loop, and a trapping region perpendicular to the habit plane of the loop exists. The dislocation loop bias is found to be substantially lower than those of straight dislocations in α-iron and should be included in swelling rate estimates. With the obtained sink strength and bias values, agreement is achieved with experimental results for both absolute values and temperature dependence.
Deformable channel non‐local network for crowd counting
Authors: Zhang Ting , Wang Huake , Zhang Kaibing , Hou Xingsong 
Published: May 2023

AbstractBoth global dependency and local correlation are crucial for solving the scale variation of crowd. However, most of previous methods fail to take two factors into consideration simultaneously. Against the aforementioned issue, a deformable channel non‐local network, abbreviated as DCNLNet for crowd counting, which can simultaneously learn global context information and adaptive local receptive field is proposed. Specifically, the proposed DCNLNet consists of two well‐crafted designed modules: deformable channel non‐local block (DCNL) and spatial attention feature fusion block (SAFF). The DCNL encodes long‐range dependencies between pixels and the adaptive local correlation with channel non‐local and deformable convolution, respectively, benefiting for improving the spatial discrimination of features. While the SAFF aims to aggregate the cross‐level information, which interacts these features from different depths and learns specific weights for the feature maps with spatial attention. Extensive experiments are performed on three crowd counting benchmark datasets and experimental results indicate that the proposed DCNLNet achieves compelling performance compared to other representative counting models.
3D craniofacial reconstruction framework using elastic surface deformation based on automatic landmark positioning
Authors: Suputra Putu Hendra , Sensusiati Anggraini Dwi , Artaria Myrtati Dyah , Yuniarno Eko Mulyanto , Purnama I Ketut Eddy 
Published: May 2023

AbstractComputer‐aided craniofacial reconstruction (CFR) is a process that aims to estimate facial impressions based on skull remains. It mimics the conventional method with a conceptual model‐based framework. The existing problems in CFR are that landmark annotation is expert‐dependent, landmark processing in the 3D domain has volumetric challenges, and a method based on a population's morphological characteristics (templates). A framework with three stages is proposed: Building a craniofacial model, automatic landmark detection, and surface deformation. Machine learning is deployed to draw local surface correlations as landmarks and automatically detects their position. The local surface context is extracted using the Surface Curvature Feature (SCF) as a 3D descriptor. Using a cluster‐based filter, the average distance (to the ground truth) of the top 20 points is 0.0326 units. Cluster‐based filters are better than mass‐radius‐based filters and consistently give better pinpoint accuracy, especially in multi‐cluster cases. Training data consists of 140,000 SCF for ten landmark classes. The third stage, surface deformation, fits the facial template to the cranial based on the corresponding facial‐cranial landmarks. Five experts from the Anthropology department stated that of the reconstruction results, 91.5% could retain the template details and are accepted as the natural shape of the human face.
Decoding the Guidelines of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Critical Care Setting: Imaging Perspective
Authors: Garg Anisha , Bhalla Ashu Seith , Naranje Priyanka , Vyas Surabhi , Garg Mandeep 
Published: May 2023

AbstractInvasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is a common, life-threatening opportunistic fungal infection seen in susceptible individuals especially those admitted in critical care units. Multiple guidelines have been promulgated for the diagnosis of IPA, some of which are all inclusive, while others cater to specific patient groups. Microbiology forms the crux of the majority of the diagnostic tests/criteria; however, results take a considerable amount of time. Radiology can play an important role by bridging the gap to reach at an early diagnosis. Thus, the role of a radiologist cannot be overemphasized to recognize the typical and atypical imaging manifestations of invasive aspergillosis and aid in the swift management of these cases. This review decodes the terminology and various diagnostic criteria for IPA relevant to imaging studies. Further, the differences in imaging manifestations of IPA in neutropenic and non-neutropenic patients are also discussed.
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way:” contingency, mobility, and subjectification at the Stratemeyer Syndicate
Authors: Klepper Martin 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThis essay connects the mass-produced books of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, The Nancy Drew Mystery Stories since 1930 and the Hardy Boys Adventures since 1927, with the discourses of self-help and self-improvement and argues that the effects these books have on their young readers instigate the formation of a very specific (white, middle class) subjectivity. This modern mode of relating to oneself includes an adjustable, self-assertive, self-monitoring personality, which can be understood as an answer to the challenges of the Second Industrialization and the contingencies connected to the acceleration, fragmentation, de-familiarizations, and individualization of modernity. At the same time, the essay argues, the novels also include a very specific position in terms of gender, race, and class, which, in spite of the figure of Nancy Drew, remains fundamentally linked to the values of patriarchy, the middle class and whiteness.
The use of intellectual property right bundles and firm performance in China
Authors: Zhang Li , Shan Xiaoguang 
Published: May 2023

AbstractIntellectual property rights (IPRs) have become increasingly important for firms in today’s knowledge-based economy, as evidenced by the strong growth in their use. The vital role of IPRs has motivated research into their association with firm performance. However, few firm-level studies have been conducted in developing countries. Moreover, empirical studies on the use of IPR bundles and their economic performance are scarce. To fill this gap, this study first illuminates how the joint use of different IPRs varies with firm characteristics, second, it analyses the association of such joint use with firm performance, based on a constructed large dataset that merges firm-level information from China’s Annual Survey of Industrial Enterprises with data on IPR filings from the China National Intellectual Property Administration. Results indicate that the joint use of different IPRs is strongly correlated with the industrial sector and firm size. Firms that use IPR bundles also have much greater economic performance than those that rely only on single types, indicating the existing complementarity between these rights. This study advances the understanding of the relationship between IPRs and firm performance and emphasises the complementary effect between different types of IPRs, demonstrating the significance of utilising various intellectual property mechanisms fully to increase firms’ competitive advantages.
Disequilibrium and complexity across scales: a patch-dynamics framework for organizational ecology
Authors: Xu Jin , Cornelissen Joep 
Published: May 2023

AbstractBased on equilibrium assumptions, traditional ecological models have been widely applied in the fields of management and organization studies. While research using these models is still ongoing, studies have nonetheless struggled with ways to address multiple levels of analysis, uncertainty, and complexity in their analyses. This paper conceptualizes the dynamic co-evolution mechanisms that operate in an ecosystem across multiple organizational scales. Specifically, informed by recent advances in modelling in biology, a general ‘patch-dynamics’ framework that is theoretically and methodologically able to capture disequilibrium, uncertainty, disturbances, and changes in organizational populations or ecosystems, as complex and dynamically evolving resource environments are introduced. Simulation models are built to show the patch-dynamics framework’s functioning and test its robustness. The patch-dynamics framework and modelling methodology integrates equilibrium and disequilibrium perspectives, co-evolutions across multiple organization levels, uncertainties, and random disturbances into a single framework, opening new avenues for future research on topics in the field of management and organization studies, as well as on the mechanisms that shape ecosystems. Such a framework has the potential to help analyse the sustainability and healthiness of the business environment, and deserves more attention in future research on management and organization theory, particularly in the context of significant uncertainty and disturbances in business and management practice. Overall, the paper offers a distinct theoretical perspective and methodology for modelling population and ecosystem dynamics across different scales.