bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
HazeAway: A Convolutional Approach to Single-Image Haze Removal
Authors: Kim Jiyoung , Ingle Palash 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

The existence of particles in the air cause haze, and this haze or fog cause degraded visibility in the captured shot from the camera. The non-uniform distribution of these particles, along with smoke, low light and pollution in the atmosphere, makes haze removal difficult in the real world images. The core computer vision tasks struggle with hazy images due to the lack of detail and poor visibility. The existing method relies on a transmission map in amalgamation with the atmospheric scattering input images to reconstruct a haze-free depiction. We suggested a single-image convolutions neural network that removes the haze present in the image and improves the perceptual quality by enhancing visibility. We used U-Net-like architecture with an encoder, bottleneck and decoder coupled with skip connections. In our experiment, we demonstrated the results on various benchmark dataset and compared our results with existing approaches. Additionally we compared the results from our network training on different image representations RGB verses YCbCr. The proposed method is straightforward and miniature yet still gives near state-of-the-art results.
Can toxins persist in house dust and soil years after an episodic fire event?
Authors: Ziou Myriam , Wheeler Amanda Jane , Strandberg Bo , Williamson Grant , Chappell Katherine , Dalton Marita , Almerud Pernilla , Hinwood Andrea , Zosky Graeme R. , Morgado Maite L. Berasaluce , Johnston Fay H. , Jones Penelope 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Objective
Communities exposed to smoke and ash from severe industrial fires often express concern that chemicals from the fire episode pose an ongoing risk to their health by persisting in and around the home environment. While previous studies have utilised house dust and soil samples to estimate exposure to contaminants resulting from fire and industrial emissions up to five years post-event, the evidence for persistence is limited. This study aimed to investigate if evidence of contamination attributable to a mine fire episode (Latrobe Valley, Victoria, Australia) could be observed in those medium three years later.
Methods
In 2017, eighty-five participants in a birth cohort study established post-fire in the Latrobe Valley provided indoor vacuum dust and garden soil samples. The samples were analysed for a suite of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and chemical elements, including barium and magnesium, which had been previously identified as markers of fire emissions in roof cavity dust. The spatial distribution of these elements and compounds was compared with the distribution of smoke and ash from the 2014 fire, after accounting for housing characteristics.
Results
There was no evidence of persistent contamination of soil or indoor dust samples that could be attributable to this severe fire and pollution episode three years previously. These findings can be helpful in reassuring affected communities about the risk of long-term persistence of potentially harmful substances.
Conclusions
Household soil and dust may be more useful for understanding exposures from contemporaneous or persistent pollution sources such as road networks or industrial facilities.
Enhancing In Vitro Regeneration of Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea) through Optimized Growth Regulators and Nanoparticle Application
Authors: Moradiasl Meysam , amini fatemeh , Darbandi Ali Izadi 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

This experiment aimed to optimize the in vitro regeneration of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) and investigate the effects of ZnO and Ag nanoparticles on its growth. The study evaluated the impact of six combinations of auxin (2,4-D) and cytokinins (BAP and kinetin) on stem and seed explants (Iranian ecotype and Molva foreign genotype) using a completely randomized design with three replications. To assess the effects of nanoparticles on callus induction and regeneration, four concentrations of Ag nanoparticles (0, 20, 40, 60 mg L⁻¹) and ZnO nanoparticles (0, 25, 50, 100 mg L⁻¹) were tested under a completely randomized design with three replications. The results indicated that halved seed explants, the Iranian ecotype, and MS1/2 culture medium produced the best outcomes. The medium containing 1 mg L⁻¹ 2,4-D and 0.1 mg L⁻¹ kinetin was the most effective for callus formation, as well as fresh and dry callus weight, while also reducing the time required for callus induction. Additionally, a medium containing 0.9 mg L⁻¹ 2,4-D and 0.5 mg L⁻¹ BAP yielded higher rates of both indirect and direct regeneration. For the rooting phase, a medium with 0.25 mg L⁻¹ NAA and 0.1 mg L⁻¹ 2,4-D resulted in the longest roots and the shortest time to rooting. Analysis of variance revealed that both Ag and ZnO nanoparticles significantly affected the time required for callus induction. Furthermore, Ag nanoparticles significantly influenced the regeneration percentage. Mean comparisons for Ag nanoparticles showed that a concentration of 20 mg L⁻¹ accelerated callus formation, whereas 60 mg L⁻¹ resulted in the lowest callus induction rate. Similarly, ZnO nanoparticles at concentrations of 25, 50, and 100 mg L⁻¹ positively impacted the callus formation rate compared to the control treatment without ZnO nanoparticles.
Comparison of imaging-based single-cell resolution spatial transcriptomics profiling platforms using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor samples
Authors: Soto Luisa Solis , Lermi Nejla Ozirmak , Ayala Max Molina , Ruiz Sharia Hernandez , Lu Wei , Khan Khaja , Serrano Alejandra , Lubo Idania , Hamana Leticia , Tomczak Katarzyna , Barnes Sean , Dou Jinzhuang , Liang Qingnan , Team RTI , Raso Maria Gabriela , Tang Ximing , Jiang Mei , Sanchez-Espiridion Beatriz , Weissferdt Annikka , Heymach John , Zhang Jianjun , Sepesi Boris , Cascone Tina , Tsao Anne , Altan Mehmet , Mehran Reza , Gibbons Don , Wistuba Ignacio , Haymaker Cara , Chen Ken 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Imaging-based spatial transcriptomics (ST) is evolving rapidly as a pivotal technology in studying the biology of tumors and their associated microenvironments. However, the strengths of the commercially available ST platforms in studying spatial biology have not been systematically evaluated using rigorously controlled experiments. In this study, we used serial 5-µm sections of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded surgically resected lung adenocarcinoma and pleural mesothelioma tumor samples in tissue microarrays to compare the performance of the single cell ST platforms CosMx, MERFISH, and Xenium (uni/multi-modal) platforms in reference to bulk RNA sequencing, multiplex immunofluorescence, GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiler, and hematoxylin and eosin staining data for the same samples. In addition to objective assessment of automatic cell segmentation and phenotyping, we performed pixel-resolution manual evaluation of phenotyping to carry out pathologically meaningful comparison between ST platforms. Our study detailed the intricate differences between the ST platforms, revealed the importance of parameters such as tissue age and probe design in determining the data quality, and suggested reliable workflows for accurate spatial profiling and molecular discovery.
SARS-COV-2 nasopharyngeal viral load change in a multicenter randomized clinical trial comparing early therapies for COVID-19 in non-hospitalized adults with high risk of severe COVID-19 (the MONET TRIAL)
Authors: Mastrorosa Ilaria , Cozzi-Lepri Alessandro , Matusali Giulia , Colavita Francesca , Lanini Simone , Rueca Martina , Oliva Alessandra , Berno Giulia , Vergori Alessandra , Rosati Silvia , Paulicelli Jessica , Girardi Enrico , Nicastri Emanuele , Maggi Fabrizio , Antinori Andrea , Mazzotta Valentina 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Although in vitro studies suggest that neutralization by monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against SARS CoV2 Omicron sub lineages is reduced, in vivovirological response data are lacking.
MONET (EudraCT: 2021-004188-28) was multi-centric phase 4 open-label parallel randomized clinical trial, conducted in Italy over 2022-2023, to assess the efficacy of sotrovimab (SOT), tixagevimab/cilgavimab (TIX/CIL) and Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (NMV/r), in outpatients at high risk for severe COVID-19. The outcome (secondary in the trial protocol) was SARS-CoV-2 variation in cycle threshold (CT) values over the first 7 days (D1-D7) of the trial. CT variation was compared by trial arms using unadjusted linear regression and after controlling for age.
We included 346 individuals: 116 (34%) received SOT, 113 (33%) TIX/CIL, 117 (34%) NMV/r. Main characteristics were balanced across arms. Most of the participants were infected with BA.2 (52%) or BA.4/5 (35.5%). The data carried strong evidence that the mean CT change over D1-D7 was larger in subjects receiving NMV/r vs. the other arms (p<0.001). We found no evidence that viral variant was an effect measure modifier for the contrasts of interest (p=0.14).
Our analysis provides strong evidence that NMV/r exerts a greater in vivo antiviral effect than mAbs against Omicron sublineages, confirming previous in vitro data.
Clinical analysis of laparoscopic partial cystectomy in the treatment of bladder diverticulum carcinoma
Authors: Ye Yanle , Chen Qingxia , Huang Zhiyang , Huang Qi 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Objective
To investigate the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic partial cystectomy in the treatment of bladder diverticulum cancer.
Methods
A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 12 patients with bladder diverticulum cancer treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Quanzhou, Fujian Medical University, from January 2016 to May 2023. All patients underwent laparoscopic partial cystectomy. The study evaluated surgical details, pathological results, postoperative complications, adjuvant treatments, and follow-up outcomes.
Results
All 12 patients successfully underwent laparoscopic partial cystectomy with no significant intraoperative complications. Postoperative pathological results confirmed urothelial carcinoma in all cases. After surgery, all patients received bladder instillation therapy, with 5 undergoing systemic intravenous chemotherapy and 1 receiving intra-arterial chemotherapy to further prevent tumor recurrence. During the follow-up period, which ranged from 16 to 49 months, 11 patients had no tumor recurrence, while 1 patient experienced recurrence 15 months after surgery.
Conclusion
Laparoscopic partial cystectomy is a safe and effective treatment for bladder diverticulum cancer, with minimal postoperative complications and good tumor control outcomes.
Pauses and pitch movement as strategies for reading aloud in higher education students
Authors: Etxebarria Aintzane , Iglesias Aitor , Ensunza Ariane , Abasolo Juan 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

The non-university academic regulations for Basic Education establish reading aloud within the realm of language and literature as one of several activities that serve to create texts with a playful, artistic, and creative goal, as reading aloud texts forms the foundation for comprehensible and meaningful learning. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to research the competence of primary education teachers. The main objective of this work is to describe pauses and pitch changes as mechanisms for turn-taking. For that purpose, 150 bilingual Basque university students have been recorded and analysed reading aloud a brief narrative text. The results of the study demonstrate that they indeed use pauses as a strategy for role or turn changes, and in the statistical analysis, significant differences are observed, both in terms of frequency and in terms of duration, between orthographically marked pauses (T-pauses) and those that allow a role shift (P-pauses). Comparing the results of the present study with those of Bosch et al. (2005) the observations about reading aloud do not match, since this research shows that P-pauses are significantly longer than T-pauses. This elongation coincides with the role shift represented by the pauses. As a summary of what has been said, this study identifies the following sequences as the most common when reading aloud in Basque: HL[P]HL and H[T]H.
A microbial natural product fractionation library screen with HRMS/MS dereplication identifies new lipopeptaibiotics against Candida auris
Authors: Wright Gerard , Chen Xuefei , Koteva Kalinka , Chou Sommer , Guitor Allison , Pallant Daniel , Lee Yunjin , Sychantha David , French Shawn , Hackenberger Dirk , Robbins Nicole , Cook Michael , Brown Eric , MacNeil Lesley , Cowen Leah 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

The rise of drug-resistant fungal pathogens, including Candida auris, highlights the urgent need for novel antifungal therapies. We developed a cost-effective platform combining microbial extract prefractionation with rapid MS/MS-bioinformatics-based dereplication to efficiently prioritize new antifungal scaffolds. Screening C. auris and C. albicans revealed novel lipopeptaibiotics, coniotins, from Coniochaeta hoffmannii WAC11161, which were undetectable in crude extracts. Coniotins exhibited potent activity against critical fungal pathogens on the WHO Fungal Priority Pathogens List, including C. albicans, C. neoformans, multidrug-resistant C. auris, and Aspergillus fumigatus, with high selectivity and low resistance potential. Coniotin A targets β-glucan, compromising fungal cell wall integrity, remodelling, and sensitizing C. auris to caspofungin. Identification of a PKS-NRPS biosynthetic gene cluster further enables the discovery of related clusters encoding potential novel lipopeptaibiotics. This study demonstrates the power of natural product prefractionation in uncovering bioactive scaffolds and introduces coniotins as promising candidates for combating multidrug-resistant fungal pathogens.
An in-silico Study of 1,2-di(Cyclopenta-2,4-dien-1-yl)ethane Derivatives as Potential Anti-ischemic Agents
Authors: Aina Oluwafemi 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) remains a leading global health challenge, necessitating the development of safer and more effective anti-ischemic agents. This study investigates the therapeutic potential of hypothetical di(cyclopenta-2,4-dien-1-yl)ethane derivatives using in-silico modeling, toxicity predictions, and molecular docking studies. Fourteen derivatives (W1–W10, W8b, W9b, W8c and W9c) were designed and screened for bioavailability, toxicity, and docking affinities against key ischemia-related targets: Prostaglandin H Synthase 2 (PTGS2), Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF), and Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9). Compounds W8c and W9c emerged as promising candidates, exhibiting minimal predicted toxicity and favorable binding energies of -6.6 kcal/mol, -5.4 kcal/mol, and -7.9 kcal/mol, respectively, for PTGS2, TNF, and MMP9. These findings indicate their potential to inhibit inflammation, oxidative stress, and extracellular matrix degradation associated with myocardial ischemia. Structural modifications, including the introduction of alkyl groups, enhanced their therapeutic profiles. This work lays the foundation for the rational design of next-generation anti-ischemic agents with improved efficacy, safety, and bioavailability. Future research will focus on synthesizing and validating these derivatives in preclinical and clinical settings to address the challenges of IHD treatment.
What influences healthcare surrogate decision-making among relatives of Chinese patients with dementia: a qualitative study based on the ODSF theory
Authors: Fan Xiangge , Peng Ali , Qi Min , Xu Juan , Geng Dong , Zuo Congmin , Qian Lijun 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background
Caring for someone with dementia can be a difficult and time-consuming task. Because Chinese Confucianism encourages harmonious family-centered decision-making, family members frequently assume the role of surrogate decision-maker. Mistakes in decision-making can result in not just wasted resources, higher expenses, and ineffective interventions, but also patient suffering and caregiver anxiety if not properly navigated. As a result, this study employed a qualitative research approach to investigate the variables of family members of people with dementia in the process of surrogate decision-making.
Methods
To gain a comprehensive grasp of the study objectives, this qualitative investigation employed content analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. Inductive content analysis was chosen to collect data for this study, the next step is to organize the qualitative data. This process includes open coding, creating categories and abstraction.
Results
Following data analysis, three overarching theme were identified. Following data analysis, three themes and 10 sub-themes were ultimately summarized in this study. The key thematic findings are summarized.
Conclusion
In this study, we explored the factors associated with surrogate decision-making through the perspectives of family members of Chinese patients with dementia. Among them, traditional Chinese kinship served as the primary link between the facilitators of surrogate decision-making. This was because an individual's tastes, values, and goals tended to remain consistent over time, making decisions that depended on familiarity and kinship more reasonable to the surrogate. Further, we should have paid attention to differences in alternative decision-making, where a person's autonomy was preserved into the future even in situations where a person may have been perceived as unable to make the decision at hand. Thus, a basic respect for the individual and humanity would have required us to do more, namely, to pay attention to the impediments in the decision-making process.
Detection of Arrival of Acoustic Impulsive Signal using TDoA Estimation
Authors: Yadav Amit , Chandel Aseem , Singh Dushyant K , Agrawal Rajeev , Lalwani Kavita , Bhandari Harshit 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

The objective of this research is to present the development of an embedded system to estimate Direction-of-Arrival (DoA) of impulsive acoustic signals using TDOA estimation methodology; to achieve this, microphones will be employed to capture signals from the environment. A thorough study of different methods will be conducted to identify effective algorithms and techniques for DoA estimation. Subsequently, algorithm code will be developed specifically for the microcontroller, ensuring efficient processing within the embedded system. Additionally, careful selection of hardware and components will be undertaken to optimize the overall performance and functionality of the system.
A 5.5 ppm/°C, 4.5-nW wide temperature range sub-threshold CMOS Voltage Reference
Authors: Sannidhi Balaramamurty , Sharma G. V.K. 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

A novel complementary to absolute temperature (CTAT) generator-based voltage reference circuit is proposed. The design features a resistor-less, ultra-low-power, sub-1V MOSFET-only sub-threshold voltage referencecompatible with digital CMOS processes, ideal for low-power and compact applications. The proposed circuit achieves a reference voltage of 0.581V and utilizes highly linear proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) and complementary-to-absolute-temperature (CTAT) generators to ensure a low temperature coefficient of just 5.5 ppm/°C across a wide temperature range (-50°C to 150°C). The circuit’s analytical behavior is modeled, and extensive post-layout analog simulations in a 0.18-µm CMOS process validate the design’s performance. It demonstrates excellent line sensitivity of 0.1 %/V across a supply voltage range of 0.8 to 3V and achieves a power supply rejection ratio (PSRR) of -53 dB at 100 Hz. Notably, the circuit occupies an area of only 0.005315 mm² and consumes an ultra-low power of 4.5 nW at 27°C. The compact and efficient design addresses the challenges of achieving stability, scalability, and low power in modern CMOS-based systems.
Neural Networks for Structured Grid Generation
Authors: Khairullin Bari , Rykovanov Sergey , Zagidullin Rishat 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Numerical solutions of partial differential equations (PDEs) on regular domains provide simplicity as we can rely on the structure of the space. We investigate a novel neural network (NN) - based approach to generate 2-dimensional body-fitted curvilinear coordinate systems (BFCs) that allow to stay on regular grids even when the complex geometry is considered. We describe a feed-forward neural network (FNN) as a geometric transformation that can represent a diffeomorphism under certain constraints and approximations, followed by the ways of training it to create BFCs. We show that the optimization system is similar to a physics informed neural network (PINN) based solution of Winslow equations. Unlike in classical BFC generation, FNN provides a differentiable mapping between spaces, and all the Jacobian matrices may be obtained exactly at any given point. Also, it allows to change an interior nodes distribution without the need of recreating the whole mapping.
Phytoplankton community structure in the Qinzhou Bay, China: a baseline information for non-indigenous species before the operation of the “Pinglu Canal Waterway”
Authors: Tan Karsoon , Huang Leiheng , Huang Jinman , Luo Cong , Xie Baoling , Xu Peng 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

The “Pinglu Canal Waterway” represents a mega-project in human history, currently under construction in Qinzhou Bay and scheduled to be fully operational by the end of 2026. Since shipping activities are a major pathway for introducing non-indigenous invasive species, baseline data on phytoplankton occurrence and distribution before the operation of the “Pinglu Canal Waterway” is necessary to better study the ecological impact of this mega anthropogenic activity. In this study, the phytoplankton community structure at the entrance of the “Pinglu Canal Waterway” (the Maowei Sea) and nearby control areas (Da Feng Jiang) was explored using metabarcoding techniques. A total of 205 phytoplankton species were identified, representing 110 families and 150 genera. Among them, 13 are harmful algal bloom species (HABs) or potential HABs, and 5 are potential non-indigenous invasive phytoplankton species. The results of this study not only enrich the baseline information on phytoplankton in Qinzhou Bay, but also strengthen our foundation for studying the potential environmental impact of the “Pinglu Canal Waterway” anthropogenic mega-project in the future.