bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Inverse Polyamidoamine (i‐PAMAM) Dendrimer Antimicrobials
Authors: Bonvin Etienne , Reymond Jean‐Louis 
Published: April 2023

AbstractHere we redesigned the branches of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers by moving the amide carbonyl group on the other side of the amide nitrogen atom, transforming the β‐alaninyl‐amidoethylamine branch, which easily undergoes retro‐Michael reactions and renders PAMAMs intrinsically unstable, into a more stable glycyl‐amidopropylamine branch. The resulting inverse PAMAM (i‐PAMAM) dendrimers have the same carbon framework as PAMAMs and only differ by the position of the carbonyl group. In contrast to PAMAMs which are prepared in solution and are difficult to purify, we synthesize i‐PAMAMs using high‐temperature solid‐phase peptide synthesis by iterative coupling and deprotection of the commercially available N,N‐bis(N′‐Fmoc‐3‐aminopropyl)glycine and purify them preparative reverse phase HPLC. Our i‐PAMAM dendrimers show no detectable degradation over time. We demonstrate this new class of dendrimers with the synthesis of antimicrobial dendrimers with potent yet non‐membrane disruptive activities against both Gram‐negative and Gram‐positive bacteria.
COVID‐19 mitigation measures increase preterm birth and low birth weight in the public healthcare system in Uruguay
Authors: Briozzo Leonel , Tomasso Gisselle , Trujillo Janet , Viroga Stephanie , Pintos Javier , Nozar Fernanda , Aleman Alicia , Buekens Pierre 
Published: April 2023

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on preterm birth (PB) and low birth weight (LBW), comparing public and private healthcare systems of the National Integrated Health System in Uruguay, where the mitigation measures for the COVID‐19 pandemic generated an immediate socioeconomic and psychological crisis, which caused a sharp widening of existing socioeconomic inequalities.MethodsA national observational study was conducted comparing perinatal outcomes in the first 6 months of 2020 (period of the pandemic without pregnancy infections), which was the beginning of the pandemic, with the same period of the previous year 2019 (pre‐pandemic period with no mitigation measures) among pregnant women from the public and private health systems. Data were retrieved from the national database (Informatic Perinatal System) and analyzed by healthcare system category.ResultsA total of 36 559 deliveries were assessed: 18 563 in the 2019 study period and 17 996 in the 2020 study period. In the public system, there was a significant increase in the risk of LBW (adjusted relative risk [aRR] 1.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05–1.36) and of the composite outcome (PB or LBW) (aRR 1.15, 95% CI 1.04–1.26). In the private system, by contrast, there was a non‐statistically significant decrease of LBW and there were no changes in the incidence of PB and the composite outcome in 2020.ConclusionThe different evolution of birth outcomes in the public and private systems suggests an unequal impact of mitigation measures on populations of different socioeconomic levels. Given that no COVID‐19 infections were identified in pregnant women during the study period, this research offers an opportunity to differentiate the biologic effects of the virus from the psychological and social impacts derived from containment measures.ClinicalTrials.gov IdentifierNCT05087160.
Development of ex vivo brain hemorrhage phantom for photoacoustic imaging
Authors: Manwar Rayyan , Islam Md. Tarikul , Shoo Anthony , Pillers De‐Ann , Avanaki Kamran 
Published: April 2023

AbstractBrain hemorrhage, specifically intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), is considered one of the primary and leading causes of cerebral anomalies in neonates. Several imaging modalities including the most popular, cranial ultrasound, are not capable of detecting early stage IVHs. Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) exhibited great potential for detecting cerebral hemorrhage in studies limited to small animal models, but these models are not comparable to neonatal brain morphology. However, hemorrhage detection in large animal models using PAI is rare due to the complexity and cost of inducing hemorrhage in vivo. Moreover, in vitro studies are unable to represent the physiology and environment of the hemorrhagic lesion. Here, we proposed a pseudo hemorrhage implementation method in the sheep brain that allows us to mimic different hemorrhagic lesions ex vivo without compromising the complexity of cerebral imaging. This approach enables a true evaluation of PAI performance for detecting hemorrhages and can be utilized as a reference to optimize the PAI system for in vivo imaging.
Algorithms propagate gender bias in the marketplace—with consumers’ cooperation
Authors: Rathee Shelly , Banker Sachin , Mishra Arul , Mishra Himanshu 
Published: April 2023

AbstractRecent research shows that algorithms learn societal biases from large text corpora. We examine the marketplace‐relevant consequences of such bias for consumers. Based on billions of documents from online text corpora, we first demonstrate that from gender biases embedded in language, algorithms learn to associate women with more negative consumer psychographic attributes than men (e.g., associating women more closely with impulsive vs. planned investors). Second, in a series of field experiments, we show that such learning results in the delivery of gender‐biased digital advertisements and product recommendations. Specifically, across multiple platforms, products, and attributes, we find that digital advertisements containing negative psychographic attributes (e.g., impulsive) are more likely to be delivered to women compared to men, and that search engine product recommendations are similarly biased, which influences consumer's consideration sets and choice. Finally, we empirically examine consumer's role in co‐producing algorithmic gender bias in the marketplace and observe that consumers reinforce these biases by accepting gender stereotypes (i.e., clicking on biased ads). We conclude by discussing theoretical and practical implications.
Edge proximity conditions for extendability in regular bipartite graphs
Authors: Aldred R. E. L. , Jackson Bill , Plummer Michael D. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractLet and be positive integers with , let be an ‐regular cyclically ‐edge‐connected bipartite graph and let be a matching of size in . Plummer showed that whenever , there is a perfect matching of containing . When , Aldred and Jackson, extended this result to the case when by showing there is a perfect matching in containing whenever the edges in are pairwise at least distance apart where
In this paper, we relax the condition that and the distance restriction introduced by Aldred and Jackson to show that, for and an ‐regular cyclically ‐edge‐connected bipartite graph, for each matching in with and such that each pair of edges in is distance at least 3 apart, there is a perfect matching in containing .
MicroCT analysis unveils the role of inflatable female genitalia and male tibial complex in the genital coupling in the spider genus Aysha (Anyphaenidae, Araneae)
Authors: Poy Dante , Piacentini Luis Norberto , Michalik Peter , Lin Shou‐Wang , Ramírez Martín Javier 
Published: April 2023

AbstractSperm transfer in spiders is achieved by copulatory organs on the male pedipalps (i.e., copulatory bulbs), which can be simple or a complex set of sclerites and membranes. During copulation, these sclerites can be used to anchor in corresponding structures in the female genitalia by means of hydraulic pressure. In the most diverse group of Entelegynae spiders, the retrolateral tibial apophysis clade, the female role in the coupling of genitalia is considered rather passive, as conformational changes of the female genital plate (i.e., the epigyne) during copulation are scarce. Here, we reconstruct the genital mechanics of two closely related species belonging to the Aysha prospera group (Anyphaenidae) that bear a membranous, wrinkled epigyne and male pedipalps with complex tibial structures. By using microcomputed tomography data of a cryofixed mating pair, we reveal that most of the epigyne remains greatly inflated during genital coupling, and that the male tibial structures are coupled to the epigyne by the inflation of a tibial hematodocha. We propose that a turgent female vulva is a prerequisite for the genital coupling, which could implicate a female control device, and that the structures from the male copulatory bulb have been functionally replaced by tibial structures in these species. Furthermore, we show that the conspicuous median apophysis is maintained in spite of being functionally redundant, posing a puzzling situation.
Nirmatrelvir–ritonavir compared with other antiviral drugs for the treatment of COVID‐19 patients: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Tian Fangyuan , Chen Zhaoyan , Feng Qiyi 
Published: April 2023

AbstractAt present, there are some differences in the research results of nirmatrelvir–ritonavir compared with other antiviral drugs for the treatment of COVID‐19 patients. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of nirmatrelvir–ritonavir compared with other antiviral drugs and the impact of different antiviral drugs on the short‐ and long‐term effects of COVID‐19. PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials), Web of Science, Google Scholar, and MedRxiv were searched to identify relevant studies from inception to March 30, 2023. We conducted a meta‐analysis to estimate the effects of nirmatrelvir–ritonavir compared with other antiviral drugs for the treatment of COVID‐19 patients and safety outcomes. The RoB1 and ROBINS‐I were used to assess the bias risk of the included studies. Revman 5.4 software was used for meta‐analysis (PROSPERO Code No: CRD42023397816). Twelve studies were included, including 30 588 COVID‐19 patients, of whom 13 402 received nirmatrelvir–ritonavir. The meta‐analysis results showed that the nirmatrelvir–ritonavir group had a lower proportion of patients than the control group in terms of long‐term mortality (odds ratio [OR] = 0.29, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.13–0.66), hospitalization (OR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.37–0.53, short term; OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.36–0.77, long term), and disease progression (OR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.38–0.83, short term; OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.48–0.74, long term), and nirmatrelvir ritonavir showed little difference in safety compared to the control group. Nirmatrelvir–ritonavir can reduce the mortality and hospitalization of COVID‐19 patients compared with other antiviral drugs. Further large‐scale studies remain to validate these findings.
Comparison of intracellular cytokine staining versus an ELISA‐based assay to assess CMV‐specific cell‐mediated immunity in high‐risk kidney transplant recipients
Authors: Fernández‐Ruiz Mario , Redondo Natalia , Parra Patricia , Ruiz‐Merlo Tamara , Rodríguez‐Goncer Isabel , Polanco Natalia , González Esther , López‐Medrano Francisco , San Juan Rafael , Navarro David , Andrés Amado , Aguado José María 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThe best method for monitoring cytomegalovirus (CMV)‐specific cell‐mediated immunity (CMV‐CMI) among high‐risk kidney transplant (KT) recipients remains uncertain. We assessed CMV‐CMI by intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) by flow cytometry and a commercial interferon (IFN)‐γ release assay (QuantiFERON®‐CMV [QTF‐CMV]) at posttransplant months 3, 4, and 5 in 53 CMV‐seropositive KT recipients that had received induction therapy with antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and a 3‐month course of valganciclovir prophylaxis. The discriminative capacity (areas under receiver operating characteristics curve [auROCs]) and diagnostic accuracy to predict immune protection against CMV infection from the discontinuation of prophylaxis to month 12 were compared between both methods. There was significant although moderate correlations between CMV‐specific IFN‐γ‐producing CD8+ T‐cell counts enumerated by ICS and IFN‐γ levels by QTF‐CMV at months 3 (rho: 0.493; p = 0.005) and 4 (rho: 0.440; p = 0.077). The auROCs for CMV‐specific CD4+ and CD8+ T‐cells by ICS were nonsignificantly higher than that of QTF‐CMV (0.696 and 0.733 vs. 0.678; p = 0.900 and 0.692, respectively). The optimal cut‐off of ≥0.395 CMV‐specific CD8+ T‐cells yielded a sensitivity of 86.4%, specificity of 54.6%, positive predictive value of 79.2% and negative predictive value of 66.7% to predict protection. The corresponding estimates for QTF‐CMV (IFN‐γ levels ≥0.2 IU/mL) were 78.9%, 37.5%, 75.0%, and 42.9%, respectively. The enumeration of CMV‐specific IFN‐γ‐producing CD8+ T‐cells at the time of cessation of prophylaxis performed slightly better than the QTF‐CMV assay to predict immune protection in seropositive KT recipients previously treated with ATG.
Adjunctive effects of photodynamic therapy using indocyanine green in residual pockets during periodontal maintenance therapy: A split‐mouth randomized controlled trial
Authors: Costa Fernando Oliveira , Esteves Lima Rafael Paschoal , Costa Adriana Moreira , Costa Amanda Almeida , Mattos Pereira Gustavo Henrique , Cortelli Sheila Cavalca , Cortelli José Roberto , Magalhães Cyrino Renata , Aparecida Silva Tarcília , Miranda Cota Luís Otávio 
Published: April 2023

AbstractBackgroundProspective studies have reported conflicting results regarding the adjunctive effect of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) on clinical and microbiological parameters in individuals under periodontal maintenance therapy (PMT). This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and microbiological adjunctive effects of aPDT using indocyanine green (ICG) in residual sites with probing depth (PD) ≥5 mm during PMT in comparison with scaling and root planing (SRP) alone.MethodsA split‐mouth randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted with 24 individuals in a PMT program. Contralateral quadrants with eligible residual sites were randomly assigned to either SRP + aPDT (test group) or SRP alone (control). aPDT included ICG dye and diode laser (909 nm) performed together with SRP and repeated 15 days after. Periodontal clinical parameters, periodontal inflamed surface area (PISA) index, and subgingival biofilm samples were collected at baseline (T1), 3 (T2), and 6 months later (T3). Microbiological analyses were performed by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction.ResultsSignificant improvements were observed in all clinical and microbiological parameters in both groups from T1 to T3. However, no significant differences were observed regarding plaque index, PD, and clinical attachment level. Test group showed significantly greater reductions in bleeding on probing (BOP), PISA index, and Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans levels, when compared with controls.ConclusionsBoth treatments resulted in significant clinical periodontal improvements, but with no significant differences between groups except from inflammation parameters. aPDT using ICG resulted in significant reductions in BOP and PISA index, as well as in P. gingivalis and A. actinomycetemcomitans levels.
The role of air quality for reaching tourism environmental sustainability: A segmentation approach based on visitors' pro‐environmental behaviors
Authors: Eusébio Celeste , Rodrigues Vitor , Carneiro Maria João , Madaleno Mara , Robaina Margarita , Monteiro Alexandra 
Published: April 2023

AbstractDue to the growing awareness concerning environmental problems, specifically air pollution, it is crucial to understand the relationship between perceptions of air quality and the pro‐environmental behaviors of visitors. This study segments visitors based on self‐reported pro‐environmental behaviors. A survey was carried out in Portugal (N = 602). Three clusters with different pro‐environmental profiles emerged: eco‐transportation seekers; environmentally committed visitors; and environmentally insensitive visitors. Differences were detected among the clusters regarding pro‐environmental behaviors at home, environmental attitudes, perception of the destination air quality, and perception of the impact of air quality on health, as well as sociodemographic and travel characteristics.
Exploration of anti‐leukemic effect of soft coral‐derived 13‐acetoxysarcocrassolide: Induction of apoptosis via oxidative stress as a potent inhibitor of heat shock protein 90 and topoisomerase II
Authors: Chin Hsien‐Kuo , Lu Mei‐Chin , Hsu Kai‐Cheng , El‐Shazly Mohamed , Tsai Tsen‐Ni , Lin Tzu‐Yung , Shih Shou‐Ping , Lin Tony Eight , Wen Zhi‐Hong , Yang Yu‐Chen S. H. , Liu Yi‐Chang 
Published: April 2023

Abstract13‐Acetoxysarcocrassolide (13‐AC) is a marine cembranoid derived from the aquaculture soft coral of Lobophytum crassum. The cytotoxic effect of 13‐AC against leukemia cells was previously reported but its mechanism of action is still unexplored. In the current study, we showed that 13‐AC induced apoptosis of human acute lymphoblastic leukemia Molt4 cells, as evidenced by the cleavage of PARP and caspases, phosphatidylserine externalization, as well as the disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential. The use of N‐acetylcysteine (NAC), a reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger, attenuated the cytotoxic effect induced by 13‐AC. Molecular docking and thermal shift assay indicated that the cytotoxic mechanism of action of 13‐AC involved the inhibition of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp 90) activity by eliciting the level of Hsp 70 and topoisomerase IIα in Molt4 cells. 13‐AC also exhibited potent antitumor activity by reducing the tumor volume (48.3%) and weight (72.5%) in the in vivo Molt4 xenograft mice model. Our findings suggested that the marine cembranoid, 13‐AC, acted as a dual inhibitor of Hsp 90 and topoisomerase IIα, exerting more potent apoptotic activity via the enhancement of ROS generation.
lncRNA NEAT1 mediates LPS‐induced pyroptosis of BEAS‐2B cells via targeting miR‐26a‐5p/ROCK1 axis
Authors: Fan Xiu‐Ying , Ma Zhong‐Xu , Tang Li‐Bin , Shen Han‐Zhang , Qi Fei , Xia Jia‐Wei 
Published: April 2023

AbstractAcute lung injury (ALI) is an adverse disease of the respiratory system, and one of its prevalent causes is sepsis induction. Cell pyroptosis facilitates the progression of ALI and lncRNAs play critical roles in ALI. Thus, this research seeks to investigate the specific mechanism of NEAT1 in sepsis‐ALI.BEAS‐2B cells were exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to construct a cell model of sepsis‐induced ALI. The gene and protein expression were assessed using qRT‐PCR and western blot. Cell viability was identified by CCK‐8. Cell death was discovered using PI staining. The secretion of IL‐1β and IL‐18 was examined using ELISA. The interconnections among NEAT1, miR‐26a‐5p, and ROCK1 were confirmed using starbase, luciferase assay, and RIP.LPS treatment augmented NEAT1 and ROCK1 levels while mitigating miR‐26a‐5p level in BEAS‐2B cells. Additionally, LPS treatment facilitated cell death and cell pyroptosis, whereas NEAT1 silencing could reverse these effects in BEAS‐2B cells. Mechanistically, NEAT1 positively mediated ROCK1 expression by targeting miR‐26a‐5p. Furthermore, miR‐26a‐5p inhibitor offset NEAT1 depletion‐mediated suppressive effects on cell death and cell pyroptosis. ROCK1 upregulation decreased the inhibitory impacts produced by miR‐26a‐5p overexpression on cell death and cell pyroptosis. Our outcomes demonstrated NEAT1 could reinforce LPS‐induced cell death and cell pyroptosis by repressing the miR‐26a‐5p/ROCK1 axis, thereby worsening ALI caused by sepsis. Our data indicated NEAT1, miR‐26a‐5p, and ROCK1 might be biomarkers and target genes for relieving sepsis‐induced ALI.
All‐Optical Parametric‐Assisted Oversampling and Decimation for Signal Denoising Amplification
Authors: Fernandez Manuel P. , Kaushal Saket , Crockett Benjamin , Bulus‐Rossini Laureano A. , Costanzo‐Caso Pablo A. , Azaña José 
Published: April 2023

AbstractDecimation is a common process in digital signal processing that involves reducing the sampling rate of an oversampled signal by linearly combining consecutive samples. Among other applications, this process represents a simple means to mitigate noise content in the digital signal. In this work, a novel optical signal processing concept inspired by these operations is proposed, which is called Parametric‐assisted Oversampling and Decimation (POD). By using a simple all‐fiber setup, the POD processor first realizes an ultra‐fast parametric oversampling of the incoming temporal signal (at >100 Gigasamples per second), a process that is followed by a decimation that reduces the sampling rate by any user‐defined factor in a lossless manner. In this way, the POD delivers an amplified sampled copy of the optical signal, where the peak‐to‐peak gain results from the combination of parametric amplification and a “passive” amplification equal to the decimation factor. In this report, joint parametric and passive amplification by a factor ≈50 on GHz‐bandwidth signals is demonstrated. Furthermore, it is shown that the decimation process can effectively mitigate effects of narrowband noise, outperforming traditional optical and digital filtering techniques. By experimentally achieving ultra‐high decimation factors (>750), narrowband (MHz‐bandwidth) optical waveformsthat are lost in a much stronger noise background are recovered.
Stability conditions on Kuznetsov components of Gushel–Mukai threefolds and Serre functor
Authors: Pertusi Laura , Robinett Ethan 
Published: April 2023

AbstractWe show that the stability conditions on the Kuznetsov component of a Gushel–Mukai threefold, constructed by Bayer, Lahoz, Macrì and Stellari, are preserved by the Serre functor, up to the action of the universal cover of . As application, we construct stability conditions on the Kuznetsov component of special Gushel–Mukai fourfolds.
Singular rational curves on elliptic K3 surfaces
Authors: Baltes Jonas 
Published: April 2023

AbstractWe show that on every elliptic K3 surface there are rational curves such that , that is, of unbounded arithmetic genus. Moreover, we show that the union of the lifts of these curves to is dense in the Zariski topology. As an application, we give a simple proof of a theorem of Kobayashi in the elliptic case, that is, there are no globally defined symmetric differential forms.
An Efficient Method to Generate Dense Amorphous Structures for Molecular Simulation of Vinyl Polymers
Authors: Wichai Kamonthira , Sukhonthamethirat Natchamon , Kusinram Chidapha , Vao‐soongnern Visit 
Published: April 2023

AbstractAn efficient technique to construct dense amorphous polymers at the bulk density is illustrated for two vinyl polymers, i.e., PVX, –[CH2–CH(X)]–. Bulk amorphous polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) structures are generated starting from coarse‐graining polymer chains and are mapped onto the second nearest neighbor diamond (2nnd) lattice. PVX are represented by the rotational isomeric state (RIS) model and non‐bonded interactions are treated by the Lennard–Jones (LJ) potential function. Lattice Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is utilized to equilibrate coarse‐grained (C) PVX and the fully atomistic models can be recovered by the reverse‐mapping procedure to restore the missing atoms. After geometry optimization, chain and material properties of bulk PVX structure are computed to validate the atomistic models including conformational characteristics, Hildebrand solubility parameter, pair correlation function, and scattering structure factor.