bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fluctuating asymmetry in third molar agenesis as an aid to estimate socioeconomic status
Authors: Dinis Ana Rita , Teixeira Alexandra , Pérez-Mongiovi Daniel , Caldas Inês Morais 
Published: September 2023

AbstractTraditionally, dental identification techniques are used to establish identity or assist in reconstructing an individual's biological profile. However, other aspects of identity, namely socioeconomic status (SES), can be estimated through teeth. This work aims to evaluate the influence of SES on third molar agenesis in a Portuguese population. X-rays from 448 subjects (223 belonging to a high and 225 to a low socioeconomic status) were assessed and demographic data (age, sex) and dental history were registered. Frequencies and associations between the variables were analyzed using the chi-square test. For each group, differences between third molar agenesis were studied using the Wilcoxon test. The significance level was 5%. X-rays displaying at least one agenesis were more common in females (in both SES groups). Differences between socioeconomic status were found in female subjects' upper right and lower left third molars, with a higher frequency of agenesis in the lower SES group. Agenesis of lower third molars displayed fluctuant asymmetry in both groups, whereas agenesis of upper third molars was also present in the lower SES group. These results suggest that socioeconomic status can affect third molar agenesis prevalence, and fluctuant asymmetry seems more prevalent in the lower SES, as it affects all third molars.
Honor in the Wild
Authors: Windzio Michael , Baier Dirk 
Published: September 2023

Abstract“Culture of honor” means that individuals deter others by signaling their commitment to violent retaliation. We develop a multilevel explanation of cross-level interdependence of honor and violence. According to our concept of system-level honor, a social system is loaded with deterrence signaling if culture of honor is highly prevalent in the system. In line with the Smith and Price (1973, in Nature,https://www.nature.com/articles/246015a0) model, we argue that high system-level honor discourages Prober-Retaliator behavior: some individuals might tend to challenge others they assume to be inferior to increase their own reputation. Both individual culture of honor and system-level honor contribute to an increase in violence (H1; H2). However, as system-level honor and deterrence become more prevalent, the impact of individual honor diminishes because engaging in violent behavior becomes increasingly expensive within such a system (H3). As a second contextual effect, inequality in culture of honor should therefore increase violent behavior because it encourages Prober-Retaliator behavior (H4). We analyze the effect of culture of honor on school violence among 15-year-old adolescents. Disentangling the micro- and context-level effects of culture of honor on violent behavior in a multilevel analysis framework allows the estimation of a cross-level interaction using a large data set from more than 25,000 adolescents in more than 1,300 schoolroom contexts. Results are in line with our H3, but not with H4. Model-based predictions show that the deterrent effect must be unrealistically high to generate an equilibrium of average violence.
Noninvasive Electrical Mapping Compared with the Paced QRS Complex for Optimizing CRT Programmed Settings and Predicting Multidimensional Response
Authors: Morales Frances L. , Bivona Derek J. , Abdi Mohamad , Malhotra Rohit , Monfredi Oliver , Darby Andrew , Mason Pamela K. , Mangrum J. Michael , Mazimba Sula , Stadler Robert W. , Epstein Frederick H. , Bilchick Kenneth C. , Oomen Pim J. A. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe aim was to test the hypothesis that left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) activation from body surface electrical mapping (CardioInsight 252-electrode vest, Medtronic) identifies optimal cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) pacing strategies and outcomes in 30 patients. The LV80, RV80, and BIV80 were defined as the times to 80% LV, RV, or biventricular electrical activation. Smaller differences in the LV80 and RV80 (|LV80-RV80|) with synchronized LV pacing predicted better LV function post-CRT (p = 0.0004) than the LV-paced QRS duration (p = 0.32). Likewise, a lower RV80 was associated with a better pre-CRT RV ejection fraction by CMR (r =  − 0.40, p = 0.04) and predicted post-CRT improvements in myocardial oxygen uptake (p = 0.01) better than the biventricular-paced QRS (p = 0.38), while a lower LV80 with BIV pacing predicted lower post-CRT B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) (p = 0.02). RV pacing improved LV function with smaller |LV80-RV80| (p = 0.009). In conclusion, 3-D electrical mapping predicted favorable post-CRT outcomes and informed effective pacing strategies.
Graphical Abstract
Design and Development of a Technological Platform Based on a Sensorized Social Robot for Supporting Older Adults and Caregivers: GUARDIAN Ecosystem
Authors: Ciuffreda Ilaria , Amabili Giulio , Casaccia Sara , Benadduci Marco , Margaritini Arianna , Maranesi Elvira , Marconi Fabrizio , De Masi Alexander , Alberts Janna , de Koning Judith , Cuijpers Raymond , Revel Gian Marco , Nap Henk Herman , Vastenburg Martijn , Naveira Alexandra Villaverde , Bevilacqua Roberta 
Published: September 2023

AbstractIn this paper, a new ecosystem to support older adults and their caregivers in an indoor living environment is proposed. The GUARDIAN ecosystem is designed to address the different needs of end users in different countries. The ecosystem consists of a socially assistive robot (SAR), including sensors, and two mobile applications (one for caregivers and one for the older user). Starting from a user-centred and value-sensitive co-design approach, three key user requirements have been identified: monitoring, reminding, and social companionship. User requirements were translated into technical requirements to develop a flexible system architecture. Usability tests were performed to verify the satisfaction level about the GUARDIAN concept. User tests were carried out in three different countries involving 13 older adults, 14 informal carers and 15 formal carers showing that the proposed ecosystem satisfies the user requirements. These results confirm the feasibility of the application of the GUARDIAN ecosystem in living indoor environments.
Re-considering the Role of Sleep Hygiene Behaviours in Sleep: Associations Between Sleep Hygiene, Perceptions and Sleep
Authors: McAlpine Thomas , Mullan Barbara , Clarke Patrick J. F. 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
Background
Sleep hygiene behaviours are a suggested set of behaviours people can engage in to improve sleep. However, there are numerous issues relating to the measurement of sleep hygiene, primarily, the lack of consensus as to which behaviours impact sleep and should therefore be included in scales.

Method
Cross-sectional correlational methods were used to assess the association between sleep quality, a highly inclusive range of sleep hygiene behaviours, and individual perceptions of those behaviours in a non-clinical sample of 300 participants.

Results
Of the 35 sleep hygiene behaviours assessed, 18 were independently associated with sleep quality. Post-hoc factor analysis revealed that behaviours clustered together across four factors. A ‘routine’ factor included behaviours such as going to bed and waking up at the same time each night, and were important predictors of sleep quality, as were behaviours belonging to the ‘perseverative cognition’ and ‘negative emotionality’ factor. Other behaviours related to physiological processes like exposure to sunlight during the day and going to bed hungry were also significantly associated with sleep. Negative perceptions moderated the relationship between daytime exposure to sunlight and sleep.

Conclusions
Although certain behaviours were significantly related to sleep, almost half were not, supporting the need to examine the association between sleep and behaviours used for sleep hygiene recommendations more critically. Reframing sleep hygiene recommendations into a condensed set of shared underlying mechanisms may be of benefit for the development of sleep hygiene scales and interventions in non-clinical populations.
Use of light-weight foaming polylactic acid as a lung-equivalent material in 3D printed phantoms
Authors: Crowe Scott , Maxwell Sarah , Brar Harsimran , Yu Liting , Kairn Tanya 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe 3D printing of lung-equivalent phantoms using conventional polylactic acid (PLA) filaments requires the use of low in-fill printing densities, which can produce substantial density heterogeneities from the air gaps within the resulting prints. Light-weight foaming PLA filaments produce microscopic air bubbles when heated to 3D printing temperatures. In this study, the expansion of foaming PLA filament was characterised for two 3D printers with different nozzle diameters, in order to optimise the printing flow rates required to achieve a low density print when printed at 100% in-fill printing density, without noticeable internal air gaps. Effective densities as low as 0.28 g cm− 3 were shown to be achievable with only microscopic air gaps. Light-weight foaming PLA filaments are a cost-effective method for achieving homogeneous lung-equivalency in 3D printed phantoms for use in radiotherapy imaging and dosimetry, featuring smaller air gaps than required to achieve low densities with conventional PLA filaments.
Advantage of ostarine over raloxifene and their combined treatments for muscle of estrogen-deficient rats
Authors: Roch P. J. , Noisser L. , Böker K. O. , Hoffmann D. B. , Schilling A. F. , Sehmisch S. , Komrakova M. 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
Purpose
Selective androgen (ostarine, OST) and estrogen (raloxifene, RAL) receptor modulators with improved tissue selectivity have been developed as alternatives to hormone replacement therapy. We investigated the combined effects of OST and RAL on muscle tissue in an estrogen-deficient rat model of postmenopausal conditions.

Methods
Three-month-old Sprague Dawley rats were divided into groups: (1) untreated non-ovariectomized rats (Non-OVX), (2) untreated ovariectomized rats (OVX), (3) OVX rats treated with OST, (4) OVX rats treated with RAL, (5) OVX rats treated with OST and RAL. Both compounds were administered in the diet. The average dose received was 0.6 ± 0.1 mg for OST and 11.1 ± 1.2 mg for RAL per kg body weight/day. After thirteen weeks, rat activity, muscle weight, structure, gene expression, and serum markers were analyzed.

Results
OST increased muscle weight, capillary ratio, insulin-like growth factor 1 (Igf-1) expression, serum phosphorus, uterine weight. RAL decreased muscle weight, capillary ratio, food intake, serum calcium and increased Igf-1 and Myostatin expression, serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). OST + RAL increased muscle nucleus ratio, uterine weight, serum phosphorus, FSH and luteinizing hormone and decreased body and muscle weight, serum calcium. Neither treatment changed muscle fiber size. OVX increased body and muscle weight, decreased uterine weight, serum calcium and magnesium.

Conclusion
OST had beneficial effects on muscle in OVX rats. Side effects of OST on the uterus and serum electrolytes should be considered before using it for therapeutic purposes. RAL and RAL + OST had less effect on muscle and showed endocrinological side effects on pituitary–gonadal axis.
Medical Students’ Opinion of Their Learning Process
Authors: Montané Eva , Vilaplana Cristina , Riera Joan , Pujol Marina , Méndez Maria , Mas Albert , Vara Angel , Parés David 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
Introduction
The opinion of students is of utmost importance to identify areas of improvement in undergraduate studies. Medical schools would use this information to plan actions to ensure that the students achieve the necessary medical knowledge. The aim of this study was to analyse the opinion of medical students about their learning process and to analyse the influence of their experience according to their year of medical degree.

Methods
A questionnaire including 21 items, divided into four sections (motivation, theory lectures, hospital internships, and research) and two overall questions, was distributed among eligible 246 students. Each item was scored from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The opinions of intermediate-year students of medical degree (3rd and 4th) were compared to late-year students (5th and 6th).

Results
A total of 148 students answered the questionnaire (60.2% response rate). The mean scores for overall student motivation and teaching quality were 6.15 and 7.10, respectively. The student–teacher interaction and new learning technological tools were considered important for student motivation. The only differences found between the two groups of students were that late-year students wished to become part of a medical team and to learn writing scientific papers more than the intermediate-year students.

Conclusions
This questionnaire revealed that the year of career had little influence on the medical students’ opinion on their learning process during their undergraduate studies. Late-year students rated highest on being more interested in being part of a medical team and their knowledge on writing scientific articles. The use of new technologies and the student–teacher interaction is key to motivate students.
Numerical investigation on blast-induced rock fragmentation with different stemming structures
Authors: Li Xudong , Liu Kewei , Sha Yanyan , Yang Jiacai , Hong Zhixian 
Published: September 2023

AbstractStemming is one of the main concerns in blast of rock engineering due to its impact on explosion energy consumption and rock excavation performance. In this study, blast-induced rock fragmentation under different stemming conditions is numerically studied using combined numerical modelling and image processing. After careful determination the parameters of constitutive material models, the developed numerical model in LS-DYNA is verified based on the blast testing results including rock fracturing and fragment size distribution (FSD). The calibrated constitutive models are then used to model the pressure variation and rock disintegration produced by blasting with different stemming structures. The size data of simulated rock fragmentation are obtained by image-processing the cut surfaces of the numerical model with the program ImageJ, and the blast-created rock FSD is characterized using a three-parameter generalized extreme value function. The effects of the combination of explosive, air/sand deck and stemming on blast-induced rock fragmentation are quantitatively analysed, considering various stemming modes, stemming lengths and air/sand deck lengths. The results show that the blast-created fragment size decreases with an increase in stemming length, a decreasing in air/sand deck length, replacement of top stemming (stemming at borehole collar with air deck) with bottom stemming (stemming directly contact explosive) and alteration of air deck to sand deck, while the FSD range exhibits the opposite tendency. Bottom stemming is recommended for practical blasting due to its efficiency in rock fragmentation and robustness with respect to stemming length.
The use of N-of-1 trials to generate real-world evidence for optimal treatment of individuals and populations
Authors: Selker Harry P. , Dulko Dorothy , Greenblatt David J. , Palm Marisha , Trinquart Ludovic 
Published: September 2023

Abstract

Introduction:
Ideally, real-world data (RWD) collected to generate real-world evidence (RWE) should lead to impact on the care and health of real-world patients. Deriving from care in which clinicians and patients try various treatments to inform therapeutic decisions, N-of-1 trials bring scientific methods to real-world practice.

Methods:
These single-patient crossover trials generate RWD and RWE by giving individual patients various treatments in a double-blinded way in sequential periods to determine the most effective treatment for a given patient.

Results:
This approach is most often used for patients with chronic, relatively stable conditions that provide the opportunity to make comparisons over multiple treatment periods, termed Type 1 N-of-1 trials. These are most helpful when there is heterogeneity of treatment effects among patients and no a priori best option. N-of-1 trials also can be done for patients with rare diseases, potentially testing only one treatment, to generate evidence for personalized treatment decisions, designated as Type 2 N-of-1 trials. With both types, in addition to informing individual’s treatments, when uniform protocols are used for multiple patients with the same condition, the data collected in the individual N-of-1 trials can be aggregated to provide RWD/RWE to inform more general use of the treatments. Thereby, N-of-1 trials can provide RWE for the care of individuals and for populations.

Conclusions:
To fulfill this potential, we believe N-of-1 trials should be built into our current healthcare ecosystem. To this end, we are building the needed infrastructure and engaging the stakeholders who should receive value from this approach.
Efficacy of vitamin D2 in maintaining serum total vitamin D concentrations and bone mineralisation in adult dogs fed a plant-based (vegan) diet in a 3-month randomised trial
Authors: Dodd Sarah A. S. , Adolphe Jennifer , Dewey Cate , Khosa Deep , Abood Sarah K. , Verbrugghe Adronie 
Published: September 2023

AbstractDogs are considered omnivores based on their evolution consuming diets including animal tissue. Few feeding trials evaluating the nutritional suitability of exclusively plant-based (vegan) diets in dogs have been published, and the efficacy of vitamin D2 in maintaining canine serum vitamin D levels has not been clearly determined. A blinded dietary trial included sixty-one healthy desexed adult dogs: thirty-one fed an experimental extruded vegan diet (PLANT) and thirty fed a commercial extruded meat-based diet (MEAT) for 3 months. Dogs were screened via veterinary examination and routine laboratory analyses prior to enrolment, at baseline and exit timepoints. Body composition was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and blood was collected for vitamin D profiling. All dogs maintained health parameters, body weight and composition throughout the study. Dogs maintained on PLANT demonstrated a significant reduction in platelet count, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen and cholesterol, though values remained within normal reference ranges. Dogs fed PLANT also demonstrated a shift from vitamin D3 to vitamin D2 metabolites, though total vitamin D analogue levels were unchanged, with the exception of 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. Bone mineral content and density did not differ from baseline values. Health status was maintained in dogs fed PLANT and vitamin D2 appeared efficacious in maintaining serum total vitamin D concentrations and bone mineralisation. Findings support the hypothesis that PLANT was comparable to MEAT for maintenance of healthy adult dogs for at least 3 months and identified areas where further research is warranted to elucidate the potential risks and benefits of plant-based (vegan) diets.
Trajectories of crop–livestock integration in the context of specialization in Northwest Vietnam
Authors: Le Trouher Alice , Moulin Charles-Henri , Huyen Le Thi Thanh , Blanchard Mélanie 
Published: September 2023

AbstractMixed crop–livestock systems, the world's most widespread farming systems, promote farm resilience through diversification and allow for crop–livestock integration (CLI). Intensification and specialization challenge these systems. In Northwest Vietnam, the standard farm model is based on mixed crop–livestock family farms but is shifting towards more specialized farming systems. The aim of the current study was to identify the new balance between livestock and crops on farms in Northwest Vietnam and to examine the effects of specialization on CLI practices and production system intensification by identifying current CLI practices and performing a retrospective analysis of changes in these practices. One hundred farms were surveyed and 24 interviews on farm trajectories were conducted in Dien Bien district (Dien Bien province) between January and April 2022. Based on the level of CLI and farm diversification, seven types of farms were identified and classified into three categories: (B) mixed farms, (A) farms specializing in livestock and (C) farms specializing in crops. The study of farm trajectories revealed three main changes: the conversion of mixed crop–livestock farms into more specialized crop systems, a change from mixed crop–livestock to more specialized family livestock farms and a change in the management of large ruminant herds and their feed system from free grazing to forage-fed systems. Understanding these changes will help identify drivers and potential constraints to the development of new practices for the integration of crop and livestock farming.
A first genome survey sequencing of alvinocaridid shrimp Shinkaicaris leurokolos in deep-sea hydrothermal vent environment
Authors: Wang Aiyang , Cheng Jiao , Xin Qian , Sha Zhongli , Hui Min 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
The alvinocaridid shrimp Shinkaicaris leurokolos Kikuchi and Hashimoto, 2000, is an evolutionarily important deep-sea species in hydrothermal vents of north-western Pacific. A genome survey of S. leurokolos was carried out in order to provide a foundation for its whole-genome sequencing. A total of 599 Gb high-quality sequence data were obtained in the study, representing approximately 118× coverage of the S. leurokolos genome. According to the 17-mer distribution frequency, the estimated genome size was 5.08 Gb, and its heterozygosity ratio and percentage of repeated sequences were 2.85 and 87.03%, respectively, showing a complex genome. The final scaffold assembly accounted for a total size of 9.53 Gb (32,796,062 scaffolds, N50 = 597 bp). Repetitive elements nearly constituted 45% of the nuclear genome, among which the most ubiquitous were long interspersed nuclear elements, DNA transposons and long-terminal repeat elements. A total of 12,121,553 genomic simple sequence repeats were identified, with the most frequent repeat motif being di-nucleotide (70.27%), followed by tri-nucleotide and tetra-nucleotide. From the genome survey sequences, the mitochondrial genome of S. leurokolos was also constructed and 71 single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified by comparison with previous published reference. This is the first report of de novo whole-genome sequencing and assembly of S. leurokolos. These newly developed genomic data contribute to a better understanding of genomic characteristics of shrimps from deep-sea chemosynthetic ecosystems, and provides valuable resources for further molecular marker development.
On the origins and emergence of the Qaŋlï Turks
Authors: Erkoç Hayrettin İhsan 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe Qaŋlï (Qangli) Turks were a numerous people, active in Eurasia in the twelfth to thirteenth centuries, but their ultimate origins remain a matter of debate. Often considered by modern scholars to be a part of the Kipchaks (Cumans), others have different opinions. One of these links them to cart-riding early medieval Turkic tribes called Tägräks, known in Chinese sources as Tiele 鐵勒, among other forms. This article examines the earliest possible (eighth-century) references to the Qaŋlïs in the historical sources, and points to the potential links between them and various tribes seen among Turko-Mongol groupings of the ninth to tenth centuries mentioned in the Chinese sources, such as the Black Carts (Heichezi 黑車子). Another aspect that this article focuses on is how both historical and mythological texts of the Mongol period show the Qaŋlïs to be a people distinct from the Kipchaks. Ultimately, this study, which is based on both historical sources and modern research, proposes to locate the origins of the Qaŋlï Turks among Tägräk tribes.