bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Syndecan-4 Functionalization Reduces the Thrombogenicity of Engineered Vascular Biomaterials
Authors: Wu Yidi , Wagner William D. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractBlood–biomaterial compatibility is essential for tissue repair especially for endovascular biomaterials where small-diameter vessel patency and endothelium formation is crucial. To address this issue, a composite biomaterial termed PFC fabricated from poly (glycerol sebacate), silk fibroin, and collagen was used to determine if functionalization with syndecan-4 (SYN4) would reduce thrombogenesis through the action of heparan sulfate. The material termed, PFC_SYN4, has structure and composition similar to native arterial tissue and has been reported to facilitate the binding and differentiation of endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs). In this study, the hemocompatibility of PFC_SYN4 was evaluated and compared with non-functionalized PFC, electrospun collagen, ePTFE, and bovine pericardial patch (BPV). Ultrastructurally, platelets were less activated when cultured on PFC and PFC_SYN4 compared to collagen where extensive platelet degranulation was observed. Quantitatively, 31% and 44% fewer platelets adhered to PFC_SYN4 compared to non-functionalized PFC and collagen, respectively. Functionalization of PFC resulted in reduced levels of complement activation compared to PFC, collagen, and BPV. Whole blood clotting times indicated that PFC_SYN4 was less thrombogenic compared with PFC, collagen, and BPV. These results suggest that syndecan-4 functionalization of blood-contacting biomaterials provides a novel solution for generating a reduced thrombogenic surface.
Identification of IPT9 in Brachiaria brizantha (syn. Urochloa brizantha) and expression analyses during ovule development in sexual and apomictic plants
Authors: Ferreira Luciana G. , Dusi Diva M. A. , Irsigler André S. T. , Gomes Ana C. M. M. , Florentino Lilian H. , Mendes Marta A. , Colombo Lucia , Carneiro Vera T. C. 
Published: April 2023

Abstract
Background
In Brachiaria sexual reproduction, during ovule development, a nucellar cell differentiates into a megaspore mother cell (MMC) that, through meiosis and mitosis, gives rise to a reduced embryo sac. In aposporic apomictic Brachiaria, next to the MMC, other nucellar cells differentiate into aposporic initials that enter mitosis directly forming an unreduced embryo sac. The IPT (isopentenyltransferase) family comprises key genes in the cytokinin (CK) pathway which are expressed in Arabidopsis during ovule development. BbrizIPT9, a B. brizantha (syn. Urochloa brizantha) IPT9 gene, highly similar to genes of other Poaceae plants, also shows similarity with Arabidopsis IPT9, AtIPT9. In this work, we aimed to investigate association of BbrizIPT9 with ovule development in sexual and apomictic plants.

Methods and results
RT-qPCR showed higher BbrizIPT9 expression in the ovaries of sexual than in the apomictic B. brizantha. Results of in-situ hybridization showed strong signal of BbrizIPT9 in the MMC of both plants, at the onset of megasporogenesis. By analyzing AtIPT9 knockdown mutants, we verified enlarged nucellar cell, next to the MMC, in a percentage significantly higher than in the wild type, suggesting that knockout of AtIPT9 gene triggered the differentiation of extra MMC-like cells.

Conclusions
Our results indicate that AtIPT9 might be involved in the proper differentiation of a single MMC during ovule development. The expression of a BbrizIPT9, localized in male and female sporocytes, and lower in apomicts than in sexuals, and effect of IPT9 knockout in Arabidopsis, suggest involvement of IPT9 in early ovule development.
Closing Argument as Multimodal Oratory: Insights from the Chauvin Trial
Authors: Szczyrbak Magdalena 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThe paper examines selected aspects of the defence closing argument in a highly publicised criminal trial to illustrate the orchestration of various semiotic resources in legal persuasion and to explain their role in the creation of meaning. The study demonstrates that closing arguments are multimodal performances whose persuasiveness results from the combination of modes (speech, image, video, gaze, gesture, posture, proxemics) which contextualise and strengthen one another, rather than language alone. Drawing on earlier research into multimodality, courtroom rhetoric and proximity in disciplinary genres, the analysis centres on the ways in which the defence counsel controls the rhetorical features of his narrative and constructs himself and the audience as people with similar understandings and goals. The study specifically demonstrates how the counsel constructs the proximity of commitment, the proximity of membership and the proximity of experience. It explores such facets of proximity as: organisation, argument structure, credibility, stance and engagement, and identifies key rhetorical strategies used to achieve the intended communicative effect. The analysis clearly shows that the persuasiveness of the counsel’s performance depends on the synchronisation of a range of meaning-making resources, which, if used in isolation, would result in a much less engaging argument.
The retrieval of food hoarded by red squirrels inhabiting an urban park
Authors: Brzeziński Marcin , Zalewski Andrzej 
Published: April 2023

AbstractFood hoarding is a useful evolutionary adaptation which strongly affects animal fitness. However, its effectiveness depends on the trade-off between costs of gathering supplies and the benefits of using them by a hoarder when other food is hardly available. A field experiment conducted between November and April in a large urban park in Warsaw (Poland) showed that the survival rate of hazelnuts Corylus avellana hoarded by red squirrels Sciurus vulgaris was very low – about half of nuts disappeared from caches within one day, and after 50 days the probability of nut survival was 0.01. The survival rate of hazelnuts cached by squirrels was lower than these hidden in control caches. This difference suggests that squirrel-made caches were recovered by caching individuals and/or robbed by pilferers, both conspecific and heterospecific, more successfully than man-made caches. Moreover, survival rates of nuts deployed in control caches in clumps of trees were lower than in the open space areas avoided by squirrels. The probability of nut survival in a squirrel cache and in the control cache increased with the increasing proportion of days with frost as frozen soil limit squirrel access to cached nuts. The probability of nut survival in a squirrel cache and in control cache in the clumps of trees increased over the study period. We discuss whether food hoarding in the environmental conditions of an urban park where animals are oversupplied with food by humans is beneficial for squirrels or if it is an unimportant imprinted behaviour which does not increase their fitness.
Self-Legislation and the Apriority of the Moral Law
Authors: Kleingeld Pauline 
Published: April 2023

AbstractMarcus Willaschek and I have argued against the widespread assumption that Kant claims the Moral Law—the supreme principle of morality—is (or must be regarded as) ‘self-legislated’. We argue that Kant instead describes the Moral Law as an a priori principle of the will. We also argue that his conception of autonomy concerns not the Moral Law but substantive moral laws such as the law that requires promoting the happiness of others. In the present essay, I respond to the commentary by Alyssa Bernstein and Christoph Hanisch. In response to Bernstein, I clarify the relation between our interpretation of Kant and those proposed by John Rawls and Allen Wood. In response to Hanisch, I argue, among other things, that Kant’s defense of the thesis that the Moral Law is an a priori principle of pure practical reason does not mean that practical reasoning and reasons-based action are impossible without it. It means rather that morally good and morally evil reasons-based action are impossible without it.
Robotic versus freehand CT-guided radiofrequency ablation of pulmonary metastases: a comparative cohort study
Authors: Johnston Edward W. , Basso Jodie , Silva Francisca , Haris Arafat , Jones Robin L. , Khan Nasir , Lawrence Helen , Mathiszig-Lee Jakob , McCall James , Cunningham David C. , Fotiadis Nicos 
Published: April 2023

Abstract
Purpose
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a curative treatment option for small lung metastases, which conventionally involves multiple freehand manipulations until the treating electrode is satisfactorily positioned. Stereotactic and robotic guidance has been gaining popularity for liver ablation, although has not been established in lung ablation. The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility, safety, and accuracy of robotic RFA for pulmonary metastases, and compare procedures with a conventional freehand cohort.

Methods
A single center study with prospective robotic cohort, and retrospective freehand cohort. RFA was performed under general anesthesia using high frequency jet ventilation and CT guidance. Main outcomes were (i) feasibility/technical success (ii) safety using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (iii) targeting accuracy (iv) number of needle manipulations for satisfactory ablation. Robotic and freehand cohorts were compared using Mann–Whitney U tests for continuous variables, and Fisher’s exact for categorical variables.

Results
Thirty-nine patients (mean age 65 ± 13 years, 20 men) underwent ablation of 44 pulmonary metastases at single specialist cancer center between July 2019 and August 2022. 20 consecutive participants underwent robotic ablation, and 20 consecutive patients underwent freehand ablation. All 20/20 (100%) robotic procedures were technically successful, and none were converted to freehand procedures. There were 6/20 (30%) adverse events in the robotic cohort, and 15/20 (75%) in the freehand cohort (P = 0.01). Robotic placement was highly accurate with 6 mm tip-to-target distance (range 0–14 mm) despite out-of-plane approaches, with fewer manipulations than freehand placement (median 0 vs. 4.5 manipulations, P < 0.001 and 7/22, 32% vs. 22/22, 100%, P < 0.001).

Conclusions
Robotic radiofrequency ablation of pulmonary metastases with general anesthesia and high frequency jet ventilation is feasible and safe. Targeting accuracy is high, and fewer needle/electrode manipulations are required to achieve a satisfactory position for ablation than freehand placement, with early indications of reduced complications.
The need of radiotherapy optimization for glioblastomas considering immune responses
Authors: Nishioka Kentaro , Takahashi Shuhei , Mori Takashi , Uchinami Yusuke , Yamaguchi Shigeru , Kinoshita Manabu , Yamashina Masaaki , Higaki Hajime , Maebayashi Katsuya , Aoyama Hidefumi 
Published: April 2023

AbstractGlioblastoma is the most common of malignant primary brain tumors and one of the tumors with the poorest prognosis for which the overall survival rate has not significantly improved despite recent advances in treatment techniques and therapeutic drugs. Since the emergence of immune checkpoint inhibitors, the immune response to tumors has attracted increasing attention. Treatments affecting the immune system have been attempted for various tumors, including glioblastomas, but little has been shown to be effective. It has been found that the reason for this is that glioblastomas have a high ability to evade attacks from the immune system, and that the lymphocyte depletion associated with treatment can reduce its immune function. Currently, research to elucidate the resistance of glioblastomas to the immune system and development of new immunotherapies are being vigorously carried out. Targeting of radiation therapy for glioblastomas varies among guidelines and clinical trials. Based on early reports, target definitions with wide margins are common, but there are also reports that narrowing the margins does not make a significant difference in treatment outcome. It has also been suggested that a large number of lymphocytes in the blood are irradiated by the irradiation treatment to a wide area in a large number of fractionations, which may reduce the immune function, and the blood is being recognized as an organ at risk. Recently, a randomized phase II trial comparing two types of target definition in radiotherapy for glioblastomas was conducted, and it was reported that the overall survival and progression-free survival were significantly better in a small irradiation field group. We review recent findings on the immune response and the immunotherapy to glioblastomas and the novel role of radiotherapy and propose the need to develop an optimal radiotherapy that takes radiation effects on the immune function into account.
Deservingness als Heuristik oder als Automatismus?
Authors: Grand Peter , Fink Marcel , Tiemann Guido 
Published: April 2023

ZusammenfassungSubjektorientierte Ansätze erklären die Einstellungen der Bürger:innen zum Sozialstaat durch ihre individuellen Eigenschaften, Präferenzen und Werte. Diese klassische Perspektive wird zunehmend um objektorientierte Erklärungen erweitert, die bei den Eigenschaften und Charakteristiken von Leistungsempfänger:innen ansetzen. Das Stichwort Deservingness zielt darauf, welchen Individuen mit welcher Begründung Ansprüche auf sozialstaatliche Leistungen anerkannt und gewährt werden sollen.Dieser Beitrag basiert auf einem Umfrageexperiment, das 2016/17 als Teil des „European Social Survey“ (ESS-8) durchgeführt wurde. Den Befragten wird zufällig eine von vier Vignetten zugewiesen, die eine arbeitslose Person beschreibt, die Unterstützungsleistungen bezieht, jedoch aus drei verschiedenen Gründen ein Arbeitsangebot ausschlägt; als Reaktion auf dieses Treatment werden die Proband:innen gebeten, abgestufte Sanktionen für dieses Verhalten festzulegen. Zudem werden demografische Eigenschaften und politische Präferenzen als Kontroll- und/oder Moderatorvariablen berücksichtigt. Die Analysen des vielfältigen Datenmaterials aus 23 europäischen Staaten legen nahe, dass Deservingness eher als ein kontextunabhängiger Automatismus denn als eine individual- und kontextspezifische Heuristik funktioniert.
Carboxymethyl Chitosan-Functionalized Polyaniline/Polyacrylonitrile Nano-Fibers for Neural Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Authors: Arbab Solimani Sahar , Irani Shiva , Mohamadali Marjan , Bakhshi Hadi 
Published: April 2023

AbstractElectroconductive scaffolds based on polyaniline (PANi)/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) were fabricated and surface-functionalized by carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) as efficient scaffolds for nerve tissue regeneration. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and water contact angle measurement approved the successful fabrication of CMC-functionalized PANi/PAN-based scaffolds. Human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADMSCs) were cultured on the scaffolds for 10 d in the presence or absence of β-carotene (βC, 20 µM) as a natural neural differentiation agent. The MTT and SEM results confirmed the attachment and proliferation of hADMSCs on the scaffolds. The expression of MAP2 at the mRNA and protein levels showed the synergic neurogenic induction effect of CMC-functionalization and βC for hADMSCs on the scaffolds. The CMC-functionalized nanofibrous PANi/PAN-based scaffolds are potential candidates for nerve tissue engineering.
Radioprotective potential of probiotics against gastrointestinal and neuronal toxicity: a preclinical study
Authors: Venkidesh Babu Santhi , Shankar Saligrama R , Narasimhamurthy Rekha Koravadi , Rao Satish Bola Sadashiva , Mumbrekar Kamalesh Dattaram 
Published: April 2023

Abstract
Purpose
Radiotherapy is a critical component of cancer treatment, along with surgery and chemotherapy. Approximately, 90% of cancer patients undergoing pelvic radiotherapy show gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity, including bloody diarrhea, and gastritis, most of which are associated with gut dysbiosis. In addition to the direct effect of radiation on the brain, pelvic irradiation can alter the gut microbiome, leading to inflammation and breakdown of the gut–blood barrier. This allows toxins and bacteria to enter the bloodstream and reach the brain. Probiotics have been proven to prevent GI toxicity by producing short-chain fatty acids and exopolysaccharides beneficial for protecting mucosal integrity and oxidative stress reduction in the intestine and also shown to be beneficial in brain health. Microbiota plays a significant role in maintaining gut and brain health, so it is important to study whether bacterial supplementation will help in maintaining the gut and brain structure after radiation exposure.

Methods
In the present study, male C57BL/6 mice were divided into control, radiation, probiotics, and probiotics + radiation groups. On the 7th day, animals in the radiation and probiotics + radiation groups received a single dose of 4 Gy to whole-body. Posttreatment, mice were sacrificed, and the intestine and brain tissues were excised for histological analysis to assess GI and neuronal damage.

Results
Radiation-induced damage to the villi height and mucosal thickness was mitigated by the probiotic treatment significantly (p < 0.01). Further, radiation-induced pyknotic cell numbers in the DG, CA2, and CA3 areas were substantially reduced with bacterial supplementation (p < 0.001). Similarly, probiotics reduced neuronal inflammation induced by radiation in the cortex, CA2, and DG region (p < 0.01). Altogether, the probiotics treatment helps mitigate radiation-induced intestinal and neuronal damage.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the probiotic formulation could attenuate the number of pyknotic cells in the hippocampal brain region and decrease neuroinflammation by reducing the number of microglial cells.
Broadening Frontiers in Geoconservation: the Concept of Intangible Geoheritage Represented by the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake
Authors: Henriques Maria Helena 
Published: April 2023

AbstractGeodiversity refers to the variety of geological processes, forms, and materials that constitute and shape the Earth. Forms and materials displaying geoheritage contents are tangible objects, whether in situ like geosites, or ex situ like elements of geoheritage which include fossils, minerals, and rocks. They all result from geological processes, but these, in themselves, are essentially immaterial. The planet´s history records some major events of worldwide importance, not only due the results they caused in Earth’s geodiversity, but also because of their impacts on geological thinking. These include earthquakes and tsunamis, which can be directly experienced by humans. The great Lisbon earthquake and tsunami of 1st November 1755 is one of the most studied earthquakes in history. Its worldwide importance is not limited to the scientific and technical communities but it also affected many other human and social sciences. This earthquake corresponds to a geological process with geoheritage value that does not fit in the current concepts of geosite and element of geoheritage. Like the intangible cultural heritage, which refers to singular social processes, such type of geoheritage, which result of singular geological processes, requires the rise to a new concept in geoconservation: the intangible geoheritage. This concept designates geological processes representing milestones for the history of the geological sciences. Its relevance to other fields of knowledge allows the establishment of the so necessary bridge between scientific and humanistic culture.
Three-dimensional ultrastructure analysis of organelles in injured motor neuron
Authors: Tamada Hiromi 
Published: April 2023

AbstractMorphological analysis of organelles is one of the important clues for understanding the cellular conditions and mechanisms occurring in cells. In particular, nanoscale information within crowded intracellular organelles of tissues provide more direct implications when compared to analyses of cells in culture or isolation. However, there are some difficulties in detecting individual shape using light microscopy, including super-resolution microscopy. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), wherein the ultrastructure can be imaged at the membrane level, cannot determine the whole structure, and analyze it quantitatively. Volume EM, such as focused ion beam/scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM), can be a powerful tool to explore the details of three-dimensional ultrastructures even within a certain volume, and to measure several parameters from them. In this review, the advantages of FIB/SEM analysis in organelle studies are highlighted along with the introduction of mitochondrial analysis in injured motor neurons. This would aid in understanding the morphological details of mitochondria, especially those distributed in the cell bodies as well as in the axon initial segment (AIS) in mouse tissues. These regions have not been explored thus far due to the difficulties encountered in accessing their images by conditional microscopies. Some mechanisms of nerve regeneration have also been discussed with reference to the obtained findings. Finally, future perspectives on FIB/SEM are introduced. The combination of biochemical and genetic understanding of organelle structures and a nanoscale understanding of their three-dimensional distribution and morphology will help to match achievements in genomics and structural biology.
Database for validation of thermo-hydro-chemo-mechanical behaviour in bentonites
Authors: Cabrera Virginia , López-Vizcaíno Rubén , Navarro Vicente , Yustres Ángel 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThis paper presents a database of thermo-hydro-chemo-mechanical tests on bentonites, which has been named “Bento_DB4THCM”. After a comprehensive literature review, a set of experimental tests have been compiled. The experimental data are used to perform validation exercises for numerical codes to simulate the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical and geochemical behaviour of bentonites. The database contains the information required for the simulation of each experimental test solving a boundary value problem. The validation exercises cover a wide range of clays, including the best-known bentonites (MX-80, FEBEX, GMZ) as well as others. The results collected in this database are from free swelling, swelling under load, swelling pressure and squeezing tests. The database is attached as Supplementary material.
Remember to Correct the Bias When Using Deep Learning for Regression!
Authors: Igel Christian , Oehmcke Stefan 
Published: April 2023

AbstractWhen training deep learning models for least-squares regression, we cannot expect that the training error residuals of the final model, selected after a fixed training time or based on performance on a hold-out data set, sum to zero. This can introduce a systematic error that accumulates if we are interested in the total aggregated performance over many data points (e.g., the sum of the residuals on previously unseen data). We suggest adjusting the bias of the machine learning model after training as a default post-processing step, which efficiently solves the problem. The severeness of the error accumulation and the effectiveness of the bias correction are demonstrated in exemplary experiments.