bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Encouraging prosocial behavior from older adults through robot teleoperation: A feasibility study
Authors: Maalouly Elie , Hirano Takashi , Yamazaki Ryuji , Nishio Shuichi , Ishiguro Hiroshi 
Published: March 2023

IntroductionIn Japan, the social climate surrounding older adults has gotten worse as a result of the spread of COVID-19 and the growing isolation of older adults who are increasingly unable to engage in prosocial behavior through work and volunteering. This is detrimental to the physical and mental well-being of older adults. The purpose of this study is to look into robot teleoperation for older adults as a viable way to deal with these issues and overcome the barriers preventing older adults from engaging in prosocial behavior.Materials and methodsWe designed and tested a remote-control approach for dialogue agents that is appropriate for older adults as well as evaluating their impressions in a real-world setting. Twelve older adults participated in experiments in two separate locations, a children's center and the city ward office, where they could remotely teleoperate a robot and have conversations with the visitors. In the city ward office, the older adults had a conversation with the visitors and gave them information and trivia quizzes about the city. In the children's center, older adults had conversations with children regarding their age, family, their likes, and dislikes. A questionnaire and interview were set up after the experiments to understand their impressions of the system and to clarify how older adults feel about certain issues regarding remote-controlled work, starting a new job, social interaction, to what extent have older adults been affected by the pandemic, how and in what ways has it affected their involvement in society, and whether teleoperating a robot can be a suitable approach to encourage prosocial behavior from them through volunteer work and social engagement.ResultsThe results show that older adults have a strong desire to engage in volunteer work, but are hampered mainly by physical isolation resulting from COVID-19 restrictions and their declining physical and mental health. Their impressions of the teleoperation system were highly positive, as they enjoyed having conversations with children through the robot. With this teleoperation system, older adults were able to remote control a robot by themselves without major issues. It made interaction simpler as conversing with children through a robot added a layer of anonymity that allowed older adults to express themselves freely without worrying about how they are perceived by others in public.DiscussionOlder adults were able to successfully engage in prosocial behavior through remote-controlling a robot. The system seems to be effective at easing the physical barriers preventing older adults from engaging in volunteer work, which have worsened since the spread of COVID-19.
Helical flow in tortuous aortas and its relationship to turbulence: A whole-aorta 4D flow MRI study
Authors: Dyverfeldt Petter , Trenti Chiara , Ziegler Magnus , Bjarnegård Niclas , Lindenberger Marcus 
Published: March 2023

BackgroundIncreased vascular tortuosity is a hallmark of ageing of the vascular system, including the aorta. However, the impact of tortuosity on aortic blood flow is unknown. We hypothesized that increased tortuosity would be associated with increased blood flow helicity and with decreased degree of blood flow turbulence as measured by the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE).Methods4D Flow MR images covering the entire aorta from the aortic valve to the iliac bifurcation were acquired in 23 normal volunteers aged 18–30 years (“Young”) and 23 normal volunteers aged 66–76 years (“Old”) without aortic disease. The aorta was segmented and divided into four regions: the ascending, descending, suprarenal abdominal and infrarenal abdominal aorta. Tortuosity, helicity, TKE, flow velocity, and Reynolds number were computed for the whole aorta and for each section.ResultsTortuosity and helicity were higher whereas TKE, velocity, and Reynolds number were lower in Old than in Young, for all aortic regions (p &lt; 0.05) except for helicity in the descending aorta. Tortuosity correlated positively with helicity and negatively with TKE for all aortic regions (Spearman rho=±0.45–±0.72, p &lt; =0.002) except for TKE in the ascending aorta. Further, helicity correlated with TKE in the descending, suprarenal abdominal and infrarenal abdominal aorta (Spearman rho=−0.56–−0.77).ConclusionTortuosity increases with age and blood flow in tortuous aortas is more helical. Increasing helicity, in turn, is associated with decreasing TKE.
Integrated approach using petrophysical, gravity, and magnetic data to evaluate the geothermal resources at the Rahat Volcanic Field, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Alqahtani Faisal , Ehsan Muhsan , Aboud Essam , Abdulfarraj Murad , El-Masry Nabil 
Published: March 2023

It is necessary to develop and explore geothermal resources to achieve sustainable development and clean renewable energy around the Globe. Geothermal energy is crucial to the future energy supply to meet the environmentally friendly energy demand of the World. The Rahat Volcanic Field (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) is the oldest and lengthiest Cenozoic Volcanic Field in the World. It is a dominantly a mature mafic Volcanic Field that holds three major geological events; the historic eruption (1256 C.E.), the five fingers (∼4500–1500 BP), and the seismic swarm (1999 C.E.). These incidents were studied by utilizing geological information and geophysical data sets. Geophysical and geostatistical research includes gravity and magnetic survey data, including different log curves and major elements, obtained from water samples as well as of volcanic rocks obtained by X-ray fluorescence (XRF). To gain an understanding of the subsurface thermal structure, these datasets were analyzed. The primary goal of this study is to identify the prominent potential geothermal resources with the help of an available data set. Findings suggest that beneath the historic eruption site along with the fissure eruption, on the western side, there is a geothermal anomaly with a surface footprint of about 35 km2. Analyzing gravity and magnetic data as well as density and magnetic susceptibility variations in rock samples led to the mapping of this anomaly. It has been inferred through integrated study that statistical analysis of major elements will be helpful to validate the results of the outcome.
Clinical efficacy of weight loss herbal intervention therapy and lifestyle modifications on obesity and its association with distinct gut microbiome: A randomized double-blind phase 2 study
Authors: Cao Ming-Zhuo , Wei Chun-Hua , Wen Ming-Chun , Song Ying , Srivastava Kamal , Yang Nan , Shi Yan-Mei , Miao Mingsan , Chung Danna , Li Xiu-Min 
Published: March 2023

GoalsTo assess the efficacy and safety of Chinese Medicine Prescription “W-LHIT” in subjects with simple obesity, and to explore its potential mechanism of action.MethodsThirty-seven patients aged 18 to 60 from Wei-En hospital (Weifang City, Shandong, China), participated in a double blinded, placebo-controlled study. Subjects were randomly divided into 2 groups, 18 in treatment and 19 in placebo group. The treatment group took the “W-LHIT” capsules for two months, while the control group received placebo capsules. Both groups accepted healthy lifestyle education materials. After a 2-month treatment, the placebo group transferred to open-label treatment after unblinding.Results72.22% participants in the treatment group lost more than 5% of their body weight, compared with 36.84% in the placebo group (p &lt; 0.001). Body weight loss and body mass index reduction of the treatment group were also significantly higher than those of the placebo group (p &lt; 0.05). These changes were accompanied by increased abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila and Enterococcus faecium, and decreased abundance of Proteobacteria in gut microbiota. Furthermore, the treatment group also showed improvement in obesity-related comorbidities such as hypertension and elevation of liver enzymes. No serious adverse reactions were found during the study period. Weight did not rebound at a follow-up visit 2 months after treatment.ConclusionW-LHIT significantly improved body weight and comorbid conditions without obvious adverse reaction or rebound weight gain. These effects were associated with increased abundance of probiotics in gut microbiota. W-LHIT may have a potential for treating obesity in conjunction with healthy lifestyle modifications.
Circulating liver function markers and the risk of COPD in the UK Biobank
Authors: Du Wencong , Guan Haoyu , Wan Xinglin , Zhu Zheng , Yu Hao , Luo Pengfei , Chen Lulu , Su Jian , Lu Yan , Hang Dong , Tao Ran , Wu Ming , Zhou Jinyi , Fan Xikang 
Published: March 2023

ObjectiveTo investigate the associations of circulating liver function marker levels with the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).MethodsWe leveraged the data of 372,056 participants from the UK Biobank between 2006 and 2010. The assessed circulating liver function markers included alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin (TBIL), albumin (ALB), and total protein (TP). Incident COPD was identified through linkage to the National Health Service registries. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsDuring a median follow-up period of 12.3 (interquartile range:11.4-13.2) years, we documented 10,001 newly diagnosed COPD cases. Lower levels of ALT, TBIL, ALB, and TP and higher levels of GGT and ALP were nonlinearly associated with elevated COPD risk. The HR (95% CI) for decile 10 vs. 1 was 0.92 (0.84-1.01) for ALT, 0.82 (0.75-0.89) for TBIL, 0.74 (0.67-0.81) for ALB, 0.96 (0.88-1.04) for TP, 1.45 (1.31-1.62) for GGT, and 1.31 (1.19-1.45) for ALP. Restricted cubic spline analyses suggested a U-shaped relationship between AST levels and COPD risk (P for nonlinearity &lt;0.05).ConclusionWe observed that all seven circulating liver function markers were nonlinearly associated with the risk of COPD, indicating the importance of liver function in COPD.
Log odds of negative lymph nodes/T stage ratio (LONT): A new prognostic tool for differentiated thyroid cancer without metastases in patients aged 55 and older
Authors: Wang Xuezhen , Wu Yufan , Li Xiaoxia , Hong Jinsheng , Zhang Mingwei 
Published: March 2023

BackgroundThe optimal approach to assess the postoperative status of lymph nodes in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) remains controversial. Our aim was to determine if the log odds of negative lymph nodes/T stage ratio (LONT) could serve as a new prognostic and predictive tool for DTC without metastases in patients aged ≥ 55 years.MethodsThe Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was used to study the role of LONT in patients aged ≥55 years diagnosed with DTC without metastases. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS). The Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox proportional hazard regression model were used to calculate the outcome. Moreover, the robustness of research findings was evaluated using sensitivity analyses.ResultsA total of 21,172 DTC patients aged ≥55 years without distant metastasis were enrolled. Multivariate Cox regression analyses and a “floating absolute risk” analysis showed that a LONT ≥0.920 (vs. -0.56 to 0.92) was a protective factor for OS in DTC patients. Sensitivity analyses revealed an E-value of 1.98 for the obtained LONT value. In subgroup analyses, LONT was correlated significantly with OS in different subgroups of negative lymph nodes, stage-I–II subgroups and the N0 subgroup. The conditional probability of survival of DTC improved with prolonged survival time in the LONT ≥0.920 group.ConclusionA high LONT was associated with longer OS compared with low LONT in patients aged ≥55 years with non-metastatic DTC. LONT could provide valuable information for undertaking postoperative evaluations.
Serum afamin levels in predicting gestational diabetes mellitus and preeclampsia: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Yuan Ying , He Wenyin , Fan Xuejiao , Liang Junyu , Cao Zhen , Li Lei 
Published: March 2023

ObjectivesThe association between biomarkers and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or preeclampsia (PE) has been extensively studied. However, there is still a lack of convenient, specific, and sensitive indicators for early identification of GMD and PE. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis of published articles to investigate the value of afamin circulating levels in the early diagnosis of GDM and PE.MethodsWe searched the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases for English studies published before November 16, 2022, that examined the association between afamin and GDM or PE. In addition, we searched Clinicaltrials.gov for the relevant completed and ongoing clinical trials. Pooled standard mean differences (SMDs) and weighted mean differences (WMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to compare the levels of afamin in different groups.ResultsEleven studies were included in our analysis (N = 3047 participants: 1195 GDM, 1407 non-GDM, 195 PE, and 250 non-PE). Subgroup analysis based on different blood collection periods found that the plasma afamin levels in pregnant women with GDM in the first trimester were significantly higher than those in healthy pregnant women (SMD = 0.481, 95% CI: 0.280-0.682), but the analysis showed the opposite results in the second and late stages (SMD = 0.292, 95% CI: -0.092-0.676). The plasma afamin levels of pregnant women with PE in the first trimester (SMD = 0.808, 95% CI: 0.558-1.059) and second/third trimesters (SMD = 0.904, 95% CI: 0.570-1.239) were significantly higher than those in healthy pregnant women.ConclusionThe plasma afamin levels in pregnant women with GDM in the first trimester were significantly higher than those in healthy pregnant women, but the analysis showed the opposite results in the second and third trimesters. The plasma afamin levels in pregnant women with PE in the first, second, and third trimesters were significantly higher than those in healthy pregnant women. Additional large-scale prospective studies are desired to verify these findings, and it is recommended that afamin should be included as a routine diagnostic test for women with GDM and PE.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=339171, identifier CRD42022339171.
Research on minimum height above ground considering total and ionized field when ± 800 kV power lines at the high altitude cross the residential areas
Authors: Guo Zhijian , Yu Jian , Wang Xia , Zhang Yuexian 
Published: March 2023

Recently, in order to reduce carbon emissions and meet climate change targets set by governments worldwide, which has led to the growth of renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar and hydropower energy, more and more ± 800 kV power lines have been built for more than 1500 km long-distance transmission, and the total and ionized field under it serve as important assessment indicators of an electromagnetic field. To calculate the total electric field and ionized field under UHVDC power lines, based on the upwind difference idea proposed by Takuma, the boundary condition and initial value selection are improved with the Kaptzov hypothesis as the boundary condition, and the difference between the surface field strength on the wire and the critical coronal voltage is used as the benchmark to estimate the initial value of charge density. By adopting the improved method, the calculation results of the total electric field and ionized field under the ± 800 kV power lines in typical high altitude regions suggest that the total electric field on the ground increases with the decrease in the wire’s height above ground, while the ion current density goes up with the reduction in the roughness coefficient of the wire; when the ± 800 kV power lines stipulated by national standards go through the residential areas, and the wire’s minimum height above ground is 21 m, total electric field and ionized field under the power lines are less than the limits set by national standards. Also, the calculation method proposed in this paper is suitable for the calculation of ground total electric field for future ± 1,200 kV power lines, which can provide reference for UHVDC power line designing and carbon emission target realization.
Trade-off between environment and economy: The relationship between carbon and inflation
Authors: Xu Yingying , Li Xiang , Yuan Peng , Zhang Yinpeng 
Published: March 2023

Introduction: The global pandemic since 2019 has caused crushing blow to healthy economic developments, particularly the harmonious development of environment and economy. Given the violent contradiction between health and economy, this study focuses on the controversial relationship between inflation and important environmental indicators.Methods: Specifically, we collect monthly data on inflation and carbon returns from three representative pilots in China and make a comprehensive investigation of the relationship between carbon and inflation within the framework of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC).Results: Some significant empirical results are found. First, inflation shows a linear impact on carbon returns, despite the signals of inflation vary in pilots. Second, there exists an inverted U-shape connection in Shenzhen and Guangdong pilots. Third, inflation appears to be a non-negligible factor in pilot fluctuations, despite differences exist among pilots.Discussion: Considering the pressing targets of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in China, this investigation provides important implications to policy makers in implementing differentiated policies across regions, particularly in the turbulent situations caused by frequent climate policy changes and global pandemic developments.
Urban expansion impacts on agricultural land and thermal environment in Larkana, Pakistan
Authors: Rahman Ghani , Chandio Noor Hussain , Moazzam Muhammad Farhan Ul , Al Ansari Nadhir 
Published: March 2023

Urban area expansion and the increase in the built-up area are major threats to agriculture, the natural environment, and ecology throughout the world. The population of the city of Larkana is rapidly increasing due to natural growth and uncontrolled migration from the surrounding areas, which have resulted in a haphazard increase in the built-up area over the fertile agricultural land and affected the city’s thermal environment. This research aims to evaluate the impacts of urban area expansion on agricultural land and the thermal environment of the study area by assessing the change in land use/ land cover (LULC) from 1990 to 2020 and land surface temperature (LST). For this purpose, the Random Forest (RF) algorithm was applied, and LST was calculated in Google Earth Engine (GEE) using Landsat imageries for the years 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020. For the RF classifier algorithm, 3500 reference random points were generated for each year, which were then randomly divided into two datasets, i.e., a training sample consisting of 70% of the points and a validation dataset (30% of the points). After LULC classification, the results were validated for 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020, and the accuracy was 88.3%, 89%, 90.01%, and 90.8%, respectively. The study results showed that the built-up area increased from 12.31 to 43.83 km2while the barren land in the study region decreased from 56.51 km2to 11.62 km2. The agricultural land was 66.66 km2in 1990, expanded to 101.38 km2, and then decreased to 79.49 km2in 2020. The results also revealed that most of the urban expansion in the last decade (2010-2020) took place on agricultural land. The urban thermal environment also showed a gradual increase in surface temperatur,e as recorded by the LST results. The LST results revealed that the maximum LST was 33.4°C in 1990, which increased to 36.1°C in 2020, and similarly, the minimum LST was 25.1°C, which also increased to 26.6°C in 2020. This study provides useful results for stakeholders to devise better policies and plans to control further haphazard urban expansion on fertile agricultural land in the study area.
Towards a consensus definition of immune exclusion in cancer
Authors: Tiwari Ankur , Oravecz Tamas , Dillon Laura A. , Italiano Antoine , Audoly Laurent , Fridman Wolf Hervé , Clifton Guy Travis 
Published: March 2023

BackgroundThe immune cell topography of solid tumors has been increasingly recognized as an important predictive factor for progression of disease and response to immunotherapy. The distribution pattern of immune cells in solid tumors is commonly classified into three categories - namely, “Immune inflamed”, “Immune desert” and “Immune excluded” - which, to some degree, connect immune cell presence and positioning within the tumor microenvironment to anti-tumor activity.Materials and methodsIn this review, we look at the ways immune exclusion has been defined in published literature and identify opportunities to develop consistent, quantifiable definitions, which in turn, will allow better determination of the underlying mechanisms that span cancer types and, ultimately, aid in the development of treatments to target these mechanisms.ResultsThe definitions of tumor immune phenotypes, especially immune exclusion, have largely been conceptual. The existing literature lacks in consistency when it comes to practically defining immune exclusion, and there is no consensus on a definition. Majority of the definitions use somewhat arbitrary cut-offs in an attempt to place each tumor into a distinct phenotypic category. Tumor heterogeneity is often not accounted for, which limits the practical application of a definition.ConclusionsWe have identified two key issues in existing definitions of immune exclusion, establishing clinically relevant cut-offs within the spectrum of immune cell infiltration as well as tumor heterogeneity. We propose an approach to overcome these limitations, by reporting the degree of immune cell infiltration, tying cut-offs to clinically meaningful outcome measures, maximizing the number of regions of a tumor that are analyzed and reporting the degree of heterogeneity. This will allow for a consensus practical definition for operationalizing this categorization into clinical trial and signal-seeking endpoints.