bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Monitoring of health status, performance and transcript abundance of some genes in dairy heifers produced by embryo transfer or artificial insemination
Authors: Abdel Aziz Rabie L. , Hussein Mahmoud M. , El‐Said Hussein , Kamel Shaimaa , Ibrahim Marwa A. , Abdel‐Wahab Ahmed 
Published: June 2023

AbstractThe use of multiple ovulation and embryo transfer (MOET) technology in the dairy cattle industry has increased dramatically in recent decades for the production of offspring from genetically superior cows. Yet, its long‐term ramifications on adult performance have not been adequately clarified. Therefore, this study targeted comparing dairy heifers born after the transfer of in vivo‐produced embryos (MOET‐heifers, n = 400) and those born after artificial insemination (AI‐heifers, n = 340). The performance of MOET‐heifers and AI‐heifers was compared from birth till completion of the first lactation regarding health, fertility and some lactational performance parameters. The transcript abundance of several genes was also assessed in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBWC). Results showed greater pre‐weaning mortalities, greater likelihood of being culled as a nulliparous heifer and younger age at first insemination in AI‐heifers (p < .001). At their first calving, primiparous MOET‐heifers experienced a greater (p < .01) incidence of stillbirth compared to primiparous AI‐heifers. In spite of that, primiparous AI‐heifers were more likely to be culled due to infertility (p < .001), took a greater number of inseminations to achieve pregnancy (p < .01) and displayed a longer first calving interval. There was a similar lactational performance between the two groups. Upregulation of the transcript levels of TAC3, LOC522763, TFF2, SAXO2, CNKSR3 and ALAS2 was interestingly observed in primiparous MOET‐heifers, compared to primiparous AI‐heifers. In conclusion, MOET‐heifers were less likely to be culled during the first year of life, had superior reproductive performance versus AI‐heifers during their first lactation and expressed upregulation of genes associated with fertility.
Presence of anti‐modified protein antibodies in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Authors: Kalafatis Dimitrios , Joshua Vijay , Hansson Monika , Mathsson‐Alm Linda , Hensvold Aase , Sköld Magnus 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBackground and ObjectiveStudies of autoimmunity and anti‐citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) have been confined to investigations of anti‐cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti‐CCP) antibodies which utilize synthetic peptides as surrogate markers for in vivo citrullinated antigens. We studied immune activation by analysing the prevalence of in vivo anti‐modified protein antibodies (AMPA) in IPF.MethodsWe included patients with incident and prevalent IPF (N = 120), sex and smoking‐matched healthy controls (HC) (N = 120) and patients with RA (N = 104). Serum (median time: 11 months [Q1–Q3: 1–28 months] from diagnosis) was analysed for presence of antibodies towards native and posttranslational modified (citrullinated [Cit, N = 25]; acetylated [Acet, N = 4] and homocitrullinated [Carb, N = 1]) peptides derived from tenascin (TNC, N = 9), fibrinogen (Fib, N = 11), filaggrin (Fil, N = 5), histone (N = 8), cathelicidin (LL37, N = 4) and vimentin (N = 5) using a custom‐made peptide microarray.ResultsAMPA were more frequent and in increased levels in IPF than in HC (44% vs. 27%, p < 0.01), but less than in RA (44% vs. 79%, p < 0.01). We specifically observed AMPA in IPF towards certain citrullinated, acetylated and carbamylated peptides versus HC: tenascin (Cit(2033)‐TNC2025–2040; Cit(2197)‐TNC2177–2200; Cit(2198)‐TNC2177–2200), fibrinogen (Cit(38,42)‐Fibα36–50; Cit(72)‐Fibβ60–74) and filaggrin (Acet‐Fil307–324, Carb‐Fil307–324). No differences in survival (p = 0.13) or disease progression (p = 0.19) between individuals with or without AMPA was observed in IPF. However, patients with incident IPF had better survival if AMPA were present (p = 0.009).ConclusionA significant proportion of IPF patients present with specific AMPA in serum. Our results suggest autoimmunity as a possible characteristic for a subgroup of IPF that may affect disease outcome.
Power and politics in framing bias in Artificial Intelligence policy
Authors: Ulnicane Inga , Aden Aini 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBias is a key issue in expert and public discussions about Artificial Intelligence (AI). While some hope that AI will help to eliminate human bias, others are concerned that AI will exacerbate it. To highlight political and power aspects of bias in AI, this contribution examines so far largely overlooked topic of framing of bias in AI policy. Among diverse approaches of diagnosing problems and suggesting prescriptions, we can distinguish two stylized framings of bias in AI policy—one more technical, another more social. Powerful technical framing suggests that AI can be a solution to human bias and can help to detect and eliminate it. It is challenged by an alternative social framing, which emphasizes the importance of social contexts, balance of power and structural inequalities. Technological frame sees simple technological fix as a way to deal with bias in AI. For the social frame, we suggest to approach bias in AI as a complex wicked problem, for which a broader strategy is needed involving diverse stakeholders and actions. The social framing of bias in AI considerably expands the legitimate understanding of bias and the scope of potential actions beyond technological fix. We argue that, in the context of AI policy, intersectional bias should not be perceived as a niche issue but rather be seen as a key to radically reimagine AI governance, power and politics in more participatory and inclusive ways.
Leveraging similarity analysis to understand variability in movement behavior
Authors: Wan Zijian , Dodge Somayeh , Bohrer Gil 
Published: June 2023

AbstractThe increasingly large volume of trajectories of moving entities obtained through GPS and cellphone tracking, telemetry, and other location‐aware technologies motivates researchers to understand the implicit patterns hidden in movement trajectories and understand how movement is influenced by the environmental context. Trajectory similarity serves as an important tool in computational movement analysis and as the foundation of revealing those patterns. However, there are various trajectory similarity measures, each of which has its own strengths and weaknesses. In this article, we present a hierarchical clustering framework that integrates five commonly used similarity measures, including Fréchet distance, dynamic time warping, Hausdorff distance, longest common subsequence, and normalized weighted edit distance, a special kind of edit distance for movement analysis. The framework aims at clustering similar patterns and identifying variability in movement. The optimal number of clusters are first obtained. Then, the clusters are characterized by environmental variables to explore the associations between variability in movement and the environmental conditions. We evaluate the proposed framework using 15 years of tracking data of turkey vultures, tracked at 1‐ to 3‐h sampling intervals, during their fall and spring migration seasons. The results suggest that, at 5% significance level, turkey vultures select their movement paths intentionally and those selections appear to be related to certain environmental context variables, including thermal uplift, vegetation state (observed indirectly through Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), temperature, precipitation, tailwind, and crosswind. And interestingly, there exist preferential differences among individuals. Although the preference of the same turkey vulture is not strictly consistent over different years, each individual tends to preserve a more similar preference over different years, compared with the preferences of other turkey vultures.
A Novel Efficient Energy Absorber With Necking-Expansion of Foam Sandwich Tubes
Authors: Guo Haoyuan , Zhang Jianxun 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Foam sandwich tube is composed of two tubes and a lightweight foam core possessing various advantages, i.e., low density, excellent mitigation performance and energy absorption, etc. With the hope of enhancing the load bearing and energy absorption capacity of energy absorbers, a novel efficient energy absorber composed of axial necking-expansion deformation mode for sandwich circular tube with metal foam core (SCMF-Tube) by an inner-outer conical-cylindrical die is proposed. Considering deformation modes including necking, stretching, bending, and strain hardening of metal tubes as well as densification of the metal foam core, we established an analytical model of necking-expansion deformation for the SCMF-Tube. Then, finite element (FE) simulations are conducted. Analytical deformation modes, load-displacement curves, and bending radii all agree well with the FE results. Effects of material property and geometry on the necking-expansion deformation of SCMF-Tubes are discussed in detail based on the validated analytical model. Adjusting parameters, such as the wall thickness ratio of the inner tube to the outer tube and the maximum diameter of the die can improve the load bearing and energy absorption capacity of the novel energy absorber. Finally, the specific energy absorption of the SCMF-Tube under necking-expansion deformation is 68% higher than that of the circular metal tube under expansion deformation.
Characterization of Viscoelastic Properties of EPDM Molding Compound for Door Grommet Component Using Molecular Dynamics and Phenomenological Modeling
Authors: Gómez-Jimenez S. , Saucedo-Anaya T. , Baltazar-Hernandez V. H. , Contreras-Rodriguez A. R. 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
The automotive industry is evolving by incorporating innovative tools to improve production processes. A proper manufacturing process influences the behavior of the door grommet during its lifetime. In this paper, molecular dynamics simulations are conducted to evaluate the chemical and physical crosslinking of the EPDM rubber over a range of temperatures using a COMPASS force field. Then, once the ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) model was equilibrated and all possible crosslinks were formed, additional simulations were performed on the model to explore its mechanical behavior. Subsequently, using the superposition principle, viscosity and curing kinetics were evaluated using phenomenological models. To validate the results of the simulations, three injection tests of the door grommet were performed at different temperature conditions. The results indicate that the viscosity and elastic properties increase with increasing levels of crosslink density and that the critical gel point decreases with temperature. Molecular dynamics superposition results in phenomenological models are in reasonable agreement with the kinetic and viscoelastic behavior of EPDM during and after the injection process. The results presented in this paper provide novel molecular-level findings on the crosslinking mechanisms of amorphous polymers and their influence on viscoelastic behavior, which could facilitate the design of the injection process for door grommet applications.
Deciphering community interactions of sulfate-reducing microorganisms in complex microbial communities of marine sediments
Authors: Wasmund Kenneth 
Published: June 2023

ABSTRACT

Sulfate-reducing microorganisms (SRM) are key players in global sulfur and carbon cycles, especially in anoxic marine sediments. They are critical in anaerobic food webs because they consume fermentation products like volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and/or hydrogen produced from other microbes that degrade organic matter. Apart from this, the interplay between SRM and other coexisting microorganisms is poorly understood. A recent study by Liang et al. provides intriguing new insights about how the activity of SRM influence microbial communities. Using an elegant combination of microcosm experiments, community ecology, genomics, and
in vitro
studies, they provide evidence that SRM are central in ecological networks and community assembly, and interestingly, that the control of pH by SRM activity has a substantial impact on other key bacteria, like members of the Marinilabiliales (Bacteroidota). This work has important implications for understanding how marine sediment microbes function together to provide important ecosystem services like recycling organic matter.
SARS-CoV-2 ORF6 protein does not antagonize interferon signaling in respiratory epithelial Calu-3 cells during infection
Authors: Li Minghua , Ayyanathan Kasirajan , Dittmar Mark , Miller Jesse , Tapescu Iulia , Lee Jae Seung , McGrath Marisa E. , Xue Yong , Vashee Sanjay , Schultz David C. , Frieman Matthew B. , Cherry Sara 
Published: June 2023

ABSTRACT

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused millions of deaths, posing a substantial threat to global public health. Viruses evolve different strategies to antagonize or evade host immune responses. While ectopic expression of SARS-CoV-2 accessory protein ORF6 blocks interferon (IFN) production and downstream IFN signaling, the role of ORF6 in IFN signaling during
bona fide
viral infection of respiratory cells is unclear. By comparing wild-type (WT) and ORF6-deleted (ΔORF6) SARS-CoV-2 infection and IFN signaling in respiratory cells, we found that ΔORF6 SARS-CoV-2 replicates more efficiently than WT virus and, thus, stimulates more robust immune signaling. Loss of ORF6 does not alter innate signaling in infected cells: both WT and ΔORF6 virus induce delayed IFN responses only in bystander cells. Moreover, expression of ORF6 in the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection has no effect on Sendai virus-stimulated IFN induction: robust translocation of IRF3 is observed in both SARS-CoV-2 infected and bystander cells. Furthermore, IFN pretreatment potently blocks WT and ΔORF6 virus replication similarly, and both viruses fail to suppress the induction of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) upon IFN-β treatment. However, upon treatment with IFN-β, only bystander cells induce STAT1 translocation during infection with WT virus, whereas ΔORF6 virus-infected cells now show translocation. This suggests that under conditions of high IFN activation, ORF6 can attenuate STAT1 activation. These data provide evidence that ORF6 is not sufficient to antagonize IFN production or IFN signaling in SARS-CoV-2-infected respiratory cells but may impact the efficacy of therapeutics that stimulate innate immune pathways.

IMPORTANCE
Previous studies identified several SARS-CoV-2 proteins, including ORF6, that antagonize host innate immune responses in the context of overexpression of viral proteins in non-respiratory cells. We set out to determine the role of ORF6 in IFN responses during SARS-CoV-2 infection of respiratory cells. Using a deletion strain, we observed no reduction of infection and no difference in evasion of IFN signaling, with responses limited to bystander cells. Moreover, stimulation of Sendai virus-induced IFN production or IFN-β-stimulated ISG expression was comparable between SARS-CoV-2 virus and SARS-CoV-2 lacking ORF6 virus, suggesting that ORF6 is not sufficient to counteract IFN induction or IFN signaling during viral infection.
Supplemental Material: Evolution of Miocene normal and dextral faulting in the lower Colorado River region near Blythe, California, USA
Authors: Mavor Skyler P. , al. et 
Published: June 2023

<p>Datasets S1–S4: Four Microsoft Excel files including tabulated structural data from stereoplots, calcite U-Pb analytical data, Ar/Ar analytical data, and cumulative dextral shear estimates. Item S1: One Microsoft Word document that describes U-Pb and Ar/Ar methodology. </p>
Adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) of COVISHIELD vaccination among healthcare workers in Ghana
Authors: Marfoh Kissinger , Samba Ali , Okyere Eunice , Acheampong Frankline , Owusu Elsie , Darko Dorothy Naa Ashokor , Zakariah Joseph , Mensa Hillary , Aidoo Ernestina , Mohammed Yasmin 
Published: June 2023

ObjectiveTo describe the incidence of adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) and determine the factors that affect the onset and duration of AEFI after COVISHIELD vaccination among healthcare workers.DesignProspective cohort study.SettingTertiary healthcare, Korle-Bu, Ghana.ParticipantThree thousand and twenty-two healthcare workers at least 18 years of age were followed up for 2 months after receiving two doses of the COVISHIELD vaccine.Primary outcomeThe occurrence of the AEFI was identified by self-reporting to the AEFI team members.ResultsA total of 3022 healthcare workers had at least one AEFI (incidence rate of 706.0 (95% CI 676.8 to 736.1) per 1000 doses) with an incidence rate of 703.0 (95% CI 673.0 to 732.0) per 1000 doses for non-serious AEFI and an incidence rate of 3.3 (95% CI 1.6 to 6.1) per 1000 doses for serious AEFI. The most commonly reported systemic adverse events were headache (48.6%), fever (28.5%), weakness (18.4%) and body pains (17.9%). The estimated median time to onset of the AEFI following the first-dose vaccination was 19 hours and the median AEFI duration was 40 hours or 2 days. Delayed-onset AEFI occurred in 0.3% after first dose and 0.1% after second dose. Age, sex, previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, history of allergies and comorbidity were not significantly associated with the onset and duration of AEFI. However, participants who used paracetamol seemed to be significantly protected (HR 0.15; 95% CI 0.14, 0.17) from having a long duration of AEFI.ConclusionThe results of our study indicate a high incidence of non-serious AEFI and the rare occurrence of serious AEFI after COVISHIELD vaccination in healthcare workers. The rate of AEFI was higher after the first dose than after the second dose. Sex, age, previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, allergies and comorbidity were not significantly associated with the onset and duration of AEFI.
Feasibility of the Perceive, Recall, Plan and Perform system of intervention for persons with brain injury in community-based rehabilitation: a pilot for a multiple-baseline design study
Authors: Lindstad Marte Ørud , Obstfelder Aud Uhlen , Sveen Unni , Stigen Linda 
Published: June 2023

ObjectivesThis paper describes a pilot study investigating the feasibility of the Perceive, Recall, Plan and Perform (PRPP) system for persons with cognitive impairments after acquired brain injury in the context of community-based rehabilitation for older individuals.DesignThe feasibility, acceptability and practicability of the research procedures were evaluated by exploring the effectiveness of the PRPP intervention with non-concurrent multiple baseline designs.Setting and participantsThree participants (63+years of age) from two health centres were included.InterventionIn the PRPP intervention, the occupational therapist (OT) supports the participant in applying cognitive strategies in everyday activities to enhance task mastery, with nine sessions of 45–60 min over 3 weeks.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe participants completed measurements of five everyday tasks in each phase as dependent variables. PRPP assessment stages 1 and 2 served as the primary and secondary outcome measures, respectively. The percentage of mastery of the tasks and the participants’ application of cognitive strategies at baseline acted as a control and was therefore compared with the other phases within the participant. The Goal Attainment Scale and Barthel Index served as generalisation measures. The uncertainties and acceptability of the procedures were also investigated with a procedural checklist and qualitative statements reported in the procedures or noted in dialogue meetings with the conducting OTs.ResultsThe procedures were acceptable for the OT and the participants and were feasible if the steps in the research procedure were clearly understood. The target behaviour should be changed to the use of one task with five measurement points instead of measuring five tasks. This can enable the application of recommended analysis methods.ConclusionsThe outcomes of this study led to a change in the target behaviour and clarification of the research procedure for the planned PRPP intervention study.Trial registration numberNCT05148247.
Productivity, nutritive value, and profitability of high-digestibility alfalfa cultivars harvested at two stages of development in eastern Canada
Authors: Boucher Marie-Soleil , Tremblay Gaëtan F. , Seguin Philippe , Thériault Mireille , Charbonneau Édith , Laroche Jean-Philippe , Bertrand Annick , Claessens Annie , Bélanger Gilles , Halde Caroline 
Published: June 2023

Alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) cultivars developed for improved digestibility by conventional breeding or genetic modification have not been evaluated in eastern Canada. This study compared yield, nutritive value, and profitability of two reduced-lignin genetically modified (GM) cultivars, three conventionally selected for low lignin or high pectin, and one population with improved stem degradability, with two commercially adapted cultivars as controls. Alfalfa was harvested at the early bud (intensive management) or early flower (extensive management) stage of development during the first post-seeding year at three sites and the second post-seeding year at one site. All cultivars/populations had similar annual dry matter (DM) yields, except for the lower DM yield (−20%) of the improved stem degradability population. Conventionally selected cultivars for improved digestibility did not differ from control cultivars for in vitro DM digestibility (IVTD) and neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFd). Reduced-lignin GM cultivars, however, had a greater IVTD and NDFd (+10%) and less lignin (−10%) than control cultivars at the same stage of development. Reduced-lignin GM cultivars under extensive management had similar NDFd and greater annual DM yield (+1 to 2 Mg DM ha−1), but reduced total digestible nutrients (−41 to 44 g kg−1 DM), in comparison to control cultivars under intensive management. Using partial budget analysis, the comparison of more digestible GM cultivars to the control cultivars resulted in an increase in annual farm net profits ranging from CAD$7.40 to $79.60 cow−1 year−1 depending on stage of development at harvest. Further investigations are needed to quantify the performance of dairy cows fed cultivars with improved digestibility.