bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Elevated GRO-α and IL-18 in serum and brain implicate the NLRP3 inflammasome in frontotemporal dementia
Authors: Lok Hiu Chuen , Katzeff Jared S. , Hodges John R. , Piguet Olivier , Fu YuHong , Halliday Glenda M. , Kim Woojin Scott 
Published: June 2023

AbstractNeuroinflammation is a hallmark of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a heterogeneous group of proteinopathies characterized by the progressive degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes. It is marked by microglial activation and subsequent cytokine release. Although cytokine levels in FTD brain and CSF have been examined, the number of cytokines measured in each study is limited and knowledge on cytokine concentrations in FTD serum is scarce. Here, we assessed 48 cytokines in FTD serum and brain. The aim was to determine common cytokine dysregulation pathways in serum and brain in FTD. Blood samples and brain tissue samples from the superior frontal cortex (SFC) were collected from individuals diagnosed with behavioral variant FTD (bvFTD) and healthy controls, and 48 cytokines were measured using a multiplex immunological assay. The data were evaluated by principal component factor analysis to determine the contribution from different components of the variance in the cohort. Levels of a number of cytokines were altered in serum and SFC in bvFTD compared to controls, with increases in GRO-α and IL-18 in both serum and SFC. These changes could be associated with NLRP3 inflammasome activation or the NFκB pathway, which activates NLRP3. The results suggest the possible importance of the NLRP3 inflammasome in FTD. An improved understanding of the role of inflammasomes in FTD could provide valuable insights into the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of FTD.
Combining iterative metal artifact reduction and virtual monoenergetic images severely reduces hip prosthesis-associated artifacts in photon-counting detector CT
Authors: Layer Yannik C. , Mesropyan Narine , Kupczyk Patrick A. , Luetkens Julian A. , Isaak Alexander , Dell Tatjana , Attenberger Ulrike I. , Kuetting Daniel 
Published: June 2023

AbstractAim of this study was to assess the impact of virtual monoenergetic images (VMI) in combination and comparison with iterative metal artifact reduction (IMAR) on hip prosthesis-associated artifacts in photon-counting detector CT (PCD-CT). Retrospectively, 33 scans with hip prosthesis-associated artifacts acquired during clinical routine on a PCD-CT between 08/2022 and 09/2022 were analyzed. VMI were reconstructed for 100–190 keV with and without IMAR, and compared to polychromatic images. Qualitatively, artifact extent and assessment of adjacent soft tissue were rated by two radiologists using 5-point Likert items. Quantitative assessment was performed measuring attenuation and standard deviation in most pronounced hypodense and hyperdense artifacts, artifact-impaired bone, muscle, vessels, bladder and artifact-free corresponding tissue. To quantify artifacts, an adjusted attenuation was calculated as the difference between artifact-impaired tissue and corresponding tissue without artifacts. Qualitative assessment improved for all investigated image reconstructions compared to polychromatic images (PI). VMI100keV in combination with IMAR achieved best results (e.g. diagnostic quality of the bladder: median PI: 1.5 (range 1–4); VMI100keV+IMAR: 5 (3–5); p < 0.0001). In quantitative assessment VMI100keV with IMAR provided best artifact reduction with an adjusted attenuation closest to 0 (e.g. bone: PI: 302.78; VMI100keV+IMAR: 51.18; p < 0.0001). The combination of VMI and IMAR significantly reduces hip prosthesis-associated artifacts in PCD-CT and improves the diagnostic quality of surrounding tissue.
Estimation of mobility and population in Spain during different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic from mobile phone data
Authors: Osorio Arjona Joaquín , de las Obras-Loscertales Sampériz Julia 
Published: June 2023

AbstractThis work aims to find out the effectiveness of sources based on Big Data like mobile phone records to analyze mobility flows and changes in the population of Spain in different scenarios during the period of the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus. To this end, we have used mobile phone data provided by the National Institute of Statistics from four days corresponding to different phases of the pandemic. Origin–Destination matrices and population estimation calculations at the spatial level of population cells have been elaborated. The results show different patterns that correspond to the phenomena that have occurred, as the decrease of the population during the periods associated with the confinement measures. The consistency of findings with the reality and the generally good correlation with the population census data indicate that mobile phone records are a useful source of data for the elaboration of demographic and mobility studies during pandemics.
Genital tract microbiome dynamics are associated with time of Chlamydia infection in mice
Authors: Zhao Lihong , Lundy Stephanie R. , Eko Francis O. , Igietseme Joeseph U. , Omosun Yusuf O. 
Published: June 2023

AbstractWe have previously shown that the time of Chlamydia infection was crucial in determining the chlamydial infectivity and pathogenesis. This study aims to determine whether the time of Chlamydia infection affects the genital tract microbiome. This study analyzed mice vaginal, uterine, and ovary/oviduct microbiome with and without Chlamydia infection. The mice were infected with Chlamydia at either 10:00 am (ZT3) or 10:00 pm (ZT15). The results showed that mice infected at ZT3 had higher Chlamydia infectivity than those infected at ZT15. There was more variation in the compositional complexity of the vaginal microbiome (alpha diversity) of mice infected at ZT3 than those mice infected at ZT15 throughout the infection within each treatment group, with both Shannon and Simpson diversity index values decreased over time. The analysis of samples collected four weeks post-infection showed that there were significant taxonomical differences (beta diversity) between different parts of the genital tract—vagina, uterus, and ovary/oviduct—and this difference was associated with the time of infection. Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the most abundant phyla within the microbiome in all three genital tract regions for all the samples collected during this experiment. Additionally, Firmicutes was the dominant phylum in the uterine microbiome of ZT3 Chlamydia infected mice. The results show that the time of infection is associated with the microbial dynamics in the genital tract. And this association is more robust in the upper genital tract than in the vagina. This result implies that more emphasis should be placed on understanding the changes in the microbial dynamics of the upper genital tract over the course of infection.
Analysis of the impact of DGAT1 p.M435L and p.K232A variants on pre-mRNA splicing in a full-length gene assay
Authors: Gaiani Nicolas , Bourgeois-Brunel Lorraine , Rocha Dominique , Boulling Arnaud 
Published: June 2023

AbstractDGAT1 is playing a major role in fat metabolism and triacylglyceride synthesis. Only two DGAT1 loss-of-function variants altering milk production traits in cattle have been reported to date, namely p.M435L and p.K232A. The p.M435L variant is a rare alteration and has been associated with skipping of exon 16 which results in a non-functional truncated protein, and the p.K232A-containing haplotype has been associated with modifications of the splicing rate of several DGAT1 introns. In particular, the direct causality of the p.K232A variant in decreasing the splicing rate of the intron 7 junction was validated using a minigene assay in MAC-T cells. As both these DGAT1 variants were shown to be spliceogenic, we developed a full-length gene assay (FLGA) to re-analyse p.M435L and p.K232A variants in HEK293T and MAC-T cells. Qualitative RT-PCR analysis of cells transfected with the full-length DGAT1 expression construct carrying the p.M435L variant highlighted complete skipping of exon 16. The same analysis performed using the construct carrying the p.K232A variant showed moderate differences compared to the wild-type construct, suggesting a possible effect of this variant on the splicing of intron 7. Finally, quantitative RT-PCR analyses of cells transfected with the p.K232A-carrying construct did not show any significant modification on the splicing rate of introns 1, 2 and 7. In conclusion, the DGAT1 FLGA confirmed the p.M435L impact previously observed in vivo, but invalidated the hypothesis whereby the p.K232A variant strongly decreased the splicing rate of intron 7.
Turbulent convection as a significant hidden provider of magnetic helicity in solar eruptions
Authors: Toriumi Shin , Hotta Hideyuki , Kusano Kanya 
Published: June 2023

AbstractSolar flares and coronal mass ejections, the primary space weather disturbances affecting the entire heliosphere and near-Earth environment, mainly emanate from sunspot regions harbouring high degrees of magnetic twist. However, it is not clear how magnetic helicity, the quantity for measuring the magnetic twist, is supplied to the upper solar atmosphere via the emergence of magnetic flux from the turbulent convection zone. Here, we report state-of-the-art numerical simulations of magnetic flux emergence from the deep convection zone. By controlling the twist of emerging flux, we find that with the support of convective upflow, the untwisted emerging flux can reach the solar surface without collapsing, in contrast to previous theoretical predictions, and eventually create sunspots. Because of the turbulent twisting of magnetic flux, the produced sunspots exhibit rotation and inject magnetic helicity into the upper atmosphere, amounting to a substantial fraction of injected helicity in the twisted cases that is sufficient to produce flare eruptions. This result indicates that the turbulent convection is responsible for supplying a non-negligible amount of magnetic helicity and potentially contributes to solar flares.
Urinary concentrations of GHB and its novel amino acid and carnitine conjugates following controlled GHB administration to humans
Authors: Steuer Andrea E. , Bavato Francesco , Schnider Laura K. , Dornbierer Dario A. , Bosch Oliver G. , Quednow Boris B. , Seifritz Erich , Steuer Christian , Kraemer Thomas 
Published: June 2023

AbstractGamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) remains a challenging clinical/forensic toxicology drug. Its rapid elimination to endogenous levels mainly causes this. Especially in drug-facilitated sexual assaults, sample collection often occurs later than the detection window for GHB. We aimed to investigate new GHB conjugates with amino acids (AA), fatty acids, and its organic acid metabolites for their suitability as ingestion/application markers in urine following controlled GHB administration to humans. We used LC–MS/MS for validated quantification of human urine samples collected within two randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover studies (GHB 50 mg/kg, 79 participants) at approximately 4.5, 8, 11, and 28 h after intake. We found significant differences (placebo vs. GHB) for all but two analytes at 4.5 h. Eleven hours post GHB administration, GHB, GHB-AAs, 3,4-dihydroxybutyric acid, and glycolic acid still showed significantly higher concentrations; at 28 h only GHB-glycine. Three different discrimination strategies were evaluated: (a) GHB-glycine cut-off concentration (1 µg/mL), (b) metabolite ratios of GHB-glycine/GHB (2.5), and (c) elevation threshold between two urine samples (> 5). Sensitivities were 0.1, 0.3, or 0.5, respectively. Only GHB-glycine showed prolonged detection over GHB, mainly when compared to a second time- and subject-matched urine sample (strategy c).
TSH levels after fresh embryo transfer are associated with reproductive outcomes in euthyroid women undergoing the first IVF/ICSI cycles
Authors: Zhang Yuchao , Liu Yanli , Wu Wenbin , Li Zhen , Ren Bingnan , Guan Yichun 
Published: June 2023

AbstractTo investigate whether there is a relationship between TSH levels on the 14th day post embryo transfer (D14 TSH levels) and the reproductive outcomes in euthyroid women who are free from levothyroxine (LT4) treatment and undergo the first in vitro fertilization /intracytoplasmic sperm injection embryo transfer (IVF/ICSI-ET) cycles with the homogeneous ovarian stimulation protocols. This was a prospective study including a total of 599 euthyroid women undergoing the first IVF/ICSI ET cycles. Serum samples were collected and frozen on the 14th day post embryo transfer. TSH levels were measured after the confirmation of clinical pregnancy. The patients were divided into three groups (low-normal ≤ 2.5 mIU/L; high-normal 2.5–4.2 mIU/L; and high > 4.2 mIU/L) based on D14 TSH levels. Reproductive outcomes were compared among the three groups. Binary logistic regression analyses and generalized additive mixed models with smoothing splines were used to investigate the relationship between TSH levels and reproductive outcomes. D14 TSH levels were significantly elevated compared to basal TSH levels, and the degree of TSH elevation was significantly higher in pregnant women compared to that in non-pregnant women. The clinical pregnancy and live birth rates increased significantly in the high-normal D14 TSH groups, and doubled in the high D14 TSH groups compared to the low TSH groups. When adjusted by age, basal TSH, AMH, E2, endometrial thickness, type and causes of infertility, and transferred embryos, the dose-dependent relationships between D14 TSH and clinical pregnancy and live birth were observed. Obstetric outcomes in singleton or twins live birth among the different D14 TSH groups were similar. Elevated D14 TSH levels were associated with better clinical pregnancy and live birth rates, and were not associated with worse obstetric outcomes. The mechanisms to explain the phenomenon remained to be studied.
CT radiomic signature predicts survival and chemotherapy benefit in stage I and II HPV-associated oropharyngeal carcinoma
Authors: Song Bolin , Yang Kailin , Viswanathan Vidya Sankar , Wang Xiangxue , Lee Jonathan , Stock Sarah , Fu Pingfu , Lu Cheng , Koyfman Shlomo , Lewis James S. , Madabhushi Anant 
Published: June 2023

AbstractChemoradiation is a common therapeutic regimen for human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). However, not all patients benefit from chemotherapy, especially patients with low-risk characteristics. We aim to develop and validate a prognostic and predictive radiomic image signature (pRiS) to inform survival and chemotherapy benefit using computed tomography (CT) scans from 491 stage I and II HPV-associated OPSCC, which were divided into three cohorts D1–D3. The prognostic performance of pRiS was evaluated on two test sets (D2, n = 162; D3, n = 269) using concordance index. Patients from D2 and D3 who received either radiotherapy alone or chemoradiation were used to validate pRiS as predictive of added benefit of chemotherapy. Seven features were selected to construct pRiS, which was found to be prognostic of overall survival (OS) on univariate analysis in D2 (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.14, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1–4.16, p = 0.02) and D3 (HR = 2.74, 95% CI, 1.34–5.62, p = 0.006). Chemotherapy was associated with improved OS for high-pRiS patients in D2 (radiation vs chemoradiation, HR = 4.47, 95% CI, 1.73–11.6, p = 0.002) and D3 (radiation vs chemoradiation, HR = 2.99, 95% CI, 1.04–8.63, p = 0.04). In contrast, chemotherapy did not improve OS for low-pRiS patients, which indicates these patients did not derive additional benefit from chemotherapy and could be considered for treatment de-escalation. The proposed radiomic signature was prognostic of patient survival and informed benefit from chemotherapy for stage I and II HPV-associated OPSCC patients.
Superconducting dome by tuning through a van Hove singularity in a two-dimensional metal
Authors: Wan Wen , Harsh Rishav , Dreher Paul , de Juan Fernando , Ugeda Miguel M. 
Published: June 2023

AbstractChemical substitution is a promising route for the exploration of a rich variety of doping- and/or disorder-dependent collective phenomena in low-dimensional quantum materials. Here we show that transition metal dichalcogenide alloys are ideal platforms to this purpose. In particular, we demonstrate the emergence of superconductivity in the otherwise metallic single-layer TaSe2 by minute electron doping provided by substitutional W atoms. We investigate the temperature and magnetic field dependence of the superconducting state of Ta1-δWδSe2 with electron doping (δ) using variable temperature (0.34–4.2 K) scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS). We unveil the emergence of a superconducting dome spanning 0.003 < δ < 0.03 with a maximized critical temperature of 0.9 K, a significant increase from that of bulk TaSe2 (TC = 0.14 K). Superconductivity emerges from an increase of the density of states (DOS) as the Fermi surface approaches a van Hove singularity due to doping. Once the singularity is reached, however, the DOS decreases with δ, which gradually weakens the superconducting state, thus shaping the superconducting dome. Lastly, our doping-dependent measurements suggest the development of a Coulomb glass phase triggered by disorder due to W dopants.
Functional Hearing Impairment, Psychological Resilience, and Social Well-Being Among Chinese Older Adults in Low-Income Households
Authors: Gao Jiamin , Hu Hongwei , He Haotian 
Published: June 2023

Purpose:
Hearing loss (HL) is prevalent and relates to social health in old age. This study aims to examine the association between functional HL and social well-being (SWB) in older adults and to investigate whether psychological resilience mediates this association.

Method:
The analytical sample of 4,531 older adults aged ≥ 60 years was from the Sample Survey on Vulnerable Populations from Poor Families in Urban/Rural China (2018). SWB was measured by social networks and social engagement using the Lubben Social Network Scale and Index of Social Engagement Scale, respectively. Functional hearing impairment was defined by a dichotomized measure of self-perceived hearing difficulty. Psychological resilience was assessed by a 25-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Structural equation modeling was performed to determine associations of HL with SWB and the mediating roles of psychological resilience.

Results:
Functional HL was associated with reduced SWB among older adults living in low-income households. Hearing-impaired individuals were more likely to be socially isolated and less socially engaged compared to those with normal hearing. The association persisted in gender subsamples and in non–low-income households but not in older adults aged ≥ 70 years. Psychological resilience partially mediated the association of hearing impairment with SWB, accounting for 50.9% of the variance in the change of SWB.

Conclusions:
Functional hearing impairment may be a modifiable risk factor for social restrictions and downstream older adults' health. Promotion of hearing health care and accessibility to coping resources including psychological support may improve social wellness among the older adults and benefit healthy aging.

Supplemental Material:

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.22750736
Pruning method for dendritic neuron model based on dendrite layer significance constraints
Authors: Luo Xudong , Wen Xiaohao , Li Yan , Li Quanfu 
Published: June 2023

AbstractThe dendritic neural model (DNM) mimics the non‐linearity of synapses in the human brain to simulate the information processing mechanisms and procedures of neurons. This enhances the understanding of biological nervous systems and the applicability of the model in various fields. However, the existing DNM suffers from high complexity and limited generalisation capability. To address these issues, a DNM pruning method with dendrite layer significance constraints is proposed. This method not only evaluates the significance of dendrite layers but also allocates the significance of a few dendrite layers in the trained model to a few dendrite layers, allowing the removal of low‐significance dendrite layers. The simulation experiments on six UCI datasets demonstrate that our method surpasses existing pruning methods in terms of network size and generalisation performance.
A quasi‐optical resonator with new coupling method and parasitic‐mode‐suppressing in 110–170 GHz
Authors: Cheng Jin , Zhang Yunpeng , Long Jiawei , Li En 
Published: June 2023

AbstractIn this paper, a quasi‐optical resonator with new coupling method and parasitic‐mode‐suppressing in 110–170 GHz is proposed. The coupling of terahertz (THz) quasi‐optical resonator in this paper is realized by PCB substrate processing and pressurized flange. At the same time, the parasitic mode is effectively suppressed by slitting the plane mirror to reduce the influence on the main mode during the test. And the fused quartz sample was tested to verify the feasibility of the system for complex dielectric testing of materials in 110–170 GHz.
Method of static stability dominant identification
Authors: Hu Zhen , Cui Ting , Dai Yuanhang , Chen Daojun , Yang Dan , Li Yating 
Published: June 2023

AbstractTwo extreme cases of static stability are voltage stability and power angle stability. The general stability analysis only focuses on one of the voltage stability or power angle stability. The stability limit and state change are studied for a certain kind of stability characteristics. In this paper, the stability limits of static voltage and power angle are derived, respectively. Therefore, different stability characteristics and their interrelationships can be further studied. The index to judge the dominant stability characteristic is defined. The proposed index only needs the system wide‐area measurement information to quickly and accurately judge the dominant static stability characteristics. The dominant instability (DI) characteristic index proposed in this paper is equal to 1 or −1, which can help to quickly identify whether the power angle stability or voltage stability is dominant. The effectiveness of the method is proved by a simple system.
An enhanced hunter‐prey optimization for optimal power flow with FACTS devices and wind power integration
Authors: Hassan Mohamed H. , Daqaq Fatima , Kamel Salah , Hussien Abdelazim G. , Zawbaa Hossam M. 
Published: June 2023

AbstractThis paper proposes an improved version of the Hunter‐prey optimization (HPO) method to enhance its search capabilities for solving the Optimal Power Flow (OPF) problem, which includes FACTS devices and wind power energy integration. The new algorithm is inspired by the behavior of predator and prey animals, such as lions, wolves, leopards, stags, and gazelles. The primary contribution of this study is to address the tendency of the original HPO approach to get trapped in local optima, by proposing an enhanced Hunter‐prey optimization (EHPO) approach that improves both the exploration and exploitation phases. This is achieved through a random mutation for exploration and an adaptive process for exploitation, which balances the transition between the two phases. The performance of the EHPO algorithm is compared with other optimization algorithms, and subsequently, it is used to solve the OPF problem incorporating FACTS devices and wind power. The results demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed algorithm. In conclusion, this study successfully enhances the EHPO algorithm to provide better accuracy and faster convergence in finding optimal solutions for complex real‐world problems.