bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Enhancing Classification of liquid chromatography mass spectrometry data with Batch Effect Removal Neural Networks (BERNN)
Authors: Pelletier Simon J. , Leclerq Mickaël , Roux-Dalvai Florence , de Geus Matthijs B. , Leslie Shannon , Wang Weiwei , Lam TuKiet T. , Nairn Angus C. , Arnold Steven E. , Carlyle Becky C. , Precioso Frédéric , Droit Arnaud 
Published: July 2023

Abstract

Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) is a powerful method for profiling complex biological samples. However, batch effects typically arise from differences in sample processing protocols, experimental conditions and data acquisition techniques, significantlyimpacting the interpretability of results. Correcting batch effects is crucial for the reproducibility of proteomics research, but current methods are not optimal for removal of batch effects without compressing the genuine biological variation under study. We propose a suite of Batch Effect Removal Neural Networks (BERNN) to remove batch effects in large LC-MS experiments, with the goal of maximizing sample classification performance between conditions. More importantly, these models must efficiently generalize in batches not seen during training. Comparison of batch effect correction methods across three diverse datasets demonstrated that BERNN models consistently showed the strongest sample classification performance. However, the model producing the greatest classification improvements did not always perform best in terms of batch effect removal. Finally, we show that overcorrection of batch effects resulted in the loss of some essential biological variability. These findings highlight the importance of balancing batch effect removal while preserving valuable biological diversity in large-scale LC-MS experiments.
Mechanical Digestion of Broccoli Through Chewing and Its Impact on Myrosinase Activity
Authors: Kosi-Kupe Anne-Marie , Cobau Alexis , Beard seanice , Ahmad Maha , Sanchez Maria , Saleh Hanaa 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Myrosinase activity on broccoli glucosinolates has been widely and extensively discussed.
Purpose
Studies on cruciferous vegetables, especially broccoli, have gained significance in the fight against cancer. Glucosinolates in broccoli transformation into sulforaphane occur after its exposure through chewing. However, the relationship between individual chewing patterns linked to denture morphology has not been studied extensively. Research on human digestion has demonstrated how the mechanical breakdown of larger food particles into smaller ones is a crucial precursor to chemical food breakdown. This study is a comparative analysis of how chewing on broccoli tissues by different individuals enables the enzyme myrosinase to break down broccoli glucosinolates chemically.
Individual chewing patterns linked to the surface anatomy of the pre-molars and molars and the myrosinase activity on broccoli glucosinolates will be investigated.
Methods
Three individuals chew a 4-millimeter broccoli floret four times sequentially into a four-millimeter-long broccoli floret (2 grams), and the floret length was measured at each bite until the sample was ground. Then the chewed broccoli was combined with distilled water, filtered, and myrosinase activity was measured using photospectrometric measurements and an agar diffusion test. Human pre-molars and molars are measured in millimeters.
Results
Data from the three human chewing mechanisms compared to the mechanical breakdown performed by an automatic mixer shows different values and is individually specific.
Conclusion
Individual chewing patterns link to the unique surface anatomy of the pre-molars and molars, subsequently impacting the myrosinase activity on broccoli glucosinolates’ breakdown individually.
(Re)Emerging Disease and Conflict Risk in Africa, 2000 – 2018
Authors: Koren Ore 
Published: July 2023

Abstract

The frequency of new disease outbreaks may rise in coming decades due to deforestation and climate change, yet their impact on conflict is poorly understood. Leveraging a new geolocated monthly outbreak dataset on 23 zoonotic pathogens in Africa, this study explores the impact of (re)emergent disease on armed conflict. Zoonotic pathogens are considered key drivers of reemergent and new epidemic risk, making them a useful test case while also ensuring their probability of being reported by media and health policy outlets is high. Results suggest that over the January 2000 – Dec. 2018 period, zoonotic disease outbreaks intensified social conflict but had a dampening effect on state-initiated conflict. Social conflict intensification was due to civil defense mobilization rather than security outsourcing by the government. Rebel-initiated conflicts are not noticeably sensitive to outbreaks. Results are robust to system GMM models that account for endogeneity and a battery of additional robustness models.
Construction of oxygen vacancies on Cu-COF as electron collector for high efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution
Authors: Liu Qingju , Qiu Zhishi , Luo Zhongge , Zhang Yumin , Zhou Tong , Zi Baoye , Lv Tianping , Zhao Jianhong , He Tianwei , Ma Yuxiang , Zhao Jianhong , Wang Kexin 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Oxygen vacancies (OVs) play an essential role in photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, but the covalent organic frameworks (COFs) barely contain OVs due to their strong and stable covalent bonding. In this work, OVs are constructed on single atom Cu loaded COF-TpPa as electron collector to facilitate the transfer and utilization of electrons. Experiment and theoretical simulation proved that the synergistic effect between OVs and single-atom Cu greatly improves the efficiency of photogenerated carrier separation, decreases the activated energy and achieves a high apparent quantum efficiency of 20% at 420 nm. As electron collector, OVs transfer the collected electrons to Cu2+ to reduce Cu2+ to Cu1+, and then Cu1+ reduce the protons in the water to produce H2 and turn back to Cu2+, realizing the in-situ regeneration of Cu Active site. This study provides a brand-new modification method for COFs, disclosing the great potential of OV-COFs in visible light photocatalysis.
Pulsed electroreduction of low-concentration nitrate to ammonia
Authors: Yu Yifu , Huang Yanmei , He Caihong , Cheng Chuanqi , Han Shuhe , He Meng , Wang Yuting , Meng Nannan , Zhang Bin , Lu Qipeng 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Electrocatalytic nitrate (NO3−) reduction to ammonia (NRA) has emerged as an alternative strategy for effluent treatment and ammonia production. Although significant advances have been made in this area, the efficient conversion of low-concentration nitrate to emission standards (≤ 0.81 mM) is still a major challenge due to the scarce distribution of negatively charged NO3− in the vicinity of the working electrode. Here, we adopt the pulsed electrocatalysis technique to overcome this issue, and a remarkable NRA performance (Faradaic efficiency: 97.6%, yield rate: 2.72 mmol h−1 mgRu−1, conversion rate: 96.38%) is achieved for low-concentration (≤10 mM) nitrate reduction, obviously exceeding the potentiostatic test (Faradaic efficiency: 65.8%, yield rate: 1.05 mmol/h/mgRu, conversion rate: 54.08%). The combined results of in situ characterizations and finite element analysis unveil the performance enhancement mechanism that the periodic appearance of anodic potential can significantly optimize the adsorption configuration of the key *NO intermediate and increase the local NO3− concentration. More importantly, our work suggests a way toward rational design and manipulating catalysts and reaction processes that could find wider and greener catalytic applications.
Cost-Effectiveness of Convalescent Plasma for COVID-19: A Cost-effectiveness Analysis of the CONCOR-1 Randomized Trial
Authors: Tse Preston , Yan Jiajun , Liu Yang , Jamula Erin , Heddle Nancy , Bazin Renée , Robitaille Nancy , Cook Richard , Turgeon Alexis , Fergusson Dean , Glesby Marshall , Loftsgard Kent , Cushing Melissa , Chassé Michaël , Daneman Nick , Finzi Andrés , Sachais Bruce , Bégin Phillipe , Callum Jeannie , Arnold Donald , Xie Feng 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Background The CONvalescent Plasma for Hospitalized Adults With COVID-19 Respiratory Illness (CONCOR-1) trial was a multicenter randomized controlled trial assessing convalescent plasma in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Though stopped early due to the lack of treatment benefit, the cost-effectiveness of convalescent plasma provides insight into its potential as an alternative treatment option in resource constrained settings.Methods Individual patient data on health outcomes and healthcare resource utilization from the CONCOR-1 trial were used to conduct the analysis from the Canadian public payer’s perspective with a time horizon of 30 days post-randomization. Baseline and 30-day EQ-5D-5L was measured to calculate quality-adjusted survival. All costs are presented in 2021 Canadian dollars. The base case assessed the EQ-5D-5L scores of patients reporting at both timepoints, and a utility score of 0 was assigned for patients who died within 30 days. Costs for all patients enrolled in the study were used. The sensitivity analysis utilizes EQ-5D-5L scores from the same population but only uses the costs from this population.Results 940 patients were randomized: 627 received CCP and 313 received standard care. The total costs were $28,716 (standard deviation, $25,380) and $24,258 ($22,939) for the convalescent plasma and standard care arms respectively. EQ-5D-5L scores were 0.61 both arms (p = 0.85) at baseline. At 30 days, EQ-5D-5L scores were 0.63 and 0.64 for patients in the convalescent plasma and standard care arms respectively (p = 0.46). The incremental cost was $4,458 and incremental quality-adjusted life day was − 0.078.Conclusion These results indicate that convalescent plasma was less effective and more costly than standard care in treating hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The sensitivity analysis yielded similar results to the base case analysis.
Design of Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach for Traffic Signal Control at Three-way Crossroads
Authors: Canh Thanh Nguyen , Tuan Anh Pham , HoangVan Xiem 
Published: July 2023

Abstract

Traffic light control (TSC) is an important and challenging real-world problem with the aim of reducing travel time as well as saving energy. Recent researches have numerous attempts to apply intelligent methods for TSC at four-way crossroads to solve the traffic light scheduling problem. However, there is the limitation of researches on efficient TSC at three-way crossroads. Therefore, this paper introduces a novel TSC solution for three-way crossroad environment (TW-TSC). The proposed TSC method is designed based on a deep reinforcement learning approach, namely Soft Actor-Critic (TWSAC). Firstly, we create a simulation environment for three-way crossroads which consists of numerous transportation and two parallel lanes using Unity framework. Secondly, to achieve practical movements of transportation in three-way crossroads, we carefully design agents which have a high impact to the transportation movement, notably the time to wait for traffic light, the velocity of transportation, and the number of transportation passing successfully. Finally, to achieve TW-TSC efficiency, we propose a novel reward function together with a design of TWSAC algorithm. Experimental results show that the proposed TWSAC in TW-TSC achieves higher performance than both fixed-time TSC methods and relevant RL algorithms.
Seeking information and services associated with reproductive health among rural Peruvian young adults: Exploratory qualitative research from Amazonas, Peru
Authors: McGuire Molly F , Ortega Emma , Riley-Powell Amy R , Patel Radha , Paz-Soldan Valerie A 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Background: Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) literacy allows young adults to make informed decisions about health outcomes. In Peru, roughly one fifth of the population lives in rural areas, and little is known about where young adults in rural areas get their SRH information. The aim of this study was to identify what motivates and influences young adults to seek information and care related to SRH in three rural communities in the highlands of Northern Peru.
Methods: Five gender-stratified focus group discussions with a total of 24 participants, and nine follow-up interviews were conducted to generate in-depth narrative data and triangulate data from the target group. Participants were women and men aged 18-24. The focus group discussions and interviews explored sources of reproductive health information, the role of informal social networks, barriers to care, and primary health concerns of the target population.
Results: Main findings include 1) The two greatest perceived SRH risks were unwanted pregnancy and abnormal discharge; 2) There appears to be limited concern about HIV or other sexually transmitted infections in the narratives; 3) There is a low quality of information concerning SRH, with discrepancies between the genders; 4) A broad spectrum of sources for SRH information were cited, including Internet, traditional healers, and specialized care; and varied by gender and life experience; 5) Having trust in a person was the primary variable associated with use of services and/or access to information for both men and women. However, men reported more embarrassment around seeking services and information, whereas women faced more physical barriers.
Conclusions: There is a lack of SRH information among young adults in some communities in the northern highlands of Peru. Both schools and health centers were noted as being trusted and established information sources for all genders so could be a key resource to explore as a way to disseminate information.
Diagnostic accuracy of biomarkers to detect acute mesenteric ischaemia in adult patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Blaser Annika Reintam , Starkopf Joel , Björck Martin , Forbes Alastair , Kase Karri , Kiisk Ele , Laisaar Kaja-Triin , Mihnovits Vladislav , Murruste Marko , Mändul Merli , Voomets Anna-Liisa , Tamme Kadri 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Background: Acute mesenteric ischaemia (AMI) is a disease with different pathophysiological mechanisms, leading to a life-threatening condition that is difficult to diagnose based solely on clinical signs. Despite widely acknowledged need for biomarkers in diagnosis of AMI, a broad systematic review on all studied biomarkers in different types of AMI is currently lacking. The aim of this study (funded by Grant PRG1255 from Estonian Research Council) was to estimate the diagnostic accuracy of all potential biomarkers of AMI studied in humans.
Methods: A systematic literature search in PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Scopus was conducted in December 2022.
Studies assessing potential biomarkers of AMI in (at least 10) adult patients and reporting their diagnostic accuracy were included. Meta-analyses of biomarkers’ sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative likelihood ratios were conducted.
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed, and the study quality was assessed with the QUADAS-2 tool.
Results: Seventy-five studies including a total of 9914 patients, assessed 18 different biomarkers in serum/plasma and one in urine (each reported in at least two studies), which were included in meta-analyses. None of the biomarkers reached a conclusive level for accurate prediction. The best predictive value overall (all studies with any type and stage of AMI pooled) was observed for Ischaemia-modified albumin (2 studies, sensitivity 94.7 and specificity 90.5), interleukin-6 (n=4, 96.3 and 82.6), procalcitonin (n=6, 80.1 and 86.7), and intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP) measured in serum (n=16, 73.9 and 90.5) or in urine (n=4, 87.9 and 78.9). In assessment of transmural mesenteric ischaemia, urinary I-FABP (n=2, 92.3 and 85.2) and D-dimer (n=3, 87.6 and 83.6) showed moderate predictive value. Overall risk of bias was high, mainly because of selected study populations and unclear timings of the biomarker measurements after onset of symptoms. Combinations of biomarkers were rarely studied, not allowing meta-analyses.
Conclusions: None of the studied biomarkers had sufficient sensitivity and specificity to diagnose AMI, although some biomarkers showed moderate predictive accuracy. Future studies should focus on timing of measurements of biomarkers, distinguishing between early stage and transmural necrosis, and between different types of AMI. Additionally, studies on combinations of biomarkers are warranted.
PROSPERO registration: CRD42022379341
Comparative Analysis of Phenolic and Antioxidant Profiling of White Variety Guava Fruit (Cv Arka Mridula) Across the Ripening Stages, a Statistical Multi-Facet Study
Authors: Bylappa Yatheesharadhya , Nag Anish 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Anatomical (Scanning Electron Microscopy), phenolic (total phenol and total flavonoid), antioxidant (DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS) and analytical profiling (LC-MS and GC-MS) were performed for three different ripening stages (pre-ripe, ripe and over-ripe) of guava with the hydro-methanolic extraction technique. Overall, the antioxidant-phenolic parameters showed a sigmoid pattern of change during the maturation progress of the fruit at room temperature (28±2ºC). Further, the multivariate PCA (Principal Component Analysis) established a strong correlation among different phenolic-antioxidant variables studied in this work. Analytical characterization by GC and LC-MS identified 55 (fifty-five) compounds from the guava extract. The PCA revealed a few compounds, namely, Glycine, Gamma Sitosterol, Kaempferol-4'-glucoside, Thiamine, Catechin and n-Hexadecanoic acid, could contribute significantly to the ripening process of guava. Finally, it is expected that an in-depth metabolic study of the guava ripening life cycle performed here could lead to the future development of highly stable fruit varies, with extended post-harvest shelf life at room temperature.
Frailty and Mild Cognitive Impairment in Southeast Asians: A Cross-Sectional Study on Brain Atrophy Patterns and Cognitive Profiles
Authors: Soo See Ann , Kumar Dilip , Leow Yi Jin , En Faith Phemie Lee Hui , Ghildiyal Smriti , Chao Dang , Vipin Ashwati , Kandiah Nagaendran 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Background
Poorer cognition and reduced brain volumes are found to be associated with frailty. We examine the influence of frailty on cognitive and neuroimaging measures in a Southeast Asian cohort of MCI.
Methods
Using a cross-sectional design, 356 MCI participants completed neuropsychological assessments. We performed a multivariable linear regression comparing pre-frail/frail and non-frail groups on cognitive, behavioural and brain volumes controlling for age and total intracranial volume and a partial correlation of frailty and walking speed on brain volumes.
Results
Mean age of our cohort was 65.26 ± 9.10, mean education years was 13.36 ± 4.12 and 54.21% were women. The pre-frail/frail group had worse cognition, mild behavioural impairment, mood, physical activity and quality of life (p < 0.05). Faster walking speed was associated with greater hippocampal volume (r = 0.139, p = 0.048).
Conclusions
Frailty is associated with worse cognition and lifestyle outcomes. Walking speed could be a potential biomarker of dementia.
On the performance, analysis and design of microwave photonic spectral domain filters based on optical microcombs
Authors: moss david 
Published: July 2023

AbstractMicrowave transversal filters, which are implemented based on the transversal filter structure in digital signal processing, offer a high reconfigurability for achieving a variety of signal processing functions without changing hardware. When implemented using microwave photonic (MWP) technologies, also known as MWP transversal filters, they provide competitive advantages over their electrical counterparts, such as low loss, large operation bandwidth, and strong immunity to electromagnetic interference. Recent advances in high-performance optical microcombs provide compact and powerful multi-wavelength sources for MWP transversal filters that require a larger number of wavelength channels to achieve high performance, allowing for the demonstration of a diverse range of filter functions with improved performance and new features. Here, we present a comprehensive performance analysis for microcomb-based MWP spectral filters based on the transversal filter approach. First, we investigate the theoretical limitations in the filter spectral response induced by finite tap numbers. Next, we analyze the distortions in the filter spectral response resulting from experimental error sources. Finally, we assess the influence of input signal’s bandwidth on the filtering errors. These results provide a valuable guide for the design and optimization of microcomb-based MWP transversal filters for a variety of applications.
Possibilities of spectrometric diagnostics of benign and malignant conjunctival tumors
Authors: Saakyan S. V. , Skladnev D. A. , Alekseeva A. P. , Sorokin V. V. , Beznos O. V. 
Published: July 2023

Purpose: to compare the regenerative activity of benign and malignant conjunctival tumors.Material and methods. The study was performed on 86 tumor biopsies from patients with a clinically diagnosed conjunctival neoplasm. Healthy tissues from the same eye were taken as a control sample. The optical density of the reaction mixture containing biogenic nanoparticles formed in the presence of conjunctival tumors and the corresponding paired healthy tissue samples from the control group was measured by spectrophotometry. The data obtained were later verified by a pathohistological analysis.Results. A significantly higher level of in situ formation of biogenic silver nanoparticles was recorded in the reaction mixture with malignant tumors of the conjunctiva (3.0 ± 1.1, (n = 32) compared to benign tumors (1.3 ± 0.2, n = 54). No differences were found between various types of benign tumors. In samples of malignant tumors, the indicators of recovery activity in melanoma (3.4 ± 1.0, n = 14) and lymphoma (2.8 ± 1.0, n = 7) were significantly higher than in squamous cell carcinoma (2.0 ± 0.6, n = 11), but no significant differences were found between the two types of tumors.Conclusion. The method of spectrophotometric measurement of the regenerative activity of conjunctival tumors can be used in preoperative or intraoperative diagnostics thanks to the fact that the results can be obtained rapidly, which will help to quickly determine the extent of surgical intervention needed and optimize the treatment tactics.