bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Correlation Between PAPP-A Levels Determined During the First Trimester and Birth Weight at Full-Term
Authors: Turrado Sánchez E. M. , De Miguel Sánchez V. , Macía Cortiñas M. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractFoetal birth weight is an important determinant of perinatal health. For this reason, various methods have been investigated for estimating this weight during pregnancy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the possible relationship between full-term birth weight and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) levels determined during the first trimester as part of combined screening for aneuploidy carried out in pregnant women. We carried out a single-centre study including pregnant women who were being followed up by the Obstetrics Service Care Units of the XXI de Santiago de Compostela e Barbanza Foundation, who gave birth from March 1, 2015, to March 1, 2017, and who had undergone their first-trimester combined chromosomopathy screening. The sample included a total of 2794 women. We found a significant correlation between MoM PAPP-A and foetal birth weight. When MoM PAPP-A was measured at extremely low levels (< 0.3) during the first trimester, the OR for giving birth to a foetus with weight < p10, adjusting for gestational age and sex, was 2.74. For low levels of MoM PAPP-A (0.3–0.44), the OR was 1.52. With regard to the value of MOM PAPP-A levels as a predictor of foetal macrosomia, a correlation could be observed with elevated levels, although this was not statistically significant. PAPP-A determined during the first trimester acts as a predictor of foetal weight at term as well as for foetal growth disorders.
Immune receptor mimicking hormone receptors: a new guarding strategy
Authors: Liu Xueru , Li Josh , Peng Tony ShengZhe , Li Xin 
Published: May 2023

AbstractPlant intracellular nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat (NLR) receptors play crucial roles in immune responses against pathogens. How diverse NLRs recognize different pathogen effectors remains a significant question. A recent study published in Nature uncovered how pepper NLR Tsw detects phytohormone receptors’ interference caused by tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) effector, triggering a robust immune response, showcasing a new manner of NLR guarding.
Exploring Environmental Nanoplastics Research: Networks and Evolutionary Trends
Authors: Yu Qisheng , Chuang Chia-Ying Anderin , Jiang Yuelu , Zhong Huan , Cundy Andrew , Kwong Raymond W. M. , Min Chao , Zhu Xiaoshan , Ji Rong 
Published: May 2023

AbstractAnalyzing scientific advances and networks in NPs research can provide valuable insights into the evolving trends, research gaps, and priorities for future research efforts, highlighting the importance of scientific research in pollution control and risk management of uncontrolled and unknown nanoplastics (NPs) that pose a potential global threat, and have raised concerns in the scientific community and media. A total of 2055 nanoplastics (NPs) studies published from 1995 onwards were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Bibliometric methods were applied to assess evolving scientific advances and networks. The general term, “nanoplastics,” was first introduced in 1995 as “intelligent” materials. Before 2009, defined as the ambiguous stage, NPs were produced and applied in many different manufacturing areas and processes. The first research referring to nano-scale plastic particles/debris as potential hazardous contaminants appeared in 2010. Thereafter, the number of annual publications on NPs has increased rapidly, particularly from 2018 onwards. Results showed China published 822 scientific papers, overtaking the United States’ 229 papers, whereas European researches, i.e., the Netherlands, Portugal, German, and the United Kingdom, led in quality and citation with extensive international collaborations. Furthermore, we concluded three main research themes from keyword cluster analysis: environmental monitoring (identification, quantification, fresh-water, marine-environment); environmental behaviors (fate, adsorption, aggregation, transport); and toxicology (toxicity, exposure, ingestion, oxidative stress). Toxicology and environmental behaviors of NPs were the leading themes. An overview of the current understanding of NPs in the above three major themes provides perspectives to identify future research directions based on knowledge gaps, e.g., advancing analytical methods, and exploring the mobility and fate of NPs in different ecosystems. Scientific research on NPs is a key fundamental requirement for their pollution control and risk management. To bridge the gap between research and reality, future efforts are required to promote the dissemination of scientific research findings and encourage actions in engineering, policy, education, etc., to support a sustainable society.
Graphical Abstract
Multi-screening analysis of single nanoparticles by the first multi-quadrupole ICPMS/MS
Authors: Gupta Soumya , Allal Ahmed , Preud’Homme Hugues 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThe recent expansion in the use of nanomaterials in various fields has led to a growing concern over their impacts on environmental systems. Accurate detection, quantification, characterization, and tracking of the nanoparticles are essential for assessing the ecological risks and their implications for environmental health. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) operated in single-particle mode is an attractive analytical tool for quantification and sizing very small nanoparticles in aqueous suspensions. The ICP-MultiQuad-MS/MS can rapidly detect (including highly interfered elements) and characterize a large number of particles, determine size and size distributions, the particle number concentration in a sample, and the elemental mass concentration of both dissolved and particulate species. This paper provides the first systematic review of the ICP-MultiQuad-MS/MS to perform NPs analysis applied to different structures and compositions while simultaneously comparing them with the current state of the art of ICP-(CRC)-MS available. This study is done on composite nanomaterials with different shapes for elements with high sensitivity and no interference, like Au, Ag, and Pt, and elements with high interferences and lower sensitivity, like Fe, Si, and Ti.
The UK Pay Transparency Regulations: apparent transparency without accountability?
Authors: Benedi Lahuerta Sara , Rejchrt Peter , Patrick Alex 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThe UK enacted its first legal measure to address gender pay inequity, the Equal Pay Act 1970, more than 50 years ago. Yet, in 2021, the gender pay gap (GPG) still stood at 15.4%. Departing from the remedial and individual approach that characterises equal pay legislation, the 2017 Gender Pay Gap Information Regulations (the Regulations) require private and voluntary sector organisations with 250+ employees to annually publish pay data broken down by gender. The long-term aspiration of the Regulations is to contribute to closing the GPG within a generation. It is also hoped that they will encourage the public disclosure of pay data and changes in workplace policies to reduce organisational GPGs (immediate aims) and improve employers’ accountability (underlying aim). This paper considers whether the Regulations have what it takes to meet those immediate and underlying aims. Our assessment framework is built on the premise that for public disclosure to be useful and for employers to tackle the causes of the GPG, the information reported must be of sufficient quality, meaningful and relevant. The paper draws on both doctrinal analysis and empirical data reported by FTSE 100 Index companies to assess the Regulations and determine whether they hold the potential to meet those aims.
Giardia duodenalis and dysentery in Iron Age Jerusalem (7th–6th century BCE)
Authors: Mitchell Piers D. , Wang Tianyi , Billig Ya'akov , Gadot Yuval , Warnock Peter , Langgut Dafna 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThe aim of this study was to determine if the protozoa that cause dysentery might have been present in Jerusalem, the capital of the Kingdom of Judah, during the Iron Age. Sediments from 2 latrines pertaining to this time period were obtained, 1 dating from the 7th century BCE and another from the 7th to early 6th century BCE. Microscopic investigations have previously shown that the users were infected by whipworm (Trichuris trichiura), roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides), Taenia sp. tapeworm and pinworm (Enterobius vermicularis). However, the protozoa that cause dysentery are fragile and do not survive well in ancient samples in a form recognizable using light microscopy. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits designed to detect the antigens of Entamoeba histolytica, Cryptosporidium sp. and Giardia duodenalis were used. Results for Entamoeba and Cryptosporidium were negative, while Giardia was positive for both latrine sediments when the analysis was repeated three times. This provides our first microbiological evidence for infective diarrhoeal illnesses that would have affected the populations of the ancient near east. When we integrate descriptions from 2nd and 1st millennium BCE Mesopotamian medical texts, it seems likely that outbreaks of dysentery due to giardiasis may have caused ill health throughout early towns across the region.
Percutaneous transient occlusion of the transtricuspid flow: a new method to evaluate the right ventricle-dependent coronary circulation in pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum
Authors: Colín Ortiz José Luis , Sánchez González Sylvia K. , Aguirre Alfredo Bobadilla , Guerrero Carlos González-Rebeles , Carlos Alfonso Corona Villalobos 
Published: May 2023

AbstractPulmonary atresia with an intact ventricular septum is characterised by heterogeneity in right ventricle morphology and coronary anatomy. In some cases, the presence of ventriculocoronary connections may promote coronary artery stenosis or interruption, and aortic diastolic pressure may not be sufficient to drive coronary blood flow. This requires a correct evaluation (currently done by angiography) which depends on whether the patient can be offered decompression of the right ventricle. To date, there is no objective method to do so, so we designed a percutaneous, transitory technique with the purpose of occluding the transtricuspid anterograde flow. The manoeuverer was performed in a 25-day-old female with pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum, right ventricle at suprasystemic level, and selective coronarography was not conclusive, the anterior descendant with stenosis in its middle third and from this point, thinner with to-fro flow. Occlusion was performed with a balloon catheter. We re-evaluated the coronary flow and the normalised anterior descendant flow. We hope that with this new method, we can give a more accurate diagnosis and determine the cases in which the coronary circulation is truly not right ventricle dependent to offer a greater number of patients biventricular or 1.5 ventricular repairs and thereby improve their quality of life and survival, the ones that turn out to be right ventricular dependant; offer them an early reference for cardiac transplant or in case it is not available to consider univentricular palliation knowing that this probably would not reduce the risk of ischaemia and/or death over time.
Scientific research on food environments in Brazil: a scoping review
Authors: Mendes Larissa Loures , Rocha Luana Lara , Botelho Laís Vargas , de Menezes Mariana Carvalho , Júnior Paulo César Pereira de Castro , da Camara Alex Oliveira , Cardoso Leticia de Olivera , Castro Inês Rugani Ribeiro de , Horta Paula Martins , Pessoa Milene Cristine , Veiros Marcela Boro , Canella Daniela Silva 
Published: May 2023

AbstractObjective:To map the scientific research on food environments in Brazil, based on the following questions: How many studies have addressed food environments?; What study designs and methodological approaches were applied?; What is the geographic scope of the studies?; What scenarios and dimensions of food environments were studied?; Which population groups were studied?; How were food environments conceptualised?; What are the main limitations of the studies?Design:Scoping review conducted in four databases, from January 2005 to December 2022, using different food environment-related terms to cover the main types and dimensions proposed in the literature. The studies were independently selected by two authors. A narrative synthesis was used to summarise the findings.Setting:Brazil.Participants:130 articles.Results:Scientific research on Brazilian food environments has been increasing. The analytical quantitative approach and the cross-sectional design were the most frequently used. Most articles were published in English. The majority of studies evaluated the community food environment, addressed aspects of the physical dimension, sampled the adult population, had food consumption as an outcome, used primary data, and were carried out in capital cities in the Southeast region. Furthermore, in most articles, no conceptual model was explicitly adopted.Conclusions:Gaps in literature are related to the need for conducting studies in the Brazilian countryside, the support for the formulation of research questions based on conceptual models, the use of valid and reliable instruments to collect primary data, in addition to the need for a greater number of longitudinal, intervention and qualitative studies.
Time trends and social inequalities in infant and young child feeding practices: national estimates from Brazil’s Food and Nutrition Surveillance System, 2008–2019
Authors: de Souza Giesy Ribeiro , Ribeiro-Silva Rita de Cássia , Felisbino-Mendes Mariana Santos , Silva Natanael de Jesus , de Andrade Rafaella da Costa Santin , Pedroso Jéssica , Spaniol Ana Maria , Bortolini Gisele Ane , Nilson Eduardo Augusto Fernandes , da Silva Sara Araújo , Lourenço Bárbara Hatzlhoffer , Rocha Aline dos Santos , Falcão Ila Rocha , Ichihara Maria Yury Travassos , Farias Dayana Rodrigues , Barreto Maurício Lima 
Published: May 2023

AbstractObjective:To describe the time trends and socio-economic inequalities in infant and young child feeding practices in accordance with the Brazilian deprivation index (BDI).Design:This time-series study analysed the prevalence of multiple breast-feeding and complementary feeding indicators based on data from the Brazilian Food and Nutrition Surveillance System, 2008–2019. Prais–Winsten regression models were used to analyse time trends. Annual percent change (APC) and 95 % CI were calculated.Setting:Primary health care services, Brazil.Participants:Totally, 911 735 Brazilian children under 2 years old.Results:Breast-feeding and complementary feeding practices differed between the extreme BDI quintiles. Overall, the results were more favourable in the municipalities with less deprivation (Q1). Improvements in some complementary feeding indicators were observed over time and evidenced such disparities: minimum dietary diversity (Q1: Δ 47·8–52·2 %, APC + 1·44,P= 0·006), minimum acceptable diet (Q1: Δ 34·5–40·5 %, APC + 5·17,P= 0·004) and consumption of meat and/or eggs (Q1: Δ 59·7–80·3 %, APC + 6·26,P< 0·001; and Q5: Δ 65·7–70·7 %, APC + 2·20,P= 0·041). Stable trends in exclusive breast-feeding and decreasing trends in the consumption of sweetened drinks and ultra-processed foods were also observed regardless the level of the deprivation.Conclusions:Improvements in some complementary food indicators were observed over time. However, the improvements were not equally distributed among the BDI quintiles, with children from the municipalities with less deprivation benefiting the most.
Dietary patterns, obesity markers and leukocyte telomere length among Brazilian civil servants: cross-sectional results from the Pro-Saude study
Authors: Naspolini Nathalia Ferrazzo , Sichieri Rosely , Barbosa Cunha Diana , Alves Pereira Rosangela , Faerstein Eduardo 
Published: May 2023

AbstractObjective:Dietary patterns express the combination and variety of foods in the diet. The partial least squares method allows extracting dietary patterns related to a specific health outcome. Few studies have evaluated obesity-related dietary patterns associated with telomeres length. This study aims to identify dietary patterns explaining obesity markers and to assess their association with leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a biological marker of the ageing process.Design:Cross-sectional study.Setting:University campuses in the state of Rio de Janeiro, BrazilParticipants:478 participants of a civil servants’ cohort study with data on food consumption, obesity measurements (total body fat, visceral fat, BMI, leptin and adiponectin) and blood samples.Results:Three dietary patterns were extracted: (1) fast food and meat; (2) healthy and (3) traditional pattern, which included rice and beans, the staple foods most consumed in Brazil. All three dietary patterns explained 23·2 % of food consumption variation and 10·7 % of the obesity-related variables. The fast food and meat pattern were the first factor extracted, explaining 11–13 % variation of the obesity-related response variables (BMI, total body fat and visceral fat), leptin and adiponectin showed the lowest percentage (4·5–0·1 %). The healthy pattern mostly explained leptin and adiponectin variations (10·7 and 3·3 %, respectively). The traditional pattern was associated with LTL (β = 0·0117; 95 % CI 0·0001, 0·0233) after adjustment for the other patterns, age, sex, exercise practice, income and energy intake.Conclusion:Leukocyte telomere length was longer among participants eating a traditional dietary pattern that combines fruit, vegetables and beans.
Comment on “Improved Water Savings and Reduction in Moist Heat Stress Caused by Efficient Irrigation” by Anukesh Krishnankutty Ambika and Vimal Mishra
Authors: Kukal Meetpal S. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractA recent study by Ambika and Mishra (2022, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021EF002642) asserted using simulated evidence that a shift towards drip irrigation from channel irrigation in the Indo‐Gangetic Plains will result in alleviation of moist heat stress and water savings. The assumptions, parameterizations, and approach adopted in this study do not adequately represent fundamentals of irrigation science, management, and engineering, as well as realities of local agricultural water management in the Indo‐Gangetic Plains. This comment attempts to highlight these inadequacies of the paper and related literature, by focusing on four major aspects related to irrigation process, local land‐use, timing of irrigation and moist heat stress, and water accounting. These weaknesses in irrigation processes modeling result in overlooking of indispensable aspects that should be accounted for to comprehensively assess impacts of irrigation method choice on regional weather and water resources.
Three‐Dimensional Steady‐State Hydraulic Tomography Analysis With Integration of Cross‐Hole Flowmeter Data at a Highly Heterogeneous Site
Authors: Luo Ning , Zhao Zhanfeng , Illman Walter A. , Zha Yuanyuan , Mok Chin Man W. , Yeh T.‐C. Jim 
Published: May 2023

AbstractHydraulic tomography (HT) has been shown to be a robust approach for the high‐resolution characterization of subsurface heterogeneity. However, HT can yield smooth estimates of hydraulic parameters when pumping tests and drawdown measurements are sparse, thus limiting the utility of characterization results in predicting groundwater flow and solute transport. To overcome this issue, this study integrates cross‐hole flowmeter measurements with HT analysis of steady‐state pumping/injection test data for the three‐dimensional (3‐D) characterization of hydraulic conductivity (K) at a highly heterogeneous glaciofluvial deposit site, which has not been previously attempted. Geostatistical inverse analyses of cross‐hole flowmeter data are conducted to yield preliminary estimates of K distribution, which are then utilized as initial K fields for steady‐state HT analysis of head data. Four cases combining three data types (geological information, cross‐hole flowmeter measurements, and steady‐state head data) for inverse modeling are performed. Model calibration and validation results from all cases are compared qualitatively and quantitatively to evaluate their performances. Results from this study show that (a) geostatistical inverse analysis of cross‐hole flowmeter data is capable in revealing vertical distributions of K at well locations and major high/low K zones between wells, (b) cross‐hole flowmeter data carry non‐redundant information of K heterogeneity compared to geological information and steady‐state head data, and (c) integration of flowmeter data improves characterization results in terms of revealing K heterogeneity details and predicting independent hydraulic test data. Therefore, this study demonstrates the usefulness of cross‐hole flowmeter data in augmenting HT surveys for improved K characterization in 3‐D.
Management of children with poor prognosis first permanent molars: an interdisciplinary approach is the key
Authors: Lakhani Shrita , Noble Fiona , Rodd Helen , Cobourne Martyn T. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractAlthough there have been continuous improvements in child oral health over recent decades, first permanent molars (FPMs) remain susceptible to early caries and can often be affected by hypomineralisation. We highlight current thinking in caries management and the restoration of hypomineralised FPMs, while also discussing enforced loss of these teeth within the context of interceptive extractions or extractions as part of orthodontic treatment. Compromised FPMs can negatively impact on quality of life for a child and present significant management challenges for the dental team. Although a high-quality evidence base is lacking for the different treatment options, early diagnosis and multidisciplinary treatment planning are key to achieving the best outcomes.
Implementation of threshold- and memory-switching memristors based on electrochemical metallization in an identical ferroelectric electrolyte
Authors: Yoon Chansoo , Oh Gwangtaek , Kim Sohwi , Jeon Jihoon , Lee Ji Hye , Kim Young Heon , Park Bae Ho 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThe use of an identical electrolyte in electrochemical metallization (ECM)-based neuron and synaptic devices has not yet been achieved due to their different resistive-switching characteristics. Herein, we describe ECM devices comprising the same ferroelectric PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 (PZT) electrolyte, which can sustain both neuron and synaptic behavior depending on the identity of the active electrode. The Ag/PZT/La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 (LSMO) threshold switching memristor shows abrupt and volatile resistive switching characteristics, which lead to neuron devices with stochastic integration-and-fire behavior, auto-recovery, and rapid operation. In contrast, the Ni/PZT/LSMO memory switching memristor exhibits gradual, non-volatile resistive switching behavior, which leads to synaptic devices with a high on/off ratio, low on-state current, low variability, and spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). The divergent behavior of the ECM devices is attributed to greater control of cation migration through the ultrathin ferroelectric PZT. Thus, ECM devices with an identical ferroelectric electrolyte offer promise as essential building blocks in the construction of high-performance neuromorphic computing systems.