bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cross‐sectional HIV and HCV cascades of care across the regions of Ukraine between 2019 and 2020: findings from the CARE cohort
Authors: Fursa Olga , Reekie Joanne , Kuzin Ihor , Hetman Larysa , Kryshchuk Alina , Starychenko Olena , Hrytsaiuk Nana , Khodus Inna , Nyzhnyk Alla , Rakhuba Viktoriia , Kovalevska Maryna , Maistat Tetiana , Pryhoda Iryna , Ahieieva Marianna , Varvarovska Olena , Valdenmaiier Olena , Lundgren Jens , Peters Lars ,   the CARE study group
Published: September 2023

AbstractIntroductionEastern Europe is facing major HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) epidemics, with many people living with HIV (PLHIV) and HIV/HCV coinfection living in Ukraine. Despite the previous progress towards care quality improvement, the ongoing war in Ukraine is disrupting HIV and HCV care.MethodsWe described an HIV cascade of care (CoC) in PLHIV from two clinical sites and an HCV CoC for anti‐HCV‐positive PLHIV from six sites in Ukraine, enrolled in the CARE cohort between 1 January 2019 and 1 June 2020. The cross‐sectional HIV CoC and HCV CoC are described at study enrolment.ResultsOf 1028 PLHIV, 1014 (98.6%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 97.7–99.3) were on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 876 (86.4% of those on ART, 95% CI 84.1–88.4) were virologically suppressed. Of 894 participants on ART >6 months, 90.8% (95% CI 88.7–92.6) were virologically suppressed (HIV‐RNA <200 copies/ml). Of 2040 anti‐HCV‐positive PLHIV, 417 (20.4%, 95% CI 18.7–22.3) were ever tested for HCV‐RNA prior to enrolment, ranging from 4.9% to 54.4% across sites, and 13.5% were currently HCV‐RNA positive. One hundred and eighteen persons (7.3% of ever chronically infected) had received HCV treatment, and 25 persons (1.6% of ever chronically infected) were cured, with variations across sites (0%–7.5%). The site diagnosing 54.4% of people with chronic HCV was the only one providing free RNA testing for all anti‐HCV‐positive persons, while the intra‐country differences in treatment coverage were driven by the number of available direct‐acting antiviral (DAA) courses.ConclusionsOver 98% of PLHIV in care in both CARE sites in Ukraine were receiving ART, and the target of 90% virally suppressed was achieved in persons >6 months on ART. Only one of six HIV/HCV study sites tested over 50% anti‐HCV‐positive PLHIV for HCV‐RNA and treated over 25% of eligible persons. While free HCV‐RNA testing and DAA treatment are paramount to achieving HCV elimination targets, they remained a challenge in Ukraine in 2019–2020. The extent of the HIV and HCV care disruption during the war will be further assessed in the CARE cohort and compared with the pre‐war findings.
Hyperspectral imaging to assess wine grape quality
Authors: Gabrielli Mario , Ounaissi Daoud , Lançon‐Verdier Vanessa , Julien Séverine , Le Meurlay Dominique , Maury Chantal 
Published: September 2023

AbstractBackgroundGrape composition is of high interest for producing quality wines. For that, grape analyses are necessary, and require sample preparation, whether with classical analyses or with NIR analyses. The aim of the study was to test the ability of hyperspectral imaging (HSI), a nondestructive analysis to assess their composition. For that, seven grape varieties were analyzed for two vintages. Partial least squares (PLS) and discriminate (PLS‐DA) and PLS‐R were realized respectively in order to classify the berries, to validate the data sets, and to provide models to assess grape composition after a 1st derivative data pretreatment.ResultsHSI allowed a 100% good classification of the grape varieties. It showed good results to assess technological ripening parameters (sugar and acid contents) as well as phenolic content (TPI, Total Phenolics, Total Anthocyanins, Total Flavonoids, and their extractable equivalents) (globally R2 > 0.81). However, it was not possible to reach the color intensity of grapes.ConclusionHSI led to generate good models to assess wine grape composition. The quality of the generated models was dependent on the color of grapes and the parameter considered.
Effect of drying temperature and storage time on the crispiness of homemade apple snacks
Authors: Fernandes Lisete , Fernandes José R. , Nunes Fernando M. , Tavares Pedro B. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) plays an important role in the trendy market of dried snacks because of its exceptional flavor and texture. In addition to the health benefits, there is also a general disposition to consume organic and do‐it‐yourself products.RESULTSThree different drying temperatures, 65, 75, and 85 °C, were tested using a commercial ventilated drying oven in ‘Royal Gala’ and ‘Golden Delicious’ cultivars. Physical changes, including texture, color, shrinkage ratio, and microstructure, were evaluated for the temperatures and cultivars considered. Based on the results, particularly in terms of shrinkage, hardness, and crispiness, a drying temperature of 75 °C was selected to perform texture profile analyses throughout the drying period. Storability conditions were evaluated to determine the best moment to maintain the physical properties of the dried snacks during storage. Considered the more important property related to consumer preferences, crispiness was followed with puncture tests.CONCLUSIONThe storage of apple chips, dried at the various temperatures, that must be performed in 5–10 min after removing from the drying oven, was assessed over the course of a month. Both the drying process and the subsequent storage proved effective in preserving the desired texture of the apple snacks, regardless of the specific cultivar or drying temperature used. Through this study, with a refined understanding of the changes occurring during the drying process and the optimization of storage conditions, we can confidently offer consumers the best combination of crispy and healthy snacks that meet their expectations. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
Impact of autophagy inhibition on intervertebral disc cells and extracellular matrix
Authors: Kritschil Rebecca , Li Vivian , Wang Dong , Dong Qing , Silwal Prashanta , Finkel Toren , Lee Joon , Sowa Gwendolyn , Vo Nam 
Published: September 2023

AbstractBackgroundIntervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a leading contributor to low back pain (LBP). Autophagy, strongly activated by hypoxia and nutrient starvation, is a vital intracellular quality control process that removes damaged proteins and organelles to recycle them for cellular biosynthesis and energy production. While well‐established as a major driver of many age‐related diseases, autophagy dysregulation or deficiency has yet been confirmed to cause IDD.MethodsIn vitro, rat nucleus pulposus (NP) cells treated with bafilomycin A1 to inhibit autophagy were assessed for glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content, proteoglycan synthesis, and cell viability. In vivo, a transgenic strain (Col2a1‐Cre; Atg7fl/fl) mice were successfully generated to inhibit autophagy primarily in NP tissues. Col2a1‐Cre; Atg7fl/fl mouse intervertebral discs (IVDs) were evaluated for biomarkers for apoptosis and cellular senescence, aggrecan content, and histological changes up to 12 months of age.ResultsHere, we demonstrated inhibition of autophagy by bafilomycin produced IDD features in the rat NP cells, including increased apoptosis and cellular senescence (p21CIP1) and decreased expression of disc matrix genes Col2a1 and Acan. H&E histologic staining showed significant but modest degenerative changes in NP tissue of Col2a1‐Cre; Atg7fl/fl mice compared to controls at 6 and 12 months of age. Intriguingly, 12‐month‐old Col2a1‐Cre; Atg7fl/fl mice did not display increased loss of NP proteoglycan. Moreover, markers of apoptosis (cleaved caspase‐3, TUNEL), and cellular senescence (p53, p16INK4a, IL‐1β, TNF‐α) were not affected in 12‐month‐old Col2a1‐Cre; Atg7fl/fl mice compared to controls. However, p21CIP1and Mmp13 gene expression were upregulated in NP tissue of 12‐month‐old Col2a1‐Cre; Atg7fl/fl mice compared to controls, suggesting p21CIP1‐mediated cellular senescence resulted from NP‐targeted Atg7 knockout might contribute to the observed histological changes.ConclusionThe absence of overt IDD features from disrupting Atg7‐mediated macroautophagy in NP tissue implicates other compensatory mechanisms, highlighting additional research needed to elucidate the complex biology of autophagy in regulating age‐dependent IDD.
Land degradation and its impact on agricultural productivity: The case of India
Authors: Gorain Subrata , Kuriachen Philip , Kumar C. Vimal , Suresh A. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractLand degradation has emerged as one of the pivotal concerns for Indian agriculture in the 21st century. With rapid modernization and intensification of agricultural operations, land degradation has also increased simultaneously. This study estimates the losses accruing to agriculture from land degradation. On an average, land degradation results in losses in agriculture productivity amounting to INR 3654 per hectare annually (at 2011–12 prices). Further, a reduction in land degradation by 10% would reduce direct economic losses accruing from land degradation to INR 3145 per hectare to INR 3654 per hectare. Examination of state‐level cross section reveals that annual losses accruing from land degradation vary considerably across states. A vulnerability matrix is formulated using four parameters to place the states (sub‐national agricultural units) in the order of vulnerability to land degradation. Further, we estimate that an increase in land degradation by 1% could lead to loss of agricultural productivity by INR 104 per hectare on average (2004–05 prices). The findings of the study indicate that the adoption of land and water conservation measures stands to increase the gross value added to agriculture by reducing economic losses accruing from land.
Bio‐Based Vitrimeric Silicone Materials with High‐Strength, Reprocessable, Healing, and Transparent Properties
Authors: Fan Xuexuan , Wang Linlin , Feng Shengyu , Li Lei 
Published: September 2023

AbstractDeveloping reprocessable polymeric materials from earth‐abundant elements and renewable biomass is attractive for dealing with fossil resource crisis and achieving sustainable development. Based on the unique reactivity of biomass‐derived gluconolactone, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) terminated with glucosamide groups is synthesized and used for preparing a series of silicone boronic ester based vitrimers. The whole preparation process is quite straightforward without any purification required and highly efficient with water as the only byproduct. The mechanical properties of obtained vitrimers can be precisely controlled by adjusting the content of 1,4‐benzenediboronic acid or the molecular weight of PDMS precursor, producing boronic ester based vitrimers ranging from soft elastomers to rigid plastics. The obtained vitrimers exhibit excellent thermal stability, robust reprocessability, and efficient healing capacity. By encapsulating green‐emitting CsPbBr3 nanocrystals, these materials are fabricated into hydrophobic, transparent, and luminescent coatings, promising for applications in flexible optical devices.
Meta‐analysis of the use of Ofatumumab in the treatment of relapsing‐remitting multiple sclerosis
Authors: Odutola Peter Olujimi , Olorunyomi Peter Oluwatobi , Olatawura Olanrewaju Olamide , Olorunyomi Ifeoluwapo , Madojutimi Olukayode Oluyinka , Okeke Uju , Fatunsin Ayomide O. , Eneh Victoria 
Published: September 2023

AbstractBackgroundOfatumumab is the first monoclonal antibody developed specifically for treating relapsed multiple sclerosis (RMS). This disease (Multiple Sclerosis) includes relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a chronic autoimmune illness that affects the central nervous system (CNS), including the brain and spinal cord. The purpose of this study is to determine whether Ofatumumab is efficacious and safe in the treatment of relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis.MethodsAn analysis of studies comparing Ofatumumab with placebo in people with relapsing‐remitting multiple sclerosis was done in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. We looked up information in MEDLINE, SciSearch, BIOSIS Previews, Derwent Drug File, Embase, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts. In patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis, randomized double‐blind and non‐randomized trials contrasting Ofatumumab with placebo were found by two independent investigators. Utilizing Review Manager 5.4.1, data were examined. The main results were total gadolinium‐enhancing (Gd+) T1 lesions, annualized relapse rate, and new or expanding total T2 lesions. Secondary outcomes concentrated on general adverse events and adverse events related to infections.ResultsThree studies were included involving 334 patients, and the meta‐analysis indicated that Ofatumumab showed good efficacy and safety in patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. The annual rate of relapse was significantly reduced by Ofatumumab (OR 0.51; 95% CI 0.27, 0.98; P = 0.04). Ofatumumab reduced the number of gadolinium‐enhancing (Gd+) T1 lesions per scan (Mean difference −0.59; 95% CI −0.63, −0.55; P < 0.05). Ofatumumab treatment decreased new or enlarging total T2 lesions significantly (Mean difference −1.03; 95% CI −1.29, −0.76; P < 0.05). Infection‐related adverse effects were seen more frequently with Ofatumumab shown by the odd ratio 0.48; 95% CI 0.22, 1.04; P = 0.06. Infection is, thus, a major limitation to its use.ConclusionThe meta‐analysis indicated that Ofatumumab is efficacious and safe for patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis.
CT‐based non‐invasive identification of the most common gene mutation status in patients with non‐small cell lung cancer
Authors: Chen Zongjian , Gao Si , Ding Changwei , Luo Ting , Xu Jiaqi , Xu Shuang , Li Shu 
Published: September 2023

AbstractBackgroundEpidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) are mutually exclusive, and they are two important genes that are most prone to mutation in patients with non‐small cell lung cancer.PurposeThis retrospective study investigated the ability of radiomics to predict the mutation status of EGFR and KRAS in patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and guide precision medicine.MethodsComputed tomography images of 1045 NSCLC patients from five different institutions were collected, and 1204 imaging features were extracted. In the training set (EGFR: 678, KRAS: 246), Max‐Relevance and Min‐Redundancy and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator logistic regression were used to screen radiomics features. The combination of selected radiomics features and clinical factors was used to establish the combined models in identifying EGFR and KRAS mutation status, respectively, through stepwise logistic regression. Then, on two independent external validation sets (EGFR: 203/164, KRAS: 123/95), the performance of each model was evaluated separately, and then the overall performance of predicting the two mutation states was calculated.ResultsIn the EGFR and KRAS groups, radiomics signatures comprised 14 and 10 radiomics features, respectively. They were mutually exclusive between the tumors with positive EGFR mutation and those with positive KRAS mutation in imaging phenotype. For the EGFR group, the area under the curve (AUC) of the combined model in the two validation sets was 0.871 (95% CI: 0.821–0.926) and 0.861 (95% CI: 0.802–0.911), respectively, whereas the AUC of the combined model in the two validation sets was 0.798 (95% CI: 0.739–0.850) and 0.778 (95% CI: 0.735–0.821), respectively, for the KRAS group. Considering both EGFR and KRAS, the overall precision, recall, and F1‐score of the combined model in the two validation sets were 0.704, 0.844, and 0.768, as well as 0.754, 0.693, and 0.722, respectively.ConclusionsOur study demonstrates the potential of radiomics in the non‐invasive identification of EGFR and KRAS mutation status, which may guide patients with non‐small cell lung cancer to choose the most appropriate personalized treatment. This method can be used when biopsy will bring unacceptable risk to patients with NSCLC.
Lévy‐type solutions for buckling of shear deformable unsymmetrically laminated plates with rotational restraints
Authors: Schreiber Philip , Mittelstedt Christian 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe local stability of unsymmetric laminated structures is significantly affected by bending‐extension coupling and the comparatively low transverse shear stiffnesses, which have to be included in the structural analysis. If such structures have flat surfaces in segments, they can be investigated with the discrete plate analysis. In this analysis, the individual segments are considered as plates with rotational restraints that represent the supporting effect of the surrounding structure. The aim of this work is to improve the analytical stability of laminated plates. Therefore, Lévy‐type solutions for the buckling load of the mentioned laminated plates are considered and refined. This offers exact solutions for unsymmetrical cross‐ply laminates as well as antisymmetric angle‐ply laminates. In order to show the influence of shear deformations, the solutions for classical laminated plate theory (CLPT), first‐order shear deformation theory (FSDT), and third‐order shear deformation theory (TSDT) are worked out and compared to each other. In the context of TSDT, a new formulation for the rotational elastic restraint is presented, which affects the rotation and the warping of the plate cross‐section. This investigation presents the influence of shear deformations on different laminates and classifies the benefits of the different laminated plate theories with respect to the stability behaviour under different boundary conditions. In addition, the influence of bending‐extension coupling on different fibre angles and layer sequences is analysed.
Computational tools for inferring transcription factor activity
Authors: Hecker Dennis , Lauber Michael , Behjati Ardakani Fatemeh , Ashrafiyan Shamim , Manz Quirin , Kersting Johannes , Hoffmann Markus , Schulz Marcel H. , List Markus 
Published: September 2023

AbstractTranscription factors (TFs) are essential players in orchestrating the regulatory landscape in cells. Still, their exact modes of action and dependencies on other regulatory aspects remain elusive. Since TFs act cell type‐specific and each TF has its own characteristics, untangling their regulatory interactions from an experimental point of view is laborious and convoluted. Thus, there is an ongoing development of computational tools that estimate transcription factor activity (TFA) from a variety of data modalities, either based on a mapping of TFs to their putative target genes or in a genome‐wide, gene‐unspecific fashion. These tools can help to gain insights into TF regulation and to prioritize candidates for experimental validation. We want to give an overview of available computational tools that estimate TFA, illustrate examples of their application, debate common result validation strategies, and discuss assumptions and concomitant limitations.
Proximal policy optimization‐based controller for chaotic systems
Authors: Yau Her‐Terng , Kuo Ping‐Huan , Luan Po‐Chien , Tseng Yung‐Ruen 
Published: September 2023

AbstractDeep reinforcement learning (DRL) algorithms are suitable for modeling and controlling complex systems. Methods for controlling chaos, a difficult task, require improvement. In this article, we present a DRL‐based control method that can control a nonlinear chaotic system without any prior knowledge of the system's equations. We use proximal policy optimization (PPO) to train an agent. The environment is a Lorenz chaotic system, and our goal is to stabilize this chaotic system as quickly as possible and minimize the error by adding extra control terms to the chaotic system. Therefore, the reward function accounts for the total triaxial error. The experimental results demonstrated that the trained agent can rapidly suppress chaos in the system, regardless of the system's random initial conditions. A comprehensive comparison of different DRL algorithms indicated that PPO is the most efficient and effective algorithm for controlling the chaotic system. Moreover, different maximum control forces were applied to determine the relationship between the control forces and controller performance. To verify the robustness of the controller, random disturbances were introduced during training and testing, and the empirical results indicated that the agent trained with random noise performed better. The chaotic system has highly nonlinear characteristics and is extremely sensitive to initial conditions, and DRL is suitable for modeling such systems.
Simultaneous design of robust gain‐scheduled static output‐feedback controller and scaling matrices for linear parameter varying systems with inexact scheduling parameters
Authors: Niu Xingjie , Lu Bei , Li Qifu 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThis article presents a design method of the robust gain‐scheduled static output‐feedback controller exploiting inexact measured scheduling parameters for multi‐affine linear parameter‐varying systems with structured uncertainty blocks. Performance scaling matrices are introduced in the design process to reduce conservatism. By introducing auxiliary variables and properly utilizing projection lemma, a parameter‐dependent linear matrix inequality with a single line search parameter is derived to synthesize the static output‐feedback controller gains and scaling matrices simultaneously. Based on vertices of the convex polytope covering the admissible region of scheduling parameters and inexact ones, the given parameter‐dependent synthesis condition is further expressed as a set of linear matrix inequalities at the vertices of the polytope to guarantee the robustness against inaccurate scheduling parameters. Several examples show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Sample size requirements for testing treatment effect heterogeneity in cluster randomized trials with binary outcomes
Authors: Maleyeff Lara , Wang Rui , Haneuse Sebastien , Li Fan 
Published: September 2023

AbstractCluster randomized trials (CRTs) refer to a popular class of experiments in which randomization is carried out at the group level. While methods have been developed for planning CRTs to study the average treatment effect, and more recently, to study the heterogeneous treatment effect, the development for the latter objective has currently been limited to a continuous outcome. Despite the prevalence of binary outcomes in CRTs, determining the necessary sample size and statistical power for detecting differential treatment effects in CRTs with a binary outcome remain unclear. To address this methodological gap, we develop sample size procedures for testing treatment effect heterogeneity in two‐level CRTs under a generalized linear mixed model. Closed‐form sample size expressions are derived for a binary effect modifier, and in addition, a computationally efficient Monte Carlo approach is developed for a continuous effect modifier. Extensions to multiple effect modifiers are also discussed. We conduct simulations to examine the accuracy of the proposed sample size methods. We present several numerical illustrations to elucidate features of the proposed formulas and to compare our method to the approximate sample size calculation under a linear mixed model. Finally, we use data from the Strategies and Opportunities to Stop Colon Cancer in Priority Populations (STOP CRC) CRT to illustrate the proposed sample size procedure for testing treatment effect heterogeneity.