bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Periodontitis is associated with subclinical cerebral and carotid atherosclerosis in hypertensive patients: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Vázquez-Reza María , López-Dequidt Iria , Ouro Alberto , Iglesias-Rey Ramón , Campos Francisco , Blanco Juan , Rodríguez-Yáñez Manuel , Castillo José , Sobrino Tomás , Leira Yago 
Published: April 2023

Abstract
Objective
To examine the relationship between periodontitis and subclinical intracranial atherosclerosis. The association of periodontitis with preclinical markers of atherosclerosis in other vascular territories was also explored.

Material and methods
This was a cross-sectional study where 97 elderly subjects with a previous history of hypertension received an ultrasonographic evaluation to assess subclinical atherosclerosis in different vascular territories: (1) cerebral [pulsatility (PI) and resistance index (RI) of the middle cerebral artery], (2) carotid [intima-media thickness (IMT)], and (3) peripheral [ankle-brachial index (ABI)]. Additionally, participants underwent a full-mouth periodontal assessment together with blood sample collection to determine levels of inflammatory biomarkers (leukocytes, fibrinogen, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate), lipid fractions (total cholesterol and high- and low-density lipoprotein), and glucose.

Results
Sixty-one individuals had periodontitis. Compared to subjects without periodontitis, those with periodontitis showed higher values of PI (1.24 ± 0.29 vs 1.01 ± 0.16), RI (0.70 ± 0.14 vs 0.60 ± 0.06), and IMT (0.94 ± 0.15 vs 0.79 ± 0.15) (all p < 0.001). No statistically significant differences were found neither for ABI or for other clinical and biochemical parameters. An independent association was found between periodontitis and increased intracranial atherosclerosis (ORadjusted = 10.16; 95% CI: 3.14–32.90, p < 0.001) and to a lesser extent with thicker carotid IMT (ORadjusted = 4.10; 95% CI: 1.61–10.48, p = 0.003).

Conclusions
Periodontitis is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in both intracranial and carotid arteries in elderly subjects with hypertension.

Clinical relevance
The association of periodontitis with intracranial atherosclerosis implies that periodontitis patients might have greater chances to develop ischemic stroke in the future.
Bidirectional associations between mental health problems and language ability across 8 years of childhood
Authors: Tamayo Nathalie , Wareham Helen , Franken Marie-Christine , McKean Cristina , Tiemeier Henning , Jansen Pauline W. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractResearch examining the development of behavior, emotions and language, and their intertwining is limited as only few studies had a longitudinal design, mostly with a short follow-up period. Moreover, most studies did not evaluate whether internalizing symptoms and externalizing symptoms are independently associated with language ability. This study examines bidirectional associations between internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms and language ability in childhood in a large, population-based cohort. Longitudinal data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a cohort of children in the United Kingdom followed from birth to 11 years (n = 10,878; 50.7% boys), were analyzed. Internalizing and externalizing symptoms were based on parent reports. Language ability (higher scores reflecting poorer ability) was assessed by trained interviewers at ages 3, 5, 7 and 11 years. Structural Equation Models (SEM) were performed, including random-intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPM) and cross-lagged panel models (CLPM). Internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms and language ability were stable over time and co-occur with each other from early life onwards. Over time, externalizing symptoms in early childhood were associated with less growth in language skills and with increases in internalizing symptoms. In late childhood, language ability was negatively associated with later internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The early start, co-occurrence and persistent nature of internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms and (poorer) language ability highlights the importance of comprehensive assessments in young children who present problems in one of these domains. Specifically, among children in the early grades of elementary school, those with language difficulties may benefit from careful monitoring as they are more likely to develop difficulties in behavior and emotions.
Spatial shopping behavior during the Corona pandemic: insights from a micro-econometric store choice model for consumer electronics and furniture retailing in Germany
Authors: Wieland Thomas 
Published: April 2023

AbstractDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, e-commerce’s market share has increased dramatically, a phenomenon attributable to not only lockdowns but to voluntary changes in shopping behavior as well. The current study examines the main determinants driving shopping behavior in the context of both physical and online store availability, and investigates whether specific drivers have changed during the pandemic. The study aims to test whether fear of infection and mandatory wearing of face masks in shops have influenced consumer channel choice. The empirical analysis focuses on two product types (consumer electronics, furniture), with empirical data collected via a representative consumer survey in three German regions. The statistical analysis was performed using a hurdle model approach and the findings are compared to those of a study related to pre-pandemic shopping. The results show that the determinants of shopping behavior have largely not changed. Channel choice can be explained by shopping attitudes, age, and partially, by place of residence of consumers. Store choice is determined primarily by shopping transaction costs and store features. Fear of infection and the mandatory wearing of face masks exhibit minimal influence on channel choice, if any. The importance of cross-channel integration of stores/chains has decreased significantly, while average travel times for in-store purchases have declined.
When does the female bias arise? Insights from the sex determination cascade of a flea beetle with a strongly skewed sex ratio
Authors: Rohlfing Kim , Yue Lennart , Franke Sebastian , Zeng Cen , Podsiadlowski Lars , Dobler Susanne 
Published: April 2023

AbstractReproduction-manipulating bacteria like Wolbachia can shift sex ratios in insects towards females, but skewed sex ratios may also arise from genetic conflicts. The flea beetle Altica lythri harbors three main mtDNA strains that are coupled to three different Wolbachia infections. Depending on the mtDNA types, the females produce either offspring with a balanced sex ratio or exclusively daughters. To obtain markers that can monitor when sex bias arises in the beetle’s ontogeny, we elucidated the sex determination cascade of A. lythri. We established a RT-PCR method based on length variants of dsx (doublesex) transcripts to determine the sex of morphologically indistinguishable eggs and larvae. In females of one mtDNA type (HT1/HT1*) known to produce only daughters, male offspring were already missing at the egg stage while for females of another type (HT2), the dsx splice variants revealed a balanced sex ratio among eggs and larvae. Our data suggest that the sex determination cascade in A. lythri is initiated by maternally transmitted female-specific tra (transformer) mRNA as primary signal. This tra mRNA seems to be involved in a positive feedback loop that maintains the production of the female splice variant, as known for female offspring in Tribolium castaneum. The translation of the maternally transmitted female tra mRNA must be inhibited in male offspring, but the underlying primary genetic signal remains to be identified. We discuss which differences between the mtDNA types can influence sex determination and lead to the skewed sex ratio of HT1.
New Improved Multi-Objective Gorilla Troops Algorithm for Dependent Tasks Offloading problem in Multi-Access Edge Computing
Authors: Hosny Khalid M. , Awad Ahmed I. , Khashaba Marwa M. , Mohamed Ehab R. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractComputational offloading allows lightweight battery-operated devices such as IoT gadgets and mobile equipment to send computation tasks to nearby edge servers to be completed, which is a challenging problem in the multi-access edge computing (MEC) environment. Numerous conflicting objectives exist in this problem; for example, the execution time, energy consumption, and computation cost should all be optimized simultaneously. Furthermore, offloading an application that consists of dependent tasks is another important issue that cannot be neglected while addressing this problem. Recent methods are single objective, computationally expensive, or ignore task dependency. As a result, we propose an improved Gorilla Troops Algorithm (IGTA) to offload dependent tasks in the MEC environments with three objectives: 1-Minimizing the execution latency of the application, 2-energy consumption of the light devices, 3-the used cost of the MEC resources. Furthermore, it is supposed that each MEC supports many charge levels to provide more flexibility to the system. Additionally, we have extended the operation of the standard Gorilla Troops Algorithm (GTO) by adopting a customized crossover operation to improve its search strategy. A Max-To-Min (MTM) load-balancing strategy was also implemented in IGTA to improve the offloading operation. Relative to GTO, IGTA has reduced latency by 33%, energy consumption by 93%, and cost usage by 34.5%. We compared IGTA with other Optimizers in this problem, and the results showed the superiority of IGTA.
A Public, Open, and Independently-Curated Database of Happiness Coefficients
Authors: Barrington-Leigh C. P. , Lemermeyer Katja 
Published: April 2023

AbstractWe present a nascent database of happiness coefficients. This is a synthesis of evidence on the size of improvements to human life experience that can be expected from changing objective, policy-amenable circumstances. The wealth of data on people’s self-reported satisfaction with life in a wide variety of circumstances, from around the world, including respondents undergoing a diversity of changes and life events and subject to a variety of public policies and policy changes, has provided a rich base of knowledge about what makes life good. This growing research literature has in recent years been met with interest from central governments looking for accountable but more human-centred approaches to measuring progress, as well as for communicating objectives, making policy, and allocating resources. Meanwhile, frameworks for benefit-cost accounting using inference from life satisfaction data have been devised. In some cases central government finance departments and treasuries are incorporating this approach into their formal methodology for budgeting. The body of causal inference about these effects is still somewhat diffuse. Collating, reviewing, and synthesizing such evidence should be led initially by academia and ultimately by a broad academic, civil society, and government collaboration. We report on the assembly of a database of summary estimates for Canada, supplemented where needed by evidence from around the world. The categorized domains of individual experience and circumstances include Education, Environment, Work, Finances, Health, Social Capital, and Crime. The paper also explains the context for and limitations of the use of a database of happiness coefficients.
Impact of Different Saccharides on the In-Process Stability of a Protein Drug During Evaporative Drying: From Sessile Droplet Drying to Lab-Scale Spray Drying
Authors: Dieplinger Johanna , Pinto Joana T. , Dekner Michael , Brachtl Gerald , Paudel Amrit 
Published: April 2023

AbstractObjectivesSolid biopharmaceutical products can circumvent lower temperature storage and transport and increase remote access with lower carbon emissions and energy consumption. Saccharides are known stabilizers in a solid protein produced via lyophilization and spray drying (SD). Thus, it is essential to understand the interactions between saccharides and proteins and the stabilization mechanism.MethodsA miniaturized single droplet drying (MD) method was developed to understand how different saccharides stabilize proteins during drying. We applied our MD to different aqueous saccharide-protein systems and transferred our findings to SD.ResultsThe poly- and oligosaccharides tend to destabilize the protein during drying. The oligosaccharide, Hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) shows high aggregation at a high saccharide-to-protein molar ratio (S/P ratio) during MD, and the finding is supported by nanoDSF results. The polysaccharide, Dextran (DEX) leads to larger particles, whereas HPBCD leads to smaller particles. Furthermore, DEX is not able to stabilize the protein at higher S/P ratios either. In contrast, the disaccharide Trehalose Dihydrate (TD) does not increase or induce protein aggregation during the drying of the formulation. It can preserve the protein’s secondary structure during drying, already at low concentrations.ConclusionDuring the drying of S/P formulations containing the saccharides TD and DEX, the MD approach could anticipate the in-process (in) stability of protein X at laboratory-scale SD. In contrast, for the systems with HPβCD, the results obtained by SD were contradictory to MD. This underlines that depending on the drying operation, careful consideration needs to be applied to the selection of saccharides and their ratios.
Rhizosphere carbon priming: a plant mechanism to enhance soil nitrogen accessibility?
Authors: Holz Maire , Paterson Eric , Pausch Johanna 
Published: April 2023

Abstract
Aims
Soil priming affects soil N transformation and plant N availability, but few studies have investigated these interactions to date.

Methods
To address this, we reviewed the literature for studies quantifying soil priming, soil N transformation and plant N uptake.

Results
Gross N mineralization was strongly controlled by soil priming in studies with plants, while abiotic factors had a minor influence on gross N mineralization. In contrast, soil priming was negatively related to gross N mineralization and had a low explanatory power in incubation studies where substrates are added as surrogates for root exudates. These results indicate that plants support increased N mineralization and that this is not adequately reflected in incubation studies. Additionally, we observed a positive relationship between soil priming and the % of Norg-derived N uptake as well as total N uptake, which demonstrates that priming enhances the availability of N that was previously organically bound and that at least part of the N mineralized during priming was available for plant uptake.

Conclusion
Our results show that the effect of roots and rhizodeposition leads to a number of processes supporting N mineralization and availability through priming that are not well reflected in incubation studies. To fully capture the interactions between plant roots and their associated microbiota, we recommend focusing research on systems with plants. Additionally, the strong correlation between C and N transformation should be considered in biogeochemical modelling.
Colloidal metal nanocatalysts to advance orange II hydrogenolysis tracked by a microplate reader
Authors: Onisuru Oluwatayo Racheal , Ilunga Ali K. , Potgieter Kariska , Oseghale Charles O. , Meijboom Reinout 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThe thermal reduction method was applied to synthesize metal nanoparticles using poly(1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) as an organic stabilizer to control metal nanoparticle agglomeration. Colloidal metal nanoparticles, gold, palladium, and gold–palladium nanoparticles were synthesized, and UV–visible spectrophotometry and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy analyses were conducted to characterize them. The metal nanoparticle micrographs showed well-dispersed particles with an average size of 9.6 nm (Au), 15.4 nm (Pd), and 10.6 nm (AuPd). All the colloidal metal nanoparticles served as nanocatalysts to advance a reductive degradation of orange II in presence of borohydride ions. For a prompt screening of catalytic activity, the microplate reader system was considered at a fixed maximum absorbance wavelength of λ 489 nm respected by orange II. Excess borohydride ions were used to construct pseudo-first kinetic conditions. The Langmuir–Hinshelwood model allowed the finding of kinetic activity on the surface of metal nanoparticles. AuPd nanocatalyst interface exhibited low activation energy (5.38 kJ mol−1) compared to the one on Au (8.19 kJ mol−1) and Pd (7.23 kJ mol−1).
Graphical Abstract
Critical Pragmatics: Nine Misconceptions
Authors: de Ponte María , Korta Kepa , Perry John 
Published: April 2023

AbstractIn this paper, we focus on some misconceptions about Critical Pragmatics, what it is, what it assumes and what it proposes. Doubtless, some of these misconceptions are due to clumsy writing on our part; perhaps others are due to inattentive reading. And some may be due to an effort to shield us from the apparent implausibility of what we said—and in fact meant. It does not matter much. We focus on those misunderstandings that most matter to us, either because, by repetition, they have ended up being annoying, even if they are not, perhaps, that important; or because they are substantial enough to represent a distortion of the basic picture of Critical Pragmatics and its theoretical foundations, namely, Critical Referentialism—also known as the Reflexive-referential Theory—and, more generally, Perry’s fundamental views on meaning and content(s).
Algorithmic Nudging: The Need for an Interdisciplinary Oversight
Authors: Schmauder Christian , Karpus Jurgis , Moll Maximilian , Bahrami Bahador , Deroy Ophelia 
Published: April 2023

AbstractNudge is a popular public policy tool that harnesses well-known biases in human judgement to subtly guide people’s decisions, often to improve their choices or to achieve some socially desirable outcome. Thanks to recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) methods new possibilities emerge of how and when our decisions can be nudged. On the one hand, algorithmically personalized nudges have the potential to vastly improve human daily lives. On the other hand, blindly outsourcing the development and implementation of nudges to “black box” AI systems means that the ultimate reasons for why such nudges work, that is, the underlying human cognitive processes that they harness, will often be unknown. In this paper, we unpack this concern by considering a series of examples and case studies that demonstrate how AI systems can learn to harness biases in human judgment to reach a specified goal. Drawing on an analogy in a philosophical debate concerning the methodology of economics, we call for the need of an interdisciplinary oversight of AI systems that are tasked and deployed to nudge human behaviours.
Metabolomic profiling of glucose homeostasis in African Americans: the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Family Study (IRAS-FS)
Authors: Okut Hayrettin , Lu Yingchang , Palmer Nicholette D. , Chen Yii-Der Ida , Taylor Kent D. , Norris Jill M. , Lorenzo Carlos , Rotter Jerome I. , Langefeld Carl D. , Wagenknecht Lynne E. , Bowden Donald W. , Ng Maggie C. Y. 
Published: April 2023

Abstract
Introduction
African Americans are at increased risk for type 2 diabetes.

Objectives
This work aimed to examine metabolomic signature of glucose homeostasis in African Americans.

Methods
We used an untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolomic approach to comprehensively profile 727 plasma metabolites among 571 African Americans from the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Family Study (IRAS-FS) and investigate the associations between these metabolites and both the dynamic (SI, insulin sensitivity; AIR, acute insulin response; DI, disposition index; and SG, glucose effectiveness) and basal (HOMA-IR and HOMA-B) measures of glucose homeostasis using univariate and regularized regression models. We also compared the results with our previous findings in the IRAS-FS Mexican Americans.

Results
We confirmed increased plasma metabolite levels of branched-chain amino acids and their metabolic derivatives, 2-aminoadipate, 2-hydroxybutyrate, glutamate, arginine and its metabolic derivatives, carbohydrate metabolites, and medium- and long-chain fatty acids were associated with insulin resistance, while increased plasma metabolite levels in the glycine, serine and threonine metabolic pathway were associated with insulin sensitivity. We also observed a differential ancestral effect of glutamate on glucose homeostasis with significantly stronger effects observed in African Americans than those previously observed in Mexican Americans.

Conclusion
We extended the observations that metabolites are useful biomarkers in the identification of prediabetes in individuals at risk of type 2 diabetes in African Americans. We revealed, for the first time, differential ancestral effect of certain metabolites (i.e., glutamate) on glucose homeostasis traits. Our study highlights the need for additional comprehensive metabolomic studies in well-characterized multiethnic cohorts.
The Value of Knowledge and Other Epistemic Standings: A Case for Epistemic Pluralism
Authors: Melchior Guido 
Published: April 2023

AbstractIn epistemology, the concept of knowledge is of distinctive interest. This fact is also reflected in the discussion of epistemic value, which focuses to a large extend on the value problem of knowledge. This discussion suggests that knowledge has an outstanding value among epistemic standings because its value exceeds the value of its constitutive parts. I will argue that the value of knowledge is not outstanding by presenting epistemic standings of checking, transferring knowledge, and proving in court, whose values exceed the value of knowledge in certain contexts. Moreover, the values of these other epistemic standings do not always rely on the value of knowledge. In terms of value, knowledge is not an outstanding epistemic concept. Hence, in terms of value we cannot find support for the privileged position that knowledge enjoys in epistemology.