bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Signaling strategies of silver nanoparticles in optical and electrochemical biosensors: considering their potential for the point-of-care
Authors: Beck Franziska , Loessl Michael , Baeumner Antje J. 
Published: February 2023

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have long been overshadowed by gold NPs’ success in sensor and point-of-care (POC) applications. However, their unique physical, (electro)chemical, and optical properties make them excellently suited for such use, as long as their inherent higher instability toward oxidation is controlled. Recent advances in this field provide novel strategies that demonstrate that the AgNPs’ inherent capabilities improve sensor performance and enable the specific detection of analytes at low concentrations. We provide an overview of these advances by focusing on the nanosized Ag (in the range of 1-100 nm) properties with emphasis on optical and electrochemical biosensors. Furthermore, we critically assess their potential for point-of-care sensors discussing advantages as well as limitations for each detection technique. We can conclude that, indeed, strategies using AgNP are ready for sensitive POC applications; however, research focusing on the simplification of assay procedures is direly needed for AgNPs to make the successful jump into actual applications.
Graphical abstract
Microglia and microbiome in schizophrenia: can immunomodulation improve symptoms?
Authors: Juckel Georg , Freund Nadja 
Published: February 2023

AbstractIn this overview, influences of microglia activation and disturbances of the microbiome in the devastating disorder schizophrenia are discussed. Despite previous assumptions of a primary neurodegenerative character of this disorder, current research underlines the important autoimmunological and inflammatory processes here. Early disturbances of microglial cells as well as cytokines could lead to weakness of the immunological system in the prodromal phase and then fully manifest in patients with schizophrenia. Measurements of microbiome features might allow identifying the prodromal phase. In conclusion, such thinking would imply several new therapeutic options regulating immune processes by old or new anti-inflammatory agents in patients.
Enzyme-derived deer velvet extract activate the immune response in cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressive mice
Authors: Baek Sinhwa , Park Cho I , Hwang Yun Gyeong , Jeon Hyejin , Kim Seong-Eun , Song Aeri , Park Hyun-Je , Park Ilbum , Kang Jongsoo , Cha Joo Young 
Published: February 2023

AbstractDeer velvet (DV) is an oriental traditional medicine used to treat various diseases. The present study examined the effect of flavourzyme-derived DV extract (YC-1101) on macrophages and an immunosuppressed mouse model. YC-1101 induced activation of macrophages as measured by nitric oxide production, cell proliferation, and cytokine release via concentration-dependent phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and AKT, and nuclear translocation of p65 in macrophages. In addition, oral YC-1101 administration significantly increased splenocyte proliferation and natural killer cell activity in the immunosuppressed mouse model. Moreover, the levels of immune-related cytokines such as tumor necrotic factor-α, interferon-γ, and interleukin-2 were significantly increased by YC-1101 treatment comparable to the control group. Thus, these results suggest that YC-1101 is an efficient natural ingredient that has an immune-enhancing effect, and it might be a potential functional food for improving immunity.
Oxidation behavior of Ti2AlC MAX-phase foams in the temperature range of 600–1000 °C
Authors: Potoczek Marek , Dąbek Jarosław , Brylewski Tomasz 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe isothermal oxidation behavior of Ti2AlC gel-cast foams with an almost completely open porosity of 87 vol% was investigated in the temperature range of 600–1000 °C, in static air, and for exposure times of up to 6.5 h. It was found that the oxidation process obeyed the parabolic rate law. The determined parabolic oxidation rate constants were low, indicating that the material’s resistance to oxidation at high temperatures was very good, especially given its highly porous form. The nature of the scale formed on the strut surface of Ti2AlC foams changed significantly with increasing oxidation temperature. After oxidation at 600 °C, gaps/cracks were observed between Ti2AlC layers on the strut surface, and the oxidation products were mixed Ti and Al oxides. At 700–800 °C, the scales were integrated and composed of Ti and Al oxides. At 900–1000 °C, the oxidation products were composed of large elongated plates of TiO2 (rutile) and small, needle-like Al2O3 (corundum) grains.
Multi-phase synthetic contrast enhancement in interventional computed tomography for guiding renal cryotherapy
Authors: Pinnock Mark A. , Hu Yipeng , Bandula Steve , Barratt Dean C. 
Published: February 2023

Abstract

Purpose

Minimally invasive treatments for renal carcinoma offer a low rate of complications and quick recovery. One drawback of the use of computed tomography (CT) for needle guidance is the use of iodinated contrast agents, which require an increased X-ray dose and can potentially cause adverse reactions. The purpose of this work is to generalise the problem of synthetic contrast enhancement to allow the generation of multiple phases on non-contrast CT data from a real-world, clinical dataset without training multiple convolutional neural networks.

Methods

A framework for switching between contrast phases by conditioning the network on the phase information is proposed and compared with separately trained networks. We then examine how the degree of supervision affects the generated contrast by evaluating three established architectures: U-Net (fully supervised), Pix2Pix (adversarial with supervision), and CycleGAN (fully adversarial).

Results

We demonstrate that there is no performance loss when testing the proposed method against separately trained networks. Of the training paradigms investigated, the fully adversarial CycleGAN performs the worst, while the fully supervised U-Net generates more realistic voxel intensities and performed better than Pix2Pix in generating contrast images for use in a downstream segmentation task. Lastly, two models are shown to generalise to intra-procedural data not seen during the training process, also enhancing features such as needles and ice balls relevant to interventional radiological procedures.

Conclusion

The proposed contrast switching framework is a feasible option for generating multiple contrast phases without the overhead of training multiple neural networks, while also being robust towards unseen data and enhancing contrast in features relevant to clinical practice.
Einführung digitaler Technik in Schulen als Anwendungsfall für die sozio-technische Systemgestaltung
Authors: Hardwig Thomas 
Published: February 2023

ZusammenfassungDer pandemiebedingte Digitalisierungsschub hat gezeigt, dass Schulen unterschiedlich erfolgreich sind, digitale Medien zur Verbesserung des Lehrens und Lernens einzusetzen. Beherrschen viele Schulen die Implementierungsprozesse digitaler Medien nicht und benötigen Nachhilfe von der sozio-technischen Systemgestaltung? Diese verfügt über Konzepte zur erfolgreichen Implementierung und Nutzung technischer Systeme in Organisationen. Der Beitrag arbeitet zentrale Erkenntnisse moderner, sozio-technischer Ansätze heraus, um den Nutzen zu identifizieren, den eine systematischere Berücksichtigung haben könnte. Sozio-technische Begriffe und Konzepte spielen in der Literatur zur Schulentwicklung bislang keine Rolle, obwohl die Schulentwicklungsforschung verdeutlicht, dass der Einsatz von digitalen Medien für das Lehren und Lernen ein typischer Anwendungsfall für sozio-technische Konzepte wäre.Die normative Schulentwicklungsliteratur macht Gestaltungsvorschläge zur Implementierung und Nutzung von neuen Medien durch Schulleitungen, Lehrkräfte und weitere Akteursgruppen. Der Beitrag analysiert, inwieweit diese die zentralen Erkenntnisse sozio-technischer Systemgestaltung berücksichtigen und welche Lücken bestehen. Ergebnis der kritischen Sichtung ist, dass die normative Schulentwicklung zwar wesentliche Erkenntnisse mit sozio-technischen Konzepten teilt, aber durch eine Fokussierung auf pädagogische Aspekte Verkürzungen vornimmt. Eine Berücksichtigung sozio-technischer Ansätze würde dagegen durch das Einbeziehen der Arbeitsrealität von Lehrkräften ein zentrales Hemmnis gegenüber der Techniknutzung in der Schule bearbeitbar machen. Zudem könnte eine Übernahme des Konzepts der wechselseitigen Abhängigkeit von sozialem und technischem System sowie von Erfahrungen mit Systementwicklungsprozessen die Erfolgsbedingungen der Nutzung digitaler Technik in Schulen verbessern. Insofern bietet eine systematische Berücksichtigung sozio-technischer Systemgestaltung sowohl einen integrativen konzeptionellen Rahmen als auch eine wirksamere Unterstützung des digital unterstützte Lehren und Lernens.
Polarisierung oder Verringerung ungleicher Teilnahmechancen? Auswirkungen der COVID-19-Pandemie auf das berufliche Lernen im Erwachsenenalter
Authors: Kleinert Corinna , Zoch Gundula 
Published: February 2023

ZusammenfassungIn politischen und wissenschaftlichen Diskursen wird immer wieder betont, wie wichtig das lebenslange Lernen in den heutigen Wissensgesellschaften ist. Gleichzeitig ist die Teilnahme an berufsbezogener Weiterbildung (BWB) aber nach wie vor sozial stratifiziert: Es profitieren vor allem diejenigen, die sowieso schon bessere Voraussetzungen und mehr Ressourcen mitbringen. Obgleich die Corona-Pandemie das Angebot an und die Nachfrage nach Weiterbildung in kurzer Zeit tiefgreifend verändert hat, ist insgesamt noch nicht abzusehen – und empirisch bislang nicht ausreichend untersucht – wie sich die Pandemie auf die Beteiligung an BWB ausgewirkt hat und welche Barrieren und Chancen die Krise für unterschiedliche Beschäftigtengruppen mit sich gebracht hat. Diese Fragen beantworten wir empirisch auf Basis der Daten der NEPS-Startkohorte 6 bei einer Stichprobe Erwachsener, die vor und während der Corona-Krise an den NEPS-Befragungen teilgenommen hat und kurz vor dem Ausbruch der Pandemie erwerbstätig war. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Covid-19-Pandemie in Deutschland mit einem moderaten Rückgang der Teilnahme an berufsbezogenen Kursen und Präsenzveranstaltungen einherging. Die vor der Pandemie stark ausgeprägten sozialen, beruflichen und betrieblichen Differenzen in diesen Beteiligungsformen sind im Zuge der Pandemie ebenfalls leicht zurückgegangen. Wir schließen daraus, dass die Pandemie zumindest in ihrer ersten und zweiten Welle zu einem Rückgang der sozialen Ungleichheit von Weiterbildung geführt hat.
Valuation of student-led agricultural activities at university: comparison of willingness to pay with inferred values
Authors: Sakurai Ryo , Uehara Takuro 
Published: February 2023

AbstractAgricultural fields in university campuses can improve urban nutrition security, increase greenery, and provide opportunities for students to grow crops and enhance self-management skills. We conducted student surveys among freshmen in two different years (2016 and 2020) to understand their willingness to pay (WTP) for donations toward student-led agricultural activities. In order to mitigate the social desirability bias, we also asked students’ inferred WTP and compared that with conventional WTP. We found that inferred values could determine more conservative and realistic estimations of students’ donations than conventional WTP. Full model regression analysis using logit model estimation showed that students’ interest and engagement in pro-environmental behaviors increased WTP for student-led agricultural activities. In conclusion, such projects are economically feasible through student donations.
Derivation and characterization of new cell line from intestine of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus)
Authors: Liu Yiping , Ge Xuefeng , Li Chao , Xue Ting 
Published: February 2023

AbstractA continuous intestine cell line from turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) designated as SMI was established utilizing the tissue explant technique. Primary SMI cell was cultured at 24 °C in a medium with 20% fetal bovine serum (FBS), then subcultured in 10% FBS after 10 passages. Impacts of medium or temperature on the growth of SMI were examined and the results indicated it grew well in DMEM supplemented with 10% FBS at 24 °C. The SMI cell line was subcultured more than 60 times. Karyotyping, chromosome number, and ribosomal RNA genotyping analysis revealed that SMI had a modal diploid chromosome number of 44 and originated from turbot. After being transfected with pEGFP-N1 and FAM-siRNA, a large number of green fluorescence signals were observed in SMI, indicating that SMI could be used as an ideal platform to explore gene function in vitro. In addition, the expression of epithelium-associated genes such as itga6, itgb4, gja1, claudin1, zo-1, and E-cadherin in SMI suggested the SMI had some characteristics of epidermal cells. The upregulation of immune-associated genes such as TNF-β, NF-κB, and IL-1β in SMI after stimulation with pathogen-associated molecular patterns suggested the SMI might exhibit immune functions similar to the intestinal epithelium in vivo.
Corrosion Behavior of Boronized and Borochromized AISI 4140 Steel After Acid Exposure Evaluated by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy
Authors: Zagkliveris Dimitrios I. , Mavropoulos Azarias , Triantafyllidis Georgios K. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractBoronizing of steel is a widely used method for superficial protection and strengthening of various components. Although it is an effective solution for most applications, it can be improved by adding metallic elements to enrich the coating with mixed borides that have exceptional properties. In the present study, we investigated the actual upgrade of a boronized AISI 4140 steel after an additional chromizing process in terms of corrosion resistance. Samples of boronized and borochromized steel were immersed in 10% vol. HCl or H2SO4 solutions for 0.5-4 h and assessed with Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy. It is shown by the results that the borochromized specimens started with higher impedance values than the boronized ones, but they gradually degraded by immersion time and tended to approach the values of the boronized specimens, a fact attributed to the weakening of the resistance of the coating due to the corrosion. On the contrary, the boronized samples showed lower but stable values of impedance. The porosity of the boronized specimens did not contribute to their total impedance, as deduced by equivalent electrical circuit analysis. The impedance of the bulk region of both coatings did not decrease significantly during the corrosion. XRD and SEM/EDS measurements supported our findings.
Small area estimation of average compositions under multivariate nested error regression models
Authors: Esteban María Dolores , Lombardía María José , López-Vizcaíno Esther , Morales Domingo , Pérez Agustín 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThis paper investigates the small area estimation of population averages of unit-level compositional data. The new methodology transforms the compositions into vectors of $$R^m$$

R
m

and assumes that the vectors follow a multivariate nested error regression model. Empirical best predictors of domain indicators are derived from the fitted model, and their mean squared errors are estimated by parametric bootstrap. The empirical analysis of the behavior of the introduced predictors is investigated by means of simulation experiments. An application to real data from the Spanish household budget survey is given. The target is to estimate the average of proportions of annual household expenditures on food, housing and others, by Spanish provinces.
Metastasis-Related Signature for Clinically Predicting Prognosis and Tumor Immune Microenvironment of Osteosarcoma Patients
Authors: Zhang Qing , Deng Zhiping , Yang Yongkun 
Published: February 2023

AbstractOsteosarcoma is the most prevalent clinical malignant bone tumor in adolescents. The prognosis of metastatic osteosarcoma is still very poor. The aim of our study was to investigate the clinical diagnosis and prognostic significance of metastasis related genes (MRGs) in patients with osteosarcoma. Clinical information and RNA sequencing data with osteosarcoma patients were obtained and set as the training set from UCSC databases. GSE21257 were downloaded and chosen as the verification cohort. An eight gene metastasis related risk signature including MYC, TAC4, ABCA4, GADD45GIP1, TNFRSF21, HERC5, MAGEA11, and PDE1B was built to predict the overall survival of osteosarcoma patients. Based on risk assessments, patients were classified into high- and low-risk groups. The high-risk patients had higher risk score and shorter survival time. ROC curves revealed that this risk signature can accurately predict survival times of osteosarcoma patients at the 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 5- year. GSEA revealed that MYC targets, E2F targets, mTORC1 signaling, Wnt /β-catenin signaling and cell cycle were upregulated, and cell adhesion molecules, and primary immunodeficiency were decreased in high-risk group. MRGs were highly linked with the tumor immune microenvironment and ICB response. These results identified that MRGs as a novel prognostic and diagnostic biomarker in osteosarcoma.
HPRT1 Deficiency Induces Alteration of Mitochondrial Energy Metabolism in the Brain
Authors: Vinokurov Andrey Y. , Soldatov Vladislav O. , Seregina Evgenia S. , Dolgikh Angelina I. , Tagunov Pavel A. , Dunaev Andrey V. , Skorkina Marina Y. , Deykin Alexey V. , Abramov Andrey Y. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractAlterations in function of hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT), one of the major enzymes involved in purine nucleotide exchange, lead to overproduction of uric acid and produce various symptoms of Lesch-Nyhan syndrome (LNS). One of the hallmarks of LNS is maximal expression of HPRT in the central nervous system with the highest activity of this enzyme in the midbrain and basal ganglia. However, the nature of neurological symptoms has yet to be clarified in details. Here, we studied whether HPRT1 deficiency changes mitochondrial energy metabolism and redox balance in murine neurons from the cortex and midbrain. We found that HPRT1 deficiency inhibits complex I-dependent mitochondrial respiration resulting in increased levels of mitochondrial NADH, reduction of the mitochondrial membrane potential, and increased rate of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in mitochondria and cytosol. However, increased ROS production did not induce oxidative stress and did not decrease the level of endogenous antioxidant glutathione (GSH). Thus, disruption of mitochondrial energy metabolism but not oxidative stress could play a role of potential trigger of brain pathology in LNS.
To become ‘ndrangheta in Calabria: organisational narrative criminology and the constitution of mafia organisations
Authors: Sergi Anna 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe ‘ndrangheta is a mafia group from Calabria, Southern Italy. Considerable efforts have been made to understand the structures and the organisation of this mafia, not only in the province of Reggio Calabria where it originated, but also in other Calabrian provinces and even outside the Calabrian region. Building on judicial data from a recent maxi-trial (Rinascita-Scott) against ‘ndrangheta clans in the province of Vibo Valentia, we build a theoretical approach based on narrative criminology applied to organisational studies of secretive organisations. We find a ‘script of narratives’ emerging from collaborators and affiliates’ stories – about socialisation, discretion, and accreditation - which reveals how recognition and constitution of ‘added’ ‘ndrangheta clans are thought to work. This script helps us understand the constitutive power of narratives in mafias and critically approach the study of such organisations.
Last in, first out? Length of service as a moderator of the relationship between exposure to bullying behaviors and work-related outcomes
Authors: Glambek Mats , Einarsen Ståle Valvatne , Gjerstad Johannes , Nielsen Morten Birkeland 
Published: February 2023

AbstractIn the present study, we proposed and tested a conceptual model of length of service in the organization as a moderator of the relationship between exposure to workplace bullying behaviors and turnover intention, as mediated through job dissatisfaction. Specifically, based on the conservation of resources theory and organizational socialization research, we hypothesized that bullying exposure would be more detrimental to employees relatively new to the organization, and less so to those with a long length of service. We employed a probability sample from the Norwegian workforce (N = 1003), with data collected at two time-points separated by six months. In line with previous research, we found that exposure to workplace bullying behaviors predicts increased levels of stability-adjusted turnover intentions, and, that job dissatisfaction mediates this association. Moreover, the mediation effect was dependent on length of service, such that it only was present at average (50th percentile; 8.5 years) and short employment length (16th percentile; 2.5 years), and was significantly stronger for the latter group. Additionally, a Johnson-Neyman test of significance regions revealed that the moderation effect became non-significant at the 69th percentile (14.6 years of length of service) in the present sample. This indicates that while short length of service represents a risk condition for work-related outcomes of bullying exposure, long length of service may represent a resource relating to individual resilience that accumulates over long time-spans.
Posttraumatic stress, visual working memory, and visual imagery in military personnel
Authors: Russell Brenton , Mussap Alexander J. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractPosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by disruptions to cognitive functioning. Two studies were conducted to examine the relevance of military-related PTSD to two cognitive functions – visual working memory and visual imagery. Participants were military personnel who reported their PTSD diagnosis history and completed a self-administered screening tool for PTSD, the PTSD Checklist – Military Version. In Study 1, 138 personnel also completed a memory span task and a 2-back task using colored words in which Stroop interference was introduced via the semantic content of the words. In Study 2, a separate group of 211 personnel completed measures of perceived imagery vividness and spontaneous use of visual imagery. Interference effects on working memory in PTSD-diagnosed military personnel were not replicated. However, ANCOVA and structural equation modelling revealed that PTSD-intrusions were associated with poorer working memory whereas PTSD-arousal was associated with spontaneous use of visual imagery. We interpret these results as evidence that intrusive flashbacks disrupt working memory performance not by limiting memory capacity nor by interfering directly with memory functions such as inhibition, but by adding internal noise in the form of task-irrelevant memories and emotions. Visual imagery appears to be unrelated to these flashbacks but with arousal symptoms of PTSD, perhaps in the form of flashforwards about feared/anticipated threats.