bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An engineered variant of MECR reductase reveals indispensability of long-chain acyl-ACPs for mitochondrial respiration
Authors: Rahman M. Tanvir , Koski M. Kristian , Panecka-Hofman Joanna , Schmitz Werner , Kastaniotis Alexander J. , Wade Rebecca C. , Wierenga Rik K. , Hiltunen J. Kalervo , Autio Kaija J. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractMitochondrial fatty acid synthesis (mtFAS) is essential for respiratory function. MtFAS generates the octanoic acid precursor for lipoic acid synthesis, but the role of longer fatty acid products has remained unclear. The structurally well-characterized component of mtFAS, human 2E-enoyl-ACP reductase (MECR) rescues respiratory growth and lipoylation defects of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae Δetr1 strain lacking native mtFAS enoyl reductase. To address the role of longer products of mtFAS, we employed in silico molecular simulations to design a MECR variant with a shortened substrate binding cavity. Our in vitro and in vivo analyses indicate that the MECR G165Q variant allows synthesis of octanoyl groups but not long chain fatty acids, confirming the validity of our computational approach to engineer substrate length specificity. Furthermore, our data imply that restoring lipoylation in mtFAS deficient yeast strains is not sufficient to support respiration and that long chain acyl-ACPs generated by mtFAS are required for mitochondrial function.
Type of adjuvant endocrine therapy and disease-free survival in patients with early HR-positive/HER2-positive BC: analysis from the phase III randomized ShortHER trial
Authors: Dieci Maria Vittoria , Bisagni Giancarlo , Bartolini Stefania , Frassoldati Antonio , Vicini Roberto , Balduzzi Sara , D’amico Roberto , Conte Pierfranco , Guarneri Valentina 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe optimal adjuvant endocrine therapy for HR-positive/HER2-positive breast cancer patients is unknown. We included in this analysis 784 patients with HR-positive/HER2-positive BC from the randomized ShortHER trial of adjuvant trastuzumab (1 year vs 9 weeks) + chemotherapy. At a median follow-up of 8.7 years, patients who received AI had a significantly better DFS vs patients who received TAM or TAM-AI: 8-yr DFS 86.4 vs 79.7%, log-rank P = 0.013 (HR 1.52, 95% CI 1.09–2.11). In multivariate analysis, the type of endocrine therapy maintained a significant association with DFS (HR 1.64, 95% CI 1.07–2.52, p = 0.025 for TAM/TAM-AI vs AI). Among premenopausal patients aged ≤45 years, the use of GnRHa was associated with longer DFS: 8-yr DFS rate 85.2 vs 62.6% (log-rank p = 0.019, HR 0.41, 95% CI 0.19–0.88). In this post-hoc analysis of the ShortHER trial adjuvant treatment with AI was independently associated with improved DFS. Subgroup analysis in premenopausal patients suggests benefits with ovarian suppression.Trial registration: NCI ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT00629278.
nNPipe: a neural network pipeline for automated analysis of morphologically diverse catalyst systems
Authors: Treder Kevin P. , Huang Chen , Bell Cameron G. , Slater Thomas J. A. , Schuster Manfred E. , Özkaya Doğan , Kim Judy S. , Kirkland Angus I. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractWe describe nNPipe for the automated analysis of morphologically diverse catalyst materials. Automated imaging routines and direct-electron detectors have enabled the collection of large data stacks over a wide range of sample positions at high temporal resolution. Simultaneously, traditional image analysis approaches are slow and hence unsuitable for large data stacks and consequently, researchers have progressively turned towards machine learning and deep learning approaches. Previous studies often detail work on morphologically uniform material systems with clearly discernible features, limited workable image sizes and training data that may be biased due to manual labelling. The nNPipe data-processing method consists of two standalone convolutional neural networks that were exclusively trained on multislice image simulations and enables fast analysis of 2048 × 2048 pixel images. Inference performance compared between idealised and real industrial catalytic samples and insights derived from subsequent data analysis are placed into the context of an automated imaging scenario.
Optical observations of thunderstorms from the International Space Station: recent results and perspectives
Authors: Neubert Torsten , Gordillo-Vázquez Francisco J. , Huntrieser Heidi 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe International Space Station (ISS) is in the lowest available orbit at ~400 km altitude, bringing instruments as close to the atmosphere as possible from the vantage point of space. The orbit inclination is 51.6°, which brings the ISS over all the low- and mid-latitude regions of the Earth and at all local times. It is an ideal platform to observe deep convection and electrification of thunderstorms, taken advantage of by the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) and the Atmosphere Space Interaction Monitor (ASIM) experiments. In the coming years, meteorological satellites in geostationary orbit (~36,000 km altitude) will provide sophisticated cloud and lightning observations with almost complete coverage of the Earth’s thunderstorm regions. In addition, Earth-observing satellite instruments in geostationary- and low-Earth orbit (LEO) will measure more atmospheric parameters at a higher resolution than we know today. The new infrastructure in space offers an opportunity to advance our understanding of the role of thunderstorms in atmospheric dynamics and climate change. Here, we discuss how observations from the ISS or other LEO platforms with instruments that view the atmosphere at slanted angles can complement the measurements from primarily nadir-oriented instruments of present and planned missions. We suggest that the slanted viewing geometry from LEO may resolve the altitude of electrical activity and the cloud structure where they occur, with implications for modelling thunderstorms’ effects on the atmosphere’s radiative properties and climate balance.
Streptococcus pyogenes vaccine candidates do not induce autoimmune responses in a rheumatic heart disease model
Authors: Reynolds Simone , Rafeek Rukshan Ahamed Mohamed , Hamlin Adam , Lepletier Ailin , Pandey Manisha , Ketheesan Natkunam , Good Michael F. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractWe have developed a candidate vaccine to protect against multiple strains of Streptococcus pyogenes infections. The candidate vaccine contains two synthetic peptides derived from S. pyogenes proteins: the M-protein epitope, p*17 and the IL-8 degrading S. pyogenes Cell-Envelope Proteinase (SpyCEP) epitope, K4S2. In this study we utilise a rat autoimmune valvulitis model that displays both the cardiac and neurobehavioural pathology associated with post-streptococcal sequelae, to assess if the vaccine candidate antigens induce autoimmune complications and inflammatory pathology. Each antigen was conjugated to carrier protein diphtheria toxoid (DT) and independently assessed for potential to induce autoimmune pathology in female Lewis rats. Rats were administered three subcutaneous doses, and one intranasal dose over a four-week study with a two-week recovery period. A positive control group received recombinant S. pyogenes M5 (rM5) protein, and the negative control group received PBS. Rats that received rM5 developed significant cardiac and neurological pathologies. There was no evidence of these pathologies in the PBS control group, or the rats administered either P*17-DT or K4S2-DT. This study provides further preclinical evidence of the safety of the vaccine candidates p*17 and K4S2 and their appropriateness as candidates in human clinical trials.
Annotated Datasets of Oil Palm Fruit Bunch Piles for Ripeness Grading Using Deep Learning
Authors: Suharjito  , Junior Franz Adeta , Koeswandy Yosua Putra , Debi  , Nurhayati Pratiwi Wahyu , Asrol Muhammad , Marimin  
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe quality of palm oil is strongly influenced by the maturity level of the fruit to be processed into palm oil. Many studies have been carried out for detecting and classifying the maturity level of oil palm fruit to improve the quality with the use of computer vision. However, most of these studies use datasets in the form of images of oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFB) with incomplete categorization according to real conditions in palm oil mills. Therefore, this study introduces a new complete dataset obtained directly from palm oil mills in the form of videos and images with different categories in accordance with the real conditions faced by the grading section of the palm oil mill. The video dataset consists of 45 videos with a single category of FFB videos and 56 videos with a collection of FFB with multiple categories for each video. Videos are collected using a smart phone with a size of 1280 × 720 pixels with .mp4 format. In addition, this dataset has also been annotated and labelled based on the maturity level of oil palm fruit with 6 categories, which are unripe, under-ripe, ripe, overripe, empty bunches and abnormal fruit.
Measurements and computational fluid dynamics investigation of the indoor radon distribution in a typical naturally ventilated room
Authors: Adelikhah Mohammademad , Imani Morteza , Kovács Tibor 
Published: February 2023

AbstractBased on the European Union Basic Safety Standards to protect people against exposure to ionizing radiation, establishing and addressing the reference levels for indoor radon concentrations is necessary. Therefore, the indoor radon concentration should be monitored and control in dwelling and workplaces. However, proper ventilation and sustainability are the major factors that influence how healthy the environment in a building is for its occupants. In this paper, the indoor radon distribution in a typical naturally ventilated room under two scenarios (when the door is closed and open) using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique was studied. The CFD code ANSYS Fluent 2020 R1 based on the finite volume method was employed before the simulation results were compared with analytical calculations as well as passive and active measurements. The average radon concentration from the CFD simulation was found to be between 70.21 and 66.25 Bq m−3 under closed and open-door conditions, respectively, at the desired ventilation rate of 1 ACH (Air Changes per Hour). Moreover, the highest concentrations of radon were measured close to the floor and the lowest values were recorded near to the inlet, resulting in the airflow velocity profile. The simulation results were in good agreement with the maxima of 19% and 7% compared to analytical calculations at different indoor air velocities in the open- and closed-door scenarios, respectively. The measured radon concentrations obtained by the active measurements also fitted well with the CFD results, for example, with a relative standard deviation of around 7% and 2% when measured by AlphaGUARD and RAD7 monitors at a height of 1.0 m above the ground in the open-door scenario. From the simulation results, the effective dose received by an individual from the indoor air of the workplace was also calculated.
Efficacy of ZnO nanoparticles in Zn fortification and partitioning of wheat and rice grains under salt stress
Authors: Mazhar Zuhra , Akhtar Javaid , Alhodaib Aiyeshah , Naz Tayyaba , Zafar Mazhar Iqbal , Iqbal Muhammad Mazhar , Fatima Humaria , Naz Iffat 
Published: February 2023

AbstractZinc (Zn) deficiency is a major health concern in developing countries due to dependency on cereal based diet. Cereals are inherently low in Zn and inevitable use of stressed land has further elevated the problem. The aim of current research was to improve wheat and rice grains grain Zn concentration grown in saline soils through zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) due to their perspective high availability. The ZnO-NPs were prepared by co-precipitation method and characterized through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Two separate pot experiments for wheat and rice were conducted to check the relative effectiveness of ZnO-NPs compared to other bulk Zn sources i.e., zinc sulphate heptahydrate (ZnSO4·7H2O) and ZnO. Results showed that salt stress negatively impacted the tested parameters. There was a significant (p ≤ 0.05) improvement in growth, salt tolerance, plant Zn uptake and grain Zn concentrations by Zn application through Zn sources. The ZnO-NPs showed maximum improvement in crops parameters as compared to other sources due to their higher uptake and translocation in plants under both normal and stressed soil conditions. Thus, ZnO nanoparticles proved to be more effective for grain Zn fortification in both tested wheat and rice crops under normal and saline conditions.
Association of hemoglobin variability with the risk of cardiovascular disease: a nationally representative retrospective cohort study from South Korea
Authors: Lee Won Jung , Choi Seulggie , Park Sang Min , Lee Gyeongsil , Chang Jooyoung , Oh Yun Hwan , Son Joung Sik , Kim Kyae Hyung , Choi Soo Jung 
Published: February 2023

AbstractHemoglobin variability is known to increase cardiovascular mortality in chronic kidney disease, but the association of hemoglobin variability with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the general population is yet unclear. This retrospective cohort study based on ‘the South Korean National Health Insurance Service database’ consisted of 198,347 adults who went through all three health examinations. Hemoglobin variability is defined as the average successive variability of three separate hemoglobin values from each health screening period. Participants were followed up for 6 years to determine the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. We used multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression to examine the adjusted hazard ratios for CVD according to hemoglobin variability. Per 1 unit increase of hemoglobin variability, the risk for CVD (aHR 1.06, 95% CI 1.02–1.09) and stroke (aHR 1.08, 95% CI 1.03–1.13) increased significantly. The risk-increasing trend was preserved in the low-to-moderate risk group of CVDs (aHR 1.07, 95% CI 1.02–1.11). This result suggests that subjects with high hemoglobin variability who would otherwise be categorized as having low-to-moderate CVD risk may have higher risk of CVD than those with low hemoglobin variability.
Absolute dosimetry for FLASH proton pencil beam scanning radiotherapy
Authors: Lourenço Ana , Subiel Anna , Lee Nigel , Flynn Sam , Cotterill John , Shipley David , Romano Francesco , Speth Joe , Lee Eunsin , Zhang Yongbin , Xiao Zhiyan , Mascia Anthony , Amos Richard A. , Palmans Hugo , Thomas Russell 
Published: February 2023

AbstractA paradigm shift is occurring in clinical oncology exploiting the recent discovery that short pulses of ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) radiation—FLASH radiotherapy—can significantly spare healthy tissues whilst still being at least as effective in curing cancer as radiotherapy at conventional dose rates. These properties promise reduced post-treatment complications, whilst improving patient access to proton beam radiotherapy and reducing costs. However, accurate dosimetry at UHDR is extremely complicated. This work presents measurements performed with a primary-standard proton calorimeter and derivation of the required correction factors needed to determine absolute dose for FLASH proton beam radiotherapy with an uncertainty of 0.9% (1$$\sigma$$
σ
), in line with that of conventional treatments. The establishment of a primary standard for FLASH proton radiotherapy improves accuracy and consistency of the dose delivered and is crucial for the safe implementation of clinical trials, and beyond, for this new treatment modality.
Segmentation of mine overburden dump particles from images using Mask R CNN
Authors: Shrivastava Shubham , Bhattacharjee Sudipta , Deb Debasis 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe stability of mine overburden dumps is crucial for the efficient operation of mining industries. The size distribution of particles affects the shear strength of dump slopes. Identification of dump particles from images is challenging as they vary in size, shape, color, granularity, and texture. In this paper, a unique way of identifying the particles from dump images using Artificial Intelligence is presented that can be used to determine the particle size distribution of dump. Mask R CNN with ResNet50 plus an FPN as a backbone network which is the current state of the art for instance segmentation has been implemented to segment the particles from dump images at detailed pixel level and to obtain their boundary. Experimental results showed promising results to delineate the particles and obtain masks over them. Our model has achieved a training accuracy of 97.2% for the dataset containing 31,505 particles. The model predicted the areas of dump particles with a mean percentage error of 0.39% and a standard deviation of 0.25 when compared to the ground truth values. The calculation of coordinates of the detected boundaries using the model significantly reduces the time and effort that are generally put in rock mechanics laboratories.
Novel biosynthesis of MnO NPs using Mycoendophyte: industrial bioprocessing strategies and scaling-up production with its evaluation as anti-phytopathogenic agents
Authors: EL-Moslamy Shahira H. , Yahia I. S. , Zahran H. Y. , Kamoun Elbadawy A. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThis report provides the first description of the myco-synthesis of rod-shaped MnO NPs with an average crystallite size of ~ 35 nm, employing extracellular bioactive metabolites of endophytic Trichodermavirens strain EG92 as capping/reducing agents and MnCl2·4H2O as a parent component. The wheat bran medium was chosen to grow endophytic strain EG92, which produced a variety of bioactive metabolites in extracellular fraction, which increases the yield of MnO NPs to 9.53 g/l. The whole medium and fungal growth conditions that influenced biomass generation were optimized as successive statistical optimization approaches (Plackett–Burman and Box–Behnken designs). The production improvements were achieved at pH 5.5, WBE (35%), and inoculum size (10%), which increased Xmax to twelve-folds (89.63 g/l); thereby, Pmax increased to eight-folds (82.93 g/l). After 162 h, Xmax (145.63 g/l) and Pmax (99.52 g/l) on the side of µmax and YX/S were determined as 0.084 and 7.65, respectively. ViaTaguchi experimental design, fungus-fabricated MnO NPs reaction was improved by adding 0.25 M of MnCl2·4H2O to 100% of fungal extract (reducing/capping agents) and adjusting the reaction pH adjusted to ~ 5. This reaction was incubated at 60 °C for 5 h before adding 20% fungal extract (stabilizing agent). Also, Pmax was raised 40-fold (395.36 g/l) over the BC. Our myco-synthesized MnO NPs exhibit faster and more precise antagonistic actions against phytopathogenic bacteria than fungi; they could be employed as an alternative and promised nano-bio-pesticide to manage a variety of different types of disease-pathogens in the future.
Coordinated local RNA overexpression of complement induced by interferon gamma in myositis
Authors: Casal-Dominguez Maria , Pinal-Fernandez Iago , Pak Katherine , Muñoz-Braceras Sandra , Milisenda Jose C. , Torres-Ruiz Jiram , Dell′Orso Stefania , Naz Faiza , Gutierrez-Cruz Gustavo , Duque-Jaimez Yaiza , Matas-Garcia Ana , Valls-Roca Laura , Garrabou Gloria , Trallero-Araguas Ernesto , Walitt Brian , Christopher-Stine Lisa , Lloyd Thomas E. , Paik Julie J. , Albayda Jemima , Corse Andrea , Grau Josep Maria , Selva-O’Callaghan Albert , Mammen Andrew L. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractComplement proteins are deposited in the muscles of patients with myositis. However, the local expression and regulation of complement genes within myositis muscle have not been well characterized. In this study, bulk RNA sequencing (RNAseq) analyses of muscle biopsy specimens revealed that complement genes are locally overexpressed and correlate with markers of myositis disease activity, including the expression of interferon-gamma (IFNγ)-induced genes. Single cell and single nuclei RNAseq analyses showed that most local expression of complement genes occurs in macrophages, fibroblasts, and satellite cells, with each cell type expressing different sets of complement genes. Biopsies from immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy patients, who have the lowest levels of IFNγ-induced genes, also had the lowest complement gene expression levels. Furthermore, data from cultured human cells showed that IFNγ upregulates complement expression in macrophages, fibroblasts, and muscle cells. Taken together, our results suggest that in myositis muscle, IFNγ coordinates the local overexpression of complement genes that occurs in several cell types.
Non-enzymatic disposable electrochemical sensors based on CuO/Co3O4@MWCNTs nanocomposite modified screen-printed electrode for the direct determination of urea
Authors: Magar Hend S. , Hassan Rabeay Y. A. , Abbas Mohammed Nooredeen 
Published: February 2023

AbstractA new electrochemical impedimetric sensor for direct detection of urea was designed and fabricated using nanostructured screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) modified with CuO/Co3O4 @MWCNTs. A facile and simple hydrothermal method was achieved for the chemical synthesis of the CuO/Co3O4 nanocomposite followed by the integration of MWCNTs to be the final platform of the urea sensor. A full physical and chemical characterization for the prepared nanomaterials were performed including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), contact angle, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Additionally, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to study the electrochemical properties the modified electrodes with the nanomaterials at different composition ratios of the CuO/Co3O4 or MWCNTs. The impedimetric measurements were optimized to reach a picomolar sensitivity and high selectivity for urea detection. From the calibration curve, the linear concentration range of 10−12–10−2 M was obtained with the regression coefficient (R2) of 0.9961 and lower detection limit of 0.223 pM (S/N = 5). The proposed sensor has been used for urea analysis in real samples. Thus, the newly developed non-enzymatic sensor represents a considerable advancement in the field for urea detection, owing to the simplicity, portability, and low cost-sensor fabrication.
The distribution of blinkrate among Malawian young adults: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Mbamba Mayamiko , Mzumara Thokozani , Chisale Precious , Afonne Joseph 
Published: February 2023

AbstractBlink rate is a critical sign for numerous systemic and ocular conditions in medicine, however, the literature reports varying values for the parameter. Hence, the aim of this study was to establish the cut-off blink rate value among Malawian young adults including the effects of sex and age on the parameter. This was a quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among students at Mzuzu University in Malawi. The study recruited 98 participants, 50% male and 50% female. The age ranged from 17–45 years. The blink rate was measured manually by observing the number of blinks per minute. The average blink rate was 16.04 (SD = 6.417) blinks per minute. The Blink rate was not significantly correlated with age (P = 0.066) and sex (P = 0.8143). Our study confirms that blink rate varies according to geographical location as a factor of different weather conditions. Moreover, we found no age and sex-related differences in blink rate.