bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the efficacy of creatine chemical exchange saturation transfer imaging in assessing testicular maturity
Authors: Kuribayashi Sohei , Fukuhara Shinichiro , Tsujimura Go , Imanaka Takahiro , Okada Koichi , Ueda Norichika , Takezawa Kentaro , Kiuchi Hiroshi , Saito Shigeyoshi , Takahashi Yusuke , Kioka Hidetaka , Oura Seiya , Shimada Keisuke , Ikawa Masahito , Nonomura Norio 
Published: February 2023

AbstractPurposeMicroscopic testicular sperm extraction is the most effective treatment for NOA, but the sperm retrieval rate is low and depends on testicular maturity. However, there are limited useful tests to assess testicular maturity. Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging is a new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that can image the distribution of trace substances in vivo. We focused on the potential role of creatine (Cr) in testes and hypothesized that Cr‐CEST could indicate intratesticular spermatogenesis.MethodsWe performed Cr‐CEST by using 7T MRI on wild‐type C57B6/J mice and several types of male infertility models such as Sertoli‐cell only (SCO) (Kitw/Kitwv), maturation arrest (MA) (Zfp541 knockout mouse and Kctd19 knockout mouse), and teratozoospermia (Tbc1d21 knockout mouse). After performing Cr‐CEST, histological analysis was performed.ResultsThe SCO and MA models showed decreased CEST signal intensity (p < 0.05), while no reduction was observed in the teratozoospermia model (p = 1.0). CEST signal intensity increased as the spermatogenesis stage progressed from the SCO model to the MA and teratozoospermia models. Furthermore, CEST signal intensity was reduced in 4‐week‐old wild‐type mice with immature testes (p < 0.05).ConclusionsThis study suggests that Cr‐CEST evaluates intratesticular spermatogenesis noninvasively and provides a new therapeutic strategy for treating male infertility.
Improvement of oocyte quality through the SIRT signaling pathway
Authors: Vo Kim Cat Tuyen , Sato Yorino , Kawamura Kazuhiro 
Published: February 2023

AbstractBackgroundOocyte quality is one of the major deciding factors in female fertility competence.MethodsPubMed database was searched for reviews by using the following keyword “oocyte quality” AND “Sirtuins”. The methodological quality of each literature review was assessed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 statement.Main FindingsOxidative stress has been recognized as the mechanism attenuating oocyte quality. Increasing evidence from animal experiments and clinical studies has confirmed the protective roles of the sirtuin family in improving oocyte quality via an antioxidant effect.ConclusionThe protective roles in the oocyte quality of the sirtuin family have been increasingly recognized.
Ranking of average treatment effects with generalized random forests for time‐to‐event outcomes
Authors: Rytgaard Helene C. W. , Ekstrøm Claus T. , Kessing Lars V. , Gerds Thomas A. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractLinkage between drug claims data and clinical outcome allows a data‐driven experimental approach to drug repurposing. We develop an estimation procedure based on generalized random forests for estimation of time‐point specific average treatment effects in a time‐to‐event setting with competing risks. To handle right‐censoring, we propose a two‐step procedure for estimation, applying inverse probability weighting to construct time‐point specific weighted outcomes as input for the generalized random forest. The generalized random forests adaptively handle covariate effects on the treatment assignment by applying a splitting rule that targets a causal parameter. Using simulated data we demonstrate that the method is effective for a causal search through a list of treatments to be ranked according to the magnitude of their effect on clinical outcome. We illustrate the method using the Danish national health registries where it is of interest to discover drugs with an unexpected protective effect against relapse of severe depression.
The Komagatella phaffii ACG1 gene, encoding β‐1,6‐N‐acetylglucosaminyltransferase, is involved in the autophagy of cytosolic and peroxisomal proteins
Authors: Zazulya Anastasiya Z. , Semkiv Marta V. , Stec Maxim , Cyske Zuzanna , Gaffke Lidia , Pierzynowska Karolina , Węgrzyn Grzegorz , Sibirny Andriy A. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe methylotrophic yeast Komagataella phaffii is considered one of the most effective producers of recombinant proteins of industrial importance. Effective producers should be characterized by the maximal reduction of degradation of the cytosolic recombinant proteins. The mechanisms of degradation of cytosolic proteins in K. phaffii have not been elucidated; however, data suggest that they are partially degraded in the autophagic pathway. To identify factors that influence this process, a developed system for the selection of recombinant strains of K. phaffii with impaired autophagic degradation of the heterologous model cytosolic protein (yeast β‐galactosidase) was used for insertional tagging of the genes involved in cytosolic proteins degradation. In one of the obtained strains, the insertion cassette disrupted the open reading frame of the gene encoding β‐1,6‐N‐acetylglucosaminyltransferase. A recombinant strain with deletion of this gene was also obtained. The rate of degradation of the β‐galactosidase enzyme was two times slower in the insertion mutant and 1.5 times slower in the deletion strain as compared to the parental strain with native β‐1,6‐N‐acetylglucosaminyltransferase. The rate of degradation of native K. phaffii cytosolic and peroxisomal enzymes, formaldehyde dehydrogenase, formate dehydrogenase, and alcohol oxidase, respectively, showed similar trends to that of β‐galactosidase—slower degradation in the deletion and insertional mutants as compared to the wild‐type strain, but faster protein degradation relative to the strain completely defective in autophagy. We conclude that K. phaffii gene designated ACG1, encoding β‐1,6‐N‐acetylglucosaminyltransferase, is involved in autophagy of the cytosolic and peroxisomal proteins.
$$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 4 SYM, (super)-polynomial rings and emergent quantum mechanical symmetries
Authors: de Mello Koch Robert , Ramgoolam Sanjaye 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
The structure of half-BPS representations of psu(2, 2|4) leads to the definition of a super-polynomial ring $$ \mathcal{R} $$
R
(8|8) which admits a realisation of psu(2, 2|4) in terms of differential operators on the super-ring. The character of the half-BPS fundamental field representation encodes the resolution of the representation in terms of an exact sequence of modules of $$ \mathcal{R} $$
R
(8|8). The half-BPS representation is realized by quotienting the super-ring by a quadratic ideal, equivalently by setting to zero certain quadratic polynomials in the generators of the super-ring. This description of the half-BPS fundamental field irreducible representation of psu(2, 2|4) in terms of a super-polynomial ring is an example of a more general construction of lowest-weight representations of Lie (super-) algebras using polynomial rings generated by a commuting subspace of the standard raising operators, corresponding to positive roots of the Lie (super-) algebra. We illustrate the construction using simple examples of representations of su(3) and su(4). These results lead to the definition of a notion of quantum mechanical emergence for oscillator realisations of symmetries, which is based on ideals in the ring of polynomials in the creation operators.
Ergebnisse eines monozentrischen Gefäßscreeningprogramms in Deutschland
Authors: Passek K. , Ronellenfitsch U. , Meisenbacher K. , Peters A. , Böckler D. 
Published: February 2023

ZusammenfassungHintergrundKardiovaskuläre Erkrankungen sind die häufigste Todesursache in Europa mit relevanter sozioökonomischer Belastung. Ein Screeningprogramm für Gefäßerkrankungen bei asymptomatischen Personen mit definierter Risikokonstellation kann zu einer frühen Diagnose führen.Ziel der ArbeitDie Studie untersucht ein Screeningprogramm auf Karotisstenosen, periphere arterielle Verschlusskrankheit (pAVK) und abdominelle Aortenaneurysmen (AAA) bei Menschen ohne anamnestisch bekannte arterielle Gefäßerkrankungen hinsichtlich demografischer Daten, Risikofaktoren, Vorerkrankungen, Medikamenteneinnahme sowie Detektion und Therapie pathologischer Befunde.Material und MethodenProbanden wurden durch verschiedene Informationsmaterialien eingeladen, ein Fragebogen erfasste kardiovaskuläre Risikofaktoren. Das Screening erfolgte mit ABI-Messung und Duplexsonographie als monozentrische, prospektive, einarmige Studie innerhalb eines Jahres. Endpunkte waren die Prävalenz von Risikofaktoren, pathologische und/oder behandlungsbedürftige Befunde.ErgebnisseEs nahmen 391 Personen teil, bei 36,0 % bestand mindestens ein kardiovaskulärer Risikofaktor, 35,5 % wiesen zwei und 14,4 % drei oder mehr auf. Aus der Sonographie der Karotiden resultierte bei 9 % ein kontrollbedürftiger Befund mit einer < 50%igen bis > 75%igen Stenose oder eines Verschlusses. Ein AAA mit einem Durchmesser von 3,0–4,5 cm wurde bei 0,9 % nachgewiesen, ein pathologischer ABI < 0,9 oder > 1,3 bei 12,3 %. Bei 17,0 % bestand befundbasiert die Indikation einer Pharmakotherapie, bei keinem die einer Operation.DiskussionEs zeigte sich die Durchführbarkeit eines Screeningprogramms auf das Vorliegen einer Karotisstenose, einer pAVK und eines AAA bei definierten Risikopersonen. Es wurden kaum behandlungsbedürftige Gefäßpathologien im Einzugsgebiet der Klinik nachgewiesen, sodass ein Einsatz des Programms in Deutschland in dieser Form derzeit auf Basis der Daten nicht empfohlen werden kann.
Neonatale Herpesinfektion mit akutem Leberversagen
Authors: Tavakolipoor Pulad , Kleiner Svea , Sasse Michael 
Published: February 2023

ZusammenfassungWeltweit beträgt die Inzidenz neonataler Herpes-simplex-Virus(HSV)-Infektionen 10/100.000 Lebendgeburten. Schwere Infektionen bei Neonaten treten in erster Linie bei einer mütterlichen Primärinfektion während der Schwangerschaft auf. In der Literatur wird eine Mortalität unbehandelter disseminierter neonataler HSV-Infektionen bis zu 85 % beschrieben. Die frühe differenzialdiagnostische Einbeziehung einer HSV-Infektion beim kranken Neugeborenen und bei neonatalem Leberversagen sowie der niederschwellige Beginn einer hochdosierten Aciclovirtherapie sind von essenzieller Bedeutung. Dieser Fallbericht beschreibt einen Patienten mit einer schweren disseminierten HSV-Infektion und primärer Leberbeteiligung, der in unserem Zentrum behandelt wurde und ohne Lebertransplantation überlebt hat.
Cancellous compression bone grafting using headless screw as a strut in scaphoid nonunion by a single volar approach
Authors: Bhat Anil K. , Shetty Sourab , Acharya Ashwath M. 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Purpose
An array of fixation and grafting techniques for scaphoid nonunion have been described over time, achieving varied results pertaining to union and scaphoid alignment. The aim of this study was to check for union rates and correction of scaphoid parameters achieved by our technique of using screw as a strut and cancellous compression grafting harvested from the distal radius by a single volar approach.

Methods
Retrospective analysis of all patients operated by the said technique was done from 2013 to 2019. Thirty-eight patients including 36 males and two females in the age range of 20–56 years were analyzed. Union rates, change in scaphoid alignment parameters and graft site characteristics were documented.

Results
Of the patients analyzed, 5/38 were nonunions of proximal pole, 19/38 of waist and 14/38 were of distal pole which included nonunions of cystic type or with humpback deformity. Patients were followed up for an average of 22.2 months and union was achieved in all cases with a mean period of 15.7 ± 3.7 weeks. There was significant improvement in the scaphoid alignment postoperatively. One case of implant migration and one case of scaphoid nonunion advanced collapse were noted. The mean duration of donor site healing was noted to be 16.9 ± 2.5 weeks except two outliers which took longer time. There were no cases of donor site fracture or other complications.

Conclusion
Union rates, correction of scaphoid parameters and minimal complications justifies this technique as a novel one in the management of scaphoid nonunion at all levels, with minimal donor site morbidity and attained by the single volar approach.
Opinions, training and requirements regarding ICT of educators in Florence and Granada for students with functional diversity
Authors: Gallardo-Montes Carmen del Pilar , Caurcel Cara María Jesús , Rodríguez Fuentes Antonio , Capperucci Davide 
Published: February 2023

AbstractInformation and communication technology (ICT) is a means of learning for people with functional diversity (FD), in the context of both formal and non-formal education. These digital options favor their inclusion, participation and motivation, so having competent professionals in the field of educational technology is crucial for the full development of this population. Within this framework, the opinion, training and requirements regarding ICT of 809 educators in Florence (Italy) and Granada (Spain) were analyzed, following a quantitative study, with a non-experimental, descriptive, cross-sectional and comparative design. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation and mode) and frequencies were used. After checking the normality of the data (Kolmogórov–Smirnov test), inferential analyses were performed, applying Student's t- test and one-factor ANOVA, calculating the effect size (Cohen’s d and eta squared). Statistically significant differences were found according to city of origin, gender, and years of experience with students with FD. The results point to the need for different educators to have sufficient technological training, as despite being aware of the functionalities of ICT and having a favorable opinion of them, resources and knowledge about their use fall short of what is desirable.
Hygieia model: development of a three-dimensional model for the standardized analysis of infection control protocols
Authors: Sakschewski Thomas , Winkelmann Claudia 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Aim
Until now, there have been no standardized guidelines for the content of infection control protocols. The aim of this research project is therefore to develop a standardized model for the evaluation and analysis of three dimensions: setting, protection targets, and precautions.

Subject and methods
Events are part of social life and, as such, have a direct or indirect impact on the physical, mental, and social health of all involved groups (employees, artists, subcontractors, visitors, etc.). Valid infection control protocols for events must reduce the risk of infection in general, not only in a pandemic. A range of handouts and recommendations are available, mostly focusing on the visitors.
For the present study, a total of 46 infection control protocols for events, hosted in the period between 2020 and 2021 in Germany, were analyzed from June to December 2021. The infection control protocols provide what was needed to realize events.

Results
For the first time, a standardized model, called the Hygieia model, is presented for the evaluation and analysis of three dimensions: setting, protection targets of the involved groups, and precautions. Taking all three dimensions into account enables the assessment of existing pandemic safety protocols as well as the development of valid protocols in terms of effectiveness and efficiency.

Conclusion
The Hygieia model can be used for risk assessment of events from conferences to concerts, especially for infection prevention under pandemic conditions.
The ‘lawnification’ of Australia’s eastern grassy woodlands: the past, current and likely future spread of an invasive perennial grass, Bothriochloa pertusa
Authors: Lebbink Gabrielle , Fensham Rod 
Published: February 2023

AbstractMany of today’s damaging invasive plants were intentionally introduced for pasture development and amenity. By examining the introduction history and consequent spread of these species, we can identify factors associated with their successful establishment and dominance. Using collated presence/absence and cover data, alongside a review of the literature and discussions with land managers, we present a comprehensive analysis of the introduction history and spread of the environmental and agricultural grassy weed, Bothriochloa pertusa (L.) A.Camus (Indian couch) throughout Queensland, Australia. Using this data, we also perform habitat suitability models to predict its potential distribution and local-scale cover across Queensland in relation to key environmental variables. We found that B. pertusa was introduced on multiple occasions and across a large area of Queensland, despite re-occurring doubts and poor evidence for its benefit to livestock production. Livestock grazing, associated disturbances (i.e. land clearing, soil erosion) and climatic extremes were commonly associated with its spread throughout the landscape. In 2020 the main area of B. pertusa invasion as indicated by occurrence records spanned 28,537,600 ha. Results from the habitat suitability models suggest the occurrence and local-scale cover of B. pertusa is largely determined by climate variables and the foliage projective cover of trees. Based on these results B. pertusa still has considerable capacity to spread and increase in dominance across many areas of Queensland, particularly further west and south of its current range. The introduction and spread history of B. pertusa suggests propagule pressure, traits, climate, land management and cultural perceptions are all key factors implicated in the spread of B. pertusa. Where B. pertusa has become dominant there has been a major shift in lifeform from native perennial tussock species to a grazing tolerant stoloniferous species. To slow this process of ‘lawnification’ we recommend more conservative grazing strategies and strategically selected protected areas to maintain cover of grazing sensitive native tussock grass species.
The Treatise on Waters by Cornaro (1560) and a quantitative assessment of the historical sea surges “Acqua Alta” in Venice
Authors: Camuffo Dario 
Published: February 2023

AbstractIn the sixteenth century, Cornaro wrote a Treatise on Waters with personal observations and conclusions regarding the Lagoon of Venice, e.g., the sea level rise over the centuries, the difference between normal tides for astronomical forces and storm surges driven by meteorological factors, and water exchanges between the Lagoon and the Sea. He witnessed the continuous rise of the sea level since the Middle Ages and listed some public works made to adapt to this challenge, i.e., raising city paving and floors, and rebuilding bridges that had become too low. Cornaro dealt with the mark left by the algae on walls that was kept as an official (zero) reference of sea level. Using this key to measure flooding depths, and knowing the relationship between the algae front and mean sea level, a revision of the historical floods (from 1240 to 1867) is made to assess precise depths. During the deepest floods, it was possible to reach San Marco square by gondola and float on the square. The draught of past gondola types has been another key to interpret flood depths. From 1200 to 1500, the most extreme flooding depths were higher than that of 1966, i.e., the highest in the instrumental record since 1871; from 1500 to 1799, they have been quite homogeneous, close to the value observed in 1966; in the nineteenth century, they returned to be higher than that in 1966. Over eight centuries, the deepest historical floods exceeded 7 times by 40 cm the 1966 extreme depth. The city should be prepared to face this risk.
Breaking the climate spiral of silence: lessons from a COP26 climate conversations campaign
Authors: Ettinger Joshua , McGivern Alexis , Spiegel Marcus P. , King Brittany , Shawoo Zoha , Chapin Arielle , Finnegan William 
Published: February 2023

AbstractConversations about climate change are crucially important for mobilizing climate action, as well as for processing emotions and finding meaning in times of crisis. However, limited guidance exists on how to successfully facilitate these discussions, especially among individuals with a wide range of beliefs, knowledge levels, and opinions about climate change. Here, we describe the Talk Climate Change project — an Oxford University student-led climate conversation campaign associated with the 2021 United Nations COP26 meeting. Over 1000 individuals across 40 countries held climate-related discussions. They then described their discussions in submissions to an interactive conversation map (www.talkclimatechange.org), along with messages to COP26. We reflect on the campaign’s outcomes and offer advice on overcoming barriers to effective climate dialogue; how to handle emotional responses; and other considerations for catalyzing meaningful and productive climate discussions. We call for a stronger focus on training conversational skills, providing context-specific discussion resources, and empowering diverse people to have conversations about climate change among their families, friends, coworkers, and communities.
Android decompiler performance on benign and malicious apps: an empirical study
Authors: Kargén Ulf , Mauthe Noah , Shahmehri Nahid 
Published: February 2023

AbstractDecompilers are indispensable tools in Android malware analysis and app security auditing. Numerous academic works also employ an Android decompiler as the first step in a program analysis pipeline. In such settings, decompilation is frequently regarded as a “solved” problem, in that it is simply expected that source code can be accurately recovered from an app. On the other hand, it is known that, e.g, obfuscation can negatively impact a decompiler’s effectiveness. Therefore, in order to better understand potential failure modes of, e.g., automated analysis pipelines involving decompilation, it is important to characterize the performance of decompilers on both benign and malicious apps. To this end, we have performed what is, to the best of our knowledge, the first large-scale study of Android decompilation failure rates, using three sets of apps; namely, 3,018 open-source apps, 13,601 apps crawled from Google Play, and an existing collection of 24,553 malware samples. In addition to the state-of-the-art Dalvik bytecode decompiler Jadx, we also studied the performance of three popular Java decompilers. Furthermore, this paper also presents the findings from a follow-up study on 54,945 malware apps, where we additionally performed an analysis of the reasons for decompilation failures. Our study revealed that decompilers generally have very low failure rates, and that few failures on benign apps appear to be related to obfuscation. On malware, however, obfuscation appears to be a more prominent cause of failures, although the vast majority of malicious apps could still be fully decompiled by an ensemble of decompilers.