bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Exposure to polystyrene microplastic beads causes sex-specific toxic effects in the model insect Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: El Kholy Samar , Al Naggar Yahya 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThe toxicity of MPs on aquatic creatures has been extensively studied, but little attention was paid to terrestrial organisms. To fill this gab, we conducted a series of experiments using Drosophila as a model organism to understand whether exposure to different concentrations (0.005, 0.05, 0.5 µg/ml) of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) beads (2 µm in size) can impact flies feeding activity, digestion and excretion. The ability of flies to distinguish between normal and PS-MPs treated food media was tested first, and then we evaluated the effects of a 7-day short-term exposure to PS-MPs on food intake, mortality, starvation resistance, fecal pellet count, and the cellular structure of mid gut cells. The results revealed that flies can really differentiate and ignore MPs-treated food. We discovered sex-specific effects, with male flies being more sensitive to PS-MPs, with all males dying after 14 days when exposed to 0.5 µg/ml of PS-MPs, whereas female flies survived more. All male flies exposed to PS-MPs died after 24 h of starvation. Midgut cells showed concentration-dependent necrosis and apoptosis in response to PS-MPs. Our findings provide new insights into MPs toxicity on terrestrial organisms and giving a warning that management measures against MPs emission must be taken.
Time to diagnosis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in Austria and Germany
Authors: Hiebeler Miriam , Thiele Simone , Reilich Peter , Bernert Günther , Walter Maggie C. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractDuchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked genetic disorder manifesting in early childhood with progressive muscular weakness and atrophy, and resulting in early loss of ambulation. The collection and evaluation of epidemiological data for this disease is crucial for an early diagnosis and disease management. In Germany, data are collected via the TREAT-NMD DMD patient registry (www.dmd-register.de). In contrast, data collection in Austria has not yet been performed systematically. For collecting data from Austrian DMD patients, an online survey of the patient’s caregivers was conducted. Data of 57 patients were collected entailing initial symptoms, diagnosis and therapeutic measures. Comparable data has been collected for Germany via the TREAT-NMD DMD patient registry. 57 DMD patients aged 4–34 years completed the Austrian survey. On average, first symptoms of the disease appeared at the age of 3.1 years. As the most frequent first symptom, 46% of the patients described problems in climbing stairs. In 40% of the patients, DMD was diagnosed early due to an accidentally detected hyperCKemia in infancy or early childhood. Corticosteroids represented the main therapeutic option in our cohort. At the time of the survey, only 52% of the patients were treated with corticosteroids. Patients from Germany reported that first symptoms appeared at the age of 3.06 years. Diagnosis was established by genetic testing or muscle biopsy. 47% of the patients were treated with corticosteroids. Time between first symptoms and diagnosis was 7 months in Austria, and 4.7 months in Germany, respectively. Compared to earlier international studies, the Austrian data show encouraging results regarding earlier start of corticosteroid therapy in a larger percentage of patients. Austrian and German data show a trend towards an earlier diagnosis of DMD, while the age at symptom onset was similar to previous studies. The collection and evaluation of epidemiological data of DMD patients is important and will hopefully contribute to accelerate DMD diagnosis and treatment access for the patients.
School grades and educational attainments of adolescents and young adults born preterm
Authors: Alenius Suvi , Kajantie Eero , Sund Reijo , Nurhonen Markku , Haaramo Peija , Näsänen-Gilmore Pieta , Lemola Sakari , Räikkönen Katri , Schnitzlein Daniel D. , Wolke Dieter , Gissler Mika , Hovi Petteri 
Published: January 2023

AbstractAttendance in special education (SE) is more common among individuals born preterm than among those born at term. Less is known about school grades of those born preterm in mainstream education (ME), and how these grades predict later educational attainment. This population-based register-linkage study assessed (1) attendance in SE, and then focused on those in ME by assessing (2) school grades at 16 year, (3) completed educational level at 25 year, and (4) school grades as predictors for completed education by gestational age (GA) with full-term birth (39–41 completed weeks) as reference. The sample comprised 223,744 individuals (10,521 preterm, 4.7%) born in Finland (1/1987–9/1990). Of the sample, 4.9% attended SE. Those born preterm had up to 5.5-fold rates for SE. In ME, those born extremely preterm (EPT) had marginally lower mathematics grades compared with full-term counterparts, whilst those born late preterm or early term had slightly higher grades. Those born EPT or very preterm had lower physical education grades in ME. However, the minor differences in school grades according to GA appear not to translate into educational differences in young adulthood. The associations between school grades at 16 year and completed education at 25 year did not vary by GA.
Enhanced dissolution of arsenic in anaerobic soils upon organic amendment application: acid detergent-soluble organic matter as a potential indicator
Authors: Suda Aomi , Baba Koji , Sakurai Gen , Furuya Manami , Yamaguchi Noriko 
Published: January 2023

AbstractApplication of organic amendments (OAMs) often enhances arsenic (As) dissolution in paddy soils. Therefore, understanding the properties of OAMs that determine the extent of As dissolution is essential for appropriate soil management. Since As dissolution increases with decrease in soil redox potential caused by microbial respiration, the decomposability of OAMs might be a critical factor controlling As dissolution in amended soils. We hypothesized that contents of acid detergent-soluble organic matter (ADSOM, mainly composed of non-fiber organic matter and hemicellulose) in OAMs can help estimate the potential of OAMs in accelerating As dissolution in soils with added OAMs. Therefore, two contrasting soil types, Andosol and Fluvisol, were mixed with 24 different OAMs and subjected to anaerobic incubation for 14 weeks. Changes in soil Eh and dissolved As contents were monitored throughout the incubation period, and As species in solid phases and ferrous iron (Fe(II)) contents in soils were measured after 2 and 6 weeks of incubation. The higher the ADSOM content in soils with OAMs, the higher the dissolved As contents in soils and the lower the Eh values. Dissolved As also positively correlated with the proportion of As(III) in solid phases and Fe(II) content after 2 and 6 weeks of incubation, indicating that decomposition of ADSOM led to reducing soil conditions, thereby promoting the reduction of As(V) and As-bearing Fe oxides and subsequent As dissolution. The results were consistent between the two types of soils, despite dissolved As content in the Andosol being two orders lower than that in Fluvisol. This is the first study to demonstrate that ADSOM can be a prominent indicator of the potential of OAMs, for promoting As dissolution, when applied to paddy soils.
Automatic segmentation of trabecular and cortical compartments in HR-pQCT images using an embedding-predicting U-Net and morphological post-processing
Authors: Neeteson Nathan J. , Besler Bryce A. , Whittier Danielle E. , Boyd Steven K. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractHigh-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) is an emerging in vivo imaging modality for quantification of bone microarchitecture. However, extraction of quantitative microarchitectural parameters from HR-pQCT images requires an accurate segmentation of the image. The current standard protocol using semi-automated contouring for HR-pQCT image segmentation is laborious, introduces inter-operator biases into research data, and poses a barrier to streamlined clinical implementation. In this work, we propose and validate a fully automated algorithm for segmentation of HR-pQCT radius and tibia images. A multi-slice 2D U-Net produces initial segmentation predictions, which are post-processed via a sequence of traditional morphological image filters. The U-Net was trained on a large dataset containing 1822 images from 896 unique participants. Predicted segmentations were compared to reference segmentations on a disjoint dataset containing 386 images from 190 unique participants, and 156 pairs of repeated images were used to compare the precision of the novel and current protocols. The agreement of morphological parameters obtained using the predicted segmentation relative to the reference standard was excellent (R2between 0.938 and > 0.999). Precision was significantly improved for several outputs, most notably cortical porosity. This novel and robust algorithm for automated segmentation will increase the feasibility of using HR-pQCT in research and clinical settings.
A combined qualitative–quantitative fuzzy method for urban flood resilience assessment in Karaj City, Iran
Authors: Khatooni Kousha , Hooshyaripor Farhad , MalekMohammadi Bahram , Noori Roohollah 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThis study aims to analyze flood resilience (FR) in Karaj City, Iran, using a new fuzzy method which combines several qualitative and quantitative indices. The qualitative part was estimated by a questionnaire consisting of 42 questions distributed into five indices (social-cultural, economic, infrastructural-physical, organizational-institutional, and hydraulic). A fuzzy method was used for analyzing the results. To quantify the hydraulic index, a 25-year flood was simulated in the Storm Water Management Model and the flooding volume at every grid was estimated. The idea was that the flooding amount could be representative of structural FR of drainage network that cannot be evaluated through a questionnaire well. To calculate the FR of different districts, the obtained FR indices were fuzzified then aggregated. Considering that clustering can assist managers and decision makers for more effective flood risk management, a fuzzy equivalence matrix concept was used for clustering FR in the city. Friedman test showed the significance of differences between FR of every two districts. Based on the results, northwestern and southeastern districts had the highest and the lowest resilience, respectively. Although the impact of infrastructure-physical index on the FR was similar in most of the districts, the contribution of social-cultural, organizational-institutional, and hydraulic indices was significantly different. Also, districts with low scores in the infrastructure-physical, organizational-institutional, and hydraulic indices need more attention for flood risk management.
Motion control and positioning system of multi-sensor tunnel defect inspection robot: from methodology to application
Authors: Liu Ke-Qiang , Zhong Shi-Sheng , Zhao Kun , Song Yang 
Published: January 2023

AbstractAs the mileage of subway is increasing rapidly, there is an urgent need for automatic subway tunnel inspection equipment to ensure the efficiency and frequency of daily tunnel inspection. The subway tunnel environment is complex, it cannot receive GPS and other satellite signals, a variety of positioning sensors cannot be used. Besides, there are random interference, wheel and rail idling and creep. All the above results in poor performance of conventional speed tracking and positioning methods. In this paper, a multi-sensor motion control system is proposed for the subway tunnel inspection robot. At the same time, a trapezoidal speed planning and a speed tracking algorithm based on MPC (Model Predictive Control) are proposed, which simplify longitudinal dynamics model to overcome the complex and variable nonlinear problems in the operation of the maintenance robot. The optimal function of speed, acceleration and jerk constraint is designed to make the tunnel inspection robot achieve efficient and stable speed control in the subway tunnel environment. In this paper, the "INS (inertial navigation system) + Odometer" positioning method is proposed. The difference between the displacement measured by the inertial navigation system and the displacement calculated by the odometer is taken as the measurement value, which reduces the dimension of the conventional algorithm. The closed-loop Kalman filter is used to establish the combined positioning model, and the system error can be corrected in real time with higher accuracy. The algorithms were verified on the test line. The displacement target was set to be 1 km and the limit speed was 60 km/h. The overshooting error of the speed tracking algorithm based on trapezoidal velocity planning and MPC was 0.89%, and the stability error was 0.32%. It improved the accuracy and stability of the speed following, and was much better than the PID speed tracking algorithm. At the speed of 40 km/h, the maximum positioning error of the robot within 2 km is 0.15%, and the average error is 0.08%. It is verified that the multi-sensor fusion positioning algorithm has significantly improved the accuracy compared with the single-odometer positioning algorithm, and can effectively make up for the position error caused by wheel-rail creep and sensor error.
Single-cell-led drug repurposing for Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Parolo Silvia , Mariotti Federica , Bora Pranami , Carboni Lucia , Domenici Enrico 
Published: January 2023

AbstractAlzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. Notwithstanding the huge investments in drug development, only one disease-modifying treatment has been recently approved. Here we present a single-cell-led systems biology pipeline for the identification of drug repurposing candidates. Using single-cell RNA sequencing data of brain tissues from patients with Alzheimer’s disease, genome-wide association study results, and multiple gene annotation resources, we built a multi-cellular Alzheimer’s disease molecular network that we leveraged for gaining cell-specific insights into Alzheimer’s disease pathophysiology and for the identification of drug repurposing candidates. Our computational approach pointed out 54 candidate drugs, mainly targeting MAPK and IGF1R signaling pathways, which could be further evaluated for their potential as Alzheimer’s disease therapy.
Using improved CRITIC method to evaluate thermal coal suppliers
Authors: Zhong Shuheng , Chen Yiyu , Miao Yinjun 
Published: January 2023

AbstractNowadays the complex international political situation has caused the shortage of coal supply in the European region. Scholars have done a lot of research on supplier evaluation. However, these studies don’t reflect the variability of the indicators, such as interruption caused by recent war. Coal-electricity-integrated companies have a large demand for thermal coal and high requirements for stable supply, so they need to conduct timely and effective short-term evaluation of suppliers. This paper improves the CRITIC method and uses short-term transaction data for a coal-electricity-integrated firm to evaluate its coal suppliers. The results show that the improved CRITIC method effectively avoids the problem of weight changes caused by conflicting value ranges of indicators, and its evaluation results are more consistent with the actual situation, which can meet the requirements of large coal enterprises for evaluating suppliers.
The association between early onset of alcohol, smokeless tobacco and marijuana use with adult binge drinking in United States
Authors: Dai Zheng , Wang Kesheng 
Published: January 2023

AbstractBinge drinking is a deadly pattern of excessive alcohol use that is associated with multiple diseases in the United States. To date, little is known about the associations between the early onset of substance use and other factors with the severity of adult binge drinking. The 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data was used to identify binge drinking (binary and in number of days in the past month). Age at onset was categorized into four groups as 1–12, 13–14, 15–17, or beyond 18. Weighted multivariate logistic regression and Poisson regression analyses were performed to examine the associations between early onset of alcohol, smokeless tobacco, and marijuana use with binge drinking. The severity of binge drinking was statistically significantly associated with substance use (4.15 days in a month), early onset of alcohol, smokeless tobacco, and marijuana use (2.15–4.93 days, all p-values < 0.0001), after accounting for the covariates. Past year substance use disorder is strongly associated with binge drinking. The severity of adult binge drinking is significantly associated with early onset of substance use including alcohol, smokeless tobacco, and marijuana. Continued efforts are warranted to improve substance use prevention and treatment tailored for adolescents and youths to prevent development of adult binge drinking.
Magnetic sustentation as an adsorption characterization technique for paramagnetic metal-organic frameworks
Authors: Barroso Nagore , Andreo Jacopo , Beobide Garikoitz , Castillo Oscar , Luque Antonio , Pérez-Yáñez Sonia , Wuttke Stefan 
Published: January 2023

AbstractNowadays, there are many reliable characterization techniques for the study of adsorption properties in gas phase. However, the techniques available for the study of adsorption processes in solution, rely on indirect characterization techniques that measure the adsorbate concentration remaining in solution. In this work, we present a sensing method based on the magnetic properties of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) containing paramagnetic metal centres, which stands out for the rapidity, low cost and in situ direct measurement of the incorporated adsorbate within the porous material. To illustrate this sensing technique, the adsorption in solution of four MOFs have been characterized: MIL-88A(Fe), MOF-74(Cu, Co) and ZIF-67(Co). Our simple and efficient method allows the direct determination of the adsorbed mass, as well as the measurement of adsorption isotherm curves, which we hope will greatly advance the study of adsorption processes in solution, since this method is independent of the chemical nature of the adsorbate that often makes its quantification difficult.
Assessment and scenario hypothesis of food waste in China based on material flow analysis
Authors: Jiang Shiyan , Chen Hong , Yang Shuhan , Wang Yujie , Xu Ming 
Published: January 2023

AbstractField research limits the possibility of clarifying the current food waste situation in China. Material flow analysis was used to assess the magnitude and characteristics of waste in five stages from 2010–2019 by seven selected types. Wheat was wasted the most at 38%, while milk was wasted the least at 4%. During post-harvest handling and storage, processing and packaging, and consumption, wheat was wasted the most (56%, 36%, and 48%), while during production and marketing, tomatoes were wasted the most (28% and 25%). Wheat, apples, tomatoes, pork, and milk were wasted the most in consumption, while soybeans were wasted the most in processing and packaging, and freshwater fish were wasted the most in production. A scenarios hypothesis proved that a 5% reduction in each stage would reduce import demand for soybeans by 7%. This study provides a data reference and theoretical basis for food waste intervention and food security strategies.
Divalent metal cofactors differentially modulate RadA-mediated strand invasion and exchange inSaccharolobus solfataricus
Authors: Knadler Corey J. , Graham V William J. , Rolfsmeier Michael L. , Haseltine Cynthia A. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractCentral to the universal process of recombination, RecA family proteins form nucleoprotein filaments to catalyze production of heteroduplex DNA between substrate ssDNAs and template dsDNAs. ATP binding assists the filament in assuming the necessary conformation for forming heteroduplex DNA, but hydrolysis is not required. ATP hydrolysis has two identified roles which are not universally conserved: promotion of filament dissociation and enhancing flexibility of the filament. In this work, we examine ATP utilization of the RecA family recombinase SsoRadA from Saccharolobus solfataricus to determine its function in recombinase-mediated heteroduplex DNA formation. Wild-type SsoRadA protein and two ATPase mutant proteins were evaluated for the effects of three divalent metal cofactors. We found that unlike other archaeal RadA proteins, SsoRadA-mediated strand exchange is not enhanced by Ca2+. Instead, the S. solfataricus recombinase can utilize Mn2+ to stimulate strand invasion and reduce ADP-binding stability. Additionally, reduction of SsoRadA ATPase activity by Walker Box mutation or cofactor alteration resulted in a loss of large, complete strand exchange products. Depletion of ADP was found to improve initial strand invasion but also led to a similar loss of large strand exchange events. Our results indicate that overall, SsoRadA is distinct in its use of divalent cofactors but its activity with Mn2+ shows similarity to human RAD51 protein with Ca2+.
Cigarette smoke induces mitochondrial DNA damage and activates cGAS-STING pathway: application to a biomarker for atherosclerosis
Authors: Ueda Keitaro , Sakai Chiemi , Ishida Takafumi , Morita Kosuke , Kobayashi Yusuke , Horikoshi Yasunori , Baba Akiko , Okazaki Yuma , Yoshizumi Masao , Tashiro Satoshi , Ishida Mari 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis. We previously reported that DNA damage was accumulated in atherosclerotic plaque, and was increased in human mononuclear cells by smoking. As vascular endothelial cells are known to modulate inflammation, we investigated the mechanism by which smoking activates innate immunity in endothelial cells focusing on DNA damage. Furthermore, we sought to characterize the plasma level of cell-free DNA (cfDNA), a result of mitochondrial and/or genomic DNA damage, as a biomarker for atherosclerosis. Cigarette smoke extract (CSE) increased DNA damage in the nucleus and mitochondria in human endothelial cells. Mitochondrial damage induced minority mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization, which was insufficient for cell death but instead led to nuclear DNA damage. DNA fragments, derived from the nucleus and mitochondria, were accumulated in the cytosol, and caused a persistent increase in IL-6 mRNA expression via the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway. cfDNA, quantified with quantitative PCR in culture medium was increased by CSE. Consistent with in vitro results, plasma mitochondrial cfDNA (mt-cfDNA) and nuclear cfDNA (n-cfDNA) were increased in young healthy smokers compared with age-matched nonsmokers. Additionally, both mt-cfDNA and n-cfDNA were significantly increased in patients with atherosclerosis compared with the normal controls. Our multivariate analysis revealed that only mt-cfDNA predicted the risk of atherosclerosis. In conclusion, accumulated cytosolic DNA caused by cigarette smoke and the resultant activation of the cGAS-STING pathway may be a mechanism of atherosclerosis development. The plasma level of mt-cfDNA, possibly as a result of DNA damage, may be a useful biomarker for atherosclerosis.