bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sex differences in automatic emotion regulation in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Key Alexandra P. , Jones Dorita , Corbett Blythe A. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractAutism may be underdiagnosed in females because their social difficulties are often less noticeable. This study explored sex differences in automatic facial emotion processing in 45 adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (22 female, 23 male), age 10–16 years, performing active target detection task and Go/NoGo tasks where faces with positive and negative emotional expressions served as irrelevant distractors. The combined sample demonstrated more accurate performance on the target detection (response initiation) than the Go/NoGo task (response inhibition), replicating findings previously reported in typical participants. Females exhibited greater difficulty than males with response initiation in the target detection task, especially in the context of angry faces, while males found withholding a response in the Go/NoGo block with happy faces more challenging. Electrophysiological data revealed no sex differences or emotion discrimination effects during the early perceptual processing of faces indexed by the occipitotemporal N170. Autistic males demonstrated increased frontal N2 and parietal P3 amplitudes compared to females, suggesting greater neural resource allocation to automatic emotion regulation processes. The associations between standardized behavioral measures (autism severity, theory of mind skills) and brain responses also varied by sex: more adaptive social functioning was related to the speed of perceptual processing (N170 latency) in females and the extent of deliberate attention allocation (P3 amplitudes) in males. Together, these findings suggest that males and females with autism may rely on different strategies for social functioning and highlight the importance of considering sex differences in autism.Lay SummaryFemales with autism may exhibit less noticeable social difficulties than males. This study demonstrates that autistic females are more successful than males at inhibiting behavioral responses in emotional contexts, while males are more likely to initiate a response. At the neural level, social functioning in females is related to the speed of automatic perceptual processing of facial cues, and in males, to the extent of active attention allocation to the stimuli. These findings highlight the importance of considering sex differences in autism diagnosis and treatment selection.
Validierung eines Polyurethan‐basierten Aerogels im Realbetrieb
Authors: Stelzmann Mario , Kirschke Marcus , Fricke Marc , Tietze Matthias , Kahnt Alexander 
Published: February 2022

AbstractMit steigenden Anforderungen an die Energieeffizienz von Gebäuden werden immer leistungsfähigere Dämmstoffe entwickelt. Die Technologie der Aerogele erreicht dabei besonders niedrige Wärmeleitfähigkeiten aufgrund ihrer Porengrößen im Nanometerbereich. Während sich Aerogele prinzipiell aus verschiedenen Ausgangsstoffen herstellen lassen, wird in diesem Artikel das Verhalten eines Aerogels auf Basis von Polyurethan unter realen Bedingungen untersucht. Der Einbau des Aerogels erfolgte in einem Wandelement, in der Dachterrasse und in Fensteranschlüssen eines Gebäudes. Auf Basis von Messdaten eines einjährigen Monitorings wurden die verschiedenen Anwendungen in hygrothermischen Simulationsmodellen validiert.
Toward better assessments of developmental toxicity using stem cell‐based in vitro embryogenesis models
Authors: Marikawa Yusuke 
Published: February 2022

AbstractIn the past few decades, pluripotent stem cells have been explored as nonanimal alternatives to assess the developmental toxicity of chemicals. To date, numerous versions of stem cell‐based assays have been reported that are allegedly effective. Nonetheless, none of the assays has become the gold standard in developmental toxicity assessment. Why? This article discusses several issues in the hope of facilitating the refinement of stem cell assays and their acceptance as the cornerstone in predictive developmental toxicology. Each stem cell assay is built on a limited representation of embryogenesis, so that multiple assays are needed to detect the diverse effects of various chemicals. To validate and compare the strengths and weaknesses of individual assays, standardized lists of reference chemicals should be established. Reference lists should consist of exposures defined by toxicokinetic data, namely maternal plasma concentrations that cause embryonic death or malformations, and also by the effects on the molecular machineries that control embryogenesis. Although not entirely replacing human or animal tests, carefully selected stem cell assays should serve as practical and ethical alternatives to proactively identify chemical exposures that disturb embryogenesis. To achieve this goal, unprecedented levels of coordination and conviction are required among research and regulatory communities.
What is the evidence on the impact of Pupil Premium funding on school intakes and attainment by age 16 in England?
Authors: Gorard Stephen 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe use of targeted additional funding for school‐age education, intended to improve student attainment, is a widespread phenomenon internationally. It is slightly rarer that the funding is used to improve attainment specifically for the most disadvantaged students – often via trying to attract teachers to poorer areas, or encouraging families to send their children to school. It is even rarer that funding is used to try and reduce the attainment gap between economically disadvantaged students and their peers, and almost unheard for the funding to be intended to change the nature of school intakes by making disadvantaged students more attractive to schools. These last two were the objectives set for Pupil Premium funding to schools in England. The funding started in 2011, for all state‐funded schools at the same time, so there is no easy counterfactual to help assess how effective it has been. The funding is a considerable investment every year and it is therefore important to know whether it works as intended. This paper presents a time series analysis of all students at secondary school in England from 2006, well before the funding started, until 2019, the most recent year for which there are attainment figures. It overcomes concerns that the official attainment gap between students labelled disadvantaged and the rest is sensitive to demographic, economic, legal and other concurrent policy changes. It does this by looking at a stable group of long‐term disadvantaged students. It is argued that this group would have attracted Pupil Premium funding if it had existed in any year and under any economic conditions. After 2010, these long‐term disadvantaged pupils became substantially less clustered in specific schools in their first year and throughout their remaining school life. This improvement cannot be explained by economic or other factors used in this paper, and so it looks as though the Pupil Premium has been effective here. The picture for the attainment gap at age 16 is more mixed. It is partly confused by changes in the grading of assessments in 2014 and again from 2016. The reasons why the improvements are less clear than at primary school are discussed, and they involve the nature of evidence available to secondary schools to help them improve the attainment of their most disadvantaged students.
A comparison of continuous, dense, and lean schedules of noncontingent access to matched competing stimuli to reduce stereotypy
Authors: Llinas Mary , Wilder David A. , Walz Ryan 
Published: February 2022

AbstractNoncontingent or response‐independent access to matched, competing stimuli has been shown to be effective to decrease automatically maintained challenging behavior. Despite research on its effectiveness, various schedules of noncontingent access to matched competing stimuli have not been directly compared. The purpose of the current study was to compare the effectiveness of and preference for continuous, dense (fixed‐time 30 s), and lean (fixed‐time 60 s) schedules of noncontingent access to matched competing stimuli to decrease automatically maintained stereotypy exhibited by two children with autism. We also conducted a within session analysis of the lean condition to examine possible mechanisms responsible for the effects of the procedure. The results showed that the continuous schedule was most effective and most preferred to reduce stereotypy for both participants. A social validity measure indicated that the participant's caregivers approved of and preferred the continuous schedule.
Two‐dimensional projection uniformity for space‐filling designs
Authors: Liu Sixu , Wang Yaping , Sun Fasheng 
Published: February 2022

AbstractWe investigate a space‐filling criterion based on ‐type discrepancies, namely the uniform projection criterion, aiming at improving designs' two‐dimensional projection uniformity. Under a general reproducing kernel, we establish a formula for the uniform projection criterion function, which builds a connection between rows and columns of the design. For the commonly used discrepancies, we further use this formula to represent the two‐dimensional projection uniformity in terms of the ‐distances of U‐type designs. These results generalize existing works and reveal new links between the two seemingly unrelated criteria of projection uniformity and the maximin ‐distance for U‐type designs. We also apply the obtained results to study several families of space‐filling designs with appealing projection uniformity. Because of good projected space‐filling properties, these designs are well adapted for computer experiments, especially for the case where not all the input factors are active.
Regression analysis of multivariate current status data under a varying coefficients additive hazards frailty model
Authors: Feng Yanqin , Prasangika K. D. , Zuo Guoxin 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThis article discusses regression analysis of multivariate current status failure time data for which the observation time may be related to the underlying survival time. A local partial likelihood technique is used to estimate the varying coefficient covariate effect functions under the additive hazards frailty model. The asymptotic properties of the proposed estimators are established. An extensive simulation study is conducted for the evaluation of the proposed procedure, the results of which indicate that the proposed method works well in practice. Also, a real data study is provided to illustrate the performance of the proposed method.
A Solvent‐free Strategy to Prepare Amorphous Salts of Folic Acid with Enhanced Solubility and Cell Permeability
Authors: Martins Inês C. B. , Forte Andreia , Diogo Hermínio P. , Raposo Luís R. , Baptista Pedro V. , Fernandes Alexandra R. , Branco Luís C. , Duarte M. Teresa 
Published: February 2022

AbstractEight new amorphous organic salts of folic acid (FA) were prepared by mechanochemistry. FA can prevent cardiovascular and neurological diseases. Mechanochemistry overcomes serious FA solubility issues avoiding the use of toxic solvents. Due to low FA solubility, therapeutic effects in supplements and drugs are not achieved. Current strategies to improve FA solubility include its derivatization by using complex synthetic procedures. Herein, a simple and green procedure, avoiding structural modifications, was designed using mechanochemistry. Biocompatible amine‐derivative coformers were strategically combined with FA to obtain salts with good physicochemical properties. New 1 : 1 and 1 : 2 amorphous FA salts offer 10 to 10,000 times better aqueous solubility and 10 to 100 times better octanol‐water partition coefficient values (Koctanol/water) than FA alone. Koctanol/water is considered as a surrogate of cell permeability. No toxic effects in normal human primary dermal fibroblasts were detected for the prepared FA salts. Our findings suggest that 1 : 2 FA salts of choline hydroxide and derivatives could be good candidates for future pharmaceutical/nutraceutical applications.
Bond Length Alternation and Internal Dynamics in Model Aromatic Substituents of Lignin
Authors: Hernandez‐Castillo A. O. , Calabrese Camilla , Fritz Sean M. , Uriarte Iciar , Cocinero Emilio J. , Zwier Timothy S. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractBroadband microwave spectra were recorded over the 2‐18 GHz frequency range for a series of four model aromatic components of lignin; namely, guaiacol (ortho‐methoxy phenol, G), syringol (2,6‐dimethoxy phenol, S), 4‐methyl guaiacol (MG), and 4‐vinyl guaiacol (VG), under jet‐cooled conditions in the gas phase. Using a combination of 13C isotopic data and electronic structure calculations, distortions of the phenyl ring by the substituents on the ring are identified. In all four molecules, the rC(1)‐C(6) bond between the two substituted C‐atoms lengthens, leading to clear bond alternation that reflects an increase in the phenyl ring resonance structure with double bonds at rC(1)‐C(2), rC(3)‐C(4) and rC(5)‐C(6). Syringol, with its symmetric methoxy substituents, possesses a microwave spectrum with tunneling doublets in the a‐type transitions associated with H‐atom tunneling. These splittings were fit to determine a barrier to hindered rotation of the OH group of 1975 cm−1, a value nearly 50 % greater than that in phenol, due to the presence of the intramolecular OH⋅⋅⋅OCH3 H‐bonds at the two equivalent planar geometries. In 4‐methyl guaiacol, methyl rotor splittings are observed and used to confirm and refine an earlier measurement of the three‐fold barrier V3=67 cm−1. Finally, 4‐vinyl guaiacol shows transitions due to two conformers differing in the relative orientations of the vinyl and OH groups.
Fine‐needle aspiration biopsy versus frozen section examination in assessing cervical lymph node metastasis in primary clinically positive neck papillary thyroid carcinoma
Authors: Du Wei , Fang Qigen , Dai Liyuan , Fan Jie 
Published: February 2022

AbstractBackgroundBoth fine‐needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) and frozen section (FS) examination are reliable methods for assessing cervical lymph node (level II–V) metastasis (LNM) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Our goal was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of FNAB and FS in clinically positive neck (cN+) PTC patients.MethodsAltogether, 264 lymph node samples from 220 patients were prospectively enrolled. Samples were assessed by FNAB cytology (FNAB‐C), thyroglobulin (Tg) FNAB needle wash testing (FNAB‐Tg), and FS simultaneously. Diagnostic performance of the different methods were analyzed by the Chi‐square test.ResultsThe sensitivity and specificity of FNAB‐C alone in predicting LNM was 87.4% and 85.7%, respectively. Combined with FNAB‐Tg, the sensitivity and specificity of FNAB‐C increased to 98.9% and 81.6%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of FS in predicting LNM was 92.4% and 81.1%, respectively. FNAB‐C and FNAB‐Tg had better sensitivity than FS when applied to solid lymph nodes, and comparable sensitivity when applied to cystic and cystic‐solid lymph nodes.ConclusionThe utilization of FNAB‐Tg significantly improved the diagnostic ability of FNAB‐C. FS can be replaced by preoperative FNAB combined with FNAB‐Tg without compromising diagnostic accuracy.
Rocks and clocks revised: New promises and challenges in dating the primate tree of life
Authors: Pozzi Luca , Penna Anna 
Published: February 2022

AbstractIn recent years, multiple technological and methodological advances have increased our ability to estimate phylogenies, leading to more accurate dating of the primate tree of life. Here we provide an overview of the limitations and potentials of some of these advancements and discuss how dated phylogenies provide the crucial temporal scale required to understand primate evolution. First, we review new methods, such as the total‐evidence dating approach, that promise a better integration between the fossil record and molecular data. We then explore how the ever‐increasing availability of genomic‐level data for more primate species can impact our ability to accurately estimate timetrees. Finally, we discuss more recent applications of mutation rates to date divergence times. We highlight example studies that have applied these approaches to estimate divergence dates within primates. Our goal is to provide a critical overview of these new developments and explore the promises and challenges of their application in evolutionary anthropology.
Engineering a better light sheet in an axicon‐based system using a flattened Gaussian beam of low order
Authors: Saghafi Saiedeh , Becker Klaus , Gori Franco , Foroughipour Massih , Bollwein Christine , Foroughipour Meraaj , Steiger Katja , Weichert Wilko , Dodt Hans‐Ulrich 
Published: February 2022

AbstractLasers are fundamental tools in research and development. The shape of an incident laser beam directly affects the results, when it propagates through complex structured meso‐aspheric optical elements. In conic‐based systems utilizing elements such as axicons, the impact of secondary lobes is mostly overlooked, although the intensity distributions at the central spot and the side‐lobes directly affect the beam properties. We investigate the interaction of two axicons (160° and 170°) with incident beams approximated by Gaussian, high‐order Flattened‐Gaussian, and low‐order Flattened‐Gaussian functions. We demonstrate that replacing an incident Gaussian beam with a low‐order Flattened‐Gaussian beam reduces the secondary lobes and significantly improves the uniformity of the intensity profile. We practically applied this effect in engineering a conic‐aspheric‐based static light‐sheet microscope producing markedly improved results.
Surface plasmon resonance biosensor based on graphene layer for the detection of waterborne bacteria
Authors: Daher Malek G. , Taya Sofyan A. , Colak Ilhami , Patel Shobhit K. , Olaimat Melad M. , Ramahi Omar 
Published: February 2022

AbstractAs a result of the risks that waterborne bacteria bring to the human body, identifying them in drinking water has become a global concern. In this article, a highly sensitive surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor consisting of prism, Ag, graphene, affinity layer and sensing medium is proposed for rapid detection of the waterborne bacteria. Four SPR‐based sensors are first studied with the structures prism/Ag/sensing medium, prism/Ag/affinity layer/sensing medium, prism/Ag/graphene/sensing medium, and prism/Ag/graphene/affinity layer/sensing medium. The latter structure is found to have the highest sensitivity so it is considered for further investigations. Four different commonly used prisms are then demonstrated which are N‐FK51A, 2S2G, SF10 and BK7. The structure with the prism N‐FK51A is found to correspond to the highest sensitivity so it is considered for further investigations. The structure parameters are then optimized. The proposed SPR sensor can achieve high sensitivity of about 221.63 °/RIU for Escherichia coli and 178.12 °/RIU for Vibrio cholera bacteria with an average value of 199.87 °/RIU. We believe that the proposed structure will open a new window in the field of microorganism detections.
USP5 promotes breast cancer cell proliferation and metastasis by stabilizing HIF2α
Authors: Huang Weixiao , Liu Xiong , Zhang Yao , Deng Mingxia , Li Guangqiang , Chen Guo , Yu Li , Jin Lai , Liu Tongzheng , Wang Yijie , Chen Yan 
Published: February 2022

AbstractHypoxia‐inducible factor 2α (HIF2α) plays a pivotal role in breast tumor growth and metastasis. However, the regulatory mechanisms of HIF2α protein stability remain poorly understood. The precise role of the deubiquitinase (DUB) ubiquitin‐specific peptidase 5 (USP5) in breast cancer and the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Here, we identified USP5 as a novel DUB for HIF2α. Physically, USP5 interacts with HIF2α and protects HIF2α from ubiquitin‐proteasome degradation, thereby promoting the transcription of HIF2α target genes, such as SLC2A1, PLOD2, P4HA1, and VEGFA. USP5 ablation impairs breast cancer cells proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion. Moreover, USP5 is highly expressed in breast cancer, and the protein levels of USP5 are positively correlated with HIF2α protein levels in human breast cancer tissues. Importantly, high levels of USP5 leads to poor clinical outcome in patients with breast cancer. Collectively, USP5 stabilizes HIF2α through its DUB activity and provides a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer.
The mechanotransduction of MLO‐Y4 cells is disrupted by the senescence‐associated secretory phenotype of neighboring cells
Authors: Gardinier Joseph D. , Chougule Amit , Zhang Chunbin 
Published: February 2022

AbstractAge‐related bone loss is attributed to the accumulation of senescent cells and their increasing production of inflammatory cytokines as part of the senescence‐associated secretory phenotype (SASP). In otherwise healthy individuals, osteocytes play a key role in maintaining bone mass through their primary function of responding to skeletal loading. Given that osteocytes' response to loading is known to steadily decline with age, we hypothesized that the increasing presence of senescent cells and their SASP inhibit osteocytes' response to loading. To test this hypothesis, we developed two in vitro models of senescent osteocytes and osteoblasts derived from MLO‐Y4 and MC3T3 cell lines, respectively. The senescent phenotype was unique to each cell type based on distinct changes in cell cycle inhibitors and SASP profile. The SASP profile of senescent osteocytes was in part dependent on nuclear factor‐κB signaling and presents a new potential mechanism to target the SASP in bone. Nonsenescent MLO‐Y4 cells cultured with the SASP of each senescent cell type failed to exhibit changes in gene expression as well as ERK phosphorylation and prostaglandin E2 release. The SASP of senescent osteocytes had the largest effect and neutralizing interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) as part of the SASP restored osteocytes' response to loading. The loss in mechanotransduction due to IL‐6 was attributed to a decrease in P2X7 expression and overall sensitivity to purinergic signaling. Altogether, these findings demonstrate that the SASP of senescent cells have a negative effect on the mechanotransduction of osteocytes and that IL‐6 is a key SASP component that contributes to the loss in mechanotransduction.
Ultrathin 2D g‐C3N4 nanosheets for visible‐light photocatalytic reforming of cellulose into H2 under neutral conditions
Authors: Hong Yuanzhi , Zhang Xue , Lin Xue , Liu Enli , Wang Longyan , Shi Weilong , Duan Xixin 
Published: February 2022

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe photocatalytic reforming (PR) of abundant and renewable cellulosic biomass resources into hydrogen (H2) fuel is a promising approach for solar‐to‐chemical energy conversion. Although the related PR reactions have been investigated, the majority of previous works were operated in strong alkaline conditions (pH > 14) owing to the insolubility of cellulose, and used UV‐driven titania (TiO2)‐based materials as photocatalysts.RESULTSTo this end, for the first time, we present ultrathin 2D graphitic‐like carbon nitride (g‐C3N4) nanosheets (CNNs) derived from the thermal‐oxidation strategy for PR of cellulose into H2 under neutral conditions. Compared to bulk g‐C3N4 (BCN), the resulting ultrathin CNNs with an average thickness of 6 nm showed a remarkably increased surface area, significantly improved photogenerated charge mobility, higher electrical conductivity and stronger photooxidation capacity. Consequently, the as‐prepared CNNs displayed dramatically enhanced visible‐light PR activity for H2 evolution that was 3.93‐fold greater than that of BCN under the same conditions.CONCLUSIONOur study achieves an available avenue for PR of cellulose into H2 under neutral conditions without the need for value‐added sacrificial reagents, which will bring about potential applications in sustainable H2 production through the PR reaction. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).