bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Spatio-temporal dynamics of phytoplankton community in a well-mixed temperate estuary (Sado Estuary, Portugal)
Authors: Santos M. , Amorim A. , Brotas V. , Cruz J. P. C. , Palma C. , Borges C. , Favareto L. R. , Veloso V. , Dâmaso-Rodrigues M. L. , Chainho P. , Félix P. M. , Brito A. C. 
Published: September 2022

AbstractEstuaries are highly productive ecosystems, which are strongly affected by several anthropogenic pressures. Phytoplankton is a key element for assessing the ecological quality status in these transitional waters. Moreover, understanding physico-chemical and biological drivers is crucial to disentangle their effect on the structure of phytoplankton community. The present work aims to study the effect of the main physico-chemical drivers on the phytoplankton community structure and dynamics in a temperate well-mixed estuary (Sado Estuary). Four sampling stations were analyzed monthly in three regions of the estuary, from 2018 to 2019. Surface water samples were collected to analyze the phytoplankton community and several concomitant physico-chemical parameters. Temperature, turbidity, salinity, and nutrients availability were the drivers that best explained the spatio-temporal patterns observed in the phytoplankton community. The upper estuary was characterized by higher phytoplankton cell abundances and biomass. Three phytoplankton groups stood out in the characterization of the estuarine assemblages: diatoms, cryptophytes, and dinoflagellates. Diatoms were the dominant group most of the year, being dominated by small cell species (single and chain-forming) upstream, and by larger chain-forming species downstream. Cryptophytes had a high contribution to the community in the inner regions of the estuary, while dinoflagellates contributed more for the community composition downstream, where high abundances of harmful algal species were sporadically found. Previous studies on the phytoplankton community dynamics in this estuary are limited to the 1990s. Thus, the present study provides insight into changes in the dominant phytoplankton groups of the Sado Estuary in the last 25 years, namely an increase in cryptophytes over diatoms in the inner estuarine regions, and an increase in dinoflagellates near the estuary mouth.
Minimizing complications following transinguinal preperitoneal modified Kugel mesh herniorrhaphy: a double blind prospective randomized clinical trial
Authors: Chiang Heng-Chieh , Lin Jesun , Chen Jian-Ting , Hsu Yu-Chi , Chen Pao-Hwa 
Published: September 2022

AbstractTransinguinal preperitoneal (TIPP) single-layer mesh herniorrhaphy has been proven effective. Mesh manufacturers make either a single-unit, two-layer mesh design or a separate optional onlay with the pre-peritoneal mesh. For peace of mind, most surgeons still incorporate the optional onlay. This study evaluated any counterproductive effects of adding the onlay to single-layer TIPP mesh herniorrhaphy and compared the long-term efficacy. This prospective, single-surgeon, single-center, randomized trial compared two groups of 50 consecutive patients at a 1 to 1 ratio. The control group received a single-layer modified Kugel mesh in the preperitoneal space, while the study group received the optional onlay mesh in the inguinal canal with preperitoneal mesh placement. A single surgeon performed the same operation to place the preperitoneal mesh in both groups, the only difference being the placement of the optional onlay mesh in the study group. A blinded researcher performed post-operative interviews using a series of questions at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery, and another unblinded researcher organized and performed statistical analysis of the peri-operative and post-operative data. The primary endpoints included foreign body sensation, pain, and any other discomfort in the inguinal region following surgery; and the secondary endpoints included recurrence and any complications related to surgery. The patient demographics were similar between the two groups. The average follow-up period was 29 months. Two patients in the 1-layer group and one patient in the 2-layer group were lost to follow-up. Postoperative pain, numbness and soreness were similar between groups. No patients experienced a foreign body sensation after 3 months in the 1-layer group, while five patients still had a foreign body sensation at 12 months in the 2-layer group. No recurrence was noted in either group during the follow-up period. Adequate dissection of the preperitoneal space is the key to a successful single-layer TIPP herniorrhaphy. With decreased materials in the inguinal canal, single-layer TIPP has a lower rate of long-term postoperative discomfort without increasing the risk of future recurrence.Trial registration: ISRCTN 47111213
Obesity affects pulmonary function in Japanese adult patients with asthma, but not those without asthma
Authors: Tashiro Hiroki , Takahashi Koichiro , Kurihara Yuki , Sadamatsu Hironori , Kuwahara Yuki , Tajiri Ryo , Kimura Shinya , Sueoka-Aragane Naoko 
Published: September 2022

AbstractObesity is associated with the severity of asthma, which is characterized by airway obstruction. Pulmonary function testing is one of the important examinations for evaluating airway obstruction. However, the impact of obesity on pulmonary function in patients with asthma is not fully understood. A total of 193 patients with asthma and 2159 patients without asthma who visited Saga University Hospital were investigated retrospectively. Obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 kg/m2. Pulmonary functions including forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) were compared between patients with and without asthma, focusing especially on obesity. FVC percent predicted and FEV1 percent predicted were significantly lower in patients with asthma than in those without asthma (p = 0.03, < 0.01 respectively). In patients with asthma, FVC percent predicted and FEV1 percent predicted were significantly lower in patients with obesity than in those without obesity (all p < 0.01). In addition, BMI was negatively correlated with FEV1 (r =− 0.21, p = 0.003) and FVC (r = − 0.15, p = 0.04), along with the percent predicted. On multivariate analysis in patients with asthma, FVC (β [95% confidence interval] 0.12 [0.02–0.22], p = 0.02) and FEV1 (0.13 [0.05–0.22], p < 0.01) were still significantly different between patients with and without obesity. However, these obesity-associated differences were not observed in patients without asthma. Obesity reduces pulmonary function, including FVC and FEV1, in patients with asthma, but not in those without asthma.
Association between testosterone levels and bone mineral density in females aged 40–60 years from NHANES 2011–2016
Authors: Zhang Han , Ma Kun , Li Run-Min , Li Jia-Ni , Gao Shan-Feng , Ma Lin-Na 
Published: September 2022

AbstractGrowing evidence indicates that testosterone is a conspicuous marker for assessing male bone mineral density (BMD). However, research regarding testosterone levels and BMD is sparse and controversial for females. Hence, we aimed to investigate the association between testosterone levels and BMD among adult females aged 40–60 years in the United States. In this cross-sectional study, all participants were part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011–2016). A weighted general linear model was used to estimate the association between testosterone levels and lumbar BMD. Age, race, income level, education level, body mass index (BMI), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level, serum uric acid (UA) level, serum calcium (Ca) level, serum phosphorus (P) level, the use of oral contraceptive pills, the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), smoking status, drinking status, and the use of corticosteroids were adjusted using a weighted multiple regression model. Subgroup analyses were performed using the same regression model. We included 2198 female participants in the study, and testosterone levels were positively associated with lumbar BMD after adjusting for all the covariates (β = 1.12, 95% CI 0.31, 1.93). In subgroup analyses, the associations in the fourth quartile of testosterone levels were stronger for the participants aged 40–50 years old (quartile 4, β = 42.92, 95% CI 7.53, 78.30 vs. quartile 1) and 50 to 60-year-old (quartile 4, β = 32.41, 95% CI 0.14, 64.69 vs. quartile 1). Similar results were found in other subgroups, including subgroups for race (Non-Hispanic Black, Other), income level (income ≤ 1.3, income > 3.5), education level (college or higher), BMI > 25 kg/m2, BUN levels ≤ 20 mg/dL, UA levels ≤ 6 mg/dL, Ca levels ≤ 10.1 mg/dL, P levels ≤ 5 mg/dL, drinking status, never smoker, never taking birth control pills, and HRT user. There was no interaction among the covariates in the association between lumbar BMD and testosterone levels (P for interaction > 0.05). In US adult females aged 40–60 years, the testosterone level was a positive predictor of the lumbar BMD after adjusting for covariates.
Machine learning to improve the interpretation of intercalating dye-based quantitative PCR results
Authors: Godmer A. , Bigot J. , Giai Gianetto Q. , Benzerara Y. , Veziris N. , Aubry A. , Guitard J. , Hennequin C. 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThis study aimed to evaluate the contribution of Machine Learning (ML) approach in the interpretation of intercalating dye-based quantitative PCR (IDqPCR) signals applied to the diagnosis of mucormycosis. The ML-based classification approach was applied to 734 results of IDqPCR categorized as positive (n = 74) or negative (n = 660) for mucormycosis after combining “visual reading” of the amplification and denaturation curves with clinical, radiological and microbiological criteria. Fourteen features were calculated to characterize the curves and injected in several pipelines including four ML-algorithms. An initial subset (n = 345) was used for the conception of classifiers. The classifier predictions were combined with majority voting to estimate performances of 48 meta-classifiers on an external dataset (n = 389). The visual reading returned 57 (7.7%), 568 (77.4%) and 109 (14.8%) positive, negative and doubtful results respectively. The Kappa coefficients of all the meta-classifiers were greater than 0.83 for the classification of IDqPCR results on the external dataset. Among these meta-classifiers, 6 exhibited Kappa coefficients at 1. The proposed ML-based approach allows a rigorous interpretation of IDqPCR curves, making the diagnosis of mucormycosis available for non-specialists in molecular diagnosis. A free online application was developed to classify IDqPCR from the raw data of the thermal cycler output (http://gepamy-sat.asso.st/).
SARS-CoV-2 Nsp6 damages Drosophila heart and mouse cardiomyocytes through MGA/MAX complex-mediated increased glycolysis
Authors: Zhu Jun-yi , Wang Guanglei , Huang Xiaohu , Lee Hangnoh , Lee Jin-Gu , Yang Penghua , van de Leemput Joyce , Huang Weiliang , Kane Maureen A. , Yang Peixin , Han Zhe 
Published: September 2022

AbstractSARS-CoV-2 infection causes COVID-19, a severe acute respiratory disease associated with cardiovascular complications including long-term outcomes. The presence of virus in cardiac tissue of patients with COVID-19 suggests this is a direct, rather than secondary, effect of infection. Here, by expressing individual SARS-CoV-2 proteins in the Drosophila heart, we demonstrate interaction of virus Nsp6 with host proteins of the MGA/MAX complex (MGA, PCGF6 and TFDP1). Complementing transcriptomic data from the fly heart reveal that this interaction blocks the antagonistic MGA/MAX complex, which shifts the balance towards MYC/MAX and activates glycolysis—with similar findings in mouse cardiomyocytes. Further, the Nsp6-induced glycolysis disrupts cardiac mitochondrial function, known to increase reactive oxygen species (ROS) in heart failure; this could explain COVID-19-associated cardiac pathology. Inhibiting the glycolysis pathway by 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) treatment attenuates the Nsp6-induced cardiac phenotype in flies and mice. These findings point to glycolysis as a potential pharmacological target for treating COVID-19-associated heart failure.
Extreme conditions affect neuronal oscillations of cerebral cortices in humans in the China Space Station and on Earth
Authors: Zhang Peng , Yan Juan , Liu Zhongqi , Yu Hongqiang , Zhao Rui , Zhou Qianxiang 
Published: September 2022

AbstractRhythmical oscillations of neural populations can reflect working memory performance. However, whether neuronal oscillations of the cerebral cortex change in extreme environments, especially in a space station, remains unclear. Here, we recorded electroencephalography (EEG) signals when volunteers and astronauts were executing a memory task in extreme working conditions. Our experiments showed that two extreme conditions affect neuronal oscillations of the cerebral cortex and manifest in different ways. Lengthy periods of mental work impairs the gating mechanism formed by theta-gamma phase-amplitude coupling of two cortical areas, and sleep deprivation disrupts synaptic homeostasis, as reflected by the substantial increase in theta wave activity in the cortical frontal-central area. In addition, we excluded the possibility that nutritional supply or psychological situations caused decoupled theta-gamma phase-amplitude coupling or an imbalance in theta wave activity increase. Therefore, we speculate that the decoupled theta-gamma phase-amplitude coupling detected in astronauts results from their lengthy periods of mental work in the China Space Station. Furthermore, comparing preflight and inflight experiments, we find that long-term spaceflight and other hazards in the space station could worsen this decoupling evolution. This particular neuronal oscillation mechanism in the cerebral cortex could guide countermeasures for the inadaptability of humans working in spaceflight.
Complex effects of chytrid parasites on the growth of the cyanobacterium Planktothrix rubescens across interacting temperature and light gradients
Authors: Wierenga Joren , Thomas Mridul K , Ranjan Ravi , Ibelings Bas W 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Chytrids are important drivers of aquatic ecosystems as phytoplankton parasites. The interaction between these parasites and their hosts are shaped by abiotic factors such as temperature and light. Here, we performed a full-factorial experiment to study how temperature and light interact to affect the dynamics of the bloom-forming toxic cyanobacterium Planktothrix rubescens and its chytrid parasite. We used a dynamic host-parasite model to explore how temperature and light affect long term dynamics. At low temperatures, chytrids do not survive. Higher light and temperature levels stimulated both phytoplankton and chytrid growth, with complex effects on their dynamics. Model exploration indicates that increasing temperature and light shifts equilibrium outcomes from P. rubescens persisting alone to stable coexistence and then to limit cycles. This provides an alternative biological explanation for why P. rubescens is mainly found in the relatively cold and dark lake metalimnion – it may enable avoidance of its parasite. Our study emphasizes the importance of investigating how abiotic factors interact with biotic interactions to drive complex outcomes.
A data-driven digital twin for water ultrafiltration
Authors: Møller Jan Kloppenborg , Goranović Goran , Brath Per , Madsen Henrik 
Published: September 2022

AbstractMembrane-based separations are proven and useful industrial-scale technologies, suitable for automation. Digital twins are models of physical dynamical systems which continuously couple with data from a real world system to help understand and control performance. However, ultrafiltration and microfiltration membrane separation techniques lack a rigorous theoretical description due to the complex interactions and associated uncertainties. Here we report a digital-twin methodology called the Stochastic Greybox Modelling and Control (SGMC) that can account for random changes that occur during the separation processes and apply it to water ultrafiltration. In contrast to recent probabilistic approaches to digital twins, we use a physically intuitive formalism of stochastic differential equations to assess uncertainties and implement updates. We demonstrate the application of our digital twin model to control the filtration process and minimize the energy use under a fixed water volume in a membrane ultrafiltration of artificially simulated lakewater. The explicit modelling of uncertainties and the adaptable real-time control of stochastic physical states are particular strengths of SGMC, which makes it suited to real-world problems with inherent unknowns.
Enhanced dielectric permittivity of hierarchically double-gyroid nanocomposites via macromolecular engineering of block copolymers
Authors: Xu Zhanwen , Dong Qingshu , Zhang Liangshun , Li Weihua 
Published: September 2022

With the aid of the concept of macromolecular engineering, this work proposes mixtures of A(AB)n miktoarm star copolymers and nanoparticles to obtain bicontinuous gyroid nanostructures with high loading of functionalized nanoparticles.
Orthogonal phase mixing for improved linearity phase interpolator
Authors: Sumesaglam Taner 
Published: September 2022

AbstractAs the demand for high‐speed low‐power transceivers grows, it is critical to have precise clock timing circuits such as phase interpolators (PI) that allow maximizing link margin. A linearization technique which optimizes linearity without increasing power and area is presented. Implemented in a 7‐nm complimentary metal oxide silicon (CMOS) technology, PI achieves less than 0.5 integral non‐linearity (INL) while consuming only 184 μA from a 0.75‐V supply at 4.3 GHz.
An integrated two‐dimensional merging trajectory optimization model for automated vehicles considering mixed traffic flow
Authors: Li Shurong , Wei Chong , Cao Jianfei , Wang Ying , Lin Zeng 
Published: September 2022

AbstractRecently, automated vehicles have been recognized as a promising tool to address the problem of on‐ramp merging. However, the complexity of the problem includes ignorance of the vehicle's lateral dynamics, the limitation of the fixed merging point, the mismatch problem caused by the sequential optimization scheme, and the fixed terminal states assumption. These factors make it intractable in practical driving scenarios. This paper proposed an integrated optimization model for on‐ramp automated vehicles, which can guide the vehicle to complete the merging behaviour from the ramp lane to the main lane safely and efficiently. A merging path is first constructed in the two‐dimensional plane with two critical parameters recommended by a neural network predictor, enabling it to incorporate both longitudinal and lateral dynamics. Then, an integrated Mixed Integer Quadratic Program (MIQP) model is built to determine the optimal velocity profiles and merging gap simultaneously while considering the safety and efficiency factors. Specifically, with the introduction of discretization and linearization techniques, linear collision avoidance constraints and smooth transition constraints can be built, which can address the challenging computational problem. The effectiveness of the proposed model is validated through the microscopic and macroscopic numerical results under different levels of mixed traffic.
Addressing spatial service provision equity for pooled ride‐hailing services through rebalancing
Authors: Schlenther Tilmann , Leich Gregor , Maciejewski Michal , Nagel Kai 
Published: September 2022

AbstractRide‐hailing services have the potential to play a major role within future transport systems. While the operation as well as environmental, social and economic consequences are research subjects, the focus in the literature lies on system efficiency and profitability. In this study, vehicle relocation strategies are investigated with respect to service provision equity using an agent‐based simulation approach. The aim is to identify ways of operation that support social fairness while maintaining the profitability and effectiveness of the service. The results show that a typical demand‐anticipatory relocation strategy leads to an imbalance in the spatial distribution of mean wait times for the use case of Berlin. This can be significantly improved by applying different relocation strategies. As a consequence, the overall demand for the system rises while the ratio of empty vehicle kilometres increases slightly.
Towards a cooperative hierarchical healthcare architecture using the HMAN offloading scenarios and SRT calculation algorithm
Authors: Jasim Ahmed M. , Al‐Raweshidy Hamed 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThe Internet of medical things (IoMT) is one of the most promising fields that is expected to rapidly expand in the near future. Consequently, vast amounts of data will be generated, necessitating faster and more intensive processing capabilities. Several healthcare architectures based on Edge/Fog technologies have been created to lower healthcare expenses and provide better and more reliable services. Scalability, availability, capacity, latency, and privacy are some of the most pressing issues to consider when designing such architectures due to the critical and sensitive nature of healthcare data. To contribute to the reliability and robustness of electronic health services, this work proposes Healthcare Metropolitan Area Network (HMAN), a cooperative hierarchical Edge/Fog computing‐based architecture for the urban healthcare systems. The presented architecture suggests HMAN offloading scenarios and system response time calculation (HOSSC) algorithm which is specially designed to provide an abundance of offloading and processing scenarios within the network. The architecture also connects patients to the healthcare system by utilising the existing infrastructure in cities (e.g. medical centres and hospitals). Simulation results revealed that the designed architecture produced a ubiquitous and scalable healthcare system with promising and competitive performance, such as the computing capacity and service availability, by adopting multiple cooperative hierarchical offloading scenarios across the framework units. Moreover, the HMAN system was evaluated for latency and found to be very robust, with a short response time ranging between 6.043 and 31.45 ms in responding to 1 to 300 patients simultaneously sending. In addition to these appealing features, the proposed architecture ensures patients' privacy because the data are locally stored and processed in the most anticipated scenarios. The proposed architecture is a viable solution to providing healthcare services to a large number of patients.
Investigation on combined effect of humidity–temperature on partial discharge through dielectric performance evaluation
Authors: Ji Yatai , Giangrande Paolo , Zhao Weiduo , Madonna Vincenzo , Zhang He , Li Jing , Galea Michael 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThe humidity role in the partial discharge (PD) inception mechanism is quite challenging, especially when considering the environmental temperature. Indeed, there is no general rule to explain the humidity effect on the PD phenomenon. In this paper, the PD activity in inter‐turn insulation is experimentally investigated for different relative humidity (RH) conditions at three different ambient temperatures, that is, 30°C, 60°C, and 90°C. Partial discharge inception voltage (PDIV) is directly measured through a photomultiplier tube (PMT), whereas the tip‐up tests are performed aiming at monitoring both dissipation factor (tanδ) and insulation capacitance (IC). These extra measurements (diagnostic dielectric markers) allow better assessing the insulation status. The adoption of the tip‐up test enables the insulation properties measurement. Based on the tip‐up tests’ findings, the interfacial polarization process starts at 75% RH under 60°C, while the high conductivity area is already formed at 75% RH when the ambient temperature is 90°C. The water film formation deduced from the tip‐up test is then used to explain the trend of PDIV, and the validity is further proved by finite element analysis (FEA).