bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A retrospective magnetic resonance imaging analysis of bone and soft tissue changes associated with the spectrum of tarsal coalitions
Authors: Cilengir Atilla Hikmet , Bayraktar Ezgi Suat , Dursun Suat , Ozdemir Mehmet , Altay Sedat , Elmali Ferhan , Tosun Ozgur 
Published: April 2022

AbstractWe aimed to investigate the bone and soft tissue changes accompanying tarsal coalition (TC) and aimed to evaluate their association with the location and type of coalition. Ankle magnetic resonance imagings of 65 patients with TC were included. The relationship between the location and type of coalition and bone marrow edema, subchondral cysts, sinus tarsi syndrome, tarsal tunnel syndrome, posterior impingement syndrome, accessory bone, tibiotalar effusion, talar osteochondritis dissecans, ganglion cysts, and calcaneal spur were evaluated. Twenty‐nine patients without coalition were selected as the control group, and the distribution of these variables between the two groups was analyzed. There were 33 females and 32 males in the coalition group (mean age: 42.0 ± 15.63 years), and 22 females and seven males in the control group (mean age: 44.79 ± 12.33 years). Coalition was most common in the talocalcaneal joint (n = 33, 50.8%), and the most common coalition type was non‐osseous (n = 57, 87.6%). We find no significant difference between the pathologies defined in terms of coalition location and type. Sinus tarsi syndrome, tarsal tunnel syndrome, subchondral cysts, and tibiotalar effusion were found to be more common in the coalition group (p = 0.028, p = 0.010, p = 0.023, and p = 0.006, respectively). The presence of coalition increased the probability of developing tarsal tunnel syndrome 9.91 times (95% CI: [1.25–78.59]; p = 0.029), and sinus tarsi syndrome 3.66 times (95% CI: [1.14–11.78]; p = 0.029). Tarsal coalition may predispose bone and soft tissue changes. In this study, sinus tarsi syndrome, tarsal tunnel syndrome, subchondral cysts and tibiotalar effusion were found to be more common in the coalition group.
Selectivity Control in Photocatalytic Transfer Hydrogenation of Bio‐based Aldehydes
Authors: Fu Hongmei , Chen Haijun , Gao Beibei , Lu Tianliang , Su Yunlai , Zhou Lipeng , Liu Meijiang , Li Hongji , Yang Xiaomei 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThe development of selectivity control strategies based on external operational conditions without modification of catalyst is an attractive but challenging issue in photocatalysis. Herein we reported the substrate concentration‐switched selectivity in photocatalytic transfer hydrogenation of biomass‐derived aromatic aldehydes. With the same catalyst, hydrodeoxygenation was realized at low aldehyde concentration and reductive etherification was realized at high aldehyde concentration. Mechanistic studies revealed that the substrate concentration affected the electron density on catalyst, thus controlled the initial reduction of formyl group and types of intermediates. Competitive adsorption of these intermediates on the catalyst affected hydrogenolysis of C−O bonds in the later stage. This method is easy to handle, and achieved selective hydrogenation of diverse bio‐based aldehydes to corresponding deoxygenated products and unsymmetric ether products as potential fuel additives under mild conditions. This work sheds light on the effect of substrate concentration on the selectivity in photocatalysis.
Homogeneous‐to‐Heterogeneous‐Strategy Enables Multifunctional Phase‐Change Materials for Energy Storage
Authors: Liu Changhui , Zhang Tianjian , Li Tingsong , Wang Yafei 
Published: April 2022

AbstractFunctional phase‐change materials (PCMs) are conspicuously absent in various organic or inorganic solids with diversified applications in which the attributes of these molecular materials have been highly realized. Leakage problem during the phase transition process is the main obstacle on the way of widely use of solid‐liquid PCMs who has been recognized to be promisingly practical candidates for energy storage owing to the high energy storage density and small volume change in the phase transition process. Herein, a novel homogeneous‐to‐heterogeneous‐strategy, in which all the starting materials involved display a homogeneous state and the encapsulation framework formed in situ in the encapsulation process, enabled by an aerogel reaction of silica was realized under the catalysis of an organic base. Besides the comprehensive study upon energy storage performance, light‐to‐thermal conversion and recyclability performance study of the obtained materials reveal the clear superiority over pristine paraffin wax (PW) thanks to the versatility and robustness of this fabrication method. More importantly, the homogeneous‐to‐heterogeneous‐strategy endows a unique adsorption ability with respect to organic pollutant due to the PCMs inside and therefore bearing a great potential to be used in environment protection fields.
Isomorphic Fluorescent Nucleosides Facilitate Real‐Time Monitoring of RNA Depurination by Ribosome Inactivating Proteins
Authors: Cong Deyuan , Li Yao , Ludford Paul T. , Tor Yitzhak 
Published: April 2022

AbstractRibosome‐inactivating proteins, a family of highly cytotoxic proteins, interfere with protein synthesis by depurinating a specific adenosine residue within the conserved α‐sarcin/ricin loop of eukaryotic ribosomal RNA. Besides being biological warfare agents, certain RIPs have been promoted as potential therapeutic tools. Monitoring their deglycosylation activity and their inhibition in real time have remained, however, elusive. Herein, we describe the enzymatic preparation and utility of consensus RIP hairpin substrates in which specific G residues, next to the depurination site, are surgically replaced with tzG and thG, fluorescent G analogs. By strategically modifying key positions with responsive fluorescent surrogate nucleotides, RIP‐mediated depurination can be monitored in real time by steady‐state fluorescence spectroscopy. Subtle differences observed in preferential depurination sites provide insight into the RNA folding as well as RIPs’ substrate recognition features.
Pd‐Catalyzed Difluoromethylations of Aryl Boronic Acids, Halides, and Pseudohalides with ICF2H Generated ex Situ
Authors: Gedde Oliver R. , Bonde Andreas , Golbækdal Peter I. , Skrydstrup Troels 
Published: April 2022

AbstractAn expedient ex‐situ generation of difluoroiodomethane (DFIM) and its immediate use in a Pd‐catalyzed difluoromethylation of aryl boronic acids and ester derivatives in a two‐chamber reactor is reported. Heating a solution of bromodifluoroacetic acid with sodium iodide in sulfolane proved to be effective for the generation of near stoichiometric amounts of DFIM for the ensuing catalytic coupling step. A two‐step difluoromethylation of aryl (pseudo)halides with tetrahydroxydiboron as a low‐cost reducing agent, both promoted by Pd catalysis, proved effective to install this fluorine‐containing C1 group onto several pharmaceutically relevant molecules. Finally, the method proved adaptable to deuterium incorporation by simply adding D2O to the DFIM‐generating chamber.
The association between the inflammatory potential of diet and the risk of histopathological and molecular subtypes of breast cancer in northwestern Iran: Results from the Breast Cancer Risk and Lifestyle study
Authors: Hayati Zahra , Montazeri Vahid , Shivappa Nitin , Hebert James R. , Pirouzpanah Saeed 
Published: April 2022

BackgroundThis study explored the association between diet‐associated inflammation and the risk of different molecular subtypes of breast cancer (BrCA) in a large, population‐based case‐control study conducted in northwestern Iran.MethodsThe study consisted of 1007 women with histopathologically confirmed BrCA and 1004 controls admitted to hospitals in Tabriz, northwestern Iran, for nonneoplastic conditions. Dietary Inflammatory Index scores and energy‐adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index (E‐DII) scores, with and without supplements, were computed on the basis of dietary intake collected using a validated 136‐item food frequency questionnaire.ResultsWomen with the highest E‐DII scores (quartile 4) versus those with the lowest E‐DII scores (quartile 1) showed a significantly increased BrCA risk (odds ratio for quartile 4 vs quartile 1 [ORQ4vsQ1], 1.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.42‐2.47), particularly for lobular carcinoma (ORQ4vsQ1, 3.07; 95% CI, 1.34‐7.02). Findings were similar for premenopausal women diagnosed with luminal A BrCA (ORQ4vsQ1, 2.71; 95% CI, 1.74‐4.22) or luminal B BrCA (ORQ4vsQ1, 2.86; 95% CI, 1.39‐5.89). Women consuming the most proinflammatory diets were 3 times more likely to have triple‐negative BrCA (ORQ4vsQ1, 3.00; 95% CI, 1.002‐8.96) while compared to luminal A BrCA. The BrCA risk for women consuming diets in the highest half of E‐DII scores (E‐DII > 0) was 59% greater than the risk for those in the lowest half (95% CI, 1.29‐1.97). Also, higher E‐DII scores that took into account supplements were associated with larger tumor sizes (T3 > 5 cm; P < .05).ConclusionsA proinflammatory diet, as indicated by higher E‐DII scores, appears to increase the risk of BrCA in Iranian women. Large increases in risk were seen in invasive molecular subtypes of BrCA. Anti‐inflammatory diets are suggested to prevent the risk of overall BrCA and more aggressive forms of BrCA in particular.
Workflow offloading with privacy preservation in a cloud‐edge environment
Authors: Wang Jin 
Published: April 2022

AbstractOwing to the limited computing capability of edge cloudlets, use of cloud platforms to provide computation‐intensive services as an assistant should be studied. Offloading, among the key techniques in the cloud‐edge environment, is plagued by the serious problem of privacy disclosure. In addition, the edge does not have access control of terminals, and the controller working the edge that makes offloading decisions, must not be allowed access to any information regarding the contents of the terminal. Thus, this study introduced a system architecture wherein the data was separated from the control plane to minimize systemic risk and optimize the offloading process towards makespan and cost reduction. Traditional methods of privacy preservation are dependent on encryption of total or content awareness. Edge privacy preservation renders maintaining edge delay advantages a challenge because traditional architectures result in edges being engaged with data encryption and decryption. Moreover, in content applications such as video compression and intelligent collaborative applications, users are unaware of content considered private data, and the relative privacy sensitivity and security priority of tasks. The proposed solution avoids side‐channel attacks by eliminating the individual characteristics via risk‐free constraints under a certain amount of entropy at the security level. Further, a smart optimum approach based on MOEA/D was employed to strike the balance between privacy preservation and the cost/latency of activity. This reduces the burden on edge servers, enhances security based on a better offloading strategy, and protects against threats and attacks using a reasonable system architecture. Through experiments on different types of workflow parameters the validity and effectiveness of the offloading algorithm with privacy preservation was demonstrated.
Validation of a therapeutic strategy involving the mitochondrial delivery of thiamine pyrophosphate using brain damage induced mouse model
Authors: Yamada Yuma , Ishimaru Takuya , Harashima Hideyoshi 
Published: April 2022

AbstractIschemic brain disease, a type of cerebrovascular disease, has a high mortality rate, and even when patients survive, they are frequently affected by neurological dysfunction due to damage to brain cells. Strategies to increase intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production are promising approaches for tissue regeneration and restoring neurological function. We report here on an attempt to deliver thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP), a coenzyme that activates the tricarboxylic acid cycle, which is responsible for ATP production, to mitochondria. To achieve this, we used a MITO‐Porter, a liposomal drug delivery system for delivering various cargoes to mitochondria via membrane fusion. In the present study, we investigated the therapeutic effect of the MITO‐Porter (TPP) focusing on its delivery to the brain and neurological function using a bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) mouse model. Fluorescent microscopic analyses confirmed, after a cerebral ischemia‐reperfusion injury had been induced, that the intracerebral delivery of the MITO‐Porter occurred after intravenous administration. Behavioral analyses indicated that the MITO‐Porter (TPP) resulted in significant therapeutic effects compared to the corresponding administration of naked TPP. Histological evaluations also confirmed that the MITO‐Porter (TPP) clearly had an effect on the growth of brain neurons in the BCCAO mouse. Our findings indicate that the mitochondrial delivery of TPP represents a potential innovative therapeutic strategy for enhancing mitochondrial energy production in certain cases of brain diseases.
Deep SED‐Net with interactive learning for multiple testicular cell types segmentation and cell composition analysis in mouse seminiferous tubules
Authors: Liang Shi , Lu Haoda , Zang Min , Wang Xiangxue , Jiao Yiping , Zhao Tingting , Xu Eugene Yujun , Xu Jun 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThe development of mouse spermatozoa is a continuous process from spermatogonia, spermatocytes, spermatids to mature sperm. Those developing germ cells (spermatogonia, spermatocyte, and spermatids) together with supporting sertoli cells are all enclosed inside seminiferous tubules of the testis, their identification is key to testis histology and pathology analysis. Automated segmentation of all these cells is a challenging task because of their dynamical changes in different stages. The accurate segmentation of testicular cells is critical in developing computerized spermatogenesis staging. In this paper, we present a novel segmentation model, SED‐Net, which incorporates a squeeze‐and‐excitation (SE) module and a dense unit. The SE module optimizes and obtains features from different channels, whereas the dense unit uses fewer parameters to enhance the use of features. A human‐in‐the‐loop strategy, named deep interactive learning, is developed to achieve better segmentation performance while reducing the workload of manual annotation and time consumption. Across a cohort of 274 seminiferous tubules from stages VI to VIII, the SED‐Net achieved a pixel accuracy of 0.930, a mean pixel accuracy of 0.866, a mean intersection over union of 0.710, and a frequency weighted intersection over union of 0.878, respectively, in terms of four types of testicular cell segmentation. There is no significant difference between manual annotated tubules and segmentation results by SED‐Net in cell composition analysis for tubules from stages VI to VIII. In addition, we performed cell composition analysis on 2346 segmented seminiferous tubule images from 12 segmented testicular section results. The results provided quantitation of cells of various testicular cell types across 12 stages. The rule reflects the cell variation tendency across 12 stages during development of mouse spermatozoa. The method could enable us to not only analyze cell morphology and staging during the development of mouse spermatozoa but also potentially could be applied to the study of reproductive diseases such as infertility.
Machine learning methods applied to genotyping data capture interactions between single nucleotide variants in late onset Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Arnal Segura Magdalena , Bini Giorgio , Fernandez Orth Dietmar , Samaras Eleftherios , Kassis Maya , Aisopos Fotis , Rambla De Argila Jordi , Paliouras George , Garrard Peter , Giambartolomei Claudia , Tartaglia Gian Gaetano 
Published: April 2022

AbstractIntroductionGenome‐wide association studies (GWAS) in late onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) provide lists of individual genetic determinants. However, GWAS do not capture the synergistic effects among multiple genetic variants and lack good specificity.MethodsWe applied tree‐based machine learning algorithms (MLs) to discriminate LOAD (>700 individuals) and age‐matched unaffected subjects in UK Biobank with single nucleotide variants (SNVs) from Alzheimer's disease (AD) studies, obtaining specific genomic profiles with the prioritized SNVs.ResultsMLs prioritized a set of SNVs located in genes PVRL2, TOMM40, APOE, and APOC1, also influencing gene expression and splicing. The genomic profiles in this region showed interaction patterns involving rs405509 and rs1160985, also present in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset. rs405509 located in APOE promoter interacts with rs429358 among others, seemingly neutralizing their predisposing effect.DiscussionOur approach efficiently discriminates LOAD from controls, capturing genomic profiles defined by interactions among SNVs in a hot‐spot region.
Channel trajectories control deep‐water stratigraphic architecture
Authors: Morris Paul D. , Sylvester Zoltán , Covault Jacob A. , Mohrig David 
Published: April 2022

AbstractInterpretation of deep‐water channel deposits is challenging because the spatial arrangement of their constituent lithologies is highly variable. This variability is often thought to be a signature of complex interactions between controlling boundary conditions and processes. A three‐dimensional forward stratigraphic model of a sinuous meandering channel is used to explore the production of channelised deep‐water stratigraphy. This model highlights three stages of stratigraphic evolution for channel belts: (1) an initial phase of rapid growth in mean belt width and variability in belt width driven by increasing channel sinuosity; (2) a subsequent phase of reduced belt‐width growth rate because of cutoff processes; and (3) a mature phase during which repeated bend lifecycles act to produce a statistically stable channel‐belt width. When a trajectory defining the vertical movement of a channel over time is added to the model, commonly recognised patterns of deep‐water channel‐belt stratigraphy are produced. These results demonstrate how forward stratigraphic models provide insights into processes governing the evolution of deep‐water stratigraphy that elude interpretations of static outcrops and seismic images of subsurface examples.
The developmental high wire: Balancing resource investment in immunity and reproduction
Authors: Breiner Daniel J. , Whalen Matthew R. , Worthington Amy M. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThe strategic allocation of resources into immunity poses a unique challenge for individuals, where infection at different stages of development may result in unique trade‐offs with concurrent physiological processes or future fitness‐enhancing traits. Here, we experimentally induced an immune challenge in female Gryllus firmus crickets to test whether illness at discrete life stages differentially impacts fitness. We injected heat‐killed Serratia marcescens bacteria into antepenultimate juveniles, penultimate juveniles, sexually immature adults, and sexually mature adults, and then measured body growth, instar duration, mating rate, viability of stored sperm, egg production, oviposition rate, and egg viability. Immune activation significantly impacted reproductive traits, where females that were immune challenged as adults had decreased mating success and decreased egg viability compared to healthy individuals or females that were immune challenged as juveniles. Although there was no effect of an immune challenge on the other traits measured, the stress of handling resulted in reduced mass gain and smaller adult body size in females from the juvenile treatments, and females in the adult treatments suffered from reduced viability of sperm stored within their spermatheca. In summary, we found that an immune challenge does have negative impacts on reproduction, but also that even minor acute stressors can have significant impacts on fitness‐enhancing traits. These findings highlight that the factors affecting fitness can be complex and at times unpredictable, and that the consequences of illness are specific to when during an individual's life an immune challenge is induced.
Timescale analyses of fluctuations in coexisting populations of a native and invasive tree squirrel
Authors: Desharnais Robert A. , Muchlinski Alan E. , Ortiz Janel L. , Alvidrez Ruby I. , Gatza Brian P. 
Published: April 2022

Abstract

Competition from invasive species is an increasing threat to biodiversity. In Southern California, the western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus, WGS) is facing competition from the fox squirrel (Sciurus niger, FS), an invasive congener.

We used spectral methods to analyze 140 consecutive monthly censuses of WGS and FS within a 11.3 ha section of the California Botanic Garden. Variation in the numbers for both species and their synchrony was distributed across long timescales (>15 months).

After filtering out annual changes, concurrent mean monthly temperatures from nearby Ontario Airport yielded a spectrum with a large semi‐annual peak and significant spectral power at long timescales (>28 months). The cospectrum between WGS numbers and temperature revealed a significant negative correlation at long timescales (>35 months). Cospectra also revealed significant negative correlations with temperature at a six‐month timescale for both WGS and FS.

Simulations from a model of two competing species indicate that the risk of extinction for the weaker competitor increases quickly as environmental noise shifts from short to long timescales.

We analyzed the timescales of fluctuations in detrended mean annual temperatures for the time period 1915–2014 from 1218 locations across the continental USA. In the last two decades, significant shifts from short to long timescales have occurred, from <3 years to 4–6 years.

Our results indicate that (i) population fluctuations in co‐occurring native and invasive tree squirrels are synchronous, occur over long timescales, and may be driven by fluctuations in environmental conditions; (ii) long timescale population fluctuations increase the risk of extinction in competing species, especially for the inferior competitor; and (iii) the timescales of interannual environmental fluctuations may be increasing from recent historical values. These results have broad implications for the impact of climate change on the maintenance of biodiversity.
Crowding does not affect monarch butterflies’ resistance to a protozoan parasite
Authors: Alaidrous Wajd , Villa Scott M. , de Roode Jacobus C. , Majewska Ania A. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractHost density is an important factor when it comes to parasite transmission and host resistance. Increased host density can increase contact rate between individuals and thus parasite transmission. Host density can also cause physiological changes in the host, which can affect host resistance. Yet, the direction in which host density affects host resistance remains unresolved. It is also unclear whether food limitation plays a role in this effect. We investigated the effect of larval density in monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus, on the resistance to their natural protozoan parasite Ophryocystis elektroscirrha under both unlimited and limited food conditions. We exposed monarchs to various density treatments as larvae to mimic high densities observed in sedentary populations. Data on infection and parasite spore load were collected as well as development time, survival, wing size, and melanization. Disease susceptibility under either food condition or across density treatments was similar. However, we found high larval density impacted development time, adult survival, and wing morphology when food was limited. This study aids our understanding of the dynamics of environmental parasite transmission in monarch populations, which can help explain the increased prevalence of parasites in sedentary monarch populations compared to migratory populations.