bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prognostic values of high sensitivity cardiac troponin T and I for long-term mortality in hemodialysis patients
Authors: Noppakun Kajohnsak , Ratnachina Kannika , Osataphan Nichanan , Phrommintikul Arintaya , Wongcharoen Wanwarang 
Published: August 2022

AbstractPrevious studies using contemporary cardiac troponin (cTn) assays have shown conflicting results in predictability of mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in hemodialysis patients. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic values of high-sensitivity cTnT (hs-cTnT) and hs-cTnI for long-term mortality and MACEs in asymptomatic chronic hemodialysis patients. 198 asymptomatic patients undergoing regular hemodialysis (age 62.4 ± 14.8 years) were enrolled. Pre-dialysis hs-cTnT and hs-cTnI levels were measured. The study outcomes were long-term all-cause mortality and MACEs. Median values of hs-cTnT and hs-cTnI were 61.1 ng/L (IQR 36.6–102.0) and 18.4 ng/L (IQR 9.5–36.6), respectively. During a median follow-up of 13.5 months, 30 (15.1%) patients developed MACEs, and 20 (10.1%) patients died. The patients in highest quartile of hs-cTnT level (≥ 102 ng/L) had increased risk of long-term mortality (HR 3.34; 95%CI 1.39–8.04, P = 0.005). However, hs-cTnI levels above highest quartile (≥ 36 ng/L) was not significantly associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality. Nevertheless, elevated level of hs-cTnT and hs-cTnI was associated with increased risk of MACEs. We demonstrated that higher level of hs-cTnT, but not hs-cTnI, was associated with increased risk of long-term mortality. Nevertheless, higher level of hs-cTnT and hs-cTnI both were associated with greater risk of long-term MACEs.
Association between depressive symptoms and pericardial fat in healthy older men and women
Authors: Miller Natalie Ella , Steptoe Andrew 
Published: August 2022

AbstractDepressive symptoms are associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and inflammation may contribute to this relationship. Pericardial fat, a highly metabolically active fat depot, is implicated in the pathogenesis of CVD, but its association with depressive symptoms is unclear. This study examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal association between depressive symptoms and pericardial fat over a three-year period. Participants were 543 healthy men and women (mean age = 62.9 years) without history or objective signs of coronary heart disease from the Whitehall II cohort. In men, depressive symptoms were positively associated with pericardial fat at baseline after adjustment for sociodemographics, waist to hip ratio and conventional cardiovascular risk factors. Inflammation, indexed by plasma interleukin 6 concentration, accounted for 17% of this association. Longitudinally, depressive symptoms did not predict pericardial fat three years later in men once baseline levels of pericardial fat were accounted for. No significant associations between depressive symptoms and pericardial fat were found in women. Overall, our findings suggest that greater pericardial fat might be a mechanism by which depressive symptoms are associated with increased risk for CVD in men, and inflammation may also lie on this pathway.
Size structure of the coral Stylophora pistillata across reef flat zones in the central Red Sea
Authors: Rich Walter A. , Carvalho Susana , Cadiz Ronald , Gil Gloria , Gonzalez Karla , Berumen Michael L. 
Published: August 2022

AbstractDemographic analyses offer insight into the state of a population. Here, we surveyed different reef flat zones (exposed, midreef and sheltered) of six reefs over a cross-shelf gradient to characterize the population structure of Stylophora pistillata, a coral species which dominates reef flats in the central Red Sea. Phototransects were conducted at each reef flat zone, and the density of S. pistillata, the planar area of each colony, and the occurrence of partial mortality were calculated using the program ImageJ. Each colony was also assigned a color morph (yellow, purple or mixed colors). Density and mean size were extremely variable, both among reef flat zones and reefs, but overall, both metrics were lower on the midshelf reefs. The yellow color morph accounted for nearly 90% of colonies surveyed and dominated most reef flats assessed, with the exception of one site where 81% of colonies were purple morphs. There were no spatial trends in the percentage of colonies suffering partial mortality, but overall there is a positive correlation with size class and proportion of colonies with partial mortality. Despite few trends emerging from assessing individual parameters, a PERMANOVA analysis revealed differences among reef flat zones in most of the reefs, highlighting the importance of multivariate analysis. The data presented here serve as a baseline for monitoring and may identify possible future demographic changes to this important coral species in a region increasingly affected by bleaching events.
Hypoxia mimetics restore bone biomineralisation in hyperglycaemic environments
Authors: Rezaei Azadeh , Li Yutong , Turmaine Mark , Bertazzo Sergio , Howard Christopher A. , Arnett Timothy R. , Shakib Kaveh , Jell Gavin 
Published: August 2022

AbstractDiabetic patients have an increased risk of fracture and an increased occurrence of impaired fracture healing. Diabetic and hyperglycaemic conditions have been shown to impair the cellular response to hypoxia, via an inhibited hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1α pathway. We investigated, using an in vitro hyperglycaemia bone tissue engineering model (and a multidisciplinary bone characterisation approach), the differing effects of glucose levels, hypoxia and chemicals known to stabilise HIF-1α (CoCl2 and DMOG) on bone formation. Hypoxia (1% O2) inhibited bone nodule formation and resulted in discrete biomineralisation as opposed to the mineralised extracellular collagen fibres found in normoxia (20% O2). Unlike hypoxia, the use of hypoxia mimetics did not prevent nodule formation in normal glucose level. Hyperglycaemic conditions (25 mM and 50 mM glucose) inhibited biomineralisation. Interestingly, both hypoxia mimetics (CoCl2 and DMOG) partly restored hyperglycaemia inhibited bone nodule formation. These results highlight the difference in osteoblast responses between hypoxia mimetics and actual hypoxia and suggests a role of HIF-1α stabilisation in bone biomineralisation that extends that of promoting neovascularisation, or other system effects associated with hypoxia and bone regeneration in vivo. This study demonstrates that targeting the HIF pathway may represent a promising strategy for bone regeneration in diabetic patients.
Identification of key candidate genes for IgA nephropathy using machine learning and statistics based bioinformatics models
Authors: Al Mehedi Hasan Md. , Maniruzzaman Md. , Shin Jungpil 
Published: August 2022

AbstractImmunoglobulin-A-nephropathy (IgAN) is a kidney disease caused by the accumulation of IgAN deposits in the kidneys, which causes inflammation and damage to the kidney tissues. Various bioinformatics analysis-based approaches are widely used to predict novel candidate genes and pathways associated with IgAN. However, there is still some scope to clearly explore the molecular mechanisms and causes of IgAN development and progression. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify key candidate genes for IgAN using machine learning (ML) and statistics-based bioinformatics models. First, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using limma, and then enrichment analysis was performed on DEGs using DAVID. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) was constructed using STRING and Cytoscape was used to determine hub genes based on connectivity and hub modules based on MCODE scores and their associated genes from DEGs. Furthermore, ML-based algorithms, namely support vector machine (SVM), least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were applied to identify the discriminative genes of IgAN from DEGs. Finally, the key candidate genes (FOS, JUN, EGR1, FOSB, and DUSP1) were identified as overlapping genes among the selected hub genes, hub module genes, and discriminative genes from SVM, LASSO, and PLS-DA, respectively which can be used for the diagnosis and treatment of IgAN.
Eye-tracking training improves the learning and memory of children with learning difficulty
Authors: Chan Agnes S. , Lee Tsz-Lok , Sze Sophia L. , Yang Natalie S. , Han Yvonne M. Y. 
Published: August 2022

AbstractChildren who experience difficulty in learning at mainstream schools usually are provided with remediation classes after school to facilitate their learning. The present study aims to evaluate an innovative eye-tracking training as possible alternative remediation. Our previous findings showed that children who received eye-tracking training demonstrated improved attention and inhibitory control, and the present randomized controlled study aims to evaluate if eye-tracking training can also enhance the learning and memory of children. Fifty-three primary school students with learning difficulty (including autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, specific learning disorder, specific language impairment and borderline intellectual functioning) were recruited and randomly assigned to either the Eye-tracking Training group or the after-school remediation class. They were assessed on their learning and memory using the Hong Kong List Learning Test before and after 8-month training. Twenty weekly parallel sessions of training, 50 min per session, were provided to each group. Children who received the eye-tracking training, not those in the control group, showed a significant improvement in memory as measured by the delayed recall. In addition, the Eye-Tracking Training group showed significantly faster learning than the control group. Also, the two groups showed a significant improvement in their reading abilities. In sum, eye-tracking training may be effective training for enhancing the learning and memory of children with learning difficulties.
Research on decoupling control for the longitudinal and lateral dynamics of a tractor considering steering delay
Authors: Miao Hequan , Diao Peisong , Xu Guangfei , Yao Wenyan , Song Zhicai , Wang Wenjun 
Published: August 2022

AbstractTo enhance the efficiency of tractor operation, the longitudinal and lateral dynamic control of a self-driving tractor is studied in this paper, and a control system that decouples control of the longitudinal and lateral movement of the tractor is proposed. The trajectory controller calculates the desired speed and desired yaw rate signals of each subsystem, and a PID controller regulates the longitudinal speed of the tractor. A pure pursuit algorithm calculates the desired front wheel angle of the tractor. To decrease the system time delay in the automatic steering system, an automatic steering scheme based on improved Smith predictive control is proposed. Through decoupling control of the longitudinal and lateral controllers, the tractor’s path tracking performance is assured.
Discovery of stripe rust resistance with incomplete dominance in wild emmer wheat using bulked segregant analysis sequencing
Authors: Klymiuk Valentyna , Chawla Harmeet Singh , Wiebe Krystalee , Ens Jennifer , Fatiukha Andrii , Govta Liubov , Fahima Tzion , Pozniak Curtis J. 
Published: August 2022

AbstractDurable crop disease resistance is an essential component of global food security. Continuous pathogen evolution leads to a breakdown of resistance and there is a pressing need to characterize new resistance genes for use in plant breeding. Here we identified an accession of wild emmer wheat (Triticum turgidumssp.dicoccoides), PI 487260, that is highly resistant to multiple stripe rust isolates. Genetic analysis revealed resistance was conferred by a single, incompletely dominant gene designated asYr84. Through bulked segregant analysis sequencing (BSA-Seq) we identified a 52.7 Mb resistance-associated interval on chromosome 1BS. Detected variants were used to design genetic markers for recombinant screening, further refining the interval ofYr84to a 2.3–3.3 Mb in tetraploid wheat genomes. This interval contains 34 candidate genes encoding for protein domains involved in disease resistance responses. Furthermore, KASP markers closely-linked toYr84were developed to facilitate marker-assisted selection for rust resistance breeding.
The spike of SARS-CoV-2 promotes metabolic rewiring in hepatocytes
Authors: Mercado-Gómez Maria , Prieto-Fernández Endika , Goikoetxea-Usandizaga Naroa , Vila-Vecilla Laura , Azkargorta Mikel , Bravo Miren , Serrano-Maciá Marina , Egia-Mendikute Leire , Rodríguez-Agudo Rubén , Lachiondo-Ortega Sofia , Lee So Young , Eguileor Giné Alvaro , Gil-Pitarch Clàudia , González-Recio Irene , Simón Jorge , Petrov Petar , Jover Ramiro , Martínez-Cruz Luis Alfonso , Ereño-Orbea June , Delgado Teresa Cardoso , Elortza Felix , Jiménez-Barbero Jesús , Nogueiras Ruben , Prevot Vincent , Palazon Asis , Martínez-Chantar María L. 
Published: August 2022

AbstractSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes a multi-organ damage that includes hepatic dysfunction, which has been observed in over 50% of COVID-19 patients. Liver injury in COVID-19 could be attributed to the cytopathic effects, exacerbated immune responses or treatment-associated drug toxicity. Herein we demonstrate that hepatocytes are susceptible to infection in different models: primary hepatocytes derived from humanized angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 mice (hACE2) and primary human hepatocytes. Pseudotyped viral particles expressing the full-length spike of SARS-CoV-2 and recombinant receptor binding domain (RBD) bind to ACE2 expressed by hepatocytes, promoting metabolic reprogramming towards glycolysis but also impaired mitochondrial activity. Human and hACE2 primary hepatocytes, where steatosis and inflammation were induced by methionine and choline deprivation, are more vulnerable to infection. Inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system increases the susceptibility of primary hepatocytes to infection with pseudotyped viral particles. Metformin, a common therapeutic option for hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes patients known to partially attenuate fatty liver, reduces the infection of human and hACE2 hepatocytes. In summary, we provide evidence that hepatocytes are amenable to infection with SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus, and we propose that metformin could be a therapeutic option to attenuate infection by SARS-CoV-2 in patients with fatty liver.
Central Mediterranean rainfall varied with high northern latitude temperatures during the last deglaciation
Authors: Columbu Andrea , Spötl Christoph , Fohlmeister Jens , Hu Hsun-Ming , Chiarini Veronica , Hellstrom John , Cheng Hai , Shen Chuan-Chou , De Waele Jo 
Published: August 2022

AbstractSimilarly to the effects of current climate change, the last deglaciation (Termination I) rapidly altered northern latitude temperatures and ice-sheet extent, as well as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. However, it is still unclear how these changes propagated and impacted the central Mediterranean continental rainfall variability. This prevents a full understanding on how global warming will affect Mediterranean areas in the future. Here, we present a high-resolution reconstruction of rainfall changes in the central Mediterranean across Termination I, based on a novel δ18O time series from a southern Italian stalagmite. Across Termination I the availability of Atlantic moisture varied in response to northern latitude temperature increases (decreases) and ice-sheet decreases (increases), promoting a higher (lower) intensity of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, and resulting in a relatively wetter (drier) climate in the Mediterranean. In the light of future warming, this study emphasises the role of high-latitude climate changes in causing rainfall variation in highly populated Mediterranean areas.
Symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Young Adults Who Stutter
Authors: Merlo Sandra , Jacobs Molly M. , Briley Patrick M. 
Published: August 2022

Purpose:
Evidence of a linkage between developmental stuttering and insomnia has been suggested in earlier studies. This study explores the prevalence of four symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in individuals with and without stuttering.

Method:
Frequency of snoring/stoppage of breath, sleep fragmentation, difficulty concentrating, and fatigue were analyzed using data from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), a nationally representative survey study following 13,564 U.S. respondents over 20 years. Binary and multinomial logistic regressions were used to assess the relationship between stuttering and all four OSA symptoms, controlling for sex, age, race, ethnicity, body mass index, and potentially confounding conditions. To account for the occurrence of multiple symptoms, a structural equation framework modeled the relationships between the symptoms, the control variables, and stuttering simultaneously.

Results:

The sample included 261 participants (1.7% of the total respondents) who identified themselves as people who stutter, composed of 169 men and 92 women. Compared with their fluent counterparts, individuals who stutter report that they snore or stop breathing during sleep (odds ratio [
OR
] = 1.41), experience sleep fragmentation (
OR
= 1.33), have difficulty concentrating (
OR
= 1.85), and experience fatigue (
OR
= 1.04). The structural equation framework indicated that snoring/stoppage of breath, sleep fragmentation, and difficulty concentrating are significantly and positively related to one another and to stuttering.

Conclusions:
Speech-language pathologists should be aware of these symptoms among young adults who stutter and consider that they are suggestive of OSA. Additional research is needed to fully assess the directionality of influence in the relationship of stuttering and symptoms of OSA.
Finite‐time attitude consensus control for multiple rigid spacecraft based on distributed observers
Authors: Qi Wen‐Nian , Wu Ai‐Guo , Huang Jing , Dong Rui‐Qi 
Published: August 2022

AbstractThe problem of attitude consensus control is addressed for multiple rigid spacecraft under a fixed interaction network where only a subset of followers can obtain the leader's state information. To estimate the attitude and angular velocity of the leader, a group of distributed finite‐time observers is constructed for each follower. Then fast non‐singular terminal sliding mode attitude controllers are proposed for followers based on the observed information. Rigorous proofs are presented to show the finite‐time attitude consensus performance of the closed‐loop multiple rigid spacecraft systems under the proposed consensus protocol including distributed observers and attitude controllers. Numerical simulations are provided to illustrate the performance of the proposed attitude consensus protocol.
X‐Ray medical image super‐resolution via self‐organization neural networks and geometric directional gradient
Authors: Ahmadian Khodabakhsh , Reza‐Alikhani Hamid‐reza 
Published: August 2022

AbstractNowadays, due to the rapid development of the Internet and communication networks, remote disease diagnosis by physicians utilizing medical images such as X‐rays have increased. However, the transmitted images lose their true quality and resolutions due to several factors, including noise and image compression techniques used to conserve memory space. This paper presents a novel clinical X‐ray image enhancement method based on self‐organizing neural networks, the ability of first‐order derivative operators to detect edges, and improved classification methods by enhancing image features and extending the nearest neighbor algorithms selection of the best similarity feature vector among all sample feature vectors. The proposed method employs first‐order image derivation operators to extract edge details and features from images. The feature vectors were preprocessed and segmented into various classes using self‐organizing neural networks. The best matching and most similar vectors among the feature vectors are retrieved via the nearest neighbor algorithm. In contrast to conventional and contemporary image super‐resolution techniques, the proposed method does not rely on the cost function. It is independent of error backpropagation methods because the competitive nature of the neural network is used to update the weight vectors rather than the gradient descent method. In addition, the performance and accuracy of the proposed image super‐resolution method were improved by increasing the number of feature components in the feature vectors through the use of the two‐dimensional image gradient. Furthermore, numerous image quality measurement criteria, such as structural similarity index (SSIM) and peak signal‐to‐noise ratio (PSNR), were used to compare the reconstructed images of the proposed algorithm with those of other image enhancement algorithms. The results show that the proposed image enhancement algorithms' high‐resolution and high‐quality reconstructed image significantly outperformed many other medical image enhancement algorithms in reconstructing the edges and boundaries of objects with a smooth slope, as deemed by expert personnel and compared with image quality measurement criteria.
A trust‐based mechanism for drones in smart cities
Authors: Rathee Geetanjali , Kumar Akshay , Kerrache Chaker Abdelaziz , Iqbal Razi 
Published: August 2022

AbstractSmart cities equipped with intelligent devices can enhance the lifestyle and quality of humans by automatically and collaboratively acting as a sustainable resource to the ecosystem. In addition, the technological advancement can be further empowered by interconnecting various types of technologies, such as IoT, Artificial Intelligence, drones and robotics which will clearly improve the Quality of Services, energy efficiency and connectivity to the overall system. The integration of drones hovering over smart cities with the other devices in the smart city network brings a lot of benefits. However, it can also lead to various security and privacy concerns in the network. The aim of this article is to put forward a secure and safe smart city communication environment by proposing a trust establishment scheme for the ad hoc Unmanned Aerial Vehicles network. In which, malicious devices can be traced and blocked by analysing and evaluating their historical interactions within the system and calculating their trust values. A behaviour‐based and local trust value scheme is used to analyse the trust of each communicating device that is further associated with a blockchain distributed ledger. The proposed mechanism is measured over various networking and security metrics, including throughput, latency, accuracy and block updating compared to the existing state‐of‐the‐art solutions.