bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Electrochemical cell recharging by solvent separation and transfer processes
Authors: Matsui Yohei , Kawase Makoto , Suzuki Takahiro , Tsushima Shohji 
Published: March 2022

AbstractElectrochemical conversion and storage of unutilized renewable energy will contribute to decarbonization. Here, we create the concept of a liquid electrochemical cell that discharges between the anodic and cathodic sides by reverse reactions of the same redox couple in different solvation states, which are created by differences in the mixture ratios of two solvents called the main solvent (MS) and the transferred solvent (TS). The cell can be charged by a transfer of the TS between the discharged anolyte and catholyte. As an example, we demonstrate a cell utilizing a ferro-/ferricyanide redox couple. Stable discharging and charging via the proposed method is achieved by utilizing water (MS) and acetone (TS). Additionally, dominating factors in the design of a high-performance system are discussed, focusing on the electron acceptability of the MS and the TS. The cell voltages are successfully tuned, and a cell voltage of 0.63 V is achieved by the combination of dimethyl sulfoxide (MS) and water (TS). Moreover, the cell can be customized by various electrochemical reaction systems, which can allow multiple options for the charging processes. This concept provides new approaches for the utilization of diverse energy sources as an input for the charging of electrochemical cells.
Radioactive iodine and female fertility
Authors: Navarro Pino , Rocher Sandra , Miró-Martínez Pau , Oltra-Crespo Sandra 
Published: March 2022

AbstractRadioactive iodine (I131) is used after surgery in the treatment of Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma (DTC). There is no solid evidence about the potential deleterious effect of I131 on women fertility. The objective of this study is to assess the impact that I131 may have on fertility in women. All women followed by DTC in our department have been analyzed and women younger than 45 years old at the time of diagnosis and initial treatment were included. There were 40 women exposed to I131 (study group) and 11 women who were only treated with thyroidectomy (control group). Of the women exposed to I131, 40% went through early menopause, while no cases were reported among their controls. Furthermore, 29.2% of women exposed to I131 had decreased Antimüllerian Hormone (AMH), compared to the only 11% of unexposed women (not significant). Regarding the fertility impairment "perceived" by patients, in the group of women exposed to iodine, 17.9% described being unable to complete their genesic desire whereas, none was registered in the control group. We conclude that radioactive iodine can affect a woman's fertility and shorten her reproductive life, so this is an aspect that should be taken into consideration.
HIDTI: integration of heterogeneous information to predict drug-target interactions
Authors: Soh Jihee , Park Sejin , Lee Hyunju 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIdentification of drug-target interactions (DTIs) plays a crucial role in drug development. Traditional laboratory-based DTI discovery is generally costly and time-consuming. Therefore, computational approaches have been developed to predict interactions between drug candidates and disease-causing proteins. We designed a novel method, termed heterogeneous information integration for DTI prediction (HIDTI), based on the concept of predicting vectors for all of unknown/unavailable heterogeneous drug- and protein-related information. We applied a residual network in HIDTI to extract features of such heterogeneous information for predicting DTIs, and tested the model using drug-based ten-fold cross-validation to examine the prediction performance for unseen drugs. As a result, HIDTI outperformed existing models using heterogeneous information, and was demonstrating that our method predicted heterogeneous information on unseen data better than other models. In conclusion, our study suggests that HIDTI has the potential to advance the field of drug development by accurately predicting the targets of new drugs.
Stability, dissolution, and cytotoxicity of NaYF4-upconversion nanoparticles with different coatings
Authors: Bastos Verónica , Oskoei Párástu , Andresen Elina , Saleh Maysoon I. , Rühle Bastian , Resch-Genger Ute , Oliveira Helena 
Published: March 2022

AbstractUpconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have attracted considerable attention owing to their unique photophysical properties. Their utilization in biomedical applications depends on the understanding of their transformations under physiological conditions and their potential toxicity. In this study, NaYF4:Yb,Er UCNPs, widely used for luminescence and photophysical studies, were modified with a set of four different coordinatively bound surface ligands, i.e., citrate, alendronate (AA), ethylendiamine tetra(methylene phosphonate) (EDTMP), and poly(maleic anhydride-alt-1-octadecene) (PMAO), as well as silica coatings with two different thicknesses. Subsequently, the aging-induced release of fluoride ions in water and cell culture media and their cytotoxic profile to human keratinocytes were assessed in parallel to the cytotoxic evaluation of the ligands, sodium fluoride and the lanthanide ions. The cytotoxicity studies of UCNPs with different surface modifications demonstrated the good biocompatibility of EDTMP-UCNPs and PMAO-UCNPs, which is in line with the low amount of fluoride ions released from these samples. An efficient prevention of UCNP dissolution and release of cytotoxic ions, as well as low cytotoxicity was also observed for UCNPs with a sufficiently thick silica shell. Overall, our results provide new insights into the understanding of the contribution of surface chemistry to the stability, dissolution behavior, and cytotoxicity of UCNPs. Altogether, the results obtained are highly important for future applications of UCNPs in the life sciences and bioimaging studies.
In-situ neutron diffraction study of lattice deformation behaviour of commercially pure titanium at cryogenic temperature
Authors: Lee Min-Su , Kawasaki Takuro , Yamashita Takayuki , Harjo Stefanus , Hyun Yong-Taek , Jeong Youngung , Jun Tea-Sung 
Published: March 2022

AbstractTitanium has a significant potential for the cryogenic industrial fields such as aerospace and liquefied gas storage and transportation due to its excellent low temperature properties. To develop and advance the technologies in cryogenic industries, it is required to fully understand the underlying deformation mechanisms of Ti under the extreme cryogenic environment. Here, we report a study of the lattice behaviour in grain families of Grade 2 CP-Ti during in-situ neutron diffraction test in tension at temperatures of 15–298 K. Combined with the neutron diffraction intensity analysis, EBSD measurements revealed that the twinning activity was more active at lower temperature, and the behaviour was complicated with decreasing temperature. The deviation of linearity in the lattice strains was caused by the load-redistribution between plastically soft and hard grain families, resulting in the three-stage hardening behaviour. The lattice strain behaviour further deviated from linearity with decreasing temperature, leading to the transition of plastically soft-to-hard or hard-to-soft characteristic of particular grain families at cryogenic temperature. The improvement of ductility can be attributed to the increased twinning activity and a significant change of lattice deformation behaviour at cryogenic temperature.
Characterization of γ-H2AX foci formation under alpha particle and X-ray exposures for dose estimation
Authors: Lee Ui-Seob , Lee Dong-Hyun , Kim Eun-Hee 
Published: March 2022

AbstractDNA double-strand break (DSB) induction is one of the phenotypes of cellular damage from radiation exposure and is commonly quantified by γ-H2AX assay with the number of excess fluorescent foci per cell as the main component. However, the number of foci alone may not fully characterize the state of DNA damage following exposures to different radiation qualities. This study investigated the feasibility of utilizing the focus size distribution and dephosphorylation rate of γ-H2AX to identify the type of causative radiation and dose. Human lung epithelial cells and mouse vascular endothelial cells were used to observe the expression changes of γ-H2AX foci due to alpha particle and X-ray exposures. Results showed that the average number of excess foci per cell linearly increased with the dose. The focus size distribution showed a consistent pattern depending on the causative radiation type. Three criteria for the identification of causative radiation type were derived from experimental focus size distributions and were validated in blind testing with correct identification of 27 out of 32 samples. The dose could be estimated based on the proportionality constant specific to the identified radiation type with a difference of less than 15% from the actual value. The different dephosphorylation rates of γ-H2AX produced from alpha particle and X-ray exposures were effectively utilized to determine the individual dose contributions of alpha particles and X-rays under mixed beam exposure. Individual doses were estimated to have differences of less than ~ 12% from actual values.
New Acetamidine Cu(II) Schiff base complex supported on magnetic nanoparticles pectin for the synthesis of triazoles using click chemistry
Authors: Khashei Siuki Hossein , Ghamari Kargar Pouya , Bagherzade Ghodsieh 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIn this project, the new catalyst copper defines as Fe3O4@Pectin@(CH2)3-Acetamide-Cu(II) was successfully manufactured and fully characterized by different techniques, including FT-IR, XRD, TEM, FESEM, EDX, VSM, TGA, and ICP analysis. All results showed that copper was successfully supported on the polymer‐coated magnetic nanoparticles. One of the most important properties of a catalyst is the ability to be prepared from simple materials such as pectin that’s a biopolymer that is widely found in nature. The catalytic activity of Fe3O4@Pectin@(CH2)3-Acetamide-Cu(II) was examined in a classical, one pot, and the three-component reaction of terminal alkynes, alkyl halides, and sodium azide in water and observed, proceeding smoothly and completed in good yields and high regioselectivity. The critical potential interests of the present method include high yields, recyclability of catalyst, easy workup, using an eco-friendly solvent, and the ability to sustain a variety of functional groups, which give economical as well as ecological rewards. The capability of the nanocomposite was compared with previous works, and the nanocomposite was found more efficient, economical, and reproducible. Also, the catalyst can be easily removed from the reaction solution using an external magnet and reused for five runs without reduction in catalyst activity.
Correlates of engaging in sports and exercise volunteering among older adults in Japan
Authors: Tsuji Taishi , Kanamori Satoru , Yamakita Mitsuya , Sato Ayane , Yokoyama Meiko , Miyaguni Yasuhiro , Kondo Katsunori 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThis study aimed to identify factors associated with engaging in sports and exercise volunteering among older adults. We used cross-sectional data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES), a nationwide mail survey of 20,877 older adults from 60 municipalities. Multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the correlation between engaging in sports and exercise volunteering and 39 variables classified into five factors: (1) demographic and biological, (2) behavioral, (3) psychological, cognitive, and emotional, (4) social and cultural, and (5) environmental factors. Among the analyzed samples, 1580 (7.6%) participants volunteered a few times/year or more often. Factors that showed positive association with the volunteering were older age, a current drinking habit, excellent self-rated health, high proportion of sports group participants in a living area, low municipal population density, and rich social and cultural features (i.e., social cohesion, support, network, and participation). Meanwhile, those that had a negative association were women, low level of education, deteriorated instrumental activities of daily living, having a past or current smoking habit, poor self-rated health, and depressive symptoms. We clarified the characteristics of the population that is more likely to participate in sports and exercise volunteering as well as those of the population that is less likely to participate and requires support.
Outburst of pest populations in rice-based cropping systems under conservation agricultural practices in the middle Indo-Gangetic Plains of South Asia
Authors: Kumar Rakesh , Choudhary Jaipal Singh , Mishra Janki Sharan , Mondal Surajit , Poonia Shishpal , Monobrullah Mohammad , Hans Hansraj , Verma Mausam , Kumar Ujjwal , Bhatt Bhagwati Prasad , Malik Ram Kanwar , Kumar Virender , McDonald Andrew 
Published: March 2022

AbstractConservation agriculture (CA), which encompasses minimum soil disturbance, residue retention either through crop residue, or cover crops and crop diversification-based crop management practices can modify the status of pest dynamics and activities under the changing climatic scenarios. CA has been advocated extensively to optimize the use of available resources, maintain the environmental quality, enhance crop productivity, and reduce the climate change impacts. Information related to the impacts of long-term CA-production systems under rice-based cropping systems on pest status is lacking, particularly in middle Indo-Gangetic Plains (MIGP). Under CA, puddling is completely avoided, and rice is directly sown or transplanted to maintain better soil health. Different sets of experimentations including farmers practice, partial CA and full CA (CA) as treatments in rice-based cropping systems, were established from 2009, 2015 and 2016 to understand the long-term impacts of CA on pest dynamics. In this study, direct and indirect effects of tillage (zero, reduced and conventional tillage), residue retention and cropping sequences on abundance and damage by pests were investigated. After 4–5 years of experimentation, populations of oriental armyworm [Mythinma (Leucania) (Pseudaletia) separata (Wlk.)] in wheat, mealybug [Brevennia rehi (Lindinger)] and bandicoot rat [Bandicota bengalensis (Gray)] in rice were found to increase abnormally in CA-based production systems. Conventionally tilled plots had a significant negative effect while residue load in zero-tilled plots had a significant positive effect on larval population build-up of M. separata. Zero tillage had a higher infestation of mealybug (52–91% infested hills) that used grassy weeds (Echinochloa colona, Echinochloa crusgalli, Cynodon dactylon, Leptochloa chinensis and Panicum repense) as alternate hosts. Cropping sequences and no disturbance of soil and grassy weeds had higher live burrow counts (4.2 and 13.7 burrows as compared to 1.47 and 7.53 burrows per 62.5 m2 during 2019–2020 and 2020–2021, respectively) and damaged tillers (3.4%) in CA-based practices. Based on the present study, pest management strategies in CA need to be revisited with respect to tillage, residue retention on soil surface, grassy weeds in field and cropping sequences to deliver the full benefits of CA in MIGP to achieve the sustainable development goals under the climate change scenarios.
MicroRNome analysis generates a blood-based signature for endometriosis
Authors: Bendifallah Sofiane , Dabi Yohann , Suisse Stéphane , Jornea Ludmila , Bouteiller Delphine , Touboul Cyril , Puchar Anne , Daraï Emile 
Published: March 2022

AbstractEndometriosis, characterized by endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus, is thought to affect 2–10% of women of reproductive age: representing about 190 million women worldwide. Numerous studies have evaluated the diagnostic value of blood biomarkers but with disappointing results. Thus, the gold standard for diagnosing endometriosis remains laparoscopy. We performed a prospective trial, the ENDO-miRNA study, using both Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), to analyze the current human miRNome to differentiate between patients with and without endometriosis, and to develop a blood-based microRNA (miRNA) diagnostic signature for endometriosis. Here, we present the first blood-based diagnostic signature obtained from a combination of two robust and disruptive technologies merging the intrinsic quality of miRNAs to condense the endometriosis phenotype (and its heterogeneity) with the modeling power of AI. The most accurate signature provides a sensitivity, specificity, and Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 96.8%, 100%, and 98.4%, respectively, and is sufficiently robust and reproducible to replace the gold standard of diagnostic surgery. Such a diagnostic approach for this debilitating disorder could impact recommendations from national and international learned societies.
Automatic compensation enhances the orientation perception in chronic astigmatism
Authors: Son Sangkyu , Shim Won Mok , Kang Hyungoo , Lee Joonyeol 
Published: March 2022

AbstractAstigmatism is a prevalent optical problem in which two or more focal points blur the retinal image at a particular meridian. Although many features of astigmatic vision, including orientation perception, are impaired at the retinal image level, the visual system appears to partly restore perceptual impairment after an extended period of astigmatism. However, the mechanism of orientation perception restoration in chronic astigmatism has not yet been clarified. We investigated the notable reduction of perceptual error in chronic astigmatism by comparing the orientation perception of a chronic astigmatism group with the perception of a normal-vision group, in which astigmatism was transiently induced. We found that orientation perception in the chronic group was more accurate than in the normal vision group. Interestingly, the reduction of perceptual errors was automatic; it remained even after the optical refractive errors were fully corrected, and the orientation perception was much more stable across different orientations, despite the uneven noise levels of the retinal images across meridians. We provide here a mechanistic explanation for how the compensation of astigmatic orientation perception occurred, using neural adaptation to the biased distribution of orientations.
Challenging presumed technological superiority when working with (artificial) colleagues
Authors: Rieger Tobias , Roesler Eileen , Manzey Dietrich 
Published: March 2022

AbstractTechnological advancements are ubiquitously supporting or even replacing humans in all areas of life, bringing the potential for human-technology symbiosis but also novel challenges. To address these challenges, we conducted three experiments in different task contexts ranging from loan assignment over X-Ray evaluation to process industry. Specifically, we investigated the impact of support agent (artificial intelligence, decision support system, or human) and failure experience (one vs. none) on trust-related aspects of human-agent interaction. This included not only the subjective evaluation of the respective agent in terms of trust, reliability, and responsibility, when working together, but also a change in perspective to the willingness to be assessed oneself by the agent. In contrast to a presumed technological superiority, we show a general advantage with regard to trust and responsibility of human support over both technical support systems (i.e., artificial intelligence and decision support system), regardless of task context from the collaborative perspective. This effect reversed to a preference for technical systems when switching the perspective to being assessed. These findings illustrate an imperfect automation schema from the perspective of the advice-taker and demonstrate the importance of perspective when working with or being assessed by machine intelligence.
Evaluation of choroidal melanin-containing tissue in healthy Japanese subjects by polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography
Authors: Miura Masahiro , Makita Shuichi , Yasuno Yoshiaki , Iwasaki Takuya , Azuma Shinnosuke , Mino Toshihiro , Yamaguchi Tatsuo 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIn this study, the choroidal melanin content in healthy eyes was evaluated with polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT). We evaluated 105 healthy eyes of 105 Japanese subjects. The mean thickness of melanin-containing tissue in the choroid (thickness of MeCh) and the choroidal melanin occupancy rate within a 5-mm circular region from the foveal center were calculated using the degree of polarization uniformity obtained by PS-OCT and compared with the choroidal thickness, patient age, and axial length. To evaluate regional variations, the 5-mm circular region was divided into a center area and an outer ring area, and the outer ring area was further divided into four areas (nasal, temporal, superior, and inferior). The mean thickness of MeCh showed a significant positive correlation with the choroidal thickness. The mean choroidal melanin occupancy rate showed a significant positive correlation with age. The mean choroidal melanin occupancy rate of the center area was significantly larger than that of the outer ring area. The mean thickness of MeCh and choroidal melanin occupancy rate of the nasal area were significantly lower than those of other areas. The distribution of melanin-containing tissue in the choroid varies significantly with age and location.
Evaluation of hepatitis C virus antibody assay using dried blood spot samples
Authors: Holzmayer Vera , Taylor Russell , Kuhns Mary C. , Gawel Susan H. , Ndembi Nicaise , Mbanya Dora , Kaptue Lazare , Rodgers Mary A. , Cloherty Gavin 
Published: March 2022

AbstractEarly diagnosis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is essential for prompt initiation of treatment and prevention of transmission, yet several logistical barriers continue to limit access to HCV testing. Dried blood spot (DBS) technology involves a simple fingerstick that eliminates the need for trained personnel, and DBS can be stored and transported at room temperature. We evaluated the use of DBS whole blood samples in the modified Abbott ARCHITECT anti-HCV assay, comparing assay performance against the standard assay run using DBS and venous plasma samples. 144 HCV positive and 104 HCV negative matched venous plasma and whole blood specimens were selected from a retrospective study with convenience sampling in Cameroon. Results obtained using a modified volume DBS assay were highly correlated to the results of the standard assay run with plasma on clinical samples and dilution series (R2 = 0.71 and 0.99 respectively). The ARCHITECT Anti-HCV assay with input volume modification more accurately detects HCV antibodies in DBS whole blood samples with 100% sensitivity and specificity, while the standard assay had 90.97% sensitivity. The use of DBS has the potential to expand access to HCV testing to underserved or marginalized populations with limited access to direct HCV care.