bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The RETA Benchmark for Retinal Vascular Tree Analysis
Authors: Lyu Xingzheng , Cheng Li , Zhang Sanyuan 
Published: July 2022

AbstractTopological and geometrical analysis of retinal blood vessels could be a cost-effective way to detect various common diseases. Automated vessel segmentation and vascular tree analysis models require powerful generalization capability in clinical applications. In this work, we constructed a novel benchmark RETA with 81 labelled vessel masks aiming to facilitate retinal vessel analysis. A semi-automated coarse-to-fine workflow was proposed for vessel annotation task. During database construction, we strived to control inter-annotator and intra-annotator variability by means of multi-stage annotation and label disambiguation on self-developed dedicated software. In addition to binary vessel masks, we obtained other types of annotations including artery/vein masks, vascular skeletons, bifurcations, trees and abnormalities. Subjective and objective quality validations of the annotated vessel masks demonstrated significantly improved quality over the existing open datasets. Our annotation software is also made publicly available serving the purpose of pixel-level vessel visualization. Researchers could develop vessel segmentation algorithms and evaluate segmentation performance using RETA. Moreover, it might promote the study of cross-modality tubular structure segmentation and analysis.
SARS-CoV-2 molecular diagnosis at airports to minimize travel-related COVID-19 spread
Authors: de La Vega Marc-Antoine , XIII Ara , Lee Marc F. , Kobinger Gary P. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractFollowing the identification of SARS-CoV-2, screening for air travel helped mitigate spread, yet lessons learned from a case study of air travel within Canada display enhanced techniques to better identify infected individuals, informing future responsive screening. While international travel bans limit infectious spread beyond a country’s borders, such measures are hardly sustainable economically and infrequently address domestic travel. Here, we describe a case study from Canada, where a diagnostic laboratory at point of travel conducted real-time PCR-based detection of SARS-CoV-2 in support of existing interventions, including clinical and epidemiological questionnaires, and temperature checks. All mining workers departing from a populated urban area flying to one of two sites (Site A and B) in a remote northern Canadian region, which we deemed “at-risk”, because healthcare services are limited and vulnerable to epidemics. Data collected between June and November 2020 on 15,873 clinical samples, indicate that molecular diagnosis allowed for identification of 13 infected individuals, who would have otherwise been missed by using solely nonpharmaceutical interventions. Overall, no outbreaks, COVID-19-related or other, were detected at the point of travel up to December 2021 since the implementation of the laboratory, suggesting this screening process is an effective means to protect at-risk communities. The success of this study suggests a process more practical than travel bans or an unfocused screening of air travelers everywhere.
Direct PCR with the CDC 2019 SARS-CoV-2 assay: optimization for limited-resource settings
Authors: Victoriano Christia M. , Pask Megan E. , Malofsky Nicole A. , Seegmiller Adam , Simmons Steve , Schmitz Jonathan E. , Haselton Frederick R. , Adams Nicholas M. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractPCR-based diagnostics generally require nucleic acid extraction from patient specimens prior to amplification. As highlighted early in the COVID-19 pandemic, extraction steps may be difficult to scale during times of massive demand and limited reagent supply. Forgoing an extraction step, we previously reported that the N1 primer/probe-set of the widespread CDC COVID-19 assay maintains high categorical sensitivity (95%) and specificity (100%) with direct inoculation of viral transport media (VTM) into qRT-PCR reactions. In contrast, the N2 set demonstrated a prominent Ct delay and low sensitivity (33%) without extraction. In the current study, we have improved the performance of this modified CDC assay (in particular the N2 set) by incorporating N1/N2/RNase P multiplexing and dissecting the effects of annealing temperature, VTM interference, and inoculum volume. The latter two factors exerted a more prominent effect on the performance of N2 than N1, although these effects were largely overcome through elevated annealing temperature. This unextracted/multiplex protocol was evaluated with 41 SARS-CoV-2 positive and 43 negative clinical samples, demonstrating a categorical sensitivity of 92.7% and specificity of 100% versus the unmodified CDC methodology. Overall, this work offers a generalizable strategy to maximize testing capabilities for COVID-19 or other emerging pathogens when resources are constrained.
Origin and timing of spilitic alterations in volcanic rocks from Głuszyca Górna in the Intra-Sudetic Basin, Poland
Authors: Powolny Tomasz , Dumańska-Słowik Magdalena , Anczkiewicz Aneta A. , Sikorska-Jaworowska Magdalena 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThe formation of spilitic assemblages (i.e. chlorite and albite) has been ubiquitously involved during the evolution of continental early-Permian volcanics from the Intra-Sudetic Basin (ISB). Based on the investigation of laccolith-type and variably-altered trachyandesite exposure in the vicinity of Głuszyca Górna (Lower Silesia, Poland), we have demonstrated that apatite fission-track dating (AFT), coupled with chlorite geothermometry, can be successfully applied to denote the timing of low-temperature alterations within volcanic rocks. The primary magmatic assemblages of the trachyandesites (i.e. augite and andesine-labradorite) have been affected by chloritization and alblitization respectively, followed by the formation of secondary titanite, celadonite, and calcite. The chlorite species have crystallized in the range of 106–170 °C, that exceeds Apatite Partial Annealing Zone (70–110 °C). The secondary, nearly pure albite (Ab ~ 99 mol.%) with weak to dark-brown cathodoluminescence replaces primary plagioclase (~ An37–50Ab47–58Or2–4) along the cleavage and/or twinning planes during Al3+–conservative reaction. The accessory apatite is marked by swallow-tail terminations indicative of rapid cooling formation conditions. It shows homogenous chemical composition, high F− content, and pink to yellow (REE3+ and Mn2+-activated, respectively) cathodoluminescence. Based on the AFT dating, the development of spilitic alterations within the early-Permian (ca 290 Ma) laccolith from Głuszyca could not only span the range of 182–161 Ma (Middle Jurassic), but also occurred prior to large-scale geological events in the ISB, such as burial under late-Mesozoic sediments, as well as tectonic inversion and exhumation. Whole-rock geochemistry of trachyandesites altered to various extent, indicates that original trace elements concentrations, except for i.e. Sr, Cs, and Ba, could be preserved during low-temperature alteration (spilitization). Meanwhile, geochemical fingerprint of the volcanics (i.e. humped-shaped mantle normalized trace element diagrams and positive Zr–Hf anomaly) points to the crustal contamination during magma evolution, combined with the mantle metasomatism in the source via subduction-derived components (i.e. fluids), as shown by i.e. low Nb/Th and Nb/LREE ratios.
SOD1 gains pro-oxidant activity upon aberrant oligomerization: change in enzymatic activity by intramolecular disulfide bond cleavage
Authors: Yamazaki Kosuke , Tahara Shinya , Ohyama Takumi , Kuroi Kunisato , Nakabayashi Takakazu 
Published: July 2022

AbstractCopper-zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) has been proposed as one of the causative proteins of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The accumulation of non-native conformers, oligomers, and aggregates of SOD1 in motor neurons is considered responsible for this disease. However, it remains unclear which specific feature of these species induces the onset of ALS. In this study, we showed that disulfide-linked oligomers of denatured SOD1 exhibit pro-oxidant activity. Substituting all the cysteine residues in the free thiol state with serine resulted in the loss of both the propensity to oligomerize and the increase in pro-oxidant activity after denaturation. In contrast, these cysteine mutants oligomerized and acquired the pro-oxidant activity after denaturation in the presence of a reductant that cleaves the intramolecular disulfide bond. These results indicate that one of the toxicities of SOD1 oligomers is the pro-oxidant activity induced by scrambling of the disulfide bonds. Small oligomers such as dimers and trimers exhibit stronger pro-oxidant activity than large oligomers and aggregates, consistent with the trend of the cytotoxicity of oligomers and aggregates reported in previous studies. We propose that the cleavage of the intramolecular disulfide bond accompanied by the oligomerization reduces the substrate specificity of SOD1, leading to the non-native enzymatic activity.
The effectiveness of 20 μg hepatitis B vaccine used for the prevention of HBV vertical transmission
Authors: Yonghao Guo , Yanping Chen , Qiaohua Dou , Daxing Feng , Yanyang Zhang , Dongyang Zhao , Wanshen Guo 
Published: July 2022

AbstractTo evaluate the efficiency of a 20 μg hepatitis B vaccine(HepB) for disease prevention in two counties in Henan Province, China. A questionnaire was designed to examine the information of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive pregnant women, and their blood samples were collected to test for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), hepatitis B e antibody, and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA. Three doses of 20 μg HepB and one dose of hepatitis B immune globulin(HBIG) were administered to newborns. Blood samples were collected from children one month after their complete immunization to test for HBsAg and hepatitis B surface antibody(HBsAb). A total of 419 HBsAg positive-pregnant women and 430 newborns were investigated. The average age of pregnant women was 29.6 ± 4.3 years, with an HBeAg positive rate of 29.1% (122/419). All newborns received their first dose of 20 μg hepatitis B vaccine and 100 IU HBIG within 12 h after birth. Six infants (1.9%, 6/319) tested positive for HBsAg and negative for HBsAb after one month of receiving the three basic doses of HepB. The geometric mean concentration(GMC) of HBsAb-positive infants was 861.6 mIU/mL, and their HBsAb antibody titers decreased with age. Immunization of children born to HBsAg-positive mothers with 20 μg HepB got the satisfactory effect on preventing mother-to-child transmission.
Non-political anger shifts political preferences towards stronger leaders
Authors: Ambroziak Klaudia B. , Safra Lou , Tsakiris Manos 
Published: July 2022

AbstractPast research has shown that anger is associated with support for confrontational and punitive responses during crises, and notably with the endorsement of authoritarian ideologies. One important question is whether it is anger generated specifically in a political context that explains the association between anger and specific political preferences or whether any feeling of anger would be associated with changes in political attitudes. Here, we tested the effect of non-politically motivated incidental anger on the preference for strong leaders. In line with past research, we predicted that anger would increase preferences for strong leaders. Across two experiments, we exposed participants to an anger induction task. Before and after this experimental manipulation, we measured participants’ political leader preferences by asking them to choose between the faces of two leaders they would vote for in a hypothetical election. The level of self-reported anger predicted the probability of choosing more dominant-looking and less trustworthy-looking leaders after the induction, suggesting that even non-political incidental anger increases preferences for strong leaders.
Morphological variability of Carex buekii (Cyperaceae) as a function of soil conditions: a case study of the Central European populations
Authors: Więcław Helena , Bosiacka Beata , Hrivnák Richard , Dajdok Zygmunt , Mesterházy Attila , Koopman Jacob 
Published: July 2022

AbstractCarex buekii is a highly adaptive species showing a fairly wide ecological spectrum. It belongs to the group of river corridor plants which are vulnerable to any human activity directed at transformation of river valley habitats worldwide. This study was aimed at: determining the phenotypic variability of the species in the central part of its range, examining effects of soil conditions on the sedge’s morphological traits, and finding out whether the phenotypic plasticity observed may have taxonomic implications. A total of 487 specimens from 26 populations were collected in Hungary, Poland and Slovakia and tested by univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistical methods. The analysis involved 16 morphological traits and 7 soil parameters (organic matter, pH, potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, magnesium, calcium). Soil conditions were shown to affect the C. buekii morphology; particularly important was potassium, the only soil parameter that was indicated as a factor affecting intra-specific variability. Sites with lower contents of bioavailable potassium hosted C. buekii individuals which were generally smaller than those at sites showing higher soil potassium contents. The relationship held true also with respect to generative traits important in sedge taxonomy, i.e. utricle and beak lengths. Consideration of morphological differences only, without analysing relationships between morphology and soil conditions, could have resulted in distinguishing new entities at the level of species, subspecies or variety. Thus, knowledge on the range of phenotypic plasticity in field populations seems to be of a key importance in taxonomic studies.
Sea lions could use multilateration localization for object tracking as tested with bio-inspired whisker arrays
Authors: Glick Raphael , Muthuramalingam Muthukumar , Brücker Christoph 
Published: July 2022

AbstractPrevious behavioural research on live sea lions has shown that they are able to detect the direction of oncoming vortices, even when impacting contralaterally. These experiments showed that the whisker system and the animal’s neural processing is seemingly able to detect the Direction of Arrival (DoA) from just one side of the heads vibrissal pads. Therefore, temporal differences between whisker stimulation is a likely method for determining the angle. Herein, a theoretical model is presented based on multilateration, and tested by experimental studies on a 2D array of bio-inspired whiskers with regular spacing, and a 3D array of bio-inspired whiskers on a model head of a sea lion, as used in our previous studies. The results show that arrays of whiskers can in principle work as antennae to determine the DoA. This detection of the DoA is achieved by cross-correlation of triplets of whiskers, and Time Difference Of Arrival based multilateration, a method similar to signal processing in modern communication systems and other source localization applications. The results on the 2D array are conclusive and clearly support the hypothesis, while increased uncertainties were found for the 3D array, which could be explained by structural shortcomings of the experimental model. Possible ways to improve the signal are discussed.
Thermodynamically-guided machine learning modelling for predicting the glass-forming ability of bulk metallic glasses
Authors: Ghorbani Alireza , Askari Amirhossein , Malekan Mehdi , Nili-Ahmadabadi Mahmoud 
Published: July 2022

AbstractGlass-forming ability (GFA) of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) is a determinant parameter which has been significantly studied. GFA improvements could be achieved through trial-and-error experiments, as a tedious work, or by using developed predicting tools. Machine-Learning (ML) has been used as a promising method to predict the properties of BMGs by removing the barriers in the way of its alloy design. This article aims to develop a ML-based method for predicting the maximum critical diameter (Dmax) of BMGs as a factor of their glass-forming ability. The main result is that the random forest method can be used as a sustainable model (R2 = 92%) for predicting glass-forming ability. Also, adding characteristic temperatures to the model will increase the accuracy and efficiency of the developed model. Comparing the measured and predicted values of Dmax for a set of newly developed BMGs indicated that the model is reliable and can be truly used for predicting the GFA of BMGs.
Elastic mechanics solution of thermal expansion of bi-material curved beam and its application to negative thermal expansion metamaterials
Authors: Huang Jingxiang , Fu Minghui , Zheng Binbin 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThermal stress impacts various engineering fields significantly, such as aerospace and precision instruments. This adverse effect can be greatly reduced, if not eliminated, by the application of micro-thermal expansion materials, and bi-material beams are widely utilized in the design of micro-thermal expansion structures, thereby exhibiting great application potentials. The elasticity solution of bi-material curved beam under free thermal expansion has been proposed by scholars. Based on this solution, the simplified form is proposed in this paper, and extended to the case where the rotation angles at both ends of the circular arc are constrained under thermal loads. Besides, the geometric parameters and the nonlinear problems of the thermal expansion of bi-material curved beam are analyzed. In addition, a novel type of negative thermal expansion material has been designed by applying the bi-material curved beam to the tetra chiral and anti-tetra chiral materials. The proposed material has greater negative thermal expansion effect than the traditional tetra and anti-tetra chiral materials that are with straight beams.
The promise of machine learning applications in solid organ transplantation
Authors: Gotlieb Neta , Azhie Amirhossein , Sharma Divya , Spann Ashley , Suo Nan-Ji , Tran Jason , Orchanian-Cheff Ani , Wang Bo , Goldenberg Anna , Chassé Michael , Cardinal Heloise , Cohen Joseph Paul , Lodi Andrea , Dieude Melanie , Bhat Mamatha 
Published: July 2022

AbstractSolid-organ transplantation is a life-saving treatment for end-stage organ disease in highly selected patients. Alongside the tremendous progress in the last several decades, new challenges have emerged. The growing disparity between organ demand and supply requires optimal patient/donor selection and matching. Improvements in long-term graft and patient survival require data-driven diagnosis and management of post-transplant complications. The growing abundance of clinical, genetic, radiologic, and metabolic data in transplantation has led to increasing interest in applying machine-learning (ML) tools that can uncover hidden patterns in large datasets. ML algorithms have been applied in predictive modeling of waitlist mortality, donor–recipient matching, survival prediction, post-transplant complications diagnosis, and prediction, aiming to optimize immunosuppression and management. In this review, we provide insight into the various applications of ML in transplant medicine, why these were used to evaluate a specific clinical question, and the potential of ML to transform the care of transplant recipients. 36 articles were selected after a comprehensive search of the following databases: Ovid MEDLINE; Ovid MEDLINE Epub Ahead of Print and In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations; Ovid Embase; Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Ovid); and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Ovid). In summary, these studies showed that ML techniques hold great potential to improve the outcome of transplant recipients. Future work is required to improve the interpretability of these algorithms, ensure generalizability through larger-scale external validation, and establishment of infrastructure to permit clinical integration.
Machine learning-based quantitative prediction of drug exposure in drug-drug interactions using drug label information
Authors: Jang Ha Young , Song Jihyeon , Kim Jae Hyun , Lee Howard , Kim In-Wha , Moon Bongki , Oh Jung Mi 
Published: July 2022

AbstractMany machine learning techniques provide a simple prediction for drug-drug interactions (DDIs). However, a systematically constructed database with pharmacokinetic (PK) DDI information does not exist, nor is there a machine learning model that numerically predicts PK fold change (FC) with it. Therefore, we propose a PK DDI prediction (PK-DDIP) model for quantitative DDI prediction with high accuracy, while constructing a highly reliable PK-DDI database. Reliable information of 3,627 PK DDIs was constructed from 3,587 drugs using 38,711 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug labels. This PK-DDIP model predicted the FC of the area under the time-concentration curve (AUC) within ± 0.5959. The prediction proportions within 0.8–1.25-fold, 0.67–1.5-fold, and 0.5–2-fold of the AUC were 75.77, 86.68, and 94.76%, respectively. Two external validations confirmed good prediction performance for newly updated FDA labels and FC from patients’. This model enables potential DDI evaluation before clinical trials, which will save time and cost.
Food-seeking behavior is triggered by skin ultraviolet exposure in males
Authors: Parikh Shivang , Parikh Roma , Michael Keren , Bikovski Lior , Barnabas Georgina , Mardamshina Mariya , Hemi Rina , Manich Paulee , Goldstein Nir , Malcov-Brog Hagar , Ben-Dov Tom , Glaich Ohad , Liber Daphna , Bornstein Yael , Goltseker Koral , Ben-Bezalel Roy , Pavlovsky Mor , Golan Tamar , Spitzer Liron , Matz Hagit , Gonen Pinchas , Percik Ruth , Leibou Lior , Perluk Tomer , Ast Gil , Frand Jacob , Brenner Ronen , Ziv Tamar , Khaled Mehdi , Ben-Eliyahu Shamgar , Barak Segev , Karnieli-Miller Orit , Levin Eran , Gepner Yftach , Weiss Ram , Pfluger Paul , Weller Aron , Levy Carmit 
Published: July 2022

AbstractSexual dimorphisms are responsible for profound metabolic differences in health and behavior. Whether males and females react differently to environmental cues, such as solar ultraviolet (UV) exposure, is unknown. Here we show that solar exposure induces food-seeking behavior, food intake, and food-seeking behavior and food intake in men, but not in women, through epidemiological evidence of approximately 3,000 individuals throughout the year. In mice, UVB exposure leads to increased food-seeking behavior, food intake and weight gain, with a sexual dimorphism towards males. In both mice and human males, increased appetite is correlated with elevated levels of circulating ghrelin. Specifically, UVB irradiation leads to p53 transcriptional activation of ghrelin in skin adipocytes, while a conditional p53-knockout in mice abolishes UVB-induced ghrelin expression and food-seeking behavior. In females, estrogen interferes with the p53–chromatin interaction on the ghrelin promoter, thus blocking ghrelin and food-seeking behavior in response to UVB exposure. These results identify the skin as a major mediator of energy homeostasis and may lead to therapeutic opportunities for sex-based treatments of endocrine-related diseases.