ahmedabdelwahed/Medical_papers_title_and_abstract_NLP_dataset huggingface dataset:
Energy, exergy, economic and exergoenvironmental analyses of gas and air bottoming cycles for production of electricity and hydrogen with gas reformer

The purpose of this study is to investigate an intergration of three cycles consisting of gas, air bottom and steam cycles for electrical power generation and hydrogen production. The configuration of the three cycles is powered by the natural gas that is used by the gas cycle on the top. Then, the exhaust gas of the gas cycle is used by an air cycle at the bottom of the gas cycle and consequently a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) is driven by the exhaust gas of the air cycle. The purpose of the HRSG cycle is to produce steam to be used in the reformer for the hydrogen production. The energy, exergy, economic and exergoenvironmental analyses of this combined cycle is examined. The results of this study show that addition of air gas cycle to natural gas cycle improves the energy efficiency from 17.2% to 28.% and Payback Period (PP) from 4.72 to 2.92. Whereas, adding HRSG to the whole cycle improves the energy efficiency to 67.6% and Payback Period to 0.41 years. Moreover, this interagation of the cycles improves the Net Present Value (NPV) from 1.13 x 10(9) to 2.07 x 10(9) for gas and air cycle, respectively and to 3.89 x 10(10) $ by the whole cycle. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The role of junctophilin proteins in cellular function

Junctophilins (JPHs) comprise a family of structural proteins that connect the plasma membrane to intracellular organelles such as the endo/sarcoplasmic reticulum (ER/SR). Tethering of these membrane structures results in the formation of highly organized subcellular junctions that play important signaling roles in all excitable cell types. There are four JPH isoforms, expressed primarily in muscle and neuronal cell types. Each JPH protein consists of six membrane occupation and recognition nexus (MORN) motifs, a joining region connecting these to another set of two MORN motifs, a putative alpha-helical region, a divergent region exhibiting low homology between JPH isoforms, and a carboxy-terminal transmembrane region anchoring into the ER/SR membrane. JPH isoforms play essential roles in developing and maintaining subcellular membrane junctions. Conversely, inherited mutations in JPH2 cause hypertrophic or dilated cardiomyopathy, while trinucleotide expansions in the JPH3 gene cause Huntington Disease-Like 2. Loss of JPH1 protein levels can cause skeletal myopathy, while loss of cardiac JPH2 levels causes heart failure and atrial fibrillation, among other disease. This review will provide a comprehensive overview of the JPH gene family, phylogeny, and evolutionary analysis of JPH genes and other MORN domain proteins. JPH biogenesis, membrane tethering, and binding partners will be discussed, as well as functional roles of JPH isoforms in excitable cells. Finally, potential roles of JPH isoform deficits in human disease pathogenesis will be reviewed.
Associations between pro-environmental behaviour and neighbourhood nature, nature visit frequency and nature appreciation: Evidence from a nationally representative survey in England

Progress on changing human behaviour to meet the challenges of regional and global sustainability has been slow. Building on theory as well as small-scale survey and experimental evidence that exposure to nature may be associated with greater pro-environmentalism, the aim of the current study was to quantify relationships between exposure to nature (operationalised as neighbourhood greenspace, coastal proximity, and recreational nature visits) as well as appreciation of the natural world, and self-reported pro-environmental behaviour for the adult population of England. Using data from a nationally representative sample (N = 24,204), and controlling for potential confounders, a structural equation model was used to estimate relationships. Indirect effects of neighbourhood exposures via nature visits and nature appreciation were accounted for. We found positive relationships between both recreational nature visits and nature appreciation and pro-environmental behaviour across both the whole sample and key socio-demographic groups. The more individuals visited nature for recreation and the more they appreciated the natural world, the more pro-environmental behaviour they reported. Although rural and coastal dwellers tended to also be more pro-environmental on average, patterns were complex, potentially reflecting situational constraints and opportunities. Importantly, positive associations between pro-environmental behaviours and high neighbourhood greenspace and coastal proximity were present for both high and low socio-economic status households. Improving access to, and contact with, nature, e.g., through better urban planning, may be one approach for meeting sustainability targets.
Strategies to Manage the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Supply Chain: Implications for Improving Economic and Social Sustainability

This paper aims to identify the negative impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on supply chains and propose strategies to deal with the impacts in the context of the readymade garment (RMG) industry supply chain of an emerging economy: Bangladesh. To achieve the aims, a methodological framework is proposed through a literature review, expert inputs, and a decision-aid tool, namely the grey-based digraph-matrix method. A total of 10 types of negative impacts and 22 strategic measures to tackle the impacts were identified based on the literature review and expert inputs. Then, the grey-based digraph-matrix was applied for modeling the strategic measures based on their influence to deal with the impacts. Findings reveal that the strategies "manufacturing flexibility", "diversify the source of supply", and "develop backup suppliers" have significant positive consequences for managing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in the RMG supply chain. The findings help industrial managers recover from supply chain disruptions by identifying and classifying the impacts and strategies required to manage the major supply chain disturbances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a theoretical contribution, this study is one of few initial attempts to evaluate the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak and the strategies to deal with the impacts in the supply chain context.
Icariin regulates miR-23a-3p-mediated osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs via BMP-2/Smad5/Runx2 and WNT/β-catenin pathways in osteonecrosis of the femoral head

Icariin is commonly used for the clinical treatment of osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). miR-23a-3p plays a vital role in regulating the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). The present study aimed to investigate the roles of icariin and miR-23a-3p in the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs and an ONFH model. BMSCs were isolated and cultured in vitro using icariin-containing serum at various concentrations, and BMSCs were also transfected with a miR-23a inhibitor. The alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and cell viability as well as BMP-2/Smad5/Runx2 and WNT/β-catenin pathway-related mRNA and protein expression were measured in BMSCs. Additionally, a dual-luciferase reporter assay and pathway inhibitors were used to verify the relationship of icariin treatment/miR-23a and the above pathways. An ONFH rat model was established in vivo, and a 28-day gavage treatment and lentivirus transfection of miR-23a-3p inhibitor were performed. Then, bone biochemical markers (ELISA kits) in serum, femoral head (HE staining and Digital Radiography, DR) and the above pathway-related proteins were detected. Our results revealed that icariin treatment/miR-23a knockdown promoted BMSC viability and osteogenic differentiation as well as increased the mRNA and protein expression of BMP-2, BMP-4, Runx2, p-Smad5, Wnt1 and β-catenin in BMSCs and ONFH model rats. In addition, icariin treatment/miR-23a knockdown increased bone biochemical markers (ACP-5, BAP, NTXI, CTXI and OC) and improved ONFH in ONFH model rats. In addition, a dual-luciferase reporter assay verified that Runx2 was a direct target of miR-23a-3p. These data indicated that icariin promotes BMSC viability and osteogenic differentiation as well as improves ONFH by decreasing miR-23a-3p levels and regulating the BMP-2/Smad5/Runx2 and WNT/β-catenin pathways.
Combined heat and power from hydrothermal geothermal resources in Germany: An assessment of the potential

This study investigates the potential of hydrothermal geothermal energy for combined heat and power (CHP) generation in Germany. Based on the theoretical potential of hydrothermal heat in place, the technical and economic potential is determined with a review and an analysis of existing geothermal plants. To this end, the thermodynamic and economic performance of operating power plants is analyzed and models for the efficiency and the production costs are developed. Based on this analysis, a technical potential of 12.2 PWh(el) and 16.7 PWh(th) as well as an economic potential of 9.1 PWh(el) and 12.5 PWh(th) is determined. In order to derive an annual contribution from the economic potential, the regeneration of the resource is taken into account. Considering a sustainable exploitation rate, an annual economic potential of 9.1 TWh(el)/a and 12.5 TWh(th)/a is derived. This corresponds to a share of 1.51% of the gross electricity demand and a share of 1.48% of the demand for space heating and domestic hot water. This analysis provides a profound review about the existing geothermal power plants and their thermodynamic and economic performance. Furthermore, the assessment of the geothermal potential in Germany is necessary for political decision making, particular with a view towards future adjustments of the feed-in tariffs defined by the Renewable Energy Act.
Mapping the Sustainable Development Goals Relationships

Sustainable development addresses humanity's aspiration for a better life while observing the limitations imposed by nature. In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly approved the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the aim to foster the organizational operationalization and integration of sustainability and, therefore, to address the current and forthcoming stakeholder needs and ensure a better and sustainable future for all, balancing the economic, social, and environmental development. However, it is not entirely clear which are the mutual relationships among the 17 SDGs and this study aims to tackle this research gap. The results of the correlation confirm that Poverty elimination (SDG1) and Good health and well-being (SDG3) have synergetic relationships with most of the other goals. SDG7 (Affordable and clean energy) has significant relationships with other SDGs (e.g., SDG1 (No poverty), SDG2 (Zero hunger), SDG3 (Good health and well-being), SDG8 (Decent work and economic growth), SDG13 (Climate action)). However, there is a moderate negative correlation with SDG12 (Responsible consumption and production), which emphasizes the need to improve energy efficiency, increase the share of clean and renewable energies and improve sustainable consumption patterns worldwide. There is also confirmation that SDG12 (Responsible consumption and production) is the goal strongly associated with trade-offs. To sum up, this research suggests that change towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals offers many opportunities for reinforcing rather than inhibiting itself. However, some SDGs show no significant correlation with other SDGs (e.g., SDG13 (Climate action) and SDG17 (Partnerships for the goals), which highlights the need for future research.
Tufted hairs: A bouquet of flowers in different hair diseases

Tufted hairs, an unusual hair follicle dysplasia, are characterized by several hair shafts grouped together, emerging from a single hair follicle-like "doll's hair". This clinical picture is considered characteristic of folliculitis decalvans (FD). However, the emergence of grouped hair shafts from a single follicle can also be observed in other hair disorders, even if not as a distinctive diagnostic sign. This paper aims to collect and analyze all clinical and trichoscopic features of different hair diseases with tufted hairs to find distinctive features, helping the clinician with the diagnosis.
Impact of green finance on economic development and environmental quality: a study based on provincial panel data from China

The goal of green finance is to pursue the coordinated development of financial activities, environmental protection, and ecological balance. This study aims to examine the impact of green finance on economic development and environmental quality. Data concerning green finance, economic development, and environmental quality for 30 provinces and municipalities in China from 2010 to 2017 are used. First, the global principal component analysis is adopted to develop a green finance development index. Second, a model of the impact of green finance on economic development is constructed, which indicates that the development of green finance plays a role in promoting economic development. Next, emissions of industrial smoke (powder) dust, industrial solid waste, and carbon dioxide are used to represent the environmental variables, and a model of the impact of green finance on environmental quality is proposed. The model shows that green finance has a positive effect on environment improvement. However, the impact of green finance on environmental quality varies for different levels of economic development. Finally, based on the theory of the environmental Kuznets curve, a model of the impact of green finance on the relationship between economic development and environmental quality is developed. The model indicates that green finance can significantly improve this relationship, creating a win-win situation regarding economic development and the environment.
Bayesian auxiliary variable model for birth records data with qualitative and quantitative responses

Many applications involve data with qualitative and quantitative responses. When there is an association between the two responses, a joint model will produce improved results than fitting them separately. In this paper, a Bayesian method is proposed to jointly model such data. The joint model links the qualitative and quantitative responses and can assess their dependency strength via a latent variable. The posterior distributions of parameters are obtained through an efficient MCMC sampling algorithm. The simulation is conducted to show that the proposed method improves the prediction capacity for both responses. Further, the proposed joint model is applied to the birth records data acquired by the Virginia Department of Health for studying the mutual dependence between preterm birth of infants and their birth weights.
Inhibition of TRPM2 by AG490 Is Neuroprotective in a Parkinson's Disease Animal Model

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by motor impairment and dopaminergic neuronal loss. There is no cure for the disease, and treatments have several limitations. The transient receptor potential melastatin 2 (TRPM2), a calcium-permeable non-selective cation channel, has been reported to be upregulated in neuronal death. However, there are no in vivo studies evaluating TRPM2's role and neuroprotective effects in PD. Here, we test the hypothesis that TRPM2 is upregulated in the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) mouse model of PD and that its inhibition, by the AG490, is neuroprotective. For that, AG490 or vehicle were intraperitoneally administered into C57BL/6 mice. Mice then received 6-OHDA into the right striatum. Motor behavior assessments were evaluated 6, 13, and 20 days after surgery using the cylinder and apomorphine-induced rotational testes, and 7, 14, and 21 days after surgery using rotarod test. Brain samples of substantia nigra (SNc) and striatum (CPu) were collected for immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting on days 7 and 21. We showed that TRPM2 protein expression was upregulated in 6-OHDA-treated animals. In addition, AG490 prevented dopaminergic neuron loss, microglial activation, and astrocyte reactivity in 6-OHDA-treated animals. The compound improved motor behaviors and Akt/GSK-3β/caspase-3 signaling. We conclude that TRPM2 inhibition by AG490 is neuroprotective in the 6-OHDA model and that the TRPM2 channel may represent a potential therapeutic target for PD.
Circular Economy Innovation and Environmental Sustainability Impact on Economic Growth: An Integrated Model for Sustainable Development

This study examines the link between selected indicators of a circular economy, including essential components of environmental and economic growth. Developed economies are continuously innovating to promote growth and giving governmental support to the producers to move from linear economies to circular ones. Hence, waste materials in industrial systems are recycled or re-used, improving the efficiency of using finite resources with the no-waste approach. The aim of this paper is the following: (1) to identify the main components of a circular economy, which are also supportive of sustainability and development; (2) to check the impact of these variables in the economic growth of European Union countries; (3) to find out if the three components of sustainable development adopted to circular economy (CE) indicators (environmental-social-economic) are significant to economic growth. We used a fixed effect panel data analysis to identify the circular economy's impact on the economic growth of European countries. Additionally, to support the results of the regression analysis, we employed a second method-generalized methods of moments-computing the Arellano-Bond dynamic panel data estimation method. The model included five independent variables, such as environmental tax rate, a recycling rate of waste, private investment and jobs in a circular economy, patents related to recycling, and trade of recyclable raw materials. The identification of each variable was made based on a deep search through literature. The results of both econometric models showed a strong and positive correlation between a circular economy to economic growth, highlighting the crucial role of sustainability, innovation, and investment in no-waste initiatives to promote wealth.
mitoDataclean: A machine learning approach for the accurate identification of cross-contamination-derived tumor mitochondrial DNA mutations

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has widespread applications in aging and cancer studies. However, cross-contamination of mtDNA constitutes a major concern. Previous methods for the detection of mtDNA contamination mainly focus on haplogroup-level phylogeny, but neglect haplotype-level differences, leading to limited sensitivity and accuracy. In our study, we present mitoDataclean, a random-forest-based machine learning package for accurate identification of cross-contamination, evaluation of contamination levels and detection of contamination-derived variants in mtDNA NGS data. Comprehensive optimization of mitoDataclean revealed that training simulation with mixtures of small haplogroup distance and low polymorphic difference was critical for optimal modeling. Compared to existing methods, mitoDataclean exhibited significantly improved sensitivity and accuracy for the detection of sample contamination in simulated data. In addition, mitoDataclean achieved area under the curve values of 0.91 and 0.97 for discerning genuine and contamination-derived mtDNA variants in a simulated Western dataset and private sequencing contamination data, respectively, suggesting that this tool may be applicable for different populations and samples with different sources of contamination. Finally, mitoDataclean was further evaluated in several private and public datasets and showed a robust ability for contamination detection. Altogether, our study demonstrates that mitoDataclean may be used for accurate detection of contaminated samples and contamination-derived variants in mtDNA NGS data.
Investigation of Cu metal nanoparticles with different morphologies to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 main protease and spike glycoprotein using Molecular Docking and Dynamics Simulation

Nowadays, considering the spread of the coronavirus as a global threat, scientific research on this virus through simulation has been increasing. In this study, effect of Cu nanocluster on prevention and control of disease transmission was examined using molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies on the SARS-CoV-2 main protease and spike glycoprotein. The cytotoxicity of different shapes of copper NPs and resonance changes of their surface plasmons on inactivation of the coronavirus was examined in order to control replication of coronavirus through copper NPs, active site of protease and spike glycoprotein. The simulations results showed that interactions of SARS-CoV-2 main protease and spike glycoprotein target and cylindrical and conical copper NPs ligands were more efficient than spherical copper NPs.
Vitamin D2 protects acute and repeated noise stress induced behavioral, biochemical, and histopathological alterations: Possible antioxidant effect

Noise is an environmental stressor which causes distress and hearing loss in individuals residing in urban areas. Psychological deficits such as anxiety, depression, impaired memory and cognitive decline are caused by noise stress. Different vitamins have been used as a potential antioxidant for neuronal protection. In this study we investigate the anxiolytic, antidepressant and memory enhancing effect of vitamin D2 (Vit D2) following noise stress. Thirty-six albino rats were randomly divided into six groups. (i) Unstressed + corn oil (ii) Unstressed + Vit D2 (iii) Acute noise stress + corn oil (iv) Acute noise stress + Vit D2 (v) Repeated noise stress + corn oil (vi) Repeated noise stress + Vit D2. 600 IU/kg body weight of Vit D2 dosage was prepared in corn oil. Corn oil is used as vehicle and all the drugs administered via oral gavage till end of the experiment (day 16). Recorded sound of generator which was amplified by speakers and had 100 dB intensity was used as noise stress. Repeated stressed animals were exposed to noise (4-hrs) daily for 14 days, while acute stressed animals were exposed to noise (4-hrs) once after 14 days. Behavioral tests (elevated plus maze, light dark box, tail suspension test and Morris water maze) of all groups were performed after15 days treatment period. After behavioral tests rats received their last dosage and decapitated after 1-hr. Brain of all animals was removed and used for biochemical (oxidative stress biomarker, antioxidant enzymes and acetylcholinesterase) and histopathological estimations. Results show that Vit D2 decreased time spent in light box and open arm of light dark activity box and elevated plus maze test respectively (used for anxiety evaluation), decreased immobility time in tail suspension test (for depression) and improved cognitive ability evaluated by Morris water maze test in acute and repeated noise stressed rats. Furthermore, increased antioxidant enzymes activity, decreased lipid peroxidation and acetylcholinesterase activity were also observed in Vit D2 treated animals following acute and repeated noise stress. Normalization in histopathological studies was also observed in Vit D2 treated following acute and repeated noise stress. It is concluded that Vit D2 protects from noise stress induced behavioral, biochemical and histopathological impairment through its antioxidant potential.