bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Density functional theory of NO and transition metal R (R=Cu, Fe and Mn) adsorbed on TiO2 surface
Authors: JIANG Meiyi , YANG Kun , LIU Yancheng , Yao Li
Published: June 2022

In order to study the electronic interaction and influence of NO-transition metal support, the density functional theory (DFT) method was used to calculate the adsorption energy, physical properties and electronic structure of NO adsorbed transition metal R (R=Cu, Fe and Mn)-anatase TiO2 (101) surface. The above transition metals were adsorbed on anatase TiO2 (101) surface in three different adsorption ratios (single transition metal adsorption model, two different transition metal adsorption at 2:2 ratio model and 1:3 ratio model). On the basis of the study, 13 models were established to study the effects of different adsorption ratios of transition metals on NO oxidation to determine the optimal adsorption ratio of transition metals. The results exhibit that different proportions of adsorbed transition metals have different effects on the oxidation of NO. From the point of view of the stability of adsorption structure, the adsorption structure of transition metal and NO in the mixed adsorption model is more stable, and the influence order is single metal oxide adsorption model < 2:2 ratio model < 1:3 ratio model. The results of electron structure and charge distribution analysis show that a large quantity of active electron clusters are distributed around Mn and Fe atoms and in contact with N atoms of NO in a large area, which mean that they can provide more electrons for catalytic reaction and facilitate electron exchange between catalyst and NO. Among them, the 3Mn+1Fe-TiO2 model has the best effect.
Modification of food additive titanium dioxide (TiO 2 E171) with honey and thyme
Authors: Ahmed Hager Youssef , Ibrahim I. H. , Sallam Abdelsattar M. , Said Alaa Hassan
Published: June 2022

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a distinguished semiconductor that is used as a coloring agent in many products including paints, plastics, papers, cosmetic creams, and food products. In the food industry TiO2 is Labelled as E171 according to the European Union legislation and it is used in many products such as sugar confectionery, chewing gums, candies, some cheeses and sauces, low-fat products such as skimmed milk, ice creams, and pastries with a percentage up to 3.88 mg of TiO2 per g of product. According to the literature, around 36% of TiO2 E171 particles are nanoparticles (NPs), which can cross the intestinal barrier reach the blood circulation then accumulate in the liver, spleen, kidneys, and lung tissues resulting in serious damage to these organs. The aim of this study is to use honey and thyme as natural coating materials to enhance the biocompatibility of three types of TiO2 E171 (anatase, rutile, and food grade). The physiochemical characteristics and bioactivity of TiO2 E171 before and after modification with honey and thyme were measured. The obtained results demonstrate that the modification of TiO2 E171 with honey and thyme didn’t alter its physicochemical properties and the modified TiO2 E171 showed higher antioxidant activity and lower toxicity.
How ecosystem services change due to human and climate change
Authors: maleki saeideh , Rahdari Vahid , Pahlevanravi Ahmad
Published: June 2022

Human well-being in a large part of the world depends on ecosystem services (ESs). However, humans degrade ESs directly by unsustainable land-use policies and indirectly by climate change. In this regard, how ecosystem services change due to human and climate change is a crucial question to demonstrate the human and climate change effects. This paper aimed to answer this question. The wetland services over 45 years were investigated using remote sensing techniques, InVEST, and Biomod2. Higher restoration priority was determined based on the ES degradation rate, and the importance of each ES. The results of this paper indicated the percentage of ecosystem degradation and the services with the highest priority for restoration measures in arid area. The importance of this paper include applying a functional method to study ESs and running this method by the main components shared between all wetlands. These attributes make this method applicable in all regions to study human and climate change effects and ecosystem restoration prioritization.
M-ar-K-PCA and M-ar-K-FastICA: Robust Feature Extraction for Classification of Non-Gaussian and Entropic Data
Authors: Manaog Marianne Lyne , Parisi Luca
Published: June 2022

The kernel trick has enabled dimensionality reduction techniques to capture a higher extent of non-linearity in the data; however, reproducible, open-source kernels to aid with feature extraction are still limited and are not reliable when projecting features from non-Gaussian and entropic data for a robust classification of data. In fact, traditional kernels are either too simplistic (linear and identity) or have a limited range (sigmoid), thus being unable to handle and transform non-Gaussian and entropic input data adequately. To help in mitigating these challenges, this study presents the m-arcsinh Kernel (’m-ar-K’) Principal Component Analysis (’PCA’) and Fast Independent Component Analysis (’FastICA’) methods for feature extraction, i.e., the ’m-ar-K-PCA’ and ’m-ar-K-FastICA’ respectively. The m-ar-K function, freely available in Python and compatible with its open-source library ’scikit-learn’, is hereby coupled with PCA and FastICA and to achieve more reliable feature extraction in presence of a high extent of non-Gaussianity and randomness in the data, reducing the need for standardisation and pre-whitening respectively. Different classification tasks were considered, as related to five (N = 5) open access datasets of various degrees of non-normality and information entropy, available from scikit-learn and the University California Irvine (UCI) Machine Learning repository. Experimental results demonstrate improvements in the classification performance brought by the proposed feature extraction techniques. The novel m-ar-K-PCA and m-ar-K-FastICA dimensionality reduction approaches are compared to the ’PCA’ and ’FastICA’ gold standard methods respectively, supporting their overall higher reliability and computational efficiency, regardless of the underlying non-Gaussianity and uncertainty in the data. Thus, in particular, m-ar-K-PCA extends the use of PCA to pseudo-Gaussian distributions and m-ar-K-FastICA enables FastICA to withstand not only highly non-normal distributions, but also entropic data.
Numerical analysis of a slope stabilized with piles and anchor cable frame beams
Authors: Du Changcheng , Chen Jianfeng , Chen Sixian , Peng Ming , Shi Zhenming
Published: June 2022

A landslide located in northern Sichuan Province, China, was investigated. A series of numerical models of the landslide stabilized with piles and anchor cable frame beams were developed using a three-dimensional finite element method. The Strength Reduction Method was employed to investigate the stability of slopes, the internal forces of piles, and the axial forces of anchor cables. A parametric study consisting of pile position, pile length, and pile spacing was carried out. The results show that compared to anchor cable frame beams, the combination of piles and anchor cable frame beams is a more effective retaining structure to improve slope stability. During slope destabilization, the proportion of thrust shared by piles gradually increases while the proportion of thrust shared by anchor cables gradually decreases. Piles installed on the leading edge of a trail-mode landslide can make the slope mostly stable. As the piles move from the leading, middle, and trailing edges of the slope, the proportion of thrust shared by the anchor cables gradually increases while local instability may occur in front of the pile. Increasing the pile length can improve the stability of the slope. However, excessive embedded length of piles has little effect on further improving the slope stability. The critical embedment length of piles found in this paper is 1/3 of the total length of the pile. The critical pile spacing found in this paper is 2.5 times the width of the pile section. Beyond this spacing, the effective soil arch between the piles is difficult to develop and the anchor cables may share more proportion of the landslide thrust. This paper provides a reference for reinforcement system design of engineering projects considering piles and anchor cable frame beams.
How does carbon emission trading scheme affect enterprise green technology innovation:Evidence from China's A-share non-financial listed companies
Authors: Ma Xiaodong , Xue Yongxuan
Published: June 2022

More and more emphasis is placed on the common development of economy and ecological environment in China's development strategy, and one of the key solution is green technology innovation of enterprises. This paper takes the carbon emission trading scheme carried out in China in 2013 as a quasi-natural experiment, uses the data of China's A-share non-financial listed companies and the DID method to empirically test the impact of the scheme on enterprise green technology innovation from the micro level. The results suggest that the carbon emission trading scheme has a significant role in promoting enterprise green technology innovation, mainly through the innovation of green practical patents and alternative energy-based patent. Using a series of robustness tests such as dynamic effect test, placebo test and PSM-DID etc., it is found that the results are still valid. Further analysis finds that debt financing will weaken the role of carbon emission trading scheme in promoting enterprise green technology innovation. And the carbon emission trading scheme plays a greater role in promoting green technology innovation in state-owned enterprises, enterprises belonging to areas with strong pollution control intensity and high pollution industry.
A Wheat 660K SNP array based high-density genetic map facilitates QTL mapping of flag leaf related traits in wheat
Authors: Niu Jianqing , Si Yaoqi , Tian Shuiquan , Liu Xiaolin , Shi Xiaoli , Ma Shengwei , Yu Zhongqing , Ling Hong-Qing , Zheng Shusong
Published: June 2022

Flag leaf plays an important role in photosynthetic capacity and yield potential in wheat. In this study, we used a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population containing 188 lines derived from a cross between Lankao86 (LK86) and Ermangmai (EMM) to construct a genetic map using the Wheat 660K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. The high-density genetic map contains 122,620 SNP markers spanning 5,185.06 cM. It shows good collinearity with the physical map of Chinese Spring, and anchors multiple sequences of previously unplaced scaffolds (ChrUn) onto chromosomes. Based on the high-density genetic map, we identified seven and twelve quantitative trait loci (QTL) for flag leaf length (FLL) and width (FLW) across eight environments, respectively. Among them, three QTL for FLL and one for FLW are major and stably express in more than five environments. The physical distance between the flanking markers for QFll.igdb-3B is only 444 kb containing eight high confidence genes. These results suggested that we could directly map the candidate genes in a relatively small region by the high-density genetic map constructed with the Wheat 660K array. Furthermore, the identification of environmentally stable QTL for flag leaf morphology laid a foundation for the following gene cloning and flag leaf morphology improvement.
Factors Influencing COVID-19 Vaccination: A Case of Smallscale Farmers in Zambia’s Southern Province Practicing Climate-Smart Agricultural Technologies.
Authors: Somanje Albert Novas , Mwansa Lauraine Mwila , Nyambe Anayawa , Chisanga Kafula
Published: June 2022

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) has significantly impacted the agricultural sector, coupled with climate change. With the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, Zambia's vaccination rate and uptake have been lower in rural areas than in urban areas. This study aimed to examine the factors influencing smallscale farmers who are practicing Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) to get vaccinated. The study used purposive sampling of farmers across Southern province of Zambia. A sample size of 263 farmers were interviewed. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 21. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were performed. Results show that 100% of the smallscale farmers are aware of COVID-19, 76.8% of the farmers practising CSA are not vaccinated, and only 23.2% are vaccinated against COVID-19. The regression analysis shows that being vaccinated is 0.622 times lower for farmers who change the planting dates due to shifts in rain season than those who don’t (OR 0.537; p = 0.091). Likewise, the vaccination odds are 0.840 times lower for farmers who use hybrid seeds than those who recycle seed (OR 0.432; p = 0.023). However, the odds of being vaccinated are 0.963 times more for farmers who use organic fertilizers than synthetic fertilizers (OR 2.619; p = 0.023). This study concludes that some CSA technologies are significant factors influencing the vaccination of small-scale farmers. The study recommends targeting adopters of organic fertilizer as an ideal entry point among smallscale farmers in rural communities to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates. Further studies should consider other CSA technologies in a different regional context.
RIG-I and TLR-7/8 agonists as combination adjuvant shape unique antibody and cellular vaccine responses to seasonal influenza vaccine
Authors: Jangra Sonia , Laghlali Gabriel , Choi Angela , Rathnasinghe Raveen , Chen Yong , Yildiz Soner , Coughlan Lynda , De Geest Bruno , Garcia-Sastre Adolfo , Schotsaert Michael
Published: June 2022

Influenza vaccine effectiveness could be improved by combination with an adjuvant with the potential to enhance the host-vaccine response both quantitatively and qualitatively. The goal of this study was to explore a RIG-I agonist (SDI-nanogel) and a TLR7/8 agonist (Imidazoquinoline (IMDQ)‐PEG‐Chol) as adjuvants, when co-administered with a licenced quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (QIV), and to determine the role of these adjuvants in directing helper T (Th) cell responses for their role in the immunoglobulin (Ig) class switching. Administration of QIV with the two adjuvants, individually or combined, resulted in enhanced HA-specific serum ELISA IgG titers, serum hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) titers and splenic T cell responses as examined by IFN-γ and IL-4 enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISPOT) assays, 4-weeks post-prime and post-boost vaccination in BALB/c mice. While QIV+SDI-nanogel largely induced antigen-specific IgG1 responses, QIV+IMDQ-PEG-Chol predominantly induced IgG2a antibody isotypes post-prime vaccination, suggesting efficient induction of Th2 (IL-4) and Th1 (IFN-γ) responses, respectively. Combination of the two adjuvants not only skewed the response completely towards IgG2a, but also resulted in induction of HAI titers that outperformed groups that received single adjuvant. Moreover, enhanced IgG2a titers correlate with antibody-mediated cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) that targets both the highly conserved H1 hemagglutination (HA) stalk domain and N1 neuraminidase (NA). A booster vaccination with QIV+IMDQ-PEG-Chol resulted in a more balanced IgG1/IgG2a response in animals primed with QIV+IMDQ-PEG-Chol but increased only IgG2a titers in animals that received the combination adjuvant during prime vaccination, suggesting that class switching events in germinal centres during the prime vaccination contribute to the outcome of booster vaccination. Importantly, IMDQ-PEG-Chol, alone or in combination, always outperformed the oil-in-water control adjuvant Addavax. Vaccine-induced antibody and T cell responses correlated with protection against lethal influenza virus infection. This study details the benefit of adjuvants that target multiple innate immune receptors to shape the host vaccine response.
Benzothiazole-based Palladium Complexes as Efficient Nano-sized Catalysts for Microwave Hydrothermal Suzuki –Miyaura Cross-Couplings
Authors: Khormi Afaf Y. , Abboud Mohamed , Hamdy Mohamed S. , Eissa Murad , Rabie Mohamed
Published: June 2022

The paper describes the synthesis of a novel nano-sized phosphine-free benzothiazole-based palladium(II) complexes from easily accessible starting materials and studies their efficiency as catalysts for Suzuki Miyaura cross coupling reaction using water as a solvent under microwaves irradiations. Structural elucidation of the novel nano-sized benzthiazole-based complexes was achieved by analytical and physical characterization tools. The catalytic activity of the novel nanocatalysts was invetigated for SMC of aryl halides with arylboronic acids using water as a solvent and under microwaves irradiation conditions as green mild reaction conditions.
Design, Synthesis, and biological evaluation of pyrazolo-benzothiazole derivatives as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Kumar Harish , Goyal Anju , Kumar Navneet , Garg Prabha
Published: June 2022

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative age related brain disease which diminishes learning and memory. Two common cholinesterases (ChEs), first acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and second one butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) are the main targets to treat this disease. In the current paper, six novel pyrazolo-benzothiazole analogs were systematically planned, synthesized, and biological tested for their ChEs activities, antioxidant, enzyme kinetic, self induced Aβ modulation, PAMPA-BBB, and docking and molecular simulation study. Among all derivatives,4a bearing 3,4-dimethoxypyrazolo-benzothiazole molecules was the potential inhibitor of AChE (IC50 = 8.69 ± 0.42 µM), Aβ modulator and good antioxidant. Docking studies also clearly revealed that compound 4a fit into the active sites of hAChE.
New diagnostic histopathological approach in the evaluation of Ki-67 in GEP-NETs
Authors: Faviana Pinuccia , Boldrini Laura , Gentile Carlo , Erba Paola Anna , Sammarco Enrico , Bartoli Francesco , Esposito Enrica , Galli Luca , Lippolis Piero Vincenzo , Bardi Massimo
Published: June 2022

Introduction: Many studies over the past decade have shown that the Ki-67 index is a valuable biomarker for the diagnosis, classification of gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs). In the present work, therefore, we have decided to evaluate the expression of Ki-67 based on the intensity of the stain, basing our hypothesis on the fact that the Ki-67 protein is continuously degraded during G0 and G1 and the production constantly increases from the start of the S phase until mitotic exit and therefore the longer a cell has spent hibernating, the lower its Ki-67 level will be when it re-enters the cell cycle. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a new immunohistochemical scoring method would be more effective in classifying NETs by reducing staining heterogeneity. Methods: 87 patients with GEP-NET were retrospectively analyzed. Along with the traditional Ki-67 rating, a new score based on the intensity of staining (semiquant Ki-67) was developed. The classification difference between the two methods was determined. Results: The classification of the classification changed significantly when the Ki-67 semi-quant index was used. The percentage of G1 patients increased from 18.4–60.9%, while the G2 patients decreased from 66.7–29.9% and the G3 patients also decreased from 14.9–9.2% %. Conclusions: The new analysis allowed to re-quantify the positive percentages of Ki-67, which can be used both as a marker of proliferation but also as a tool to map tumor dynamics that can influence the diagnosis and guide the choice of therapy.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated public health and social measures on emergency department utilization in Germany between March 2017 and June 2021
Authors: Schranz Madlen , Boender T. Sonia , Greiner Timo , Kocher Theresa , Wagner Birte , Greiner Felix , Bienzeisler Jonas , Diercke Michaela , Grabenhenrich Linus , Aigner Annette , Ullrich Alexander
Published: June 2022

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health and social measures, decreasing patient numbers have been described in various healthcare settings in Germany, including emergency care. This could be explained by changes in disease burden, e.g. due to contact restrictions, but could also be a result of changes in utilization behaviour of the population. To better understand those dynamics, we analysed routine data from emergency departments to quantify changes in consultation numbers, age distribution, disease acuity and day and hour of the day during different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We used interrupted time series analyses to estimate relative changes for consultation numbers of 20 emergency departments spread throughout Germany. For the study period of 06-03-2017 to 13-06-2021 four different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic were defined as interruption points. Results: The most pronounced decreases were visible in the first and second wave of the pandemic, with changes of -30.0% (95%CI: -32.2%; -27.7%) and -25.7% (95%CI: -27.4%; -23.9%) for overall consultations, respectively. The decrease was even stronger for the age group of 0-19 years, with -39.4% in the first and -35.0% in the second wave. Regarding acuity levels, consultations assessed as urgent, standard and non-urgent showed the largest decrease, while the most severe cases showed the smallest decrease.Conclusions: The number of emergency department consultations decreased rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, without extensive variation in the distribution of patient characteristics. Smallest changes were observed for the most severe consultations and older age groups, which is especially reassuring regarding concerns of possible long-term complications due to patients avoiding urgent emergency care during the pandemic.
E-Cigarettes and Smoking Cessation in Adolescent Smokers: Do E-Cigarettes Reduce Harm or Not?
Authors: Lin Li-Yin , Chien Yu-Ning , Chen Yi-Hwa , Shean Russell , Wu Chi-Yi , Huan Shih-Chang , Chiou Hung-Yi
Published: June 2022

Smokers of any age can reap substantial health benefits from quitting or reducing their smoking. E-cigarettes have been promoted as a potentially promising product for tobacco harm reduction because e-cigarettes deliver nicotine vapor without many of the hazardous chemical combustion byproducts produced by combustible cigarette smoking. However, there remains an ongoing debate on whether the use of e-cigarettes is effective in combustible cigarette smoking cessation or reduction. Our study uses data from the 2014 (baseline) and from the 2016 (follow-up) waves of the Taiwan Adolescent to Adult Longitudinal Study (TAALS), which is a large nationwide representative cohort study of health behaviors among adolescents in Taiwan. We analyzed the data using logistic regression and multivariable regression with a post-stratification weighting procedure. Among the 474 adolescent smokers at baseline, the use of e-cigarettes had no association with smoking cessation (aRR =0.99, 95% CI = 0.66, 1.50). Furthermore, the use of e-cigarettes was also not associated with change in combustible cigarette consumption among all adolescent smokers at follow-up (Coef.= 0.62, 95% CI= −36.85, 38.09). In summary, our findings suggest that e-cigarettes may not aid tobacco control among adolescent smokers. Policy makers should be cautious of the potential harms that e-cigarette may bring to young people when they are developing e-cigarette regulations.
Early cervical cancer and recurrence after minimally invasive surgery without uterine manipulator
Authors: D'ASTA MARCO , Gulino Ferdinando Antonio , ETTORE CARLA , Bonanno Giulia , ETTORE GIUSEPPE
Published: June 2022

Objective: worldwide cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer and it is also the fourth cause of death among women, after breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and lung cancer. The aim of this study is to investigate the long-term oncological safety of laparoscopic treatment without the use of a uterine manipulator for patients with early-stage cervical cancer.Materials and methods: a single-center retrospective study was conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of ARNAS Garibaldi Nesima on patients surgically treated for early cervical cancer from 2014 to 2017. Inclusion criteria included squamous or adenosquamous histotype, FIGO stage from Ia1 to Ib2, cancer size <4cm, ECOG status 0-1, and negative serum beta-HCG. The patients were divided into two groups: treatment with and without intra uterine manipulator.Results: seventy patients were identified but only thirty-one met the inclusion criteria and were enrolled. All patients underwent surgery: three patients with the uterine manipulator, twenty-eight without. Among the thirty-one patients enrolled, twelve women had cancer in situ (IA1), nineteen had an early-stage cervical cancer, in particular two cases of cervical cancer stage IA2, ten cases of cervical cancer stage IB1, and seven cases of cervical cancer stage IB2, according to the FIGO classification. At follow-up three cases of recurrence occurred, but the uterine manipulator was not used.Conclusion: After five years of follow-up, recurrence rates in patients treated with minimally invasive surgery are about 10%, but the use of uterine manipulator is not related to a higher level of recurrence rates.
Traffic Simulation and Losses Estimation in Stratospheric Drone Network
Authors: Kharchenko Volodymyr , Grekhov Andrii
Published: June 2022

The use of stratospheric drones for data transmission requires reliable two-way communication. In this regard, it is necessary to explore the possibilities of combining existing air and ground networks for effective interaction with stratospheric drones during heavy data traffic. This article focuses on calculating the packet loss and the impact of traffic parameters on communication with drones. For the first time, traffic characteristics of the complex network “Base Station - Stratospheric Drone – RPAS - Ground Cellular Network” are obtained. The original models are created based on MATLAB Simulink and NetCracker software. Packet loss dependences on the transaction size for different numbers of cellular users are estimated using NetCracker software. Average load dependences on the size of the transaction are obtained. Channels with different throughput are considered and the influence of channel loading on the bit error rate is studied. Data transmission is simulated using MATLAB Simulink depending on the signal-to-noise ratio, nonlinearity levels of the base station amplifier, types of signal modulation and diameters of base station antennas. Data obtained make it possible to predict the operation of stratospheric drones.
A comparison of silver nanoparticles made by green chemistry and femtosecond laser ablation and injected into a PVP/PVA/chitosan polymer blend
Authors: waly ahmed , abdelghany amr , tarabia ahmed
Published: June 2022

Pristine samples of a polymer blend of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)/ polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/ chitosan filled with different concentrations of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were prepared using the casting method. The samples were then examined using various physical and antibacterial characterization techniques. Characterization studies showed that the blend provides a uniform and controlled distribution of AgNPs inside the polymeric matrix without the addition of any more stabilizers. The mean particle size for green and laser-ablated AgNPs was found to be 50 nm according to transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies. Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) studies showed the presence of characteristic main peaks corresponding to the vibrational groups which characterize the prepared samples. The interactions between the AgNPs and the blend were marked by changes in the intensity of vibrational peaks and spectral positions. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the structural modification within the PVP/PVA/chitosan matrix because of AgNPs filling. The change in the absorbance has been studied with the help of measured ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis.) and therefore the optical band gap was calculated. The filling of AgNPs in the blend shows a broad peak at 427 nm because of the phenomenon of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and its intensity increases with increasing filler concentration. The blend and the Ag-nanocomposite showed good antibacterial activity and caused a significant decrease in microbial growth (Escherichia coli) in 24 hours.
Ultrafast laser-driven topological spin textures on a 2D magnet
Authors: Santos Elton , Strungaru Mara , Augustin Mathias
Published: June 2022

The discovery of intrinsic magnetism in two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) materials has opened the possibility to explore fundamental interactions between light, electron and spins at the atomic limit towards novel device architectures\cite{huang2017layer,Gong2017,GuguchiaSciAdv,wahab2021quantum,GuguchiaSantos,Wahab21,CantosPrieto2021,Alliati20,Genome22}. Ultrafast laser excitations provide an efficient and low-power consumption alternative since different magnetic features such as topological spin states can be triggered and manipulated at the femtosecond (fs) regime \cite{Carbone18,Ezawa13,Raising07,Beaurepaire09,Koopmans2010}. However, it is largely unknown whether laser excitations already used in data information platforms can manipulate the magnetic properties of 2D vdW magnets. Here we show that ultrashort laser pulses (30$-$85 fs) can not only manipulate magnetic domains of recently exfoliated 2D CrCl$_3$ ferromagnets\cite{Mcquire17}, but also induce the formation and control of topological nontrivial meron and antimeron spin textures. We observed that both spin quasiparticles are created within $\sim$100 ps after the excitation which determines on-demand their formation following the energy deposition into the system. Both merons and antimerons appear during the thermal equilibration and can generate a rich dynamics through motion, collision and annihilation with emission of spin waves. Our findings highlight substantial opportunities of using photonic driving forces for the exploration of spin textures on 2D magnetic materials towards magneto-optical topological applications.
Expression of stem cell biomarkers Bmi1 and KLF4 in osteosarcoma and its clinical significance
Authors: Chen Shiwei , Wu Taiyong , Ning Simin , Wu Zhuangzhuang , Jin Wenxuan , Li Pengcui
Published: June 2022

Objective
To observe the expression of osteosarcoma stem cell biomarkers Bmi1 and KLF4 in osteosarcoma tissues and explore their value in the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of osteosarcoma.
Methods
Using retrospective research methods, 51 patients (28 males and 23 females) with osteosarcoma who were surgically resected and diagnosed by pathology in the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from October 2009 to July 2019 were used as the experimental group. The age of cases varies from 10 to 67 (average 27.04) years old, and bone tissues adjacent to the tumor were taken from 10 samples as the normal control group. Immunohistochemical method was used to assess the expression levels of Bmi1 and KLF4 in 51 patients with osteosarcoma and 10 cases of paraneoplastic bone tissue specimens. Chi-square test was applied to analyze the relationship between the expression of Bmi1 and KLF4 and the clinical pathological data of patients. Correlation analysis was analyzed by the number of connections. The survival rate of patients was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. The log rank univariate analysis and Cox regression multivariate analysis were carried out to evaluate the prognostic value.
Results
The positive expression rates of Bmi1 and KLF4 in the osteosarcoma group were 78.43% (40/51) and 80.39% (41/51), respectively, and in the bone tissue group were both 3/10. The difference of the positive expression rates of Bmi1 and KLF4 in the osteosarcoma group and bone tissue group was statistically significant (P < 0.05). In osteosarcoma group, the expression levels of Bmi1 and KLF4 were positively correlated (R = 0.399, P < 0.01). Bmi1 protein-positive, KLF4 protein-positive, and Bmi1 and KLF4 protein double-positive expression were statistically significant in Enneking surgical staging, lung metastasis, and pathological typing (all P < 0.05), but there was no statistically significant difference between different ages, genders, local recurrences, and tumor sizes (all P > 0.05).
Conclusion
The expression of Bmi1 and KLF4 in osteosarcoma tissue was significantly higher than that in surrounding bone tissues, and their positive expression is a risk factor for the prognosis of patients with osteosarcoma.
Effect of acetylcholine deficiency on neural oscillation in a brainstem-thalamus-cortex model related with Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Yang Hao , Yang XiaoLi , Yan SiLu , Sun ZhongKui
Published: June 2022

Previous works imply that involving brainstem in neuropathological studies of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is of clinically significant. Abnormality of cholinergic system also underlies the neurodegeneration during AD. This work constructs a comprehensive neural mass model for cholinergic neuropathogenesis that involves brainstem, thalamus and cortex, wherein how acetylcholine deficiency in AD affects neural oscillation of the model output is systematically explored from the perspective of neurocomputation. By decreasing synapse connectivity parameters in direct cholinergic pathway from brainstem to thalamus and indirect glutamatergic synapse pathway from cortex to brainstem to mimic the pathological condition of reduced acetylcholine release in patients with AD, the property of neural oscillation in this model is numerically investigated by means of power spectrum in frequency domain and amplitude distribution in time domain. Simulated results demonstrate that decreasing synapse connectivity whether in the direct cholinergic pathway or the indirect glutamatergic synapse pathway can alter the neural oscillation significantly in three aspects: it induces an obvious decrease of dominant frequency; it leads to a degraded rhythmic activity in alpha frequency band as well as an enhanced rhythmic activity in theta frequency band; it results in reduced oscillation amplitude of the model output. These results are agreement with the characteristic of electrophysiological EEG measurement recorded in AD, especially support the hypothesis that cholinergic deficiency is a promising pathophysiological origin of EEG slowing in AD. Our analysis indicates that targeting the cholinergic system may have potential prospects in early diagnosis and treatment of AD.
The Impact of the New York Nurse Practitioner Modernization Act on the Supply of Primary Care Nurse Practitioners: a Difference in Differences Design
Authors: Martsolf Grant , Kandrack Ryan , Poghosyan Lusine , Ferrera Stephen
Published: June 2022

Background: Expanding scope of practice (SOP) for nurse practitioners (NPs) may increase NP supply which can help meet the growing demand in primary care. We examined the impact of enacting less restrictive NP practice restrictions—NP Modernization Act—in New York State (NYS) on the overall supply of primary care NPs and supply in underserved areas. Methods: We used longitudinal data from the SK&A outpatient database (2012-2018) to identify primary care practices in NYS and in the comparison states (Pennsylvania [PA] and New Jersey [NJ]). Using a difference-in-differences design, we compared changes in 1) the presence and 2) total counts of NPs in primary care practice in NYS and neighboring comparison states (i.e., PA and NJ) before and after the policy change.Results: The NP Modernization Act was associated with a 1.3 percentage point lower probability of a practice employing at least one NP on average across each of the 3 post-periods (95% CI: -0.024, -0.002). NP Modernization Act was associated with 0.065 fewer NPs on average across the post-period (95% CI: -0.119, -0.011). Results were similar in underserved areas.Conclusions: The NP supply in NYS was lower after the NP Modernization Act than would have been expected based on the experience of comparison states. The negative relationship may be explained by gains in provider efficiency which leads to reduced NP hiring. More research is needed to understand the relationship between SOP regulations, NP supply, and access to care.
Detecting COVID-19 from Exhaled Breath – Clinical Studies
Authors: Kwiatkowski Andrzej , Borys Sebastian , Sikorska Katarzyna , Drozdowska Katarzyna , Smulko Janusz M.
Published: June 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has attracted numerous research studies because of its impact on society and the economy. The pandemic has led to progress in the development of diagnostic methods, utilizing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as the gold standard for coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 detection. Numerous tests can be used at home within 15 minutes or so but of with lower accuracy than PCR. There is still a need for point-of-care tests available for mass daily screening of large crowds in airports, schools, and stadiums. The same problem exists with fast and continuous monitoring of patients during their medical treatment. The rapid methods can use exhaled breath analysis which is non-invasive and delivers the result quite fast. Electronic nose can detect a cocktail of volatile organic com-pounds (VOCs) induced by virus infection and disturbed metabolism in the human body. In our exploratory studies, we present the results of COVID-19 detection in a local hospital by applying the developed electronic setup utilising commercial VOC gas sensors. We consider the technical problems noticed during the reported studies and affecting the detection results. We believe that our studies help to advance the proposed technique to limit the spread of COVID-19 and similar viral infections.
Balancing closure and discovery: Adaptive expertise in the workplace
Authors: Gamborg Maria Louise , Jensen Rune Dall , Musaeus Peter , Mylopoulos Maria
Published: June 2022

BackgroundResidents must develop the knowledge and skills to handle an everchanging and demanding clinical workplace which requires a high degree of adaptability. To address this need, adaptive expertise has been suggested as an important framework for health professions education. However, research on the development of adaptive expertise has yet to explore how workplace supervision impacts residents’development. This study sought to investigate how clinical supervision might support the development of adaptive expertise.MethodsThe present study used a focused ethnography in two emergency departments. We observed 75 supervising situations with the 27 residents resulting in 116 pages of field notes. The majority of supervision was provided by senior physicians, but also included other healthcare professionals.ResultsWe found that supervision could serve two purposes: closure or discovery. Supervision aimed at discovery included practices that reflected instructional approaches said to promote adaptive expertise, such as productive struggle. Supervison aimed at closure included practices which reflected instructional approaches said to be important for efficient and safe patient care, such as verifying information. Our results suggest that supervision is a shared practice and responsibility.ConclusionWe argue that setting and aligning expectations before engaging in supervision is important. Furthermore, results demonstrated that supervision aimed towards discovery was not significantly more time consuming, and a feasible mode of supervision in appropriate situations.
Expanding our understanding of the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event in the Tethys Ocean: New insights from the Arabian Plate
Authors: Alnazghah Mahmoud , Koeshidayatullah Ardiansyah , Alhussaini Abdulkarin , Amao Abduljamiu , Song Haijun , Al-Ramadan Khalid
Published: June 2022

The Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE) has been reported widely across the Tethyan region and globally. In Arabia, and based on ammonite dating, the T-OAE coincided with the deposition of the reddish siliciclastic unit of the Marrat Formation. However, no evidence of the T-OAE was ever reported from Arabia because these red beds were previously interpreted as continental deposits. Recently, these red beds have been recognized as shallow marine deposits which open an opportunity to assess the occurrence of T-OAE in Arabia. In this study, a multiproxy geochemical characterization was performed on the Toarcian Marrat Formation to infer the chemistry of the paleowater column and identify intervals of possible T-OAE in Arabia. The coupled negative excursion of δ13Corg and enrichment of redox-sensitive elements (Mo, U, V, Cr) indicate a period of marine anoxia during the deposition of Marrat red beds, suggesting that they were deposited in shallow marine settings and under anoxic, potentially ferruginous ocean conditions. The reddening is interpreted to have occurred later due to the stabilization of unstable hydrous iron oxides to hematite under oxic marine conditions. This study records the first documentation of the T-OAE in the Arabian Plate. This will have significant implications for the overall understanding of the T-OAE globally and for exploration of hydrocarbon through realizations of potential new source rocks associated with the OAEs in the Toarcian and other time intervals.
Bifurcation phenomena in Taylor-Couette flow in a very short annulus with radial through-flow
Authors: Altmeyer Sebastian , Sankar M. , Do Younghae
Published: June 2022

In this study, the non-linear dynamics of Taylor-Couette flow in a very small-aspect-ratio wide-gap annulus in a counter-rotating regime under the influence of radial through-flow are investigated by solving its full three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations. Depending on the intensity of the radial flow, either an axisymmetric (pure m = 0 mode) pulsating flow structure or an axisymmetric axially propagating vortex will appear below the centrifugal instability threshold of the circular Couette flow. In contrast to earlier detected propagating vortices, these break Z2 symmetry and exist as a pair of degenerated solutions. Either pulsating or propagating solutions originate owing to the here considered small aspect ratio of the system, resulting in a constant competition between two-and one-cell states. With the variation of radial flow, a pulsating flow appears as a supercritical Hopf bifurcation from a stationary twin-pair state, persisting as the main feature. Thereafter, it undergoes period-doubling bifurcation and another Hopf bifurcation, leading to a quasi-periodic solution on a 2-torus. The propagating vortices are found to exist stably in two separate parameter regions, which feature different underlying dynamics. Although in one regime, the flow appears only as a limit cycle solution upon which saddle-node-invariant-circle bifurcation occurs, the other regime features more complex dynamics with richer Hopf bifurcation bifurcation sequences. The periods double to eventually introduce second and third incommensurate frequencies that change the flow to appear as 1-, 2-and 3-torus solutions.
Retrospective Study of hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy Combined with whole brain radiotherapy for Patients with Brain Metastases
Authors: Xie Xie , Peng Hong-Hua , Zhang Xi , Pan Yu-Liang , Zhang Zhen , Cao Pei-guo
Published: June 2022

Background and purpose
To evaluate the clinical outcomes of hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (HFSRT) combined with whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) in patients with brain metastases (BMs).
Materials and methods
From May 2018 to July 2020, 50 patients (111 lesions) received HFSRT (18Gy/3F) + WBRT (40Gy/20F). The RECIST 1.1 and RANO-BM criteria were used to evaluate treatment efficacy. Five prognostic indexes (RPA, GPA, SIR, BS-BM, and GGS) were applied. The primary endpoint was intracranial local control (iLC). Secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and the safety of treatment.
Results
Intracranial objective response rates (iORR) using the RECIST 1.1 and RANO-BM criteria were 62.1% and 58.6%, respectively. The iLC rate was 93.1%, the 6- and 12-month iLC rates were 90.8% and 57.4%, respectively. The median intracranial progression-free survival (iPFS) was not reached (range 0 − 23 months). The 6-, 12-, and 24-month OS rates were 74.2%, 58.2%, and 22.9%, respectively. The KPS score showed statistical significance in univariate analysis of survival. The 6, 12, and 24 month OS rates for patients with KPS ≥ 70 were 83.8%, 70.5%, and 29.7%, respectively. The median survival time (MST) for all patients and for patients with KPS ≥ 70 were 13.6 and 16.5 months, respectively. Sex, KPS score, and gross tumor volume were significant factors in the multivariate analysis of survival. OS was significantly associated with RPA, SIR, BS-BM, and GGS classes. No acute toxicities of grade 3 or higher were noted.
Conclusion
HFSRT combined with WBRT is a safe and effective local treatment modality for BM patients.
Alterations in the LRRK2-Rab pathway in urinary extracellular vesicles as Parkinson’s disease and pharmacodynamic biomarkers
Authors: Taymans Jean-Marc , Mutez Eugenie , Sibran William , Vandewynckel Laurine , Deldycke Claire , Bleuse Séverine , Marchand Antoine , Sarchione Alessia , Kreisler Alexandre , Simonin Clémence , Koprich James , Baille Guillaume , Defebvre Luc , Dujardin Kathy , Destée Alain , Chartier-Harlin Marie-Christine
Published: June 2022

Levels of expression or of phosphorylation of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) and its Rab substrates have the potential for use as disease or pharmacodynamic biomarkers. LRRK2 phosphorylation levels at the S910-S935-S955-S973 phosphosites are reduced for most disease mutant forms of LRRK2, while for phospho-S1292, phospho-T72-Rab8 and phospho-T73-Rab10 levels are increased for most mutants. In addition, all of these 5 phosphosites on LRRK2 are rapidly dephosphorylated upon LRRK2 inhibitor treatment, considered potential therapeutics. The main objective of this study is therefore to characterize leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) and Rab8/10 in human, non-human primate and rat urine for use as potential disease or pharmacodynamic biomarkers. With urine collected from human subjects as well as animals, we have applied an ultracentrifugation based fractionation protocol to isolate small extracellular vesicles (EVs). We used western blot with antibodies directed against LRRK2, LRRK2 phosphorylation sites as well as Rab8 and Rab10 total and phosphorylated proteins in order to measure these LRRK2 and Rab epitopes in urinary EVs (uEVs). We confirm the presence of LRRK2 and Rab8/10 in human and non-human primate (NHP) uEVs, including total LRRK2 as well phosphorylated forms of LRRK2 pS910, pS935, pS955, pS973, pS1292 and phosphorylated Rab8 and Rab10. We also confirm LRRK2 and Rab expression in rodent uEVs. We quantified LRRK2 and Rab epitopes in human cohorts and found in a first cohort that pS1292-LRRK2 levels were elevated in individuals carrying the LRRK2 G2019S mutation, but did not differ significantly between healthy and PD groups, whether for LRRK2 G2019S carriers or not. In a second cohort, we found that PD was associated to an increase in Rab8 levels and a decrease in S910-LRRK2 and S935-LRRK2 phosphorylation rates. In animals, we found that acute treatment with LRRK2 kinase inhibitor led to decreases in Rab10 phosphorylation rates and to a decrease in pS935-LRRK2 rates in uEVs from NHPs. The identification of changes in LRRK2 phosphorylation at heterologous phosphorylation sites in uEVs of PD patients further reinforces the potential of the LRRK2-Rab pathway as a source of PD biomarkers in uEVs.