bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Real-Time Outage Management in Active Distribution Networks Using Reinforcement Learning over Graphs
Authors: Zhang Jie , Jacob Roshni , Paul Steve , Chowdhury Souma , Gel Yulia
Published: September 2023

Self-healing "smart grids" are characterized by fast-acting, intelligent control mechanisms that minimize power disruptions during outages. The corrective actions adopted during outages in power distribution networks include reconfiguration through switching control and emergency load shedding. The conventional decision-making models for outage mitigation are, however, not suitable for "smart grids" due to their slow response and computational inefficiency. Here, we present a new reinforcement learning (RL) model for outage management in the distribution network to enhance its resilience. The distinctive characteristic of our approach is that it explicitly accounts for the underlying network topology and its variations with switching control, while also capturing the complex interdependencies between state variables (along nodes and edges) by modeling the task as a graph learning problem. Our model learns the optimal control policy for power restoration using a Capsule-based graph neural network. We validate our model on two test networks, namely the 13 and 34-bus modified IEEE networks where it is shown to achieve near-optimal, real-time performance with up to 5 orders of magnitude improvement in computational speed. The resilience improvement of our model in terms of loss of energy is 4.204 MWs and 13.522 MWs for 13 and 34 buses, respectively. Our model also demonstrates generalizability across a broad range of outage scenarios.
Breathe with Caution: Exploring the Adverse Effect of Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) on Wildland Firefighters' Pulmonary Function and DNA Damage
Authors: Assavanopakun Pheerasak , Panumasvivat Jinjuta , Supbamrer Ratana , Sittitoon Nalin , Khacha-ananda Supakit , Kiratipaisarl Wuttipat , Sirikul Wachiranun , Insian Wittawat
Published: September 2023

Chiang Mai experiences severe pollution during wildfire season, and wildland firefighters are exposed to the hazards, particularly during fire suppression, including particulate matter. The adverse effects of wildfire smoke on respiratory health are a significant concern. This study aimed to investigate the potential adverse effects of PM2.5 exposure on the respiratory function and DNA damage of wildland firefighters. From January to May 2022 in Chiang Mai, this prospective cohort study assessed the health of wildland firefighters throughout pre-peak, peak, and post-peak ambient air pollution seasons. PM2.5 was measured at each forest fire station and from the Pollution Control Department data. Participants had general health exams, spirometry, and DNA damage analysis blood tests. Pair t-tests and multiple regression models were used to examine the connection between pulmonary function parameters (FVC, FEV1) and PM 2.5 concentration, with a significance level of P < 0.05. Thirty-three peak-season and twenty-one post-peak-season participants were enrolled. Four pre-peak-season wildland firefighters had FVC and FEV1 declines of > 15%. Multiple regression analysis showed a negative association between PM2.5 exposure and FVC% predicted (-2.81%, 95% CI: -5.27 to -0.34%, p = 0.027) and a marginally significant negative correlation with FVC (-114.38 ml, 95% CI: -230.36 to 1.59 ml, p = 0.053). Other pulmonary measures showed a non-significant downward trend. No significant changes in DNA damage were observed. Wildland firefighters experienced significant declines in pulmonary function associated with PM2.5 exposure. Spirometry is essential for surveillance and early detection of these respiratory issues during wildfire seasons.
Climate warming creates an unequal burden on global cattle meat yields
Authors: Liu Weihang , Zhou Junxiong , Ma Yuchi , Chen Shuo , Luo Yuchuan
Published: September 2023

Climate warming is one of the major threats to global livestock production. However, the impact of climate warming on livestock meat yield at global scale is rarely investigated. In this study, we present a statistical evidence from country-level cattle meat yield that the response of global cattle meat yield to climate warming is invert-U quadratic nonlinear, which is more obvious in the grassland-based livestock system. Moreover, the nonlinear response determines that climate warming creates unequal burden between high- and low- income countries due to the divergent baseline temperature condition. Future climate warming aggravates these unequal burdens, with the most pronounced effects observed under SSP585. Our results highlight the need for focusing on the global food security under climate change from livestock meat production.
Single-Cell RNA Sequencing and Microarray Analysis Unveiling the Role of Glucose Metabolism-Related Genes and Cellular Immune Infiltration in Preeclampsia: Identification of Novel Biomarkers
Authors: Liu Yujie , Han Zhe , Fan Cuifang
Published: September 2023

Preeclampsia (PE), a hypertensive disorder during pregnancy, is implicated in various complications such as fetal growth restriction and renal damage. Its pathogenesis is attributed to multiple factors including impaired trophoblast invasion, oxidative stress, and systemic inflammatory response. Additionally, the role of immune cell infiltration and glucose metabolism is crucial in PE's development. This study employed single-cell RNA sequencing data from publicly available databases to investigate the cellular mechanisms underlying PE. We identified glucose metabolism-related genes (GMRG) in relation to PE and discerned five unique cell types, predominantly Monocytes and NK cells, highlighting their potential role in PE's pathogenesis. Our study revealed an enriched gene distribution associated with glucose metabolism in these cells. Through the analysis of Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs), we delineated 620 distinct genes. Notably, 13 of these genes, derived from the intersection of GMRG and DEGs, exhibited a pronounced association with PE. Molecular patterns further stratified PE samples based on 13 intersection genes, revealing a possible correlation between PE and CD8 T cells. Using Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA), one major modules demonstrated strong associations with PE. In-depth analysis identified two potential biomarkers for PE diagnosis, CHPF and G6PC3, which exhibited enhanced expression in PE patients. Both genes are associated with glucose metabolism, with CHPF playing a role in chondroitin sulfate biosynthesis and G6PC3 involved in insulin resistance, an integral aspect of PE pathogenesis. Through qPCR and IHC analyses, we found significantly elevated expression and protein levels of CHPF and G6PC3 in PE tissues compared to normal samples, indicating their potential roles in PE.
ECC and AES based secure authentication scheme for the Internet of Drones using FPGA
Authors: Roy Kumar Sekhar , Sujith Murikipudi , Bhanu Bandi , Preethi Preethi , Hazarika Ruhul Amin
Published: September 2023

Authentication is the process of verifying the identity of an individual, system, or entity. The goal of authentication is to ensure that the entity requesting access is who they claim to be. The authentication of drones presents several challenges due to the unique characteristics and operating environment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Some of the challenges include Identity Management, Secure Key Management, Secure Communication Channels, Limited Resources, Tampering and Spoofing etc. Therefore, Addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive approach that combines secure hardware and software design, encryption techniques, and standardized authentication schemes to ensure best practices and standards for drone authentication and security. Authentication of drones using Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) can provide a hardware-based approach to enhance security and performance. FPGAs are programmable integrated circuits that can be configured and reconfigured to implement custom digital logic circuits, making them suitable for implementing authentication mechanisms in drones. Using FPGA in drones can provide several advantages such as secure key storage, hardware acceleration, secure boot, secure communication, tamper detection and protection, customization and flexibility, etc. For our proposal, we have evaluated some of the well-known cryptosystems and accordingly proved the security of our scheme.
Preparation and Property Analysis of Antioxidant of Carbazole Derivatives
Authors: Zhi-quan Zhang , Jing-yu Zhang , Bao-wei Zhu , Hong Chen
Published: September 2023

Carbazole derivatives can be used as antioxidants in the lubricating- oil industry. The alkylation of carbazole with bromoisopropane and chlorotert butane catalyzed by anhydrous aluminum chloride was studied. 3,6-di-iso-propylcarbazole and 3,6-di-tert-butylcarbazole were synthesized from dichloromethane and dibromomethane at ,25 ℃ respectively. The effects of reaction time, catalyst dosage, and the molar ratio of carbazole to chloroalkanes were investigated, and orthogonal experiments were carried out. The structures of the carbazole derivatives were characterized by IR and MS. The thermal stability of the synthesized carbazole derivatives was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The carbazole derivatives were added to the lubricating oil with a mass fraction of 0.8%, and the miscibility, stability and oxidation resistance of the mixed system were evaluated using the mechanical stirring method and rotary pressure vessel oxidation test. The DSC results showed good thermal stability for the carbazole derivatives. The mechanical stirring method also proved that the mixture of oil and carbazole derivatives has good solubility and stability. The results of the rotary pressure vessel oxidation test showed that isopropyl and tertbutyl carbazole derivatives increased the oxidation-induction period of the lubricating oil by 1.39 and 1.91 times, respectively.
Secondary adrenal insufficiency during hypoglycemia caused by insulinoma: a case report and literature review
Authors: Xiang Yang , Zhou Weibin , Han Heming
Published: September 2023

BackgroundInsulinoma is a rare neuroendocrine tumor that is usually benign, but it can be life-threatening due to the hypoglycemic events it causes. Adrenal insufficiency can also be a cause of hypoglycemia. In a normal physiological response, the occurrence of hypoglycemia can stimulate cortisol secretion.Case presentationWe report a case of a young female patient with hypoglycemia who was diagnosed with insulinoma and adrenal insufficiency based on symptoms and laboratory tests，and was then given her hydrocortisone therapy. Hormone replacement therapy was discontinued after surgical removal of the insulinoma. Three months postoperatively, the patient did not develop hypoglycemia. In addition, levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol are also shown to be normal.Discussion and ConclusionsThis article discusses the role of insulinoma in causing adrenal insufficiency, shows that screening for adrenal cortex function in insulinoma patients can help control hypoglycemia and safely perform surgery, preventing the occurrence of more serious complications. This study also shows that postoperative follow-up to assess adrenal cortex function and timely adjustment of glucocorticoid dosage are proven to be necessary.
Molecular-based approach for monitoring fecal contamination in sand from recreational beaches
Authors: Cabot María Eugenia , Piccini Claudia , Inchausti Pablo , García-Alonso Javier
Published: September 2023

For decades, the risks of catching infectious diseases in recreational beaches has been addressed by measuring abundance of fecal indicator bacteria from water samples through culture methods. Recently, analyses of sand samples for beach quality assessments have been developed as a complement for monitoring recreational waters. In parallel, the growing use of molecular techniques for environmental monitoring has led to obtaining rapid results on the exposure to fecal contamination and the detection of pathogenic genes directly. The aim of this work was to analyze the fecal contamination of sand from touristic beaches by qPCR, together with abundance of thermotolerant coliforms in sand and water. The results revealed the presence of pathogenic genes. Pathogenic genes (mainly stx1) were confirmed in 8 out of 20 samples, associated with the lack of sanitation network. The recreational use of sandy beaches may imply a risk to the health of its users, especially near streams and creek outflows, demonstrating the importance of monitoring sand bacteriological quality, and the usefulness of directly monitoring pathogens by means of molecular tools.
The influence of hatch spacing on the metallurgical characteristics of 17-4 PH stainless steel processed by DED
Authors: Mathoho Ipfi , Mathoho Thabiso Sibisi
Published: September 2023

The quality and performance of additively manufactured part is linked to the process parameters such as laser power, scanning speed, powder feed rate, and layer thickness. However, hatch spacing is one of the process parameters that affect the quality and performance of the part, but its effect has not been fully investigated. Therefore, this study seeks to investigate the effect of hatch spacing on the metallurgical characteristics, including microstructural evolution, microhardness, and corrosion behaviour of 17 − 4 PH stainless produced through DED. This study deduced that varying the % overlap had an impact on the proportion of delta ferrite and the grain size. Furthermore, increasing the % overlap was found to cause a reduction in hardness. Meanwhile, it was found that traditionally manufactured 17 − 4 PH is less susceptible to corrosion than additively manufactured 17 − 4 PH.
Online lead time and pricing strategies for a dual-channel fresh agricultural product supply chain
Authors: Ma Yaping - , Pang Tao , Peng Hongjun
Published: September 2023

We consider a dual-channel fresh agricultural product supply chain, in which consumers are sensitive to the online lead time and the online logistic losses are affected by online lead time and the perishability of the products. We formulate the problem as a Stackelberg-Nash model and investigate the optimal strategies of the online lead time and prices. We further analyze the impacts of online lead time sensitivity and perishability of fresh agricultural products on supply chain operation strategies and profits. Our analysis reveals that: (1) Products with high perishability require shorter online lead time, resulting in a higher online retail price, while the profits of farmer and e-commerce platform decrease due to the increased costs. Meanwhile, higher online price would make some customers to switch to offline purchase, and the offline retailer can get higher profits. (2) The increasing sensitivity of consumers to online lead time tends to push the online retail prices lower, which in turn leads to lower profits of farmer and e-commerce platform. (3) When the online lead time has a small impact on the offline channel, as consumers become more sensitive to the online lead time, offline retailer’s profit decreases due to the reduced offline demand, while the offline prices might be higher or lower.
Does Consciousness Level Determine the Timing of Successful Removal of Urinary Catheters at Neurosurgery Intensive Care Unit – Implication to Nosocomial Infection Prevention
Authors: Chen Jui-Kuang , Lin Huey-Shyan , Hsiao Chao-Li , Liao Wei-Chuna , Tsai Hung-Chin , Chen Yao-Shen , Chen Wei-Chuan
Published: September 2023

Objective
This study aimed to investigate whether the level of consciousness can be used as an indicator to determine the successful removal of urinary catheters in post-stroke patients admitted to the neurosurgical intensive care unit (NICU).
Methods
The study included 97 patients who had urinary catheters in NICU and were divided into three groups based on their level of consciousness. Our analyses was performed by various statistical methods, including the chi-square test, one-way ANOVA, univariate and multivariate regression.
Results
The overall success rate of catheter removal was found to be 62.9%. On average, the catheters were retained for 6.3 ± 3.6 days. The presence of diabetes mellitus was identified as the only factor that significantly influenced the successful removal of catheters (Adjusted Odds Ratio = 0.236, p = 0.035). No significant differences were observed among patients with different degrees of consciousness impairment. Implementing a nursing-driven circle strategy and bladder sonography scan protocol significantly could decrease the catheter-associated urinary infection (CAUTI) rate from 10.25/1,000 catheter days to 6.69/1,000 catheter days.
Conclusions
Based on our findings, we recommend removing urinary catheters five days after initial placement for patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score greater than eight and for non-intubated patients, as well as for intubated patients and aphasic patients in the NICU with a GCS score greater than 4. This protocol can potentially prevent CAUTI cases resulting from delayed UC removal.
Trial registration: ISRCTN, ISRCTN11643929. Registered 17 July 2023, http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN12345678
Spontaneous Cervical Epidural Hematoma Misdiagnosed as Stroke: A Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Cui Wei , Wang Li , He Guanping , Zhang Yangpu , Hai Yong , Meng Xianglong
Published: September 2023

Background Spontaneous cervical epidural hematoma (SCEH) is a clinically rare condition that can lead to quadriplegia or hemiparesis due to compression of the spinal cord by a hematoma. This condition is often misdiagnosed as stroke, and administering thrombolysis can have serious consequences.Case presentation: In this case, a 74-year-old woman presented with neck and shoulder pain following poor posture during her lunch break, which was further aggravated after receiving a massage from family members, leading to complete right hemiparesis. The patient was promptly taken to the emergency room, where thrombolytic therapy was administered based on the Stroke Scale score, cranial CT, and cervical CT to rule out hemorrhage. Unfortunately, the patient's symptoms worsened after thrombolytic therapy. Subsequently, she was admitted to the neurology department, where rehydration and dehydration therapy resulted in improvement. However, her symptoms reappeared due to inappropriate anticoagulation therapy. An orthopedic surgeon was consulted, and considering the patient's history of neck pain and the possibility of cervical lesions, an acute cervical MRI was performed. The MRI revealed a slightly long T2 signal within the lamellar region of the C2-4 spinal cord. Upon review and comparison with the initial cervical CT, the diagnosis was revised to cervical spine spontaneous epidural hematoma. Urgent surgical decompression was then performed, resulting in improved neurological symptoms.Conclusion SCEH is a rare but disabling and potentially fatal disease. Clinicians should be aware of its typical symptoms and include it as a vital differential diagnosis to avoid misdiagnosis as stroke. Caution should be exercised when considering anticoagulation and thrombolytic therapy before and after the diagnosis of SCEH. Early diagnosis and timely surgical treatment can significantly improve neurological and functional outcomes, although identifying this condition remains challenging for clinicians.
Thermal effect on microstructure and mechanical properties in directed energy deposition of AISI 316L
Authors: Liu Weiwei , Hu Guangda , Yan Zhaorui , Liu Bingjun , Wang Tandong , Lyu Zhenxin
Published: September 2023

At present, in the directed energy deposition (DED) of metals, the heat transfer of the melt pool and microstructural evolution are not fully understood. This study investigates the thermal effect on the microstructure and the mechanical properties of DED AISI 316L, using in-situ optical monitoring. Five thin-wall samples were tested to determine the effect on microstructural evolution and mechanical properties with variable laser powers and scanning speeds. A comprehensive optical monitoring system with a CMOS (coaxial complementary metal oxide semiconductor) visual module and an infrared camera was adopted in analyzing the temperature gradient and the solidification rate. The emissivity of the melt pool was calibrated, using the melt pool length, extracted from the coaxial visual image. The results showed that microstructures mainly consist of the coarse columnar grain and the equiaxed grain at the top layer of AISI 316L samples. The solidification structure that the epitaxial growth of columnar grains was the compromised results of heat flux orientation that close to the building direction and the preferred crystallographic direction. High temperature gradient and high solidification rate are beneficial to obtaining fine grain size and high yield stress. A modified microstructure map for DED AISI316L was established, which correlates the solidification parameters with a solidification microstructure. This research study, combining temperature distribution, solidification parameter, microstructure, and tensile property, provides an experimental identification of solidification parameters and the model on the solidification theory for precision control of DED process.
A new pilot assignment scheme for mitigating pilot contamination in uplink massive MIMO systems
Authors: Gidena Haftom Tesfay , Weldemichael Kiros
Published: September 2023

Pilot contamination is a serious issue in massive multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) systems which significantly degrades system performance. In this paper, we investigate a new pilot assignment scheme by integrating two-dimensional genetic algorithm (2D-GA) with Tabu-Search algorithm (TS) to mitigate the pilot contamination problem. Firstly, we design a two-dimensional genetic algorithm equipped with elitism strategy as a principal algorithm for solving the pilot assignment problem; then, aiming to enhance the convergence speed of the genetic algorithm to the ideal optimal solution, we integrate TS with the genetic algorithm. This integrated pilot assignment scheme, henceforth designated as GATS-PA, is found to be powerful in mitigating the pilot contamination problem. Numerical simulation results verify that the proposed pilot assignment scheme is very close to the ideal optimal solution with only few number of iterations and outperforms existing methods in terms of enhancing the uplink sum-rate and average rate over a wide range of simulation parameters.
Does Nickel-contaminated groundwater in a mining area cause health risks to vulnerable consumers?
Authors: Salehi Fatemeh , Esmaeilbeigi Milad , Kazemi Ali , Sharafi Saeed , Sahebi Zahra , Asl Ali Ghanavati
Published: September 2023

This study examined the health risk associated with nickel (Ni) in the groundwater of South Khorasan, Eastern Iran. A total of 110 stations were included in the study, comprising 62 wells, 40 qanats, and 8 springs in the summer of 2020. Initially, the collected samples were tested for temperature, pH, and electrical conductivity (EC). Subsequently, the samples were filtered and treated with nitric acid (HNO3) to measure the concentration of Ni using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Hazard quotient (HQ) and non-carcinogenic risk assessments were employed to evaluate the potential risks of Ni to the inhabitants. The findings revealed that the concentration of Ni ranged from 0.02 to 132.39 µg l− 1, and only two stations exhibited Ni concentrations above the WHO standards (20 µg l− 1). The results demonstrated that 98.21% of the sampled locations had HQ values below one, indicating negligible risk, while 1.78% of the stations exhibited HQ values of one or higher, representing a high non-carcinogenic risk for water consumers. Overall, the concentration of nickel in the groundwater of South Khorasan exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) limit solely in the Halvan station, posing a non-carcinogenic risk for the residents in that area, and therefore, additional efforts should be made to provide healthier groundwater to consumers in this region.
A comparison of the characteristics and outcomes of children with COVID-19 infections and children with other respiratory tract viral infections requiring high-flow nasal cannula
Authors: Besin Dorukhan , Böncüoğlu Elif , Kıymet Elif , Cem Ela , Çelebi Miray Yilmaz , Düzgöl Mine , Şahinkaya Şahika , Er Anil , Apa Hursit , Kara Aybüke Akaslan , Bayram Süleyman Nuri , Devrim Ilker
Published: September 2023

Background
The aim of this single-center retrospective cohort study was to compare the clinical and laboratory differences, response, and outome of the patients requiring HFNC between two distinct groups, children with SARS-CoV-2 infection and children infected with other types of respiratory tract viruses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods
This single-center cross-sectional study was conducted in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Ward and COVID-19 pademic wardç Data of the patients was collected from medical records including information on demographic characteristics (age, gender, and medical history); underlying diseases or co-morbidities, indications for HFNC and physical examination findings. If present laboratory examinations taken from the submissions were recorded. The indication and duration of HFNC, the length of hospital stay, admission or transfer to the PICU each patient’s stay in the hospital and if present the mortality rates by group were recorded..
Results
During the study period a total of 171 patients were followed-up under HFNC. Among them, 8 patients were excluded from the study due to absence of arterial blood gas results before HFNC and 6 patients were excluded due to absence of PCR testing for COVID-19. At the final analysis, 157 patients under HFNC treatment were included including 22 COVID-19 PCR positive (group I ) and 135 COVID-19 PCR negative patients(Group II).
Conclusions
This study, patients with COVID-19 infections had longer durations of HFNC and hospital stay, in addition to high rate of transmission to PICU, suggesting a worser clinical outcome compared to infections with other viruses.
New Thermal Decomposition Pathway for TATB
Authors: Morrison Keith D. , Racoveanu Ana , Moore Jason S. , Burnham Alan K. , Koroglu Batikan , Coffee Keith R. , Panasci-Nott Adele F. , Klunder Gregory L. , Steele Bradley A. , McClelland M. A. , Reynolds John G.
Published: September 2023

Understanding the thermal decomposition behavior of TATB (1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene) is a major focus in energetic materials research because of safety issues. Previous research and modelling efforts have suggested benzo-monofurazan condensation producing H2O is the initiating decomposition step. However, early evolving CO2 (m/z 44) along with H2O (m/z 18) evolution have been observed by mass spectrometric monitoring of head-space gases in both constant heating rate and isothermal decomposition studies. The source of the CO2 has not been explained, until now. With the recent successful synthesis of 13C6-TATB (13C incorporated into the benzene ring), the same experiments have been used to show the source of the CO2 is the early breakdown of the TATB ring, not adventitious C from impurities and/or adsorbed CO2. A shift in mass m/z 44 (CO2) to m/z 45 is observed throughout the decomposition process indicating the isotopically labeled 13C ring breakdown occurs at the onset of thermal decomposition along with furazan formation. Partially labeled (N18O2)3-TATB confirms at least some of the oxygen comes from the nitro-groups. This finding has a significant bearing on decomposition computational models for prediction of energy release and deflagration to detonation transitions, with respect to conditions which currently do not recognize this oxidation step.
Identification of differentially expressed genes, signaling pathways and immuneinfiltration in uterine leiomyosarcoma by integrated bioinformatics analysis
Authors: Kang YiFan , wang zhihong
Published: September 2023

Objective: Uterine leiomyosarcoma (ULMS) ranks high among female malignant tumors with poor prognosis. Among them, the underlying molecular mechanism remains uncertain. We aim to use comprehensive bioinformatics to analyze differently expressed genes (DEGs), signaling pathways, and immune infiltration involved in uterine leiomyosarcoma (ULMS) and uterine leiomyoma (UL).
Methods: The GSE68295 and GSE64763 datasets were downloaded from the GEO database and contain 56 samples, including 28 ULMS and 28 UL samples. Microarray data sets were integrated to obtain differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and further analyzed by bioinformatics techniques. The GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses were performed using R software and the PPI network was built using the STRING database. Cytoscape software was used to screen Hub genes (top 10 genes in terms of severity). Finally, ssGSVA was used to assess immune cell penetration in ULMS.
Results: There were 2268 consensus DEGs, of which 83 were revised upwards and 59 downward. GO and KEGG pathway analysis revealed that these DEGs are mainly concentrated in cell cycle and mitotic pathways. CDK1, CCNB1, and BUB1 are potential biomarkers of ULMS. Activated
CD10 T cells, activated CD20 T cells, type 20 T helper cells, and type 28 T helper cells are the top four cell types with the largest number of central genes, and they are present in small amounts in sarcoma tissue. Of these, CDK1 has the highest correlation with CD10 activated T cells.
Conclusion: This study shows that the use of comprehensive bioinformatics analysis to screen DEGs, pathways and immune infiltrates provides new insights into the molecular mechanism of ULMS pathogenesis and targeted therapy.
Automatic Detection of Temporomandibular Joint Effusion with Deep Learning Algorithm
Authors: Lee Yeon-Hee , Jeon Seonggwang , Won Jong-Hyun , Auh Q-Schick , Noh Yung-Kyun
Published: September 2023

This study investigated the usefulness of deep learning-based automatic detection of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) effusion using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) and whether the diagnostic accuracy of the model improved when patients’ clinical information was provided in addition to MRI images. The sagittal MR images of 2,948 TMJs were collected from 1,017 women and 457 men (mean age 37.19 ± 18.64 years). The TMJ effusion diagnostic performances of three convolutional neural networks (scratch, fine-tuning, and freeze schemes) were compared with those of human experts based on areas under the curve (AUCs) and diagnosis accuracies. The fine-tuning model with proton density (PD) images showed acceptable prediction performance (AUC = 0.7895), and the from-scratch (0.6193) and freeze (0.6149) models showed lower performances (p < 0.05). The fine-tuning model had excellent specificity compared to the human experts (87.25% vs. 58.17%). However, the human experts were superior in sensitivity (80.00% vs. 57.43%) (all p < 0.001). In Grad-CAM visualizations, the fine-tuning scheme focused more on effusion than on other structures of the TMJ, and the sparsity was higher than that of the from-scratch scheme (82.40% vs. 49.83%, p < 0.05). The Grad-CAM visualizations agreed with the model learned through important features in the TMJ area, particularly around the articular disc. Two fine-tuning models on PD and T2-weighted images showed that the diagnostic performance did not improve compared with using PD alone (p < 0.05). Diverse AUCs were observed across each group when the patients were divided according to age (0.7083–0.8375) and sex (male:0.7576, female:0.7083). The prediction accuracy of the ensemble model was higher than that of the human experts when all the data were used (74.21% vs. 67.71%, p < 0.05). A deep neural network (DNN) was developed to process multimodal data, including MRI and patient clinical data. Analysis of four age groups with the DNN model showed that the 41–60 age group had the best performance (AUC = 0.8258). There was no significant difference between the prediction performances of the fine-tuning model and the DNN (p > 0.05). The fine-tuning model and DNN were optimal for judging TMJ effusion and may be used to prevent true negative cases and aid in human diagnostic performance. Assistive automated diagnostic methods have the potential to increase clinicians’ diagnostic accuracy.
PCA-Net: A Heart segmentation model based on the meta-learning method
Authors: Yang Mengzhu , Hu Shunbo , Dong Hao , Zhu Dong , Wang Yongfang
Published: September 2023

In order to effectively prevent and treat heart-based diseases, the study of precise segmentation of heart parts is particularly important. The heart is divided into four parts: the left and right ventricles and the left and right atria, and the left main trunk is more important, thus the left ventricular muscle (LV-MYO), which is located in the middle part of the heart, has become the object of many researches. Deep learning medical image segmentation methods become the main means of image analysis and processing at present, but the deep learning methods based on traditional convolutional neural network (CNN) are not suitable for segmenting organs with few labels and few samples like the heart, while the meta-learning methods are able to solve the above problems and achieve better results in the direction of heart segmentation. Since the LV-MYO is wrapped in the left ventricular blood pool (LV-BP), this paper proposes a new model for heart segmentation: PCA-Net. Specifically, we redesign the coding structure of Q-Net and make improvements in threshold extraction. Experimental results confirm that PCA-Net effectively improves the accuracy of segmenting LV-MYO and LV-BP sites on the CMR dataset, and is validated on another publicly available dataset, ABD, where the results outperform other SOTA methods.
Immunogenicity and clinical outcomes of booster mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 in primary antibody deficiencies
Authors: Milota Tomas , Smetanova Jitka , Skotnicova Aneta , Rataj Michal , Lastovicka Jan , Zelena Hana , Bartunkova Jirina , Kalina Tomas
Published: September 2023

Purpose:Anti-SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines may elicit humoral responses in patients with primary antibody deficiency. However, this response is limited by its rapid waning and low levels of virus-neutralizing antibodies. There is limited evidence for the efficacy of the booster vaccination in patients with primary antibody deficiencies.
Methods:This prospective observational cohort study focused on the clinical outcomes (proportion of infected patients, disease severity, and adverse event incidence) and dynamics of humoral immune responses (specific post-vaccination and virus-neutralizing antibodies) after booster (third) mRNA anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID). The patients were followed-up for seven months.
Results:Eighteen participants were enrolled from 21 screened patients with CVID. One month after the booster vaccination, the proportion of responders increased from 16.7%, and the mean concentration of anti-SARS-CoV-2 RBD antibodies increased from 13.95 U/mL to 72.2% and 302.6 U/mL, which was significantly lower compared to healthy donors (mean 1949 U/ml). Patients with CVID also had reduced titers of virus-neutralizing antibodies. Notably, response rate and mean specific antibody concentrations increased within the follow-up period up to 100% and 1346 U/mL, respectively, at month seven. These results may be confounded by the passivetransmission of specific antibodies. Local reactions were the most common adverse events. No severe adverse events were reported.
Conclusion:Booster vaccination and passively transmitted anti-SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies from immunoglobulin replacement therapy result in high serum levels of specific antibodies. However, this is limited by lower titers of neutralizing antibodies and different immunogenicity against viral variants. Administration of a booster dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine was safe; no new safety concerns were raised.
Metagenome-Assembled Genomes of Nitrososphaera from Aoteroa (New Zealand) Hot Spring Microbial Mats
Authors: Slosser T , Markert E , Wenick M , Trembath-Reichert E , Ward LM
Published: September 2023

Aerobic ammonia oxidation is crucial to the nitrogen cycle, and is only known to be performed by a small number of bacterial lineages (Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria, or AOBs) and a single clade of archaea (Ammonia Oxidizing Archaea, or AOAs) belonging to the Nitrososphaera class of Thaumarchaeota. Most characterized AOA originate from marine or wastewater environments, but this may represent only a limited subset of the full diversity of this clade. Here, we describe several genomes of AOA from metagenomic sequencing of a hot spring microbial mat, representing several poorly characterized basal lineages that may be important for understanding the early evolution of archaeal ammonia oxidation.
Genetic diversity and identification of cocoa swollen shoot virus detected in tolerant cocoa trees (Theobroma cacao L.) in west and central west department of Côte d'Ivoire
Authors: GUIRAUD Boguinard Sahin Honorine Brigitte , TAHI Gnion Mathias , TREBISSOU Inago Caudou , Coulibaly Klotioloma , N’GUESSAN Walet Pierre , N’GUESSAN Kouamé François , MULLER Emmanuelle , ZORO Bi Irié
Published: September 2023

Swollen shoot virus disease (CSSVD) is responsible of production losses and destruction of cocoa plantations. Since its resurgence in Côte d'Ivoire in 2003, it has caused a real threat to Ivorian cocoa production. The aim of this study was to highlight the genetic diversity of isolates from potentially CSSV-tolerant cocoa trees. The methodology used involved PCR detection of the presence of virus on 168 potentially CSSVD-tolerant and susceptible cocoa accessions collected from seven CSSVD-infected departments of Côte d'Ivoire. This step was followed by DNA sequencing to identify isolates. The results of this study show 32 viral sequences (clones) were obtained after PCR. Three groups of isolates were identified. Group B (species CSSTBV), including the BC subgroup, group D (species CSSCDV) and a new group S, never before observed in west and central west of Côte d'Ivoire. The groups of isolates identified were not assigned to the phenotypic groups evaluated. These results indicate the need for further molecular diagnosis of asymptomatic cocoa trees present in infected cocoa farms in Côte d'Ivoire.
Kaolin/BNNSs co-doping to improve the electrical-thermal- mechanical properties of EPDM composites
Authors: Feng Hao , Xiao Chenglong , Xu Zhuang , Deng Wenhao , Li Guochang , Wei Yanhui , Zhu Yuanwei , Li Shengtao
Published: September 2023

Offshore wind power is clean energy with rapid growth in recent years. As a key part of wind turbines, improving the combination performance of wind turbine cable insulation has a crucial impact on the development of wind power systems. In this paper, kaolin is selected to improve the tensile strength of Ethylene-Propylene-Diene Monomer (EPDM) rubber, and Boron Nitride Nanosheeets (BNNSs) with good electrical insulation and thermal conductivity are co-doped into kaolin/EPDM to improve the breakdown strength and thermal conductivity of the composite. The results show that the properties of the composites are improved when the powders are doped into EPDM. When the kaolin doping amount is 30wt%, the dielectric properties and the mechanical properties are improved, but the breakdown strength has deteriorated. Based on 30wt% kaolin content, BNNSs are added to EPDM. The breakdown strength is improved. The breakdown strength of the 30wt% Kaolin/5wt%BNNSs co-doped EPDM is 83.33kV/mm. In addition, due to the synergistic effect between the two powders, the tensile strength of the composite is increased to 8.06MPa. Meanwhile, with the increase of BNNSs, the thermal conductivity of composite is improved. It increases to 1.247 W/(m×K) This work has important guiding significance for improving the combination performance of the wind turbine cable insulation.
ALAD Expression and Prognostic Value in Solid Tumors: A Bioinformatics Analysis
Authors: Chen Quan , Xu Rui , Li Jing , Li Qianru , Yang Longcui , Hong Peng , Li Peiqiong , Liu Qingnan , Zhu Weiyun , Zhao Xiaohui
Published: September 2023

Background. Delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (δ-ALAD), as a key enzyme in hemoglobin production, have been reported to be an endogenous inhibitor of proteasomerecently. Abnormal ALAD expression was discovered in several forms of cancer, however, the role of ALAD in tumor progression remains unclear.
Methods. ALAD mRNA expression were analyzed through GEPIA, UALCAN online and GEO database in primary solid tumors, respectively. Overall survival was estimated with Kaplan–Meier plotter database in these tumors. Differentially expressed genes regulated by ALAD were discovered with the LinkedOmics database in breast and lung cancer, and then the key genes were screened by hub gene analysis. Their biological function were analyzed by Gene Ontology (GO) terms analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment (KEGG) analysis. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and in vitro experiments were used to verify the role of ALAD in cell cycle and apoptosis. The correlation of ALAD expression with immune cell infiltration and biomarkers of immune cells were identified by TIMER database.
Results. The results showed that ALAD mRNA expression were significantly downregulated in most of primary solid tumors. Low expression of ALAD predicts worse overall survival. 240 genes related to ALAD were discovered to participate in transcriptional regulation through functional analysis. 9 hub gene showed that it was mainly enriched in cytosol and ubiquitin-protein transferase activity using GO analysis. High expression of ALAD can induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis according to GSEA analysis and in vitro flow cytometry analysis and annexin V staining. TIMER results showed that ALAD was significantly associated with immune cell infiltration.
Conclusions. Our study demonstrated for the first time that ALAD is downregulated and low expression of ALAD is associated with worse OS in multiple solid tumors. Vitro experiment showed that ALAD high expression can suppress tumor cell cycle process and promote apoptosis in breast and lung cancer. Furthermore, we first time analyzed the tumor immune effect of ALAD in multiple solid tumors, and these findings support that ALAD is positively linked to immune cell infiltration. To sum up, it indicates that ALAD may be a valuable prognostic biomarker of solid tumors.
Ferroptosis Contributed Genes in the Soleus Muscle After Endurance Training in Older Rats
Authors: Sahraee Nima , Salehpour Ph.D Mojtaba , Ashabi Ph.D Ghorbangol
Published: September 2023

The main aim of the research is to investigate the effect of endurance physical activity on ChaC Glutathione Specific Gamma-Glutamyl cyclotransferase 1 (CHAC1), Glutamate-Cysteine Ligase Catalytic subunit (GCLC), Arachidonate 12-Lipoxygenase (ALOX12), as some ferroptosis related-genes expressed in soleus muscle tissue, in order to clarify apart of muscle atrophy physiology in old rats. Twenty old Wistar male rats were randomly assigned into two groups, endurance training and control groups. The training group ran incrementally on a treadmill, five days a week (velocity: 10–28 m/min). The expression genes were investigated by Real-time PCR and Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Superoxide dismutase (SOD) level as oxidative stress predicators were measured by assay kit. The mRNA expression of CHAC1 in the training group (0.36 ± 0.06)-fold decreased as opposed to the control group (P < 0.01). Increment in mRNA levels of GCLC and ALOX12 were seen in exercise group comparing with control, respectively (1.29 ± 0.21)-fold, (P > 0.01) and (1.84 ± 0.25)-fold, (P < 0.01). The level of MDA in the training group decreased significantly (1.18 ± 0.24) compared with the control group (1.58 ± 0.32), (P < 0.01). SOD level were higher in training (17.03 ± 2.10) compared with control (1.593 ± 14.45), (P < 0.01). It seems that regular aerobic running exercise could possibly Influence rodents muscle regulation through ferroptosis process and lipid peroxidation accumulation.
GIS for the study of 16th-century residential hydraulics and waterworks
Authors: Campos Pablo Gumiel
Published: September 2023

Geographic information systems (GIS) are an effective research tool for studying hydraulics and waterworks in 16th -century residences. Two sorts of maps have been created during the research. On the one hand, a pan-European map of 94 water-related palaces. This map has been an essential analytical tool to draw conclusions about the evolution of Early Modern residential supply systems. On the other hand, individual maps of the hydraulic infrastructure of four Iberian palaces have been created. The architectural remains of these infrastructures have been georeferenced, and an estimate of the transit of the aqueducts and pipelines that have already disappeared has been recreated. These individual maps have also been, in themselves, tools for historical analysis. The comparison between the geographic information displayed in the GIS and the historical data from documentary sources has allowed the estimation of the construction stages of the supply systems of the palaces.
Tax Salience and Attention Variation
Authors: Ishida Shinri , Nakazono Yoshiyuki
Published: September 2023

We examine the salient effects of tax information on demand. We discover attention variation among consumers with less-educated consumers misreacting to the not-fully-salient tax display. We also find that a change in price tag displays to tax-exclusive prices induced consumers to visit these stores more often than before. More than half of the increase in demand in the stores using the tax-exclusive price tags is accounted for by changing regular stores, which implies that the less salient tax price display influences store patronage. However, our results suggest that the salient effect is a short-lived, non-permanent, phenomenon.
JEL Classification: D12; D25; H71
The pedicle screw accuracy using a robotic system and measured by a novel 3-dimensional method
Authors: Oppermann Marcelo , Karapetyan Vahagan , Gupta Shaurya , Ramjist Joel , Oppermann Priscila , Yang Victor XD
Published: September 2023

Robotics in medicine is associated with precision, accuracy, and replicability. Several robotic systems are used in spine surgery. They are all considered shared-control systems, providing "steady-hand" manipulation instruments. Although numerous studies have testified to the benefits of robotic instrumentations, they must address their true accuracy. Our study used the Mazor system under several situations and compared the spatial accuracy of the pedicle screw (PS) insertion and its planned trajectory. We used two cadaveric specimens with intact spinal structures from C7 to S1. PS planning was performed using the two registration methods (preopCT/C-arm or CT-to-fluoroscopy registration). After planning, the implant spatial orientation was defined based on six anatomic parameters using axial and sagittal CT images. Two surgical open and percutaneous access were used to insert the PS. After that, another CT acquisition was taken. Accuracy was classified into optimal, inaccurate and unacceptable according to the degree of screw deviation from its planning using the same spatial orientation method. Based on the type of spatial deviation, we also classified the PS trajectory into 16 pattern errors. Seven (19%) out of 37 implanted screws were considered unacceptable (deviation distances >2.0 mm or angulation >5°), and 14 (38%) were inaccurate ( >0.5 mm and ≤ 2.0 mm or >2.5º and ≤ 5º). CT-to-fluoroscopy registration was superior to preopCT/C-arm (average deviation in 0.9mm vs. 1.7mm, respectively, p<0.003), and percutaneous was slightly better than open but did not reach significance (1.3mm vs. 1.7mm, respectively). Regarding pattern error, the tendency was to have more axial than sagittal shifts. Using a quantitative method to categorize the screw 3D position, only 10.8% of the screws were considered unacceptable. However, with a more rigorous concept of inaccuracy, almost half were non-optimal. We also identified that, unlike some previous results, the O-arm registration delivers more accurate implants than the preopCT/C-arm method.