bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Variation in Pentose Phosphate Pathway-associated Metabolism Dictates Cytotoxicity Outcomes Determined by Tetrazolium Reduction Assays
Authors: Coyle Jayme P. , Johnson Caroline , Jensen Jake , Farcas Mariana , Derk Raymond , Stueckle Todd A. , Kornberg Tiffany G. , Rojanasakul Yon , Rojanasakul Liying
Published: February 2023

Tetrazolium reduction and resazurin assays are the mainstay of routine in vitro toxicity batteries. However, potentially erroneous characterization of cytotoxicity and cell proliferation can arise if verification of baseline interaction of test article with method employed is neglected. The current investigation aimed to demonstrate how interpretation of results from several standard cytotoxicity and proliferation assays vary in dependence on contributions from the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). Non-tumorigenic Beas-2B cells were treated with graded concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) for 24 and 48 hours prior to cytotoxicity and proliferation assessment with commonly used MTT, MTS, WST1, and Alamar Blue assays. B[a]P caused enhanced metabolism of each dye assessed despite reductions in mitochondrial membrane potential and was reversed by 6-aminonicotinamide (6AN) – a glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase inhibitor. These results demonstrate differential sensitivity of standard cytotoxicity assessments on the PPP, thus 1) decoupling “mitochondrial activity” as an interpretation of cellular formazan and Alamar Blue metabolism, and 2) demonstrating the implicit requirement for investigators to sufficiently verify interaction of these methods in routine cytotoxicity and proliferation characterization. The nuances of method-specific extramitochondrial metabolism must be scrutinized to properly qualify specific endpoints employed, particularly under the circumstances of metabolic reprogramming.
Impacts of educational debt on physical therapist employment trends
Authors: Dickson Tara , Hegedus Eric J , Mulligan Edward Patrick
Published: February 2023

Background: Newly graduated physical therapists have high amounts of educational debt.
Educational debt may negatively affect job satisfaction, aspirations for professional development, and choice of workplace setting. Research has not shown this association directly, yet it is conceptually supported by the Labor-Search Model. The purpose of this study was to understand the role that educational debt has on additional factors related to job choice in the Labor-Search Model.
Methods: Retrospective data were captured through the Virginia Longitudinal Data System (VLDS) for 12,594 licensed physical therapists within the Commonwealth of Virginia from 2014-2020. A fixed effects panel analysis, with inflation-adjusted educational debt as the variable of interest, was conducted to assess whether patterns of professional certifications, volume of work, workplace setting, and job satisfaction were related to educational debt.
Results: Educational debt was positively correlated with higher professional degrees (p = 0.009), the number of hours worked per week (p= 0.049), and expected number of years until retirement (p = 0.013). Job satisfaction was statistically significant (p = 0.042) and negatively correlated with educational debt.
Conclusions: Those with higher educational debt appear to have the habit of working more hours per week and have a longer time horizon until retirement. Newly licensed physical therapists with higher amounts of educational debt are more likely to experience this trend. Income and job satisfaction demonstrated an interaction effect on educational debt, such that those with lower levels of income had a stronger, negative relationship between their debt and job satisfaction, as compared to those with higher income.
International normalized ratio and activated partial thromboplastin time can be predictors of expansive intracranial hematoma among traumatic brain injured patients in a tertiary centre in Uganda
Authors: Kamabu Larrey Kasereka , Bbosa Godfrey S. , Lekuya Hervé Monka , Sekabunga Juliet Nalwanga , Vivalya Bives Mutume Nzanzu , Kataka Louange Maha , Obiga Doomwin Oscar Deogratius , Kiryabwire Joel , Galukande Moses
Published: February 2023

Background
Trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) is a common problem among traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients which may contribute to expansive intracranial hematoma (EIH). However, there is limited evidence on whether raised international normalized ratio (INR) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) which may contribute to this problem. The study assessed the effects of changes in INR and aPTT on EIH among TBI patients at the Mulago National Referral Hospital (MNRH), Kampala, Uganda.
Methods
A cross sectional study was conducted among TBI patients with intracranial hematoma undergoing surgical evacuation during a period of 16th June 2021 to 17th December 2022. Plasma INR and aPTT levels were analysed at Mulago hospital clinical hematological laboratory unit on admission to the Accident and emergency. Demographic and hematological data were captured using the Research Electronic Data Capture (Redcap) system. Patients with high aPTT and INR on admission were monitored for hematoma enlargement complications until surgical evacuation decision making. The independent outcomes were the INR and an aPTT value. The dependent outcomes were hematomas enlargement of over 33% evidence by two CT scans (baseline and follow up) and demographic characteristic. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis were used to identify variables associated with hematoma enlargement.
Results
Intracranial hematomas were observed in all 324 patients and of these 59.3% had EIH. Patients with EIH had a statistically different mean age from those without EIH (42.3 ± 17.9 vs. 30.5 ± 14.0 years, p < 0.001). About 79.7% were males in EIH group versus 81.7% in no EIH group. The main cause of EIH was road traffic crushes involving motorcycle riders (60.5%). Raised INR and a PTT were observed in 58.9% and 59.6% among patients respectively. At multivariate, for every unit increased in plasma INR value, risk of hematoma expansion increased by 3.76 times [β = 3.76, 95% CI: 0.936 to 0.981]. Similarly, every unit increased in plasma aPTT value, risk of hematoma expansion increased by 5.82 times [β = 5.82, 95% CI: 0.909 to 0.954].
Conclusion
EIH, elevated INR and aPTT are common with a prevalence of 59.3%,58.9% and 59.6% among TBI patients respectively. Patients with raised INR, aPTT have 3.76- and 5.82-times higher risk of developing a EIH respectively when compared to controls. These findings imply routine plasma INR and aPTT levels monitoring and could form the basis for establishing a hematological control protocol for such patients in remote settings.
Intelligent Task Offlfloading and Resource Allocation in Cloud and MEC-Enabled Cyber-Physical Systems for Healthcare Application
Authors: Mei Yonggang
Published: February 2023

Healthcare cyber physical systems (CPSs) involve multiple healthcare devices and wearables that are distributed among the cloud and edge environments. Cooperation of the edge and the cloud in mobile cloud computing (MCC) based CPS environment could make miners with computation intensive tasks obtain much satisfactory offloading services. We investigate the intelligent computation offloading problem by jointly considering offloading decision making, computation and communication resource allocation, with fairness and minimum radio transmit rate guaranteed, aiming to minimize the maximum total weighted cost of all the users. This problem is formulated as a mixed-integer non-linear programming (MINLP), which is NPhard. To tackle this challenge, we first convert it into a nonconvex quadratically constrained quadratic program (QCQP), and through semidefinite relaxation (SDR), it is resolved easily. Then the offloading decisions are extracted from the solution of the relaxed problem with random mapping method. Next uniform assignment scheme is adopted both in computation resource allocation and radio resource allocation.
Evaluation of soil fertility in northwest Iran: A comparison based on elevation
Authors: Aqdam Kamal Khosravi , Asadzadeh Farrokh , Rezapour Salar , Nouri Amin
Published: February 2023

Soil fertility and nutrient management are the main factors that directly affect the yield of the product. To evaluate the soil fertility at different elevations (including 1600-2000, 2000-2400, 2400-2800, and >2800 m), 350 surface soil samples (0-30 cm) were collected from the agricultural lands of northwestern Iran. Then, soil properties, including soil texture (%), CaCO3 (%), pH, EC (dS.m-1), organic matter (OM) (%), and soil nutrients (macro and micro) (mg.kg-1), were measured. Finally, the interpretation and classification of the soil samples were made using the nutritional value index (NIV) based on the Gomez and Common methods. The comparison of the NIV index based on elevation changes showed that the Gomez method tends to classify the soil properties in the optimal class due to its tendency towards the center of the data. But the Common method is more consistent with reality. After classifying the NIV index using the Common method, it was determined that CaCO3 (%) and soil salinity is not the main problem for soil fertility in different elevation classes. However, in all elevations, high pH, low OM (%) at elevations >2800 m, total nitrogen (TN) (mg.kg-1), available phosphorous (AP) (mg.kg-1), and micronutrients deficiencies (except Zn at the elevation of 1600-2000 m) are the main limiting factors for soil fertility of agricultural lands. Therefore, to improve the soil fertility in all the elevations of the agricultural lands in the northwest of Iran, there is a need to improve the condition of macro and micronutrients (mg.kg-1), especially TN (mg.kg-1).
Deciphering genetic causality between inflammatory bowel disease and periodontitis: A Bidirectional Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Analysis
Authors: Yu Feiyan , yang yang , Wu Dongchao , Chang Minjing , Han Chong , Wang Qianqian , Li Yi , He Dongning
Published: February 2023

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and periodontitis are closely associated; however, whether there is a causal association between them is unclear. To explore the existence of causation between genetically proxied inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), and periodontitis, using a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis.
Results:The genetic variants were obtained from the summary statistics of genome-wide association studies of IBD, CD, UC, and periodontitis. To investigate the potential causal association between genetic liability for IBD, including CD and UC, and periodontitis, we used random-effects inverse-variance weighted as primary method with weighted median, MR Egger regression as complementary methods, and a series of sensitivity analyses. Using 175, 148, and 113 single-nucleotide polymorphisms as instrumental variables for IBD, CD, and UC, respectively, we did not find a significant effect of genetically proxied IBD and its subtypes on periodontitis. Applying six single-nucleotide polymorphisms for periodontitis, we did not find a significant effect of the genetic liability for periodontitis on IBD, CD, and UC either. Sensitivity analyses did not reveal horizontal pleiotropy and heterogeneity.
Conclusions: No causation in the forward or reverse direction was noted. Our resultssuggest that the treatment of one of these two conditions might not affect the other and help predict what future large-scale RCTs will show.
Excitable reaction-diffusion waves in deformable membranes: disappearance, division, and route change
Authors: Noguchi Hiroshi
Published: February 2023

Shapes of biomembrane in living cells are regulated by curvature-inducing proteins. However, the effects of membrane deformation on signal transactions such as chemical waves have not been researched adequately. Here, we report that membrane deformation can alter the propagation of excitable reaction-diffusion waves using state-of-the-art simulations. Reaction waves can induce large shape transformations, such as membrane budding and necking, that erase or divide the wave, depending on the curvature generated by the waves, feedback to the wave propagation, and the ratio of the reaction and deformation times. Using genus-2 vesicles, we demonstrate that the occasional disappearance of the waves results in the reverse operation of the wave circuit. Our findings suggest that membrane deformation and reaction waves can together regulate signal transactions on biomembranes.
HPLC method for simultaneous identification and quantification of Enrofloxacin, Bromhexine*HCl and their related substances / degradation products, in veterinary pharmaceutical product, Bromflovet
Authors: Neagu Maria , Rusu Vasile Cornel , Cadleti Iosif , Cioroiu Bogdan-Ionel , Niculaua Marius , Nechita Bogdan-Constantin , Chirita Aurel Marian
Published: February 2023

This study aims to develop an HPLC analytical method, for separation, identification and quantification of related substances and degradation products, in veterinary finished product with two active substances Enrofloxacin (ENR) and Bromhexine hydrochloride (BRM). Analytical method used an Agilent Eclipse Plus C18 column (150 mm length x 4,6 mm I.D., 5 µm particle size) and a mobile phase consisted in a mixture of 2.5% phosphoric acid buffered at pH-2.3 with trimethylamine and acetonitrile in a gradient mode from 85% FMA to 55% FMA in 14,2 minutes, isocratic mode for 1 more minute and re-equilibration, total chromatographic time being 21 minutes. The method was developed in order to assure the separation of impurities specific with ENR and BRM. Specificity in relation with degradation products revealed up to 20 impurities for ENR and 5 impurities related with BRM. The spectra of impurities were chosen among the compounds found in forced degradation studies. Method validation was performed according to VICH GL 2 – Validation of analytical procedures and included selectivity/specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, LOQ, LOD, robustness, system suitability. Under these conditions linearity was between 0.015–0.06 mg/mL for ENR and 0.001125–0.005625 mg/mL for BRM. Limit of quantification for ENR was 0.00292 mg/ml and 0.001103 mg/ml for BRM. These limits assured method performance because they are under the reporting threshold from VICH GL11 Impurities in new veterinary medicinal products which is 0.3%. Recovery was calculated on three concentrations for every compound and were 102.99% for ENR and 102.91% for BRM. In terms of intermediate precision, a relative maximum deviation of 2.5% was obtained for area and retention of the two compounds by using two analysts in two different days of application. This method used common and cheaper reagents and can separate and quantify, in a short time, all these compounds and is suitable to be used in quality control of the product.
Fabrication of light trapping structures specialized for near- infrared light by nanoimprinting for the application to thin crystalline silicon solar cells
Authors: Kimata Yuto , Gotoh Kazuhiro , Miyamoto Satoru , Kato Shinya , Kurokawa Yasuyoshi , Usami Noritaka
Published: February 2023

Vehicle-integrated photovoltaics (VIPV) are gaining attention to realize a decarbonized society in the future, and the specifications for solar cells used in VIPV are predicated on a low cost, high efficiency, and the ability to be applied to curved surfaces. One way to meet these requirements is to make the silicon substrate thinner. However, thinner substrates result in lower near-infrared light absorption and lower efficiency. To increase light absorption, light trapping structures (LTSs) can be implemented. However, conventional alkali etched pyramid textures are not specialized for near-infrared light and are insufficient to improve near-infrared light absorption. Therefore, in this study, as an alternative to alkaline etching, we employed a nanoimprinting method that can easily fabricate submicron-sized LTSs on solar cells over a large area. In addition, as a master mold fabrication method with submicron-sized patterns, silica colloidal lithography was adopted. As a result, by controlling silica coverage, diameter of silica particles (D), and etching time (tet), the density, height, and size of LTSs could be controlled. At the silica coverage of 40%, D = 800 nm, and tet=5 minutes, the reduction of reflectance below 65% at 1100 nm and the theoretical short-circuit current gain of 1.55 mA/cm2 was achieved.
Study of Distortion on Milled Thin-Wall Aluminum Parts Influenced by Initial Residual Stress and Toolpath Strategy
Authors: Zheng Jun-Yuan , Voyle Robert , Tang Hon Ping , Mannion Anthony
Published: February 2023

Monolithic aluminium alloy parts are highly required in aeronautical industry, but they show significant geometrical distortion after the machining process. This work investigated the distortion attributed by the initial residual stress of raw material and the machining induced residual stress during the milling process, as well as explored the effects of the machining toolpath strategy. Single-/multi-pocket parts were milled from 7050-T7451 aluminium blocks with different initial residual stress, and an element deletion method was developed for numerical study to simulate different sequences of material removal. It was revealed that the toolpath parallel to the long side of block caused more distortion on the side surfaces of final part. The value of distortion was positively correlated to the magnitude of initial residual stress of raw material. The simulation results indicated that the distortion attributed by machining induced residual stress accounted for about 15% of final distortion. The finding promotes the design optimization of machining monolithic parts by minimizing distortion, thereby benefitting the application of large monolithic parts in industry.
Mental Health Information Reporting Assistant (MHIRA) - an open-source software facilitating evidence-based assessment for clinical services
Authors: Zimmermann Ronan , Konjufca Jon , Kilonzo Mrema , Quevedo Yamil , Blum Kathrin , Biba Edison , Mosha Tumaini , Kaaya Sylvia , Behn Alex , Arenliu Aliriza
Published: February 2023

Evidence-based assessment (EBA) in mental health is a critical aspect of improving patient outcomes and addressing the gaps in mental health care. EBA involves the use of psychometric instruments to gather data that can inform clinical decision-making, inform policymakers, and serve as a basis for research and quality management. Despite its potential, EBA is often hindered by barriers such as workload and cost, leading to its underutilization. To simplify the application of EBA, an international team of researchers and practitioners from Tanzania, Kosovo, Chile, and Switzerland developed the Mental Health Information Reporting Assistant (MHIRA). MHIRA is an open source electronic health record that streamlines EBA by digitising psychometric instruments and organising patient data in a user-friendly manner. It provides immediate and convenient reports to inform clinical decision-making. The current article provides a comprehensive overview of the features and technical details of MHIRA, as well as insights from four implementation scenarios. The experience gained during the implementations as well as the user-feedback suggests that MHIRA has the potential to be successfully implemented in a variety of clinical contexts, and simplify the use of EBA. However, further research is necessary to establish its potential to sustainably transform healthcare services and impact patient outcomes. In conclusion, MHIRA represents an important step in promoting the widespread adoption of EBA in mental health. It offers a promising solution to the barriers that have limited the use of EBA in the past and holds the potential to improve patient outcomes and support the ongoing efforts to address gaps in mental health care.
A proof that the set of NP-problems is bigger than the set of P-problems by using a logical consideration.
Authors: Louiz Akram
Published: February 2023

Thanks to my short studies about informatics, I present to you this mathematical proof that deals with the sets of P problems, NP-Complete problems and NP-Hard problems in order to prove new formulas about the cardinality of each group of problems and about the intersection of each one of these sets.
This work uses logical considerations about the complexity of NP-Hard problems in order to provea theoremabout the complexity ofproblems that allows us to identify NP problems even if their algorithms have infinite time of execution. This work ends by proving that the set of NP-Problems is definitely bigger than the set of P-Problems. Hence, I invite all the readers to develop the results of this article and to present their opinions about the used considerations in this work.
Improving the quality of clinical training in maternal and neonatal health in undergraduate nursing students: A participatory action research
Authors: Hoseini Akramsadat Sadat , Ghasemi Fatemeh , Valizadeh Fatemeh , Nayeri Nahid Dehghan , Toulabi Tahereh , Hasanvand Shirin
Published: February 2023

Background
Improving the quality of clinical training is synonymous with accomplishing nursing education goals and improving the quality of nursing care. This study aimed to improve the quality of clinical training in Maternal and Neonatal Health (MNH) in nursing students.
Methods
This action research was conducted in two cycles from June 2017 to June 2018. In the first cycle, semi-structured interviews were held with stakeholders to identify clinical problems and improvement strategies. Based on the results of these sessions, the changes needed to improve the quality of clinical training were planned and implemented. The weaknesses and strengths of the implemented changes were then identified through group discussions with the stakeholders. In the second cycle, a second plan was carried out to correct the weaknesses of the changes planned in the first cycle, and the modifications were implemented and evaluated.
Results
The main three categories extracted included an unsystematic curriculum and its inadequate monitoring, inadequate resources and facilities, and the student's lack of motivation. The measures taken for improvement included holding communication workshops, developing and internalizing logbooks, reducing the number of students in clinical training groups, using modern clinical training methods, and changing clinical evaluation methods.
Conclusion
Improving communication skills among the students, trainers, and hospital personnel and using modern clinical training methods, such as conceptual maps, triple jumps, and clinical skill centers, are the best strategies for improving clinical training in MNH nursing students.
Quality by design enabled self-nano emulsifying drug delivery systems development for the oral delivery of telmisartan: Improvement of biopharmaceutical performance
Authors: Maharana Rajib Lochan , Swain Suryakanta , Mahapatra Santosh Kumar , Jena Bikash Ranjan
Published: February 2023

Purpose: To increase the drug's oral bioavailability, a self-nano emulsifying drug delivery system was designed using capmul MCM, labrasol, and tween-20 as the oil, surfactant, and co-surfactant, respectively. Oil and Smix were tested for pre-isotropic compatibility and optimization of the formulations by using DoE software. Dispersibility, self-emulsifying duration, mean globule size, and stability were determined by a heating-cooling cycle and phase separation.
Methods: Self-nano emulsifying systems were created into free-flowing granules by adsorbing using the ratios of aerosil 200, sylysia 350, 550, and 730 as porous carriers and neusilin as an adsorbing agent. The FT-IR study assessed the drug's compatibility with various excipients and confirm no interaction. The produced granules were analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry, dissolution profile, and other flow property measures. The SEM examination revealed no evidence of drug precipitation on the carrier's surface. Self-nano emulsifying tablets were prepared through direct compression and changed by adding hydrophilic polymers like Avicel 112 and cross-povidone.
Results: The tablets produced had a round form, a pleasing appearance, less friability, and a faster rate of disintegration. The X-RD was used to characterize the physical properties of the pure drug and S-SEDDS, which determined that both the pharmaceutical and formulations were amorphous. Comparative dissolving testing with capsules in SGF pH 1.2 and phosphate buffer pH 6.8 revealed a significant increase in drug dissolution over the pure drug.
Conclusion: The study signifies the chosen drug using S-SEDDS improved its biopharmaceutical performance significantly, which may be relevant to other drugs with similar properties.
Qualify a near-infrared camera to detect thermal deviation during aluminum alloy Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Dellarre Anthony , Béraud Nicolas , Tardif Nicolas , Vignat Frédéric , Villeneuve François , Limousin Maxime
Published: February 2023

This paper proposes to qualify the minimal quality deviation that can be detected by a near-infrared camera during aluminum Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing. First, a review of the literature is done to highlight the interest of monitoring the melt pool in industrial condition for thermal management during manufacturing. It points out the relevance of the use of a Near-Infrared camera for steels but it has to be demonstrated for aluminum alloys. Indeed, the melt pool of the aluminum is significantly dimmer and less distinct than the melt pool of the steels. An experimental design is proposed to qualify the minimal quality deviation that can be detected on a thin wall. The chosen default to correlate with the thermal deviation is the width of the wall. A method is proposed to extract a thermal metric from the camera image and to analyze its sensitivity to a width deviation of the wall. The paper shows the correlation between the width of the wall and the thermal metric for different heat conditions. Moreover, the thermal metric is sensitive to width deviation either at the wall scale and at the bead scale. It indicates the relevance of a near-infrared camera to detect heat accumulation induced width deviation during Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing of aluminum alloy.
Genetic diversity of the eastern black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli) in Tanzania; implications for future conservation
Authors: Mellya Ronald V. K. , Hopcraft J. Grant C. , Eblate Ernest M. , Otiende Moses , Chuma Idrissa S. , Macha Emmanuel S. , Wambura Dickson , Kilbride Elizabeth , Mable Barbara K.
Published: February 2023

In the past decade, there has been a drastic decline in the number of Eastern Black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli), due to poaching, leaving few individuals in small, isolated populations that are vulnerable to extinction. However, the genetic consequences of the demographic decline on the remaining populations have not been investigated. Using the mitochondrial control region, this study investigated how current levels of genetic diversity relate to historical patterns, quantified genetic differentiation between extant populations, and the impacts of previous translocations on genetic diversity across populations. A total of 74 eastern black rhinoceroses were sampled from five extant populations in Tanzania and one neighboring cross-border population in the Maasai Mara in Kenya. Six maternal haplotypes were identified, with an overall haplotype diversity of h = 0.7 but low overall nucleotide diversity within populations (π = 0.017) compared to historical populations from Tanzania (π = 0.021). There was extensive variation in haplotype distribution between populations, some geographically close populations didn’t share haplotypes, suggesting limited maternal dispersal. The haplotypes were distributed among three east African haplogroups (Shari-Victoria(CV), Central-East(CE), and East-Africa(EA) as described in previous studies, suggesting that multiple lineages have been preserved despite the loss of haplotypes. One of the haplotypes was highly divergent and matched sequences previously classified as a subspecies that has not been recognized in recent years (Diceros bicornis ladoensis). We recommend that current levels of diversity be maintained by allowing natural movements of rhinoceroses between the populations, with the possibility of introducing additional variations by translocation of individuals between sites.
Association between Treatment Delays and Survival of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients: Analysis from a Nationwide Representative Cohort study in US population
Authors: Xiaoyuan Wei , Yu Siting , Wang Jun , Xiang Zhongzheng , Min Yu , Liu Lei
Published: February 2023

Background
Treatment delays have frequently been observed in cancer patients. Whether the treatment delays would impair the survival of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is still unclear.
Methods
The data was derived from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between 2010 and 2015. Patients were divided into groups of timely treatment (< 1 month), intermediate delay (1–2 months), and long delay (3–6 months). The influence of different treatment delay intervals on long-term survival was evaluated by multivariate Cox regression analysis.
Results
Generally, there were 2,048 NPC patients from the SEER database finally included in this study. There were 551 patients in the early stage (I, II stage: 26.9%) and 1,497 patients in the advanced stage (III, IV stage: 73.1%). No significant difference in overall survival (OS) or cancer-specific survival (CSS) was observed among the three groups, regardless of the stage (p = 0.48 in OS and p = 0.43 in CSS, respectively). However, after adjusting the covariates, a significantly better OS probability were observed in intermediate treatment delay patients compared with timely treatment groups in the whole stage (adjustedHazard ratio (aHR) = 0.86, 95%CI: 0.74–0.99, p = 0.043) and in advanced stage (aHR = 0.85, 95%CI: 0.72-1.00, p = 0.049) NPC patients. Similar results were also observed in the CSS (aHR = 0.84, 95%CI: 0.71–0.98, p = 0.030 in whole stage patients and aHR = 0.83, 95%CI: 0.70–0.99, p = 0.038 in advanced stage patients).
Conclusions
Our results revealed that treatment delays might not impair the survival of NPC patients. Whether intermediate treatment delays could improve the clinical outcomes of NPC patients need further validation.
Synergist Response of the Peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata (Sunders) to some Ammonium based proteinaceous food bait attractants
Authors: Hasnain Muhammad , Saeed Shafqat , Naeem-Ullah Unsar , Ullah Sami , Zaka Syed
Published: February 2023

Family Tephritidae, Bactrocera zonata is a serious pest, attacking fruits and vegetables causing a large quantitive and qualitative damages throughout the world. Fruit fly required proteinaceous food for sexual maturation and eggs development. Therefore, food bait attractants are widely used for detection, monitoring, mass trapping and controlling fruit flies. We therefore screening out the most suitable synthetic proteinaceous food bait attractants to volatiles distinguished by the fruit fly antennae through Y-shape olfactometer (Behavioral assays). The response of B. zonata adults male and females to some ammonium compounds (ammonium acetate, trimethylamine and putrescine) that mixed with certain food attractants were evaluated under laboratory conditions from 5-day old flies to 30 days old. To find potential mixtures that might be beneficial in developing fruit fly attractants for male and especially for females. So, four base baits developed by mixing protein hydrolysate with Jaggery, papa powder, kachri powder, KOH and guava pulp. Finally, thirty-two (32), synthetic blends were developed when above four base baits mixed with synthetic attractants. Results from the olfactometer bioassay indicated that protein hydrolysate + jaggery, protein hydrolysate + jaggery + AA and, protein hydrolysate + Jaggery + AA + TMA + Putrescine were effective both male and female throughout the adult life span when jaggery was used as base baits. Similarly, protein hydrolysate + Guava pulp + AA + TMA and protein hydrolysate + Guava pulp + AA + TMA + Putrescine also effective for the attraction of both male and female from 5th to 30 days life span when guava pulp was used as base baits. There was also variation in the pH of the baits due to different chemical composition of attractants as well as different food constituents. Bait proteins pH was a significant factor that may be strongly associated with the attraction efficiency of male and female fruit flies B. zonata.
Breast-lesion assessment using amide proton transfer-weighted imaging and dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging
Authors: Zhuang Lulu , Lian Chun , Wang Zehao , Dai Yi , Zhang Ximin , Huang Rong , Cheng Guanxun
Published: February 2023

Background
Previous studies have indicated that amide proton transfer-weighted imaging (APTWI) could be utilized for differentiating benign and malignant tumors. The APTWI technology has increasingly being applied to breast tumor research in recent years. However, according to the latest literature retrieval, no relevant previous studies compared the value of APTWI and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging in distinguishing benign lesions from malignant lesions. In the present study, the application of APTWI and DCE for differentiating the benign and malignant breast lesions was investigated.
Methods
APTWI was performed on 40 patients (42 lesions) who were enrolled in this prospective study. The lesions were split into two groups, one with malignant breast lesions (n = 28) and the other with benign breast lesions (n = 14), based on the results of the histology. The measured image characteristics (APT value, ADC value, and time-of-intensity-curve type) were compared between the two groups, and the ROC curve was used to quantify the diagnostic performance on the basis of these factors. The correlation between the APT values and the estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, and Ki-67 expression levels and histological grades was examined using Spearman’s correlation coefficient.
Results
The measured APT and ADC values showed a strong inter-observer agreement according to the intraclass correlation coefficients (0.954 and 0.825). Compared to benign lesions, malignant lesions had significantly higher APT values (3.18 ± 1.07 and 2.01 ± 0.51, p < 0.001). Based on APTWI, DCE, DWI, and ADC + APTWI, ADC + DCE, and DCE + APTWI, the area-under-the-curve values were 0.915, 0.815, 0.878, 0.921, 0.916, and 0.936, respectively.
Conclusions
APTWI is a potentially promising method in differentiating benign and malignant breast lesions, and may it become a great substitute for DCE examination in the future.
Resistivity saturation in semi-conducting polyacetylene molecular wires
Authors: Valli Angelo , Tomczak Jan M.
Published: February 2023

Realizing the promises of molecular electronic devices requires an understanding of transport on the nanoscale. Here, we consider a Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model for semi-conducting trans-polyacetylene molecular wires in which we endow charge carriers with a finite lifetime. The aim of this exercise is two-fold: (i) the simplicity of the model allows an insightful numerical and analytical comparison of the Landauer and Kubo linear response formalism; (ii) we distill the prototypical characteristics of charge transport through gapped mesoscopic systems and compare these to bulk semiconductors. We find that both techniques yield a residual differential conduction at low temperatures for contacted polyacetylene chains of arbitrary length—in line with the resistivity saturation in some correlated narrow-gap semiconductors. Quantitative agreement, however, is limited to not too long molecules. Indeed, while the Landauer transmission is suppressed exponentially with the system size, the Kubo response only decays hyperbolically. Our findings inform the choice of transport methodologies for the ab initio modelling of molecular devices.
TFE3 is a Novel Biomarker of Ovarian Sclerosing Stromal Tumours
Authors: Zhao Li , Zhou Yan , Liu Yuping , Luo Qiuping , Jiang Qingping , Wang Hui , Wang Na
Published: February 2023

Sclerosing stromal tumours of the ovary are benign and tend to occur in young women with lobular structures at low frequencies. Three types of cells, luteinized cells, short spindle myoid cells, and intermediate cells, are found in lobules, which are rich in blood vessels. Currently, immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization are used to detect normal follicles, sclerosing stromal tumours, granulosa cell tumours, and theca fibromas. Our research found the expression of transcription factor enhancer 3 (TFE3) was moderately and strongly positive in the inner thecal cell layer of normal follicles. It was expressed in seven out of eight sclerosing stromal tumours, mainly in luteinized cells, but not in 20 granulosa cell tumours and 1 microcystic stromal tumour. In nine cases of theca cell tumours and theca fibromas, TFE3 was not expressed, except in two cases of weak TFE3 expression. Eight cases of sclerosing stromal tumours were analysed by FISH using a TFE3 separation probe, and the results were negative. In a word, as a nuclear transcription protein, TFE3 was specifically expressed in sclerosing stromal tumours and could serve as a new marker for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of sclerosing stromal tumours.
Upper cervical anterior fusion to C2 with temporary infrahyoid muscle detachment: A clinical case series and description of surgical technique
Authors: Okamoto Naoki , Okazaki Rentaro , Azuma Seiichi
Published: February 2023

Background:
Anterior cervical spine surgery to C2 (ACSS-C2) is a challenging procedure that often results in postoperative persistent dysphagia or dyspnea due to injury to the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (iSLN) or the relatively narrow and soft oropharynx. This study aimed to describe surgical outcomes of our modified approach with temporary infrahyoid muscle detachment during ACSS-C2 in a case series of patients.
Methods:
Patients who underwent ACSS-C2 at two institutions between June 2015 and January 2022 were prospectively enrolled. Intraoperatively, we performed temporary detachment of the infrahyoid muscle from the hyoid bone to improve laryngeal mobility and accessibility to C2. This procedure also allowed for the easy identification and preservation of the iSLN. We retrospectively investigated the surgery-related complications and outcomes of bony fusion.
Results:
Twelve patients were enrolled in this study; five and seven patients underwent single- and multi-level fusion surgery, respectively. Intraoperative preservation of the iSLN and proper visualization of C2 were achieved in all cases. Subsequent decompression and instrumentation were successfully performed. Two elderly patients (78 and 81 years, respectively) who underwent multi-level fusion experienced transient postoperative dysphagia. None of the patients required unplanned reintubation or revision surgery because of instrumentation failure. Solid bony fusion was achieved in all cases.
Conclusions:
Our modified approach with temporary infrahyoid muscle detachment during ACSS-C2 reduces the incidence of postoperative persistent dysphagia and dyspnea. However, in elderly patients at high risk for postoperative dysphagia, multi-level fusion should be avoided, and alternative procedures should be considered.
A YOLOv5s-GC-based surface defect detection method of strip steel
Authors: LI Xi-Xing , YANG Rui , ZHOU Hong-Di
Published: February 2023

The surface defect detection of strip steel is very important for identifying the steel quality which has a great significance for improving the production efficiency and ensuring the products’ quality. However, the traditional strip surface defect detection algorithm cannot effectively balance the detection speed and detection accuracy that leads to a low practical detection efficiency. Therefore, a novel detection method based on YOLOv5s-GC has been proposed. Firstly, the ResNet-Mini has been developed to pre-classify the original dataset to reduce the amount of operation of the YOLOv5s-GC network. Secondly, an image preprocessing approach has been proposed to enhance the defect features, which contains two steps. The first step is combining the ResNet-Mini network weights with Grad-CAM to crop the defective areas, and simultaneously removing the background interference; the second step is applying the OTSU and Normal Distribution Enhancement Algorithm (NDEA) to extract the feature grayscale. Thirdly, size enhance strategy has been introduced to obtain a larger size of the data which can simulate the actucal application scenario with large area saccade of strip steel. Finally, the CBL module of YOLOv5s has been replaced by GhostBottleneck and the convolutional block attention module (CBAM) has been added in the Neck layer. From the final experimental results, relative to the original YOLOv5s algorithm, the YOLOv5s-GC’s average accuracy in the detection of 6 types of strip steel has reached to 77.5%, which is 7.9% higher than YOLOv5s, and detection accuracy rate of the average precision is 95.6%, at the same time, the calculation amount of YOLOv5s-GC is reduced by 48% and the inference speed is increased by 24%.
Toxicity assessment of the biogenic amines cadaverine and putrescine in aquatic organisms
Authors: Braga Ana Paula Andrade , Vallim José Henrique , Castanha Rodrigo Fernandes , Castro Vera Lucia Scherholz Salgado , Marin-Morales Maria Aparecida
Published: February 2023

Cemeteries are among the most polluting sources of groundwater and surface water in the world. Necro-leachate, a liquid released during the putrefaction of corpses, is the main culprit of such pollution. Among the compounds in this liquid are the potentially toxic amines cadaverine and putrescine, which are still poorly understood in terms of the environmental health risks they pose. This study evaluated the acute toxicity of cadaverine and putrescine, using efficient contamination bioindicators of aquatic environments. Danio rerio and Daphnia magna were exposed to both amines individually or in a mixture. Acute toxicity (LC50) was then observed in both organisms after exposure to the amines individually. Cadaverine showed higher lethality for D. magna (LC50 – 9.5 mg. L-1) and D. rerio (LC50 - 335.5 mg. L-1) than did putrescine (LC50 - 36.7 mg. L-1 and LC50- 452.6 mg. L-1, respectively). In embryotoxicity tests with D. rerio (hatching rate and malformations), delayed hatching, vertebral column malformations, and pericardial edema were observed after exposure to an amine mixture. However, co-exposure to cadaverine and putrescine was not toxic to D. magna. The results of this study confirmed the efficiency of the bioindicators used to assess contaminants in cemeteries and raised awareness of the toxic potential of cadaveric decomposition by-products.
Integration of Inherited Sterility and inoculative releases of a Miridae predator for the control of the tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta
Authors: Candás Lucas , Cagnotti Cynthia L. , López Silvia N.
Published: February 2023

Tuta absoluta is one of the most devastating pests of tomato crops worldwide. The Inherited Sterility technique (IS) is an environmentally friendly option to control lepidopteran pests which efficiency is improved when it is combined with other compatible methods, such as biological control (BC). Tupiocoris cucurbitaceus is a predator that can complete its life cycle preying only on T. absoluta eggs from irradiated parental males or untreated parents. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of the integration of T. cucurbitaceus with the IS technique on the suppression of T. absoluta population. Four treatments were carried out into cages in a greenhouse: T1, where untreated T. absoluta adults were released; T2 consisted of the release of irradiated T. absoluta adults in an over flooding ratio of 15:1 (irradiated: untreated adults); T3, release of couples of T. cucurbitaceus; and T4 consisted in the combination of T2 and T3 (IS-BC combination). The number of T. absoluta eggs and larvae in each treatment and the number of T. cucurbitaceus nymphs and adults in T3 and T4 were counted twice a week during 3 generations of T. absoluta. The moth population in T1 was higher than in the other treatments in the three peaks of larval production. The highest population suppression was obtained in T4 respect of the other treatments. The use of T. cucurbitaceus combined with the IS for the control of T. absoluta seems to have potential in view of the results obtained in this work.
Formulating environmentally benign wood preservatives based on chicken feather protein combined with copper and boron salts
Authors: Xia Yan , Zhou Yonghui , Qi Jiyun , Zhang Chen , Deng Shuduan , Luo Bei , Wen Jialong , Fan Mizi
Published: February 2023

Chicken feather is employed as a source of protein and combined with copper and boron salts to prepare chicken feather protein-based wood preservatives (CFP-WP). The treatability, leachability, chemical structure, crystallinity, thermal properties, micromorphology and decay resistance against fungi of treated wood samples are investigated to explore the efficacy and working mechanisms. The results showed that CFP-WP could penetrate into the wood structure, and NMR analysis indicated the small molecule amino acids hydrolyzed from chicken feather could successfully penetrate into wood. Furthermore, results of FT-IR, XRD, TGA/DTG analysis showed that the active ingredients of preservatives could interact with wood constituents, and CFP-WP were well fixed onto wood blocks. The morphology analysis and decay experiments verified that CFP-WP could protect wood against decay fungi efficiently and prolong the wood service life in consequence. The excellent functionalities of CFP-WP suggests that this eco-formulation could offer great potential to be used as environmentally benign wood preservatives with a more competitive cost.
Deposition of Daldinia starbaeckii (ELF) functionalized silver nanoparticles on Urinary catheter tube using chitosan polymer to prevent bacterial biofilms formation during UTI infection
Authors: Bharti Shweta , Paliya Balwant Singh , Nayaka Sanjeeva , Kumar Rajesh
Published: February 2023

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) are the most common healthcare problem in hospitals. In this study, we isolated and the Daldinia starbaeckii (An endolichenic fungus from Roccella montagnie) and its biomass extract was used to simultaneously synthesize and deposit DSFAgNPs on the inner and outer surfaces of the catheter tube using chitosan biopolymer via In-Situ deposition method. Perfectly designed D. starbaeckii extract functionalized DSFAgNPs were characterized by UV spectroscopy, FTIR, SEM, EDS, TEM, and XRD. The microbial efficacy of DSFAgNPs & DSFAgNPs coated catheter (CTH3) was evaluated against nine human pathogenic gram (+/-) ive strains. Results indicated DSFAgNPs showed significant biological activity against both gram (+/-) ive bacteria with an average MIC of 4µl/ml. The most promising activity was observed against Helicobacter pylori. CTH3 treated bacterial strains showed a significant reduction in colony formation unit (CFU/ml) in broth culture assay. Antibiofilm activity of CTH3 showed strong inhibition of biofilm formation (85%).