bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
App interaction design in the pop music singing teaching system based on Differential Evolution Algorithm
Authors: Wu Qinke
Published: February 2023

The dynamic spectrum management of cognitive technology can greatly increase the utilization of network spectrum, but while bringing convenience to our daily lives, this new technology will also greatly increase the consumption of nodes. At present, the short video industry is growing rapidly with the development of smart phones. Among them, the emergence of online pop music singing teaching platforms (software that mainly uses music as the background to shoot short videos) Significant changes have taken place in people's lifestyles. We can learn from the three-stage theory of flow experience to design and explore the method of plan implementation, and propose a targeted interaction design strategy for each flow characteristic, so that the overall design strategy becomes more practical and practical. In the design of this paper, the principle of cognitive wireless sensor network is applied in the technical aspect, and the principle of interactive design is applied in the product design.When a user reaches a state of flow while using the online popular music singing teaching platform, it can be evaluated that the user experience of the App is the best. The research on the interaction design of the online pop music singing teaching platform under the flow experience is intended to propose an interactive design strategy that can guide the online pop music singing teaching platform to better create a flow experience for users.
Online task scheduling and English online cooperative learning based on 5G mobile communication network
Authors: Guo Shanshan
Published: February 2023

The task density of the data processing platform is increasing, and effective online task scheduling directly determines the business flexibility of the data processing platform. This article starts with the remarkable dynamic characteristics of 5G cellular networks, creates an adaptive environment to optimize online task scheduling, and designs the workload characteristics of data processing and computing tasks. On this basis, based on the 5G mobile communication network programming model and the operating and functional principles of its supporting system, the actual structure and field of online task scheduling work templates have been developed and designed. In addition, this article is developing a technology-based, non-intrusive online task scheduling program that can perform detailed real-time detection of the actual implementation of online task scheduling. In this paper, 5G cellular network is used to further reduce the service cache location of online content, and collaborative English learning and deployment at the edge of the network closer to the end user can further reduce network delay, which is important for improving mobile network communication and improving the efficiency of network content distribution. This article creates a model for online collaborative learning of college English on a 5G cellular network, and analyzes the data based on experiments with comparative models to improve their self-confidence and interpersonal skills, these skills can help improve students' language skills.
Improvement of geoid accuracy using convolution neural networks and empirical rules
Authors: Nasser Mohammed , Sami Kamal , Abdalla Ahmed
Published: February 2023

We improve the accuracy of global geoid models (GGMs) by utilizing deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and empirical rules. The geoid heights obtained from the global geopotential models (GGM), EGM2008, and XG2019, are validated using geometrical geoid heights obtained from GNSS/leveling data. We used AlexNet, LeNet, and VGG16 CNN models to investigate the improvement of geoid accuracy and found that VGG16 model shows the most significant improvement among all the models. The VGG16 model improves the geoid accuracy of EGM2008 and XGM2019e by about 39 cm. Additionally, we apply empirical rules for outliers detection to eliminate unreliable GNSS/leveling data and found that this further improves the geoid accuracy by 13 cm for EGM2008 and 12 cm for XGM2019e. We also used a 7-parameter stochastic model to remove existing systematic errors, impacting 9 mm on AlexNet and VGG16.
Network learning path of university political education based on simulation data and sparse neural network
Authors: Shao Kaixuan
Published: February 2023

In the face of the impact of the New Coronary Pneumonia epidemic, Schools need to actively engage in online teaching in response to the Ministry of Education's call for "uninterrupted teaching". Ideological and political education is an important way to train socialist successors, and is the basis for establishing students' correct outlook on life, values and the world outlook. Therefore, in this paper, sparse neural network algorithm is introduced to complete the construction of ideological and political online education platform for colleges and universities. Through the design of simulation experiments, we can know that the sparse model can still maintain the stability and accuracy of the network under the condition of black box attacks, and even after a certain amount of tailoring, it can still exceed the accuracy of the original network. The experimental results show the superiority of this platform. In this paper, the platform system is roughly divided into three layers: user layer, data storage layer and functional logic layer. The evaluation is carried out from four dimensions: teaching resources, teaching activities, teacher-student interaction and teacher-student evaluation. According to the results, students have higher systematic evaluation than teachers. Among them, the recognition of teaching resources and activities is high, which proves that the platform in this paper is effective. The online teaching platform designed in this paper can make full use of the characteristics of network technology, realizes the reform and innovation development path of the ideological course in schools, and enhances the attraction of the political course and the enthusiasm of students to learn. This paper designs a kind of network education system by introducing sparse neural network into ideological online education.
Maize//soybean intercropping promotes activation of soil phosphorus fractions by secreting more phosphatase in red soil under different phosphorus application rates
Authors: Zhou Long , Su Lizheng , Zhao Hongmin , Wang Sirui , Zheng Yi , Tang Li
Published: February 2023

Aims
Rational intercropping plays an important role on improving Phosphorus(P) uptake and utilization. This study aimed to investigate the effects of intercropping on the activation of soil P fractions and available P in acid soil.
Methods
The field experiments were conducted for two consecutive years to investigate the effects of maize intercropping with soybean at different P application rates (0, 60, 90, and 120 kg P2O5 ha− 1) on soil P fractions and P turnover.
Results
Compared with the monoculture maize, intercropping significantly increased maize P uptake by 43.6%~74.3% and 45.5%~76.8% in two years, while the intercropping advantage gradually weakened with the increasing of P levels. Intercropping maize promoted the activation of soil P pools, which increased labile P pools by 32.5%~38.4% and 14.4%~82.1%, while reducing non-labile P pools by 7.4%~10.9% and 6.6%~11.6% compared with monoculture maize. Meanwhile, intercropping could deplete NaOH-Po, conc. HCl-Pi, conc. HCl-Po and Residual-P fractions, and increase Resin-P, NaHCO3-Pi, NaHCO3-Po by 4.3%~41.2%, 21.1%~84.6% and 9.7%~98.8%, respectively. In addition, intercropping significantly increased alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) by 21.2%~42.6% and 19.9%~28.6%, and significantly increased acid phosphatase activity (ACP) by 13.8%~27.1% and 9.5%~13.4% under different P rate. Structural equation model (SEM) showed that both ACP and ALP plays curtail role increased available P directly or indirectly through their effects on organic P turnover.
Conclusions
These result highlight the importance that intercropping maize with soybean increases soil P bioavailability by transforming organic P pools (NaOH-Po and conc. HCl-Po) into soluble phosphate (Resin-P, NaHCO3-Pi and NaOH-Pi) by facilitating the secretion of phosphatase.
Lung Cell Cancer Identification Mechanism Using Deep Learning Approach
Authors: wankhade shalini , S Vigneshwari
Published: February 2023

Nowadays, healthcare solutions have accomplished radical advancements in developing diagnostic mechanisms using machine and deep learning (DL) based techniques. The symptoms of lung cell cancer are common to many other ailments; hence the healthcare practitioners may make mistakes in identification of lung cancer in early stages. Cancer enters into human body silently and the symptoms such as weakness, weight loss and fever are common to many other ailments which may confuse the physicians to distinguish between cancer symptoms and other ailment symptoms. Cancer is usually detected in lateral stages when it is difficult to control the further spread of cancer in the other parts of the body. Cancer is one of the major causes of the deaths in the youngsters these days. There are many existing techniques which can help in diagnosis of cancer but still there is a need to explore more intelligent mechanisms which not only identify the presence of cancer in the cells but also determine the stages of the cancer for timely treatment. Hence the proposed DL based diagnostic mechanism not only identifies the presence of cancer in lung cells but also determines the respective stage. A DL-based Lung Cell Cancer Detection (DL-LCCD) is suggested in this paper to detect lung cell cancer. The proposed DL-LCCD method determines the cancerous cells with the aid of digital image processing techniques with high accuracy and precision. A Hybrid CNN model is devised to determine the cancer from the CT scanned images. The evaluation metrics are used to test the viability of the proposed DL-LCCD method. The classification accuracy of 95.30% is achieved with 10-fold cross-validation and 96.10% accuracy with 15-fold cross-validation.
Role of microRNA-dependent PTEN downregulation in the resistance to PI3K inhibitor alpelisib in head & neck squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Pulito Claudio , Ganci Federica , Frascolla Carlotta , Sacconi Andrea , Benedetti Anna , Manciocco Valentina , Covello Renato , Morrone Aldo , Pellini Raul , Muti Paola , Meens Jalna , Karamboulas Christina , Nichols Anthony , Ailles Laurie , FAZI FRANCESCO , Strano Sabrina , Fontemaggi Giulia , Blandino Giovanni
Published: February 2023

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) frequently harbor alterations in the PI3K signaling axis and, particularly, in the PIK3CA gene. The promising rationale of using PI3K inhibitors for the treatment of HNSCC has, however, clashed with a spontaneous development of resistance over time, observed both in PDX models and cell lines.
Aimed at identifying valuable targets to circumvent acquired resistance to the PI3Kα inhibitor alpelisib in HNSCC herein we performed microRNA profiling in a cohort of HNSCC PDXs, treated or not with alpelisib, including both responding and resistant tumors. We highlighted that microRNAs specifically altered in resistant PDXs include members of miR-17-92 cluster, encoded by MIR17HG. Mechanistically, we observed that hyperactive c-Myc protein is recruited on MIR17HG regulatory regions in alpelisib-resistant cells, causing the sustained expression of miR-17-5p, miR-19b-3p and miR-20a-5p which, in turn, downregulate the expression of tumor suppressor PTEN. Of note, either knocking out (KO) or silencing PTEN confers resistance to treatment with alpelisib in HNSCC cells. By phosphoproteomic profiling we identified a panel of PTEN-dependent phosphorylation events involved in alpelisib resistance, such as p-Plk1-T210. Interestingly, targeting of Plk1 through rigosertib treatment strongly reduced the viability of alpelisib-resistant cells.
In aggregate, this study reveals that post-transcriptional non-genetic events contribute to the downregulation of PTEN in HNSCC during treatment with PI3K inhibitors thus favoring the onset of resistance. We propose the blocking of PTEN-dependent targets as a powerful strategy for the treatment of alpelisib-resistant HNSCCs.
Using natural language from a smartphone pregnancy app to identify maternal depression
Authors: Krishnamurti Tamar , Allen Kristen , Hayani Laila , Rodriguez Samantha , Rothenberger Scott , Moses-Kolko Eydie , Simhan Hyagriv
Published: February 2023

Depression is highly prevalent in pregnancy, yet it often goes undiagnosed and untreated. Language can be an indicator of psychological well-being. This longitudinal, observational cohort study of 1,274 pregnancies examined written language shared in a prenatal smartphone app. Natural language feature of text entered in the app (e.g. in a journaling feature) throughout the course of participants’ pregnancies were used to model subsequent depression symptoms. Language features were predictive of incident depression symptoms in a 30-day window (AUROC = 0.72) and offer insights into topics most salient in the writing of individuals experiencing those symptoms. When natural language inputs were combined with self-reported current mood, a stronger predictive model was produced (AUROC = 0.84). Pregnancy apps are a promising way to illuminate experiences contributing to depression symptoms. Even sparse language and simple patient-reports collected directly from these tools may support earlier, more nuanced depression symptom identification.
Reference intervals and sources of variation of pressure pain threshold for quantitative sensory testing in a Japanese population
Authors: Suzuki Hidenori , Tahara Shu , Mitsuda Mao , Funaba Masahiro , Fujimoto Kazuhiro , Ikeda Hironori , Izumi Hironori , Yukata Kiminori , Seki Kazushige , Uranami Kota , Nishida Norihiro , Sakai Takashi
Published: February 2023

Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is useful when analysing musculoskeletal pain disorders. A handheld algometer is most commonly used for pressure pain threshold (PPT) tests. However, reference intervals for PPTs are not elucidated. We assessed reference intervals of PPTs for QST in 158 healthy adult Japanese (73 females, 85 males) with no history of musculoskeletal or neurological problems. A handheld algometer was used to record PPT at five different assessment sites on the body: lumbar paravertebral muscle (PVM), musculus gluteus maximus (MGM), quadriceps (QC), tibialis anterior muscle (TA), and anterior talofibular ligament (TL). Multiple regression analysis (MRA) was performed to explore sources of variation of PPT according to sex, age, body mass index (BMI), UCLA Activity Level Rating (ALR), and Tegner Activity Score. Reference intervals were determined parametrically by Gaussian transformation of PPT values using the two-parameter Box-Cox formula. MRA results revealed that age was significantly associated with PPT-PVM in males and with PPT-PVM and PPT-MGM in females. In females, BMI showed significant positive correlation with PPT-TL, and ALR reflecting daily activities also showed significant positive association with PPT-TA and PPT-TL. Site-specific reference intervals of PPTs for Japanese are of practical relevance in fields of pain research using a handheld algometer.
Maturation of Nucleus Accumbens Synaptic Transmission Signals a Critical Period for the Rescue of Social Deficits in a Mouse Model of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Matthiesen Melina , Khlaifia Abdessattar , Steininger Carl Frank David , Dadabhoy Maryam , Mumtaz Unza , Arruda-Carvalho Maithe
Published: February 2023

Social behavior emerges early in development, a time marked by the onset of neurodevelopmental disorders featuring social deficits, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although social deficits are at the core of the clinical diagnosis of ASD, very little is known about their neural correlates at the time of clinical onset. The nucleus accumbens (NAc), a brain region extensively implicated in social behavior, undergoes synaptic, cellular and molecular alterations in early life, and is particularly affected in ASD mouse models. To explore a link between the maturation of the NAc and neurodevelopmental deficits in social behavior, we compared spontaneous synaptic transmission in NAc shell medium spiny neurons (MSNs) between the highly social C57BL/6J and the idiopathic ASD mouse model BTBR T+Itpr3tf/J at postnatal day (P) 4, P6, P8, P12, P15, P21 and P30. BTBR NAc MSNs display increased spontaneous excitatory transmission during the first postnatal week, and increased inhibition across the first, second and fourth postnatal weeks, suggesting accelerated maturation of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs compared to C57BL/6J mice. BTBR mice also show decreased optically evoked medial prefrontal cortex-NAc synaptic transmission at P15 and P30. These early changes in synaptic transmission are consistent with a potential critical period, which could maximize the efficacy of rescue interventions. To test this, we treated BTBR mice in either early life (P4-P8) or adulthood (P60-P64) with the mTORC1 antagonist rapamycin, a well-established intervention for ASD-like behavior. Rapamycin treatment rescued social interaction deficits in BTBR mice when injected in infancy, but not in adulthood.
Rainfall extreme events and socio-physical effects on a temperate hydrographic basin in Argentina
Authors: Mastrandrea Aldana , Bohn Vanesa Y.
Published: February 2023

The increase of Rainfall Extreme Events (REE) intensity and frequency is a typical situation in the current context of Global Climate Change. The aim is to identify REE occurrence using modeled daily rainfall (DR) data analysis and quantify its effects on the Surface Soil Wetness (SSW), as a physical feature of the Napostá Grande (NG) hydrographic basin, differentiating by homogeneous units (HU). And to analyze the occurrence of REE and its social effects in the study area, through a press revision. The methodology includes the DR and SSW data analysis through data series provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the period 1981–2022. Results indicated that the characteristics and the effects of the REE were differentiated along the hydrographic basin. Moreover, we could demonstrate a positive relationship between REE, SSW, and their social effects. Although the highest proportion of extreme events was manifested in the sedimentary fills HU and paleodrains HU, those extreme events that had a greater relevance, due to their social effects, were those that occurred in the urban area. Regarding the effects, an increase and a decrease in the SSW were found during the REE occurrences and normal rainfall, respectively. REE between 50–100 mm were more usual in the paleodrains HU and sedimentary fills HU than the others. This research constitutes a case study, which demonstrates how useful the inclusion of climatic REE and SSW data and press revision can be used for an optimal management of water resources/forecasting flood damage.
Association between Parameters of Cortisol Metabolism, Biomarkers of Minerals (Zinc, Selenium and Magnesium) and Insulin Resistance and Oxidative Stress in Women with Obesity
Authors: Morais Jennifer , Cruz Kyria , Oliveira Ana Raquel , Melo Stéfany , Santos Loanne , Cardoso Bruna , Dias Thaline Milany Silva , Severo Juliana Soares , Henriques Gilberto Simeone , Silva Moisés Tolentino Bento , Oliveira Francisco Erasmo , Marreiro Dilina
Published: February 2023

Cross-sectional study with women divided into a group of women with obesity (n=80) and a control group (n=94). Statistical analysis was conducted using the SPSS program. There were high values of GPX and MDA, and reduced values of SOD in women with obesity compared to the control group. Obese women showed increased concentrations of cortisol in serum and urine, as well as hypozincemia, hyposelenemia and hypomagnesemia and increased urinary excretion of these minerals. There was a negative correlation between the cortisol/cortisone ratio and erythrocyte zinc and selenium concentrations, a significant positive correlation between GPx and SOD activity and erythrocyte and plasma concentrations of zinc and selenium. The results of the study suggest the influence of adiposity on the increase in cortisol concentrations, the role of this hormone in the compartmentalization of the minerals zinc, selenium and magnesium. However, the association study does not allow identifying the impact of such action on the antioxidant defense system and insulin sensitivity.
Relationship between soil seed bank and standing vegetation: An effective approach to conclude plant invasion pattern in Indian dry tropical peri-urban region
Authors: Aggarwal Shilpi , Narayan Rup
Published: February 2023

The natural and semi-natural ecosystems of dry tropical regions are characterized by a high biodiversity with the new introduction of alien invasive species, especially at disturbed sites. The tropical regions due to favorable environmental conditions are considered rich reservoirs of much of the biodiversity of the earth. The Indian dry tropical urban region has also been reported to be highly diverse but fragile with abundant alien flora, of which American, Asian, and European and Asian species form the major contributions. By the allelopathic activity, these weeds alter the soil environment, cause low productive systems with weak soil microflora and accelerate their fast spread by fast colonization, fast reproduction, or highly competitive ability. These weedy species have a great potential to make persistent soil seed banks. The soil seed bank is a reservoir of viable but ungerminated seeds and acts as a genetic reservoir that could play an important role in determining the future vegetation of the community. The present study carried out four different land use patterns and focused on the seed bank dynamics of these sites. In this study, the abundance of alien invasive species in the floristic composition and density of the subterranean vegetation reflects the impact of disturbance and other anthropogenic factors.
Landscape Context for Forest Transition Success in Central Panama
Authors: Bardino Giulia , Fonzo Gianrico Di , Walker Kendra , Vitale Marcello , Hall Jefferson S.
Published: February 2023

Context
Secondary forests are frequently re-cleared before they can recover to pre-disturbance conditions. The identification of factors associated with passive regeneration persistence success would help planning cost-efficient forest restoration.
Objectives
In this paper we investigated the role that the landscape context of naturally regenerated forest patches plays for their chances to mature and persist in time in central Panama. Maturation and persistence of secondary forests are concepts often undervalued representing, however, essential requisites for an effective and long-term restoration of the ecosystem processes.
Methods
A unique data set of land-cover maps of central Panama was used to identify the forest patches that naturally recovered and persisted between 1990 and 2020. We developed a Random Forest Classification (RFC) calibration method to identify areas with higher likelihood of forest persistence success.
Results
The RFC model discriminated between areas that naturally recovered and persisted in time and areas that did not persisted with an error rate of 2%. By tuning, we obtained a precision of 0.94 (94%) in the validation test. Based on the model, we developed a prediction map of central Panama areas with higher probability (≥ 90%) of secondary forests persistence success within the next 20 years.
Conclusions
Tracking simple landscape and socio-economic metrics allowed for a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms of secondary forest persistence in central Panama. Through the development of RFC calibration method, this study maximized the reliability of the patches identified as suitable to persistence success, representing a basis for management decisions and future investigations for a successful, long-term forest-landscape restoration.
Improved Quality Control of [177Lu]Lu-PSMA I&T
Authors: Kraihammer Martin , Garnuszek Piotr , Bauman Andreas , Maurin Michael , Lafont Manuel Alejandre , Haubner Roland , von Guggenberg Elisabeth , Gabriel Michael , Decristoforo Clemens
Published: February 2023

Background: Targeted radionuclide therapy with [177Lu]Lu-PSMA I&T (Zadavotide guraxetan) has proven high efficacy and safety in treating patients with advanced prostate cancer worldwide. Several methods to determine the radiochemical purity have been reported but also limitations in the HPLC analysis due to retention of the sample and tailing effects when using standard gradients containing trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). We here report on the validation of a method for quality control of [177Lu]Lu-PSMA I&T including determination of radiochemical purity, identity testing and limit test for PSMA I&T by HPLC using a Phosphate buffer /Acetonitrile gradient system, complemented with a TLC system with 0.1N Citrate buffer pH5 as mobile phase including validation of the methods, batch and stability data as well as identification of the main radiochemical impurity by mass spectrometry.
Results: The described HPLC method met the defined acceptance criteria in terms of accuracy, specificity, robustness, linearity, range and LOQ. HPLC analysis revealed symmetrical peaks and quantitative recovery from the column. Batch data showed a radiochemical purity >95% as determined by HPLC, stability data a pronounced degradation due to radiolysis, which could be limited by addition of ascorbic acid, dilution and storage at low temperatures. The main radiochemical impurity was found to be the de-iodinated form of [177Lu]Lu-PSMA I&T. TLC analysis allowed to determine the amount of free Lu-177 even in the presence of DTPA in the final formulation.
Conclusion: Overall the described combination of HPLC and TLC provides a reliable tool for quality control of [177Lu]Lu-PSMA I&T.
Creep behavior of glass fiber reinforced glulam beams under uncontrolled variable climatic conditions
Authors: Song Yo-Jin , Lee In-Hwan , Hong Soon-Il
Published: February 2023

The glass fiber reinforcement of the tensile part of a glulam beam is known to increase its short-term bending performance. Under variable climatic conditions, improvements in short-term bending performance are anticipated to improve long-term creep performance. In this study, the creep behavior of glulam beams reinforced with glass fibers and unreinforced glulam beams was investigated for 18240 hours under uncontrolled variable climatic conditions. Depending on the presence or absence of reinforcement and the type of reinforcement, several aspects of the creep behavior of glulam beams could be observed. Through the glass fiber reinforcement of the glulam beam, it was possible to lower the amount of the creep variation as well as the overall creep strain after 18240 hours. Specifically, the glass fiber reinforced plastic reinforcement sheet caused the glulam beam to exhibit a consistent creep behavior regardless of the stress level. This improved the predictability of long-term creep deformation under variable and uncontrolled climatic conditions.
GUP modified Wigner function using classical-quantum unified framework
Authors: Sen Abhijit , Parida Bikram Keshari
Published: February 2023

The generalized uncertainty principle (GUP) is a natural consequence
of many proposed quantum gravity theories which further indicates
the modification of the quantum mechanics and classical mechanics.
A unified classical-quantum framework also leads to the interpretation of a Winger phase-space distribution of a state as a KvN wave function. In this article, we utilize the classical-quantum unified framework to calculate the expression for the GUP modified Wigner function of a classical harmonic oscillator in the configuration space instead of the conventional approach of utilising the momentum space. Further, we plot the modified Wigner functions and show that they are similar to what has been obtained before in the past literature.
Production of recombinant proteins including the B-cell epitopes of autolysin A of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from clinical sheep mastitis and their potential for vaccine development
Authors: Azara Elisa , Foddai Antonio Carlo , Longheu Carla Maria , Addis Maria Filippa , Tola Sebastiana
Published: February 2023

Staphylococcus aureus is the most common clinical mastitis-associated pathogen in sheep which contributes to reduced welfare of affected animals and, therefore, compromises the quality and quantity of milk production. To prevent mastitis and its spread, it is essential to guarantee adequate breeding conditions and animal health, through the adoption of good farm management practices and the application of suitable biosecurity measures. Vaccination can play a strategic role in prevention, control, and eradication of diseases. The identification of secreted and cellular antigens of the predominant sheep-CC130/ST700/t1773 lineage would assist in the design of effective vaccine against mammary infections caused by S. aureus. In the current study, we carried out a 3D structural prediction analysis with the identification of the best B cell epitopes of the whole and secreted portion of S. aureus AtlA. Fragments of atlA, containing the main predicted epitopes, were amplified, cloned, and expressed in Escherichia coli for recombinant protein production. Two selected clones produced recombinant proteins (rAtl4 and rAtl8) showing strong reactivity with a hyperimmune serum against the native AtlA and with blood sera collected from sheep with clinical S. aureus mastitis. These may represent potential candidate protein-based vaccines able to elicit a protective immune response to be evaluated by vaccination and subsequent challenge of the vaccinated sheep.
Discard butterfly local extinctions through untargeted citizen science: the interplay between species traits and user effort
Authors: Tongeren Elia van , Sistri Ginevra , Bonifacino Marco , Menchetti Mattia , Pasquali Lorenzo , Salvati Vania , Balletto Emilio , Bonelli Simona , Cini Alessandro , Portera Mariagrazia , Dapporto Leonardo
Published: February 2023

The detection of extinctions at local and regional scales in many biodiversity hotspots is often hindered by the lack of long-term monitoring data, and thus relies on time series of occurrence data. Citizen science has repeatedly shown its value in documenting species occurrences, mostly in very recent years. This study investigates the effectiveness of untargeted citizen science records in discarding the possibility of local extinctions in butterfly populations across all Italian National Parks. We addressed three research questions: i) the ability of citizen science data to supplement existing knowledge to complete occurrences time series, ii) the impact of functional traits determining species appearance on data collection, and iii) the interplay between participant engagement and species appearance in the amount of diversity recorded on the iNaturalist platform. Our analysis of 47,356 records (39,929 from literature and 7,427 from iNaturalist) shows that the addition of iNaturalist data fills many recent gaps in occurrence time series, thus reducing the likelihood of potential local extinctions. User effort strongly interacts with species size, distribution, and length of flight periods in determining the frequency of records for individual species. Notably, records from more engaged users encompass a higher fraction of local biodiversity and are more likely to discard local extinctions, and these users are less affected by species size. We also provide updated butterfly checklists for all Italian National Parks and a new R package to calculate potential extinction over time. These results offer guidance for protected areas, conservationists, policymakers, and citizen scientists to optimise monitoring of local populations.
Time to Dismiss Boost? Outcomes of Children With Localized and Metastatic Germinoma.
Authors: Foo Jen Chun , Bajin Inci Yaman , Marushchak Oksana , McKeown Tara , Bouffet Eric , Tsang Derek S. , Laperriere Norman , Dirks Peter , Drake James , Ertl-Wagner Birgit , Bartels Ute
Published: February 2023

Purpose: To determine long-term outcomes of a cohort of children with germinoma treated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy without primary tumor boost even in the absence of complete response to chemotherapy.
Methods: This retrospective study analyzed the outcome of patients with germinoma consecutively diagnosed and treated at a tertiary care center from January 2000 to December 2021. MRIs were reviewed by two radiologists, blinded to patient data. Tumor location at diagnosis, tumor response to chemotherapy and at completion of radiation therapy and site of relapse were assessed. Tumor response was assessed radiologically by determining the tumor size and response on diffusion-weighted imaging, in addition to biochemical, cytological parameters and neurological status.
Results: Of 46 pediatric germinoma patients, 29 children (14 male; median age 12.8 years) received no primary tumor boost. Median follow-up was 63 months (range 9-187 months). Twenty-five children had localized disease and tumor location was suprasellar (n= 11), pineal (n= 10), bifocal (n= 3) and basal ganglia (n= 1) while 4 children had metastatic disease at presentation. All patients completed multi-agent chemotherapy followed by either ventricular irradiation (VI) (23.4 Gy) (n = 23), whole brain (WBI) (23.4 Gy) (n = 5) or craniospinal radiation (CSI) (23.4 Gy) (n= 1). Two children, who had localized disease at presentation and received VI after chemotherapy, relapsed 9 months and 32 months after completion of treatment respectively. No patient had a local relapse. Location of relapse was distant, outside (n= 1) and inside (n= 1) the irradiation field. Five-year PFS was 91% and overall survival (OS) was 100%.
Conclusions: In this case series, excellent 5-year PFS and OS rates were achieved with chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy of 23.4 Gy delivered without primary tumor boost. No local relapse was observed despite omitting primary tumor boost in patients with localized and metastatic germinoma.
WITHDRAWN: Effect of lead core size and arrangement on the shear and axial behavior of the lead rubber bearings
Authors: Kazeminezhad Ehsan , raoufi reza
Published: February 2023

Earthquake forces have always been considered as a threat to the structures. One of the most effective ways to have structures with minimal damage and improve their resilience is prevent transmission of earthquake forces to the superstructures. For this purpose, the base isolation method can be implemented. Common types of base isolators are elastomeric rubber bearing and lead rubber bearing. Elastomeric rubber bearing is consisting rubber layers and intermediate steel plates that are produced by vulcanization process and lead rubber bearing (LRB) is similar to the elastomeric rubber bearing but a lead core is located in the center. In this study, shear behavior and vertical stiffness of LRBs are evaluated with the finite element approach. Validation analysis was performed which indicated the accuracy of modeling and then two full scale circle LRBs were selected from Bridgestone corporation with 1000 and 600mm diameters. The main purpose of this paper is evaluating the effect of lead core size, number and location on the shear behavior and vertical stiffness of lead rubber bearings.
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of a self-reporting tool to assess health-related quality of life for Egyptians with extremity bone sarcomas in childhood or adolescence.
Authors: Farid Nesma Medhat , Chun Sungsoo , Hassanain Omneya , Salama Mohamed , Esam Elham , Adel Fatima , Rashad Ismail , Ghoneimy Ahmed Mohamed El
Published: February 2023

Purpose
Our study pursued cross-cultural adaptation, and validation of the pediatric Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (pTESS) and Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS) to assess the functional outcome for Egyptian children and adult survivors of childhood bone cancer. Mental domains were added to allow the evaluation of health-related quality of life (HRQOL)
Methods
The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the studied forms were assessed. For convergent validity, correlations between scores of the generic Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PEDSQL 4.0) and pTESS /TESS scores were reported. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was feasible for pTESS-leg; due to the insufficient samples, only the average inter-item correlation coefficients were reported for the remaining versions.
Results
Out of 233 participants, 134 responded to pTESS leg, 53 to TESS-leg, 36 to pTESS-arm, and only 10 to TESS-arm. All versions showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.9), good test-retest reliability (Intra-class coefficients > 0.8), moderate to strong correlations with PEDSQL, and acceptable average inter-item correlation coefficients (≥ 0.3). In the EFA, all mental items were loaded on one separate factor with factor loadings exceeding 0.4. Chemotherapy, primary surgery within one year, or tibial tumors showed significantly inferior pTESS/TESS scores in lower extremities.
Conclusion
The Egyptian pTESS and TESS are valid and reliable self-reporting tools for assessing the functional outcome following surgeries of extremity bone sarcomas. The mental domains enabled the assessment of the overall health status in our population. Future studies should include larger sample size and evaluate the ability of pTESS/TESS to track progress over time.
Road networks: A new filtering approach to extract backbones using community structure
Authors: GHALMANE Zakariya , Brahmia Mohamed-El-Amine , Zghal Mourad
Published: February 2023

Road networks represented as a networked system of edges and nodes have raised considerable interest in the literature of networks, leading to numerous studies throughout the years. In these networks, the junctions where roads intersect are represented by nodes while the road segments connecting them represent the edges. Road networks in major cities and metropolises all over the world are very large-scale dense networks. Thus, the need to identify the most important roads that influence both vehicle and pedestrian flows, urban crime, collective dynamic behavior, land-use separation and retail vitality. In this context, in this paper, we propose a new method to extract the skeleton or the backbone of cities. The so-called "Link Motif-Betweenness skeleton (LMB)" aims to select the links belonging to the larger number of motifs in the network and also having high betweenness. The LMB selects links separately from two sub-networks: from the local sub-network which is formed only from the intra-community links to select edges with a local influence in the various communities, and also from the global sub-network which is formed from the inter-community links of the network to select edges with a global influence all over the network. The proposed method is tested on road networks in the five largest cities of France: Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse and Nice. Experimental results show the efficiency of the LMB in terms of preserving relevant roads as compared to some alternative methods.
Pan-American Guidelines for the Treatment of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19: A Joint Evidence-Based Guideline of the Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases (SBI) and the Pan-American Association of Infectious Diseases (API)
Authors: Barbosa Alexandre Naime , Chebabo Alberto , Starling Carlos , Pérez Clevy , Cunha Clóvis Arns , de Luna David , Nunes Estevão Portela , Zambrano Gabriela , Ferreira Juliana Carvalho , Croda Júlio , Falavigna Maicon , Silva Monica Maria Gomes da , Thormann Monica , Cimerman Sergio , Parahiba Suena Medeiros , Tanni Suzana , Bernardo Wanderley Marques , Rodriguez-Morales Alfonso J.
Published: February 2023

Background
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, therapeutic options for treating COVID-19 have been investigated at different stages of clinical manifestations. Considering the particular impact of COVID-19 in the Americas, this document aims to present recommendations for the pharmacological treatment of COVID-19 specific to this population.
Method
Fifteen experts, members of the Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases (SBI) and the Pan-American Association of Infectious Diseases (API) make up the panel responsible for developing this guideline. Questions were formulated regarding prophylaxis and treatment of COVID-19 in outpatient and inpatient settings. The outcomes considered in decision-making were mortality, hospitalisation, need for mechanical ventilation, symptomatic COVID-19 episodes, and adverse events. In addition, a systematic review of randomised controlled trials was conducted. The quality of evidence assessment and guideline development process followed the GRADE system.
Results
Nine technologies were evaluated, and ten recommendations were made, including the use of tixagevimab + cilgavimab in the prophylaxis of COVID-19, tixagevimab + cilgavimab, molnupiravir, nirmatrelvir + ritonavir, and remdesivir in the treatment of outpatients, and remdesivir, baricitinib, and tocilizumab in the treatment of hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19. The use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine and ivermectin was discouraged.
Conclusion
This guideline provides recommendations for treating patients in the Americas following the principles of evidence-based medicine. The recommendations present a set of drugs that have proven effective in the prophylaxis and treatment of COVID-19, emphasising the strong recommendation for the use of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in outpatients as the lack of benefit from the use of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin.
Effects of Zr, Al, and Mordenite on Pt-MCM-48 catalyst in n-heptane isomerization: Preparation, characterization and catalytic performance
Authors: Ghaderi Z. , Peyrovi M. H. , Parsafard N.
Published: February 2023

Herein, platinum loaded on various catalysts, MCM-48-Mordenite, Al-MCM-48, Al-MCM-48-Mordenite, Zr-MCM-48, and Zr-MCM-48-Mordenite has been synthesized and investigated for n-heptane isomerization reaction at four different temperatures. The XRD, FT-IR, UV-Vis DRS, NH3-TPD, and BET analysis characterized the structural characterization and acid distribution of these catalysts. The Pt/Mordenite catalyst showed higher hydrogenation and cracking activity while the hybrid catalysts showed better isomerization selectivity. The best catalytic behavior was obtained by Pt/Al-MCM-48-Mordenite catalyst at 200°C, with suitable n-heptane conversion (78.8%) and the highest isomer selectivity (81.9%). The maximum isomerization selectivity as well as the maximum yield of multi branched isomers probably not only due to its suitable acidity and large pores but also due to higher metal dispersion. This result indicates that the Pt/Al-MCM-48-Mordenite catalyst can be a hopeful candidate for good n-heptane isomerization catalysts.
The impact of sleep quality on mental health in working Australians: A quasi-experimental approach
Authors: Foo Jia Kai , Doan Tinh
Published: February 2023

Work conditions and major life events can impact individual sleep quality, and subsequently impact mental health. This study aims to investigate effect of sleep quality on mental health of working Australians. We pioneer to employ a novel method in public health studies, a quasi-experimental (Instrumental Variable) approach, which can address reciprocal relationships between sleep and mental health in order to estimate causal effect of sleep quality on mental health on a sample of 14,480 working Australians aged 25-64 from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey waves 2013 and 2017. We find that work conditions such as high job demand, long workhours, long unpaid workhours, shift work, and major life events adversely affect sleep quality, and hence the changes in sleep quality strongly affect mental health of working Australians. The finding underscores the need for policies that should address current employment conditions by reducing long workhours, high work demand, irregular work shifts, and providing better support including emotional support programs, and creating worker-friendly settings to mitigate poor sleep quality in the Australian workforce. Doing so would help improve workers’ sleep quality, and ultimately mental health and overall health outcomes.
Risk factors for breast cancer in mammography consultation at hospital of Ecuador, 2020.
Authors: Meyra Mieles Resabala Rosa , Poveda Mildred Valeria Pico , Pérez Alfredo Marín , Cedillo-Balcázar Jamil
Published: February 2023

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the western hemisphere and represents the cancer with the highest incidence in the female population of Ecuador and the predisposition to develop breast cancer responds to several factors.
Objective: To determine the risk factors for breast cancer in patients of the mammography office of the Dr. Verdi Cevallos Regional Hospital.
Methods: Observational, descriptive and cross-sectional research, with a sample of 143 women who attended the mammography consultation of the Regional Hospital Dr. Verdi Cevallos Balda during the period January-December 2020, through the application of a 22-question questionnaire on risk factors for breast cancer, prepared by specialists in the area.
Results: The most significant risk factors in the study were: family history of cancer, not breastfeeding, early menarche and hormone replacement therapy.
Conclusion: It was observed that the risk factors for breast cancer in order of importance are: family history of cancer, early menarche, not breastfeeding, and hormone replacement therapy.
Sparse random models in combinatorics
Authors:   , Lee Joon
Published: February 2023

In this thesis, we cover two intimately related objects in combinatorics, namely random constraint satisfaction problems and random matrices. First we solve a classic constraint satisfaction problem, 2-SAT using the graph structure and a message passing algorithm called Belief Propagation. We also explore another message passing algorithm called Warning Propagation and prove a useful result that can be employed to analyze various type of random graphs. In particular, we use this Warning Propagation to study a Bernoulli sparse parity matrix and reveal a unique phase transition regarding replica symmetry. Lastly, we use variational methods and a version of local limit theorem to prove a sufficient condition for a general random matrix to be of full rank.
Degradation of Oxytetracycline and Chlortetracycline by Fenton Process
Authors: ÇELİK Murat , AYDIN Ekrem , CELİK Aytekin , GÜRTEKİN Engin
Published: February 2023

In this study, degradation of oxytetracycline (OTC) and chlortetracycline (CTC) was investigated by Fenton process. In experimental studies conducted for this purpose, different values of pH, Fe2+ concentration, H2O2 concentration and reaction time were tested as important parameters for the Fenton process and optimum conditions for OTC and CTC removal were determined. For both antibiotics, the optimum values of the parameters in the Fenton process were the same, and these values were found to be 3 for pH, 20 mg/L for Fe2+ concentration, 25 mg/L for H2O2 concentration, 5 min for reaction time. Under these optimum conditions, OTC degradation was 100%, CTC degradation was 99.68%, chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency for oxytetracycline (O-COD) was 89.6%, COD removal efficiency for chlortetracycline (C-COD) was 88.5%. These results show that the Fenton process is an effective method that can be used for OTC and CTC degradation.