bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Temporal variation in environmental radioactivity and radiation exposure doses in the restricted areas around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
Authors: Liu Mengjie , Taira Yasuyuki , Matsuo Masahiko , Orita Makiko , Matsunaga Hitomi , Kashiwazaki Yuya , Xiao Xu , Takamura Noboru
Published: July 2023

Temporal variation and fluctuation in environmental contamination in Futaba town and Okuma town, the location of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), were evaluated based on a car-borne survey conducted from October 2021 to November 2022. Although the environmental radioactivity levels in the interim storage facility area (ISF) were higher than those in open areas (i.e., the evacuation-order-lifted areas in Futaba town and the specific reconstruction and regeneration base area [SRRB] in Okuma town), only minor changes were seen in the ambient dose and radiocesium detection rates in the ISF and SRRB, respectively. These findings suggest that such differences may be the result of multiple factors such as physical decay (decreasing factor) and radiocesium resuspension (non-decreasing factor) accompanied by human activity such as traffic and decontamination construction in these areas, in addition to weather conditions such as wind direction. However, the higher radiation exposure doses in the ISF and SRRB were estimated to be at a limited level (lower than the public dose). Therefore, to help ensure the safety and future prosperity of residents and communities in the affected areas around the FDNPP, long-term follow-up monitoring of temporal dose levels during the recovery and reconstruction phases is extremely important.
Independently Convolutional Gated Recurrent Neural Unit for Space based ADS-B Signal Separation with Single Antenna
Authors: Bi Yan , Li Chuankun
Published: July 2023

Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is a critical technology to transform aircraft navigate through improving safety, efficiency, and overall effectiveness in the aviation industry. However, ADS-B signal overlapping is a large challenge, especially for space-based ADS-B system. The existing traditional methods cannot effectively separate overlapping signals with small difference such as power difference, carrier frequency difference. To solve this problem, we propose Independently Convolutional Gated Recurrent Neural Unit (Ind-CGRU) to build the encoder-decoder network. And Ind-CGRU explores the more temporal relationship of ADS-B signal to generate effective separation mask and improves the ADS-B signal separation performance. Experimental results on SRADSB dataset, demonstrate that the proposed Ind-CGRU achieves the good performance.
Fuzzy Optimization for Identifying Antiviral Targets for Treating SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Heart
Authors: Chu Sz-Wei , Wang Feng-Sheng
Published: July 2023

In this paper, a fuzzy hierarchical optimization framework is proposed for identifying potential antiviral targets for treating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in the heart. The proposed framework comprises four objectives for evaluating the elimination of viral biomass growth and the minimization of side effects during treatment. In the application of the framework, Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) and Ham’s medium were used as uptake nutrients on an antiviral target discovery platform. The prediction results from the framework reveal that most of the antiviral enzymes in the aforementioned media are involved in fatty acid metabolism and amino acid metabolism. However, six enzymes involved in cholesterol biosynthesis in Ham’s medium and three enzymes involved in glycolysis in DMEM are unable to eliminate the growth of the SARS-CoV-2 biomass. Three enzymes involved in glycolysis, namely BPGM, GAPDH, and ENO1, in DMEM combine with the supplemental uptake of L-cysteine to increase the cell viability grade and metabolic deviation grade. Moreover, six enzymes involved in cholesterol biosynthesis reduce and fail to reduce viral biomass growth in a culture medium if a cholesterol uptake reaction does not occur and occurs in this medium, respectively.
The relationship between GLR and in-hospital MACE in acute STEMI patients after emergency PCI
Authors: Yang Feiyun , Chen Qiusheng , Hao Lihui , Wang Lili , Chen Shuxia , Gu Jian
Published: July 2023

Background
At present, the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in hospital after PCI of acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is still increasing gradually. Studies have shown that decreased lymphocyte and increased γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) are significantly associated with poor outcomes in STEMI patients. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the association between GGT/ lymphocyte (GLR) and in-hospital MACE in acute STEMI patients after emergency PCI.
Methods
A total of 225 patients with acute STEMI who underwent emergency PCI were divided into MACE group(n = 54) and non-MACE group(n = 171) according to whether MACE occurred in hospital. The baseline data between the two groups were compared, and the relationship between GLR and occurrence of in-hospital MACE was analyzed by univariate and multivariate analysis. Subgroup analysis was used to examine the heterogeneity among specific populations. Finally, ROC was used to analyze the predictive value of GLR on the occurrence of in-hospital MACE.
Results
1. Compared with non-MACE group, the proportion of heart rate, Killip grade II-IV, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, GGT, creatinine, uric acid, GLR, and intra-aortic balloon pumping in MACE group were higher (P < 0.05). The proportion of systolic blood pressure, lymphocyte, estimated glomerular filtration rate and Killip grade I were lower (P < 0.05). 2. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis: the increase of GLR was significantly correlated with the occurrence of in-hospital MACE (P < 0.05). 3. In subgroup analysis, the extent to which GLR increased the incidence of in-hospital MACE with hypertension (OR = 1.11) was significantly better than that in non-hypertensive patients (OR = 1.05). 4. ROC showed that the AUC of GGT, lymphocyte and their ratio GLR for predicting the occurrence of in-hospital MACE were 0.623 (95%CI: 0.535–0.712, P = 0.006), 0.698 (95%CI: 0.620–0.775, P < 0.001) and 0.765 (95%CI: 0.690 ~ 0.840, P < 0.001), respectively.
Conclusions
This relationship between elevated GLR increases the incidence of in-hospital MACE after emergency PCI surgery in patients with acute STEMI is more pronounced in patients with hypertension. Meanwhile, GLR can be used as a predictor of in-hospital MACE in acute STEMI patients after emergency PCI.
Characteristic of gibbons’ arboreal bipedal walking.
Authors: Tanaka Ichirou
Published: July 2023

Recent fossils of human bipedal ancestors, Ardipithecus ramidus, differed from any extant African ape. About the other relatives, living Asian gibbons, their habitats, forests, however, hid their lifestyles, especially locomotion by leaves in canopies. This study aimed to eliminate this obstacle and create a new comparison target for human bipedal evolution using a photogrammetry Software, 3DF zephyr which makes reliable measurements for absolute coordinates of bare deciduous trees in locomotion by gibbons. Here I show that white handed gibbons Hylobates lar, used not only suspension (brachiation) but also arboreal bipedal walking besides quadrupedal moving. The vertical angles of moving varied among their arboreal moving three styles. Less than 50 degrees of vertical angles, the gibbons progressed by brachiation or by bipedal walking. More than 50 degrees of vertical angles, the gibbons progressed by quadrupedal moving. The gibbons did not progress horizontally in quadrupedal moving like knuckle-walking by African chimpanzees and gorillas. The gibbons appeared to keep their torsos erect in all the three moving styles. The gibbons are not the specialists of brachiation, but use three arboreal locomotion patterns including arboreal bipedal walking. This is similar to our bipedal ancestor, Ardipithecus ramidus which lacks any characters typical of suspension, vertical climbing, or knuckle-walking.
Multiband Terahertz Metamaterial Perfect Absorber for Microorganisms Detection
Authors: Bhati Ruchi , Malik Anil
Published: July 2023

We report a multi-resonant THz metamaterial perfect absorber-based biosensor in the working frequency range of 0.2 to 4THz for the sensing of microorganisms such as fungi, yeast, and pesticides. Nearly100% absorption is realized at f1 = 1.7T Hz, f2 = 2.8T Hz, f3 = 3.2T Hz, f4 = 3.5T Hz. To obtain optimum performance of the MPA, a mapping of amplitudes and shifts in the absorption resonance peaks with different structural parameters of the resonators is carried out. Investigations of the effect of the incidence angle of the THz wave on the absorption spectra of the MPA are also carried out. It is found that the incidence angle does not impact the stability of the lower resonance absorption peak (1.79T Hz). To better understand the mechanism of MPA, an equivalent circuit model using Advance Design System(ADS) software is developed. The calculated results through the model show similar trends as obtained in the simulations using CST. A significant frequency shift in the resonances is obtained with the application of microorganisms such as Penicillium chrysogenum (fungi), yeast, and pesticides (Imidacloprid, N, N-Diethyldithiocarbamate sodium salt trihydrate, Daminozide, N, N-Diethyldithiocarbamate sodium salt hydrate, and Dicofol) as testing analytes. The THz MPA-based biosensor has great potential to detect a very small change in the effective dielectric constant of the MPA environment therefore it can offer huge opportunities in label-free biosensing for future biomedical applications.
k-Carrageenan-based composite as an efficient acidic bio-based catalyst for the synthesis of 5- hydroxymethylfurfural from fructose
Authors: Darvishi Sima , Sadjadi Samahe , Monflier Eric , Heravi Majid M.
Published: July 2023

A novel bio-based nanocomposite was designed based on modification of halloysite with k-carrageenan viaprecipitation polymerization with acrylic acid in aqueous media. Various analyses were conducted to verify the formation of the catalyst. Afterwards, it was tested as a solid acid catalyst for the dehydration of fructose, resulting in the production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. Effective parameters, such as catalyst amount, temperature, and the reaction time were optimized and it was revealed that 10 wt% catalyst at 100 °C gave the desired product in 97.9% yield in 35 min. The catalyst was also reusable and could be reused up to four runs. Comparison of the activity of the catalyst with halloysite and k-carrageenan confirmed superior activity of the former, which was attributed to its higher acidity and possible synergism between the components. Moreover, the composite with lower content of the polymeric moiety was less effective, approving the role of the conjugated polymeric part in the catalytic activity. Thus, the present protocol would open up an innovative opportunity for the preparation of a bio-based catalytic system from naturally occurring components. In fact, k-carrageenan as a carbohydrate containing acidic functionality in its backbone was successfully applied for improving the acidity of the nanocomposite.
Evaluation of the prognostic value of the platelet, neutrophil, monocyte, basophil, and eosinophil to lymphocyte ratios in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP)
Authors: Cui Xiao-Jiao , Xie Bo , Zhu Ke-Wei , Liao Qian-Qian , Zhou Jian-Cheng , Du Shan , Liu Xin-Xia , Chen Zhu-Jun , Yang Yong , Yi Xiaoqing
Published: July 2023

Background: Severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP) is a serious respiratory inflammation disease with high morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), basophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (BLR) and eosinophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (ELR) in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP).
Methods: The study retrospectively included 554 patients with SCAP and healthy volunteers, and the clinical data were obtained from the electronic patient record (EMR) system. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality, and the secondary outcomes included hospital length of stay (LOS), overall survival (OS), admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), ICU LOS, and ICU mortality. The correlations of systemic inflammatory factors (PLR, NLR, MLR, BLR, and ELR) with primary and secondary outcomes were analyzed.
Results: In the patients with SCAP, both NLR and BLR were significant but independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality; NLR was negatively correlated with hospital LOS while ELR was positively correlated with hospital LOS; both increased NLR and BLR were associated with reduced OS, while increased ELR was associated with improved OS; increased PLR, NLR, MLR, and BLR were all correlated with elevated ICU admission rates, while increased ELR was correlated with reduced ICU admission rates; ELR was positively correlated with ICU LOS, whereas PLR, NLR, MLR, or BLR had no significant correlation with ICU LOS; both higher NLR and BLR were associated with elevated ICU mortality; PLR, NLR, and MLR were improved while ELR was lowered in patients with SCAP compared to healthy volunteers; PLR, NLR, and MLR were reduced while ELR was elevated when the patients were in recovery after treatment. Furthermore, BLR was elevated in patients with SCAP compared with healthy volunteers.
Conclusions: NLR and BLR were useful biomarkers for clinical outcomes in patients with SCAP.
Validation and implementation of marker-assisted selection (MAS) for the leafing date trait in Persian walnut populations from Iran
Authors: Fallah Mehdi , Paizila Aibibula , Karcı Harun , Arab Mohammad M. , Sarikhani Saadat , Suprun Ivan , Rasouli Mousa , Hassani Darab , Kafkas Salih , Vahdati Kourosh
Published: July 2023

The development of late-leafing genotypes is the greatest strategy to deal with the late-spring frosts (LSFs). Due to the long breeding cycle, marker-assisted selection (MAS) is a fast strategy for screening walnut populations in breeding programs. The first aim of this study was to validate Turkish molecular markers associated with leafing date on Iranian walnut population. In addition, our final goal was to implement MAS on the Iranian population and identify the late-leafing genotypes. For this purpose, validation of two polymorphic SSR primers, including JRHR209732 and CUJ-RBO12, was determined by 14 early- and late-leafing cultivars/genotypes. Then, MAS was implemented for a population of 91 Iranian walnuts obtained from a breeding program. The results showed that the markers introduced on the walnut population of Turkey were able to distinguish the walnut population originated from Iran. This shows that the walnut populations of these two countries are genetically close to each other. In addition, the results showed that alleles with band sizes of 277 and 115 were related to late-leafing, and band sizes of 289 and 92 to early-leafing. The phenological data of three consecutive years of leafing date and validation and implementation of MAS were consistent according to SSR analysis. SSR analysis identified 14 alleles for all accessions, with allele numbers ranging from 5 (CUJRBO12) to 9 (JRHR209732) and an av-erage value of 7 alleles per locus. All analyses showed a high level of leafing time variation in our studied population, and cluster analysis (CA) revealed the similarities and dissimilarities among the accessions by identifying four major clusters. Finally, based on screening by late-leaf alleles, geno-types Ch35T12, ChLa1, ChFr2, ChFr3, Ped35T1, Ped35T4, PedLa1, PedLa3, PedOp1, and ChPed2 were introduced as late-leafing genotypes.
Landslide hazard assessment and risk reduction in the rural community of Rampac Grande, Cordillera Negra, Peru
Authors: Klimeš Jan , Novotný Jan , Balek Jan , Rosario Ana Marlene , Torres Juan Carlos , Vargas Roque , López Darwing , Obispo Yeny , Roldán-Minaya Edgardo , Caballero Adriana , Jara Harrinson , Villafane Hilbert , Melgarejo Enver
Published: July 2023

Reducing landslide risk is a complex task, which requires knowledge of various environmental and social characteristics, the use of acceptable technical solutions and the collaboration of several actors. Scientists are among them, though usually limited attention is paid to understanding their constraints for participation in long-term landslide risk reduction projects. This article summarizes expert involvement in the twelve years long landslide investigations in the Rampac Grande community and illustrates that the voluntary commitment to the Sendai Partnerships for landslide disaster risk reduction could motivate research institutions to assume responsibility for community-centred landslide risk reduction. It also points out the possible negative effects of the expert–community contacts disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions as one aspect increasing the community’s vulnerability to landslides. The study site represents a socially, culturally and geologically complex environment which limits applicable technical solutions for landslide risk reduction and demands a high level of community participation in all landslide risk reduction steps. Landslide surface movement monitoring and slope stability calculations show that the studied slopes are very close to failure. The detailed hazard assessment was combined with field investigations of household vulnerabilities to assess risk in the zone around the 2009 catastrophic landslide. Results show that high vulnerability, rather than very high hazard, is responsible for assigning houses to the high-risk classes. This finding points out the preferable direction of landslide risk reduction efforts.
Serum creatinine to cystatin C ratio in relation to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
Authors: Wang Ruting , Huang Kai , Ying Hangfeng , Duan Jiahao , Feng Qinwen , Zhang Xinying , Wu Zifeng , Jiang Riyue , Zhu Bin , Yang Ling , Yang Chun
Published: July 2023

Aims
The aim of this study is to analyze the sarcopenia index (SI), based on serum creatinine to cystatin C ratio, in heart failure (HF) patients, especially HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) patients, and to develop a prediction model for the diagnosis of HFpEF.
Methods
There were 229 HF patients and 73 healthy controls (HCs) enrolled in this study. Binary logistic regression model was used to analyze the influence factors of HFpEF. A prediction model was constructed and optimized based on the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), displayed by nomogram and verified internally by the bootstrap sampling method (Bootstrap).
Results
SI was significantly different between the HF and HC groups (67.9 ± 13.0 vs. 98.6 ± 31.5). Atrial fibrillation (AF) (OR 6.336, 95% CI 2.511-15.988, P < 0.001) and SI (OR0.948, 95% CI 0.914-0.983, P = 0.004) were independently associated with HFpEF. Nine indicators, including SI, were included in the prediction model. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.902. In Bootstrap (500 resamples), the calibration curve was distributed approximately along the reference line. The prediction models with the additional features of AF and SI showed a significantly higher value of AUC (0.902 vs. 0.855, P < 0.01).
Conclusions
Low SI is an independent risk factor for hospitalized HF patients, especially HFpEF patients. HFpEF was better identified using this diagnostic prediction model, and the diagnostic efficacy of the model was significantly improved by two features, including SI and AF.
Predictive Mobility and Cost-Aware Flow Placement in SDN-Based IoT Networks: A Q-Learning Approach
Authors: Huang Gan , Ullah Ihsan , Huang Hanyao , Kim Kyung Tae
Published: July 2023

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) has emerged as an innovative method of networking that offers effective Nanyang Institute of Technology management and remarkable flexibility. However, current SDN-based solutions address networks' static nature or concentrate primarily on backbone networks, where network dynamics have minimal impact. This research presents a new approach, specifically the mobility-aware adaptive flow entry placement scheme for SDN-based Internet of Things (IoT) environments, to address the mobility aspect of networks. The proposed scheme employs the Q-learning algorithm to predict the next possible location of end devices, while the cost-sensitive AdaBoost algorithm is utilized to select heavy and active flows. Consequently, efficient flow rules for incoming flows can be dynamically implemented without the need for intervention from the controllers. Extensive computer simulations demonstrate that this approach significantly enhances match probability and prediction accuracy, while concurrently reducing the number of table misses and resource expenditure compared to existing schemes.
Multivariate regression analysis to strength and stiffness evaluation of masonry infills
Authors: Messas Amar , Adjrad Arezki , Benyahi Karim , Bouafia Youcef
Published: July 2023

Reinforced concrete frames with masonry infill are widely utilized in construction worldwide. This present study aimed to investigate the behaviour of masonry infill. Firstly, the compressive strength of the masonry infill and the evaluation methods were examined, specifically prism tests and wallette tests. The study collected a substantial database, revealing that wallette tests indicate higher stiffness compared to prism tests. Based on the findings, it is recommended to employ prism tests for assessing the stiffness of masonry and wallette tests for evaluating the compressive strength of masonry. Furthermore, the study assessed the performance of 18 empirical models to identify the most suitable model for predicting the compressive strength of masonry using the two testing methods (wallette and prism). To evaluate the strength of masonry infills under horizontal loading, a database of reinforced concrete frames with masonry infills was collected. The infill responses were determined by calculating the differences between the infilled frame and the bare frame. By employing multivariate regression analysis, equations were proposed for the various parameters of the quadri-linear relationship governing the behaviour of masonry infill. A comparison of the equations proposed in this present study with those present in the literature demonstrated their reliability.
Improving ginger’s bioactive composition by combining innovative drying and extraction technologies
Authors: Dalsasso Raul Remor , Valencia Germán Ayala , Monteiro Alcilene Rodrigues
Published: July 2023

Ginger is known for its antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Its bioactive compounds can benefit foods and active packaging formulations by extending shelf life, enhancing safety, and providing health benefits to consumers. In ginger, sesquiterpenes and phenolic compounds are the main bioactives, and drying and extraction processes directly affect them. This influence can have desirable or undesirable effects on the composition, activity, and concentration. So, it is crucial to carefully define these operations to avoid losses and enable selective extraction, resulting in tailored compositions without requiring additional steps. Considering this a field to explore, the effects of combined emergent drying and extraction technologies on ginger were investigated. Vacuum microwave drying (VMD), ultrasound (UAE) (20 or 80 oC), and microwave extraction (ME) were evaluated. Drying kinetics, powder color, extract composition, and antioxidant activity were studied. While ME demonstrated high efficiency in preserving the original compounds of fresh ginger, VMD combined with UAE (20°C) produced extracts with the highest concentration of phenolic compounds (387.6 mg.GAE/g) and antioxidant activity (2100.7 mmol.Trolox/mL) and had a low impact in the main sesquiterpenes. VMD generated shogaols by its controlled high temperatures and facilitated extracting bioactives by destroying cellular structures and forming pores. UAE extracted these compounds selectively, released them from cell structures, and reduced losses caused by volatilization and thermal degradation compared to conventional methods. These findings have significant implications, as they provide an opportunity to obtain ginger extracts with tailored compositions that can enhance the formulation of food products, active food packaging, and health-related products.
Action Goal–Dependent Attentional Bias: The Effect of Threat-of-Shock on the Perception of Affective Stimuli
Authors: Sakemoto Natsuki , Tanaka Hideyuki
Published: July 2023

Attentional mechanisms that prioritise threat-related stimuli usually produce deleterious effects on the performance of perceptual and motor tasks. Viewing threatening stimuli generates defensive reactions, such as freezing and fight-or-flight–like responses. Additionally, the action goal of avoiding threatening stimuli is known to deteriorate task performance ironically. With these general issues in mind, the present study examined how the alteration of action goals affects attentional bias towards threat-related stimuli during induced anxiety. The participants performed a visual-probe task in which half of them responded to a probe stimulus in hit mode and the other half in avoidant mode. The participants’ anxiety levels were manipulated using a threat-of-shock method. We found that threat conditions increased the degree of attentional bias towards negative information compared to safe conditions for the avoidance goal but had no impact for the hit action goal. The difference in behavioural goals of fight or flight, represented by hit or avoidant actions, was found to interact with state anxiety, leading to different degrees of attentional bias. Avoidance may strengthen the link between attentional bias and anxiety. These findings suggest that treatments or instructions that encourage avoiding threatening stimuli as an action mode are not effective in reducing state anxiety, at least for healthy individuals.
Yellow pond turtle peptides ameliorate inflammation and cartilage damage toxicity in papain-induced KOA rats by inhibiting COX-2 and iNOS expressions
Authors: Yan Jia-xing , Li Zuo-an , Feng Lan-jie , Shen Lu-hong , Zhang Jiu-liang
Published: July 2023

Objective
The drugs in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) have significant side effects and poor effectiveness. The plastron of yellow pond turtles is rich in small peptides. As such, it might inform potentially possible to uptake and enhance KOA drug utilization. Nevertheless, the cartilage protective activity of yellow pond turtle peptides (YPTP) in KOA and associated mechanism have not been reported.
Method
We explored KOA rat cartilage protection mediated by YPTP, and its underlying mechanisms using network pharmacology (NP), animal experimentation, and molecular docking (MD) analyses.
Results
Based on our NP data, COX-2 and iNOS were the primary target proteins of YPTP in KOA. Using an animal model, we revealed that YPTP strongly suppressed contents of COX-2, iNOS, and MMP-3 while upregulating COL II to alleviate inflammation and minimize cartilage damage. In addition, MD analysis further validated the 5 YPTP-derived peptides that interacted with COX-2 and iNOS via hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. Of note, the reduced YPTP dose employed in this investigation enhanced IL-1beta contents in synovial membranes, which requires further exploration.
Conclusion
YPTP ameliorated inflammation and cartilage damage in papain-induced KOA rats by suppressing both COX-2 and iNOS expressions.
The WATCH-DM Risk Score Estimates Clinical Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetic Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction
Authors: Iwakura Katsuomi , Onishi Toshinari , Okamura Atsunori , Koyama Yasushi , Tanaka Nobuaki , Okada Masato , Fujii Kenshi , Seo Masahiro , Yamada Takahisa , Yano Masamichi , Hayashi Takaharu , Yasumura Yoshio , Nakagawa Yusuke , Tamaki Shunsuke , Nakagawa Akito , Sotomi Yohei , Hikoso Shungo , Nakatani Daisaku , Sakata Yasushi
Published: July 2023

Background: The coexistence of heart failure is frequent and associated with higher mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and its management is a critical issue. The WATCH-DM risk score is a tool to predict heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We investigated whether it could estimate outcomes in T2DM patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).
Methods:The WATCH-DM risk score was calculated in 418 patients with T2DM hospitalized for HFpEF (male 49.5%, age 80±9 years, HbA1c 6.8±1.0%), and they were divided into the “average or lower” (≤10 points), “high” (11-13 points) and “very high” (≥14 points) risk groups. We followed patients to observe all-cause death for 386 days (median). We compared the area under the curve (AUC) of the WATCH-DM score for predicting 1-year mortality with that of the Meta-Analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure (MAGGIC) score and of the Barcelona Bio-Heart Failure Risk (BCN Bio-HF).
Results: Among the study patients, 108 patients (25.8%) had average or lower risk scores, 147 patients (35.2%) had high risk scores, and 163 patients (39.0%) had very high risk scores. The Cox proportional hazard model selected the WATCH-DM score as an independent predictor of all-cause death (HR per unit 1.10, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.19), and the “average or lower” risk group had lower mortality than the other groups (p=0.047 by log-rank test). The AUC of the WATCH-DM for 1-year mortality was 0.64 (95% CI; 0.45 to 0.74), which was not different from that of the MAGGIC score (0.72, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.80, p=0.08) or that of BCN Bio-HF (0.70, 0.61 to 0.80, p=0.25).
Conclusion: The WATCH-DM risk score can estimate prognosis in T2DM patients with HFpEF and can identify patients at higher risk of mortality. It can be a useful tool for heart failure management in T2DM patients.
A transcription factor GCN4 contributes to maintaining intracellular amino acid contents under the nitrogen limiting conditions in mushroom Ganoderma lucidum
Authors: Lian Lingdan , Qiao Jinjin , Guo Xiaoyu , Xing Zhenzhen , Ren Ang , Zhao Mingwen , Zhu Jing
Published: July 2023

Background
Edible mushrooms, with their delightful taste and abundant protein and amino acids required by human, can be used as substitutes of meat or plant proteins in a variety of foods and beverages. Nitrogen limiting conditions promote the development of fruiting bodies in mushrooms, but are not conducive to the accumulation of amino acids. Previous study has revealed that GCN4 has a pivotal role in response to nitrogen limiting conditions in Ganoderma lucidum. But its influence on amino acid contents is nearly unknown.
Results
In this study, we found that the amino acid contents reached 120.51 mg per gram of mycelia in the WT strain under the 60 mM asparagine condition, but decreased by 62.96% under the 3 mM asparagine condition. Second, silencing of gcn4 resulted in a 54.2% decrease of amino acid contents under the 60 mM asparagine condition, especially for the essential and monosodium glutamate-like taste amino acids. However, these were more pronounced under the 3 mM asparagine condition. Third, silencing of gcn4 markedly inhibited the expression of amino acid biosynthesis and transporting genes. In addition, GCN4 enhanced the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) and glycolytic pathway, and inhibited the activity of target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1), thus being beneficial for maintaining amino acid homeostasis.
Conclusion
This study confirmed that GCN4 contributed to maintaining the amino acid contents in mushrooms under the low concentration of nitrogen. In conclusion, our study provides a research basis for GCN4 to regulate amino acid synthesis and improve nutrition of edible mushrooms.
Oxytocin Increases Negative Cognitive Bias in Females with Eating Disorders
Authors: Burmester Victoria , Sheridan Emerie , Julius Nikita , Elliott Jordan , Thackeray Olivia , Nicholls Dasha
Published: July 2023

Eating disorders typically emerge in adolescence 1, a critical period for brain development and social change2, meaning interpersonal difficulties—including interpretation biases—frequently co-occur3. Oxytocin is a neuropeptide that modulates social cognition and has been particularly linked to prosocial effects4. However, to date, no study has investigated oxytocin’s effects on negative interpretation bias in adolescents with eating disorders. Here we show that adolescent females with anorexia or bulimia nervosa made more negative interpretations than controls when presented with ambiguous social scenarios. As predicted, intranasal oxytocin reduced negative interpretations, but only in participants without an eating disorder. Unexpectedly, oxytocin increased negative interpretations with a large effect in participants with an eating disorder or reaching threshold on an autism screen. Oxytocin also reduced neutral interpretations overall with a large effect. The results of this study suggest that oxytocin administration may not benefit adolescent girls with an eating disorder or autism because it increased the degree of negative interpretation of social situations in these groups compared to controls. Oxytocin may increase a negative social signal in populations with extant negative social biases, which clinical practice might benefit from addressing.
More than Human Factors in Digital Health: from iterative design to implementation science evaluation.
Authors: Gough Philip , Wang Audrey P
Published: July 2023

Digital health technologies often employ implementation evaluations to determine their impact on the workflow of healthcare staff. However, the intention of this is not to improve the development of the digital tool from the outset. This paper presents a case study to illustrate iterative design evaluations as an approach to improve digital tools at the development phase, and how this is integrated with implementation science evaluations. Through a user-centred design process we were able to identify specific changes to the design of digital health tools that improve the usability of work-related tasks in a health context. We contribute a framework for transitioning between development and implementation strategies, and reflections on strengths and limitations of the approaches we used in design and implementation evaluations of digital health tools.
Soft-sediment deformation structures or microbial mat structures: The description and possible origin of the “loopites” in the Mesoproterozoic Wumishan Formation, North China
Authors: Lu Kai , Bao Zhidong , Li Jin
Published: July 2023

Within the lower Wumishan Formation at the eastern edge of the Tai-hang Mountains in North China, a ~ 10 m stratigraphic interval contains of alternately “bright and dark” laminites, with enigmatic, cross-sectional preserved loop structures (2.5 ~ 27.5 cm in length and 0.6 ~ 12 cm in height), named as “loopites” by this study. Based on the different morphologies and formations, the loopites, composed of the cores and annulate laminations, can be divided into three different types which are type Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ. Despite the loopites are similar to the loop beddings of soft-sediment deformation structures, we suggest that they are previously undescribed microbial mat structures (MMS). The formation of type Ⅰ is interpreted as the initial microbial mat, grows on the micro-highland of carbonate deposits, are wrapped by the subsequent microbial mats. The core is the initial microbial mat, but the micro-highland, which are formed by increased carbonate sedimentation rate, are not wrapped together. In contrast, the formation of type Ⅱ and Ⅲ is interpreted that the micro-highlands, which also can be treated as the cores and may be formed by the thrombolites, rock debris and the fragments of microbial mats lie on the flat microbial mats, are wrapped by the top-covered and underlaid microbial mats. In consequence, differing from the earthquake-induced loop beddings, the formation of loopites is due to the growth, wrapping and deposition of the microbial mats. Furthermore, the discovery and the possible formation of the loopites may provide a new type of MMS and indicate a stable, anoxic and carbonate supersaturated environment with a relatively weak hydrodynamics for microbial mats to form the annulate structures which is controlled by illumination, microtopography and hydrodynamics.
Construction of porous sodium alginate/TEMPO-oxidized cellulose composite aerogel for efficient adsorption of crystal violet dye in wastewater
Authors: Zhang Zhao , Li Kun , Dong Wenjie , Xing Lu , Wang Zihao , Zhang Xinyan , Wang Jinheng , Peng Jiaxin , Wang Jikui
Published: July 2023

Cationic dyes pose a serious threat to human health as one of the main constituents of wastewater used in printing and dyeing. It has become difficult to remove them effectively. Adsorption based on aerogel of biomass material has become an attractive way to solve this problem. Herein, three-dimensional porous aerogel (STA) was constructed innovatively by sol-gel method and freeze-drying with sodium alginate (SA) and TEMPO-oxidized cellulose (TOC) as raw materials under the dual cross-linking effect of Ca2+ and glutaraldehyde (GA). Multiple characterization approaches and analytical methods were used to study STA. The results indicated that the addition of TOC resulted in the excellent pore structure, thermal stability, charge characteristic and adsorption capacity of STA. The adsorption capacity of STA was investigated by selecting crystalline violet (CV) as a typical cationic dye. Thereafter, the adsorption capacity was comprehensively analyzed by varying temperature, pH and adsorption time. The adsorption process conformed to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and the Langmuir isothermal adsorption model has a better fit, which was a single-molecule layer chemisorption process. The highest adsorption capacity reached 505.96 mg/g. Moreover, STA also possessed outstanding competitive adsorption capacity and cyclic adsorption performance.
Investigating Narcondam offshore using high-resolution seismic reflection data
Authors: Srivas Harshad Kumar , Ghosal Dibakar
Published: July 2023

The Andaman Sea is a back-arc basin that hosts the active Barren and the dormant Narcondam volcanoes. Despite its geological and geophysical significance, there are limited studies conducted over offshore Andaman. Here, a geophysical study of Narcondam offshore is presented to investigate basinal deposits and associated fluids and their migration paths using a 30 km long high-resolution 2D seismic reflection. The migrated section reveals a subsurface image highlighting evidence of a bright seafloor- parallel reflector with negative polarity at a two-way time (TWT) of 2.78-2.82 s (~2.2-2.3 km) with an interval velocity of 1.56 km/s. Amplitude Versus Angle (AVA) analysis using Aki Richard's two-term equation is further conducted to characterize the reserved fluid. The AVA analysis yields an increase in amplitude with angle, providing compelling evidence of fluid presence. Additionally, the depth converted migrated seismic section exhibits indications of columnar faults of Neogene period influencing the migration of fluids within the basin.
Defining a competency framework for health and social professionals to promote healthy ageing throughout the lifespan: an international Delphi study
Authors: Rodríguez-Monforte Míriam , Fernández-Jané Carles , Bracha Marietta , Bartoszewska Adrianna , Kozakiewicz Mariusz , Leclerc Mariel , Nimani Endrit , Soanvaara Pauliina , Jarvinen Sari , Sherpenseel Meike van , Valde Miriam van der , Lopes António Alves , Handgraaf Marietta , Grüneberg Christian , Carrillo-Alvarez Elena
Published: July 2023

Purpose: The promotion of healthy ageing has become a priority in most parts of the world, and it should be promoted at all ages. However, baseline training of health and social professionals is currently not adequately tailored to face these challenges. This paper reports the results of a Delphi study conducted to reach expert agreement about health and social professionals’ competencies to promote healthy ageing throughout the lifespan within the SIENHA project. Materials and
Methods: This study was developed following the CREDES standards. The initial version of the competence framework was based on the results of a scoping review and built following the CanMEDS model. The expert panel consisted of a purposive sample of twenty-two experts in healthy ageing with diverse academic and clinical backgrounds, fields and years of expertise from seven European countries. Agreement was reached after three rounds.
Results: The final framework consisted of a set of 18 key competencies and 80 enabling competencies distributed across six domains.
Conclusions: The SIENHA competence framework for healthy ageing may help students, and educators, to enrich their learning, and the academic content of their subjects or/and programmes and incentivize innovation.
Effect of blastocyst shrinkage on assisted reproductive outcomes: A retrospective cohort study describing a new morphological evaluation of blastocyst pre-vitrification and post-warming
Authors: Ito Ayumo , Katagiri Yukiko , Oigawa Satoko , Amano Kenji , Ichizawa Koichiro , Tokuda Yukiko , Unagami Mami , Yoneyama Masato , Tsuchiya Takahiro , Sekiguchi Mami , Furui Mayuko , Nakaoka Kentaro , Umemura Nahomi , Hayashi Yuko , Tamaki Yuko , Nagao Koichi , Nakata Masahiko
Published: July 2023

Background
The failure of frozen-thawed blastocysts to re-expand adequately within a few hours after warming has been reported to have a negative impact on assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes. However, the extent to which this failure truly affects ART outcomes has not yet been presented in a manner that is easily understandable to medical practitioners and patients. This study aimed to assess the effects of blastocyst shrinkage on ART outcomes and determine a more effective morphological evaluation approach for use in clinical settings.
Methods
This retrospective observational cohort study of frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer cycles was conducted from April 2017 to March 2022. Overall, 1,331 cycles were eligible for inclusion, of which 999 were good-quality blastocysts and 332 were non-good-quality blastocysts. All frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer cycles performed during the specified study period were included in the study. Exclusion criteria were established to mitigate potential sources of bias as these cycles could impact implantations. We calculated rates and age-adjusted odds ratios of implantation, clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy, and live birth of the re-expansion group, which showed sufficient expansion, and shrinkage group, which showed insufficient expansion. We also calculated the implantation, clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy, and live birth rates of the re-expansion and shrinkage groups for each morphological scoring system parameter.
Results
A reduced ART outcome was observed with use of blastocysts with shrinkage after vitrification/warming. The age-adjusted odds ratios for implantation, clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy, and live birth were lower in the shrinkage group than in the re-expansion group.
Conclusions
This study examined the adverse effect of blastocyst shrinkage after warming and recovery culturing on reproductive outcomes in a clinically useful manner by retrospectively examining a substantial number of frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycles. The study findings can possibly reduce concerns regarding over- or under-estimation of blastocyst implantation by allowing providers and patients to refer to the data.
Direct and indirect associations of experience of racial discrimination, dietary patterns and obesity in adults from southern Brazil
Authors: Fanton Marcos , Rodrigues Ylana , Schuch Ilaine , Cunha Caroline Marques de Lima , Pattussi Marcos Pascoal , Canuto Raquel
Published: July 2023

Objective: the study aimed to analyze the direct and indirect associations of self-reported experience of racial discrimination with dietary patterns, obesity, and abdominal obesity.
Design: it is a cross-sectional population-based study. The main exposure was self-reported experiences of racial discrimination which was assessed by the Experiences of Discrimination scale. The mediator variables were the dietary patterns: healthy, traditional Brazilian, refined carbohydrates and sugars, and fast food. The outcomes were obesity (body mass index ≥30 kg/m²), and abdominal obesity (waist circumference ≥ 88 cm for women and ≥ 102 cm for men). Structural equation modeling was used to clarify relationships between exposures, outcomes and mediating variables.
Setting: Porto Alegre, Brazil
Participants: 400 adults aged between 20 and 70 years.
Results: the mean age of participants was 47.2 years (SD = 13.9 years). Experience racial discrimination had a positive direct effect on obesity and abdominal obesity in all models. The experience of racial discrimination did not have a direct effect on any dietary pattern neither the experience of racial discrimination did not have an indirect effect on obesity and abdominal obesity via any dietary pattern.
Conclusions: our results suggest that a higher experience of racial discrimination is associated with obesity and abdominal obesity, and its association is independent of healthy or unhealthy dietary patterns.
Expression level of microRNA-574-5p and its association with inflammatory cytokines and disease severity in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: xing yida , liu changyan , liu xiaoyan , wu qiyuan , zheng fneg , kong xiaodan
Published: July 2023

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized with aggressive arthritis, accompanied by extra articular and systemic manifestations. The pathogenesis of RA is still unclear. MicroRNA (miRNA) is single stranded, noncoding, small molecule RNA that is actively involved in inflammatory diseases and may play a role in RA. A prospective cohort study involving 66 patients with RA and 16 normal controls (NC) was conducted. All patients （49 females and 17 males）were divided into three groups （low disease activity 21/66, moderate disease activity 18/66, high disease activity 27/66）based on DAS28-ESR. The expression of miR-574-5p and the concentration of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in serum of the patients and normal controls were detected. Compared with the NC, the serum levels of miR-574-5p, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 were significantly increased (P < 0.05). In addition, the fold of increase was correspondent to the level of disease activity. Moreover, the expression of miR-574-5p appeared to correlate to the concentration of individual cytokine. The expression of miR-574-5p in the serum of patients with RA was correlated with disease activity and proinflammatory cytokines, suggesting that it may be involved in the pathogenesis of RA.
Prediction of self-healing properties of concrete modified with bacteria and fibers using Machine Learning
Authors: Pessoa Carolina Emerenciana , Silva Victor Hugo Peres , Stefani Ricardo
Published: July 2023

Self-healing concrete has been studied as an alternative material to overcome problems such as cracking and low durability of conventional concrete. However, laboratory experiments can be costly and time-consuming. Hence, Machine Learning algorithms can assist the development of better formulations for self-healing concrete. In this work, Machine Learning (ML) models were developed using Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Random Forest Regressor (RF) to predict and analyze the repairing rate of the cracked area of self-healing concretes containing bacteria and fibers in their formulations. The results show that the Radial-Basis (RBF) SVM (R2 = 0.927, MAE = 0.053 and RMSE = 0.004) and RFG (R2 = 0.984, MAE = 0.019, RMSE = 0.000) algorithms performed better in predictions and delivered better-fitted models. Therefore, RF regressor and RBF SVM models can be applied to develop and validate high performance self-healing concrete formulations based on polymeric fibers and bacteria.