bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does Cannabidiol (CBD) in Food Supplements Pose a Serious Health Risk? Consequences of the EFSA Clock Stop Regarding Novel Food Authorisation
Authors: Lachenmeier Dirk W. , Sproll Constanze , Golombek Patricia , Walch Stephan G.
Published: August 2022

At present, foods containing cannabidiol (CBD) and other cannabinoids are internationally being widely advertised and sold in increasing quantities. In the European Union (EU), these products require pre-marketing authorisation under the novel food regulation, so that all available CBD oils and CBD-containing food supplements in the EU are currently placed on the market with an infringement of the food laws. Currently, 19 CBD applications are under assessment at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). During the initial assessment of the application files, EFSA located several knowledge gaps that need to be addressed before the safety evaluation of CBD can be concluded. Namely, the effect of CBD on the liver, gastrointestinal tract, endocrine system, nervous system, psychological function, and reproductive system needs to be clarified. Nevertheless, the available literature allows a benchmark dose (BMD)-response modelling of several bioassays, resulting in a BMD lower confidence limit (BMDL) of 20 mg/kg bw/day for liver toxicity in rats. Human data in healthy volunteers found increases in the liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in a study at 4.3 mg/kg bw/day, which was defined by EFSA as a lowest observed adverse effect level (LOAEL). The EFSA panel currently concluded that the safety of CBD as a novel food cannot be evaluated, leading to a so-called clock stop of the applications until the applicants provide the required data. Meanwhile, the authors suggest that CBD products still available on the EU market despite the lack of authorisation must be considered as “unsafe”. Products exceeding a reference dose of 10 mg/day must be considered as being “unfit for consumption” (Article 14(1) and (2) (b) of Regulation No 178/2002), while the ones in exceedance of the human LOAEL must be considered “injurious to health” (Article 14(1) and (2) (a) of Regulation No 178/2002).
Smart Homes and Families to Enable Sustainable Societies: A Data-Driven Approach for Multi-Perspective Parameter Discovery using BERT Modelling
Authors: Alqahtani Eman , Janbi Nourah , Sharaf Sanaa , Mehmood Rashid
Published: August 2022

Technological advancements and innovations have profoundly changed the lives of people giving rise to smart environments, cities, and societies. As homes are the building block of cities and societies, smart homes are critical to establishing smart living and are expected to play a key role in enabling smart cities and societies. The current academic literature and commercial advancements on smart homes have mainly focused on developing and providing smart functions for homes to provide security management and facilitate the residents in their various activities such as ambiance management. Homes are much more than physical structures, buildings, appliances, operational machines, and systems. Homes are composed of families and are inherently complex phenomena underlined by humans and their relationships with each other, subject to individual, intragroup, intergroup, and intercommunity goals. There is a clear need to understand, define, consolidate existing research, and actualize the overarching roles of smart homes, the roles of smart homes that would serve the needs of future smart cities and societies. This paper introduces our data-driven parameter discovery methodology and uses it to provide, for the first time, an extensive, rather fairly comprehensive, analysis of the families and homes landscape seen through the eyes of academics and the public using over a hundred thousand research papers and nearly a million tweets. We develop a methodology using deep learning, natural language processing (NLP), and big data analytics methods and apply it to automatically discover parameters that capture a comprehensive knowledge and design space of smart families and homes comprising social, political, economic, environmental, and other dimensions. The 66 discovered parameters and the knowledge space comprising 100s of dimensions are explained by reviewing and referencing over 300 articles from the academic literature and tweets. The knowledge and parameters discovered in this paper can be used to develop a holistic understanding of matters related to families and homes facilitating the development of better, community-specific, policies, technologies, solutions, and industries for families and homes, leading to strengthening families and homes, and in turn, empowering sustainable societies across the globe.
Variational Bayesian Approximation (VBA): A comparison between three optimization algorithms
Authors: Fallah Mortezanejad Seyedeh Azadeh , Mohammad-Djafari Ali
Published: August 2022

In many Bayesian computations, first, we obtain the expression of the joint distribution of all the unknown variables given the observed data. In general, this expression is not separable in those variables. Thus, obtaining their marginals for each variable and computing the expectations are difficult and costly. This problem becomes even more difficult in high dimensional quandaries, which is an important issue in inverse problems. We may then try to propose a surrogate expression with which we can do approximate computations. Often a separable expression approximation can be useful enough. The Variational Bayesian Approximation (VBA) is a technique that approximates the joint distribution $p$ with an easier, for example separable, one $q$ by minimizing Kullback–Leibler Divergence $KL(q|p)$. When $q$ is separable in all the variables, the approximation is also called Mean Field Approximation (MFA) and so $q$ is the product of the approximated marginals. A first standard and general algorithm is alternate optimization of $KL(q|p)$ with respect to $q_i$. A second general approach is its optimization in the Riemannian manifold. However, in this paper, for practical reasons, we consider the case where $p$ is in the exponential family and so is $q$. For this case, $KL(q|p)$ becomes a function of the parameters $\thetab$ of the exponential family. Then, we can use any other optimization algorithm to obtain those parameters. In this paper, we compare three optimization algorithms: standard alternate optimization, a gradient-based algorithm and a natural gradient algorithm and study their relative performances on three examples.
Cyber Security; Etiology and Importance
Authors: Jawaid Syed
Published: August 2022

Background: Cyber Security is to protect online data and software from cyber threats. These cyberattacks are typically intended to gain access to, change, or delete sensitive information; extort money from users; or disrupt regular corporate activities. It is difficult to keep up a regular follow up with new technologies so it is necessary to keep the important data safe from cyber threats. There are many types of cyber threats; malware, ransom-ware, social engineering, phishing etc. To prevent cyber-attacks one can use password manager tools like LastPass and others. People also use two factor authentication for double security on their accounts. Methods: Boards such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are developing frameworks to assist firms in understanding their security risks, improving cybersecurity procedures, and preventing cyber assaults. The fight against cybercrimes and attack, rganisations needed a strong base there are 5 types of cyber securities; Critical Infrastructure Security, application security, network security, cloud security and (IoT) Security. In the modern time US is highly based on computers and on different software so it is really important for US to be more conscious about the security as they get many threats almost everyday for hacking their data and accounts.Results and Conclusion: Nowadays, even small businesses rarely recover their loss from the cyber-attacks and many back-off from continuing their businesses after being target of hackers. The first cybercrime attack was recorded on 1988 by a graduate student. Now that large companies and even small businesses are aware of cyber-attacks so they try their best to take every precaution to prevent the hacking with double security and password manager tools.
Long-Term Care Workers’ Experiences and Their Views About Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review
Authors: Boamah Sheila A. , Weldrick Rachel , Havaei Farinaz , Irshad Ahmed , Hutchinson Amy
Published: August 2022

Healthcare workers (HCWs) in long-term care (LTC) faced and continue to experience significant emotional and psychological distress throughout the pandemic. Despite this, little is known about the unique experiences of LTC workers. This scoping review synthesizes existing research on the experiences of HCWs in LTC during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, data were extracted from six databases from inception of the pandemic to June 2022. Among 3,808 articles screened, 40 articles were included in the final analysis. Analyses revealed three interrelated themes: carrying the load (moral distress); building pressure and burning out (emotional exhaustion); and working through it (a sense of duty to care). Given the impacts of the pandemic on both HCW wellbeing and patient care, every effort must be made to address the LTC workforce crisis and evaluate best practices for supporting HCWs experiencing mental health concerns during and post-COVID-19.
Integrating Genetic and Chromosome Maps of Allium Cepa: From Markers Visualization to Genome Assembly Verification
Authors: Ermolaev Aleksey , Kudryavtseva Natalia , Pivovarov Anton , Kirov Ilya , Karlov Gennady , Khrustaleva Ludmila
Published: August 2022

The ability to directly look into genome sequences has opened great opportunities in plant breeding. Yet, the assembly of full-length chromosomes remains one of the most difficult problems in modern genomics. Genetic maps are commonly used in de novo genome assembly and are constructed on the basis of a statistical analysis of the number of recombination rather than physical distance in base pairs. This may affect the accuracy of the ordering and orientation of scaffolds within the chromosome, especially in the region of recombination suppression. Here we report the use of Tyr-FISH for validation of genetic and pseudochromosome maps. For probe design we developed a pipeline that is based on selection of a unique sequence with minimal potential fluorescent background arising from non-specific in situ hybridization. In total of 24 unique genes were located on physical chromosomes 2 and 6. The order of markers has been corrected by integration genetic and cytogenetic maps. Tyr-FISH mapping showed that the order of 23.1% (chromosome 2) and 27.3% (chromosome 6) of the tested genes differed between physical chromosomes and pseudochromosomes. Also the position of the mlh1 gene, which was not on the genetic map, was defined on physical chromosome 2. The results suggest the possibility of Tyr-FISH mapping of any gene that may not be neither on the genetic map nor in the assembly. Hence, Tyr-FISH provides valuable information for the improvement of the genome assembly.
Computation of unimodular matrices
Authors: Bruno Alexander Dmitrievich , Azimov Alijon Akhmadovich
Published: August 2022

Here we give an algorithm for solving the following problem. Let m<n integer vectors be given in the n-dimensional real space. Their linear span forms a linear subspace L in Rn. It is required to calculate such an unimodular matrix that a linear transformation with it transforms the subspace L into a coordinate one. Also, programs that implement the algorithms and power transformations, for which they are needed, are given.
Economic aspects of public health: costs and benefits of the enterprise
Authors: Irodova E. E. , Smolnitskaya N. Yu.
Published: August 2022

The purpose of this article is to analyze the socio-economic aspects of public health in the context of the costs and benefits of modern enterprise. As a key characteristic of labor resources, public health significantly affects the pace and quality of socio-economic development. In the modern economy, public health is on a par with such system-forming characteristics of the labor force as education, qualifications, creativity, and is increasingly trying on the role of the leading factor in economic growth. The article provides evidence that concern for the health of personnel should act as a burden on owners and managers, relying on formal (by the state) and informal (by public opinion) norms that oblige entrepreneurs to take on a certain amount of responsibility in relation to its personnel in terms of employee insurance; ensuring proper working conditions, labor protection, etc.; formation of a health fund; creation of medical structures. Along with this, we record a number of benefits arising from this, including retention of personnel, the formation of a stable and interested core of the labor collective, stability, loyalty of the labor collective, a reduction in the number of absences due to illness, increased efficiency, an increase in the number of so-called innovative “smuggling” projects, the demonstration effect of moral standards.
Анализ динамики эпидемического процесса COVID-19 в мире за неделю с 06.08.2022 г. по 12.08.2022 г.
Authors: Зимирова Анастасия , Поспелов Михаил , Иванова Александра , Дмитриева Людмила , Чумачкова Елена , Карнаухов Игорь , Щербакова Светлана , Кутырев Владимир
Published: August 2022

В обзоре представлен анализ эпидемиологической ситуации в странах мира по COVID-19, за неделю с 06.08.2022 г. по 12.08.2022 г.
Development of a three-dimensional vegetative loss mechanism for the Geophysical Scale Transport Multi-Block Hydrodynamic Sediment and Water Quality Transport Modeling System (GSMB)
Authors: Chapman Ray , Luong Phu , Kim Sung-Chan , Hayter Earl
Published: August 2022

The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Environmental Laboratory (EL) and Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) have completed several large scale hydrodynamic, sediment and water quality transport studies. These studies have been successfully executed utilizing the Geophysical Scale Transport Modeling System (GSMB), which is composed of multiple process models (Figure 1). Due to being directly and indirectly linked within the GSMB framework, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) accepted wave, hydrodynamic, sediment, and water quality transport models are both directly and indirectly linked within the GSMB framework.
Extended GRA Method for Multi-criteria Group Decision Making Problem based on Fuzzy Credibility Geometric Aggregation Operator
Authors: Qiyas Muhammad , Yahya Muhammad , Abdullah Saleem , Khan Neelam , Naeem Muhammad
Published: August 2022

The aim of this study is to introduce a new extended version of the GRA method for multi -criteria decision making method under the generalized fuzzy numbers. First, we develop some operational laws of credibility fuzzy numbers using the concept of Dombi norms and Bonferroni mean operator, furthermore we develop a series of aggregation operators and also discuss some basic properties like as; monotonicity , boundedness and assoicativity . Also, the core of this study is that we have developed two algorithms for multi -criteria decision making problems which is applied and to select the best option for the practical application example ( Telecom Company) of real life decision making problems. To check the validity of our developed method we have to compare with other existing methods.
Application of geographic information system (GIS) and WEB GIS for monitoring and surveillance of FMD and PPR diseases in Algeria
Authors: DAHMANI Ali , KHELIFI-TOUHAMI Nadjet Amina , BOUFENIZA Redouane-Larbi , OUCHENE Nassim , BOUFENIZA Amira , CHOURAK Asma
Published: August 2022

The study aimed to describe the evaluation and implementation of a spatial database that are directly or indirectly related to animal health in GIS and a web-GIS and the visualization of the spatio-temporal distribution of animal disease such as peste des petits ruminants (PPR) and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Algeria. A methodology has been adapted based on the classical steps of GIS; and performed using freely available Qgis 3.10, this methodology can be largely applied to touch different types of diseases. We have also created a model of a website «VETALGIS» (Veterinary Algerian GIS) in order to digitalize the veterinary sector and minimize the problem of lack of data, organize them and facilitate access to them which will improve networking and communication between institutions responsible for livestock disease management. GIS spatial analysis techniques have proven to be a useful tool that can support the decisionmaking process in planning, implementing and monitoring FMD and PPR control strategies in endemic and high-risk areas.
Semiconductor-Assisted Photodegradation of Azo Dye (OII), Antioxidant and Bactericidal Effect of TiO2/NiO Nanocomposite
Authors: Gul Tamanna , Saeed Khalid
Published: August 2022

Chemical reduction method was used to synthesize Nickle oxide nanoparticles (NiO NPs) and NiO supported on titanium dioxide (TiO2/NiO) NPs. The morphological investigation showed that neat TiO2 NPs are present in both a dispersed and agglomerated form, whereas NiO NPs are well distributed and deposited on the surface of TiO2 with size below 200 nm. The majority of the NiO NPs have a cubical form. The formation of NiO NPs was also verified by FT-IR analysis. The synthesized TiO2/NiO and NiO NPs were used as photocatalystsfor the degradation of Orange II (OII) dye. According to the degradation investigation, both NiO NPs and TiO2/NiO NPs degraded OII dye more efficiently when exposed to UV light. The results indicated that NiO NPs degraded 93% and TiO2/NiO NPs degraded approximately 96% of OII dye within 30 min. The recovered and re-recovered NPs were also significantly degraded OII dye. The effects of initial dye concentration, catalyst dosage, and pH effect were studied. Promising bioactivities were demonstrated by TiO2/NiO and NiO NPs against the pathogenic bacteria citrobacter and provedincia. TiO2/NiO NPs have strong antioxidant activity (80%) compared to the standard ascorbic acid (88%).
Mmu_circ_009056 promotes osteogenic differentiation and mineralization of BMSCs via miR-139-3p
Authors: Luo Tao , Huang Zhu , Ding Chen , Su Zhikang , Zheng Zhichao , Guo Lvhua
Published: August 2022

Bone remodeling is a dynamic process involving bone-forming osteoblasts and bone-resorting osteoclasts. Imbalanced bone metastases may alter the structure, mass and overall strength of the bone. Circular RNAs contribute to the osteoblastic differentiation process of stromal cells, however, the roles of which are not fully understood in bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). Here we reported the circular RNA mmu_circ_009056 was significantly upregulated in BMSCs undergoing osteoblastic differentiation. Knockdown of mmu_circ_009056 by siRNA decreased the expression of osteogenic genes Runx2 and Alp. Using high-throughput sequencing technique and bioinformatic tools, miR-139-3p was predicted to be a target of mmu_circ_009056, and the expression of miR-139-3p was increased after mmu_circ_009056 silencing. Moreover, inhibition of miR-139-3p increased osteoblastic differentiation of BMSCs, while miR-139-3p overexpression decreased osteoblastic differentiation and the expression of ALP and RUNX2 in BMSCs, as evidenced by Alizarin staining, RT-PCR and western blot. The paired box family member 5 (Pax5) was identified as a target gene using gene binding site prediction tools, and its expression was negatively correlated with miR-139-3p expression. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that mmu_circ_009056 plays as a regulator of miR-139-3p during osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs, and Pax5 is a potential target of miR-139-3p.
Effect of human breast milk-derived exosomes on the migration and inflammatory response of lipopolysaccharide-exposed dental pulp stem cells
Authors: Azaryan Ehsaneh , Karbasi Samira , Saharkhiz Mansoore , Hanafi-Bojd Mohammad Yahya , Zarban Asghar , Razavi Fariba Emadian , naseri mohsen
Published: August 2022

Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of human breast milk-derived exosomes (HM-Exos)on the viability,migration, and inflammatory responses oflipopolysaccharide (LPS)exposed human dental pulp stem cells (HDPSCs) in vitro condition.Methods: HM-Exoswere isolated, and dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy(TEM) were used to analyze their physiological properties (size and shape).To construct an in vitro inflammation model, HDPSCs were exposed to LPS.The MTT test and migration assay were used to investigate the effect of HM-Exos on cell proliferation and migration, and the quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to assess the expression of inflammatory genes in HDPSCs.Results: DLS measurement revealed that HM-Exos were 116.83.6 nm in diameter. The SEM and TEM images revealed spherical shapes with diameters of 97.2±34.6 nm. According to the results of the cell viability assay, the maximal nontoxic concentration of HM-Exos (400 µg/ml) was chosen for the subsequent investigations. The migration assay results showed that HM-Exos improved the potential of HDPSCs to migrate under LPS-stimulated inflammatory processes. The RT-PCR results indicated that HM-Exos significantly reduced the expression of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in آHDPSCs after LPS stimulation.Conclusions: HM-Exos reduced gene expression of inflammatory cytokinesin inflamed HDPSCs and may be a viable candidate for use as a pulp capping substance in vital pulp therapy.
Phenotypes for general behavior, activity, and body temperature in 3q29 deletion model mice
Authors: Mori Daisuke , Ikeda Ryosuke , Sawahata Masahito , Yamaguchi Sho , Kodama Akiko , Hirao Takashi , Arioka Yuko , Okumura Hiroki , Inami Chihiro , Suzuki Toshiaki , Hayashi Yu , Kato Hidekazu , Nawa Yoshihiro , Miyata Seiko , Kimura Hiroki , Kushima Itaru , Aleksic Branko , Mizoguchi Hiroyuki , Nagai Taku , Nakazawa Takanobu , Hashimoto Ryota , Kaibuchi Kozo , Kume Kazuhiko , Yamada Kiyofumi , Ozaki Norio
Published: August 2022

Whole genome analysis has identified rare copy number variations (CNV) that are strongly involved in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders, and 3q29 deletion has been found to have the largest effect size. The 3q29 deletion mice model (3q29-del mice) has been established as a good pathological model for schizophrenia based on phenotypic analysis; however, circadian rhythm and sleep, which are also closely related to neuropsychiatric disorders, have not been investigated. In this study, our aims were to reevaluate the pathogenesis of 3q29-del by recreating model mice and analyzing their behavior and to identify novel new insights into the temporal activity and temperature fluctuations of the mouse model using a recently developed small implantable accelerometer chip, Nano-tag. We generated 3q29-del mice using genome editing technology and reevaluated common behavioral phenotypes. We next implanted Nano-tag in the abdominal cavity of mice for continuous measurements of long-time activity and body temperature. Our model mice exhibited weight loss similar to that of other mice reported previously. A general behavioral battery test in the model mice revealed phenotypes similar to those observed in mouse models of schizophrenia, including increased rearing frequency. Intraperitoneal implantation of Nano-tag, a miniature acceleration sensor, resulted in hypersensitive and rapid increases in the activity and body temperature of 3q29-del mice upon switching to lights-off condition. Similar to the 3q29-del mice reported previously, these mice are a promising model animal for schizophrenia. Successive quantitative analysis may provide results that could help in treating sleep disorders closely associated with neuropsychiatric disorders.
Strategy to improve endogenous bone regeneration of 3D-printed polycaprolactone/hydroxyapatite composite scaffold: Collagen designs with bone morphogenetic protein 2 and fibroblast growth factor 2
Authors: Cho Yong Sang , Ghim Min-Soo , Hong Myoung Wha , Kim Young Yul , Cho Young-Sam
Published: August 2022

In bone tissue engineering, the endogenous regeneration of bone defects still represents a clinical challenge despite the development of intervention therapy to achieve bone regeneration via autologous grafts, allogeneic grafts, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2, etc. To overcome the limitation of endogenous bone regeneration, we assumed that the 3D-printed collagen pattern with BMP-2 and fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2 in the 3D-printed polycaprolactone/nano-hydroxyapatite scaffold could guide the endogenous regeneration of bone defects. Therefore, to test our hypothesis, polycaprolactone/nano-hydroxyapatite/collagen scaffolds with dual growth factors (BMP-2 and FGF-2) and various hydrogel patterns (positive, edge, and radial patterns) were fabricated at the same ratio and concentration of dual growth factors. Consequently, we revealed that the in vitro released concentrations of BMP-2 and FGF-2 were not affected by collagen patterns in the PCL/nano-hydroxyapatite scaffold. Furthermore, endogenous bone regeneration and angiogenesis in the polycaprolactone/nano-hydroxyapatite/collagen scaffold with a radial pattern were promoted compared with those in the polycaprolactone/nano-hydroxyapatite/collagen scaffolds with positive and edge patterns. Therefore, we demonstrated that a collagen design loaded with dual growth factors in the 3D-printed scaffold could affect endogenous bone regeneration and angiogenesis.
Research on Development of Global Creative Center Cities from Regional Perspective: A case study of creative industries of Milan
Authors: Shen Cheng , Zhang Xinyi , Li Xiang
Published: August 2022

With the advancement of globalization and the deepening of the interlock between cities worldwide, the research on urban culture and creative development should be expanded from single city scale to regional and urban agglomeration scale, and creative clusters will become an important spatial scale to break the bottleneck of urban development in the future. In Europe, cities such as London, Paris and Milan have developed creative industries and built creative clusters earlier and then gradually become global creative centers. However, there are few studies on the development of their creative industries from a regional perspective. This research uses multi-source data, within the scope selected based on comprehensive standards, to analysis regional development characteristics of creative industries in Milan, creative clusters formed with Milan as its core and influencing factors of the development. Through the study of a global creative center from regional perspective, references for emerging creative cities and cities that need industrial transformation can be concluded.
Dosimetric impact of metal artifact reduction for spinal implants in stereotactic body radiotherapy
Authors: Li Bin , Huang Jiexing , Ruan Junjie , Peng Qinghe , Huang Sijuan , Li Yunfei , Li Fanghua
Published: August 2022

Background
Metal artifacts due to spinal implants can affect the accuracy of dose calculation for radiotherapy. However, the dosimetric impact of metal artifact reduction for spinal implants in Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) plans has not been well studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the dosimetric impact of a commercial metal artifact reduction method for different commercial dose calculation algorithms in spinal SBRT planning.
Methods
A gammex phantom and 10 clinical computed tomography (CT) images were selected to investigate the effects of titanium implants. To achieve metal artefact suppression, a commercial orthopedic metal artifact reduction (OMAR) algorithm was employed. Dose calculations for SBRT were conducted on both uncorrected and artifact-suppressed images using three commercial algorithms (Analytical Anisotropic Algorithm (AAA), Acuros XB(AXB) and Monte Carlo (MC)). Dose discrepancies between artifact-uncorrected and artifact-suppressed cases were appraised using Dose Volume histograms (DVH) and 3D gamma analysis with different distance to agreement (DTA) and dose difference criteria. Gamma agreement index (GAI) was denoted as G(∆D, DTA).
Results
No significant dose differences between the artifact-uncorrected and artifact-corrected datasets were observed for titanium spinal implants. For all parameters of DVH, average differences did not exceed 0.7% in PTV and 2.08% in PRV SC. Gamma index test yielded G(3,3) ≥ 99.8%, G(2,2) > 99.2% and G(1,1) > 93.8% for all patient cases. Moreover, MC algorithm was found to be more sensitive to the presence of titanium inserts compared to AXB and AAA.
Conclusions
Dosimetric impact of artifacts caused by titanium implants is not significant in spinal SBRT plan, which indicates that dose calculation algorithms might not be very sensitive to CT number variation caused by titanium inserts. In addition, MC algorithm has higher sensitivity to the presence of metal artifacts than that of AXB and AAA algorithms, indicating that MC is preferable for dose calculation in spinal SBRT planning.
Feasibility study of non-invasive evaluation of human PD-1 expression using 125I-nivolumab in a mouse tumor model
Authors: Park Seri , Vinod Nagarajan , Kim Deok Il , Lim Ilhan
Published: August 2022

The immune checkpoint inhibitor, nivolumab, promotes robust antitumor efficacy in terms of blocking programmed cell death-1 (PD-1). The need is increasing to develop non-invasive imaging approach for evaluating human PD-1 (hPD-1) expression in tumors. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether we can evaluate the human PD-1 (hPD-1) expression non-invasively using 125I-nivolumab in a tumor model. Firstly, we confirmed the hPD-1 expression in Raji-hPD-1 cells by flow cytometry. In vitro cell binding assay for the determination of immunoreactivity showed specific binding of 125I-nivolumab to hPD-1 receptors of Raji cells and the dissociation constants (Kd) was 4.41 nM. Most importantly, single photon emission computed tomography/CT (SPECT/CT) images indicated that 125I-nivolumab uptake in Raji-hPD-1 tumor group showed higher than that of cold blocking group at 48 h and 168 h. In addition, we found that the signal intensity of hPD-1 expressing Raji tumor revealed 4.5-fold higher 125I-nivolumab uptake compared to Raji-null tumor (P<0.05) by autoradiography. Taken together, we established the labeling technique of 125I-nivolumab to evaluate the expression of human PD-1 non-invasively in a mouse tumor model. This technique might be developed further for the clinical application of non-invasive evaluation of hPD-1.
Evidence of Downregulation in Atmospheric Nitrogen-Fixation Associated with Native Hawaiian Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) Cultivars
Authors: Lincoln Noa Kekuewa , Santiago Paul , Tatum Derek , Valle-Echevarria Angel R. Del
Published: August 2022

Aims
The study of nitrogen fixation in sugarcane has a long history that has demonstrated high potential but with substantial variation in results. This 32-month study sough to assess the response of nitrogen fixation associated with sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L. cvs. ‘Akoki, Honua‘ula, and ‘Ula) to available soil nitrogen.
Methods
Plants were grown in large pots of perlite along with a fixing and a non-fixing plant control, and administered liquid fertigation with varying amounts of isotopically enriched nitrogen. Assessment of nitrogen fixation utilized nitrogen isotope tracing and acetylene reduction assay in the target and control plants.
Results
Isotope enrichment and acetylene reduction assay both indicated that nitrogen fixation peaked under low nitrogen application, and declined with higher application rates, with agreement between the two methods. These results suggest that sugarcane engages in a downregulation of nitrogen fixation under high nitrogen availability, potentially explaining the high variation in published experimental results.
Conclusion
This suggests that nitrogen management and fertilization strategy can impact the atmospheric inputs of nitrogen in sugarcane cultivation, and the potential to improve nitrogen application efficiency in cropping systems utilizing sugarcane.
Preoperative Omega-6/Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio predicts postoperative outcomes in patients with surgically resected Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Déniz Carlos , Raba-Parodi Carla , García Eva , Macía Iván , Rivas Francisco , Ureña Anna , Muñoz Anna , Moreno Camilo , Serratosa Ines , Masuet-Aumatell Cristina , Escobar Ignacio , Ramos Ricard
Published: August 2022

Background
The aim of this study was to determine whether preoperative nutritional status and inflammatory status, specifically the omega fatty acids and the omega 6/3 ratio, would affect postoperative outcomes and complications in patients with lung cancer undergoing lung resection.
Methods
This prospective observational study included 68 patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer who were candidates for radical surgery. A complete nutritional assessment was performed. The primary study variable was postoperative complications and mortality in the first 30 days. Descriptive, bivariate, logistic regression analysis was carried out.
Results
A total of 50 men (73.53%) and 18 women (26.47%) underwent surgery, with a median age of 64.2 (± 9.74) years. The mean omega 6/3 ratio was 17.39 (± 9.45). A complication occurred in 39.7% of the study sample (n = 27), the most common being persistent air leak, in 23.53% (n = 16). After performing bivariate analysis taking the omega 6/3 ratio as a qualitative variable, we observed that the omega 6/3 ratio had prognostic value for persistent air leak (p = 0.001) independently of age, sex, comorbidity, preoperative respiratory function and approach or type of surgery. The remaining nutritional and inflammatory markers did not have a statistically significant association (p > 0.05) with postoperative complications. On multivariate analysis with an omega 6/3 ratio cut-off of 21, the only variable that remained significant was COPD (p = 0.03; 95% CI: 1.22–53.57).
Conclusions
Omega 6/3 ratio is a prognostic factor for air leak, independently of the patient’s clinical and pathological characteristics.
Analysis of the dynamics of temperature in the northern part of Cameroon
Authors: Yaouba Bassirou , Dieudonné Bitondo
Published: August 2022

The northern part of Cameroon is reported to be vulnerable to climate change and heavily dependent on agriculture. However, few studies have considered the evolution of climatic data that influence agriculture. Existing studies are rarely based on field data. The assessment of precipitation has gained more attention than that of temperature. Few publications have addressed temperature dynamics, and this research contributes to closing that gap by studying the dynamics of three temperature parameters, namely, maximum, minimum and mean temperatures. Data from 1973 to 2020 were collected from weather stations located in three major cities in northern Cameroon: Ngaoundere, and Garoua, from the weather stations of the Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA); and Maroua, from the weather station of the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority (CCAA). The study reveals that in Ngaoundere, the minimum temperature increased by 8.7% between 1987 and 2020 compared to 1973–1987. In Garoua, the mean temperature increased by 2.2% between 2003 and 2020 compared to 1973–2002, the minimum temperature increased by 13.3% between 1985 and 2020 compared to 1973–1984, and the maximum temperature decreased by -8.2%. In Maroua, the mean temperature increased by 3.6% between 2002 and 2020 compared to 1973–2001, and the minimum temperature also increased by 17.8% between 1990 and 2020 compared to 1973–1989; however, the maximum temperature decreased by -6.8% between 1988 and 2020 compared to 1973–1987. The results of this study will be used as the basis for forecasting future agricultural conditions.
Rats use strategies to make object choices in spontaneous object recognition tasks
Authors: Ross T. W. , Easton A.
Published: August 2022

Rodent spontaneous object recognition (SOR) paradigms are widely used to study the mechanisms of complex memory in many laboratories. Due to the absence of explicit reinforcement in these tasks, there is an underlying assumption that object exploratory behaviour is ‘spontaneous’. However, rodents can strategise, readily adapting their behaviour depending on the current information available and prior predications formed from learning and memory. Here, using the object-place-context (episodic-like) recognition task and novel analytic methods relying on multiple trials within a single session, we demonstrate that rats use a context-based or recency-based object recognition strategy for the same types of trials, depending on task conditions. Salient and predictable conditions led to animals exploring objects on the basis of episodic novelty reliant on contextual information. However, exposure to occasional ambiguous conditions changed animals’ responses towards a recency-based preference. The results have important implications for future research using SOR tasks, especially in the way experimenters design, analyse and interpret object recognition experiments in non-human animals.
Emissions of black plumes from the chimneys of brick making kilns; a compositional study of the blackish particulates
Authors: Hassan Iatizaz , Khan Naseer Ahmed , Syed Naveed Ul Hasan , Memon Najma , Barki Khalid Mehmood
Published: August 2022

In Pakistan brick making industries use indigenous unprocessed coal for kiln heating. Beside coal, waste hydrocarbons are intermittently added, particularly during the refueling in order to maintain a smooth combustion inside the kiln. Presently, it is presumed that the blackish smoke is the combustion product of waste rubber/waste oil. To verify the hypothesis, Whatman grade 1 filter paper was placed at the chimney exit for the sample collection. A powerful scanning electron microscope (SEM) having a built in energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) unit, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption isotherms, and thermogravimetric (TGA) analytical techniques were utilized to verify the chemical composition of the sample. The SEM image at a ×30,000 magnification displays many roundish masses having size between 2 - 0.5 microns. The elements in these spherical particles were carbon, oxygen, and sulfur (EDS analysis). What we know is that these detected elements are common coal compositions usually referred as cenosphere. Moreover, XRF analysis of a calcined sample highlighted a noticeable decrease in SO3 entity (common in coal). N2- adsorption isotherm shows that the surface area of the flying coal particles is too low, whereas the appearance of the spherical objects in SEM images is like a fullerene, a carbon allotrope. XRD and TGA analysis supports the initial inference that these emissions contain fine coal particles. These coal particulates are hazardous and should be bagged in a separate cleaning tower system.
Integrating Rural Livelihood Resilience and Sustainability for Post-disaster Community Relocation: A Theoretical Framework and Empirical Study
Authors: Yang Xuanmei , Li Xiangyu , Lu Kaifa , Peng Zhong-Ren
Published: August 2022

The concepts of resilience and sustainability are becoming popular in disaster planning and management. However, there is an absence of mutual considerations of the two concepts from an integrated perspective to promote post-disaster livelihood, particularly in the relocated rural communities. To fill the research gap, this paper explores the factors and relationships of resilient rural livelihoods (RRL) and sustainable rural livelihoods (SRL) in resettlement communities after a major disaster. Specifically, we construct a theoretical model that integrates resources, strategies, and outcomes of RRL and SRL in the recovery phase. We use a dataset for household-level recovery after the Jiangsu Tornado (2016) in China to validate the theoretical model with a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. Results show that government-driven, recovery-concentrated policies of “resilience” may not promote the long-term sustainability of rural household livelihoods because financial capital and institutional participation are negatively associated with the community’s self-reliance for future disaster recovery. The tangible assets are likely to make people more confident in disaster preparedness, while the intangible assets lack such an impact and even make the relocated households concerned about future disasters. For RRL outcomes, financial capital and social-political capital can enhance the recovery, while human capital and livelihood strategies have negative effects. In addition, natural capital and financial capital positively affect household recovery but the human capital remains a negative contributor. These findings clearly reveal the general patterns of rural livelihoods in relocated communities after a disaster and provide insights into potential measures to promote sustainable and resilient rural livelihoods.
The ARF gene family in the medicinal plant Macleaya cordata: genome-wide survey and gene expression profiling
Authors: Yang Peng , Qi Yuxin , Huang Bin , huang xueshuang
Published: August 2022

Auxin response factors (ARFs) are a class of transcription factor that direct plant gene responses to auxin, and which is critical for plant growth and development. Macleaya cordata, a medicinal plant species from the Papaveraceae family, has not yet been subjected to a genome-wide investigation of the ARF gene family. We identified ARFs in Macleaya cordata using bioinformatic approaches and studied their structure, chromosome distribution, conserved protein domains, phylogenetic trees, and expression profiles. As a result, 17 ARFs in Macleaya cordata were discovered, all of which had the Auxin-resp domain and B3 DNA binding domain. In Macleaya cordata, fragment replication events were discovered in four gene pairs, but no tandem repeats of the ARF genes were observed. ARF5, ARF3, ARF8, and ARF16 were all substantially expressed in the roots, which suggested they might be involved in plant stress responses. Furthermore, the expression of ARF8 and ARF16 altered significantly when exposed to salt and cold stress. This result adds further evidence that these two ARF genes may have a function in plant stress tolerance. Our findings lay the groundwork for understanding the molecular basis and regulatory mechanisms of ARFs in Macleaya cordata.
Functionalized chitosan-powder activated carbon and chitosan-cellulose nanocomposites as novel green biodegradable clarifying agents in sugar refining process
Authors: Ibrahim Ahmed S. , Gad Ahmed , Dardeer Hemat , Gaber Abdel-Aal
Published: August 2022

Clarification of sugar solutions without side-contamination (e.g. residual sulfur) during sugar manufacturing is still the main challenge in sugar factories. Herein, chitosan-cellulose (CS-CEL) and chitosan-powder activated carbon (CS-PAC) nanocomposites were synthesized to be used as green biodegradable clarifying agents in sugar refining process. PAC was obtained via physical activation procedures using water vapor at 950°C on carbonized sugarcane bagasse waste, then CS-PAC was combined using a cross-linking agent. Zeta potential analysis gave remarkable results for CS-CEL and CS-PAC with maximum values (+) 57.73 mV and (+) 41.1 mV, respectively, with improvement in color removal % up to 45.5% using CS-PAC and 45.1% using CS-CEL with more than 25% compared to traditional clarification process. Also, turbidity decreased using CS-CEL and CS-PAC from 167 IU to 2 IU. Overall, we found that CS-CEL and CS-PAC nanocomposites have considerable efficiency in sugar refining process as eco-friendly bio-sorbents and flocculating materials.
Decreased PPARgamma in the trigeminal spinal subnucleus caudalis due to neonatal injury contributes to incision-induced mechanical allodynia in female rats
Authors: Otsuji Jo , Hayashi Yoshinori , Hitomi Suzuro , Soma Chihiro , Soma Kumi , Shibuta Ikuko , Iwata Koichi , Shirakawa Tetsuo , Shinoda Masamichi
Published: August 2022

Whisker pad skin incision in a neonatal rat causes prolonged mechanical allodynia after reincision in adulthood. However, sex differences in reincision-induced mechanical allodynia in the orofacial region are not fully understood. In rats that received a neonatal whisker pad incision, mechanical allodynia was significantly prolonged after adulthood reincision when compared with rats who received a neonatal sham injury. No significant sex differences were observed in the duration of mechanical allodynia. Intracisternal minocycline administration shortened the duration of mechanical allodynia in male rats but had no effect in female rats. In contrast, intracisternal administration of pioglitazone markedly suppressed mechanical allodynia in female rats after reincision. Following reincision, the number of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ)-positive cells was reduced in the trigeminal spinal subnucleus caudalis (Vc) in female rats that experienced neonatal injury. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that PPARγ was predominantly expressed in Vc neurons. Pioglitazone increased the number of PPARγ-positive Vc neurons, upregulated heme oxygenase 1, and downregulated the NR1 subunit in the Vc in female rats after reincision. Together, PPARγ signaling in Vc neurons is a female-specific pathway for whisker pad skin incision-induced mechanical allodynia.
MicroRNA miR-151 expression profiling study and mRNA correlation analysis in circulating monocyte were identified to be related with the etiology of osteoarthritis
Authors: Yang Kang , Liu Xiangyang , Peng Shuai , Chang Lei , Zhang Chao , Liu Hongzhe , Chen Jing , Hu Peng , Shen Xiongjie
Published: August 2022

MiRNAs have been implicated important in the etiology of various diseases. Osteoarthritis is a relative-immune disease with chronic in local knuckle and cellular immunity is more important, it is characterized by cytokine included T cell and monocytes. From that, we explore the relationship between the expression profile of microRNA miR-151 in circulating monocytes and the correlation analysis of mRNA correlation with the etiology of osteoarthritis.We first explored differential expression of miRNAs in human circulating monocytes between 20 OA patients and 20 normal. Expression level of each miRNA was normalized with RNU48.Differential miRNAs were selected by t-test and miR-151 was up-regulated (P = 0.015) in two groups, furthermore, it was confirmed in individual assays with qRT-PCR. Moreover, we investigated mRNA profilings in human circulating monocytes isolated with the subjects used in miRNA array analysis. Pearson correlation analysis between the expression level of miR-151 and the mRNA array expression data was performed.We found significant correlation of miR-151 with TNFSR11 (r= -0.87, P = 0.000176), LRCH1 (r = 0.73, P = 0.0087) and FZD5 (r = 0.72, P = 0.02143) genes. LRCH1 and FZD5 genes are also predicted as the targets of miR-151( http://www.targetscan.org ). LRCH1 and FZD5 were also down-regulated expressed in OA patients compared with normal person. Genetic epidemiologic studies have shown the association of LRCH1 gene with human osteoarthritis. Expression profiling studies also found the relationship between FZD5 gene and human osteoarthritis. MiR-151 may affect the differentiation of monocytes by regulating the expression of LRCH1 and FZD5 genes.