bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A preliminary formula for calculating sediment incipient velocity at concave bank slope of river bend considering the effects of circulation and water flow momentum variations
Authors: Meng Shaomin , Liu Xiaomin , Liu Tingxi , Yang Yaotian , Yang Jiayun , Ji Honglan , Li Chao , Luo Qiang
Published: July 2024

The transverse deformation of a riverbed is a natural phenomenon of river channel evolution. Sediment transport is the vehicle for the interactions between the water flow and the banks of a river bend, and it affects the formation, disappearance, and evolution of the river bend. To further investigate the sediment incipient motion on the concave bank slope of a river bend, an equation representing the equilibrium of forces on a sediment particle at the critical incipient motion was established using mechanical analysis and probability theory. Based on this equation and the assumption of a sliding mode of the incipient motion, the effects of the circulation and water flow momentum variations in a river bend in addition to conventionally considered forces on the sediment incipient motion were considered. Illustrations and physical diagrams of the forces on a sediment particle and its motion initiation process were clearly described. A formula representing the sediment incipient velocity on the sloped concave bank of a river bend was derived theoretically. The derived formula predictions agreed well with available experimental data. The Pearson correlation coefficient was > 0.87. The overall mean absolute error was 17.6% < 30%, which corresponded to an improvement in accuracy of 7.17% compared with the predictions using the formula proposed by Li. The factors affecting the sediment incipient velocity were examined. For a given flow rate and sediment particle size, the sediment incipient velocity increases with the increase in the gradient coefficient of a concave bank slope of a river bend. For a given flow rate and gradient coefficient, the sediment incipient velocity increases with increasing particle size. The proposed formula meets the calculation accuracy requirement and provides a theoretical reference for sediment transport in river bends.
Improvement of seed germination and early growth of Caucasian whortleberry (Vaccinium arctostaphylos L.) by plant growth promoting rhizobacteria and cold stratification
Authors: Rostamikia Younes , Teimouri Maryam , Jafari Farnoosh
Published: July 2024

Vaccinium arctostaphylos is a threatened species in Caspian forests of Iran that its seeds germinate in a long time due to internal dormancy. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and the cold stratification periods on seed germination of Vaccinium arctostaphylos. The seeds were inoculated with growth-promoting bacteria including Bacillus subtilis, Enterobacter cloacae, and Pseudomonas putida and combination (co–inoculation) of all strains. Then they were subjected to cold stratification in a refrigerator at 4 ± 1°C for 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 months. At the end of periods, seeds were sown in polyethylene bags (15 cm×8 cm) containing cocopeat, perlite, and sand (1:1:2) and were placed in greenhouse with temperature of 22 and 25°C, and relative humidity of 60% and 70%, respectively. After 40 days, germination percentage, germination speed, and seed vigor index (SVI) were calculated. Results showed that, bacteria inoculation and their interactions affected germination traits. Germination percentage ranged from 0 to 58.50%. Both inoculation and CS had positive effect on Germination percentage. The highest percentages of seed germination (57.50–58.50%) and speed of germination (2.26 n/d) belonged to co-inoculated seeds by the combination of all bacterial along with 4 and 5 months of cold stratification periods, respectively. The maximum shoot length (23. 25 mm), root length (17.98 mm), and seed vigor index (24.12) were recorded for co-inoculated seeds by the combination of all bacterial inoculants and five months of cold stratification. The results confirmed to overcome seed dormancy, increase of seed germination components, and early seedling growth of V. arctostaphylos, Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria is better to be applied in combination with cold stratification.
Prediction of Atrial Fibrillation recurrence after catheter ablation. An explicative machine learning approach incorporating epicardial adipose tissue volume.
Authors: Castro-García José Miguel , Garfias-Baladrón María Javiera , Adarve-Castro Antonio , Trigueros-Buil Helena , Palazón-Ruíz Álvaro , Ureña-Vacas Almudena
Published: July 2024

Purpose: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia with increasing prevalence and significant clinical impact. Catheter ablation has emerged as a treatment option for drug-resistant AF, with variable success rates. This study aimed to develop a machine learning-based predictive model incorporating interatrial, periatrial, and epicardial adipose tissue volumes to predict AF recurrence after pulmonary vein ablation.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients who underwent a first ablation procedure between 2017 and 2022. Computed tomography (CT) scans were used to measure left atrial volume (LAV), periatrial (PAT), interatrial (IAT) and (EAT) epicardial adipose tissue volumes. Two models were created and trained under three machine learning techniques. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, accuracy, precision, recall and F1-score were evaluated. SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis was also conducted.
Results: From the initial 85 patients, 69 with complete follow-up and CT scan quality were included. Persistent AF, increased left atrial, PAT and IAT volumes were significantly associated with recurrence. The model including clinical and radiological variables achieved accuracies of 0.86, 0.66, and 0.86 and AUCs of 0.91, 0.87, and 0.92 in the testing group by using MLP Classifier Neural Network, Naïve Bayes, and Logistic Regression, respectively. SHAP analysis emphasized the LAV, PAT volume and AF type for recurrence prediction.
Conclusion: This study presents a machine learning explicative approach incorporating cardiac adipose tissue volumes for predicting AF post-ablation recurrence. The logistic regression model including clinical and radiological variables demonstrated the highest performance, highlighting the potential of using multimodal data for post-ablation recurrence prediction.
Analysis of the Associations of the rs12504538 and rs6824447 Polymorphisms of the Elovl6 Gene with Estimated Elongase and Desaturase Activity in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Patients
Authors: Muñoz-Nava Manuel A. , Araujo Martha E. Fajardo , Perez-Luque Elva , Cardona-Alvarado Monica Irasú , Ramírez-Chávez Enrique , Molina-Torres Jorge
Published: July 2024

Background.
This study aimed to investigate the possible associations of the rs12504538 and rs6824447 polymorphisms of the Elovl6 gene with estimated elongase and desaturase activity and saturated fatty acid concentrations in Mexican women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
Methods
. We recruited 172 women in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy who had undergone an oral glucose tolerance test, including 66 who had diagnosed with GDM according to the 2016 ADA criteria and 106 who had normal glucose tolerance test results, from the General Hospital and Health Centers of the Health Ministry of Guanajuato, México. Participants were matched by gestational week. Data on age, gestational week, and anthropometric characteristics were collected. Blood samples were drawn after an overnight fast for the measurement of serum glucose, lipid, NEFA, serum fatty acid, and insulin levels; SNP genotyping and quantification of fatty acids was performed, and elongase and desaturase activity was estimated.
Results.
With the exception of HDL-cholesterol, all variables, including NEFA levels, were significantly greater in the GDM group than in the non-GDM group. The rs6824447 polymorphism of the Elovl6 gene, an age > 25 years, and HOMA-IR levels were associated with the development of GDM (OR = 5.1, 95% CI 1.56–17.1, p = 0.006; OR = 4.89, 95% CI 1.65–14.4, p = 0.003; OR = 34.1 95% CI 8.7–133, p < 0.000001, respectively). Palmitic acid (OR = 1.08; 95% CI: 1.06–1.11; p < 0.001) and oleic acid (OR = 1.17; 95% CI: 1.14–1.2; p < 0.001) concentrations were also associated with the development of GDM. No differences in the estimated elongase and desaturase activity among the non-GDM and GDM groups were found, and only the activity of Δ9D SCD18 desaturase was marginally high in GDM patients (p = 0.050).
Conclusion.
The rs6824447Elovl6 polymorphism is associated with the development of GDM, as are high serum palmitic acid, oleic acid, and stearic acid concentrations and estimated Δ9D SCD18 desaturase activity.
When spring and autumn frosts coincide: their limited impact on ecosystem carbon fluxes
Authors: Wan Shiqiang , Han Juanjuan , Tan Chaowei , Ru Jingyi , Song Jian
Published: July 2024

Frosts, increasingly prevalent due to global warming, have the potential to negate the carbon storage benefits of an extended growing season, thus exacerbating global warming. However, existing research primarily targets dominant species, with limited evidence on carbon fluxes at the ecosystem scale. Using a manipulative experiment simulating 7-day frosts in a temperate grassland, we found that, frosts produced minimal impact on gross ecosystem productivity (GEP) and ecosystem respiration (ER), but altered their difference (i.e., net ecosystem productivity, NEP), and this effect persisted throughout the growing season. During the growing seasons excluding frost periods, spring frosts increased NEP, while autumn frosts decreased it, and the combination of both frosts neutralized NEP. The early-stage (2018-2020) impacts of frosts on NEP may be attributed to plant eco-physiological changes, whereas late-stage (2021-2023) impacts were explained by shifts in plant community structure. Our findings suggest that more frequent frosts in both seasons may not increase carbon emissions in temperate grasslands. Understanding these patterns is crucial for predicting carbon balance and developing effective climate-change mitigation strategies in response to the future warmer climate.
GatherNet: The Lightest Convolutional Neural Network Architecture So far
Authors: Fan Wenkang , Luo Xiongbiao
Published: July 2024

It is generally difficult to establish convolutional neural networks with many operations on mobile devices due to their limited memory and computation resources. This paper proposes a novel Gather module that combines depthwise separable convolution and standard convolution with Ghost module to generate feature maps cheaply and efficiently and uses channel shuffle to rearrange these learned feature maps to improve the information flow between different feature channels. Based on the Gather module, we construct a novel network architecture called GatherNet which is the lightest convolutional neural network architecture so far. We also introduce a hard-swish activation function to effectively solve the data collapse when low-dimensional features are embedded in a high-dimensional space during training. Three benchmark datasets of CIFAR-10, ImageNet-1K, and VOC are used to evaluate our network, with the validation results showing that our proposed GatherNet achieves competitive classification and detection results with much fewer weight parameters than state-of-the-art lightweight network models. Particularly, our GatherNet works much better on a small set of training samples than other lightweight models and still shows the best performance with much fewer parameters and better accuracy when applying it to ocular surface disease recognition. The pre-trained GatherNet model with its code is available at GitHub: https://github.com/Rchen3233/GatherNet.
Aberrant STAT3 signaling in pancreatic cancer requires the lncRNA NEAT1 regulated by the metalloprotease-disintegrin ADAM8 via miR-181a-5p
Authors: Gao Yutong , Zandieh Kimia , Zhao Kai , Khizanishvili Natalia , DiFazio Pietro , Yu Xiangdi , Schulte Leon , Aillaud Michelle , Chung Ho-Ryun , Ball Zachary , Meixner Marion , Bauer Uta-Maria , Bartsch Detlef Klaus , Buchholz Malte , Lauth Matthias , Nimsky Christopher , Cook Lena , Bartsch Jörg W.
Published: July 2024

Purpose
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal cancers. Several studies demonstrate that ADAM8 and STAT3 are critical for PDAC progression and potential therapeutic targets.
Methods
TGCA, microarray, and immunohistochemistry data from a PDAC cohort were used for clinical analyses. Panc89 cells with ADAM8 knockout, re-expression of ADAM8 mutants, and Panc1 cells overexpressing ADAM8 were generated. Gene expression analyses of ADAM8, STAT3, long non-coding (lnc) RNA NEAT1, miR-181a-5p and ICAM1 were performed by quantitative PCR. Subcellular fractionation quantified NEAT1 expression in cytoplasm and nucleus of PDAC cell lines. Cell proliferation, scratch, and invasion assays were performed to detect growth rate, migration and invasion capabilities of cells. Gain and loss of function experiments were carried out to investigate the biological effects of lncRNA NEAT1 and miR-181a-5p on PDAC cells and downstream genes. Dualluciferase reporter gene assay determined interaction and binding sites of miR-181a-5p in lncRNA NEAT1. Pull down assays, RNA binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP), and ubiquitination assays explored the molecular interaction between lncRNA NEAT1 and STAT3.
Results
High ADAM8 expression causes aberrant STAT3 signaling and activation of downstream genes in PDAC cells and is positively correlated with NEAT1 expression. NEAT1 binding to STAT3 was confirmed and prevents STAT3 degradation in the proteasome as increased degradation of STAT3 was observed in ADAM8 knockout cells and cells treated with bortezomib. Furthermore, miRNA-181a-5p whose expression is controlled by ADAM8, regulates NEAT1 expression by direct binding to the NEAT1 promoter.
Conclusion
ADAM8 regulates intracellular STAT3 levels via miR-181a-5p and NEAT1 in pancreatic cancer.
Double edge notched tensile testing of PET/ PA blends
Authors: SCHON CLAUDIO , Silva Carlos Fernandes da , Ferreira Nicolas Willy , Santos Alessandra Fernandes
Published: July 2024

Polyethilene Terephtalate, PET, is a versatile thermoplastic commodity widely used in the food and pharmaceutic industries to produce packaging containers. In spite of the recognized advantages, room for improvement, especially in the barrier properties against oxygen transport, require further development. Blending with other polymers is a standard way to modify properties of a base resin, and, in this sense, blending PET with Polyamide, PA, has this potential. Blending of dissimilar polymers however, always raise questions about compatibility and optimal content of the added resin concerning mechanical properties. The present work reports preliminary results of prospecting films of PET and PA, using two PA resins, standard PA 6.6 and PA 6T6I (PA modified with a terephtalate group) in four different contents (2.5, 5, 10 and 20 weight \%) in the form of Double Edge Notched Tensile (DENT) samples. Results show that resin PA 6T6I is more compatible with PET, as expected, but the strength is only slightly affected in the added range of both resins.
Assessing health related quality of life of patients on maintenance hemodialysis in north-western Morocco
Authors: Mourchid Rania , Yassine Amal , Cherrah Yahia , Serragui Samira
Published: July 2024

Objectives
Assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) with the aid of EQ-5D-5L dimensions, EQ visual analog scale (VAS) scores in patients receiving hemodialysis treatment in five dialysis centers.
Methods
Multicenter cross sectional observational study was conducted in four different dialysis centers in two Moroccan cities in the north-west region. Validated questionnaires were utilized to collect data on HRQoL using EQ-5D-5L. Binary logistic regression test analysis was conducted to identify the variables which are independently associated with HRQoL among ESRD patients. A 95% confidence interval (p≤0.05) was used to indicate the statistical significance of our results.
Results
The study included a sample of 122 patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment. The median age of study participants was 65.0 (IQR [54.75; 69.0]) years. The mean utility score of EQ-5D-5L was 0.70 (± 0.27) The median EQ-5D-5L utility score and EQ-VAS score was 0.81(IQR [0.52; 0.91]), 70.0 (IQR [60; 79.25]) respectively. Participants reported extreme problems mostly in the mobility domain (9%). In the binary logistic regression analysis, the dimensions of self care and usual activities were positively influenced by the public dialysis sector, one variable which was an increased number of comorbidities negatively impacted the dimension of pain/discomfort, it was found that both the dimensions of mobility and anxiety/depression were not impacted by any variable.
Conclusion
The study emphasizes how patients under dialysis have a relatively good HRQoL. We found a few predictor variables impact HRQol and its dimensions which were the dialysis sector and an elevated number of comorbidities.
Ensemblex: an accuracy-weighted ensemble genetic demultiplexing framework for population-scale scRNAseq sample pooling
Authors: Fiorini Michael R. , Amiri Saeid , Dilliott Allison A. , Ohki Cristine M. Yde , Smigielski Lukasz , Walitza Susanne , Fon Edward A. , Grünblatt Edna , Thomas Rhalena A. , Farhan Sali M.K.
Published: July 2024

Multiplexing samples from distinct individuals prior to sequencing is a promising step toward achieving population-scale single-cell RNA sequencing by reducing the restrictive costs of the technology. Individual genetic demultiplexing tools resolve the donor-of-origin identity of pooled cells using natural genetic variation but present diminished accuracy on highly multiplexed experiments, impeding the analytic potential of the dataset. In response, we introduce Ensemblex: an accuracy-weighted, ensemble genetic demultiplexing framework that integrates four distinct algorithms to identify the most probable subject labels. Using computationally and experimentally pooled samples, we demonstrate Ensemblex’s superior accuracy and illustrate the implications of robust demultiplexing on biological analyses.
Exploring the Analgesic Potential of Cytidine, Uridine, and Gabapentin either alone or in combination: Insights from Formalin-Induced Pain and Diabetic Neuropathy Models
Authors: Qnais Esam , Barakat Muna , Athamneh Rabaa Y. , Al-Najjar Mohammad A. A , Alzaghari Lujain F. , Chellappan Dinesh Kumar , Alqudah Abdelrahim
Published: July 2024

Diabetic neuropathic pain is a usual consequence of diabetes. In this study, the formalin-induced pain and the diabetic neuropathy models were used in mice to investigate if the cytidine, uridine, and gabapentin treatments either alone or in combination can reduce nephropathic pain or not. To achieve our goals, cytidine, uridine, and gabapentin, either alone or in combination were orally administered to mice at a dose of 100 mg/kg. The formalin test was used to examine pain-related behaviors throughout both the primary and secondary phases. Further, the potential pain-relieving efficacy of these therapies was assessed in a diabetic neuropathy model produced by streptozotocin injection. Oral administration of the combination (cytidine + uridine + gabapentin) reduces formalin-induced pain-associated behavior in the first and second phases more than in each treatment alone. In the diabetic neuropathy model, administering the cytidine + uridine + gabapentin combination significantly reversed the pain threshold detected. The combination of cytidine, uridine, and gabapentin decreased as well as the elevated spinal p-CREB levels caused by formalin, which was reversed by pre-treatment with naloxone, yohimbine, and methysergide. This study reveals that the cytidine, uridine, and gabapentin combination have strong synergistic pain-relieving properties in both formalin-induced pain and diabetic neuropathy models more than each treatment alone.
Detection, Classification, Planning and Design of Relics landscape sketch based on Remote Sensing——Lingjiatan National Archaeological Site Park as an example
Authors: Zhu Tiejun , Li Yuan , Huang Xiaoge
Published: July 2024

Remote sensing is the process of detecting and monitoring the physical characteristics of an area by measuring its reflected and emitted radiation at a distance. It can accurately map the geographical location information of the study area and present the surface mountains, rivers and lakes. The intervention of remote sensing big data into the design of landscape sketch in the park is convenient for the observation of the important location nodes of the ruins park. The landscape sketch is placed as a node marker among them, which can guide the visiting route and make the park planning more reasonable and scientific. First of all, the surface information data obtained by the hyperspectral resolution remote sensing is detailed and comprehensive, which ensures the accuracy of the nodes set for the landscape sketch and provides accurate data for the calculation of the sensitivity of the landscape sketch. Secondly, the geological remote sensing detection can be used to identify the tone and pattern of the geological environment, which provides a reference for the selection of color and material for the Landscape sketch. Remote sensing technology is helpful to solve the classification, planning and other problems of landscape sketch in Lingjiatan Site Park, and provides information reference for landscape sketch design. The effective use of remote sensing technology is helpful to design practical and artistic landscape sketch.
Strobilocercus fasciolaris induced hepatic sarcoma in Wistar Rats
Authors: Kumar Rahul , Sudan Vikrant
Published: July 2024

Background Taenia taeniaeformis infects the small intestine of domestic and wild carnivores. Rodents, the intermediate hosts, ingest the gravid proglottids from the carnivores' feces. The parasite’s oncosphere reaches the liver via portal circulation after penetrating the wall of small intestine.
Purpose The present study reports hepatic sarcoma caused by strobilocercus- the metacestodal stage of Taenia taeniformis in laboratory rats.
Method Twenty-three rats in a colony of 72 male wistar rats died suddenly with clinical signs of weakness, lethargy and mild diarrhea. The carcasses were sent to the department of veterinary pathology for postmortem examination.
Results Grossly, the liver of 18 rats were having multiple, cream to white cysts of variable sizes of Strobilocercus fasciolaris. Histopathologically, the hepatic tissue surrounding the cysts revealed zones of fatty change, inflammation with infiltration of plasma cells, macrophages and eosinophils, presence of granulation tissue, metaplasia and fibrosarcoma. The pathological changes in the stomach and small intestines include hyperplasia of gastric and intestinal glands and their mucosa.
Conclusion The likelihood of altered research results of studies conducted in immune-compromised T. taeniformisinfected rats and its zoonotic implications are discussed herewith.
Sea urchin-like Ni 3 (HITP) 2 as the substrate of molecular imprinted polymer: the voltammetric mechanism for sensitive detection of dopamine
Authors: Zhang Xia , Su Jishan , Sun Lili , Ben Yingying , Sun Yizhan , Wei Yajun , Xu Yuandong
Published: July 2024

As a neurotransmitter, dopamine plays an extremely important role in human body. Tracking the amount of dopamine is essential to keep health. An electrochemical sensor composed of conductive metal-organic framework [Ni3(HITP)2] and molecular imprinted polymers (MIP) is fabricated to detect dopamine. Ni3(HITP)2 promotes electrons transfer due to the structure of in-plane charge delocalization and layered expansion conjugation. The combination of MIP with Ni3(HITP)2 improves the selectivity and conductivity, exhibiting a wide detection range (0.06~200 µM) and a lower detection limit (0.109 µM). The kinetic mechanism on the electrode surface is an adsorption controlled process, with the equal number of electrons and protons participating in oxidation in the electrocatalytic process of catechol converting to o-quinone.
Visible-Light-Promoted Direct Desulfurization of Glycosyl Thiols to Access of C-Glycosides
Authors: Ma Xiaofeng , Xie Demeng , Zeng Wei , Yang Jian
Published: July 2024

C-Glycosides are essential for the study of biological processes and the development of carbohydrates-based drugs. Despite tremendous hurdles, glycochemists have often fantasized of the efficient, highly stereoselective synthesis of C-glycosides with the shortest steps under mild conditions. Herein, we report a desulfurative radical protocol to synthesize C-alkyl glycosides and coumarin C-glycosides under visible-light induced conditions without the need of an extra photocatalyst, in which stable and readily available glycosyl thiols that could be obtained in two or three steps from native sugars are activated in situ by pentafluoropyridine. The benefits of this procedure include high stereoselectivity, broad substrates scope, and easily handle. Mechanistic studies indicated that the in situ produced tetrafluoropyridyl S-glycosides formed key EDA complexes with Hantzsch ester (for C-alkyl glycosides) or Et3N (for coumarin C-glycosides), which upon irradiation of visible light, triggered a cascade of glycosyl radical process to access C-glycosides smoothly.
Achieving Adult Status in Greece
Authors: Galanaki Evangelia , Arnett Jeffrey Jensen , Amanaki Eirini
Published: July 2024

The attainment of adult status in Greece is a neglected research issue. Sociodemographic changes and the severity and long duration of the Global Recession in this country (2008-2018) are expected to contribute to the delayed entry to adulthood, especially among university students. In this study, conducted in 2015, 814 university students (ages 18-25; M = 19.9) provided information on subjective adult status (per se and with significant others), achievement of adulthood criteria, associations between the two, and several personal and contextual variables. Results showed that two thirds of the sample felt in-between adolescence and adulthood. They felt more adult in work, university, and romantic relationships, and less adult with parents, friends, and siblings. The most achieved criteria were in the areas of Norm Compliance and Independence, whereas Role Transitions had been achieved the least. A variety of achievements, reflected in Independence, Norm Compliance, and Family Capacities criteria, and some concrete transitions were significantly associated with subjective adult status. Gender, age, parents’ educational level, financial constraints, and financial concerns significantly and differentially predicted the achievement of several adulthood markers. Results provide insight into the achievement of adult status within the Greek context in the aftermath of the Global Recession.
The Sustainability of the Factoring Chain in Europe in the Light of the Integration of ESG Factors
Authors: Arnone Massimo , Leogrande Angelo
Published: July 2024

The competitiveness of financed intermediaries cannot be based exclusively on financial sustainability, i.e. the ability to create profit, but it is also necessary to acquire a transversal vision of sustainability focused on the three ESG dimensions. The paper intends to propose a reflection on the main impacts of the integration of ESG factors on business decisionmaking and operational processes in the financial sector. In this context, we try to understand what role FinTech can play in favor of greater sustainability. Furthermore, through an empirical analysis, some determinants relating to social, environmental, and governance issues are identified which influence the volume of financial resources moved in the factoring market at a European level. Machine learning models are also proposed to estimate the volume
JEL CLASSIFICATION: G00, G2, G21
A Proposed Adaptive Navigation Architecture to Improve Safety of Self-Guided Vehicles in Dynamic Manufacturing Environments.
Authors: GRABA Massinissa , Kelouwani Sousso , Zeghmi Lotfi , Allani Bilel , Amamou Ali , Agbossou Kodjo , Mohammadpour Mohammad
Published: July 2024

Industrial Self-Guided Vehicles (SGVs), a type of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) used for material handling tasks, have recently attracted increased attention. As logistics scenarios grow more complex, effectively using state-of-the-art navigation algorithms becomes more challenging but essential for enhancing industrial operational efficiency. In recent years, several path and motion planning algorithms have been developed for broad autonomous navigation applications. While classical navigation schemes might seem suitable for automating SGV movement, a thorough evaluation reveals potential performance bottlenecks, especially when multiple SGVs navigate in dynamically evolving manufacturing environments. Deploying a fleet of SGVs in a shared environment complicates navigation safety for different occupants. Therefore, this paper proposes an adaptive architecture suitable for heterogeneous types of SGVs, capable of characterizing and modeling navigation safety. An extensive evaluation of the proposed approach for the SGV-System, aimed at modeling navigation conflicts through the configuration space, is conducted. The assessment highlights safety and energy efficiency benchmarks across various scenarios, including avoiding unpredictable obstacles such as pedestrians and forklifts. Additionally, simulation tests with various local motion planners were conducted to test the reliability of the proposed strategy. The results suggest that adding an adaptive component to the navigation framework, alongside suitable motion planners, enhances the motion performance of the entire fleet of autonomous mobile platforms.
ANALYSIS OF THE INCIDENCE OF BRAIN TUMORS IN UKRAINE AND THE SUMY REGION IN 2017–2021
Authors: Gyryavenko Nataliia , Kolesnyk Volodymyr
Published: July 2024

Background. Tumours of the brain and other parts of the central nervous system, despite the relatively low incidence, cause significant mortality in all age groups. In addition, these tumours are characterized by great histological diversity, which complicates diagnosis.
Aim. Analysis of statistical indicators of the incidence of brain tumours in the population of Ukraine and the Sumy region in 2017–2021.
Materials and methods. Based on data from the National Cancer Registry of Ukraine, an analysis of the incidence of malignant brain neoplasms in the population of Ukraine and the Sumy region in 2017–2021 was carried out. The histological archives of the Department of Pathology of the Sumy Regional Clinical Hospital and the Department of Pathology of the Sumy State University were also analyzed.
Results. The average incidence of malignant brain neoplasms was 3.5 ± 0.28 cases per 100,000 population of the Sumy region, which was lower than the national level (3.96 ± 0.09 cases per 100,000 population of Ukraine). The average mortality rate for 2017–2021 was 2.3 ± 0.19 deaths per 100,000 population of Sumy Region, which was also lower than the national level (2.58 ± 0.07 deaths per 100,000 population of Ukraine). Morbidity and mortality prevailed among men. Among children, the average incidence rate in 2017–2021 was 2.12 ± 0.11 cases per 100,000 child population of Ukraine, and the average mortality rate was 0.8 ± 0.05 cases per 100,000 child population of Ukraine. During this period, 25 patients were operated on in the Sumy region, of which six men (24%) and 19 women (76%) had the primary diagnosis of meningioma. The average age of the patients was 64.88 ± 2.11 years, and among the histological variants of meningiomas, the following were recorded: 13 meningothelial (52%), eight psammomatous (32%), three mixed meningothelial-psammomatous (12%) and one fibrous meningioma (4%).
Conclusions. Morbidity and mortality due to malignant brain neoplasms in the Sumy region in 2017–2021 were slightly lower than the national indicators, but this may indicate insufficient diagnosis. Among non-malignant tumours, 25 cases of meningiomas were recorded, most of which were characteristic of women aged 65.
FEATURES OF ESTROGEN AND PROGESTERONE RECEPTOR EXPRESSION IN MENINGIOMAS DEPENDING ON GENDER
Authors: Kmyta Oleksii , Budko Hanna , Ivakhnyuk Tetyana , Schtainberger Rayan
Published: July 2024

Introduction. Meningiomas are non-malignant brain or spinal cord neoplasms originating from meningeal cells. The etiology of meningiomas remains insufficiently studied due to the subclinical course and relatively low incidence. Because meningiomas affect women more than twice as often as men, and there are recorded cases of the disease in pregnant women, it is advisable to investigate the role of female sex hormones in the development of this disease.
Objective. Our work aimed to study the features of the expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors in meningioma tissue depending on the gender of the patients.
Methods and matreials. A total of 50 samples were examined, of which 25 samples were from female patients (group W) and 25 from male patients (group M). The average age of patients in group W was 60.92±1.84 years, and group M was 59.88±3.39 years. Regardless of the equivalent indicators of average age, it is worth noting that the age of female patients varied 42 to 79 years and of male patients – 24 to 88 years. We examined the samples macroscopically, histologically and immunohistochemically (antibodies against estrogen and progesterone receptors).
Results. When examined macroscopically, the meningioma had a characteristic spherical or plaque-like shape, grey colour, somewhat bumpy surface, moderate density, and fibrous structure on cross-section. During the histological examination, most samples in both groups were assigned to psammomatous or meningothelial histological subtypes, the characteristic histological patterns of which were concentric structures of flattened tumour cells and psammoma bodies.
Conclusions. Immunohistochemical examination of meningioma tissue with antibodies against estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors showed their more significant presence in samples of female patients compared to samples of male patients (p<0.001), which confirms the critical role of female sex hormones in etiology and pathogenesis meningioma.
A new approach for explicit approximation of the Colebrook–White formula for pipe flows
Authors: Ferreri Giovanni B.
Published: July 2024

A novel approach is presented for explicit assessment of the friction factor of the Darcy–Weisbach formula for a pipe turbulent flow, a topic being especially useful in practical applications requiring a large number of pipes has to be calculated a great many times in a short time. In such applications, in fact, an explicit formula shortening computation time, with respect to a trial-and-error solution of the Colebrook–White formula, is very advisable. To this aim, in the paper analytical simplicity is pursued besides accuracy, the latter being kept high enough for practical purposes. Unlike previous studies, the ratio between the actual friction factor and that relating to a fully turbulent flow is analysed as a function of the relative roughness and the relative Reynolds number (i.e., the ratio between the actual Reynolds number and the Reynolds number separating the transition regime from the fully turbulent regime). By processing a dataset obtained by systematically solving the C-W formula over suited ranges of the Reynolds number and the relative roughness, two expressions are obtained: a simpler first-step accuracy expression giving generally acceptable accuracy for most engineering practical purposes; and a second-step accuracy expression allowing adequately high accuracy for all situations.
Preparation of low-cost biochar from discarded tea waste for aqueous phase removal of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)]: kinetics, isotherm, and recyclability analysis
Authors: Kannaujiya Deepa , Vishwakarma Devesh , Shikha
Published: July 2024

The paper reports the application of iron–Jatropha leaf extract functionalized biochar derived from discarded tea waste to remove hexavalent chromium from aqueous matrices. The surface of the FeJa@TB was prepared from discarded tea waste and was functionalized by FeSO4, FeCl3, and Jatropha leaf extract. The batch mode adsorption experiments with various experimental conditions such as pH, contact time, initial adsorbate concentration, and temperature, were conducted to evaluate the ability of the adsorbent to remove Cr(VI). Kinetics of the sorption were analyzed by fitting the sorption data on various models namely, pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and intra-particle diffusion models. The kinetic study concluded that chemisorption was the chief mechanism for the adsorptive removal of Cr(VI) as the sorption followed a pseudo-second-order model. Sorption data fitted better to the Freundlich isotherm model, suggesting multilayer Cr(VI) coverage onto the biochar surface. Thermodynamic parameters ΔG°, ΔH°, and ΔS° were computed to observe the influence of temperature on the process of sorption. The study concluded that the adsorptive removal of Cr(VI) onto biochar was non-spontaneous and exothermic with fewer randomness at the solid–liquid interface. The prepared biochar was recyclable up to six times with insignificant removal efficiency loss.
Fine-tuning inflow prediction models: integrating optimization algorithms and TRMM data for enhanced accuracy
Authors: Ali Enas , Zerouali Bilel , Tariq Aqil , Katipoğlu Okan Mert , Bailek Nadjem , Santos Celso Augusto Guimarães , M. Ghoneim Sherif S. , Towfiqul Islam Abu Reza Md.
Published: July 2024

This research explores machine learning algorithms for reservoir inflow prediction, including long short-term memory (LSTM), random forest (RF), and metaheuristic-optimized models. The impact of feature engineering techniques such as discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and XGBoost feature selection is investigated. LSTM shows promise, with LSTM-XGBoost exhibiting strong generalization from 179.81 m3/s RMSE (root mean square error) in training to 49.42 m3/s in testing. The RF-XGBoost and models incorporating DWT, like LSTM-DWT and RF-DWT, also perform well, underscoring the significance of feature engineering. Comparisons illustrate enhancements with DWT: LSTM and RF reduce training and testing RMSE substantially when using DWT. Metaheuristic models like MLP-ABC and LSSVR-PSO benefit from DWT as well, with the LSSVR-PSO-DWT model demonstrating excellent predictive accuracy, showing 133.97 m3/s RMSE in training and 47.08 m3/s RMSE in testing. This model synergistically combines LSSVR, PSO, and DWT, emerging as the top performers by effectively capturing intricate reservoir inflow patterns.
Structure of some diseases and health risks for people residing in surrounding areas previously contained herbicides/dioxin
Authors: Sau Trinh Khac ,   Institute of Tropical Medicine, Joint Vietnam-Russia Tropical Science and Technology Research Center, 63 Nguyen Van Huyen St., Cau Giay district, Hanoi, Vietnam, Quang Le Van ,   Institute of Tropical Medicine, Joint Vietnam-Russia Tropical Science and Technology Research Center, 63 Nguyen Van Huyen St., Cau Giay district, Hanoi, Vietnam
Published: July 2024

During the war in Vietnam from 1961–1971, the US military used and sprayed nearly 80 million liters of herbicides in South Vietnam. Bien Hoa, Da Nang, and Phu Cat airports are herbicides repositories and hot spots for dioxin residues. The aim of this study was to examine the structure of some diseases and health risks of 1039 subjects residing around Da Nang, Bien Hoa, and Phu Cat airports (the ∑SG – study group) and 400 subjects residing in Son Tra district in Da Nang city – far from Da Nang airport (the ST – control group). The analysis results show that the prevalence of some relevant diseases related to herbicides/dioxin in the ∑SG group has a high percentage such as hypertension: 23.0–33.6 % (mean: 29.6 %), diabetes: 3.50–13.0 % (mean: 9.62 %) and other diseases: stomach: 23.6–37 % (mean: 26.3 %), joints: 34.6–40.3 % (mean: 37.8 %), ear-nose and throat: 9.5–17.4 % (mean: 15.5 %), kidney-urinary system: 4.5–7.2 % (mean: 6 %). These values were 1.5 to 9 times higher in the ∑SG group than in the ST group. The subjects who resided and worked around airports had elevated risks of the foregoing diseases. The structure of these diseases in both the ∑SG and the ST groups depends on sex and age, but the decisive factor depends on herbicides/dioxin exposure status. Thus, exposure to herbicides/dioxin has changed the disease pattern and increased some aspects of disease in people residing near areas where herbicides/dioxin was previously stored.
Predicting the risk of developing vibration disease and vegetative-sensory polyneuropathy under vibration exposure using analysis of candidate gene polymorphism
Authors: Mukhammadiyeva G.F. ,   Ufa Research Institute of Occupational Health and Human Ecology, 94 Stepana Kuvykina St., Ufa, 450106, Russian Federation, Shaikhlislamova E.R. , Karimov D.D. , Karimov D.O. , Repina E.F. , Yakupova T.G. , Kudoyarov E.R. ,   Ufa Research Institute of Occupational Health and Human Ecology, 94 Stepana Kuvykina St., Ufa, 450106, Russian Federation,   Bashkir State Medical University, 3 Lenina St., Ufa, 450008, Russian Federation,   Ufa Research Institute of Occupational Health and Human Ecology, 94 Stepana Kuvykina St., Ufa, 450106, Russian Federation,   Ufa Research Institute of Occupational Health and Human Ecology, 94 Stepana Kuvykina St., Ufa, 450106, Russian Federation,   Ufa Research Institute of Occupational Health and Human Ecology, 94 Stepana Kuvykina St., Ufa, 450106, Russian Federation,   Ufa Research Institute of Occupational Health and Human Ecology, 94 Stepana Kuvykina St., Ufa, 450106, Russian Federation,   Ufa Research Institute of Occupational Health and Human Ecology, 94 Stepana Kuvykina St., Ufa, 450106, Russian Federation
Published: July 2024

In this study, we investigated the association of IL-6 (rs1800795), TNF-α (rs361525), IL-1β (rs16944), MMP-1 (rs1799750) and SOD2 (rs4880) gene polymorphisms with the risk of developing vibration disease (VD) and autonomic sensory polyneuropathy (ASPN). We examined 45 patients with VB, 10 patients with ASPN and 76 people who were not exposed to vibration in their professional activities. Polymorphic gene variants were determined using a real-time polymerase chain reaction. The polymorphic variant rs16944 of the IL-1β gene was established to carry both the G allele (p = 0.027) and the homozygous G/G genotype (p = 0.015) with elevated frequency in the group of patients with VD relative to the control group. Allele A of the rs361525 polymorphic variant of the TNF-α gene was more common in patients with ASPN as compared to controls, (p = 0.047). Statistically significant differences in polymorphic variants rs1800795 of the IL-6 gene, rs1799750 of the MMP-1 gene and rs4880 of the SOD2 gene were not found in both groups of patients as compared to the control group. However, when comparing groups of patients with each other, we established that the G allele of the polymorphic variant rs1800795 of the IL-6 gene was more often recorded in patients with ASPN (p = 0.032). The results obtained by examining the patients with VD and ASPN made it possible to establish that the rs361525 polymorphic variant of the TNF-α gene is associated with an elevated risk of developing ASPN, while carriers of the homozygous genotype G/G of the rs16944 polymorphic variant of the IL-1β gene have a high prognostic risk of developing VD. Polymorphic variants of the IL-1β and TNF-α genes can be considered probable molecular genetic predictors of VD and ASPN.
Harmful chemicals in occupational air in the ore mining sector of the metal industry as occupational health risk factors (Analytical review)
Authors: Fadeev A.G. ,   Krasnoyarsk Regional Office of the Federal Service for Surveillance over Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing, 21 Karatanova St., Krasnoyarsk, 660049, Russian Federation, Goryaev D.V. , Shur P.Z. , Zaitseva N.V. , Fokin V.A. , Red’ko S.V. ,   Krasnoyarsk Regional Office of the Federal Service for Surveillance over Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing, 21 Karatanova St., Krasnoyarsk, 660049, Russian Federation,   Federal Scientific Center for Medical and Preventive Health Risk Management Technologies, 82 Monastyrskaya St., Perm, 614045, Russian Federation,   Federal Scientific Center for Medical and Preventive Health Risk Management Technologies, 82 Monastyrskaya St., Perm, 614045, Russian Federation,   Federal Scientific Center for Medical and Preventive Health Risk Management Technologies, 82 Monastyrskaya St., Perm, 614045, Russian Federation,   Federal Scientific Center for Medical and Preventive Health Risk Management Technologies, 82 Monastyrskaya St., Perm, 614045, Russian Federation
Published: July 2024

Working conditions at non-ferrous metallurgical enterprises typically involve exposure to a whole set of harmful chemicals present in occupational air. These chemicals contribute to the development of pathologies in workers, respiratory diseases in particular. Research literature was analyzed using bibliographic databases in order to summarize available information on effects produced by harmful chemicals in workplace air on health of workers employed at mining enterprises. Respiratory diseases such as pneumoconiosis, acute and chronic dust bronchitis prevail among occupational pathologies typical for underground miners. Acute and chronic bronchitis prevail among respiratory diseases as health disorders resulting in temporary disability of miners dealing with non-ferrous metal mining. Huge amounts of dust appear in occupational air at mining enterprises due to drilling, blasting and ore crushing. Priority chemicals found in workplace air in mining industry include several carcinogens such as nickel, lead, formaldehyde, cadmium, and benzo(a)pyrene. There is a unidirectional effect produced by sulfur dioxide, nickel, nitrogen oxides, acrolein, formaldehyde, cadmium, and particular matter on the respiratory organs. The nervous system can be affected by manganese, lead, and selenium; the blood, by nickel, lead, and carbon oxide; the cardiovascular system, by carbon oxide and selenium. Working conditions of underground miners in non-ferrous metallurgy involve intensive exposure to chemicals in occupational air, which create health risks of occupational respiratory diseases and malignant tumors. Diseases of the nervous, immune, cardiovascular systems and the blood are also possible. When planning a set of preventive activities, it is advisable to identify groups of work-related diseases caused, among other things, by a specific chemical factor.
Editorial
Authors: Lima Samuel Anderson de Oliveira , Amorim Marcelo da Silva
Published: July 2024

Editorial do número 1 do volume 9 da Revista Odisseia.