bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Supplemental Material: Decoupled Oligocene mylonitic shearing and Miocene detachment faulting in the East Humboldt Range metamorphic core complex, northeast Nevada (USA)
Authors: Zuza Andrew V. , Dee Seth
Published: June 2023

Details of U-Pb zircon dating, complete datatables of U-Pb zircon dating, and a compilation of muscovite and biotite Argon dates.
Intussusception after colonoscopic polypectomy: a rare complication
Authors: Jastaniah Atif , AlBusaidi Nasra , Bandegi Pouya , Grushka Jeremy
Published: June 2023

We present a patient who developed an ileocolic intussusception within a few hours of undergoing an endoscopic polypectomy found on screening colonoscopy. She underwent a laparoscopic right hemicolectomy with intracorporeal anastomosis. Final histopathological examination showed no evidence of malignancy. Intussusception after colonoscopy is a rare complication, and only 11 cases have been reported prior to this case. Laparoscopic resection with intracorporeal anastomosis is a safe and feasible option in patients who are not candidates or failed conservative management.
How regional versus global thresholds for physical activity and grip strength influence physical frailty prevalence and mortality estimates in PURE: a prospective multinational cohort study of community-dwelling adults
Authors: Farooqi Maheen , Papaioannou Alexandra , Bangdiwala Shrikant , Rangarajan Sumathy , Leong Darryl
Published: June 2023

Objectives

Handgrip strength and physical activity are commonly used to evaluate physical frailty; however, their distribution varies worldwide. The thresholds that identify frail individuals have been established in high-income countries but not in low-income and middle-income countries. We created two adaptations of physical frailty to study how global versus regional thresholds for handgrip strength and physical activity affect frailty prevalence and its association with mortality in a multinational population.

Design, setting and participants

Our sample included 137 499 adults aged 35–70 years (median age: 61 years, 60% women) from Population Urban Rural Epidemiology Studies community-dwelling prospective cohort across 25 countries, covering the following geographical regions: China, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, Russia and Central Asia, North America/Europe, Middle East and South America.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

We measured and compared frailty prevalence and time to all-cause mortality for two adaptations of frailty.

Results

Overall frailty prevalence was 5.6% usingglobal frailtyand 5.8% usingregional frailty. Global frailty prevalence ranged from 2.4% (North America/Europe) to 20.1% (Africa), while regional frailty ranged from 4.1% (Russia/Central Asia) to 8.8% (Middle East). The HRs for all-cause mortality (median follow-up of 9 years) were 2.42 (95% CI: 2.25 to 2.60) and 1.91 (95% CI: 1.77 to 2.06) usingglobal frailtyandregional frailty,respectively, (adjusted for age, sex, education, smoking status, alcohol consumption and morbidity count). Receiver operating characteristic curves for all-cause mortality were generated for both frailty adaptations.Global frailtyyielded an area under the curve of 0.600 (95% CI: 0.594 to 0.606), compared with 0.5933 (95% CI: 0.587 to 5.99) forregional frailty(p=0.0007).

Conclusions

Global frailtyleads to higher regional variations in estimated frailty prevalence and stronger associations with mortality, as compared with regional frailty. However, both frailty adaptations in isolation are limited in their ability to discriminate between those who will die during 9 years’ follow-up from those who do not.
Involving adolescents in the design, implementation, evaluation and dissemination of health research: an umbrella review protocol
Authors: Warraitch Azza , Bruce Delali , Lee Maria , Curran Paul , Khraisha Qusai , Hadfield Kristin
Published: June 2023

Introduction

A lack of awareness on how to engage adolescents in research has been reported as one of the barriers to meaningful youth involvement in health research. Currently, available guidelines on youth involvement are limited in terms of the scope (e.g., focused on limited health research areas), content (e.g., include broad principles) and context (e.g., most guidelines are from high-income countries) for which the guidelines are applicable. To address this, we will develop a set of comprehensive guidelines based on consolidated evidence on youth involvement in health research. To inform these guidelines, we are first conducting an umbrella review to (1) summarise and synthesise findings from reviews on involving adolescents in health research, (2) consolidate the challenges experienced in youth involvement and the recommendations to mitigate these challenges, (3) identify best practices and (4) identify gaps and methodological weaknesses in the extant literature on involving adolescents in health research.

Methods and analysis

We will include review articles exploring adolescents’ involvement in studies aiming to improve their physical or mental health. Databases to be searched include Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Scopus, Embase, PsycINFO, PsycArticles, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Epistemonikos and Health Systems Evidence. A grey literature search will be conducted in Web of Science, ProQuest, Google Scholar and PROSPERO, supplemented by a handsearch of the reference lists of eligible reviews, relevant journals, websites of related organisations and input from experts. Data will be analysed using narrative synthesis.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval is not required as we are not collecting participant data as part of this review. The findings of this umbrella review will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, participatory workshops and academic conferences.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42021287467.
School-age outcomes of children after perinatal brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Rees Philippa , Callan Caitriona , Chadda Karan , Vaal Meriel , Diviney James , Sabti Shahad , Harnden Fergus , Gardiner Julian , Battersby Cheryl , Gale Chris , Sutcliffe Alastair
Published: June 2023

Background

Over 3000 children suffer a perinatal brain injury in England every year according to national surveillance. The childhood outcomes of infants with perinatal brain injury are however unknown.

Methods

A systematic review and meta-analyses were undertaken of studies published between 2000 and September 2021 exploring school-aged neurodevelopmental outcomes of children after perinatal brain injury compared with those without perinatal brain injury. The primary outcome was neurodevelopmental impairment, which included cognitive, motor, speech and language, behavioural, hearing or visual impairment after 5 years of age.

Results

This review included 42 studies. Preterm infants with intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) grades 3–4 were found to have a threefold greater risk of moderate-to-severe neurodevelopmental impairment at school age OR 3.69 (95% CI 1.7 to 7.98) compared with preterm infants without IVH. Infants with perinatal stroke had an increased incidence of hemiplegia 61% (95% CI 39.2% to 82.9%) and an increased risk of cognitive impairment (difference in full scale IQ −24.2 (95% CI –30.73 to –17.67) . Perinatal stroke was also associated with poorer academic performance; and lower mean receptive −20.88 (95% CI –36.66 to –5.11) and expressive language scores −20.25 (95% CI –34.36 to –6.13) on the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF) assessment. Studies reported an increased risk of persisting neurodevelopmental impairment at school age after neonatal meningitis. Cognitive impairment and special educational needs were highlighted after moderate-to-severe hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy. However, there were limited comparative studies providing school-aged outcome data across neurodevelopmental domains and few provided adjusted data. Findings were further limited by the heterogeneity of studies.

Conclusions

Longitudinal population studies exploring childhood outcomes after perinatal brain injury are urgently needed to better enable clinicians to prepare affected families, and to facilitate targeted developmental support to help affected children reach their full potential.
Training interventions to reduce the risk of injury to the lower extremity joints during landing movements in adult athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Bathe Chantal , Fennen Lena , Heering Theresa , Greif Alexander , Dubbeldam Rosemary
Published: June 2023

Objective

Aim of this systematic review was to summarise training interventions designed to reduce biomechanical risk factors associated with increased risk of lower extremity landing injuries and to evaluate their practical implications in amateur sports.

Design

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data sources

MEDLINE, Scopus and SPORTDiscus.

Eligibility criteria

Training intervention(s) aimed at reducing biomechanical risk factors and/or injury rates included the following: (1) prospective or (non-)randomised controlled study design; (2) risk factors that were measured with valid two-dimensional or three-dimensional motion analysis systems or Landing Error Scoring System during jump landings. In addition, meta-analyses were performed, and the risk of bias was assessed.

Results

Thirty-one studies met all inclusion criteria, capturing 11 different training interventions (eg, feedback and plyometrics) and 974 participants. A significantly medium effect of technique training (both instruction and feedback) and dynamic strengthening (ie, plyometrics with/without strengthening) on knee flexion angle (g=0.77; 95% CI 0.33 to 1.21) was shown. Only one-third of the studies had training interventions that required minimal training setup and additional coaching educations.

Conclusion

This systematic review highlights that amateur coaches can decrease relevant biomechanical risk factors by means of minimal training setup, for example, instructing to focus on a soft landing, even within only one training session of simple technique training. The meta-analysis emphasises implementing technique training as stand-alone or combined with dynamic strengthening into amateur sport training routine.
Defects in intratumoral arginine metabolism attenuate the replication and therapeutic efficacy of oncolytic myxoma virus
Authors: Dryja Parker , Curtsinger Heather D , Bartee Mee Y , Bartee Eric
Published: June 2023

Background

Arginine (Arg) is a semiessential amino acid whose bioavailability is required for the in vitro replication of several oncolytic viruses. In vivo, Arg bioavailability is regulated by a combination of dietary intake, protein catabolism, and limited biosynthesis through portions of the urea cycle. Interestingly, despite the importance of bioavailable Arg to support cellular proliferation, many forms of cancer are functionally auxotrophic for this amino acid due to the epigenetic silencing of argininosuccinate synthetase 1 (ASS1), an enzyme responsible for the conversion of citrulline and aspartate into the Arg precursor argininosuccinate. The impact of this silencing on oncolytic virotherapy (OV), however, has never been examined.

Methods

To address this gap in knowledge, we generated tumor cells lacking ASS1 and examined how loss of this enzyme impacted the in vivo replication and therapeutic efficacy of oncolytic myxoma virus (MYXV). We also generated a series of recombinant MYXV constructs expressing exogenous ASS1 to evaluate the therapeutic benefit of virally reconstituting Arg biosynthesis in ASS1−/−tumors.

Results

Our results show that the in vitro replication of oncolytic MYXV is dependent on the presence of bioavailable Arg. This dependence can be overcome by the addition of the metabolic precursor citrulline, however, this rescue requires expression of ASS1. Because of this, tumors formed from functionally ASS1−/−cells display significantly reduced MYXV replication as well as poorer therapeutic responses. Critically, both defects could be partially rescued by expressing exogenous ASS1 from recombinant oncolytic MYXVs.

Conclusions

These results demonstrate that intratumoral defects to Arg metabolism can serve as a novel barrier to virally induced immunotherapy and that the exogenous expression of ASS1 can improve the efficacy of OV in Arg-auxotrophic tumors.
Robust IL-2-dependent antitumor immunotherapy requires targeting the high-affinity IL-2R on tumor-specific CD8+T cells
Authors: LaPorte Kathryn M , Hernandez Rosmely , Santos Savio Alicia , Malek Thomas R
Published: June 2023

Background

Development of interleukin (IL)-2-dependent antitumor responses focus on targeting the intermediate affinity IL-2R to stimulate memory-phenotypic CD8+T and natural killer (NK) cells while minimizing regulatory T cell (Treg) expansion. However, this approach may not effectively engage tumor-specific T effector cells. Since tumor-antigen specific T cells upregulate the high-affinity IL-2R, we tested an IL-2 biologic, mouse IL-2/CD25, with selectivity toward the high-affinity IL-2R to support antitumor responses to tumors that vary in their immunogenicity.

Methods

Mice were first implanted with either CT26, MC38, B16.F10, or 4T1 and after a tumor mass developed, they were treated with high-dose (HD) mouse (m)IL-2/CD25 alone or in combination with anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) checkpoint blockade. Tumor growth was monitored and in parallel the immune signature in the tumor microenvironment (TME) was determined by a combination of multiparameter flow cytometry, functional assays, and enumeration of tumor-reactive T cells.

Results

We show that HD mIL-2/CD25, which preferentially stimulates the high-affinity IL-2R, but not IL-2/anti-IL-2 complexes with preferential activity toward the intermediate-affinity IL-2R, supports vigorous antitumor responses to immunogenic tumors as a monotherapy that were enhanced when combined with anti-PD-1. Treatment of CT26-bearing mice with HD mIL-2/CD25 led to a high CD8+:Treg ratio in the TME, increased frequency and function of tumor-specific CD8+T effector cells with a less exhausted phenotype, and antitumor memory responses.

Conclusions

Targeting the high-affinity IL-2R on tumor-specific T cells with HD mIL-2/CD25 alone or with PD-1 blockade supports antitumor responses, where the resulting memory response may afford long-term protection against tumor re-emergence.
Digital holography for real-time non-invasive monitoring of larval fish at power plant intakes
Authors: Sanborn Delaney , Base Alexis , Garavelli Lysel , Barua Ranjoy , Hong Jiarong , Nayak Aditya R.
Published: June 2023

Effective evaluation of technological and operational approaches to reduce entrainment of marine organisms at cooling water intake structures (CWIS) requires accurate organism-sensing systems. Current detection methods lead to large temporal data gaps, require tedious manual analysis, and are fatal to organisms. Here, we describe integrating deep learning with a non-lethal, non-intrusive imaging method—digital holography—to rapidly detect fish larvae. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that the instrument could successfully image fish larvae at flow rates exceeding ranges seen in CWIS. Holograms of two fish larvae species, in the presence of bubbles and detritus, were collected to build a large database for training a lightweight convolutional neural network. The model achieves 97% extraction accuracy in quantifying larvae, and distinguishing them from other particles, including detritus and bubbles, when applied to a dataset of manually classified images, exceeding previous metrics for non-lethal, accurate, and real-time detection. These results demonstrate the potential of in situ holographic imaging for monitoring endangered larval fish species at power plant intake structures, and for high-fidelity, real-time applications in monitoring aquatic ichthyoplankton.
Design of ABS fuzzy sliding mode control system based on pavement recognition
Authors: Zhu Shuaiwei , Fan Xiaobin , Wang Pan , Chen Xinbo
Published: June 2023

A fuzzy sliding mode variable structure control method based on road surface recognition was proposed to solve the problem that the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) effect of current ABS algorithm was not ideal on complex road surface. In the road recognition module, real-time estimation of five typical road surfaces using fuzzy logic control. Dynamic calculation of optimal slip ratio for different road surfaces based on identified road conditions. Design of ABS sliding mode variable structure controller with optimal slip ratio and actual slip ratio as input. Aiming at the chattering problem of sliding mode control, a fuzzy controller is designed to reduce chattering. An 8-DOF dynamic simulation model of a four-wheel hub motor is established. The effectiveness of the controller is verified by braking simulation experiments on medium and low adhesion road. By comparing the simulation test with the traditional sliding mode controller under the condition of high adhesion road, the suppression effect of the system chattering is verified, and its excellent control performance is proved.
On lax epimorphisms of partially ordered monoids
Authors: Sohail N. , Shah A. H. , Ahangar S. A.
Published: June 2023

Epimorphisms in the category of partially ordered monoids may not be surjective. We prove that lax epimorphisms in the category of partially ordered monoids are surjective. We further show that lax epimorphisms in the said category coincide with coinserters. Our results also generalize to partially ordered semigroups.
Enhancing Adversarial Embedding based Image Steganography via Clustering Modification Directions
Authors: Wang Dewang , Yang Gaobo , Guo Zhiqing , Chen Jiyou
Published: June 2023

Image steganography is a technique used to conceal secret information within cover images without being detected. However, the advent of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) has threatened the security of image steganography. Due to the inherent properties of adversarial examples, adding perturbations to stego images can mislead the CNN-based image steganalysis, but it also easily leads to some errors when extracting secret information. Recently, some adversarial embedding methods have been proposed for improving image steganography security. In this work, we aim at furthering enhance the security of adversarial embedding-based image steganography by exploiting the strong correlation between adjacent pixels. Specifically, we divide the cover image into four non-overlapping parts for four-stage information embedding. During the adversarial embedding process, we cluster the modification directions of adjacent pixels and select only those with relatively larger amplitudes of gradients and smaller embedding costs to update their original embedding costs. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method can effectively fool targeted steganalyzers and outperform state-of-the-art techniques under different scenarios.
Epigenetic Regulation and Chromatin Remodeling in Malaria Parasites
Authors: Hollin Thomas , Chahine Zeinab , Le Roch Karine G.
Published: June 2023

Plasmodium falciparum, the human malaria parasite, infects two hosts and various cell types, inducing distinct morphological and physiological changes in the parasite in response to different environmental conditions. These variations required the parasite to adapt and develop elaborate molecular mechanisms to ensure its spread and transmission. Recent findings have significantly improved our understanding of the regulation of gene expression in P. falciparum. Here, we provide an up-to-date overview of technologies used to highlight the transcriptomic adjustments occurring in the parasite throughout its life cycle. We also emphasize the complementary and complex epigenetic mechanisms regulating gene expression in malaria parasites. This review concludes with an outlook on the chromatin architecture, the remodeling systems, and how this 3D genome organization is critical in various biological processes.
Functional Peptides for Plant Disease Control
Authors: Montesinos Emilio
Published: June 2023

Plant disease control requires novel approaches to mitigate the spread of and losses caused by current, emerging, and re-emerging diseases and to adapt plant protection to global climate change and the restrictions on the use of conventional pesticides. Currently, disease management relies mainly on biopesticides, which are required for the sustainable use of plant-protection products. Functional peptides are candidate biopesticides because they originate from living organisms or are synthetic analogs and provide novel mechanisms of action against plant pathogens. Hundreds of compounds exist that cover an extensive range of activities against viruses, bacteria and phytoplasmas, fungi and oomycetes, and nematodes. Natural sources, chemical synthesis, and biotechnological platforms may provide peptides at large scale for the industry and growers. The main challenges for their use in plant disease protection are ( a) the requirement of stability in the plant environment and counteracting resistance in pathogen populations, ( b) the need to develop suitable formulations to increase their shelf life and methods of application, ( c) the selection of compounds with acceptable toxicological profiles, and ( d) the high cost of production for agricultural purposes. In the near future, it is expected that several functional peptides will be commercially available for plant disease control, but more effort is needed to validate their efficacy at the field level and fulfill the requirements of the regulatory framework.
Synthesis, Antimicrobial, and Anticancer Activities of Novel Nitrofuran Derivatives
Authors: Mohamed Malik Suliman , Elamin Khaled M. , Alenazy Rawaf , Mohamed Eltayib Eyman , Timan Idriss Mona , Alhudaib Noura A. A. , Elsaman Tilal , Awadalla Mohamed Magdi
Published: June 2023

Keeping in view the varying therapeutic attributes of 5-nitrofuran and isatin derivatives, novel 5-nitrofuran‒isatin molecular hybrids (2, 5–7) were synthesized by standard protocols, characterized by various spectroscopic techniques, and eventually evaluated against a group of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Greater potency against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was exhibited by hybrids 5 and 6 with minimum inhibitory concentration values of 8 and 1 μg/mL, respectively. Cytotoxicity against both human embryonic kidney cells (HEK-293) and human red blood cells (RBCs) was investigated for the hybrids in hand. All hybrids appeared to have good safety; all of them were devoid of cytotoxicity, and none displayed hemolytic activity at the highest test concentration (CC50 and HI10 > 32 μg/mL). To support the postulation that these hybrids would be analogous to drugs containing the 5-nitrofurn ring system, molecular docking was carried out to streamline the binding affinity of the investigated hybrids towards the E. coli nitroreductase (NTR). Compared to the standard drug nitrofurazone, hybrid 6 demonstrated a higher affinity and better binding interactions with the NTR binding pocket. Therefore, it could be concluded that 6 displays its antibacterial action through a mechanism similar to that of nitrofurazone. Nonetheless, further wet investigations are to be conducted to confirm this finding. Encouraged by the well-established anticancer activity of isatin derivatives, 2, 5–7 were assessed for their potential antitumor activity, and they well demonstrated potent inhibitory activity against the human colon cancer cell line HCT 116 (IC50 = 1.62–8.8 μM) with isatin hybrid 3 being the best (IC50 = 1.62 μM). Thus, it is herein reported that these 5-nitrofuran‒isatin molecular hybrids could represent an ideal starting point for future studies to develop potent antimicrobial agents.
Location Optimization for Community Smart Parcel Lockers Based on Bilevel Programming
Authors: Yang Xia , Wang Chenyang , He Xiaozheng , Zhang Hedi , Xu Guangming
Published: June 2023

With the rapid development of e-commerce and the dramatic upsurge in direct-to-consumer deliveries, the last-mile problem has become increasingly apparent. With the distinct advantages of bringing economies of scale and providing 24/7 contactless self-service, smart parcel lockers play a critical role in solving the last-mile problem. However, due to a lack of planning, myopia expansion, and an ambiguous profit model, smart parcel locker suppliers in China have been suffering huge economic losses, restricting their further development. In the study, on the basis of an in-depth analysis of the cost elements and major revenue sources of smart parcel lockers, we propose a bilevel programming model to optimize the location of community smart parcel lockers with the upper-level model maximizing the profit of a third-party smart parcel locker supplier and the lower-level model maximizing user satisfaction. Then, a solution algorithm based on the genetic algorithm is proposed. Finally, some numerical experiments are carried out based on a medium-scale residential community in Jiading District, Shanghai. The sensitivity analyses conducted in this study reveal how the user satisfaction evaluation and the investment budget influence the expected profit. The modelling framework and numerical results can provide third-party smart parcel locker suppliers with significant theoretical support and practical guidance on planning the investment budget and optimizing the smart parcel locker locations to maximize their profit.
A Simple Solution and Dilatancy Characterization for a Circular Tunnel Excavated in the Nonlinear Strain-Softening and Nonlinear Dilatancy Rock Mass
Authors: Wang Xiuling
Published: June 2023

Tunnel opening or excavation in the strain-softening rock masses primarily leads to initial stress release and rock deformation. The increasing plastic shear strain induces a nonlinear variation of dilatancy in rock masses. Therefore, tunnel stability is strongly dependent on the stress state and the strain-softening and dilatancy behaviors of rock masses. In view of this, this paper proposes an elastoplastic finite difference solution based on the triple-shear element (TS) unified strength criterion (USC) and the nonassociative flow law; thereafter, some typical examples are referred to verify its validity. This solution allows for the description of the intermediate principal stress effect, the nonlinear strain-softening and dilatancy behaviors of the rock mass. Parametric analysis finally determines the influence characteristics of the intermediate principal stress effect (b), the critical softening parameter (

η

∗

), softening factor (δ), and support force (pi) on the dilation angle (ψ) of the rock mass in the plastic zone. The findings confirm that the intermediate principal stress mainly affects peak values of ψ, which increases as b grows. The rate of change of ψ mainly depends on

η

∗

, which tends to be slower with increasing

η

∗

. The variation pattern of ψ in the residual zone under different δ is generally consistent, while the variability of ψ in the softening zone is significant. For a given intermediate principal stress state and strain-softening behavior of the rock mass, the values and the developed form of ψ in the plastic zone is independent of pi.
MAGEB2-Mediated Degradation of EGR1 Regulates the Proliferation and Apoptosis of Human Spermatogonial Stem Cell Lines
Authors: Zhao Xueheng , Huang Zenghui , Chen Yongzhe , Zhou Qianyin , Zhu Fang , Zhang Huan , Zhou Dai
Published: June 2023

Spermatogonial stem cells are committed to initiating and maintaining male spermatogenesis, which is the foundation of male fertility. Understanding the mechanisms underlying SSC fate decisions is critical for controlling spermatogenesis and male fertility. However, the key molecules and mechanisms responsible for regulating human SSC development are not clearly understood. Here, we analyzed normal human testis single-cell sequencing data from the GEO dataset (GSE149512 and GSE112013). Melanoma antigen gene B2 (MAGEB2) was found to be predominantly expressed in human SSCs and further validated by immunohistology. Overexpression of MAGEB2 in SSC lines severely weakened cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis. Further, using protein interaction prediction, molecular docking, and immunoprecipitation, we found that MAGEB2 interacted with early growth response protein 1 (EGR1) in SSC lines. Reexpression of EGR1 in MAGEB2 overexpression cells partially rescued decreased cell proliferation. Furthermore, MAGEB2 was shown to be downregulated in specific NOA patients, implying that abnormal expression of MAGEB2 may impair spermatogenesis and male fertility. Our results offer new insights into the functional and regulatory mechanisms in MAGEB2-mediated human SSC line proliferation and apoptosis.
Bioremediation of Ex-Mining Soil with the Biocompost in the Incubation Experiments
Authors: Rosa Elvrida , Sufardi Sufardi , Syafruddin Syafruddin , Rusdi Muhammad
Published: June 2023

A process called bioremediation can be used to turn abandoned mining sites into useful agricultural land. An alternative to enhancing the quality of the ex-siltstone mining soil so that it can be used again as agricultural land is the application of biocompost fertilizer. This study intends to investigate how biocompost might enhance the ex-siltstone mining soil’s quality in incubation treatments. The composition of biocompost used in this study is ingredient I: (a) cow manure = 50%; (b) chicken manure = 30%; (c) sand = 10%; (d) bacteria (bioactivator) = 10%; ingredient II: ingredient I is mixed with cow manure in a composition ratio of 1 : 2. The ex-mining soils were gathered in the ex-cement mining region of Lhoknga Subdistrict, Aceh Besar District (5.45°N, 95.2°E). Incubation experiments were conducted in incubation pots (approximately 5 kg per pot) that were randomly placed in a greenhouse using a 4 × 4 factorial completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. The first factor is the ratio of ex-siltstone mining soil : biocompost, which consists of four levels of comparison: control (ex-mining soil not incubated), 1 : 1 (50 : 50), 1 : 2 (33 : 67), and 1 : 3 (25 : 75). The second factor is the incubation period, which has four levels: 0, 2, 4, and 6 weeks with 48 experimental units. Indicators of the impact of biocompost on the physical and chemical quality of ex-siltstone mining soil were examined. The result shows that bioremediation of ex-siltstone mining soil with biocompost application improves the quality of ex-siltstone mining soil by decreasing bulk density and permeability and also increasing porosity, decreasing soil pH from alkaline to neutral, and increasing soil organic C, total N, available P, and total K. The incubation period of ex-siltstone mining soil influences the changes and dynamics of the soil’s chemical properties.
Novel Use of Scanning Methods to Investigate the Performance of Screw Connections in Timber-Concrete Composite Structures
Authors: Mohd Snin Mohd Amirul B. , Kassem Moustafa Moufid
Published: June 2023

This paper investigates the shear force capacity, stiffness, and effective length of the connection screws in timber-concrete composite structures. Ten samples (six hardwood and four softwood) were fabricated with the connection screws installed at different angles through the interface. The shear force capacities and the global stiffness characteristics of the connections were determined directly from double shear tests. The local characteristics of the screw connections were investigated by scanning the final residual screw shapes at the end of the tests for softwood specimens. Using the 2D digital scans of the screws, the screw curvatures were determined. From the curvatures, the local distribution of moment along the screw embedded within the concrete at the conclusion of the test was estimated. The distance of the plastic hinge in the screw within the concrete from the interface between the concrete and timber (the effective length) was obtained from the maximum bending moment location calculated via this image scanning method. Empirical equations of effective screw length were developed from the test data and applied in a shear force capacity model for softwood. These new equations of effective length of inclined screws in connections predicted the shear force capacity of the connection better on the softwood specimens. In hardwood specimens, the screw failed in snapping. An equation of shear force capacity was developed based on the influence of the inclination angle of the screw with the reduction factors and can predict the shear capacity of the connection in hardwood specimens.
TMEM147 Correlates with Immune Infiltration and Serve as a Potential Prognostic Biomarker in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Cheng Sheng , Li Jutang , Xu Ming , Bao Qun , Wu Jiaoxiang , Sun Peng , Han Bo
Published: June 2023

Background. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent malignancies and is associated with high mortality. Transmembrane protein 147 (TMEM147) is a seven‐transmembrane protein that may mediate immune regulation. However, the relevance of TMEM147 to immune regulation in HCC and the prognosis of HCC patients are unclear. Methods. We analyzed TMEM147 expression in HCC by using the Wilcoxon rank‐sum test. Real time quantitative PCR (RT‐qPCR) and Western blot analysis of tumor tissues and cell lines were used to verify TMEM147 expression in HCC. The influence of TMEM147 on HCC prognosis was assessed using Kaplan–Meier analysis, Cox regression analysis, and a prognostic nomogram. The functions of the TMEM147‐related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by Gene Ontology (GO)/Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). In addition, we examined the associations between TMEM147 expression and immune infiltration using single‐sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) and immunofluorescence staining of HCC tissues. Results. Our results showed that the expression of TMEM147 was significantly higher in human HCC tissues than in adjacent normal liver tissues, with similar findings in human HCC cell lines. High TMEM147 expression was correlated with T stage, pathological stage, histological grade, race, alpha‐fetoprotein level, and vascular invasion in HCC. Moreover, we revealed that high TMEM147 expression was associated with shorter survival times and that TMEM147 could be a risk factor for overall survival, along with T stage, M stage, pathological stage, and tumor status. Mechanistic studies revealed that high TMEM147 expression was linked to the B lymphocyte, antigen response, IL6 signaling pathway, cell cycle, Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) signaling pathway, and myelocytomatosis oncogene (MYC) targets. Correspondingly, TMEM147 expression was positively associated with the infiltration of immune cells, including Th2 cells, follicular helper T cells, macrophages, and NK CD56 bright cells in HCC. Conclusions. TMEM147 might be a biomarker for poor prognosis and is related to immune cell infiltration in HCC.
Contribution of the Types of Tropical Coastal Aquaculture Ponds to the Differential Distribution of the Family Bacillaceae Bacterial Community
Authors: Ren Wei , Feng Ziqiao , Wang Xinyi , Li Ying , Long Hao , Cai Xiaoni , Huang Aiyou , Xie Zhenyu
Published: June 2023

The family Bacillaceae bacteria, particularly Bacillus communities, are useful and attractive probiotics with desirable features to fulfill the vast demand for aquaculture. In Hainan Island, the coastal aquaculture ponds hold about 1% of the total area in China, whereas the knowledge of Bacillaceae bacterial communities was limited. Herein, the Bacillaceae bacterial communities in the coastal aquaculture ponds of the artificial ponds (lined with high-density polyethylene plastic sheets) and earthen ponds were investigated by the culturable method. The characteristics of culturable Bacillaceae communities in these two types of coastal aquaculture ponds showed a massive difference. All the culturable Bacillaceae bacteria were identified as Bacillus in the artificial ponds, whereas the earthen ponds were dominated by Bacillus followed by Halobacillus. It is worth noting that the artificial ponds with a low Bacillaceae diversity displayed a high Bacillaceae concentration with a better water quality, whereas the earthen ponds with a higher Bacillaceae diversity and concentration displayed a higher risk of Vibrio infection, indicating that the Bacillaceae concentration than its diversity made a greater contribution to water purification and Vibrio control. This work besides providing a promising strategy for healthy coastal aquaculture by balancing the relationship between Bacillaceae concentration and its diversity also will lay a foundation for the development of probiotic Bacillaceae agents for wastewater purification and disease control.
Discrimination of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndromes in Type 2 Diabetic Patients Based on Metabolomics-Proteomics Profiles
Authors: Shao Xin , Hu Gang , Lu Yuanyuan , Li Ming , Shen Baohua , Kong Wenwen , Guan Yanhua , Yang Xin , Fang Jia , Liu Jing , Ran Yingzhuo
Published: June 2023

Aims of the Study. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has thousand years of history, and syndrome differentiation is the foundation and essence of the TCM theory. As it has distinctive advantages in diagnosing and treating the type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), the purpose of this research is to distinguish T2DM patients with or without damp-heat syndrome (DHS), as well as to discover biomarkers associated with syndrome employing the metabolomics-proteomics technique. Materials and Methods. The metabolomics-proteomics of sixty patients with T2DM were acquired by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In addition, some clinical features, containing total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), body mass index (BMI), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) together with high-density lipoprotein (HDL), were determined via clinical detection strategies. Abundant metabolites and proteins, respectively, were identified with the analysis of liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Results. 22 differentially abundant metabolites and 15 differentially abundant proteins were determined. The analysis of bioinformatics suggested that the differentially abundant proteins were commonly associated with the renin-angiotensin system, vitamin digestion and absorption, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and so on. Furthermore, differentially abundant metabolites were amino acids and were associated with the biosynthesis of CoA and pantothenate, together with the metabolisms of phenylalanine, beta-alanine, proline, and arginine. Combination analysis revealed that the vitamin metabolism pathway was predominantly affected. Conclusions. DHS syndrome can be separated by certain metabolic-proteomic differences, and metabolism is particularly prominent, especially in vitamin digestion and absorption. From the molecular level, we provide preliminary data for the extensive application of TCM in the study of T2DM, and at the same time benefited in a sense diagnosis and treatment of T2DM.
Physiological and Neurobehavioral Disturbances Induced by Al2O3 Nanoparticle Intoxication in Nile Tilapia Fish: Benefits of Dietary Chamomile Essential Oil
Authors: Farag Mayada R. , Zheng Chuntian , Gharib Heba S. A. , EL-Hady Enas , Mahdy Eman A. A. , Abo-Elmaaty Azza M. A. , Abou-Zeid Shimaa M. , Alagawany Mahmoud , Di Cerbo Alessandro , Azzam Mahmoud M. , Al-Abdullatif Abdulaziz A. , Hassan Mona A.
Published: June 2023

Despite the usage of nanoparticles (NPs) is rapidly increasing, several experts have noted the risk of their release into ecosystems and their potential negative impacts on biological systems. However, the available studies on the neurobehavioral impacts of aluminum oxide nanoparticles (Al2O3NPs) on aquatic organisms are little. Hence, this study targeted to ascertain the harmful effects of Al2O3NPs on behavioral characteristics and genotoxic and oxidative damages in Nile tilapia fish. In addition, the beneficial role of chamomile essential oil (CEO) supplementation in reducing these effects was also investigated. In the current study, fish were distributed into 4 equal groups (

n
=
60

fish per group). The control group was fed a plain diet only, the CEO group received a basic diet complemented with CEO at a level of 2 mg/kg diet, the ALNP group received a basic diet and was exposed to an approximate concentration of 1/10th LC50 of ALNPs nearly 5.08 mg/L, and the combination group (ALNPs/CEO group) received a basal diet coadministered with ALNPs and CEO at the aforementioned percentages. The findings revealed that O. niloticus exhibit neurobehavioral changes along with changes in the level of GABA, monoamines in the brain tissue, and serum amino acid neurotransmitters, besides a reduction of AChE and Na+/K+-ATPase activities. In addition to brain tissue oxidative damage with upregulation of proinflammatory and stress genes, such as HSP70 and caspase-3, supplementation of CEO significantly reduced the negative impacts of ALNPs. These results showed that CEO has neuroprotective, antioxidant, genoprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic properties in fish that have been exposed to ALNPs. Therefore, we advise its usage as a valuable addition to fish diet.
Silencing of NLRP3 Sensitizes Chemoresistant Ovarian Cancer Cells to Cisplatin
Authors: Li Weijia , Zhao Xibo , Zhang Rujian , Xie Jiabin , Zhang Guangmei
Published: June 2023

Background. Ovarian cancer is a fatal gynecological malignancy. The resistance to chemotherapy in ovarian cancer treatment has been a thorny issue. This study is aimed at probing the molecular mechanism of cisplatin (DDP) resistance in ovarian cancer. Methods. Bioinformatics analysis was conducted to examine the role of Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) in ovarian cancer. The NLRP3 level in DDP-resistant ovarian cancer tumors and cell lines (SKOV3/DDP and A2780/DDP) was evaluated by applying immunohistochemical staining, western blot, and qRT-PCR. Cell transfection was conducted to regulate the NLRP3 level. Cell abilities to proliferate, migrate, invade, and apoptosis were measured employing colony formation, CCK-8, wound healing, transwell, and TUNEL assays, respectively. Cell cycle analysis was completed via flow cytometry. Corresponding protein expression was measured by western blot. Results. NLRP3 was overexpressed in ovarian cancer, correlated with poor survival, and upregulated in DDP-resistant ovarian cancer tumors and cells. NLRP3 silencing exerted antiproliferative, antimigrative, anti-invasive, and proapoptotic effects in A2780/DDP and SKOV3/DDP cells. Additionally, NLRP3 silencing inactivated NLRPL3 inflammasome and blocked epithelial-mesenchymal transition via enhancing E-cadherin and lowering vimentin, N-cadherin, and fibronectin. Conclusion. NLRP3 was overexpressed in DDP-resistant ovarian cancer. NLRP3 knockdown hindered the malignant process of DDP-resistant ovarian cancer cells, providing a potential target for DPP-based ovarian cancer chemotherapy.
Determining the Potential Roles of Branched-Chain Amino Acids in the Regulation of Muscle Growth in Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) Based on Transcriptome and MicroRNA Sequencing
Authors: Cao Xianglin , Cui Han , Ji Xinyu , Li Baohua , Lu Ronghua , Zhang Yuru , Chen Jianjun
Published: June 2023

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) can be critically involved in skeletal muscle growth and body energy homeostasis. Skeletal muscle growth is a complex process; some muscle-specific microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the regulation of muscle thickening and muscle mass. Additionally, the regulatory network between miRNA and messenger RNA (mRNA) in the modulation of the role of BCAAs on skeletal muscle growth in fish has not been studied. In this study, common carp was starved for 14 days, followed by a 14-day gavage therapy with BCAAs, to investigate some of the miRNAs and genes that contribute to the regulation of normal growth and maintenance of skeletal muscle in response to short-term BCAA starvation stress. Subsequently, the transcriptome and small RNAome sequencing of carp skeletal muscle were performed. A total of 43,414 known and 1,112 novel genes were identified, in addition to 142 known and 654 novel miRNAs targeting 22,008 and 33,824 targets, respectively. Based on their expression profiles, 2,146 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 84 differentially expressed miRNA (DEMs) were evaluated. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome pathways, including the proteasome, phagosome, autophagy in animals, proteasome activator complex, and ubiquitin-dependent protein catabolic process, were enriched for these DEGs and DEMs. Our findings revealed the role of atg5, map1lc3c, ctsl, cdc53, psma6, psme2, myl9, and mylk in skeletal muscle growth, protein synthesis, and catabolic metabolism. Furthermore, miR-135c, miR-192, miR-194, and miR-203a may play key roles in maintaining the normal activities of the organism by regulating genes related to muscle growth, protein synthesis, and catabolism. This study on transcriptome and miRNA reveals the potential molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of muscle protein deposition and provides new insights into genetic engineering techniques to improve common carp muscle development.
REVEL Framework to Measure Local Linear Explanations for Black‐Box Models: Deep Learning Image Classification Case Study
Authors: Sevillano-García Iván , Luengo Julián , Herrera Francisco
Published: June 2023

Explainable artificial intelligence is proposed to provide explanations for reasoning performed by artificial intelligence. There is no consensus on how to evaluate the quality of these explanations, since even the definition of explanation itself is not clear in the literature. In particular, for the widely known local linear explanations, there are qualitative proposals for the evaluation of explanations, although they suffer from theoretical inconsistencies. The case of image is even more problematic, where a visual explanation seems to explain a decision while detecting edges is what it really does. There are a large number of metrics in the literature specialized in quantitatively measuring different qualitative aspects, so we should be able to develop metrics capable of measuring in a robust and correct way the desirable aspects of the explanations. Some previous papers have attempted to develop new measures for this purpose. However, these measures suffer from lack of objectivity or lack of mathematical consistency, such as saturation or lack of smoothness. In this paper, we propose a procedure called REVEL to evaluate different aspects concerning the quality of explanations with a theoretically coherent development which do not have the problems of the previous measures. This procedure has several advances in the state of the art: it standardizes the concepts of explanation and develops a series of metrics not only to be able to compare between them but also to obtain absolute information regarding the explanation itself. The experiments have been carried out on four image datasets as benchmark where we show REVEL’s descriptive and analytical power.