bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The versatile utility of cysteine as a target for cancer treatment
Authors: Min Jin-Young , Chun Kyung-Soo , Kim Do-Hee
Published: January 2023

Owing to its unique nucleophilicity, cysteine is an attractive sulfhydryl-containing proteinogenic amino acid. It is also utilized in various metabolic pathways and redox homeostasis, as it is used for the component of major endogenous antioxidant glutathione and the generation of sulfur-containing biomolecules. In addition, cysteine is the most nucleophilic amino acid of proteins and can react with endogenous or exogenous electrophiles which can result in the formation of covalent bonds, which can alter the cellular states and functions. Moreover, post-translational modifications of cysteines trigger redox signaling and affect the three-dimensional protein structure. Protein phosphorylation mediated by kinases and phosphatases play a key role in cellular signaling that regulates many physiological and pathological processes, and consequently, the modification of cysteine regulates its activities. The modification of cysteine residues in proteins is critically important for the design of novel types of pharmacological agents. Therefore, in cancer metabolism and cancer cell survival, cysteine plays an essential role in redox regulation of cellular status and protein function. This review summarizes the diverse regulatory mechanisms of cysteine bound to or free from proteins in cancer. Furthermore, it can enhance the comprehension of the role of cysteine in tumor biology which can help in the development of novel effective cancer therapies.
Targeting cyclin-dependent kinases in sarcoma treatment: Current perspectives and future directions
Authors: Merlini Alessandra , Pavese Valeria , Manessi Giulia , Rabino Martina , Tolomeo Francesco , Aliberti Sandra , D’Ambrosio Lorenzo , Grignani Giovanni
Published: January 2023

Effective treatment of advanced/metastatic bone and soft tissue sarcomas still represents an unmet medical need. Recent advances in targeted therapies have highlighted the potential of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) inhibitors in several cancer types, including sarcomas. CDKs are master regulators of the cell cycle; their dysregulation is listed among the “hallmarks of cancer” and sarcomas are no exception to the rule. In this review, we report both the molecular basis, and the potential therapeutic implications for the use of CDK inhibitors in sarcoma treatment. What is more, we describe and discuss the possibility and biological rationale for combination therapies with conventional treatments, target therapy and immunotherapy, highlighting potential avenues for future research to integrate CDK inhibition in sarcoma treatment.
Population pharmacokinetics of buprenorphine and naloxone sublingual combination in Chinese healthy volunteers and patients with opioid use disorder: Model-based dose optimization
Authors: Gu Meng , Li Anning , Mak Wenyao , Dong Fang , Xu Nuo , Zhang Jingye , Shi Yufei , Zheng Nan , Tang Zhijia , He Qingfeng , Ruan Canjun , Guo Wei , Xiang Xiaoqiang , Wang Chuanyue , Han Bing , Zhu Xiao
Published: January 2023

The sublingual combination of buprenorphine (BUP) and naloxone (NLX) is a new treatment option for opioid use disorder (OUD) and is effective in preventing drug abuse. This study aimed to explore rational dosing regimen for OUD patients in China via a model-based dose optimization approach. BUP, norbuprenorphine (norBUP), and NLX plasma concentrations of 34 healthy volunteers and 12 OUD subjects after single or repeated dosing were included. A parent-metabolite population pharmacokinetics (popPK) model with transit compartments for absorption was implemented to describe the pharmacokinetic profile of BUP-norBUP. In addition, NLX concentrations were well captured by a one-compartment popPK model. Covariate analysis showed that every additional swallow after the administration within the observed range (0–12) resulted in a 3.5% reduction in BUP bioavailability. This provides a possible reason for the less-than-dose proportionality of BUP. There were no differences in the pharmacokinetic characteristics between BUP or NLX in healthy volunteers and OUD subjects. Ethnic sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the dose-normalized peak concentration and area-under-the-curve of BUP in Chinese were about half of Puerto Ricans, which was consistent with a higher clearance observed in Chinese (166 L/h vs. 270 L/h). Furthermore, Monte Carlo simulations showed that an 8 mg three-times daily dose was the optimized regimen for Chinese OUD subjects. This regimen ensured that opioid receptor occupancy remained at a maximum (70%) in more than 95% of subjects, at the same time, with NLX plasma concentrations below the withdrawal reaction threshold (4.6 ng/mL).
Machine learning-aided detection of heart failure (LVEF ≤ 49%) by using ballistocardiography and respiratory effort signals
Authors: Feng Shen , Wu Xianda , Bao Andong , Lin Guanyang , Sun Pengtao , Cen Huan , Chen Sinan , Liu Yuexia , He Wenning , Pang Zhiqiang , Zhang Han
Published: January 2023

Purpose: Under the influence of COVID-19 and the in-hospital cost, the in-home detection of cardiovascular disease with smart sensing devices is becoming more popular recently. In the presence of the qualified signals, ballistocardiography (BCG) can not only reflect the cardiac mechanical movements, but also detect the HF in a non-contact manner. However, for the potential HF patients, the additional quality assessment with ECG-aided requires more procedures and brings the inconvenience to their in-home HF diagnosis. To enable the HF detection in many real applications, we proposed a machine learning-aided scheme for the HF detection in this paper, where the BCG signals recorded from the force sensor were employed without the heartbeat location, and the respiratory effort signals separated from force sensors provided more HF features due to the connection between the heart and the lung systems. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed HF detection scheme was verified in comparative experiments.

Methods: First, a piezoelectric sensor was used to record a signal sequences of the two-dimensional vital sign, which includes the BCG and the respiratory effort. Then, the linear and the non-linear features w.r.t. BCG and respiratory effort signals were extracted to serve the HF detection. Finally, the improved HF detection performance was verified through the LOO and the LOSO cross-validation settings with different machine learning classifiers.

Results: The proposed machine learning-aided scheme achieved the robust performance in the HF detection by using 4 different classifiers, and yielded an accuracy of 94.97% and 87.00% in the LOO and the LOSO experiments, respectively. In addition, experimental results demonstrated that the designed respiratory and cardiopulmonary features are beneficial to the HF detection (LVEF ≤49%).

Conclusion: This study proposed a machine learning-aided HF diagnostic scheme. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed scheme can fully exploit the relationship between the heart and the lung systems to potentially improve the in-home HF detection performance by using both the BCG, the respiratory and the cardiopulmonary-related features.
Mitochondrial dysfunction in cardiovascular disease: Towards exercise regulation of mitochondrial function
Authors: Li Kunzhe , Wan Bingzhi , Li Sujuan , Chen Zhixin , Jia Hao , Song Yinping , Zhang Jiamin , Ju Wenyu , Ma Han , Wang Youhua
Published: January 2023

The morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular diseases are exceedingly high worldwide. Pathological heart remodeling, which is developed as a result of mitochondrial dysfunction, could ultimately drive heart failure. More recent research target exercise modulation of mitochondrial dysfunction to improve heart failure. Therefore, finding practical treatment goals and exercise programs to improve cardiovascular disease is instrumental. Better treatment options are available with the recent development of exercise and drug therapy. This paper summarizes pathological states of abnormal mitochondrial function and intervention strategies for exercise therapy.
Abscisic acid agonists suitable for optimizing plant water use
Authors: Roeder Jan , Liu Jinghui , Doch Isabel , Ruschhaupt Moritz , Christmann Alexander , Grill Erwin , Helmke Hendrik , Hohmann Sabine , Lehr Stefan , Frackenpohl Jens , Yang Zhenyu
Published: January 2023

Climate change and overexploitation of groundwater resources cause constraints on water demand for agriculture, thus threatening crop productivity. For future food security, there is an urgent need for crops of high water use efficiency combined with high crop productivity, i.e. having high water productivity. High water productivity means efficient biomass accumulation at reduced transpiration. Recent studies show that plants are able to optimize carbon uptake per water transpired with little or no trade-off in yield. The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays a pivotal role in minimizing leaf transpiration and mediating enhanced water productivity. Hence, ABA and more chemically stable ABA agonists have the potential to improve crop water productivity. Synthesis, screening, and identification of suitable ABA agonists are major efforts currently undertaken. In this study, we used yeast expressing the plant ABA signal pathway to prescreen ABA-related cyano cyclopropyl compounds (CCPs). The yeast analysis allowed testing the ABA agonists for general toxicity, efficient uptake, and specificity in regulating different ABA receptor complexes. Subsequently, promising ABA-mimics were analyzed in vitro for ligand-receptor interaction complemented by physiological analyses. Several CCPs activated ABA signaling in yeast and plant cells. CCP1, CCP2, and CCP5 were by an order of magnitude more efficient than ABA in minimizing transpiration of Arabidopsis plants. In a progressive drought experiment, CCP2 mediated an increase in water use efficiency superior to ABA without trade-offs in biomass accumulation.
Functional genomic analysis of K+ related salt-responsive transporters in tolerant and sensitive genotypes of rice
Authors: Haque Umme Sabrina , Elias Sabrina M. , Jahan Israt , Seraj Zeba I.
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Salinity is a complex environmental stress that affects the growth and production of rice worldwide. But there are some rice landraces in coastal regions that can survive in presence of highly saline conditions. An understanding of the molecular attributes contributing to the salinity tolerance of these genotypes is important for developing salt-tolerant high yielding modern genotypes to ensure food security. Therefore, we investigated the role and functional differences of two K+ salt-responsive transporters. These are OsTPKa or Vacuolar two-pore potassium channel and OsHAK_like or a hypothetical protein of the HAK family. These transporters were selected from previously identified QTLs from the tolerant rice landrace genotype (Horkuch) and sensitive genotype (IR29).

Methods

In silico comparative sequence analysis of the promoter sequences of two these genes between Horkuch and IR29 was done. Real-Time expression of the selected genes in leaves and roots of IR29 (salt-sensitive), I-14 and I-71 (Recombinant Inbred Lines of IR29(♀)× Horkuch), Horkuch and Pokkali (salt-tolerant) under salt-stress at different time points was analyzed. For further insight, OsTPKa and OsHAK_like were chosen for loss-of-function genomic analysis in Horkuch using the CRISPR/Cas9 tool. Furthermore, OsTPKa was chosen for cloning into a sensitive variety by Gateway technology to observe the effect of gain-of-function.

Results

The promoter sequences of the OsTPKa and OsHAK_like genes showed some significant differences in promoter sequences which may give a survival advantage to Horkuch under salt-stress. These two genes were also found to be overexpressed in tolerant varieties (Horkuch and Pokkali). Moreover, a coordinated expression pattern between these two genes was observed in tolerant Horkuch under salt-stress. Independently transformed plants where the expression of these genes was significantly lowered, performed poorly in physiological tests for salinity tolerance. On the other hand, positively transformed T0 plants with the OsTPKa gene from Horkuch consistently showed growth advantage under both control and salt stress.

Discussion

The poor performance of the transgenic plants with the down-regulated genes OsTPKa and OsHAK_like under salt stress supports the assumption that OsTPKa and OsHAK_like play important roles in defending the rice landrace Horkuch against salt stress, minimizing salt injury, and maintaining plant growth. Moreover, the growth advantage provided by overexpression of the vacuolar OsTPKa K+ transporter, particularly under salt stress reconfirms its important role in providing salt tolerance. The QTL locus from Horkuch containing these two transporters maybe bred into commercial rice to produce high-yielding salt tolerant rice.
Skeleton extraction and pruning point identification of jujube tree for dormant pruning using space colonization algorithm
Authors: Fu Yuxing , Xia Yuyang , Zhang Huiming , Fu Meng , Wang Yong , Fu Wei , Shen Congju
Published: January 2023

The dormant pruning of jujube is a labor-intensive and time-consuming activity in the production and management of jujube orchards, which mainly depends on manual operation. Automatic pruning using robots could be a better way to solve the shortage of skilled labor and improve efficiency. In order to realize automatic pruning of jujube trees, a method of pruning point identification based on skeleton information is presented. This study used an RGB-D camera to collect multi-view information on jujube trees and built a complete point cloud information model of jujube trees. The space colonization algorithm acts on the global point cloud to generate the skeleton of jujube trees. The iterative relationship between skeleton points was represented by constructing a directed graph. The proposed skeleton analysis algorithm marked the skeleton as the trunk, the primary branches, and the lateral branches and identified the pruning points under the guidance of pruning rules. Finally, the visual model of the pruned jujube tree was established through the skeleton information. The results showed that the registration errors of individual jujube trees were less than 0.91 cm, and the average registration error was 0.66 cm, which provided a favorable database for skeleton extraction. The skeleton structure extracted by the space colonization algorithm had a high degree of coincidence with jujube trees, and the identified pruning points were all located on the primary branches of jujube trees. The study provides a method to identify the pruning points of jujube trees and successfully verifies the validity of the pruning points, which can provide a reference for the location of the pruning points and visual research basis for automatic pruning.
Light exposure of roots in aeroponics enhances the accumulation of phytochemicals in aboveground parts of the medicinal plants Artemisia annua and Hypericum perforatum
Authors: Paponov Martina , Ziegler Jörg , Paponov Ivan A.
Published: January 2023

Light acts as a trigger to enhance the accumulation of secondary compounds in the aboveground part of plants; however, whether a similar triggering effect occurs in roots is unclear. Using an aeroponic setup, we investigated the effect of long-term exposure of roots to LED lighting of different wavelengths on the growth and phytochemical composition of two high-value medicinal plants, Artemisia annua and Hypericum perforatum. In A. annua, root exposure to white, blue, and red light enhanced the accumulation of artemisinin in the shoots by 2.3-, 2.5-, and 1.9-fold, respectively. In H. perforatum, root exposure to white, blue, red, and green light enhanced the accumulation of coumaroylquinic acid in leaves by 89, 65, 84, and 74%, respectively. Root lighting also increased flavonol concentrations. In contrast to its effects in the shoots, root illumination did not change phytochemical composition in the roots or root exudates. Thus, root illumination induces a systemic response, resulting in modulation of the phytochemical composition in distal tissues remote from the light exposure site.
Nutrient-mediated modulation of flowering time
Authors: Zhang Yuhang , Liu Baohui , Kong Fanjiang , Chen Liyu
Published: January 2023

Nutrition affects plant growth and development, including flowering. Flowering represents the transition from the vegetative period to the reproduction period and requires the consumption of nutrients. Moreover, nutrients (e.g., nitrate) act as signals that affect flowering. Regulation of flowering time is therefore intimately associated with both nutrient-use efficiency and crop yield. Here, we review current knowledge of the relationships between nutrients (primarily nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) and flowering, with the goal of deepening our understanding of how plant nutrition affects flowering.
Exploring the relationships between visuospatial working memory, math, letter-sound knowledge, motor competence, and gender in first grade children: A correlational study
Authors: Eriksen Adrian Dybfest , Olsen Alexander , Sigmundsson Hermundur
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Development of crucial skills accelerates at the start of formal schooling, although, more knowledge is needed about the relationships between such skills. The current study explored the relationships between visuospatial working memory, letter-sound knowledge, math competence and motor competence, as well as potential effects of gender.

Materials and methods

The sample consisted of 85 (42 girls) 6 to 7 years old first grade children, and was measured with a test battery consisting of tests designed for each skill domain.

Results

Results demonstrated weak to moderate statistically significant correlations between visuospatial working memory, letter-sound knowledge, math competence, with no statistically significant gender differences. Two motor tasks measuring manual dexterity, placing bricks and building bricks, showed a weak statistically significant correlation.

Discussion

We argue that the findings demonstrate the relationships between these skills are low to moderate in first grade. Furthermore, we argue that these skills ought to be trained deliberately. The potential role of visuospatial working memory in procurement of novel skills in early childhood ought to be explored further in future studies.
What good are psychedelic humanities?
Authors: Langlitz Nicolas
Published: January 2023

The revival of psychedelic research has been dominated by the biomedical sciences. Yet it raises questions that cannot be answered by laboratory experiments and clinical trials alone. Among these are questions pertaining to the conceptual and practical frameworks that render experimental and clinical findings meaningful. Psychedelic humanities clarify the historical presuppositions, philosophical blind spots, and political stakes of different approaches to psychedelics. In this emergent field, many scholars evaluate such alternatives epistemologically, ethically, or politically. However, they could just as well refrain from offering normative orientation and instead increase the complexity of the observed phenomena by opening other possible perspectives, leaving it to their readers to reduce the resulting complexity in novel ways. This enables clinical psychiatrists, laboratory scientists, and other practitioners to use (or abuse) psychedelic humanities scholarship for their own purposes. The article concludes with a note on the institutionalization of such collaboration at The New School’s Psychedelic Humanities Lab.
Prediction of transition to psychosis from an at-risk mental state using structural neuroimaging, genetic, and environmental data
Authors: Tavares Vânia , Vassos Evangelos , Marquand Andre , Stone James , Valli Isabel , Barker Gareth J. , Ferreira Hugo , Prata Diana
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Psychosis is usually preceded by a prodromal phase in which patients are clinically identified as being at in an “At Risk Mental State” (ARMS). A few studies have demonstrated the feasibility of predicting psychosis transition from an ARMS using structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) data and machine learning (ML) methods. However, the reliability of these findings is unclear due to possible sampling bias. Moreover, the value of genetic and environmental data in predicting transition to psychosis from an ARMS is yet to be explored.

Methods

In this study we aimed to predict transition to psychosis from an ARMS using a combination of ML, sMRI, genome-wide genotypes, and environmental risk factors as predictors, in a sample drawn from a pool of 246 ARMS subjects (60 of whom later transitioned to psychosis). First, the modality-specific values in predicting transition to psychosis were evaluated using several: (a) feature types; (b) feature manipulation strategies; (c) ML algorithms; (d) cross-validation strategies, as well as sample balancing and bootstrapping. Subsequently, the modalities whose at least 60% of the classification models showed an balanced accuracy (BAC) statistically better than chance level were included in a multimodal classification model.

Results and discussion

Results showed that none of the modalities alone, i.e., neuroimaging, genetic or environmental data, could predict psychosis from an ARMS statistically better than chance and, as such, no multimodal classification model was trained/tested. These results suggest that the value of structural MRI data and genome-wide genotypes in predicting psychosis from an ARMS, which has been fostered by previous evidence, should be reconsidered.
Effectiveness of online advanced C.A.R.E suicide prevention gatekeeper training program among healthcare lecturers and workers in national university of Malaysia: A pilot study
Authors: Roslan Amran Fadzrul , Pheh Kai Shuen , Mahadevan Raynuha , Bujang Siti Mariam , Subramaniam Ponnusamy , Yahya Hanieza Fadzlina , Chan Lai Fong
Published: January 2023

Background

Suicide is a major cause of death among adolescents and young adults, especially students. This is particularly true for healthcare students with a higher risk and more access to lethal means. Thus, it is vital for healthcare educators who have regular contact with these healthcare students to be trained as gatekeepers in preventing suicide. Evidence of the effectiveness of such gatekeeper training, mainly using an online module, is lacking predominantly in Malaysia. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of an online gatekeeper suicide prevention training program that is conducted for healthcare lecturers.

Methods

A single-arm interventional pre-and post-pilot study was conducted on a sample of healthcare lecturers and workers who are involved in supervising healthcare students. A purposive sampling technique was used to recruit 50 healthcare educators in Malaysia. The program was conducted by trained facilitators and 31 participants completed a locally validated self-rated questionnaire to measure their self-efficacy and declarative knowledge in preventing suicide; immediately before and after the intervention.

Results

Significant improvement was seen in the overall outcome following the intervention, mostly in the self-efficacy domain. No significant improvement was seen in the domain of declarative knowledge possibly due to ceiling effects; an already high baseline knowledge about suicide among healthcare workers. This is an exception in a single item that assesses a common misperception in assessing suicide risk where significant improvement was seen following the program.

Conclusion

The online Advanced C.A.R.E. Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training Program is promising in the short-term overall improvement in suicide prevention, primarily in self-efficacy.
A meta-analytic review of the associations between dimensions of religious coping and psychological symptoms during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Cheng Cecilia , Ying Weijun
Published: January 2023

Introduction

In the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the unknown etiology and treatment of the highly transmissible coronavirus posed considerable threats to public mental health. Many people around the globe turned to religion as an attempt to mitigate their heightened psychological distress, but mixed findings have been obtained regarding the association between the use of religious coping and two psychological symptoms—anxiety and depressive symptoms—widely reported in the initial wave.

Objective

The present meta-analysis was conducted to resolve the empirical inconsistency by synthesizing this body of studies and identifying both individual and national-level factors that accounted for the inconsistent findings.

Methods

Following PRISMA guidelines, the literature search and data screening procedures yielded 42 eligible studies, with 25,438 participants (58% females, average age = 36.50 years) from 24 countries spanning seven world regions.

Results

Overall, the results showed that only negative religious coping was positively associated with psychological symptoms (r= 0.2886,p< 0.0001). Although the associations of both general and positive religious coping with psychological symptoms were non-significant (rs = 0.0425 and −0.0240,ps > 0.39), the moderation analysis revealed significant positive associations between positive religious coping and psychological symptoms in two demographic groups who experienced greater pandemic distress than their counterparts: younger participants and female participants.

Discussion

This meta-analysis provides a nuanced understanding of the complex nature of religious coping in the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic when the levels of public anxiety and stress were heightened. The exclusive use of religious coping may not be associated with low levels of psychological symptoms, implying the importance of supplementing the deployment of this strategy with an array of other strategies. Therapists of mental health interventions should show their clients how to make good use of positive religious coping together with other strategies, and how to avoid the use of negative religious coping, to handle their psychological problems.

Systematic review registration

https://osf.io/shb32/
The impact of psychological capital on green and organizational performance: Empirical research measuring psychological and subjective health of green building industries
Authors: Chen Si-Xu , Tang Yuan
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Green building (GB) technologies have been introduced to reduce the negative effect of the building and construction industry on the economy, the ecosystem, and society. A more thorough and accurate knowledge of the factors for implementation is required to stimulate the wider adoption of GB technologies. The theoretical framework for this study is developed using psychological capital (PC), self-determination theory (SDT), and green theory. The study addresses gaps in the research in this field. The effect of PC on psychological health (PH), green innovation ambidexterity (GIA), and subjective health (SH), and the impact of GIA on green performance (GP) are determined. The effect of PH and SH on organizational performance (OP) is also determined.

Methods

The information for this study is collected from a variety of sources in the Chinese GB industry. The subjects for this study are Chinese employees of GB-based companies. Using a convenience sampling method, a total of 504 employees were selected. The employees' answers to a restricted, self-administered survey are used to generate the data.

Results

Data from this study shows that PC has a significant effect on GIA, SH, and PH and that GIA has a substantial impact on GP. Both SH and PH significantly affect OP.

Discussion

This study encourages managers in the green building industry to support fresh concepts in order to gain a competitive edge by implementing and promoting innovative cultures, especially in terms of service delivery and customer understanding, because innovation plays a critical role in these industries.
The prevalence and county-level socioeconomic correlates of visual impairment and glasses ownership among rural students in Western China
Authors: Guan Hongyu , Zhang Yunyun , Wang Zhijie , Chen Xiangzhe , Xue Jing , Ding Yuxiu
Published: January 2023

Objectives

Vision health has been a major issue in public health care. The vision problems of children in rural China are of particular concern. Effective policies for children's vision health should consider the heterogeneity of individual health levels and regional differences in healthcare services. This study systematically explored the relationship of student visual impairment and glasses ownership with county-level socioeconomic status (namely, county-level per capita GDP, population density and industrial structure) in rural China.

Methods

The study sample included 99,670 students in grades 4–9 from 445 schools in 13 counties in Shaanxi Province. From 2014 to 2020, students took school-based vision screening tests and completed sociodemographic questionnaires. Multivariate regressions were used for empirical analysis.

Results

The prevalence of visual impairment was 30.4% in the total sample, and the rate of visual impairment in girls (34.3%) was higher than that in boys (27.0%). Among visually impaired students, the rate of glasses ownership was only 39.7%, with girls (40.6%) higher than boys (38.8%). The study also found that the visual impairment was significantly correlated with county-level average income, population density and industrial structure, and the glasses ownership was significantly correlated with population density and industrial structure (all p < 0.001).

Conclusions

The study found that the county-level socioeconomic status was positively and significantly correlated with visual impairment and glasses ownership, respectively. The vision health management services for students should be jointly carried out by the education, medical and public health departments, and additional investment is needed to increase the accessibility and affordability of vision care services, with special focus on poor regions and disadvantaged groups, so as to narrow the gap in vision health services.
The regional implications of just transition in the world's most coal-dependent economy: The case of Mpumalanga, South Africa
Authors: Nel Etienne , Marais Lochner , Mqotyana Zolile
Published: January 2023

Introduction

South Africa has had an extraordinarily heavy reliance on coal to fuel its economy, and it is one of the highest carbon dioxide emitters per capita globally. Current moves aligned with COP26 and recently announced Western support for a Just Transition Partnership to support decarbonisation in South Africa and replace coal fired power stations with renewables are to be welcomed. That said, the majority of South Africa's coal mines, thermal power stations and the currently important coal export industry are located in Mpumalanga's Coal-Belt, an area which has and will continue to experience significant social and economic trauma as mines close and workers needs to be reskilled. There are currently over 100,000 workers in the coal and related industries in this region.

Methods

This paper draws on international and South African evidence of the effects and responses to mine closure, regional resilience theory and evolutionary economic geography theory to analyse the implications and prospects for economic renewal as the coal industry winds down. Evidence is sourced form secondary material including government and industry policy statements and media articles, while primary material was sourced from key informant interviews.

Results

Transitioning this region of South Africa from its virtual mono-economy based on coal presents challenges which this paper highlights. While support from international sources to help make this transition into renewables will be of considerable benefit, significant challenges need to be addressed to ensure that difficulties are overcome, and the risks of the resource curse experienced in many developing countries are minimized.

Discussion

Processes may need to be put in place to ensure that the ambitious goal of transitioning from coal to renewables can be achieved, finances and management well-targeted, and a sense of security given to outside investors to help fund the transition, but also broader economic diversification. In parallel to ensure the “transition is just” mechanisms also need to be put in place, by the state and the investors, to ensure that those citizens unable to transition are empowered and engaged in their community to stem the risk of the inevitable frustration and social disturbance that exclusion from the economy and living with declining services creates. Whom should be putting these processes into place also needs consideration given that existing organizations are already struggling. Though not an easy task, it is hoped that this paper sheds some light on the various issues and encourages consideration of the ways to address them.
Flow-induced buckling of elastic microfilaments with non-uniform bending stiffness
Authors: Nguyen Thomas , Manikantan Harishankar
Published: January 2023

Buckling plays a critical role in the transport and dynamics of elastic microfilaments in Stokesian fluids. However, previous work has only considered filaments with homogeneous structural properties. Filament backbone stiffness can be non-uniform in many biological systems like microtubules, where the association and disassociation of proteins can lead to spatial and temporal changes into structure. The consequences of such non-uniformities in the configurational stability and transport of these fibers are yet unknown. Here, we use slender-body theory and Euler-Bernoulli elasticity coupled with various non-uniform bending rigidity profiles to quantify this buckling instability using linear stability analysis and Brownian simulations. In shear flows, we observe more pronounced buckling in areas of reduced rigidity in our simulations. These areas of marked deformations give rise to differences in the particle extra stress, indicating a non-trivial rheological response due to the presence of these filaments. The fundamental mode shapes arising from each rigidity profile are consistent with the predictions from our linear stability analysis. Collectively, these results suggest that non-uniform bending rigidity can drastically alter fluid-structure interactions in physiologically relevant settings, providing a foundation to elucidate the complex interplay between hydrodynamics and the structural properties of biopolymers.
Revisiting the oldest manure of India, Kunapajala: Assessment of its animal waste recycling potential as a source of plant biostimulant
Authors: Mukherjee Shibasis , Basak Ayanita , Chakraborty Argha , Goswami Rupak , Ray Krishnendu , Ali Md. Nasim , Santra Sayantan , Hazra Alok Kumar , Tripathi Sudipta , Banerjee Hirak , Layek Jayanta , Panwar Azad S. , Ravisankar Natesan , Ansari Meraj A. , Chatterjee Gautam
Published: January 2023

India's oldest documented manure, most commonly referred to as Kunapajala, has a long history of over 1,000 years in crop cultivation. Kunapajala is primarily an in-situ decomposition technology of animal waste and can potentially provide an eco-friendly pipeline for recycling bio-waste into essential plant nutrients. This traditional animal manure, in addition, also contains dairy excreta (e.g., feces and urine), dairy products (e.g., milk and ghee), natural resources (e.g., honey), broken seeds or grains, and their non-edible by-product waste. Here, we aimed to assess the waste recycling and plant biostimulant potential of Kunapajala prepared from livestock (e.g., Black Bengal goats) or fish (e.g., Bombay duck) post-processed wastes over different decomposition periods, e.g., (0, 30, 60, and 90-days). In this study, an in-situ quantification of livestock- (lKPJ) and fish-based Kunapajala (fKPJ) reveals a dynamic landscape of essential plant primary nutrients, e.g., (0.70 > NH4-N < 3.40 g•L−1), (100.00 > P2O5 < 620.00 mg•L−1), and (175.00 > K2O < 340.00 mg•L−1), including other physico-chemical attributes of Kunapajala. Using correlation statistics, we find that the plant-available nutrient content of Kunapajala depicts a significant (p < 0.0001) transformation over decomposition along with microbial dynamics, abundance, and diversities, delineating a microbial interface to animal waste decomposition and plant growth promotion. Importantly, this study also reports the indole 3-acetic acid (IAA) content (40.00 > IAA < 135.00 mg•L−1) in Kunapajala. Furthermore, the bacterial screening based on plant growth-promoting traits and their functional analyses elucidate the mechanism of the plant biostimulant potential of Kunapajala. This assay finally reports two best-performing plant growth-promoting bacteria (e.g., Pseudomonas chlororaphis and Bacillus subtilis) by the 16S ribotyping method. In support, in-planta experiments have demonstrated, in detail, the bio-stimulative effects of Kunapajala, including these two bacterial isolates alone or in combination, on seed germination, root-shoot length, and other important agronomic, physio-biochemical traits in rice. Together, our findings establish that Kunapajala can be recommended as a source of plant biostimulant to improve crop quality traits in rice. Overall, this work highlights Kunapajala, for the first time, as a promising low-cost microbial technology that can serve a dual function of animal waste recycling and plant nutrient recovery to promote sustainable intensification in agroecosystems.
Factors related to the postoperative recurrence of lumbar disc herniation treated by percutaneous transforaminal endoscopy: A meta-analysis
Authors: Li Honglin , Deng Wei , Wei Faqiang , Zhang Liangmin , Chen Fan
Published: January 2023

Objective

To explore factors related to the postoperative recurrence of lumbar disc herniation treated by percutaneous transforaminal endoscopy.

Methods

PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang database and VIP database were systematically searched from the time of each library's construction to October 20, 2022. The studies that compared the influencing factors of recurrent lumbar disc herniation were included based on the PICO search structure. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was used to evaluate the quality of observational studies. The effects of the patient's age, gender, BMI, smoking, drinking, hypertension, diabetes, course of the disease, Pfirrmann grade, and the surgical segment on recurrent lumbar disc herniation were systematically evaluated using Revman 5.3. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated.

Results

Thirteen studies involving 3,393 patients (323 patients with recurrent lumbar disc herniation) treated with percutaneous transforaminal endoscopy were included in this study. The results of the systematic evaluation showed that the effects of gender, smoking, drinking, hypertension, type of lumbar disc herniation and the surgical segment on recurrent lumbar disc herniation were not statistically significant. However, age ≥60 years (OR = 2.23; 95% CI: 1.13, 4.41), BMI ≥25 (OR = 2.89; 95% CI: 1.23, 6.80), diabetes (OR = 1.73; 95% CI: 1.18, 2.55), course of disease ≥4 years (OR = 2.93; 95% CI: 1.58, 5.43), Pfirrmann grades 3–4 (OR = 3.10; 95% CI: 2.18, 4.40), incomplete removal of nucleus pulposus (OR = 3.26; 95% CI: 1.69, 6.27) and intraoperative fibre breakage (OR = 3.18; 95% CI: 1.56, 6.50) increased the risk of recurrence after treatment.

Conclusion

The recurrence of lumbar disc herniation after percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic treatment is related to demographic characteristics, disease history and surgical conditions. In the future, more high-quality studies are needed to explore the influencing factors of recurrent lumbar disc herniation.
Case report: Flexor carpi ulnaris tendinopathy in a lure-coursing dog treated with three platelet-rich plasma and platelet lysate injections
Authors: Franini Alessio , Entani Maria Grazia , Colosio Elisa , Melotti Luca , Patruno Marco
Published: January 2023

In the present case report a 7-year-old male Whippet competing in lure-coursing presented with third-degree recurrent lameness of the right forelimb, pain on palpation of the caudal aspect of the carpus and swelling of the forearm proximally to the accessory carpal bone. Clinical, radiographic, and ultrasonographic evaluation diagnosed a flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) chronic tendinopathy unresponsive to previously attempted conservative treatments such as oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) administration along with padded palmar splint application and rest. The dog was subjected to one injection of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) obtained using a double centrifugation tube method, followed by two platelet lysate (PL) injections. Treatment was administered at three-week intervals. The healing process was assessed through clinical and ultrasonographic imaging (US) on the day of the first injection (T0), and at week three (T1), six (T2), twelve (T3), fifty-two (T4), and one-hundred-and-four (T5). Fiber alignment score (FAS) and echogenicity score (ES) were developed by modifying a previously published US assessment scale. At T1, ES, and FAS improvement was detected, and at T2, further improvements in ES and FAS were observed. Ultrasonographic results were clinically consistent with the improvement in lameness: lameness grade 3/4 was detected at T0 and grade 2/4 at T1. A lameness grade of 1/4 was detected at T2, and grade 0/4 was observed at T3, T4, and T5. Moreover, at T5, the dog returned to competition, and no history of re-injury was reported. Our results suggest that the treatment of FCU tendinopathy in lure-coursing dogs with a combination of consecutive injections of autologous PRP and PL could be feasible. Additionally, no adverse reactions were observed.
High expression of TMEM200A is associated with a poor prognosis and immune infiltration in gastric cancer
Authors: Deng Hongyang , Li Tengfei , Wei Fengxian , Han Wei , Xu Xiaodong , Zhang Youcheng
Published: January 2023

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the global malignant tumors with high incidence and poor prognosis. Exploring new GC molecular markers is important to improve GC prognosis. Transmembrane protein 200A (TMEM200A) is a member of the family of transmembrane proteins (TMEM). This study is the first to investigate the potential function of TMEM200A and its relationship with immune infiltration in GC.

Methods: The differential expression of TMEM200A was determined through the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to assess the diagnostic value of TMEM200A for GC. The relationship between TMEM200A and the clinical characteristics of patients with GC was investigated using the Wilcoxon test and the Kruskal-Wallis test. The effect of TMEM200A on overall survival (OS) was identified using the Kaplan-Meier method, the Log-rank test, the univariate/multivariate Cox regression analysis, and the nomogram prediction model. The co-expressed genes and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were used to explore the potential biological functions of TMEM200A. We used the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) database and the ssGSEA algorithm to estimate the relationship between TMEM200A and immune cell infiltration. Furthermore, we investigated the correlation of TMEM200A with immune checkpoint/immune cell surface markers using the TCGA-STAD data set. Finally, we identified prognosis-related methylation sites in TMEM200A using MethSurv.

Results: TMEM200A was highly expressed in GC tissues. TMEM200A had a good diagnostic value for GC. High expression of TMEM200A may shorten the OS of GC patients and may be an independent risk factor for OS in GC patients. TMEM200A participates in the construction of a predictive model with a good predictive effect on the survival rate of GC patients at 1, 3, and 5 years. Co-expressed genes and GSEA indicated that TMEM200A may be an adhesion molecule closely associated with tumor invasion and metastasis. In addition, TMEM200A may be significantly associated with immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint expression. We also found that TMEM200A contains three methylation sites associated with a poor prognosis.

Conclusion: Upregulated TMEM200A may be a promising prognostic marker for GC and is closely associated with the tumor microenvironment (TME).
Online Batch Selection for Enhanced Generalization in Imbalanced Datasets
Authors: Ioannou George , Alexandridis Georgios , Stafylopatis Andreas
Published: January 2023

Importance sampling, a variant of online sampling, is often used in neural network training to improve the learning process, and, in particular, the convergence speed of the model. We study, here, the performance of a set of batch selection algorithms, namely, online sampling algorithms that process small parts of the dataset at each iteration. Convergence is accelerated through the creation of a bias towards the learning of hard samples. We first consider the baseline algorithm and investigate its performance in terms of convergence speed and generalization efficiency. The latter, however, is limited in case of poor balancing of data sets. To alleviate this shortcoming, we propose two variations of the algorithm that achieve better generalization and also manage to not undermine the convergence speed boost offered by the original algorithm. Various data transformation techniques were tested in conjunction with the proposed scheme to develop an overall training method of the model and to ensure robustness in different training environments. An experimental framework was constructed using three naturally imbalanced datasets and one artificially imbalanced one. The results assess the advantage in convergence of the extended algorithm over the vanilla one, but, mostly, show better generalization performance in imbalanced data environments.
Evaluation of Liquid Atomization and Spray Drift Reduction of Hydraulic Nozzles with Four Spray Adjuvant Solutions
Authors: Liu Qi , Shan Changfeng , Zhang Haiyan , Song Cancan , Lan Yubin
Published: January 2023

The droplet size distribution following pesticide application practices can significantly impact droplet drift and non-target organisms (animals and plants). However, the relationship among liquid sheet breakup, drop formation, and droplet drift is an area that has been studied over the past 65 years but is still not fully understood. The objectives of this study were severalfold: to examine the liquid sheet breakup following the use of different adjuvants (sodium dodecyl sulfate, aerosol OT, and silicone at 1%) and their effects on the drift via three commonly used commercial spray nozzles (XR, AIXR, and TXVK). The spray sheet and initial droplet size spectrum for each spray was detected by a particle image velocimetry (PIV) system, and the drift for each treatment was measured in a wind tunnel. The nozzle type and the spray solution were found to significantly affect the liquid sheet breakup characteristics. AIXR produced large droplets, and TXVK with short liquid sheet length produced more small droplets. All adjuvants used in these experiments increased the formation of large droplets upon atomization while simultaneously reducing driftable fines (e.g., drops %<150 µm). The drift potential can be reduced by up to 66.1% when switching from a fine spray quality (TXVK) to a coarse spray quality (AIXR). The SDS adjuvant provided the most effective drift reduction for XR and TXVK nozzles showing reduced drift potential by 69.2% and 66.3%, respectively, while the silicone adjuvant showed the largest drift reduction for AIXR of 78.3%. The correlation between the liquid sheet length and DV0.5 was positive for XR and TXVK nozzles, and there was a significant positive correlation between %<150 µm and drift potential for all nozzles. This work suggests that the drift can be reduced significantly by changing the nozzle type and adding pesticide adjuvant into spray solution, which provided data support for the drift reduction of plant protection drones.