bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Skin metastases from prostate cancer successfully treated with radiation therapy
Authors: Marampon Francesco , Parisi Martina , Cicco Piero Rodolfo , Serpone Maria , Tomaciello Miriam , Musio Daniela , De Felice Francesca , Tombolini Vincenzo
Published: June 2023

Skin metastases from prostate cancer (PCa) are rare, cause considerable discomfort, and usually indicate advanced disease and a poor prognosis. To date, literature accounts for no more than 88 cases of skin metastasis from PCa, and radiation therapy (RT) is not considered a standard treatment option. Here, we have described a rare case of skin localization of castration-resistant metastatic PCa, which occurred in a 75-year-old male previously treated with RT for PCa, 11 years earlier. The skin lesions, which progressively appeared in different areas of the chest wall, were successfully treated with electron beam RT (900 cGy, for 3 consecutive days). Five months after irradiating skin metastases, the patient showed general fair conditions and no longer developed other skin lesions in the areas already treated or elsewhere. This report describes a scarce case of cutaneous metastases from PCa, underlying the crucial role of RT as a definitive palliative treatment that should be used to limit systemic chemotherapy-related toxicity.
Evaluating the effect of digital technology on the learning of orthodontic cephalometric measurement
Authors: Yu Xin , Tian Yu , Li Dandan , Sun Wen , Wang Hua , Yuan Siyang , Yan Bin , Wang Lin , Pan Yongchu
Published: June 2023

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of applying digital technology in orthodontic learning, students' new skills and satisfaction towards it.

Methods: In total, 94 undergraduates of stomatology were recruited and randomly allocated to two groups. According to the cross-over design, both groups completed cephalometric measurements through the traditional hand-drawn method and digital technology (the Dolphin software) in different orders. By traditional hand-drawn method, students need to depict the outlines of the craniofacial anatomical structures on the sulfuric transfer paper first, then marked the measurement points and completed the measurement of line spacings and angles. By digital technology, they should mark the points in the software and adjust the automatically generated outlines of the structures and obtained the results. Besides, an online questionnaire was designed to investigate students' attitudes toward the digital technology. Two professional orthodontists were invited as instructors. They measured a lateral cranial radiograph by two methods with one week’s interval, and their intra- and inter-class correlation coefficient were measured. The means of their measurements were set as standards.

Results: The inter- and intra-ICC of two instructors surpassed 90%, and there were no significant differences between their measurements, and the measurements by two methods. There were significant differences of students’ measurements (P 1-SNA<0.01, P 1-SNB=0.01 and P 1-L1-NB (mm)<0.01) between the traditional method and digital technology. Besides, the most results of digital technology were closer to the standards than those of traditional method, including five items with statistical significance (P 2-SNB<0.05, P 2-L1-NB (mm)<0.01, P 2-FMA<0.05, P 2-FMIA<0.05, P 2-IMPA<0.01), while three items were the opposite (P 2-SNA<0.05, P 2-ANB (mm)<0.01, P 2-NA-PA<0.01). The questionnaire showed more students preferred digital technology compared with traditional method and 72% of participants mastered 50-80% of cephalometric knowledge after the course.
Mango quality prediction based on near-infrared spectroscopy using multi-predictor local polynomial regression modeling
Authors: Ulya Millatul , Chamidah Nur , Saifudin Toha
Published: June 2023

Background: pH and total soluble solids (TSS) are important quality parameters of mangoes; they represent the acidity and sweetness of the fruit, respectively. This study predicts the pH and TSS of intact mangoes based on near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy using multi-predictor local polynomial regression (MLPR) modeling. Herein, the prediction performance of kernel partial least square regression (KPLSR), support vector machine regression (SVMR), and MLPR is compared.

Methods: For this purpose, 186 intact mango samples at three different maturity stages are used. Prediction models are built using MLPR, KPLSR, and SVMR based on untreated and treated spectra. The best regression model for predicting pH is MLPR based on Gaussian filter smoothing spectra. Moreover, the TSS value is more accurately predicted using MLPR based on Savitzky–Golay smoothing.

Results: The findings reveal that MLPR is highly accurate in estimating the pH and TSS of mangoes, with mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) values less than 10 %. In addition, the MLPR model has the best predictive performance with the lowest Mean Squared error (MSE) and root mean squared error (RMSE) values and the highest R2 value.

Conclusions: The use of NIR spectroscopy in combination with multi-predictor local polynomial regression could provide a quick and non-destructive technique for predicting mango quality. Thus, the results of this study help support sustainable production as a sustainable development goal.
Impact of vitamin D deficiency in relation to the clinical outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 patients
Authors: Rachman Andhika , Rahmaniyah Rizky , Khomeini Andi , Iriani Anggraini
Published: June 2023

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is an emerging public health problem that affects more than one billion people worldwide. Vitamin D has been shown to be effective in preventing and reducing the severity of viral respiratory diseases, including influenza. However, the role of vitamin D in COVID-19 infection remains controversial. This study aimed to analyze the impact of vitamin D deficiency on the clinical outcome of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted among hospitalized COVID-19 patients at two COVID-19 referral hospitals in Indonesia from October 2021 until February 2022.

Results: The median serum 25(OH)D level in 191 hospitalized COVID-19 patients was 13.6 [IQR=10.98] ng/mL. The serum 25(OH)D levels were significantly lower among COVID-19 patients with vitamin D deficiency who had cardiovascular disease (p-value=0.04), the use of a ventilator (p-value=0.004), more severe COVID-19 cases (p-value=0.047), and mortality (p-value=0.002). Furthermore, serum 25(OH)D levels were significantly different between patients with mild and severe COVID-19 cases (p-value <0.001). Serum 25(OH)D levels in mild and moderate COVID-19 cases were significantly different (p-value=0.002). Lower serum 25(OH)D levels were significantly associated with an increased number of comorbidities (p-value=0.03), the severity of COVID-19 (p-value=0.002), and the use of mechanical ventilation (p-value=0.032). Mortality was found in 7.3% of patients with deficient vitamin D levels. However, patients with either sufficient or insufficient vitamin D levels did not develop mortality.

Conclusions: COVID-19 patients with vitamin D deficiency were significantly associated with having cardiovascular disease, mortality, more severe COVID-19 cases, and the used of mechanical ventilation. Lower serum 25(OH)D levels were associated with an increased number of comorbidities, COVID-19 severity, and the use of mechanical-ventilation. Thus, we suggest hospitalized COVID-19 patients to reach a sufficient vitamin D status to improve the clinical outcome of the disease.
In silico screening for potential inhibitors from the phytocompounds of Carica papaya against Zika virus NS5 protein
Authors: Kumaree Kishore Krishna , Anthikapalli Naga Venkata Anusha , Prasansuklab Anchalee
Published: June 2023

Background: The Zika virus (ZIKV) infection has emerged as a global health threat. The causal reasoning is that Zika infection is linked to the development of microcephaly in newborns and Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults. With no clinically approved antiviral treatment for ZIKV, the need for the development of potential inhibitors against the virus is essential. In this study, we aimed to screen phytochemicals from papaya (Carica papaya L.) against NS5 protein domains of ZIKV.

Methods: Approximately 193 phytochemicals from an online database (IMPACT) were subjected for molecular docking using AutoDock Vina against NS5-MTase protein domain (5WXB) and -RdRp domain (5UO4).

Results: Our results showed that β-sitosterol, carpaine, violaxanthin, pseudocarpaine, Δ7-avenasterols, Rutin, and cis-β-carotene had the highest binding affinity to both protein domains, with β-sitosterol having the most favorable binding energy. Furthermore, ADME analysis revealed that selected compounds had good pharmacokinetic properties and were nontoxic.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that papaya-derived phytochemicals could be potential candidates for developing antiviral drugs against ZIKV. However, further experimental studies using cell lines and in vivo models are needed to validate their efficacy and safety.
Pesticide exposure and lung cancer risk: A case-control study in Nakhon Sawan, Thailand
Authors: Kangkhetkron Teera , Juntarawijit Chudchawal
Published: June 2023

Background: Pesticide exposure might increase risk of lung cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the historical use of pesticides and lung cancer using a case-control design.

Methods: This case-control study compared a lifetime pesticide exposure of 233 lung cancer cases, and 447 healthy neighbours matched for gender, and age (±5 years). Data on demographic, pesticide exposure and other related factors were collected using a face-to-face interview questionnaire. Associations between lung cancer and types of pesticides as well as individual pesticides were analysed using logistic regression adjusted for gender, age, cigarette smoking, occupation, cooking fumes exposure, and exposure to air pollution.

Results: It was found that lung cancer was positively associated with the lifetime use of herbicides and insecticides. Compared to people in the non-exposed groups, those in Q3-Q4 days of using herbicides and insecticides had an elevated risk of lung cancer, with odds ratio (OR) between 2.20 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24-3.89), and 3.99 (95% CI 1.62-7.11) (p < 0.001). For individual pesticides, those presenting a significant association with lung cancer were dieldrin (OR = 2.56; 95% CI 1.36-4.81), chlorpyrifos (OR = 3.29; 95 % CI 1.93-5.61), and carbofuran (OR = 2.10; 95% CI 1.28-3.42). It was also found, for the first time, carbofuran, glyphosate, and paraquat to be significantly associated with lung cancer.

Conclusions: The results reconfirmed the potential effect of pesticides on lung cancer. The study confirmed dieldrin, and chlorpyrifos as risk factors and suggested carbofuran, glyphosate, and paraquat as potential risk factors for the disease. More studies are still required to confirm the results and to identify more individual pesticides that could cause lung cancer. The issues should receive more attention since these chemicals are used widely.
A discussion of early maladaptive schemas in men convicted sexual offenders in Poland.
Authors: Oettingen Justyna , Gierowski Józef Krzysztof , Grabski Bartosz , Micek Agnieszka
Published: June 2023

Aim of the study

This study aims to explore differences in the prevalence of early maladaptive schemas (EMS) in convicted sexual offenders (CSO’s) as compared to the general male population (control group).

Subject or material and methods

The study included 102 men incarcerated for sexual offences and 167 men from a non-criminal population. The study used the Polish version of Young’s schema questionnaire – YSQ-S3-PL.

Results

The results demonstrated a higher degree of EMS severity in CSO except in the ‘impaired limits’ domain where non-criminal individuals scored higher. The individuals who have committed sexual offenses displayed more extensive and severe schemas than non-criminal / non-treated males (including more EMS domains).

Discussion

The study revealed nine early maladaptive schemas characterising the specific mind-set of male sex offender convicts. The results seem to illustrate well the genesis of the formation of a disordered personality as described by J. Young within the schema therapy concept. In the context of the cited studies, these structures – in addition to their important role in the development of psychopathology – appear to contribute to sexual offending.

Conclusions

The conclusion emerging from the findings is that EMS are an important problem for Individuals involved in sexual offending. A consideration of these schemas in the psychotherapy of CSO’s would help develop new and effective therapeutic protocols designed to treat that particular population and reduce the rate of repeat offending.
Sauna use as an activity leading to a reduction in modifiable risk factors for the development of hypertension - a systematic review
Authors: Hunek Adrian , Góra Mateusz , Bigdoń Anna Maria , Ćwiek Maciej , Gorczyca Przemysław , Sydor Patryk , Kreft Rafał , Woźniak Aleksander , Wartacz Marcel , Kozłowska Martyna
Published: June 2023

Background:
Hypertension prevalence is disturbingly increasing all over the world. Clinicians and patients are looking for new pharmacological as well as non-pharmacological methods to help fight too-high blood pressure. 
 
Aim of this study: 
The aim of this study is to present the current scientific literature on the potential that sauna bathing may help lower blood pressure, but additional data are needed to confirm these findings.
 
Material and methods: 
A systematic review of the scientific and medical literature from the PubMed and Google Scholar databases was carried out. This was achieved according to the keywords: hypertension, sauna and sauna bathing. Items of literature were qualified for analysis.
 
 State of knowledge: 
Using the sauna is a pleasant way to spend time, and additionally it can have an impact on lowering blood pressure. During a sauna session, the superficial vessels dilate, which leads to a short-term decrease in blood pressure. And long-term, more frequent sauna use leads to a reduced risk of hypertension. Using the sauna enhances the effect of pharmacotherapy and non-pharmacological methods of fighting hypertension, such as physical activity and a healthy, balanced diet. Most of the research on the above topic was conducted in Finland, where its use has a centuries-old tradition. 
Summary: 
Using the sauna has an impact on lowering blood pressure values, thanks to which it can support the treatment of hypertension. Sauna use may be an interesting way to lower blood pressure values in physically disabled people. More studies conducted on larger groups of patients and the influence of other factors on blood pressure values are needed to make more accurate recommendations.
Pain - ways to determine the intensity and the choice of the appropriate form of treatment
Authors: Grabek Agata , Babiak Rafał , Bajak Karolina , Czuchryta Paulina , Domańska Anastazja , Gawęda Agnieszka , Rutkowska Julia , Rzęsa-Tokarczyk Żaneta , Skorek Klaudia , Urbańczyk Agnieszka
Published: June 2023

Introduction and purpose of the study: The problem of pain occurs in many patients, and its perception is a subjective aspect. This is a big problem because it negatively affects not only the patient's health but also many aspects of his life: physical activity, social relations, mental and emotional state. Physicians of many specialties face the problem of treatment both in doctor's offices and in hospital rooms. The choice of the appropriate form of therapy can be facilitated by scales and pain assessment questionnaires. This paper presents ways to determine the severity of pain that can be used in contact with both children and the elderly. Proper determination of the degree of pain intensity enables the selection of the appropriate threshold of the analgesic ladder.

Materials and methods: The review was based on the analysis of materials collected in the "PubMed" database and WHO guidelines. The work uses the latest scientific works, review articles. The search was carried out using the keywords: "pain management", "analgesic ladder", "pain management scales", "pain management questionnaires", "neuropathic pain", "opioids".

Summary: Treatment is a big challenge because each patient feels pain differently, which means that each patient must be approached individually. In order to facilitate and systematize the treatment to some extent and, above all, to choose the best therapeutic method for the patient, pain scales and questionnaires should be used to assess pain intensity and observe the results of the treatment. The variety of methods of imaging the pain intensity scale allows us to choose the most appropriate one for a given patient, depending on his cognitive abilities and age. The choice of treatment method should be based on the analgesic ladder. It is necessary to take into account both the patient's condition, his diseases, treatment and side effects of the introduced treatment.
GERD - still current problem of society, diagnosis, practical methods of management and treatment
Authors: Domańska Anastazja , Babiak Rafał , Bajak Karolina , Czuchryta Paulina , Gawęda Agnieszka , Grabek Agata , Rutkowska Julia , Rzęsa-Tokarczyk Żaneta , Skorek Klaudia , Urbańczyk Agnieszka
Published: June 2023

Introduction and purpose: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a very common digestive disease worldwide. About half of all adults will report symptoms of reflux at some point in their lives. The symptoms of the disease are non-specific, which is why doctors of many specializations face the problem both in doctor's offices and hospital rooms. GERD is a disorder with troublesome symptoms and complications resulting from the regurgitation of gastric contents into the esophagus, causing subjective symptoms and related complications, negatively affecting the quality of life. Symptoms negatively affect the quality of life of patients, lowering well-being, physical activity, and social functioning. Diagnosis is based in most cases on the observation of symptoms, which is why this paper presents the symptoms that should be taken into account when diagnosing patients. Therapeutic procedures, selection of the appropriate form of treatment: conservative, pharmacological and surgical, were discussed.Materials and methods: The review was based on the analysis of materials collected in the "Pubmed" database, books and other scientific articles.Summary: Gastroesophageal reflux disease is an important health problem because it is associated with impaired daily functioning and morbidity. Proper management of GERD symptoms can result in significant improvements in patients' well-being, including reduction in physical pain, increase in vitality, physical and social functioning, and improvement in emotional well-being. In some patients, only lifestyle modification and a change in habits are enough to reduce the occurrence of symptoms. First-line drugs are proton pump inhibitors. Endoscopic examination should be performed when pharmacological therapy is ineffective or in the event of alarm symptoms, i.e. dysphagia, weight loss, anemia, bleeding and recurrent vomiting. Surgical treatment is used as a last resort when pharmacological treatment fails.
Inventory-Responsive Donor-Management Policy: A Tandem Queueing Network Model
Authors: Zhu Taozeng , Yeo Nicholas Teck Boon , Gao Sarah Yini , Loke Gar Goei
Published: June 2023

Problem definition: In the blood-donor-management problem, the blood bank incentivizes donors to donate, given blood inventory levels. We propose a model to optimize such incentivization schemes under the context of random demand, blood perishability, observation period between donations, and variability in donor arrivals and dropouts. Methodology/results: We propose an optimization model that simultaneously accounts for the dynamics in the blood inventory and the donor’s donation process, as a coupled queueing network. We adopt the Pipeline Queue paradigm, which leads us to a tractable convex reformulation. The coupled setting requires new methodologies to be developed upon the existing Pipeline Queue framework. Numerical results demonstrate the advantages of the optimal policy by comparing it with the commonly adopted and studied threshold policy. Our optimal policy can effectively reduce both shortages and wastage. Managerial implications: Our model is the first to operationalize a dynamic donor-incentivization scheme, by determining the optimal number of donors of different donation responsiveness to receive each type of incentive. It can serve as a decision-support tool that incorporates practical features of blood supply-chain management not addressed thus far, to the best of our knowledge. Simulations on existing policies indicate the dangers of myopic approaches and justify the need for smoother and forward-looking donor-incentivization schedules that can hedge against future demand variation. Our model also has potential wider applications in supply chains with perishable inventory.

Funding: This study was funded by the Singapore Management University through a research [Grant 20-C207-SMU-015] from the Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund Tier 1.

Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2023.1228 .
Network Performance Optimization Using Odd and Even Dual Interleaving Routing Algorithm for Oil and Gas Piepline Network
Authors: Lee M. Y. , Azman A. S. , Subramaniam Siva Kumar , Feroz F. S.
Published: June 2023

The oil and gas industry is one of the world’s largest conglomerates, involving the production of complicated and critical methods for refining. This indicates the high necessity for a secure and reliable system, such as the Wireless Sensor Network (WSN), which provides auspicious and flexible solutions for the industry. It is one of the most excellent and trendy solutions to the crisis existing within the oil and gas industry, especially in the midstream pipeline. In this application, the nodes were arranged in a linear architecture, to cover a long distance of the pipe. The factors causing the degradation of the overall network performance with increasing density were also identified, due to the increment of the load causing clogging and inhabiting the packet queue. This subsequently led to packet loss, throughput unfairness, higher power consumption, and passive nodes’ presence in the network. The proposed routing protocol (AODVEO) was also reactive based on the AODV reducing the instabilities by splitting the traffic into even and odd paths. Additionally, the performances of AODV and DSDV were used to benchmark the efficacy of the proposed routing protocol.
Investigating The Effect of Nickel Buttering on Corrosion Resistance
Authors: Das Santanu , Saha Manas Kumar
Published: June 2023

Cladding is usually employed for improving corrosion and/or abrasion resistance of a component. Buttering layer between clad layer and structural steel is also sometimes provided to promote bonding between the cladding and the substrate. The buttering layer may also give desired corrosion resistance. Nickel is known to be a common austenite stabilizer, and it is often put inside cladding, coating, buttering, etc. to enhance hardness and corrosion protection of steel. In the current investigation, 316 austenitic stainless steel is deposited over nickel plated medium carbon steel substrate with the help of metal active gas welding. Nickel is accumulated on medium carbon steel by electroplating to act as a buttering layer. Welding current and torch travel speed, two important process parameters are varied with constant arc voltage to develop different values of heat input. Accelerated corrosion test in chloride atmosphere is done on ground and polished clad surface. Corrosion rate is observed to be decreased significantly for all the clad samples relative to the base material. However, no clear trend of corrosion rate against increment in heat input is found for reporting, but corrosion rate shows a typical pattern with the variation of heat input.
Green e-waste mining for sustainable metals and alloys
Authors: Srivastava Nupur , Srivastav Ajeet K.
Published: June 2023

Nupur Srivastava and Ajeet K. Srivastav from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology in India discuss how a sustainable metal supply chain could be derived from metal e-waste.
Quality Characteristics of Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Hermetia illucens) Powder with Various Drying Method
Authors: Hyun Ji-Yong , Nam Jung-Hyun , Chun Ji-Yeon
Published: June 2023

Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Hermetia illucens, BSFL) is an environmental purification insect utilized as an animal feed source due to its high protein content. BSFL need to be dried to preserve quality, and the optimal drying method should be cost-effective. In this study, various drying methods (hot air (HD), freeze (FD), vacuum (VD), and combined-drying (CD)) were applied to BSFL, and then BSFL powders were characterized. Crude protein content was highest in HD and lowest in CD, and there was no significant difference in crude fat content (p>0.05). In the measurement of the total amino acid content of BSFL, glutamic acid and aspartic acid were the highest regardless of the drying method. The total amino acid content was the highest in HD and the lowest in CD. Total polyphenol content was higher in VD and FD than in HD and CD. Also, hydrogen peroxide and DPPH radical scavenging showed similar results. In the antioxidant measurement results, VD and FD showed higher antioxidant capacity, but considering cost-effectiveness, HD was the most available method for drying BSFL.
Potential Probiotic Activity of Isolated Lactobacillus harbinensis VF from Traditionally Fermented Vinegar
Authors: Joung Ji An , You Ji-Young , Lee Sung Sil , Choi Joon Ho
Published: June 2023

A novel L. harbinensis VF was isolated from fermented vinegar and identified through biochemical characteristics and 16S rRNA sequencing analysis. Characteristics of probiotics were studied for acid and bile salt tolerances, hemolytic activity, antibiotic resistance, antimicrobial activity, cell surface hydrophobicity, and aggregation. The survival rates of the isolate were maintained at 68.9% and 95.6% after 3 h incubation at pH 2.0 and 2.5 and were over 74% at bile salt concentrations of 0.3% and 0.5%. The hemolytic activity was confirmed to be g-hemolysis. The isolate showed broad antibiotics-resistance in over 12 antibiotics except for trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, compared to L. plantarum (KCTC 3108), used as control, and previously reported L. harbinensis. Antimicrobial activity was confirmed against pathogens, B. cereus, E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes, and S. typhimurium, except S. aureus, and it was attributed to produced organic acids (low pH). The hydrophobicity for xylene and chloroform were 16.7% and 20.4%, respectively, lower than those of L. plantarum (41.2% & 49.9%). The auto-aggregation and coaggregation with pathogens were 83.8% and 49.2-87.6% at 24 h incubation, respectively, higher than those of L. plantarum. From this study, L. harbinensis VF is likely to be used as a probiotic strain and is a strong candidate for commercial application.
Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Activities of Weissella cibaria CHK903 Against Proteus mirabilis
Authors: Yoo Yedam , Jeong Huijin , Park Young-Seo
Published: June 2023

This study aimed to identify and characterize lactic acid bacteria strains with antimicrobial activity against Proteus mirabilis, a gram-negative bacterium associated with Parkinson’s disease, Crohn’s disease, and nosocomial infections. Among the 987 lactic acid bacteria strains isolated from various sources, strain no. CHK903 showed high antimicrobial activity against P. mirabilis. Phylogenetic tree analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene and scanning electron microscope analysis identified the selected strain as the rod-shaped Weissella cibaria. The culture supernatants of W. cibaria CHK903 showed antimicrobial activity against some pathogens. Two antimicrobial compounds with molecular weights 189 and 365 Da were partially purified from the culture supernatants of W. cibaria CHK903 using Biogel P2 gel permeation column chromatography. The culture supernatants of W. cibaria CHK903 also showed significant antibiofilm properties, inhibiting biofilm formation by 90% and removing pre-formed biofilms by 60%. These findings suggest the potential therapeutic use of W. cibaria CHK903 as a natural antimicrobial against P. mirabilis-related infections.
Performance analysis of a RIS-assisted RoFSO communication system over Malaga distribution for smart city applications
Authors: Kumar Abhishek , Krishnan Prabu , Raj A. Arockia Bazil
Published: June 2023

Radio over free space optics (RoFSO) is one of the potential technologies that can satisfy the requirements of 5G services in a smart city. However, as RoFSO is line-of-sight (LOS) communication, one of its limitations is the occurrence of a skip zone in the targeted areas. In this work, a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) is proposed as the solution to overcome this connection difficulty, which prevents signal blocking by generating LOS connections. These RIS modules extend the communication channel coverage, making it more intelligent and controllable. The performance analysis based on outage probability, ergodic channel capacity, and bit error rate has been performed using heterodyne detection. Malaga distribution has been used to model atmospheric turbulence. The exact closed-form expressions of the probability density function and cumulative distribution function of the end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio are derived. Exploiting these derived statistics, system performance is investigated through the ergodic channel capacity, outage probability, and average bit error rate for M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation and two binary modulation schemes: non-coherent binary frequency-shift keying and coherent binary phase-shift keying. Numerical results are compared among different turbulence conditions, link lengths, and scattering errors. The results show that the proposed RIS-assisted RoFSO technology has the potential to be effective for 5G smart city applications.
Low-loss tunable beam collimator and expander assembly with no moving parts using an engineered diffuser and varifocal lenses
Authors: Imeri Arjent , Reza Syed Azer
Published: June 2023

In this paper, we present a novel design for a tunable beam collimator. A variable collimator assists in achieving an adaptive size of an output collimated beam. Alternatively, it can also provide an adjustable output beam divergence angle for a noncollimated beam output. Tunable collimators are highly desirable for various applications in testing, engineering, and measurements. Such devices are also useful in providing tunable illumination of samples or targets in microscopes and emulating different target distances for characterizing the performance of camera systems in laboratory settings. The proposed collimator has two distinct advantages: it is light-efficient compared with pinhole-based collimator designs, and it delivers a large range of output beam sizes without involving the mechanical motion of bulk components. These attributes are achieved via the use of an engineered diffuser (in the place of a pinhole) and a pair of large aperture tunable focus lenses, which deliver a tunable magnification to the output collimated beam. In laboratory experiments, we achieve an optical transmission efficiency of 90% for the proposed tunable collimator.
Photometric and Monte-Carlo modeling unified approach for the calculation of spatially-resolved correction coefficients linking simulated and experimental diffuse reflectance spectra
Authors: Colas Victor , Amouroux Marine , Perrin-Mozet Clarice , Daul Christian , Blondel Walter
Published: June 2023

The estimation of skin optical properties by means of inverse problem solving from spatially resolved diffuse reflectance (SR-DR) spectra is one way to exploit the acquired clinical signals. This method requires the comparison between the experimental spectra collected with a medical device, and spectra generated by the photons transport numerical simulations. This comparison is usually limited to spectral shape due to the absence of intensity standardization of the experimental DR spectra. This study proposes to theoretically (using photometric calculation) and experimentally (from experimental spectra acquired on optical phantom) establish a corrective factor to obtain common intensity unit for experimental and simulated signals.
Mechanically induced photons from ultraviolet-C to near-infrared in Tm3+-doped MgF2
Authors: Li Pei , Li Leipeng , Li Tao , Han Yixiao , Cai Chongyang , Wang Chunzheng , Peng Dengfeng , Kang Hongxiang , Yang Yanmin
Published: June 2023

Mechanoluminescence (ML) plays a vital role in various fields, and has gained increasing popularity over the past two decades. The widely studied materials that are capable of generating ML can be classified into two groups, self-powered and trap-controlled. Here, we demonstrate that both self-powered ML and trap-controlled ML can be achieved simultaneously in MgF2:Tm3+. Upon stimulation of external force, the 1I6→3H6 and 3H4→3H6 transitions of Tm3+ are observed, ranging from the ultraviolet-C to near-infrared. After exposure to X-rays, MgF2:Tm3+ presents a stronger ML than the uncharged sample. After cleaning up at high temperatures, the ML returns to the initial level, which is a typical characteristic of trap-controlled ML. In the end, we demonstrate the potential applications of MgF2:Tm3+ in dynamic anti-counterfeiting, and structure inspection.
Classification of blood pressure during sleep impacts designation of nocturnal nondipping
Authors: Mortazavi Bobak J. , Martinez-Brockman Josefa L. , Tessier-Sherman Baylah , Burg Matthew , Miller Mary , Nowroozilarki Zhale , Adams O. Peter , Maharaj Rohan , Nazario Cruz M. , Nunez Maxine , Nunez-Smith Marcella , Spatz Erica S.
Published: June 2023

The identification of nocturnal nondipping blood pressure (< 10% drop in mean systolic blood pressure from awake to sleep periods), as captured by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, is a valuable element of risk prediction for cardiovascular disease, independent of daytime or clinic blood pressure measurements. However, capturing measurements, including determination of wake/sleep periods, is challenging. Accordingly, we sought to evaluate the impact of different definitions and algorithms for defining sleep onset on the classification of nocturnal nondipping. Using approaches based upon participant self-reports, applied definition of a common sleep period (12 am -6 am), manual actigraphy, and automated actigraphy we identified changes to the classification of nocturnal nondipping, and conducted a secondary analysis on the potential impact of an ambulatory blood pressure monitor on sleep. Among 61 participants in the Eastern Caribbean Health Outcomes Research Network hypertension study with complete ambulatory blood pressure monitor and sleep data, the concordance for nocturnal nondipping across methods was 0.54 by Fleiss’ Kappa (depending on the method, 36 to 51 participants classified as having nocturnal nondipping). Sleep quality for participants with dipping versus nondipping was significantly different for total sleep length when wearing the ambulatory blood pressure monitor (shorter sleep duration) versus not (longer sleep duration), although there were no differences in sleep efficiency or disturbances. These findings indicate that consideration of sleep time measurements is critical for interpreting ambulatory blood pressure. As technology advances to detect blood pressure and sleep patterns, further investigation is needed to determine which method should be used for diagnosis, treatment, and future cardiovascular risk.
Crystal structure of the kinase domain of a receptor tyrosine kinase from a choanoflagellate, Monosiga brevicollis
Authors: Bajaj Teena , Kuriyan John , Gee Christine L.
Published: June 2023

Genomic analysis of the unicellular choanoflagellate, Monosiga brevicollis (MB), revealed the remarkable presence of cell signaling and adhesion protein domains that are characteristically associated with metazoans. Strikingly, receptor tyrosine kinases, one of the most critical elements of signal transduction and communication in metazoans, are present in choanoflagellates. We determined the crystal structure at 1.95 Å resolution of the kinase domain of the M. brevicollis receptor tyrosine kinase C8 (RTKC8, a member of the choanoflagellate receptor tyrosine kinase C family) bound to the kinase inhibitor staurospaurine. The chonanoflagellate kinase domain is closely related in sequence to mammalian tyrosine kinases (~ 40% sequence identity to the human Ephrin kinase domain EphA3) and, as expected, has the canonical protein kinase fold. The kinase is structurally most similar to human Ephrin (EphA5), even though the extracellular sensor domain is completely different from that of Ephrin. The RTKC8 kinase domain is in an active conformation, with two staurosporine molecules bound to the kinase, one at the active site and another at the peptide-substrate binding site. To our knowledge this is the first example of staurospaurine binding in the Aurora A activation segment (AAS). We also show that the RTKC8 kinase domain can phosphorylate tyrosine residues in peptides from its C-terminal tail segment which is presumably the mechanism by which it transmits the extracellular stimuli to alter cellular function.
AgroEcoList 1.0: A checklist to improve reporting standards in ecological research in agriculture
Authors: Daykin Georgia M. , Aizen Marcelo A. , Barrett Luke G. , Bartlett Lewis J. , Batáry Péter , Garibaldi Lucas A. , Güncan Ali , Gutam Sridhar , Maas Bea , Mitnala Jayalakshmi , Montaño-Centellas Flavia , Muoni Tarirai , Öckinger Erik , Okechalu Ode , Ostler Richard , Potts Simon G. , Rose David C. , Topp Cairistiona F. E. , Usieta Hope O. , Utoblo Obaiya G. , Watson Christine , Zou Yi , Sutherland William J. , Hood Amelia S. C.
Published: June 2023

Many publications lack sufficient background information (e.g. location) to be interpreted, replicated, or reused for synthesis. This impedes scientific progress and the application of science to practice. Reporting guidelines (e.g. checklists) improve reporting standards. They have been widely taken up in the medical sciences, but not in ecological and agricultural research. Here, we use a community-centred approach to develop a reporting checklist (AgroEcoList 1.0) through surveys and workshops with 23 experts and the wider agroecological community. To put AgroEcoList in context, we also assessed the agroecological community’s perception of reporting standards in agroecology. A total of 345 researchers, reviewers, and editors, responded to our survey. Although only 32% of respondents had prior knowledge of reporting guidelines, 76% of those that had said guidelines improved reporting standards. Overall, respondents agreed on the need of AgroEcolist 1.0; only 24% of respondents had used reporting guidelines before, but 78% indicated they would use AgroEcoList 1.0. We updated AgroecoList 1.0 based on respondents’ feedback and user-testing. AgroecoList 1.0 consists of 42 variables in seven groups: experimental/sampling set-up, study site, soil, livestock management, crop and grassland management, outputs, and finances. It is presented here, and is also available on github (https://github.com/AgroecoList/Agroecolist). AgroEcoList 1.0 can serve as a guide for authors, reviewers, and editors to improve reporting standards in agricultural ecology. Our community-centred approach is a replicable method that could be adapted to develop reporting checklists in other fields. Reporting guidelines such as AgroEcoList can improve reporting standards and therefore the application of research to practice, and we recommend that they are adopted more widely in agriculture and ecology.
Hope therapy: Can it treat hopelessness and internal locus of control on diabetes mellitus patients?
Authors: Winarsunu Tulus , Utami Lintang Aulia , Fasikhah Siti Suminarti , Anwar Zainul
Published: June 2023

Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) are always required to be able to control a healthy lifestyle throughout their life to avoid various diseases that can accompany the previous illness. However, psychological factors in the form of despair due to lack of hope make people with diabetes more depressed and less able to control behavior and maintain blood sugar stability, so an excellent internal locus of control is needed to be stronger. This study aimed to determine the effect of hope therapy in reducing hopelessness and increasing internal locus of control in people with DM. The research design used a experimental study with ten randomly selected respondents divided into two groups, namely the control group and the experimental group. Data retrieval using the locus of control scale and the beck hopelessness scale. Data analysis used non-parametric analysis, namely the Mann Whitney test, Wilcoxon test, and Spearman’s Rank Correlation test. The results of the Mann-Whitney U test on the internal locus of control variable show a value of 0.000 and a p score of 0.008 (p <0.05), it can be concluded that there are differences in the internal locus of control in the experimental group compared to the internal locus of control in the control group. The hopelessness variable shows a value of 0.000 and a p score of 0.008 (p <0.05), this indicates that there is a difference in hopelessness in the experimental group and the control group. There is a decrease in hopelessness and an increase in internal locus of control in people with DM given hope therapy.
miR-4482 and miR-3912 aim for 3ʹUTR of ERG mRNA in prostate cancer
Authors: Mumtaz Sidra , Usman Rashid Muhammad , Khan Rizwan Ullah , Malkani Naila
Published: June 2023

Ets-related gene (ERG) is overexpressed as a fusion protein in prostate cancer. During metastasis, the pathological role of ERG is associated with cell proliferation, invasion, and angiogenesis. Here, we hypothesized that miRNAs regulate ERG expression through its 3ʹUTR. Several bioinformatics tools were used to identify miRNAs and their binding sites on 3ʹUTR of ERG. The selected miRNAs expression was analyzed in prostate cancer samples by qPCR. The miRNAs overexpression was induced in prostate cancer cells (VCaP) to analyze ERG expression. Reporter gene assay was performed to evaluate the ERG activity in response to selected miRNAs. The expression of ERG downstream target genes was also investigated through qPCR after miRNAs overexpression. To observe the effects of selected miRNAs on cell proliferation and migration, scratch assay was performed to calculate the cell migration rate. miR-4482 and miR-3912 were selected from bioinformatics databases. miR-4482 and -3912 expression were decreased in prostate cancer samples, as compared to controls (p<0.05 and p<0.001), respectively. Overexpression of miR-4482 and miR-3912 significantly reduced ERG mRNA (p<0.001 and p<0.01), respectively) and protein (p<0.01) in prostate cancer cells. The transcriptional activity of ERG was significantly reduced (p<0.01) in response to miR-4482 and-3912. ERG angiogenic targets and cell migration rate was also reduced significantly (p<0.001) after miR-4482 and -3912 over-expression. This study indicates that miR-4482 and -3912 can suppress the ERG expression and its target genes, thereby, halt prostate cancer progression. These miRNAs may be employed as a potential therapeutic target for the miRNA-based therapy against prostate cancer.
Democratic governance and global science: A longitudinal analysis of the international research collaboration network
Authors: Whetsell Travis A.
Published: June 2023

The democracy-science relationship has traditionally been examined through philosophical conjecture and country case studies. There remains limited global-scale empirical research on the topic. This study explores country-level factors related to the dynamics of the global research collaboration network, focusing on structural associations between democratic governance and the strength of international research collaboration ties. This study combines longitudinal data on 170 countries between 2008 and 2017 from the Varieties of Democracy Institute, World Bank Indicators, Scopus, and Web of Science bibliometric data. Methods include descriptive network analysis, temporal exponential random graph models (TERGM), and valued exponential random graph models (VERGM). The results suggest significant positive effects of democratic governance on the formation and strength of international research collaboration ties and homophily between countries with similar levels of democratic governance. The results also show the importance of exogenous factors, such as GDP, population size, and geographical distance, as well as endogenous network factors, including preferential attachment and transitivity.
Membrane potential dynamics of excitatory and inhibitory neurons in mouse barrel cortex during active whisker sensing
Authors: Kiritani Taro , Pala Aurélie , Gasselin Célia , Crochet Sylvain , Petersen Carl C. H.
Published: June 2023

Neocortical neurons can increasingly be divided into well-defined classes, but their activity patterns during quantified behavior remain to be fully determined. Here, we obtained membrane potential recordings from various classes of excitatory and inhibitory neurons located across different cortical depths in the primary whisker somatosensory barrel cortex of awake head-restrained mice during quiet wakefulness, free whisking and active touch. Excitatory neurons, especially those located superficially, were hyperpolarized with low action potential firing rates relative to inhibitory neurons. Parvalbumin-expressing inhibitory neurons on average fired at the highest rates, responding strongly and rapidly to whisker touch. Vasoactive intestinal peptide-expressing inhibitory neurons were excited during whisking, but responded to active touch only after a delay. Somatostatin-expressing inhibitory neurons had the smallest membrane potential fluctuations and exhibited hyperpolarising responses at whisking onset for superficial, but not deep, neurons. Interestingly, rapid repetitive whisker touch evoked excitatory responses in somatostatin-expressing inhibitory neurons, but not when the intercontact interval was long. Our analyses suggest that distinct genetically-defined classes of neurons at different subpial depths have differential activity patterns depending upon behavioral state providing a basis for constraining future computational models of neocortical function.
The ethics of being an editor–researcher
Authors: Bartleet Brydie-Leigh , Coffman Don , Mantie Roger
Published: June 2023

Although only a few months old at press time, ChatGPT has already established itself as one of the biggest disruptors of historical conceptions of authorship, reality and trust. The research community will no doubt face increasing challenges as it attempts to deal with peer review, conflicts-of-interest and publishing ethics. Readers may know that the International Journal of Community Music is a Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) member. COPE establishes ethical guidelines for the academic publishing. No doubt these will evolve in the face of emerging artificial intelligence technology. The existing guidelines are helpful but still leave many issues unaddressed, such as what researchers should do when it comes to publishing in a journal they edit. In addition to Kathleen Turner’s autoethnographic reflective essay about the challenges arising from the COVID-19 crisis on a university-based community music training programme and Anna McMichael’s study of composer/musicians involved with the annual classical Tyalgum Music Festival in regional Australia, Issue 16:1 features three articles authored or co-authored by the journal’s editors, who devised an in-house system to ensure the integrity of the double-blind peer review system. The issue concludes with a dedication to Janice Waldron (1957–2022), who passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in November 2022.