bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Acute Toxicity Tests of TEMPO-oxidized Cellulose Nanofiber Using Daphnia magna and Oryzias latipes
Authors: TAI RIE , Ogura Isamu , Okazaki Toshiya , Iizumi Yoko , Mano Hiroyuki
Published: July 2023

Ecotoxicity data on cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) is limited despite their wide application prospects. Herein, acute toxicity tests of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical (TEMPO)-oxidized CNF to Daphnia magna and Oryzias latipes were conducted according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) test guidelines taking the CNF dispersibility during the test into account. To select a suitable test medium, the interaction between the medium components and CNF was first evaluated using five test media with different ion concentrations. The viscosity, zeta potential, and concentration uniformity of TEMPO-CNF changed with increasing ionic concentration. The toxicity test results showed no acute toxicity of TEMPO-CNF to the two species, even at the highest exposure concentrations in this study. Both the median effective concentration (EC50) and median lethal concentration (LC50) were > 100 mg/L. In most cases, the measured CNF concentrations were within 20% of the nominal concentrations and remained largely constant. However, in the D. magna acute toxicity test, the concentration uniformity of TEMPO-CNF tended to decrease when the CNF concentration was low. Our results demonstrate the importance of measuring CNF concentrations during testing. We also found that the ion concentrations in the test solution changed because of the interaction between the medium components and TEMPO-CNF. This finding demonstrates the importance of examining the components of the medium to avoid mistaking the effects of depletion of the medium components on aquatic organisms for the direct effects of TEMPO-CNF on aquatic organisms.
SFTSV nucleoprotein mediates DNA sensor cGAS degradation to evade cGAS-dependent antiviral responses.
Authors: Yu Xue-Jie , Jiang Zezheng , Min Chu , Yan Lina , Zhang Wenkang , Li Bang , Xu Jiao , Zhao Zhongxin , Zhou Chuan-min , Han Huiju
Published: July 2023

Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) is an important DNA pattern recognition receptor that mediates the antiviral innate immune responses by sensing intracellular self and non-self DNA. A tick-borne emerging bunyavirus, Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is an RNA virus that causes a severe viral hemorrhagic fever in East and Southeast Asia countries with a high case fatality rate of up to 30%. However, it remains elusive whether cGAS is capable of recognizing SFTSV infection. Here, we uncovered a novel mechanism of the interplay between DNA sensor cGAS and RNA virus SFTSV. SFTSV infection triggered the relocalization of mitochondrial DNA, which led to the upregulation of cGAS transcription and expression in striking levels. Thus, the invasion of SFTSV was recognized by cGAS to initiate the activation of cGAS-dependent type Ⅰ interferon antiviral immune responses, indicating that cGAS is important for innate immunity against SFTSV infection. In addition, our results showed that SFTSV nucleoprotein (NP) could function as novel viral virulence factor, which mediated the degradation of cGAS and therefore suppressed the production of type Ⅰ interferon. Mechanically, NP promoted cGAS degradation in an autophagy-dependent manner by linking the 161-382 domain of cGAS to LC3. Taken together, our results unravel a novel army race between SFTSV and host cell innate immunity, illustrating a novel antagonistic mechanism employed by SFTSV NP to inhibit cGAS-dependent antiviral innate immune responses to activate the type I interferon pathway.
Silicon photonics enabled universal cross-scale tensor processing on chip
Authors: Jiang Tian , Ouyang Hao , Tao Zilong , You Jie , Luo Yihao , Hao Hao , Du Shiyin , Tang Shengjie , Lv Hai-Bin , Liu Xiaoping , Zheng Xin , Cheng Xiangai , Zhang Jun
Published: July 2023

In the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence, integrated photonic computing has emerged as a promising solution to address the growing demand for high-performance computing with increased speed and reduced energy consumption. This study presents a novel silicon photonic cross-scale tensor processing (SiP-CSTP) system on chip, designed to enhance the computing scale without increasing the hardware scale. By expanding the computing scale to accommodate the larger matrix processing scale, the SiP-CSTP system enables accelerated pooling, channel fusion, and matrix multiplication processes in convolutional neural networks. Notably, our architecture significantly reduces the number of operations required during pooling and channel fusion, distinguishing it from conventional computing systems. Experimental evaluations demonstrate the high-speed performance of the SiP-CSTP system, including a 14 Gbaud/s NRZ modulation rate for input tensors, a 6-bit accuracy for weight matrices, and an impressive total computing power of 0.252 TOPS, resulting computing power per unit as high as 0.06 TOPS /unit in a small hardware scale. Additionally, we conducted proof-of-concept application experiments on benchmark datasets, including the Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology (MNIST), Google quickdraw, and CIFAR-10. The results exhibited remarkable accuracies of 97.86%, 93.51%, and 70.22%, respectively, in deep image recognition and classification tasks. By enabling cross-scale operations in a universal tensor streaming processing system on a chip, this study opens new avenues for exploration and innovation at the intersection of silicon photonics, cross-scale computation, and artificial intelligence, shaping the future landscape of computing technologies.
An Energy, Delay and Priority-Aware Task Offloading Algorithm for Fog Computing
Authors: Panda Sanjaya Kumar , Pounjula Thanmayee , Ravirala Bhargavi , Taniar David
Published: July 2023

Internet of Things (IoT), fog and cloud computing are the most widespread technologies that have become a part of our day-to-day activities. The integration of these technologies will become crucial components for the future Internet as their usage and acceptance rapidly increase. IoT devices (or terminal nodes (TNs)) have limited resource capability to carry out all of their generated tasks. Therefore, they depend on the cloud to assist them in completing all their tasks. However, the distance between TNs to the cloud may lead to network congestion and uneven delay. As a result, fog nodes (FNs) work as an intermediary between TNs and the cloud to minimize delay in completing the TNs' tasks. In this context, previous studies assign the TNs' tasks to FNs based on various criteria, namely energy, delay and priority among the tasks, without combining them. Fair task offloading (FTO) recently combines these criteria to assign the TNs tasks to FNs without significantly considering load balancing among FNs. This paper introduces a multi-objective task offloading algorithm, called EDP-TO, by considering all the criteria and load balancing. The proposed algorithm uses the multi-objective function to select the FNs for offloading. It divides the tasks into multiple sub-tasks and assigns them to the selected FNs, such that the overall delay is minimized. The performance of the proposed algorithm is shown with and without load balancing, called EDP-TO-LB and EDP-TO-WLB, and compared with FTO by considering three scenarios. The comparison results show the superiority of the EDP-TO over the FTO in terms of energy, delay and fairness.
Gut microbiome and plasma lipidome analysis reveals a specific impact of Clostridioides difficile infection on intestinal bacterial communities and sterol metabolism
Authors: Arcay Ricardo Manuel , Barceló-Nicolau Maria , Suárez-Bode Loreto , Martín Luisa , Reigada Rebeca , Höring Marcus , Liebisch Gerhard , Garrido Carmen , Cabot Gabriel , Vílchez Helem , López-Causapé Carla , Oliver Antonio , Barceló-Coblijn Gwendolyn , Mena Ana
Published: July 2023

Background
Gut microbiome studies are helping to understand the mechanisms by which Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and its recurrences are favoured, as well as recovery from it through different types of treatment. In addition to the impact on microbiome composition and given the metabolic changes occurring at the gut level during CDI, our interest focused on the effects at the local and systemic levels, both during the infection and its treatment, by paying particular attention to bile acid (BA) and cholesterol metabolism due to their close relationship to CDI pathogenesis.
A cross-sectional case-control study was performed by obtaining stool and plasma samples from healthy volunteers and patients with CDI diagnosis, primary or recurrent, before and after treatment (antibiotic or faecal material transfer (FMT)) for further analysis. Faecal total DNA was used for sequencing the V3 and V4 variable regions of the 16S rRNA gene. Plasma BAs and lipid profile were established using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
Results
Specific alterations were observed in the gut microbiota of CDI patients, especially in RCDI, characterized by a loss of microbial richness and diversity and related to a reduction in short-chain acid-producing bacteria and increase in bile salt hydrolase-producing bacteria. FMT-treated patients showed a better restoration of the microbiota than antibiotic-treated patients, resembling that of healthy controls and displaying increased levels of Eubacterium coprostanoligenes, a coprostanol-reducing bacterium. Furthermore, CDI and treated patients exhibited a significant rise in total plasma BA content, particularly in taurine-conjugated BAs. Plasma lipidome analysis revealed a global decline in circulating lipids in CDI patients, with the largest impact on cholesteryl esters. We also identified in CDI patients a specific and consistent decrease in the levels of lipid species containing linoleic acid – an essential fatty acid – which recovered after treatment.
Conclusions
Analysis of the plasma lipidome reflects the impact of CDI on the gut microbiota and its metabolism, evidencing changes in cholesterol, fatty acid, and BA metabolism that are possibly related to the specific alterations observed in gut microbial communities of CDI patients. Importantly, these results suggest that continued nutritional support after successful treatment may be key to a full recovery.
Lycopene protects against high-fat diet-induced atherosclerosis via modulating gut microbiota dysbiosis and related gut-heart axis activation in ApoE −/− mice
Authors: Tu Teng-Chan , Liu Hao , Liu Zhen-Hao , Liang Yun-Yi , Tan Chu-Jun , Feng Dan , Zou Jun
Published: July 2023

Objective
Lycopene possesses anti-atherosclerotic effects with molecular mechanism not fully identified. This study aimed to explore whether lycopene could regulate gut microbiota, exert anti-inflammatory and anti-atherosclerotic effects by modulating the “gut-heart” axis.
Methods
Male ApoE−/− mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) with or without lycopene for 19 weeks. Gut microbiota was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing, the protein levels of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), occludin, toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and phospho-nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65 were measured by Western blotting.
Results
Lycopene supplementation significantly lowered serum lipid levels and reduced atherosclerotic lesions. Additionally, lycopene reduced the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroides and increased the relative abundance of gut microbiota related to elevated intestinal barrier function and reduced inflammation, including Verrucomicrobia, Akkermansia and Alloprevotella. Moreover, lycopene up-regulated the expression of intestinal tight junction proteins ZO-1 and occludin, decreased intestinal permeability and serum lipopolysaccharide levels. Lycopene also inhibited the expression of TLR4 and phospho-NF-κB p65 in aortic sinus plaque.
Conclusion
Our results indicated that the protective effect of lycopene against atherosclerosis induced by HFD and further revealed that its mechanism might be its prebiotic effect on maintaining intestinal flora homeostasis and improving intestinal barrier function, consequently reducing serum lipopolysaccharide-triggered inflammatory response in the heart.
Smart irrigation based on cutting-edge Technologies
Authors: BENHMAD Taoufik , RHAIMI Chibani Belgacem
Published: July 2023

The Tunisian economy's main driver is agriculture. A significant amount of the freshwater used in this industry is for irrigation. By missing the timings throughout this irrigation procedure, people waste more water. A drop in output rates has been caused by the improper management of irrigation water. Therefore, developing intelligent methods and systems based on cutting-edge technology is essential for the efficient use of fresh water, especially in dry regions with a scarcity of rainfall. Smart irrigation systems might be a viable way to avoid both over-and under-irrigating while also playing a significant part in reducing water use. Thus, we will suggest in this study a novel approach for smart irrigation in the southern Tunisia region to optimize water use and give a remote control and monitoring for the irrigation system. For this, a cloud-based wireless communication system was proposed and evaluated to monitor and control a set of sensors (soil moisture, flowmeter, solenoid value, water level and weather temperature) and actuators to assess the plant water need.
Community-based surveillance programme evaluation using the platform Nyss implemented by the Somali Red Crescent society – a mixed methods approach
Authors: Jung Julia , Larsen Tine Mejdell , Beledi Abdifatah Hussein , Takahashi Emi , Ahmed Abdirahman Omer , Reid Jenny , Kongelf Ida Anine
Published: July 2023

Background
The Somali Red Crescent Society (SRCS) and the Norwegian Red Cross have implemented community-based surveillance (CBS) in Somaliland branches to reduce the high risk of epidemics by strengthening early warning and response from and at community level. CBS is implemented through SRCS community volunteers reporting health risks or events from the community via SMS to the software platform Nyss. This paper presents results of the CBS programme evaluation from 2021.
Methods
The attributes usefulness, flexibility, simplicity, data quality, acceptability, sensitivity, and timeliness were investigated. Routine CBS data from 2021 from Nyss for Awdal and Togdheer region and data from qualitative interviews with different stakeholders were analysed.
Results
The usefulness of the CBS programme in preventing, detecting, and responding to disease outbreaks was acknowledged by the stakeholder. In 2021, CBS generated 138 alerts in Awdal region out of which 83% were escalated to the Ministry of Health and Development (MoHD) as true, meaning they were matching the Community case definition (CCD). For Togdheer region it was 218 out of which 97% were escalated. Cross-checking of alerts by supervisors was done timely.
The programme was flexibly adjusted for new diseases and changing CCDs. Average completeness was 68% for Awdal and 64% for Togdheer.
Alert outcome documentation was done for 63% and 64% out of the escalated alerts for Awdal and Togdheer respectively. For 85% and 98% of these, “action taken” was recorded, indicating any form of response had been carried out. Evidence on sensitivity was limited.
Stakeholders appreciated being engaged, the good collaboration and acceptance of the programme.
Conclusion
The evaluation showed positive results related to the attributes but also identified indicators to improve on. One major improvement to be worked on is documentation of the outcome of alerts to provide better evidence on further system attributes.
A participatory approach and implementation through volunteers showed to be vital in conducting CBS successfully to prevent large scale epidemics by rapid response through the volunteers themselves and early warning of the health authorities and communities.
Nyss was useful to ensure early warning of potential health risks, as well as for efficient programme monitoring and evaluation.
Association between late gadolinium enhancement with or without reverse remodeling and prognosis
Authors: Kawakami Toshinaru , Yahagi Kazuyuki , Oshima Asahi , Gonda Yuki , Yoshiura Daiki , Horiuchi Yu , Asami Masahiko , Yuzawa Hitomi , Komiyama Kota , Tanaka Jun , Aoki Jiro , Tanabe Kengo
Published: July 2023

Purpose
Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) prevents left ventricular reverse remodeling (LVRR), resulting in a poor prognosis. However, the prognosis of patients who have LGE and achieve LVRR and patients who do not have LGE and do not achieve LVRR remains unknown. This study aimed to answer this question by sorting patients with heart failure based on the presence of LGE and LVRR and comparing their prognoses. In addition, we aimed to identify useful factors for predicting LVRR.
Methods
All patients were followed-up for 24 months. LVRR was defined as a ≥ 10% increase at the last follow-up at 12 ± 6 months from baseline, on echocardiography. The primary endpoint was a composite of cardiovascular death and hospitalization due to worsening heart failure within 18 ± 6 months. Baseline data and data from each outpatient visit were collected and analyzed. We enrolled 80 consecutive patients with heart failure and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (< 50%) who underwent CMR.
Results
LGE was positive in 40 patients (50.0%) and LVRR was observed in 50 patients (63%). The incidence of the primary endpoint was significantly lower in the group that achieved LVRR, regardless of LGE status (LGE-positive group, p = 0.01; LGE-negative group, p = 0.02). In the multivariate analysis, the percentage change in NT-pro BNP levels at 3 months, NT-pro BNP levels at 6 months, and age were independent predictors of LVRR.
Conclusion
LGE-positive patients may have a better prognosis if they achieve LVRR. Serial NT-pro BNP testing may be a valuable predictor of LVRR.
Accuracy of dual-energy computed tomography for bone marrow edema in the sacroiliac joint: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: li xin
Published: July 2023

Background
The purpose of this study is to perform a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to assess the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) of the sacroiliac joint. Bone marrow edema of the sacroiliac joint is an early manifestation of some diseases, such as ankylosing spondylitis, usually examined by nuclear magnetic resonance (MRI), but some patients cannot tolerate MRI, so many studies have analyzed DECT examination.
Methods
PUBMED, CNKI, and EMBASE, 2023 for articles including (DECT) or (DE-CT) or (dual-energy CT) or "dual-energy CT" or (dual-energy computed tomography)) and ((sacroiliac joint) or (ankylosing spondylitis) or (sacroiliac arthritis)). A initial search identified 444 articles, and seven ultimately met the criteria. Data were extracted to calculate the sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds for the analysis using the R software.
Results
291 patients, 577 sacroiliac joints and 429 bone marrow edema (74.35%). All studies used magnetic resonance as a control group. For DECT, the overall sensitivity was 86.94%, specificity 87.24%, positive prediction rate 92.55% and negative prediction rate 83.73%.
Conclusion
DECT seems to be a promising diagnostic tool for detecting bone marrow edema in the sacroiliac joint and can be used as an alternative examination method for patients contraindicated to MRI examination.
Viral identification by MALDI-TOF from cell cultures. Application of an in-house library for detection of SARS-CoV-2 and other virus of clinical interest.
Authors: Martin Gabriel , Alba Susana Rojo , Ramos Rainer Campo , Ochoa Cristina , Alba Jose María González , Martínez Zulema Pérez , Boga Jose Antonio , Melón Santiago , Argüelles Marta Elena Álvarez
Published: July 2023

As the COVID-19 pandemic has not a clear end in the horizon, even with the good ratios of vaccination and least severity of new variants as Omicron, developing a wide range of viral detection techniques is important to ease pressure on diagnostic labs.
Well stablished from long ago for bacterial and fungal detection, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time Of Flight (MALDI-TOF) technique is not so well stablished in the virology field, and taking care of its advantages (speed, precision and low cost), this can be a powerful method for viral identification.
With this aim, this study exposes the sensitivity and specificity of an in-house library developed in this system when is used for identification of different viral cultures of Herpes Simplex Virus, Adenovirus and SARS-CoV-2.
Conservation Principles and Infill Design Analysis of De Mier Eat and Stay Surabaya
Authors: Santoso Josefira Jedine , Kwanda Timoticin
Published: July 2023

Darmo is an area in the city of Surabaya which rich in architecture from the Dutch colonial period. Based on the Regional Regulations of the City of Surabaya, not all buildings in the Darmo area are protected. A lot of the original buildings were being interfered with. De Mier Eat and Stay is an example of adaptive reuse in the Darmo area that collaborates preserved Dutch Indies-styled building with a new modern building to accommodate new functions. This paper examines how successful conservation and infill design principles are applied in De Mier Eat and Stay. The research method was conducted qualitatively through site visits and interviews with the designer. The data were then analyzed with a comparative table based on the literature. From this study, it can be concluded that the interventions done in the opening elements fulfill all four conservation principles. In contrast, the wall elements only fulfill three, and the floor elements didn’t fulfill at all. The Infill design was done using the contrast approach. Collaborating two eras of architecture through façade, proportion, materials, and the responses to surroundings creates a unique harmony in De Mier Eat and Stay.
Fermionic defects of topological phases and logical gates
Authors: Kobayashi Ryohei
Published: July 2023

We discuss the codimension-1 defects of (2+1)D bosonic topological phases, where the defects can support fermionic degrees of freedom. We refer to such defects as fermionic defects, and introduce a certain subclass of invertible fermionic defects called “gauged Gu-Wen SPT defects” that can shift self-statistics of anyons. We derive a canonical form of a general fermionic invertible defect, in terms of the fusion of a gauged Gu-Wen SPT defect and a bosonic invertible defect decoupled from fermions on the defect. We then derive the fusion rule of generic invertible fermionic defects. The gauged Gu-Wen SPT defects give rise to interesting logical gates of stabilizer codes in the presence of additional ancilla fermions. For example, we find a realization of the CZ logical gate on the (2+1)D \mathbb{Z}_2ℤ2 toric code stacked with a (2+1)D ancilla trivial atomic insulator. We also investigate a gapped fermionic interface between (2+1)D bosonic topological phases realized on the boundary of the (3+1)D Walker-Wang model. In that case, the gapped interface can shift the chiral central charge of the (2+1)D phase. Among these fermionic interfaces, we study an interesting example where the (3+1)D phase has a spatial reflection symmetry, and the fermionic interface is supported on a reflection plane that interpolates a (2+1)D surface topological order and its orientation-reversal. We construct a (3+1)D exactly solvable Hamiltonian realizing this setup, and find that the model generates the \mathbb{Z}_8ℤ8 classification of the (3+1)D invertible phase with spatial reflection symmetry and fermion parity on the reflection plane. We make contact with an effective field theory, known in literature as the exotic invertible phase with spacetime higher-group symmetry.
Moderating effects of Machiavellianism, management control, and fairness on a motivation-honesty relationship in budget reporting
Authors: Grediani Evi , Kusuma Hadri , Mahmudi  , Hudayati Ataina
Published: July 2023

Existing research on the influence of motivation on an honest budget has overlooked the roles of certain dark personality traits, management control, and perceived fairness. This study aims to explore the moderating role of Machiavellianism, management control, and fairness in the relationship between internal and external motivation and honest budget reports. This paper comprised two experiments that evaluated the main effect of motivation and moderator effects of the above factors. The first experiment involved 72 graduate students from various Indonesian universities studying accounting or financial management, and the second experiment included 261 undergraduate students from similar fields. Participants were divided into internal and external motivation groups, further randomized into fairness and management control groups, creating eight distinct groups. Each group received a specific scenario corresponding to their allocated group. The results demonstrated that internal motivation had a stronger influence on honest reporting than external motivation (F (1, 257) = 60.36, p < 0.001). However, Machiavellianism weakened this relationship (F (3, 257) = 6.24, p < 0.05). Under complete management control and perceived fairness scenarios, individuals driven by internal motivation reported budget more honestly compared to those with external motivation group under basic management control and perceived unfairness scenarios (F (4, 253) = 4.95, p < 0.001). This analysis contributes to understanding honest budget reports by distinguishing between internal and external motivations and recognizing the moderating roles of Machiavellianism, management control, and fairness. These insights could help organizations design effective budgeting systems and control mechanisms to reduce budgetary slack and improve performance.
Stimulators of third-party logistics performance of supply chains in the Nigerian manufacturing industry
Authors: Ewuzie Cajetan , Ugwuonah Geraldine , O. Okolo Victor , Okocha Ebere , Okoro Agu Agu
Published: July 2023

The COVID-19 disruption of supply chains has motivated manufacturing companies in Nigeria to build and maintain supply chain visibility, robustness, and resilience to remain third-party logistics providers. It is vital to have an adequate understanding of third-party logistics performance drivers. Most studies have concentrated on third-party logistics capability, while few others explored the impact of relational governance structures on performance. However, studies examining the synergy between third-party logistics capability and relationship management are scarce. The purpose of this study is to investigate the stimulators of third-party logistics performance in the Nigerian manufacturing industry. A descriptive survey, e-mail questionnaire, and PLS-SEM approach was used to collect and analyze the data from a sample of 364 manufacturing companies in Nigeria. The findings indicated that relationship management has a significant positive association with third-party logistics capability (β= 0.785, t = 3.457, p < 0.001); relationship management has a significant negative association with supply chain risk (β= –0.209, t = 4.149, p < 0.001); third-party logistics capability has a significant negative association with supply chain risk (β = –0.620, t = 3.199, p < 0.001); supply chain risk has a significant negative association with logistics performance (β= –0.695 t = 5.396, p < 0.001). Hence, relationship management, third-party logistics capability, and supply chain risk are drivers of third-party logistics performance. Therefore, supply chain partners should manage their relationships to strengthen third-party logistics capability and reduce all kinds of uncertainties and risks.
Analysis of cognitive characteristics in patients with arterial hypertension in middle and old age
Authors: Shishkova V. N. , Nelyubina A. S. , Dranitsyna B. G. , Kapustina L. A. , Ustarbekova D. B.
Published: July 2023

Introduction. The study of the spectrum of neurocognitive disorders in patients with arterial hypertension (AH) in order to create an effective therapeutic and rehabilitation strategy is an urgent direction of modern medicine.

Aim. To study neuropsychological characteristics in patients with hypertension in middle and old age.

Materials and methods. 357 middle-aged and elderly patients with hypertension were examined. All patients underwent neuropsychological examination: Montreal Cognitive Function Assessment Scale (MoCA test), Schulte Table Test, Verbal Association Test, Trail Making Test (TMT), Asthenia Self-questionnaire (MFI-20), O. Kopina Reader Adaptation Test, questionnaire on the level of life exhaustion, hospital anxiety scale and depression (HADS).

Results. The analysis of the results of general neuropsychological testing showed a deviation from the reference values in the majority of participants. In the Schulte test, an increase in execution time was noted in 50% of elderly patients and in 21% of middle-aged patients. In the TMT test: an increase in the execution time of part A – in 88% of elderly patients and 58% of middle-aged patients, part B – in 97 and 88% of patients, respectively. The MoCA test demonstrated pronounced cognitive impairment in 16% of middle-aged patients and in 35% of elderly patients. More than 97% of elderly and 88% of middle-aged patients showed a high level of asthenia in the MFI-20 test; life exhaustion was noted in 56 and 45%, and anxiety and depression in more than 50% of elderly and 35% of middle-aged patients, respectively.

Conclusion. In the studied groups of patients with hypertension, there was a decrease in the integral index of cognitive functions, as well as changes in indicators in tests characterizing the state of control functions, attention, speed of thought processes and semantic memory, while more pronounced deviations were noted in the elderly. The described cognitive impairments were combined with a high level of psychoemotional tension, anxiety, depression and asthenia.
Biomarkers Profile of the Mysterious 2019 Oil Spill on the Northeast Coast of Brazil and Discrimination from Unreported Events
Authors: dos Santos Ignes , Lucena Pedro , Moraes Alex , Carregosa Jhonattas , Santos Tarcísio , Wisniewski Jr Alberto , Santos Jandyson
Published: July 2023

In 2019, large amounts of oil reached the northeast coast of Brazil, causing damage to the environment and the local economy, especially in the state of Pernambuco. In order to correlate with possible sources, investigation was made of the geochemical biomarkers of the oils using “gold standard” forensic protocols from the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). The biomarkers study was improved by using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS), rather than the standard protocol that suggests use of the selected ion monitoring (SIM) method. Analysis was made of thirteen oil samples from the Pernambuco coast, in order to identify their degrees of similarity and the possible presence of oils from unreported spills. The use of eighteen diagnostic ratios and multivariate analysis revealed a cluster formed by eleven samples with biomarker distributions typical of oil from the 2019 spill. However, two samples had anomalous fingerprints, especially due to the absence of the 18α(H)-oleanane and 18β(H)-oleanane isomers. Both the CEN protocol applied for the classical biomarkers and a comprehensive Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FT-MS) analysis of polar compounds confirmed the dissimilarities between the samples. The findings suggested that these two oils could have originated from an event unrelated to the mysterious 2019 spill.
A new method and application of groundwater prediction along the direction of tunnel excavation in karst strata
Authors: Lou Guochong , Song Yang , Man Lingcong , Sun Zhitao
Published: July 2023

Tunnel construction in karst strata with abundant water causes changes in the surrounding groundwater environment, which can easily trigger geological disasters such as mud and water inrush. How to accurately predict the groundwater ahead of tunnel excavation face is a highly challenging problem. In order to improve the detection accuracy of groundwater during the construction of a deep buried tunnel, the transmission and reflection process of seismic waves at the interface and the relationship between the reflection coefficient and seismic wave signal have been analyzed on the basis of a two-phase medium theory in this paper. The expression of seismic wave stress–response relationship associated with the instantaneous amplitude and instantaneous phase and frequency is established. Then the relationship between seismic wave attributes and groundwater seepage potential energy is derived by combining the fluid mechanics theory, which is used as the basis for the determination and identification of groundwater volume and classified, and a new technology of an advanced detection of groundwater by seismic waves is established. This method has been applied to the Zhanghuai Railway in China and quantitatively predicted the karst water and caves in the Tianqiaoshan Tunnel before excavation. The engineering test proves the reliability and advancement of this technology.
Analysis of sampling strategies for pulse loads of SARS-CoV-2: implications for wastewater-based epidemiology
Authors: König Albert Wilhelm , Ariano Sarah Sydney , Joksimovic Darko
Published: July 2023

A faecal transport model was applied to a 11.3 km2 wastewater servicing area in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to explore the role that different wastewater sampling campaigns have on estimating the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in a population of 60,000. A stochastic wastewater and water quality model was used to evaluate the effectiveness of 11 sampling campaigns during periods of high and low COVID-19 infection among the population, tested using virtual sampling during dry-weather flow. The virtual sampling campaigns were based on the most common automatic sampler programming capabilities and widely used wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) sampling campaigns reported in the literature. Sampling campaigns differ in weighting method (time, volume, or flow-weighted sampling), sample count, collection period, or sample time. Results suggest that grab samples should be avoided and/or that sampling campaigns with the greatest sample counts and durations are the most robust at capturing COVID-19 infection among the population. Most surprisingly, changes to the weighting method were negligible indicating that a greater number of samples, and larger sample volumes are preferred. This work suggests that investment in flow monitoring equipment for flow- or volume-weighted sampling will not improve WBE results, and that standard time based sampling is sufficient.
SNHG3/miR-330-5p/HSD11B1 Alleviates Myocardial Ischemia-reperfusion
Injury by Regulating the ERK/p38 Signaling Pathway
Authors: Bai Xiaochuan , Zhang Jie , Yang Heyun , Linghu Keqiang , Xu Min
Published: July 2023

Background:

Studies have found that microRNAs (miRNAs) participate in the pathogenesis
of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI). miR-330-5p alleviated cerebral IR injury
and regulated myocardial damage. However, the mechanism of the effect of miR-330-5p on MIRI
needs to be further studied.

Objective:

The study aimed to explore the role and mechanism of miR-330-5p in MIRI.

Methods:

The oxygen-glucose deprivation reperfusion (OGD/R) model was constructed in cardiomyocytes
to simulate MIRI in vitro. QRT-PCR was used for the detection of gene expression.
ELISA was used for evaluation of the levels of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 family member (ALDH2),
4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), and malondialdehyde (MDA). Flow cytometry was used to evaluate
apoptosis. Western blot was employed for protein determination. Bioinformatic analysis was
performed for predicting the targets of miR-330-5p.

Results:

miR-330-5p was found to be down-regulated in MIRI-induced cardiomyocytes (Model
group). miR-330-5p mimic enhanced ALDH2 activity, inhibited apoptosis, and suppressed 4-HNE
and MDA of MIRI-induced cardiomyocytes. miR-330-5p inhibited ERK expression while increasing
the p38 expression. Bioinformatic analysis showed hydroxysteroid 11-beta dehydrogenase 1
(HSD11B1) to be a target of miR-330-5p. HSD11B1 expression was inhibited by miR-330-5p mimic
while increased by miR-330-5p inhibitor in MIRI-induced cardiomyocytes. HSD11B1 overexpression
reversed the effect of miR-330-5p on ALDH2, 4-HNE, MDA, apoptosis, and ERK/p38
signaling pathway. Furthermore, lncRNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 3 (SNHG3) was the upstream
lncRNA of miR-330-5p. SNHG3 decreased miR-330-5p expression and increased HSD11B1
expression.

Conclusion:

SNHG3/miR-330-5p alleviated MIRI in vitro by targeting HSD11B1 to regulate the
ERK/p38 signaling pathway.
Cinnamaldehyde as a Promising Dietary Phytochemical Against Metabolic
Syndrome: A Systematic Review
Authors: Khaafi Mohaddeseh , Tayarani-Najaran Zahra , Javadi Behjat
Published: July 2023

Background:

Metabolic syndrome (METS) is a set of unhealthy medical conditions
considered essential health problems today. Cinnamaldehyde (CA) is the major phytochemical
present in the essential oil of cinnamon and possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic,
and antihyperlipidemic activities.

Aim:

We aim to systematically review the effects of CA in preventing and attenuating METS
components. Moreover, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of actions of CA, its pharmacokinetics
features, and potential structure-activity relationship (SAR) were also surveyed.

Methods:

PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched to retrieve the relevant
papers.

Results:

CA possesses various anti-METS activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant,
antidiabetic, antidyslipidemia, antiobesity, and antihypertensive properties. Various molecular
mechanisms such as stimulating pancreatic insulin release, exerting an insulinotropic effect, lowering
lipid peroxidation as well as pancreatic islet oxidant and inflammatory toxicity, increasing
the activities of pancreatic antioxidant enzymes, suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokines production,
regulating the molecular signaling pathways of the PPAR-γ and AMPK in preadipocytes and
preventing adipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis are involved in these activities.

Conclusions:

CA would effectively hinder METS; however, no robust clinical data supporting
these effects in humans is currently available. Accordingly, conducting clinical trials to evaluate
the efficacy, safe dosage, pharmacokinetics characteristics, and possible unwanted effects of CA
in humans would be of great importance.
Linc01116 Silencing Inhibits the Proliferation and Invasion,
Promotes Apoptosis of Chordoma Cells via Regulating the
Expression of Mir-9-5p/PKG1
Authors: Liu Junqi , Qi Yan , Hou Siyuan , Zhang Siyuan , Wang Zhenlin
Published: July 2023

Background:

Long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1116 (LINC01116)
plays a carcinogenic role in a variety of cancers. The study aims to investigate the roles
of LINC01116 and hsa-miR-9-5p (miR-9-5p) and fathom their interaction in chordoma.

Methods:

The predicted binding sites between miR-9-5p with LINC01116 and
phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) by starBase were confirmed through dual-luciferase
reporter assay. The behaviors of chordoma cells undergoing transfection with
siLINC01116 or miR-9-5p inhibitor were determined by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8),
colony formation, Transwell, and flow cytometry assays. The glucose consumption,
lactate production, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production of chordoma cells were
examined with specific kits. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR)
and Western blot were performed to determine relevant gene expressions in chordoma
cells.

Results:

Silencing of LINC01116 facilitated the apoptosis and expressions of Bcl-2-
associated X (Bax), cleaved caspase-3 (C caspase-3) and miR-9-5p while repressing
the cell cycle, viability, proliferation, invasion, glucose consumption, lactate production,
ATP production, and expressions of PGK1 and Bcl-2. Meanwhile, LINC01116 sponged
miR-9-5p, which could target PGK1. Moreover, the miR-9-5p inhibitor acted contrarily
and reversed the role of siLINC01116 in chordoma cells. Besides, LINC01116
downregulation facilitated apoptosis and attenuated the proliferation and invasion of
chordoma cells as well as PGK1 expression by upregulating miR-9-5p expression.

Conclusion:

LINC01116/miR-9-5p plays a regulatory role in the progression of
chordoma cells and is a potential biomarker for chordoma.
The Metabolic Basis for Nervous System Dysfunction in Alzheimer’s
Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and Huntington’s Disease
Authors: Maiese Kenneth
Published: July 2023

Disorders of metabolism affect multiple systems throughout the body but may have the
greatest impact on both central and peripheral nervous systems. Currently available treatments and
behavior changes for disorders that include diabetes mellitus (DM) and nervous system diseases
are limited and cannot reverse the disease burden. Greater access to healthcare and a longer
lifespan have led to an increased prevalence of metabolic and neurodegenerative disorders. In light
of these challenges, innovative studies into the underlying disease pathways offer new treatment
perspectives for Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and Huntington’s Disease. Metabolic
disorders are intimately tied to neurodegenerative diseases and can lead to debilitating outcomes,
such as multi-nervous system disease, susceptibility to viral pathogens, and long-term cognitive
disability. Novel strategies that can robustly address metabolic disease and neurodegenerative disorders
involve a careful consideration of cellular metabolism, programmed cell death pathways,
the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) and its associated pathways of mTOR Complex 1
(mTORC1), mTOR Complex 2 (mTORC2), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), growth factor
signaling, and underlying risk factors such as the apolipoprotein E (APOE-ε4) gene. Yet, these
complex pathways necessitate comprehensive understanding to achieve clinical outcomes that target
disease susceptibility, onset, and progression.
Hydrogen Bonding in Triflamide and its Derivatives
Authors: Sterkhova Irina V. , Shainyan Bagrat A.
Published: July 2023

This review focuses on studying hydrogen bonds in triflamide derivatives, the supramolecular
structures formed in a crystal, solution, and gas phase, and the relationship between structural,
spectral and quantum chemical calculation data.
Degradation of LDPE Using the Winogradsky Column Containing Otteri
Dumpsite Soil: Prediction of Mechanism and Metabolites Determination
Authors: Sridharan Rajalakshmi , Sivamurugan Vajiravelu , Kumar P. Senthil , K. Veena Gayathri , Rangasamy Gayathri
Published: July 2023

Background of the Research:

Plastic pollution has taken over the world. Toxicity of the plastics
and other pollutants is enhanced due to the formation of microplastics and nano-plastics that attract
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). The need for the treatment of plastic waste in the current scenario
led to the rise of various treatment processes. Biodegradation, an eco-friendly approach to eliminate plastics
urged to discover plastic-utilizing bacteria and plastic-eating worms. Bacterial degradation of plastics
has been extensively studied utilizing the entire microbial community. Hence, the current research focuses
on the biodegradation of Low-Density polyethylene (LDPE) using Winogradsky Column constructed
using dump yard soil. LDPE degradation was determined using FTIR and GC-MS analysis, which is used
to analyze the degradation mechanism of LDPE.

Methods:

Sample Collection and Column Construction: The soil samples collected from the Chennai
dump yard were used to construct Winogradsky columns. The column with LDPE and enrichment
sources is used to study LDPE degradation.

Analysis of LDPE Degradation:

The LDPE sheet after incubation was washed with surfactant and ethanol.
The dried sheet was analyzed for weight loss and the metabolites were identified using GC-MS analysis.
The GC-MS chromatogram was used to determine the pattern of degradation by the microbial community
in the dump yard soil.

Results:

The mass spectral analysis of GC peaks has been carried out using the electron ionization method,
and ions were detected using positive ions scanning mode. The GC peaks appeared at 22.532 and 23.117 min
in the control LDPE sheet, which was found to be nonadecane and octacosane, whereas, in the treated LDPE
sheet, the GC peaks appeared at 22.467 and 23.062 min. The fragmentation pattern indicates the loss of m/z
14, which confirms the loss of methylene (-CH2-) fragments in alkyl chains. The difference in retention time
could be correlated with the increase of CH2 in the alkyl chain length and molecular weight. Higher molecular
weight alkanes, such as C16, C18, and C20 above appeared at higher retention times. The presence of
longer alkyl chains indicates the LDPE polymer chains. The treated LDPE sample has been analyzed, and
the fragmentation pattern indicates the presence of aliphatic chains of C16 or C18.

Conclusion:

The current study provides an efficient method to utilize the microbial community as a
whole to degrade LDPE. The degradation mechanism of LDPE was determined using GC-MS analysis.
The high molecular weight polymeric chain was degraded to small chains, and the formation of alcohol
indicates the occurrence of terminal oxidation. Hence, this confirms the degradation of LDPE by the microbiome
present in the dump yard soil.
Erythema Multiforme Reactions Following Pfizer/BioNTech (Tozinameran)
Vaccination: Two Case-Reports with Positive Rechallenge and Review of
the Literature
Authors: Charfi Ons , Lakhoua Ghozlane , Berrim Khouloud , Kastalli Sarrah , Badri Talel , Aouinti Imen , Daghfous Riadh , Zaiem Ahmed , Aidli Sihem EL
Published: July 2023

Aim:

Pfizer/BioNTech (BNT162b2) is a COVID-19 vaccine with a reassuring safety
profile. The main adverse reactions are mild local reactions. Cutaneous reactions are generally
minor. The most common cutaneous reaction reported was a local injection-site reaction.

Case Study:

Here we present 2 cases of erythema multiform (EM) following BNT162b2 vaccination
with positive rechallenge. The 1st case was about a 51-year-old woman who developed 5 days
after the 1st dose of the mRNA Pfizer/BioNTech (BNT162b2) a macular, erythematous, roundshaped
lesions on the hands, knees and soles. She experienced a positive rechallenge one month
later.

:

In the 2nd case, a 55-year-old man presented 6 days following the 2nd shot of the mRNA Pfizer/
BioNTech (BNT162b2), targetoid eruption on the upper and lower members. The patient reported
that he had the same skin lesions in ankles and soles few days following the 1st shot of the same
vaccine.

Conclusion:

Few cases of EM following COVID-19 vaccination were reported in the literature and
positive rechallenge in only one case. Rechallenge was not performed in most cases.

:

Our two cases are particular because of the positive rechallenge in both patients. This is the gold
standard to confirm that the vaccine was the culprit agent in inducing EM.