bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Solid waste management practices and challenges in Besisahar municipality, Nepal
Authors: Aryal Mahendra , Adhikary Sanju
Published: March 2024

This study is a comprehensive assessment of the waste management system in Besisahar municipality. Information and some data have been collected from the municipality of Besisahar, followed by interviews with municipal officials responsible for waste management, stakeholders, waste workers, and residents. A total of 230 households, 20 schools, 10 government and private offices, 10 financial institutions, 60 commercial hotels, restaurants, and shops, and 20 medical shops and healthcare institutions, were selected in this study by random sampling. An extensive field study was conducted within all municipal wards and at dump sites. The results indicated that 42.14% of solid waste was collected through door-to-door collection services, 5.87% was mismanaged in open public places, 11.21% was used as compost manure, and the rest was discarded on riverbanks, dug up, and burned. A large component of the characterization of household waste consisted of organic waste (68.03%), followed by paper/paper products (8.13%), agricultural waste (5.5%), plastic (5.21%), construction (3.81%), textile (2.72%), metals (0.54%), glass (1.01%), rubber (0.10%), electronic (0.05%), pharmaceutical (0.1%) and others (4.78%) in the Besishahar municipality. Solid waste generation was found to be at 197.604 g/capita/day, as revealed by cluster sampling in 230 households. Around 4.285 tons-solid waste/day were generated in urban areas, while 16.13 tons-solid waste/day was estimated for the whole municipality. An important correlation between the parameters of solid waste was found by statistical analysis. Currently, solid waste is dumped on riverbanks, open fields, and springs, creating environmental and health hazards. The findings of this study will be useful to Besisahar municipality and its stakeholders in forming policies that facilitate waste management practices in this region and promote sustainable waste management systems.
Full genome sequence analysis of African swine fever virus isolates from Cameroon
Authors: Goatley Lynnette C. , Freimanis Graham , Tennakoon Chandana , Foster Thomas J. , Quershi Mehnaz , Dixon Linda K. , Batten Carrie , Forth Jan Hendrik , Wade Abel , Netherton Christopher
Published: March 2024

African swine fever (ASF) is a devastating disease of domestic pigs that has spread across the globe since its introduction into Georgia in 2007. The etiological agent is a large double-stranded DNA virus with a genome of 170 to 180 kb in length depending on the isolate. Much of the differences in genome length between isolates are due to variations in the copy number of five different multigene families that are encoded in repetitive regions that are towards the termini of the covalently closed ends of the genome. Molecular epidemiology of African swine fever virus (ASFV) is primarily based on Sanger sequencing of a few conserved and variable regions, but due to the stability of the dsDNA genome changes in the variable regions occur relatively slowly. Observations in Europe and Asia have shown that changes in other genetic loci can occur and that this could be useful in molecular tracking. ASFV has been circulating in Western Africa for at least forty years. It is therefore reasonable to assume that changes may have accumulated in regions of the genome other than the standard targets over the years. At present only one full genome sequence is available for an isolate from Western Africa, that of a highly virulent isolate collected from Benin during an outbreak in 1997. In Cameroon, ASFV was first reported in 1981 and outbreaks have been reported to the present day and is considered endemic. Here we report three full genome sequences from Cameroon isolates of 1982, 1994 and 2018 outbreaks and identify novel single nucleotide polymorphisms and insertion-deletions that may prove useful for molecular epidemiology studies in Western Africa and beyond.
Grain versus AIN: Common rodent diets differentially affect health outcomes in adult C57BL/6j mice
Authors: Schipper Lidewij , Tims Sebastian , Timmer Eva , Lohr Julia , Rakhshandehroo Maryam , Harvey Louise
Published: March 2024

Semi-synthetic and grain-based diets are common rodent diets for biomedical research. Both diet types are considered nutritionally adequate to support breeding, growth, and long life, yet there are fundamental differences between them that may affect metabolic processes. We have characterized the effects of diet type on breeding outcomes, metabolic phenotype, and microbiota profile in adult mice. Healthy 8-week-old female and male C57BL/6J mice were fed a semi-synthetic or a grain-based diet for 12 weeks and changes in body weight and body composition were monitored. Breeding outcomes were determined. Body fat accumulation of female mice was lower on the semi-synthetic diet than on the grain-based diet. Pregnancy rate and newborn pup survival appeared to be lower in mice exposed to semi-synthetic diet compared to grain-based diet. Both female and male mice showed a profound change in fecal microbiota alpha and beta diversity depending on diet type. Our study shows that type of rodent diet may affect breeding outcomes whilst influencing metabolism and health of female laboratory mice. These factors have the potential to influence other experimental outcomes and the results suggest that semi-synthetic and grain-based diets are not interchangeable in research using rodent models. Careful consideration and increased understanding of the consequences of diet choice would lead to improvements in experimental design and reproducibility of study results.
Phytophthora pluvialis maintenance, spore production and detached needle assays
Authors: Eccersall Sophie , Vinson Leann S. , McDougal Rebecca , Meisrimler Claudia-Nicole
Published: March 2024

Phytophthora pluvialis is an oomycete that primarily infects Pinus radiata and Pseudotsuga menziesii causing the destructive foliar disease red needle cast (RNC). Recent observations show that P. pluvialis can also infect western hemlock inducing resinous cankers. High-throughput and reproducible infection assays are integral to find key information on tree health and oomycete pathogenicity. In this protocol, we describe the propagation and spore induction of P. pluvialis, followed by detached needle assays for verification and quantification of virulence of P. pluvialis in P. radiata needles. These needle assays can be employed for high-throughput screening of tree needles with diverse genetic backgrounds. In downstream analysis, Quantitative PCR (qPCR) was utilized to assess relative gene expression, as exemplified by candidate RxLR effector protein PpR01. Additional techniques like RNA sequencing, metabolomics, and proteomics can be combined with needle assays and can offer comprehensive insights into P. pluvialis infection mechanisms.
Encirclement of productive capacities and institutions in context of sustainable development
Authors: Guo Renhan , Madni Ghulam Rasool
Published: March 2024

The question of whether productive capacities and institutional quality facilitate or impede progress towards sustainable development is a significant issue that has not been extensively explored in prior literature. Despite their importance, these variables are often overlooked in the literature on sustainable development, yet they play a crucial role in enabling efforts to achieve sustainable development. In this study, we examined how productive capacities affect sustainable development, with a moderating impact of institutional quality. The sample was comprised of 44 Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) economies, covering the period from 2000 to 2018. Using a two-step system GMM, we found that the relation between productive capacities and sustainable development is dynamic, positive, and significant. Additionally, institutional quality played a moderating role in achieving sustainable development, especially among regionally connected countries. Our findings suggest that sustainable development is strongly linked to a country’s productive capacities. Therefore, improving productive capacities and institutional quality may lead to long-term development and sustainability. These results are valuable to academia as they provide new thought regarding the influence of productive capacities and institutional quality on sustainable development, and policymakers may benefit from the suggestions presented regarding productive capacities and institutional quality.
A lightweight and secure protocol for teleworking environment
Authors: Algarni Fahad , Ullah Jan Saeed
Published: March 2024

The Internet has advanced so quickly that we can now access any service at any time, from any location. As a result of this capability, People around the world can benefit from the popularity and convenience of teleworking systems. Teleworking systems, however, are vulnerable to a range of attacks; as an unauthorized user enters the open communication line and compromises the whole system, that, in turn, creates a big hurdle for the teleworkers. Professional groups have presented numerous mechanisms for the security of teleworking systems to stop any harm, but there are still a lot of security issues like insider, stolen verifier, masquerade, replay, traceability and impersonation threats. In this paper, we propose that one of the security issues with teleworking systems is the lack of a secure authentication mechanism. In order to provide a secure teleworking environment, we have proposed a lightweight and secure protocol to authenticate all the participants and make the requisite services available in an efficient manner. The security analysis of the presented protocol has been investigated formally using the random oracle model (ROM) and ProVerif simulation and informally through illustration/attack discussions. Meanwhile, the performance metrics have been measured by considering computation and communication overheads. Upon comparing the proposed protocol with prior works, it has been demonstrated that our protocol is superior to its competitors. It is suitable for implementation because it achieved a 73% improvement in computation and 34% in communication costs.
Association of daytime napping with incidence of chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease: A prospective observational study
Authors: Li Qinjun , Shan Ying , Liao Jingchi , Wang Ling , Wei Yanling , Dai Liang , Kan Sen , Shi Jianqing , Huang Xiaoyan , Lu Guoyuan
Published: March 2024

Background and aims

Few studies have examined the relationship between daytime napping and risk of kidney diseases. We aimed to investigate the association of daytime napping with the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). We also examined whether sleep duration modified the association of nap with CKD or ESKD.

Methods

We recruited 460,571 European middle- to older-aged adults without prior CKD or ESKD between March 13, 2006, and October 1, 2010, in the UK Biobank. Sleep behavior data were obtained through questionnaires administered during recruitment. The analysis of the relationship between napping and the occurrence of CKD and ESKD utilized Cox proportional hazards regression models. The modification role of sleep duration on the effect of nap on CKD and ESKD was also examined.

Results

After a mean follow-up of 11.1 (standard deviation 2.2) years, we observed 28,330 incident CKD cases and 927 ESKD cases. The daytime napping was associated with incident CKD (P for trend = .004). After fully adjusted, when compared with participants who did not take nap, those in sometimes and usually nap groups had higher risk of CKD. Nevertheless, the available evidence did not support a link between daytime napping and ESKD (P for trend = .06). Simultaneously, there was insufficient evidence suggesting that sleeping duration modified the association of daytime napping with incident CKD or ESKD.

Conclusion

Daytime napping was associated with an increased risk of CKD. However, the absence of conclusive evidence did not indicate a connection between daytime napping and ESKD.
HDS-Net: Achieving fine-grained skin lesion segmentation using hybrid encoding and dynamic sparse attention
Authors: Xue You , Chen Xinya , Liu Pei , Lv Xiaoyi
Published: March 2024

Skin cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide, and early detection is crucial for improving its cure rate. In the field of medical imaging, accurate segmentation of lesion areas within skin images is essential for precise diagnosis and effective treatment. Due to the capacity of deep learning models to conduct adaptive feature learning through end-to-end training, they have been widely applied in medical image segmentation tasks. However, challenges such as boundary ambiguity between normal skin and lesion areas, significant variations in the size and shape of lesion areas, and different types of lesions in different samples pose significant obstacles to skin lesion segmentation. Therefore, this study introduces a novel network model called HDS-Net (Hybrid Dynamic Sparse Network), aiming to address the challenges of boundary ambiguity and variations in lesion areas in skin image segmentation. Specifically, the proposed hybrid encoder can effectively extract local feature information and integrate it with global features. Additionally, a dynamic sparse attention mechanism is introduced, mitigating the impact of irrelevant redundancies on segmentation performance by precisely controlling the sparsity ratio. Experimental results on multiple public datasets demonstrate a significant improvement in Dice coefficients, reaching 0.914, 0.857, and 0.898, respectively.
An open-source FACS automation system for high-throughput cell biology
Authors: Wiener Diane M. , Huynh Emily , Jeyakumar Ilakkiyan , Bax Sophie , Sama Samia , Cabrera Joana P. , Todorova Verina , Vangipuram Madhuri , Vaid Shivanshi , Otsuka Fumitaka , Sakai Yoshitsugu , Leonetti Manuel D. , Gómez-Sjöberg Rafael
Published: March 2024

Recent advances in gene editing are enabling the engineering of cells with an unprecedented level of scale. To capitalize on this opportunity, new methods are needed to accelerate the different steps required to manufacture and handle engineered cells. Here, we describe the development of an integrated software and hardware platform to automate Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting (FACS), a central step for the selection of cells displaying desired molecular attributes. Sorting large numbers of samples is laborious, and, to date, no automated system exists to sequentially manage FACS samples, likely owing to the need to tailor sorting conditions (“gating”) to each individual sample. Our platform is built around a commercial instrument and integrates the handling and transfer of samples to and from the instrument, autonomous control of the instrument’s software, and the algorithmic generation of sorting gates, resulting in walkaway functionality. Automation eliminates operator errors, standardizes gating conditions by eliminating operator-to-operator variations, and reduces hands-on labor by 93%. Moreover, our strategy for automating the operation of a commercial instrument control software in the absence of an Application Program Interface (API) exemplifies a universal solution for other instruments that lack an API. Our software and hardware designs are fully open-source and include step-by-step build documentation to contribute to a growing open ecosystem of tools for high-throughput cell biology.
Biomarker combination predicting imminent relapse after discontinuation of biological drugs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in remission
Authors: Sakashita Eiji , Nagatani Katsuya , Endo Hitoshi , Minota Seiji
Published: March 2024

Objectives

Compared to conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), biological DMARDs demonstrate superior efficacy but come with higher costs and increased infection risks. The ability to stop and resume biological DMARD treatment while maintaining remission would significantly alleviate these barriers and anxieties. The objective of this study was to identify biomarkers that can predict an imminent relapse, hopefully enabling the timely resumption of biological DMARDs before relapse occurs.

Methods

Forty patients with rheumatoid arthritis who had been in remission for more than 12 months were included in the study. The patients discontinued their biological DMARD treatment and were monitored monthly for the next 24 months. Out of the 40 patients, 14 (35%) remained in remission at the end of the 24-month period, while 26 (65%) experienced relapses at different time points. Among the relapse cases, 13 patients experienced early relapse within 6 months, and another 13 patients had late relapse between 6 months and 24 months. Seventy-three cytokines in the sera collected longitudinally from the 13 patients with late relapse were measured by multiplex immunoassay. Using cytokines at two time points, immediately after withdrawal and just before relapse, volcano plot and area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) were drawn to select cytokines that distinguished imminent relapse. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used for the imminent relapse prediction model.

Results

IL-6, IL-29, MMP-3, and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) were selected as potential biomarkers for imminent relapse prediction. All four cytokines were upregulated at imminent relapse time point. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression showed that a combination model with IL-6, MMP-3, and TSLP yielded an AUC of 0.828 as top predictors of imminent relapse.

Conclusions

This methodology allows for the prediction of imminent relapse while patients are in remission, potentially enabling the implementation of on- and off-treatments while maintaining remission. It also helps alleviate patient anxiety regarding the high cost and infection risks associated with biological DMARDs, which are the main obstacles to benefiting from their superb efficacy.
Effective volume of rebreathed air during breathing with facepieces increases with protection class and decreases with ambient airflow
Authors: Ngo Helen , Spaeth Johannes , Schumann Stefan
Published: March 2024

Wearing facepieces is discussed in the context of increasing the volume of rebreathed air. We hypothesized that rebreathed air volume increases with increasing filtering facepiece (FFP) class and that persons breathing via facepieces compensate for the additional dead-space. We have determined the effective amount of rebreathed air for a surgical masks and FFP2 and FFP3 respirators in a physical model and determined tidal volumes, breathing frequency, blood oxygen saturation, and transcutaneously measured blood carbon dioxide partial pressure (PCO2) in lung-healthy subjects breathing without and with facepieces at rest and during exercising on a recumbent ergometer. Rebreathed air volume increased with the facepieces’ protection class and with increasing inspiration volume by 45 ± 2 ml to 247 ± 1 ml. Ambient airflow reduced rebreathed air volume by 17% up to 100% (all p < 0.001). When wearing facepieces, subjects increased tidal volume (p < 0.001) but not breathing frequency. Oxygen saturation was not influenced by facepieces. With FFP3 respirators PCO2 increased by up to 3.2 mmHg (p < 0.001) at rest but only up to 1.4 mmHg (p < 0.001) when exercising. Discomfort of breathing increased with increasing protection class of the facepiece but was consistently perceived as tolerable. We conclude that the amount of rebreathed air increases with increasing protection class of facepieces. Healthy adults were capable to compensate the facepieces’ dead-space by adapting tidal volume at rest and during physical activity; thereby they tolerated moderate increases in PCO2. Ambient airflow may considerably reduce the amount of facepiece related rebreathed air.
Development of automatic generation system for lung nodule finding descriptions
Authors: Momoki Yohei , Ichinose Akimichi , Nakamura Keigo , Iwano Shingo , Kamiya Shinichiro , Yamada Keiichiro , Naganawa Shinji
Published: March 2024

Worldwide, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. To manage lung nodules, radiologists observe computed tomography images, review various imaging findings, and record these in radiology reports. The report contents should be of high quality and uniform regardless of the radiologist. Here, we propose an artificial intelligence system that automatically generates descriptions related to lung nodules in computed tomography images. Our system consists of an image recognition method for extracting contents–namely, bronchopulmonary segments and nodule characteristics from images–and a natural language processing method to generate fluent descriptions. To verify our system’s clinical usefulness, we conducted an experiment in which two radiologists created nodule descriptions of findings using our system. Through our system, the similarity of the described contents between the two radiologists (p = 0.001) and the comprehensiveness of the contents (p = 0.025) improved, while the accuracy did not significantly deteriorate (p = 0.484).
Moderated mediation role of ethnicity on natural skin care products purchasing intention model among multicultural consumers
Authors: Najm Ahmed Abdulkareem , Salih Sarah Abdulkareem , Fazry Shazrul , Law Douglas
Published: March 2024

The trends for sustainable lifestyle and marketing motivated natural product consumption, such as natural skin care products (NSCPs). Different personal, environmental, and sociocultural factors influence purchase intention (PI) for NSCPs. However, there is a lack of evidence on the role of consumers’ ethnicity in the PI model. The present study investigated the moderated mediation role of ethnicity in the relationship between related factors, including environmental concern, subjective norms, health factor, Halal certificate, packaging design, past experience factor, price factor, and PI mediated by personal attitude. A web-based survey was utilized to capture quantitative data from a random sample of 330 multicultural consumer group participants. The results of the study indicated that consumers’ ethnicity substantially moderated the mediation effect of personal attitude in the relationships between subjective norms, health factor, Halal certificate, packaging design, past experience factor, price factor, and PI in the model. The findings contributed to understanding of the factors that influenced the PI of consumers from diverse sociocultural contexts in the market for natural products. It contributed directly to natural product marketing and industry.
Exploring trends and determinants of basic childhood vaccination coverage: Empirical evidence over 41 years
Authors: Lanza-León Paloma , Cantarero-Prieto David , Pascual-Sáez Marta
Published: March 2024

Vaccination is widely considered to be one of the most important prevention measures as a health strategy. This paper examines trends in basic childhood vaccination coverage and which country and time-dependent determinants may have influenced childhood immunization rates (1-dose BCG, 1- and 3-dose DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis), 1-dose measles, and 3-dose polio) between 1980 and 2020 across 94 countries. We identify economic, inequality, demographic, health, education, labor market, environmental, and political stability factors of immunization. To do this, we use data from the annual WHO and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) coverage estimates. The empirical analysis consists of generalized estimating equation models to assess relationships between immunization rates and socioeconomic factors. Additionally, we follow the Barro and Sala-i-Martín approach to identify conditional convergence. Our findings show the strongest positive statistically significant association between immunization rates and GDP per capita, as well as births attended by skilled health staff. Moreover, our research demonstrates conditional convergence, indicating that countries converge towards different steady states. The present study brings new insights to investigating the determinants of childhood vaccination coverage and provides significant implications for health policies.
Stellera chamaejasme L. extract inhibits adipocyte differentiation through activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway
Authors: Yeon Jaegoo , Kim Eunbin , Bazarragchaa Badamtsetseg , Kim Soo-Yong , Huh Jin Young , Park Hyuntae , Suh Sung-Suk , Seo Jong Bae
Published: March 2024

Stellera chamaejasme L. (SCL) is a perennial herb with demonstrated bioactivities against inflammation and metabolic dysfunction. Adipocyte differentiation is a critical regulator of metabolic homeostasis and a promising target for the treatment of metabolic diseases, so we examined the effects of SCL on adipogenesis. A methanol extract of SCL dose-dependently suppressed intracellular lipid accumulation in adipocyte precursors cultured under differentiation induction conditions and reduced expression of the adipogenic transcription factors PPARγ and C/EBPα as well as the downstream lipogenic genes fatty acid binding protein 4, adiponectin, fatty acid synthase, and stearoyl-CoA desaturase. The extract also promoted precursor cell proliferation and altered expression of the cell cycle regulators cyclin-dependent kinase 4, cyclin E, and cyclin D1. In addition, SCL extract stimulated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation, while pharmacological inhibition of ERK effectively blocked the inhibitory effects of SCL extract on preadipocyte differentiation. These results suggest that SCL extract contains bioactive compounds that can suppress adipogenesis through modulation of the ERK pathway.
Analysis of protected species observer data: Strengths, weaknesses, and application in the assessment of marine mammal responses to seismic surveys in the northern Gulf of Mexico 2002–2015
Authors: Barkaszi Mary Jo , Kelly Christopher J.
Published: March 2024

Visual observation data collected by protected species observers (PSOs) is required per regulations stipulated in Notices to Lessees (NTLs) and geophysical survey Permits (Form BOEM-0328) issued to seismic operators in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Here, data collected by certified and trained PSOs during seismic surveys conducted between 2002–2015 were compiled and analyzed to assess utility in assessing marine mammal responses to seismic noise and effectiveness of required mitigation measures. A total of 3,886 agency-required bi-weekly PSO Effort and Sightings reports were analyzed comprising 598,319 hours of PSO visual effort and 15,117 visual sighting records of marine mammals. The observed closest point of approach (CPA) distance was statistically compared across five species groupings for four airgun activity levels (full, minimum source, ramp up, silent). Whale and dolphin detections were significantly farther from airgun array locations during full power operations versus silence, indicating some avoidance response to full-power operations. Dolphin CPA distances were also significantly farther from airguns operating at minimum source than silence. Blackfish were observed significantly farther from the airgun array during ramp up versus both full and minimum source activities. Blackfish were observed significantly closer to the airgun array during silent activities versus at full, minimum source, and ramp up activities. Beaked whales had the largest mean CPA for detection distance compared to all other species groups. Detection distances for beaked whales were not significantly differences between full and silent operations; however, the sample size was very low. Overall results are consistent with other studies indicating that marine mammals may avoid exposure to airgun sounds based on observed distance from the seismic source during specified source activities. There was geographic variability in sighting rates associated with specific areas of interest within the GOM. This study demonstrates that agency required PSO reports provide a robust and useful data set applicable to impact assessments; management, policy and regulatory decision making; and qualitative input for regional scientific, stock assessment and abundance studies. However, several improvements in content and consistency would facilitate finer-scale analysis of some topics (e.g., effort associated with specific activities, observer biases, sound field estimation) and support statistical comparisons that could provide further insight into marine mammal responses and mitigation efficacy.
Contemporary national outcomes of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in necrotizing soft tissue infections
Authors: Toppen William , Cho Nam Yong , Sareh Sohail , Kjellberg Anders , Medak Anthony , Benharash Peyman , Lindholm Peter
Published: March 2024

Background

The role of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTI) is mainly based on small retrospective studies. A previous study using the 1998–2009 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) found HBOT to be associated with decreased mortality in NSTI. Given the argument of advancements in critical care, we aimed to investigate the continued role of HBOT in NSTI.

Methods

The 2012–2020 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) was queried for NSTI admissions who received surgery. 60,481 patients between 2012–2020 were included, 600 (<1%) underwent HBOT. Primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included amputation, hospital length of stay, and costs. A multivariate model was constructed to account for baseline differences in groups.

Results

Age, gender, and comorbidities were similar between the two groups. On bivariate comparison, the HBOT group had lower mortality rate (<2% vs 5.9%, p<0.001) and lower amputation rate (11.8% vs 18.3%, p<0.001) however, longer lengths of stay (16.9 days vs 14.6 days, p<0.001) and higher costs ($54,000 vs $46,000, p<0.001). After multivariate analysis, HBOT was associated with decreased mortality (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) 0.22, 95% CI 0.09–0.53, P<0.001) and lower risk of amputation (AOR 0.73, 95% CI 0.55–0.96, P = 0.03). HBO was associated with longer stays by 1.6 days (95% CI 0.4–2.7 days) and increased costs by $7,800 (95% CI $2,200-$13,300), they also had significantly lower risks of non-home discharges (AOR 0.79, 95%CI 0.65–0.96).

Conclusions

After correction for differences, HBOT was associated with decreased mortality, amputations, and non-home discharges in NSTI with the tradeoff of increase to costs and length of stay.
Retinoid orphan receptor gamma t (rorγt) promotes inflammatory eosinophilia but is dispensable for innate immune-mediated colitis
Authors: Torres-Huerta Alvaro , Ruley-Haase Katelyn , Reed Theodore , Boger-May Antonia , Rubadeux Derek , Mayer Lauren , Rajashekara Arpitha Mysore , Hiller Morgan , Frech Madeleine , Roncagli Connor , Pedersen Cameron , Camacho Mary Catherine , Hollmer Lauren , English Lauren , Kane Grace , Boone David L.
Published: March 2024

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) result from uncontrolled inflammation in the intestinal mucosa leading to damage and loss of function. Both innate and adaptive immunity contribute to the inflammation of IBD and innate and adaptive immune cells reciprocally activate each other in a forward feedback loop. In order to better understand innate immune contributions to IBD, we developed a model of spontaneous 100% penetrant, early onset colitis that occurs in the absence of adaptive immunity by crossing villin-TNFAIP3 mice to RAG1-/- mice (TRAG mice). This model is driven by microbes and features increased levels of innate lymphoid cells in the intestinal mucosa. To investigate the role of type 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3) in the innate colitis of TRAG mice, we crossed them to retinoid orphan receptor gamma t deficient (Rorγt-/-) mice. Rorγt-/- x TRAG mice exhibited markedly reduced eosinophilia in the colonic mucosa, but colitis persisted in these mice. Colitis in Rorγt-/- x TRAG mice was characterized by increased infiltration of the intestinal mucosa by neutrophils, inflammatory monocytes, macrophages and other innate cells. RNA and cellular profiles of Rorγt-/- x TRAG mice were consistent with a lack of ILC3 and ILC3 derived cytokines, reduced antimicrobial factors, increased activation oof epithelial repair processes and reduced activation of epithelial cell STAT3. The colitis in Rorγt-/- x TRAG mice was ameliorated by antibiotic treatment indicating that microbes contribute to the ILC3-independent colitis of these mice. Together, these gene expression and cell signaling signatures reflect the double-edged sword of ILC3 in the intestine, inducing both proinflammatory and antimicrobial protective responses. Thus, Rorγt promotes eosinophilia but Rorγt and Rorγt-dependent ILC3 are dispensable for the innate colitis in TRAG mice.
Towards explainable interaction prediction: Embedding biological hierarchies into hyperbolic interaction space
Authors: Pogány Domonkos , Antal Péter
Published: March 2024

Given the prolonged timelines and high costs associated with traditional approaches, accelerating drug development is crucial. Computational methods, particularly drug-target interaction prediction, have emerged as efficient tools, yet the explainability of machine learning models remains a challenge. Our work aims to provide more interpretable interaction prediction models using similarity-based prediction in a latent space aligned to biological hierarchies. We investigated integrating drug and protein hierarchies into a joint-embedding drug-target latent space via embedding regularization by conducting a comparative analysis between models employing traditional flat Euclidean vector spaces and those utilizing hyperbolic embeddings. Besides, we provided a latent space analysis as an example to show how we can gain visual insights into the trained model with the help of dimensionality reduction. Our results demonstrate that hierarchy regularization improves interpretability without compromising predictive performance. Furthermore, integrating hyperbolic embeddings, coupled with regularization, enhances the quality of the embedded hierarchy trees. Our approach enables a more informed and insightful application of interaction prediction models in drug discovery by constructing an interpretable hyperbolic latent space, simultaneously incorporating drug and target hierarchies and pairing them with available interaction information. Moreover, compatible with pairwise methods, the approach allows for additional transparency through existing explainable AI solutions.
Differential impact of environmental factors on airborne live bacteria and inorganic particles in an underground walkway
Authors: Yamaguchi Hiroyuki , Okubo Torahiko , Nozaki Eriko , Osaki Takako
Published: March 2024

We previously reported that variations in the number and type of bacteria found in public spaces are influenced by environmental factors. However, based on field survey data alone, whether the dynamics of bacteria in the air change as a result of a single environmental factor or multiple factors working together remains unclear. To address this, mathematical modeling may be applied. We therefore conducted a reanalysis of the previously acquired data using principal component analysis (PCA) in conjunction with a generalized linear model (Glm2) and a statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) test employing the χ2 distribution. The data used for the analysis were reused from a previous public environmental survey conducted at 8:00–20:00 on May 2, June 1, and July 5, 2016 (regular sampling) and at 5:50–7:50 and 20:15–24:15 on July 17, 2017 (baseline sampling) in the Sapporo underground walking space, a 520-meter-long underground walkway. The dataset consisted of 60 samples (22 samples for “bacterial flora”), including variables such as “temperature (T),” “humidity (H),” “atmospheric pressure (A),” “traffic pedestrians (TP),” “number of inorganic particles (Δ5: 1–5 μm),” “number of live airborne bacteria,” and “bacterial flora.” Our PCA with these environmental factors (T, H, A, and TP) revealed that the 60 samples could be categorized into four groups (G1 to G4), primarily based on variations in PC1 [Loadings: T(˗0.62), H(˗0.647), TP(0.399), A(0.196)] and PC2 [Loadings: A(˗0.825), TP(0.501), H(0.209), T(˗0.155)]. Notably, the number of inorganic particles significantly increased from G4 to G1, but the count of live bacteria was highest in G2, with no other clear pattern. Further analysis with Glm2 indicated that changes in inorganic particles could largely be explained by two variables (H/TP), while live bacteria levels were influenced by all explanatory variables (TP/A/H/T). ANOVA tests confirmed that inorganic particles and live bacteria were influenced by different factors. Moreover, there were minimal changes in bacterial flora observed among the groups (G1–G4). In conclusion, our findings suggest that the dynamics of live bacteria in the underground walkway differ from those of inorganic particles and are regulated in a complex manner by multiple environmental factors. This discovery may contribute to improving public health in urban settings.
Solas ante el escándalo. Viudas y conflictividad familiar (Barcelona, ss. XVII-XVIII)
Authors: Fargas Peñarrocha Mariela
Published: March 2024

Este es un trabajo sobre la noción y el desarrollo del escándalo desde la perspectiva de la familia. Plantea la ligazón entre el escándalo y el conflicto familiar. Desde este espacio problemático se toma como referencia a las viudas, cuando ellas se encuentran en el origen del conflicto o cuando están involucradas en él y se hace un seguimiento de sus conductas, agencias, relaciones, para comprender cómo el escándalo se va trasladando también a la esfera exterior, en cuyos estadios finales va a coincidir con rupturas materiales y simbólicas en la familia. Para llevar a cabo este estudio se han utilizado principalmente fuentes que refieren tanto las trayectorias de ruptura material o abandono familiar ante el escándalo que involucra a una viuda, como las trayectorias de ruptura simbólica y pleito familiar. El trabajo subraya cómo el escándalo se encuentra vinculado a la conflictividad de las familias, tanto de tipo patrimonial, económica, como afectiva, y por tanto comienza dentro del hogar, se promueve desde dentro del hogar, no se oculta, antes bien, es instrumentalizado para fines e intereses concretos.
El escándalo en la vida cotidiana del gremio de la Universidad de Salamanca durante el periodo de la Contrarreforma (1545-1648)
Authors: Hernández Sánchez Gustavo
Published: March 2024

El presente artículo compara las causas criminales en las que los oficiales responsables de la jurisdicción de la Universidad de Salamanca actuaron para corregir aspectos de la vida cotidiana relacionados con la moral y buenas costumbres de los miembros de la corporación que incurrieron en escándalo durante el periodo de la Contrarreforma (1545-1648). A través del estudio de los pleitos conservados entre los fondos documentales de la sección Audiencia Escolástica del Archivo Universitario Salmantino (ausa) se extraen algunos retazos del día a día de una población privilegiada que no siempre cumplía con lo dispuesto en el Concilio de Trento y en la que estaban implicados también maestros y doctores, no solamente estudiantes. Se recogen asimismo algunas consideraciones críticas que permiten cuestionar hasta qué punto el gremio estaba inmerso tanto en la picaresca como en el atraso y el dogmatismo católico, caricaturas ambas presentes a veces en la literatura tanto especializada como divulgativa de la temprana Edad Moderna. Mostrando la imagen, en definitiva, de los miembros de una institución tan diversa y rica social y culturalmente como las propias personas que la transitaron, que incluye desde figuras ilustres como fray Luis de León a cientos de estudiantes anónimos.
El escándalo en los locutorios de los conventos castellanos de la Edad Moderna. «Las palabras de la esposa del Señor con los seglares siempre han de ser pocas y limitadas»
Authors: De la Fuente Pablos Silvia
Published: March 2024

La estricta observancia impuesta a las religiosas tras Trento tenía en el silencio riguroso una de sus máximas principales. A través del silencio las monjas caminaban hacia la perfección religiosa. Sin embargo, en ocasiones el mutismo de las esposas de Dios se rompía en los locutorios. Lugar donde contactar con el exterior, las monjas podían hablar en estos espacios, pero, como escribió el padre Arbiol, sus palabras debían ser «pocas y limitadas». Y es que cuando las hermanas transgredían la discreción, aunque fuera solo a través de una sonrisa, los escritores moralistas del periodo las tachaban de escandalosas, en definitiva. Escándalos que surgían por falta de rectitud y que podían tener su repercusión en los otros. A través de este trabajo trataremos de aproximarnos a los posibles escándalos en los locutorios de los conventos femeninos, las causas que los originaron y su represión en el confesionario. De este modo, transitaremos por la construcción de la identidad de las monjas postridentinas. Trataremos de advertir, además, si lo que era considerado un comportamiento escandaloso para ellas también lo era para las mujeres seglares.Para lograr nuestros objetivos nos servimos como fuente principal de los escritos moralistas, así como de los manuales de confesores y la literatura de costumbres propia del Antiguo Régimen.
Considerações sobre o bilinguismo dos Coloureds sul-africanos
Authors: Da Silva Macedo Anderson Lucas
Published: March 2024

O presente artigo se propõe a discutir conceitos debilinguismo e bilingualidade a partir de pressupostos teóricosda Sociolinguística como os de Myers-Scotton (2006) eParadis (2007). Embora esse tema tenha sido bastanteexplorado nas últimas décadas não só pela sociolinguística,mas pela psicologia e sociologia, nós trazemos a abordagemde Savedra (1994; 2009) que mostra a importância daobservação da relatividade no fenômeno linguístico emquestão. A partir de tal relatividade, trazemos algunsdos resultados da tese de doutorado (Macedo, 2023) quetrata especificamente de um grupo étnico sul-africanoconhecido como Coloured. Tal tese utilizou entrevistas comsul-africanos realizadas na Cidade do Cabo em 2022. OsColoureds são um grupo étnico bilíngue em inglês e afrikaanse se concentram grandemente na província do CaboOcidental. O texto mostra que não é possível classificar, demaneira trivial, o bilinguismo dos falantes em questão devidoaos diversos contextos familiares e sociais em que eles estãoinseridos, gerando distintas proficiências e atitudes emambas as línguas. O texto também se interessa em divulgarum grupo étnico pouco conhecido dos leitores brasileiroschamando atenção para a íntima relação entre língua eetnicidade.
Planting density and mechanical site preparation effects on understory composition, functional diversity and planted black spruce growth in boreal forests
Authors:   Institute for Forest Research and Centre for Forest Research, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, 445 boul. de l’Université, Rouyn-Noranda, QC J9X 5E4, Canada, Fetouab Amira , Fenton Nicole J. , Thiffault Nelson , Barrette Martin
Published: March 2024

Mechanical site preparation (MSP) is used prior to planting to control competing vegetation and enhance soil conditions, particularly in areas prone to paludification. Tree planting density can be adapted to the management context and objectives, as it influences yield and wood quality. However, the combined effects of MSP and planting density on understory vegetation composition, functional traits, and diversity remain uncertain. We thus conducted a study in the Clay Belt region of northwestern Quebec, Canada. After careful logging, the study area was divided into nine sites, each receiving one of three treatments: plowing, disc trenching, or no preparation. Sites were further divided into two, with black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] Britton, Sterns & Poggenb.) seedlings planted at either a low planting density of 1100 seedlings ha-1 or a high planting density of 2500 seedlings ha-1. After nine years, we assessed understory composition, diversity, key functional traits, sapling density and growth of planted trees. Careful logging alone led to a higher density of naturally established conifers compared to plowing or disc trenching. The interaction between planting density and MSP significantly influenced understory diversity and composition in plowed plots. Understory composition was affected by the soil C/N ratio, coniferous species, and deciduous species density. The growth of black spruce was notably enhanced with higher planting density in the plow treatment only. Neither planting density nor MSP alone affected tree height and diameter. Our results suggest that combining plowing with high-density planting can enhance stand growth and improve forest productivity. These findings guide future research on paludified forests.
An Analysis of Undergraduate Microbiology Students’ Beliefs and Attitudes Related to Virtual Learning
Authors: Stefanile Adam
Published: March 2024

Since the inception of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, undergraduate microbiology students globally have had their education disrupted causing uncertainty with their education, learning, and career trajectories.Undergraduate students have faced challenges with the transition of online/virtual learning and interacting with their fellow colleagues and instructors. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged the education system globally and created a major paradigm shift that forced educators of all levels to adjust their traditional face-to-face pedagogy to an online mode of pedagogy instantaneously. I initiated this study because of the dilemma that the COVID-19 pandemic had on students’ experiences and instructors’ in meeting the challenges of transferring a course entirely online in a relatively very short time. The purpose of this study is to investigate the following: (1) to what extent do undergraduate students change their knowledge about topics in microbiology relevant to the course presented online? (2) to what extent do the undergraduate students change their opinions relating to topics addressed in a microbiology course relevant to the course presented online? (3) how do undergraduate students experience computer-based learning in a microbiology course relevant to the course presented online?
Elastic wave speeds, Debye temperature and microhardness of YX3 (X = In, Sn, Tl and Pb) intermetallic compounds
Authors: Mezouar Rabie , Logzit Nacer , Benmakhlouf Abdelfateh
Published: March 2024

In the present work, we reviewed and report on the theoretical prediction of the longitudinal, transverse and average elastic wave veloci-ties, and the Debye temperature for some nonmagnetic YX3 (X = In, Sn, Tl, and Pb) intermetallic compounds with stable cubic AuCu3-type structure. The lattice parameters and the elastic constants used here are taken from the work of Abraham et al [1] using the general-ized gradient approximation (PBE-GGA). Our results are analyzed and compared with the available theoretical and experimental data, and in general a good agreement is found. The deviation between our value (224.4 K) of the Debye temperature θD for YSn3 material and the experimental one (210 K) is around 6.62%, while the deviation between our result (1401 m/s) of the transverse elastic wave velocity for YTl3 intermetallic material and the calculated one (1470 m/s) is about 4.93%. In addition the Young’s Modulus and Poisson’s Ratio of YX3 intermetallic compounds for the crystallographic planes (100), (110) and (111) are predicted.