bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A GRU-CNN Model for Auditory Attention Detection Using Microstate and Recurrence Quantification Analysis
Authors: EskandariNasab MohammadReza , Raeisi Zahra , Lashaki Reza Ahmadi , Najafi Hamidreza
Published: January 2024

Attention as a cognition ability plays a crucial role in perception which helps humans to concentrate on specific objects of the environment while discarding others. In this paper, auditory attention detection (AAD) is investigated using different dynamic features extracted from multichannel electroencephalography (EEG) signals when listeners attend to a target speaker in the presence of a competing talker. To this aim, microstate and recurrence quantification analysis are utilized to extract different types of features that reflect changes in the brain state during cognitive tasks. Then, an optimized feature set is determined by employing the processes of significant feature selection based on classification performance. The classifier model is developed by hybrid sequential learning that employs Gated Recurrent Units (GRU) and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) into a unified framework for accurate attention detection. The proposed AAD method shows that the selected feature set achieves the most discriminative features for the classification process. Also, it yields the best performance as compared with state-of-the-art AAD approaches from the literature in terms of various measures. The current study is the first to validate the use of microstate and recurrence quantification parameters to differentiate auditory attention using reinforcement learning without access to stimuli.
Fluorescence spectroscopy based characterization of Flaxseed Oil
Authors: Saleem M. , Ahmad Naveed
Published: January 2024

Fluorescence spectroscopy has been employed for the compositional analysis of flaxseed oil, detection of its adulteration and investigation of the thermal effects on its molecular composition. Excitation wavelengths from 320 to 420 nm have been used to explore the valued ingredients in flaxseed oil. The emission spectra of flaxseed oil revealed that it contains high concentration of vitamin K, isomers of vitamin E, carotenoids and chlorophylls with corresponding emission spectra at 390, 414, 441, 475, 515 and 673/720 nm, which can be used as a marker for quality analysis. Detection of adulteration of canola oil in flaxseed oil has been demonstrated by applying principal component analysis. Moreover, the effects of temperature on the molecular composition of cold pressed flaxseed oil has been explored by heating them at cooking temperatures of 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170 and 180°C, each for 30 minutes. On heating, the deterioration of vitamin E, carotenoids and chlorophylls occurred with an increase in the oxidation products. However, it was found that up to 140°C, flaxseed oil retains much of its natural composition whereas up to 180 oC, it loses much of its valuable ingredients along with increase of oxidized products.
Genetic Insights and Therapeutic Potential for Colorectal cancer: Mutation Analysis of KRAS Gene and Efficacy of Oleuropein-Conjugated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles
Authors: Mehdinejad Sedigheh , Peymani Maryam , Salehzadeh Ali , Zaefizadeh Mohammad
Published: January 2024

This study aimed to address the challenges of treating advanced stages of colon cancer (CRC) by exploring potential therapeutic options. The research focused on the genetic aspects of CRC, specifically the mutation rate of the KRAS gene, along with other genes like TTN, APC, MUC16, and TP53, using the TCGA dataset. Additionally, the study investigated the efficacy of Oleuropein, a polyphenolic compound found in olives, in combating CRC by using iron oxide nanoparticles coated with glucose and conjugated with Oleuropein. The study characterized the physicochemical properties of the nanoparticles and the cytotoxic effects of the nanoparticles were evaluated on CRC and normal fibroblast cell lines, demonstrating significantly higher cytotoxicity against CRC cells compared to normal cells. Furthermore, the study analyzed gene expression changes using the GSE124627 dataset to understand the influence of KRAS alterations. It identified numerous upregulated and downregulated genes in KRAS-overexpressing samples, suggesting their involvement in critical cancer-related pathways. These findings suggest that KRAS-influenced genes could serve as potential therapeutic targets for CRC treatment. The study also examined the expression levels of identified genes in CRC samples compared to normal samples. Among the upregulated genes, 22 showed significant increases in cancer samples, while 14 downregulated genes exhibited decreased expression in both KRAS-influenced and cancer samples. Cox regression analysis identified specific upregulated genes, including ANKZF1, SNAI1, PPFIA4, SIX4, and NOTUM, associated with poor prognosis. Kaplan-Meier analysis further confirmed the correlation between increased expression of these genes and higher patient mortality rates. In conclusion, this study provided valuable insights into the genetic aspects of CRC and potential therapeutic strategies. The use of Oleuropein-conjugated iron oxide nanoparticles showed promising cytotoxic effects on colon cancer cells. These findings contribute to advancing our understanding of CRC and offer potential targets for further investigation and the development of novel therapeutic approaches.
Phosphate Uptake in PhoX: Molecular Mechanisms
Authors: General Ignacio , Saura Maria Luz Peres , Cajachagua Cindy Lee , Balan Andrea
Published: January 2024

PhoX is a high-affinity phosphate binding protein, present in Xanthomonas citri, a phytopathogen responsible for the citrus canker disease. Performing molecular dynamics simulations and different types of computational analyses, we study the molecular mechanisms at play in relation to phosphate binding, revealing the global functioning of the protein: PhoX naturally oscillates along its global normal modes, which allow it to explore both bound and unbound conformations, eventually attracting a nearby negative phosphate ion to the highly positive electrostatic potential on its surface, particularly close to the binding pocket. There, several hydrogen bonds are formed with the two main domains of the structure. Phosphate creates, in this way, a strong bridge that connects the domains, keeping itself between them, in a tight closed conformation, explaining its high binding affinity.
Comparison of the Inter-laminar Approach and Laminotomy Open Approach for Filum Terminale Lipoma: A Retrospective Analysis
Authors: Nawashiro Tomoki , Kurimoto Michihiro , Nagakura Masamune , Kato Mihoko , Aoki Kousuke , Saito Ryuta
Published: January 2024

Purpose
Filum terminale lipoma (FTL) causes spinal-cord tethering and is associated with tethered-cord syndrome, which is treated by dissection of the entrapment. The conventional treatment for FTL involves dissection of the spinal cord through a laminotomy open approach (LOA). However, in recent years, the interlaminar approach (ILA) has gained popularity as a minimally invasive surgery. This study compares the effectiveness of the minimally invasive ILA with the conventional LOA in treating FTL.
Methods
We retrospectively evaluated data on the ILA and LOA for FTL at our center. In total, 103 participants were enrolled, including 55 in the ILA group and 48 in the LOA group.
Results
The ILA required significantly less surgical time and resulted in less blood loss. The improvement rate of symptoms in symptomatic patients was 84%, and for urinary symptoms and abnormal urodynamic study findings, it was 77%. The postoperative maintenance rate for asymptomatic patients was 100%. Postoperative complications of ILA included delayed wound healing in two patients (3.6%).
Conclusion
Compared with LOA, ILA offers advantages in terms of shorter operative time and less blood loss, with no significant difference in long-term symptom-improvement rates between the groups.
Mid-infrared light reduces the nicotine content and detoxifies bidis for safer smoking
Authors: Thangaraju Umakanthan , Ponnusamy Madhumathi
Published: January 2024

Tobacco use is dangerous to health and the environment. Despite the numerous measures taken to combat the adverse effects of tobacco, fruitful results are yet to be achieved. Nicotine is the primary psychoactive (and highly addictive) chemical component in tobacco. This study aimed to lower the nicotine content and detoxify bidis (a more harmful tobacco product compared to cigarettes). We subjected the bidi packets to 2–6 µm mid-infrared (mid-IR) light generated by a specially designed pocket-sized atomizer. The smoke from such mid-IR-treated bidis blown over animate and inanimate objects was non-irritating and harmless. Spectroscopic studies revealed that the applied 2–6 µm mid-IR exerted molecular-level changes and resulted in chemical compound transformations, thus lowering the nicotine content in the bidis. Trials with smokers demonstrated that the mid-IR-treated bidis were more desirable to smoke and also retained smoking pleasure and satiety. Thus, the 2–6 µm mid-IR light can detoxify the bidis and represents a safer way for smoking than attempting complete cessation, which is highly challenging for smokers.
Ensemble Transformer for cross lingual semantic textual similarity
Authors: Piroozfar Poorya , Abdous Mohammad , Bidgoli Behrouz Minaei
Published: January 2024

Today, it is particularly important to recognize the semantic similarity between texts in different languages due to the emergence of new natural language processing models like ChatGPT and Bard. These models can provide more accurate and comprehensive answers to users' questions by identifying semantic similarity between two texts in different languages. Cross-lingual semantic similarity refers to the process of calculating similarity between two pieces of text in different languages. This paper aims to present an improved method for finding similarities between sentences in different languages. Some of the current methods create the same vector space to achieve this, while others use machine translation to translate the text into another language and then determine similarity between the two sentences using monolingual sentence similarity methods. The degree of similarity is expressed as a number between 0 and 5. Over the past few years, the progress in language models based on transformers has paved the way for improvements in detecting text similarity. This article discusses the utilization of ensemble models with transformers to determine the semantic similarity of sentences in Persian and English languages utilizing the Persian-English corpus. According to our findings, this ensemble approach has a correlation rate of 95.28% in detecting the extent of semantic similarity between cross-lingual sentences. These results indicate that our method surpasses previous techniques for discovering similarities between sentences in different languages.
Adoption and Use of Learning Management Systems Among Teachers and Students in Higher Educational Institutions in Greater Noida
Authors: Jarry Paul Dominic
Published: January 2024

This research investigates the adoption and usage patterns of learning management systems (LMSs) in private higher education institutions, namely,Sharda University and Galgotias University, in Greater Noida, India. This study, guided by the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model, employs a quantitative approach through surveys and statistical analyses. The data collected from 76 teachers and 106 students provideinsights into LMS adoption.
Among the students, there was a moderate level of acceptance of the LMS, with Google Classroom being the preferred platform. While social influence and facilitating conditions varied, perceived usefulness, ease of use, and behavioral intentions remained consistent across demographic factors. Among the teachers, a generally positive attitude toward LMS adoption was observed, with Google Classroom being the predominant attitude. Demographic factors, such as age, gender, and teaching experience, influence teachers' perceptions. Regression analysis revealed a significant relationship between perceived aspects and teachers' behavioral intentions, highlighting the importance of these factors in shaping attitudes toward LMS adoption.
In summary, the study provides valuable insights into LMS adoption dynamics in private higher education in Greater Noida. The findings have implications for educational institutions aiming to improve their digital infrastructure and promote effective LMS utilization, offering potential applications for policymakers, educators, and stakeholders to enhance decision-making and educational quality in the region. Top of Form
Calculating transmembrane voltage on the electric pulse-affected cell membrane: using molecular dynamics and finite element simulations
Authors: Mirshahi Salim , Vahedi Behzad , Yazdani Saeed Oraee , Golab Mahdi , Sazgarnia Ameneh
Published: January 2024

In this study, the induced transmembrane voltage (ITV) was investigated by finite element method (FEM) of a spherical-shaped MCF-7 cell. Current study demonstrates how the thin layer that makes up a cell membrane can be substituted as the boundary between extracellular and intracellular by a particular surface conductivity. Moreover, for varied applied electric fields, the distribution of ITV on the cell membrane and its maximum value were experimentally assessed. Pore formation in cell membrane subjected to an external electric field was numerically studied by Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations of palmitoyloleoyl-phosphatidylcholine (POPC). The quantity of the electroporated cell surface area corresponds to the applied external electric field, and the dependency on electric field was calculated. As a result, when mentioned numerical methods were used for applying external electric field of 1500 V/cm to the cell suspension, the total cell surface area was electroporated 66% and 68% for MD and FEM.
Adaptive dynamic programming path tracking control of a tractor- trailer wheeled mobile robot
Authors: Ghasemzadeh Aliakbar , Amjadifard Roya , Keymasi-Khalaji Ali
Published: January 2024

Tractor-trailer wheeled mobile robots (TTWMRs) have complex nonlinear dynamics that make their precise trajectory tracking control challenging. This paper investigates an adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) approach using a critical neural network (NN) to address the tracking control for continuous-time TTWMR that is modeled in a suitable affine form. A critical NN approximates the optimal cost function and enables adaptive tuning of the control policy. Decoupled kinematic and dynamic ADP controllers are proposed for integrated path and velocity tracking. For this purpose, tracking error signals are defined for each control loop. Theoretical analysis proves closed-loop stability and convergence. Simulations demonstrate superior tracking performance compared to previous techniques, with lower errors and control efforts. This highlights the benefits of ADP for optimizing TTWMR control despite uncertainties. The adaptive optimal control enables promising capabilities for autonomous applications.
Industry 5.0 Safety and Health Employee Surveillance
Authors: Chandra B Ravi , Indu P , Hemalatha G , Lakshmi P Jhansi
Published: January 2024

Using NodeMCU ESP8266, a device called Heart Pulse and Temperature of the Body Monitoring can measure both heartbeat and body temperature. On the LCD that is attached to the sensor, the measurements in BPM (Beats Per Minute) will be shown. Along with BPM values, the body temperate will be shown on the serial monitor. With the advancement of technology, this project makes use of the NodeMCU ESP8266 can digitally detect both heart rate and body temperature. The key benefit of using NodeMCU ESP8266 is that it can affect the environment by driving electric motors, light bulbs, and other actuators while also detecting itself by gathering data from a variety of sensors. The board's microcontroller is programmed using the NodeMCU ESP8266 programming language. Body temperature is measured using the LM35. Body temperature is a crucial parameter for assessing and diagnosing human health. A heartbeat sensor was used to calculate the heart rate. One can test their mean arterial pressure (MAP) using this program and the Android will display their accurate body temperature. The device may measure physiological parameters, including heart rate.
Nonbacterial Thrombotic Endocarditis of mitral valve associated with a lymphoproliferative malignancy: Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Duarte Fabiana , Barradas Maria Inês , Dias Ana Raquel , Faria Carlos , Machado Carina , Pavão Carolina
Published: January 2024

Non-bacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) is a rare condition marked by sterile vegetations on cardiac valves, often linked to rheumatologic diseases, autoimmune disorders, and advanced solid malignancies. It poses a high risk of systemic embolization, and treatment and prognosis depend on the underlying clinical condition. We present a case of a 57 years-old male who presented to the emergency department with a 5-day history of painful swollen fingers and color change episodes (from pallor to cyanosis). The patient also reported unintentional weight loss and weakness over two months. Physical examination revealed erythrocyanosis in the distal extremities, prompting consideration of secondary Raynaud syndrome. Despite medical therapy, progressive digital ischemia led to multiple finger amputations. Diagnostic work-up, including a transesophageal echocardiogram, identified an irregular hyperechogenic mass on the mitral valve (scallops A1/A2) without valve disfunction. A thoracic computed tomography scan showed an enlarged right paratracheal lymph node. Histopathological analysis from a transthoracic needle biopsy revealed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The patient underwent aggressive R-CHOP chemotherapy, achieving a favorable complete response. This is a particular case involving the occurrence of NBTE and Raynaud phenomenon as the initial paraneoplastic manifestations in a previously healthy young man. Reports of NBTE associated with lymphoproliferative conditions are quite rare, with fewer than ten cases described in the literature. To our knowledge, this is the first case of NBTE specifically associated with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
Unmanned Aerial System-Driven Data and Advanced Deep Learning Strategies for Elevating Weed Management in Agricuture
Authors: Srivast Dhiraj , Singh Vijay , Li Song , Kochersberger Kevin
Published: January 2024

In the United States, Palmer amaranth is a troublesome weed that competes with major crops, such as, soybean, and may lead to significant crop yield reduction if not managed properly. Integrated weed management practices using eco-friendly artificial intelligence based weeding robots and spot sprayers have been gaining popularity in agriculture. All of these robotic systems and weed recognition approaches, utilize a weed image database and a set of machine learning algorithms. This study investigates the performance of classification and object detection algorithms using unmanned aerial systems based red, green, and blue imageries acquired at different growth stages of soybean and Palmer amaranth. Vision transformer and EfficientnetB0 achieved test accuracies of 97.69% and 93.26% respectively, but Vision Transformer was 2.5-times slower than EfficientNetB0 on inference speed. Based on the tradeoff between speed and accuracy, experimentally it was observed that YOLOv6s is a suitable object detection model for real-time deployment with 82.6% mean average precision. Additionally, we present a self-supervised contrastive learning approach to label Palmer amaranth and soybean classes, achieving 98.5% test accuracy, demonstrating the potential for cost-efficient data acquisition and labeling to advance precision agriculture research.
An observational study to determine the optimal physical evaluation site for detecting anemia
Authors: Horibata Ken , Kondo Seigo , Hashimoto Shuji , Takemura Yousuke
Published: January 2024

Clinical pallor has traditionally served as a screening tool for anemia; however, its assessment is inherently subjective and lacks objectivity. Therefore, we investigate the correlation between skin and mucosal color, as measured by a spectrophotometer among 92 adult Japanese outpatients, and venous hemoglobin (Hb) values, to identify the optimal anatomical assessment site for detecting anemia. Color readings of the lower lip, lower palpebral conjunctiva, palm, nail bed, and inside of the upper arm were obtained using a spectrophotometer. Skin and mucosal color were quantified using the Lab* color scale. The color difference (ΔE*) was employed to evaluate the discriminability of anemia identification across different assessment sites. The a* values of the lip, palpebral conjunctiva, palm, and inside of the upper arm exhibited a positive correlation with Hb values and were significantly lower in the anemic group. The L* and b* values of across all sites showed no significant or less differences. While the ΔE* levels for the palpebral conjunctiva and lip were readily discernible by the human eye when comparing the normal and anemic groups, recognition at this level proved challenging for other sites. Consequently, reliance on these sites for anemia diagnosis may lead to potential oversight.
New dinuclear gold(III) complex with 1,5-naphthyridine as bridging ligand: Synthesis, characterization, DNA/BSA binding studies and anticancer activity
Authors: Radisavljević Snežana , Ćoćić Dušan , Petrović Biljana , Kellner Ina , Ivanović-Burmazović Ivana , Radenković Nikola , Nikodijević Danijela , Milutinović Milena
Published: January 2024

With the aim to reveal the antitumor drug which possesses improved activity compared with cisplatin, we synthesized the new dinuclear gold(III) complex with 1,5-naphthyridine as bridging ligand. Further, the newly synthesized complex was characterized by various techniques to confirm the structure. The stability of this complex in water and in PBS buffer was investigated by UV-Vis spectroscopy. DNA binding studies were examined by UV-Vis, fluorescence spectroscopy and viscosity measurements. The competitive studies with EB or HOE were done by fluorescence spectroscopy. The results showed that the dinuclear gold(III) complex interacts with calf-thymus DNA (CT-DNA) via covalently binding mode. Furthermore, the investigated complex shows high value of binding constants for the interaction with bovine serum albumin (BSA) as well as for the interactions in the presence of site markers (eosin Y or ibuprofen). Dinuclear gold(III) complex induced remarkable cytotoxicity on HCT116 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cell lines, 24 and 72 h after treatment. The complex also showed selectivity and induced significantly lower cytotoxic activity on healthy cells compared to cancers. In support of the antitumor activity of this complex, the proapoptotic activity (via increased caspase 9 activity) and low percentages of necrosis were observed. All experimentally obtained results were corroborated by molecular docking simulations.
Integrated acetabular prosthesis versus bone grafting in total hip arthroplasty for Crowe type II and III hip dysplasia: a retrospective case–control study
Authors: Cheng Liangliang , 刘 宇宸 , Wang Linbao , Ying Jiawei , Wang Fuyang , Li Junlei , Zhao De-Wei
Published: January 2024

Background
Many methods of acetabular reconstruction with total hip arthroplasty (THA) for Crowe type II and III adult developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) acetabular bone defect have been implemented clinically. However, there was no study comparing the results of integrated acetabular prosthesis (IAP) with bone grafting (BG).
Method
The clinical data of 45 patients with unilateral Crowe type II and III DDH who underwent THA were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups: 25 patients using 3D printed IAP (group A) and 20 patients using BG (group B). Clinical and radiographic outcomes were evaluated.
Results
There were no significant differences between the two groups in Harris hip score (HHS) (preoperative, 6 months postoperative and the last follow-up), leg length discrepancy (LLD), cup inclination, cup anteversion, vertical center of rotation (V-COR) and horizontal center of rotation (H-COR) and proportion of cup coverage (P > 0.05). The HHS in group A was higher than in group B at 1 and 3 months postoperative (P<0.05). The surgical time and time to full weight-bearing in group A was shorter than in group B (P<0.05). The blood loss in group A was less than in group B (P<0.05). No complications were observed in either group during the follow-up period.
Conclusion
IAP and BG have similar radiographic outcomes and long-term clinical efficacy in THA for Crowe type II and III DDH, but IAP technique has higher surgical safety and facilitates the recovery of hip joint function, which is worthy of clinical promotion.
A novel optimization method : Wave Search Algorithm
Authors: Zhang Haobin , San Hongjun , Sun Haijie , Ding Lin , Wu Xingmei
Published: January 2024

This paper proposes a novel optimization method inspired by radar technology: Wave Search Algorithm (WSA). The WSA algorithm not only draws on engineering techniques for its unique algorithmic design for the first time but also utilizes the gradient information of the problem to be optimized and employs a variety of improved greedy mechanisms, making it accurate, efficient, flexible, and highly adaptable. The superiority of the WSA algorithm is experimentally demonstrated by testing it with a rich set of test functions ( 23 benchmark test functions and 30 CEC2017 test functions) and comparing it with state-of-the-art and highly cited algorithms. Finally, the WSA algorithm is applied to six engineering problems. Experimental results show that the optimization ability of WSA algorithm is better than other state-of-the-art optimization algorithms, and it can efficiently solve practical engineering problems.
Changes in Temperature and CO2 in the Atmosphere at Various Latitudes
Authors: Nishioka Masaharu
Published: January 2024

The satellite-based Earth surface temperature, ENSO index, and change rate of the CO2 concentration (ppm/year) were strongly correlated over the 40 years of observation, as reported in the previous paper. The temperature changed approximately one year after the ENSO index changed, and the change rate of the CO2 concentration followed the temperature change by several months. CO2 emission and absorption at the Earth’s surface respond to temperature changes. In this study, satellite-based Earth surface temperatures and change rates of CO2 concentrations were further investigated at various latitudes. These two variables were correlated even at various latitudes. The change rate of the CO2 concentration at northern latitudes responded to temperature changes more than that at southern latitudes. The change rates of CO2 concentrations at various latitudes between 2008 and 2011 and between 2014 and 2017 during El Niño periods were compared, but the change rates of CO2 concentrations at low latitudes were quite different between the two periods. Additionally, the change rate of the CO2 concentration at the sine latitude of 0.75 (≒50 N) significantly responded to temperature changes regardless of ENSO occurrence. Furthermore, the temperature difference between the land and sea is greater in the north (20 N-90 N) than in the south (20S-90S). All these results support previous interpretations: (1) CO2 emissions due to higher temperatures are related to plant respiration or decomposition processes, and (2) temperature changes first, after which the change in CO2 concentration follows temperature changes by several months. These propositions are important for understanding today's warming period.
Association of MT1A rs11640851, rs8052394 and rs11076161 polymorphisms with the risk of developing breast cancer: a haplotype-based case-control study and in silico analysis
Authors: Shirvani Maryam , Yadollahi Arshia , Zamanzadeh Zahra , Abkar Morteza , Yousefnia Saghar
Published: January 2024

Metallothionein 1A (MT1a) is involved in many pathological conditions associated with antioxidant defense and detoxification, including cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible association of MT1A rs11640851, rs8052394, and rs11076161 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with the risk of breast cancer (BC) and clinicopathological features. The study included 100 patients with BC and 100 healthy controls. We genotyped the MT1A SNPs using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and amplification refractory mutation system PCR (ARMS-PCR) techniques. The genotypic and allelic associations of MT1A SNPs with susceptibility to BC were assessed using logistic regression analysis under co-dominant, dominant, and recessive inheritance models. The combined effect of MT1A SNPs on the BC risk was determined using the haplotype analysis. In silico analysis was performed using the Polyphen-2 and RNAsnp online servers. The rs11640851 was found to be associated with a reduced risk of BC in all three inheritance models (P < 0.05). We also found that rs11640851 A allele has a protective effect against BC (OR: 4.812; 95% CI: 2.655–8.719; P < 0.0001). For rs8052394/rs11076161, carriers of AG/AA combined genotype had a 3.84-fold increased risk for developing BC. The haplotypes CAC and CGA were significantly associated with BC susceptibility. The rs11640851 was predicted to be deleterious using Polyphen-2 server. This study provides the first evidence that rs11640851 is significantly associated with a reduced risk of BC suggesting its protective role in the development of BC. Two haplotypes CAC and CGA were also identified as risk factors for BC.
Genotype-specific expression of selected candidate genes conferring resistance to leaf rust of rye (Secale cereale L.)
Authors: Azad Rumana , Krępski Tomasz , Olechowski Mateusz , Biernacik Bartosz , Święcicka Magdalena , Matuszkiewicz Mateusz , Dmochowska-Boguta Marta , Rakoczy-Trojanowska Monika
Published: January 2024

Leaf rust (LR) caused by Puccinia recondita f. sp. secalis (Prs) is a highly destructive disease in rye. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying the rye immune response to this disease, especially the expression of genes conferring Prs resistance, remain relatively uncharacterised. In this study, we analysed the expression of the following four genes in 15 unrelated rye inbred lines inoculated with a Prs isolate (No. 1.1.6) at 20 and 36 h post-treatment (hpt): DXS (1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase), Glu (beta-1,3-glucanase), GT (UDP-glycosyltransferase), and PR-1 (pathogenesis-related protein 1). The RT-qPCR analysis revealed the up-regulated expression of the four genes in response to Prs in all inbred lines and at both time-points. The gene expression data were supported by the microscopic examination, which revealed that seven lines were highly susceptible to LR, three lines exhibited an intermediate response, and five lines were highly resistant to LR. A clear relationship between the infection profiles and the expression of the analysed genes was observed: in the resistant lines, the expression level fold-changes were usually higher at 20 hpt than at 36 hpt, while the opposite trend was observed in the susceptible lines. The study results indicate that DXS, Glu, GT, and PR-1may encode proteins crucial for the rye defence response to the LR pathogen.
Posterior default mode network activity underlies distracted interoceptive attention and provides an objective basis for low mindfulness & depression
Authors: Mishra Jyoti , Ramanathan Dhakshin , Grennan Gillian , Nan Jason , jaiswal Satish , Purpura Suzanna , Manchanda James , Maric Vojislav , Balasubramani Pragathi
Published: January 2024

Interoceptive attention to internal sensory signals is fundamental to mindfulness. However, it is difficult to measure objectively, and the vast majority of investigations of the neural correlates of mindfulness-based attention rely on subjective and retrospective measures of distraction. In this study, we measured consistency of response times on a breath-monitoring task (instruction to respond every 2 breath cycles) to objectively measure interoceptive attention in individuals across the lifespan (15–91 years of age, n = 324). Consistently timed responses were indicative of on-task attention, whereas variable delayed responses indicated distraction or mind-wandering. Signifying the importance of interoceptive attention consistency, we observed that this measure was positively correlated across subjects with performance across several exteroceptive cognitive tasks. Electroencephalographic (EEG) source reconstruction demonstrated that distraction on the eyes-closed task was associated with elevated alpha band (8–12 Hz) brain activity particularly in posterior default mode network (pDMN) brain regions. The neural data revealed four important findings: 1) pDMN brain activity was inversely linked with functional connectivity to the fronto-parietal network (FPN), suggesting that pDMN-FPN interactions play a key role in the regulation of pDMN activity during interoceptive attention. 2) pDMN activity on distracted trials was inversely correlated with trait level mindfulness. 3) A key hub of the pDMN, the isthmus region of the posterior cingulate cortex (ICC), showed elevated activity on distracted trials in individuals with self-reported depressive symptoms. And 4) in an independent second experiment, pDMN activity was adaptively modulated by task difficulty that invoked different levels of distraction. These results identify an EEG-based neurophysiological marker (elevated pDMN alpha activity) underlying interoceptive distraction, which is correlated with subjective markers of mindfulness and depression and that can be adaptively modulated. Our findings, thus, provide a direct link between a neurophysiological substrate of interoceptive attention, and subjective ratings of mindfulness and depressed mood.
Rezension zu: Andrea Hampel/Elke Sichert, Archäologie in Frankfurt am Main 2017-2019. Fund- und Grabungsberichte für die Jahre 2017 bis Ende 2019
Authors: Matijević Krešimir
Published: January 2024

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Are you satisfied? Tracing antecedents of bank employees’ job satisfaction in their job role
Authors: Gupta Aman , Atikur Rahaman Md. , Dilip Taru Rupali , Ali Imad , Julfikar Ali Mohammed
Published: January 2024

This empirical study aims to explore the factors that impact job satisfaction among employees in private banks in Bangladesh, considering the prevailing atmosphere of intense competition in the country’s banking sector. Recognizing that employees are a crucial asset to any organization’s success, it is essential to explore the variables that contribute to their work contentment. The methodology adopted for this study follows a quantitative approach, employing regression analysis for scrutinizing the relationships between job satisfaction and selected variables. This study included a sample of 320 individuals employed in private banks in Bangladesh. This sample size was considered suitable for conducting a robust quantitative regression analysis. To collect the necessary data, the questionnaire was given to the bank personnel and employees via their email addresses. The survey instrument utilized in this investigation was modified from earlier research endeavors to ensure validity and reliability. To analyze the collected data, the researchers utilized the statistical software SPSS version 29.0. The regression analysis feature of SPSS was employed to test the model and hypotheses formulated for this study. The findings of the study reveal that green HR practices (β = 0.284), which encompass environmentally friendly policies and practices in human resource management, significantly contribute to employee job satisfaction. Additionally, remuneration (β = 0.224) emerges as another vital factor influencing job satisfaction. Furthermore, work environment (β = 0.298) was found to have a significant positive and highest effect among other two variables on job satisfaction levels.
Disinfection scheduling in water distribution networks considering input time-delay uncertainty
Authors: Vrachimis Stelios G. , Eliades Demetrios G. , Polycarpou Marios M.
Published: January 2024

A significant challenge when attempting to regulate the spatial-temporal concentration of a disinfectant in a water distribution network is the large and uncertain delay between the time that the chemical is injected at the input node and the time that the concentration is measured at the monitoring output nodes. Uncertain time delays are due to varying water flows, which depend mainly on consumer water demands. Existing approaches cannot guarantee that the concentration of the disinfectant will remain within a specified range at the output, even though bounds on time-delay uncertainty may be known. In this work, given bounded water-flow uncertainty, we use the input–output modeling approach to develop a disinfectant scheduling methodology that guarantees a bounded output disinfectant concentration. The proposed methodology creates an input–output model uncertainty characterization by utilizing estimated bounds on water-quality states using the backtracking approach. An optimization problem is formulated and solved to find an input schedule that keeps the disinfectant concentration within predefined bounds for a specified time horizon. Simulation results in two case studies where water demands varied between ±20% of their nominal value show that the proposed scheduler is able to avoid lower bound violations of disinfectant concentration.
LSTM-based autoencoder models for real-time quality control of wastewater treatment sensor data
Authors: Seshan Siddharth , Vries Dirk , Immink Jasper , van der Helm Alex , Poinapen Johann
Published: January 2024

The operation of smart wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is increasingly paramount in improving effluent quality, facilitating resource recovery and reducing carbon emissions. To achieve these objectives, sensors, monitoring systems, and artificial intelligence (AI)-based models are increasingly being developed and utilised for decision support and advanced control. Key to the adoption of advanced data-driven control of WWTPs is real-time data validation and reconciliation (DVR), especially for sensor data. This research demonstrates and evaluates real-time AI-based data quality control methods, i.e. long short-term memory (LSTM) autoencoder (AE) models, to reconcile faulty sensor signals in WWTPs as compared to autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models. The DVR procedure is aimed at anomalies resulting from data acquisition issues and sensor faults. Anomaly detection precedes the reconciliation procedure using models that capture short-time dynamics (SD) and (relatively) long-time dynamics (LD). Real data from an operational WWTP are used to test the DVR procedure. To address the reconciliation of prolonged anomalies, the SD is aggregated with an LD model by exponential weighting. For reconciling single-point anomalies, both ARIMA and LSTM AEs showed high accuracy, while the accuracy of reconciliation regresses quickly with increasing forecasting horizons for prolonged anomalous events.
A potential solution for clean water supply: multi-effect solar still and water quality analysis
Authors: Ahmad Akhlaq , Khan Zahid Mahmood , Farid Hafiz Umar
Published: January 2024

Access to clean and safe drinking water is a significant challenge for individuals residing in suburban and remote regions of Pakistan. This study aimed to design, fabricate, and test a multi-effect solar still with four U-shaped condensing stages as a low-cost solution to this problem. The solar still was evaluated for its efficacy in removing common pollutants found in contaminated water sources. The results revealed an impressive 99% efficacy in eliminating various water pollutants, including conductivity, total hardness, pH, fluoride, and nitrate using the solar still. Water quality tests conducted for conductivity, total hardness, pH, fluoride, and nitrate revealed complete elimination of these parameters in most samples. Microbiological pollutants were also assessed through the presence/absence tests for fecal coliform and Escherichia coli, showing no presence in the distillate. In addition, the solar still effectively removed organic parameters, including alachlor, lindane, and endrin, within acceptable international standards. Thus, the proposed solar still has the potential to serve as an alternate method for producing safe drinking water in areas where access to clean potable water is limited. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for policymakers and researchers interested in addressing water scarcity in remote and suburban areas of Pakistan.
Numerical study on hydraulic characteristics of rotating stepped dropshafts in deep urban tunnels
Authors: Peng Ruihao , Liu Jiachun , Huang Biao , Yu Xiaodong , Zhu David Z.
Published: January 2024

As an important component of the deep tunnel drainage system for dealing with urban waterlogging, the rotating stepped dropshaft has been proposed due to its small air entrainment. However, the hydraulic characteristics inside the shaft still need to be fully studied. In this study, the flow patterns, water velocity, and pressure in the rotating stepped dropshaft under different flow rates and geometric parameters were studied using a three-dimensional numerical model. The results show that increasing the central angle of the step and reducing the step height can both reduce the terminal velocity. A theoretical formula for predicting the terminal velocity was established and well validated. The connection between the shaft and the outlet pipe poses a severe threat to the structural safety due to alternating positive and negative pressures. Wall-attached swirling flow generates a circular high-pressure zone at the bottom of the dropshaft and the larger the flow rate, the greater the pressure gradient at the center of the bottom. By using the momentum theorem and considering the impact pressure range of the swirling flow, the shaft bottom pressure can be predicted reasonably well.
Comparative study of Fe2+/H2O2 and Fe2+/persulfate systems on the pre-treatment process of real pharmaceutical wastewater
Authors: Ma Yang , Ma Yongwen , Wan Jinquan , Wang Yan , Ye Gang , Zhang Zhifei , Lin Yining
Published: January 2024

Advanced oxidation technologies based on hydroxyl radical (•OH) and sulfate radical (SO4−•) are two common types of advanced oxidation technologies, but there are not many reports on the application of advanced oxidation methods in actual wastewater pretreatment. This article compares the pre-treatment performance of Fe2+/H2O2 and Fe2+/Persulfate systems in actual pharmaceutical wastewater, and combines EEM, GC-MS, and toxicity testing results to explore the differences in TOC, COD, and NH3-N removal rates, optimal catalyst dosage, applicable pH range, toxicity of effluent after reaction, and pollutant structure between the two systems. The results indicate that the Fe2+/H2O2 system has a higher pollutant removal rate (TOC: 71.9%, COD: 66.9%, NH3-N: 34.1%), but also requires a higher catalyst (Fe2+) concentration (6.0 g/L), and its effluent exhibits characteristic peaks of aromatic proteins. The Fe2+/Persulfate system has a wider pH range (pH ≈ 3-7) and is more advantageous in treating wastewater containing more cyclic organic compounds, but the effluent contains some sulfur-containing compounds. In addition, toxicity tests have shown that the toxicity reduction effect of the Fe2+/Persulfate system is stronger than that of the Fe2+/H2O2 system.
Annotated list of Tetranychoidea mites (Acari: Trombidiformes) of Central European Russia
Authors: Kamayev Ilya O.
Published: January 2024

An annotated list of the Tetranychoidea fauna of Central European Russia, which includes 39 species of the fami- ly Tetranychidae belonging to 11 genera and one species of the Tenuipalpidae family, is presented. This paper provides a brief review of key investigations, including rare and little-known papers, which deal with the diversity of tetranychoid mites in the above region. During the study, three species that are new to the fauna of Russia have been recorded: Eotetranychus thujae, Eo. uncatus and Eurytetranychus furcisetus. Eotetranychus thujae feeds on the plants of the Cypress family, while Eu. furcisetus inhabits mainly the species of the genus Picea. Both species are alien to Russia, being widespread in the urbanized territories of Central European Russia on ornamental coniferous plants. Four species that are new to Central European Russia—Bryobia vasiljevi, Neotetranychus rubi, Oligonychus lagodechii and O. piceae—were also recorded. In addition, some data on tetranychoid mite species, obtained during a plant quarantine laboratory analysis, are provided.
A new species of Anderemaeus (Acari: Oribatida: Anderemaeidae) from Peru
Authors: Ermilov Sergey G. , Friedrich Stefan
Published: January 2024

One new species of the oribatid mite genus Anderemaeus (Oribatida, Anderemaeidae)—A. umaluisorum sp. n.—is described, based on materials collected from soil-litter in an Andean primary mountain forest.
Supplementary description of Ctenobelba (Caucasiobelba) urhani Baran, 2015 (Acari: Oribatida: Ctenobelbidae)
Authors: Ermilov Sergey G. , Arabuli Tea
Published: January 2024

Supplementary description of Ctenobelba (Caucasiobelba) urhani Baran, 2015 is presented, based on adults collected from Georgia. The morphological similarity between Ct. (Ca.) urhani Baran, 2015 and Ct. (Ca.) reticulata Subías and Shtanchaeva, 2010 is discussed.
A NEW SPECIES OF THE FEATHER MITE GENUS TROUESSARTIA (ACARIFORMES: TROUESSARTIIDAE) FROM ROBINS OF THE GENUS LARVIVORA (PASSERIFORMES: MUSCICAPIDAE) FROM ASIAN RUSSIA, WITH BARCODE DATA
Authors: Dmitryukov Arsenii V. , Mironov Sergey V.
Published: January 2024

The paper describes a new species, Trouessartia cyane sp. n., collected from the Siberian Blue Robin Larvivora cyane (Pallas) (type host) and the Rufous-tailed Robin L. sibilans Swinhoe in Primorsky Krai (the Russian Far East). The description is supplemented with barcoding data (mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I gene). Trouessartia cyane is closest to T. larvivorae Mironov, 2021 and T. rubecula Jablonska, 1968, differing mainly in measurable characteristics. In particular, in males of T. cyane, the length of terminal lamellae is 20–23 (vs. 25–30 in T. larvivorae and 30–35 in T. rubecula); in females, the length of idiosoma is 515–545 (vs. 555–590 in T. larvivorae and 570–625 in T. rubecula), the distance between setae se is 85–90 (vs. 100–120), the width of opisthosoma at the level of setae h2 is 87–97 (vs. 105–115), setae h1 are thin spiculiform (vs. lanceolate). Genetic distances within T. cyane, as well as between the new species and four closely related Trouessartia species from four muscicapids distributed in northern Eurasia, have been analyzed using Kimura’s two-parameter (K2P) model. Intraspecific genetic distances within T. cyane varied between 0.006 and 0.01; interspecific distances between the new species and morphologically close species ranged from 0.154 (T. rubecula) to 0.185 (T. calliope).
THE FIRST FAUNISTIC DATA ON TYDEIDAE (ACARI: PROSTIGMATA) FROM THE ALTAY, RUSSIA
Authors: Khaustov Alexander A. , Khaustov Vladimir A.
Published: January 2024

The Tydeidae fauna of the Altay (Altayskiy Kray and Respublika Altay) is reviewed. A total of nine species of the genus Brachytydeus were found. Among them, Brachytydeus montanus sp. n., B. altaicus sp. n. and B. brevisetosus sp. n. are new to science. Brachytydeus politus (Kuznetsov), B. reticuloinsignius (Kazmierski and Panou) and B. sleipneri (Momen and Lundquist) comb. n. are recorded from Russia for the first time. Brachytydeus arkadiensis (Panou and Emmanouel), B. magus (Kuznetsov) and B. woolleyi (Baker) are reported from Altay for the first time.
DESCRIPTION OF TWO NEW WATER MITE SPECIES OF THE GENUS ATRACTIDES KOCH, 1837 (ACARI, HYDRACHNIDIA, HYGROBATIDAE) FROM RUSSIA
Authors: Tuzovsky Petr V.
Published: January 2024

This paper provides an illustrated description of two water mite species of the genus Atractides—Atractides (Atractides) arzanensis sp. n. and Atractides (Atractides) teneroides sp. n.—from the running waters of Russia.