bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficient Privacy Preserving Lightweight Cryptography for Multi-hop Clustering in Internet of Vehicles Network
Authors: Kumar Abhishek , Dubey Ashutosh Kumar , kumar T. Ananth , Ahuja Sachin , Dutt Vishal
Published: August 2023

The Internet of Vehicles (IoV) is an element of the global connectivity infrastructure Connected vehicles are beneficial to the health of their users in a significant way. However, several drawbacks have been identified, creating the potential for compromised Internet of Vehicles devices. Moreover, the high mobility results in high energy consumption, which reduces the network's overall performance. The Efficient Privacy-preserving Lightweight-cryptography for Cluster-based Internet of Vehicles (EPLC-IoV) model that has been proposed is divided into five distinct sections. These include the perception layer, attack characteristics, a novel clustering strategy, energy-efficient multi-hop clustering along with adaptive link selection through an enhanced AODV protocol. Additionally, the proposed system performed identity authentication and protected users' privacy in some use cases, making V2V communication messages more trustworthy by allowing anonymous trust relationship authentication. Because, the proposed system allowed for anonymous authentication trust relationships, between vehicle nodes. The proposed model was evaluated alongside several established methodologies, including AODV, EPAM, and EMSUNET. The significant parameters focused in this work are packet delivery ratio (PDR), i.e., increased up to 82%, End to End delay (E2E_Delay) decreased up to above 50%, leading to the improved network lifetime.
Clinical outcomes in one of four cycles of frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycles were increased by administering GnRH-a during the luteal phase: retrospective analysis
Authors: Mahmood Aamir , Li tan , Zhang Jie , Li Yan
Published: August 2023

we have conducted a Retrospective Cohort study and analyzed 3515 cycles of receiving FET at the Reproductive Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from February 2018 to December 2021. The Patients were divided into GnRH-a (triptorelin + existing treatment) group and No GnRH-a (existing treatment without Triptorelin) group. There were 1033 and 2485 cases in the study group and control groups. Clinical pregnancy Rate and Live Birth Rate were compared between two groups. We have found higher clinical pregnancy rates (58.0% vs. 48.4%, P = 0.003) and Live Birth Rates (52.7% vs. 45.6%, P = 0.001) for HRT-FET cycles, and found no clinical significance for NC-FET(58.2% vs 52.9%, P = 0.364) and (54.4%vs 47.0%,P = 0.211), GnRH-a + HRT-FET(53.0% vs 53.0% P = 0.176) and(46.2%vs47.3%, P = 0.794), and Stimulation-FET (59.3%vs52.9%, P = 0.566) and (59.3%vs47.1%, P = 0.247) in terms of clinical pregnancy rates and live birth rates between two groups. There was 47% increment of clinical pregnancy rate in the GnRH-a group and there was 33% increment of live birth rate in the GnRH-a group. During the FET cycles, administering of Triptorelin 3–4 times in the existing luteal support can improve the clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate. Administering Triptorelin during the Luteal phase can be a new option for luteal support.
Circular RNA circDDX17 suppression to gastric cancer progression via the sponging miR-1208/miR-1279/FKBP5 axis and encodes a novel circDDX17-63aa protein
Authors: Liu Tingjun , Ma Tieliang , Xue Jiaxin , Zhu Linqi , Zhao Wenjun , Sun Jing , Wang Fan , Cui Feilun , Shao Shihe
Published: August 2023

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have an important role in the development and progression of gastric cancer (GC). Hsa_circ_0063331 (circDDX17), a new circRNA shown to be considerably down-regulated in GC, was chosen for further study. The location of circDDX17 in GC cells was investigated using nuclear and cytoplasmic RNA fractionation and an RNA-FISH experiment. qRT-PCR was used to determine the expression levels of circDDX17, miR-1208, miR-1279, and FKBP5 in GC tissues. To investigate the functional mechanism of circDDX17 on the miR-1208/miR-1279/FKBP5 axis in GC cells, bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporter, and IP were used. To investigate the role of circDDX17 and circDDX17-63aa in GC development, researchers used Transwell, wound healing, colony formation assays, CCK8, cell apoptosis tests, and Western blot. Finally, circDDX17 function in vivo was investigated using xenograft and metastatic mice models. We discovered that circDDX17 was down-regulated in GC tissues and cell lines in our investigation. CircDDX17 expression in GC patients was linked to tumor growth and lymph node metastasis. CircDDX17 decreased GC cell proliferation, migration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), while also promoting apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. CircDDX17 behaved as a sponge for miR-1208 and miR-1279, regulating FKBP5 expression in GC cells. FKBP5 interacts with ERK1/2 to control GC development through the ERK1/2 pathway. Furthermore, circDDX17 also encoded circDDX17-63aa, which inhibited GC cell proliferation, migration, and EMT. Finally, circDDX17 inhibits GC advancement via miR-1208/miR-1279/FKBP5 and encoded circDDX17-63aa to inhibit GC progression.
Geospatial distribution, mapping, and identification of potential risk areas for the sterility mosaic disease of pigeonpea in India
Authors: Mediga Kasi Rao , Sunkad Gururaj , Shil Sandip , Kulkarni Sunil , Desai B. K. , Patil Balanagouda , Chandran U. S. Sharath , Sharma Mamta
Published: August 2023

Background
Sterility mosaic disease (SMD) is an emerging biotic risk to the cultivation of pigeonpea throughout the Indian subcontinent. The prevalence and distribution of SMD documented from diverse agro-climatic zones are still scanty. In this investigation, we determined the spatial distribution of SMD covering major pigeonpea-growing states of India, viz., Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh, by considering two years of exploratory survey data. Geospatial approaches were employed to forecast the SMD incidence levels at unvisited locations using neighboring observations.
Results
The results indicated enormous variability in the incidence levels of SMD ranging from 1.10-19.21% in pigeonpea-growing states. Spatial autocorrelation analysis and Ripley’s K function established the presence of average clustering over sampling locations. Two main clusters were identified via agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis. From the LISA analysis, most of the districts were clustered together at (I˂0). From the p-values, Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu recorded the highest spatial dependence, while the remaining districts recorded moderate spatial dependence (p˂0.05). Based on kriging, the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, Medak and Ranga Reddy districts of Telangana, Bijapur district of Karnataka, and Latur district in Maharashtra states were found to be vulnerable to SMD occurrence in the future. The Matern model was shown to be the best of the several semivariogram experimental models tested for spatial patterns of SMD incidence, from which OK and IK maps were created. Based on the interpolation results, the potential SMD hotspots/risk areas were largely noticed in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu states. These identified hotspots for SMD revealed high levels of disease probability rates (> 25%) above the threshold level and must be closely monitored to restrict and minimize further disease spread across the studied areas in India.
Conclusions
In pigeonpea, this is the first study in India that attempted to understand the spatial pattern of SMD using geostatistical methodologies. The results of the study will aid in the design and dissemination of specific management practices and curb the further spread of SMD.
Response Framework: Tidal analysis and prediction through physics-informed ML
Authors: Monahan Thomas , Tang Tianning , Roberts Stephen , Adcock Thomas
Published: August 2023

Worldwide, tidal flows pose significant operational and engineering challenges to numerous industries and are critical drivers of many biological, chemical, and geophysical processes. Accurate tidal predictions are important for modeling these phenomena at both global and regional scales. Conventionally, tidal prediction is carried out using harmonic analysis (HA) which places severe restrictions on the minimum length of tidal records and cannot separate oceanography from astronomy. While a physical framework was devised by Munk and Cartwright, the method failed due to the significant burden of realistic input function selection. Here, we develop a new framework for tidal analysis and prediction based on embedding universal function approximators within Munk and Cartwright’s response method. The new Response Framework overcomes the challenges imposed by the original method and demonstrates superior predictive accuracy over HA using 90\% less data. We also devise a method for obtaining physical insights from the learned model and apply this to explain oceanic resonance, something that is not possible in traditional tidal analysis. By explicitly separating oceanography from astronomy, the Response Framework provides a basis for the study of non-gravitational forcing, including anthropogenic climate change. Our approach is readily adapted to modern oceanographers’ needs and shows promise in terms of application to upcoming satellite missions and storm-surge modeling. An open-source Python package is provided.
Simulation test study on filling flow law of gangue slurry in goaf
Authors: Liang Bing , Zhao Hanwei , Shi Zhanshan , Sun Weiji , Wang Jian , Fang Shengjie
Published: August 2023

The disposal and utilization of solid waste of coal gangue is one of the main problems in coal mining in China. Injecting coal gangue into goaf in the form of slurry can effectively solve the problems of ground stacking and environmental pollution prevention. In order to obtain the flow law of gangue slurry in the void of the accumulated rock in the goaf, a visualization simulation test device for gangue slurry permeation grouting in the goaf was independently designed. The flow and diffusion characteristics, flow and diffusion velocity changes, void pressure changes, and viscosity changes of three mass concentrations (76%, 78%, 80%) of gangue slurry in the void between caved rock blocks in goaf were studied by visual grouting simulation test. The results show that: (1) The seepage process of gangue slurry in the goaf simulation test is divided into three diffusion forms, namely radial diffusion, axial diffusion, and bidirectional diffusion. The three diffusion forms are interrelated and inseparable. (2) The initial flow velocity of the slurry with different concentrations is different under the same permeation grouting pressure, and the higher the slurry concentration, the smaller the initial flow velocity of the slurry. The velocity of the slurry has a nonlinear relationship with the diffusion distance of the slurry. (3) With the permeation and diffusion of slurry, pressure sensors at different positions are subjected to pressure from bottom to top and enter the pressure boost stage, gradually forming stress peaks. When the slurry exceeds the position of the pressure sensor, the pressure on the pressure sensor is weakened and begins to enter the pressure relief stage, and the stress decline trend gradually becomes gentle with time. (4) The water loss effect occurs during slurry flow interaction with rock mass, resulting in slurry viscosity increasing. The viscosity of the slurry affects the difference in the amount of viscosity change. The research results can provide a certain theoretical basis for the goaf gangue slurry filling project.
Enhancement of Electrocatalysis through Magnetic Field Effects on Mass Transport
Authors: Vensaus Priscila , Liang Yunchang , Ansermet Jean-Philippe , Soler-Illia Galo J. A. A. , Lingenfelder Magalí
Published: August 2023

The catalytic conversion of small molecules into fuels using electrons is essential to achieve a sustainable and carbon-neutral society. However, the performance of current electrocatalytic processes needs significant improvement. Magnetic field effects on electrocatalysis have recently gained attention due to the substantial enhancement of the oxygen evolution reaction on ferromagnetic catalysts. In this context, it is crucial to carefully characterize how magnetic fields affect mass transfer of charged reactants and products at the interfacial level, a phenomenon that occurs even on non-magnetic electrodes and is often overlooked. In this paper, we quantify the primary source of magnetic field effects on mass transport using a specifically designed magneto-electrochemical system. We find that the Lorentz force acting on the electrolyte ions induces a vortex-type motion around the catalyst surface, improving the mass transport. This effect is not limited to reactions involving gas-phase reactants/products. The enhancement caused by the mass transport effect is small in the case of reactions with high reactant availability, such as the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) but it is particularly advantageous where the availability is hindered, such as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). We report activity boosts of more than 50% in the ORR induced by the magnetic field on non-magnetic interfaces. Our results allow direct visualization and quantification of the motion of OH− ions under a magnetic field, highlighting the relevance of magnetic field effects on electrocatalytic processes, especially the diffusion limited reactions, and offer new opportunities for developing more efficient and sustainable energy conversion technologies.
Targeting multiple SARS-CoV-2 domains by Indian medicinal plants – A Drug repurposing study using molecular docking, ADME-Tox analysis
Authors: Patil Niranjan Nandkumar , Jadhav Rachna Shashikant , Mallari Praveen , Patil Rajesh , Saha Bhaskar
Published: August 2023

The rapid transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and its capability to spread in humans has brought about the development of new approaches for treatment against COVID-19. Drugs and vaccines available currently either target the virus ectodomain or endodomain. Thus, repurposing the use of natural products that target more than one part of the virus is the fastest option available for treatment. Plants are a repository of important constituents with proven significant efficacy against many human viruses. The present study focused on employing computational approaches for screening phytochemicals from 4 Indian medicinal plants, by targeting more than one part of SARS-CoV-2 for the identification of natural antiviral therapeutics to determine their feasibility as potential inhibitors of target viral proteins. Here, we used a multi-target, ligand virtual screening study on 9 target proteins important in SARS-CoV-2 lifecycle, namely Spike glycoprotein, Nucleocapsid phosphatase, Spike protein ACE-2, Non-structural protein 10 and 12, RdRp, Envelope protein, Main protease/3CL protease, and Papain like proteas. Out of the 58 plant phytochemicals screened, Z-5-methyl-6- heneicosen-11- one from Piper nigrum, Arjunetin from Terminalia arjuna, Rutin from Azadirachta indica and Makisterone A from Tinospora cordifolia exhibited highest binding affinity with 9 viral targets. In addition, ADMET analysis indicated Ursodeoxycholic acid, Ellagic Acid, Epicatechin and Isocolumbin, Ecdysterone, Columbin from Piper nigrum, Terminalia arjuna, Azadirachta indica, and Tinospora cordifolia have good binding energetics with the target viral proteins. The research thus enlightens the suitable pharmacological properties and the anti-viral activity of potential medicinal plant molecules for human administration using extensive in-silico techniques.
Elucidation of chaperone ubiquitin code in response to Huntingtin aggregation
Authors: Panda Prajnadipta , Sarohi Vivek , Basak Trayambak , Kasturi Prasad
Published: August 2023

Huntington's disease (HD) is one of the prominent neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by the progressive decline of neuronal function, due to the accumulation and aggregation of misfolded proteins. Pathological progression of HD is hallmarked by the aberrant aggregation of the huntingtin protein (HTT) and subsequent neurotoxicity. Molecular chaperones (heat shock proteins, HSPs) play a pivotal role in maintaining proteostasis by facilitating protein refolding, degradation, or sequestration to limit the accumulation of misfolded proteins during neurotoxicity. However, the role of post-translational modifications such as ubiquitination among HSPs during HD is less known. In this study, we aimed to elucidate HSPs ubiquitin code in the context of HD pathogenesis. In a comprehensive proteomic analysis, we identified site-specific ubiquitination events in HSPs associated with HTT in HD-affected brain regions. To assess the impact of ubiquitination on HSPs during HD, we quantified the abundance of ubiquitinated lysine sites in both the rat cortex/striatum and in the mice primary cortical neurons. Strikingly, we observed highly tissue-specific alterations in the relative ubiquitination levels of HSPs under HD conditions, emphasizing the importance of spatial perturbed post-translational modifications (PTMs) in shaping disease pathology. These ubiquitination events, combined with other PTMs on HSPs, are likely to influence the phase-transitions of HTT. In conclusion, our study uncovered differential site-specific ubiquitination of molecular chaperones and offers a comprehensive view of the intricate relationship between protein aggregation, and PTMs in the context of Huntington's disease.
Density Functional Theory Investigation of MnZn2X2 (X=P/As) Compounds: Promising Candidates for Next-Generation Energy Harvesting Devices
Authors: Iqbal M. Waqas , manzoor mumtaz , Manzoor Mumtaz , Asghar Mazia , Sadique Iqra , Wabaidur Saikh Mohammad , Tawfeek Ahmed M , Behera Debidatta , Ansari Mohd Zahid
Published: August 2023

Zinc-based MnZn2X2 (X=P, As) compounds are being researched for thermoelectric uses. Applying the full potential augmentation plane wave system (FP-LAPW) and the first-principles technique, the essential structural, optoelectronic, and transport features of MnZn2X2 (X=P/As) compounds are being identified. Optimization studies have verified structural stability. A 1.26 eV and 0.74 eV essential provide energy bandgap (Eg) are seen in band structure estimated using the modified Becke-Johnson potential (mBJ) for MnZn2X2 (X=P/As) compounds. The DOS spectra show that the Mn state is present in the conduction band while X (P, As) states are represented in the valance band. The optical response of materials was evaluated in terms of dielectric constants, refractive index, absorption, and conductivity versus energy (eV) 12 eV. We demonstrated that the visible region's intriguing solid absorbed the descending radiation, providing a potential candidate for optoelectronics applications. Using the traditional Boltzmann transport theory, we assessed transport characteristics such as the coefficient of Seebeck (S), electrical () as well as thermal conduction (), the power factor (PF) versus temperature, carrier concentration, as well as chemical potential. Compounds of MnZn2X2 (X=P, As) have estimated Seebeck coefficients of 260 VK-1 , 225VK-1 at 300 K and 235 VK-1 at 800K. The maximum power factor values for MnZn2X2 (X=P, As) compounds vs temperature is achieved at 800 K 1.75× 10 11 W/K 2 m.s and 1.43×10 11 W/K 2 m.s, respectively. This group was projected to be advantageous for usage in solar and thermoelectric purposes because of its great optoelectronic characteristics and remarkable PF values.
Enhancing Multi-Contrast MRI Synthesis: A Novel 3D Dual-CycleGAN Approach
Authors: Mahboubisarighieh Ali , Shahverdi Hossein , Nesheli Shabnam Jafarpoor , Niknam Milad , Torkashvand Mohanna , Rezaeijo Seyed Masoud
Published: August 2023

This study introduces an innovative approach to synthesizing 3D Multi-Contrast MRI images utilizing the 3D Dual-CycleGAN model. The model's performance is assessed using MRI data from the Multi-modal Brain Tumour Segmentation Challenge (BraTS) 2021 dataset, encompassing T1W, T1c, T2W, and FLAIR sequences. The 3D Dual-CycleGAN model effectively learns the transformation between T1W images and the desired target modalities, leading to enhanced fine details and overall quality of the synthesized images. Incorporating advanced techniques and a comprehensive objective function, the proposed method encompasses voxel-wise, gradient difference, perceptual, and structural similarity losses. These loss functions, combined with adversarial and dual cycle-consistency losses, play a pivotal role in producing lifelike and visually captivating representations. For performance evaluation, a set of five metrics (MAE, PMAE, RMSE, PCC, PSNR, and SSIM) are employed to compare the synthesized images against their authentic counterparts. Empirical findings demonstrate the prowess of the 3D Dual-CycleGAN model in generating T1c images from T1W inputs, exhibiting minimal average discrepancies (MAE of 2.8±2.61) and strong similarity (SSIM of 0.82±0.28). Moreover, the synthesis of T2W and FLAIR images yields promising results, showcasing acceptable average discrepancies (MAE of 3.87±3.32 for T2W and 3.82±3.32 for FLAIR) and reasonable similarities (SSIM of 0.82±0.28 for T2W and 0.80±0.29 for FLAIR) when compared to the original images. These outcomes underscore the effectiveness of the 3D Dual-CycleGAN model in generating high-quality images. The implications of this achievement are substantial across various applications within the realm of medical imaging.
Decade of mass drug administration reduces Lymphatic filariasis and parasite density in Billiri and Kaltungo districts of Gombe State, Nigeria
Authors: David Yila Lakabra , Abarshi Musa Muawiya , Mada Sanusi Bello , Babayo Christy , Ndams Iliya. Shehu
Published: August 2023

Background: Lymphatic filariasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by mosquito-borne nematodes: Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia timori, and Brugia malayi, and it affects over 120 million people worldwide. The Global Program for Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis, in 2000, initiated the mass drug administration (MDA) to interrupt parasite transmission in endemic areas. This study employed anti-filarial antibodies (AFA), circulating microfilariae, and pWb12 DNA repeats to assess the impact of ten years MDA and prevalence of W. bancrofti in Billiri and Kaltungo LGAs of Gombe State, Nigeria.
Methodology: All MDA data were collected from the Gombe State Primary Health Care Board. A total of 394 individuals from Billri and Kaltungo districts were selected for anti-filarial antibody tests from 10 districts between April-August 2022. Blood was collected between 10 pm- 2 am and screened for microfilariae at 100X magnifications using Knott’s microscopy test. Mosquitoes were also collected using CDC light traps and subjected to DNA extraction along with collected blood samples. Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to amplify pWb12 DNA repeats and amplicons were electrophoresed on 1.5% agarose gel.
Findings: The data showed 60-88% ten years MDA coverage in 194 communities studied. Prevalence by AFA was 1.8% (7/394) immunoglobulin G (IgG) but negative for IgM. Microscopy by Knott’s test detected no microfilariae in all blood samples and Nested-PCR showed no amplified pWb12 DNA repeats. Overall, AFA data revealed that the areas were previously infected as evidenced by 1.8% IgG positives, but there were no active infections, as all individual blood samples were amicrofilaremic by microscopic examination, further confirmed by negative PCR results.
Conclusions: Therefore, this study suggests high effectiveness of the ten years MDA of Albendazole against lymphatic filariasis. It also reports the absence of the disease, with antigenemia and fileremia prevalence less than 1% threshold required for the cessation of MDA, and has provided valuable information on the status of Lymphatic filariasis in Billiri and Kaltungo districts of Gombe State, Nigeria.
Primitive-based Learning Model for Intent Detection in Human-AI Agent Negotiation
Authors: Waseem Shahid , Shoaib Muhammad , Arshad Shazia
Published: August 2023

Intent detection task is one of the core problems in the natural language understanding (NLU) as it enables the conversational agents to comprehend the human language for meaningful interaction. But human-AI agent communication is not fully rational due to the dynamic behaviour of the human. Several research works have been carried out to ascertain intent detection methods for social media (Twitter, Facebook) chat, email conversation, and product reviews etc. However, we cannot deploy existing intent detection methods in a real-time human-AI agent negotiation scenario. In this article, we present the first primitive-based learning model, which analyses human (buyer) dynamic behavioral patterns at content level, and automatically predict their purchase or non-purchase intent during a bilateral business negotiation. Thereby, by evaluating and keeping track of two key human behaviors “affective” & “disappointment”, an AI agent can therefore, better comprehend the human intent and engage them in the negotiation, and achieve more agreements (deals). We employ negotiation primitives by setting them to pertinent (human-human) communication units for enhancing the cognition and decision-making capability of AI-agents and evaluate its performance on various machine learning models including BERT. With 93% accuracy, the proposed model itself has proven to be a more efficient method for classifying e-negotiation behavioral patterns.
Natural radioactivity in Al-Lajjun region Jordan soil by gamma-ray spectroscopy
Authors: Abu_kharma Mahmoud , Rawashdeh Sokainah , El-Hasan Tayel
Published: August 2023

Activity concentrations of primordial radionuclides in soil samples collected from the Al-Lajjun region were measured using a γ-ray spectrometry system using pure germanium (HPGe) detector in a low background configuration. The mean activity concentrations for 40K, 226Ra, 232Th, 238U, 235U, and 241Am at different locations of Al-Lajjun/Karak/Jordan were found to be in the range of 12–560, 234–6037, 4.3–28.4, 459-54147, 43-3656, 43-3332 Bq/Kg, respectively. The obtained values of some samples are much greater than the world average values except for 40K and 232Th. Radium equivalent activity, absorbed dose rate, and annual effective dose equivalent were calculated for assessing the assessment of radiological risk. The external hazard value (Hex) is between 0.638 and 16.316. In the present study. 238U concentration is much higher than the acceptable value reported by UNSCEAR-2000.
Person Re-identification Using Soft Biometrics
Authors: Moussi Fouaze , Ouamane Abdelmalik , Ouafi Abdelkrim
Published: August 2023

Pedestrian characteristics like bags, gender, clothes, or short hair might affect in identifying people in video surveillance. Due to variation in poses, illumination, background, and camera views, the fundamental problem in pedestrian attribute detection is the significant variation in visual manifestation and position of attributes. In this work, we use soft biometrics and appearance features to match people across cameras. The Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), the effective feature representation named Local Maximal Occurrence (LOMO), and the hier-archal Gaussian descriptor algorithm (GOG) are all being utilized to increase the performance of re-identification (re-ID). On the other hand, we applied soft biometric (SB) attributes to improve our system’s performance. The SB attributes are identified, and attribute-based distance scores are calculated between pairs of images (probe, gallery). The results based on soft biometric attributes can be used to define probe and gallery topics at a high level. We applied then the Random Forest (RF) clas-sifier as the primary classifier and a metric learning approach named Cross-view Quadratic Discriminant Analysis (XQDA) to compute the similarity between the probe and the gallery. The experimental results of our approach are evaluated on the VIPeR dataset. The results demonstrate that the SB approach gives promising potential and superior performance to its conventional counterpart methods (without soft).
BGOA-TVG: A binary grasshopper optimization algorithm with time-varying Gaussian transfer functions for feature selection
Authors: Li Mengjun , Luo Qifang , Zhou Yongquan
Published: August 2023

Feature selection aims to select crucial features to improve classification accuracy in machine learning and data mining. In this paper, a new binary grasshopper optimization algorithm using time-varying Gaussian transfer functions (BGOA-TVG) is proposed for feature selection. Compared with the traditional S-shaped and V-shaped transfer functions, the proposed Gaussian time-varying transfer functions has the characteristics of fast convergence speed and strong global search capability to convert the continuous search space to the binary one. The BGOA-TVG is tested and compared to S-shaped, V-shaped binary grasshopper optimization algorithm and five state-of-the-art swarm intelligence algorithms in feature selection. The experimental results show that BGOA-TVG has better performance in UCI and DEAP datasets for the feature selection.
A case report of splenic malignant tumor originating from liver
Authors: Shen Lei , Xu Yechuan , Li Jun , Qian Yeben , Yang Zixuan
Published: August 2023

Splenic tumors are infrequently encountered in clinical practice, with a metastatic tumor incidence estimated to be approximately 2%-4% of all splenic tumors. Metastatic tumors originating from the liver are even more uncommon. Given the scarcity of reported cases and limited literature on splenic tumors, particularly in recent years, clinicians face significant challenges in effectively managing this disease. In this report, we present a case of a malignant splenic tumor originating from the liver. The patient, a 58-year-old male, was admitted to our hospital over a week after the identification of a splenic mass. Notably, the patient had previously undergone liver cancer surgery at our institution two years prior. Based on the patient's clinical presentation, physical examination findings, and additional diagnostic tests, we performed a surgical procedure known as "left outer lobe resection of liver + splenectomy + cholecystectomy". The postoperative pathological analysis confirmed the presence of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma with splenic metastasis. Combining domestic and international literature, we now report a case of splenic malignancy of hepatic origin. In this case report, we aim to present its differential diagnosis and treatment options for clinicians' reference.
Impact of isoform and Cys-thiol modifications of apolipoprotein E on the LRP1-mediated metabolism of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins
Authors: Matsuura Hiroto , Akahane Shogo , Kaido Takahiro , Kamijo Tomu , Sakamoto Kenta , Yamauchi Kazuyoshi
Published: August 2023

Background
The low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-related protein (LRP)1 participates in the metabolism of apolipoprotein (apo) E-containing lipoproteins; however, the details of its function have not been fully elucidated.
Methods
We investigated the effects of the isoform and modifications of the cysteine (Cys)-thiol of apoE on LRP1-mediated metabolism using a cell-based assay for the interaction between apoE-containing fluorescence-labeled emulsion particles (apoE-F-EP) and human fibroblasts expressing the LRP1 and lacking the LDL receptor.
Results
Among the three isoforms, apoE3-F-EP were most effectively bound to LRP1 and were catabolized. ApoE2-F-EP exhibited the lowest affinity to LRP1 but were significantly catabolized, whereas apoE4-F-EP were sufficiently bound to LRP1 but showed the lowest catabolic capability. Redox modifications of Cys112-thiol and Cys158-thiol had an antagonistic effect on the LRP1-mediated interaction of apoE-F-EP. The Tris (2-carboxyethyl) phosphine-reduction enhanced the binding and suppressed the catabolism of apoE3-F-EP, but had no effect on apoE2-F-EP. Interestingly, the formation of disulfide-linked complexes with apoAII suppressed binding, but enhanced the catabolism of apoE2-F-EP.
Conclusions
Redox modifications of apoE-Cys-thiol may modulate the LRP1-mediated metabolism of apoE2 or apoE3 containing lipoproteins, whereas apoE4, which has no Cys, essentially lacks this function. The failure or deficiency of this regulatory function may be a critical trigger for the development of dyslipidemia and related atherosclerosis.
Genome-wide characterization and evolutionary analysis of the AP2/ERF gene family in lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
Authors: Park Sunchung , Shi Ainong , Meinhardt Lyndel W. , Mou Beiquan
Published: August 2023

The APETALA2/ETHYLENE RESPONSIVE FACTOR (AP2/ERF) gene family plays vital roles in plants, serving as a key regulator in responses to abiotic stresses. Despite its significance, a comprehensive understanding of this family in lettuce remains incomplete. In this study, we performed a genome-wide search for the AP2/ERF family in lettuce and identified a total of 224 members. The duplication patterns provided evidence that both tandem and segmental duplications contributed to the expansion of this family. Ka/Ks ratio analysis demonstrated that, following duplication events, the genes have been subjected to purifying selection pressure, leading to selective constraints on their protein sequence. This selective pressure provides a dosage benefit against stresses in plants. Additionally, a transcriptome analysis indicated that some duplicated genes gained novel functions, emphasizing the contribution of both dosage effect and functional divergence to the family functionalities. Furthermore, an orthologous relationship study showed that 60% of genes descended from a common ancestor of Rosid and Asterid lineages, 28% from the Asterid ancestor, and 12% evolved in the lettuce lineage, suggesting lineage-specific roles in adaptive evolution. These results provide valuable insights into the evolutionary mechanisms of the AP2/ERF gene family in lettuce, with implications for enhancing abiotic stress tolerance, ultimately contributing to the genetic improvement of lettuce crop production.
Catalytic oxidation processes for the degradation of Progesterone using V2O5 catalyst and C/Ti anode: Optimization and degradation dynamics
Authors: Farissi Salman , Gopi Utukuri , Ajith Gara , Palasseri Harikrishnan , Prasanthi Tejomurtula , Muthukumar Anbazhagi , Muthuchamy Muthukumar
Published: August 2023

Progesterone (PGT) is a steroid hormone produced naturally by humans. Advent of pharmaceuticals has given rise to synthetic production of PGT as a medicine for various pregnancy related issues. As a result of synthetic production and utilization rate of PGT, they have become an emerging contaminant in water sources worldwide. Conventional wastewater treatment is not equipped to remove steroid contaminants. Hence, current study attempted the degradation of10 mgL− 1 of PGT in water using photocatalysis (PC) followed by electrocatalytic oxidation (EC) using Vanadium Pentoxide (V2O5) and carbon coated titanium (C/Ti) anode. Characterization involved XRD and FTIR spectral studies that established the stability of the catalyst with the fact that no adsorptive removal of PGT had taken place. Optimization studies found UV-C irradiation, pH 5, 50 mg L− 1 catalyst, 180 min PC, 210 min EC and 69 mA.cm− 2 managed to accomplish 97% COD and 71.5% TOC removal. Comparative studies showed that PC + EC (UV-C) was 50% and 25% more efficient than EO and EC, respectively, for TOC removal. PC pretreatment to EC was found capable of bringing down the current consumption requirement of electrolysis by 23 mA.cm− 2. High resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) studies were utilized to propose the degradation pathway that involved hydroxylation, demethylation, dehydroxylation and decarboxylation mechanisms.
The relationship between extreme inter-individual variation in macrophage gene expression and genetic susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: O'Brien Claire , Summers Kim , Martin Natalia , Carter-Cusack Dylan , Yang Yuanhao , Barua Rasel , Dixit Ojas , Hume David , Pavli Paul
Published: August 2023

The differentiation of resident intestinal macrophages from blood monocytes depends upon signals from the macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor (CSF1R). Analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) indicates that dysregulation of macrophage differentiation and response to microorganisms contributes to susceptibility to chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Here, we analyzed transcriptomic variation in monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) from affected and unaffected sib pairs/trios from 22 IBD families and 6 healthy controls. Transcriptional network analysis of the data revealed no overall or inter-sib distinction between affected and unaffected individuals in basal gene expression or the temporal response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). However, the basal or LPS-inducible expression of individual genes varied independently by as much as 100-fold between subjects. Extreme independent variation in the expression of pairs of HLA-associated transcripts (HLA-B/C, HLA-A/F and HLA-DRB1/DRB5) in macrophages was associated with HLA genotype. Correlation analysis indicated the downstream impacts of variation in the immediate early response to LPS. For example, variation in expression of IL1B was significantly associated with local SNV genotype and with subsequent peak expression of target genes including IL23A, CXCL1, CXCL3, CXCL8 and NLRP3. Similarly, variation in IFNB1 expression was correlated with later expression of IFN target genes. Our results support the view that gene-specific dysregulation in macrophage adaptation to the intestinal milieu is associated with genetic susceptibility to IBD.
LMFD:Lightweight Multi-Feature Descriptors for Image Stitching
Authors: Yingbo Fan , Mao Shanjun , Li Mei , Kang Jitong , Ben Li
Published: August 2023

Image stitching is a fundamental pillar of computer vision, and its effectiveness hinges significantly on the quality of feature descriptors. However, the existing feature descriptors confront several challenges, including inadequate robustness to noise or rotational transformations and limited adaptability during hardware deployment. To address these limitations, this paper proposed a feature descriptor for image stitching, denoted as Lightweight Multi-Feature Descriptors (LMFD). By extensively extracting gradients, means, and global information surrounding the feature points, the feature descriptors are generated through various combinations to enhance the image stitching. This empowers the algorithm with formidable rotational invariance and noise resistance, thereby improving its accuracy and reliability. Furthermore, the feature descriptors take the form of binary matrices consisting of 0 and 1, which not only facilitates more efficient hardware deployment but also enhances computational efficiency. The utilization of binary matrices significantly reduces the computational complexity of the algorithm while preserving its efficacy. To validate the effectiveness of the LMFD, rigorous experimentation was conducted on the Hpatches and 2D-HeLa datasets. The results demonstrated that the LMFD outperformed state-of-the-art image matching algorithms in terms of accuracy. This empirical evidence solidifies the superiority of the LMFD and substantiates its potential for practical applications in various domains.
Lateral asymmetry of emotional arousal as a biomarker of attributional style during darts competitions
Authors: Szekely Szabolcs , Szekely Anna , Veres András , Kotyuk Eszter
Published: August 2023

According to the Multiple Arousal Theory, electrodermal activity (EDA) is not uniform across the body. However, the psychological meaning of a left or right sided EDA dominance is not clear. We explored EDA lateral asymmetry as a psychophysiological marker of optimistic and pessimistic attributional style regarding success and failure in a darts competition.
Bilateral EDA pattern of 230 throw actions of a competing pair was measured by Obimon EDA including accelerometer measurements of movements. First, we confirmed that lateral asymmetry can be measured reliably based on EDA data from both wrists. Second, we assessed attributional styles related to lateral asymmetry based on 80 individual throw actions. We recorded participants’ expectations regarding their upcoming throw performance, and their attribution of success and failure. Seligman’s definition was used to classify throw attributions as optimist (internal cause attributed to success, or external cause ascribed to failure) or pessimist. The ratio of optimist and pessimist attributions was significantly different for throw actions with right or left sided EDA dominance (p=0.001). Optimistic attribution characterized 84% of right-sided EDA throws, and pessimist attribution was present in 63% of left-sided EDA throws. We replicated these findings based on 50 throw actions from 10 more individuals (p=0.034).
We conclude that wrist EDA can be reliably measured during physical movements, such as throw actions in a darts game. Lateral EDA asymmetry is a consistent psychophysiological marker of the attitude towards success and failure in a competitive setting. Results underly the psychophysiological relevance of bilateral arousal assessment.
Virgin and Aged Microplastics Induce Type-specific Inflammatory Responses on Vascular Cells
Authors: Lomonaco Tommaso , Persiani Elisa , Biagini Denise , Gisone Ilaria , Ceccherini Elisa , Cecchettini Antonella , Corti Andrea , Ghimenti Silvia , Francesco Fabio Di , Castelvetro Valter , Vozzi Federico
Published: August 2023

Microplastics (MPs) are recognized as a major environmental problem due to their ubiquitous presence in ecosystems and bioaccumulation in food chains. Not only humans are continuously exposed to these pollutants through ingestion and inhalation, but recent findings suggest they may trigger vascular inflammation and potentially worsen the clinical conditions of cardiovascular patients. Here we combine headspace analysis by needle trap microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and biological assays to evaluate the effects of polystyrene, high- and low-density polyethylene MPs on phenotype, metabolic activity, and pro-inflammatory status of Human Coronary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells (HCASMCs). Virgin and artificially aged MPs (4 weeks at 40 °C and 750 W/m2 simulated solar irradiation) were comparatively tested at 1 mg/mL to simulate a realistic exposure scenario. Our results clearly show the activation of oxidative stress and inflammatory processes when HCASMCs were cultured with aged polymers, with significant overexpression of IL-6 and TNF-α. In addition, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including pentane, acrolein, propanal, and hexanal as the main components, were released into the headspace. Type-specific VOC response profiles were induced on vascular cells from different MPs.
Endokron Restorasyonlarda Marjinal ve İnternal Uyum: Derleme
Authors: KESKİN Duygu Ece , SAĞLAM Gaye , GEDUK Şükriye Ece
Published: August 2023

Kron harabiyeti fazla olan kök -kanal tedavili molar dişlerin restorasyonunda, direkt ve indirekt restorasyonlar dahil olmak üzere farklı konvansiyonel tedavi seçenekleri bulunmaktadır. Endokronlar, intraradiküler post, kor ve kronu tek bir parçada birleştiren monoblok yapıda olan, geleneksel post -kor restorasyonlara alternatif olarak ortaya çıkmış güncel tedavi seçeneğidir. Marjinal ve internal uyum, protetik restorasyonların uzun dönem başarısını etkileyen en önemli faktörlerdendir. Restorasyonların marjinal uyumu yetersiz olduğu durumlarda, zamanla siman çözünmesine bağlı olarak diş ile restorasyon arasında oluşan boşluk bakteri ve yiyecek artıkları ile dolar. Bu da plak birikimi, çürük ve periodontal problemlere sebep olmaktadır. Bilgisayar destekli tasarım/ bilgisayar destekli üretim (CAD/CAM) sistemi ile daha iyi marjinal ve internal uyuma sahip restorasyonlar elde edilmektedir. CAD/CAM sistemlerinde görülen gelişmeler sonucu endokron restorasyonların kullanımını yaygınlaşmıştır ve başarılı protetik sonuçlar elde edilmektedir. Bu derlemenin amacı endokron restorasyonlar ve bu restorasyonların marjinal ve internal uyumları hakkında bilgi vermektir.
Preparing Sport Leaders of the Future To Lead Equitable, Diverse, and Inclusive Sport Organizations: The Insights and Strategies of Professors
Authors: Gray Erika , Weese Jim
Published: August 2023

Researchers have documented the tangible and significant benefits to organizations having more diverse senior leadership teams. However, not all industries have embraced his practice. While gains have been made for women securing senior positions in professional sport, the rate of change has been slow, despite the fact that men and women equally aspire to these roles, and women outnumber men in many sport management educational programs. Systemic and structural barriers exist for women seeking senior leadership levels in the industry, a fact that only the women students seem to appreciate (Gray & Weese, 2021). This descriptive study extends this research by engaging sport management professors to determine if they understand the issue and, if so, what they were doing to ensure that their students understand the benefits of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). The professors clearly appreciated the issue and recognized the gender differences that exist between their men and women students. They also shared activities and strategies they use to help ensure that the next generation of sport leaders value and advocate for EDI leadership practices. The professors agreed that they needed to continue to heighten the awareness and sensitivities of their students on the topics of EDI, and they all believed that they could do more to incorporate EDI perspectives in their classes and mentorship sessions. Ten recommendations are provided to assist current and future sport management professors address this critical issue.
Exploration of sugarcane crops by Sapajus flavius inhabiting a fragment of Atlantic Forest in State of Paraíba, Northeast Brazil
Authors: Silva Sandra Maria Rodrigues da , Brandão Angela , Valença-Montenegro Mônica Mafra , Castro Carla Soraia Soares de
Published: August 2023

Sapajus flavius has a frugivorous-insectivorous diet, but also consumes food items from crops. Thus, we investigated the exploration of sugarcane cropping and processing by a group of Sapajus flavius. It was chosen the ad libitum and All Occurrences Observation Methods for collected data. Access to Sugarcane Plantations, Acquisition of Sugarcane, and Sugarcane Consumption behaviors were the most ones recorded. Surveillance and Back Without Sugarcane behaviors were the least ones recorded. There is an increase of exploration of sugarcane plantations during months with low rainfall, which coincides with the reduction of fruits in the forest fragment. Male and female adults were the ones who most exploit sugarcane plantations. The way individuals access, acquire and consume sugarcane highlights cognitive abilities, promoting the persistence of the species in fragmented areas with crops in the surrounding. The analyzed aspects will help on developing species conservation strategies, such as the implantation of native vegetation corridors to connect forest fragments that are isolated due to the expansion of sugarcane crops.