bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nelfinavir Inhibition of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus protein expression and capsid assembly
Authors: Li Maggie , Smith Barbara , Lee Jaeyeun , Petr Jennifer , Wiseman Robyn , Anders Nicole , Rudek Michelle , Ambinder Richard , Desai Prashant
Published: November 2023

Background
Antiviral therapies that target herpesviruses are clinically important. Nelfinavir is a protease inhibitor that targets the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections aspartyl protease. Previous studies demonstrated that this drug could also inhibit Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) production. Our laboratory demonstrated nelfinavir can effectively inhibit herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) replication. For HSV-1 we were able to determine that virus capsids were assembled and exited the nucleus but did not mature in the cytoplasm indicating the drug inhibited secondary envelopment of virions.
Methods
For KSHV, we recently derived a tractable cell culture system that allowed us to analyze the virus replication cycle in detail. We used this system to further define the stage at which nelfinavir inhibits KSHV replication.
Results
We discovered that nelfinavir inhibits KSHV extracellular virus production. This was seen when the drug was incubated with the cells for 3 days and when we pulsed the cells with the drug for 1–5 minutes. When KSHV infected cells exposed to the drug were examined using ultrastructural methods there was an absence of mature capsids in the nucleus indicating a defect in capsid assembly. Because nelfinavir influences the integrated stress response (ISR), we examined the expression of viral proteins in the presence of the drug. We observed that the expression of many were significantly changed in the presence of drug. The accumulation of the capsid triplex protein ORF26 was markedly reduced. This is an essential protein required for herpesvirus capsid assembly.
Conclusions
Our studies confirm that nelfinavir inhibits KSHV virion production by disrupting virus assembly and maturation. Of interest is that inhibition requires only a short exposure to drug. The source of infectious virus in saliva has not been defined in detail but may well be lymphocytes or other cells in the oral mucosa. Thus, it might be that a “swish and spit” exposure rather than systemic administration would prevent virion production.
Visual Search Patterns During Exploration of Naturalistic Scenes are Driven by Saliency Cues in Individuals with Cerebral Visual Impairment
Authors: Walter Kerri , Manley Claire E. , Bex Peter J. , Merabet Lotfi
Published: November 2023

Two main sources of information have been identified to explain what image features guide gaze behavior, namely, image salience (associated with bottom-up processing) and image semantics (influenced by top-down processing). In this study, we compared the relative influence of these two factors while subjects searched for a predetermined target in a naturalistic scene. We also compared visual search performance in individuals with neurotypical development and those with cerebral visual impairment (CVI); a neurodevelopmental condition associated with higher-order visual processing deficits. Participants searched for the prompted target (presented as either an image or text cue) in a series of indoor and outdoor naturalistic scenes. Gaze behavior was recorded with an eye tracker, and behavioral outcomes were success rate, reaction time, visual search area, and number of fixations. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to compare the distribution of individual eye gaze patterns based on predictions of image salience (using Graph-Based Visual Saliency) and image semantics (using Global Vectors for Word Representations combined with Linguistic Analysis of Semantic Salience) models. We found that overall, CVI participants were less likely and were slower to find the target than controls. Visual search behavior in CVI was also associated with a larger visual search area and a greater number of fixations. ROC-based analysis revealed that saliency scores were lower in CVI than controls for both the image salience and image semantics model predictions. Furthermore, search strategies in the CVI group were not affected by cue type, although search times and accuracy were correlated with Verbal IQ scores for text-cued searches. Collectively, these results suggest that individuals with CVI do not utilize image or semantic information as readily as controls, in line with their associated deficits related to higher-order processing.
CSF-1R as a metastasis-related gene in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A bioinformatics screening and immunohistochemistry verification
Authors: Sun Quanquan , Bai Minghua , Peng Chanjuan , Tao Changjuan , Jiang Feng , Liu Tongxin
Published: November 2023

Background: Distant metastasis remains the main reason for treatment failure in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after radical treatment. In this study, we aim to identify the key genes related to the metastasis of NPC via bioinformatics analysis and immunohistochemistry verification, so as to provide a potential therapeutic biomarker of metastatic NPC.
Methods: One dataset (GSE149587) from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was analysed to screen the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between nonmetastatic and metastatic NPC plasma. Functional enrichment analysis for DEGs was performed using an online bioinformatics tool. Protein‒protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed via the STRING database. The hub gene was verified by immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay in NPC samples.
Results: A total of 65 DEGs were screened from the dataset,with 6 downregulatedand 59 upregulatedin NPC plasma samples. Enrichment analysis demonstrated that DEGs were mainly enriched in positive regulation of cytosolic calcium ion concentration, response to hypoxia, cell surface receptor signaling pathway and calcium signaling pathway. The PPI network was established, and one significant module with 9 vital genes was identified via MCODE. Among these nine hub genes, CSF1 and CD4 had the highest node degrees. IHC staining indicated that high expression of receptor of CSF-1, CSF-1R, has a positive correlation with lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and clinical stage.
Conclusion: The present study indicated that CSF-1R was correlated with metastasis in NPC patients and might be a potential therapeutic biomarker of metastatic NPC.
Optimizing Large Models For Performance And Sustainability Through Evolutionary Pruning
Authors: Islam Ashhadul , Belhaouari Samir Brahim , Bermak Amine
Published: November 2023

The need for network optimization has become become evident when considering the rising computational costs and environmental impact caused by AI models. The substantial carbon footprint and resource consumption of Large Language Models (LLMs) underscore the urgency of optimizing network architectures. These models, with varying parameters, place a significant strain on energy resources, particularly in terms of CO2 emissions and electricity consumption. Achieving a balance between model performance and ecological responsibility is becoming increasingly critical in the era of large-scale AI models.Training and using such models consume substantial amounts of water and power, highlighting the necessity for sleeker, faster, and more efficient model training strategies.
We address a crucial challenge related to the compression of deep neural networks, with the aim of enhancing their suitability for embedded devices. Deep neural networks typically exhibit high space and computational requirements, which can hinder their deployment on edge devices and limit their widespread adoption. This study investigates innovative techniques for pruning neural networks, presenting two distinct strategies, namely, "evolution of weights" and "smart pruning." These novel approaches are systematically compared to conventional pruning methods using established benchmark datasets. The proposed pruning method involves the continuous assessment of parameter importance throughout the training process, employing a weighted average methodology that surpasses the traditional magnitude-based pruning in terms of accuracy preservation during the compression process. The outcomes of this approach include accelerated computations, higher compression rates with minimal accuracy degradation, enhanced resilience against adversarial attacks, and the capacity to train models using smaller datasets. The authors have thoughtfully provided a PyTorch library for broad usage, simplifying the implementation of their approach across various model architectures.
Clinical Study on the Treatment of Paravesical Cysts Combined with Renal Calculi using ureteroscopy with super-pulsed thulium fiber laser
Authors: chen weihao , zou nanxin , cao ben , chen xin , zhang xu , mai haixing
Published: November 2023

Objective
To investigate the safety and feasibility of super-pulsed thulium fiber laser under transurethral flexible ureteroscopy in the treatment of parapelvic cysts combined with renal stones.
Patients and methods
Twelve patients with parapelvic cysts combined with renal stones admitted from October 2022 to May 2023 were treated with super-pulsed thulium fiber laser under transurethral flexible ureteroscopy and internal incision and drainage simultaneously. CT scans were performed at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperative to assess the cysts and stones, respectively.
Results
The mean age of the patients was 61.5 ± 7.5 years. The mean size of parapelvic cysts was 5.6 ± 0.7 cm. The mean size of the renal stones was 15.6 ± 3.2 mm. The mean CT density of all stones was 1,464.9 ± 656.5 HU. All patients underwent successful one-stage surgery without serious complications. The mean operative time was 41.2 ± 9.5 min. The average intraoperative bleeding was 6.7 ± 3.0 mL, and the average hospital stay was 2.0 ± 0.7 d. The postoperative CT reexamination indicated that the stone clearance rate was 100%, with no obvious residual stone, and the parapelvic cysts basically disappeared.
Conclusion
Super-pulsed thulium fiber laser under transurethral flexible ureteroscopy is a safe, feasible, and effective treatment method for parapelvic cysts combined with renal stones, with the advantages of high stone clearance rates and low intraoperative bleeding.
AriaBERT: A Pre-trained Persian BERT Model for Natural Language Understanding
Authors: Ghafouri Arash , Abbasi Mohammad Amin , Naderi Hassan
Published: November 2023

Pretrained language models have made significant progress in natural language processing (NLP), especially for Persian language. Due to the lack of diverse and suitable textual data in Persian language and consequently the absence of efficient pretrained language models, the obtained results in various Persian language tasks have failed to meet user expectations. In this regard, in order to improve the results obtained in various Persian language tasks, this article introduces AriaBert, a pretrained language model, as a state-of-the-art model in the field of Persian language understanding. To have diverse textual data for training the language model, various types of Persian textual data were collected and categorized into three groups: conversational, formal, and hybrid texts, including tweets, news, poems, medical texts, encyclopedia texts, user opinions on websites, and other types of texts. The total volume of the collected training data exceeds 32 gigabytes. In addition to the suitable training dataset, unlike most monolingual and multilingual language models that use the BERT base model, AriaBert utilizes the RoBERTa architecture and the Byte-Pair Encoding tokenizer. To evaluate the performance of AriaBert, this model has been compared with all important monolingual and multilingual Persian language models in various NLP tasks such as classification, sentiment analysis, and stance detection. The results indicate a significant superiority of AriaBert over other competitors in all mentioned language tasks. AriaBert has achieved an average improvement of 3% in sentiment analysis, 0.65% in classification, and 3% in stance detection compared to the best results obtained by other Persian language models.
A combination of Zinc solubilizing bacteria and ZnO nanoparticles alleviates the toxicity of Ag and TiO2 nanoparticles in Mung bean
Authors: Haroon Mahvash , Khan Shams Tabrez , Malik Abdul
Published: November 2023

Zinc-deficiency, a global health challenge affects one-third of the world population. Zinc solubilizing bacteria (ZSB) increases plant vegetative growth, grain’s Zn-content ensuring improved dietary Zn-supply offering an efficient and cost-effective solution. This study aimed at understanding that how the presence of two soil abundant nanoparticles silver and titanium dioxide in the rhizosphere influences the activity of ZSB and plant’s vegetative growth. Two ZSB strains D-7 and D-117 with good zinc solubilization efficiency of 254 and 260%, respectively were used with ZnO-NPs for Zn fortification of Mung bean in the presence of various doses of TiO2 and Ag-NPs. Two sets of pots, were used, one containing ZSB, Mung bean seeds, ZnO-NPs (20 mg kg− 1 soil) and various doses of nanoparticles. ZSB-free pots were used as control. The plants were studied for change in rate of seed germination, vegetative growth (shoot and root length, fresh and dry weight), photosynthetic pigment and Zn-content. Lower dose of nanomaterials (50 and 100 mg kg− 1 soil) slightly promoted the plant growth compared to control. While, higher doses (200 and 400 mg kg− 1 soil) inhibited the growth. A maximum decrease of shoot length, root length, fresh-weight, and dry-weight of 37.5, 62.3, 57.1, and 53.2%, respectively was observed with 400 mg kg− 1 soil of Ag-NPs. In the presence of ZSB the decrease was 34.8, 21.3, 41.6, and 37.9, respectively with the same concentration of Ag-NPs. Results presented in this study demonstrate that ZSB alleviate the toxicity of the nanoparticles and improves Zn content in Mung bean.
Economic Burden of the Stages of Pediatric CKD on the US Healthcare System
Authors: Taliwal Neal , Pandya Aadi , Dixon Angelina , Tibrewal Abhishek , Kumar Rohan J , Doshi Kush , Warady Bradley A , Raina Rupesh
Published: November 2023

Pediatric chronic kidney disease (CKD) plays a role in burdening the public health system. Some of this burden can be attributed to comorbidities frequently associated with CKD; however, much of the economic burden is attributed to CKD itself. The economic burden of CKD is difficult to estimate due to variability in the reporting of costs in the literature. In addition, few studies have endeavored to estimate the cost of CKD in the pediatric population, as CKD is not commonly diagnosed in children until the symptoms are observed. Therefore, we extracted data from The Pediatric Health Information System Database (PHIS) to evaluate if the length of stay, hospitalization cost, morbidity, and mortality is higher in patients with CKD than in patients without CKD and to determine if these variables increase over the CKD stage. We found that length of stay (LOS) and hospitalization costs are increased relative to a typical hospitalization. The LOS for patients with CKD 4 and CKD 5 were 22% and 50% longer relative to the LOS of a typical hospitalization, and the cost for these hospitalizations was 128% and 163% higher than that of a typical hospitalization. Morbidity and mortality remain constant through the various stages of CKD. Further investigation is imperative to decrease the financial burden on both patients and the US healthcare system.
Exploring the Impact of Hydrogen Mixtures on the Combustion of Methane in a Residential Stove Burner: A Numerical Study
Authors: M Aravindan
Published: November 2023

The rising cost of fossil fuels, driven by inflation and geopolitical conflicts, has led to a search for more efficient and environmentally friendly cooking solutions. Blended fuels, specifically the combination of hydrogen and methane (H-M), have emerged as a promising alternative. This study examines the combustion performance of commercial cooking burners using varying H-M blends (0–50%), showcasing increased flame temperature, velocity, and pressure as hydrogen content rises. Moreover, emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) decrease, demonstrating the potential of H-M blends to enhance cooking efficiency and reduce environmental impact, making them a compelling choice for cooking applications.
Study on the Load Sharing in Piled Raft Foundation
Authors: Priyadarshee Akash , Kumar Vikas , Sharma Kuldeep , Kumar Ashish
Published: November 2023

Piled-raft coefficient is becoming popular foundation system among the engineering for heavy structures. For the purpose of economical designing, understanding of the load sharing between piles and raft is very important. This load sharing characteristics depends upon the factors associated with piles, soil and their interaction. In this study series of model test were conducted on the piled-raft foundation to understand the impact of the different factors on the load sharing behavior of pile. The length of the pile, diameter of the pile, number of piles, configuration of the piles and relative density of the soil is considered as variable parameters in this study. The results obtained from the model tests have shown that the pile-raft coefficient increases with increase in the length, diameter and number of piles. While the piled-raft coefficient decrease with increase in the relative density. Also it was found that the piled-raft foundation with the arrangement of the piles nearer to the center of the pile have greater piled raft coefficient. A mathematical model based upon the regression analysis is also developed, which is found satisfactorily in the prediction of the piled-raft coefficient.
EGF-Activated Grb7 Confers to STAT3-Mediated EPHA4 Gene Expression in Regulating Lung Cancer Progression
Authors: Chu Pei-Yu , Tai Yu-Ling , Wang Ming-Yang , Lee Hsinyu , Kuo Wen Hung , Shen Tang-Long
Published: November 2023

Growth factor receptor bound protein-7 (Grb7) is a multi-domain signaling adaptor protein that regulates various cellular functions acting as an adaptor protein in relaying signal transduction. Although several studies indicated that Grb7 amplifies EGFR-mediated signaling in cancers, the detailed regulatory mechanism of whether and how Grb7 is involved in EGFR-mediated lung cancer progression remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that EGF-regulated Grb7 phosphorylation promotes lung cancer progression through phosphorylation of STAT3. Intrinsically, EGF/EGFR signal is required for the formation of Grb7/STAT3 complex as well as its nuclear accumulation. Once in the nucleus, STAT3 interacts with EPHA4 promoter, which in turn affects the gene expression level of EPHA4 through transcriptional regulation. Functionally, EphA4 together with EGFR promotes cancer migration, proliferation, and anchorage-independent growth. Our study reveals a novel mechanism in which Grb7 contributes to lung cancer malignancies through its interaction with STAT3 that leads to sequential regulation of EPHA4 gene expression in an EGF/EGFR signal-dependent manner.
Bioethanol Production from Characterized Pre-treated Sugar Cane Trash and Jatropha Agrowastes
Authors: Elnagdy Naglaa A. , Ragab Tamer I. M. , Fadel Mohamed A. , Abou-Zeid Mohamed A. , Esawy Mona A.
Published: November 2023

Relying on second-generation bioethanol made from lignocellulosic substances is now an imperative goal for the entire world. However, the physical and chemical preparation of this kind of lignocellulosic feedstock is one of the main disadvantages of high ethanol yield. In order to increase the yield of fermentable sugars, pretreatment is an essential process step that alters the lignocellulosic structure and improves its accessibility for the expensive hydrolytic enzymes. In this context, the chemical composition of sugar cane trash (dry leaves, green leaves, and tops) and jatropha (shell and seed cake) was determined to be mainly cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Hydrogen peroxide and sodium hydroxide were applied in an attempt to facilitate the solubilization of lignin and hemicelluloses in five agrowastes. The extraction of hydrogen peroxide was much better than that of sodium hydroxide. A comparative study was done using SEM, EDXA, and FTIR to evaluate the difference between the two methods. The pretreated wastes were subjected to saccharification by commercial cellulases (30 IU/g substrate). The obtained glucose was fortified with nutrients and fermented statically by Saccharomyces cerevisiae F-307 for bioethanol production. The results revealed the bioethanol yields were 325.4, 310.8, 282.9,302.4, and 264.0 mg ethanol/g treated agrowastes from green leaves of sugar cane, jatropha deolied seed cake, tops sugar cane, dry leaves of sugar cane, and jatropha shell, respectively.
Prediction of Fruit Traits of Camellia oleifera after Grafting Based on Deep Neural Networks
Authors: Zhou Yuhuan , Long Wei , Du Jiayi , Lv Leyan , Wang Kailiang , Yang Fan
Published: November 2023

Background: Camellia oleifera, an essential woody oil tree in China, propagates through grafting. However, in production, it has been found that the interaction between rootstocks and scions may affect fruit characteristics. Therefore, it is necessary to predict fruit characteristics after grafting to identify suitable rootstock types.
Methods: This study used Deep Neural Network (DNN) methods to analyze the impact of 108 6-year-old grafting combinations on the characteristics of C.oleifera, including fruit and seed characteristics, and fatty acids. The prediction of characteristics changes after grafting was explored to provide technical support for the cultivation and screening of specialized rootstocks. After determining the unsaturated fat acids, palmitoleic acid C16:1, cis-11 eicosenoic acid C20:1, oleic acid C18:1, linoleic acid C18:2, linolenic acid C18:3, oil content, fruit height, fruit diameter, fresh fruit weight, peel thickness, fresh seed weight, and the number of fresh seeds, the DNN method was used to calculate and analyze the model. The model was screened using the comprehensive evaluation index of Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and time consumption.
Results: The results show that when using 32 neurons in two hidden layer, the artificial neural network model had a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of less than or equal to 16.30% on the verification set and less than or equal to 17.69% on the test set. Compared with traditional machine learning methods such as support vector machines and random forests, the DNN method demonstrated more accurate predictions for fruit phenotypic characteristics, with MAPE increase rates ranging from 0% to 28.06% and 0% to 9.23%. In conclusion, the DNN method developed in this study can effectively predict the oil content and fruit phenotypic characteristics of C. oleifera, providing a valuable tool for predicting the impact of grafting combinations on the fruit of C. oleifera.
Synthetic lethal combination of CHK1 and WEE1 inhibition for treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer
Authors: Wang Qiming , Chao Yapeng , Chen Yuzhou , Zheng Wenxiao , Demanelis Kathryn , Liu Yu , Connelly Jaclyn , Wang Hong
Published: November 2023

WEE1 and CHEK1 (CHK1) kinases are critical regulators of the G2/M cell cycle checkpoint and DNA damage response pathways. The WEE1 inhibitor AZD1775 and the CHK1 inhibitor SRA737 are in clinical trials for various cancers, but have not been examined in prostate cancer, particularly castration-resistant (CRPC) and neuroendocrine prostate cancers (NEPC). Our data demonstrated elevated WEE1 and CHK1 expressions in CRPC/NEPC cell lines and patient samples. AZD1775 resulted in rapid and potent cell killing with comparable IC50s across different prostate cancer cell lines, while SRA737 displayed time-dependent progressive cell killing with 10- to 20-fold differences in IC50s. Notably, their combination synergistically reduced the viability of all CRPC cell lines and tumor spheroids in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Importantly, in a transgenic mouse model of NEPC, both agents alone or in combination suppressed tumor growth, improved overall survival, and reduced the incidence of distant metastases, with SRA737 exhibiting remarkable single agent anticancer activity. Mechanistically, SRA737 synergized with AZD1775 by blocking AZD1775-induced feedback activation of CHK1 in prostate cancer cells, resulting in increased mitotic entry and accumulation of DNA damage. In summary, this preclinical study shows that CHK1 inhibitor SRA737 alone and its combination with AZD1775 offer potential effective treatments for CRPC and NEPC.
Link Prediction for Hypothesis Generation: An Active Curriculum Learning Infused Temporal Graph-Based Approach
Authors: Akujuobi Uchenna , Kumari Priyadarshini , Choi Jihun A. , Badreddine Samy , Maruyama Kana , Palaniappan Sucheendra K. , Besold Tarek R.
Published: November 2023

Over the last few years Literature-based Discovery (LBD) has regained popularity as a means to enhance the scientific research process. The resurgent interest has spurred the development of supervised and semi-supervised machine learning models aimed at making previously implicit connections between scientific concepts/entities explicit based on often extensive repositories of published literature. Understanding the temporally evolving interactions between these entities can provide valuable information for predicting the future development of entity relationships. However, existing methods often underutilize the latent information embedded in the temporal aspects of interaction data.
In this context, motivated by applications in the food domain—where we aim to connect nutritional information with health-related benefits—we address the hypothesis-generation problem using a temporal graph-based approach. Given that hypothesis generation involves predicting future (i.e., still to be discovered) entity connections, the ability to capture the dynamic evolution of connections over time is pivotal for a robust model. To address this, we introduce THiGER, a novel batch contrastive temporal node-pair embedding method. THiGER excels in providing a more expressive node-pair encoding by effectively harnessing node-pair relationships. Furthermore, we present THiGER-A, an incremental training approach that incorporates an active curriculum learning strategy to mitigate label bias arising from unobserved connections. By progressively training on increasingly challenging and high-utility samples, our approach significantly enhances the performance of the embedding model.
Empirical validation of our proposed method demonstrates its effectiveness on established temporal-graph benchmark datasets, as well as on real-world datasets within the food domain.
Probabilistic Dendritic Activation: A Neurophysiology-Inspired Hypothesis for Memory Retention in the Visual Cortex
Authors: Zhang Shizhuo , Fang Yue , Saini Sujata , Liu Qiong , Liu Wei
Published: November 2023

Artificial neural networks, particularly convolutional neural networks (CNNs), have shown remarkable performance in tasks like image classi- fication. However, their robustness under dendritic degradation remains a challenge. Inspired by neurophysiology, we propose a Probabilis- tic Dendritic Activation (PDA) method to improve CNNs’ resilience under dendritic degradation. Our method enhances memory retention in the visual cortex, even when a significant proportion of dendrites are randomly deactivated. We trained a CNN with PDA on the Ima- geNet dataset and observed a 7.5% and 1.6% improvement in Top-1 and Top-5 classification accuracies, respectively, under 50% random dendritic degradation. This study highlights the bidirectional contribu- tion between computational techniques and neurobiology, demonstrating the potential of PDA in enhancing neural network robustness and fostering a deeper understanding of biological neural systems’ resilience.
Perceived severity of diseases and meat consumption among university students
Authors: Kiggwe Musa , Ntayi Joseph , Nabatanzi-Muyimba Annet K. , Byarugaba Jotham , Esemu Timothy , Munene John C.
Published: November 2023

Many societies consider meat to be their favorite food choice. However, meat consumption is also associated with possible health complications. To minimize health complications, one may alter their meat consumption. A university student’s perceived severity of diseases may influence their meat consumption. However, few studies seem to have addressed this issue. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between the perceived severity of diseases and meat consumption among university students in Uganda. This study used a correlational survey that was mainly quantitative in nature. The study population comprised 59,998 university students in 2022. We selected a total sample of 403 students using proportionate stratified random sampling. We collected data through face-to-face interviews using a questionnaire. We analyzed the data using SPSS (V23) and AMOS (V23) software for correlational and Confirmatory factor tests. The results revealed that perceived severity had no significant influence on the meat consumption of university students.
Evaluation of Bank Erosion in the Ganges River, Bangladesh: An Integrated Geological, Geotechnical, and Hydrogeological Study
Authors: Preota Sumiaya Amin , Rahman M. Mostafizur , Mia Md. Bodruddoza , Hossain Farhad , Islam Shariful , Karim Saba
Published: November 2023

The purpose of the research was to integrateally characterize the erosional behavior of the Ganges riverbanks and understand the geological, geotechnical, and hydrological influence on bank erosion. The current study has used multi-temporal Landsat images spanning from 1973–2020 for planform analysis using Geographic Information System (GIS), geological fieldwork data, six standard penetration test (SPT) data, laboratory analysis, and slope stability model using SLIDE to understand geological-geotechnical factors and the influence of seasonal hydrological fluctuations on the bank erosion. GIS-based planform analysis identified the erosion-accretion rate and vulnerable areas for erosion. Results suggest that the intensity of bank erosion is higher at the outer meander bend, and the right bank is more erosion-prone than the left bank. Geological and geotechnical studies suggest that bank material types and their degree of cohesion control bank erosion. In the convex outer bend of the river, the helical flow erodes the non-cohesive sandy materials at the toe of the bank, hence, the upper clayey layer loses its strength and collapses, which is the main cause of the cantilever-type bank failure in this river. Results also suggest that the Factor of Safety (FS) is proportional to the difference between river water level (RWL) and groundwater level (GWL) in the uniformly graded high permeable soil. When the water level gradient shifts from GWL toward RWL, the FS of the bank slope decreases and collapses after reaching its critical point.
The influence of firm life cycle on firm risk-taking – Evidence of Vietnam
Authors: Ngo Nguyen-Quynh-Nhu , Nguyen Cam-Nguyen , Ngo Nguyen-Nhu-Ngoc , Nguyen Thanh-Khang
Published: November 2023

Our study investigates risk-taking behavior among Vietnamese listed companies during twenty years (2000 – 2020). We acknowledge that regardless stages of companies, firms have tendency to take more risks, and that risk-taking activities in the course of the introduction and maturity phases can have both negative and positive forces on current and future performance. Additionally, the paper explored the moderating forces of the Z-score and HHI Index on this relationship. The paper contributes to the state-of-the-art by supplying empirical evidence about the relation between corporate life phases and willingness to take risk in Vietnamese non-financial firms. It provides a firm life cycle methodology to aid managers in developing appropriate strategies and sheds new light on the moderating effects of Z-score as well as market competition on the link.
JEL Codes: G30, G32, G33
Circuit Complexity through phase transitions: Consequences in quantum state preparation
Authors: Roca-Jerat Sebastián , Sancho-Lorente Teresa , Román-Roche Juan , Zueco David
Published: November 2023

In this paper, we analyze the circuit complexity for preparing ground states of quantum many-body systems. In particular, how this complexity grows as the ground state approaches a quantum phase transition. We discuss different definitions of complexity, namely the one following the Fubini-Study metric or the Nielsen complexity. We also explore different models: Ising, ZZXZ or Dicke. In addition, different forms of state preparation are investigated: analytic or exact diagonalization techniques, adiabatic algorithms (with and without shortcuts), and Quantum Variational Eigensolvers. We find that the divergence (or lack thereof) of the complexity near a phase transition depends on the non-local character of the operations used to reach the ground state. For Fubini-Study based complexity, we extract the universal properties and their critical exponents. In practical algorithms, we find that the complexity depends crucially on whether or not the system passes close to a quantum critical point when preparing the state. For both VQE and Adiabatic algorithms, we provide explicit expressions and bound the growth of complexity with respect to the system size and the execution time, respectively.
Characteristic properties of a composite system of topological phases separated by gapped domain walls via an exactly solvable Hamiltonian model
Authors: Zhao Yu , Huang Shan , Wang Hongyu , Hu Yuting , Wan Yidun
Published: November 2023

In this paper, we construct an exactly solvable lattice Hamiltonian model to investigate the properties of a composite system consisting of multiple topological orders separated by gapped domain walls. There are interdomain elementary excitations labeled by a pair of anyons in different domains of this system; This system also has elementary excitations with quasiparticles in the gapped domain wall. Each set of elementary excitations corresponds to a basis of the ground states of this composite system on the torus, reflecting that the ground-state degeneracy matches the number of either set of elementary excitations. The characteristic properties of this composite system lie in the basis transformations, represented by the SS and TT matrices: The SS matrix encodes the mutual statistics between interdomain excitations and domain-wall quasiparticles, and the TT matrix encapsulates the topological spins of interdomain excitations. Our model realizes a spatial counterpart of a temporal phase transition triggered by anyon condensation, bringing the abstract theory of anyon condensation into manifestable spatial interdomain excitation states.
Anti-migratory Properties of Cryoprotective Isoliquiritigenin-zein
Phosphatidylcholine Nanoparticles Prevent Triple-negative Breast
Cancer through PI3K-mTOR and MMP2/9 Pathways
Authors: Xu Cong , Zhang Chen , Ganesan Kumar , Chen Qiu , Tang Hailin , Gao Fei , Liu Qingqing , Wu Jianming , Sui Yue , Li Peng , Zhang Jinming , Chen Jianping
Published: November 2023

Introduction::

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), an aggressive type of
breast cancer, remains difficult to treat. Isoliquiritigenin (ISL) is a bioactive compound
that is insoluble in water and exhibits significant anti-TNBC activity.

Methods::

compound
that is insoluble in water and exhibits significant anti-TNBC activity. Method: We previously
prepared oral aqueous ISL@ZLH NPs; however, they were less stable in a freezing
environment. Hence, the present study aimed to improve the stability of ISL@ZLH
NPs using cryoprotectants that can withstand long storage times and are effective in TNBC
treatment by creating an efficient oral drug delivery system. Freeze-dried ISL@ZLH
NP powder was prepared by solvent evaporation, followed by the addition of trehalose
and sucrose. The freeze-dried ISL@ZLH NP pow was optimized and characterized. The
anti-TNBC efficacy and pharmacokinetics of the ISL@ZLH NP-pow were examined in
plasma and organs, compared with those of aqueous ISL@ZLH NPs.

Result::

The ideal
particle size of the ISL@ZLH NP pow was 118 nm, which was not filtered out by the
glomerulus and allowed the drug to be delivered to the lesions more effectively. Cellular
uptake and biodistribution of the ISL@ZLH NP-pow in vivo and in vitro showed prolonged
storage in the organs. In addition, cryopreserved ISL@ZLH NP-treated tumors
showed significant anti-proliferative and anti-migratory effects through the downregulation
of the PI3K-Akt-mToR and MMP2/9 signaling pathways.

Conclusion::

These results
suggest that oral ingestion of cryopreserved ISL@ZLH NP has the potential for longterm
storage and can be employed as a clinical therapeutic approach to treat TNBC.
Comprehensive scRNA-seq Analysis and Identification of CD8_+T
Cell Related Gene Markers for Predicting Prognosis and Drug
Resistance of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Cao Lu , Liu Muqi , Ma Xiaoqian , Rong Pengfei , Zhang Juan , Wang Wei
Published: November 2023

Background:

Tumor heterogeneity of immune infiltration of cells plays a decisive
role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) therapy response and prognosis. This
study investigated the effect of different subtypes of CD8+T cells on the HCC tumor microenvironment
about its prognosis.

Methods:

Single-cell RNA sequencing, transcriptome, and single-nucleotide variant data
from LUAD patients were obtained based on the GEO, TCGA, and HCCD18 databases.
CD8+ T cells-associated subtypes were identified by consensus clustering analysis,
and genes with the highest correlation with prognostic CD8+ T cell subtypes were identified
using WGCNA. The ssGSEA and ESTIMATE algorithms were used to calculate
pathway enrichment scores and immune cell infiltration levels between different subtypes.
Finally, the TIDE algorithm, CYT score, and tumor responsiveness score were utilized
to predict patient response to immunotherapy.

Results:

We defined 3 CD8+T cell clusters (CD8_0, CD8_1, CD8_2) based on the scRNA-
seq dataset (GSE149614). Among, CD8_2 was prognosis-related risk factor with
HCC. We screened 30 prognosis genes from CD8_2, and identified 3 molecular subtypes
(clust1, clust2, clust3). Clust1 had better survival outcomes, higher gene mutation,
and enhanced immune infiltration. Furthermore, we identified a 12 genes signature (including
CYP7A1, SPP1, MSC, CXCL8, CXCL1, GCNT3, TMEM45A, SPP2, ME1, TSPAN13,
S100A9, and NQO1) with excellent prediction performance for HCC prognosis.
In addition, High-score patients with higher immune infiltration benefited less from
immunotherapy. The sensitivity of low-score patients to multiple drugs including
Parthenolide and Shikonin was significantly higher than that of high-score patients.
Moreover, high-score patients had increased oxidative stress pathways scores, and the
RiskScore was closely associated with oxidative stress pathways scores. And the nomogram
had good clinical utility.

Conclusion:

To predict the survival outcome and immunotherapy response for HCC, we
developed a 12-gene signature based on the heterogeneity of the CD8+ T cells.
High-Resolution Profiling of Head and Neck Squamous Cells
Carcinoma Identifies Specific Biomarkers and Expression Subtypes
of Clinically Relevant Vulnerabilities
Authors: Zhu Yingying , Peng Bi , Luo Xiaoxiao , Sun Wei , Liu Dongbo , Li Na , Qiu Ping , Long Guoxian
Published: November 2023

Background:

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) is the seventh
most common cancer worldwide. Although there are several options for the treatment
of HNSC, there is still a lack of better biomarkers to accurately predict the response
to treatment and thus be more able to correctly treat the therapeutic modality.

Methods:

First, we typed cases from the TCGA-HNSC cohort into subtypes by a Bayesian
non-negative matrix factorization (BayesNMF)-based consensus clustering approach.
Subsequently, genomic and proteomic data from HNSC cell lines were integrated
to identify biomarkers of response to targeted therapies and immunotherapies. Finally,
associations between HNSC subtypes and CD8 T-cell-associated effector molecules,
common immune checkpoint genes, were compared to assess the potential of HNSC subtypes
as clinically predictive immune checkpoint blockade therapy.

Results:

The 500 HNSC cases from TCGA were put through a consensus clustering approach
to identify six HNSC expression subtypes. In addition, subtypes with unique proteomics
and dependency profiles were defined based on HNSC cell line histology and
proteomics data. Subtype 4 (S4) exhibits hyperproliferative and hyperimmune properties,
and S4-associated cell lines show specific vulnerability to ADAT2, EIF5AL1, and
PAK2. PD-L1 and CASP1 inhibitors have therapeutic potential in S4, and we have also
demonstrated that S4 is more responsive to immune checkpoint blockade therapy.

Conclusion:

Overall, our HNSC typing approach identified robust tumor-expressing subtypes,
and data from multiple screens also revealed subtype-specific biology and vulnerabilities.
These HNSC expression subtypes and their biomarkers will help develop more
effective therapeutic strategies.
The Protective Effect of SLNP on Hepatic Fibrosis Induced by Thioacetamide
in Rats
Authors: Wu Lizhen , Liu Jinying , Zheng Chongbo , Ma Haijuan , Cao Xingling , Huang Zhihua , Tian Keqiang
Published: November 2023

Introduction:

The incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has increased in recent
years. Hepatic fibrosis (HF) is an important step in the progression of NAFLD to cirrhosis and even carcinoma
and is also recognized as a possible reversal phase.

Aims:

We previously found that the aqueous extract of Sedum Lineare Thunb. has hepatoprotective effects.
This study investigated the hepatoprotective effect and mechanism of the Sedum Lineare Thunb. n-butanol
phase (SLNP) on HF in rats.

Methods:

Animals were intraperitoneally injected with thioacetamide solution twice a week for 8 weeks to prepare
an HF model and were administered the corresponding drugs or an equal volume of normal saline by intragastric
administration once a day for 8 weeks. Liver function, hydroxyproline and malondialdehyde (MDA)
content, superoxide dismutase (SOD), Na+-K+-ATPase, and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase were analyzed using colorimetric
methods. Moreover, mRNA expression and protein levels in the liver tissue were detected via quantitative
polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, respectively.

Results:

The results showed that SLNP could effectively improve the liver function of rats with HF and significantly
reduce the content of hydroxyproline; the mRNA expression and protein levels of alpha-smooth muscle
actin (α-SMA), collagen I, III, and IV, transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), Smad2/3, and Smad4
were also significantly reduced. Simultaneously, SLNP significantly increased the activities of SOD, Na+-K+-
ATPase, and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase in the rat liver tissues, whereas it reduced the levels of MDA and SOD in the
serum and liver tissues.

Conclusion:

This study revealed that SLNP elicits an anti-fibrotic effect by inhibiting oxidative stress and stellate
cell activation, thereby reducing the formation and deposition of the extracellular matrix. The TGF-β1/Smads
signaling pathway may be involved in this process
Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Chalcones in Oncology: A
Comprehensive Review
Authors: Yadav Chandra Shekhar , Azad Iqbal , Khan Abdul Rahman , Ahmad Naseem , Gupta Shishir Kumar , Verma Vijay Kumar , Hansda Dhananjoy , Lohani Minaxi B.
Published: November 2023

Chalcone is a bioactive flavonoid contained in various plants such as Angelica archangelica,
Pueraria lobata, and Glycyrrhiza glabra. It has been studied extensively in the field of
pharmaceutical sciences due to its significant role in therapeutic potential including antibacterial,
antiinflammatory, analgesic, cytotoxic, and anti-tumour properties. A plenty of study indicated
numerous chalcone derivatives exhibit enhanced potency and reduced toxicity as compared to
natural analogues. In this review, we introduce chalcone and its various derivatives including 1-
naphthylacetophenone, 2-benzimidazolyl, 2-furoyloxy, 3-(furan-2-yl)pyrazol-4-yl, 4'-alkoxy, 4-
anilinoquinolinyl, 4-aryloxyquinazolines, acridine, benzamide, benzenesulfonamide, bischalcone,
cinnamoylthiazoles, D-glucosyl azides, dialkylamino, dihydropyrimidinone, indole,
isoquinoline, ligustrazine, morpholinothiazole, naphthalene, quinoline, sulphonamide, thiazoleimidazopyridine,
thienyl, thiophene, triazines, triazole-benzimidazole, tri-methoxyphenyl, and α-
trifluoromethyl hybrids and display their promising activity against various cancer cell lines, such
as breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, cervical cancer, and liver cancer.
Anti-angiogenic Potential of Trans-chalcone in an In Vivo Chick
Chorioallantoic Membrane Model: An ATP Antagonist to VEGFR with
Predicted Blood-brain Barrier Permeability
Authors: Senrung Anna , Tripathi Tanya , Aggarwal Nikita , Janjua Divya , Chhokar Arun , Yadav Joni , Chaudhary Apoorva , Thakur Kulbhushan , Singh Tejveer , Bharti Alok Chandra
Published: November 2023

Background::

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is characterized by massive tumorinduced
angiogenesis aiding tumorigenesis. Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) via
VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) constitutes majorly to drive this process. Putting a halt to tumordriven
angiogenesis is a major clinical challenge, and the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is the prime
bottleneck in GBM treatment. Several phytochemicals show promising antiangiogenic activity
across different models, but their ability to cross BBB remains unexplored.

Methods::

We screened over 99 phytochemicals having anti-angiogenic properties reported in the
literature and evaluated them for their BBB permeability, molecular interaction with VEGFR-2
domains, ECD2-3 (extracellular domains 2-3) and TKD (tyrosine kinase domain) at VEGF-A
and ATP binding site, cell membrane permeability, and hepatotoxicity using in silico tools. Furthermore,
the anti-angiogenic activity of predicted lead Trans-Chalcone (TC) was evaluated in
the chick chorioallantoic membrane.

Results::

Out of 99 phytochemicals, 35 showed an efficient ability to cross BBB with a probability
score of > 0.8. Docking studies revealed 30 phytochemicals crossing benchmark binding affinity
< -6.4 kcal/mol of TKD with the native ligand ATP alone. Out of 30 phytochemicals, 12
showed moderate to low hepatotoxicity, and 5 showed a violation of Lipinski’s rule of five. Our
in silico analysis predicted TC as a BBB permeable anti-angiogenic compound for use in GBM
therapy. TC reduced vascularization in the CAM model, which was associated with the downregulation
of VEGFR-2 transcript expression.

Conclusion::

The present study showed TC to possess anti-angiogenic potential via the inhibition
of VEGFR-2. In addition, the study predicted TC to cross BBB as well as a safe alternative for
GBM therapy, which needs further investigation.