bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterizing Community Hesitancy in Ebola Response: Responder Reflections from the Sudan Ebolavirus Disease (SVD) 2022 Outbreak in Uganda
Authors: Opesen Chris. C , Njuguna Charles Kuria , Komakech Innocent , Adhiambo Elizabeth Mgamb , Kabanda Richard , Sensasi Benjamin , Kagirita Atek , Ngabirano Annet Alenyo , Atuhaire Immaculate , Ochien Maurice Emmanuel , Akweny Solome Okware , Amone Jackson , Tola Habteyes , Braka Fiona , Nanyunja Miriam , Katushabe Edson , Ssenyonga Muzafalu , Bodo Bongomin , Niwagaba Andrew Bakainaga , Anoko Julienne Ngoundoung , Chimbaru Alexander , Okot Charles Lukoya , Kyobe Henry B , Woldemariam Yonas Tegegn
Published: June 2024

Background: Thearticle explores community emergency response intervention hesitancy using reflections from the Sudan Ebolavirus Disease (SVD) 2022 outbreak response in Uganda.
Methods: Data from participant observation are complemented with data from four other sources particularly, documentary reviews, ethnographic group discussions (12), informant interviews (60) and transect drives for social risk mapping.
Results: The main results indicate that, community emergency response intervention hesitancy in the SVD 2022 outbreak response in Uganda occurred both in direct and non-direct forms. The direct ones included some suspected cases refusing to go to and/or running away from isolation units (IUs) and Ebola treatment units (ETUs), some bereaved families refusing to handover bodies for safe and dignified burials (SDBs) and accosting responders, some bereaved families exhuming and reburying SVD bodies and survivors having sex without protection. The indirect ones included dual naming and false identity declarations, visiting traditional healers and spiritual leaders, hiding identities of high-risk contacts, secretly burying the dead at night and lastly, changing location of or taking patients to other districts
Conclusions: The conclusion the study generates is that to avert community emergency response intervention hesitancy, response teams should strike a balance between the health protocol prioritization on one hand and the environmental and socio-economic context of the outbreak on the other hand that includes, lived and observed transgenerational experiences. This must be augmented with a sustained integrated community engagement action that the study found critical to recovery of community trust and control of outbreaks in the community.
A Piezoresistive-based 3-axial MEMS Tactile Sensor and Its Integrated Surgical Forceps for Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Minimally Invasive Surgery
Authors: Liu Huicong , Hou Cheng , Gao Huxin , Yang Xiaoxiao , Xue Guangming , Zuo Xiuli , Li Yanqing , Li Dongsheng , Lu Bo , Ren Hongliang , Sun Lining
Published: June 2024

In robotic-assisted surgery (RAS), traditional surgical instruments without sentient capability cannot perceive accurate operational forces during the task, and such drawbacks can be largely intensified when conducting sophisticated tasks using flexible and slender arms with small end-effectors, e.g., in gastrointestinal endoscopic surgery (GES). In this work, we propose a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) piezoresistive 3-axial tactile sensor for GES forceps, which can intuitively provide surgeons with online force feedback during robotic surgery. The fabrication process of MEMS enables the sensor chips to possess dimensions of miniaturization. The fully encapsulated tactile sensors can be effortlessly integrated into miniature GES forceps, which feature a slender diameter of just 3.5 mm and undergo meticulous calibration procedures least squares method. In experiments, the sensor's capability to accurately measure directional forces up to 1.2 N in Z axis was validated, demonstrating an average relative error of only 1.18% compared to the full-scale output. The results indicate that this tactile sensor can provide effective 3-axial force sensing during surgical operations, such as grasping and pulling, and in ex-vivo testing of the porcine stomach. Its characteristics of compact size, high precision, and integrability establish solid foundations for clinical application in the operating theatre.
The role and mechanism of CHMP4C in poor prognosis and drug sensitivity of lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Xu Chuan , Liu Mingshan , Li Yang , Peng Xiaoyue , Zhou Wei , Zhang Wan , Zhang Jingtao , Yu Bentong
Published: June 2024

Background
Chromatin modified protein 4C (CHMP4C) is a charged polyvesicular protein (CHMP) that is involved in the composition of the endosomal sorting complex (ESCRT-III) required for transport III and promotes the necessary separation of daughter cells. CHMP4C involved in a wide variety of tumor progress,, such as prostate cancer, cervical cancer and lung squamous cell carcinoma. However, the value of CHMP4C in lung adenocarcinoma has not been explored.
Methods
RNA-seq data and lung adenocarcinoma clinical information and corresponding pan-cancer were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to analyze CHMP4C expression and survival prognosis. The differential expression of CHMP4C was analyzed using the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) database. Clinical samples were collected to verify the differential expression of CHMP4C between lung adenocarcinoma and normal lung tissues via immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, qRT‒PCR and Western blotting. Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses of CHMP4C-related genes were performed. The correlation between CHMP4C and chemosensitivity was analyzed in the TCGA database. Then, qRT‒PCR, western blotting, transwell assays, cell proliferation assays, colony formation assays, wound healing assays, and cell cycle analysis were used to verify the possible regulatory mechanism involved. Molecular docking was used to predict small molecule compounds with potential roles in the treatment of lung adenocarcinoma.
Results
TIMER2.0 database analysis revealed that CHMP4C was differentially expressed in different tumors.Compared with that in healthy lung tissue, CHMP4C was significantly upregulated in lung adenocarcinoma tissue, and subsequent in vitro survival analysis revealed that CHMP4C expression has significant clinical prognostic value in lung adenocarcinoma. Enrichment analysis revealed that CHMP4C was mainly related to cell proliferation, cell migration, and the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, etc. Overexpression of CHMP4C was associated with sensitivity to chemotherapy. Knocking down CHMP4C can significantly inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma cells and prolong the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. Molecular docking predicts 10 key drugs that may be used for the treatment of lung adenocarcinoma.
Conclusions
CHMP4C is highly expressed in a variety of tumors.We demonstrated that CHMP4C expression may be associated with the occurrence, development, prognosis and chemotherapy sensitivity in patients with lung adenocarcinoma. These findings may open up new research directions and development opportunities for the treatment of lung adenocarcinoma.
Effects of Sarcopenia and Nutritional Status on Surgical Outcomes for Metastatic Spinal Tumors : In the Perspective of Peri-operative Complications and Performance Improvement
Authors: Bang Chungwon , Ko Myung-Sup , Ko Young-Il , Kim Young-Hoon
Published: June 2024

Background
With the advancement of cancer treatment, appropriate treatment for musculoskeletal problems is becoming more important as it extends the patient's lifespan and improves the quality of life. In surgical treatment for metastatic spine tumors (MST), various efforts are being considered to obtain a good prognosis. The purposes of this study are to analyze prognostic factors for postoperative ambulation and perioperative complications in patients surgically treated for MST with neurologic symptoms.
Methods
Seventy five cases of patients who underwent surgery for MST with neurologic symptoms were enrolled between December 2016 and January 2023. Postoperative ambulatory function and medical complications were assessed for each patient in this study. The endpoint of ambulatory function was defined as the best function among entire periods of follow-up outpatient visits. We defined the improvement of ambulatory function as improvement in ECOG scale. For complications, we applied complication classification system for orthopaedic surgery. Perioperative complications were defined as those requiring changes of treatment compared with routine postoperative treatment during patient’s admission. Confirmed complications included expire, delirium, urinary tract infection (UTI), pneumonia, sepsis, bacteremia, acute kidney injury (AKI), chylothorax. Prognostic factors were collected and analyzed for relationship by logistic regression.
Results
Of the 75 cases, postoperatively 42 (56%) cases of patients were improved in Nurick grade, 36 (48%) cases of patients in ECOG performance. And 21 (28%) cases of patients were treated in ICU and 15 (20%) cases of patients suffered from major perioperative complications. Regression analysis showed that clinical factors such as ECOG, PMI and PNI were related to the improvement of ambulatory function and incidence of perioperative complications. On multivariate analysis, improvement of ambulatory function was associated with PMI (p = 0.014) and incidence of perioperative complications was associated with PNI (p = 0.045).
Conclusions
Preoperative nutritional status and sarcopenia are related factors in the outcome of surgical treatment for MST, and preoperative efforts to improve these may be a way to obtain better clinical results.
Relationship between METS-IR and ABSI index and the Prevalence of Nocturia: A Cross-Sectional Analysis from the 2005-2020 NHANES Data
Authors: Xue Fei , Zhou Yating
Published: June 2024

Background
Nocturia, a common condition marked by frequent nighttime urination, significantly impacts quality of life. This study explores the association of metabolic index METS-IR ( Metabolic Score for Insulin Resistance) and ABSI (A Body Shape Index) with nocturia, utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Methods
A cross-sectional analysis of NHANES data from 2005–2020 was performed. The associations between METS-IR, ABSI, and nocturia were evaluated using multivariable logistic regression, accounting for demographic characteristics, chronic diseases, and lifestyle factors. Generalized additive models and smoothing spline techniques described the relationship dynamics.
Results
Of the 16,450 participants, significant associations were observed between nocturia and both METS-IR (OR: 1.01, 95% CI: 1.01–1.02, p < 0.0001) and ABSI (OR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.02–1.04, p < 0.0001). Higher quartiles of METS-IR and ABSI were associated with increased risks (OR for METS-IR Q4: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.36–1.71; OR for ABSI Q4: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.23–1.55). Stratified analyses indicated consistent patterns across demographics, with marital status impacting the ABSI-nocturia relationship. Nonlinear modeling revealed a threshold effect for ABSI at 76.2.
Conclusion
Increases in METS-IR and ABSI are closely linked with a higher prevalence of nocturia, indicating that these metabolic index can be used in clinical assessments to evaluate the risk of nocturia and support the formulation of preventive and therapeutic strategies.
Starvation influences the microbiota in the stomach of the corallivorous Crown-of-Thorns Starfish
Authors: Zhang Ying , Lai Fuxiang , Yang Litong , Su Nan , Hu Jianxing , Chen Huizhen , Gao Qian , Zheng Fanyu , Chen Chang
Published: June 2024

The crown-of-thorns starfish (CoTS), also known as Acanthaster spp., is responsible for a considerable amount of coral loss in the tropical Indo-Pacific region. After decimating coral populations through predation, it is anticipated that CoTS will face food scarcity before coral recovery. It is unclear how CoTS respond to starvation stress. Therefore, we conducted a four-month starvation stress experiment on CoTS, and analyzed the response characteristics of its stomach bacterial communities using high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing technology. The results showed no significant differences in the α-diversity of the stomach bacterial community, but the β-diversity differed significantly between fed and starved CoTS. The bacterial community composition in the CoTS stomach changed dramatically, manifesting mainly from Tenericutes to Proteobacteria at the phylum level, and from a community dominated by digestive bacteria (Mycoplasma) to beneficial bacteria (Endozoicomonas) at the genus level. Furthermore, co-occurrence network analysis revealed that starvation reduced the network stability of the bacteria community, but improved network modularity, which may have contributed to the CoTS adaptation to chronic starvation. This study has provided a basis for elucidating the mechanism of starvation resistance in the crown-of-thorns starfish and will contribute to the development of new control measures for adult crown-of-thorns starfish.
RETRACTED: Implicit weight-stereotypical bias of Chinese college students: Evidence from Evidence from event-related potentials (ERPs)
Authors: chen hao
Published: June 2024

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
A Systematic Analysis of the Burden of Disease Attributable to Occupational Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in China Based on the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study
Authors: Wang Sirui , Liu Shuhan , Li Kaijie , Tang Wei , Fan Xiaofeng , Cheng Yongran , Dai Lili
Published: June 2024

Background and Purpose: Occupational noise has long been recognized as a significant risk factor for hearing loss, particularly among workers. We herein aimed to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of the temporal and sex heterogeneity in the burden of hearing loss attributable to occupational noise in China from 1990 to 2019.
Methods: We extracted data on the burden of hearing loss attributable to occupational noise from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease study. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and the annual percentage change (APC) were computed. The Joinpoint regression model was used to analyze the trends in the burden of disease attributable to occupational noise exposure from 1990 to 2019 and calculate the average APC.
Results: In China, the DALYs attributable to occupational noise-induced hearing loss in 2019 were 2.3277 million [95% uncertainty interval (UI): 1.5779–3.3478 million], marking a 70.95% increase compared with that in 1990. Throughout the study period, DALY rates exhibited a declining trend, with rates of 127.7 per 100,000 (95% UI: 87.4–181.4) in 1990 and 119.8 per 100,000 (95% UI: 81.2–182.1) in 2019. Using the Joinpoint regression model, the APC in age-standardized DALY rates for occupational noise-related hearing loss initially increased from 1990 to 2000, followed by a decline, reaching its lowest point in 2015. From a sex perspective, the burden of DALYs in Chinese males exceeded that in females, although the rate of decline was less pronounced in females. With regard to age, the number and rate of DALYs attributable to occupational noise-induced hearing loss generally increased with age, particularly among middle-aged individuals and older adults . However, from 1990 to 2019, the number of DALYs attributable to occupational noise-induced hearing loss decreased among young people aged 15–19 years, accompanied by a significant reduction in DALY rates.
Conclusion: Hearing loss attributable to occupational noise represents a substantial public health concern, especially among middle-aged and older adult workers in China. These findings underscore the importance of implementing effective measures to mitigate occupational noise exposure.
Microperimetric Biofeedback Training for Children with Idiopathic Infantile Nystagmus Syndrome: a Short-and-Long Term Analysis
Authors: Misawa Mariana , Eldeeb Mohab , Pyatova Yulia , OT Michelle Markowitz , Goldsmith Max , Markowitz Samuel N. , Nido Monica Daibert
Published: June 2024

Microperimetric Biofeedback training (BT), a new vision rehabilitation therapy, was used to improve fixation stability, visual functions, and parental quality of life questionnaire (QoL) in children with idiopathic infantile nystagmus. The patients were followed for short and long term. 25 cases (9.3 ± 2.3 years old) trained on the MAIA microperimeter for 80 minutes delivered within 4 weekly sessions. They were followed for the short (1 week to 1 month) and long term (22 patients, from 8 months, up to 5 years). Binocular distance and near vision, fixation stability (FS), reading speed, contrast sensitivity, and QoL showed a significant improvement post-BT on short and long term. Stereopsis did not improve. Distance and near vision improved 1 ETDRS line, contrast improved 2 lines on 10% contrast Colenbrander Test, reading speed improved 22 words/minute, and QoL 1.3 points. FS could be measured in 48% of the cases, and improved 38%. BT had a significant long lasting positive effect on visual functions and QoL in children with idiopathic nystagmus. This research suggests that, as a low cost-benefit therapy, BT may become a new therapeutic option for these cases.
Using low concentration polyethylene glycol to regulate the microstructure of ink to improve the printing quality of cotton fabric
Authors: Tang Zhiyuan , Yang Xueyuan , Sun Fuyun , Zhang Kun , Fang Kuanjun
Published: June 2024

Satellite droplets, excessive ink spread and penetration present significant obstacles to the advancement of inkjet printing on cotton fabrics. Traditional ink preparation methods utilizing organic solvents are unable to effectively address these issues. This study addressed these challenges by investigating the polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a component in reactive dye ink. It was found that the longer the molecular chain of PEG, the more complex coil formed after dissolution, which could increase ink viscosity and inhibit satellite droplets more effective. Meanwhile, the reduction of PEG concentration promoted the swelling of ink to sodium alginate (SA) film. High swelling degree and complex PEG coil could limit ink spread and penetration. Solid state PEG further restricted ink spread and penetration during the dye fixation process. Ink prepared by 3.2 wt% PEG20000 achieved no satellite droplets, the smallest spreading area and lowest permeability, and the highest dye fixation rate. Compared to commercial ink, PEG20000/Red 218 ink demonstrated smaller spreading area and lower permeability, and higher dye fixation rate. This study introduces a promising approach for the production of high-quality, cost-effective reactive dye inks using polymer coil structure.
Stepwise extraction of zinc, indium and lead from secondary zinc oxide dusts Experimental study
Authors: WANG Guihua , DU Peipei , ZHANG LiangJin , LONG Yue , ZHANG Jiansong
Published: June 2024

In order to realize the stepwise extraction of Zn, In and Pb from secondary zinc oxide dust, the thermodynamic analysis of wet leaching was carried out, and the multi-stage combined wet treatment process of “low acid leaching-high acid leaching-chlorination leaching” was formulated; secondary zinc oxide dust was used as the experimental raw material to explore the optimal process conditions for the stepwise extraction of Zn, In and Pb. The experimental results show that: using low acid leaching to treat the secondary zinc oxide dust, sulfuric acid mass concentration of 100 g/L, liquid-solid product mass ratio of 5 mL/1·g, leaching time of 90 min, leaching temperature of 60 ℃, stirring speed of 500 r/min, and a single leaching conditions, the Zn leaching rate of more than 70%, the mass fraction of In, Pb increased to 0.052%, 10.8%, respectively, to achieve a 3.71 times, 2.45 times enrichment effect, respectively; When the high acid leaching treatment was used to treat the low acid leaching residue, the sulfuric acid concentration was 170 g/L, the liquid-solid volume mass ratio was 7 mL/1·g, the leaching time was 4 h, the leaching temperature was 80°C, the stirring speed was 500 r/min, the leaching rate of In was more than 90%, and the Pb mass fraction was increased to 40.12%, which achieved a comprehensive enrichment effect of 8.96 times. The high acid leaching residue was treated by chlorination leaching method, and the Pb leaching rate was greater than 93% under the conditions of pH value of 3, leaching temperature of 80°C, liquid-solid volume mass ratio of 12 ml/1·g, Cl− concentration of 7 mol/L, leaching time of 2 h, and stirring speed of 500 r/min, and the gradient separation of Zn, In and Pb was preliminarily realized.
Lora for Dense passage retrieval of ConTextual Masked Auto-Encoding
Authors: zhang Liuhong , Li Shixuan , Peng Hongxing
Published: June 2024

Dense Passage Retrieval (DPR) serves as a crucial initial step in improving the performance of the Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) paradigm for LLMs. While DPRs are challenging to train and typically involve fine-tuning (FT) on pre-trained models to enhance embedding similarity between queries and associated textual data, the utilization of LoRA in DPR remains limited. A more comprehensive understanding of DPR fine-tuning is necessary to fully leverage its potential. The goal of this research is to refine DPR through the use of PEFT's Low-Rank Adaptation (LoRA), which is used to stabilize the pre-trained model weights and introduces trainable rank decomposition matrices into each layer of the Transformer architecture. This approach has the potential to reduce the training parameters and deployment costs of the FT-based approach.The results of our experiments show that LoRA-DPR, when trained for three epochs on a Quadro RTX 8000 48GB GPU, requires only 14.32 million parameters for fine-tuning (11.64\% of full parameter fine-tuning) and outperforms full parameter fine-tuning by 0.14 percentage points on the MRR@10 of the MS-MARCO dev set.The results show that this approach performs comparably to or even outperforms full FT models on Natural Questions (NQ) and MS-MARCO datasets, addressing challenges related to resource deployment costs and lengthy training times. The source code is available at \url{https://github.com/lauren-ai/LoRA_DPR}.
Rare-Earth Magnet Ingestions in Pediatric Patients: A Multi-center Study in Qatar
Authors: Alshahwani Noora , Al-Ani Lina , Najar Safaa , Baghazal Hassan , Alishaq Fajer
Published: June 2024

Rare-earth magnet ingestion in the pediatric population is associated with significant injuries. Multiple reports on perforation, intestinal fistula formation, and bowel obstruction are available worldwide.
We reviewed the medical records for cases seen in Qatar from 2011 to 2024 in the main institutions providing tertiary care to all children, reviewing the demographics, clinical presentation, treatment modality, operative and postoperative course.
Of the 45 cases managed, 32(80%) required intervention (laparoscopy, laparotomy, and/or endoscopy). Among these, 20 patients (62.5%) underwent laparotomy, 4(12.5%) underwent laparoscopy as the sole or combined modality, and 4 (12.5%) were eligible for endoscopic removal only. Post-intervention complications were reported in 9 cases (28.1%), including superficial wound infection(5/32), collection(3/32), adhesive bowel obstruction (1/32), and incisional hernia(1/32). No deaths were seen. In logistic regression, presence of symptoms was the only predictive factor for the need of intervention (OR7.09 [95%CI 1.23-40.75]).
Our national report demonstrates the hazards and complications of magnet ingestion in children. Raising public awareness of the hazards and limiting access to magnets in toys would be important prevention steps. Policymakers should consider product recall to reduce these effects. Further efforts and collaboration with neighboring GCC and Arab countries should be undertaken to further reduce this issue.
Correlation between baseline optical coherence tomography angiography quantitative biomarkers and visual outcome in treatment naïve patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration
Authors: Faghihi Shahin , Faghihi Hooshang , Bazvand Fatemeh , Bahar Mohammadreza Mehrabi , Torkashvand Ali , Ahmed Ahmed Husein , Rahimi Masoud , Akbarzadeh Ali , Khameneh Esmaeil Asadi , Pour Elias Khalili , Riazi-Esfahani Hamid
Published: June 2024

The study aimed to assess different choroidal neovascular network characteristics in relation to changes in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) over 3 and 12 months following treatment. Using optical coherence tomography angiography, the choroidal neovascular complexes of 46 treatment naïve patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) were evaluated. The change in BCVA from baseline to 3 months and 12 months after treatment was recorded. The mean vessels percentage area, junctions density, lacunarity, and fractal dimension were significantly correlated with the change of BCVA from baseline to month 3 (P = 0.003, 0.046, 0.007, and 0.005 respectively). FD and vessels percentage area were correlated with the change of BCVA from baseline to month 12 (P = 0.023 and 0.023 respectively). The findings suggest that baseline characteristics of choroidal neovascular complexes may serve as predictors for BCVA changes following treatment with aflibercept in nAMD patients.
Further analysis of determinants of pentavalent and measles immunizations dropouts among children under five years of age in Ethiopia from Mini-EDHS 2019
Authors: Tolera Moti , Birhanu Abdi , Regassa Lemma Demissie , Getachew Tamirat , Negash Abraham , Jibro Usmael , Deressa Alemayehu , Abdurahman Dureti , Motuma Aboma , Gamachu Mulugeta , Mohammed Fethia , Balis Bikila , Mussa Ibsa
Published: June 2024

Background: Globally, immunization prevents an estimated 2–3 million deaths from illnesses that can be prevented by vaccination. The predictors of Pentavalent and Measles immunization dropout were not investigated sufficiently. Therefore, this analysis was meant to determine the coverage, burden, and predictors of Pentavalent and Measles immunizations in Ethiopia.
Materials and methods: this study was a further analysis of the Mini Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey (EDHS) 2019 which was conducted with a nationally representative sample. In this study, immunization data was collected from a total sample of 3208, and 2004 (34.8%) children who received pentavalent 1 were considered for this study. Univariate, bi-variate, and multilevel mixed effect analysis was done using STATA version 17 Software. The mixed-effect model with the lowest AIC and BIC (information criteria) was chosen and a factor was designated as a significant predictor of immunization dropout if its p-value was less than 0.05 at 95% CI. The best-fitting model among the fitted models was ultimately chosen using the Akaike and Bayesian Information Criteria (AIC and BIC).
Result: The mean age of the head of the household was 37.6. The majority (68.9%) of the residents were from rural areas. of the total population, 64.9% have no formal education. Being residents of Afar increased the odds of dropping out by 3.28 (AOR = 3.28; 95% CI: 1.12, 9.56), and being residents of Addis Ababa reduced their odds of dropping out by 68.1% (AOR = 0.319; 95% CI: 0.122, 0.833) compared to their Tigray counterparts. The dropout rate of Pentavalent 1 to measles 1 vaccination was 4.33 times higher among residents of Afar (AOR = 4.33; 95% CI: 1.38, 13.56). As the level of wealth increases, the quintile increases from poorer to richer compared to those in the poorest wealth quantile category, and marital status also affects the immunization dropout rate of their children.
Conclusions: Immunization coverage among Ethiopian children was low and the dropout from pentavalent 1 and measles vaccination was high compared to the national and international targets to improve immunization coverage and reduce dropout. So different cost-effective interventions like Education provision for the community, decision-making facilitation, behavioral change support, and multi-system participation were required to increase vaccination coverage and reduce the vaccine dropout among children in Ethiopia.
Multiomics analyses reveal interactions between the gut microbiota and metabolites in people living with human immunodeficiency virus before and during SARS-CoV-2 infection
Authors: Tian Xuebin , Xie Yiwen , Zhao Yulong , Jin Changzhong , Yao Pen , Dong Mingqing , Lu Xiangyun , Wu Nanping
Published: June 2024

Background
People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLWH) might have an increased risk of developing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, the impact of their gut microbiota and metabolites on the progress of COVID-19 is unknown. Herein, we analyzed the temporal changes in the gut microbiota composition and metabolites of PLWH at baseline and during severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.
Methods
We analyzed the gut microbiota and metabolites by integrating 16S rRNA gene sequencing and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry untargeted metabolomics of 36 PLWH at baseline and during SARS-CoV-2 infection periods.
Results
Significant changes in the composition of the gut microbiota and an increased ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes during SARS-CoV-2 infection, relative to the baseline, were observed. At the genus level, the abundances of g_Lactobacillus and g_Lactiplantibacillus increased significantly. Furthermore, seven differentially enriched human metabolic pathways (including protein digestion and absorption, central carbon metabolism in cancer, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, mineral absorption, ABC transporters, arginine and proline metabolism, and phenylalanine metabolism) were identified by comparing the fecal metabolites at baseline and during SARS-CoV-2 infection. Spearman correlation analysis revealed close relationships between the two differentially abundant microbiota members and the five differentially abundant fecal metabolites that might affect specific human metabolic pathways.
Conclusion
This study is the first to characterize the gut microbiota and metabolites in PLWH at baseline and during SARS-CoV-2 infection. The key microbiota and metabolites in the infection process were identified, providing new ideas for treatment.
Altered Neutrophil Responses to Dengue Virus Serotype Three: Delayed Apoptosis is Regulated by Stabilisation of Mcl-1
Authors: Kamsom Chatcharin , Edwards Steven W. , Thaosing Jiraphon , Papalee Saitharn , Pientong Chamsai , Kurosu Takeshi , Phanthanawiboon Supranee
Published: June 2024

Dengue is a global health concern, and the host-viral interactions that regulate disease severity are largely unknown. Detrimental effects of neutrophils in this disease have been reported, but the precise mechanisms and functional properties of dengue -activated neutrophils are not fully characterised. Here, we measured the effects of dengue virus serotype 3 (DV3) on neutrophil lifespan and functions. We show that DV3 extends neutrophil survival with a significant proportion of cells surviving for 72h post-incubation. These effects on neutrophil survival were greater than those observed by adding GM-CSF and TNF-α alone, but these cytokines enhanced survival induced by the virus. Enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was observed following incubation with DV3 activation and this ROS production was enhanced by co-incubation with priming agents. In addition, DV triggered the enhanced IL-8 expression by the majority of neutrophils and a low percentage of cells were activated to express MCP-1 (CCL2). A low number of neutrophils showed increased co-expression of the migratory markers, CCR7 and CXCR4 which could promote their migration towards lymph nodes. DV3 significantly upregulated the BCL-XL gene at 3, 12, and 24h, and the Mcl-1 gene at 12h, following treatment. We also show that DV3 induces the Mcl-1 protein stabilization similar to GM-CSF. This report sheds new light on the mechanisms by which neutrophils may contribute to the pathology of dengue disease via delayed apoptosis and generation of pro-inflammatory molecules, and raises the possibility that dengue-activated neutrophils may play a role in activating cells of adaptive immunity.
Advancing Healthcare Monitoring: Anomaly Detection through Hybrid Deep Learning for Enhanced Connectivity in Software Defined Networking
Authors: Antony Leo Prasanth Lourdu , Elangovan Uma
Published: June 2024

In the realm of healthcare, the continuous evolution of monitoring systems demands innovative solutions to ensure heightened reliability and accuracy. This paper introduces a pioneering approach to healthcare monitoring through a hybrid deep learning model that combines the advantages of recurrent neural networks (RNN) and deep neural networks (DNN). Focused on enhancing connectivity in Software Defined Networking (SDN), our framework places a significant emphasis on anomaly detection for improved predictive accuracy. The proposed Hybrid Deep Learning model is meticulously designed to harness the complementary features of DNN and RNN, enabling the system to capture both spatial and temporal dependencies in healthcare data. This integration enhances the precision of anomaly detection, allowing for the identification of subtle deviations from normal patterns with unprecedented accuracy. Key to our methodology is the adaptability of Software Defined Networking, providing a flexible and programmable infrastructure. The Hybrid Deep Learning model operates seamlessly within this SDN framework, dynamically optimizing resource allocation and traffic patterns to accommodate the unique demands of healthcare monitoring. Through extensive experimentation and validation, our framework demonstrates remarkable predictive accuracy in identifying anomalies within healthcare data streams. Comparative analyses against traditional anomaly detection methods underscore the superiority of our approach, showcasing its efficacy in real-world healthcare scenarios. In conclusion, our research contributes to the advancement of healthcare monitoring by introducing a Hybrid Deep Learning model, combining DNN and RNN architectures, within the context of Software Defined Networking. The achieved high prediction accuracy in anomaly detection signifies a significant leap forward in the reliability and precision of healthcare monitoring systems, paving the way for more robust and responsive healthcare networks.
Oriented Two-dimensional Semiconducting Crystals on Amorphous Dielectrics by Selective Artificial Epitaxy
Authors: Groven Benjamin , Kandybka Iryna , Voronenkov Vladislav , Vranckx Dries , Medina Henry , Nijs Sebastiaan , Kumar Pawan , Moussa Alain , Saib Mohamed , Beggiato Matteo , Driessen Stijn , Yekefalah Fateme , Mehta Ankit , Nuytten Thomas , Banerjee Kaustuv , Smets Quentin , Kruv Anastasiia , Schram Tom , Favia Paola , Opstal Tinneke Van , Brems Steven , Pourtois Geoffrey , De Gendt Stefan , Delabie Annelies , Rosa Cesar Javier Lockhart de la , Asselberghs Inge , Morin Pierre , Kar Gouri
Published: June 2024

Defective grain boundaries form in semiconductors when deposition approaches do not control crystal grain orientation. This poses existential limitations to fabricating highly performing semiconductor devices with two-dimensional semiconductors for industry’s future Angstrom technology nodes. Today’s monolithic or bottom-up deposition methods do not control crystal grain orientation on industry-standard substrates covered with amorphous dielectrics due to lack of crystallographic symmetry provided by the substrate. Here, we report selective artificial chemical vapor epitaxy of tungsten disulfide (WS2), an approach to orient two-dimensional crystals on amorphous substrates with nanopatterns. Amorphous nanopatterns with axial symmetry that mimics the trigonal crystallographic symmetry of the WS2 crystal lattice guide WS2 crystal orientation as well as location. We show a proof of concept in a 300 mm industrial pilot-line at back-end-of-line compatible deposition temperature. This monolithic concept opens possibilities to eliminate grain boundaries and deposit single-crystalline two-dimensional materials directly on conventional amorphous dielectrics at feature scales relevant for most advanced device architectures.
Product-based topological Lagrangian neural network for learning articulated 2D multi-rigid-body system
Authors: Liu Xiao-Feng , Ai Zhi-Hao , Wang Kang-Hao , Zhang Hui-Bo , Cai Guo-Ping
Published: June 2024

Lagrangian neural networks (LNN) is a physical-informed data-driven framework for learning the dynamics of physical systems. The incorporation of strong inductive biases enables LNN to outperform purely data-driven methods. However, its application has predominantly been confined to simple systems like pendulums, springs, or single rigid bodies such as gyroscopes or rigid rotors. In this paper, we present a so-called product-based topological Lagrangian neural network (PTLNN) that can learn the dynamics of articulated multi-rigid-body system by exploiting the coupling nonlinearity and the topological relation of system. Compared to other improved Lagrangian neural networks, such as Lagrangian graph neural network and Constraint Lagrangian neural network, the additional prior-knowledges in PTLNN do not need to be measured, which make PTLNNs easier to use. We demonstrate the performance of PTLNN by learning the dynamics of articulated systems with different degrees of freedom. The testing results illustrates that PTLNN outperforms other physical-informed neural networks such as LNN, HNN and NODE, which only encode prior knowledge without measurement.
In silico analysis reveals inhibitory potential of phytocompounds Taraxerol (Coccinia indica) and Epoxywithanolide-1(Withania coagulans) on α-Amylase : A possible way to control postprandial hyperglycemia-induced endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular events
Authors: Ravi Lokesh , Sadhana Venkatesh , R Shree Kumari G , V Mohanasrinivasan , Manjunathan Reji , K Ajith Kumar , Kesavan Mookkandi Palsamy
Published: June 2024

Postprandial hyperglycemia (PPG) exacerbates endothelial dysfunction and impairs vascular function in diabetes as well in healthy people. Though there are drugs available to regulate PPG, synthetic drugs' severe gastrointestinal side effects warranted the search for alternative treatments. Recently, some phytochemicals captured the attention because of their inhibitory effects on α-amylase to control diabetes. The aim of this study was to investigate and identify potential alpha-amylase inhibitors in C. indica and W. coagulans. This study also aims to understand one of the possible mechanisms of action of plants for their anti-diabetic activity. A total of 36 phytochemical ligands were subjected for protein-ligand docking analysis. Among the phytochemicals, Taraxerol and Epoxywithanolide-I demonstrated significant binding free energy of -10.2 Kcal/mol and − 11.9 Kcal/mol respectively, which was higher than the reference acarbose with − 8.6 Kcal/mol. These molecules were subjected for Molecular Dynamics Simulation (MDS) analysis with alpha-amylase protein for a duration of 150 ns. Among the three complexes, Taraxerol and Epoxywithanolide-I complexes demonstrates strong potential as inhibitors of the target protein. MDS results were analyzed via Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD), Fluctuation of Residues, Potential Energy, Radii of Gyration and Solvent Access Surface Area analysis. Taraxerol demonstrated a significantly low potential energy of -1924605.25 Kj/mol, and Epoxywithanolide-I demonstrated − 1964113.3 Kj/mol of potential energy. RMSD plot shows that Epoxywithanolide-I has much higher stability than the other MDS complexes. Drugability and toxicity studies show that the test ligands are demonstrating strong potential as drug like molecules. The results of the study conclude that, Taraxerol of C. indica and Epoxywithanolide-I of W. coagulans are strong inhibitors of alpha-amylase enzyme and that, this is one of the possible mechanisms of action of the plants for their reported anti-diabetic activities. Further in-vitro analysis is in demand to prove the observed results.
ESGWKNN: Research on Indoor Localization Algorithm Based on Wi-Fi
Authors: Ye Run , Pan Shun , Yan Bin , Zhang Cheng , Zhou Xiaojia
Published: June 2024

Aiming at the problem that the accuracy of the traditional WiFi-based K-Nearest Neighbor algorithm (KNN) indoor positioning algorithm cannot meet the requirements of precise positioning, this paper proposes a K-nearest neighbor indoor positioning algorithm based on location range limitation, namely the algorithm combining echo state network and Gaussian weighted K-nearest neighbors (ESGWKNN). The ESGWKNN algorithm first uses the echo state network to estimate the range to obtain the local spatial range information, and then uses the GWKNN algorithm to accurately locate within the local spatial range to reduce the positioning accuracy problem caused by excessive space. The experimental results show that compared with the traditional KNN algorithm, the ESGWKNN algorithm has higher positioning accuracy.
Deformation-aware image restoration from atmospheric turbulence based on quasiconformal geometry and pulse-coupled neural network
Authors: Yin Jie , Sun Tao , Zhang Guorong , Wu Yuhao , Zhang Xiao
Published: June 2024

Atmospheric turbulence is a major factor in image degradation issues such as blurring, distortion and intensity fluctuations when monitoring long-range targets. The randomness, spatiotemporal variation and perturbations of turbulence make it challenging to restore vision-friendly and credible images from degraded image sequences. In this work, we address the problem by proposing a deformation-aware image restoration algorithm based on quasiconformal geometry and pulse-coupled neural network (PCNN). To accurately measure the magnitude of geometric deformation caused by turbulence, the deformation within degraded images is specified in a non-conformal distortion that disrupts local geometry. The Beltrami coefficient uniquely associated with the quasiconformal maps is applied to quantify the average distortion degree. The deformation-aware measurement minimizes registration errors in aligning degraded images by more reliable reconstruction of reference frames. Additionally, an improved PCNN model inspired by the primary visual cortex is developed to boost the perceptual quality of the restored image with lucky image fusion. The absence of manual parameter tuning and the ability to simultaneously process image sequences in the PCNN model enhance the robustness of the restoration algorithm. The performance of our algorithm is validated by experiments on physically simulated and real data, which contain 220 sequences with 22928 frames. The results show that our algorithm can yield a superior restoration through atmospheric turbulence compared with several state-of-the-art methods. The code is available at https://github.com/whuluojia/ImTurb.
Parametric excitation of a cold atom in an optical polarization-modulated magneto-optical trap
Authors: Lee Min-Hwan , Park Sanghyun , Baek Jaeuk , Noh Heung-Ryoul , Moon Geol
Published: June 2024

This paper presents a novel method for achieving parametric excitation in an optical polarization-modulated magneto-optical trap for a two-level atom. The proposed method has a unique mechanism that is different from that of the existing methods, which modulate the laser intensity, magnetic field gradient, or laser detuning, because the excitation realized through the polarization modulation originates from the competition between the repulsive and attractive forces on a two-level atom. The theoretical calculation is based on the simple Doppler cooling theory, and we derive atomic motion in a rotating frame and coupled equation for motional amplitude and phase, in detail.
PACS numbers: 37.10.Vz, 37.10.De, 37.10.Gh
IMmuneCite: an open-source workflow for processing multiplex images and analysis of immune enriched spatial proteomic data
Authors: Barbetta Arianna , Bangerth Sarah , Lee Jason T.C. , Rocque Brittany , Torres Evanthia T Roussos , Kohli Rohit , Akbari Omid , Emamaullee Juliet
Published: June 2024

Spatial proteomics enable detailed analysis of tissue at single cell resolution. However, creating reliable segmentation masks and assigning accurate cell phenotypes to discrete cellular phenotypes can be challenging. We introduce IMmuneCite, a computational framework for comprehensive image pre-processing and single-cell dataset creation, focused on defining complex immune landscapes when using spatial proteomics platforms. We demonstrate that IMmuneCite facilitates the identification of > 30 immune cell phenotypes using data from human liver samples while substantially reducing nonbiological cell clusters arising from co-localization of markers for different cell lineages. We established its versatility and ability to accommodate any antibody panel by applying IMmuneCite to data from murine liver tissue. In conclusion, we demonstrated that IMmuneCite is an open source, user-friendly computational tool that facilitates investigation of the immune microenvironment across species, while ensuring the creation of an immune focused, spatially resolved single-cell proteomic dataset to provide high fidelity, biologically relevant analyses.
Gas-Forming Citrate-Fermentation by Lactococci
Authors: Kucherenko Irina , Kuraeva Elena , Duganova Anna
Published: June 2024

In milk processing, effective microbiological control depends on the correct choice of lactic acid bacteria in the microflora of bacterial starters. However, polyspecific starter consortia of acid-forming and aroma-forming lactococci still have no distinct criteria. The experiment included the rate of gas formation and the maximal gas production by citrate-fermenting lactococci at optimal and minimal temperatures, as well as at production conditions used for thermallyprocessed cheeses with low-temperature second heating and fermented milk products. After 168 hours of observation at optimal cultivation temperature, the gas-forming lactococci were divided into three groups according to the maximal volume of gas produced. The first group included 30.0 % of cultures from the total number of strains; their gas-forming activity was weak and ranged from 8.20 to 20.0 cm3 of carbon dioxide. The second group amounted to 50.0 % and showed an average gas-forming activity of 20.0–30.0 cm3. The third group comprised 20.0 % and possessed a strong gas-forming activity of ≥ 30.0 cm3. The strains differed in the abovementioned indicators and could be ranked by gas-forming properties to develop selection criteria for bacterial starter cultures to be used in fermented dairy products and cheeses. The article introduces statistics on the effect of production temperature on the gas-forming activity by L. lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis, which were ranked by their gas-forming activity under the processing conditions applied to fermented dairy products and cheese.
Social Functions of Dairy Trade
Authors: Nikishin Alexander , Karashchuk Oksana , Mayorova Elena , Boldiasov Alexey
Published: June 2024

Trade and market studies usually focus on economic prospects, with very little attention to the social functions of dairy trade. The present research objective was to develop a system of social functions of dairy trade and identify problems of their implementation. The authors used standard research methods, as well as economic and mathematical modeling, to analyze statistics on dairy trade in 2001–2024, i.e., prices, stocks, sales, consumption, production, etc. The analysis concentrated on the sanctions pressure after 2022. The resulting system of social functions was analyzed according to the corresponding dairy product. Russian dairy market proved to be coping with its social functions quite successfully, providing availability of dairy products. However, a sharp increase in consumer prices, which began in 2022, was not stopped by the overproduction of raw milk when producers lowered the prices. Moreover, the market is experiencing significant regional imbalances in consumer prices for milk and dairy products. Finally, trading networks of milk producers and processors provide no support during the period of overproduction and subsequent overstocking.