bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Demystifying COVID-19 Mortality Causes with Interpretable Data Mining
Authors: Qian Xinyu , Zuo Zhihong , Xu Danni , He Shanyun , Zhou Conghao , Wang Zhanwen , Xie Shucai , Zhang Yongmin , Wu Fan , Lyu Feng , Zhang Lina , Qian Zhaoxin
Published: February 2024

While SARS-CoV-2 infection rates are declining, older adults remain vulnerable to severe disease with high mortality. Although there have been some studies on revealing different risk factors affecting the death of COVID-19 patients, such as bilirubin, organ failure, patient age, and underlying disease, they fail to provide a comprehensive analysis to reveal their relationships and interactive effects on the risk of death. Based on the demographic information, inspection indicators, and underlying diseases of 1917 patients (102 were dead) admitted to Xiangya Hospital over a 4-month period, we used the association rule mining method to identify the risk factors leading causes of death among elderly Omicron patients. Firstly, we used the Affinity Propagation clustering to extract key features such as blood parameters, liver function indicators, renal function indicators, coagulation function indicators, and underlying diseases affecting death from the dataset. Then, we applied the Apriori to obtain 7 groups of abnormal feature combinations with significant increments in mortality rate. The results showed a relationship between the number of abnormal feature combinations and mortality rates within different groups. For instance, patients with “C-reactive protein > 8 mg/L”, “neutrophils percentage > 75.0 %”, “lymphocytes percentage < 20 %”, and “albumin < 40 g/L” have a 2x mortality rate than the basic one. If the characteristics of “D-dimer > 0.5 mg/L” and “WBC > 9.5 * 10 9 /L” are continuously included in this foundation, the mortality rate can be increased to 3x or 4x. In addition, we also found that liver and kidney diseases significantly affect patient mortality. Given patients with liver and renal diseases associated with other abnormal features, their mortality rate can be as high as 100 %. These findings can support auxiliary diagnosis and treatment to, facilitate early intervention in patients, thereby reducing patient mortality.
Study on the Disinfection Effect of Chlorine Dioxide Disinfectant（ClO2）on Dental Chair Waterlines and its In Vitro Safety Evaluation
Authors: Cao yue , Hu yuya , Liu zhihuan , Wang zimo , feng jian ying
Published: February 2024

Background: This study explores the effectiveness and in vitro safety of chlorine dioxide disinfectants in the disinfection of dental chair unit waterlines (DUWLs). DUWLs are prone to biofilm formation and bacterial proliferation due to their unique structure and usage, necessitating efficient disinfection methods to ensure diagnostic and treatment safety.The study aims to assess the effectiveness of chlorine dioxide disinfectants in removing biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in DUWLs, while also examining their impact on cell safety and metal corrosion for dental practice use.
Materials:Chlorine dioxide disinfectants at concentrations of 5, 20, and 80 mg/L were used to treat biofilms of S. aureus and E. coli cultured in DUWLs. The disinfection effectiveness was assessed through bacterial counts and culturing. Simultaneously, human skin fibroblast cells were treated with the disinfectant to observe changes in cell morphology and cytotoxicity. Additionally, the study included corrosion tests on various metals (carbon steel, brass, stainless steel, aluminum, etc.).
Results: Experimental results showed that chlorine dioxide disinfectants at concentrations of 20 mg/L and 80 mg/L significantly reduced the bacterial count of S. aureus and E. coli, indicating effective disinfection. In terms of cytotoxicity, higher concentrations were more harmful to cellular safety, but even at 80 mg/L, the cytotoxicity of chlorine dioxide remained within controllable limits. Corrosion tests revealed that chlorine dioxide disinfectants had a certain corrosive effect on carbon steel and brass, and the degree of corrosion increased with the concentration of the disinfectant.
Conclusion: The study demonstrates that chlorine dioxide disinfectants at certain concentrations significantly eradicate bacterial biofilms in DUWLs. However, they also present certain cytotoxicity and metal corrosiveness, necessitating consideration of these potential safety issues during use.
A Novel High Performance MEMS Capacitive Microphone
Authors: Habibi Hamidreza. , Ganji Bahram. Azizollah , Jafari-Talookolaei Ramazan-Ali.
Published: February 2024

In applications related to audio, such as hearing aids, mobile phones, and audio sensors, a microphone with high sensitivity, low voltage, and linear performance is required. This article analyzes, designs, and simulates a new structure of a MEMS condenser microphone. The microphone uses four spiral arms, with one side fixed and the other connected to a support rod that transfers the diaphragm displacement to the arms. The square diaphragm is suspended in the air by the rod, and its entire area moves without bending and parallels to the fixed plate, utilizing its total area in an optimal way. By increasing the mechanical sensitivity and decreasing the electrical sensitivity, the proposed microphone reduces the bias voltage and utilizes the maximum air gap between the capacitor plates, resulting in almost linear diaphragm displacement. A free-body diagram was used to analyze the diaphragm structure, and the spring constant, pull-in voltage, sensitivity, and resonance frequency equations were calculated. The proposed microphone was simulated using Intellisuite software, and the simulation and analysis results had very high accuracy. The aluminum diaphragm had dimensions of 250×250 μm 2 , and the air gap was 1um. The diaphragm dimensions were reduced by 20%, and its pull-in voltage was reduced by 18% compared with previous work, while the microphone sensitivity was increased. The proposed microphone can also be used at a very low voltage of 0.1V. The open circuit sensitivity of the microphone at voltages of 0.1 is 15.8 nm/Pa, respectively.
Correlations of Sleep and Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Intake with Body measurements in Children: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Shih Ya-Hui , Wu Hsin-Chuan , Pan Wen-Harn , Chang Hsing-Yi
Published: February 2024

Taiwan’s density of beverage shops was considered very high in the world. The intakes of sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) were high in children and adolescents. This study investigated the relationship between sleep and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) intake with body composition.
For this purpose, data was pooled from two waves of Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (NAHSIT) survey conducted in 2012 and in 2013-2016. Children aged 6-12 years were included. Variables included behaviors (nocturnal sleep duration and SSBs consumption) and body measurements (including external indicators (BMI, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference, and upper-arm circumference) and internal indicators (bone mass, muscle mass, fat mass, and bone density)). Multiple regression was employed to examine the associations between behaviors and body measurements.
Results showed negative trends were observed between body measurements and sleep duration on weekdays (p-trend = 0.032 to <0.001) . In multiple regression, in the same SSBs consumption group, lower values of the external indicators (p = 0.013 to 0.002) and of the lean mass (p = 0.033 to 0.022) were associated with ≥ 9.5 h sleep in weekdays comparing to <8.5h. Inverse trends were also found in the external indicators (p-trend = 0.007 to 0.001) and lean mass (p-trend =0.014) which decreased with increasing sleep duration on weekdays..
In conclusion, among the children with the same frequency of SSBs consumption, external indicators and lean mass were lower in those with a longer nocturnal sleep duration on weekdays. Sleep and SSBs consumption are both crucial correlates for body measurements in children and should be considered together in public health policy formulation.
PointPCA: Point Cloud Objective Quality Assessment Using PCA-Based Descriptors
Authors: Alexiou Evangelos , Zhou Xuemei , Viola Irene , Cesar Pablo
Published: February 2024

Point clouds denote a prominent solution for the representation of 3D photo-realistic content in immersive applications. Similarly to other imaging modalities, quality predictions for point cloud contents are vital for a wide range of applications, enabling trade-off optimizations between data quality and data size in every processing step from acquisition to rendering. In this work, we focus on use cases that consider human end-users consuming point cloud contents and, hence, we concentrate on visual quality metrics. In particular, we propose a set of perceptually relevant descriptors based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) decomposition, which is applied to both geometry and texture data for full-reference point cloud quality assessment. Statistical features are derived from these descriptors to characterize local shape and appearance properties for both a reference and a distorted point cloud. The extracted statistical features are subsequently compared to provide corresponding predictions of visual quality for the distorted point cloud. As part of our method, a learning-based approach is proposed to fuse these individual predictors to a unified perceptual score. We validate the accuracy of the individual predictors, as well as the unified quality scores obtained after regression against subjectively annotated datasets, showing that our metric outperforms state-of-the-art solutions. Insights regarding design decisions are provided through exploratory studies, evaluating the performance of our metric under different parameter configurations, attribute domains, color spaces, and regression models. A software implementation of the proposed metric is made available at the following link: https://github.com/cwi-dis/pointpca_suite.
Evidence of climate change in Sicily by means of rainfall data analysis
Authors: Pecorino Vera , Matteo Tiziana Di , Milazzo Matteo , Pasotti Luigi , Pluchino Alessandro , Rapisarda Andrea
Published: February 2024

Rainfall constitutes an important climatic variable as its lack can lead to severe droughts while its excess can trigger catastrophic events. The Mediterranean basin is one of the European regions most affected by climate change's effects and Sicily island, for its location in the middle of the Mediterranean sea, represents a very interesting place to study climatic variables as for example rainfall trends. Due to its central position and peculiar orography, the seasonal variability of rainfall in this area is connected to the behavior of the surrounding climatic systems, such as the continental and Atlantic ones. Moreover, Sicily displayed unusual rainfall behavior and unexpected extreme precipitation events during the last decades. In this paper we have investigated rainfall data in Sicily from 2002 to 2023, by focusing on seasonal variability, in order to find possible evidences of climate change in the Mediterranean basin. We have performed a data-driven empirical study able to highlight underlying characteristics and trends. No models or hypothesis were a-priori assumed, neither results or data were rejected: raw hourly records were analysed, for the first time. This study provides a complete and clear picture of pluviometric regimes in Sicily from 2002 to 2023, mainly based on graphical visualization. Results show that precipitation variables behave homogeneously across the island, with a more pronounced tendency in eastern regions. By comparing previous works with the analysis of present study through a multi-annual approach, we have been able to identify the decrease of annual rainfall volumes and events in winter since 1920s, as well as a summer increase. We have observed precipitation anomalies since 2013: we could see that, in autumn rainfall has become more frequent in the last decade, in addition the number of extreme events has grown and precipitation volumes got more extreme during this season. On the other hand, in general, differences among seasons reduced. These changes are affecting in an important way the economy of Sicily which is mainly based on agriculture, farming and touristic activities. Therefore new strategies are urgently needed for managing resources and damages, in order to reduce human and economic losses. This work represents a first empirical analysis of hourly rainfall time series in Sicily and it depicts clearly, for the first time, signal of anomalies and evidence of climate change.
Inducing hydrophobicity in Stainless Steel 304 by mechanical texturing and chemical functionalization
Authors: Nanou Paraskevi , Zarkadoulas Athanasios , Pandis Pavlos K. , Tsilikas Ioannis , Katis Ilias , Almpani Despoina , Orfanoudakis Nikolaos , Vourdas Nikolaos , Stathopoulos Vassilis
Published: February 2024

This study investigates the impact of combined texturing by micromachining and chemical functionalization on the wetting behavior and water condensation of a metallic surface. The transition from the Wenzel to Cassie-Baxter or impregnated Cassie-Baxter regimes was unveiled. Initially, grooved stainless steel 304 specimens displayed hydrophobic wetting in the Wenzel mode. The chemical functionalization with silane triggered a remarkable shift that was not observed in non-textured by micromachining samples. Thus contact angles surged, facilitating a transition to the Cassie-Baxter state for directional canal specimens and the impregnated Cassie-Baxter state for those with pyramidal patterns. Roll-off angle experiments showcased distinct behavior among specimens featuring canals or pyramidal structures. Specimens with canals exhibited notably lower roll-off angles compared to both flat surfaces and those with pyramidal patterns. Notably, the orientation of canals influenced these angles, with vertically aligned canals demonstrating reduced roll-off angles. In humid environments, micro-machined surfaces exhibited superior water condensation capabilities compared to untreated flat SS304 surfaces. Remarkably, chemically functionalized grooved specimens presented larger condensate droplet diameters than flat surfaces. Consequently a remarkable enhancement in water condensation and a 7 fold higher latent heat transfer coefficient is reported.
Numerical analysis and optimization of the effects of incremental strain rate in the wire drawing process
Authors: Badi Ridha , Bensaada Said , Tala-Ighil Nacer , LEBAAL Nadhir
Published: February 2024

This work deals with a numerical analysis of the effect of incremental strain rate (cumulative strain) in the drawing process of AA-6005 aluminum alloy wire. A finite element method and optimization procedure using a simplex algorithm were used to optimize the dies geometry of all ranges. For this, a 95% total strain rate was realized in three configurations ranges of wire drawing process. This ranges are extracted by the optimization procedure, a decreasing strain rate for an initial value of 35%, a constant strain rate of 24.67% and an increasing strain rate for an initial value of 12%, were imposed respectively. The analysis results (principal stresses, damages distribution, residual hydrostatic pressure, plastic power,...) are used to predict the drawing force, axial surface stress and die stress to be adjusted to ensure improved quality of the drawing process. The cuppy wire and stress concentrations causing central burst (chevron) formation and fractures were predicted during the simulation. For this, different die diameters were used in the analysis. This analysis was performed on the Forge®NxT3 finite element code and validated with the wire drawing test results of the literature.
An investigation of the use of plastic waste in the manufacture of plastic bricks
Authors: Rauniyar Abishek , Nakrani Rinkal Kishor , Narpala Saketh Reddy , Nehaun . , Arun Sija
Published: February 2024

There is an increase in waste production among the Indian population. Some of these wastes pose a threat to the environment. There is also a significant amount of plastic waste in the country. Even though it is not biodegradable, it poisons trees and aquatic organisms. Thus, waste plastics were repurposed for use in the construction industry. Cement, fly ash, M sand, and plastic waste fibres are used to make plastic bricks. Polypropylene (PP) has a high deformation capacity and is a cost-effective material. Plastic waste is used in this study in the form of polypropylene fibres. To produce the bricks, different mix ratios were used in which PP waste was used in proportions of 5%, 10%, and 15% (represented as Mix1, Mix2, and Mix3), based on the total mixing of the polycarbonate substance volume of bricks. The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of utilizing plastic wastes to produce a cost-effective and lightweight plastic brick for use in construction. Compressive strength, water absorption, soundness, efflorescence, and hardness tests were carried out on the bricks. The compressive strength of mix 2 at a load of 426 kilograms is the highest of the three plastic bricks tested. A comparison of this proportion with other mix proportions and conventional brick effectiveness.
A multi-modal analysis of REDD+ baselines in Cambodia
Authors: Pauly Maren , Crosse William , Moore Colin , Brown Kevin , Griffin Oliver , Brade Thom , Mitchard Edward , Freund Jeremy , Appleby Sarah , Tosteson Joshua
Published: February 2024

Cambodia is facing widespread deforestation due to agriculture, logging, land grabbing, and infrastructure. The implementation of REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) projects has become a key strategy to protect at-risk forests using the sale of verified emission reductions as financing; generated by reducing forest loss against counterfactual baseline scenarios. We test a series of ex-post baseline assessment methodologies on three Cambodian REDD+ projects using two geospatial datasets (one global and one locally calibrated for maximum accuracy); integrating results to assess the reasonable accuracy of their respective baselines. We find different datasets applied to different control sites produce a wide range of forest loss rates. The baselines of all three projects fall within or below a “zone of reasonable accuracy,” based on an integration of ex-post forest loss rate results, establishing the concept of reasonable accuracy as a valid standard against which to assess REDD+ project baselines.
Midlatitude Mesoscale Thermal Air-sea Interaction Enhanced by Greenhouse Warming
Authors: Zhang Xingzhi , Ma Xiaohui , Wu Lixin , Yang Peiran , Song Fengfei , Jing Zhao , Chen Hui , Qu Yushan , Yuan Man , Chen Zhaohui , Gan Bolan
Published: February 2024

The influence of greenhouse warming on mesoscale air-sea interactions, crucial for modulating ocean circulation and climate variability, remains largely unexplored due to the limited resolution of current climate models. This study addresses this gap by analyzing eddy-resolving high-resolution climate simulations and observations, focusing on the coupling between mesoscale sea surface temperature (SST) and latent heat flux (LHF) in winter. Our findings reveal a consistent increase in mesoscale SST-LHF coupling in the major western boundary current regions under warming, characterized by a heightened nonlinearity between warm and cold eddies and a more pronounced enhancement in the northern hemisphere. To understand the dynamics, we develop a theoretical framework that links mesoscale thermal coupling changes to large-scale factors, which indicates that the projected changes are collectively determined by historical background wind, SST, and the rate of SST warming. Among these factors, the large-scale SST and its warming rate are the primary drivers of hemispheric asymmetry in mesoscale coupling intensification. This study introduces a simplified approach for assessing the projected mesoscale thermal coupling changes and implies a growing significance of mesoscale air-sea interaction in shaping weather and climate patterns in a warming world.
Incidence of Mortality and Its Predictors among Preterm Neonates in Nigist Eleni Mohammed Memmorial Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Hossana, Ethiopia: A Prospective Follow-Up Study
Authors: Tirore Lire Lemma , Erkalo Desta , Abose Selamu , Melaku Lamesginew Mossie , Tirago Essayas Mulugeta , Shiferaw Abriham , Habte Aklilu , Gebrehaweria Menaseb
Published: February 2024

Background: Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal mortality accounting for 35% of all neonatal deaths worldwide, and the second most frequent cause of death for under five children. Despite different efforts, preterm neonatal mortality is still persistently high in Ethiopia. Little is known about death and its predictors among preterm neonates in the study area.
Objective: This study is aimed at estimating the incidence of mortality and its predictors among preterm neonates admitted to the NICU of NEMMCSH.
Methods and materials: A hospital-based prospective follow-up study was conducted from January to November 2022. A total of 197 preterm neonates were selected consecutively and followed. The Kaplan-Meier survival and failure curves were used to describe the proportion of deaths over time and to compare groups. The independent effects of covariates on the hazard of death were analyzed using a multivariable Cox proportional hazard model.
Results: Preterm neonates were followed for 1840 person-days. The mean time to death was 5.68 days (SD = 5.54). The incidence of mortality was 26.08 (95% CI: 19.65, 34.61) per 1000 person days. Preterm neonates of mothers with eclamsia (AHR = 3.03), preterm neonates who have not received KMC (AHR = 2.26), and preterm neonates who have not exclusively breastfed (AHR = 4.4) had higher hazards of death as compared to their counterparts.
Conclusion and recommendation: The mean time to death was 5.68 days (SD = 5.54). The incidence of mortality was 26.08 per 1000 person days. Eclamsia, KMC, and exclusive breastfeeding were significant predictors of death among preterm neonates. The role of KMC in reducing mortality rates and improving outcomes has to be emphasized for mothers and families. Caregivers have to ensure that mothers and families receive adequate support and resources to facilitate KMC, including access to lactation support, counseling, and assistance with practical aspects of caregiving. Counseling and practical support to enhance exclusive breastfeeding initiation and continuation have to be strengthened. Special attention has to be given to the preterm neonates of mothers with eclampsia.
Effectiveness and Safety Evaluation of Terlipressin in the Treatment of Dynamic Intestinal Obstruction in End-Stage Liver Disease
Authors: Wan Xia , Xu Hua , Li Hu , Zhong Shan , Lei Yu , Deng Huan , Fu Xiao , Zhou Zhi
Published: February 2024

Dynamic intestinal obstruction is a common complication in end-stage liver disease (ESLD), our aim is to assess the effectiveness and safety of low-dose terlipressin for treating dynamic intestinal obstruction in ESLD.
The study was divided into two phases, in the exploratory phase, low-dose terlipressin was administered to treat patients with dynamic intestinal obstruction in an attempt to explore its effectiveness. In the clinical research phase, patients with intestinal obstruction were categorized into terlipressin treatment group (low-dose terlipressin was added to the conventional treatment) and conventional treatment group (1:3) using permuted-block randomization. The remission of intestinal obstruction, time to symptom remission, and differences in adverse reactions were compared between the two groups.
In the exploratory phase, 26 patients were exposed to low-dose terlipressin, 12 were cured, 11 were moderately effective, and 3 were ineffective. The mean time to abdominal bloating remission was 2 days, and the time to anal flatus and feces passage was 1 day. In the clinical research phase, 131 patients with intestinal obstruction were enrolled，the mean time to abdominal pain and bloating remission, as well as anal flatus and feces passage in the terlipressin treatment group (32/131) was demonstrably shorter compared to the conventional treatment group (98/131) (P<0.001), and the remission rate was higher than that in the conventional treatment group (P<0.05). The incidence of adverse events was similar.
Low-dose terlipressin treatment could considerably increase intestinal obstruction remission in ESLD patients with dynamic intestinal obstruction, and have good safety.
Comparison of Markov Model and Dynamic Model in Economic Evaluations for Infectious Diseases: A case of Bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir Treatment-native adults of HIV-1 in China
Authors: wang wenjuan , Zhou Dachuang , Zhou Kejia , Zhang Di , Li Hao , Zhang Hongliu , Jiang Xin , Wang Ruihua , Wang Xi , Tang Wenxi
Published: February 2024

Background: This study aimed to compare the performances between Markov model and dynamic model in economic evaluations for antiretroviral therapy (ART) of HIV, using a case of bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir (B/F/TAF) for treatment-native adults of HIV-1 infection in China.
Methods: A Markov model was used to simulate in detail the lifetime treatment of HIV among adult patients with ART with a cycle of one month. A dynamic model was used to consider the effects of ART on preventing transmission among all Chinese adults, with a time frame of 30 years and a cycleof one year. The primary outcomes were total costs, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Sensitivity analyses were conducted for result validation, and the model precision was tested using relative standard deviation (RSD).
Results: In Markov model and dynamic model, compared with dolutegravir/lamivudine (DTG/3TC), B/F/TAF incurred higher per-person expenses ($44,381.33 and $30.94 versus $42,160.13 and $29.28) but yielded superior QALYs (12.7788 and 17.9423 vs 12.6310 and 17.9420), resulting in higher ICER for Markov model compared to dynamic model (14,081.23 vs 6,524.03 USD/QALY). The robustness of the results was confirmed in uncertainty analyses, and Markov model exhibited a lower RSD.
Conclusion: B/F/TAF is deemed cost-effective in China according to both models, presenting a valuable treatment option despite its higher price in the era of optimized HIV care. The choice of the economic evaluation model influences the ICERs of ART, with dynamic model advantageous for incorporating externality and Markov model noted for its precision.
A fast spectral recovery does not necessarily indicate post-fire forest recovery
Authors: Celebrezze Joe V. , Franz Madeline C. , Andrus Robert A. , Stahl Amanda T. , Steen-Adams Michelle , Meddens Arjan J. H.
Published: February 2024

Background Climate change has increased wildfire activity in the western USA and limited the capacity for forests to recover post-fire, especially in areas burned at high severity. Land managers urgently need a better understanding of the spatiotemporal variability in natural postfire forest recovery to plan and implement active recovery projects. In burned areas, post-fire ‘spectral recovery’, determined by examining the trajectory of multispectral indices (e.g., normalized burn ratio) over time, generally corresponds with recovery of multiple post-fire vegetation types, including trees and shrubs. Field data are essential for deciphering the vegetation types reflected by spectral recovery, yet few studies validate spectral recovery metrics with field data or incorporate spectral recovery into spatial models of post-fire vegetation recovery. We investigated relationships between spectral recovery and field measurements of post-fire recovery (16 to 27 years post-fire) from 99 plots in mixed-conifer forests of the Blue Mountains, USA. Additionally, using generalized linear mixed effects models, we assessed the relative capacities of multispectral, climatic, and topographic data to predict field measurements of post-fire recovery.
Results We found that spectral recovery did not necessarily coincide with field measurements of forest recovery (e.g., density of regenerating seedlings, saplings, and young trees and % juvenile conifer cover). Instead, rapid spectral recovery often coincided with increases in % shrub cover. We primarily attributed this relationship to the response of snowbrush ceanothus, an evergreen shrub that vigorously resprouts post-fire. However, in non-trailing edge forests – where it was cooler and wetter and fast-growing conifers were more common – rapid spectral recovery coincided with both increases in % shrub cover and forest recovery. Otherwise, spectral recovery showed potential to identify transitions to grasslands, as grass-dominated sites showcased distinctly slow spectral trajectories. Lastly, field measurements of post-fire forest recovery were best predicted when including post-fire climate and multispectral data in predictive models.
Conclusions Despite a disconnect between a faster spectral recovery and forest recovery, our results suggest that including multispectral data improved models predicting the likelihood of post-fire forest recovery. Improving predictive models would aid land managers in identifying sites to implement active reforestation projects.
Microbial Association with Adenoid Hypertrophy in Nasal Cavity and Adenoid Tissues
Authors: jiang He , Ye Ping , Sun Qian , Zhao Juan , Chen Long , Chen Shuai , Jia Wenming , Liu Heng , Feng Xin
Published: February 2024

Nasal cavity and Nasopharynx are habitats for both the pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria. Adenoid hypertrophy (AH) is the main cause in children, with a high incidence, for the airflow reduction in the upper airways. However, limited research exposed the impact of AH on the nasal microbial compositions. To determine the association between nasal microbiota and AH, total DNAs were collected and extracted from the nasal cavity and the hypertrophic adenoid of the donors, and the 16 S rRNA gene region was sequenced. Microbial diversity was compared between the healthy and AH groups and the enriched functional pathways were predicted. Although the alpha-diversity of microbial communities did not show statistically significant difference between the groups, principal Co-ordinates Analysis (PCoA) revealed that the microbiota component in the nasal cavity as well as in the hypertrophic adenoid tissues of children with AH was significantly different from the healthy children. Genera Alloiococcus, Moraxella, Streptococcus, and Bacteroidesce were specifically enriched in the AH group’s samples, among which, Moraxella spp. was significantly enriched in both nasal cavity and adenoid tissues, indicating a potential association of it with AH. In addition, Tax4fun prediction revealed disordered microbial functions in AH children. Nutrient metabolism, signaling system, chemotactic reaction, genetic replication, and reproduction related pathways all significantly decreased in the AH group, but increased after adenoidectomy treatment. The findings in this study revealed a high association between specific microorganisms and AH disease. Future work is needed to investigate the role of Moraxella spp. in AH development.
Methodology for Identifying Mesoscale Weather Patterns from High-dimensional Climate Datasets
Authors: Nevat Ido , Acero Juan Angel
Published: February 2024

We develop a new methodology to solve the problem of identifying and selecting Mesoscale Weather Patterns (MWPs) from high-dimensional spatio-temporal climate datasets.This problem is important and topical and has many implications for decision-makers across multiple sectors, such as urban design, urban climate, agriculture, transportation, energy, disaster management and more. This problem involves selecting a small subset of data (specific days) from the original large dataset (decades long), such that it captures the essential information and characteristics of the large dataset, while minimizing redundancy. This is useful as it makes the dataset more manageable for processing, analysis and insight gathering without degrading the overall quality of the information content.We develop a novel algorithm that is based on advanced machine learning and optimization techniques, and consists of two stages: 1) Spatial Dimensionality Reduction (SDR) to reduce the number of spatial cells analyzed while preserving as much relevant information as possible; 2) Representative Subset Selection (RSS) to find a small subset of days in the dataset that captures the essential patterns, relationships and information present in the full dataset - these are the Mesoscale Weather Patterns.We demonstrate our methodology by applying it to a spatio-temporal dataset of atmospheric observations, the ERA5 dataset, in Singapore. The MWPs offer valuable insights into the region's diverse weather conditions and help researchers, climatologists and policymakers comprehend the complex interactions between atmospheric elements.
Vitamin C induced DNA cleavage using curcumin loaded Fe3O4-silane magnetic nanoparticles
Authors: Prabakaran Natarajan , Mareeswaran Paulpandian Muthu , Shanmugavelan Poovan
Published: February 2024

The loading and unloading of a drug into a nanoparticle is the first stage in the delivery of a nanodrug. This work investigates the loading of curcumin via soft hydrolysis of silane using iron oxide-silane core-shell nanoparticles. Additionally, the study examines the sustained release of curcumin from the core-shell nanoparticles over a period of 70 hours at a physiological pH. The release ability is studied using absorption spectral technique. The interaction of DNA is studied using emission spectral technique. Drug delivery applications should involve interactions between the released drug and the biomolecules of the biological systems. Therefore, this system is used to study the interaction between curcumin and DNA and vitamin C-induced cleavage.
Contrasting Effects of Endogenous and extracellular PCSK9 on Inflammation, Lipid alteration and Cell death.
Authors: Ghalali Aram , Alhamdan Fahd , Upadhyay Swapna , Ganguly Koustav , Larsson Kjell , Palmberg Lena , Rahman Mizanur
Published: February 2024

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is one of the major regulators of low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR). While information on role and regulation of PCSK9 in lung is very limited, recent discovery of PCSK9 in A549 highlights a potential function of PCSK9 in lung. Our study focuses on understanding the role and regulation of PCSK9 in the lung. Experiments involved measurement of PCSK9 in bronchioalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), single cell sequencing analysis, and exposure of lung epithelial cells to PCSK9, cigarette smoke extract (CSE), and staurosporine. Inhibition of endogenous PCSK9 expression was followed by bulk RNA sequencing. PCSK9 levels were higher in BALF of smokers with or without chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) compared to BALF of nonsmokers. PCSK9-stimulated cells induced proinflammatory cytokines and activation of MAPKp38. PCSK9 transcripts were highly expressed in healthy individuals compared to COPD, pulmonary fibrosis or pulmonary systemic sclerosis. CSE reduced PCSK9 levels in undifferentiated PBEC but induced in differentiated PBEC. PCSK9 inhibition affected biological pathways, inducing lipid peroxidation, and higher level of apoptosis in response to staurosporine. Our results suggest that higher levels of PCSK9 in BALF acts as an inflammatory marker. Furthermore, extracellular and endogenous PCSK9 play different roles.
Unravelling the Absence of Testosterone Peak in Niosomes Using DSC; Insights from FTIR and HRTEM Investigations
Authors: WIDODO RIYANTO , Mawazi Saeid Mezail
Published: February 2024

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) are a crucial analytical tool in pharmaceutical technology, enabling the characterization of drug molecules and excipients, facilitating the optimization of dosage design and development. Causes of the testosterone peak absence in the DSC spectra of niosome formulations were discussed and evidenced using DSC, FTIR and HRTEM. The niosomes formulations were fabricated using 1% testosterone powder and different quantities of Span60 powder, Tween60 semisolid, and cholesterol powder utilizing solvent evaporation method with a slight modification. The possible factors were discussed and highlighted in the current article leading to the disappearance of the peak include solid-state transitions, interaction between components (by hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces), encapsulation of testosterone, and dilution effect. Solid-state transitions can involve polymorphism or the conversion of the crystalline form to an amorphous state. This was supported by a crystalline structure, can be seen at the center of the HRTEM image, whereas the surrounding area confirms the amorphous state. Interactions between components can be due to hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces, or even covalent bonding. Encapsulation of testosterone can affect heat transfer and molecular mobility. Dilution effect can affect the signal-to-noise ratio or overlap with other peaks. The FTIR data confirm the encapsulation of testosterone in the prepared niosomes based on the chemical structure and functional group. This understanding could potentially be used to design stable niosome formulations for testosterone, assuring their applications in drug delivery and dosage design.
Azine Based Oligoesteric Chemosensors for Cu2+ Ion Detection: Synthesis, Structural Characterization, and Theoretical Investigations
Authors: Manigandan Subramani , Muthusamy Athianna , Anand Siddeswaran
Published: February 2024

Synthesized monomer and its three oligoester were characterized by technique such as 1H, 13C, IR,UV, GPC and applied to chemosensor applications. A series of metal ion was studied with fluorophores to evaluate the sensitivity towards Cu2+ ion. The fluorophores results exhibit the selective and sensitive “turn off” fluorescence response with Cu2+ ion in DMF/H2O (1:1, pH: 7.4, fluorophore: 5µM) solution. Binding stoichiometry and binding constant of fluorophores were calculated using Stern-Volmer equation and Benesi–Hildebrand plots respectively. Structure of fluorophores were studied using DFT, B3LYP/6–311 + + G(d,p) level basis set. Quenching mechanism and electrical properties of fluorophores were explained with theoretical outcomes. Iodine doped and undoped oligoesters electrical conductivity were studied in solid-state and the conductivity was gradually increase with increase the contact time of iodin with oligoesters. At different frequencies and temperatures, the dielectric measurement was calculated using the two-probe method. Among all oligoesters, DMDAP exhibited high electrical conductivity and DMDMP has high dielectric constant value than other oligoesters.
Isolation and Identification of Postharvest Rot Pathogens in Tangelo and their Potential Inhibition with Acidic Electrolyzed Water
Authors: Ji Ying , Wang Jieqiong , Liu Ye , Liu Shaoyan , Jiang Xuanjing , Huang Huaming
Published: February 2024

This study focused on the identification of rot-causing fungi in tangelo, with a particular emphasis on investigating the inhibitory effects of acidic electrolyzed water on the identified pathogens. The dominant strains responsible for postharvest decay were isolated from infected tangelo fruits and characterized through morphological observation, molecular identification, and pathogenicity detection. Two strains were isolated from postharvest diseased tangelo fruits, cultured and morphologically characterized, and had their gene fragments amplified using primers ITS1 and ITS4. The results revealed the rDNA-ITS sequence of TF1 and TF2 were 100% homologous with those of Penicillium citrinum and Aspergillus sydowii. These isolated fungi were confirmed to induce tangelo disease, and subsequent re-isolation validated their consistency with the inoculum. Antifungal tests demonstrated that acidic electrolyzed water exhibited a potent inhibitory effect on Penicillium citrinum and Aspergillus sydowii, with EC50 values of 85.4 µg/mL and 60.12 µg/mL, respectively. The inhibition zones of 150 µg/mL acidic electrolyzed water to 2 kinds of pathogenic fungi were over 75 mm in diameter. Furthermore, treatment with acidic electrolyzed water resulted in morphological changes such as bending and shrinking of the fungal hyphae surface. In addition, extracellular pH, conductivity, and absorbance at 260 nm of the fungi hypha significantly increased post-treatment with acidic electrolyzed water. Pathogenic morphology and IST sequencing analysis confirmed Penicillium citrinum and Aspergillus sydowii as the primary pathogenic fungi, with their growth effectively inhibited by acidic electrolytic water.
Thrombopoietin mimetic stimulates bone marrow vascular and stromal niches to mitigate acute radiation syndrome
Authors: Vercellino Justin , Małachowska Beata , Kulkarni Shilpa , Bell Brett I. , Shajahan Shahin , Shinoda Kosaku , Eichenbaum Gary , Verma Amit K. , Ghosh Sanchita P. , Yang Weng-Lang , Frenette Paul S. , Guha Chandan
Published: February 2024

Background
Acute radiation syndrome (ARS) manifests after exposure to high doses of radiation in the instances of radiologic accidents or incidents. Facilitating the regeneration of the bone marrow (BM), namely the hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), is a key in mitigating ARS and multi-organ failure. JNJ-26366821, a PEGylated thrombopoietin mimetic (TPOm) peptide, has been shown as an effective medical countermeasure (MCM) to treat hematopoietic-ARS (H-ARS) in mice. However, the activity of TPOm on regulating BM vascular and stromal niches to support HSPC regeneration has not yet been elucidated.
Methods
C57BL/6J mice (9–14 weeks old) received sublethal or lethal total body irradiation (TBI), a model for H-ARS, by 137Cs or X-rays. At 24 hours post-irradiation, mice were subcutaneously injected with a single dose of TPOm (0.3 mg/kg or 1.0 mg/kg) or PBS (vehicle). At homeostasis and on days 4, 7, 10, 14, 18, and 21 post-TBI with and without TPOm treatment, BM was harvested for histology, BM flow cytometry of HSPCs, endothelial (EC) and mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC), and whole-mount confocal microscopy. For survival, irradiated mice were monitored and weighed for 30 days. Lastly, BM triple negative cells (TNC; CD45−, TER-119−, CD31−) were sorted for single-cell RNA-sequencing to examine transcriptomics after TBI with or without TPOm treatment.
Results
At homeostasis, TPOm expanded the number of circulating platelets and HSPCs, ECs, and MSCs in the BM. Following sublethal TBI, TPOm improved BM architecture and promoted recovery of HSPCs, ECs, and MSCs. Furthermore, TPOm elevated VEGF-C levels in normal and irradiated mice. Following lethal irradiation, mice improved body weight recovery and 30-day survival when treated with TPOm after 137Cs and X-ray exposure. Additionally, TPOm reduced vascular dilation and permeability. Finally, single-cell RNA-seq analysis indicated that TPOm increased the expression of collagens in MSCs to enhance their interaction with other progenitors in BM and upregulated the regeneration pathway in MSCs.
Conclusions
TPOm interacts with BM vascular and stromal niches to locally support hematopoietic reconstitution and systemically improve survival in mice after TBI. Therefore, this work warrants the development of TPOm as a potent radiation MCM for the treatment of ARS.
Nitrogen fixation rate and phosphorus enrichment effects on diazotrophic cyanobacteria in the Gulf of Riga
Authors: Liepiņa-Leimane Ineta , Bārda Ieva , Jurgensone Iveta , Labucis Atis , Baraškova Ļubova , Aigars Juris
Published: February 2024

In eutrophied marine systems such as the Baltic Sea, the diazotrophic cyanobacteria has a capacity to further enhance eutrophication or negate mitigation measures by converting atmospheric nitrogen into bioavailable forms through N2-fixation. This study investigates the response of two cyanobacteria species, Aphanizomenon flosaquae and Nodularia spumigena, collected from the Gulf of Riga under different environmental conditions to a short-period phosphorus enrichment. The samples were collected during the summer cyanobacterial bloom of 2022 in the central region of the Gulf of Riga. Contrary to expectations, neither species demonstrated a significant increase in biomass. The study also established that N2-fixation rates did not correlate directly with the total diazotrophic cyanobacteria biomass, but showed a significant correlation with heterocyst presence in both species addressed during this study. The findings of this study highlights challenges that can be expected in using chlorophyll a or even cyanobacteria biomass as a proxy for N2-fixation rates.
Machine Learning Algorithms for FCB Estimation in PPP-AR Technique
Authors: Karlitepe Furkan , Erdogan Bahattin
Published: February 2024

Precise Point Positioning (PPP) technique have shown continuous improvement regarding positioning. The recent developments in PPP-AR (Ambiguity Resolution) have facilitated the resolution of integer ambiguity. Thereby, the observation period needed for the convergence time, which is considered as a disadvantage of PPP, has been shortened. Furthermore, the integer ambiguity is not independent source of error but influenced by the Fractional Cycle Bias (FCB) products. This study aims to investigate the effects of the FCBs in PPP-AR technique, which reduces the convergence time. For FCB estimation, machine learning was applied by modifying the functional model of the Single Difference Between Satellite (SDBS) technique. The incorporation of these algorithms enables estimation of FCB values, even for relatively small values. It can be asserted that the support vector machine performs than both the random forest and the SDBS model regarding success. For the integer ambiguity solution PPP-AR demonstrates superior performance compared to PPP.
Development and validation of a nomogram for predicting lung cancer based on acoustic-clinical features
Authors: Lu Zhou , Sha Jiaojiao , Zhu Xunxia , Shen Xiaoyong , Chen Xiaoyu , Tan Xin , Pan Rouyan , Zhang Shuyi , Liu Shi , Jiang Tao , Xu Jiatuo
Published: February 2024

Objective
Lung cancer has the highest incidence of all malignant tumors worldwide, and early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for improving patient survival rates. The aim of this study is to develop a nomogram based on acoustic and clinical features, providing clinical trial evidence for predicting lung cancer.
Methods
We reviewed the voice data and clinical data from 350 individuals: 189 pathologically confirmed lung cancer patients and 161 non lung cancer patients, which included 77 patients with benign pulmonary lesions and 84 healthy volunteers. First of all, acoustic features were extracted from all subjects, and optimal features were selected by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression. Subsequently, combining acoustic features and clinical features to build a nomogram for predicting lung cancer based on multivariate logistic regression model. The performance of the nomogram was evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and the calibration curve, the clinical utility was estimated by decision curve analysis (DCA), and validation set was applied to confirm the predictive value of the nomogram.
Results
The acoustic-clinical nomogram model exhibited good diagnostic performance in the training set, achieving an AUC of 0.774, an accuracy of 0.701, a sensitivity of 0.693, and a specificity of 0.710. In the validation set, the nomogram attained AUC of 0.714, an accuracy of 0.642, a sensitivity of 0.673 and a specificity of 0.611. The DCA curve demonstrated the nomogram had good clinical usefulness.
Conclusions
The acoustic-clinical nomogram constructed in this study exhibited good discrimination, calibration, and clinical application value, providing a tool to predict lung cancer.