bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Role of Job Crafting and Job Engagement in The Effect of Organizational Commitment on Job Performance
Authors: GÜNER Bircan , GÜNER KİBAROĞLU Gamze , BASIM H. Nejat
Published: May 2023

In this study, it is aimed to determine the effect of organizational commitment on job performance, job engagement and job crafting, and to test whether there is a mediating effect of job crafting and job engagement in the interaction between organizational commitment and job performance, with hypotheses based on theoretical grounds. In this study, a quantitative method was used as a research approach. This study was conducted with data collected from 512 employees in an institution operating in the public sector. As a result of the research, it has been revealed that organizational commitment has a positive effect on job performance. It has been observed that organizational commitment affects job performance in the same direction and job crafting plays a partial mediator role in this effect. In addition, the role of job engagement between organizational commitment and job performance was examined. As a result of this analysis, job engagement plays a partial mediator role between these two variables. In the context of all these results, it has been determined that job crafting and job engagement are effective mediating variables between organizational commitment and job performance.
Eco-physiological and morphological responses of Pinellia ternate from different sources under drought stress
Authors: Na Zhao
Published: May 2023

The objective of the current study was to investigate the effect of drought stress on yield, physiological and biochemical indexes and changes of ecological parameters of artificially cultivated Pinellia ternata. Pinellia ternata were taken from four regions including Changde, Fuling, Ziyang and Bijie. A 75%, 65%, and 55% field water capacity processing were set under the same planting conditions and changes in morphology, photosynthesis, antioxidant enzyme activity and final yield of Pinellia ternata during the 80-day growth period was determined. Results of current study explored that when the field water capacity drops from 75% to 55%, the leaf area of Bijie Pinellia ternate decreased from 15.29 cm2 to 10.88 cm2 while Ziyang Pinellia ternate tuber fresh weight decreased from 2.58 g to 1.48 g. The content of chlorophyll a in Bijie Pinellia ternate decreased from 1.21 mg/g to 0.89 mg/g . Moderate and severe drought stress can significantly reduce the content of chlorophyll and soluble protein in leaves of Pinellia ternate, while CAT activity, SOD activity and POD activity showed different degrees of increase. Pinellia ternate of different regions showed certain interspecies differences in terms of changes in leaf area, fresh root yield, chlorophyll b content, MDA content, and CAT activity. Based on results, it is concluded that moderate drought stress can cause Pinellia ternate to produce significant ecological and physiological changes, and also affecting its tuber yield. 75% of field water holding capacity is a suitable soil moisture condition
Research on the development and evaluation of low-carbon agricultural economy based on financial diversity
Authors: Tuo Su
Published: May 2023

How to develop a low-carbon and environmentally friendly agricultural economy under the conditions of financial diversity is a realistic problem that appears in the context of the current era. In this manuscript, taking cities in western, central and eastern China as examples, the entropy method was used to systematically study the impact of financial diversity on the development of low-carbon and environmentally friendly agricultural economy. Through this study, a low-carbon environmental protection agricultural development factor index system based on financial diversification was constructed, and the entropy method was used to determine the weight of agricultural financial indicators. The results showed that the indicators of agricultural economic and financial ecological diversification ranged from 2.315 to 4.872, with an average value of 3.214. The financial diversity of eastern urban areas was higher than that of central and western cities. The development level of China's low-carbon environmental protection agricultural finance varies greatly from region to region, and there is a large room for balanced development. The regression analysis of low-carbon environmental protection agricultural economic development factors showed that the financial ecological diversity in the eastern region has a significant inhibitory effect on the development of low-carbon finance; the financial ecological diversity in the central region is conducive to the development of low-carbon agricultural finance; the financial ecological diversity in the western region is negatively related to the development of lowcarbon agricultural finance. Financial diversity has a good positive correlation with urban carbon emissions. Although complex financial diversity optimizes the structure of the agricultural economy, it also emits excessive agricultural carbon emissions, which is detrimental to the sustainable development of cities. The output value of the coal industry also has a good positive correlation with urban carbon emissions. The reduction of carbon emissions should speed up the transformation of coal-based energy companies and the development of new energy sources. Environmental protection investment has a weak positive correlation with urban carbon emissions, and environmental protection investment is far from being able to match the increase in carbon emissions. This research can be used for the construction and optimization of agricultural economic indicators
Inhibitory effects of Bacillus licheniformis WJ53A and homofermentative lactic acid bacteria on clostridial growth in corn silage
Authors: Afordoanyi Daniel Mawuena
Published: May 2023

This study reports on the effectiveness of silage additive based on consortium Lacticaseibacillus paracasei L1a and Bacillus licheniformis WJ53A in comparison with three homofermentative lactic acid bacteria (LAB) (Pediococcus acidilactici 12c, L. Lacticaseibacillus paracasei L1a, and L. plantarum S1aR). For this purpose, the antagonistic activity of these isolated LAB was tested. The impact of the isolated LAB on silage acidity, organic acid content, and dry matter of silage was also determined. The fungal and bacterial DNA load in the conserved silages was estimated using quantitative PCR and their effects on the quality category of silage were evaluated. The obtained results showed all inoculants being effective in ensiling of maize with the consortium (L1a + WJ53A), showing a high lactic acid content (94.51%, P<0.0001) in comparison to control (88.28%, P<0.0001). The consortium also showed a lower acetic acid (5.49% to 10%, P=0.0002) and absolutely no butyric acid in respect to control silage (0% to 1.64%, P<0.0001). The qPCR results presented an increase in the final LAB DNA concentration of silage conserved with consortium (0.002487 ng, P=0.0002) when compared to control (0.001127 ng, P=0.0002) but did differ from the inoculant of L1a (0.001790 ng, P=0.0219). Also, the final fungal DNA concentration showed the effectiveness of the consortium by the reduction of fungal DNA in comparison to control (0.00027 ng against 0.00106 ng, P=0.0007). The most interesting result is the inhibition of clostridia growth based on the qPCR analysis which showed a lower clostridial DNA in silage inoculated with the consortium (P<0.001) against all the inoculants used in this study. This research shows the advantage of ensilaging with a consortium of a homofermentative LAB and a Bacillus strain B. licheniformis WJ53A which reduces the risk of clostridial infections in livestock farming
Enhancing the performance of moment frames using a dumbbell-shaped rocking shear wall with additional devices
Authors: Massumi Ali , Piri Mehrdad , Nematnezhad Mohammad
Published: May 2023

Studies have shown that the high cost of repairing damaged structures and the time it takes to rebuild them after an earthquake, especially in densely populated cities, impose severe financial and economic pressures on countries. To solve this problem, rocking systems were introduced as new systems to improve the seismic performance of structures. In these systems, the rocking wall is allowed to rock and elastic devices are used to provide self-centering and dissipate the seismic energy. The advantages of this system include low structural damages, ease in performing structural repairs as well as reducing the costs regarding them. In the current study, the geometry of an existing rocking shear wall attached to three- and nine-story moment-resisting frames was investigated by reducing the rocking wall’s thickness in height and also by adding border elements to the wall as dumbbells. The models were designed according to common seismic codes and then were analyzed through nonlinear time-history analysis when subjected to a series of modified near-field ground motions. According to the results, it was observed that besides exhibiting desired behavior through the combination of prestressed cables and energy dissipating elements, the modified rocking shear wall improved the performance level of the structures and reduced the amount of concrete used by 36 and 20% in 3- and 9-story models. The new system with a modified rocking wall had on average a higher fundamental period, higher base shear, and more properly distributed plastic hinges. This was because of less concrete usage, as well as deploying less prestressed cables compared to the conventional model.
LRFM- based association rule mining for dentistry services patterns identification (Case study: a dental center in Iran)
Authors: Tavakoli Mahdieh , Ghanavati-Nejad Mohssen , Tajally Amirreza , Sheikhalishahi Mohammad
Published: May 2023

Dentistry processes include prevention, examination of symptoms, and treatment of oral diseases. Since there are various dental services, exploring the combination of services can help both dentists and patients for planning accurately to follow the treatment process in an appropriate order. The aim of this study is to extract the different dental services’ frequent rules. An integrated LRFM, K-means, and APRIORI approach is proposed and implemented in Python programming language. Furthermore, patients’ characteristics and the services provided to patients for an Iranian dental center as a case study are collected. Customers are first divided into 5 categories via LRFM analysis considering the number of referrals, duration of referrals, duration of the last visit, and the total service fee. Subsequently, they are clustered based on features including age, type of insurance, referrer, and group of services received in six categories. Subsequently, in each cluster, there are patients from several groups (according to the LRFM analysis in the previous step). Finally, the sequential rules for dental services are extracted in each cluster and several scenarios are proposed to dental center managers. Results indicate that the rules of dental services can lead to finding some treatment procedures for special cluster of patients in order to remind them of their subsequent referral. The proposed approach provides a better patient treatment process and results in more profits for service providers.
Diagnostic challenge: Primary leptomeningeal melanoma with melanomatosis, illustrative case report.
Authors: ElOuazzani Hafsa , Oudghiri Mohammed Yassaad , Abbas Salma , Regragui Asmaa , Elouahabi Abdessamad , Cherradi Nadia
Published: May 2023

Primary leptomeningeal melanoma is an extremely rare type of intracranial melanoma. It cannot be reliably distinguished from metastatic melanoma on neuroimaging and histopathological characteristics alone; its diagnosis is established only after exclusion of secondary metastatic disease from a cutaneous, mucosal or retinal primary. Prognosis is poor, partly due to its high rate of misdiagnosis. Herein, we report a case of a Primary Meningeal Melanoma of the skull base with Melanomatosis, in 31 years old man, mimicking Meningioma. Our aim is to highlight the diagnostic pitfalls and to discuss the histopathological differential diagnoses especially with other pigmented lesions of Central nervous system (CNS).
Laboratory investigation of scour downstream of the Stepped spillway
Authors: Dah-Mardeh Arman , Azizyan Gholamreza , Bejestan Mahmood Shafai , Parsaie Abbas , Rajaei Seyed Hossein
Published: May 2023

The most complicated problem that threatens the spillway's overall stability is local scour downstream of the spillways due to hydraulic jumps and flow disturbance. A series of experiments were conducted in the laboratory of the Water and Soil Research Center to investigate the scour downstream of the hydraulic jump formed on the stepped spillway. Experiments were conducted under different approaching flow discharges, tail-water depths and sediment sizes. The optimal design of parameters including; type, crest and slope of chute, step height and type of flow stepped spillway has been done considering the economic reasons and criteria that lead to more energy dissipation. Generally, the scour dimensions decreased as sediment sizes and tail-water depth increased or particle's Froude number (Frd) and critical depth reduced. With the reduction of Frd, the relative scour depth, the relative distance of maximum scour depth and the relative scour length decreased by 68.6%, 75.6% and 73.4%, respectively. The empirical equations of regression analysis were developed to estimate the scour parameters.
FN1 Mediated Activation of Aspartate Metabolism Promotes the Progression of Triple-negative and Luminal A Breast Cancer
Authors: Chen Chen , Ye Leiguang , Yi Jinfeng , Liu Tong , Li Zhigao
Published: May 2023

Background Breast cancer (BC) is regarded as one of the most common cancers diagnosed among the female population and has an extremely high mortality rate. It is known that Fibronectin 1 (FN1) drives the occurrence and development of a variety of cancers through metabolic reprogramming. Aspartic acid is considered to be an important substrate for nucleotide synthesis. However, the regulatory mechanism between FN1 and aspartate metabolism is currently unclear.Methods We used RNA sequencing (RNA seq) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to analyze the tumor tissues and paracancerous tissues of patients. MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 cells were used to explore the effects of FN1-regulated aspartic acid metabolism on cell survival, invasion, migration and tumor growth. We used PCR, Western blot, immunocytochemistry and immunofluorescence techniques to study it.Results We found that FN1 was highly expressed in tumor tissues, especially in Lumina A and TNBC subtypes, and was associated with poor prognosis. In vivo and in vitro experiments showed that silencing FN1 inhibits the activation of the YAP1/Hippo pathway by enhancing YAP1 phosphorylation, down-regulates SLC1A3-mediated aspartate uptake and utilization by tumor cells, inhibits BC cell proliferation, invasion and migration, and promotes apoptosis. In addition, inhibition of FN1 combined with the YAP1 inhibitor or SLC1A3 inhibitor can effectively inhibit tumor growth, of which inhibition of FN1 combined with the YAP1 inhibitor is more effective.Conclusion Targeting the "FN1/YAP1/SLC1A3/Aspartate metabolism" regulatory axis provides a new target for BC diagnosis and treatment. This study also revealed that intratumoral metabolic heterogeneity plays an important role in the progression of different subtypes of breast cancer.
Progesterone-Mediated Reversal of Mifepristone-Induced Pregnancy Termination in an Animal Model: An Exploratory Investigation
Authors: Camilleri Christina , Sammut Stephen
Published: May 2023

Globally, a substantial proportion of pregnancies end in induced (particularly medication) abortion. However, data also indicates a percentage of women who seek assistance in potentially reversing the medication abortion process. While previous literature has suggested the potential for progesterone-mediated reversal of mifepristone-induced abortion, this process has not been effectively investigated pre-clinically. Our study explored the potential reversal of mifepristone-induced pregnancy termination using progesterone in an animal model, following a clear initiation of pregnancy termination. Female Long-Evans rats were divided into three groups (n = 10–16/group): Pregnant control (M-P-), mifepristone-only/abortion (M + P-) and mifepristone + progesterone (M + P+). Drug/vehicle administration occurred on day 12 of gestation (first-trimester human equivalent). Rat weight was measured throughout gestation. Uterine blood, collected post-drug/vehicle administration, was analyzed spectrophotometrically to measure blood loss. Additionally, at the end of gestation (day 21), ultrasound was utilized to confirm pregnancy and measure fetal heart rate. Number of gestational sacs, uterine weights and diameters were obtained following tissue collection. Our results indicate that progesterone administration following mifepristone-induced abortion initiation (indicated by weight loss and uterine bleeding) reversed the process in 81% of rats in the M + P + group. Following the initial weight loss, these rats proceeded to gain weight at a similar rate to the M-P- group, in contrast to the continued decrease displayed by the M + P- group (and unsuccessful reversals). Moreover, while uterine blood loss was similar to that of the M + P- group (confirming abortion initiation), number of gestational sacs, uterine weights, diameters, approximate fetal weights and fetal heart rates were similar to the M-P- group. Thus, our results indicate a clear progesterone-mediated reversal of an initiated mifepristone-induced pregnancy termination in an animal model at first-trimester human equivalent, with resultant fully developed living fetuses at the end of gestation, clearly indicating the necessity for further pre-clinical investigation to assist in better informing the scientific/medical communities of the potential implications in humans.
Range area and the extremes of the fast-slow continuum predict pathogen richness in pantropical mammals
Authors: Choo Jacqueline , Nghiem Le T. P. , Benítez-López Ana , Carrasco Luis R.
Published: May 2023

Surveillance of pathogen richness in wildlife is needed to identify host species with high zoonotic spillover risk. Many predictors of pathogen richness in wildlife hosts have been proposed, but these predictors have mostly been examined separately and not at the pantropical level. Here we analyzed 15 proposed predictors of pathogen richness using a model ensemble composed of bagged random forests, boosted regression trees, and zero-inflated negative binomial mixed-effects models to identify predictors of pathogen richness in wild tropical mammal species. After controlling for research effort, species geographic range area was identified to be the most important predictor by the model ensemble while the most important anthropogenic factor was hunting pressure. Both fast-lived and slow-lived species had greater pathogen richness, showing a non-linear relationship between the species fast-slow continuum of life history traits and pathogen richness, whereby pathogen richness increases near the extremities. The top species with the highest pathogen richness predicted by our model ensemble are Vulpes vulpes, Mus musculus, Canis lupus, Mustela erminea, and Lutra lutra. Our results can help support evidence-informed pathogen surveillance and disease reservoir management to prevent the emergence of future zoonotic diseases.
The effectiveness of endoscopic management of vesicoureteral reflux among pediatric patients in Palestinian hospitals: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Igbariye Alaa , Alsous Rawand , Masalha Reem , Joudeh Nagham , Abuarafeh Muhannad , Bustame Samer , Abuarafeh Wael , Amro Wael , Bahar Sami , Alkaiyat Abdulsalam
Published: May 2023

Background
To reveal the effectiveness of endoscopic materials that are used in the Palestinian hospitals as a treatment method of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) discussing the success rate, advantages, complications and prognosis of the procedure among pediatric age group.
Methods
We retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records for each Palestinian pediatric patient aged less than 16 years old who were diagnosed with VUR in the last 5 years and treated by bulking agent as the main treatment, looking into their medical notes, tests results, imaging studies reports especially the Pre-operative investigation of DMSA and VCUG, in addition to Ultra sonogram and VCUG were needed to be performed post operatively 1 and 3 months respectively, we also searched for the way they were treated by, who was fully recovered and who had complications afterword, excluding the patients with renal scarring or renal disease due to other causes except VUR.The files were recruited by convenient sampling technique, the success rate of the procedure, recurrence and complications for the overall patients was calculated. The Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) was used for data analysis in this study, participants' features were described using means, standard deviations, and percentages.
Results
The study included 163 pediatric patients -193 kidneys as there were 30 patients who had bilateral VUR, the median age of study participants was 4 years. There were 92 males (56.4%) and 71 females (43.6%), The affected kidney was right among 79 participants (48.4%) and left kidney among 54 participants (33.1%), 30 participants had bilateral VUR (18.4%). The procedure succeeded among 153 of units (79.3%) while it failed among 29 units (15%) and it downgraded the symptoms among 11 units (5.7%), The success rate according to the severity was 100%,100%,83%,61%16% to grade 1,2,3,4,5 respectively.
Conclusion
The results of our multicenter survey confirm the effectiveness and safety of subureteral single injection of non-biodegradable tissue augmenting agents in VUR correction, endoscopic therapy is now regarded as a good therapeutic option and a feasible alternative to long-term antibiotic prophylaxis; for high-grade reflux, open ureteral transplant surgeries remain the therapy of choice. Endoscopic therapy provides significant benefits for grade 3 reflux.
In Silico Analysis Identified bZIP Transcription Factors Under Abiotic Stress in Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)
Authors: Parajuli Atit , Borphukan Bhabesh , Sanguinet Karen A. , Zhang Zhiwu
Published: May 2023

Background Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is the most cultivated forage legume around the world. Under a variety of growing conditions, forage yield in alfalfa is stymied by biotic and abiotic stresses including heat, salt, drought, and disease. Given the sessile nature of plants, they use strategies including, but not limited to, differential gene expression to respond to environmental cues. Transcription factors control the expression of genes that contribute to or enable tolerance and survival during periods of stress. Basic-leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors have been demonstrated to play a critical role in regulating plant growth and development as well as mediate the responses to abiotic stress in several species, including Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, Lotus japonicus and Medicago truncatula. However, there is little information about bZIP transcription factors in cultivated alfalfa.Result In the present study, 237 bZIP genes were identified in alfalfa from publicly available sequencing data. Multiple sequence alignments showed the presence of intact bZIP motifs in the identified sequences. Based on previous phylogenetic analyses in A. thaliana, alfalfa bZIPs were similarly divided and fell into 10 groups. The physico-chemical properties, motif analysis and phylogenetic study of the alfalfa bZIPs revealed high specificity within groups. The differential expression of alfalfa bZIPs in a suite of tissues indicates that bZIP genes are specifically expressed at different developmental stages in alfalfa. Similarly, expression analysis in response to ABA, cold, drought and salt stresses, indicates that a subset of bZIP genes are also differentially expressed and likely play a role in abiotic stress signaling and/or tolerance. RT-qPCR analysis on selected genes further verified these differential expression patterns.Conclusions Taken together, this work provides a framework for the future study of bZIPs in alfalfa and presents candidate bZIPs involved in stress-response signaling.
Influence of Perceived behavioral control, Personal creativity, Personal attitude and social norms on entrepreneurial intention for undergraduate Mekelle University students
Authors: tesfa mebrahtom Teklehaimanot , g/mikal hailekiros sibhato , beyene Kinfe tsegay
Published: May 2023

Focusing on enhancing their entrepreneurial intention of graduates becomes the first priority of higher education. Studies done so far focused on factors affecting the entrepreneurial intention of individuals is not yet matured. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of Perceived behavioral control, personal attitude, social norms and personal creativity on entrepreneurial intentions of final year students from Ethiopian context. The study involved data from 257 graduating students based on self-assessment questionnaire and structural equation modeling approach was employed for data analysis. The study reveals the personal creativity, perceived behavioral control and personal attitude toward entrepreneurship have a positive and significant impact on the entrepreneurial intentions of the graduating students. By contrast the social norms has no significant impact on the entrepreneurial intention of the individuals. These findings contribute to the knowledge of how does entrepreneurial intention of undergraduate students affected by perceived behavioral control, social norms, personal attitude and personal creativity. This research is the first study conducted in the Ethiopian context considering the mentioned four factors on the entrepreneurial intention of the under graduate students. The promising for future research direction is how peers and family interaction affect the individuals’ entrepreneurial intention behavior culture wise.
“My young life, finished already?”: A qualitative study of embedded social stressors and their effects on mental health of low-wage migrant workers in Singapore
Authors: Farwin Aysha , Low Amanda , Howard Natasha , Yi Huso
Published: May 2023

Background Increasing evidence shows low-wage migrant workers experience a high prevalence of mental health disorders and adverse health outcomes. Significant disparities in health services usage among migrant workers create added vulnerability to health complications. However, much remains unclear about how vulnerabilities are constructed in migrant worker populations. Additionally, no studies in Singapore have attempted to critically examine the degree to which social environment and structures affect the health and wellbeing of migrant workers. Therefore, this study aimed to critically situate the socio-structural factors creating conditions of vulnerability among migrant workers using a social stress perspective.Methods We conducted 21 individual semi-structured interviews and two group interviews with migrant workers focused on individual life experiences, community experiences (individual and collective social capital), health (mental and physical health concerns) and stress response behaviours. We used a grounded theory approach to identify sources of stress and stress responses and uncover pathways to social vulnerabilities.Results Migrant workers were embedded in a cycle of chronic stress driven by structural factors that were mutually reinforced by stressors arising from their social environment. Socio-structural stressors enacted as poor living, working and social conditions resulted in their negative quality-of-life appraisal. Stressors arising from being “foreign” resulted in anticipated stigma, concealment, and healthcare avoidance. These factors synergistically created a persistent mental health burden for migrant workers.Conclusions Findings highlight the need to address the mental health burden placed on migrant workers and create avenues for migrant workers to seek psychosocial support to manage their stressors.
Systemic Bioinformatics computational analysis of Hazard Ratio (HR) level of RNA-binding proteins in human Breast, Colon and Lung cancer
Authors: Bakheet Tala , Al-Ahmadi Wijdan , Al-Mutairi Nada , Doubi Mosaab , Alhosaini Khaled , Al-Zoghaibi Fahad
Published: May 2023

Breast, colon and lung carcinomas are classified as aggressive tumors that have poor relapse-free survival (RFS) or progression-free survival (PF) and poor hazard ratios (HRs) despite of extensive therapy. Therefore, it is essential to identify a gene expression signature correlating with RFS/PF and HR status to predict the efficiency of treatment. RNA Binding Proteins (RBPs) play a critical role in RNA metabolic activities including RNA transcription, maturation and posttranslational regulation. However, their particular involvement in cancers is not yet understood. In this study, we used computational bioinformatics to classify the function and the correlation of RBPs among solid cancers. We aimed to identify the molecular biomarker that would help in disease prognosis prediction or improve therapeutic efficiency in treated patients. The intersection analysis summarized more than 1659 RBPs across three recently updated RNA databases. The bioinformatics analysis showed that 58 RBPs were common in breast, colon and lung cancers with HR values < 1 and > 1 and a significant Q-value < 0.0001. RBP gene clusters were identified based on RFS/PF, HR, P-value and fold of induction. In order to define union RBPs, the common genes were subjected to hierarchical clustering and classified into two groups. Poor survival with high-risk HR genes included CDKN2A, MEX3A, RPL39L and VARS (valine cytoplasmic-localized aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase) and poor survival with low-risk HR genes included GSPT1, SNRPE, SSR1 and TIA1, PPARGC1B, EIF4E3 and SMAD9. This study may highlight the significant contribution of the 11 RBP genes as prognostic predictors in breast, colon and lung cancer patient and their potential application in personalized therapy.
Translocation, residues and risk assessment of thiamethoxam applied by root irrigation in tomato plant ecosystems
Authors: Li Li , Liang Hongwu , Pan Wei , Yin Shijie , Cao Junli , Li Jindong
Published: May 2023

Thiamethoxam (TMX) has been registered for use on a wide range of crops due to its broad pest spectrum, high efficiency and versatile application methods. However, there is limited literature evaluating the residue behaviors of TMX applied through root irrigation. In this study, the uptake and translocation of TMX, its degradation to clothianidin (CLO) and risk assessment of TMX application in a tomato plant ecosystem were evaluated. TMX applied through root irrigation was transferable within the tomato plant, including stems, leaves and fruit at different heights. TMX concentration in the four sections of stems was ordered as Clower > Cmid > Cupper > Ctop, while in the leaves the order was the opposite and the top had the highest concentration. The degradation product CLO was detected in the tomato plant, and the concentration order was Cleaf > Croot > Cstem > Ctomato. In the leaves, the concentrations of CLO were even higher than those of TMX. The translocation factor (TF) in the same section generally followed the order of TFleaf > TFstem > TFtomato. Both long-term and short-term risks were lower than 0.44% for all the subgroups in China, which indicated that the application of TMX was comparably acceptable. This study promotes the evaluation of TMX applied through root irrigation for use in tomato ecosystems from a dietary safety perspective.
Observation of large spin-polarized Fermi surface of a magnetically proximitized semiconductor quantum well
Authors: Anh Le Duc , Shiratani Harunori , Takiguchi Kosuke , Tanaka Masaaki
Published: May 2023

The magnetic proximity effect (MPE) in bilayers of a nonmagnetic (NM) conductive layer and a ferromagnetic (FM) insulator attracts much attention as a promising way for introducing ferromagnetism into a NM channel. Although the range of MPE is limited to only a few atomic layers from the interface, it is extended to several tens of nm in high-quality semiconductor bilayers consisting of a NM quantum well (QW) and an underlying ferromagnetic semiconductor layer, leading to the discovery of large gate-controllable proximity magnetoresistance. In order to elucidate the microscopic mechanism of this long-range MPE and realize its device applications, it is essential to directly observe the magnetically proximitized electronic structure of the NM semiconductor, but it is still lacking. Here, by investigating the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in NM InAs QW / FM (Ga,Fe)Sb bilayers, we successfully observe the spin-polarized Fermi surface of the InAs QW. The spontaneous spin-splitting energy in the conduction band of the InAs QW is found to reach 6.3 meV when applying a negative gate voltage, which is the largest spin splitting via MPE ever reported. This highly gate-tunable spin-polarized Fermi surface of a magnetically proximitized InAs QW provides an ideal platform for novel spintronic and topological devices.
Analytic model for the transmission and reflection in two cascaded stages of fiber Bragg grating
Authors: ali hosam A.M. , Mohra Ashraf S. , Hussein Khalid F. A.
Published: May 2023

The fundamental issue limiting long-distance and high-speed optical fiber transmission is dispersion. Dispersion impairs system performance, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and the bit error rate (BER). To address this, numerous dispersion modification techniques have been developed. The use of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is one of the efficient strategies for dispersion compensation. The FBG is frequently used as a filter. The proposed model uses uniform fiber Bragg grating UFBG. Two cascaded FBGs with varying lengths, a constant grating period, and a constant spacing between FBGs are employed in the proposed thesis. The input signal for the stage that follows is the output signal from the previous stage. The best performance and many applications are considered while modeling, analyzing, and comparing this system. Transmission and reflection in two cascaded stages of fiber Bragg grating using first and second order are studied. The mathematical equations for the proposed model are simulated in MATLAB.
Electrocardiogram Feature Based Heart Arrhythmia Detection Using Machine Learning and Apache Spark
Authors: Singhal Prateek , Yadav Rakesh Kumar
Published: May 2023

Heart arrhythmias are the main cause of death worldwide. Electrocardiogram (ECG) results can be used to identify arrhythmias, or irregularities in the heart's rhythm. Because symptoms are not always present, the diagnosis is often off. To prevent a potentially catastrophic situation, patients using real-time ECG monitoring must identify arrhythmias early on. In this work, Structured Streaming, an open-source Apache Spark technology, was used. Finding a method to apply machine learning to detect cardiac arrhythmias in real-time is the goal of the project. Investigating how structured streaming affects metrics for content classification and how long it takes to find episodes was another goal. At MIT and BIH, we have been gathering ECG information. With this information, arrhythmias like RBBB and atrial fibrillation might be recognised and categorised. There are many methods for separating these erratic rhythms from one another. We used a multiclass classifier based on logistic regression, a random forest, and three different decision trees to categorise the data. The random forest classifier wins out when the three classification methods are compared. In comparison to other studies, this study demonstrated improved classification model performance metrics and decreased pipeline runtime.
Developing content-valid tumor-specific PRO-CTCAE item sets: analysis of a cross-sectional survey in three German outpatient cancer centers
Authors: Günther Maximilian , Hentschel Leopold , Schuler Markus , Müller Theresa , Schütte Katharina , Ko Yon-Dschun , Schmidt-Wolf Ingo , Jaehde Ulrich
Published: May 2023

Background
To include the patient perspective in the assessment of adverse events (AE) in oncology, a patient-reported outcomes (PRO) version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) was developed by the NCI, the so called PRO-CTCAE. The objective of this study was the development of disease-specific PRO-CTCAE item sets with high content validity for patients with breast cancer (BC), multiple myeloma (MM) and prostate cancer (PC).
Methods
A cross-sectional survey was conducted at three German outpatient cancer centers. Prevalence and importance of the 78 PRO-CTCAE symptoms were assessed using a patient questionnaire. To select the most relevant PRO-CTCAE items for each tumor entity, symptoms were ranked based on patient answers.
Results
101 patients with BC, 107 with MM, and 66 with PC participated. The final item sets contained 21 symptoms (BC) or 19 symptoms (MM and PC), respectively. Eight symptoms were represented in all three item sets. Fatigue was the symptom with the highest ranking across item sets followed by sleep disorders. Symptoms with the highest rankings represented in only one item set were symptoms affecting the urogenital system in the PC item set, blurred vision in the BC item set and appetite loss in the MM item set.
Conclusions
Individual PRO-CTCAE item sets with high content validity were developed for three tumor diseases on the basis of patient-reported symptom patterns and perceptions. The quality and psychometric criteria of the newly compiled item sets should be further validated.
Sensory nerves directly promote osteoclastogenesis by secreting Peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase D (Cyp40)
Authors: Pei Guo-xian , Yang Liu , Liu Bin , Wu Hao , zhang shuaishuai , liang zhuowen , guo shuo , jiang huijie , song yue , cheng pengzhen , li donglin , wang jimeng , liu yang , Wang Di , Xiao Guozhi , lei xing , gao yi , Zhan Nazhi , Xu Jing , Wang Lin , Li Junqin
Published: May 2023

Given the afferent functions, sensory nerves recently have been found exerting efferent influences and directly alter organ physiology. Moreover, studies have demonstrated the crucial role of sensory nerves in the physiological function of osteoclasts. However, the direct evidence of whether sensory nerve efferent influences osteoclast, remains lacking. Here, we found abundant efferent signals transported from sensory nerves into osteoclasts; sensory hypersensitivity significantly increased osteoclastic bone resorption; and sensory neurons (SN) directly promote osteoclastogenesis in vitro co-culture system. Then our screening identified a novel neuropeptide Cyp40, is the efferent signal from the sensory nerve and plays a critical role in the osteoclastogenesis, via aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-Ras/Raf-pErk-NFATc1 pathway. These findings revealed a novel mechanism of sensory nerves on bone regulation: the direct promotion of osteoclastogenesis by secreting Cyp40. Inhibiting the Cyp40 could therefore be a strategy to improve bone quality in osteoporosis and promote bone repair after bone injury.
GeO 2 nanoparticles loaded reduced graphene oxide aerogel as a lithium-ion battery anode
Authors: Cakmak Oznur Kaya
Published: May 2023

Germanium dioxide/reduced graphene oxide (GeO2/rGO) composite aerogel is synthesized by using supercritical drying method. rGO and composite aerogel show high specific surface area. In addition, as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the composite aerogel exhibits a good capacity retention after 500 cycles. The outstanding characteristics of non-aggregated graphene and homogeneously dispersed GeO2 nanoparticles in the rGO/GeO2 aerogel account for the noticeable electrochemical properties. The application of the rGO/GeO2 electrode indicated in this study is estimated to encourage the development of affordable carbon-based materials for LIBs anode applications.
Psychometric Properties and Validation of the Polish Version of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ-Pol)
Authors: Ćwirlej-Sozańska Agnieszka , Sozański Bernard , Łyko Aleksandra , Łagowska Anna , Leszczyńska Natalia , Kuduk Barbara , Wilmowska-Pietruszyńska Anna
Published: May 2023

Background: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic condition characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, intestinal disorders, mood swings, and sleep disturbances. To the best of our knowledge, the questionnaire used for assessing problems and difficulties in the functioning of people with FM has not been translated and adapted in Poland so far. The aim of the study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ-Pol).
Material and method: The study covered 150 people with FM living in Poland. We have studied the measurement reliability, internal structure, repeatability and validity of the Polish version of the FIQ.
Results: The scale score reliability of the entire tool for the research group was very good. The alpha Cronbach's test result for the whole scale was 0.84. The repeatability of the scale measured by the test-retest method using the interclass correlation coefficients (ICC) was very good and amounted to 0.96. Internal structure suggested by FIQ authors was confirmed (confirmatory factor analysis). After introducing modification indices for the entire scale, satisfactory parameter values were obtained, i.e.: RMSEA (0.06), CFI (0.97) and TLI (0.96). Theoretical validity was assessed by correlating the results of the Polish version of the FIQ with the results of the Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI). Both the FIQ-Pol total score and its domains showed strong positive correlations with BDI.
Conclusion: The Polish FIQ is a reliable and valid tool to measure the functional disability and health status of Polish people with FM.
Late-onset cblC defect: clinical, biochemical and molecular analysis
Authors: Ding Si , Ling Shiying , Liang Lili , Qiu Wenjuan , Zhang Huiwen , Chen Ting , Zhan Xia , Xu Feng , Gu Xuefan , Han Lianshu
Published: May 2023

Background
cblC defect is the most common type of methylmalonic acidemia in China. Patients with late-onset form (>1 year) are often misdiagnosed due to heterogeneous symptoms. This study aimed to describe clinical characteristics and evaluate long-term outcomes of Chinese patients with late-onset cblC defect.
Methods
A total of 85 patients with late-onset cblC defect were enrolled. Clinical data, including manifestations, metabolites, molecular diagnosis, treatment and outcome, were summarized and analyzed. Logistic regression was used to analyze the factors influencing the prognosis of patients.
Results
The median age at disease onset and median time delay from initial symptoms to diagnosis were about 8.6 years old (ranging from 2 to 32.8 years old) and 2 months (ranging from few days to 20 years), respectively. Patients with late-onset cblC defect presented neuropsychiatric symptoms (68.2%), renal involvement (20.0%), cardiovascular disease (8.2%) and metabolic crises (3.5%) as first symptoms, which seemed to be age-associated. Disease progressed in most patients. Overall, cognitive decline is the most frequent symptom. The level of propionylcarnitine, propionylcarnitine / acetylcarnitine ratio, methylmalonic acid, methylcitric acid and homocysteine, were decreased remarkably after treatment( (P<0.001). 24 different mutations of MMACHC were identified in 78 patients, of which two were novel. The c.482G >A was the most frequent mutated alleles in this cohort (25%). Except 16 patients were completely recovered, the remaining patients still left with various severities of sequel in a long-term follow-up. The available data of 76 cases were analyzed by logistic regression, and the results showed that the time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis was significantly associated with the prognosis of patients (P < 0.05).
Conclusions
The diagnosis of late-onset cblC defect is often delayed due to poor awareness of its various and nonspecific symptoms, thus leading to a significant disability. It should be considered in patients with unexplained neuropsychiatric, renal and cardiovascular diseases or even multiple organ damage. Early diagnosis and prompt initiation of therapy are essential for the improvement of prognosis.
Oral mycotic infection caused by a rare Verticillium species – a case report
Authors: Habib Saqib , Naved Nighat , Awan Sohail
Published: May 2023

Background:
Deep-seated fungal infections of the oral cavity present a diagnostic challenge as the clinical presentation is usually aggressive leading to misdiagnosis of malignancy. Nevertheless, the species of fungi responsible for such diseases in immunocompromised individuals are varied thus, further complicating the diagnosis.
Case presentation:
Presented below is a case regarding the diagnosis and management of deep mycotic infection of the oral cavity caused by a fungus that very rarely causes disease in humans, theVerticillium species.
Conclusions:
The case highlights the fact that rare pathogens should also be considered in the differential diagnosis, especially in patients with debilitating conditions like uncontrolled diabetes. Likewise, histopathological evaluation is of paramount importance and remains the gold standard to reach a definitive diagnosis.
Fenofibrate suppresses the progression of hepatoma by inhibiting PI3K/AKT/Twist pathway through downregulating Osteopontin
Authors: Chen Weiqing , Chen Feihua , Gong Mouchun , Ye Lijun , Weng Dengcheng , Jin Zhaoqing , Wang Jianjiang
Published: May 2023

Primary hepatic carcinoma (PHC) is a leading threat to cancer patients with few effective treatment strategies. OPN is found to be an oncogene in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with potential as a treating target for PHC. Fenofibrate is a lipid-lowering drug with potential anti-tumor properties, which is claimed with suppressive effects on OPN expression. Our study proposes to explore the molecular mechanism of fenofibrate in inhibiting HCC. OPN was found extremely upregulated in 3 HCC cell lines, especially Hep3B cells. Hep3B cells were treated with 75 and 100 µM Fenofibrate, while OPN-overexpressed Hep3B cells were treated with 100 µM Fenofibrate. Hep3B xenograft model was established, followed by treated with 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg Fenofibrate. OPN-overexpressed Hep3B xenograft model was established, followed by treated with 200 mg/kg Fenofibrate. Decreased clone number, elevated apoptotic rate, reduced number of migrated cells, shortened migration distance, and suppressed tumor growth in xenograft model were observed by the administration of Fenofibrate, which were markedly abolished by the overexpression of OPN. Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of Fenofibrate on the PI3K/AKT/Twist pathway in Hep3B cells and Hep3B xenograft model was abrogated by OPN overexpression. Collectively, Fenofibrate suppressed progression of hepatoma by inhibiting PI3K/AKT/Twist pathway through downregulating OPN.