bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Saudi Arabia Nuclear Program as a Potential Threat to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Authors: Boyko A.
Published: October 2022

The problem of instability in the Middle East has been exacerbated by the desire of some regional countries to possess nuclear weapons. These attempts have always been successfully thwarted, however, in at least one case – in Iraq – implementation of a military nuclear program was prevented only due to a fortuitous conjuncture of events. These factors revealed gaps in the existing system of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and prompted states to focus on the implementation of new measures aimed at improving them. Among such measures was the preparation of the Additional Protocol to the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), the signing of which is not mandatory for participation in global nuclear cooperation. Saudi Arabia is currently holding talks with other countries considering the possibility of developing a national nuclear program. In the context of rivalry with Iran, the Kingdom does not reject a possibility of implementing a military program. Both countries are signatories of the NPT, but neither of them is subject to the provisions of the Additional Protocol, which opens up wider opportunities for them to covertly use nuclear infrastructure for military purposes against the backdrop of escalating regional rivalry. A new threat to the nonproliferation regime is emerging, which requires a more specific approach.
Estimation of Vegetation Indices with Random Kernel Forests
Authors: Devyatkin Dmitry
Published: October 2022

Vegetation indexes help perform precision farming because they provide useful information regarding moisture, nutrient content, and crop health. Primary sources of those indexes are satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with expensive multispectral sensors. Reducing the price of obtaining such information would increase the availability of precision farming for small farms. Several studies have proposed deep neural network methods to estimate the indexes from RGB color images. However, these methods report relatively large errors for mature plants when highly non-linear relationships of images and vegetation indexes arise. One could apply multilayer random forest-based models (Deep Forests) to solve this problem, but the discriminative power of such models is limited: they cannot catch complex dependencies between image features. In this paper, we propose a method that combines ideas of deep forests, random forests of kernel trees, and global pruning of random forests to tackle the problem. As a result, the method considers the properties of objects with a complex structure: the presence of relationships between groups of features, displacement, and scaling of objects. The experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms neural network-based solutions in several datasets.
Approximate Solution of Elliptic Poission Equation with IBVP using Finite Difference Scheme
Authors: Jaćimović Vladimir
Published: October 2022

In this study, we have considered for numerical solution of a Poisson equation in a domain. we have presented a first and second order finite difference method for solving the system of the intial boundary value. We have presented the numerical solution of the Poisson equations in a two-dimensional finite region. Numerical Solution and exact solution for the presented method has been compared and the figures presented. The present error analysis tables demonstrate the efficiency of the method.
Maternal Mortality in Africa, Regional Trends (2000-2017)
Authors: Onambele Luc , Ortega-Leon Wilfrido , Guillen-Aguinaga Sara , Forjaz Maria João , Yoseph Amanuel , Guillen-Aguinaga Laura , Alas-Brun Rosa , Arnedo-Pena Alberto , Aguinaga-Ontoso Ines , Guillen-Grima Francisco
Published: October 2022

Background: United Nations Sustainable Development Goals state that by 2030, the Global maternal mortality rate (MMR) should be lower than 70 per 100,000 live births. MMR is still one of Africa's leading causes of death among women. This research aims to study regional trends in maternal mortality in Africa. Methods: We extracted data for Maternal mortality rates per 100,000 births from the UNICE data bank from 2000 to 2017, being 2017 the last date available. Joinpoint regression was used to study the trends and estimate the annual percent change (APC). Results: Maternal mortality has decreased in Africa over the study period by an average APC of -3.0% (95% CI -2.9;-3,2%). All regions showed significant downward trends, with the sharpest decreases in the South. Only the North African region is close to the United Nations' sustainable development goals for Maternal mortality. The remaining sub-Saharan African regions are still far from achieving the goals. Conclusions: maternal mortality has decreased in Africa, especially in the South Africa region. The only region closed to the United Nations target is North Africa. The remaining sub-Saharan African regions are still far from achieving the goals. These results could be used for the development of Regional Policies.
Epigenetic Connections of the TRPA1 Ion Channel in Pain Transmission and Neurogenic Inflammation – A Therapeutic Perspective in Migraine?
Authors: Fila Michal , Blasiak Janusz , Pawlowska Elzbieta
Published: October 2022

Background: Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily A member 1 (TRPA1) is expressed in trigeminal neurons and brain regions important in migraine pathogenesis and is activated by many migraine triggers. Epigenetic regulation of TRPA1 expression is important in pain transmission and neurogenic inflammation.Findings: TRPA1 channels change noxious stimuli into pain signals with the involvement of epigenetic regulation, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and effects of micro RNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs. TRPA1 may change epigenetic profile of many pain-related genes as it may modify enzymes establishing the epigenetic profile and expression of non-coding RNAs. TRPA1 may induce the release of calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP), from trigeminal neurons and dural tissue. Therefore, epigenetic regulation of TRPA1 may play a role in efficacy and safety of anti-migraine therapies targeting TRP channels and CGRP. TRPA1 is also involved in neurogenic inflammation, important in migraine. The fundamental role of TRPA1 in inflammatory pain transmission may be epigenetically regulated. Conclusions: Epigenetic connections of TRPA1 may play a role in efficacy and safety of anti-migraine therapy targeting TRP channels or CGRP and they should be further explored for efficient and safe antimigraine treatment.
Knowledge and Practice of Health and Safety in Handling Organic Solvents among Automobile Industry Workers in Brunei Darussalam
Authors: Hasylin Hazimah , Abdul-Mumin Khadizah H. , Pg-Hj-Ismail Pg-Khalifah , Trivedi Ashish , Win Kyaw Naing
Published: October 2022

Automobile industries worldwide extensively use organic solvents. Yet, limited evidence examined the health and safety in handling these solvents, which can only be assured if workers have appropriate knowledge and demonstrate safe practices. A cross-sectional study was conducted to explore the knowledge and practice among workers who are involved with handling organic solvents in the automobile industry in the largest most urban district in Brunei Darussalam. Qualitative data were sought from open-ended questions; observations and pictorial evidence through still photographs. Quantitative analysis showed that 75% of the workers practice reading labels, 94.1% use fully covered clothes, 82.4% wear gloves and 98.5% practice proper hand washing as well as 98.5% cover container lids. The qualitative analysis illustrated workers have general knowledge of materials containing solvents but did not identify the exact solvents, the harmful effects of the solvents, pathophysiology and harmful effects on specific body systems. Health and safety were practiced albeit not consistent. Health and Safety Authorities in Brunei Darussalam must review and enforce specific policies on use of organic solvents so that they can be practiced consistently and safely in automobile industries. Cooperation and collaboration in adhering to the policies are mandatory to ensure health and safety at work.
Natural Mycoplasma Infection Reduces Expression of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines in Response to Ovine Footrot Pathogens
Authors: Blanchard Adam Mark , Baumbach Christina Marie , Michler Jule K , Pickwell Natalie Dawn , Staley Ceri E , Franklin Jemma M , Wattegedera Sean R , Entrican Gary , Tötemeyer Sabine
Published: October 2022

Ovine footrot is a complex multifactorial infectious disease, causing lameness in sheep with major welfare and economic consequences. Dichelobacter nodosus is the main causative bacterium, however, footrot is a polymicrobial disease with Fusobacterium necrophorum, Mycoplasma fermentans and Porphyromonas asaccharolytica also associated. There is limited understanding of the host response involved. Proinflammatory mediators interleukin (IL)-1β and C-X-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 8 (CXCL8) have been shown to play a role in the early response to D. nodosus in dermal fibroblasts and interdigital skin explant models. To further understand the response of ovine skin to bacterial stimulation, and to build the understanding of the role of the cytokines and chemokines identified in transcriptomic data, primary ovine interdigital fibroblasts and keratinocytes were isolated, cultured and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), D. nodosus or F. necrophorum in the presence and absence of M. fermentans, whilst measuring mRNA expression and protein release of CXCL8 and, IL-1β. Stimulation with LPS, D. nodosus or F. necrophorum resulted in increased transcript levels of IL-1β and CXCL8 in M. fermentans free cells, however, only an increase in CXCL8 protein release was observed. No IL-1β protein release was detected despite increases in IL-1β mRNA, suggesting the signal for intracellular pre-IL-1β processing may be lacking when culturing primary cells in isolation. Keratinocytes and fibroblasts naturally infected with M. fermentans showed little response to LPS, a range of D. nodosus preparations or heat-inactivated F. necrophorum. Primary single cell culture models complement ex vivo organ culture models to study different aspects of the host response to D. nodosus. Ovine keratinocytes and fibroblasts infected with M. fermentans had a reduced response to experimental bacterial stimulation. However, in the case of footrot where Mycoplasma spp. are associated with diseased feet, this natural infection gives important insights into the impact of multiple pathogens on the host response.
Short Communication: Could The Skin Microbiome Affect Sports Recovery And Performance?
Authors: Wallen-Russell Christopher , Wallen-Russell Samuel
Published: October 2022

This short communication reports on the initial results of a much larger, ongoing project, the aim of which is to investigate the question: could the skin microbiome, just like the gut microbiome, play a role in sports recovery and performance – and if so, could this role be as significant a one as that played by the gut microbiome? 17 high performance college athletes addressed their skin microbiome by minimizing contact with synthetic chemicals and by using topical skin supplements, shown previously to significantly increase skin microbiome biodiversity, for two weeks after training. 76% said their skin softness improved, 35% said their muscle stiffness and recovery after sport improved, 12% said their sleep quality improved, and 100% said they would be likely to use skin supplements again. Future work will use hundreds of athletes.
Re-Emergence of Dengue Serotype 3 in the Context of a Large Religious Gathering Event in 2018 in Touba City, Senegal
Authors: Dieng Idrissa , Fall Cheikh , Gaye Aboubacry , Barry Mamadou Aliou , Faye Oumar , Ndione Marie Henriette , Diop Mamadou , Faye Ousmane , Loucoubar Cheikh , Sall Amadou
Published: October 2022

Dengue virus (DENV) was detected in Senegal in 1979 for the first time. Since 2017, unprecedented frequent occurrence of DENV outbreaks was noticed yearly. In this context, epidemiological and molecular evolution data are paramount to decipher virus diffusion route. In the current study, a dengue outbreak occurred in Senegal in 2018 in the context of the largest religious gathering with 263 confirmed DENV cases out of 832 collected samples, including 25 life-threatening cases and 2 deaths. It was characterized by a co-circulation of dengue serotypes 1 and 3. Phylogenetic analysis based on the E gene revealed that the main detected serotype in Touba city was DENV-3 and belonged to Genotype III. Bayesian phylogeographic analysis was performed and suggested one viral introduction around 2017.07 (95 % HPD = 2016.61 – 2017.57) followed by cryptic circulation before identification of the first case on 01 October 2018. DENV-3 strains are phylogenetically related, with strong phylogenetic links between strains retrieved from Burkina Faso and West African countries. These phylogenetic data substantiate epidemiological data of the DENV-3 origin and spread between African countries and subsequent diffusion after religious mass events. The study also highlighted the usefulness of the Mobile Laboratory during outbreak response allowing rapid diagnosis resulting in improved patient management.
The Scientific Productivity of Collective Subjects Based on the Time-Weighted Pagerank Method with Citation Intensity
Authors: Kuchansky Alexander , Biloshchytskyi Andrii , Andrashko Yurii , Biloshchytska Svitlana , Faizullin Adil
Published: October 2022

This study aims to estimate the scientific productivity of collective subjects. The objective is to build a method for evaluating scientific productivity that allows calculating productivity, including for new collective subjects with a small citation network—the paper purposes the Time-Weighted PageRank method with citation intensity (TWPR-CI). The Citation Network Dataset (ver. 13) has been analyzed to verify the method. The dataset includes more than 5 million scientific publications and 48 million citations. There have been allocated four classes of collective subjects (more than 27,000 collective subjects in total). For each class, scientific productivity estimates from 2000 to 2021 were calculated using the PageRank, Time-Weighted PageRank, and TWPR-CI methods. It is shown that the advantage of the TWPR-CI method is the higher sensitivity of the scientific productivity estimates for new collective subjects on average during the first ten years of observation. At the same time, the assessment of scientific productivity for other collective subjects according to this method is stable. However, the small citation network of the new collective subjects does not allow an adequate assessment of scientific productivity during the first years of its operation. Therefore, the TWPR-CI method can be used to assess the scientific productivity of collective subjects, in particular the productivity of new ones.
IMPORTÂNCIA DAS SELFIES PARA A IDENTIFICAÇÃO HUMANA – RELATO DE QUATRO CASOS PERICIAIS
Authors: Carvalho Gilberto Paiva de , Teixeira Costa Sarah , Leal Marilia de Oliveira Coelho Dutra , Almeida Casimiro Abreu Possante de
Published: October 2022

A identificação humana é realizada por impressões digitais, prontuários odontológicos ou DNA. No entanto, nem sempre todos os processos estão disponíveis. No contexto da Odontologia Legal, o perito precisa estar atento nos casos em que há ausência de documentação odontológica, para buscar outros parâmetros que possam servir na identificação da pessoa desaparecida. Os sorrisos de pessoas desaparecidas em fotografias presentes nas redes sociais enviadas pela família podem ser analisados e utilizados para fins de identificação. O presente estudo relatou quatro casos nos quais foram utilizadas selfies postadas nas redes sociais de pessoas desaparecidas como subsídio para uma identificação humana positiva. A reprodutibilidade da posição do sorriso na fotografia AM foi um fator limitante devido ao posicionamento aleatório do operador que promove alterações na posição da cabeça e do braço, mas que não impediu a identificação das vítimas uma vez que características odontológicas individualizadoras foram evidenciadas nos exames AM e PM. O uso de selfies como fonte de informação para a identificação odontológica constitui técnica útil, vantajosa, confiável e de baixo custo, pois é acessível para todos os contextos sociais e econômicos.​
Pembelajaran Matematika Jarak Jauh pada Sekolah Menengah Pertama di Kabupaten Pacitan
Authors: Apriyani Dwi Cahyani Nur
Published: October 2022

Pembelajaran jarak jauh mau tidak mau terpaksa dilaksanakan di seluruh sekolah di Indonesia dikarenakan adanya pandemi Covid-19 tak terkecuali seluruh SMP di lingkup Dinas Pendidikan Kabupaten Pacitan. Pembelajaran matematika yang biasanya membutuhkan komunikasi langsung 2 arah antara pembelajar dan pengajar juga tidak dapat dilakukan. Penelitian ini dimaksudkan untuk mengetahui preferensi guru matematika SMP di Kabupaten Pacitan dalam menyelenggarakan pembelajaran jarak jauh atau pembelajaran daring. Penelitian ini mengambil data responden dari 142 guru yang berasal dari 65 SMP negeri dan swasta. Metode statistik deskriptif digunakan untuk menganalisis data kuantitatif sedangkan data kualitatif dianalisis dengan NVivo 12. Berdasarkan analisis diketahui bahwa semua guru matematika baik di sekolah negeri maupun swasta menjalankan pembelajaran daring. Empat aplikasi yang paling sering digunakan guru dalam mengajar daring yaitu WhatsApp, YouTube, Google Classroom, dan Google Form. Sebagian besar guru (sebanyak 91,55%) mengajarkan materi esensial berdasarkan kurikulum darurat yang dikeluarkan oleh Balitbang serta hampir semua guru telah memenuhi kriteria pedoman pelaksanaan pembelajaran dari pemerintah.
Empirical Assessment of Transformer Based Neural Network Architecture in Forecasting Pollution Trends
Authors: Roy Sarbani , Nath Pritthijit , Middya Asif Iqbal
Published: October 2022

With rising pollution concerns in recent times, producing refined and accurate predictions as a part of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 13 (Climate Action) have gained utmost importance. As new computational methods become available, it becomes difficult for an average policymaker to evaluate various techniques comprehensively. One such state-of-the-art architecture is the Transformer neural network which has shown an exceptional rise in various areas such as natural language processing and computer vision. This paper reviews the current literature and performance of such a Transformer based neural network (referred in the paper as PolTrans) in the domain of pollution forecasting. Experiments based on four univariate city pollution datasets (Delhi, Seoul, Skopje and Ulaanbaatar) and two multivariatedatasets (Beijing PM2:5 and Beijing PM10) are performed against other computational methods consisting of widely used statistical, machine learning and deep learning techniques. Experimental findings show that although PolTrans performs comparatively better compared to existing deeplearning methods such as BiDirectional long short-term memory networks (LSTM), LSTM AutoEncoder, etc. for modelling pollution in cities such as Beijing, Delhi and Ulaanbaatar, in the majority of cases, the PolTrans architecture lags behind statistical and machine learning methods such as AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA), Random Forest Regression, Standard Vector Regression (SVR), etc. by a range of 1.5 - 15 units in terms of Root Mean Square Error.
ProteinSGM: Score-based generative modeling for de novo protein design
Authors: Lee Jin Sub , Kim Philip
Published: October 2022

Score-based generative models are a novel class of generative models that have shown state-of-the-art sample quality in image synthesis, surpassing the performance of GANs in multiple tasks. Here we present ProteinSGM, a score-based generative model that produces realistic de novo proteins and can inpaint plausible backbones and functional sites into structures of predefined length. With unconditional generation, we show that score-based generative models can generate native-like protein structures, surpassing the performance of previously reported generative models. We apply conditional generation to de novo protein design by formulating it as an image inpainting problem, allowing precise and modular design of protein structure.
Digital primary and community healthcare: practitioner’s experience in Stockholm during the Covid-19 pandemic and future development
Authors: Solberg-Carlsson Karin , Øvretveit John , Ohrling Mikael
Published: October 2022

Background: Health care organizations report that that the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated their use of digital technologies. We wanted to better understand how rapid and large scale-up took place without any systematic implementation in public primary and community health care in the Stockholm region, Sweden, as well as future development plans.
Methods: Qualitative data from twelve focus group interviews with clinical managers (n=99) were analysed using a directed content analysis. The seven domains of the Non-adoption, Abandonment, and challenges to the Scale-up, Spread and Sustainability (NASSS) framework was used to understand the implementation process, as described by the clinical managers in the focus groups.
Results: The participants reported that they made their own local decisions to make more use of the existing technology provided by the health system for appointments, video and telephone calls. Most participants took the view that the technology was ready to use, despite some limitations. Most challenges for making more use of the technology that were reported were individual clinician’s and patient preferences, how ready their unit was for making changes to practice and organisation. Some raised concerns about how standardizing some aspects possibly conflicted with the decentralised management model of the organisation. The overall experience was reported to be positive, with an intention to sustain the achievements.
Conclusions: Focus group interviews found that that unit managers were positive about the digital technology system for remote care. For the future, they wanted changes to be made at different levels of the health system to help them to better combine digital and physical care in their unit. Possibilities to use digital technology to integrate primary and hospital health care were identified.
Payments for Medical Innovation in Germany: A hospital claims data analysis of utilization and costs from 2013 to 2019
Authors: Krumm Anja Irene , Irps Sebastian , Jaeger Christian , Kersting Thomas , Berghöfer Anne
Published: October 2022

Background: The ability of healthcare systems to allow rapid and broad access to new medical innovations is an essential factor in patient care. A key factor for integration is the reimbursement. Therefore, reimbursement mechanisms have to be evaluated constantly, e.g. to assess the consequences of delays in reimbursement as due to retrospective calculation approaches like in the German Diagnosis Related Groups (DRG) for new examination and treatment methods (NUB). Based on hospital claims data, this study examined the utilization, payment level and pathways for the integration of new medical innovations into the German DRG system for the first time.
Methods: Hospital billing data on invoiced NUB from 2013 to 2019 were linked to the information on the application and assessment process. NUB were classified into three groups (drugs, medical devices, medical procedures) depending on the type of innovation. Key process parameters were evaluated over time by NUB type using a mixed ANOVA. Revenue was calculated based on quantity and payment level. Integration into the DRG system was clustered and quantified.
Results: Compared to medical devices and medical procedures, drugs were significantly more often assessed positive for reimbursement and invoiced by hospitals to the statutory health insurances (p<0.05). The payment level for NUB decreased slightly over time with no significant differences between the types. The total annual revenue for NUB increased from 74.7 to 232.8 mEUR from 2013 to 2017. Analysis of pathways for a lasting integration into the DRG system showed that the majority of NUB stays in the application process and only for a minor number of innovations a standalone reimbursement was established.
Conclusion: The results indicate that the reimbursement of medical innovation by separate payments for NUB gained increasing financial importance in the last years in Germany. Especially new drugs are subject to the NUB process with high success rates as their costs exceed the regular DRG payments. Compared to other European countries the reimbursement process is not directly linked to clinical trials or benefit assessments for all NUB which on the one hand keep the entry threshold low but also impedes nationwide access for all patients.
Impact on Interventional Cardiology Services during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Public / Private sector : Analysis of Data from a Nationwide Health Insurance Scheme in India
Authors: Duggal Bhanu , Duggal Mona , Chourase Mithlesh , Gedam Praveen , Saunik Sujata , Danaei Goodarz
Published: October 2022

Background
The COVID-19 pandemic changed the priority of different healthcare services. Specifically, the stringent lockdowns to control its spread impacted the provision of most elective non-covid healthcare services across the world, including India. We aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on interventional cardiology procedures covered by the nationwide health insurance scheme, Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (PMJAY) in India.
Methods
Data from 28,025 cardiac patients receiving PTCA were screened retrospectively for inclusion into the analysis. We compared outcomes across three 2-months phases of COVID-19 pandemic i.e. “before lockdown” phase (22nd January to 21st March 2020), “lockdown” phase (22nd March 2020 to 20th May 2020), and “after lockdown” was lifted (21st May to 19th July 2020).
Results
A total of 14,928 PTCA cases from 22nd January-19th July 2020 (median age: 58 years, IQR= 51-66; females= 25.1%) were included in the study. Compared with before lockdown, the number of PTCA procedures declined by 62% during the lockdown and remained lower by 29.4% after lockdown was lifted. The decline was greater in public health (77.4%) than private health facilities (47.9%). PTCA procedure claims as a proportion of overall cardiac procedures’ claims increased from 58.1% before lockdown to 71.4% during lockdown, as elective procedures like cardiac catheterizations, balloon valvuloplasty, devices for structural heart disorders and renal artery stenting declined.
Compared with before lockdown, in-hospital mortality for patients receiving PTCA increased by 84% during lockdown (OR: 1.84, 95% confidence interval (1.32-2.55) and remained higher after lockdown was lifted (OR: 1.56 (1.17-2.08))
Conclusion
Decline in PTCA procedures and increase in mortality of patients receiving PTCA procedures highlights importance of maintaining essential non-covid emergency services to prevent delays in life-saving procedures and also provide patient education/helpline to seek timely intervention during a pandemic. It also highlights an important role played by the private sector in providing non-COVID care as the public health care system was overwhelmed by a pandemic.
Soil Health Evaluation of Some d-block Metals in Selected Agricultural Soils in Southeast Nigeria
Authors: Ofem Kokei Ikpi , Kefas Patrick Katan , Umeugokwe Pascal , John Kingsley , Ambrose‑Igho Gare
Published: October 2022

Synergizing soil fertility, soil health and environmental management through the careful use of soil amendments and controlled discharge of wastes to the environment is needed for environmental safety. The study investigated the concentration, fertility and potential health risks of Ti, V, Fe, Mn, and Mo in some agricultural soils, and evaluated the relationship between the metals and some soil properties. Digital elevation models (DEMs) at 30m × 30m spatial resolution of Ishibori, Agoi-Ibami and Mfamosing, Cross River State, Southeast-Nigeria, were obtained. Eight elevation ranges resulted from the DEMs and one soil profile pit was sunk along each of NG1, NG2, CG1, CG2, CG3, and SG1, SG2 and SG3. Thirty-five composite soil samples were collected at predetermined depths of 30 cm and processed for laboratory analysis. Among the five studied metals, the profile means of Mn (660.82 ± 612.89 mg/kg) and Mo (2.61 ± 0.73 mg/kg) exceeded permissible concentrations and would pose threats to the environment. Also, Ti, V, and Fe concentrations exceeded their permissible values in NG1 and NG2, making the soils most prone to toxicity. The metals were irregularly distributed with depth, however, Mn and Fe were either concentrated in the subsurface or values increased continuously with soil depth. Clay and sand contents correlated positively and negatively with all the studied metals, while organic carbon and exchangeable Ca were not correlated at p < 0.05. All the models were within the range of 33 – 67 % for R2. The best performing functions were V and Mo, while bulk density, organic C, total N, Na and K were the most influential variables in PC1.
Lysine 222 in PPAR γ1 functions as the key site of MuRF2-mediated ubiquitination modification
Authors: Fan Yucheng , Xu Fangjing , Wang Rui , He Jun
Published: October 2022

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR γ) plays key roles in the development, physiology, reproduction, and homeostasis of organisms. Its expression and activity are regulated by various posttranslational modifications. We previously reported that E3 ubiquitin ligase muscle ring finger protein 2 (MuRF2) inhibits cardiac PPAR γ1 protein level and activity, eventually protects heart from diabetic cardiomyopathy; furthermore, by GST-pulldown assay, we found that MuRF2 modifies PPAR γ1 via poly-ubiquitination and accelerates PPAR γ1 proteasomal degradation. However, the key ubiquitination site on PPAR γ that MuRF2 targets for remains unclear. In the present study, we demonstrate that lysine site 222 is the receptor of MuRF2-mediated PPAR γ1 ubiquitination modification, using prediction of computational models, immunoprecipitation, ubiquitination assays, cycloheximide chasing assay and RT-qPCR. Our findings elucidated the underlying details of MuRF2 prevents heart from diabetic cardiomyopathy through the PPAR γ1 regulatory pathway.
Comparative of Analog Performance of Transcapacitances in Asymmetric Self-Cascode and Graded-Channel SOI nMOSFETs
Authors: Alves Camila , de Souza Michelly
Published: October 2022

This work presents a comparative study of the transcapacitances of an asymmetric self-cascode (A-SC) and graded-channel (GC) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) nMOSFETs with different gate lengths. This analysis were done by means of two-dimensional numerical simulations. Simulated results show the influence of others transcapacitances on the gate-to-gate capacitance for the ASC SOI device and the GC SOI device.
Matrix Protein Tenascin-C Promotes Kidney Fibrosis via STAT3 activation in Response to Tubular Injury
Authors: Hao Chuanming , Xie Qionghong , Zhang Min , Mao Xiaoyi , Xu Mingyue , Liu Shaojun , Shang Da , Xu Yunyu , Chen Ruiying , Guan Yi , Huang Xinzhong , Zent Roy , Pozzi Ambra
Published: October 2022

Accumulating evidence indicates that the extracellular matrix (ECM) is not only a consequence of fibrosis, but also contributes to the progression of fibrosis, by creating a pro-fibrotic microenvironment. Tenascin-C (TNC) is an ECM glycoprotein that contains multiple functional domains. We showed that following kidney injury, TNC was markedly induced in fibrotic areas in the kidney from both mouse models and humans with kidney diseases. Genetically deletion of TNC in mice significantly attenuated unilateral ureteral obstruction-induced kidney fibrosis. Further studies showed that TNC promoted the proliferation of kidney interstitial cells via STAT3 activation. To identify and characterize TNC expressing cells, we generated a TNC promoter driven CreER2-IRES-eGFP knock-in mouse line and found that the TNC reporter eGFP was markedly induced in cells around injured tubules that had lost epithelial markers, suggesting TNC was induced in response to epithelium injury. Most of the eGFP positive cells were both NG2 and PDGFRβ positive, only half of which were αSMA positive. These cells did not carry markers of progenitor cells or macrophages. In normal kidney, TNC is constitutively expressed by the renal medullary interstitial cells (RMICs) in renal papilla that has been reported to contain stem cells. Cell lineage tracing study revealed that the cells expressing TNC in renal cortex after fibrosis were not originated from these RMICs. In conclusion, this study provides strong evidence that matrix protein TNC contributes to kidney fibrosis. TNC pathway may serve as a potential therapeutic target for interstitial fibrosis and progression of chronic kidney disease.
Effects of cerium oxide on liver tissue in liver ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats undergoing desflurane anesthesia
Authors: Gobut Huseyin , Kucuk Aysegul , Şengel Necmiye , Arslan Mustafa , Ozdemir Cagrı , Mortas Tulay , Kasapbası Esat , Kurtipek Ömer , Kavutcu Mustafa
Published: October 2022

Introduction

During liver surgery and transplantation, periods of partial or total vascular occlusion are inevitable and result in ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). Nanomedicine uses the latest technology, which has emerged with interdisciplinary effects such as biomedical sciences, physics, and engineering, to protect and improve human health. Interdisciplinary research has brought along the introduction of antioxidant nanoparticles as potential therapeutics. This study’s goal was to investigate the effects of cerium oxide (CO) administration and desflurane anesthesia on liver tissue in liver IR injury.

Material and Methods

A total of 30 rats were randomly divided into five groups: control (C), ischemia-reperfusion (IR), IR-Desflurane (IRD), cerium oxide-ischemia reperfusion (CO-IR), cerium oxide-ischemia reperfusion-desflurane (CO-IRD). In the IR, IRD, and CO-IRD groups, hepatic ischemia was induced after the porta hepatis was clamped for 120 minutes, followed by 120 minutes of reperfusion. Intraperitoneal 0.5 mg/kg cerium oxide was administered to the cerium oxide groups 30 minutes before ischemia. Desflurane 6% was administered to the IRD and CO-IRD groups during IR. All groups were sacrificed under anesthesia. Liver tissue samples were examined under a light microscope by staining with hematoxylin-eosin (H&E). Malondialdehydes (MDA) levels, catalase (CAT), glutathione-s-transferase (GST), and arylesterase (ARE) enzyme activities were measured in tissue samples.

Results

The IR group had considerably more hydropic degeneration, sinusoidal dilatation, and parenchymal neutrophil infiltration than the IRD, CO-IR, and CO-IRD groups. CAT and GST enzyme activity was significantly higher in the CO-IR groups compared with the IR group. MDA levels were found to be significantly lower in the IRD, CO-IR, and CO-IRD groups compared with the IR group.

Conclusion

Intraperitoneal cerium oxide with desflurane reduced oxidative stress and corrected damage in the liver.
Understanding the interaction of micro(nano)plastics with simulated saliva, lysosomal and Gamble’s fluids and their impact on human lung epithelial A549 cells
Authors: SAYGIN HASAN , SOYOCAK Ahu , BAYSAL ASLI , Saridag Ayse Mine
Published: October 2022

Micro(nano)plastics are considered an emerging threat to human health since they have potential to interact with biological systems and already been found in the human body, e.g., lungs. However, limited data is available for their behavior under biological conditions and impact on human cells, specifically alveolar epithelial cells. In this study, micro(nano)plastics weathered to various simulated biological fluids (saliva, artificial lysosomal fluids, Gamble’s solution) during 2 h to 80 h. Pristine and weathered plastic particles were characterized by their surface chemistry, zeta potentials, and elemental composition. After, various toxicological endpoints (mitochondrial membrane potential, lactate dehydrogenase, protein, and antioxidant levels) were examined through A549 lung carcinoma cells. The surface characteristics of micro(nano)plastics and the toxicological endpoints of A549 were influenced by the simulated biological weathering, specifically at high concentration of micro(nano)plastics and increasing exposure under biological conditions. The results also indicated that toxicological endpoints had strong linked with the chemistry of plastics and included the multiple processes to the response of the plastics, for instance, the cell membrane integrity and mitochondrial activity were declined with the micro(nano)plastics under saliva weathering, contrarily, their protein and antioxidant activities increased. However, different biological pathways were obtained under artificial lysosomal fluid and Gamble’s solution.
Genotypes and morphologies of bovine papillomavirus in Costa Rica
Authors: Mora Ramsés Alfaro , Vásquez Ruth Castro , Rodríguez Julia , Dolz Gaby
Published: October 2022

Bovine papillomaviruses (BPV) infect the basal layer of the epithelium of bovines, where they persist asymptomatically or produce benign fibroepithelial hyperplasia in the skin or mucosa. The present study aimed to describe the genotypes of bovine papillomas at macroscopic and microscopic level. A descriptive study was carried out, using a non-probabilistic convenience sampling. Ninety-nine papillomas from 63 animals out of 32 farms were collected, as well as information about age, gender, breed, and productive use of the bovines. The location, type and degree of epithelial invasion of the papillomas was recorded. The samples were subjected to molecular and histopathological analysis. The highest number of bovines with papillomas was found in dairy farms (75,0%), in females (95.0%), Holstein breed (45,0%), and animals with ages over 24 months (50,0%). Most of the animals presented from 1 to 15 papillomas (31.6%) and only one type of papilloma (79.4%). Cauliflower-like papillomas were found in 48.5% of the cases, while the atypical papilloma in 11.1% cases. Cauliflower-like papillomas were found mainly in udder (14,4%), head (10,0%) and neck (10,0%) and were associated to five BPV genotypes (BPV1, BPV2, BPV6, BPV7 and BPV10) while BPV2 and BPV6 were found associated with all types of papillomas (cauliflower, flat, pedunculated and atypical). The presence of BPV11 in flat and BPV6 in atypical papillomas is reported for the first time. The morphology and histopathological findings did not allow a differentiation of the BPV genotypes.
Fluid-solid Coupling Analyzing Pressure Regulation Characteristics of a Ball-seat Backpressure Valve in 2-30MPa Operating Conditions
Authors: Yang zhanyu , Huang Jiayi , Gu YuKuan , Jia Chunlong , Liu Qing , Wei Liping
Published: October 2022

High performance backpressure valve is critical for the high-pressure fluid control technology. However, the back pressure easily suffers mechanical failure caused by the strong fluid flushing when the back pressure up to 30 MPa. This work used computational fluid dynamics and solid mechanics analysis method to analyze the basic flow and resistance characteristics of a recently developed backpressure valve. The inlet pressure, maximum flow rate, and maximum turbulent kinetic energy of the 2-30MPa backpressure valve decreases with the increasing the valve opening were analyzed in details. There is pressure suppression phenomenon in the valve chamber when the valve opening is less than 6 mm. The fluid-solid coupling results show that the existing structure of the flow channel and valve core seat can satisfy the pressure regulation requirements within the strength range, and the structure of ball spool seat improve the pressure regulation ability.
A Novel ARMA- GARCH-Sent-EVT-Copula Portfolio Model with Investor Sentiment
Authors: Deng Xue , Geng Fengting , Lu Yuan
Published: October 2022

Portfolio is primarily focused on its future returns and investment allocations. On the one hand, GARCH-EVT-Copula is increasingly proved to have outstanding advantages in improving the accuracy of predicting returns. On the other hand, researchers pay more attention to investor sentiment described by four indexes, namely, market turnover ratio, advance decline ratio, new highs/lows ratio, and ARMS index. Therefore, considering the two factors mentioned above, we propose an ARMA-GARCH-Sent-EVT-Copula portfolio model with investor sentiment. Firstly, the investor sentiment indicator is constructed by principal component analysis, which is added to the time series model to obtain the ARMA-GARCH-Sent model. Considering the advantages of extremum theory, we present the ARMA-GARCH-Sent-EVT model to describe the daily logarithmic return series of stocks. Secondly, the Copula model is used to construct the multivariate distribution of daily logarithmic stock return series to capture their asymmetric and nonlinear characteristics. Furthermore, in order to highlight the advantages of our model, we make a comparative analysis of three models: the original ARMA-GARCH-Copula model, the ARMA-GARCH-Sent-Copula model and the ARMA-GARCH-Sent-EVT-Copula model. Finally, we use the data of SSEC and SZI for empirical analysis and compare the dynamic portfolio strategies of the three models, respectively. The results show that our model with investor sentiment is superior to the other two models in terms of maximum Sharpe ratio and mean-variance optimization, that is, it has higher returns under the same conditions.
Clinical Outcomes of Corneal Neurotization Using Sural Nerve Graft in Neurotrophic Keratopathy
Authors: Saini Manu , Kalia Aman , Jain Arun , Gaba Sunil , Malhotra Chintan , Gupta Amit , Soni Tanvi , Gupta Parul Chawla , Singh Manpreet
Published: October 2022

Objective
To evaluate the efficacy of corneal neurotization using sural nerve graft coaptation to the contralateral supratrochlear nerve in unilateral neurotrophic keratopathy and corneal anaesthesia
Methods
A Prospective interventional study involving unilateral neurotrophic keratopathy, not responding to the medical measures was conducted. A few variations in corneal neurotization were attempted to expedient the surgical procedure. The study parameters evaluated were best corrected visual acuity improvement, ocular surface evaluation parameters [Tear break-up time (TBUT), Schirmer’s 1, and ocular surface staining scores (corneal and conjunctival staining)], central corneal sensation (Cochet Bonnet aesthesiometer), sub-basal nerve fibre length (SBNFL) and sub-basal nerve fibre density (SBNFD) determined by central confocal microscopy at recruitment and during follow-up at 1-month, 3-month, 6-month, 9-month and 12-month respectively following corneal neurotization procedure.
Results
Eleven eyes of 11 patients with unilateral neurotrophic keratopathy (NK) who underwent corneal neurotization were studied. Mean follow-up was 10.09 ± 2.31months (range, 6–12). Mean best corrected visual acuity at baseline, 1.35 ± 0.52 improved significantly to 1.06 ± 0.76 (P = 0.012) at 3 months and continued to 0.55 ± 0.60 (P = 0.027) at 12 months. There was a significant reduction in NK grade severity and improvement in ocular surface, as early as 1 month, and central corneal sensations (P = 0.024) as soon as 3 months. Mean corneal SBNF improved from 3.12 ± 1.84mm/mm2 to 4.49 ± 1.88 at 1-month (P = 0.008), 13.31 ± 3.61mm/mm2 (P = 0.028) at 12 months. Mean central corneal SBNFD evident at 6-months 1.83 ± 2.54no/mm2 (P = 0.018) and 4.90 ± 3.12no/mm2 (P = 0.028) at 12-month.
Conclusion
The study substantiates the routine practice of corneal neurotization, by simplifying the intricacies observed during the procedure.
Arterial Stiffness (From Monitoring of QKD Interval) Predict the Occurrence of Cardiovascular Events and Total Mortality
Authors: Gosse Philippe , boulestreau romain , Doublet julien , gaudissard julie , cremer antoine
Published: October 2022

Arterial stiffness, most often assessed with carotido-femoral pulse wave velocity predicts cardiovascular events but its use in clinical practice remains limited. The 24h ambulatory monitoring of Blood pressure and timing of Korotkoff sounds (QKD interval) allows an automatic assessment of arterial stiffness and is an independent predictor of cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients. The long term follow up of our cohort of hypertensive patients gave us the opportunity to test the consequences of increased arterial stiffness on the incidence of all causes deaths and to define the populations who could benefit of this measurement beyond risk scores. The sample includes 930 patients (502 males, age 53 ± 13 years, baseline risk SCORE2-OP = 6.70 ± 4.97%) with an average follow up of 12.11 ± 7.4 years (0.3–30). In this population 169 cardiovascular events and 155 deaths were recorded. SCORE2-OP, 24h Systolic Blood Pressure and arterial stiffness (QKDh) as a continuous or discontinuous variable (normal or reduced) were significantly and independently linked to the occurrence of cardiovascular events or all cause deaths in multivariate Cox model. ROC curves analysis show that measuring arterial stiffness with QKD method offers the best predictive value in patients with low or very low risk scores.
Three steps down: metabolic depression in winter-acclimatized crucian carp (Carassius carassius L.)
Authors: Haverinen Jaakko , Badr Ahmed , Eskelinen Markus , Vornanen Matti
Published: October 2022

Acclimation of ectothermic vertebrates to winter dormancy is associated with reduced energy consumption. In principle, this may be achieved by reducing movement activity, depression of basal cellular functions or by switching from aerobic to anaerobic energy production. To this end, we determined standard (SMR), routine (RMR) and anoxic (AMR) metabolic rates is summer- (SumA) and winter-acclimatized (WinA) crucian carp (Carassius carassius), an anoxia-tolerant teleost fish. RMR was about 40% lower in WinA than SumA fish (p < 0.05), indicating reduced movement in winter. SMR, measured for the first time in crucian carp, was about 45% lower (p < 0.05) in WinA than SumA fish, indicating significant reduction of energy consumption in vital cellular processes. At 2°C, the anoxic metabolic depression, measured from ethanol production, was 78% from the aerobic level at the same temperature. In anoxia-tolerant crucian carp, winter dormancy is achieved in 3 different steps: (1) seasonal anticipation of winter anoxia by reducing SMR, (2) acute Q10 effect appearing as reduced RMR, and (3) direct response to the absence of oxygen (AMR). Furthermore, the anoxic energy production was strongly dependent on body mass with scaling exponents of -0.335 and − 0.421 for WinA and SumA fish, respectively.