bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
SELETIVIDADE DE HERBICIDAS PRÉ-EMERGENTES EM CULTIVARES DE BATATAS-DOCES DESENVOLVIDAS PARA PRODUÇÃO DE ETANOL
Authors: Pereira Lima Ronaldo , De Oliveira Pereira Anderson , Duarte de Oliveira Gabriel , Cavalcante Gonçalves Rogério , Andrea Lemus Erasmo Eduardo , da Silveira Márcio Antônio , Ságio Solange
Published: October 2024

O uso de batata-doce para a produção de etanol tem sido amplamente estudado. No entanto, na literatura, existem poucos estudos sobre a seletividade de herbicidas para cultivares de batata-doce para fins industriais. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar os efeitos de herbicidas pré-emergentes aplicados na batata-doce. Um experimento foi realizado no campo, usando um delineamento de blocos casualizados (DBC), em esquema fatorial 3 x 3, sendo o fator 1: as cultivares (Amanda, Carolina Vitória e Brazlândia Roxa), o fator 2: os herbicidas (S-metolacloro, Atrazina + S-metolacloro e uma testemunha controle: sem aplicação de herbicida), com quatro repetições. Os dados foram submetidos a uma análise de variância e comparados pelo teste Tukey a 5% de probabilidade. Foram realizadas análises de teor de matéria seca das raízes (MSR), fitotoxicidade, massa seca da parte aérea (MSA), produtividade, teor de amido da raiz tuberosa e estimativa da produtividade de etanol. Os resultados indicaram que os herbicidas S-metolacloro e Atrazina + S-metolacloro causaram danos em grande parte dos tratamentos na fase inicial da cultura. No entanto, o S-metolacloro não causou perdas significativas na produtividade, MSR, amido e etanol, comprovando que pode ser utilizado para o controle de plantas daninhas. A aplicação de Atrazina + S-metolacloro não influenciou alguns caracteres, mas promoveu perdas expressivas de etanol.
TRANSCRIPTIONAL ANALYSIS OF SOYBEAN (Glycine max) GENES RELATED TO WATER DEFICIT
Authors: Sérgio Bernardo Queiroz Adriano , Clemilda Nunes Antônia , Martins Daúde Matheus , Gomes Barreto Horllys , Ságio Solange
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACT
The soybean crop has been gaining worldwide prominence, being widely disseminated due to its various forms of use in different segments. Genetic and environmental factors are decisive in the quality of this culture. A feature related to the environmental factor that has gained prominence is the water deficit. Molecular events are initiated by the perception of water stress, involving a complex genetic network. Studies in recent decades have already identified some genes related to water stress in plants, it is known that the dehydration-responsive element binding protein (DREB) plays an important role in the response to water deficit. Therefore, this work aimed to analyze the expression of genes related to water deficit in soybean. For the analysis of gene expression, leaves of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill), cultivar M9144 RR, submitted to the following treatments were used: 25V25R – plants subjected to water deficit throughout the cycle, being irrigated with 25% of ETpc and 100V100R – plants that did not experience water deficit, being irrigated with 100% of ETpc throughout the cycle. The quantification of the relative expression of the genes GmDREB1 and GmDREB5 showed that the water stress suffered by the cultivar was greater in the reproductive stage.
Keywords: Transcription factors, development stages, gene expression.
PRODUÇÃO SUSTENTÁVEL DE ETANOL: AVALIAÇÃO DA EFICIÊNCIA DA HIDRÓLISE ENZIMÁTICA NO AMIDO DE MANDIOCA
Authors: Benko de Siqueira Guilherme , Collicchio Erich , ARAÚJO DIAS VÍTOR LAYANE , AZEVEDO CAMPOS GUSTAVO , BOMFIM DOMINGOS
Published: October 2024

A crescente demanda por energia tem impulsionado o desenvolvimento de tecnologias mais eficientes e fontes renováveis. A mandioca destaca-se como alternativa para produção de etanol devido às suas vantagens agronômicas e características de processamento. Este estudo avaliou o efeito de diferentes tempos de hidrólise enzimática do amido em cultivares de mandioca, utilizando delineamento inteiramente casualizado, em esquema fatorial 4 x 3, com quatro cultivares (BRS Caipira, BRS Formosa, Mucuruna e BRS Tapioqueira) e três tempos de hidrólise, com quatro repetições. As amostras foram submetidas à hidrólise enzimática com α-amilase e amiloglucosidase, avaliando-se coeficiente de hidrólise, concentração de glicose, rendimento fermentativo e potencial de produção de etanol. A BRS Tapioqueira apresentou maior potencial de produção (329,11 ml/kg MS), enquanto a Mucuruna demonstrou os menores rendimentos. Os rendimentos fermentativos variaram entre 48,76% e 79,43%. Os resultados evidenciam a importância de otimizar o processo de hidrólise conforme características específicas de cada cultivar para maior eficiência na produção de biocombustíveis.
Development of Nanoemulsions from Sesame Seed Oil (So) and Raspberry Seed Oil (Ro): Antioxydant, Phisical Stability And In Vitro (Het-Cam) Evaluation
Authors: Rocha-filho Pedro alves , Maruno Monica
Published: October 2024

Nanoemulsions represent to cosmetic industry new options of formulations which are easier to apply, better functional benefit and potentially safer formulations. They are very interesting for cosmetic products intended for skin care and also for health products, due to the reduced size (range 20 to 500 nm) of the globules, which avoids processes of instability; they present transparency, fluidity, wettability, spreadability, increase skin penetration and good sensorial sensation.
The main mechanism of instability of nanoemulsions is called Ostwald ripening, responsible to increase the average diameter of the emulsion globules, which, over time, the smaller globules have their contents enveloped by the larger ones.
Recent research has investigated the effects of specific plant oils on skin hydration and barrier function, providing insights for personal care formulators. Among the so-called moisturizing agents commonly used in the cosmetic industry and which reduce Trans Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL) avoiding damage to the skin barrier, there are vegetable oils, especially sesame oil, raspberry seed oil.
High-quality vegetable oils present specific compounds with common properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and even moisturizing, emollient and sunscreen actions, making them attractive alternative and complementary treatments to soften the process of skin aging.
This research proposes the development of nanoemulsions containing Sesame Oil (SO) added with Raspberry Oil (RO) by low energy method and consists and to evaluate in vitro SO and RO antioxidant activity; formulation studies; to instability process and in vitro evaluation HET CAM.
Faculty Workload Optimization: A Simplex Method Approach
Authors: Jamous Khalil
Published: October 2024

Optimizing faculty workload in higher education institutions is essential for enhancing faculty satisfaction, student learning, and institutional productivity. Traditional workload management approaches tend to simplify the realities of academic work, creating distortions that undermine the quality of the academic system. In this paper, we present the simplex method, a linear programming technique that can be used as a sophisticated technological solution for optimizing faculty workload. Using a comprehensive mathematical model and a Python code outline, we demonstrate the effective use of the simplex method to balance the teaching loads across the faculty. The obtained results indicate that this method is superior to traditional approaches in terms of efficiency and satisfaction. By doing this, we not only explore new horizons in scholarly discourse on faculty workload but also offer a practical tool for higher education institutions to enhance their operational efficiency and faculty functioning.
Meningkatkan Minat Belajar Geografi Materi Mitigasi Bencana Alam Melalui Penerapan Model Problem Based Learning Di Kelas XI IPS 1 SMA Negeri 6 Surakarta Tahun Ajaran 20222023
Authors: Lusiyanti Meilyta , Marhaenita Diani , Lestari Eny Wiji
Published: October 2024

Abstract

The low learning interest of students is indicated by the low activity in learning and the low learning outcomes of students. The purpose of this study was to increase students' interest in learning in Class XI IPS 1 SMA Negeri 6 Surakarta Academic Year 2022/2023 using the application of the problem based learning model. This research method uses classroom action research (CAR) carried out in 3 cycles, where 1 cycle has 2 meetings. Each cycle is carried out in 2 meetings. The subjects of this study were 36 students in class XI IPS 1 at SMA Negeri 6 Surakarta for the 2022/2023 academic year. The PTK starts from planning, implementing, observing, and reflecting. Based on the results of data analysis, the results obtained regarding the interest of students in cycle 1 reached (63%) included moderate criteria, cycle 2 achieved (67%) included moderate criteria, and cycle 3 achieved (76%) included high criteria. Student learning outcomes in cycle 1 average score of 80, cycle 2 average score of 82, and cycle 3 average score of 93. It can be concluded that the application of problem based learning (PBL) can increase student interest and learning outcomes in class XI IPS 1 at SMA Negeri 6 Surakarta Academic Year 2022/2023 on natural disaster mitigation material.

Keywords: interest in learning, learning outcomes, Problem Based Learning

 

Abstrak

Rendahnya minat belajar peserta didik ditandai dengan rendahnya keaktifan dalam pembelajaran dan rendahnya hasil belajar peserta didik. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk meningkatkan minat belajar peserta didik di Kelas XI IPS 1 SMA Negeri 6 Surakarta Tahun Ajaran 2022/2023 menggunakan penerapan model problem based learning. Metode penelitian ini menggunakan penelitian tindakan kelas (PTK) dilakukan dengan  3 siklus, dimana 1 siklusnya terdapat 2x pertemuan. Setiap siklusnya dilaksanakan dalam 2 kali pertemuan. Adapun subjek penelitian ini adalah peserta didik kelas XI IPS 1 SMA Negeri 6 Surakarta Tahun Ajaran 2022/2023 berjumlah 36 peserta didik, siklus PTK dimulai dari perencanaan, pelaksanaan, observasi, dan refleksi. Berdasarkan hasil analisis data diperoleh hasil tentang minat peserta didik siklus 1 mencapai (63%) termasuk kriteria sedang, siklus 2 mencapai (67%) termasuk kriteria sedang, dan siklus 3 mencapai (76%) termasuk kriteria tinggi. Hasil belajar peserta didik pada siklus 1 nilai rata-rata 80, siklus 2 rata-rata nilai 82, dan pada siklus 3 nilai rata-rata 93. Dapat disimpulkan dengan penerapan problem based learning (PBL) dapat meningkatkan minat dan hasil belajar peserta didik kelas XI IPS 1 di SMA Negeri 6 Surakarta Tahun Ajaran 2022/2023 pada materi mitigasi bencana alam.

Kata kunci : minat belajar, hasil belajar, Problem Based Learning
Shoulder Periprosthetic Joint Infection
Authors: Nazzal Ehab M. , Herman Zachary J. , Como Matthew , Kaarre Janina , Reddy Rajiv P. , Wagner Eric R. , Klatt Brian A. , Lin Albert
Published: October 2024

➢ Shoulder periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a potentially devastating complication after arthroplasty and is projected to rise with increasing numbers of performed arthroplasties, particularly reverse shoulder arthroplasties.

➢ Important considerations for the diagnosis and treatment of shoulder PJI include age, sex, implant type, primary compared with revision shoulder surgery, comorbidities, and medications (i.e., corticosteroids and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs).

➢ Diagnosis and management are unique compared with lower-extremity PJI due to the role of lower-virulence organisms in shoulder PJI, specifically Cutibacterium acnes.

➢ Treatment pathways depend on chronicity of infection, culture data, and implant type, and exist on a spectrum from irrigation and debridement to multistage revision with temporary antibiotic spacer placement followed by definitive revision arthroplasty.
Effect of Thyroid Peroxidase Antibody Titers Trajectories during Pregnancy and Postpartum on Postpartum Thyroid Dysfunction
Authors: Liu Qiuhong , Yang Hao , Chen Yanrong , He Xiaoxiao , Dong Lun , Zhang Xinya , Yang Yu , Tian Mingyuan , Cheng Wei , Liu Dongfang , Yang Gangyi , Li Ke
Published: October 2024

Objective
To identify risk factors contributing to the development of postpartum hypothyroidism in women newly diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) during the first trimester of pregnancy (T1). Additionally, this study aimed to explore the impact of thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) titers trajectories throughout pregnancy and postpartum.
Methods
Thyroid hormone levels and thyroid autoantibody titers were collected from T1 to the 12th month postpartum. Logistic regression analysis was employed to identify independent risk factors for hypothyroidism at the 12th month postpartum and to develop a prediction model. Model performance was assessed through discrimination, calibration and clinical applicability, with internal validation using the bootstrap resampling method. Growth Mixture Modeling was applied to delineate the trajectory of TPOAb titers during pregnancy and postpartum, logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the influence of these trajectories on the occurrence of postpartum hypothyroidism.
Results
At the 12th month postpartum, hypothyroidism was either newly diagnosed or persisted in 76 of 209 cases (36.36%). Several significant risk factors for postpartum hypothyroidism were identified, including multiparity, positive TPOAb in T1, positive TPOAb and thyroglobulin antibody in T1, serum thyroid-stimulating hormone levels at SCH diagnosis in T1, and the final dose of levothyroxine in the third trimester. A prediction model was constructed and presented with a nomogram. Furthermore, a higher trajectory of serum TPOAb titer during pregnancy and postpartum emerged as a predictive factor for hypothyroidism at the 12th month postpartum.
Conclusion
Women with elevated TPOAb titers during pregnancy and postpartum necessitate ongoing and vigilant monitoring of thyroid function, even after childbirth.
The complete genomic sequence of Magnaporthe oryzae polymycovirus 1
Authors: Zheng Hong , Li Cong , Wu Yuxin , Li Xinyi , An Hongliu , Fang Shouguo , Zhang Songbai , Deng Qingchao
Published: October 2024

A novel double-stranded RNA virus, designated as “Magnaporthe oryzae polymycovirus 1” (MoPmV1), was identified in Magnaporthe oryzae strain TM02. MoPmV1 has four dsRNA fragments, ranging from 1324 to 2401 bp in length. dsRNA1, 2, and 3 of MoPmV1 each contain one single large open reading frame (ORF), while dsRNA4 contains two ORFs. Homology searches and phylogenetic analysis indicated that MoPmV1 is a new member of the family Polymycoviridae. This is the first report of a mycovirus of the family Polymycoviridae identified in rice blast fungus M. oryzae.
Gender Inventorship Equity in Patent Prosecution
Authors: Schuster Michael , GOODMAN JORDANA
Published: October 2024

There are pervasive gender gaps throughout the patent process. Here, we add to the literature by providing an in-depth analysis of gendered outcomes across each stage of patent prosecution. We show that female inventors are more likely to face rejection, experience unsuccessful appeals, and exhibit lower responsiveness to rejections than male counterparts. Not only are women less likely to patent their invention, but each stage of examination individually contributes to a lower aggregate grant rate for female inventors.
Our research finds that, unlike small and large entity industry equivalents, university-filed patent applications demonstrate increased gender parity in allowance rates and continued prosecution after rejection. Moreover, small entities—patent applicants with typically smaller budgets—are either more than or equally likely to exhibit gender parity when compared to larger firms. We anticipate this study to be a starting point for a more sophisticated discussion around closing gender gaps in patenting and STEM.
Two-dimensional magnesium phyllosilicate as a recyclable solid base catalyst for Knoevenagel condensation
Authors: Park Hunsoo , Kweon Sungjoon , Kim Eun-Jeong , Park Min Bum , Moon Jong-Ho , Min Hyung-Ki
Published: October 2024

A zeolitic molecular sieve with two-dimensional (2D) morphology and basic properties is a promising catalyst material for organic synthesis owing to the ease access of reactant molecules to the basic sites exposed on the external surface. Here, we report the single step preparation of basic magnesium silicate delaminated MWW layer (Mg-DML) catalysts with 2D morphology by hydrothermal treatment of borosilicate MWW with magnesium nitrate aqueous solution at different hydrothermal temperatures. The resulting solid products exhibited delaminated nature and basic character originated from the framework-incorporated Mg2+ species. The formation of magnesium silicate in Mg-DML was confirmed by ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, 29Si magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses. The basic character was measured by CO2 temperature programmed desorption. The degree of delamination and boron substitution by magnesium increased with higher hydrothermal temperature. The basicity of Mg-DML was found to be a crucial factor in determining the catalytic activity for Knoevenagel condensation, and the Mg-DML-180 catalyst hydrothermally treated at 180°C exhibited the highest conversion of benzaldehyde.
Longitudinal changes in epigenetic clocks predict survival in the InCHIANTI cohort
Authors: Ferrucci Luigi , Kuo Pei-Lun , Moore Ann , Tanaka Toshiko , Belsky Daniel , Lu Ake , Horvath Steve , Bandinelli Stefania
Published: October 2024

Importance: Cross-sectional assessment of epigenetic clocks provides information on the pace of aging. Whether longitudinal acceleration or deceleration of epigenetic clocks over time provides additional mortality prediction is unknown.

Objective: To test the independent associations of baseline levels and longitudinal changes in epigenetic clocks with mortality

Design: Longitudinal study

Setting: InCHIANTI, a population-based study of community dwelling individuals in Tuscany, Italy.

Participants: 699 InCHIANTI study participants aged 21-95 years at baseline with longitudinal measurements of DNA methylation.

Exposure: Baseline levels and longitudinal changes in seven epigenetic clocks, including two first-generation clocks developed using chronological age for reference (Hannum Clock, Horvath Clock), three second-generation clocks developed using time-to-death for references (DNAmPhenoAge, DNAmGrimAge, DNAmGrimAge Version 2), and two third-generation clocks developed using longitudinal rate of change of multiple phenotypes for reference (DunedinPOAm_38, DunedinPACE).

Main Outcomes and Measures: Mortality was the primary outcome. Cox regression was used to estimate independent associations of baseline and longitudinal changes in epigenetic clocks with mortality.

Results: Adjusting for age, sex, study sites, and epigenetic clock at the baseline, longitudinal changes of the following epigenetic clocks were associated with mortality: Hannum clock (aHR = 1.14, 95% CI:[1.03, 1.26]), DNAmPhenoAge (aHR = 1.23, 95% CI: [1.10,1.37]), DNAmGrimAge (aHR = 1.13, 95% CI: [1.02,1.26]), DNAmGrimAge Version 2 (aHR = 1.18, 95% CI:[1.06,1.31]), and DunedinPOAm_38 (aHR = 1.15, 95%CI: [1.01,1.30]).

Conclusions and Relevance: Our findings confirm that epigenetic clocks capture a dimension of health that is predictive of mortality and add the notion that time changes of epigenetic age reflect changes in health that additionally and independently contribute to mortality prediction. Future studies should test whether interventions that slow down the rate of epigenetic aging are associated with longer healthspan and lifespan.
Organic Amendments Improved wheat Growth in Cd-Contaminated Soil
Authors: SOUAHI Hana , GHRIEB Rihem , TAIB Nassira
Published: October 2024

Background and Aims
Using organic amendments proposes a cost-effective solution to reduce cadmium mobility and uptake by plants under polluted soil.
Methods
Various organic amendments namely peanut shell (PN), sunflower shell (SF), walnut shell (WL) and peas peels (PS) once at a rate of 10% was applied to investigate whether and how plant growth of wheat (Triticum durum Desf. var. VITRON.) was affected when growing in Cd (50 mg kg− 1) contaminated soil, along with control in which distilled water was used without Cd contamination. This effect was evaluated through germination parameters (germination kinetics, germination speed, germination rate and emergence rate), growth parameters (leaf area, total weight, total plant length, shoot and root length, number of roots and leaves) and physiological parameters (relative water content, relative electrolyte leakage, membrane stability index, total chlorophyll content, soluble sugar, protein and proline content).
Results
The results showed that stressors significantly decreased the vegetative growth parameters, altered speed germination (p < 0.05), total plant weight (p < 0.001), membrane stability index (p < 0.05), leaf area and shoot length (p < 0.001). However, application of organic amendments seems to attenuate the negative effects of the Cd stress by the improvement of germination speed, total weight, membrane stability, leaf area, plant length, number of roots, relative water content, total chlorophyll content, proteins, proline and soluble sugar content in roots.
Conclusions
Overall, the application of PN or WL was more efficient in decreasing Cd effect in leaf and roots of wheat as compared to other organic amendments.
Cooperative advertising between O2O catering channels: In perspective of different integration modes
Authors: Chen Yan-Kwang , Huang Yu-Ting , Chiu Fei-Rung , Hsiao Wei-Hung
Published: October 2024

More catering companies are trying to increase their capacity utilization during off-peak hours through O2O (online-to-offline) platforms. In order to increase the opportunities for potential customers to spend online, platforms often require catering companies to participate in cooperative advertising, but this may harm the catering companies' profits from offline customers. This research builds different game-theoretic models based on different O2O channel integration modes, and obtains the optimal cooperative advertising decisions and profits. In addition, the influence of model parameters (i.e., product attractiveness, advertising interaction, price discounts and platform listing fees) on optimized advertising decisions and profits is also discussed.
Alumina supported highly dispersed platinum-copper nanocatalyst with good dehydrogenation performance for perhydromonobenzyltoluene as a hydrogen carrier
Authors: Ding Qiuyue , Zhang Yixuan , Wei Huijie , Li Qing , Xi Yanyan , Hu Songqing , Lin Xufeng
Published: October 2024

Precious metal catalysts are widely used in the field of heterogeneous catalysis in general and the dehydrogenation process for liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) in particular. However, their catalytic activity and selectivity are difficult to improve simultaneously due to the characteristics of transition metals. This study developed a Pt2.5Cu0.1/Al2O3-H2 catalyst that can break the negative correlation between catalytic activity and selectivity, improving its common performance and reducing costs. This method achieved highly dispersed nanoparticles (NPs) and co-localization to form the unique PtCux alloy with reduced Pt electron density by anchoring very little Cu doped Pt based alumina catalyst. And it also suppressed strong metal support interaction (SMSI), as confirmed by characterization results such as XPS and HRTEM. These made it exhibit excellent bimetallic synergistic catalytic dehydrogenation activity and selectivity in perhydromonobenzyltoluene (12H-MBT), compared to Pt2.6/Al2O3-H2. The reaction energy barrier of 12H-MBT dehydrogenation was measured to be relative low (~ 94 kJ/mol), and the rate determined step of the whole catalytic dehydrogenation was also identified to be 4H-MBT → MBT.
Erianin suppresses the development of acute myeloid leukemia via PPARɑ and regulating PI3K/AKT signaling pathways
Authors: Deng Ying , Zhong Liang , Zhao Yi , Wan Peng , Zhang Ying , Liao Yang , Zhang Hongyan , Liu Beizhong
Published: October 2024

Acute myelogenous leukemia is a highly invasiveness hematological malignancies that mainly relies on chemotherapy to improve survival rate at present.Up to now,the application of natural products has been widely accepted as an alternative compared with conventional chemotherapeutic agents due to their relative safety.In our research,we attempted to explore the anti-AML capacity and the potential mechanism of Erianin(Eri), a natural component from Chinese herbal medicine Dendrobium flaviflorum.We verified that Erianin inhibited the proliferation of AML cells and induced their apoptosis.Erianin can block cell cycle of AML cells at G2/M phase thourgh regulation of cell cycle-related proteins and P21,P27,P53 mRNA expression.Mechanistically, we firstly filtered and locked PPARɑ and PIK3R1 through network pharmacology analysis, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, and further confirmed their good binding with Erianin by molecular docking.Specifically,Erianin inhibited the transcriptional level of PIK3R1 by activating the protein level of PPARɑ, thereby inhibiting the PI3K/AKT pathway.The inhibitory ability of Erianin on AML cells was partially neutralized by GW6471,an inhibitor of PPARɑ.It was also worth noting that Erianin revealed vigoroso coordinate repression with LY294002 on AML cells. Overall, these evidences indicated that Erianin exerted an influence on AML cells at least partially through PPARɑ to regulate PI3K/AKT signaling pathways.In summarize, we demonstrated the potent anti-AML effect and the potential mechanisms of Erianin, which suggested a hopeful strategy that Erianin has the capacity to be developed into a novel anti-AML drug.
Effects of THC-rich Cannabis sativa extract on Biochemical Parameters in Obesity
Authors: Costa Ana Beatriz , Fernandes Bruna Barros , Turatti Cristini da Rosa , Souza Thalya Seifer , de Jesus Thais Medeiros , Silva Larissa Espindola da , de Oliveira Mariana Pacheco , Silva Mariella Reinol da , Engel Nicole Alessandra , Salla Daniéle Hendler , Dias Willian Sá , Becker Isabel Borges , Damiani Adriani Paganini , Zanette Larissa Barbosa , Longaretti Luiza Martins , Vilela Thais Ceresér , Leal Renan Konig , Fernandes Millena , Prophiro Josiane Somariva , de Andrade Vanessa Moraes , de Bitencourt Rafael Mariano , Rezin Gislaine Tezza
Published: October 2024

The excessive fat accumulation is the cause of obesity that leads to systemic inflammation, compromising the functioning of the brain. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate new effective therapeutic approaches to control fat accumulation. Due to Cannabis sativa anti-inflammatory properties, the use of this plant may be a promising strategy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of THC-rich Cannabis sativa extract (CSE) on the biochemical parameters of obese mice brain. Forty-eight male Swiss mice were used; they were fed a normal-fat or high-fat diet for 10 weeks. On the eighth week of the study, those mice were paired into 4 groups: control+vehicle, control+CSE, obesity+vehicle, obesity+CSE; they received 1mL/kg/day of CSE or olive oil until the end of the study. Body weight was assessed weekly. At the end of the experiment, the mesenteric fat was removed and weighed, and the brain structures were collected for biochemical analyses. The outcome of our study demonstrated that obesity led to mitochondrial and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage, and that treatment with CSE demonstrated to be effective in reversing this damage. This outcome showed an increase in complex I activity in the hypothalamus and complex II in the prefrontal cortex, but the CSE reversed the damage caused by obesity. Furthermore, a reversion of DNA damage caused by obesity in the mice cortex was observed. It was concluded that despite the need for additional investigations, CSE can be a promising alternative for the treatment of obesity and its consequences.
A new approach to automatic information extraction from speech for production disturbance management
Authors: Macioł Andrzej , Macioł Piotr , Gumienny Grzegorz , Wrzała Konrad
Published: October 2024

The goal of our research was to formulate an original set of Artificial Intelligence tools to extract knowledge from sources not intended for this purpose. The sources of knowledge in our analysis were records of production meetings, focused on production disturbance (PD) management. We used NLP tools and a procedure for transforming speeches into a knowledge model, both supported by domain ontologies. We found that using commonly available ontologies in such a case is not always possible. The solution we developed consists of an expert-defined specific ontology, based on the pre-processed speeches. At this stage, a lexicon (Vocabulary) is also created, supporting transformation of the processed speeches into interpretable texts. The model ontology formulated this way is then used to analyze consecutively provided meetings’ records and thus update the operational ontology. In our research, we used the materials provided to us in the form of records of production meetings from a medium-sized pressure foundry. Thanks to the developed algorithms, it was possible to identify events related to the individual production cells, their nature, and the basic relationships between the events, the products, and the devices. The obtained results confirm that the adopted knowledge model and the algorithms might be successfully utilized to solve real-world manufacturing problems.
Different Effects of KRAS Gene on Recurrence for Right- and Left-sided Colorectal Liver Metastases Undergoing Radiofrequency Ablation
Authors: Jiang binbin , Wang Jichen , Yan Kun , Zhang Zhongyi , Wang Song , Wu Wei , Yang Wei , Chen Minhua
Published: October 2024

Objective: To investigate the association of KRAS mutations with recurrence in patients with colorectal liver metastases (CLM) undergoing radiofrequency ablation (RFA) according to the primary tumor location.
Methods: CLM patients with a known KRAS gene status who underwent RFA were enrolled from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2018. Clinicopathological data, recurrence, and survival dates were evaluated retrospectively.
Results: 164 patients (mean age: 58.0+9.8 years, range: 34–83) who underwent percutaneous RFA of 325 CLM (mean sizes: 2.2+1.0 cm, range: 0.7–5.0) were included in the study; Patients (30.7%) in the KRAS mutation group had LTP, which was significantly higher than in patients with KRAS wild-type (14.6%) (p = 0.013). Of the 126 (76.8%) patients with recurrence after RFA, 101 (61.6%) had intrahepatic recurrence, while 88 (53.7%) had extrahepatic recurrence. Among patients with left-sided colorectal cancer (CRC), intrahepatic recurrence rates were higher among patients with KRAS mutation than among patients with the wild type KRAS (77.2% vs 52.5%, p=0.003); the median intrahepatic recurrence-free survival (RFS) was worse in KRAS mutation patients (25 vs 15 months, P=0.007). In patients with right-sided CRC, there was no significant difference in intrahepatic recurrence between the KRAS wild-type and KRAS mutation groups (P＞0.05).
Conclusions: KRAS status is associated with recurrence of CLM after RFA depending on primary tumor location.
Advances in knowledge: KRAS mutation had worse intrahepatic recurrence-free survival after RFA of CLM among patients with left-sided CRC, but was not significantly different in recurrence among patients with right-sided CRC.
Successively Pruned Q-Learning: Using Self Q-function to Reduce the Overestimation
Authors: He Li , Xue Zhaolin , Gan Zhongxue , Zhang Lihua , Dong Zhiyan
Published: October 2024

It’s well-known that the Q-learning algorithm suffers the overestimation owingto using the maximum state-action value as an approximation of the maximumexpected state-action value. Double Q-learning and other algorithms have beenproposed as efficient solutions to alleviate the overestimation. However, theseproposed methods intend to utilize multiple Q-functions to reduce the overes-timation and ignore the information of single Q-function. In this paper, 1) wereinterpret the update process of Q-learning, build a more precise model compat-ible with previous model. 2) We propose a novel and simple method to controlthe maximum bias by employing the information of single Q-function. 3) Ourmethod not only balances between the overestimation and the underestimation,but also attains the minimum bias under proper hyper-parameters. 4) Moreover,it can be naturally generalized to the discrete control domain and continuouscontrol tasks. We reveal that our algorithms outperform Double DQN and otheralgorithms on some representative games. Additionally, classical off-policy actor-critic algorithms also gain benefits from our method.Ultimately, we have extendedour algorithm to multi-agent reinforcement learning algorithms.
Validity and power of the case-only approach in prospective cohort and case- cohort studies with time-to-event endpoints: a simulation study
Authors: Freitag-Wolf Sandra , Akinloye Mercy , Dempfle Astrid
Published: October 2024

Objective
The powerful case-only (CO) approach has been extended for examining statistical interactions for time-to-event outcomes in the context of randomized clinical trials (RCT), but has not yet been investigated in prospective observational data.
Methods
In our simulation study, we explore the CO approach for time-to-event outcomes in scenarios with main effects of different strength and compare its results with classical Cox proportional hazard and logistic regression models.
Results
In the cohort settings it was consistently valid and had a similar power as the benchmark analyses. In contrast, in the case-cohort design, the CO approach was valid and more powerful only in the scenario with just one main effect. However, in the presence of two moderate main effects, estimators may be biased, with a moderately inflated type I error rate. In a real-world example of a cohort study, the CO design represents an efficient approach that can be applied at an early follow-up time.
Conclusion
Under a variety of circumstances, the CO approach is always as powerful, and in some situations even more powerful than the standard models for time-to-event data, but can be biased in the presence of two main effects in the case-cohort framework.
Depositional and diagenetic drivers of a heterogeneous reservoir quality in the Neogene strata of the Red Sea (Egypt)
Authors: Ali Ahmed , Abdelhady Ahmed A. , Mohamed Ramadan S.A. , Fathy Douaa , Hashem Mohamed , Ahmed Mohamed S. , Aboueldahab Sherif M. , Khalil Mahmoud M. , Farag Mohamed H.
Published: October 2024

Petrophysical analyses is the most important, but sophisticated, method for assessing reservoir potential. Herein, we analyzed the Neogene sediments that extend along the Red Sea coast between Wadi Khasheir to Ras Honkorab on South Egypt to evaluate their hydrocarbon potential and to characterize factors behind their evolution. A total of 311 rock samples were collected from 32 measured sections. One hundred and fifty thin sections were made for microfacies analyses. The petrophysical measurements were performed on 185 plug samples representing the different formations. A high porosity was recorded within the conglomerate and greywacke petrofacies of the Miocene Ranga Formation, with an average of 14.5% and have permeability up to 3806 and 3516 mD, respectively. Furthermore, the boundstone microfacies of the Miocene Um Mahara Formation have the highest porosity values with an average of 22.2% and permeability up to 1190 mD. The diagenetic pathways were influenced by the depositional characteristics such as composition in greywacke and feldspathic arenite petrofacies, texture in boundstone microfacies, and the primary porosity as well. The presence of felspars and interparticle pores enhanced the secondary porosity and pore throat size via dissolution. The presence of bitumen as pores-filling material in the Pliocene-Pleistocene sediments reveals their importance as hydrocarbon reservoirs in the subsurface. This tectonic configuration of different sub-basins have controlled the sedimentation and the digenesis processes.
Comparing in vitro protein aggregation modelling using strategies relevant to neuropathologies
Authors: Nadais André , Trigo Diogo , Henriques Ana Gabriela , Silva Odete AB da Cruz e
Published: October 2024

Although protein aggregation is involved in physiological ageing-related processes, it is also remarkably associated with several neuropathologies, including Alzheimer´s (AD) and Parkinson´s disease (PD). The first is characterized by hyperphosphorylated tau protein and Aβ peptide deposition, thus forming intracellular neurofibrillary tangles and extracellular senile plaques, respectively; while, in PD, α-synuclein aggregates and deposits as Lewy bodies. Considerable research has focused on developing protein aggregation models to be explored as research tools. In the present work, four alternative models for studying protein aggregation were explored and compared, namely treatment with: the toxic Aβ peptide, the isoflavone rotenone, the ATP synthase inhibitor oligomycin, and the proteosome inhibitor MG-132. All treatments result in aggregation-relevant events in a human neuronal cell line, but significant model-dependent differences were observed. In terms of promoting aggregate formation, Aβ and MG-132 provoked the greatest effect, but only MG-132 was associated with an increase in the HSP-70 chaperone. In fact, the type of aggregates formed appear to be dependent on the treatment employed, and supports the hypothesis that Aβ exposure is a relevant AD model, and rotenone is in fact a good model for PD. Furthermore, the results revealed that protein phosphorylation is relevant to aggregate formation and as expected, tau co-localized to the deposits formed in the Aβ peptide aggregate induction cell model. In summary, different molecular processes can be induced by using distinct aggregation modelling strategies, and these can be used to study different protein-aggregation related processes associated with distinct neuropathologies.
Conferring Drought Tolerance in Rice Landraces Using Seedling Indices
Authors: B.K. Bibas , Dahal Sneha , Pradhan Nirmala
Published: October 2024

Landraces are a vital source of genetic diversity in crops, offering a rich pool of allelic variation that plant breeders can utilize for developing new cultivars. Although, Nepal has a huge diversity for rice landraces but their actual potentiality hasn’t been sufficiently explored yet. In this study, 25 rice landraces were tested to evaluate the drought tolerance level in completely randomized design (CRD) in 250 ml disposable cup at seedling stage. The rice landraces were tested under 60% FC, 100% FC, and saturated condition for ten quantitative traits. The analysis of variance suggested that there is a significant difference among the landraces for different root and shoot traits as well as in different moisture conditions. Correlation analysis showed that root length has significant positive correlation with shoot length, root: shoot ratio, and fresh root weight under drought condition with 60% FC. Similarly, negative correlation was observed between root: shoot ratio and root number under drought condition. However, germination percentage didn’t show discrimination over any moisture conditions. Principal component analysis showed positive connection of root length and root: shoot ratio towards 60% FC. While strong connection was observed between shoot length, fresh weight, dry weight and root number towards 100% FC and saturated condition. It was found that, Manamurey showed better performance under all studied traits but more insightful result can be obtained by further assessing at vegetative and reproductive stage respectively.
Activated mature B cells undergo enforced Sµ-3'RRrec in the λ-c-MYC mouse model
Authors: Peron Sophie , Guiyedi Kenza , Parquet Milène , Jamal Israa Al , Ouk Catherine , Teteau Ophelie , Vincent-Fabert Christelle , Aoufouchi Said , Roubinet Maxime , Faumont Nathalie , Marchiol Tiffany , Boulin Mélanie , Rizzo David , Chauzeix Jasmine , Feuillard Jean , Gachard Nathalie
Published: October 2024

The Sµ-3'RR recombination (Sµ-3'RRrec) in B cells, a genomic rearrangement occurring within the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) locus is believed to lead to B cell receptor (BCR) loss. Its increased frequency in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), especially those with high MYC expression, suggests c-MYC contribute to genetic instability during oncogenesis To explore c-MYC's role in enhancing Sµ-3'RRrec, the study used a λ-c-MYC transgenic (Tg) mouse model overexpressing MYC specifically in B cells, along with wild-type (WT) and activation-induced cytidine deaminase knockout (AIDKO) mice. The results show that MYC overexpression leads to a higher proportion of BCR− B cells, which undergo Sµ-3'RRrec. These BCR− B cells are sensitive to apoptosis and represent activated mature B cells that likely originate outside the germinal center (GC). Further analysis demonstrated that Sµ-3'RRrec occurs more frequently in BCR− B cells than BCR+ B cells. These BCR− cells also display a polyclonal IGHV repertoire, indicating their diverse origins. Additionally, we observed changes in the class switch recombination (CSR) junctions in BCR− B cells, hinting at DNA repair differences.
Tricked by Edge Cases: Can Current Approaches Lead to Accurate Prediction of T-Cell Specificity with Machine Learning?
Authors: Orlova Darya , Culka Martin
Published: October 2024

The ability to predict T-cell receptor (TCR) specificity computationally could revolutionize personalized immunotherapies, vaccine development, and the understanding of immunology and autoimmune diseases. While progress depends on obtaining training data that represent the vast range of possible TCR-ligand pairs, systematic assessment of modeling assumptions is equally important and can begin with existing data. We illustrate this by evaluating two ideas currently present in the field: treating TCR specificity and T cell activation as distinct modeling tasks, and using unsupervised models based on sequence similarity for TCR specificity prediction. Although presented as general strategies, we argue these are exceptions rather than universally applicable principles.
Economic Policy Uncertainty, Institutional Quality and Renewable Energy Transitioning in Nigeria
Authors: Iormom Bruce Iortile , Jato Terungwa Paul , Ishola Akinwale , Diyoke Kenneth
Published: October 2024

This study examines the influence of economic policy uncertainty as well as the strength of institutions and sustainable policies on renewable energy adoption in Nigeria. Findings reveal heterogeneous effects of short-term economic uncertainty on renewable energy adoption. However, strong institutions and sustainable policies are revealed to consistently promote renewable energy use across the spectrum, same as economic size. Again, multinational corporations exert limited but positive impact on renewable energy transition.
The Potential of Artificial Intelligence in Teaching a Foreign Language at a University
Authors:   Transbaikal State University, Efremova Alla E.
Published: October 2024

The rapid development of artificial intelligence, neural networks, naturally gives impetus to the development and modernization of the education sector. New technologies practically affect the processes of teaching. The purpose of the study is to test the practical effect of the technology of interaction between a teacher, students and artificial intelligence. The task is solved to develop and describe the techniques, algorithm and results of the work of a teacher and students with the integration of the artificial intelligence technologies into the educational process. This shows the theoretical and practical significance of this study. To eliminate negative situations of uncontrolled usage of neural networks in the educational process, to prevent the situations of academic deception, unethical usage of artificial intelligence, it is proposed to develop the techniques of a teacher’s work with a study group that will transform negative factors of the usage of artificial intelligence by students into positive ones, bringing situations of recourse to artificial intelligence into a teacher-controlled format of its use. The technique is proposed that prevents academic deception: the use of artificial intelligence for educational purposes through a teacher-supervision when using artificial intelligence by a student. This is the novelty of the study presented. The research methods are: the analysis of special literature and methodological foundations of teaching AI, as well as verbal-communicative and empirical methods. As a result of the research, the author proposed the list of principles of using artificial intelligence in the educational process is proposed, two functions of artificial intelligence while learning and teaching foreign languages are identified. It is stated, that the phenomenon of the emergence of a new subject of educational process – artificial intelligence – can be observed and the triad of the subjects of educational process has been defined – “Teacher – Artificial Intelligence – Student”. Moreover, the author describes the experience of testing the use of artificial intelligence technologies and gives practical recommendations on their use in the educational process at the university, describes the techniques and formats of tasks given for students. This will further enhance the tools and functionality of digital platforms used in the educational process based on artificial intelligence in general and on the mechanism of neural networks in particular. Keywords: artificial intelligence, English language, principles of teaching, techniques of teaching, artificial intelligence functions, the triad of the educational process