bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Common and specific genetic basis of metabolite-mediated drought responses in rice
Authors: Guo Zilong , Wang Shouchuang , Zhang Feng , Xiang Denghao , Yang Jun , Li Dong , Bai Baowei , Dai Mingqiu , Luo Jie , Xiong Lizhong
Published: January 2024

Plants orchestrate drought responses at metabolic level but the genetic basis remains elusive in rice. In this study, 233 drought-responsive metabolites (DRMs) were quantified in a large rice population comprised of 510 diverse accessions at the reproductive stage. Large metabolic variations in drought responses were detected, and little correlation of metabolic levels between drought and normal conditions were observed. Interestingly, most of these DRMs could predict drought resistance in high accuracy. Genome-wide association study revealed 2522 significant association signals for 233 DRMs, and 98% (2471/2522) of the signals were co-localized with the association loci for drought-related phenotypic traits in the same population or the linkage-mapped QTLs for drought resistance in other populations. Totally, 10 candidate genes were efficiently identified for nine DRMs, seven of which harbored cis-eQTLs under drought condition. Based on comparative GWAS of common DRMs in rice and maize, representing irrigated and upland crops, we have identified three pairs of homologous genes associated with three DRMs between the two crops. Among the homologous genes, a transferase gene responsible for metabolic variation of N-feruloylputrescine was confirmed to confer enhanced drought resistance in rice. Our study provides not only genetic architecture of metabolic responses to drought stress in rice but also metabolic data resources to reveal the common and specific metabolite-mediated drought responses in different crops.
Double jeopardy: FCPA enforcement and MNC risk-mitigation strategies
Authors: Xu Jian
Published: January 2024

Does transnational anti-bribery enforcement affect the risk-mitigation strategies of firms? This paper uses an original dataset on the enforcement actions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) to examine the law’s impact on corporate behavior and political risks for multinational corporations (MNCs). I argue that corrupt institutions are not necessarily undesirable for foreign investors. Foreign firms seek above-normal returns in high-risk markets through informal exchanges with the host government. FCPA enforcement provides a “fire alarm” that affects firms differently given their sensitivity to corruption concerns. FCPA enforcement has unequal deterrence against corporate misconduct, encouraging some firms to adopt transparency norms while incentivizing other firms to be more insidious in their corrupt business practices. I use a partial observability bivariate probit model to estimate the unobservable propensity of firms to engage in corrupt exchanges. Then I examine the impact of FCPA enforcement on Chinese FDI, and find that Chinese investments are deterred from markets with robust legal institutions. The FCPA’s deterrence effects against corrupt competitors is a positive outcome for U.S. MNCs. However, American companies experience diminished returns in countries with strong investor protection regimes. External legal interventions under the FCPA generate regulatory burdens on U.S. that limit their business opportunities.
Gender differences in life expectancy free of depressive symptoms in Chile between 2003 and 2016
Authors: Moreno Ximena , Monsalves María José , Rueda Sarahí , Dagnino Paula , Borghero Francesca
Published: January 2024

The aim of the study was to analyze gender differences in life expectancy free of depressive symptoms among the adult population in Chile between 2003 and 2016. The Sullivan method was used to estimate the total and marginal life expectancy, based on prevalence data from the National Health Survey (2003, 2010 and 2016), and abridged life tables for the Chilean population. There was a compression of morbidity among middle-aged men during the first period and among younger and older women during the last one. Men at all ages could expect to live a higher proportion of their lives without depressive symptoms during the whole period. The gender gap in the proportion of life expectancy free of depressive symptoms reached 10 percent points or more, considering almost all ages and periods. Unemployment and lower education increased the probability of depressive symptoms, and these effects were more marked among women. Public policies should have a gender-sensitive approach to address the gap in depression and the disadvantage experienced by women in life expectancy free of depressive symptoms, considering those dimensions that intersect with gender, such as access to education, employment or income.
14C IN TREE RINGS IN THE VICINITY OF THE RBMK REACTOR NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
Authors: Nazarov Evgeniy I , Kruzhalov Alexander V , Vasyanovich Maxim E , Ekidin Alexey A , Pyshkina Maria D , Kukarskikh Vladimir V , Parkhomchuk Ekaterina V
Published: January 2024

The paper presents the results of radiocarbon (14C) concentration measurements in tree rings in the vicinity of Kursk NPP (Russia) with four operating RBMK reactors. The sampling was carried out from the site with the highest expected accumulation of radiocarbon in vegetation. The site was determined with long-term meteorological data. The measurements of 14C concentration carried out with accelerator-mass spectrometer in Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, Novosibirsk, Russia. The obtained results demonstrated the influence of exploitation of Kursk NPP to the concentration of 14C in tree rings. Based on the equilibrium between the 14C ratio in the tree rings and the surrounding air, retrospective estimates of the radiocarbon discharge and effective doses were made. Effective doses were calculated with two approaches: IAEA methodology and less conservative approach, considering the real food consumption in the Kursk region. The values of calculated doses by the second method (0.08–2.58 μSv) are more than 2 times less than IAEA approach (0.17–5.30 μSv). The highest difference between measured and background 14C in tree ring is 41.7 ± 5.8 pMC in 2014 during the restoration of graphite stack. The main contribution to 14С exposure in the considering period is caused by background – from 70 to 99%.
Understanding Public Support for Policies Aimed at Gender Parity in Politics: A Cross-National Experimental Study
Authors: Carson Andrea , Gravelle Timothy B. , Acosta Rueda Lía , Ruppanner Leah
Published: January 2024

Across the globe, women are underrepresented in elected politics. The study's case countries of Australia (ranked 33), Canada (61) and the United States (66) rank poorly for women's political representation. Drawing on role strain and gender-mainstreaming theories and applying large-scale survey experiments, we examine public opinion on non-quota mechanisms to bolster women's political participation. The experimental design manipulates the politician's gender and level of government (federal/local) before asking about non-quota supports to help the politician. We find public support for policies aimed at lessening work–family role strain is higher for a woman politician; these include a pay raise, childcare subsidies and housework allowances. This support is amplified among women who are presented with a woman politician in our experiment, providing evidence of a gender-affinity effect. The study's findings contribute to scholarship on gender equality and point to gender-mainstreaming mechanisms to help mitigate the gender gap in politics.
Optimising cervical cancer screening during pregnancy: a study of liquid-based cytology and HPV DNA co-test
Authors: Gu Liying , Hu Yuan , Wei Yingting , Hong Zubei , Zhang Yu , Lin Jianhua , Qiu Lihua , Di Wen
Published: January 2024

This study assessed the efficacy of ThinPrep cytologic test and human papillomavirus (HPV) co-test in cervical cancer screening during pregnancy. A cohort of 8,712 pregnant women from Ren Ji Hospital participated in the study. Among them, 601 (6.90%) tested positive for high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) and 38 (0.44%) exhibited abnormal cytology results (ASCUS+). Following positive HR-HPV findings, 423 patients underwent colposcopy, and 114 individuals suspected of having high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion and cervical cancer (HSIL+) underwent cervical biopsy. Histological examination revealed 60 cases of normal pathology (52.63%), 35 cases of low‐grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (30.70%), 17 cases of HSIL (14.91%), and 2 cases of cervical cancer (1.75%). The incidence of HSIL+ in HPV 16/18 group was significantly higher than that in non-HPV16/18 group (10.53% vs. 6.14%, P < 0.05). Subsequent evaluation of the clinical performance of cytology alone, primary HPV screening, and co-testing for HSIL+ detection revealed that the HSIL+ detection rate was lowest with cytology alone. These findings suggest that HPV testing, either alone or combined with cytology, presents an efficient screening strategy for pregnant women, underscoring the potential for improved sensitivity in cervical cancer screening during pregnancy. The significantly higher incidence of HSIL+ in the HPV16/18 group emphasizes the importance of genotype-specific considerations.
Fostering English speaking and writing subskills for the Cambridge B2 First through technology-mediated tasks
Authors: Morgana Valentina
Published: January 2024

Recent studies on technology-mediated task-based learning have shown the impact of task design and modality on English as a foreign language (EFL) learning. However, it is unclear what effect technology-mediated tasks have on learners’ English language skills. This paper presents a classroom-based study that showed how using technology-mediated tasks impacted students’ learning experiences and fostered the development of specific speaking and writing subskills in an EFL secondary education context. Forty-two EFL intermediate learners completed two speaking and two writing tasks from the Cambridge B2 First exam using mobile devices. The participants were divided into a pen-and-paper group (N = 21) and an iPad group (N = 21). Learning outcomes were measured using a pre-test/post-test design with a statistical comparison of ratings across tasks. A qualitative content analysis of lesson observations and student and teacher interviews served as an additional dataset to shed light on learners’ experiences. Descriptive statistics revealed that the iPad group achieved higher scores in pronunciation and accuracy (speaking) and essay organisation features (writing). Tasks involving the active use of the tool for content creation, rehearsing speaking performances, and accessing authentic materials were the most successful among students.
Learning to Use Trade Preferences: A Firm and Transaction Level Analysis of the EU–South Korea FTA
Authors: Kasteng Jonas , Kokko Ari , Norell Nils , Tingvall Patrik
Published: January 2024

This article examines imports by Swedish firms and the utilization of the tariff preferences offered by the EU–South Korea Free Trade Agreement. To benefit from tariff preferences, the importer must make a formal request to use the preferences and also document the origin of the imported products (with a certificate of origin provided by the foreign exporter). This may be costly, and some importers choose to pay import tariffs even when tariff preferences are available. Hence, the preferences are not fully utilized. Using a detailed firm–transaction level data set on Swedish imports from South Korea, we analyse the determinants of preference utilization and how firms learn to use preferences. The results show that preference utilization is strongly correlated with potential duty savings, which depend on the preference margin and the size of the import transaction. From a learning perspective, we find that preference utilization is closely related to the number of import transactions undertaken by the firm, suggesting a learning-by-doing mechanism. The length of time the firm has been involved in importing activities plays a smaller role.
Development and Validation of a Basic Psychological Needs Scale for Technology Use
Authors: Moradbakhti Laura , Leichtmann Benedikt , Mara Martina
Published: January 2024

Abstract: The aim of this work was to develop a valid and reliable scale to measure Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction for Technology Use (BPN-TU). According to the self-determination theory, satisfaction of the Basic Psychological Needs (BPNs) for Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness is crucial to well-being and autonomous motivation. Research into the role of BPN Satisfaction in technology use is scarce, partly due to a lack of appropriate measuring tools. To develop a pool of original BPN-TU scale items, we held 10 interviews. Based on these items, we conducted four validation studies with four independent samples (total N = 821), collecting user responses to different technologies: digital voice assistant, exoskeleton, chatbot, and social robot. Good model fit was supported by confirmatory factor analyses for a twelve-item scale, containing three items each for satisfaction of users’ Autonomy, Competence, Relatedness to Others, and Relatedness to Technology. The scale was validated in English and German.
A New Method to Invert for Interseismic Deep Slip Along Closely Spaced Faults Using Surface Velocities and Subsurface Stressing‐Rate Tensors
Authors: Elston H. , Cooke M. , Loveless J. , Marshall S.
Published: January 2024

Inversions of interseismic geodetic surface velocities often cannot uniquely resolve the three‐dimensional slip‐rate distribution along closely spaced faults. Microseismic focal mechanisms reveal stress information at depth and may provide additional constraints for inversions that estimate slip rates. Here, we present a new inverse approach that utilizes both surface velocities and subsurface stressing‐rate tensors to constrain interseismic slip rates and activity of closely spaced faults. We assess the ability of the inverse approach to recover slip rate distributions from stressing‐rate tensors and surface velocities generated by two forward models: (a) a single strike‐slip fault model and (b) a complex southern San Andreas fault system (SAFS) model. The single fault model inversions reveal that a sparse array of regularly spaced stressing‐rate tensors can recover the forward model slip distribution better than surface velocity inversions alone. Because focal mechanism inversions currently provide normalized deviatoric stress tensors, we perform inversions for slip rate using full, deviatoric or normalized deviatoric forward‐model‐generated stressing‐rate tensors to assess the impact of removing stress magnitude from the constraining data. All the inversions, except for those that use normalized deviatoric stressing‐rate tensors, recover the forward model slip‐rate distribution well, even for the SAFS model. Jointly inverting stressing rate and velocity data best recovers the forward model slip‐rate distribution and may improve estimates of interseismic deep slip rates in regions of complex faulting, such as the southern SAFS; however, successful inversions of crustal data will require methods to estimate stressing‐rate magnitudes.
Integrated compact regulators of protein activity enable control of signaling pathways and genome-editing in vivo
Authors: Franko Nik , da Silva Santinha António José , Xue Shuai , Zhao Haijie , Charpin-El Hamri Ghislaine , Platt Randall Jeffrey , Teixeira Ana Palma , Fussenegger Martin
Published: January 2024

Viral proteases and clinically safe inhibitors were employed to build integrated compact regulators of protein activity (iCROP) for post-translational regulation of functional proteins by tunable proteolytic activity. In the absence of inhibitor, the co-localized/fused protease cleaves a target peptide sequence introduced in an exposed loop of the protein of interest, irreversibly fragmenting the protein structure and destroying its functionality. We selected three proteases and demonstrated the versatility of the iCROP framework by validating it to regulate the functional activity of ten different proteins. iCROP switches can be delivered either as mRNA or DNA, and provide rapid actuation kinetics with large induction ratios, while remaining strongly suppressed in the off state without inhibitor. iCROPs for effectors of the NF-κB and NFAT signaling pathways were assembled and confirmed to enable precise activation/inhibition of downstream events in response to protease inhibitors. In lipopolysaccharide-treated mice, iCROP-sr-IκBα suppressed cytokine release (“cytokine storm”) by rescuing the activity of IκBα, which suppresses NF-κB signaling. We also constructed compact inducible CRISPR-(d)Cas9 variants and showed that iCROP-Cas9-mediated knockout of the PCSK9 gene in the liver lowered blood LDL-cholesterol levels in mice. iCROP-based protein switches will facilitate protein-level regulation in basic research and translational applications.
Greenhouse gas emissions from US irrigation pumping and implications for climate-smart irrigation policy
Authors: Driscoll Avery W. , Conant Richard T. , Marston Landon T. , Choi Eunkyoung , Mueller Nathaniel D.
Published: January 2024

Irrigation reduces crop vulnerability to drought and heat stress and thus is a promising climate change adaptation strategy. However, irrigation also produces greenhouse gas emissions through pump energy use. To assess potential conflicts between adaptive irrigation expansion and agricultural emissions mitigation efforts, we calculated county-level emissions from irrigation energy use in the US using fuel expenditures, prices, and emissions factors. Irrigation pump energy use produced 12.6 million metric tonnes CO2e in the US in 2018 (90% CI: 10.4, 15.0), predominantly attributable to groundwater pumping. Groundwater reliance, irrigated area extent, water demand, fuel choice, and electrical grid emissions intensity drove spatial heterogeneity in emissions. Due to heavy reliance on electrical pumps, projected reductions in electrical grid emissions intensity are estimated to reduce pumping emissions by 46% by 2050, with further reductions possible through pump electrification. Quantification of irrigation-related emissions will enable targeted emissions reduction efforts and climate-smart irrigation expansion.
Emergence of multidrug resistant, ctx negative seventh pandemic Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor sequence type (ST) 69 in coastal water of Kerala, India
Authors: Ayyappan Minimol V. , Kishore Pankaj , Panda Satyen Kumar , Kumar Anuj , Uchoi Devananda , Nadella Ranjit Kumar , Priyadarshi Himanshu , Obaiah Mohan Chitradurga , George Dybin , Hamza Muneeb , Ramannathan Sreelekshmi K. , Ravishankar C. N.
Published: January 2024

Seventh pandemic Vibrio choleare O1 El Tor strain is responsible for the on-going pandemic outbreak of cholera globally. This strain evolved from non-pathogenic V. cholerae by acquiring seventh pandemic gene (VC 2346), pandemic Islands (VSP1 and VSP2), pathogenicity islands (VP1 and VP2) and CTX prophage region. The cholera toxin production is mainly attributed to the presence of ctx gene in these strains. However, several variants of this strain emerged as hybrid strains or atypical strains. The present study aimed to assess the aquatic environment of Cochin, India, over a period of 5 years for the emergence of multidrug resistant V. cholerae and its similarity with seventh pandemic strain. The continuous surveillance and monitoring resulted in the isolation of ctx negative, O1 positive V. cholerae isolate (VC6) from coastal water, Cochin, Kerala. The isolate possessed the biotype specific O1 El Tor tcpA gene and lacked other biotype specific ctx, zot, ace and rst genes. Whole genome analysis revealed the isolate belongs to pandemic sequence type (ST) 69 with the possession of pandemic VC2346 gene, pathogenic island VPI1, VPI2, and pandemic island VSP1 and VSP2. The isolate possessed several insertion sequences and the SXT/R391 family related Integrative Conjugative Elements (ICEs). In addition to this, the isolate genome carried virulence genes such as VgrG, mshA, ompT, toxR, ompU, rtxA, als, VasX, makA, and hlyA and antimicrobial resistance genes such as gyrA, dfrA1, strB, parE, sul2, parC, strA, VC1786ICE9-floR, and catB9. Moreover, the phylogenetic analysis suggests that the isolate genome is more closely related to seventh pandemic V.cholerae O1 N16961 strain. This study reports the first incidence of environmental ctx negative seventh pandemic V. choleare O1 El Tor isolate, globally and its presence in the aquatic system likely to induce toxicity in terms of public health point of view. The presence of this isolate in the aquatic environment warns the strict implementation of the epidemiological surveillance on the occurrence of emerging strains and the execution of flagship program for the judicious use of antibiotics in the aquatic ecosystem.
Arterial stiffness assessment using PPG feature extraction and significance testing in an in vitro cardiovascular system
Authors: Ferizoli Redjan , Karimpour Parmis , May James M. , Kyriacou Panicos A.
Published: January 2024

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading cause of global mortality, therefore understanding arterial stiffness is essential to developing innovative technologies to detect, monitor and treat them. The ubiquitous spread of photoplethysmography (PPG), a completely non-invasive blood-volume sensing technology suitable for all ages, highlights immense potential for arterial stiffness assessment in the wider healthcare setting outside specialist clinics, for example during routine visits to a General Practitioner or even at home with the use of mobile and wearable health devices. This study employs a custom-manufactured in vitro cardiovascular system with vessels of varying stiffness to test the hypothesis that PPG signals may be used to detect and assess the level of arterial stiffness under controlled conditions. Analysis of various morphological features demonstrated significant (p < 0.05) correlations with vessel stiffness. Particularly, area related features were closely linked to stiffness in red PPG signals, while for infrared PPG signals the most correlated features were related to pulse-width. This study demonstrates the utility of custom vessels and in vitro investigations to work towards non-invasive cardiovascular assessment using PPG, a valuable tool with applications in clinical healthcare, wearable health devices and beyond.
Immersive experiences in museums for elderly with cognitive disorders: a user-centered design approach
Authors: Yi Xinyue , Liu Zhizheng , Li Hong , Jiang Bo
Published: January 2024

In the context of global aging, to explore the design needs of elderly with dementia in museum environments, to establish a user cognitive psychological model based on immersion theory, and to enhance the satisfaction of cognitively impaired dementia with the museum service experience. Using literature research, surveys, questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups, we analyze the experience design from the psychological demands of elderly with dementia, build a method of mining user needs by combining the KANO model with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method, and establish a model for evaluating the excellence of the experience of the museum environment. The conclusion shows that displaying museum virtual scenes or old objects can effectively increase the subjective well-being of people suffering from various health conditions. The method can accurately tap the attributes of the needs of elderly with dementia, break through the drawbacks of the traditional museum experience design which is dominated by the designer's subjective consciousness, and allow the audience to better experience the museum immersive experience, which provides a new idea and method for the effectiveness of cognitive interventions for elderly with cognitive disorders.
High-performance hydrogen gas sensor system based on transparent coaxial cylinder capacitive electrodes and a volumetric analysis technique
Authors: Jung Jae K. , Lee Ji H.
Published: January 2024

A high-performance H2 gas sensor system based on capacitive electrodes and a volumetric analysis technique were developed. Coaxial capacitive electrodes were fabricated by placing a thin copper rod in the center and by adhering a transparent conductive film on the exterior surface of a graduated cylinder. Thus, H2 from a polymer specimen lowered the water level in the cylinder between the two electrodes, producing measurable changes in capacitance that allowed for the measurement of the H2 concentration emitted from the specimen enriched by H2 under high-pressure conditions. The sensing system detected diffused/permeated hydrogen gas from a specimen and hydrogen gas leaks caused by imperfect sealing. The hydrogen gas sensor responded almost instantly at 1 s and measured hydrogen concentrations ranging from 0.15 to 1500 ppm with controllable sensitivity and a measurable range. In addition, performance tests with polymer specimens used in hydrogen infrastructure verified that the sensor system was reliable; additionally, it had a broad measurement range to four decimal places. The sensor system developed in this study could be applied to detect and characterize pure gases (He, N2, O2 and Ar) by real time measurement.
A novel dual-pooling attention module for UAV vehicle re-identification
Authors: Guo Xiaoyan , Yang Jie , Jia Xinyu , Zang Chuanyan , Xu Yan , Chen Zhaoyang
Published: January 2024

Vehicle re-identification (Re-ID) involves identifying the same vehicle captured by other cameras, given a vehicle image. It plays a crucial role in the development of safe cities and smart cities. With the rapid growth and implementation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) technology, vehicle Re-ID in UAV aerial photography scenes has garnered significant attention from researchers. However, due to the high altitude of UAVs, the shooting angle of vehicle images sometimes approximates vertical, resulting in fewer local features for Re-ID. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel dual-pooling attention (DpA) module, which achieves the extraction and enhancement of locally important information about vehicles from both channel and spatial dimensions by constructing two branches of channel-pooling attention (CpA) and spatial-pooling attention (SpA), and employing multiple pooling operations to enhance the attention to fine-grained information of vehicles. Specifically, the CpA module operates between the channels of the feature map and splices features by combining four pooling operations so that vehicle regions containing discriminative information are given greater attention. The SpA module uses the same pooling operations strategy to identify discriminative representations and merge vehicle features in image regions in a weighted manner. The feature information of both dimensions is finally fused and trained jointly using label smoothing cross-entropy loss and hard mining triplet loss, thus solving the problem of missing detail information due to the high height of UAV shots. The proposed method’s effectiveness is demonstrated through extensive experiments on the UAV-based vehicle datasets VeRi-UAV and VRU.
Immunogenic cell death-related classification reveals prognosis and effectiveness of immunotherapy in breast cancer
Authors: Zhu Lei , Wu Yanmei , Zhao Haichun , Guo Zicheng , Bo Biao , Zheng Li
Published: January 2024

Lack of specific biomarkers and effective drug targets constrains therapeutic research in breast cancer (BC). In this regard, therapeutic modulation of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs)-induced immunogenic cell death (ICD) may help improve the effect of immunotherapy in individuals with BC. The aim of this investigation was to develop biomarkers for ICD and to construct ICD-related risk estimation models to predict prognosis and immunotherapy outcomes of BC. RNA-seq transcriptome information and medical data from individuals with BC (n = 943) were obtained from TCGA. Expression data from a separate BC cohort (GEO: GSE20685) were used for validation. We identified subtypes of high and low ICD gene expression by consensus clustering and assessed the connection between ICD subtypes and tumor microenvironment (TME). In addition, different algorithms were used to construct ICD-based prognostic models of BC. BC samples were categorized into subtypes of high and low ICD expression depending on the expression of genes correlated with ICD. The subtype of ICD high-expression subtypes are correlated with poor prognosis in breast cancer, while ICD low-expression subtypes may predict better clinical outcomes. We also created and verified a predictive signature model depending on four ICD-related genes (ATG5, CD8A, CD8B, and HSP90AA1), which correlates with TME status and predicts clinical outcomes of BC patients. We highlight the connection of ICD subtypes with the dynamic evolution of TME in BC and present a novel ICD-based prognostic model of BC. In clinical practice, distinction of ICD subtype and assessment of ICD-related biomarkers should help guide treatment planning and improve the effectiveness of tumor immunotherapy.
Factors influencing vitamin B6 status in domestic cats: age, disease, and body condition score
Authors: Chu Vy , Fascetti Andrea J. , Larsen Jennifer A. , Montano Maria , Giulivi Cecilia
Published: January 2024

Limited studies are available on vitamin B6 status in domestic cats. To this end, we evaluated glutamate–oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) activity in hemolysates with and without pyridoxal 5′-phosphate addition in two feline populations: a cohort of 60 healthy, domestic (sexually intact and specific pathogen-free) cats maintained under strictly controlled conditions with appropriate diets housed at the Feline Nutrition and Pet Care Center, and a cohort of 57 cats randomly selected between December 2022 to January 2023 that visited the Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital to seek care under different circumstances. The GOT activity expressed as the ratio with and without pyridoxal 5′-phosphate addition (primary activation ratio; PAR) decreased significantly with age in the healthy cohort. The PAR values normalized to age established a cut-off for vitamin B6 deficiency in both cohorts, identifying 17 of 101 animals as vitamin B6 deficient. Using machine learning, a partition-based model (decision tree) was built to identify the most important factors that predicted vitamin B6 deficiency while using the resulting tree to make predictions for new observations. This analysis, performed with all 101 cats, revealed that the diagnosis of an infectious, chronic or acute condition (0.55) was the main contributor, followed by age (0.26), and body condition score (optimal-overweight; 0.19). Thus, our study supports that vitamin B6 supplementation may be indicated in junior to adult animals diagnosed with an infectious, chronic, or acute conditions or healthy cats with body weight ranging from optimal to overweight. In older cats, even if healthy, underweight to optimal cats appear to be at risk of vitamin B6 deficiency.
Laparoscopic ureteroneocystostomy with bladder flap for benign ureteral stenosis: our initial experience
Authors: Zhang Zhaolin , Huang Ruohui , Xie Tianpeng , Zeng Qingming , Liu Linwei , Zou Xiaofeng , Zhang Guoxi , Yuan Yuanhu , Wu Gengqing , He Zhihua , Wu Yuting , Xu Hui
Published: January 2024

To present our experience with laparoscopic ureteroneocystostomy with bladder flap (LUCBF) for treating benign ureteral stenosis and evaluate its feasibility and efficacy. The clinical data of 27 patients with benign ureteral stenosis who underwent LUCBF were retrospectively analyzed. After identification and excision of the ureteral stenosis segment, the healthy ureteral stump was dissected and incised longitudinally. A U-shaped or spiral bladder flap was harvested from the anterolateral bladder wall for ureteroplasty. All patients underwent LUCBF successfully, including 14 patients were combined with psoas hitch technique, between 90 and 220 min (median, 155 min). The median length of ureteral defect was 6 cm (range, 5–17 cm). The median blood loss was 40 ml (20–150 ml). The median indwelling time of double-J stent was 8 weeks (range, 4–8 weeks). Five patients (10.6%) suffered postoperative complications during the follow-up period (range, 12–48 months), including fever, hematuria, urinary tract infection and recurrent stenosis. The success rate was 96.3% (26/27). Patients with long ureter defects had longer operative time and more blood loss than short ureter defects. LUCBF was a safe and feasible technique for benign ureteral stenosis. Long ureter defect was related to longer operative time and more blood loss.
A multinational study on the factors influencing university students’ attitudes and usage of ChatGPT
Authors: Abdaljaleel Maram , Barakat Muna , Alsanafi Mariam , Salim Nesreen A. , Abazid Husam , Malaeb Diana , Mohammed Ali Haider , Hassan Bassam Abdul Rasool , Wayyes Abdulrasool M. , Farhan Sinan Subhi , Khatib Sami El , Rahal Mohamad , Sahban Ali , Abdelaziz Doaa H. , Mansour Noha O. , AlZayer Reem , Khalil Roaa , Fekih-Romdhane Feten , Hallit Rabih , Hallit Souheil , Sallam Malik
Published: January 2024

Artificial intelligence models, like ChatGPT, have the potential to revolutionize higher education when implemented properly. This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing university students’ attitudes and usage of ChatGPT in Arab countries. The survey instrument “TAME-ChatGPT” was administered to 2240 participants from Iraq, Kuwait, Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan. Of those, 46.8% heard of ChatGPT, and 52.6% used it before the study. The results indicated that a positive attitude and usage of ChatGPT were determined by factors like ease of use, positive attitude towards technology, social influence, perceived usefulness, behavioral/cognitive influences, low perceived risks, and low anxiety. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated the adequacy of the “TAME-ChatGPT” constructs. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the attitude towards ChatGPT usage was significantly influenced by country of residence, age, university type, and recent academic performance. This study validated “TAME-ChatGPT” as a useful tool for assessing ChatGPT adoption among university students. The successful integration of ChatGPT in higher education relies on the perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, positive attitude towards technology, social influence, behavioral/cognitive elements, low anxiety, and minimal perceived risks. Policies for ChatGPT adoption in higher education should be tailored to individual contexts, considering the variations in student attitudes observed in this study.
Observation of Plasmonics Talbot effect in graphene nanostructures
Authors: Farmani Ali , Omidniaee Anis
Published: January 2024

We report on the theoretical models of the plasmoincs Talbot effect in graphene nanostructure. The Talbot effect for the plasmonics applications in the IR range is theoretically studied and the respective Talbot effect for the novel advanced plasmonics structures are numerically investigated for the first time. It is shown that the metamaterial structures with periodic grating configuration represents a complex three-dimensional lattice of beamlet-like graphene plasmonics devices. The calculated results agree well with the experimental ones. The results obtained can be used to create and optimize the structures considering diffraction limit for a wide range of application areas. Effective focusing of plasmonic waves with exact focal spots and a subwavelength full width at half maximum can be obtained by using periodic graphene grating.
A graphitic C3N4 nanocomposite-based fluorescence platform for label-free analysis of trace mercury ions
Authors: Guo Xinrong , Yao Wen , Bai Silan , Xiao Junhui , Wei Yubo , Wang Lishi , Yang Jie
Published: January 2024

The fluorescence sensor used graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets loaded with graphitic carbon nitride quantum dots (CNQDs/CNNNs) nanocomposite to analyze Hg2+ using a quenching mechanism studied by DFT.
In situ detection of silk fibroin using a dual recognition strategy with a flexible pressure immunosensor
Authors: Deng Yefeng , Zhang Chao , Lv Lianpeng , Wang Kun , Liu Feng , Zhou Yang , Peng Zhiqin , Wang Bing
Published: January 2024

This work presents a flexible pressure immunosensor that was designed based on 3D polypyrrole (PPy) foams for the trace detection of silk fibroin at archaeological sites.
Recent progress on the CRISPR/Cas system in optical biosensors
Authors: Li Bingqian , Zhai Guangyu , Dong Yaru , Wang Lan , Ma Peng
Published: January 2024

The main types of CRISPR/Cas systems based on optical biosensors.
A systematic review of ginsenoside biosynthesis, spatiotemporal distribution, and response to biotic and abiotic factors in American ginseng
Authors: Tian Lixia , Gao Ranran , Cai Yuxiang , Chen Junxian , Dong Hongmei , Chen Shanshan , Yang Zaichang , Wang Yu , Huang Linfang , Xu Zhichao
Published: January 2024

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) has gained recognition as a medicinal and functional food homologous product with several pharmaceutical, nutritional, and industrial applications.
The role of free fatty acid receptor-1 in gastric contractions in Suncus murinus
Authors: Huang Jin , Suzuki Miu , Endo Ami , Watanabe Ayumi , Sakata Ichiro
Published: January 2024

Free fatty acid receptor-1 is involved in the regulation of gastric motility during the interdigestive and postprandial state in Suncus murinus.
Achieving highly efficient 2D SnC monolayer-based photocatalyst for water splitting via a synergistic strategy of S-scheme heterostructure construction and silicon doping
Authors: Yang Dinghua , Zhang Xi , Nie Ya , Zhu Hongyu , Xiang Gang
Published: January 2024

By combining S-scheme heterostructure construction and silicon doping, a low-cost and high-efficient SnC/ZrS2 photocatalyst for water splitting is designed.
Effects of the etching process on the surface, friction and wear characteristics of silicone rubber coated with micro-sized ceramic particles
Authors: Lee Sung-Jun , Kim Chang-Lae
Published: January 2024

This study investigates the friction and wear characteristics of silicone rubber used in hydraulic systems, focusing on surface properties achieved through coating strategies.
The association of structural chirality and liquid crystal anchoring in polymer stabilized cholesteric liquid crystals
Authors: Radka Brian P. , Lee Taewoo , Smalyukh Ivan I. , White Timothy J.
Published: January 2024

Polymer stabilized cholesteric liquid crystals (PSCLCs) are electrically reconfigurable reflective elements. This investigation confirms that the liquid crystal anchors to the structurally chiral polymer network during ion-mediated deformation.
Hydrophobic ionic liquid (IL)-based magnetic adsorbents: the way forward to remediate water pollution
Authors: Yadav Divya , Nain Karmjeet , Dhillayan Divya , Mittal Rishi , Bansal Shafila , Bhukal Santosh
Published: January 2024

In this investigation, bare and hydrophobic IL-modified FeO nanoparticles (NPs) have been synthesized using microwave irradiation.
Solid–liquid–solid mediated artificial SEI coated stable lithium and high-sulfur percentage SPAN for high performance Li–S batteries
Authors: Sarode Krishna , Yim Taber , Pereira Rhyz , Cardoza Neal , Kalra Vibha
Published: January 2024

Comparison of Li-SPAN pouch cells with and without lithium treatment. The Li-SPAN pouch cell with the PVDF-HFP : DMF lithium treatment shows a LiF rich SEI.
A streamlined user grouping in downlink NOMA systems
Authors: Hai Ngo Thanh , Uyen Nguyen Thi Xuan , Le Khoa Dang
Published: January 2024

Reducing SIC operations and interference while maintaining the same radio resources for users in a cluster is a potential research direction in non‐orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) systems. In order to reach this goal, a streamlined user grouping is proposed for a four‐user cluster in downlink NOMA systems, which is carried out based on the in‐phase and quadrature components of a constellation. In terms of bit error rate performance, the proposed scheme is superior in comparison with the conventional NOMA without user grouping and phase rotation‐based user grouping. This improvement is achieved in light of the three positive points of pulse amplitude modulation, the Gray mapping rule, and the joint maximum‐likelihood detector.
An innovative harmonic‐based approach for inrush current detection in low‐loss transformers
Authors: Sanati Saeed , Ahmadi Seyed‐Alireza , Sanaye‐Pasand Majid
Published: January 2024

Transformer inrush current occurs due to the saturation of magnetic core. The magnetic characteristic of the core directly affects the inrush current waveform. Second harmonic and higher‐order harmonics are present in the inrush harmonic spectrum. A harmonic‐based method analysing the amplitude and phase of different harmonics is presented here. Based on the proposed method, the differences between the harmonic spectrum of new low‐loss and previous‐generation materials are investigated. Then, using the patterns of 1st to 10th harmonic phases, a novel method for inrush current detection is proposed. In the proposed method, possible patterns for the harmonic phases related to the inrush current are specified. The harmonic phases are compared with those specified patterns. In the case of matching, the inrush current condition is detected. To evaluate the theoretical principles, simulations are performed, also, the proposed method is applied to the field data to assess the practical performance, and results are presented.
A double‐layer neural network wind speed prediction framework based on training set segmentation and error correction
Authors: Liu Mingde , Liu Mingbo , Zhang Siyi , Lei Zhenxing
Published: January 2024

Highly accurate wind speed prediction is one of the effective ways to improve wind energy utilization. Therefore, this study proposes a novel double‐layer neural network (D‐NN) framework based on feedforward neural networks. First, a feedforward neural network with an extremely short training time is used as the basic learner to ensure that the D‐NN framework has a short training and optimization time. Then, the double‐layer neural network automatically segments and adjusts the length of the training set using an improved error correction method, thus improving the model's ability to capture sequence features and enhancing the model's generalization performance in a non‐directly‐connected superposition manner. Finally, a genetic algorithm is used to automatically optimize the hyperparameters of each sub‐neural network in the D‐NN and the optimal training set length of each sub‐neural network, resulting in the final optimized prediction model. The accuracy and reliability of the prediction models designed based on the D‐NN framework are verified by comparing several different models. The results of the five different prediction evaluation metrics show that the D‐NN framework can greatly improve the accuracy of wind speed prediction.
Techno‐economic optimization framework of renewable hybrid photovoltaic/wind turbine/fuel cell energy system using artificial rabbits algorithm
Authors: Menesy Ahmed S. , Almomin Sajjad , Sultan Hamdy M. , Habiballah Ibrahim O. , Gulzar Muhammad Majid , Alqahtani Mohammed , Khalid Muhammad
Published: January 2024

In order to maximize the electricity supply from clean energy sources, the goal of the smart power system is to unite all renewable energy sources. The goal of the present study is to use three optimization techniques, artificial rabbits optimization algorithm (ARO), grey wolf optimizer (GWO), and whale optimization algorithm (WOA), to reduce the cost of electricity (COE) while improving the reliability of the power supply for rural areas. While using the same control variables for the optimization methods and load profile, various hybrid system configurations are explored. Photovoltaic, wind turbine, fuel cell, and electrolyser systems are all involved in the proposed hybrid renewable system. The ARO methodology is more effective than the GWO, WOA, and PSO procedures in terms of net present cost (NPC) and cost of energy (COE) generation, according to data comparing the three optimization techniques with the traditional Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) method. The proposed ARO reached a value of COE of 0.4412$/kWh compared to 0.4438$/kWh for GWO, 0.4443$/kWh for WOA, and 0.44378$/kWh for PSO.
Autonomous Design of a Green Sea-Cleaner Boat
Authors: Fitriadhy Ahmad , Kah Chun Tam , Utama I. Ketut Pria , Mahmuddin Faisal , Azis Muhammad
Published: January 2024

This paper addresses the urgent global issue of marine pollution, with a focus on the inadequacies of traditional cleanup methods and the promising potential of an autonomous green sea-cleaner boat. The study presents a sea-cleaner boat design with reduced wake-wash, integrated with an autonomous system using visual equipment and LiDAR sensors for precise navigation and debris identification. Parametric studies of catamaran hull configurations show that the Flat-Outside Model exhibits the lowest wave elevation, indicating reduced hydrodynamic force and wake-wash, making it an environmentally preferable option. Additionally, the sea-cleaner boat employs LiDAR for obstacle detection and a camera with a Convolutional Neural Network for efficient debris identification and collection, enhancing operational safety and efficiency. Overall, the autonomous green sea-cleaner boat represents a significant advancement in maritime environmental conservation.
Analysis of perforated fixed baffle at low filling ratio to reduce sloshing using SPH
Authors: Riadi Naufal Azka , Trimulyono Andi , Kiryanto  , Tuswan  , Hakim Muhammad Luqman
Published: January 2024

Prismatic tanks are used widely in various industrial applications, including marine and petroleum, due to their ease in design and storage capacity. However, these tanks often experience sloshing issues that can affect vessel stability. Sloshing effects can cause undesirable motions and impact the system's overall performance. This study focuses on analyzing the effect of perforated shapes on fixed baffles as a solution to reduce the sloshing effect in prismatic tanks. Baffle or anti-sloshing is an internal partition used to minimize the movement of liquid in the tank. The analysis method uses Smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH), which is a particle method or can be referred to as mesh-free computational fluid dynamics. The parameters tested include the perforated shape and the filling ratio of the water filling in the tank. The analysis found that the perforated form of the baffles has a significant effect on reducing the sloshing effect. The perforated shape of the fixed baffles has the same impact on reducing the sloshing effect of the prismatic tank. There is no significant difference in the ability of each baffle shape to overcome the sloshing problem. The findings from this study can guide designers or engineers in designing prismatic tanks that are more stable and reduce the effects of sloshing. Using baffles with the right perforated shape can optimize tank performance in maritime and shipping.