bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sağlık Kurumlarında İlişkisel Pazarlama ile Davranışsal Niyet İlişkisinde Hizmet Telafisinin Aracılık Rolü
Authors: ILIMAN YALTAGİL Ebrar , BİÇER Derya Fatma
Published: August 2023

İnsanın en değerli kaynağının sağlık olduğu, ikamesi ve telafisinin olmadığı herkesçe kabul edilen bir gerçektir. Bu sebeple, ülkelerin refah göstergelerinden birisi de sağlık hizmetlerinin etkinliği ve verimliliğidir. Bu bağlamda; araştırmada temel amaç; ilişkisel pazarlama uygulamalarının hastaların davranışsal niyetleri üzerindeki etkisini belirlemede hizmet telafisinin aracı rolü olup olmadığını ortaya koymaktır. Araştırmada daha önce yapılmış araştırmalardan derlenerek son şeklinin araştırmacı tarafından verildiği; hizmet telafisi, ilişkisel pazarlama, hasta tatmini ve hastaların davranışsal niyeti olmak üzere dört ölçek kullanılmıştır. Araştırma verileri istatistiksel analiz programları ile değerlendirilmiş, geçerlilik ve güvenilirliğin sağlandığı tespit edilmiş, yapısal eşitlik modeli kullanılarak hipotezler test edilmiştir. Türkiye’de bulunan eğitim ve araştırma hastaneleri, devlet (numune) hastaneleri, özel hastaneler, şehir hastaneleri ve aile hekimliklerinden sağlık hizmeti almış 1000 kişinin katıldığı, keşifsel ve tanımlayıcı nitelikte olan araştırmada hizmet telafisi, ilişkisel pazarlama algısı ve hasta tatmini ortalamalarının orta düzeyde çıktığını söylemek mümkündür. Hastaların olumlu davranışsal niyetleri de orta seviyede tespit edilmiştir. Uyaran-Yapı-Tepki modeli ile geliştirilmiş, yapısal eşitlik yöntemi ile modeli doğrulanmış araştırma sonucunda; ilişkisel pazarlama uygulamalarının hastaların tatmin düzeylerine ve davranışsal niyetlerine etkisinin yüksek olduğu, hizmet telafisinin ve hasta memnuniyetinin de bu etkide aracı rolü olduğu görülmüştür. Araştırma sonuçları ışığında; çalışanların hizmet telafi uygulamalarına yönelik organize faaliyetlerini harekete geçirmeleri için bilinçlendirme eğitimleri almaları önerilmektedir.
Kuşaklar Açısından Dinin Toplumsal Sermaye Potansiyeli ve Kullanım Alanları (Isparta Uygulaması)
Authors: KARS Fatih , ÖZKUL Metin
Published: August 2023

Toplumsal bir olgu olarak din, görece değişmekle birlikte her toplumda bireylerin kurdukları sosyal ilişkilerden bireysel ve toplumsal davranışlarına, yaşadıkları olay veya durumlar karşısında takındıkları tavırlardan statü ya da konumlarıyla birlikte ilgili rollerinin meşrulaştırılmasına kadar birçok konuda etkili olan potansiyel bir güce sahiptir. Bu gücü sayesinde din, aynı zamanda gündelik yaşamın inşası için gerekli olan birçok işlevi de yerine getirmektedir. Ancak söz konusu işlevlerin kapsamı, bireylerin sosyalleşme geçmişlerine ve dini temsil kapasitelerine göre değişmektedir. Bu çalışma, toplumsal bir sermaye olarak dinin veya dini değerlerin kullanımının ve kullanım alanlarının kuşaklara göre farklılaşıp farklılaşmadığı üzerinedir. Araştırmanın alan verileri Isparta ili merkez ilçesi ve mücavir alan sınırları içindeki kırsal kesimden toplanmıştır. Araştırmanın uygulama aşamasında elde edilen veriler analiz edilerek; dinin ya da dini değerlerin aile içi ilişkilere, komşuluk ve arkadaşlık ilişkilerine ve alışveriş sürecinde kurulan ilişkilere yönelik etkisi, kuşaklara göre belli oranlarda farklılaştığı tespit edilmiştir. Ayrıca gündelik hayatta girip çıkılan sosyal ortamlarda inançlı bir kişi olduğunun belli edilmesi ya da gösterilmesi hususunda da kuşakların farklı düşüncelere sahip oldukları saptanmıştır. Bu doğrultuda ele alınan bir örnek olarak; dini bir sembol özelliği de olan selam verme davranışında kullanılan ifadelerin ve bu ifadelerin kullanıldığı ortamların kuşaklara göre farklılaştığı görülmüştür.
Analysis Reveals Depth of Vaca Muerta’s Potential
Authors: Carpenter Chris
Published: August 2023

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This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 205573, “Vaca Muerta: An Emerging Shale Petroleum Reservoir,” by Rahimah B. A. Karim and Roberto Aguilera, SPE, University of Calgary. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

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The objective of the complete paper is to present geological and reservoir characterization, drilling and production strategies, historical performance, and economics of the Vaca Muerta reservoir. The word “petroleum” as used in this paper includes oil, natural gas, and natural-gas liquids. The authors conclude that oil and gas potential in the Vaca Muerta shale is significant and rivals the potential of shales widely developed in the United States and Canada.

Reservoir Background

In 2008, exploration activities began in the Loma Campana (LC) field, leading to Vaca Muerta’s discovery in 2010. The LC area was selected as the first factory-mode development because of its pre-existing infrastructure and accessibility.

The urgency of boosting hydrocarbon production in Argentina has driven multiple companies to invest substantially in unconventional resources.

The complete paper details the shale’s geological setting and reservoir characterization. Reservoir heterogeneity and its effect on productivity are described for selected development areas, including La Amarga Chica (LAC), the central area, and LC.

Vaca Muerta is an attractive target for shale development because of a few factors. One is its thermal maturity that increases from east to west. This has resulted in multiple types of hydrocarbon windows, from oil to dry-gas windows. Furthermore, it is laterally extensive and has formation thickness of up to 500 m. Total organic carbon (TOC) also is high (2–10%), with a mineralogy content of less than 30% clay.

At the basin level, the average matrix porosity of Vaca Muerta ranges from 4 to 14%, with a narrower range at the field or block scale. The formation shows similarities with other well-known shale plays with similar porosity volumes and pore types, such as the Haynesville (between 8 and 16%) but higher than the Eagle Ford (between 8 and 10%).

Significant formation thickness drove the application of vertical wells during the first factory drilling in Vaca Muerta. It allowed placement of four to six hydraulic fractures controlled by the lithologies and vertical heterogeneity. In 2015, however, a major change from vertical to horizontal well development occurred as a result of better understanding of the formation complexity and optimal landing zones. In the past few years, operators have increased lateral length from 1000 to 2500 m to improve productivity.

Most operations use multiwell pad drilling. The pad is a four-well line with 10-m spacing on the surface and a minimum of 300-m spacing in the reservoir. This well spacing is wide by US standards but is optimal for Vaca Muerta to minimize well interference in the reservoir.
Petroleum++: The Expanded Scope of the Industry and Our Role in It
Authors: Kamal Medhat M.
Published: August 2023

The expanded scope of our industry as it evolves means that members of the petroleum engineering profession will enjoy a long, rewarding career. At the same time, we need to continue developing our competencies to enable expected contributions in producing new forms of energy resources and mitigating climate change concerns, as well as the constant changes and advancements in our traditional role of producing oil and natural gas.

Based on the projections of multiple groups including the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the International Energy Agency (IEA), and several international and national oil companies, it is clear the world energy demand will continue to grow into the 2040s. Lower-carbon sources will be the fastest-growing among the various sources of energy, demand for oil will continue to increase at least into the 2030s, and demand for natural gas will continue to grow into the 2040s. The latest projection from IEA (October 2022) illustrates these points.

For example, as I am writing this column, Norway approved more than $18 billion investments to develop 19 oil and gas fields. Consensus also appears to indicate that policy will influence the speed of change of the energy landscape, that energy transition will vary by region, and that the pace of the energy transition will depend on costs, infrastructure, project execution, and geopolitics. This indicates that multiple solutions are needed to satisfy energy demand, oil and gas will remain essential for decades, and technological developments will continue to be needed in all sources of energy and may end up changing the mix of energy sources in the future.

Data and projections also show two important points. The required levels of investment to provide the world with its energy needs are lagging, and there will be a shift in the regional demand of energy. Needed investment in oil and gas should be about $900 billion annually. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, when investment dipped to $600 billion, investments have gradually increased but are not yet to the desired levels. For the new energy sources to reach the level needed for IEA’s Net Zero 2050 target, annual investment in the range of $2,600 billion is needed. Right now, this investment is around $1,700 billion. Projections for the regional share of the world economy indicates that Asia will have about 43% of the world economy by the year 2040 (currently at 35%) followed by North America at about 24% (currently at 26%) and the EU and the UK at about 17% (currently at 20%). Shares of Latin America and the Middle East will stay around the current levels of 7% and 4%, respectively, while Africa’s share will increase from about 4 to 5%.

The tables show the changes in global primary energy demand as well as the changes in different regions. I obtained the information from the sources cited earlier. However, I converted the values from exajoules (1e18 joule, a measurement unit I cannot relate to) to BOE using a conversion factor of 1 exajoule = 163.45e6 BOE.
Guest Editorial: Here We Go Again: The Case for Adoption of Data and Process Standards in Oil and Gas
Authors: Crompton Jim
Published: August 2023

I do not think a drilling rig derrick hand thinks twice about adding another 30 ft of pipe to the drillstring and not having the two ends of the pipe fit together snuggly. Even a robotic pipe-handling system depends on the physical pipe standard. Yes, there is a standard for that. There is a standard called API 5L that helps drilling companies buy the right kind of pipe to align with the drilling plan for the well. But what about the data manager who is trying to load a new logging curve into their petrophysics database. Will the curve names match their internal naming standard? Maybe, maybe not.

What are the benefits of standardization? Here are some thoughts.

- Improves clarity—because a standard process will eliminate the need for guesswork or individual interpretation.

- Guarantees quality—because work is done in a predefined, optimized way.

- Promotes productivity—because users will not need to comb documentation to get answers.

We have been talking about data standards in the oil and gas industry at least as far back as 1988 when a group of petroleum industry players and data experts joined forces and in 1991 created the Public Petroleum Data Model Association, now called the PPDM Association. They recognized the need for petroleum data standards and have produced some good products, but our data manager still has problems.

I was lucky enough (there is some sarcasm in that phrase) to work with a group of data standards organizations which about 10 years ago tried to get together and find the areas where they could collaborate on what you would think to be simple problems like a common way to name wells, to name well log curves, to have standard for units of measure … and the list goes on and on. But that was harder than you think. There were about a dozen standards groups interested in this collaboration including Energistics (formerly the Petrochemical Open Standards Consortium), PODS (Pipeline Open Data Standard Association), POSC Caesar Association (interoperability between systems and players in the process and energy industry), and MIMOSA (operations and maintenance).

The oil and gas industry does not lack standards; in fact, it probably has too many of them which leads to the real problem that most operators, service companies, and tech companies just don’t implement the data standards that apply. If that happened in the pipe-manufacturing business, a company would go out of business. But in our business, it is called innovation. Strange, somehow, why it has happened that way.

Corporations have worked hard at building a top-down alignment with strategic goals and objectives. The field superintendent and lease operator should be able to see their actions reflected in the corporate annual performance report to shareholders, but can they see their activities reflected in the corporate sustainability reports?
Proxy Model Forecasts Production of Shale Wells With Complex Fracture Networks
Authors: Carpenter Chris
Published: August 2023

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This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 209635, “A Deep-Learning-Based Approach for Production Forecasting and Reservoir Evaluation for Shale Gas Wells With Complex Fracture Networks,” by Peng Dong, SPE, and Xinwei Liao, China University of Petroleum at Beijing. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

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The complete paper proposes a data-driven proxy model to effectively forecast the production of horizontal wells with complex fracture networks in shales. With a multilayer gated recurrent unit (GRU) cell, the proxy model is coupled with newly developed deep-learning methods, an attention mechanism (Att-GRU), skip connection, and cross-validation to deal with time-series-analysis (TSA) issues of multivariate operating and physical parameters. Results indicate that the Att-GRU method can forecast the production for shale gas wells with complex fracture networks accurately at a given time and with variable bottomhole pressure (BHP) while maintaining high calculation efficiency.

Methodology

The authors write that their main interest is to develop a physics-based data-driven model to speed up the simulation of complex fracture networks in shale reservoirs. Results show that the deep-learning model can faithfully recapitulate the variable BHP condition in all of its intricacies with multivariate physical input.

In this section of the complete paper, the involved physical background and the corresponding governing equations are clarified. Then, the principle behind the Att-GRU for the problem of complex-fracture-network wells in shale reservoirs is explained. Data initialization and preprocessing and model structure are discussed. Because these sections are equation-intensive and are not suitable for this synopsis but are essential to the methodology explained in the paper, the reader is encouraged to review them in the complete text.

Results and Discussions

In this section of the complete paper, the physical data in the boundary element method (BEM) are used to train and test the Att-GRU model. The training procedure, test results, and parameters analysis are clarified. The computation burden of the data-driven Att-GRU is compared with the physical model.
Technology Focus: Health, Safety, and Environment (August 2023)
Authors: Battalora Linda A.
Published: August 2023

This year’s HSE Technical Focus feature showcases environmental sustainability. Offshore hybrid renewable power generation, electrically driven well abandonment in urban and natural settings, and the use of remotely controlled, low-carbon-footprint underwater intervention/inspection drones demonstrate HSE- and sustainability-conscious planning and successful implementation in the field. Environmental, social, and governance guidelines, as well as regulatory and sustainability-related frameworks, provide guidance to achieve the social license to operate. Risk management and stakeholder engagement practices help predict nontechnical risks and keep the community informed.

In paper SPE 204901, which involves using renewable energy sources for offshore oil and gas platform power generation, one operator proposes harnessing wind energy in weak-wind areas by replacing gas-turbine generators with offshore wind turbines adapted to low-wind-speed regions, thereby lowering maintenance costs and carbon exposure.

In paper OTC 31394, a service company, acting as project management lead, and an operator collaborate to use fully electrified equipment to abandon wells in sensitive areas such as urban and natural settings where smell and noise are significant issues.

In paper OTC 32481, an operator advocates the use of underwater intervention/inspection drones for offshore projects and describes their advantages, including operational risk reduction, lower carbon footprint, lower costs, reduced intervention time, and improved quality and frequency of inspection data.

One of the recommended-reading papers, SPE 210788, describes how an operator advocates for mental health or “mental hygiene,” a “preventive measure for sustaining good emotional health” to mitigate workers’ distress in the oil and gas industry and an indication of the growing emphasis upon total wellness.

Many more examples of recent notable achievements in HSES can be found in the list of recommended additional reading and in the OnePetro online library. Knowledge sharing, on the local and global levels, encourages collaboration and solutions generation. See the SPE Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainability website for more information and to learn how you could be involved.

Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org.

SPE 210788 Shifting Paradigm of Mental Hygiene—A Novel Approach To Mitigate Workers’ Distress in the Oil and Gas Industry by Adeela Khalid, RPM, et al.

SPE 212791 An Improved Work Flow in Mass-Balance Approach for Estimating Regional Methane Emission Rate Using Satellite Measurements by Jeffrey Y. Bian, University of Alberta, et al.

SPE 210245 Insights From Benchmarking Methane Emissions of Oil and Natural Gas Production in the United States by Tom Curry, ERM, et al.
Metaheuristic Optimization Based Deep Learning Model for Multispectral Image Classification
Authors: Manoharan Rajakani , RJ Kavitha , Balasubramanian Kannan
Published: August 2023

Multispectral image classification has received significant attention among research communities and academicians. Owing to the difficulties (spatial, spectral, dynamic data sources, and temporal discrepancies) that exist in the online and time-series multispectral image investigation, there is a high incidence probability in dissimilarities of spectral bands from the input stream that degrades the classifier results. Recently, several artificial intelligence (AI) models can be used for the extraction of prominent features. Besides, deep learning (DL) methods become more familiar and gained interest in the remote sensing community for the classification of multispectral and hyperspectral images. With this motivation, this paper presents an automated parameter tuned deep learning enabled multispectral image classification (AHPTDL-MSIC) technique. The proposed AHPTDL-MSIC technique aims to categorize the different class labels of the multispectral images. Besides, the AHPTDL-MSIC technique applies multi-level discrete wavelet transform (DWT) based image decomposition technique. Moreover, the EfficientNet technique is applied as a feature extractor to generate a collection of features. Furthermore, the chaotic satin bowerbird optimization (CSBO) algorithm with kernel extreme learning machine (KELM) model is applied for the classification process. The application of CSBO algorithm helps to appropriately tune the class labels of the KELM model. In order to ensure the enhanced performance of the AHPTDL-MSIC technique, a wide range of simulations take place using the Madurai LISS IV multispectral images and the results are examined under several aspects. The extensive comparative study highlighted the better performance of the AHPTDL-MSIC technique over the recent methods.
Evaluation of Water Quality Models Hydrological Variabilities Considering Event-Based Scenarios: A case study
Authors: Ebrahimi Saman , Azizi Koroosh , Khorram Mahdis , Kashani Ali R. , Ali Ahmed Ali Shakir
Published: August 2023

Given the significant momentum of developing water quality models to simulate water quality variables and support decision-making, the literature recognized the importance of addressing uncertainties embedded in the water quality models, such as inherent, parametric, and hydrological uncertainties. However, hydrological events' magnitude in terms of intensity has not been extensively scrutinized in previous studies. Hence, this paper aims to propose an adjusted Monte Carlo event-based scenarios framework that considers four scenarios (1- 35 years of flow rate records, 2- events with ARI ≤ 10 years, 3- events with ARI ≤ 5 years, 4- events with ARI ≤ 1) to evaluate hydrological variabilities and quantify embedded uncertainties. The study employs a Qual2k model that simulates five water quality variables in the Zaroub river, Iran, as a case study. The model's uncertainty boundaries are quantified using five statistical metrics: Plevel, ARIL, SU, CU, and EU. The results of the study considering extreme hydrological events when examining the flow rate time histories leads to a significant increase in uncertainty in the water quality model. On the other hand, reducing the ARI values of hydrological events not only minimizes the uncertainty boundaries but also improves the accuracy of the model simulations. These findings highlight the crucial role of selecting hydrological scenarios based on the water quality variable under investigation. Furthermore, the proposed framework can be applied to any water quality model and water body. The study's outcomes suggest that the presented methodology reduces uncertainty and provides more reliable simulations for decision-making in water resources conundrums.
A review of barriers to circular economy implementation in solid waste management
Authors: Akomea-Frimpong Isaac , Tetteh Portia Atswei , Ofori Joshua Nsiah Addo , Tumpa Roksana Jahan , Pariafsai Fatemeh , Tenakwah Emmanuel Senior , Asogwa Ikenna Elias , Tenakwah Emmanuel Junior , Vanapalli Kumar Raja , Adu-Gyamfi Gibbson , Kukah Augustine Senanu
Published: August 2023

Circular economy (CE) has attracted considerable attention from governments, policymakers, and societies due to its potential to promote sustainable development goals while shifting away from linear economy models. Despite a growing body of research conducted in the CE, the barriers to its successful implementation for sustainable solid waste management (SWM) remain less explored. The purpose of this current study is to identify the critical barriers to circular economy implementation in SWM. The scientometric analysis of literature is the research methodology in this study. A total of 1709 journal articles were searched and retrieved from Scopus database for the data analysis. The results show that circular economy has not gained much root in solid waste management in the global south. Countries such as China, United States, Australia, Italy, and United Kingdom (UK) are the topmost countries to fund research in this research area. The commonly used keywords in scholarly literature on this topic include sustainability, reuse, waste management and recycle. Further, the major findings of the study were grouped into clusters relating to challenges on macroeconomic policies, recycling and reuse of waste, stakeholder management, operation, and legal regulations, generated solid wastewater treatment, and construction and demolition waste. The contributions of this research are twofold: A comprehensive list of relevant gaps for further studies are provided for the scientific community to delve into this matter and proffer solutions. The findings could serve as a guide to understand and develop best practice framework on circular economy and its implementation in the SWM.
Cancer-associated fibroblasts induce sorafenib resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma cells through CXCL12/FOLR1
Authors: Zhao Jiali , Lin En , Bai Zirui , Jia Yingbin , Wang Bo , Dai Yihua , Zhuo Wenfeng , Zeng Guifang , Liu Xialei , Cai Chaonong , Li Peiping , Zou Baojia , Li Jian
Published: August 2023

Background: Due to the high drug resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), Sorafenib has limited efficacy in the treatment of advanced HCC. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play an important regulatory role in the induction of chemo-resistance. This study aimed to clarify the mechanism underlying CAF-mediated resistance to sorafenib in HCC.
Methods: Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence showed that the activation of CAFs was increased in cancer tissues of HCC. CAFs and para-cancer normal fibroblasts (NFs) were isolated from the cancer and para-cancer tissues of HCC, respectively. Cell cloning assay, Elisa, and flow cytometry were used to detect that CAFs induced sorafenib resistance of HCC cells via CXCL12. Western blot and qPCR detected that CXCL12 induces sorafenib resistance of HCC cells by up-regulating FOLR1. We investigated that FOLR1 was the target molecule of CAFs regulating sorafenib resistance in HCC cells by querying the gene expression dataset platform of human HCC specimens from GEO genomic data platforms.
Results: CAFs were increasingly activated in cancer tissues of HCC, compared with pare-cancer tissues of HCC samples. CAFs inhibited the sensitivity of HCC cells to sorafenib. CAFs secreted CXCL12 to induce sorafenib resistance of HCC cells. CXCL12 upregulated the expression of FOLR1 in HCC cells to induce sorafenib resistance.
Conclusions: We found that CAFs induce sorafenib resistance of HCC cells through CXCL12/FOLR1.
Physical Activity Changes and Related Factors in Chronic Heart Failure Patients During the Post-Discharge Transition Period: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Meng Yingtong , Ge Xiaohua , Zheng Qingru , Zhang Tingting , Feng Tienan
Published: August 2023

Background
Physical activity (PA) is essential and effective for chronic heart failure (CHF) patients. Greater understanding of the longitudinal changes in PA and its association factors during the post-discharge transition period may help create interventions for improving PA. The aims of this study are: 1) to compare the change of PA; 2) to examine the associated factors of PA change; 3) to verify the mediating pathways between the factors and PA during the post-discharge transition period in CHF patients.
Methods
A total of 209 CHF patients were recruited using a longitudinal study design. Structured questionnaires were used to assess PA, CHF-related symptoms, kinesiophobia, and demographics, disease characteristics. PA questionnaire was investigated: (1) during admission, (2) two weeks after discharge, (3) two months after discharge, and (4) three months after discharge. Additional three questionnaires were collected during admission. Generalized estimating equation models (GEE) were fitted to identify variables associated with PA over time. We followed STROBE checklist for reporting the study.
Results
PA of CHF patients decreased unevenly, with the lowest level at two weeks after discharge. CHF-related symptoms and kinesiophobia were significantly associated with PA change trend over time. Compared with before hospitalization, increase in CHF-related symptoms at two weeks and two months after discharge were significantly associated with a decrease in PA. In the path analysis, CHF-related symptoms related to PA not only directly but also indirectly through kinesiophobia.
Conclusion
PA was changed during the post-discharge transition period and associated with CHF-related symptoms and kinesiophobia in CHF patients. Improving kinesiophobia may help reduce CHF-related symptoms and improve PA.
Trial Registration:
The study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (11/10/2022 ChiCTR2200064561 retrospectively registered)
A quantitative textual analysis of the subjective effects of ayahuasca in naive users with and without depression
Authors: Cruz Lucas , Favero Bheatrix Bienemann , Palhano-Fontes Fernanda , Tófoli Luís Fernando , Araújo ulio B. , Mograbi Daniel C.
Published: August 2023

Ayahuasca is a brew with psychoactive properties that has been used as an entheogen for centuries, with more recent studies suggesting it is a promising treatment for some clinical disorders. Although there is an emerging scientific literature on its effects, to the best of our knowledge no study has explored the self-reported experiences of first-time ayahuasca users with quantitative textual analysis tools. Accordingly, the current study aimed to analyze the subjective experience of naive individuals with depression and healthy controls after consuming ayahuasca. For this purpose, responses from a subsample of participants from a previous clinical trial to open-ended questions regarding their experience with ayahuasca underwent textual analysis. Data from nine patients with treatment-resistant depression and 20 healthy individuals were included, and quantitative textual analysis was performed using IRaMuTeQ 0.7 alpha 2 and R 3.1.2. The analysis identified five clusters: alterations in the state of consciousness, cognitive changes, somatic alterations, auditory experiences, and visual perceptual content. Additionally, findings suggest specific features of the experience of people with depression with ayahuasca, such as increased aversive bodily reactions. The results are consistent with previous findings indicating central axes of the psychedelic experience, and may inform therapeutic approaches using ayahuasca.
Exploring the Link between Hedonic Overeating and Prefrontal Cortex Dysfunction in the Ts65Dn Trisomic Mouse Model
Authors: Fructuoso Marta , Fernández-Blanco Alvaro , Gallego-Roman Ana , Sierra Cesar , de Lagran Maria Martinez , Lorenzon Nicola , De Toma Ilario , Langohr Klaus , Martín-García Elena , Maldonado Rafael , Dairou Julien , Janel Nathalie , Dierssen Mara
Published: August 2023

Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) have a higher prevalence of obesity compared to the general population. Conventionally, this has been attributed to endocrine issues and lack of exercise. However, recent research suggests that deficits in neural reward responses and dopaminergic disturbances in DS may be contributing factors. To investigate further, we focused on a mouse model (Ts65Dn) bearing some triplicated genes homologous to trisomy 21. Through detailed meal pattern analysis in Ts65Dn mice, we observed an increased preference for energy-dense food, pointing towards a potential "hedonic" overeating behavior. Moreover, trisomic mice exhibited higher scores in compulsivity and inflexibility tests when limited access to energy-dense food and quinine hydrochloride adulteration were introduced, compared to euploid controls. Interestingly, when we activated prelimbic-to-nucleus accumbens projections in Ts65Dn mice using a chemogenetic approach, impulsive and compulsive behaviors significantly decreased, shedding light on a promising intervention avenue. Our findings uncover a novel mechanism behind the vulnerability to overeating and offer potential new pathways for tackling obesity through innovative interventions. However, it is important to acknowledge that the observed phenotype in Ts65Dn mice may be influenced by the presence of triplicated non-HSA21 genes, which is a limitation worth considering for future investigations.
Economic feasibility analysis of diesel replacement by vinasse biogas in a sugarcane fleet: a portfolio optimization approach
Authors: Dutenkefer Raphael de Moraes , Guo Helena Liu , Machado Pedro Gerber , Ribeiro Celma de Oliveira
Published: August 2023

Climate change has taken center stage in international debate in recent years. In this circumstance, several agreements and frameworks were established to reduce pollution and environmental degradation. For instance, the 2016 Paris Agreement was established to set goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at international and national levels, respectively.
In the climate change context, the bioenergy sector has gained significant importance as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. In Brazil, sugarcane presents an opportunity to replace fossil fuel with sugarcane byproducts and wastes, increasing renewable energy generation.
In recent years, ethanol production waste, known as vinasse, has gained popularity due to its potential to generate biogas. This residue has a high energy content and is an excellent substitute for fossil fuels. In addition, vinasse biogas presents two possible applications in the sugarcane sector: electricity generation and diesel replacement. Given this, the sugarcane industry can potentially increase its participation in the energy sector beyond bagasse and straw, byproducts already used as renewable energy sources.
Thus, it is necessary to evaluate the impacts of biogas insertion in the sugar and ethanol sector. This research aims at studying the alternative of switching fossil fuel use to vinasse biogas in sugarcane truck fleets. The primary tool used in this study was the portfolio theory. The optimization model was built, including investment costs from biogas production and diesel replacement and revenue generated from Brazilian carbon credits (CBIO), seeking to minimize the risk, measured through Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR), for a given return. In this model, the role of biogas is analyzed considering a hypothetical plant, and results show a positive economic impact of biogas production.
Results show that the CBIOS market incentivizes a higher rate of diesel-to-biogas substitution, leading to positive environmental implications. Portfolios with CBIOS achieve nearly 100% diesel substitution, compared to around 80% in scenarios without CBIOS. However, the investment strategy of the model varies depending on the profit range. In the profit range of R$131 to R$152 million, the model focuses on biogas generation and converting diesel engines to biogas. Within higher profit ranges, the model shifts the allocation of vinasse biogas for electricity production as the need for profit increases and prioritizes an increase in sugar production.
Machine learning based on SEER database to predict distant metastasis of thyroid cancer
Authors: Qiao Lixue , Li Hao , Wang Ziyang , Sun Hanlin , Feng Guicheng , Yin Detao
Published: August 2023

Objective
Distant metastasis of thyroid cancer often indicates poor prognosis, and it is important to identify patients who have developed distant metastasis or are at high risk as early as possible. This paper aims to predict distant metastasis of thyroid cancer through the construction of machine learning models to provide a reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment.
Materials & Methods
Data on demographic and clinicopathological characteristics of thyroid cancer patients between 2010 and 2015 were extracted from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Our research used univariate and multivariate logistic models to screen independent risk factors, respectively. Decision Trees (DT), ElasticNet (ENET), Logistic Regression (LR), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Random Forest (RF), Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Radial Basis Function Support Vector Machine (RBFSVM) and other seven machine learning models were compared and evaluated by the following metrics: The area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), calibration curve, decision curve analysis (DCA), sensitivity(also called recall), specificity, precision, accuracy, F1 score. Interpretable machine learning was used to identify possible correlation between variables and distant metastasis.
Results
Independent risk factors for distant metastasis, including age, gender, race, marital status, histological type, capsular invasion, and number of lymph nodes metastases were screened by multifactorial regression analysis. Among the seven machine learning algorithms, RF was the best algorithm, with an AUC of 0.948, sensitivity of 0.919, accuracy of 0.845, and F1 score of 0.886 in the training set, and an AUC of 0.960, sensitivity of 0.929, accuracy of 0.906, and F1 score of 0.908 in the test set.
Conclusions
The machine learning model constructed in this study helps in the early diagnosis of distant thyroid metastases and helps physicians to make better decisions and medical interventions.
Psychosocial work environment and mental health among the global workforce of seafarers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Hayes-Mejia Rebecca , Stafström Martin
Published: August 2023

Background
The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health outcomes of international seafarers, who played a crucial role in maintaining global trade during the pandemic. The study examined how changes in psychosocial work environment and policies affected mental health outcomes among seafarers.
Methods
We analyzed a survey including answers from 17,861 seafarers, serving on 44 different international commercial vessels with 154 different nationalities. Stress, anxiety, and depression were applied as outcome measures in this study. Three sets of independent variables were included; work-related consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, general psychosocial work environment onboard, and socioeconomic variables. First, we applied binary linear regression, followed by a multivariate linear regression analysis.
Results
The study found that changes in safety consciousness and clear communication from employers were associated with better mental health outcomes among seafarers. Eroded policies related to crew changes had a significant negative effect on mental wellbeing due to delays caused by national quarantine guidelines and travel restrictions. The results also showed a discrepancy in mental health outcomes between those onboard and those onshore, with stress being present in both groups.
Conclusions
The findings suggest that crisis management within shipping companies played an important role in mitigating adverse mental health outcomes during the pandemic. Clear communication from employers and emphasizing safety issues onboard were effective strategies for promoting better mental wellbeing among seafarers. However, delays in crew changes had a significant negative impact on mental health outcomes, highlighting the need for global cooperation and overarching agreements to protect international seafarers during times of crises.
Gaps in Guideline-Recommended Anticoagulation in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation and Elevated Thromboembolic Risk Within an Integrated Healthcare Delivery System
Authors: Malik Sushmita , Gustafson Shanshan , Chang Huai-En R. , Tamrat Yonas , Go Alan S. , Berry Natalia
Published: August 2023

Background:
Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the leading cause of stroke, which can be reduced by 70% with appropriate oral anticoagulation (OAC) therapy. Nationally, appropriate anticoagulation rates for patients with AF with elevated thromboembolic risk are as low as 50% even across the highest stroke risk cohorts. This study aims to evaluate the variability of appropriate anticoagulation rates among patients by sex, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status within the Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States (KPMAS).
Methods:
This retrospective study investigated 9,513 patients in KPMAS’s AF registry with CHADS2 score ≥2 over a 6-month period in 2021.
Results:
Appropriately anticoagulated patients had higher rates of diabetes, prior stroke, and congestive heart failure than patients who were not appropriately anticoagulated. There were no significant differences in anticoagulation rates between males and females (71.8% vs. 71.6%%, [OR] 1.01; 95% CI, 0.93-1.11; P=.76) nor by SES-SVI quartiles. There was a statistically significant difference between Blacks and Whites (70.8% vs. 73.1%, P=.03) and Asians and Whites (68.3% vs. 71.6%, P = .005). After adjusting for CHADS2, this difference persisted for blacks and whites with CHADS2 scores of ≤3 (62.6% vs. 70.6%, P <.001) and for Asians and whites with CHADS2 scores >5 (68.0% vs. 79.3%, P<.001).
Conclusions:
Black and Asians may have differing rates of appropriate anticoagulation when compared with Whites. Characterizing such disparities is the first step towards addressing treatment gaps in AF.
Energy supply performance of air-, water-, and dual-cooled PV/T systems in different climatic zones of China
Authors: Xu Peiyuan
Published: August 2023

Photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) is a technology that integrates the functions of both solar photovoltaic power generation (PV) and photothermal heat production (T), is also a good option and has been developed rapidly in the last decades. There are several ways to cool PV cells, however they are not suitable in all climates. This paper presents the result of a study on the energy supply performance of air-, water-, and dual-cooled PV/T systems in different climatic zones of China. The study investigates the impact of different cooling systems on the efficiency of PV/T systems and provides insights into the design and installation of these systems in different regions. The paper presents simulation results that indicate the effectiveness of air-cooled, water-cooled, and dual-cooling units in different temperature regions. The study finds that water-cooled systems have an irreplaceable advantage in terms of total efficiency, and the tuning method is relatively simple. However, caution is needed when choosing other cooling units in higher temperature regions. The research also highlights some limitations of the study, such as the lack of experimental data on extreme weather, calcification, dust, humidity, and other phenomena that can affect equipment efficiency. Overall, the study provides useful information for researchers and engineers working on the development and optimization of PV/T systems.
Potent and long-lasting humoral and cellular immunity against varicella zoster virus induced by mRNA-LNP vaccine
Authors: Dey Antu , Bhattacharya Anannya , Lonzarić Jan , Burlak Olga , Li Jilong , Upadhyay Ghanshyam , Williams Katherine , Dong Jinhui , Rohrer Harrison , Simon Andrew , Kuhlmann Nathan , Pustylnikov Sergei , Melo Mariane
Published: August 2023

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is a highly contagious human herpes virus responsible for causing chickenpox (varicella) and shingles (herpes zoster). Despite the approval of a highly effective vaccine, Shingrix®, the global incidence of herpes zoster is increasing and the economic burden to health care system and society are substantial due to significant loss of productivity and health complications, particularly among elderly and immunocompromised individuals. This is primarily because access to the vaccines remains mostly limited to countries within developed economies, such as USA and Canada. Therefore, similarly effective vaccines against VZV that are more accessible to the rest-of-the-world are necessary. In this study, we aimed to evaluate immunogenicity and memory response induced by three mRNA-LNP-based vaccine candidates targeting VZV's surface glycoprotein E (gE). C57BL/6 mice were immunized with each candidate vaccine, and humoral and cellular immune responses were assessed. Our results demonstrate that the mRNA-LNP-based vaccine candidates elicit robust and durable humoral responses specific to the gE antigen. Notably, mice vaccinated with the mRNA-LNP vaccines exhibited significantly higher antigen-specific T-cell cytokine production compared to the group receiving Shingrix®, the current standard of care vaccine. Additionally, mRNA-LNP vaccines induced long-lasting memory response, as evidenced by detection of persistent gE-specific memory B and T cells four months after final immunization. These findings underscore the potential of our mRNA-LNP-based vaccine candidates in generating potent immune responses against VZV, offering promising prospects for their clinical development as an effective prophylactic vaccine against herpes zoster.
Development and validation a nomogram for predicting new-onset postoperative atrial fibrillation following pulmonary resection
Authors: Zhang Chuankai , Jiang Songsong , Wang Jun , Wu Xianning , Ke Li
Published: August 2023

Background: The new-onset postoperative atrial fibrillation (NOPAF) following pulmonary resection is a common clinical concern. The aim of this study was to construct a nomogram to intuitively predict the risk of NOPAF and offer protective treatments.
Methods: Patients who underwent pulmonary resection between January 2018 and December 2020 were consecutively enrolled. Forward stepwise multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to screen independent predictors, and a derived nomogram model was built. The model performance was evaluated in terms of calibration, discrimination and clinical utility and validated with bootstrap resampling.
Results: A total of 3583 patients who met the research criteria were recruited for this study. The incidence of NOPAF was 1.507% (54/3583). A nomogram, composed of five independent predictors, namely age, admission heart rate, extent of resection, laterality, percent maximum ventilation volume per minute (%MVV), was constructed. The concordance index (C-index) was 0.811. The nomogram showed substantial discriminative ability, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.811 (95% CI 0.758-0.864). Moreover, the model shows prominent calibration performance and higher net clinical benefits.
Conclusion: We developed a novel nomogram that can predict the risk of NOPAF following pulmonary resection, which may assist clinicians predict the individual probability of NOPAF and perform available prophylaxis. By using bootstrap resampling for validation, the optimal discrimination and calibration were demonstrated, indicating that the nomogram may have clinical practicality.
Association of trophectoderm mRNAs and microRNAs with chromosomal aneuploidy of embryo
Authors: Esmaeilivand Masoumeh , Ghasemzadeh Aliyeh , Niknafs Behrooz , Fattahi Amir
Published: August 2023

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and mRNAs can serve as indicators of the chromosomal state of an embryo, with different profiles observed in euploid and aneuploid blastocysts. Examining the levels of miRNAs associated with aneuploidy and euploidy, as well as mRNAs related to implantation, can aid in predicting blastocyst chromosomal normality and improving assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes. This study analyzed chromosomal abnromality of 25 blastocysts using ​fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and also the expression of genes ERBB4, SELL, ITGB3, and ITGAV, as well as miRNAs, miR-339, miR-27b, miR-661, miR-30c, miR-191, miR-345, miR-142, miR-141, miR-20a and, miR-372. We found that 17 out of 25 embryos were aneuploid. Moreover, results revealed lower expression levels of miR-30c and miR-372 in aneuploid embryos compared to euploid ones, while ITGAV and ITGB3 showed significantly higher expression in aneuploid embryos. These findings suggest that miR-372, miR-30c, ITGAV, and ITGB3 expression in trophectoderm cells can serve as biomarkers for assessing embryo health.
Crystallization Improvement of PLA by the Talc with “Grafting from” Method of Polymerization of Lactide
Authors: Zhu Shihao , Sun Maolin , Meng Xin , Cheng Ruihua
Published: August 2023

The slow crystallization rate of polylactic acid (PLA) hampers its applications. By the “grafting from” method, a modified talcum powder (Talc-g-pla) was synthesized by the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of lactide in bulk. The polymer chains grew in situ and chemically grafted on the talc surface, which was tightly connected even after washing with dichloromethane for 24 h. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), atomic force microscope (AFM), and the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of Talc-g-pla confirmed the successful modification of talc with PLA, which was about 2 wt%. Due to the good compatibility by the grafted PLA as a bridge between PLA and talc, the Talc-g-pla was well dispersed and served as an efficient nucleating agent of commercial PLA at low loadings. For the PLA/Talc-g-pla composite by the blend of Talc-g-pla with PLA in the proportions between 0.5-3.0 wt%, the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and polarized optical microscope (POM) showed that the improvement of thermodynamic properties and crystallization of PLA/Talc-g-pla composites were more obvious than those of the PLA/Talc physical composites. The DSC results suggested that the 1 wt% Talc-g-pla increased the crystallinity of PLA by over 3% than talc.