bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Aquatic insects for monitoring the health status of riverine potholes: A case study in Chalakudy river basin, Kerala, India
Authors: Athulya Puthukkampurath , Vishnuprasad Puthiyarambath , Sivalingam Rajathy , Sajeev Thavalathadathil Velayudhan , Kumar Chelakkal Sukumaran Ratheesh , Syamkumar Reghu Nandhan Pillai
Published: March 2023

Potholes are microhabitats in riverine ecosystems, which contribute substantially to the unique regional faunal diversity and community composition. The potholes of riverine habitats of Kerala are less explored, thus this study is of significant importance for riverine health assessment using entomological indicators. A total of 18 potholes were identified from the two stations located in the Chalakudy river basin according to their vertical profile. Insects were sampled monthly along with water quality parameters. We could identify 208 individuals represented by 15 families in the Athirappilly (S1). Among the collected taxa Ephemeroptera was the dominant order comprised of 48.56% of the population. Only 94 individuals represented by 10 families reported from the Ezhattumugham (S2). Hemiptera was the dominant order and comprised 51.06% of the total taxa collected. Benthic metrics such as family biotic index (FBI), % of Ephemeroptera Plecoptera, Trichoptera taxa (EPT), % of Ephemeroptera taxa, and % of tolerant organisms indicated remarkable variation in water quality status among the two stations and there was a significant difference in benthic metrics (p < 0.05). Major functional feeding groups reported, the percentage contribution of predators (p = 0.010), shredders (p = 0.009), and scrappers (p = 0.007) exhibited statistically significant variations between stations. Insects belonging to the families of Baetidae, Ephemeridae, Perlidae, and Stenopsychidae were found to be the most sensitive forms reported from the S1 indicates good water quality condition. Contrastingly, insects belonging to the families of Micronectidae, and Chironomidae being pollution-tolerant taxa, were abundant at S2 indicates a fairly poor condition of the potholes.
Nematode Community Structures in the Presence of Wastewater Treatment Plant Discharge
Authors: Ridall Aaron , Ingels Jeroen
Published: March 2023

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) represent major point sources of pollution in coastal systems, affecting benthic ecosystems. In the present study we assessed the potential role that WWTPs have in shaping nematode communities and established baseline knowledge of free-living nematode community structures in St. Andrew Bay, Florida. Sediment samples were collected from four sites representing areas of WWTP outflow and areas with no apparent outflow, during the winter and summer. Nematode communities across sites were significantly different, and the differences were strongly associated with the distance to the nearest WWTP. While the communities were not different along transects at each site, nor across seasons, community dissimilarity across sites was high, implying strong contrasts throughout the bay system. Dominance of tolerant, opportunistic genera and Ecological Quality Status assessments suggest that the system is stressed by organic enrichment, possibly linked to the WWTPs. Our results suggest that knowledge on the life-history of dominant genera is imperative to assess the ecological quality of a benthic system, in addition to taxonomic and functional metrics. Considering the value of marine nematodes as bioindicators, more work should be done to monitor temporal variability in nematode communities in this system as future infrastructure changes alter its dynamics.
A fully integrated, standalone stretchable device platform with in-sensor adaptive machine learning for rehabilitation
Authors: Xu Hongcheng , Zheng Weihao , Zhang Yang , Zhao Yunlong , Wang Weidong , Yuan Yangbo , Zhang Ji , Huo Zimin , Wang Yuejiao , Zhao Ningjuan , Qin Yuxin , Liu Ke , Xi Ruida , Xu Dandan , Chen Gang , Tang Chu , Zhang Haiyan , Yan Junyu , Ge Qi , Cheng Huanyu , Lu Yang , Gao Libo
Published: March 2023

Post-surgical treatments of the human throat and various diseases often require continuous monitoring of diverse vital and muscle activities. However, wireless, continuous monitoring and analysis of these activities directly from the (throat) skin still remain elusive. Here, we report the design and validation of a fully integrated standalone stretchable device platform that provides wireless measurements and cloud analysis of diverse vibrations and muscle electrical activities from the suprasternal throat. The modified composite hydrogel with low contact impedance and reduced adhesion provides high-quality long-term monitoring of local muscle electrical signals. The integrated triaxial broad-band accelerometer also measures large body movements and subtle physiological activities/vibrations. The combined data processed by a 2D-like sequential feature extractor with fully connected neurons facilitate the classification of various motion/speech features at a high accuracy of over 90%, which even adapts to the data with noise from motion artifacts or the data from new human subjects. The resulting standalone stretchable device with wireless monitoring and cloud processing capabilities paves the way to design and apply the next-generation wearable skin-interfaced systems for the remote monitoring and treatment evaluation of various diseases.
Effects of six phytohormones on the growth behavior and cellular biochemical components of Chlorella vulgaris 31
Authors: Xie Zijian , Cao Yueqin , Peng Shuting , Zhang Xiaoyun , Kong Weibao
Published: March 2023

Microalgae have characteristics similar to higher plants, and recent research has shown that phytohormones can influence the metabolic and physiological processes of microalgae. Utilizing phytohormones to adjust the production capacity of microalgae could improve their position in the industrial raw material supply chain, accelerate the transition to green and sustainable industry, and reduce carbon emissions. This study investigated the effects of six phytohormones, including 6-benzylaminopurine, ethephon, gibberellin, indole acetic acid, naphthalene acetic acid, and salicylic acid, on the growth and biochemical composition of Chlorella vulgaris 31(Cv-31) after 12 days of culturing. The results showed that there were significant variations in the effects of different concentrations and species of phytohormones on the growth and biochemical composition of Cv-31. Among the six phytohormones, 10 mg L− 1 GA was the most effective in promoting growth and pigment accumulation, while 7.5 mg L− 1 SA resulted in a 3.3-fold increase in lipid production compared to the control. However, the phytohormones did not play a significant role in protein accumulation, while ETH and GA were helpful in the accumulation of soluble sugars. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the effects of phytohormones on the main components of Cv-31 and can serve as a reference for related research and production.
Comparative DFT study of methanol decomposition on Mo 2 C(001) and Mo 2 C(101) surfaces
Authors: Shi Yun
Published: March 2023

In this study, the complete reaction mechanism of methanol decomposition on metallic Mo2C(001) and Mo/C-mixed Mo2C(101) hexagonal Mo2C crystalline phases was systematically investigated using plane-wave-based periodic density functional theory (DFT). The main reaction route for Mo2C(001) is as follows: CH3OH → CH3O + H → CH2O + 2H → CHO + 3H → CO + 4H → C + O + 4H. Hence, C,O, and H are the main products. It was found that the energy barrier for CO dissociation was low. Therefore, it was concluded that the Mo2C(001) surface was too active to be easily oxidized or carburized. The optimal reaction pathway for Mo2C(101) is as follows: CH3OH → CH3O + H → CH2O + 2H → CH2 + O + 2H → CH3 + O + H → CH4 + O. Therefore, CH4 is the major product. The hydrogenation of CH3 leading to CH4 showed the highest energy barrier and the lowest rate constant and should be the rate-determining step. In addition, the formation of CO + 2H2 was competitive on Mo2C(101), and the optimal path was CH3OH → CH3O + H → CH2O + 2H → CH2 + O + 2H → CH + O + 3H → C + O + 4H → CO + 2H2. The computed energy barrier and rate constant indicate that the rate-determining step is the last step in CO formation. In agreement with the experimental observations, the results provide insights into the Mo2C-catalyzed decomposition of methanol and other side reactions.
PARP1 inhibition mediates a switch from necrosis to senescence that favors repair from acute oxidative injury
Authors: Nehme Jamil , Mesilmany Lina , Farfariello Valerio , Varela-Eirin Marta , Lin Yao , Costa Mariana Gaya , Seelen Marc , Hillebrands Jan-Luuk , Goor Harry van , Saab Raja , Prevarskaya Natacha , Akl Haidar , Demaria Marco
Published: March 2023

Excessive amounts of Reactive oxygen species (ROS) lead to macromolecular damage and pathological sequelae. The mechanisms regulating oxidative stress-induced cell fate decision and their manipulation for improving repair remain poorly understood. Here, we show that cells exposed to high oxidative stress enter a PARP1-mediated necrosis, and that blocking PARP1 activation promotes a senescence state. We demonstrate that the switch from death to senescence depends on reducing mitochondrial Ca2+ overload as a consequence of retaining the hexokinase HKII into mitochondria. In a mouse model of kidney ischemia/reperfusion damage, PARP1 inhibition lowers necrosis and increases senescence at the injury site, leading to improved recovery from acute damage. PARP1 activity is essential to promote necrosis in high oxidative environments, and its inhibition alleviates the detriment of acute tissue damage by promoting senescence.
European Headache Federation (EHF) critical re-appraisal and meta-analysis of oral drugs in migraine prevention - Part 1 Amitriptyline
Authors: Lampl Christian , Versijpt Jan , Deligianni Christina , Gil-Gouveia Raquel , Jassal Tanvir , MaassenVanDenBrink Antoinette , Ornello Raffaele , Paungarttner Jakob , Sanchez-del-Rio Margarita , Reuter Uwe , Uluduz Derya , de Vries Tessa , Zeraatkar Dena , Sacco Simona
Published: March 2023

Objective
The aim of this paper is to critically re-appraise the published trials assessing amitriptyline for migraine prophylaxis.
Methods
We report our methods and results following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA), by searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL, and ClinicalTrials.gov for randomized trials of pharmacologic treatments for migraine prophylaxis. We included randomized trials that compared amitriptyline with placebo for migraine prophylaxis in adults. Our outcomes of interest were informed by the Outcome Set for preventive intervention trials in chronic and episodic migraine (COSMIG) and include the proportion of patients who experience a 50% or more reduction in migraine days per month, migraine days per month, and adverse events leading to discontinuation.
We assessed risk of bias by using a modified Cochrane RoB 2.0 tool and the certainty of evidence by using the GRADE approach.
Results
Our search yielded 10.826 unique records, of which three trials (n=622) were eligible for data synthesis and analysis. We found moderate certainty evidence that amitriptyline increases the proportion of patients who experience a 50% or more reduction in monthly migraine days, compared to placebo. We found moderate certainty evidence that amitriptyline increases the proportion of patients who discontinue due to adverse events compared to placebo.
Conclusions
Our meta-analysis showed that amitriptyline may have a prophylactic role in migraine patients, however these results are far from robust. This warrants further large-scale research to evaluate the role of amitriptyline in migraine prevention.
Improved Lower Bounds for Truthful Scheduling
Authors: Dobzinski Shahar , Shaulker Ariel
Published: March 2023

The problem of scheduling unrelated machines by a truthful mechanism to minimize the makespan was introduced in the seminal "Algorithmic Mechanism Design" paper by Nisan and Ronen. Nisan and Ronen showed that there is a truthful mechanism that provides an approximation ratio of min(m, n), where n is the number of machines and m is the number of jobs. They also proved that no truthful mechanism can provide an approximation ratio better than 2. Since then, the lower bound was improved to 1 + √2 ≈ 2.41 by Christodoulou, Kotsoupias, and Vidali, and then to 1 + Φ ≈ 2.618 by Kotsoupias and Vidali. The lower bound was improved to 2.755 by Giannakopoulos, Hammerl, and Pocas. In this paper we further improve the bound to 3-δ, for every constant δ > 0.
Note that a gap between the upper bound and the lower bounds exists even when the number of machines and jobs is very small. In particular, the known 1 + √2 lower bound requires at least 3 machines and 5 jobs. In contrast, we show a lower bound of 2.2055 that uses only 3 machines and 3 jobs and a lower bound of 1 + √2 that uses only 3 machines and 4 jobs. For the case of two machines and two jobs we show a lower bound of 2. Similar bounds for two machines and two jobs were known before but only via complex proofs that characterized all truthful mechanisms that provide a finite approximation ratio in this setting, whereas our new proof uses a simple and direct approach.
Neural networks determination of material elastic constants and structures in nematic complex fluids
Authors: Zaplotnik Jaka , Pišljar Jaka , Škarabot Miha , Ravnik Miha
Published: March 2023

Supervised machine learning and artificial neural network approaches can allow for the determination of selected material parameters or structures from a measurable signal without knowing the exact mathematical relationship between them. Here, we demonstrate that material nematic elastic constants and the initial structural material configuration can be found using sequential neural networks applied to the transmmited time-dependent light intensity through the nematic liquid crystal (NLC) sample under crossed polarizers. Specifically, we simulate multiple times the relaxation of the NLC from a random (qeunched) initial state to the equilibirum for random values of elastic constants and, simultaneously, the transmittance of the sample for monochromatic polarized light. The obtained time-dependent light transmittances and the corresponding elastic constants form a training data set on which the neural network is trained, which allows for the determination of the elastic constants, as well as the initial state of the director. Finally, we demonstrate that the neural network trained on numerically generated examples can also be used to determine elastic constants from experimentally measured data, finding good agreement between experiments and neural network predictions.
The NLRP3 inflammasome in alveolar macrophages promotes angiogenesis in intermittent short-duration reoxygenation which relieves chronic hypoxic pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Li Shaohua , Cai Yue , Shi Qixin , Lyu Qiang , Bai Yungang , Zhang Shuai , Ma Jin
Published: March 2023

High altitude pulmonary hypertension (HAPH) is a chronic progressive disease caused by the reconstruction of distal pulmonary arterioles caused by chronic hypoxia. Due to the limited effect of current protective measures for treating HAPH, we propose the use of intermittent short-duration reoxygenation and prove its effectiveness in protecting against HAPH in an animal model. However, the mechanism of relieving HAPH by intermittent short-duration reoxygenation still needs to be further clarified. Previous studies have shown that alveolar macrophages and the inflammatory response induced by the NLRP3 inflammasome play an important role in the development of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension. However, repeated hypoxia and reoxygenation may lead to increased levels of inflammation due to increased oxidative stress. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the changes in alveolar macrophages and the NLRP3 inflammasome under intermittent short-duration reoxygenation and their role in the protective effect. The results showed that intermittent short-duration reoxygenation resulted in higher density of pulmonary vessel bed and higher expression of the NLRP3 inflammasome in lung tissues and alveolar macrophages than continuous hypoxia. In addition, the depletion of alveolar macrophages or inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome in the lung counteracted the protective effect of intermittent short-duration reoxygenation on HAPH. Based on these results, we suggest that alveolar macrophages and the NLRP3 inflammasome promote angiogenesis in intermittent short-duration reoxygenation-mediated protection against HAPH.
Computational Exploration of Cu(II)-en Chelate Catalyzed Hydrolysis of O-isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate
Authors: Khan Md Abdul Shafeeuulla , Bhanuchander Nellore , Reddy Jaggavarapu Satyanarayana , Anna Venkateswara Rao , Ganguly Bishwajit
Published: March 2023

In contrast to un-catalyzed hydrolysis of organophosphorus (OP) compounds, metal ions or/and their complexes with chelating ligands shows catalytic effects in several ways depending upon the nature of the metal, ligand, substrate and medium. It is known that Cu(II)-en chelate containing copper complexes accelerate the hydrolysis of OP compounds. However, the mechanism for this rate enhancement in the Cu(II)-en chelate catalytic hydrolysis reaction of sarin remains unexplored. We have examined possible mechanisms involving a Cu(II)-en with hydroxide nucleophile for the reaction pathway of the hydrolysis of O-isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate (sarin) computationally. The density functional (B3LYP) employed in this study has reproduced the experimental Gibb’s free energy of activation value 15.5 kcal/mol for alkaline hydrolysis of sarin. Earlier proposal of push-pull mechanism for metal ion chelate catalyzed hydrolysis of OP compounds has been found to be unfavourable in the present study. The role of water molecules in catalyzing the hydrolysis of sarin with Cu(II)-en chelate is crucial. The catalytic process involving Cu(II)-en chelate with one water molecule is the more plausible pathway to achieve the hydrolysis of sarin with Cu(II)-en chelate complexes.
Estimating appropriate disturbance timing for the population of an endangered butterfly inhabiting grassland patches in an agricultural landscape
Authors: Deto Hidenori , Miyashita Tadashi
Published: March 2023

It has been recognized that the timing of disturbance, in addition to its intensity and frequency, is important for the population dynamics of organisms because the impact of the disturbance depends on the life history stage at which it occurs. However, the effects of disturbance timing on consumer population dynamics have not been explored. This study simultaneously estimated the effects of mowing frequency and timing on the subpopulation dynamics of the endangered grassland butterfly, Plebejus argyrognomon. A two-year investigation of a metapopulation of P. argyrognomon consisting of approximately 150 habitat patches revealed that subpopulation size decreased with increasing mowing frequency, in addition to the positive effect of patch area and habitat connectivity. With the mowing frequency fixed at once per year, subpopulation size maximized when mowing occurred during the adult period in the previous generation, presumably due to reduced impact in the high-mobility adult stage. By mowing during this period, subpopulations were maintained at a several times increased level. It is suggested that disturbance timing should be incorporated into the conservation of metapopulations in human-managed landscapes.
Results on fractional integrodifferential equations with fractional boundary conditions by using a special type of operators over general Banach spaces with bounded approximation numbers
Authors: Harisa Samy A. , Faried Nashat , Vijayaraj V. , Ravichandran C. , Morsy Ahmed
Published: March 2023

We assess, the existence of solutions to a class of nonlinear fractional integro-differential equations with Atangana-Baleanu (AB)derivatives with fractional boundary conditions. The existence and uniqueness solutions are derived by suitable fixed point theorem. Futhermore, we present an implicit numerical scheme based on the trapezoidal method for obtaining the numerical approximation to the solution. Some examples are given to illustrate our analytical and numerical findings.
2020 MSC: 34A08, 34K37, 65L10.
Adsorption properties of P-(CM-β-CD/HPCS/KHA/AC) hydrogel for tetracycline hydrochloride
Authors: Song Jie , Wei Zhiqing , Chen Lijun , Li Xi , Niu Yuhua , Zhang Rong , Zhu Xiaoli
Published: March 2023

Amino functionalized porous hydrogel material P-(CM-β-CD/HPCS/KHA/AC) was synthesized by using polyacrylic acid as the carrier, including acetate cyclodextrin, hydroxypropyl chitosan, potassium humate and activated carbon from the perspectives of environmental protection, high removal rate, reusable and degradable. The gel materials before and after adsorption were characterized by FTIR, TG, XRD and XPS, and showed high adsorption capacity for the removal of antibiotic (tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH). At 298K and pH 4, the adsorption capacity of P-(CM-β-CD/HPCS/KHA/AC) hydrogel on TCH reached 98.36mg/g, and the removal rate was 68%. The adsorption behavior follows the quasi-second-order kinetic equation, which accords with the Langmuir model, and through electrostatic interaction, π-π conjugation and hydrogen bond interaction, the entropy increase, endothermic and spontaneous process is formed. The regeneration and degradability experiments of P-(CM-β-CD/HPCS/KHA/AC) hydrogel were carried out to verify its recycling performance and environmental protection.
Differentiation benign paroxysmal positional vertigo from vestibular migraine via walking stability analysis: a cross- sectional and machine-learning study
Authors: Hu Tianyi , Jiao Xin , Shao Qineng , Wang He , Sun Xuhong , Tian Liang , Yu Jing , Zhang Lei , Wang Jing , Gu Dongyun
Published: March 2023

Background
Current clinical methods of distinguishing benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and vestibular migraine (VM) are primarily based on medical history and characteristics of nystagmus lacking objective and precise techniques.
Methods
In this study, we developed a machine-learning-based approach to distinguish BPPV and VM via gait performance and walking stability analysis. 16 BPPV patients, 16 VM patients and 16 healthy participants performed 10m level over-ground walking trials at self-preferred speed while wearing accelerometers on the head, the trunk and the ankles. Gait spatial-temporal and walking stability characteristics, including acceleration root mean square (RMS), harmonic ratio (HR), amplitude variability (AV), step/stride regularity and gait symmetry, were statistically analyzed within three groups. Ten kinds of individual learning and ensemble learning models were trained to classify participants into the BPPV group, VM group and HC group, based on walking stability characteristics.
Results
Results showed that the walking speeds of VM and BPPV patients were lower than those of healthy participants. Head acceleration RMS in the AP axis, step regularity in the mediolateral (ML) and head vertical (VT) axes decreased in VM and BPPV patients compared with healthy participants. Simultaneously, acceleration RMS in the ML axis of the head, AV in the VT axes at the head and trunk and HR in the VT axis of both head and trunk showed differential significance between VM and BPPV patients. The random forests (RF) model showed better classification performance with 83.9% accuracy and 0.854 AUC.
Conclusions
This study demonstrates the feasibility of distinguishing VM and BPPV based on walking stability parameters and machine learning models.
Unsupervised feature extraction and clustering of aerial images for understanding hazardous road segments
Authors: Francis John , Bright Jonathan , Esnaashari Saba , Hashem Youmna , Morgan Deborah , Straub Vincent J.
Published: March 2023

Satellite and aerial image data are becoming more widely available, and analysis techniques based on supervised learning are advancing their use in a wide variety of remote sensing contexts. However, supervised learning requires training datasets which are not always available or easy to construct. In this respect, unsupervised machine learning techniques present important advantages. This work presents a novel pipeline to demonstrate how available aerial imagery can be used to better the provision of services related to the built environment, using the case study of road traffic collisions (RTCs) across three cities in the UK. In this paper, we show how aerial imagery can be leveraged to extract latent features of the built environment from the purely visual representation of top-down images. Through the clustering of hazardous road segments with these latent image features, this work demonstrates how aerial images and machine learning can provide a data-driven aid for road safety experts to enhance their nuanced understanding of how and where different types of RTCs occur.
Electric Vehicle in Distribution Grids
Authors: Sezar Volkan
Published: March 2023

With the presence of Electric Vehicles (EV’s) in the distribution grid as a load, grid losses increase dramatically, which can have adverse effects on parameters such as deployment, cost, profit, etc. But if EV’s are connected to the grid, by managing their charging and discharging, positive effects can be created in the load curve and grid losses can be reduced. In this paper, the effect of the presence of different types of EV’s with different capacities and the absence of EV’s on grid losses have been compared with each other considering the daily load curve. The simulation in DIGSILENT software has been done on a 74-bus distribution grid with IEEE standards considering and with 1000 vehicles. The results show well the effect of EV’s charging and discharging on grid losses.
Vinegars from fruits of Myrciaria cauliflora (Mart.) O.Berg and Myrciaria jaboticaba (Vell.) Berg: Phytochemical, volatile and, sensory profiles, antioxidant activity and chemical characteristics
Authors: Pagliarini Cesar Luiz , Pagliarini Mateus Alcides , Santos Viviane Aparecida Figueredo Oliveira , Steffens Cristiano André , Hoff Rodrigo Barcellos , Dognini Jocinei , Crestani Ilene , Dacoreggio Marina Volpato , Bagatini Lucíola , Kempka Aniela Pinto
Published: March 2023

Jabuticaba is a tasty Brazilian fruit, with high productivity and perishability, with a short period of consumption after harvest. For a better use of its production, an alternative is the production of derivatives, such as vinegar. This study aimed to determine the phenolic, volatile and, sensory profiles, antioxidant activity and chemical characteristics of vinegars produced with fruits, with and without peel, of Myrciaria cauliflora (Mart.) O. Berg and Myrciaria jaboticaba (Vell.) Berg. Four vinegars were obtained. Fourteen phenolic compounds were identified and quantified, classified between phenolic acids and flavonoids, with emphasis on 3,4-DHB, chlorogenic acid and, sinapic acid. The highest antioxidant activity was for M. jaboticaba vinegar, made with unpeeled fruits. For volatile compounds, 21 esters, 7 alcohols, 5 terpenes, 1 ketone, and, 1 vinylarene were identified. Sensory analysis showed similarities in terms of taste and differences in terms of odor between Jabuticaba vinegars and commercial vinegars. Phenolic compounds, acetic acid and, esters were the main chemical groups identified. Vinegars, in general, showed differences regarding the presence and absence of peels. The jabuticaba vinegars showed characteristics suitable for the product, and several important compounds for human health.
Differential Diagnosis of Adrenal Adenomas and Metastases Using Spectral Parameters in Dual-layer Detector Spectral CT
Authors: Wu Lei-di , Yue Xiao-fei , Wu Lin-xia , Yang Ming , chen Yan , Yu Jie , Diao Nan , Zhang Xiao-hui , Zhu Liang-ru , Han Ping
Published: March 2023

Objective
To assess the diagnostic value of spectral parameters in differentiating adrenal adenomas from metastases based on dual-layer detector spectral CT (DLSCT).
Materials and methods
Patients with adenomas or metastases who underwent enhanced DLSCT of the adrenals were enrolled. The CT values of virtual noncontrast images (CTVNC), iodine density (ID) values, and Z-effective (Z-eff) values, the normalized iodine density (NID) values, slopes of spectral HU curves (s-SHC), and iodine-to-CTVNC ratios of the tumors were measured in each phase. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to compare the diagnostic values.
Results
Ninety-nine patients with 106 adrenal lesions (63 adenomas, 43 metastases) were included. In the venous phase, all spectral parameters were significantly different between adenomas and metastases (all p < 0.05). The combined spectral parameters showed a better diagnostic performance in the venous phase than in other phase (P < 0.05). The iodine-to-CTVNC value had a larger area under the ROC curve (AUC) than the other spectral parameters in the differential diagnosis of adenomas and metastases, with a diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of 74.4% and 91.9%, respectively. In the differential diagnosis of lipid-rich adenomas, lipid-poor adenomas and metastases, the CTVNC value and s-SHC value also had a larger AUC than the other spectral parameters, with a diagnostic sensitivity of 97.7%, 79.1% and specificity of 91.2%, 93.1%, respectively.
Conclusion
On DLSCT, the combined spectral parameters in the venous phase could help better distinguish adrenal adenomas from metastases. The iodine-to-CTVNC, CTVNC and s-SHC values had the highest AUC values in differentiating adenomas, lipid-rich adenomas and lipid-poor adenomas from metastases, respectively.
Patients’ handling tasks, awkward postures and work-related musculoskeletal disorders among nursing staff in critical care-units
Authors: Mebarki Bouhafs , Zaoui Brahim , Mokdad Mohamed , Mebarki Imededdine
Published: March 2023

Background
Awkward postures imposed by nursing duties are a main source of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among nursing staff. The purpose of this article is to describe the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among critical care nurses, in two patient handling tasks, transferring and repositioning of patients, and assess their training level and acquaintance of ergonomics rules and principles in patients’ handling tasks.
Materials & Method
This study was conducted among caregivers in a hospital critical care-unit. Aged: 25–55 years, (X = 35.5, SD: 9.56), with a seniority range of 5 to 25 years (X = 14.9, SD = 8.92), and a mean working time of 48 hours a week (8 hours/day), distributed among day, night and irregular shift of 3, 3 and 4 nurses each shift, respectively. For screening the musculoskeletal disorders among caregivers in intensive care, an adapted version of previous instruments was used to collect data. The adopted instrument consisted of a questionnaire, a subjects’ assessment figure and a video recording system.
Results
results of the study revealed a large number of nurses in intensive care unit exhibit musculoskeletal disorders symptoms. Nurses knowledge of safe patients handling technics are superficial and lacking basic human factors /ergonomics principles.
Conclusions
The study recommended the immediate hiring of an adequate number of physically able nursing staff and providing the necessary work equipment to assist nurses perform patient handling tasks. In the near future, a human factors/ergonomics intervention program should be launched, incorporating a “Safe Patient Handling Training Program” for the critical care-unit staff.
Vertical jump and relative strength are strongly associated with change of direction in professional male basketball players
Authors: Benítez-Flores Stefano , Lusa-Cadore Eduardo , Stojanović Emilija , Delextrat Anne , Calleja-González Julio
Published: March 2023

Background
Change of direction (COD) ability it is an essential component in modern basketball competition. However, the predictors of COD have not yet been clearly established.
Aims
The aim of this study was to examine the predictors of COD in highly trained/national level male basketball players using field assessments.
Methods
Eight professional male basketball players (age: 24.0 ± 5.5 years; body mass index (BMI): 24.05 ± 1.65 kg·m− 2) volunteered for participation in this study. All the evaluations were carried out during 2 sessions as follows: First day_1) body composition, 2) unilateral and bilateral squat jump (SJ) and countermovement (CMJ), and 3) Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1); Second day_1) COD performance, and 2) one repetition maximum (1RM) hang clean (HC) and bench press (BP). A linear regression was performed to evaluate the determinants of COD amongst all other measured variables. Furthermore, we applied Pearson correlation coefficient and in the case of non-normal variables, Spearman's correlation coefficient for the selected variables.
Results
The linear regression indicated that only SJ height was a significant determinant of COD (R2 = 58.8%, p = 0.016). Significant correlations were identified between COD test with SJ (r= -0.75, p = 0.034; very large), and relative HC 1 RM (r= -0.74, p = 0.038; very large).
Conclusions
The associations found between COD performance and physical parameters should be considered when developing athletic conditioning programs.
Water Quality Investigation and Pollution Estimation of Groundwater Related to Reservoir Water Along the Main Stream in Geum River Basin, Korea
Authors: Choi Hanna , Koh Dong Chan , Yoon Yoon Yeol
Published: March 2023

This study aims to identify spatially water quality distribution of groundwater and surface water in reservoirs, and comprehensively to address possible influencing factors. The concentration of NO3 in the reservoirs along the main stream of the Geum River was generally lower than that in groundwater. The pollution level of the reservoir, especially the particulate pollutant SS, clearly showed seasonal variations and increased significantly downstream. The H-3 concentration of the groundwater was high in the plains and low in the mountain areas, indicating a difference in residence time between the two regions. The hydrochemical properties and factor loading values of the principal components indicated that the major factors were water‒rock interactions and residence time, but a positive correlation of K-NO3 and Mg-Cl showed the influence of agricultural activities. The main groundwater pollutants were likely to be contributed by agricultural activities at upstream and seawater infiltration at downstream. The sensitive redox species uranium in the groundwater of this region existed as the uranyl ion, and it showed a positive correlation with HCO3, pH, and Ca. The results emphasize the importance of monitoring both tributaries and groundwater together in order to effectively manage the water quality of the Geum River basin.
Synthesis pure ETS-10 by optimization synthesis parameters using One Factor At a Time (OFAT) approach: CO 2 adsorption study
Authors: Khademi Amirhossein , Babakhani Ensieh Ganji , Darian Jafar Towfighi , Mahdipoor Hamid Reza
Published: March 2023

In this work, ETS-10 was synthesized by hydrothermal method. The effect of synthesis parameters of ETS-10 on purity and characterization was studied by One At a Time (OFAT) approach. According to this approach, in each test, one synthesis parameter was changed while the other parameters were kept constant. All samples were identified by PXRD and the purest sample was characterized by SEM, EDX, BET, and TGA/DTA. To evaluate the CO2 capture abilities of the synthesized purest sample, CO2 adsorption isotherm at 298 K was obtained by the constant-volume adsorption method. The isotherm models Dual-site Langmuir, Toth, and UNILAN were used to fit the obtained isotherm data. The results showed that with gel pH = 11.3, crystallization temperature 230°C, and crystallization time 72 h, the ETS-10 with the highest purity was achieved. Also, it was observed that there is an important interaction between the potassium source with other synthesis parameters. The adsorption results showed that the CO2 adsorption capacity of the pure ETS-10 was 3.37 mmol/g. It was observed that the Dual-site Langmuir model was fitted better the CO2 adsorption data at 298 K compared to Toth and UNILAN models. The adsorption kinetics showed that about 90% of the equilibrium adsorption was reached within 25s which demonstrates a remarkable fast kinetics.
Investigation of Solvent Effect and H-Bonding on Spectroscopic Properties of 1-(3-Amino- 6-(2,5-dichlorothiophen-3-yl)-4-phenylfuro[2,3-b]pyridin-2-yl) ethenone: Experimental and Computational Study
Authors: Abufaha Rasha K. , Yousef Fakhri O. , Ghanem Raed , Al-Sou’od Khaldoun , Shahdi Ihsan A. , Almashaqbeh Omar K. , Al-Refai Mahmoud
Published: March 2023

The furo[2,3-b]pyridine moiety is an important scaffold for many biologically active compounds, therefore, the spectral data of the derivative 1-(3-Amino-6-(2,5-dichlorothiophen-3-yl)-4-phenylfuro[2,3-b]pyridin-2-yl) ethenone (FP1) were investigated. Analysis of absorption-pH profile and Förster cycle of FP1 revealed that its excited state is more acidic than its ground state (pKa * <pKa). The main fluorescence emission band of FP1 at 480 nm (in hexane) is shifted to longer wavelengths with increasing polarities of solvents. Linear Lippert’s plot and linear correlation between bands maxima and Camlet-Taft parameter, α, of the protic solvents indicated efficient intramolecular charge transfer and noticeable H-bonding. Moreover, the disappearance of the absorption band of FP1 at 385 nm in water, along with the noticeable red shift and quenching of the emission band, and the lower lifetime, relative to nonaqueous solvents, indicate the interruption of the furo[2,3-b]pyridine aromatic moiety. In addition, results from the Time Dependent Density Functional Theory (TDDFT) and Molecular Mechanic (MM) calculations were in agreement with experimentally determined spectra of FP1.
Colonization of the gastric juice by Candida spp. promotes surgical site infection after hepatectomy
Authors: Iida Hiroya , Kaibori Masaki , Maehira Hiromitsu , Mori Haruki , Nitta Nobuhito , Maekawa Takeru , Takebayashi Katsushi , Kaida Sachiko , Miyake Toru , Tani Masaji
Published: March 2023

Purpose: Candida spp. cause opportunistic infections in conditions of immunodeficiency. Here, we investigated the relationship between colonization of the gastric juice by Candida spp. and surgical site infection (SSI) in hepatectomy.
Methods: Consecutive hepatectomy cases between November 2019 and April 2021 were enrolled. Gastric juice samples (collected intraoperatively through a nasogastric tube) were cultured. We compared factors related to patient background, blood test findings, surgical findings, and postoperative complications between the Candida+group (positive for colonization of the gastric juice by Candida spp.) and the Candida- group (negative). In addition, we identified the factors that contribute to SSI.
Results: There were 29 and 71 patients in the Candida+ and Candida- groups, respectively. The Candida+ group was significantly older (average age: Candida+ 74 years vs. Candida- 69 years; p=0.02) and contained more patients who were negative for the hepatitis B and C virus (Candida+ 93% vs. Candida- 69%; p=0.02). SSI was significantly more common in the Candida+ group (Candida+ 31% vs. Candida- 9%; p=0.01). Postoperative bile leakage and colonization of the gastric juice by Candida spp. were independent predictors of SSI.
Conclusion: Colonization of the gastric juice by Candida spp. is a risk factor for SSI after hepatectomy.
Effects of Fe doping on preparation of Ti-Si porous membrane via in-situ reactive process
Authors: LIU Zhongjun , SU Yi , ZHAO Hui , JIAO Yanni , LEI Juan , AO Qingbo
Published: March 2023

Asymmetric porous filter element can reach a high filtering accuracy with larger filtration flux, which can enhance the filtration efficiency and reduce the energy consumption when it was applied in separation equipment. A novel porous material of Ti-Si intermetallic compound micro-porous membrane was successfully synthesized with Fe doped Ti mixed powder and SiO2 by the in-situ reactive sintering process. Effects of Fe doping, sintering temperature and the external load pressure on the formation of membrane were systemically studied. The results show that increasing Fe doping amount can celebrate the in-situ reactive process and promote the membrane formation. The synthesized granules on the membrane are well distributed with the size of 1∼3 µm, and the thickness of the membranes is 4∼7 µm. The relative air permeability coefficient of porous membrane reduces raptly with increasing either Fe doping amount, or sintering temperature and the external load pressure. All synthesized membranes show the presence of Ti5Si3 and Ti phases, with a little amount phase of FeTi and FeO. The membrane formation mechanism is due to the large reduction reactivity of Fe doped Ti powder with SiO2, and the asymmetric porous structure of Ti5Si3/Ti was obtained finally.
Analysis of Goldman Applanation Tonometry with and without Fluorescein among glaucomatous and non-glaucomatous patients Attending Mzuzu Central Hospital in Malawi
Authors: Munyapa Tryness , Mzumara Thokozani , Ogbonna Grace , Mvula Augastine
Published: March 2023

Background: Goldman Applanation Tonometry (GAT), the gold standard of tonometry, is used without fluorescein in low-resource settings. Nevertheless, corneal biomechanics differ among population groups.
Purpose: The aim of the study is to assess the relationship between GAT findings with and without fluorescein among glaucomatous and non-glaucomatous adults in Malawi.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional quantitative study involving 22 glaucoma patients and 22 non-glaucoma patients at Mzuzu Central Hospital. We used a purposive sampling technique to select participants into the two groups. Next, we measured Intraocular pressure using Goldman Applanation Tonometry with and without fluorescein. Then we entered the data into SPSS version 25. We employed the Wilcoxon test to make comparisons based on age and gender. We considered the value of p<0.05 statistically significant.
Results: There is a statistically significant and strong positive correlation between nfGAT and fGAT among both glaucoma (r = 0.989, p< 0.001) and non-glaucoma (r = 0.955, p<0.001). According to age, there is no significant difference in IOP value measured with nfGAT and fGAT for both glaucomas (p = 0.109) and non-glaucoma subjects (p = 0.076). However, significant differences were observed between nfGAT and fGAT mean IOP according to sex among both glaucomatous and non-glaucomatous subjects (p = 0.017 and p = 0.32 resp.).
Conclusion: The study suggests that the merits of intraocular pressure measured using Goldman Applanation Tonometry without fluorescein are not speculative, therefore the two techniques can be routinely used interchangeably in diagnosing and managing glaucoma.
Online conversion of reconstructed neural morphologies into standardized SWC format
Authors: Ascoli Giorgio , Mehta Ketan , Ljungquist Bengt , Ogden James , Nanda Sumit , Ascoli Ruben , Ng Lydia
Published: March 2023

Digital reconstructions provide an accurate and reliable way to store, share, model, quantify, and analyze neural morphology. Continuous advances in cellular labeling, tissue processing, microscopic imaging, and automated tracing catalyzed a proliferation of software applications to reconstruct neural morphology. These computer programs typically encode the data in custom file formats. The resulting format heterogeneity severely hampers the interoperability and reusability of these valuable data. Among these many alternatives, the SWC file format has emerged as a popular community choice, coalescing a rich ecosystem of related neuroinformatics resources for tracing, visualization, analysis, and simulation. This report presents a standardized specification of the SWC file format. Additionally, we introduce xyz2swc, a free online service that converts all 23 reconstruction formats (and 68 variations) described in the scientific literature into the SWC standard. The xyz2swc service is available open source through a user-friendly browser interface (https://neuromorpho.org/xyz2swc/ui/) and an Application Programming Interface (API).
Artificial Intelligence in Today’s Education Landscape: Understanding and Managing Ethical Issues for Educational Assessment
Authors: Lim Tristan , Gottipati Swapna , Cheong Michelle
Published: March 2023

In a societal institution as fundamental as education, when teaching practitioners or researchers apply artificial intelligence in academic processes such as assessments, it is important to study the divide between what may be ethically permissible and not permissible. This study applied a systematic literature mapping methodology to scour extant research, so as to holistically structure the landscape into explicit topical research clusters. Through topic modelling and network analyses, research mapped ten key ethical principles to five research archetypical domains, and reviewed the contribution and intensity of these ethical principles in each thematic domain. The study extended this review, by mapping out ethics programs and activities that can be applied in practice, alongside their relevant underpinning theories. This study provides a comprehensive treatment of this subject matter to date. We hope the findings of this research can provide researchers and practitioners the insights into the application methods of AI in assessments, and in particular, in terms of their intertwined ethical challenges and how these challenges may be addressed, for follow up studies.
A Novel Adipokine, Asprosin, may be a serum biomarker for breast cancer diagnosis
Authors: YUR Mesut , OZCAN Sibel , YILDIRIM Nilgun , OZDEDE Mehmet Ridvan , OZCAN Mete
Published: March 2023

OBJECTIVE: Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women. Diagnosis in early stage is very important for cancer treatment. There is no good biomarker to diagnose breast cancer in T1-2 or N0 stage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of asprosin as a biomarker within all stages of breast cancer.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to evaluate serum asprosin levels in 40 patients with breast cancer and 40 healthy women. The Cancer group included T1-4, N1-3, and M0-1 patients.
RESULTS: Asprosin showed good discrimination (Area under curve (AUC) = 0.767, 95% confidence interval (CI):0.657–0.878) between breast cancer and the healthy group and acceptable discriminating ability (sensitivity = 0.825; specificity = 0.750) at the optimal cut-off value of 1.82 ng/mL. Asprosin indicated no difference for T, N, and M stages (p= 0.919, p= 0.859, and p= 0.225 respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: Asprosin may be a good diagnostic biomarker for breast cancer at all stages, regardless of T, N, and M stages. Larger prospective clinical studies are required to validate the utility of this method.