bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ensemble Learning Approach for Prediction of Early Complications after Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer using CT and MRI Radiomic Features
Authors: Khajetash Benyamin , Mahdavi Seied Rabi , Nikoofar Alireza , Johnson Lee , Tavakoli Meysam
Published: April 2024

There are different side effects in radiotherapy of head and neck cancer (HNC) including xerostomia. The present study utilizes the addition of Magnetic Resonance (MR) radiomic image features to typical Computed Tomography (CT)-based features and radiation dose-based characteristics and incorporates the evaluation and validation of individual and ensemble classifiers for prediction of early-onset xerostomia in radiotherapy of HNC. A total of 80 patients diagnosed with HNC were evaluated prospectively. MR and CT imaging, dosimetric, and demographic features of patients were used as model input data. Bilateral parotid radiomic features were extracted from CT, T 1 weighted, and T 2 weighted MR images. Pearson statistical tests were used for selection of features and Random Tree (RT), Neural Network (NN), Linear Support Vector Machine (LSVM) and Bayesian Network (BN) classifiers were evaluated. The results suggest the extracted features from T 1 weighted images have superior prediction ability compared to T 2 weighted acquisitions. The RT and BN models based on T 1 weighted images show better performance than those obtained with T 2 weighted images. T 1 weighted image-based analysis shows area under the curve (AUC) values for The RT and BN models of 0.90 and 0.84, respectively, while corresponding values obtained from T 2 weighted images are 0.79 and 0.78 for RT and BN models respectively. Combined T 1 weighted image-based models RT-BN, RT-LSVM-BN and RT-NN-LSVM-BN also show good performance having AUC values 0.97, 0.92, and 0.90, respectively. These results show that radiomic features from MR images obtained before radiotherapy can be used in addition to other metrics as personalized and unique biomarkers for prediction of early-onset xerostomia. Ensemble classifiers are more efficient than individual classifiers in prediction of early xerostomia.
Clinical profile and outcome of patients intubated in view of altered sensorium- a prospective observational study from North India
Authors: Sengupta Abhinav , Rajan Archana , Didwania Akansha , Ray Animesh , Soneja Manish , Sarda Radhika , Tirlangi Praveen Kumar , Kumar Arvind , Wig Naveet
Published: April 2024

Background
Patients intubated due to AMS in resource-limited settings experience alarmingly high mortality rates. This unique under-researched cohort requires further study for tailored care and resource allocation. This study aimed to investigate the outcomes and predictors of mortality among intubated patients with altered mental status.
Methods
This prospective observational cohort enrolled patients intubated due to a GCS score of less than 8. The patients were followed till the mortality or discharge, and various demographic and clinic-biochemical parameters were recorded. The primary outcome was mortality, and its predictors were studied.
Results
The mean (SD) age was 43 (17) years, 55% being females. The median (IQR) CCI score was 1 (0,1), with diabetes mellitus being the most common (31.8%). The most common cause of AMS was meningoencephalitis (34%), followed by septic encephalopathy (17%). Median GCS at intubation was 6 (4, 8). The median duration of mechanical ventilation was longer in non-survivors (7, 3–15 days). The median length of hospital stay was 11(5,21.5) days, longer in survivors. The overall mortality was 65%. CRP, LDH, and place of intubation were independent predictors of mortality. Both SOFA and APACHE on the day of intubation underpredicted mortality. The hospital-acquired infection rate was high (47%). The median mRS at discharge was 4 (2, 5).
Conclusion
Patients intubated for altered mental status represent a distinct group, facing prolonged ventilation, heightened infection risk, and substantial mortality, challenging conventional prognostic models; post-discharge, they exhibit compromised function, necessitating intensive home care and stringent infection control measures.
Moving trend analysis methodology for hydro-meteorology time series dynamic assessment
Authors: Şen Zekâi
Published: April 2024

Temporal hydro-meteorological time series have different components, such as the deterministic (periodicity, trend, jump) and stochastic (uncertainty, statistical, probabilistic) parts that are important for practical applications and prediction in water resources management studies. For many years, stochastic components were assumed to be stationary in order to reliably implement stochastic modelling procedures. In the last 30 years, there are many publications in the literature due to global warming and accordingly, climate change, which exhibits non-stationary behaviors in hydro-meteorology time series records. Oftentimes, classical trend analyzes cover the entire recording time with a single holistic straight-line trend and slope. Such an approach does not provide information on trend evolutionary development at shorter times over the entire record length. This paper proposes a methodology for identifying local finite length trends in a systematic way that moves dynamically over a series of short time frames for internal trend evolution developments and interpretations. In general, partial moving trends of 10-year, 20-year, 30-year and 40-year occur above or below the overall trend and thus provide practical insight into the dynamic trend pattern with important computational results and time series internal structural development with key comments. The moving trend method is similar to the classical moving average methodology with one important difference that instead of arithmetic averages and their horizontal lines, a series of local trend are given over the recording period with increasing or decreasing partial trends. The moving trend methodology is applied to annual records of Danube River discharges, New Jersey state wise temperatures and precipitation time series from the City of Istanbul.
The effect of METTL3 on MDM2 impairs cell cycle homeostasis in podocytes during diabetic kidney disease
Authors: Wu Han , Yu Ziyang , Yang Yitian , Han Zhuoting , Pan Qingjun , Yu Hongyuan , Chen Ying , Xu Li
Published: April 2024

N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) methylation is involved in various pathological processes. Our previous study found abnormal expression of the methyltransferases enzyme METTL3 in aging kidney tissues, resulting in renal fibrosis and aging. In this study, we aim to elucidate its regulatory mechanisms in diabetic kidney disease (DKD) by establishing a conditional METTL3 knockout model. We observed elevated m6A levels in the kidney of mice with type I diabetes and in cultured mouse podocytes exposed to advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), which could be attributed to increased METTL3 expression. Podocyte-specific METTL3 knockdown significantly mitigated podocyte injury in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice, leading to reduced urine albuminuria and renal pathology. Mechanistically, METTL3 induced abnormal m6A modification of MDM2, triggering subsequent degradation in an IGF2BP2 dependent manner. Consequently, this abnormal m6A regulation induces increased MDM2 expression, activates the Notch signaling pathway, induced podocyte cell cycle re-entry under diabetic conditions, releases inflammatory factors, and induces dedifferentiation of podocytes. Thus, METTL3-mediated aberrant m6A modification plays a pivotal role in podocytes under diabetic conditions. Targeting m6A via METTL3 is a potentially effective strategy for DKD treatment.
Effect of chlorhexidine mouthwashes on the microbiota associated with peri- implantitis lesions
Authors: Pose-Otero Félix , Arredondo Alexandre , Parga Ana , Muras Andrea , Gallas Mercedes , Otero-Casal Paz , Pose-Rodríguez José Manuel , Otero Ana
Published: April 2024

Objective
This study aimed to evaluate the impact of 0.05% and 0.12% chlorhexidine (CHX) mouthwashes on the peri-implant pocket microbiota of patients with peri-implantitis.
Materials and methods
We analyzed the microbial composition of peri-implant lesions in 22 patients before and after a 15-day regimen of thrice-daily use of two commercial CHX mouthwashes containing 0.05% (n = 11) and 0.12% CHX (n = 11). Microbial samples were collected using paper points and the taxonomic composition was determined through sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons using Illumina MiSeq.
Results
Although individual responses to CHX mouthwash treatment varied significantly, neither concentration produced a statistically significant change in the microbial diversity associated with peri-implantitis, suggesting limited treatment penetration into peri-implant lesions. Similarly, changes in the abundance of specific odontopathogens were not statistically significant.
Conclusions
We found no significant differences in the effect of mouthwashes with different CHX concentrations on the peri-implant microbiota.
Effects of Freeze-thaw and Dry-wet Cycles on the Collapsibility of the Ili Loess With Variable Initial Moisture Contents
Authors: Cheng Lilong , Zhang Zizhao , Liu Chenxin , Zhang Yongliang , Lv Qianli , Zhang Yanang , Chen Kai , Shi Guangming , Huang Junpeng
Published: April 2024

Suffering from seasonal climate changes, the loess in the Ili region of Xinjiang is frequently subject to cycles of freezing-thawing(F-T) and wetting-drying(W-D), and the engineering properties of the loess are highly variable. In the present research, the collapsibility characteristics of the loess slope located in Xinyuan country is investigated, for which the uni-axial compression tests were carried out with the consideration of various F-T and W-D cycles. In parallel, both the SEM and NMR tests were carried out. Test results obtained from the research indicated that both F-T cycles and W-D cycles exacerbate the deterioration of the loess and the most serious situation will be reached after after 6–10 cycles. Under these two physical cycles, the micro-structure of the loess generally develops from relatively aggregated state to the dispersed one. Correspondingly, the porosity of the loess increases initially, followed by an obvious descending with wet-dry cycles. Whereas, the characteristics of the loess subjected to the F-T cycles is opposite.The in-behind reason is that the irreversible alteration of the loess micro-structure attributed to the frost heave force generated by F-T cycles and the water absorption-swelling effect are accounted for. The main contribution of this study is to give more explanations for the causes and action mechanisms of loess wet subsidence in seasonal permafrost zones, and provide a scientific basis for loess wet subsidence disaster prevention and control.
Arc bubble edge detection method based on deep transfer learning in underwater wet welding
Authors: Guo Bo , Li Xu
Published: April 2024

Arc bubble in underwater wet welding reflects the stability of the welding process. An arc bubble edge detection method based on deep transfer learning is proposed to overcome the shortcomings of conventional algorithms in processing underwater wet welding images. The method consists of two training stages: pre-training and fine-tuning. In the pre-training stage, a large source domain dataset is used to train VGG16 as a feature extractor. In the fine-tuning stage, we proposed the Attention-Scale-Semantics (ASS) model, which consists of a Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM), a Scale Fusion Module (SCM) and a Semantic Fusion Module (SEM). The ASS model is retrained with the small underwater wet welding target domain dataset to fine-tune the model parameters. The CBAM can adaptively weight the feature maps, focusing on more important feature to better capture edge information. The SCM training method makes extensive use of feature information to simplify the training steps. Additionally, the skip structure of SEM effectively resolves the problem of semantic loss in the high-level network during the training process and improves the accuracy of edge detection. We compare the ASS model to the conventional edge detection model on the BSDS500 dataset and underwater wet welding images, demonstrating that the ASS model is superior to the conventional edge detection model. By comparing with Richer Convolutional Features (RCF), Fully Convolution Network (FCN) and UNet, the excellent performance of the ASS model in arc bubble edge detection method is verified.
Investigation of the therapeutic role of Lichong Shengsui Drink for the treatment of ovarian cancer in sight of network pharmacology integrated molecular dynamics
Authors: DI Yu , CHEN Chunfa , WU Jufang , HUANG Ping , RAO Lijuan , LIU Ruizhi , WU Minna , Di LiSong , XIAO Jing
Published: April 2024

Objective
To explore the mechanism of the Lichong Shengsui Drink (including Panax Ginseng, Epimrdii Herba, Sparganii Rhizoma, Curcumae Rhizoma, Hedysarum Multijugum Maxim, Fritillariae Thunbrgii Bulbus, Cervus nippon and Bigflower Cape Jasmine) in the treatment of ovarian cancer by network pharmacology and molecular docking technology.
Methods
TCMSP, HERB(http://herb.ac.cn/), SwissTargetPrediction, and TCM-Batman were used to retrieve the chemical components and action targets of drugs; the DEGs of ovarian cancer gene chip: GSE105437, GSE66957, GSE146533 were obtained by GEO2R. The common genes of DEGs and active ingredient targets were obtained by the Venn method. The PPI network of the common genes obtained by STRING, and the network of active ingredients and its target were visualized by Cytoscape 3.10.2. The hub genes of the PPI network and hub ingredient of the active ingredient targets network were obtained by Cytohubba. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were completed for the ingredient targets, shared genes, and hub proteins. Finally, The structures of common targets and core components were downloaded from PubChem and PDB and were then molecular docked by CB-dock2.
Results
A total of 90 effective components of this compound were screened out which have 3514 target genes, 2534 DEGs of the ovarian cancer gene chip of GSE105437, GSE66957, and GSE146533 were picked out: they have 185 common genes in total by Venn. The PPI network of the 185 common genes and the ingredient-targets network were then constructed, as well, and hub genes and hub ingredients were identified by Cytohubba. Top 10 genes of ESR1, EGFR, CXCR4, KIT, AKT1, PGR, CD24, SRC, SNAI2, STAT3 and top 10 ingredients of Adenosine triphosphate, 17-beta-estradiol, 17alpha-estradiol, estrone, 11-eicosenoicacid, arachidonate, crocetin, cholesterol, galactosamine, beta-sitosterol were obtained. The first four ingredients were widely perceived as connected to the hub genes. However, 11-eicosenoicacid, arachidonate, and crocetin were still yet not known. With the help of molecular docking technology; the three compounds had excellent binding properties with the hub genes.KEGG pathways of the hub genes were associated with PIP3 activates AKT signaling, intracellular signaling by second messengers, diseases of signal transduction, and so on; and the GO process was associated with cell differentiation, cellular developmental process, cellular response to chemical stimulus, and so on.
Conclusion
Our study provided valuable information that Lichong Shengsui Drink might regulate the expression of ESR1, EGFR, CXCR4, and so on for the therapy of ovarian cancer in the form of multi-biological process, multi-factors, multi-pathways, and multi-targets.
Talking cancer - cancer talking: a linguistic and thematic analysis of patient narratives
Authors: Kaptein Ad A. , Meer Pim B. van der , Fisher Fleur L. , Laarhoven Hanneke W.M. van , Pennebaker James W. , Vingerhoets Ad J.J.M.
Published: April 2024

Purpose The narratives of patients with cancer in various diagnostic categories and clinical stages are explored, using thematic analysis and LIWC-methodology. Exploring the psychological response - “the lived experience” - to cancer has humanistic, scientific, and clinical importance, informing researchers, clinicians, and patients about focus and methods of improving quality of life and quality of care.
Methods Narratives of 20 patients were listened to in the patients’ homes - “at the kitchen table” - in order to optimally capture the lived experience of cancer. Audiotaped narratives were transcribed and analyzed with the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) methodology. Thematic Analysis was used to explore themes in the narratives.
Results Scores on relevant LIWC-dimensions of the 20 patients were compared with norm data for respondents without cancer. Compared to LIWC-scores of healthy respondents, the patients with cancer scored higher on ‘anger’ and ‘sadness’ (psychologic processes dimension), lower on ‘insight’, ‘causes’ and ‘tentatives’ (cognitive processes dimension), and lower on ‘religion’. The Thematic Analysis data of the narratives disclosed as major themes resilience, fatigue, social relationships, turning inward psychologically, preferences for shared-decision making, and psychological support. LIWC-scores and Thematic Analysis scores paint a picture of patients doing their utmost to make sense of their illness experience, potentially informing psychological support for people with cancer.
Conclusion LIWC analysis and Thematic Analysis of the patients’ illness narratives demonstrate the clinical relevance of studying the lived experience of cancer. Narratives of patients with cancer are detectable with LIWC-methodology and Thematic Analysis; they offer pathways to clinical interventions. Incorporating illness narratives into clinical cancer care contributes to care that focuses on “outcomes that matter”.
Circular RNA hsa_circ_00027220-induced regulation of Yes-associated protein promotes platinum resistance in oral squamous cell carcinoma: implications for verteporfin therapy
Authors: Tsai Hsiao-Chi , Tsai Ming-Hsui , Hua Chun-Hung , Huang Chun-Wei , Lu Chien-Chi , Chen Kwei-Jing , Chen Michael Yuan-Chien , Lien Ming-Yu , Tang Chih-Hsin
Published: April 2024

Purpose:
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) significantly impacts public health with its high occurrence and grim outcomes. Platinum resistance complicates OSCC treatment. Yes-associated protein (YAP) plays a key role in OSCC development, while circular RNA (circRNA) influences microRNA activity, contributing to chemoresistance in cancers. Yet, how circRNA affects YAP expression in OSCC is unclear.
Methods:
We examined the expression of YAP in 21 newly diagnosed OSCC cases using immunohistochemistry and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Cisplatin-resistant OSCC cell lines were established for further investigation. A luciferase reporter system, RNA pull-down assay, and RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay were utilized to demonstrate that circRNA hsa_circ_0002722 (circ_0002722) could bind to microRNA-1305 (miR-1305). The synergistic effects of combined cisplatin and verteporfin (a YAP inhibitor) treatment were evaluated using SynergyFinder. We also developed subcutaneous tumorigenicity graft models to validate our findings in an in vivo setting.
Results:
Here, we found that YAP and circ_0002722 were upregulated in platinum-resistant OSCC tissues. Circ_0002722 acted as a regulator of miR-1305, influencing YAP expression and thereby mediating platinum sensitivity. In vivo experiments corroborated the synergistic effects of cisplatin and verteporfin in combating platinum resistance. Therefore, targeting YAP is a promising therapeutic strategy for addressing platinum resistance in OSCC, with circ_0002722 serving as a potential therapy target and valuable diagnostic marker.
Conclusions:
These findings provide novel insights into the underlying mechanisms of platinum resistance and suggest new avenues for developing effective treatment approaches in OSCC.
Modeling free Inversion based Iterative Feedforward Control of Magnetorheological Dampers
Authors: Yu Shuyou , Sun Shaoyu , Xu Xinze , Zhang Songlin , Zhuang Ye
Published: April 2024

In this paper, a damping force tracking control strategy of magnetorheological dampers with nonlinear and hysteresis characteristics is proposed, in which a modeling-free inversion-based iterative feedforward control (MIIFC) scheme is designed. The adopted MIIFC scheme utilizes only online input-output data of the controlled system, and achieves the desired performance by iterations. The property of disturbances or noises attenuation, i.e., convergence analysis is explicitly addressed accordingly. The validity of the adopted MIIFC scheme was verified by simulation experiments and hardware-in-the-loop tests on a seat suspension test rig installed with the magneto-rheological damper. The experimental results show that the desired damping force can be effectively tracked with the MIIFC scheme.
Genetic Diversity and Genome-Wide Association Study for some agronomic traits in durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L.) Using whole genome DArTseq Markers
Authors: Ebrahimi Peyman , Karami Ezzat , Etminan Alireza , Talebi Reza , Mohammadi Reza
Published: April 2024

This research was conducted to study genetic diversity, population structure, linkage disequilibrium, and marker-trait relationship in durum wheat using DArTseq technology. Therefore, 94 durum wheat genotypes were evaluated in the form of augmented design with six repeated controls during the two cropping years, 2016–2017 and 2017–2018. Some Agronomic traits including the number of days to spike emergence, number of days to physiological maturity, plant height, thousand kernel weight, and grain yield were measured and recorded. The DNA samples were processed for DArTseq using the Genotyping by Sequencing (GBS) platform at Diversity Array Technology Pty, Ltd, Australia. The values of polymorphism information content (PIC) of SilicoDArT markers varied from 0.023 to 0.499 with an average of 0.38. The studied durum wheat genotypes were grouped into four separate groups based on the Bayesian model. LD analysis between A and B genomes showed that there is a high number of significant marker pairs (82052) in the B genome compared to the A genome (68885). In general, during two cropping years, 29 markers related to the studied traits were found, and out of these 29 related markers, 19 markers were identified in the first year and 10 markers were identified in the second year. The results revealed that the DArTseq markers are a very powerful tool for evaluating the genetic diversity and population structure of durum wheat genotypes and can be used in genotype screening as breeding parents and marker-assisted selection in breeding programs.
An innovative normal self-positioning method with gravity and friction compensation for wall-climbing drilling robot in aircraft assembly
Authors: Xu Haiyang , Geng Daxi , Jiang Xinggang , Xue Jixiao , Guo Gaojie , Zhang Deyuan
Published: April 2024

In aircraft manufacturing, the normal accuracy of fastening holes is crucial for the performance and lifetime of the aircraft. However, industrial robots face challenges in achieving precise normal positioning, marked by insufficient rigidity and error amplification. Contemporary methodologies frequently rely extensively on external sensors, encountering limitations in the presence of spatial constraints and low-light conditions. In response to these challenges, this paper presents a wall-climbing drilling robot specifically designed for operation within confined spaces. It innovatively employs an expansion self-positioning mechanism, coupled with robotic joint torque compensation control, to achieve precise normal positioning. The methodology relies on established drilling templates to determine hole positions and normals. By coordinating machinery and control efforts, the robot spindle axis aligns precisely with the axis of the drilling template sleeve, ensuring accurate normal positioning. The paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the mechanical principles governing the expansion self-positioning of the robot and introduces the joint torque compensation control method. The accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed approach are rigorously validated through a series of meticulous drilling experiments. Results demonstrate a significant improvement in the drilling normal accuracy of the wall-climbing drilling robot, meeting the stringent requirements for normal accuracy in aircraft assembly holes.
RETRACTED: Improvement of Mechanical Properties and Mechanism Analysis of FMLs by Ultrasonic Vibration Assisted Hot Press Forming
Authors: Chen Yizhe , Dai Longyu , Yang Yusen , Wang Hui , Li Shujian , Hua Lin
Published: April 2024

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Political Polarization and Economic Growth
Authors: Kang Youngho , Kim Byung-Yeon , Lee Dongwon
Published: April 2024

This study examines the effect of political polarization, measured by the dispersion of self-reported political ideologies, on economic growth. Using a panel of 75 countries from 1990 to 2019, we find that political polarization has a negative effect on economic growth through its effect on private investment, human capital investment, and total factor productivity. We reveal that state capacity—the government’s ability to achieve intended policy goals—mitigates the adverse effect of polarization.
JEL Classifications: D72, O47.
Effect of repeated autoclave on hardness and tensile strength of polypropylene/natural rubber developed for rubber dam clamp
Authors: Krajangta Nantawan , Nonthiphalang Thitaporn , Phumpatrakom Panupat , Rangsantham Paphavarin , Wongwitthayakool Panjaporn , Sirisinha Chakrit
Published: April 2024

Background To explore the feasibility of utilizing polypropylene (PP) and natural rubber (NR) blends as alternative material for rubber dam clamps in dentistry.Methods The hardness of various PP/NR blend ratios compared to the commercial product, SoftClamp™. Selected blend ratios exhibiting hardness values resembling rigid plastic were further evaluated for hardness and tensile strength after undergoing 1, 5, and 10 autoclave cycles.Results One-way ANOVA test results found that PP/NR blends exhibit significantly lower hardness (p < 0.001) than the commercial SoftClamp™. PP/NR ratios of 100/0, 90/10, and 80/20 exhibited hardness levels equivalent to 82%, 80%, and 75% of SoftClamp™, respectively. Two-way ANOVA revealed significant reductions in hardness (p < 0.001) and tensile strength (p < 0.001) with increasing NR content across all autoclave cycles. However, post-autoclave assessments at 1, 5, and 10 cycles demonstrated no statistically significant differences in tensile strength (p = 0.058) and hardness (p = 0.52) for PP/NR ratios of 100/0, 90/10, and 80/20 compared to their pre-autoclave states.Conclusions The reduction of the NR content within PP/NR blends decreases hardness and tensile strength while autoclaving did not significantly affect the hardness and tensile strength of PP/NR blends.
Mitigating Future Water Scarcity Through Comprehensive Assessment of Climate and Socio-Environmental Impacts in River Basins
Authors: Rosete Elmer , Alejo Lanie , Balderama Orlando , Bareng Jeoffrey Lloyd , Bartolome Catherine , Alejandro Arlen , Ablan Carlo
Published: April 2024

This study employs the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model to assess the impact of anticipated climate and socio-environmental changes on water scarcity in the Magat River Basin (MRB). The MRB is crucial for agriculture and domestic use but faces vulnerability due to climate change and societal factors. The current understanding of future water deficits in the MRB is limited, necessitating a comprehensive assessment. The research aims to evaluate the effects of socio-environmental changes on water supply and demand. Results show that strategic interventions like high conveyance efficiency and moderate Alternate Wetting and Drying techniques can mitigate unmet water demand caused by population growth and additional water users until 2080. However, climate change and forest loss are projected to exacerbate water scarcity, especially in agricultural regions dependent on water resources. Model simulations demonstrate the WEAP model's reliability in predicting streamflow. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions and highlight the effects of climate change and forest loss on water resource management. The study recommends implementing high conveyance efficiency and moderate Alternate Wetting and Drying techniques to alleviate water scarcity and promote resilience, advancing integrated water resources planning and policy analysis.
New cellulose-polyacrylamide hydrogels containing nano-ceria as new promising nanocomposite materials for biomedical applications
Authors: Gofman Iosif. V. , Buyanov Alexander L. , Bozhkova Svetlana A. , Gordina Ekaterina M. , Khripunov Albert K. , Ivan’kova Elena M. , Vlasova Elena N. , Yakimansky Alexander V. , Baranchikov Alexander E. , Ivanov Vladimir K.
Published: April 2024

A group of new hydrogel materials combining high physical properties and pronounced antibacterial activity has been developed. These are composite hydrogels "cellulose-polyacrylamide" based on cellulose matrices of two types: bacterial or regenerated plant cellulose. To form biologically active materials, a method of introducing ceria nanoparticles with sizes less than 5 nm was elaborated. The developed technology allows to obtain hydrogels with the content of ceria (in swollen material) up to 0.4–0.5 wt.%. Variations of the ratio of gel components concentrations, type of matrix cellulose and synthesis conditions allow to change the complex of mechanical properties of the material within a wide range, in particular, to obtain both soft, low-modular nanocomposites and hydrogels with record high rigidity. Significant differences in mechanical properties of hydrogels based on different types of cellulose fully correlate with the difference in morphological characteristics of these two groups of materials revealed by SEM. No palpable effect of nanoparticles on the morphological characteristics of the material was revealed. Both ceria nanoparticles and hydrogels containing ceria showed antibacterial activity against S.aureus ATCC 29213, S.aureus ATCC 43300, P.aeruginosa ATCC 27853, K.pneumoniae ATCC 33495. Different intensity of growth depression of the bacterial cells was determined depending on the samples composition and of the bacteria species.
Factors affecting recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus titers during triple-plasmid transient transfection in HEK-293 cells
Authors: Pistek Martina , Andorfer Peter , Grabherr Reingard , Kraus Barbara , Bort Juan A. Hernandez
Published: April 2024

The efficiency of triple-plasmid transfection in recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus (rAAV) production was analyzed by examining two distinct strains of HEK-293 cells. These strains were categorized as high producer (HP) and low producer (LP) based on their differing levels of productivity under identical conditions. Analysis of RNA expression levels of viral genes revealed disparities in plasmid derived gene expression between the cell lines. Further assessment of transfection efficacy utilizing labeled plasmids revealed lower plasmid uptake and less efficient nuclear transport in LP cell line. Additionally, we observed inferior translation activity in LP, contributing to its shortcomings in overall productivity. In our attempt to optimize plasmid ratios to enhanced fully packaged rAAV particle yield, we discovered cell-strain-specific optimization potential. The findings highlight the transfection's complexity, urging tailored strategies for improved rAAV production based on each cell line's characteristics, enhancing understanding and guiding further efficiency optimization in rAAV production.
Analysis and quantification of water erosion in northern Algerian watersheds
Authors: BELLOUT MAHIEDDINE , Boutoutaou djamel
Published: April 2024

The phenomenon of water erosion is a complex one that is very much in evidence around the world and also in the watersheds of northern Algeria, where the physical, hydroclimatic, geomorphological, and socioeconomic conditions are highly conducive to the onset and acceleration of this phenomenon. Our country is characterized by a semi-arid climate and is threatened by erosion of agricultural land. High concentrations of suspended sediments carried by wadis towards dams and hill reservoirs significantly reduce the capacity of these structures. The majority of Algeria's wadis are not gauged, which complicates the collection of data on solid transport. In the absence of such data, water resource planners find it even more difficult to assess this important hydrological feature. To this end, we are proposing a methodology for calculating the solid transport of rivers that are not gauged by hydrometric stations. To make the model more rigorous, we used data from 132 hydrometric stations. We applied Principal Component Analysis to the monthly mean solid flows of 132 hydrometric stations, and the results show the existence of four hydrologically homogeneous groups. Each group is influenced by distinct parameters, given the complexity of this phenomenon. In the absence of measurement data, these results can be used by engineers and planners working in the hydraulics sector, often without the benefit of normative documents.
Modeling the Process of Management of Water- Salt and Food Regime of Salt Soils of Marginal Land Using Waste Water
Authors: Mustafayev Zhumakhan , Serikbay Umirzakov , Baimanov Zhanuzak , Akylbayev Kairat , Budikova Kulyaikhan
Published: April 2024

Following the development and further improvement of the ecosystem approach to the development of saline marginal lands, a theoretical justification has been prepared for the conceptual model of the technology for the management of the salinity and nutritional regime of marginal lands, where the development of such land takes place in three symmetrical and parallel-sequential actions in time at annual intervals on the basis of biologination of land reclamation, programming productivity of agricultural crops with desalinization of the saline soil to a certain acceptable level subject to leaching limit and chemical reclamation, taking into account the environmental management requirements and classification of the saline soil and salt tolerance of agricultural crops. In addition, the distinctive peculiarities of the proposed technology are the possibility to implement the entire complex of environment-forming functions of the natural system, including the assessment of energy resources of the soil and vegetation cover (various agro-ecological categories), productivity of agricultural land using the reference yield methods, water consumption deficit of agricultural land and leaching limits, ensuring the gradual achievement of the safe level of salinity, using the biological characteristics of salt-tolerant crops (halophytes) and chemical reclamation, based on gypsuming of the topsoil, owing to a balanced supply of mineral fertilizers, and based on their rationing, taking into account planning the yield of cultivated crops.
CFEAC:A Contrastive Learning Approach for Feature- Enhanced Actor-Critic in Robot Path Planning
Authors: Gu Yuwan , Chu Yongtao , Meng Fang , Chen Yan , Lv Jidong , Xu Shoukun
Published: April 2024

In the field of robot path planning, Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) has demonstrated considerable potential as a cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology. However, the effective utilization of representation learning in path planning tasks, which is pivotal for successful DRL performance, has remained elusive. This challenge arises from the predominant use of compact vectors derived directly from low-level sensors as the state representation in the task. Learning meaningful representations on such low-level states often proves to be challenging. To address this issue, a novel approach named Contrastive Learning Regularized Feature-Enhanced Actor-Critic (CFEAC) is proposed in this paper. This method adopts a contrastive learning perspective to handle features in neural networks and incorporates cross-layer connections and deep networks to achieve feature enhancement. In a constructed 3D point cloud simulation environment, the CFEAC algorithm outperforms DDPG, TD3, SAC, and SALE algorithms in terms of higher cumulative reward and lower collision rates. Experimental results validate that this approach exhibits superior path planning performance in complex static and dynamic scenarios.
Lightweight network based on improved YOLOv8n for clothing image detection
Authors: Gong Haowei , Liao Haibin , Ai Zhe , Deng Yizhou , Wei Zhe
Published: April 2024

In response to the issues of high computational complexity, large model size, and high computational resource requirements in deep learning-based detection models, an improved lightweight clothing image detection algorithm based on YOLOv8n is proposed. Firstly, some GhostConv are employed to replace ordinary Conv in benchmark model to reduce the number of parameters. Additionally, we design a C2f-GD module to enhanced the bottleneck structure in the C2f architecture by using GhostConv and DCNv2 modules, which can improve compression detection performance while reducing model size and parameter count. Finally, the Inner EIoU loss function is substituted for the original CIoU loss function to enhance the regression analysis performance of the model’s bounding boxes. Experimental results on the open-source fashion dataset Deepfashion2 demonstrate that the lightweight clothing image prediction network demonstrates a significant level of reduced size and parameter count, improved detection accuracy. Compared to the YOLOv8n benchmark model, the proposed model achieves a 1.1% increase in precision and a 2.6%increase in mean average precision(mAP),while reducing model size and parameter count by 0.65MB and 0.315×109,which has good practical value.
Agro-Industrial Wastes as Potential Substrates for Rhamnolipid Production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa USM-AR2
Authors: Mohd Shafiq Nasir  , Ahmad Ramli Mohd Yahya  , Nur Asshifa Md Noh
Published: April 2024

Rhamnolipid has gained much attention in various fields owing to its distinctive functional properties compared to conventional chemical surfactants, which are mostly derived from petroleum feedstock. Production cost is one of the main challenges in rhamnolipid production, particularly when using refined substrates. One possible solution is to use agro-industrial wastes as substrates for rhamnolipid production. This is a promising strategy due to their abundance and commercially low value, while simultaneously alleviating an agro-industrial waste management problem in the environment. This study aims to evaluate agro-industrial wastes from local crops as possible low-cost alternative substrates for rhamnolipid production by a local isolate, Pseudomonas aeruginosa USMAR2. Various liquid wastes, namely sugarcane molasses, rice washing water, overly mature coconut (OMC) water, empty fruit bunch (EFB) steam effluent, palm sludge oil (PSO) and palm oil mill effluent (POME) were screened as the main carbon source supplementing mineral salt medium (MSM) in the fermentation of P. aeruginosa USM-AR2. Batch fermentation was carried out in a shake flask system, agitated at 200 rpm and incubated at room temperature, 27 ± 2°C for 120 h. Among the substrates tested, PSO exhibited the highest biomass at 20.78 g/L and rhamnolipid production at 1.07 g/L. This study has shown the potential of agro-industrial wastes in Malaysia as an alternative resource for rhamnolipid production, transforming them into value added products, while reducing the amount of wastes discharged into the environment.
Måleegenskaper ved den norske versjonen av Olweus spørreskjema om mobbing for elever (OBVQ/OBVQ-R)
Authors: Solberg Mona , Martinussen Monica
Published: April 2024

Beskrivelse: Olweus spørreskjema om mobbing for elever ble utviklet på 1980-tallet og brukes til å kartlegge mobbing i skolen basert på elevers selvrapportering. I Norge brukes skjemaet først og fremst i grunnskolen på 4. til 10. trinn. Skjemaet ble utviklet på norsk, men er senere oversatt til flere språk, inkludert engelsk: The Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (OBVQ; Olweus, 1986) og The Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (OBVQ-R; Olweus, 1996). De mest brukte spørsmålene er to globale spørsmål om mobbing og to skalaer basert på 7–9 spørsmål om ulike former for mobbing. Rettighetene til å bruke spørreskjemaet i Norge eies av Regionalt Kunnskapssenter for barn og Unge (RKBU Vest), NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS. Litteratursøk: Litteratursøket resulterte i 15 norske artikler (14 uavhengige studier) og 6 svenske/danske artikler (5 uavhengige studier). Psykometri: Reliabiliteten til de to enkeltspørsmålene om mobbing er ikke undersøkt, men for de to skalaene er det funnet god indre konsistens. Det foreligger ikke norske normer, men for de to enkeltspørsmålene er det gjennomført flere svært store studier av forekomsten av mobbing. Det foreligger ikke normdata for de to skalaene. Resultatene viser god begrepsvaliditet for enkeltspørsmålene og for skalaene, men datagrunnlaget er betydelig mindre for sistnevnte. Konklusjon: Det er god dokumentasjon på testens begrepsvaliditet, men det mangler delvis studier av testens reliabilitet. De to globale spørsmålene egner seg til å måle forekomsten av mobbing ved skoler og andre større enheter, og til å klassifisere barn og unge i fire grupper som beskriver deres selvopplevde rolle eller posisjon i mobbesituasjoner. Det er ikke gjennomført egne normstudier, men det foreligger resultater fra store utvalg for deler av spørreskjemaet som kan anvendes som sammenligningsgrunnlag for skoler og til forskningsformål.
STANDARDISATION OF BIOACTIVE MATERIALS FROM CHROMULINA FREIBERGENSISAGAINST HUMAN PATHOGENS USING GC-MS ANALYSIS
Authors:   Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore - 641062., Dooslin Mercy Bai V. , Kousik Saravana S. ,   Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore - 641062., Sabarish S. ,   Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore - 641062., Nabha Sindu S. ,   Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore - 641062., a Shanmugapriya ,   Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore - 641062., b Godwinjose ,   Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore - 641062., Harshini A.D ,   Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore - 641062.
Published: April 2024

In the preceding ten years, there has been a surge in the distribution of secondary metabolites and pharmacologically dynamic compounds from marine microalgae. Chromulinafreibergensis provided the antibacterial metabolites lessons for the current research .The current secondary metabolites study was chosen to focus on the green algal Chromulinafreibergensis. To see whether the properties of pH, temperature, and salinity on the development of microalgae aided in the growth of microalgae, they were tested. Antibacterial activity against Vibrio cholerae, Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella sp., Proteus sp., Streptococcus pyrogens, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus megaterium, and Bacillus subtilis was tested for in different solvent extracts of Chromulinafreibergensis.On the ninth day of incubation, when the medium was adjusted to a pH of 9.0 in 30 ppt of salinity at 250C, the uppermost cell growth was noticed. Of all the investigated solvents, the butanol + isopropanol (1:1) crude extract of Chromulinafreibergensis tested the highest zone of inhibition (13.4 mm) against Salmonella. . The presence of rare chemical substances like 3, 3, 5-Trimethylheptane (M.W. 142.2) and n-Hexadecane (M.W. 226.2) in the crude extract of Chromulinafreibergensis was discovered using GC-MS analysis.These results demonstrated the strong antibacterial activity of the Chromulinafreibergensis Butanol + Isopropanol (1:1) extract, demonstrating its enormous potential as a solvent for the extraction of bioactive chemicals from natural sources for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications.
TRANSPLANTATION RENALE A PARTIR DE DONNEURS VIVANTS APPARENTES RESULTATS ET SUIVI DE 200 DONNEURS
Authors:   Professeur Chef de Service /Int Service de Chirurgie Thoracique et Cardio Vasculaire et de Transplantation dorganes Chu Mustapha., Karim Meskouri
Published: April 2024

During a kidney transplant three protagonists: a recipient, the patient with renal insufficiency, waiting for a graft to no longer depend on dialysis, a donor, the healthy subject who donates one of his kidneys, and the doctor, intermediary between this donor and this recipient, and who performs a surgical intervention. The arguments used to authorize this practice are diverse. By, weighing the ratio very low risk for the donor, benefit for the recipient. The question therefore arises as to how, in practice, transplant surgeons approach and resolve the ethical issues raised by kidney transplantation with a living donor. Our objective was through this study to contribute to a precise knowledge of kidney transplantation with living donor, useful knowledge for any reflection on the orientation to be given to the evolution of this medical technique. We can conclude that the transplant from the living related donor finds all its legitimacy taking into account the very low risks for the donor both from the point of mortality, zero and low morbidity.
ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF AROMATIC HYDROCARBON DEGRADING BACTERIA FROM SOIL
Authors:   Department of Microbioiology, Shri. Shivaji College, Parbhani, Maharashtra., M.A Bhate
Published: April 2024

Ten aromatic hydrocarbon degrading bacteria were isolated from petrol contaminated petrol pump sites in the Parbhani district. Based on a high growth rate on hydrocarbon degradation ability, three strains were selected from the ten isolated strains for further study. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that these isolated strains belonged to genera Bacillus, Pseudomonas, & Staphylococcus. Among the three isolates, Pseudomonas strain was the most effective in degrading petrol. The results obtained in this study were indicates that Pseudomonas strain could degrade a wide range of hydrocarbons as well as some recalcitrant hydrocarbon components, and can be applied for bioremediation process.
MAGNETO RESISTANCE SERIE DANS LA PHOTOPILE (N+/P/P+) AU SILICIUM SOUS ECLAIREMENT POLYCHROMATIQUE PAR LA FACE (N+)
Authors:   Groupe International de Recherche en Energie Renouvelable (GIRER). BP. 15003, Dakar, Senegal., Thiaw Cheikh , Lemrabott Habiboula ,   Groupe International de Recherche en Energie Renouvelable (GIRER). BP. 15003, Dakar, Senegal., Thiame Moustapha ,   Groupe International de Recherche en Energie Renouvelable (GIRER). BP. 15003, Dakar, Senegal.,   UniversiteAssane SECK, Ziguinchor, Senegal., Loum Khady ,   Groupe International de Recherche en Energie Renouvelable (GIRER). BP. 15003, Dakar, Senegal.,   Institut Universitaire de Technologie. Universite Iba Der THIAM de Thies-Senegal., Gueye Sega ,   Groupe International de Recherche en Energie Renouvelable (GIRER). BP. 15003, Dakar, Senegal.,   Faculte des Sciences et Technologies de lEducation et de la Formation-Departement de Physique et Chimie, Universite Cheikh Anta DIOP, Dakar-Senegal., Diagne Issa ,   Groupe International de Recherche en Energie Renouvelable (GIRER). BP. 15003, Dakar, Senegal., Sissoko Gregoire ,   Groupe International de Recherche en Energie Renouvelable (GIRER). BP. 15003, Dakar, Senegal.
Published: April 2024

Dans ce travail, la photopile (n+/p/p+) au silicium cristallin est sous eclairement polychromatique par la face (n+) et placee dans un champ magnetique (B) constant. Letude de la caracteristique de la densite de courant en fonction de la tension, pour chaque valeur du coefficient de diffusion (D(B))des porteurs minoritaires de charge dans la base (p), depaisseur optimum (Hopt(B)) requise, permet detablir lexpression de la resistance serie (Rs(Hot(B)).De sa courbe de calibaration en fonction de la vitesse de recombinaison (Sf) des porteurs minoritaire de charge Ã la jonction, la resistance serie est extraite en fonction du champ magnetique applique et de lepaisseur optimum de la base.