bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Barriers to Cardiac Rehabilitation among Patients Diagnosed with Cardiovascular Diseases- A Scoping Review
Authors: Iyngkaran Pupalan , Appuhamilage Pavithra Yapa , Patabandige Gayani , Sarathchandra Peru Kandage Prasadi Saubhagya , Usmani Wania , Hanna Fahad
Published: February 2024

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a rising global burden. Preventative strategies such as Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) have shown a marked reduction of disease burden. Despite this, CR is underutilized worldwide. This study aims to identify the barriers to CR among patients diagnosed with CVD.
Methods: A scoping review of the literature was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines. Three major databases including CINAHL, PubMed, EBSCOhost and Scopus were used to obtain studies published between 2010 and 2023. Search terms such as “Cardiac rehab*”, “Barrier*”, “Cardiovascular”, “Disease” And “diagnosis*” Were utilized in order to obtain subject-specific studies relevant to the research question.
Results: From the initial 2098 studies only 14 were included in the final analysis, consisting of both qualitative and quantitative designs. The thematic analysis included “healthcare system-related factors”, “Socioeconomic factors”, and “individual characteristics”. Healthcare system-related factors were mostly related to poor availability of CR programs, lack of proper referral strategies, inadequate knowledge of CR provider and inter-provider communication issues, and lack of alternative methods of CR delivery. Socioeconomic barriers were lack of education, longer distance to CR facilities, high cost of care, unemployment, and poor income status. Identified individual characteristics were female gender, older age, and comorbidities.
Conclusion: Lack of resources, poor access, educational attainment, and high cost of care were some of the barriers to CR, particularly in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Health policymakers and healthcare providers should implement strategies incorporating issues identified in this scoping review. Systematic reviews may be required to confirm these findings.
Advances in Additive Friction Extrusion Deposition (AFED): Process and Tool Design
Authors: Hossfeld Max , Wright Arnold
Published: February 2024

Additive Friction Extrusion Deposition (AFED) is a recently developed additive manufacturing technique that promises high deposition rates at low forces. Due to the novelty of the process, the underlying phenomena and their interactions are not fully understood, and in particular the processing strategy and tool design are still in their infancy. This work contributes to the state of the art of AFED through a comprehensive analysis of its working principles and an experimental program including a representative sample component. The working principle and process mechanics of AFED are broken down into their individual components. Forces, their origins and effects on the process are described, and measures of process efficiency and theoretical minimum energy consumption are derived. Three geometrical features of the extrusion die are identified as most relevant to the active material flow, process forces and deposition quality: the topography of the inner and outer circular surfaces and the geometry of its extrusion channels. Based on this, the experimental program investigates seven different tool designs in terms of efficiency, force reduction and throughput. The experiments using AA 6061-T6 as feedstock show that AFED is capable of both high material throughput (close to 550 mm³/s) and reduced substrate forces: For example, the forces for a run at 100 mm³/s remained continuously below 500 N, and for a run at 400 mm³/s below 3500 N. Material flow and microstructure of the AFED are assessed from the macrosections. Significant differences are found between the advancing and retracting sides for both process effects and material flow. Banded structures show strong similarities to other solid state processes. The fabrication of the sample components demonstrates that AFED is already capable of producing industrial grade components. In mechanical testing, interlayer bonding defects result in a more brittle failure behavior in the direction of the structure, in the microstructure show strong similarities to other solid-state processes. The manufacturing of the sample components demonstrates that AFED is already capable of producing industrial grade components. In mechanical tests, interlayer bonding defects result in a more brittle failure behavior in the direction of the structure, while in the horizontal direction of the structure mechanical properties corresponding to a T4 temper have been achieved.
Szego asymptotcs for Angelesco systems
Authors: Aptekarev Alexander Ivanovich
Published: February 2024

We discuss opportunity for extension the strong asymptotics (Szego asymptotics) for more wide class of the sequences of multiple orthogonal polynomials with respect to the system of weights supported by the non-intersecting intervals (Angelesco system). The interest for limiting properties of these polynomials, when their multi-index tends monotonically to in_nity (along of the edges of p-dimensional lattice) has appeared recently, in onnection with spectral problems for the discrete Schrodinger operator (multidimensional Jacobi matrix) on the graph-trees.
Efecto de la suplementación de monoglicerido, oleorresina natural, sintética y poliherbal sobre la salud intestinal en pollos infestados artificialmente con coccidia
Authors:   , Ramos Lama Andre Fabio Martin
Published: February 2024

El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar el efecto del monoglicérido, oleorresina natural, sintetica y poliherbial sobre la salud intestinal de pollos inoculados artificialmente con coccidios. Para ello, se utilizaron 300 pollos de engorde de la línea Cobb 500 distribuidos aleatoriamente en 3 tratamientos experimentales Tratamiento 1: Control Negativo, Tratamiento 2: Enramicina, Halquinol y Salinomicina y Tratamiento 3: extractos naturales (monoglicérido, oleorresina natural, sintética y poliherbal) con 4 repeticiones y 25 pollos por repetición. A los 14 días de edad los pollos fueron desafiados por vía in-gluvial con cepas virulentas de Eimeria spp. contenidos en una vacuna comercial de coccidiosis, donde se recibió 6 veces de la dosis recomendada, para inducir a la enfermedad. La evaluación de los tratamientos se hizo en base a la morfometría intestinal, análisis de la flora y necropsia intestinales. Las variables evaluadas como la ganancia de peso tuvieron un promedio de 3.4 e índice de conversión alimenticia de 1.6 con respecto a pollos suplementados con productos químicos, los pollos suplementados con productos fitogénicos presentaron menor consumo de alimento con un promedio de 5432.5, y la viabilidad presentó un promedio 0.8 igualándose en la suplementación con productos químicos y fitogenicos. La longitud de vellosidades intestinales, profundidad de criptas de Lieberkühn no tuvo diferencia significativa a los 21 días, sin embargo, a los 28 días se vio mejor resultado con respecto a la longitud de vellosidad teniendo un promedio de 1365.6 en pollos suplementados con productos químicos. El escore de lesiones a los 21 días no se evidencio lesión aparente, sin embargo, a los 28 días se pudo apreciar que pollos suplementados con fitogenicos tuvieron lesiones compatibles con E. tenella y E. máxima. Los resultados indican que hubo diferencias significativas (P < 0.05) para el peso final, ganancia de peso e índice de conversión alimenticia…
СОЦИАЛЬНЫЕ ИННОВАЦИИ В ГОСТИНИЧНОМ ДЕЛЕ КАК ИНСТРУМЕНТ ПОВЫШЕНИЯ КАЧЕСТВА ЖИЗНИ
Authors: Позднякова А. В.
Published: February 2024

В данной статье рассматриваются особенности гостиниц реализующих социальные инновации, а также приводится характеристика двух видов инноваций: внешних и внутренних и их особенности. Кроме того, в статье подробно анализируются экологические отели, как пример для использования внешних социальных инноваций. Важное место в статье занимает утверждение о целесообразности поддержки и развития гостиниц социальной направленности. Это объясняется тем, что на сегодняшний день, сфера гостиничного дела динамична, быстро развивается, и требует выбора инноваций реально способствующих повышению качества жизни как гостей, так и обслуживающего персонала гостиницы.
НЕЙРОННЫЕ СЕТИ – ЭФФЕКТИВНЫЙ ИНСТРУМЕНТ СБЫТОВОЙ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ
Authors: Буткевич М. А.
Published: February 2024

Цифровизация экономики и общества, AI-трнсформация, рост количества и качества нейронных сетей предъявляют к маркетологам и сбытовой деятельности новые передовые требования, основанные на эффективном использовании инструментов нейросетей для повышения конкурентоспособности, креативности в подходах и увеличении продаж организаций. Нейронные сети и их использование – не очередной тренд, а эффективный инструмент для ведения бизнеса.
Forest and non-forest demonstrate comparable biophysical temperature effects but distinct asymmetry patterns during cropland conversion
Authors: Li Zhao-Liang , Si Menglin , Liu Xiangyang , Li Yitao , Leng Pei , Tang Ronglin , Duan Si-Bo , Liu Meng , Zhou Chenghu
Published: February 2024

Cropland changes impact surface properties and influence land surface temperature (LST), yet uncertainties persist due to their fragmented pattern. This study examines the actual biophysical LST effect resulting from cropland conversions with well-studied forests and less-explored non-forests. Analyzing data from 2003 to 2019 for global croplands undergoing fractional changes (+1.3%/4y), we find that the biophysical LST effects (-0.01℃/4y in summer; +0.002℃/4y in winter) account for an average of -55.6% and +1.4%, respectively, of the satellite-observed total LST trends in summer (+0.018℃/4y) and winter (+0.138℃/4y). Cropland conversions with forest vegetation (FV) and barren land (BAR) exhibit comparable summer cooling (-0.005℃/4y and -0.004℃/4y), while those with FV and non-forest vegetation (NFV) result in winter warming (+0.002℃/4y and +0.001℃/4y). Notably, cropland conversion with BAR shows the most pronounced LST sensitivity, followed by FV, NFV and wetland (WET). The sensitivity magnitude of cropland degradation to FV surpasses that of cropland expansion, revealing reversed asymmetry patterns for conversions with NFV, BAR, and WET. The findings caution against incorporating all types of natural landcovers in cropland conversions for land-based mitigation.
Outcomes after ED visit for acute Chest Pain, with respect to negative but measurable troponin levels and CRP levels
Authors: Greenberg Sharon A. , Cohen Neta , Shopen Noa , Mordechai Reut Aviv , Zeltser David , Werthein Julieta
Published: February 2024

While chest pain is one of the most common chief complaints in the ED, the majority are discharged for ambulatory care. We explored outcomes of patients who presented to the ED with chest pain as chief compliant, and assessed whether an association exists with negative (but measurable) troponin levels or elevated CRP levels. The primary outcome was a percutaneous intervention (PCI) within 90 days from ED visit, and the secondary outcomes were 7-day revisit, 14-day ward admission, and 30-day mortality. Of 32,170 patients who presented with chest pain to the ED during the 5-year study period, 23,442 (73%) were discharged from the ED and 8,720 were admitted. Among the discharged 14,477 (61.8%) had very-low troponin, of whom only 70 (0.5%) had PCI withing 90 days, compared with 1.9% in patients with negative but measurable troponin levels (n = 169, p < 0.0001). All the secondary outcomes were higher among patients with negative but measurable troponin compared to very-low troponin: 7-days ED revisit rates were 5.3% compared with 3.3% respectively (p < 0.0001), 14-days admission rates were 3.2% and 0.9% respectively (p < 0.0001) and mortality rates were 0.3% compared to 0.01% (p < 0.0001). Troponin levels ≥ 3.5 ng/L were associated with 90-day PCI (aOR 2.0, [95% CI: 1.5–2.7], p < 0.001). An elevated CRP level was an independent protective factor against 90-day PCI (aOR 0.98, p = 0.03), but was associated with all the other outcomes. While nearly 3/4 of ED chest pain visits can be discharge safely, measurable troponin levels may suggest the need for imminent coronary intervention.
Characterization and utilization of apple peel and grape branches extract constituents as green restraints for aluminum dissolution
Authors: Abouzeid Fatma. M. , Alshammery Sultanah
Published: February 2024

Different flavone extracts from apple peel and aldehydes from grape branches were investigated as restraints of the anodic aluminum dissolution procedure in 60% H3PO4:40% H2SO4. The potential -limiting current correlation for Al anode was assessed and associated for regularly improving apple peel and grape stems extract concentration (100 to 1000 ppm range). The limiting current reduces whereas retardation effectiveness (%) increases as the concentrations of apple peel and grape stems extract rise. Apple peel/grape stems mixture extract is pondered to have the most retardation impact. Apple peel and grape stems extract retardation mechanism depends on the adsorption manner at the aluminum metal, that was confirmed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) which reflect that elevated extract concentration (1000 ppm) have hopeful and positive impact on the Al surface quality. The activation energy and activation constraints (changes in enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs free energy) were established and conveyed suggestions for powerful interaction among the additives and the aluminum surface. The extract items were inspected via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Gc-mass. The apple peel and grape stems extract establish prospective as a natural electro-polishing green restraint. The synergistic influence between apple peel/grape stems (S = 1.64–1.83 ) is noticeable. The lowest Ra and PV estimates are recorded via apple peel /grape stems mixture, that achieves the greatest Reflectance estimate and retardation effectiveness. This is recognized high active sites number for apple peel /grape stems mixture extract.
A2-astrocyte activation by short term hypoxia rescue α-synuclein preformed fibril induced neuronal cell death
Authors: Choi Ha Nyeong , Kim Seon-Hee , Lee Bina , Yoo Han Sol , Lee Jeong Hyun , Jo Min Gi , Seong Hye Min , Song Chieun , Kim Seong Jae , Park Sang Won , Kim Hye Jung , Kang Heeyoung , Lee Chan Hyun , Lee Min Young , Yun Seung Pil , Kim Minkyeong
Published: February 2024

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neuro-degenerative disease for which a radical cure is not available, only symptomatic control. Studies have shown that hypoxia may have disease-modifying effects on PD. Herein, we investigated if short-term hypoxia activates astrocytes and if it has a protective effect on pre-formed fibril (PFF)-treated primary cortical neurones. Long-term hypoxia suppresses astrocyte activation and induces cell death, whereas short-term hypoxia activates astrocytes without affecting cellular apoptosis or viability. Short-term hypoxia restored cellular apoptosis and viability of PFF-treated neurones and reduced toxic phospho-α-synuclein (p-α-syn) aggregation. Similarly, short-term hypoxia-exposed astrocyte-conditioned medium rescued cellular apoptosis and viability of PFF-treated neurones and p-α-syn expression. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction revealed that short-term hypoxia promotes protective A2 astrocytes and suppresses toxic A1 astrocytes. Our findings suggest that short-term hypoxia has a neuro-protective effect against PD by activating protective A2 astrocytes, which rescue PFF-induced neuronal cell death. This provides insights into short-term hypoxia's clinical implications as a disease-modifying PD strategy.
Reasoning with the Inverse of 3D Cardinal Direction Relations Based on Direction Matrices
Authors: Wang Miao , Dong Xingxing , Gao Jixun , Fang Zhenxi , Tang Hao , Li Song
Published: February 2024

In order to improve the ability of intelligent reasoning and prediction of 3DR27 model which presented in our previous work, enhance the usability of 3DR27 model, and better fulfill the demands of real applications for complex 3D spatial database, we focused on the problem of inversing 3D cardinal direction relations between spatial objects. In order to realize automated reasoning, an algorithm for computing the inverse of 3D cardinal direction relations based on matrices is proposed on the basis of the mapping between the 3D rectangular cardinal direction relations and 3D interval relation matrix. This algorithm improves the power of reasoning for this model by means of the excellent properties of matrix operations. Theorems are provided to prove formally that our algorithm is correct and complete. This study realized the automatic inference and calculation of the inverse of the 3D cardinal direction relations based on 3DR27 model and further improved the ability of spatial reasoning and spatial analysis of spatial database.
Mining High Utility Itemsets with Elephant Herding Optimization
Authors: Han Meng , He Feifei , Zhang Ruihua , Li Chunpeng , Meng Fanxing
Published: February 2024

High utility itemset mining is an active research problem in data mining. Because traditional high utility itemset mining algorithms cannot cope with the exponential growth of search space, the heuristic high utility itemset mining algorithms have been widely studied. To solve the problem of itemset loss caused by the early convergence of heuristic high utility itemset mining algorithms, a new algorithm is designed to discovering more high utility itemsets within fewer iterations. In this paper, the proposed strategy of positional evolution based on the female elephant factor is proposed to reduce effectively the search space and improve the execution efficiency of the algorithm. Moreover, in order to prevent the algorithm from converging too quickly and falling into local optimum, the proposed strategy of two-phase population diversity maintenance which keeps a balance between population diversity and convergence. Extensive experiments on real datasets show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the advanced heuristic high utility mining algorithms.
MicroRNA-mediated network redundancy is constrained by purifying selection and contributes to expression robustness
Authors: Liufu Zhongqi , Dai Aimei , Lan Wenqi , Lyu Yang , Zhou Xuanyi , Mi Xin , Tang Tian
Published: February 2024

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) act as trans-acting elements and form composite feedforward circuits (cFFCs) in conjunction with transcription factors (TFs), leading to redundancy in network motifs and influencing gene expression regulation. However, the maintenance of miRNA-mediated regulatory redundancy and its impact on gene expression evolution remain elusive. Using public ChIP-seq/ChIP-chip and ATAC-seq data, we constructed miRNA-mediated cFFCs in Drosophila melanogaster embryos and found that most of predicted miRNA targets are involved in redundant cFFCs. Population genetics analysis revealed that highly redundant cFFCs are subjected to stronger purifying selection than low-redundant or non-redundant cFFCs. This redundancy negatively correlates with expression divergence between D. melanogaster and D. simulans, and is associate with expression stability in D. melanogaster embryos under heat shock. Moreover, highly redundant cFFCs mainly target older genes or young genes with broader expression. Our findings emphasize the biological significance of miRNA-mediated cFFC redundancy in mediating the robustness of gene expression during evolution.
Determining capacity of people living with dementia to take part in research: an electronic survey study of researcher confidence, competence and training needs
Authors: Griffiths Sarah , Shepherd Victoria , Volkmer Anna
Published: February 2024

Background Researchers are required to determine whether a person has capacity to consent to a research study before they are able to participate. The Mental Capacity Act and accompanying Code of Practice for England and Wales provide some guidance on this process, but researchers have identified that it can be difficult to determine capacity to consent when a person has complex cognitive or communication needs. This study aimed to understand the experiences and opinions of researchers who recruit people with dementia to research projects, to inform the future development of training resources.Methods A mixed method, cross-sectional, electronic survey was circulated via social media and research networks in England and Wales. The survey remained open for ten weeks and included open and closed questions exploring respondents confidence in determining capacity in the context of recruiting people with dementia to consent, their views on training and support they have experienced and their perceptions of future training and support needs.Results 60 respondents completed the survey from across England and Wales. Although 75% of respondents had experience of determining capacity to consent people with dementia to research, only 13% rated themselves as feeling ‘very confident’ in this. Qualitative content analysis of open responses led to the generation of six themes, explaining researchers’ confidence, competence and future training needs in this area: 1. Researcher uncertainties 2. Lack of time, 3. Balancing information complexity with accessibility, 4. Gatekeepers, 5. Existing enablers and 6. Envisioning future training.Conclusions Researchers working with people with dementia would benefit from specific training in undertaking conversations around consent with people with dementia. People with dementia have may have fluctuating capacity, and despite support from caregivers, researchers have little practical guidance on methods of determining a person’s ability to understand or appreciate the information they have provided during the consent process. Given the development of large complex trials within dementia research, there is an urgency to develop specific and practical guidance and training for researchers working with people with dementia and their families.
Effects of a ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) small-molecule peptide mimetic in an in vitro and in vivo model of CDKL5 deficiency disorder
Authors: Mottolese Nicola , Loi Manuela , Trazzi Stefania , Tassinari Marianna , Uguagliati Beatrice , Candini Giulia , Iqbal Khalid , Medici Giorgio , Ciani Elisabetta
Published: February 2024

Background
Mutations in the X-linked CDKL5 gene underlie a severe epileptic encephalopathy, CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD), characterized by gross motor impairment, autistic features and intellectual disability. Absence of Cdkl5 negatively impacts neuronal proliferation, survival, and maturation in in vitro and in vivo models, resulting in behavioral deficits in the Cdkl5 KO mouse. While there is no targeted therapy for CDD, several studies showed that treatments enabling an increase in brain BDNF levels give rise to structural and behavioral improvements in Cdkl5 KO mice. P021, a tetra-peptide derived from the biologically active region of the human ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), was found to enhance neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity by promoting an increase in BDNF expression in preclinical models of brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Down syndrome, resulting in a beneficial therapeutic effect. Considering the positive actions of P021 on brain development and cognition associated with increased BDNF expressions, the present study aimed to evaluate the possible beneficial effect of treatment with P021 in an in vitro and in vivo model of CDD.
Methods
We used SH-CDKL5-KO cells as an in vitro model of CDD to test the efficacy of P021 on neuronal proliferation, survival, and maturation. In addition, both young and adult Cdkl5 KO mice were used to evaluate the in vivo effects of P021, on neuroanatomical and behavioral defects.
Results
We found that P021 treatment was effective in restoring neuronal proliferation, survival, and maturation deficits, as well as alterations in the GSK3β signaling pathway, features that characterize a human neuronal model of CDKL5 deficiency. Unexpectedly, chronic in vivo P021 treatment failed to increase BDNF levels and did not improve neuroanatomical defects in Cdkl5 KO mice, resulting in limited behavioral benefit.
Conclusions
At present, it remains to be understood whether initiating the treatment prenatally, or prolonging the duration of treatment will be necessary in order to achieve similar results in vivo in CDD mice to those obtained in vitro.
Association between nutrient intake and bronchopulmonary dysplasia in extremely preterm infants
Authors: Zhang Yanyan , Wang Xin , Zheng Youning , Wang Chan , Wang Jiangya , Zhang Kun
Published: February 2024

Objective
bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a common chronic lung disease in preterm infants, and nutrition is an important factor in the prevention and treatment of BPD. To investigate the association between early nutritional intake after birth and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in very preterm infants with gestational age (GA) ≤ 32 weeks.
Methods
A retrospective case-control study was conducted. The subjects were preterm infants with gestational age ≤ 32 weeks admitted to the Neonatal intensive Care Unit of Hebei General Hospital from December 1, 2018 to December 1, 2022. A total of 195 infants who met the criteria were enrolled and divided into BPD group and non-BPD group according to their clinical manifestations.
Results
A total of 195 preterm infants were enrolled in this study, including 85 cases in BPD group and 110 cases in non-BPD group. (1)Compared with the non-BPD group, the gestational age, birth weight, and delivery of BPD group were significantly higher Birth length, head circumference, and cesarean section rate were lower in the BPD group than in the non-BPD group (P < 0.05). The BPD group had a higher total fluid volume than the non-BPD group on the fourth day after birth(P < 0.05); Compared with the non-BPD group, the BPD group had significantly lower total caloric intake on days 4, 7, and 14, intestinal fluid volume on days 4, 7, and 14, intestinal caloric intake on days 4, 7, and 14, protein on days 4, 7, and 14, fat emulsion on days 4, 7, and 14, and carbohydrate on days 14(P < 0.05). The initiation time of breastfeeding in BPD group was later than that in non-BPD group(P < 0.05).(2)Binary logistic regression analysis showed that total fluid volume on day 4 and duration of non-invasive mechanical ventilation were independent risk factors for BPD in very preterm infants; Intestinal energy and protein on day 7 are protective factors for BPD in very preterm infants.
Conclusion
The occurrence of BPD in very preterm infants is the result of multiple factors. It is helpful to reduce the incidence of BPD by limiting the total fluid intake on the fourth day, increasing the intake of enteral fluid and enteral calorie, starting breastfeeding as early as possible, and increasing the intake of protein, fat emulsion and calorie on the fourth, seventh and fourteenth days.
Hypoglycemic, antihyperglycemic, antiglycation, anti-hypercholesteremic, and toxicity evaluation with gas chromatography mass spectrometry profiling for Aloe armatissima leaves
Authors: Serafi Abdulhalim , Ahmed Muhammad , Shahid Imran , Azmat Aisha , Badar Ammar , Bafail Mohammed , Alamari Shalan , Ahmad Rizwan
Published: February 2024

Background: Aloe species are known for the treatment of various conditions including diabetes mellitus (DM), hypercholesteremia, and glycation end products. Nevertheless, the biological activity of Aloe armatissima is yet to be reported. It’s a first-time report to evaluate the Aloe armatissima leaves (AAL) extract for its antioxidant, anti-glycation, anti-hyperglycemic, and anti-hyperlipidemic potential.
Methodology: in vitro tests of DPPH for the antioxidant and HSA for the antiglycation activity whereas, in vivo models were used to assess the toxicity, antihyperglycemic, and ani-hypercholesteremic effects. The volatile profile was determined via GC-MS.
Results: the IC50 values of 116±0.66 (mg/mL) for antioxidant activity and 0.21±0.009 (mg/mL) for antiglycation activity were observed for the AAL extract. The acute toxicity in animal model revealed a lack of toxicity for the extract. The in vivo models exhibited a dose dependent hypoglycemic and anti-hyperglycemic effects with significant (P<0.01) BGLs reduction. Moreover, a profound decrease in serum cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL along with a significant (P<0.05) increase in HDL and serum insulin levels were recorded. The statistical analysis demonstrated the values of F(24,125)=23.95, P=0.001, effect size=1.95 (normoglycemic mice), F(24,125)=143.21, P=0.001, effect size=4.79 (glucose loaded mice), and F(24,125)=82.69, P=0.001, effect size=3.6 (diabetic model). GCMS showed the presence of eleven compounds with Tetratetracontane (100%), β-Sitosterol (27.76), and vitamin-E (18.68) in major amounts.
Conclusion: the results underscore the extract’s capacity to effectively combat various ailments however, the active phytochemicals need to be isolated and the pharmacological activities may be established at molecular level.
A study on large-scale disease causality discovery from biomedical literature*
Authors: yu Shirui , Dong Peng , Li Junlian , Tang Xiaoli , Li Xiaoying
Published: February 2024

Background With the increasing amount of scientific and technical literature available, it has posed difficulties for deeper knowledge discovery. Biomedical semantic relationship extraction can reveal important biomedical entities and the semantic relationships between them, which is an important basis for biomedical knowledge discovery, clinical decision making and other applications. Identifying the causative relationships of diseases is a significant research field, which can help speed up the discovery of underlying mechanisms of diseases and promote better prevention and treatment of diseases.
Methods This study aims to optimize the automatic extraction of disease causality of SemRep tool by constructing a semantic predicate vocabulary that specifically conveys disease causality, allowing for the discovery of disease causality within the biomedical literature. We extracted semantic feature words based on existing research and the parsing and recognition results of literature using SemRep. We then filtered and evaluated textual semantic predicates according to the semantic feature words and constructed a semantic predicate vocabulary expressing disease causality.
Results By improving the automatic extraction of disease causality pairs, the proposed method would facilitate better disease causality mining from biomedical literature. We constructed a semantic predicate vocabulary expressing disease causality using 50 predicates with an accuracy of at least 40%.
Conclusions The approach of using optimized semantic predicates to discover disease causality from large-scale biomedical literature is feasible. It can provide insights for the extraction of other types of semantic relationships and for machine learning methods as well, thus contributing to the discovery and exploitation of disease causality knowledge and supporting clinical diagnosis and disease prevention and control.
New Custom Rating for Improving Recommendation System Performance
Authors: Fahrudin Tora , Wijaya Dedy Rahman
Published: February 2024

Nowadays, the recommendation system still attracts many researchers. Various new businesses focusing on online marketing (E-Commerce) have emerged since the covid-19 pandemic. This phenomenon allows recommending items based on Collaborative Filtering Recommender System (CF) to enhance the shopping experience for users. An accurate CF depends on how similarity algorithms can find similar profile users correctly. The traditional similarity measures are based on the user-item rating matrix. In this paper, we employ four custom rating combine with new rating formula from the popularity of users, items, and its original rating which called called New Custom Rating (Ncr). Instead of focusing on original rating only, our Ncr tried to maximize the recommender system's performance by employing users' popularity and items to derive new ratings value. Using those formulas will make the new value rating more representative and the calculation of the similarity algorithm more precisely. Finally, the increased accuracy of the recommendation systems will be achieved. We conduct Ncr in four custom rating algorithms and four algorithms of the reccomender system in five public data sets. The experimental results demonstrate that Ncr can increase the recommendation system's accuracy by decreasing RMSE, MSE, and MAE and increasing FCP and Hit Rate. Ncr may improved accuracy of the reccomender system in various recommender systems algorithms by employing the popularity of users and items in rating.
Analysis of carbon dioxide/methane mixing process in rock cores for natural gas storage sites with carbon dioxide cushion
Authors: Dąbrowski Karol M. , Smulski Rafał , Takerhi Matthew E.
Published: February 2024

The setup utilizing an X-ray scanner and Raman spectrometer is used for the characterization of CO2/CH4 mixing process in rock core samples. The setup allows us to determine mixing in the core and the mixing at the core-entry/exit. The mixing coefficinet for both CO2 displacing CH4 and CH4 displacing CO2 is measured. It is showed that mixing is higher at the core entry than core exit. Mixing for CO2 as a displacing fluid is higher than for CH4 as displacing fluid. A Berea sandstone rock core was used for measurement optimization. Dispersion coefficients for samples from a location perspective for an Underground Gas Storage in an aquifer with CO2 cushion in Poland were determined.
Calculating within-pair difference scores in the co-twin control design. Effects of alternative strategies
Authors: Madrid-Valero Juan J. , Verhulst Brad. , López-López José A. , Ordoñana Juan R.
Published: February 2024

Co-twin studies are an elegant and powerful design that allows controlling for the effect of confounding variables, including genetic and a range of environmental factors. There are several approaches to carry out this design. One of the methods commonly used, when contrasting continuous variables, is to calculate difference scores between members of a twin pair on two hypothetically associated variables, in order to analyse the covariation of such differences. However, information regarding whether and how the different ways of estimating within-pair difference scores may impact the results is scant. This study aimed to compare the results obtained by different methods of data transformation when performing a co-twin study and test how the magnitude of the association changes using each of those approaches. Data was simulated using a direction of causation model as a reference and by fixing the effect size of causal path to low, medium, and high values. Within-pair difference scores were calculated as relative scores for diverse within-pair ordering conditions or absolute scores. Pearson’s correlations using relative difference scores vary across the established scenarios (how twins were ordered within pairs) and these discrepancies become larger as the within-twin correlation increases. Absolute difference scores tended to produce the lowest correlation in every condition. Our results show that both using absolute difference scores or ordering twins within pairs, may produce an artificial decrease in the magnitude of the studied association, obscuring the ability to detect patterns compatible with causation, which could lead to discrepancies across studies and erroneous conclusions.
Leonurine exerts anti-inflammatory effects in LPS-induced endometritis by modulating the mouse JAK-STAT/PI3K-Akt/PPAR signalling pathway based on transcriptomic analysis
Authors: Shao Yongbin , Sun Yaoqiang , Jiang Jingbo , Li Zhiyuan , Wang Mengmeng , Luo Yan , Gu Xinli
Published: February 2024

Endometritis is a common disease in postpartum cows characterized by delayed uterine recovery due to inflammation of the endometrium. Although antibiotics and hormones are commonly used for treatment, they have their limitations. One potential alternative is the use of motherwort extract, specifically leonurine, which has been found to possess anti-inflammatory properties. However, the exact molecular mechanism of action remains unclear. To address this gap in knowledge, this study aimed to investigate the effects of leonurine on LPS-induced endometritis in mice using an experimental mouse model. Through transcriptomic analysis, it was discovered that leonurine modulates multiple signaling pathways, including JAK-STAT/PI3K-Akt, and influences the expression of key genes such as PRLR, SOCS2, COL1A1, and AKT1. Furthermore, leonurine effectively reduces the levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), which play a crucial role in the regulation of acute endometritis. Additionally, leonurine helps maintain cholesterol homeostasis and attenuates inflammation through the PPAR signaling pathway by modulating genes like CYP27A1, HMGCS1, and SCD2. These findings suggest that leonurine has a protective effect against LPS-induced endometritis and its anti-inflammatory properties involve multiple pathways and targets, potentially mediated by the regulation of signaling pathways such as JAK-STAT/PI3K-Akt/PPAR.
Impact of Nicotine Exposure and withdrawal on Plasma glucose, insulin and glycated haemoglobin in high-fat diet fed wistar rats
Authors: Obia Onyebuchi , Nda-ue Ledu , Ojeka Sunday Ogbu , Ogba Azubuike , Nwokocha Frank Nwabueze
Published: February 2024

Background to the study: Nicotine, which is the most abundant constituent of tobacco cigarette is one of the most commonly abused drugs. The duo of obesity and tobacco smoking increases the risk of cardiometabolic disorders.
Methodology: The experiment involved 48 male wistar rats separated into 4 groups of 8 rats each. All the animals were placed on high-fat diet (Margarine; blue band) in addition to the different doses of nicotine in the experimental groups. Group 1 served as control and received distilled water, Groups 2, 3 and 4 received 200µg/kg, 400µg/kg and 800µg/kg of nicotine oral solution respectively. The experimental groups were placed on their respective doses of nicotine solution for an initial four weeks. Thereafter, four animals in each group were sacrificed and blood samples collected to determine their nicotine exposure plasma levels of glucose, insulin and glycated hemoglobin. The remaining four animals in each group continued without nicotine for another four weeks after which they were sacrificed and blood samples collected to determine their nicotine withdrawal plasma levels of glucose, insulin and glycated hemoglobin.
Results: The results showed that exposure to the three concentrations of nicotine (200, 400 and 800µg/kg respectively) significantly caused a rise in plasma insulin levels but dose-dependent reduction in both glucose and glycated haemoglobin compared to their control groups. Four weeks after withdrawal of initial 200µg/kg nicotine there were no significant changes in the levels of plasma glucose, insulin and glycated haemoglobin compared to the nicotine exposed groups. Withdrawal, after initial exposure to 400µg/kg of nicotine was associated with significant rise in both the plasma glucose and glycated haemoglobin but no significant change in insulin compared to their respective nicotine exposed groups. Cessation, after initial exposure 800µg/kg of nicotine resulted in significant rise in plasma levels of glucose, glycated haemoglobin and insulin compared to their nicotine exposed groups.
Conclusion: The possible reduction in food consumption and increased physical activity together with the increased levels of insulin in the plasma could contribute to the lowered plasma glucose shown in this study. The reduction in the levels of glycated haemoglobin following exposure to nicotine may be potentially beneficial in diabetic management. Therefore, reversal of plasma glucose and glycated haemoglobin levels could be achieved four weeks after cessation of 800µg/kg of nicotine. This result could suggest a possible association of nicotine cessation with decreased insulin sensitivity.
DFT-based ab initio study of the electronic, optical and thermodynamics properties of Al based fluoro-perovskite AlMF3 (M= Ca and cd)
Authors: Zaman Shams u , Riaz Junaid , Ghani Ihtesham , Bibi Amina , Arif Muhammad
Published: February 2024

Ab initio Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method with the generalized gradient approximation and Hubbard-U term were used to investigate the structural, elastic, electronic, and optical properties of Al-based fluoro perovskite compounds AlMF3 (M = Ca and Cd). With a careful investigation of the contribution from various bands utilizing total and partial density of state curves, electronic band structure analysis identified AlCaF3 and AlCdF3 as direct band gap materials. Calculations of optical spectra spanning 0 to 40 eV were done, including real and imaginary parts of the dielectric function, optical reflectivity, absorption coefficient, optical conductivity, refractive index, and extinction coefficients. Because of their unique optical properties, the materials have potential applications in optoelectronic devices.
A novel and efficient method for synthesizing magnetic PS-PMMA@Fe3O4 microspheres for protein separation and detection
Authors: Ying Dong , hao-nan Ye , Zheng-guo He , Wei Li , Minglong Yuan , Gan-peng Li
Published: February 2024

Immunoassay is the most widely used detection technique in clinical testing.Compared with the traditional enzyme-linked immunoassay, the chemiluminescence immunoassay system based on carboxylated magnetic beads as the separation tool is more advantageous, which can rapidly separate proteins and achieve the purpose of quantitative detection of proteins.Separation tools in chemiluminescence immunoassay techniques are key and the focus of research.However, the domestic technology of preparing carboxylated magnetic beads is still immature, and the market is monopolized by imported products, which is not conducive to the development of domestic chemiluminescence immunoassay technology.Based on this, we propose a simple and convenient new method for the preparation of magnetic microbeads.Firstly, styrene-methyl methacrylate microspheres were polymerized by dispersion polymerization and hydrolyzed to form carboxylated microspheres, then carboxylated microspheres were introduced in the process of classical co-precipitation reaction to synthesize magnetic microbeads, and magnetic microbeads with different magnetic contents were prepared and characterized.The separation effect was then tested by a fully automated chemiluminescence immunoassay analyzer, and it was found that carboxylated magnetic beads with a magnetic content of 20% were the most effective in separating proteins, and the coefficient of variation was as low as 3.41%, with a stable and reproducible performance.The chemiluminescence immunoassay technique can separate proteins in a short period of time with a very small amount of carboxylated magnetic microbeads, which is fast and efficient and will help in the early diagnosis of diseases in healthcare facilities and may be a better point-of-care assay.
Pumping Test for Dammam Confined Aquifer and Geochemical Specification Within Najaf Governorate Iraq
Authors: Al-Owaidi Mohanad R.A. , Al-Enezy Arshad W.A.
Published: February 2024

The Dammam Aquifer is one of the most significant aquifers in the Western Desert of Iraq. It provides groundwater for life and agriculture in the region. The study focused on the Dammam Aquifer in the Najaf Governorate. Far from being held accountable, the indiscriminate and haphazard drilling of hundreds of illegal wells by local citizens has depleted the aquifer. Seven wells drilled by government institutions were chosen to reassess the hydrological properties of the aquifer by using pumping test operations. To be fully aware of Dammam Aquifer attributes in the study area, first, the data were obtained from the measuring of the groundwater levels (pumping test) and then secondly were interpreted by using the AQTESOLV program version 4.50, which have been recorded in the following several tables Compared with the previous studies, the data of transmissivity, hydraulic conductivity, and specific capacity, confirm a drawdown in the Dammam confined aquifer. The geochemical analyses for 2008, 2016, and 2021 point to a decline in the properties of Dammam groundwater, since they represent an increase in the total dissolved salt of water. Due to the indiscriminate drawing off the groundwater besides the global climate changes, the starting point of water depletion in the Dammam aquifer refers to the dropping down of the groundwater levels.
The Collective Narrative of Trauma and Healing Among Internally Displaced Individuals in Ethiopia: A Community-Based Participatory Action Research Inquiry
Authors: Zeleke Waganesh , Wondie Yemataw , Mekonen Mekdes , Hailu Tewodros , Holmes Courtney , Moges Mengistu , Nenoko Goshu
Published: February 2024

Background: Ethiopia is currently ranked among the top five countries with the highest number of internally displaced individuals, and several centers in the country provide temporary accommodation for those who have been forcibly displaced from their homes. Research shows that internally displaced people are subjected to a multitude of stressors, such as mass and community trauma, poverty, and disintegration of social support networks, which can result in mental distress, impaired interpersonal relationships, diminished coping abilities, and poor psychosocial well-being.
Methods: Drawing on the conceptualization of a culturally responsive constructive processing approach for addressing trauma, this study explored individual and community narratives of trauma and healing as shaped by lived experiences. Data were collected from 42 stakeholders using Community-Based Participatory Action Research (CBPAR) and interpretative phenomenological research design.
Results: The thematic analysis illuminates the stories of internally displaced people in Ethiopia and their collective experiences of trauma and healing. Several themes emerged, including a collective definition of trauma, the nature of the ongoing collective trauma experienced by internally displaced people, collective connection to the culture and legacies of healing and resilience.
Conclusions: The findings of this study can be used to adapt to or develop a culturally responsive trauma-informed program to address the mental health and healing of individuals with internal displacement.
Salidroside Represses Proliferation of Ovarian Cancer Cells by Heightening Expression Levels of PTEN and ARID1A
Authors: Pei Mengyuan , Li Dianyu , Gong Zhuandi , Wei Suocheng
Published: February 2024

Objectives:
This study aimed to explore the salidroside influences on apoptosis and proliferation of ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells, also to investigate if the salidroside effects SKOV3 cells via target genes of ARID1A and PTEN.
Methods
Ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells cultured in McCoy 5A media were treated with the different concentrations of salidroside (4, 8, 16, 30 and 40 μg/mL), which included SAL-1, SAL-2, SAL-3, SAL-4 and SAL-5 groups, respectively. Flow cytometry was utilized to determine the cell cycle and apoptosis rates of SKOV3 cells. Expression levels of ARID1A and PTEN mRNAs and proteins were detected．
Results
In comparison with control group (CG), numbers of SKOV3 cells lessened at 48h and 72h. Inhibition rates of SKOV3 cells proliferation were increased along with the increase of salidroside doses with the largest inhibition rate in SAL-5 (P<0.05). At 24h, 48h and 72h, the apoptosis rates of SKOV3 cells in SAL-5 were significantly higher than those of CG and SAL-1 group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Expression levels of ARID1A and PTEN mRNAs and proteins were ascended as doses of salidroside increased at 24 h, 48 h and 72 h, respectively.
Conclusions
Salidroside could dose-dependently inhibit the proliferation viability of SKOV3 cells, impact the cell division process. Ahigher dose of salidroside promoted the apoptosis of SKOV3 cells, enhanced the expression levels of PTEN and ARID1A mRNAs and proteins.